ã€ŠKidnapped Dragonsã€‹


 Chapter 1: The Cause of the Apocalypse

    <h4>Chapter 1: The Cause of the Apocalypse</h4>

    [The [Earth] has entered the abnormal state [Apocalypse].]

    [You have failed in saving the Earth. The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rewinds the world¡¯s time.]

    Everything in existence turned into ashes asva filled the earth. Lava slowly flowing in bulks steadily erased the stain it created in its flow and returned to the ce it came from.

    The world¡¯s clock started to slowly rewind itself. This was the sixth time. Humans, as well as the Earth had faced the Apocalypse, yet again through the hands of the dragons.

    A man, Yu Jitae stared at the sky painted in crimson. When the end approached him, he decided to carefully think back on the previous Apocalypses as he had always done.

    It all happened when the hatchlings (baby dragons) left on an Amusement. While they were off in their adventure, the dimensions being disjointed by ident was the source of trouble.

    The world they had been living in was different from the Earth but the young dragons did not know that. Thus, they naturally did not know what kind of results their actions would bring. They lived freely, just like how any other dragon in the alternate world would have enjoyed their Amusement but the following results were close to the worst case scenario.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    All adult dragons had the duty to protect their hatchlings and this protection would sometimes be in the form of revenge. When hatchlings died in someone¡¯s hands, the dragons, even if they weren¡¯t a direct kin, would still gather and ask for the price of the blood.

    This was why Yu Jitae¡¯s clock had been rewound six times.

    He was not weak. Living close to hundreds of years, he had travelled through countless battles for at least dozens of years. He had all the Authorities and Blessings that an existence could have and now, he could even stand against the entire world as an individual.

    However, even such Yu Jitae could not protect the broad Earth against tens of dragons.

    That was beyond his control.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Once, there was a time he found the repetitive regression tiresome. It would be great if he could die along with other humans but the Authorities and Blessings that made him the strongest in the world had a firm grip on his life without letting go.

    In the end, the only thing he could do was to sever the reason for this repetition, by stopping the Apocalypse.

    Then what were the causes of the Apocalypse?

    There was one that lost control of itself in the madness of war and bled to death in insanity.

    There was one that stopped its own heartbeat after realising that it could not aplish the task given to its life.

    There was one that was buried in overflowing malice and unable to withstand that, it crumbled.

    Such three results slightly intertwined or disjointed and led the world to an Apocalypse. On average, the years it took were between 15 to 20 years, which was also the allocated time of Amusement that was forced onto the dragons.

    [The world¡¯s time will soon begin.]

    The Republic of Korea that had beenpletely rewound appeared before his eyes.

    His indifferent sunken gaze nced across at the roads covered in asphalt, buildings rising up above them and people carrying umbres in quick steps. ck and white cars dashed across as sounds of horns reached his ears and perhaps due to a recent rainfall, the sky was coloured in a dull gray light.

    Within the world filled with achromatic colours, a man in a darker shade of ash gray remained standing. His lips were bent into a faint arc. It perhaps won¡¯t be an easy journey, but this time, it would be different.

    He finally had a gist.

 Chapter 2: Bom / Spring (1)

    <h4>Chapter 2: Bom / Spring (1)</h4>

    Yu Jitae took a uniform out of the wardrobe, covered his body with a shirt and wore a formal pair of pants. Its lengths and size was too small for his body but the moment it touched his hand, it turned bigger to match his body.

    It was thanks to a skill he had.

    [Inherent Customisation (S)]

    Normally, it was used to allow humans to wrap their body with unwearable things but that advanced skill was currently being used to match a smaller uniform to his body.

    After finally putting a tie around his neck, he stared at the mirror as it reflected the police uniform he was wearing. It all felt anew. It seemed that he had been proud to be wearing this around a hundred years ago but that was a distant memory he couldn¡¯t even remember properly.

    Looking at the clock, he discovered that it was 7am, time to go to work.

    Despite being early in the morning, Gangnam was filled with people. There were businessmen in suits having phone calls, as well as superhumans smoking while wearing armours.

    It was them living their everyday life, due to which he found it slightly awkward.

    By getting on a bus, he travelled towards the Portal Bureau. Inside the building there wererge, floating magic stones that enabled the usage of teleportation.

    ¡°Are you heading to the Lair?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    As Yu Jitae walked onto the portal, light started to wrap around his body and when he reopened his eyes, he was at ¡®Lair¡¯.

    *

    In the 21st Century, with the Republic of Korea in the centre, gates opened worldwide as monsters started pouring out from within. At the same time, superhumans armed with ¡®Blessings¡¯ and ¡®Skills¡¯ started appearing.

    In this new period of time referred to as the New Era, Korea was on the luckier side. There were more dungeons with intelligent species and devils than other nations.

    The ie from the devils and intelligent species were magnificent and Korea was treated the way oil-producing countries were treated before, and thanks to that, Korea was currently in top three nations worldwide in terms of military force.

    And ten years ago, Korea started gathering young hunters with excellent potential to one ce to give education. That was the start of the Academy City, ¡®Lair¡¯.

    Not to mention the Korean government, the academy received astronomical amounts of money as investments from worldwide and hiring top-level mages, magic engineers and constructors, they seeded in making arge floating ind that was roughly as big as 1/10 of Seoul in size, ¡®Haytling¡¯.

    Haytling slowly revolved around the world like a satellite and currently, it was flying over the Antic Ocean.

    Lair was the name of the Academy City built on top of Haytling and when Yu Jitae was 27 years old, he was a part of the local police force at Lair.

    He looked outside. Thanks to floating in mid-air, he could see clouds some distance away. Leaving the Portal Bureau, he walked around the Academy City as students in uniforms could be seen here and there.

    And there was a police station not too far from it.

    ¡°Jitae-sunbae, hello!¡±

    ¡°Jitae¡¯s here as well? We had way too much drinkst night yeah.¡±

    When he went in, his colleagues gave greetings but they all looked unfamiliar. That was natural because after regressing, he had never gone to work.

    But now it was different as Yu Jitae tried to melt into an everyday lifestyle.

    Up until now, he had believed in power and fear. He thought most problems could be solved through strength and when leading others, he believed fear was the most efficient method. That was why Yu Jitae gained omnipotent strength through the regressions and monopolised top secrets and information worldwide.

    However, when he reached the strongest level an existence could reach in his sixth round and still failed it, his thoughts were shattered.

    That method was wrong, and thus it had to change now.

    But perhaps due toing too far, the situation did not look positive. Throughout his regressions, there were many things he had lost.

    Although Yu Jitae could jump to a close dimension if he wanted,muting to work on a bus was foreign to him. Twisting a demon lord¡¯s neck and threatening it was easy but drinking a ss of alcohol with a friend was difficult.

    And yet what was required to stop the Apocalypse froming was that trifling ¡®daily life¡¯.

    Fortunately, this job wasn¡¯t bad. He could legally get rid of those hastening the approach of the Apocalypse and also had a close rtion to the Lair. Thus, he was nning to associate himself with them as long as it wasn¡¯t cumbersome.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Yu Jitae threw a greeting and found his seat. There were documents ced everywhere untidily on the unorganised desk. He was made to reflect back on himself from a hundred years ago.

    Without a word, he cleaned his desk and whenever he picked something up, memories asionally shed up like an old film.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The colleagues stared at Yu Jitae in curiosity.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think Jitae-sunbae looks a bit different now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Uhhh¡­!¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Wait what? Was he always that tall?¡±

    His original height which was already on the tall side had visibly increased and reached around 187 centimetres. Besides, the shoulder and arm muscles showing from within the uniform revealed a build that made others question whether he was the same being as before.

    Unable to hold back, one of his juniors walked up.

    ¡°Jitae-sunbae. Did something happen?¡±

    Yu Jitae turned his head around and stared at him. What was his name again, he thought, but fortunately there was a name badge reading Kim Minsoo.

    ¡°Why¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s nothing but, it feels like you got taller all of a sudden and your body¡­ seems a lot better than before as well.¡±

    ¡°Nothing happened.¡±

    Hearing the voice abruptlye to a stop, the junior became flustered. It wasn¡¯t just the height and the voice, but the rather hazy gaze as well as the mysterious expression that couldn¡¯t be seen through that appeared foreign.

    Although he always had a quiet personality and was a man of few words, that was different from the current aura he was giving off. It felt as if he was an entirely different person.

    ¡°You are okay right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    ¡°Or did you like, get enlightened or something?¡±

    When a human received mana into their body and became a superhuman, that process was called an ¡®awakening¡¯. And when a superhuman received a blessing from the world, that was called an ¡®enlightenment¡¯.

    Thinking about it, it was true that he had been enlightened, since he had been receiving blessings for at least a hundred years.

    Yu Jitae gave a casual nod.

    ¡°I knew it! Wahh, congrattions sunbae.¡±

    The reply however, came from behind.

    ¡°Congrattions my ass. Stop bullshitting. Are you guys in a situation where you can congratte yourselves?¡±

    A loud voice echoed inside the office as a middle-aged man with signs of vicissitudes of life on his face appeared. It was the section chief of the Superhuman Investigation Force, Inspector Park.

    When he came in, the office was submerged in silence as if a bucket of cold water was dumped from above. The team leader hurriedly stood up straight and his colleagues ran up one by one to his sides.

    Ahh, right, there was a culture like this here. Yu Jitae stealthily walked and stood around the middle.

    ¡°How many weeks has it been huh? You made a fuss saying you would capture Jo Hosik and took all the recruits in. Why is there still no news huh?¡±

    The section chief released his anger.

    Jo Hosik?

    No matter how much he searched through his memories, such a name could not be found inside. It most likely was a petty criminal thatmitted a crime inside the Lair and hid himself.

    Standing stiffly, the team leader gave a curt reply.

    ¡°We almost finished finding his tracks! If you give us a little bit of leeway¡­¡±

    ¡°A little bit? A liiittle bit??¡±

    The Inspector walked up and pushed the team leader¡¯s forehead with his fingers.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what Team 1 is calling you behind your back right?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, yeah. And you¡¯ll never know in the future as well.¡±

    ¡°W, what are they saying?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re saying it would be better for them to do it. They say it would be quicker for them to catch Jo Hosik even if they started it now. But do you know what made me more angry? It¡¯s that I couldn¡¯t tell them to shut up. Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°T, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Even in my eyes, it looks like they will catch him first! Aigu! You sore fingers*!¡±

    Then, he started pushing the foreheads of every member.

    ¡°You are a thumb.¡±

    ¡°Utt.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an index finger.¡±

    ¡°Ayat.¡±

    ¡°You, a middle finger.¡±

    ¡°Akk! Why are you pushing me harder than others!¡±

    ¡°Fu*k you mate. And you! You¡­!?¡±

    Then, in front of Yu Jitae who had been standing in the fourth position, the Inspector stopped his hand. In surprise, he opened his eyes wide open.

    ¡°Nnn?¡±

    From higher above, Yu Jitae was looking directly at him with a hazy gaze.

    ¡°Huh? Who is this? Why is he standing here?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about sir. It¡¯s Jitae, Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°Nn? This is Yu Jitae?¡±

    Without giving a response, Yu Jitae gave a slight nod. Inspector Park nced across Yu Jitae¡¯s face and body and let out a mutter, ¡°huh?¡± in doubt.

    ¡°Huhh¡­ he looks somewhat different though. Well anyways! I have somewhere to go right now. I¡¯ll give you guys a deadline.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? By a deadline, you mean¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you exactly one week. Within that one week, catch Jo Hosik or just quit your posts. You understand?¡±

    ¡°S, Sir! One week?¡±

    ¡°Do something about it yourselves!¡±

    Leaving only those words behind, Inspector Park disappeared just like that as a hot potato was dropped onto the team members.

    ¡°Haigo. We couldn¡¯t catch him for three whole months, so how can we catch him within a week¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir Inspector is being too much.¡±

    ¡°Are we catching some random bloke? It¡¯s none other than that Jo Hosik that appears and vanishes like a ghost.¡±

    ¡°I know right.¡±

    The team members heaved out sighs.

    It was unclear what they were exactly worried about but their expressions were filled with anxiety. Seeing that, the Regressor made a spection. Judging from what he saw, it appeared that they were worried that their three months of hard work could be in vain.

    It was merely three months of effort, so why were they so anxious? No matter how much he thought, the man could not understand their feelings. Perhaps the estrangement he was feeling was the proof that the things he had lost were a huge distance away from himself.

    However, he perfectly understood the circumstances and the situation. When needed, as much as they needed ¨C as long as it was to the degree of not affecting his daily life, he was inclined to help them for his own daily life.

    As long as it wasn¡¯t bothersome.

    *

    Daily life was daily life but there were still things that had to be done.

    That night, Yu Jitae flew across South Europe, over the Mediterranean Sea. In Firenze, Italy, on a road filled with buildings that seemed to be from the renaissance period ¨C in that ce where musicians performed beautiful music on the streets, Yu Jitae faced a girl.

    She appeared to be seventeen, or eighteen in age.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The girl stopped her feet and stood still. Yu Jitae likewise stood still and gazed at the child for a long time. She had the hair colour resembling a peridot, and eyes sparkling like gems.

    Throughout the long years, he had already lost all interest in women. The reason his gaze remained on her face despite that was because no matter how much he saw it, it wasn¡¯t a face belonging to a human.

    Her face that transcended humans had with it a beauty that was even slightly repulsive.

    That was the Green Dragon.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Perhaps sensing something, it faced a slightly stiffened look at himself.

    Yu Jitae contemted for a short period of time. Although he did find it, what should he do now? In the previous rounds, he did not have a reason to talk with the baby dragons for a long time so he kidnapped them and locked them inside an undergroundbyrinth.

    Ultimately it had led to failure.

    So, it had to be more, ¡®ordinary¡¯ than before.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    He gave a greeting.

    * From a Korean proverb, ¡®Bite ten fingers and there isn¡¯t a single finger not sore¡¯. People use the term ¡®sore finger¡¯ just by itself when referring to a dear person (like an apple of their eye)

 Chapter 3: Bom / Spring (2)

    <h4>Chapter 3: Bom / Spring (2)</h4>

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    From the Green Dragon¡¯s mouth flowed out fluent Korean.

    [Fallen Babel (S)]

    It was a skill enabling the use ofnguages and letters of every country, and was one of the skills dragons learned from birth.

    ¡°Why did youe looking for me?¡±

    ¡°Because I have a business.¡±

    ¡°So you came here knowing who I am?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Yu Jitae looked at the dragon¡¯s face. It gave off a strange atmosphere that did not reveal what the inner thoughts were.

    Silence enveloped the two for a short while.

    Until now for Yu Jitae, dragons were bombs he hoped to hide without letting them ever explode. For that reason, over the hundred years of repeated regressions, the amount of conversations he had with the dragons did not go over 20 sentences a year. There just wasn¡¯t a reason for him to talk with bombs.

    However, he now found it necessary to talk and for the Regressor who was more used to swords than words, it was an unfamiliar experience. Carefully, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The response came immediately, and at that it was an answer he had not been expecting.

    Did she know from the start?

    ¡°Who am I.¡±

    ¡°Yu Jitae¡±

    ¡°Where did you hear that name from.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s written on your chest.¡±

    Chest? Now that he thought about it, he was wearing the superhuman police uniform which had a name badge on it. He hade out in random clothes since blocking the eyes and ears of others wasn¡¯t even considered a task.

    He faced his hazy gaze at his chest before raising his head. The dragon had a strange smile on its face.

    ¡°I¡¯m joking. Honestly, I don¡¯t know who you are but I do know one thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been about one year since I¡¯vee here, and because I like travelling, I¡¯ve been to all sorts of ces. Yet I¡¯ve never seen or heard about any human as strong as you. And it¡¯s also my first time¡­¡±

    The Green Dragon cautiously chose its words.

    ¡°¡­seeing a human as dangerous.¡±

    Though young, it was still of the green race. The Green Dragons can read Providence. In the world, there¡¯s some kind of pattern that is shared throughout the worlds and following such patterns, objects and phenomena can be observed in depth or something but for a human like himself, it wasn¡¯t something that could be known and he wasn¡¯t interested in it in the first ce.

    ¡°Did youe here to kill me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then? Do you feel a sexual lust for dragons?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Or is it an abduction? A kidnap?¡±

    ¡°Simr.¡±

    ¡°What are you nning to do after kidnapping me?¡±

    ¡°Keeping you nearby.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°No need for you to know.¡±

    Seeing Yu Jitae¡¯s attitude of only saying the words he wanted to, the Green Dragon closed its mouth for some time. Then, it looked at the cracked tiles on the road and contemted something before reopening its mouth.

    ¡°What if I disagree?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll still take you.¡±

    ¡°By force?¡±

    Yu Jitae did not give a response.

    ¡°Are you going to do something bad to me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not nning to.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simr to a kidnap. Then you¡¯re already doing a bad thing.¡±

    I see.

    ¡°But, after taking me, you won¡¯t do anything bad?¡±

    Once again, Yu Jitae did not give a reply but the silence reced a yes. The Green Dragon contemted but it felt like it was not thinking of rejecting him in the first ce.

    That was a decision that suited its nature as a green dragon that did not go against Providence. If Yu Jitae decided to take itself by force, the dragon knew that no matter how much it tried, there wouldn¡¯t be any meaning to it.

    ¡°I found this ce to my liking though.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time staying at a ce for more than half a year, you see.¡±

    ¡°Nothing will change even if you whine.¡±

    He then stared at the green eyes without saying another word. The reason dragons were great came from the countless histories built up through their life. In other words, although a dragon, hatchlings were literally babies. They did not know much and the world would appear amazing yet frightening.

    However, the Green Dragon was so calm that it even appeared mysterious.

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go then, ahjussi.¡±

    It suddenly started walking up to Yu Jitae.

    Ahjussi?

    ¡°I¡¯m going with my own feet.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going because Ahjussi kidnapped me, and I¡¯m going with my own legs. I¡¯m a guest, not a victim, and ahjussi is not a kidnapper either.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°So please treat me nicely like a guest.¡±

    It naturally walked up and reached its hand out towards Yu Jitae, as if it had already seen what would happen from now, and how Yu Jitae was nning to go back.

    He did not dislike the dragon¡¯s naturalness. Although he had met it several times already, it was his first time seeing such an attitude so it even felt slightly refreshing.

    But that was the end to the slight interest he had.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something, but I¡¯m not that good a person and this is not a joke.¡±

    His voice sounded gloomy, as if a sticky mix of poison flooded within. For the Regressor, this was like a job where he had to bring a tiger into his house. If he didn¡¯t put a tight leash on it just because it was young, it could grow to be an uncontroble menace in the future.

    Even he had had precious things that stayed with him for a long time. At least in his first two to three lives, he had loved ones imagining the future with and had vowed to definitely seed.

    However, when thest day finally came, everything excluding himself turned to ashes and in the ruined world where everyone had left, he was alone.

    Every time.

    Yu Jitae slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡°From now, you have to stay near my sight, and at a ce where my eyes and ears can reach, you must do things I know. If you listen to me, you will never be harmed but if you do not listen to my words, then I cannot promise you anything. Do you think my words are cruel? Even then you must endure it, because this is the most I can do for you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°This is different from the world you have been living in. If you look at it from closer, there are lots of dirty and disgusting things and I¡¯m nning to protect you from this dangerous world. But if you walk outside the fence I put on, I¡¯ll be a slightly more dangerous guy and there are no fences in this world that can protect you from me. Do you understand those words?¡±

    Condescending words, in a monotone voice. But when those things came out of his mouth, they had more pressure than any threats could have had. Even then, the Green Dragon kept a calm expression on its face but when Yu Jitae reached his hand out to grab its hand, it suddenly closed all other fingers except for the little finger.

    ¡°You said you¡¯ll never harm me if I listen well. Can you promise that?¡±

    A kid was still a kid.

    Yu Jitae wrapped his little finger around and felt the tiny, white hand faintly trembling. He thought it was full of leisure but that didn¡¯t seem to have been the case.

    ¡°I promise.¡±

    Immediately after, the male and female disappeared from the streets.

    ***

    Next morning, the sun rose up.

    It was a weekend but the Lair District Police Force was rustling from early morning. Because of Jo Hosik, all the members of the Superhuman Investigation Force had gone outside to lie in wait.

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t an exception.

    ¡°Then, I have epted themand.¡±

    Yu Jitae wearing the uniform bent his back in a right angle, but the one epting the bow was also Yu Jitae.

    [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)]

    It was a split copy of himself that could use up to 50% of the original body¡¯s abilities. It was originally used by a demon world¡¯s Archduke to show itself and have influence in distant nations but was currently being used to substitute attendance for work.

    Yu Jitae casually waved his hand at his copy, and receiving amand to ¡®go and casually do whatever you¡¯re told¡¯, the copy headed towards the Lair. As usual, Yu Jitae lied on the sofa and read the newspaper.

    ¡°Nn, hmm¡­¡±

    That was when the Green Dragon walked out from his room wearing the pyjamas he had bought. He made it sleep in his own room, while he slept out on a sofa in the living room.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Despite being a dragon, and despite having been kidnapped, it seemed to have gotten a good sleep and casually rubbed its eyes as the disheveled hair sparkled in morning light.

    ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Breakfast?¡±

    ¡°We need to eat. You didn¡¯t eat anything yesterday either.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t tell me, you haven¡¯t been eating until now?¡±

    He did eat once, with his colleagues.

    ¡°What about you. Do you have a meal every day?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why? You don¡¯t even get hungry.¡±

    ¡°I be happy when I eat something delicious.¡±

    I see, he thought and didn¡¯t think much about it but then, the Green Dragon asked a question.

    ¡°Is there nothing you want to tell me about? We didn¡¯t talk much yesterday.¡±

    Not really.

    ¡°Like, things to be careful of when living here. Things ahjussi likes or hates and things you¡¯re expecting from me ¨C there should be things like that.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me to listen well?¡±

    ¡°Just stay here. From now, your friends will alle here and you just have to live with them together.¡±

    ¡°Really? Can I go outside as well?¡±

    He gave a nod in response. It didn¡¯t matter whether they walked outside and the important thing was whether they remained in the area his influence could reach or not. If a dragon decided to hide its presence, it would be difficult even for himself. Though he would definitely be able to find it, he would be slightly annoyed.

    ¡°If you want to do something, you can do anything. If you want, I will do anything for you.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    ¡°In return, don¡¯t do anything behind my back.¡±

    ¡°Anything?¡±

    ¡°Right, anything.¡±

    ¡°Even going to the bathroom? Even a menstruation?¡±

    Silence reced his reply because he knew dragons did not have menstruations.

    ¡°I¡¯m just joking. Ah, I just thought of something I want to do today.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°I want to go shopping with you ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Please eat something first. I¡¯ll prepare it.¡±

    It was an unexpected offer.

    *

    Yu Jitae went shopping with the Green Dragon. From the streets to the markets, eyes of the surrounding people, regardless or age and gender gathered at the dragon.

    ¡°Hey, look at that¡­¡±

    ¡°Wow that¡¯s crazy¡­ maybe she¡¯s an actress or something.¡±

    ¡°The person next to her looks extremely scary though.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not look at him¡­¡±

    He could hear the murmurs of the surrounding people. Words of admirations were heard continuously but when their eyes met with Yu Jitae¡¯s, they would hurriedly turn their heads away.

    On the way back after buying some groceries, he thought that getting an ID card while they were at it would be nice and looked for a broker he knew in an alleyway. The broker had an eyepatch over one of his eyes and faced the uninjured eye repeatedly and nced at the Green Dragon¡¯s face.

    Evidently, he appeared surprised.

    ¡°Huh¡­ wow. Is thatdy on the side your lover, boss?¡±

    Yu Jitae ignored it and the Green Dragon also pretended to have not heard it. Even then, the man¡¯s eyes turned and hands stopped every few seconds so Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Should I gouge out your remaining eye as well?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, ah, no that¡­¡±

    ¡°ID card.¡±

    He growled with a voice resembling the screeching noise of metals.

    ¡°I, I understand¡­¡±

    Only then did the man resume moving his trembling hands in fear.

    Yu Jitae was used to those reactions. A beauty that cannot be protected became a poison and that had also be a reason for the Apocalypse before.

    Then, the broker gulped and started throwing nces at Yu Jitae. He repeatedly did that and right when Yu Jitae was about to get slightly angry, he asked a question at the Green Dragon.

    ¡°U, um¡­¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    Even her voice is beautiful¡­! thought the broker before quickly hiding his expression.

    ¡°That, what would you like to do about your name miss?¡±

    ¡°Name? Ah, name?¡±

    Going ¡®hmm¡¯, the Green Dragon faced Yu Jitae.

    What was there to ponder. There are four dragons. You just had to find a random list of words so that it wasn¡¯t confusing.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    The next ones could be called Yeorum, Kaeul, and Gyeoul and that should do it*.

    ¡°A, and, thest name¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yu.¡±

    It was because he himself had thest name Yu.

    ¡°Yu Bom. I understand.¡±

    It was fortunate that there were four dragons. Had there been three, they would have been called something random like Scissors, Paper, Rock, and if there were seven, they would have been Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

    ¡°Here it is. It has beenpleted.¡±

    After that, the two of them walked around the city and bought some necessities. While they were at it, Yu Jitae decided to get a hologram watch and also requested a cheque card under Bom¡¯s name.

    There was nothing to worry about, as money was something the Regressor could grasp in his hands whenever he wanted.

    *

    On the way back from shopping. The Green Dragon looked nkly at the identification card in its own hands before looking at Yu Jitae walking in front. Something bigger than the difference in height from other humans could be felt from his back.

    The dragon would be filled with anxiety whenever it looked at him.

    This person was dangerous.

    Extremely dangerous.

    He was definitely a murderer, and perhaps once was a tyrant, and once may have been an existence that murdered its own brethren.

    Its Eyes of Providence were warning itself realtime; even now, that that being was dangerous. However, it was already caught in his hands.

    While having such thoughts, the Green Dragon¡¯s eyes returned back to the Identification card in its hands.

    ***

    Yu Bom (Female) xxxxxx-xxxxxxx

    Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Nonhyeon-dong 123-332

    ***

    Bom (Spring).

    The season of life that visited the earth. It was a beautiful name that suited her really well.

    Perhaps this man wasn¡¯t as dangerous as he seemed to be. Bothst night and today, she was safe and he wasn¡¯t threatening.

    Bom once again looked at the man and found arge, wide back. Although she still felt frightened, if she saw it in a different light, it also appeared like a castle wall wetted with blood.

    Thus, Bom decided to watch for a little longer.

    * Bom = Spring

    Yeorum = Summer

    Kaeul = Autumn

    Gyeoul = Winter

 Chapter 4: Bom / Spring (3)

    <h4>Chapter 4: Bom / Spring (3)</h4>

    After returning, Bom started bustling inside the kitchen and soon, a salty smell spread across Yu Jitae¡¯s officetel.

    Seeing that, Yu Jitae was put into a strange mood, because herst facial expression he had seen in the previous regression was still remaining in his head.

    ¡°Hnn hnn~¡±

    As if in a good mood, Bom was humming.

    Can their first encounter be considered everyday-like? He asked himself. It seemed to have been okay. A person in a bad mood wouldn¡¯t hum after all, but back when he was kidnapping her, Bom¡¯s expression had been stiff.

    Something good must have happened in between but he couldn¡¯t grasp it.

    Even then, cooking suited Bom quite well. Out of the previous six regressions, she had a profession four times. She had been a painter for two of those rounds, a sculptor once, and was a novelist once.

    Whatever the case, she liked ¡®creating things¡¯. Suddenly, he was made curious. In this life where the environment had been changed tremendously, what would she be? It would be quite interesting to watch.

    In any case, he thought it was around time.

    Recovering his thoughts from the topic regarding Bom, he started searching through the news reports made in a distant foreignnd ¨C Africa. Within that continent on the other side of the ocean, incidents were being reported one after another.

    ¨C In South Africa, arge-scale armed sh has urred

    ¨C An air raid from the terrorist group formed around demons (Ä§ÈË), Barkata. 1400 civilian casualties.

    ¨C South African Nations United (SAN) says ¡°Africa will notpromise to violence¡±.

    ¨C Barkata side kidnaps and kills 14 workers associated with the SAN and shares the videos. The World Hunter Association denunciates them as the Evils of Humans.

    ¨C Clouds of war cover South Africa, as worries on more terrorist attacks continue¡­

    Currently Africa was in the turmoils of war. Unlike wars in the past that used swords and guns, it was a war of superhumans. This long war would continue until the Apocalypse was casted over the Earth, and created lots of victims.

    To be honest, he wasn¡¯t interested whether people died or not, but if one of those deaths included a ¡®Red Dragon¡¯, things were different.

    The time of the regression was one year after the dragons started their Amusement, and the Red Dragon that loved fights yed around in the battlefield day and night. Then, it unfortunately got attacked by a top-ranked superhuman and became greatly injured. That was an element that hastened the uing Apocalypse.

    Therefore, it was better to start looking for it before it got wounded out of arrogance. He reflected on the time and date and realised that there were only a few days left.

    He had to move soon.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    That was when Bom waved her hand from the kitchen. It seemed like the food was almost ready.

    Inside the te, there was a food resembling fried rice and judging from how it had a hint of brown, it seemed that the likes of soy sauce had been used. Grabbing the spoon, he raised a spoonful of rice and carried it into his mouth.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    After chewing for a bit, he stopped. Then, he raised another spoonful without saying a word.

    ¡°You¡¯re eating well.¡±

    The meal continued in silence. After putting thest spoonful into his mouth, Yu Jitae finally let go of the spoon and seeing the empty te, a flower bloomed on Bom¡¯s face.

    This dish, it was really¡­

    ¡°It was delicious right?¡±

    Terrible.

    Thinking that some part of it could be delicious, he ate it till the end but there was no such thing. However, when Yu Jitae didn¡¯t give a response, Bom seemed to have epted that as a yes.

    ¡°Wah, thanks ahjussi. This is in fact the dish I¡¯m most confident with.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s it called?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡±

    He had a feeling that might be the case because there was no way a food that salty and bitter could exist in this world. nkly, he stared at the empty te before raising his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make it again next time.¡±

    *

    Just like that, the strange joint life of the Regressor and the dragon began. Bom adapted to the house rather quickly. She cooked and washed the dishes, watched TV and read books, living like it was her house and one day, she brought a small flowerpot.

    It was a pot without a single sign of life within.

    ¡°What¡¯s this.¡±

    ¡°The house is all dark isn¡¯t it? I thought it would need something like this.¡±

    As Bom had said, Yu Jitae¡¯s house was a split copy of himself and was filled with achromatic colours. The wallpaper and furniture were of dull colours, the bookshelves were strictly organised and there was not a single speck of dust on the floor. It was an environment that appeared unnatural to anyone.

    ¡°Do you want to have a look?¡±

    Bom ced her hand on the dirt within the pot and slowly closed her eyes. And when she carefully raised her hand back up, there was a small cotyledon budding up. It befitted her characteristic as the dragon of nature.

    In any case, the two kept their own distance and space while living together for a few days. Yu Jitae was originally a man of few words and since Bom also had a quiet personality, the two didn¡¯t talk much despite being in the same area.

    ¡°I have returned, my lord.¡±

    Meanwhile, the copy repeated going anding back from work and shared the everyday life of that day with Yu Jitae. Yu Jitae and the copy could share their memories and after closing his eyes for a short while, Yu Jitae reopened his eyes and gave a nod.

    ¡°Everyone seems to be having trouble because of that Jo Hosik or whatever.¡±

    Within those memories, there were everyday emotions being felt by ordinary humans. Anxiety that came from the fact that they might not be able to catch the criminal; happiness from finding small pieces of clues; the new recruit feeling tired and the emotions of the team leaderforting him.

    Such emotions that he was still unfamiliar with slowly built up inside Yu Jitae¡¯s head.

    ¡°Is it correct for me to go up and help the investigation?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Leave it until the deadline and if they still haven¡¯t found him, then you can go help.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Yu Jitae went through the copy¡¯s memories for a bit and thought of a simr situation. Those living their daily lives would say something like this.

    ¡°¡­Well done.¡±

    This was a sentence spoken by the team leader when the newbie returned from a stake out. Complimenting someone was something he hadn¡¯t done for a long time.

    ¡°My loyalty to my lord.¡±

    But the copy with his lowered head cautiously raised a question.

    ¡°However, is it possible for me to ask one thing?¡±

    Although he was Yu Jitae¡¯s copy, he didn¡¯t know everything about him.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°What meaning is there to a daily life like this?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Among the existences in charge of myself, there has never been anyone wishing for a daily life. They tried to use me in a field more meaningful, for example killing someone that must be killed and sending me to a ce for stronger influence.¡±

    ¡®Myself¡¯ mentioned here referred to the [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)] itself, rather than Yu Jitae¡¯s copy. Due to exceeding the limits, the skill itself had formed a personality.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And yet my lord is trying to feel what daily life is. My insignificant self cannot understand it.¡±

    Hearing the copy¡¯s words, Yu Jitae closed his lips and looked outside the window in deep thought.

    ¡°¡­If that happened to be an insolent question, I beg for your pardon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Go back now.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Returning the copy, Yu Jitae looked outside the window for a long time. The reason I must find daily life ¨C he thought back on thest regression.

    That day, thunders roared crazily and rain poured down. Looking above at the skies, an enormous fissure with its diameter reaching 200km was being formed with a border in the centre. The Green Dragon covered in mud copsed on the ground and red up at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Is this the ending you wanted?¡±

    It was a cold voice, but he did not respond.

    He could dere with ease that the ¡®sixth round¡¯ was the fiercest round out of the hundred years of regression. In order to be stronger, Yu Jitae opened a crevice in the dimensions and headed to the Demon World and repeated wars for tens of years. Then, he would asionally return to Earth and kill all the organisations and people that became threats to the dragons in the previous lives.

    It was a repetition of war, and all that penance was to put an end to the f*cked up regressions.

    And yet¡­

    ¡°Was this child bing like this the ending you desired? Was this the future you said you were preparing?¡±

    While crying, the Green Dragon red at Yu Jitae with eyes filled with hatred. She ced a hand on the forehead of the girl that was resting its head on her knees. The girl¡¯s skin was turned cold.

    He just thought hiding them well enough would be enough.

    And yet one of the dragons had ended their own lives.

    And the [Dragon¡¯s Memories] of the dead transcended dimensions and were sent over to their family in another dimension. All of his hard work had turned into nothingness and in front of such a conclusion, Yu Jitae could not do a single thing.

    Like a statue, he turned solid.

    ¡°The reason this child ended her own life, you don¡¯t know right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, and by yourself you¡¯ll never know in the future. Because you have never considered us a living being.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ll teach you now what Amusement means to us.¡±

    Words he had never heard despite the repeated regressions started flowing out from the Green Dragon¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°We, the dragons, are beings that live for thousands of years, and we never forget. Throughout a long life, we experience everything that an existence can and when we be an adult after a thousand years, there¡¯s nothing new remaining. We lose stimtion and slowly start losing our emotions.

    ¡°Even then, we live on. We have to live thousands of years without feeling anything ¨C without any emotions, because we are the Mediators of Cause and Effect. That is our life, a boring life. But did you know? Even for us, there is one thing that we enjoy.

    ¡°Those are the experiences we had during our Amusements. When we were babies, when everything in the world was foreign, new, and even frightening. Getting to know things was fun. We could empathise with others¡¯ sadness, get angry at injustice and be honestly happy when our efforts had results ¨C those memories. Unlike humans you see, we cannot lose those memories because we just don¡¯t forget.

    ¡°Adult dragons think back on the memories and emotions of when they were young and relive those moments. Endlessly, until the day of our deaths, we live in nostalgia forever. For us, Amusements, and first Amusements like now have that kind of meaning.

    ¡°And yet you have ruined all that.¡±

    While crying unceasingly, the Green Dragon did not avoid the Regressor¡¯s gaze. Yu Jitae let out a cold breath as all sorts of emotions started storming up within. For the first time in almost forever, he wanted to make an excuse, but he couldn¡¯t. And he therefore didn¡¯t.

    ¡°I won¡¯t forget the things that happened today. Ever.¡±

    After finishing her words, the Green Dragon buried the dead kindred in her arms and wailed. Although it was the Regressor that had repeated its life, something in the depths of his heart that had never moved for a long time wriggled. That became a drop of poison and spread throughout his veins. Feeling like he would crumble if he were to stay there any longer, the Regressor turned away and walked endlessly without a destination.

    He did not stop his feet for a long time.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    It was then. There was a voice that woke him up from his thoughts.

    It was Bom.

    ¡°Are you sleeping?¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly opened his eyes. There, the Green Dragon that had just been cursing him looked at him with a bright expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you were sleeping.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. Why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s this. I bought it because it looked interesting but I can¡¯t figure out how to solve it. Please help.¡±

    She selfishly pushed a mixed rubik¡¯s cube forward.

    ¡°Where did you get this?¡±

    ¡°I heard there was a ce called Lair so I went there. Oh right, ahjussi works near that as well right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I bought it there while ying around. They sold these as souvenirs.¡±

    Like her words, there was Lair¡¯s logo drawn in the middle of the cube.

    I also don¡¯t know how to solve this. Yu Jitae was about to say that but stopped before he could say those words. Inside the memories brought by the copy, there was a word spoken by a senior towards a junior that was forced to undertake a task too difficult.

    Half doubting, Yu Jitae decided to copy the senior¡¯s words in his memories.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s solve it together.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It was just unexpected.¡±

    Then, Yu Jitae and Bom contemted for a long time and started solving the cube together. And after few hours passed,

    Click!

    The cube had been solved.

    ¡°It worked.¡±

    Bom nced at the cube, then turned to Yu Jitae with widened eyes. From the 100 years he had spent watching the Green Dragon, this was the first time he had seen such an expression.

    ¡°Do you like it that much?¡±

    Her eyes bent like bows.

    ¡°I do.¡±

 Chapter 5: Yeorum / Summer (1)

    <h4>Chapter 5: Yeorum / Summer (1)</h4>

    Late at night, as the crescent moon rose up outside, the copy that had returned from work approached Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Let me send you the memories.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    The copy closed his eyes, and when he did, the things that had happened in the police station that day entered the Regressor¡¯s head.

    With his eyes closed, Yu Jitae slowly felt memories and emotions flowing into him and saw the members of the station watching Corporal Yu Jitae and smile.

    ¡°The people are fond of you.¡±

    ¡°I am trying hard to live an everyday life as much as I can.¡±

    It was earnest in its daily life. The copy did not avoid challenging tasks and calmly dealt with his duty but that wasn¡¯t the end. Back when Yu Jitae was 27 years old, he was an introverted young man with a soft heart.

    And yet he had suddenly turned into an earnest, adult-like, dependable colleague so the team members liked the copy and talked about a ¡®re-evaluation of Yu Jitae¡¯.

    ¡°I am sure you have felt it, but they are troubled due to Jo Hosik.¡±

    ¡°He must¡¯ve hidden well.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Besides, since it has been found out that he isn¡¯t acting as an individual but a group of human traffickers, the situation turned more awkward. They kidnap superhuman students of the Lair that have no connections and are selling them to underground organisations as ves.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a nod. He could see in his memories the workers of the police force being troubled by it.

    ¡°As you have ordered, my lord, if the deadline approaches, I will move myself.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae who had been savoring the memories opened his eyes.

    ¡°¡­Hey.¡±

    ¡°Yourmand.¡±

    ¡°Who is this.¡±

    Within the memories, there was a woman that was hitting on Yu Jitae, in a rather frank manner.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a team leader of another team. She seems to be the daughter of the head chief and from some time ago, she has been showing goodwill towards my lord.¡±

    Now that he mentioned it, he could remember catching glimpses of her in other memories. She once said, ¡°Do you want to go drink with this noona after work?¡± and once, tried to touch Yu Jitae¡¯s stomach while saying, ¡°Is this abs or a washboard?¡±¡­ but inside today¡¯s memories, she was even more straightforward as she tried to downright rub her body on Yu Jitae¡¯s arm.

    ¡°What¡¯s her name.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Lee Bosuk. If perhaps you are displeased, I could take care of it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s fine. Leave it.¡±

    Daily life didn¡¯t always have good things happening and the ¡®daily life¡¯ he was attempting to achieve could bepared to a flowerbed. Although there will be beautiful flowers, it was natural for there to also be bugs.

    Thus, Yu Jitae decided to leave it for the time being.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get going.¡±

    ¡°No, just wait there for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And change your clothes.¡±

    The copy became curious about the reason Yu Jitae was suddenly giving him such orders but themands of the lord were absolute, so he obediently took his uniform off and changed into casual clothes.

    Soon, Bom¡¯s voice could be heard from the kitchen.

    ¡°Ahjussi,e eat dinner.¡±

    Finallying to an understanding, the copy turned towards his lord sitting on the sofa.

    Yu Jitae was staring deeply back at his eyes.

    *

    Next morning, Yu Jitae woke up from the sofa and stretched his body. Today was the day he had to go bring the Red Dragon.

    Red Dragon.

    As expected of a dragon from the red race, it was aggressive. Even in the previous six rounds, it acted as it pleased and was the only one that did not follow the regtions he had set.

    If other dragons were fearful of Yu Jitae, the Red Dragon was different and every round, its attitude towards himself was close to absolute disgust. Due to that, even Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know much about the Red Dragon.

    Fortunately, this time it would be a little better because Bom was with him.

    ¡°You are going to bring Red?¡±

    Brushing her green hair, Bom tucked her hair behind her ear as a small ear fitting the small head revealed itself.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Rather than going there to bring her, you¡¯re going there to kidnap right?¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Bom contemted a little while looking at the flowerpot and opened her mouth.

    ¡°She probably won¡¯t like it. Of course, I didn¡¯t like the fact that I was getting kidnapped, but Red will react in a more vehement manner.¡±

    ¡°How about you persuade her? You¡¯re both dragons.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it will be that helpful. Dragons from different races have a bit of distance.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Because they all desire different things. I like staying still and beingid back and enjoy making things but the red race is different. Because our hobbies are different, we treat each other asplete strangers.¡±

    Yu Jitae asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°Then how about bringing her by force?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Bom¡¯s eyes erged.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that. ¡®Power¡¯ is the pride of the red race. If you force a red dragon by power, it would give them a lot of stress.¡±

    It was as expected. Thinking back on thest words of the Red Dragon in the previous rounds, Yu Jitae understood her words.

    ¡°That¡¯s troublesome.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ But must you bring her in? If you¡¯re thinking of keeping a dragon as a pet, isn¡¯t it enough with just me?¡±

    Her words were baffling in two different ways. One, he didn¡¯t need a pet, and her alone wasn¡¯t enough either.

    ¡°Like I said before, the reason I¡¯m bringing you guys in is to protect you. Instead of being an owner of pets, I will be the guardian of you guys as beings.¡±

    Bom flickered her eyes.

    ¡°And the Red Dragon will be injured if I don¡¯t bring her back in time. There are guys aiming for her.¡±

    ¡®How do you know that though?¡¯ Bom momentarily had such a doubt regarding Yu Jitae¡¯s words but soon, Bom twitched her fingers in thought.

    ¡°For now, there¡¯s no decent method.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go together and see what I can help you with.¡±

    Those were helpful words. Yu Jitae thought for a bit before giving a reply.

    ¡°Come over when I call you.¡±

    *

    After that Yu Jitae headed towards Africa, the Barren Lands.

    Ever since the New Era, the deste continent turned into an area that became more and more difficult for people to live in. In the midst of arge desert that was at least dozens of timesrger than the Republic of Korea, Yu Jitae walked towards a group of superhumans.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a chat.¡±

    ¡°Which bastard are you! How dare youe¡­!¡±

    The Red Dragon had hidden its aura. Even the Regressor couldn¡¯t immediately locate a dragon with a hidden aura straight after crossing the borders, and had to carry his feet around. He had gone around a dozen or so locations, but there still weren¡¯t any results. After making the superhumans submit with a few punches, Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Language wasn¡¯t an issue, because Yu Jitae also had [Fallen Babel (S)].

    ¡°Have you seen the Fighter of the Night?¡±

    Fighter of the Night was an alias the Red Dragon used when it was active in Africa.

    ¡°Ukk¡­! N, no I haven¡¯t.¡±

    When the superhuman replied, Yu Jitae¡¯s left eye started being painted in a blue light.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    It was one of the three Authorities stolen from the Archduke of the Demon World, an eye that could distinguish the target¡¯s nature of good and evil, the authenticity in their words and the favourability held by the target.

    ¡°Do not avoid my eyes.¡±

    Yu Jitae stared deeply into the superhuman¡¯s eyes. Feeling the gaze that seemed to pierce through his heart, the man felt like everything he had was being seen through and wetted his pants.

    Soon after, a status screen appeared inside Yu Jitae¡¯s head.

    [False]

    This kid.

    Yu Jitae, who was already annoyed from going around in vain, formed an indifferent expression, and soon a scream was heard.

    ¡°Uaaaaaak!¡±

    And around the time the sun was about to set, Yu Jitae was able to track the Red Dragon. He could sense its aura a short distance away from himself.

    When he gave a phone call, Bom who had received the call used [Teleport (S)] to appear right next to him.

    ¡°Did you find her already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But the situation isn¡¯t looking that great.¡±

    Following his words, Bom also turned towards the ce Yu Jitae was facing.

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    From afar, sounds of explosions could be heard on repeat. There currently must be a huge fight happening.

    ¡°Stay here for now. Don¡¯t get caught up in their fight.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Leaving Bom behind, Yu Jitae headed towards the ce where the fights were happening and found superhumans wearing facemasks that only revealed their eyes. There were roughly ten or so of them, and judging from the pattern drawn behind their backs, they appeared to be a fighting organisation under the SAN.

    They carriedrge spears and surrounded someone in the middle and were cooperating against it. The one in the middle of all that was a woman wearing a wooden mask.

    ¡°Javelin!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    In response to the masked man¡¯s words, a javelin tosser in the back that had been concentrating his mana twisted his back and tossed it in a posture that seemed to be from a painting.

    [Lightning Strike (B)]

    The spear enveloped by lightning darkened its surroundings and headed towards the girl wearing a wooden mask. It was fast, and oppressive. In that situation which even a high-ranked superhuman would be pressured by, the Wooden Mask reached its hand out to grab the shaft of the spear.

    Chwaruruk¨C!

    However, the explosion from the lightning grazed the wooden mask which then immediately dropped off. Then, the face behind the mask was revealed.

    Its white skin seemed to have been sculpted from white jade and the crimson lips resembled blood. Her beautiful nose and the eyes with heavy double eyelids had madness lurking within. Behind all that, the red ruby-like hair flickered in the sunset.

    The moment the face that appeared to be of a girl in herte teens, just like Bom, appeared from behind the mask, all the masked superhumans halted their movements.

    In the past, in an unknown round of regression, an artist saw a dragon¡¯s beauty and said the following: ¡°It is a beauty that broadens the humans¡¯ concept of aesthetics.¡±

    And that appearance had shown itself right in front of them.

    ¡°Hah, f*ck¡­¡±

    But a crude voice that crushed their emotions escaped its lips. Swinging the spear in its hands, the Red Dragon spoke.

    ¡°Oppas, I don¡¯t show my face that often. ¡®Cuz I hate seeing people stop and do shit like this.¡±

    ¡°Y, you¡­! What in the world are you!¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to know. Do you want toe visit my house?¡±

    The Red Dragon then beganughing in a low voice.

    ¡°If you want to,e during the dawn. Let¡¯s y together, quietly.¡±

    Along with those words, it licked someone¡¯s blood that remained on the spear and began chortling. It was clearly a provocation.

    As insane as always, thought Yu Jitae ¨C those were his honest thoughts.

    Themander that had finallye to his senses shouted.

    ¡°This is the bastard¡¯s magic! Do not get dazed by it!¡±

    ¡°Hatt¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be careless and slowly tighten the encirclement!¡±

    That was the start of round 2. Swords and spears flew by, as masses of fire and ice fell. However, the Red Dragon was stronger than them. It immediately defeated the entire crowd of masked men and tossed the spear in its hand.

    The spear flew towards Yu Jitae who was standing next to the rock in the desert. He tilted his head slightly and dodged it.

    ¡°You dodged that?¡±

    With a grin, it jumped towards Yu Jitae. The longsword in its waist flew forward with an oppressive force but Yu Jitae grabbed it with his bare hand. Amusingly, the strike filled with mana was stopped by the man¡¯s hand way too easily.

    The Red Dragon¡¯s eyes erged.

    Yu Jitae did not stop there and pulled the sword in as the small body then helplessly followed the pulling force. The dragon went ¡°uhh?¡± and hurriedly let go of the sword, before falling back with haste.

    When the two of them stood face to face once again, mischief had vanished from the Red Dragon¡¯s face.

    ¡°¡­You, what are you?¡±

    The life of the red race revolved around searching endlessly for those stronger than itself and due to that, they could get a grasp of their opponent¡¯s power level. ording to its senses, the man was strong ¨C strong to the level that it could not dare reach.

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a greeting. His voice resembled that of a stiff broomstick dusting a dried upnd.

 Chapter 6: Yeorum / Spring (2)

    <h4>Chapter 6: Yeorum / Spring (2)</h4>

    ¡°Not nice for me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you? Why is a human like you here? No, that¡¯s not it. More like, are you even a human?¡±

    Eyes were reflections of their existences.

    That was what the Regressor felt throughout his life. Every existence with eyes expressed their thoughts and emotions with their eyes.

    Currently, what was being shown in the Red Dragon¡¯s eyes was extreme wariness. That was understandable. It probably felt the strength that had exceeded a boundary and to red dragons that believed in power, iprehensible strength was an unpleasant element.

    Yu Jitae was not fond of such wariness. It was because the reason the Red Dragon detested him in the previous rounds from the beginning was based on the fact that their rtionship started from such caution.

    In other words, he had messed up the first impression.

    Thus, it was currently an extremely important situation. He had to somehow get rid of its wariness.

    ¡­But how?

    The feeble daily-lifeness showed its rock bottom. From the memories brought by the copy, there weren¡¯t any words that could be shared with someone he was seeing for the first time, especially towards a target of kidnap.

    That was when Bom appeared from behind like a saving grace.

    ¡°Hi, Red.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn? Green?¡±

    ¡°Have you been well?¡±

    The Red Dragon¡¯s eyes examined Yu Jitae and Bom and soon, an emptyughter escaped from those red lips.

    ¡°What, what are you trying to do? Why are you here? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ll be going on a journey?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I came here to see you.¡±

    ¡°To see me? Then what¡¯s that monster next to you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just an ahjussi I got to know recently. He¡¯s a human, not a monster. Right? Ahjussi?¡±

    The pair of green and red eyes faced Yu Jitae and when he returned a casual nod, the Red Dragon made a sneer.

    ¡°If that¡¯s a human, I must be a lizard.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying it¡¯s true.¡±

    When Bom¡¯s expression turned rather serious, it was time for the Red Dragon¡¯s expression to be strange.

    ¡°Green. What ridiculous things are you saying?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°That thing¡¯s not a human. What kind of human is that dangerous? You should know that better than me right?¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi¡¯s not as threatening as you think.¡±

    ¡°What? Are you seriously out of your mind? Are you, by any chance, being ckmailed by that monster? Or do you have a baby monster inside your stomach?¡±

    ¡°Red. I¡¯m not joking right now.¡±

    The green race of the dragons was a mediating race. Unlike other races of dragons, they weren¡¯t greedy and remained calm in face of any situation. That was also the reason Yu Jitae brought Bom in first.

    ¡°Hiya. I¡¯m going crazy¡­¡±

    Perhaps it was because those words wereing from a green dragon like Bom, but the Red Dragon seemed like it wanted to talk back and yet held it¡¯s words in.

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s say you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s say that monster, or human, like f*ck, I don¡¯t know why but let¡¯s say he¡¯s not a bad guy. Okay. Then why did youe find me hand in hand?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not holding his hand.¡±

    ¡°Just answer my question.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Bom hesitated a little, and soon started talking about something that hadn¡¯t been nned.

    ¡°Ahjussi is looking for a disciple.¡±

    ¡°A disciple?¡±

    Disciple? What?

    ¡°Nn. You always wanted to be stronger right? So I brought ahjussi over to you. Learning from a strong ahjussi like this is a rare opportunity. Ahjussi doesn¡¯t have other disciples either right?¡±

    Bom¡¯s gaze turned towards Yu Jitae.

    Her round, innocent eyes seemed to be asking him to say something in line with her words. Naturally, he never had a disciple before, because it was busy enough for him to improve his own strength.

    However, Bom¡¯s adlib was quite useful. There wouldn¡¯t be a problem keeping the dragon by his side with the rtionship of a master and a disciple as the pretense.

    Yu Jitae gave a nod. In response, the Red Dragon tilted its head with a pout before throwing a word out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Red.¡±

    ¡°Why are you like this? Did you forget that I was from the red race? After leaving for my Amusement, I have 199 wins out of 199 fights. As long as it¡¯s not against a monster like that, I can win. And I can get stronger alone okay?¡±

    ¡°Even then¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah, enough. I would listen to your words for most things but I can¡¯te to apromise on this. Don¡¯t try to talk about fighting in front me ever again. Who dares to teach the red race?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you done talking? Off you go then. Say hi to Gold and give a kiss to dear Blue as well. Now, here you go. Uumm¨C.¡±

    Chuu. The Red Dragon tried to kiss Bom¡¯s cheeks but after dodging it, Bom spoke in a slightly annoyed tone.

    ¡°Red. I haven¡¯t finished my words yet.¡±

    ¡°Un, I can¡¯t hear you. Also, do you want me to give you advice? It would be better for you to distance yourself from that human.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you ignore my advice and get strangled and r*ped, it¡¯s not my fault okay?¡±

    Then, it murmured to itself ¡°Wow f*ck, that¡¯d be pretty thrilling¡±.

    ¡°Well, if you like it, you can tell him to smack your butt once while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    The Red Dragon tapped its own butt a few times with a chuckle before turning around. Then, it melted into the dimension and vanished.

    As if a storm had gone past, the desert was filled with silence.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom who was left, ring at nothing, ran her fingers through her hair. Her expression remained the same as usual, but it seemed like she was a little annoyed because more than anything, her breaths were a little bit rougher than usual.

    ¡°¡­Sorry ahjussi. I interfered but still failed.¡±

    Soon, Bom approached Yu Jitae with a crestfallen expression.

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    The Regressor ced hisrge hand on top of the green hair.

    ¡°What are you nning to do now?¡±

    Of course, even if the situation turned out like this, there was still a method. Although it wasn¡¯t the best case scenario for himself, since the Red Dragon was being like that, there was no other option.

    ¡°There is a need to break her pride.¡±

    Blinking her eyes, Bom tilted her head.

    ¡°But¡­ Ah, through another person¡¯s hands perhaps?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Then, she dropped her chin going ¡°Ah¡±, as if she understood something.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good n. We should in fact have an operational meeting now then.¡±

    The annoyance from before had vanished long before and Bom approached with a bright countenance.

    He returned a nod.

    *

    Yu Jitae and Bom searched for the Red Dragon¡¯s tracks. Because they had gone near it once, it wasn¡¯t difficult relocating it.

    Wearing a crude mask it had made again out of wood, the Red Dragon went through three battlefields that day from nighttime to the break of dawn and swung its fists and sword.

    Its opponents included the united forces under ¡®SAN¡¯, as well as the international demon terrorist organisation, Barkata. In the first ce, the dragon didn¡¯t belong to any sides and if there was a fight, it chimed in and smashed both sides down.

    Unexpectedly, it kept a certain boundary in terms of violence. Although the Red Dragon was interested in defeating its enemies, it didn¡¯t kill them, as it had interest in the fight itself, instead of murder.

    Andter that night, what was toe hade.

    ¡°Are you the Fighter of the Night?¡±

    A man wearing a pure blue full-te armour, and a longsword with a contrasting light of red stood in front of the Red Dragon. Just from the man¡¯s existence, the air around the desert was suppressed and sunk down.

    His name was Javier Carma.

    Ranked 8th of the entire world in the superhuman ranks, he was the top force which the South African Nations (SAN) was proud of.

    Because the next one in line was in double digits, Javier was the unparalleled strength in this continent. Although the Red Dragon fought for almost one entire year, it probably had not evene near the shadows of anyone close to Javier in strength.

    ¡°It must be him¡­¡±

    Bom spoke with a cautious tone.

    They hid within an alternate dimension, [Laws of Nature (S)] and watched what was happening outside.

    ¡°He seems dangerous.¡±

    The person Yu Jitae had warned of was stronger than she had thought.

    ¡°If it was in the Askalifa continent, he would be at the level of a Grand Sword Master. So there are seven more people stronger than him in this world?¡±

    He nodded in response, although there were actually more than that.

    The Red Dragon gave a smile.

    ¡°Whoa. Oppa looks pretty strong ey?¡±

    ¡°¡­Seems to be correct.¡±

    Being certain, the man pointed his sword forward.

    ¡®Sword of Ra.¡¯

    A sword forged from the essence of the sun. It was a stunning Level 4 artifact that was considered a nation-level tactical weapon.

    ¡°You have been too arrogant and now is the time to pay for the price.¡±

    ¡°What on earth?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll warn you. If you want to run, do so now and do note back to the African continent. If not, you will definitely die in my hands.¡±

    In Yu Jitae¡¯s spection, the Red Dragon probably measured what its winning chances were. However, it¡¯s pride was most likely hurt, about the fact that a human could be that strong.

    Yu Jitae, whom she did not consider a human, was a different story.

    Therefore, she would not run away.

    ¡°F*ck off.¡±

    It was as he had expected and soon, the fight between the Red Dragon and Javier began. The dragon pushed through with attacks based on its strong physical attributes while Javier easily parried those attacks away and waved the longsword, aiming at the head.

    Those slices were experienced, rapid and fierce.

    The Red Dragon urgently activated defensive magic.

    [Self Defence (A)]

    A red aura protecting the dragon covered its head but it was far from enough. The pressure behind the longsword was overpowering. As the red aura dispersed, the Red Dragon flew off a dozen metres and was driven into a sandstone before breaking it and flying further off into the sands.

    Unfortunately, the battle was one-sided from the get go.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom formed a half-squint with her eyes.

    Amongst dragons, a part of their emotions would be shared and she must¡¯ve thus felt something.

    Since it was an obvious result, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t surprised. The strength of the dragons was a reflection of the countless histories building up their lives and a baby dragon with shallow experiences was merely a novice with dormant talent.

    The battle continued and the Red Dragon was constantly beat up. In the end, the dragon that had a long bleeding wound on its forehead let out a bellow.

    ¡°This f*ck¨C! I¡¯ll kill you¨C!¡±

    When the pride as a red race; when that ego was broken, the dragon could not endure its rage. Red mana wriggled as the authorities of a dragon were being revealed.

    Then, the previously one-sided match turned a level easier for the dragon as one of its fists drove itself deep into Javier¡¯s chin. However, that was the end. Javier who had allowed one hit quickly distanced himself and raised the sword up.

    Soon, his blue armour and the sword started a resonance. Artifacts above a certain grade had to be usually sealed to hide its destructiveness and only when required were they unsealed.

    [Ignite]

    The sword was currently being unsealed. Before long, an intense light started flowing out of the Sword of Ra. Sunlight gathered near the sword and as if it had been put into a furnace, the de started being coloured in light.

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi.¡±

    That was dangerous. Bom¡¯s urgent voice was heard as her small hand grabbed the sleeve of Yu Jitae¡¯s shirt. Despite that, he remained watching with his arms crossed.

    Kwaaang¨C!

    Shortly, behind the trajectory of Sword of Ra, an explosion of immense amount of mana urred and drew a cylinder with a diameter of 10 metres as it reached the heavens.

    ¡°Kuuk¨C¡±

    Letting out a groan, the Red Dragon copsed on the ground. Its eyes swayed and above its pure skin, scales started being formed. Unable to endure its rage, the dragon was about to break the taboos of Amusement and was about to undo the polymorph, to manifest itself in its dragon form.

    Yu Jitae made a frown. If things happened the way they did, the Red Dragon would soon lose one of its wings and an arm. Thus, it was around time for him to move.

    Leaving the alternate dimension, Yu Jitae immediately flew forward and stood behind the Red Dragon. When he did, the middle-aged man, Javier widened his eyes and hurriedly increased the distance.

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going-¡± the Red Dragon, who did not understand what was happening, was about to scream that when Yu Jitae¡¯s palm smacked the dragon¡¯s white, slender neck.

    [Knifehand Strike (D)]

    Bam¨C

    The Red Dragon¡¯s small body copsed.

 Chapter 7: Kaeul / Autumn (1)

    <h4>Chapter 7: Kaeul / Autumn (1)</h4>

    Yu Jitae stared at the powerless Red Dragon.

    It wasn¡¯t in a good state. Due to the aftermath of its manifestation, its skins had been torn apart with scales pointing out from within and the body was filled with wounds. Although the cuts near its forehead, cheeks and neck were shallow, a wound starting from its chest connecting to the shoulder was considerably deep.

    Besides, due to being oppressed by the opponent¡¯s mana, it wasn¡¯t being healed smoothly.

    Aplete defeat.

    The Red Dragon must have received quite the shock, just like how it did in the previous rounds. However, losing a wing and an arm was avoided, and one of the elements hastening the approach of the Apocalypse had vanished.

    ¡°You¡­ what are you.¡±

    Javier who had quietly distanced himself frowned and slowly approached again.

    ¡°I asked what you were! What rtionship do you have with that monster girl?¡±

    ¡°¡­Who knows. A guardian perhaps?¡±

    He opened his lips at a slow pace.

    ¡°Guardian? Did you just say that? You don¡¯t look blood-rted though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how things turned out to be. It¡¯s a bitplicated so I can¡¯t tell you everything. How about we just get over it?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a simple matter. That monster girl crossed the line.¡±

    The Regressor did not like the current situation. It was this guy that broke the Red Dragon¡¯s pride andter would be a goal for the Red Dragon. Thus, he could not be killed.

    ¡°This child will no longer appear here. Is that still not good?¡±

    ¡°This is within the area of SAN¡¯s investigation¡¯s influence. As of today, I will enact my duties as an investigator of SAN and arrest the monster girl, as well as you who proim to be its guardian.¡±

    ¡°Your ears must be clogged.¡±

    ¡°Surrender. If you obediently surrender, your four limbs will be intact.¡±

    He stared at the skies for a short time. The things that would be happening hereafter, would not be to his liking.

    In that instant, Yu Jitae¡¯s body became hazy. Bing tense, Javier put strength into his hands holding the sword but the moment he realised that the man in front of him had disappeared, a strong force struck his chest.

    His body bounced back by itself.

    Clenching his teeth, Javier raised the Sword of Ra again and attempted to counterattack.

    Kaang!

    However, the sword stopped midair.

    ¡®This¡­¡¯

    Javier doubted his own eyes.

    It was the ignited version of Sword of Ra that contained a tremendous amount of the sun¡¯s essence. The weapon that could rip apart a S-grade monster¡¯s leather and crush its skull was currently being blocked by something invisible and could not be pushed. It felt like he was pushing a rock with a wooden sword.

    Inside the man¡¯s hand, there was an invisible sword and when he swung it, the Sword of Ra bounced out of his hand.

    Next, a rough kick followed suit. Javier fell on the ground after being kicked and he attempted to hurry himself back up but the man stepped on his chest.

    Javier could not move a single inch.

    ¡°¡­! W, what in the¡­!¡±

    He had fought with countless rankers containing the fiercest strengths. As time passed, he no longer tasted defeats and yet even including the past battles he had, never was he this powerless.

    The gravity seemed to have increased ten thousand-fold. Facing a situation that far surpassed hisprehension, his heart beated like it had been bombed.

    Javier looked into the Regressor¡¯s eyes and in that instant, his breath ceased. The hazy gaze of the man was seen approaching him, so clearly that it appeared out of ce. It resembled the gaze of a beast that naturally stiffened others¡¯ bodies.

    The beast slowly opened its mouth.

    ¡°Listen carefully.¡±

    Yu Jitae added more power into his hand. Although there was neither a hilt nor a de, he was definitely holding a cold weapon.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    That, was the intent to kill people.

    ¡°Today was the unluckiest day of your life.¡±

    The killing intent without a shape or form had an edge like a knife and touched Javier¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°While you were carrying out your duty as an investigator alone, you happened to encounter an unknown monster.¡±

    Then, he started cutting Javier¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­Unfortunately, you couldn¡¯t cope with its initial attack, due to which you lost your eyes.¡±

    A killing intent that shed one of his eyes carried over and shed past the bridge of the nose and headed towards the other eye.

    ¡°¡­The monster escaped and in the end, you did not feel or see anything.¡±

    Soon, the other eye was also destroyed but despite the acute pain, the ranker did not open his mouth. He could not say a single word.

    ¡°You understand?¡±

    Fear kept a tight seal on his mouth.

    *

    Although Javier had lost his eyes, they were fixable, as SAN had lots of outstanding healer-type superhumans. However, they could not erase the fear deeply embedded into his brain.

    Just like that, fear was usually an efficient method.

    Yu Jitae carried the Red Dragon in his arms and walked back into Bom¡¯s alternate dimension.

    There, Bom activated the healing powers of mother nature and cured the Red Dragon. When Javier¡¯s ominous mana disappeared, the wounds started closing at a rapid speed.

    While that was happening, the Red Dragon slowly opened its eyes. However, different from the speed of the body healing, the mind that had been shaken due to mana required more time to fully recover.

    ¡°Red. You don¡¯t have to force your eyes open.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    One of its hazy eyes opened while the other barely even moved. Soon, the Red Dragon¡¯s gaze travelled from Bom to Yu Jitae, before going back to Bom and closing.

    Then, a murmur escaped along with a sigh.

    ¡°F*ck¡­¡±

    It was a powerless profanity but in any case, Yu Jitae had to say what he needed to.

    ¡°From now, you will be living with me in my house, and you must stay under my protection.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you again after you recover but just to let you know. You have no right to choose and it¡¯s fine to think of it as being confined. However, you will have enough freedom for yourself and as long as you wish for something, I will support you as much as I can.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And from now, your name is Yeorum. Remember that well.¡±

    The Red Dragon did not respond. It barely managed to turn its body away and remained silent with its back facing them. When itid down in silence like that, it reminded others of how small its back was.

    Soon, its small shoulders could be seen trembling. Was it crying because of the one-sided defeat?

    The Regressor feigned ignorance.

    Around the time Yeorum¡¯s wounds closed down, Bom separated her hand from her and faced Yu Jitae.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s okay for the time being. She¡¯ll get better.¡±

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    ¡°You too as well, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°After this, you know what to do right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Leave it to me.¡±

    Remembering the discussed strategy, Bom gave a nod.

    In any case, this cumbersome situation was finally over. Yu Jitae closed his eyes, and raised a finger to his temple.

    ¡®I¡¯m letting you know that the situation has been taken care of. My lord.¡¯

    Then, he shared his memories with his true body that would be quite arge distance away from himself.

    *

    Memories flooded into his head. Closing his eyes, Yu Jitae did a quick scan of those memories.

    His copy must have suffered a lot. Well, it was to be expected since bringing a ruffian from the middle of a dusty desert wouldn¡¯t be easy. It appeared troublesome from the start, and thus he had sent his copy there.

    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s the matter, ahjussi?¡±

    Because he suddenly closed his eyes, the little girl facing him asked.

    She had a bright blonde hair resembling that of a little chick, and a beaming smile on her face. If Bom appeared to be in herte teens, this girl would be around 2 years younger than her in terms of appearance.

    And simrly, her face contained a beauty that was difficult to be seen from a human.

    It was the Gold Dragon.

    After sending his copy to the Red Dragon, Yu Jitae left for the Amazon rainforests at the same time and searched for the baby dragon that could not even hide its aura. But outside of his expectations, it greatly weed Yu Jitae while saying ¡°I smell a familiar scent from you¡±.

    It probably was Bom¡¯s smell.

    ¡°Why, why? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No. More importantly, return that please if you¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°What? Already?¡±

    Its yellow eyeballs swayed left and right as its hands held onto Yu Jitae¡¯s most recent smartwatch. In the middle of their simple conversation, the Gold Dragon became curious about it and Yu Jitae had thus untied it before handing it over.

    ¡°Can I y around with it for a bit more?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Hnnnggg. It¡¯s really interesting though. Like, there¡¯s a screen in the air and like¡­¡±

    Despite apparently having lived out in the society before, it found the watch more interesting than it should. Perhaps it was because the watch was the most recent type.

    ¡°Give it back.¡±

    ¡°Uinggg¡­¡±

    Slowly, the watch in its hands was pushed forward. It was at an extremely, exceedingly slow speed and meanwhile, its golden eyes were ncing at Yu Jitae, reading his mood. Even when Yu Jitae grabbed the watch, the baby chicken did not let go of the watch and held onto it with its meagre grip.

    ¡°Do you like it that much?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A lot!¡±

    Yu Jitae loosened his grip.

    ¡°Uwah. Thank you ahjussi!¡±

    In fact, there was a thing he had brought to dissolve the dragon¡¯s heart, and its wariness. Thinking back on the previous rounds¡¯ Gold Dragons, it always carried around something to eat and so Yu Jitae had gone to a bakery to buy all sorts of bread and cookies.

    And yet it seemed those had been unnecessary.

    ¡°Wahh, wahh, this tiny thing can do that¡­?¡± fidgeting with the watch, it started taking pictures.

    Click!

    On the hologram disy, the dragon¡¯s face surfaced up. Those shots were randomly taken, and yet still appeared like a painting.

    ¡°Wah, ahjussi. This thing has an awesome quality.¡±

    That¡¯s because it¡¯s an expensive one.

    With a pair of sparkling eyes, it started taking pictures of everything, including the tree, a mushroom, a snake passing by as well as the dull Regressor. Seeing Yu Jitae¡¯s face on the hologram, the baby chicken started chuckling, in a voice resembling a rolling crystal.

    Yu Jitae reflected back on the previous rounds.

    This dragon had be a celebrity 3 times out of the 6 rounds. In the first ce, the gold race loved getting attention and in the Askalifan continent, some became guardian deities of kingdoms. It could be considered a future perfect for their characteristics.

    On the other hand, this dragon had also been the very existence that caused the most number of Apocalypses. It was because although love and attention appeared splendid on the outside, there would always be poison mixed within.

    Suddenly, he had a doubt.

    ¡°You.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Its golden eyes widened.

    ¡°Sorryy?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re out on an Amusement, you need to live with humans. There are only beasts and insects here.¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh, uh? H, h, how did you know?¡±

    The dragon became startled.

    ¡°I heard from the Green Dragon.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Then, the baby chicken pointed its nose out towards Yu Jitae and started smelling him, before suddenly pping her hands.

    ¡°That¡¯s why!¡±

    ¡°So, why are you here.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the thing is. I tried living with humans once you see? That¡­ umm, was a bit scary and I did something called a vlog back then, and, ah, I signed a contract? with somepany? but it was hard to earn money and, um¡­¡±

    The baby chicken started talking gibberish. There appeared to be some circumstances but he couldn¡¯t understand what they were.

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    ¡°In any case, that¡¯s how things turned out. I was a bit afraid¡­¡±

    ¡°Right, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    The excitement within the atmosphere died down a little but that wasn¡¯t what he desired. So, Yu Jitae clicked his fingers and sunk into the alternate dimension within himself. From the darkness, dozens of arms floated out and stopped right before him, before simultaneously lowering their wrists.

    [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    That huge alternate dimension that could swallow an entire city was currently being used as a bag for Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Bring me the bread.¡±

    One of the arms gave a nod with its wrist. Then, it returned back to the darkness beforeing back while holding a small bag of bread.

    Returning back to reality, Yu Jitae pulled out a bag of bread from thin air as a sweet scent immediately spread across. The golden eyes staring at the camera were led by the smell onto Yu Jitae¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Smells nice.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a gift.¡±

    ¡°Wah, really? What bread is it?¡±

    What was it? He didn¡¯t really know either because he had just asked for some bread that children liked. Ah, there was something he remembered ¨C there was a thing called macaron that was especially expensive.

    The Gold Dragon received the bread, cookie and macaron from Yu Jitae and started eating through them.

    Everytime it took a bite, it went ¡°Mhmm, mmmm¡­!¡± and jumped up and down on the spot. Sweets were the best for children as expected.

    In an instant, the bag became empty. While saying ¡°Thank you ahjussi, it was the best¡±, the dragon faced a gloomy gaze at the bag so the Regressor opened his mouth after biding his time.

    ¡°Instead of staying here like this, won¡¯t youe along with ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you more bread.¡±

    Hearing Yu Jitae¡¯s words, the Gold Dragon contemted.

    ¡°Uh, umm¡­ I would love to but¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°My mum told me to be careful of strangers¡­¡±

    Since it continued throwing a nce, the kidnapper added a condition.

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a macaron as well.¡±

    The baby chicken widened its eyes.

 Chapter 8: Kaeul / Autumn (2)

    <h4>Chapter 8: Kaeul / Autumn (2)</h4>

    ¡°Ahjussi. I¡¯m not following you because of the bread. I¡¯m not an easy kid like that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Right! the sausage bread was delicious. It was a lot better than Askalifa¡¯s finest sausage¡­ anyway! It¡¯s definitely not because of the bread, okay?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it was because of the macaron either. Of course! The crunchy outside and the moist inside and the cream inside being so sweet and delicious makes me want to eat more¡­ but, but¡­!¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    Gangnam-gu, Nonhyeon-dong, the dragon and the Regressor were on their way back as the Gold Dragon repeatedly muttered ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s not the case! Okay?¡±, with a huge bag full of bread in its arms.

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    When Yu Jitae agreed, the baby chicken made a bright smile, with cream stered on its lips.

    Well, if you say so.

    *

    ¡°Wee back, my lord.¡±

    Arriving back home, Yu Jitae found his copy, Bom and Yeorum already there. The best sofa that Yu Jitae alwaysid down on was upied by Bom, who looked back and forth between himself and the copy with blinking eyes. Then, she widened her eyes seeing the Gold Dragon.

    On the veranda next to the sofa, a red-haired girl, whom he was seeing in person for the first time was standing there ¨C that was Yeorum.

    Judging from how there was smokeing out of her mouth, it seemed that she was having a smoke. As far as Yu Jitae knew, the things loved by the red race were along the lines of alcohol, gambling and drugs¡­

    ¡°Uwah, Green! Red!¡±

    Finally, the Gold Dragon holding a bag of bread entered the house wearing a bright expression and while saying ¡°Gold¡±, Bom hugged the dragon with a smile.

    Yeorum bounced the cigarette butt off with her fingers beforeing back into the living room. He was worried whether it would be possible to regte her or not, but she was surprisingly docile and her lowered gaze reflected her gloominess.

    When are we going to do that ¡®strategy¡¯?

    Yu Jitae turned towards Bom. Perhaps feeling his gaze, a pair of green eyes looked back at him, and despite not saying anything, Yu Jitae felt there was no need to worry.

    Meanwhile, the blonde approached the redhead.

    ¡°Red, Red. Have you been well?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? Nn? What¡¯s up? It¡¯s me. We¡¯re seeing each other for the first time in a year. How have you been?¡±

    Even though it was being ignored, the baby chicken continued starting a conversation but without giving a reply, Yeorum walked into Yu Jitae¡¯s room and closed the door behind her.

    It looked way too natural for a freeloader.

    ¡°Red. Did something happen? I received some delicious food so let¡¯s eat together!¡±

    Knock, knock. That was when the Gold Dragon started knocking on the door.

    ¡°Gold.¡±

    Bom called the baby chicken and shook her head. That simple action calmed the dragon down like magic.

    ¡°Then, do you want to eat this with me, Green?¡±

    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±

    The two of them started eating bread together. At the same time, they chatted, about how they had been, and what sorts of experiences they had. At the start, it was just the Gold Dragon bbering on its own butter, it connected through to Bom¡¯s story.

    ¡°Uwah, really? Street musicians are that great?¡±

    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s amazing right?¡±

    ¡°There were sirens performing in Green¡¯sir right? A, are they better than that?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    Currently, they were talking about the street performers in Firenze streets. Bom, who had been travelling a lot had felt and seen more things in the same period of one yearpared to the Gold Dragon. Such stories flowed like rivers, until it reached the story of her arrival here when the Gold Dragon asked.

    ¡°¡®Bom¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Did he call you ¡®Bom¡¯, Green?¡±

    ¡°Aaah, it¡¯s my name that ahjussi gave me.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Gold Dragon¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Is it like, a fake name?¡±

    Bom shook her head.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s my name.¡±

    ¡°Un? How? Why? We¡¯re hatchlings right? We haven¡¯t gone through theing-of-age ceremony yet so how could someone give us a name, that¡¯s not an alias?¡±

    ¡°That¡­ it just happened that way.¡±

    From Yu Jitae¡¯s point of view, it was a conversation he could not understand. Was there a problem with giving them a name?

    ¡°Wow I see. Then, since the four seasons go bom, yeorum, kaeul, gyeoul¡­ I must be Kaeul then?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum¡¯s red and Gyeoul¡¯s blue right?¡±

    The baby chicken made a ¡®hehe¡¯ smile.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s our precious names though, there¡¯s no way he made them that simple.¡±

    Bom replied, but in fact, that was the answer.

    *

    That night, Yu Jitae gathered the dragons to the living room, and asked about their ages.

    ¡°I¡¯m twenty years old.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ten!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And she¡¯s fifteen.¡±

    Since Yeorum was still moody, Bom answered him in her stead. It was great, because their names suited the order of their ages as well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s call you guys Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul. And when that¡¯s born, we¡¯ll call it Gyeoul.¡±

    Pointing at the ne hanging on Kaeul¡¯s chest, Yu Jitae said that as Kaeul then asked back with widened eyes.

    ¡°Did you know already?¡±

    Of course.

    The blue gem embedded on the ne was in fact a dragon¡¯s egg in a polymorphed state. The Blue Dragon was yet to be born but was scheduled to be born soon.

    In other words, Yu Jitae had gathered four dragons already.

    After that, he talked about how their life here would be, like he had exined before to Bom. Do not hide your presence from me ¨C that was the only wish the Regressor had for them.

    While he was at it, he decided to teach them basic rules regarding how to talk to people higher and lower in terms of age and social hierarchy as well as titles. He did it thinking that putting them into a hierarchy would make things easier, and they followed nicely.

    As the dusk neared behind the window on a certain weekend night, Bom and Kaeul talked to each other as unni and dongsaeng*. She said they viewed each other as strangers but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    ¡°Crime¡¯s not allowed apparently, Yeorum-unni.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Until then, Yeorum did not say a single word. The direction she faced and looked were different from others as well, seemingly in a different world by herself. Around the time Kaeul who attempted to constantly talk to her was about to be depressed, Bom came up to Yu Jitae and gestured with her eyes.

    She would be starting the strategy now, it seemed.

    The strategy was rather simple.

    Yu Jitae would handle the situation, after which Bom would take care of Yeorum. ording to Bom¡¯s words, the damage to Yeorum¡¯s pride wasn¡¯t an issue that could be resolved any time soon, but unlike pride, it was possible to make her mood get better.

    And there, Yu Jitae would chime in with a hand.

    Hatchlings leaving on their first Amusement easily found happiness from trivial things. Bom, who had more social experiencepared to others knew exactly what they wanted, as well as how those could be achieved.

    It was possible because she was from the green race that could sympathise with others, better than what most of the other races could.

    The pair of green eyes nced across Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes. After walking past him, Bom walked up to the two of them, and crossed her arms.

    ¡°Guys, do you want to go outside?¡±

    ¡°Nn! But where?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a good ce nearby. Let¡¯s go have fun.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    And as previously nned, Yu Jitae called out to Bom.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Then, he threw his wallet.

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    Receiving the wallet, her eyes turned into circles. It was the expression made by Bom, who always had a dry set of reactions, when she was really surprised.

    ¡°Go have fun.¡±

    ¡°Really? Thank you ahjussi. By the way, how much are we allowed to use?¡±

    ¡°As much as you want.¡±

    *

    [Origin Bank Credit One-off Payment $181]

    [Origin Bank Credit One-off Payment $375.54]

    [Origin Bank Credit One-off Payment $475.30]

    [Origin Bank Credit One-off Payment $600]

    The Regressor nkly looked at his hologram disy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Right now, Yu Jitae was reading a book by himself. When he had nothing to do, he would either read books or watch movies. Although he didn¡¯t feel much from it, it was an effort to melt into the daily lives like others.

    By closing his eyes, he could still feel their auras, so he wasn¡¯t worried. asionally, his watch received messages from the bank. At the start, it was five to ten dors, so he thought they were using money on food but,

    [Origin Bank Credit One-off Payment $1990]

    [Origin Bank Credit One-off Payment $2150]

    The amount was gettingrger andrger.

    What in the world were they buying?

    ¡®If needed, I will go stop them.¡¯

    His copy who usually lived within the alternate dimension [Shallows of the Abyss (S)] talked to him but Yu Jitae shook his head.

    However, that was when another message hit his watch.

    [Origin Bank Credit One-off Payment $41239]

    Did they buy a car or something?

    [Origin Bank Credit card¡¯s limit has been exceeded.]

    That was the final notification message. The entirety of the wealth, frugally saved for a few years by the Yu Jitae before the regressions had vanished in an instant.

    However, he didn¡¯t care too much. Things that could be grasped in his hands whenever he desired did not have any meaning to it and thus, he was not interested in materials or honour.

    Soon, the three dragons came back with their hands filled with shopping bags. First off, Bom walked up to him and gave him the wallet before whispering, ¡°Sorry ahjussi. We used too much¡±.

    In response to the Regressor¡¯s words, ¡°Did it go well?¡±, Bom returned a small smile and faintly gave a nod.

    ¡°Ahjussi, look at this. I bought this as well!¡±

    Next, Kaeul ran up and bragged about thetest watch model. He wondered where two thousand dors had gone off to, but that must have been the cause.

    ¡°Ahjussi bought all these for us right? Thanks a lot. I¡¯m so happy! It¡¯s amazing. Really amazing! Ahjussi¡¯s the best! Uaaah!¡±

    She suddenly ran up to him and hugged him. Although the Regressor was taken aback for an instant, he gave a light embrace back.

    And behind her, Yeorum with the same moodyplexion as before entered the living room.

    The same watch Kaeul had on was also hanging on Yeorum¡¯s wrist but that wasn¡¯t the end. On her waist, there was a sword he was seeing for the first time ¨C it was an artifact. He immediately understood what $40000 had been used on, because most Level 1 artifacts had the same cost as a car.

    Around the time Kaeul separated herself, Yeorum slowly walked up to him. Then, while dodging his eyes, she suddenly held the sword up and held it up for disy.

    ¡°This, I bought it outside. I lost my sword so¡­¡±

    That was because Yu Jitae threw it away somewhere in the desert.

    ¡°That was your money right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Do you like it?¡±

    ¡°Well, just¡­ I used it once.¡±

    Yeorum halted her words. Then, it seemed like she wanted to say something, but soon formed a frown.

    ¡°¡­¡­it wasn¡¯t much.¡±

    Leaving such words behind, she entered the room, while holding the sword artifact with a tight grip.

 Chapter 9: In a Certain Daily Life (1)

    <h4>Chapter 9: In a Certain Daily Life (1)</h4>

    As darkness coloured the night sky and stars shined within, a man lying on the sofa opened his eyes.

    The starry night sky visible through the window was beautiful. Since that¡¯s what everyone else says, that must be the case.

    However, he could not sympathise with that thought as for him, the stars hanging in the night sky did not make him feel anything.

    Every night, the man tried to sleep but that was merely a matter of formality. In order to recover the lost daily lives, and to understand the emotions of ordinary people, he would close his eyes at night and induce his physical movements to a state simr to sleeping.

    But, he did not fall asleep. To be exact, he could not fall asleep.

    Spending time like a person with insomnia, he would asionally feel like his body was being buried inside darkness. Like letting a drop of blood into a clearke, the boundaries between his body and the darkness would be fainter and whenever that happened, his five senses buried in darkness likewise turned hazy.

    As if he was watching someone else¡¯s life from the side, he himself was there, but at the same time it felt like there was something else apart from himself.

    It wasn¡¯t a great feeling.

    Currently, he was sensing his senses bing fainter. Even then, things were better off in this round because it only happened during night. In the previous rounds, there was no such thing as day and night.

    And such senses of his would be clear again when killing an enemy. The ¡®enemy¡¯ mentioned here referred to those falling under his perception of an enemy.

    There were several regtions he followed when discerning an enemy.

    If there was any possibility of them hastening the Apocalypse, or had a history of doing so, or was a demon¡­ plus individuals, groups, concepts and phenomena that could not be left alive.

    Whenever he killed those enemies, and felt the Apocalypse visibly furthering away; only then would Yu Jitae feel his scattered sensations gathering and bing clearer. Because he found his hazy sensations unpleasant, a not-so-small pleasure followed him when killing an enemy.

    It was dangerous, to feel joy from killing humans. As he had felt throughout his life while seeing all sorts of entertainments, the joysing from these sorts of entertainment were short-lived, and became smaller as its frequency increased, and would result in a self-destructive form when addicted. Thus, ever since a certain round, Yu Jitae restrained himself from unnecessary violence and murder.

    Even then, there had yet to be a round as peaceful as this one.

    Therefore, the Regressor was slightly anxious.

    He thought he needed to immediately run out through that door and massacre those that had to be killed. His history of failure continuing on for hundreds and dozens of years became a stamp, sealed in a corner of his brain and made him uneasy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    While lying down, Yu Jitae turned his head and stared at the wall of the living room. On the other side of the wall, three dragons would be sleeping on his bed.

    A peaceful house, dragons as individual selves, and himself as a guardian.

    Suddenly, he had a thought that this ce wasn¡¯t suited for himself, like a flower garden of natural colours having a hideous rock within. The mere fact that he was imitating a person¡¯s sleep despite his inability to was a proof.

    However, the things he had to do wouldn¡¯t change just because he felt that, and that was just another addition to the sense of distance he had to persevere.

    Once again, he closed his eyes.

    In that moment, a small voice was heard whispering away. He didn¡¯t have an interest in voyeurism or eavesdropping. The fact that he could still hear something, must be because one of the dragons directly increased their own presence.

    It most likely was Bom.

    ¨C That, is a macaron¡­ un¡­? It¡¯s not a macaron¡­?

    Then, Kaeul talking in her sleep was heard.

    ¨C Then¡­? A, a fatcaron¡­? Twice as fat¡­?

    His sixth sense caught Bom¡¯s hand caressing Kaeul¡¯s hair in her sleep.

    ¨C Yeorum, are you going to sleep while hugging that?

    The next voice he heard belonged to Bom.

    ¨C Yeah, I think I¡¯ll have a deep sleep.

    ¨C You must¡¯ve liked it. But swords aren¡¯t meant to be hugged while sleeping.

    ¨C I¡¯m going to masturbate with this as well though.

    Then, thest voice he heard was Yeorum¡¯s, which was brighter than before.

    ¨C But still, it¡¯s good that you like it a lot, Yeorum.

    ¨C ¡­Hey.

    ¨C Nn?

    ¨C Are you really going to call me that? ¡®Yeorum¡¯?

    ¨C Nn. Why? Do you not like the name?

    ¨C Well, it¡¯s alright but.

    Bom made a faint smile.

    ¨C Yeorum, you need to call me unni as well.

    ¨C Me? Why?

    ¨C This is Korea, and I am actually older than you.

    ¨C ¡­You, are you really thinking of living here?

    ¨C Nn.

    ¨C Why?

    ¨C Hmm¡­ At the start I was going to live here because I wouldn¡¯t be able to run away in the first ce, but now, it¡¯s quite fun staying here. What about you? If you wanted to leave during the day, you could¡¯ve. Why didn¡¯t you go?

    ¨C Well, I also thought it would be difficult to escape and until I grow up strong enough to smack that bastard¡¯s skull, I¡¯ll stay here.

    That bastard ¨C it probably meant Javier Carma.

    ¨C Are you going to be ahjussi¡¯s disciple?

    ¨C No. I¡¯m not interested in that.

    ¨C Then?

    ¨C Just, just¡­

    Yeorum hesitated, unable to find an answer.

    ¨C I don¡¯t know either.

    ¨C Hmm¡­

    ¨C Whatever, let¡¯s just sleep.

    ¨C Yeah. Good night.

    Their conversation came to a stop.

    Soon, Yeorum¡¯s calmer voice reached his ears.

    ¨C You too, unni.

    ***

    Opening the window, he could hear the chirping sounds of birds. On the next day, Bom was busy from the morning and inside the curved kitchen, sounds of a knife chopping things were heard.

    Yu Jitae looked for his copy, but it had already left for his job.

    ¡°Everyone,e have your food. When you¡¯re feeling down, you need to eat something delicious.¡±

    What Bom had made was simr to a thick soup.

    ¡­To be honest, he had no idea what it was.

    In doubt, Yu Jitae tried putting his spoon in and mixed it. Fortunately, the metal spoon turning yellow or melting down did not happen.

    ¡°Wow, did unni make this? It¡¯s been so long!¡±

    Kaeul ran up with excitement and Yeorum, having an expression a lot better than before, sat on her chair.

    ¡°Thanks for the food.¡±

    The long-awaited meal time. Kaeul raised a spoonful of the soup-like stuff and turned stiff.

    Then, it suddenly made a bright smile.

    ¡°Kuu, as expected¡­¡±

    ¡­?

    ¡°Bom-unni¡¯s food has its own unique charm. Humans¡¯ foods are all super delicious as well, but they don¡¯t have this thing, right, unni?¡±

    It was a question for Yeorum, who also obediently gave a nod.

    ¡°Not bad.¡±

    She then started binging through it.

    Yu Jitae stared at the two of them for a while, before trying a spoonful himself, thinking that maybe the previous dishes had just been failures.

    However, the moment it entered his mouth, it felt like his tongue was being stiffened. It was still extremely salty and bitter¡­ in any case, it was all over the ce.

    With that, there was another new fact the Regressor got to know about dragons. The dragons¡¯ tongue was, although very simr to humans, was fundamentally broken somewhere.

    Despite that, they all ate well.

    In that ce where quiet noises of cutleries were the only sources of sound, Yu Jitae thought about the life hereafter. In this round, the first step he had in mind was to gather all of them to one ce without relying on force, and that had seeded.

    Thus, it was about time to go for the next n.

    In every round, the deaths of the dragons were the causes of the Apocalypse. Although it was mostly due to outside forces, they had also ended their own lives a few times. An example was the previous round, when Yu Jitae hadpletely locked them up.

    Thinking back, it must¡¯ve been because they weren¡¯t happy, and because they judged it would be better to just diepared to keeping those unhappy memories for a few thousand years ¨C that must have been the reason. So to stop the Apocalypse, they had to be happy.

    He had a deep contemtion without a word. Bringing them here was good but what if he locked them up here and stopped them from doing what they wanted? That probably wouldn¡¯t be much different from the days they had been confined within the undergroundbyrinth.

    They had to do what they wanted to and he had to lead them until they could feel happiness from that process. For their eternal memories that would never be forgotten.

    Therefore, he decided to have them start school at ¡®Lair¡¯, the academy city where lots of superhuman teenagers got involved with each other. There, it would be easy to regte them for five years, which was the minimum number of years for enrolment and would also help with their self-realisation.

    So he looked it up, and fortunately, it was currently the application period for admission applications.

    After the meal, Yu Jitae said to them.

    ¡°You guys, let¡¯s go make ID cards.¡±

    *

    ¡°Uwah, the air is so good!¡±

    Kaeul shouted.

    The ce Yu Jitae took them to was none other than Jeongseon region of Gangwon-do. Not far from the Portal Bureau, there was a shabby residential area.

    There were shops here that epted requests from politicians, businessmen, foreigners and even hunters tounder their identities, or fabricate certificates. In easier words, it was thergest identityundering area in Korea.

    Walking through the gap between the small fences, he walked towards the basement of a vi that contained not a single signpost, but it was unexpectedly bustling inside. All sorts of superhumans were there and like waiting for tellers at a bank, they had tickets in their hands and waited while doing their own things.

    As soon as Yu Jitae and the three dragons entered the ce, a ripple was formed.

    ¡°Uh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Haah¡­¡±

    Without an exception, the people all threw nces. Murmurs of admiration were heard, and whispering chatters could also be heard. Those were gazes Yu Jitae had felt a lot while staying with Bom.

    Sometimes, there were undisguised nces mixed within, but he did not care too much.

    Every dragon had an authority called [Transcendence (S)]. Against existences that did not reach a certain level, it constantly spread an aura that made them difficult to approach.

    So even though they would stare at them for a while, they would soon feel strangely burdened and turn their eyes away. That was the reason these young girls without any knowledge on worldly affairs did not fall into trouble despite carrying around such beautiful faces.

    [152]

    On the screen shed their waiting number.

    Yeorum and Kaeul took their photos as Bom already had an identity. Around the time he submitted the documents in, Bom asked him a question.

    ¡°Can we go outside and y a bit? There were a lot of interesting things outside.¡±

    In any case, it would take some time until the cards were issued out. Yu Jitae nodded in response, but Kaeul hesitated.

    ¡°Unni, can I just stay here.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±

    ¡°Feels like I came to a suspicious ce, and I feel like I became a bad person too!¡±

    The baby chicken made the face of a ¡®bad person¡¯, but it wasn¡¯t bad at all.

    ¡°Okay. Stay with ahjussi. Then, can we y around first before going home straight away?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    It was when they were left behind on the application booth, with Kaeul sightseeing humans and Yu Jitae waiting for the ID cards.

    A few gazes started irritating his senses. Compared to the faintly explicit gazes from before, they contained a lot dirtier desires.

    He turned towards Kaeul.

    She was wearing the tennis skirts she bought yesterday while shopping. Underneath the pink checkered skirt, two legs were spread out far and wide. But, from some time ago, two middle-aged men withrge builds were persistently staring at Kaeul¡¯s legs.

    The fact that they could stare at a dragon with such eyes, meant that they were superhumans at a decent level.

    ¡°Un? Why?¡±

    Perhaps feeling a change in Yu Jitae¡¯s atmosphere, Kaeul blinked her eyes. Yu Jitae shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing important.¡±

    Despite having said that, the Regressor¡¯s gaze faced the middle-aged men and their eyes met. After looking into each other for a while, the two avoided eye contact and whispered at each other.

    Is he her boyfriend? Is he loaded with money with something? He must be eating her everyday?

    Such vulgar words were being shared. They perhaps thought they were whispering only to each other, but Yu Jitae had sharp ears.

    Kaeul, perhaps out of thirst, walked up to a water purifier and started filling her cup with water. That was when one of the two approached Kaeul.

    ¡°Hey missy.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Kaeul! Yu Kaeul!¡±

    ¡°Ah, Kaeul. That¡¯s a pretty name. Where did youe from?¡±

    ¡°My house!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your house?¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­ Seoul, Nonhyeon-dong xx-¡­¡±

    When Kaeul started going through the address, the middle-aged men gave out emptyughters, as if they found it absurd before asking back.

    ¡°Then what about that person there? Is he your boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°No? It¡¯s our ahjussi!¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi? O what, so it¡¯s not a boyfriend, uncle or anything like that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Hearing that reply, smiles appeared on their lips and one of them asked with a subtle voice.

    ¡°Then do we ahjussis have a chance as well?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to y with these ahjussis today? We have a lot of money. We¡¯ll make you happier than a bastard like that.¡±

    Around that point, Yu Jitae raised his body up. Throughout the repetition of his lives, there were surprisinglyrge numbers of people like that, and their next actions were obvious as well. There was no need to wait and see any longer.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yes ahjussi!¡±

    ¡°You know our house¡¯s spatial coordinates. Go back first.¡±

    ¡°Yes? But¡­¡±

    She, who seemed sad because of wanting to stay there a bit more, saw Yu Jitae¡¯s expression and cautiously gave a nod.

    *

    Behind the streets of a quiet residential area, around the time the sky turned into a night sky and dusk settled down, the street lights were flickering and shing.

    Everytime the light shed, a man¡¯s body wetted with blood appeared from within the darkness before disappearing again. The head was crushed, and the dead body was ruined beyond recognition. Its neck that had just been opened had a flush of blood pouring out.

    Yu Jitae, who found the light unpleasant, moved his killing intent and smashed the street lights. And soon, within the alleyway that had beenpletely devoured by darkness, the man stared at one of them that was still alive.

    ¡°Hu, huuk¡­ p, p, pleas¡­¡±

    He had wetted himself out of fear and was letting out tears and snots. After clearly witnessing his friend¡¯s death, he got on his knees and rubbed his hands like a fly.

    ¡°S, s, sorr¡­¡±

    There weren¡¯t any words Yu Jitae wanted to hear from him.

    However, while he was venting his anger, there was a doubt that hit his mind.

    Why was this guy wearing something like a human mask over his face?

    Yu Jitae grabbed his face with one hand, and with a tough grip that could crush refined steel, he squashed the man¡¯s face and lifted it up.

    ¡°Kuhuk, kuha¡­!¡±

    As the man was oppressed by the killing intent and suffocated, gasping for breath, Yu Jitae stared at his bare face that had been revealed.

    It was a familiar face. It had been within the memories that had been brought by his copy.

    He rummaged through the man¡¯s pocket and took out a wallet before checking the ID card.

    [Jo Hosik]

    Ah ¨C and only then did he remember.

    This guy, he was that human trafficker that the Lair¡¯s local police force were searching for, day and night.

 Chapter 10: In a Certain Daily Life (2)

    <h4>Chapter 10: In a Certain Daily Life (2)</h4>

    It¡¯s him, right?

    ¡®Exactly, my lord. It matches the information within the files checked back in the office.¡¯

    The copy was certain of it.

    Yu Jitae searched his memories. Deadline for the investigation was just around the corner and as the information about the human trafficking group was revealed, all traces of Jo Hosik had vanished from Lair.

    He had literally disappeared into thin air.

    Since the case was bigger than expected, pressure given from the Haytling city and Lair was reduced but the atmosphere was reced by hopelessness due to the case bing more difficult to resolve.

    ¡®I had actually been nning to go out and catch him myself sooner orter, but things do happen in interesting ways.¡¯

    It truly was a strange coincidence.

    But thinking back, it did make sense. A human trafficking group targetting superhumans and thergest identityundering ce within Korea ¨C the fact that Jo Hosik was in between those two parties, might even be considered natural.

    In any case, it was a good thing.

    Heaving out a deep breath, the Regressor crouched down in front of the man and looked directly into his eyes.

    ¡°P, please don¡¯t kill me¡­ p, please¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want to live?¡±

    He, who had been heavily trembling, widened his eyes when words escaped Yu Jitae¡¯s lips for the first time and smacked his head down onto the ground. Perhaps he saw something simr to hope.

    ¡°Please, please let me live¡­ I, I have a family waiting for me at home¡­¡±

    ¡°Family?¡±

    ¡°Ye, yes¡­ I got married three months ago. My single mother is old, and I have a, a wife, and there¡¯s a child inside her stomach¡­¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°They only have me with them¡­ if I¡¯m not there, they¡¯ll all have trouble living¡­ p, please just let me live¡­¡±

    He cried while shaking like a leaf.

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t interested in whether those words were true or not, and he also did not ask him a question along the lines of ¡°If you have a family, how could you do something like human trafficking?¡±. Such words were meaningless.

    He only waited with his mouth closed.

    It was because right before he was about to crush the head of the other person, Yu Jitae had seen Jo Hosik ce his hand on the watch. He must¡¯ve sent an SOS or the likes, and currently, something must be approaching this way.

    ¡°Please, please¡­¡±

    ¡­And this guy was trying to buy time while acting his heart out.

    That was a good thing.

    Sure enough, soon, signs of life neared in from the other side of the dark alleyway. Just like how Jo Hosik was at a decent level in human standards, they were the same and their footsteps did not create noises while them unsheathing their swords did not break the silence.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ck.

    Without saying a word, they took out their respective cold weapons.

    Compared to what he had gone through up until now, this wasparatively an insignificant thing. There were no injured dragons and it wasn¡¯t important enough to have an impact on the Apocalypse.

    He could have resolved it with words. If he wanted to, he also could have handed the situation away to others without saying a word. Such choices existed.

    Even then, he deliberately induced a situation like this and remained standing.

    The Regressor made a hazy smile.

    A person¡¯s mind was hard to please. While wandering around endless hell, dripping with blood, he had desired to escape it as quickly as possible but now that he was strolling around a flower garden, there was a sense of emptiness within.

    Now, he even wanted to crush and kill a bug that approached the flower.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    Killing intent formed a shape on the Regressor¡¯s hand.

    Pat¨C

    At almost the same time, they moved. Each cold weapon had their own rhythm depending on their lengths. Those perfectly attacked from the left, right, front, and back ¨C all sides of Yu Jitae. des contained acute forms of mana and their jointed attack could instantly kill anyone with decent skills.

    However, the next second, they all came to a stop.

    The man moved his arm. It seemed to turn hazy for an instant but swords and spears were cut, and the heads of those nearing him fell.

    That, was just one sh.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    There were those being baffled into a stop but those that were slower in terms of recognising the situation raised their swords yet again and ran in toward Yu Jitae. Once again, their heads were shed and soared into the sky. Like an everyday event, Yu Jitae walked and killed anyone that approached him.

    The Regressor¡¯s killing intent was sharp ¨C sharp enough to rip dragons¡¯ leathers apart and crush the head of an archduke of the demon world. Since there is no shape or form, there is no limit. Because there is no limit in distance, it cannot be dodged.

    They, who did not know that fact, quickly turned away and started running, but Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t nning to let anyone escape.

    ¡°Kuk¡­!¡±

    A person who had been gesturing like the leader copsed on the ground mid-escape. Soon, his body divided into two and was torn apart.

    Yu Jitae turned his gaze away. Between buildings, above certain vis, or between the trees in nearby parks, there were people running away. When he swung the sword like a whip, the killing intent extended off and chased after their backs.

    If desired, the killing intent could reach over thousands of metres. The flying shapeless sword quickly neared their backs and pierced through their back bones, straight into their hearts.

    An annihtion.

    Standing in that ce, devoid of all signs of life, Yu Jitae felt his senses bing clearer, although faint. He closed his eyes and raised his head up. The light, shallow sense of pleasure revolved around his body a few times and numbed the tips of his fingers and toes.

    Thanks to that, the suffocating feeling he had been feeling, seemed to have disappeared a little. Although enjoyable, it was a sensation he mustn¡¯t be addicted to.

    Heaving out a deep breath to chase the pleasure out, he clicked his fingers once.

    [Eradication (S)]

    It was a skill he earned after killing a ck dragon he did not know the name of. Being one of the mightiest skills out of the powerful S-ss skills that belonged under the destruction attribute, it could even go against thews of physics topletelybust its target.

    Enveloped in ck mes, the corpses started firing up without leaving anything behind.

    After taking care of the situation, Yu Jitae returned to where he had been and stared at Jo Hosik. As if he had gone insane, his eyes were hollow and pants were wetted. He frowned due to the odour before withdrawing into the inner alternate dimension.

    Inside the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)], Yu Jitae ordered the hands to bring him a liquid potion. From the darkness, a small ss bottle was soon handed over.

    When he returned back to reality, it had only been moments after he had entered. He grabbed the face of the trembling Jo Hosik and put force into the hand grabbing onto his chin.

    ¡°Uguk, ugu¡­¡±

    His mouth was opened.

    Yu Jitae ced the lid next to the teeth and removed it, before pouring the liquid into the mouth and making him swallow it. It was a potion that removed a day¡¯s memory of the things that had happened recently. After a good sleep, the guy would have forgotten everything that had happened today.

    ¡®How should I handle the after-measures?¡¯

    Do as you like.

    ***

    That was how the day went.

    The dragons, that did not know of what happened, greeted him as usual and he likewise spent another everyday life inside the house.

    Due to the weather that got gradually colder, Yu Jitae bought winter clothes for the children. Kaeul, who was interested in clothes, liked it a lot, despite the fact that she had already bought dozens of clothes in the previous shopping round while saying those were the trending clothes.

    That incident which happened in a certain daily life, quietly flowed away.

    The admission into Lair was sailing smoothly. In order to submit an application for admission, lots of licences and certificates were needed but since they couldn¡¯t go through all that, Yu Jitae used an expedient.

    Next day, Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul¡¯s identities fell under a famous overseas academy, ¡®Pantheon School¡¯. It was in fact a ghost academy that didn¡¯t exist, but there wouldn¡¯t be any problems, because the daughter of the prime minister of Syria, as well as the youngest grandchild in the ¡®Tryton¡¯ house of China¡¯srge artifactpany, and other tycoons were from the same academy.

    While everything was advancing without a problem, there was one incident that happened.

    ¡°An award ceremony?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is the case, my lord.¡±

    It was that the police force would be conferring a certificate for the most excellent officer of the quarter.

    ¡°Is it because of Jo Hosik?¡±

    ¡°No. Jo Hosik was sent over to the team leader under an anonymous name. The team leader had it be the team¡¯s credit, but since the guy was a rather bigshot, the chief would be personally praising the outstanding team and an outstanding member.¡±

    And it meant that Yu Jitae had been rmended as the greatest contributor.

    ¡°It was a unanimous decision.¡±

    Although he knew the copy was a good worker, he didn¡¯t think it was up to that level. Yu Jitae was dumbfounded.

    ¡°However, as you are aware, my lord, my schedule is a bit packed today.¡±

    Right, there were lots of things the copy had to take care of rted to admission. Those were small yet tedious things.

    ¡°If you so order, I will make another copy.¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head. [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)] demanded a huge price to create a new copy and there was no need to waste things on it.

    So for that day, he wore the uniform himself.

    He left the officetel on his way to work when Bom came out to the veranda and stared at him. When their eyes met, she waved her hand.

    ¡°See youter, ahjussi¨C¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly returned a wave, albeit awkward.

    When he arrived at work, familiar faces greeted him ¨C his colleagues at the police force whom he had seen through the memories of his copy. They were talking about the award ceremony that would be held on that day and when Yu Jitae entered the police station, they all stood up from their seats and congratted him.

    ¡°Wah! Jitae-sunbae. Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°If it was from our team, I knew it had to be Jitae.¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡±

    He awkwardly lowered his head, and let a word he wasn¡¯t used to saying, ¡°Thanks¡±, flow out of his mouth. When he did, one of the teammates grinned and shouted.

    ¡°Guys. Jitae-ssi will be shouting meat this weekend!¡±

    ¡°Ohh really?¡±

    ¡°Oi you¡­ I heard it too! And it¡¯s not just any meat, but Korean ribeye beef?¡±

    ¡°Aht¡­ aha, I heard it as well!¡±

    When did I say that?

    The colleagues all grinned andughed. They must have all suffered together and he was the only one receiving the spotlight and yet he did not see anyone facing him with jealousy.

    After the work ended, right before the time to be dismissed, the award ceremony began. It wasn¡¯t arge event and was just held at the parking lot at the entrance of the police station with only the award being given out.

    The chief opened his mouth.

    ¡°Ace policeman of the third quarter of the year, Yu Jitae. Please walk up to the stage.¡±

    With a salute, he received the award. Although he didn¡¯t feel anything from the award itself, there was something he felt while looking at his teammates facing bright smiles at him. Congratting the sess of others and bing happy together. He etched that scenery into his brain.

    It was when the ceremony ended and Yu Jitae was about to go home. At the entrance, a group of police officers had gathered and were chattering. Seeing that they were people unrted to himself, Yu Jitae walked to the side and was about to walk past them when a voice saying ¡°Huh?¡± was heard.

    A woman left the crowd and stopped his steps.

    ¡°Hello, dear Jitae?¡±

    Yu Jitae tried remembering that face. It was someone that existed in his memories.

    Lee Bosuk. She was the daughter of the chief, and was the same woman that made an advance on Yu Jitae recently. It was unclear where her uniform went, but she was wearing a one-piece with flowery patterns.

    ¡°Are you heading home already on a good day like this?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Aigo. Dear Jitae doesn¡¯t know how to y!¡±

    ¡°Wahaha!¡± Aughter left the crowd of people next to them, that were all in the same team as Lee Bosuk, belonging under the headquarters.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I liked you though. But! What are your teammates doing, sending you home on a good day like this?¡±

    They suggested drinking together since it was amemorable day but Yu Jitae had postponed it to another day.

    ¡°¡­I will be on my way then.¡±

    ¡°Ah, ahh¡­! Wait. Are you going to disappoint this noona?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°How many years has it been since you came in? It¡¯s a good day; this noona will shout you once today. Come have a drink.¡±

    The Regressor was distressed, because he couldn¡¯t be bothered to.

    ¡°I have something on today¡­ please buy me next time.¡±

    ¡°Uhuh! That ¡®next time¡¯ over and over again! Why does someone without a girlfriend have so many appointments?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You, wake up before the bus leaves. I¡¯m not that bad right?¡±

    Someone from the crowd shouted ¡°Aye, that¡¯s a bit¡­!¡± as another noisyughter escaped the crowd. When Lee Bosuk red at them, theughter died down and some of the female police officers responded by saying ¡°You¡¯re pretty, team leader!¡±.

    Perhaps she had confidence in her own appearance, but she blinked her eyes before pushing her face forward.

    ¡°A girlfriend, you don¡¯t have right?¡±

    When Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply, Lee Bosuk squinted her eyes.

    ¡°Or what. Do you have a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°See, you don¡¯t right?¡±

    Seeing that he was still silent, she came up and whispered.

    ¡°¡­Nn? Dear junior, you need to rx a bit. Who do you think rmended the top policeman spot to the chief? You know who my father is, yeah?¡±

    She was saying that she had said some stuff to her father.

    Whatever the case, the Regressor had to hold back his urge to twist her neck. From behind, her teammates were shouting ¡°ept her!¡±, and Lee Bosuk was sending him a weird gaze from the front. He was between a rock and a hard ce.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have one date with noona¡­ why are you shirking all the time¡­?¡±

    Her furtive hands reached out towards his buttocks. Instinctively, he gripped her wrist before it could, and she walked back with a gasp and a crumpled expression.

    At the same time, voices going ¡°Haa¡­¡± and ¡°Uh?¡± were heard from the surroundings.

    ¡°What did you do just now?¡±

    Lee Bosuk who became full of confidence opened her eyes wide like a feral cat and let words out in anger.

    ¡°Hul¡­¡±

    ¡°Wah¡­¡±

    Hearing the constant gasps of admiration, Lee Bosuk made a frown. The reactions of her teammates were strange and when she looked carefully, their eyes were facing somewhere distant.

    Why, is there something there? What¡¯s happening?

    She, who became offended, followed the eyes of her teammates and turned her head. At the entrance of the police station stood a girl with green hair. At the same time, her own chin could be felt dropping down.

    It was enough to blow away all sorts of thoughts from her head in an instant. That was how pretty the girl was.

    ¡°Uh? Ahjussi¨C¡±

    Yu Jitae turned towards her. He did find it strange that he was sensing an aura from nearby, but it seemed to have been from Bom.

    ¡°Why are you here.¡±

    ¡°Did the award ceremony end already? I came here to surprise you.¡±

    A conversation between a mysterious girl and the male started naturally and when it did, the police officers all turned silent.

    What was their rtionship?

    Lee Bosuk¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ¡°It did.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go quick. I¡¯ll cook you a special dish as amemoration today.¡±

    Cook? The expressions of the surrounding people turned even stranger. They had been curious of their rtionship the moment she appeared and those words added oil to the fire.

    But it was then.

    ¡°Ohh, it¡¯s here? Ahjussi!¡±

    A clearer and brighter voice was heard. From the side of the green-haired girl, a blonde girl popped out. Unlike how Bom waited at the entrance of the parking lot, she smiled before immediately running into the police station.

    ¡°What are you doing ahjussi and why aren¡¯t youing out? We were waiting for ages!¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Around that time, Lee Bosuk¡¯s face was almost rotting away. Right now, she was wearing a recently trending one-piece. Since it could be undone from the back in one go, she thought it would be enjoyable at night.

    And yet the blonde-haired girl that walked in was wearing the same one-piece as her.

    ¡°Uwah. Ajumoni, your clothes are the same as mine!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Those were the same clothes, but the atmosphere they gave off werepletely different. Rolling her eyes to the sides, she took her time staring back and forth between the man and the girls. Her pride had been hurt by the word ¡®ajumoni¡¯ but that didn¡¯tst long. Only then did she understand a little bit about why Yu Jitae hadn¡¯t shown her any interest up until now.

    ¡°This is team leader Lee Bosuk. Say hello.¡±

    ¡°Yes? Ah, ah¡­! Hello!¡±

    Hearing Yu Jitae¡¯s words, Kaeul made a polite bow. From the teammates looking on from the side, there were a few that made dumb faces as if their hearts had been bombarded, regardless of gender and age.

    ¡°Ajumoni, is your name Bosuk?¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh¡­¡±

    Kaeul who had been nkly staring at Lee Bosuk¡¯s face tilted her head, before giving an innocent smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s such a pretty name!¡±

    Her smile seemed to be that of a goddess.

 Chapter 11: Against Common Sense (1)

    <h4>Chapter 11: Against Common Sense (1)</h4>

    ¡°You know what, by the way? I don¡¯t think the name ¡®Bosuk¡¯ suits that ajumoni.¡± On the way back home, Kaeul who seemed to have been in deep thought suddenly said that.

    Bom asked back.

    ¡°Then what name would suit her in your opinion?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    After some more thinking, Kaeul giggled while saying, ¡°Potato?¡±

    Bom ced her hand on Kaeul¡¯s head. Although she probably didn¡¯t mean anything bad, it was ultimately a bad thing to say.

    ¡°Kaeul. You shouldn¡¯t say something like that to a person.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay. Unni.¡±

    She once again contemted before throwing another word out.

    ¡°Then, sweet potato?¡±

    *

    There were only two of them there, so Yu Jitae asked in doubt.

    ¡°What about Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°I asked if she wanted to go together, but she said she had to train her body and didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    He was convinced of the answer. Yeorum had a personal goal, and that was to win against Javier Carma, who had made her taste defeat. Since she also got herself a new sword, she must be diligently going through a personal training session.

    Currently, he and Yeorum were still rather unfriendly. Even when they see each other in the morning, she would feign ignorance and when her eyes met his while smoking, she would stare only for a short while before turning her eyes away. This was the same for his copy as well.

    On the other hand, he was on decent terms with Bom and Kaeul. They joked with each other and strolled outside together. He was worried the dragons might fight each other but they were more amicable than expected, perhaps thanks to Bom being here.

    How long would it take for her to beat Javier? If he were to guess, it would take a few years. A few years, despite being a dragon? It was because Javier was also a genius recording his name in the annals of history. His starting point was different from others and yet he was an existence that was still advancing forward even at this minute.

    Thus, it would be difficult for her to beat Javier while staying in Lair but there were plenty of time, and he just had to watch over her.

    ¡°Did you eat?¡±

    Yu Jitae thought about something else. Today, he was nning to have them eat something slightly special ¨C amon yet special thing.

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Me neither!¡±

    That was good.

    When he was still in the second round of regressions, there had been arge war which he had taken part in. Back then, Yu Jitae was weak and could barely reach three digits in the world rankings so he had to be a part of an organisation.

    Surprisingly, that was where he had first met the Gold Dragon, who hade for a constory concert as a celebrity. It was that same Gold Dragon, who had now be Kaeul.

    Kaeul had been active as a world-famous soloist. She wasn¡¯t as bright as now, and wearing an expression that was apparently worn out and exhausted, she sang and danced with an almost obligatory smile.

    Between performances, there was a talking session during the breaks and there was a question that the superhuman soldiers had asked back then. It was the question, ¡°Do you by any chance have any food you like?¡±

    The host of the concert asked after respecting the opinions of the crowd and the response given by the Gold Dragon was¡­

    Ding ding¨C

    ¡°Wee to Lair Chicken. Which of the menus would you like?¡±

    *

    Gulp.

    He could hear a drop of saliva going through Kaeul¡¯s thin throat. On the way back, she had been constantly pestering Yu Jitae, saying ¡°Can I eat just one? Please? Just oneee¡­!¡±. Because the smell was too good, she couldn¡¯t hold herself back.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Hauuh¡­ ahjussi¡­, this is torture.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Telling us to endure it when there¡¯s a delicious smelling from the side. It¡¯s a torture, for sure. Ahjussi¡¯s a bad person!¡±

    A bad person?

    Since it was true, he didn¡¯t receive a single damage. When Yu Jitae didn¡¯t return a reply, Kaeul changed her attitude and started whining.

    ¡°Huing. Ahjussi, my mother said there¡¯s time and ce for everything!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I think now is the time. What if I actually eat itter on and it happens to be not delicious? I might have lots of expectations because of the smell, before being disappointed!¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t eat it then.¡±

    ¡°Huuingg¡­!¡±

    Seeing that Yu Jitae was unrelenting no matter how she whined, she formed a pout and became silent.

    ¡°Kaeul, did you give up now?¡±

    ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s going to taste like a poisonous mushroom if I eat it.¡±

    ¡°A poisonous mushroom?¡±

    ording to her, she had apparently found an extremely pretty mushroom with a good smell while living in the Amazon. So she pulled it out and ate it immediately, but had suffered for a long time due to the disgusting taste it had.

    So, this would be the same and it won¡¯t be delicious when actually eaten ¨C telling herself that, she was trying to hold herself together. Perhaps finding that change in attitude cute, Bom quietly smiled.

    When they arrived home, they found Yeorum whom Yu Jitae then also called. He then ced the four chickens on the dining table and when they came one by one and took their seats, the table that was toorge for a single person usage was fully upied.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The crunchy batter on the outside of the chicken shined in lustre due to it having been fried recently and a savory yet salty smell rose up. Surprised, Kaeul carefully ced her nose closer in and smelled it, as her golden eyes then sparkled.

    ¡°Uh? I saw this on the streets before.¡±

    Yeorum who showed up thetest abruptly raised a drumstick to her lips as Kaeul¡¯s expression immediately crumpled.

    ¡°Ah, unni! I was going to eat first!¡±

    ¡°Nn. Your fault for beingte.¡±

    ¡°I was waiting for ages.¡±

    ¡°Then wait a bit more while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t even an opportunity for Kaeul to say anything. With a crunch, the chicken crumbled inside Yeorum¡¯s mouth alongside crisp biting sounds.

    The baby chicken that had missed out on being the first to eat instantly made a pout.

    ¡°What are you doing? Eat.¡±

    Although it wasn¡¯t like she had been waiting for permission, the instant Yu Jitae gave the word, she subconsciously reached out and grabbed onto a drumstick. Then, she carefully brought it to her lips.

    With her mouth wide open, she took a bite out of it, after which her expression immediately turned nk.

    Yu Jitae was curious about her reaction. How would it be; the taste of the first chicken that would remain in her memories forever?

    She chewed on the chicken, before taking another bite, and yet another mouthful. Then, drops of tears appeared on her eyes.

    Bom asked with astonishment.

    ¡°Kaeul, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Un, un. I¡¯m, fine.¡±

    With a rxed voice, the baby chicken was tearing up as she ate the chicken.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    Was it delicious enough to cry? Yu Jitae could not understand the child¡¯s feelings, but it was for sure a good thing. As long as history continued, this child would reminisce in this moment countless times and be happy about it until a distant future.

    That was when Yeorum frowned while staring at Kaeul.

    ¡°The f*ck¡­ just freaking eat it.¡±

    ¡°What! Do you not find this taste touching?¡±

    ¡°What is this yellow pig even talking about.¡±

    Kaeul seemed to beining while saying, ¡°What? Me, a pig?¡±. But since her mouth was filled with chicken until her cheeks protruded out like balloons, that was merely a spection.

    While they were doing that, Bom quietly appreciated her own share of the chicken.

    After the meal, Yu Jitae was out on the veranda when the door opened and revealed a redhead. Yeorum found him and halted, as they remained there without saying a word.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    Yu Jitae started a conversation first, as Yeorum pointed to the other side.

    ¡°Cigarettes, they¡¯re there.¡±

    When Yu Jitae turned around, Yeorum walked onto the veranda. She then bit on a cigarette and used the tip of her fingers to create an ember and lit it on fire. Her hands were agile and practised.

    ¡°Are you getting used to life here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Somehow.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need anything?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    After exhaling smoke a few times, Yeorum slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°That¡­ why are we going to that ce called Lair?¡±

    ¡°To make you guys do what you want.¡±

    ¡°What I want to do is fight. Are there lots of strong people there?¡±

    He simply nodded in response. A dense cloud of smoke dissipated into the air and when Yeorum bounced the cigarette butt away with her fingers, it caught on fire and vanished.

    Even after that happened, Yeorum did not leave for quite some time, and only after a long time did she open her mouth.

    ¡°You. Let¡¯s have a proper fight together.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re strong, but I¡¯m curious how strong.¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    It was because there was no reason for him to y around with a child. When he didn¡¯t reply, Yeorum made a frown thinking she had been ignored.

    ¡°Do you know you¡¯re really boring?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit like that.¡±

    ¡°Hah, shit¡­¡±

    She violently smacked the veranda door open and left.

    ***

    Time passed.

    Yu Jitae and the dragons were busy with their preparations for admission.

    A few days after the documents were submitted, there was a call from them regarding the interview dates. Until the interview, Bom who at least had more knowledge than others in the ways of the world took Yeorum and Kaeul along in preparation.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae created another identity.

    There was a thing called ¡®guardians¡¯, and it was a position that only existed in Lair.

    After the Great War had been wrapped up, infrastructures revolving around nurturing future hunters had an explosive uprise worldwide.

    Recently Lair was filled with children from all sorts of rich families, famous and bloodline families and geniuses from nurturing schools. Despite being children, they formed connections and created a world of their own.

    The issue was that even those with power and background were still kids. Because of their young ages, there were lots of problems that urred due to them not being able to correctly use their given powers.

    Due to that, ever since a few years ago, each family and organisation were allowed one person for each student, called ¡®guardians¡¯ or ¡®trainers¡¯ that could stay together and regte them.

    And now, Yu Jitae was nning to be a guardian himself.

    Once again, two weeks went by. Time flew like an arrow and the long-awaited day of interview weed them. Along with the dragons, Yu Jitae entered Lair through the Portal Bureau.

    A widend, and although not tall, buildings had umted modern technology embedded within. Above the sky, there was a mana shield in a dome shape that covered the entirety of thisrge floating ind, Haytling.

    There were students letting out dense smells of mana in the surroundings carrying their busy steps. They were talents that would soon be top-level hunters of their respective nations.

    The interview was over in an instant.

    ¡°Uh, uh¡­ w, w, waait a minute!¡±

    Kaeul screamed with a dead face.

    Due to her nervousness for the interview, her mind seemed to have been going through heaven and hell repeatedly, and had finally calmed down due to Bom¡¯s pat. That should have been the case but now, after the interview ended, she suddenly started freaking out.

    ¡°What happened, Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°I, I thought of something super, super horrible.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°What if¡­the¡­ly¡­ails?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying.¡±

    When Yeorum frowned, Kaeul, who had been staring at the ground, carefully raised her eyes up.

    ¡°You know, w, what if, I¡¯m the only one that fails¡­? What if both of you unnis get epted while I fail? Will I be the only one that can¡¯t enter Lair?¡±

    ¡°Who pressed her ¡®seizure¡¯ button.¡±

    ¡°Why? Why why why? Yeorum-unni isn¡¯t worried?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I! I was actually a bit nervous and couldn¡¯t speak properly. If I¡¯m the only one that fails¡­ mum¡­¡±

    Kaeul had that pale, dead expression on her face for a few days and only calmed down after checking the three passes from the results.

    ¡°Hah! What! Interviews was it? They¡¯re nothing much.¡±

    Bom smiled, and Yeorum made a snort as if she found it ridiculous. It was then that Yu Jitae¡¯s phone started ringing noisily.

    ¡°Yu Jitae speaking.¡±

    ¨C Hello. I¡¯m Professor Myung Jong from the Lair Education Department.

    The voice seemed to belong to a person with a lot of years under their belt.

    Myung Jong? It was a name Yu Jitae knew of. He was one of the famous professors of Lair and was at the same time a superhuman ranker from Korea.

    He had most likely been one of the interviewers this time.

    ¡°Yes, nice to meet you. Is something wrong?¡±

    ¨C It¡¯s just that there was a little incident during the interview

    Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes headed towards Yeorum. With a gaze that seemed to be saying, ¡®what, why¡¯, Yeorum stared back with a crooked light in her eyes.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¨C Did you perhaps not hear it from Reserve Cadet Yu Bom yet?

    Bom?

    When his eyes turned over once again, a pair of green eyes were staring back at him. The words that soon left Professor Myung Jong¡¯s lips were a little bit surprising.

    ¨C Reserve Cadet Yu Bom has received full marks in the interview for cadet selection.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¨C The interviewers all gave high praises unanimously. Since she is the only one with full marks from this year¡¯s interviewees, the expectations from the Education Department is great. If possible, could you, sir guardian pleasee over immediately to the Lair Education Department with Reserve Cadet?

 Chapter 12: Against Common Sense (2)

    <h4>Chapter 12: Against Common Sense (2)</h4>

    Yu Jitae took Bom out and got on a taxi. He didn¡¯t fly, or jump through dimensions as he was nning to chat with her on the way.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    After getting off the taxi, Bom asked while walking towards the Portal stations.

    ¡°Lair.¡±

    ¡°Why Lair?¡±

    ¡°Apparently something happened during the interview today.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Perhaps realising what he was talking about, Bom closed her lips. He was curious about what happened there but Yu Jitae decided to ask something different for the time being.

    As far as Yu Jitae remembered, Red, Gold and Blue Dragons had clear paths. Every round, they moved in simr patterns and became simr people.

    However, the Green Dragon was different.

    The professions she had been a part of included painter, sculptor and a novelist and at a nce, it was rted to creating things. However, the Green Dragon did not show any distinguishing results from these fields. While Red and Gold grew up to be one of the top celebrities in the world, Green Dragon remained locked up in the corner of her room and drew.

    The green race liked creating things ¨C he at least knew that.

    But merely drawing poor paintings in her room without any results and without putting in any effort was a bit weird now that he thought about it. Back then, he wasn¡¯t curious and had no interest. Thus, he had not asked her about why she did that and why she did those the way she did.

    So, he wanted to ask her regarding that today. Yu Jitae opened his lips.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Just curious. Yeorum finds fights exciting, and Kaeul is interested in grabbing the attention of others.¡±

    Those were the characteristics of the red and the gold race.

    ¡°We like creating things. Creating, manufacturing, architecture and things like that.¡±

    ¡°Not that.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What about the things you want to do?¡±

    A personal question rather than a question about her race. Bom contemted while saying ¡°Hmm¡­¡± and did not give a response for a long time.

    ¡°Anything you are greedy for? Things you want to have or want to do.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°What about cooking?¡±

    ¡°I like it. I enjoy cooking and I¡¯m happy to have others eat it. But, I have no ns to be a cook during the Amusement.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t <i>that</i> fun.¡±

    Yu Jitae pondered for a little before casually dropping a question.

    ¡°If your race enjoys creating things, how about a novelist or a painter.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be bad. There were elders of our race who had been doing those.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about you.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Soon, she let out words along with a sigh.

    ¡°In fact, the reason I continued travelling was because of that. I didn¡¯t know what to do. If I create things like everyone else from my race, it¡¯s fun, but it¡¯s not to the level I love them.¡±

    It was a troubling answer because it meant the previous rounds¡¯ Green Dragons had also been rather unmotivated. However, there was no need to fret because it wasn¡¯t something that could be solved immediately and required more time.

    When Yu Jitae gave a nod and fell silent, it was Bom¡¯s turn to face him with a question.

    ¡°What about you, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    He hadn¡¯t been expecting such a question.

    ¡°If you kidnap and protect us, is therepensation for ahjussi? Is there happiness in that process?¡±

    As usual, she had a strange expression on her face and asked. Bom was looking into his eyes, but her gaze was deep, as if she wanted to look deeper in.

    Yu Jitae shook his head, because it wasn¡¯t a conversation topic he preferred.

    ¡°What happened in the interview.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re changing the topic.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She blocked Yu Jitae from the front.

    ¡°I also want to know more about ahjussi.¡±

    He likewise stopped his feet and stared back into the green pair of eyes that still gave off a mysterious light that couldn¡¯t be read. In any case, what should not be shared must not be.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    They confronted each other in silence for a long period of time. Then, one of them murmured ¡°stubborn¡± and took a step back. Carrying her steps forward again, Bom replied to the question Yu Jitae had asked.

    ¡°Nothing happened during the interview. They just asked a few things and I responded. That¡¯s all.¡±

    What were the questions that made the professors of the Education Department that excited?

    ¡°The questions? It was rted to magic theory.¡±

    Ah, he understood it in an instant.

    Magic was ryed from another world, and in that other world, they had been crafted by the dragons. To put it inparison, it was like the humans asking the Creator about humans.

    ¡°But there wasn¡¯t anything that could be called an ¡®incident¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I only answered a few questions that had been asked. The interviewers didn¡¯t have great expressions in response either.¡±

    What was this about.

    ¡°They liked the answers for every other question but when I replied to the question about magic theories, they turned a bit serious, and in any case, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t that great.¡±

    ¡°What was the question.¡±

    Bomid outplicated words rted to magic theory. It was about ¡®mana concentration¡¯.

    It was a decent question. Their backgrounds were from the ghost academy, Pantheon School, and since Bom was admissioned in as a magic theory major, simply put, it was a question about her major.

    ¡°And how did you respond?¡±

    After some thought, Bom replied.

    ¡°Normally.¡±

    ***

    Lair Education Department.

    After finishing his work, Professor Myung Jong entered the magic studies staff room. There, he found four professors gathered up, sharing chatters in excitement. They were all those who had been the interviewers like Myung Jong himself.

    ¡°Ah. Professor Myung, you¡¯re here?¡±

    Myung Jong giggled in response.

    ¡°Aigo, you busy people have alle to see that reserve cadet from before?¡±

    ¡°Yes. When is that friending? Seriously.¡±

    The professors were all serious or interested, while one of them did not hide their excitement.

    There were 120 reserve cadets that sat the interview today and since it was the tenth day, there had been around 1200 people entering as interviewees until now. They were all specialists of magic studies.

    Everyday they repeated asking the same questions, and hearing simr replies. Because they were also humans, they were about to get exhausted from the tiresome schedule.

    That was when a slightly special reserve cadet entered through the door.

    ¡°Hello, my name is Yu Bom¡± she had said.

    When people were at the level of being a professor at Lair, they were socially well off without anything to be jealous of. Besides, since superhumans underwent physical evolutions on their bones, they became prettier and more handsome over time so the professors were somewhat immune to beauty.

    And yet there entered a beautiful girl that even made them surprised.

    However, appearance was not important. Since back then it was still an interview session, they had asked the reserve cadet a few questions. With a rxed voice fitting the calm appearance, the reserve cadet naturally gave answers to the questions.

    Up to that point was okay.

    While other reserve cadets trembled, Yu Bom carried out a natural interview with not a single sign of nervousness. In fact as they conversed, it even made them feel like she was the one in control of the conversation.

    But the important bit came after that.

    ¡°Tell us the most efficient method in concentrating an attribute-less mana.¡±

    In response to a certain professor¡¯s question, Yu Bom naturally exined how to induce concentration of non-attribute mana ¨C for about 15 minutes.

    Perhaps due to the clear pronunciation and voice, or perhaps because of the atmosphere around her, the professors focused on her words as if they were possessed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After the exnation ended, silence befell the interviewers.

    They were shocked.

    Because it was urate?

    Yes. Yu Bom¡¯s method of inducing mana concentrationid clear aspects that allowed mana to be concentrated in one ce. Without even using any metnguage, she exined while going through every single phenomenon so there was no room for them to tackle.

    That was the problem.

    It was way too urate.

    Things that random reserve cadets should not know of had been exined by Yu Bom.

    Straight after the interview ended, the professors gathered their heads and searched for an article that contained an inducement method simr to Yu Bom¡¯s.

    ¡®dimir Concentration Inducement Method¡¯.

    Coincidentally, it had been a limited ess article that had been released by the Russian Union around two weeks ago.

    Does that mean that a reserve cadet had fullyprehended the following article in merely two weeks?

    A mere 19 year old?

    An existence beyondmon sense ¨C the world referred to these people as geniuses.

    ¡°Haha sirs. You¡¯re overexaggerating it too much.¡±

    That was when a professor raised his voice.

    ¡°Ah, Professor Nakamura.¡±

    He was a Japanese professor with a shining bald head. Although he was a magic studies professor, he hadn¡¯t been a part of the interview.

    ¡°No matter what, it doesn¡¯t make sense right? dimir Concentration Inducement can only beprehended by a smart superhuman with more than tens of years of experience handling mana.¡±

    Topare, it meant that a high schooler was in possession of a simr study load as postgraduate students, but the fact that she fully exined the phenomena without skipping over points while relying on metnguage proved that she had fully understood the concept.

    ¡°Right? We were surprised as well. It would be great if such a friend was in our study group¡­¡±

    The professors nced at each other.

    There was only one reason they were this excited.

    In Lair, there was a system called a ¡®study group¡¯. It was a group formed with special cadets gathering into one ce, in order to nurture top cadets with extra care.

    And most professors belonged to a study group.

    ¡°Aha. Didn¡¯t you recruit Carley the day before yesterday? Professor Wang is a bit greedy I see.¡±

    ¡°Kuhaha. Shouldn¡¯t our study group take a first-ce badge for the first time this year?

    Lair was a world of endlesspetition.

    Students with high achievements and professors of that study group received huge research funds and honour. While research funds were important, honour was slightly more important as there was a fight of pride behind the scenes between professors. They did not like losing.

    Buildings couldn¡¯t be built on top of sand. Thus they needed cadets with lots of potential.

    That was why the existence called Yu Bom was a great shock to them.

    ¡°Stop trying to keep others in check. In any case, what is that cadet¡¯s identity? Does she have a connection somewhere?¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    After the interview ended, the curious professors had checked Reserve Cadet Yu Bom¡¯s identity.

    19 years old, with two younger siblings: one 18 and one 17 year old.

    From Pantheon School.

    Seeing that, the professors felt disappointed. The fact that Pantheon School was a non-existent organisation was something everyone within the Lair knew.

    Ever since the end of the ¡®Great War¡¯, there had been an increase in the number of superhumans working in the underworld. Secret forces of severalrge guilds, assassination organisations under governments and secret heirs of renowned houses ¨C due to their rights and situation, there were a few superhumans and organisations that did not appear under broad daylight.

    In order to gather those talents up, Lair did not impose restrictions regarding identity. Actually, there were restrictions but the school still encouraged them toe. In other words, young and talented superhumans coulde for a school life whenever.

    However, if a student with a hidden backgroundmitted a crime, only then would they start finding a fault with them hiding their identity. That meant that at the current point in time, they could not find out exactly who Yu Bom was.

    ¡°Is the lord of the Magic Tower nurturing a daughter or something?¡±

    ¡°I had been a part of the Magic Tower until the year beforest year, but the Magic Tower Lord does not have a son nor a daughter.¡±

    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s Valentine ¨C that old witch¡¯s disciple?¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­ Oh right, who is the guardian by the way?¡±

    The guardian¡¯s name was Yu Jitae, aged 27. He too had a falsified identity.

    ¡°Or don¡¯t tell me that cadet called Yu Bom, she lied about her age or something?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be the case. On the day, I checked it just in case but the mana itself was definitely a young one. At most it would be that of a twenty-year old.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Anyways, I think our dear professors are being a bit excessive with the exaggerations. When the reserve cadetes, I¡¯ll check with my own eyes.¡±

    It was when the professors were continuing their talk about Yu Bom.

    The door was shoved open as a man with a healthy build entered the room. Although slightly hazy, he was a man that gave off a sharp impression resembling a keen edge of a de.

    ¡°Aah, wee, Mister Guardian. We had been waiting.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Yu Jitae.¡±

    And from behind his back, a girl with grass-coloured hair walked in.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    The professors¡¯ eyes started being painted with excitement.

 Chapter 13: Against Common Sense (3)

    <h4>Chapter 13: Against Common Sense (3)</h4>

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Cadet Yu Bom.¡±

    The atmosphere of the staff room was strangely serious yet heated up at the same time and neither Yu Jitae nor Bom knew the exact reason.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    He tried distinguishing their favourability. Between ¡®like¡¯ and ¡®dislike¡¯, amon feeling they had towards himself and Bom was ¡®like¡¯¡­ Plus, it was extremely favourable.

    ¡°About the things that happened during the interview today, can we have a little conversation?¡±

    That was when a bald professor with a hairy beard, as if he had moved it from the top of his head to the bottom, took a step forward.

    ¡°Professor Nakamura. Must you be like this?¡±

    ¡°I ask for your understanding. It won¡¯t take long.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Other professors seemed dissatisfied.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae sat down on a sofa in the corner and leaned his back on it. At this point, there was nothing for him to do, and he just had to observe whether the situation was flowing properly or not.

    ¡°Was there an issue with my interview?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that big of a problem. In the previous interview, there was a question regarding how to induce concentration of non-attribute mana, and I heard you, cadet, have given a great response to it.¡±

    He squinted his eyes.

    ¡°Let me directly ask you. Have you studied or learned about an article called dimir Concentration Inducement Method?¡±

    Bom blinked her eyes before turning her head to stare at Yu Jitae for a bit.

    When Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes met hers, he somehow had the impression that Bom was caught in an awkward spot. But her expression remained the same as usual, so it was just a feeling he got.

    He thought that it might be because she didn¡¯t know who that  h h guy was.

    In that case, it was a troubling turn of events. Although he didn¡¯t know what she meant by saying that she had replied ¡®normally¡¯ to the questions, it seemed to have attracted their interest more than it should have. It might end up creating a hassle, perhaps because she talked about a piece of information she shouldn¡¯t have known about.

    Even then, Yu Jitae decided to watch as Bom solved things on her own.

    After throwing a nce around the staff room, Bom gave an answer half a beatte.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t study, but I did look it up once.¡±

    The sharp gaze seemingly in doubt of something remained.

    ¡°But why are you asking that? Is it rted to the interview?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it and it¡¯s just due to curiosity. You can just give us afortable reply. Does that mean you studied an article that had been released only two weeks ago, by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    In response to Bom¡¯s answer, the professors let out guffaws as strong favourability once again surfaced in the Eyes of Equilibrium.

    As if they had fallen in love as an entire group, the professors didn¡¯t seem to know what to do.

    ¡°I see. Then is it okay for me to ask you a few more questions?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Good. Imagine mana was activated in a line from A, the starting point and B, the point of activation¡­¡±

    Soon,plicated words started flowing out of the bald professor¡¯s mouth. Through the repeated lives, Yu Jitae had never professionally learned magic. There was a clear limit on how strong one could get through magic so he had given up on it from the get go.

    Thus, he honestly did not understand what was being talked about, but he still understood two things.

    ¡°I think it would be better to consider all the coordinates around the point of mana activation. If the coordinate of the dot is fixed, it would make it difficult to induce mana¡­¡±

    One was that Bom¡¯s response flowed naturally like a river, and second was that satisfaction was surfacing on the faces of the professors listening to her reply.

    Longer the questions continued, hotter and more fevered did their gazes get. Later, it was to the point they forced a stop on the bald professor¡¯s questions.

    ¡°Ahh that¡¯s enough. Seriously! Professor Nakamura,e back please.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm. But despite understanding the theory, the exnations are too focused on practicality.¡±

    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s enough so juste here please.¡±

    Pushing the bald professor away, other professors leaned forward towards Bom.

    ¡°Reserve Cadet. The reason we called Reserve Cadet Yu Bom here is none other than to offer and scout.¡±

    It was finally time for the main topic.

    Bom threw a nce at Yu Jitae, asking with her eyes ¡®What does this mean?¡¯, to which Yu Jitae replied back, signalling ¡®Something good¡¯.

    ¡°Cadet Bom also heard about study groups right? To students of Lair, it is a ce to dream of, the thing called study groups.¡±

    She nodded her small head.

    Cadets entering Lair all desired to join a good study group. A study group was a cadet¡¯s pride and also served as a connection for them.

    ¡°So, we normally don¡¯t give offers like this. However, we really want Reserve Cadet Bom so we must put a condition to it. If you join our White Horse study group, we will give you a full schrship for the first grade.¡±

    It was a shocking offer.

    Lair had a huge school fee. Every year, tens of thousands of dors were spent as a minimum and to normal reserve cadets, it was definitely not a small amount.

    However, no-one there was surprised.

    In fact Yu Jitae and Bom were oddly calm so the professors that had been expecting a reaction had to be disappointed.

    It was when Bom made an embarrassed smile saying ¡®Umm¡­¡¯.

    ¡°Wait Cadet Bom. Listen to me first. If you join Le Bien study group, we will support you with a full first-grade schrship, living expenses and other educational fees for one year.¡±

    ¡°Haa, Professor Wang. You can¡¯t do this to me.¡±

    ¡°Uhaha! Just stay back if you can¡¯t afford the money.¡±

    ¡°Cadet Bom, our Wonmyung study group will give a 2-year schrship.¡±

    That was the beginning of a sudden auction.

    ¡°If you join our study group, we will offer a schrship until the third year¡­¡±

    ¡°Let alone school fees, what about a right to participate in a group research¡­¡±

    ¡°Then let me add¡­¡±

    There were more and more terms being added.

    Money alone wasn¡¯t that appealing to children of rich houses, and knowing that, the professors offered connections and opportunities that could not even be bought with money.

    The terms were enough to make normal students majoring in magic studies roll their eyes and even bow, but Bom remained silent whilst merely giving nods. Her attitude only made the professors more frustrated.

    ¡°Reserve Cadet Bom. Are these not enough?¡±

    ¡°No. It is plenty.¡±

    ¡°Haha, then¡­¡±

    ¡°But you see, I¡¯m not thinking of joining a study group.¡±

    Bom poured cold water on the atmosphere. The professors that appeared to be seconds away from running in all froze stiff where they stood.

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡­ what¡¯s the reason?¡±

    One of them asked after a while.

    ¡°The thing is, I have never seriously considered magic.¡±

    Bom¡¯s response made them astonished. Her words were once again outside theirmon sense. Even considering all the reserve cadets that had applied this year, there was not a single person with a talent at her level.

    And yet a genius like this had never seriously pondered about magic?

    ¡°Reserve Cadet, that, what do you¡­?¡±

    A t voice flowed out of a professor¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°I know this is a ce where people with serious interests in magic gather. I only read whatever I found and learned them, so there¡¯s no passion. I don¡¯t think it is a ce for a person like me to enter.¡±

    Before long, a gasp escaped Myung Jong¡¯s lips. The professors were all made speechless.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    *

    The professors tried to stop Bom from leaving while saying ¡°Letting a talent like yourself rot is a sin. A sin!¡± but Bom did not change her mind.

    They then turned to Yu Jitae and tried persuading him but he respected Bom¡¯s will. Although this was definitely a good opportunity, if she said no, then so be it ¨C he had no intention of forcing her to do it.

    ¡°Did you know about it beforehand?¡±

    On the way out of Lair, Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°di, whatever.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Yu Jitae became a bit more curious because of the quick reply.

    ¡°Then how did you do it. You were talking pretty well.¡±

    ¡°I just¡­ read their countenances a little.¡±

    Their countenances?

    ¡°When other professors were calling the name of the person asking questions, they called him Nakamura. I looked for a namete inside the staffroom and found ¡®Magic Theories Professor Nakamura¡¯.¡±

    He remembered her looking around.

    ¡°Since he was a professor of theories, I thought he would ask questions based on that, so I dodged theory as much as possible while answering.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°And when he speaks, he would sometimes make a frown with his eyes like a habit. If he does that, I shouldn¡¯t answer that question.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It seemed like a topic that shouldn¡¯t be known by a person with an identity like mine. After skipping one question like that, the other professors seemed to be fond of it and I thought of that as a threshold.¡±

    Judging from their responses, it ultimately seemed that all her assumptions had been on the mark.

    She was quite smart.

    The attention from the professors was definitely an opportunity and could have been a natural stairway that led to higher ces. But nothing including material, honour, opportunity and the approval of others could move Bom¡¯s heart.

    Perhaps due to the event that had happened today, the Regressor became more curious about the future that was waiting for Bom.

    However, he decided to not worry about it too much, because out of the six Apocalypses, Bom had never been the cause a single time.

    But meanwhile, it made her social talent stand out.

    ¡°¡­Why did you take those.¡±

    In her hands, there were numerous business cards that belonged to the magic studies professors. On the way out, she had politely asked the professors for them and despite the disappointment, they all handed her their business cards while wishing for her to contact them any time.

    ¡°It could be a good connection.¡±

    Rejecting their offers yet taking their favourability and forming a dominant rtionship with others. It wasn¡¯t bad.

    Until the end the favourability of the professors were at extreme goodwill.

    They would have trouble falling asleep today due to frustration.

    ***

    A few dayster.

    Student dormitories were provided to the cadets of Lair. An officetel for four people ¨C arge house with five rooms was provided. Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul had finally left Yu Jitae¡¯s room and obtained their own personal spaces.

    After moving, Bom brought a flowerpot from somewhere and ced a blue egg on top of it. It was the egg of the Blue Dragon that had been hanging on Kaeul¡¯s neck.

    A forced dispel of polymorph from a gem meant that the Blue Dragon would be hatching some time soon.

    ¡°Hi, our baby.¡±

    Bom would sometimes talk to the egg or would water it with a spray.

    ¡°Why water?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a prenatal education.¡±

    I see.

    Since there was still some time left until the entrance ceremony in Spring, they just had to rx and y around. Bom took Kaeul and went sightseeing around Lair while Yeorum showed interest in ces like sparring arenas, gyms and training rooms.

    Before, Yu Jitae sensed their auras whenever he had time buttely he was reducing the frequency. In his opinion, their rtionship was getting stabler.

    One day, Yu Jitae left the house and entered the Blue Sky Building, which was one of the buildings used for event purposes in Lair.

    [Azure Dragon Study Group Practical Interview]

    Seeing the card hanging on the entrance, Yu Jitae carried his feet. There was someone that must be gotten rid of here.

    At Lair, identities were differentiated ording to the colours of the name badges and Yu Jitae, a guardian, had an orange name badge hanging on his neck.

    After entering the third floor, he found a crowd of people that wasn¡¯t allowed into the auditorium room where the interview was being held. Hanging on their necks were white name badges, signalling that they were reporters and the likes. Further in, there were even people holdingrge cameras and boom mics.

    He walked through the crowd of people and the guards that were blocking the entrance obediently made way after seeing the colour of his badge.

    The interview of Azure Dragon study group was well and truly on the way. Large groups of reserve cadets in bulks of hundreds were sitting on their chairs.

    The moment he entered the hall, Yu Jitae recognised the one he was looking for.

    Wei Yan.

    He was a Chinese professor, and despite being 38 years old, his neat facial structures made it seem like he was in mid-twenties. Fitting his embarrassing titles of ¡®Gentleman of Lair¡¯ and ¡®Professor on a White Horse¡¯ that were known in the media, a gentle leisure was behind his ssy image.

    Wei Yan was the chief professor of a study group focused on physical prowess, ¡®Azure Dragon¡¯.

    Plus, he was the main initiator that urged a worldwide hunt for dragons in the third round of regressions, and at the same time, he wasn¡¯t a human.

    He was an aspect hastening the Apocalypse, and was a person that must be killed.

    ¡°Wahh, that person is Professor Wei Yan right? How is that a face of a professor?¡±

    ¡°He could even be friends with an old cadet¡­¡±

    ¡°He looks really kind as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just his personality. He¡¯s rich, strong. He¡¯s a hero of the war and a head professor in Lair. Young and handsome¡­ he has everything, everything.¡±

    Voices could be heard from the surroundings.

    Let alone them, there was probably no-one from those that knew Wei Yan, that truly understood what kind of person he actually was. But they will all get to know about it in a not-too-distant future.

    The interview was about to begin.

    ¡°Wah, hey look at her.¡±

    Yu Jitae, who was quietly observing the hall, turned his eyes to a ce where a littlemotion was being made. A few cameras were facing that ce already.

    It felt like he could see a familiar hair colour. Light reflected off of her fluttering hair and revealed a sullen yet annoyed expression beneath.

    Yeorum.

    Yu Yeorum was a part of the group of interviewees.

    When he stared deeply at her face, Yeorum¡¯s head slowly turned towards him.

    Soon, their eyes met.

    Then, she formed a frown with her eyes, before turning her head away as if she had no business with him.

    Now why was she here ¨C thought the Regressor with a hazy smile.

 Chapter 14: â– â– â–  (1)

    <h4>Chapter 14: ¡ö¡ö¡ö (1)</h4>

    As superhumans got stronger, they earned a body better suited for survival. Their height reached an ideal level and their bodies became thicker and during this process, most people underwent a change in their appearance.

    Thus, high-level superhumans were mostly handsome or pretty, and that was the same for the cadets gathered here. But even then, Yeorum stood out the most.

    ¡°Iya¡­ that redhead is so pretty.¡±

    ¡°Like, wow. How is she like that? She looks insane.¡±

    ¡°The people near her look like squids.¡±

    ¡°Who? Where?¡±

    Gasps of admiration connected like waves and Yu Jitae¡¯s ears picked up words spoken by other guardians.

    Yeorum appeared like a source of light. Because of a fierce light strong enough to darken the surroundings, she gathered eyes but gave off a feeling that deterred others from staring for a long time.

    ¡°Wake up mate. Did wee here to watch others¡¯ faces?¡±

    ¡°Ah, uh. Right.¡±

    Yu Jitae who was thinking of just seeing Wei Yan¡¯s face after a long time had no choice but to take a seat. It was because he was curious why she hade, and after all, he was officially a guardian.

    ¡°Please begin.¡±

    When Wei Yan waved his hand, the interviewers all moved to their seats and soon began the interview.

    The interview seemed to be a prac examination followed by an oral interview and individual skill was an important element taken into ount.

    Contents of the interview differed depending on the branch that had been applied for. Yeorum had applied for ¡®Interpersonal battle¡¯. In front of the two octagon-shaped rings ced at the centre, around sixty cadets including Yeorum were sitting down waiting for their turns.

    ¡°Number 124 and Number 7. Enter.¡±

    After a few spars the assistant referee called out two numbers, with one of them being Yeorum ¨C Number 124. Yeorum who had entered the stage was given a sparring wooden sword while the mestizo boy opponent held a sparring rod.

    ¡°Ready, start.¡±

    As soon as the gong rang, Yeorum dashed in. Her strike that approached from a blind angle made the opponent¡¯s rod drop in the blink of an eye while simultaneously smacking the head. The opponent flew off until being stuck on the surrounding wall.

    It was a strike with not a shred of mercy.

    Voices going wahh- could be heard.

    ¡°Wow, that was on point.¡±

    ¡°But who¡¯s that redhead? She¡¯s super strong.¡±

    The interview continued. Since there wasn¡¯t a nned list of matches, the interviewer just called random numbers and at the start, it was evenly distributed but after a certain point, Yeorum¡¯s number was visibly being called out more often.

    During duels, Yeorum did not leave mercy in her hands. There was no such thing as assessing each other¡¯s skills, nor a staring contest. Every moment the gong rang, she would run in and her opponent would fly off in one or two hits, or be pushed back helplessly even if they blocked.

    ¡°Like, who is that girl? What is that?¡±

    ¡°Ah. I have a profile of all the interviewees. Let¡¯s see¡­ Yu Yeorum. She¡¯s from Korea, aged 18.¡±

    ¡°Eighteen? How¡¯s she like that? She¡¯s not a graduate, more like she hasn¡¯t even been admissioned into the school yet and yet she fights like that?¡±

    By regtions, skills and magic spells couldn¡¯t be used. Within that octagon where pure physical abilities and fighting instinct decided victors, Yeorum was overwhelming.

    This was a natural turn of events and he apathetically watched over it. But the surroundings were making more of a fuss. Before long, more cameras were ced behind Yu Jitae¡¯s back and there were increasingly more gazes focusing on the unconventional spars of Yeorum.

    After she defeated four opponents, her fifth sparring partner walked up. It was a French girl who was on her third consecutive winning strike.

    ¡°Hey. She looks a bit familiar. Who is that?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s one of the minor rookies from France. A ck belt in NDT apparently but I don¡¯t know the details.¡±

    ¡°She looks a bit strong. It feels like we can finally see a proper spar.¡±

    Soon, the spar began and the opponent was definitely a league above the previous ones.

    The wooden swords shed several times midair and it was different from other duels thatsted three swings at most.

    But that was it. When the opponent kneeled down with one knee after being kicked on her stomach, Yeorum¡¯s wooden sword stabbed the sr plexus and smacked the unguarded head several times.

    It was a lightning-fast turn of events.

    When the referee ordered and proimed a stop to the spar, the opponent was on the floor, suffering from a pain in her stomach. Soon, her guardian from France ran up and observed the girl with a startled expression. There was a trail of blood falling down her smacked forehead.

    ¡°Oi, you cadet over there. Isn¡¯t this too much?¡±

    Yeorum was walking down the ring when a young trainer from France spoke to her with a scowl on his face.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It is a spar meant to be like an actual battle but did you have to go that far? You¡¯re both women.¡±

    ¡°Is that my business? What do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°You need to have more manners. Did your guardian not even teach you that?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask me? If you¡¯re so curious, go ask my guardian! Should I tell you his number?¡±

    Yu Jitae, who was amplifying his listening, made a heartyugh.

    ¡°You, you¡­¡±

    ¡°And I did it like that because it¡¯s a spar. If it was an actual battle, that kid over there would be dead already. You know that?¡±

    Then, she left the stage while saying ¡°Random f*ck¡± to herself. The guardian of the other student quivered in anger but remained silent.

    Due to her frank expression and tone, discontent voices flowed from Yu Jitae¡¯s surroundings.

    ¡°Dude, look what she¡¯s saying.¡±

    ¡°Her words are right but saying that to their faces is a bit¡­ It¡¯s even making me upset.¡±

    ¡°Why? I think it¡¯s good that she¡¯s honest. Her words are not wrong.¡±

    ¡°Bloody rude to the extreme. Does she think she¡¯s someone important? Is her guardian not with her?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It says her training guardian is absent ¨C she must¡¯vee by herself. Personally, I like that way of thinking though.¡±

    Although Yu Jitae was listening to all that, he didn¡¯t react in any manner. For him, it didn¡¯t really matter whether Yeorum, with her messed up personality was getting sworn at or not. If that was how she was, he didn¡¯t intend to bother touching it.

    Around that point in time, Wei Yan who was overlooking all the interviews from a distance became interested in the interpersonal battle section as well. With his personal assistant, he carried a chair and chimed in between the interpersonal battle interviewers to give some orders.

    Soon, it was time for the next spar.

    ¡°Number 124 and Number 39. Enter.¡±

    A voice going, ¡°Oh, they¡¯re finally fighting¡± could be heard. After Yeorum entered the ring, a caucasian with a buoyant, light brown hair followed suit. Yeorum was holding the same wooden sword.

    Yu Yeorum, five wins and zero losses from the first ring and a female cadet from the second ring who simrly had zero losses but had seven wins. It was their fight.

    ¡°Ah, Number 39. Sophia Vorkova!¡±

    ¡°Awesome. Sophia also dislocated her opponent¡¯s leg in her spar just then. It¡¯s going to be quite the match.¡±

    ¡°Sophia Vorkova and the redhead. Who do you guys think will win?¡±

    ¡°Of course Sophia. Before being a cadet, she was already a part of RIL.¡±

    RIL.

    Even Yu Jitae remembered that name ¨C it was the name of the Russian Hunter Special Forces Group, Airborne (SFGA). It was a group that had quite the merit during the Great War and was ssified as the top hunter organisation within Russia. The ce was famous for having a ridiculous training method.

    For example, they would sear their bodies with fire to gain resistance to pain or would repeatedly slice their body thinly and heal.

    ¡°But she was a member for media exposure. Although her skills weren¡¯t up to par, they just wanted to take a picture of a pretty girl to publicise and so gave her the title right?¡±

    ¡°Aye mate. RIL is still RIL and same with their fame. Who here doesn¡¯t know Sophia? Just her face alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to build a fame like that. My guess is that the redhead would lose this fight.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡±

    Wearing only a pair of training gloves in her bare hands, Sophia entered the stage. As soon as the gong rang, the two shortened the distance and ran in as several bouts were shared in the blink of an eye. Sophia calmly readjusted the trail of Yeorum¡¯s sword with the back of her palms and arms, before striking forward with her fists. Yeorum, who always pushed forward, was forced to stand on the spot for the first time as they shared initiatives.

    ¡°Oi, oi, look! Remember what I said?¡±

    ¡°You were wrong though? They are on a stalemate.¡±

    In Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, it was one-sided. Yeorum¡¯s movements were filled with leisure while Sophia was desperate. At a nce, it seemed like they were on equal footing but he could feel Yeorum ying around. It was like a fearless child teasing a small animal.

    After a few more shes, the situation flowed in a visibly different manner. With a thud, the wooden sword struck Sophia¡¯s ribs. Sophia returned a back roundhouse kick to push Yeorum away but Yeorum did not fall back. The wooden sword stabbed Sophia¡¯s chest as she couldn¡¯t dodge the strikes that were getting increasingly faster.

    Sophia was pushed a few steps back, but soon gripped a tight fist and ran back in towards Yeorum with a fiery light in her eyes. Afterwards, Yeorum¡¯s sword pushed Sophia back and struck her like a sandbag and despite being forced back, Sophia endured it.

    ¡°Uh, uh? What¡¯s happening all of a sudden? Isn¡¯t she getting hit too much though?¡±

    ¡°Is she not going to give up? It looks painful.¡±

    ¡°Did Russia nurture a zombie or something?¡±

    A strong swing once again smashed Sophia¡¯s stomach and she, who could not block it properly, rolled on the ground. But she rose back up like nothing happened and once again postured herself by raising her arms up.

    Yu Jitae found it odd. The strikes were overbearing and more than six ribs were already broken. Her pain should be considerable and yet there were no signs of her being in pain, let alone copsing.

    In his knowledge, there were two types of people like that. One was a type that forgot pain once over-excited, with the other being a type whose excitement was great enough to overwhelm pain. He could see insanity in Sophia¡¯s eyes and she seemed to be thetter.

    At this point, it might be better to stop the spar but Sophia did not forfeit and her guardian was likewise still. Yeorum¡¯s jab once again smacked Sophia¡¯s corbone and in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, something was definitely broken. Her small body rolled on the ground.

    But even then, Sophia did not blink an eye.

    ¡°Spar ended.¡± The referee quickly stood between the two and proimed the end of the fight. At least that¡¯s what everyone thought until Sophia rose back up with a tight grip. It seemed like even her guardian was persuading her to stop at this point but ignoring that, she approached the referee and argued.

    ¡°Who decided to end the spar? It hasn¡¯t been three minutes yet.¡±

    ¡°The strikes were critical. Don¡¯t you feel any broken bones?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t. Please, go out. Don¡¯t waste time.¡±

    ¡°Sophia. I think we should stop here.¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t lose, I didn¡¯t forfeit and my body¡¯s fine so why stop? Just go out please.¡±

    Yu Jitae observed Yeorum¡¯s eyes. He thought she would be enjoying it, but she had the usual discontent look on her face, as if she was tired of it. While the referee and Sophia were arguing, Yeorum added a word.

    ¡°Hey unni stop there. If you continue like that, you might die.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you talking to me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already broken right? A few bones here and there.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. It¡¯s just a bit stiff okay? Ah! Please! Just go out! I¡¯m not going to forfeit.¡±

    The referee looked at Wei Yan, who returned a leisurous smile and a gesture. Soon, the referee walked off as Sophia postured herself with her fists trembling in rage.

    Bam.

    It was one hit. Sophia who yet again allowed a strike to her stomach copsed on the ground and the referee ran in to block Yeorum. ¡°Spar ended!¡± This time, his shout was louder than before and blood was about to leave Sophia¡¯s trampled wound.

    Sophia attempted to lift herself back up, but was held down by her guardian¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Let go! I haven¡¯t lost yet!¡±

    ¡°Wake up. The spar has ended, Sophia!¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t lost yet!¡±

    But there was no way for her to escape from the guardian. It seemed like Sophia with her lowered shoulders could finally feel the pain seeping in and formed a frown.

    A storm had gone past. With an annoyed expression, Yeorum left the stage and she was obviously the victor.

    The moment the referee¡¯s voice iming the victor of the spar echoed within the interview hall, Sophia, who had been following her guardian with a sorrowful expression, unsheathed a self-protective dagger from her guardian¡¯s waist. Then, she turned around like she had a seizure and dashed forward. She soon jumped over the caged wall and approached Yeorum.

    That all happened while everyone was slow on understanding what was happening.

    A long wound was formed next to Yeorum¡¯s eyes as she had dodged the surprise attack half a second toote. Blood oozed out.

    ¡°Die, you slut!¡±

    The attack just then had mana embedded within. It was clearly an ambush with intention to murder.

    ¡°Ah, this crazy bitch! Do you want to die!¡±

    Likewise, Yu Yeorum also lost control of herself. Without a single sign of bafflement, with only brutal annoyance filling her face, Yeorum grabbed Sophia¡¯s neck and threw her towards the wall. Her power was enough to demolish the cage around the octagon.

    Yeorum did not stop and ran in towards Sophia who was on the ground and squashed her down, before throwing her fists nonstop.

    ¡°Oi! What are you doing! Stop her!¡±

    ¡°Calm down! Get, get rid of the sword first!¡±

    It was as if the entire area had been bombarded. Referees, interviewers and guardians all ran in in groups and started tearing them apart.

 Chapter 15: â– â– â–  (2)

    <h4>Chapter 15: ¡ö¡ö¡ö (2)</h4>

    Yeorum who couldn¡¯t endure the stimtion was moving with all her heart. Her body moving was that of a dragon wholeheartedly trying to kill a human.

    Even with the adults interfering, it wasn¡¯t easy to handle the situation. Sophia¡¯s guardian ran in and pushed Yeorum away, after which the referee chimed in by throwing his body over Sophia. Afterwards, the interviewers used their skills. A purple light formed a barrier and protected Sophia and the referee as white stems of mana grabbed Yeorum by her neck and stomach. Only after around six to seven staff members were added on top to grab her by the arm and waist were the two girls distanced.

    Sophia, who was then revealed, was covered in blood from that short period of time.

    ¡°W, what! Is she crazy?¡±

    ¡°Sophia ran in with a sword just then right?¡±

    ¡°Whoa. She¡¯s be a mess.¡±

    Yu Jitae unsealed his vision. By nature humans could only have one focal point with their eyes, but he was currently watching the entirety of the hall clearly. He could see Sophia Vorkova wiping the blood on her face in astonishment as well as her guardian with a flushed expression and a name badge reading Mihailov on his clothes. There was also Yeorum showing her canines and Wei Yan having a small light of disapproval on his face.

    ¡°Mages! Make a dimension gap! I announce a momentary pause on the interviews, and because we must solve the situation, reporters please wait where you are!¡±

    Standing up from his seat, Wei Yan shouted. Soon, those that can form a dimension gap from the professors affiliated with the Azure Dragon study group approached and casted a spell around the octagon where Yeorum, Sophia and others including Wei Yan were at.

    [Dimension Gap]

    It was a 5-circle force field spell that created a space that was alienated from the outside. When the surging mana waspleted into a hexahedral shape, the ones inside the octagonal arena disappeared.

    From behind Yu Jitae, sighs escaped.

    ¡°Haa¡­ this is¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Mhmm. Fighting during a spar might bemon with all these guys and their high self-esteems, but running in with a sword was a bit too much.¡±

    ¡°I can understand Sophia more though.¡±

    ¡°Oi, watch your mouth. Following someone after a spar with a weapon is a crime.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Going after her with a sword is obviously something wrong but the body itself is a weapon so the sword isn¡¯t the important bit.¡±

    ¡°Then what is?¡±

    ¡°That redhead. She was provoking people left and right. Same with that French from before as well, and even that spar. Didn¡¯t it feel like she was teasing her?¡±

    ¡°Then Sophia should¡¯ve teased back or something. Grabbing a sword means she was trying to kill her.¡±

    ¡°The redhead was more of a threat. She was trying to kill with her punches.¡±

    Opinions of those watching the situation differed.

    ¡°Hmm. Mihailov, that guy is also from RIL and has quite the personality too. What¡¯s going to happen I wonder?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go. Just think of it as a decent spectacle.¡±

    Whatever the case, it was impossible to know what was happening inside the dimension gap. As the interviewers stopped the interview and made people leave, they all started walking out with disappointment. On the other hand, reporters that had already taken the required photos and videos wanted to leave as soon as possible, but they were blocked by the staff.

    Left behind alone, Yu Jitae watched what was happening inside the dimension gap. His eyes could even see through [Laws of Nature], a protective barrier belonging to dragons, so a dimension gap formed by mere professors couldn¡¯t block his vision.

    Members of the First Aid team used healing magic and drugs to cure Sophia. Three to four were on the task and fortunately, it seemed like there weren¡¯t going to be any grave, incurable aftermaths. Mihailov, the Russian guardian, who had been holding Sophia not knowing what to do, shot his gaze over to Yeorum with mes burning in his eyes.

    Although there were a few around Yeorum as well, they stood a few steps away from her and treated her like a mad dog. There was even a person that took out a kusarigama from their Arms Inventory.

    ¡°Stay still, and don¡¯t do anything,¡± said a certain interviewer.

    Inside the dimension gap, Yeorum seemed to be all alone. The shirt near her shoulder that had received a palm strike when Mihailov pushed her away at the start was torn apart, and there was a red shape of a palm imprinted on her skin.

    She was ring at Sophia, who barely raised herself back up with a sulky look. Yu Jitae could not see what was going through the mind of that daughter of the red race

    Soon, Mihailov walked towards Yeorum with twitching eyebrows. Seeing that aggressive attitudee from his body that was four timesrger than Yeorum, the interviewers surrounded Mihailov and stopped him while saying, ¡°Don¡¯t be like this¡± and ¡°Calm down¡±.

    ¡°Redhead.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do. Sophia wouldn¡¯t be able to harm you in the first ce, so why did you hit her like that?¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking me that? Then should I do nothing to a crazy bitch that runs in with a sword in hand?¡±

    ¡°You could¡¯ve simply suppressed her!¡±

    His bellow filled with mana smacked the walls of the dimension gap like a lion¡¯s roar, causing the invisible barrier to wriggle. Wearing an awkward look on his face, an interviewer pacified Mihailov.

    ¡°Mihailov. Please calm down first.¡±

    ¡°How can I calm down! Although upsetting, it¡¯s the truth isn¡¯t it? That redhead was stronger than Sophia and could have easily just oppressed her and yet she hit her until she became like that! Can you calm down if you were me?¡±

    ¡°B, but there¡¯s no serious aftermath so¡­¡±

    ¡°And besides, what¡¯s with that, that attitude? Step aside. I won¡¯t behave rashly!¡±

    Shoving the interviewer away, Mihailov walked up until he was one step away from Yeorum. Yeorum, who was two heads shorter, did not avoid his eyes.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to apologise or anything?¡±

    ¡°Why should I apologise?¡±

    ¡°What if something had happened to Sophia. How would you take responsibility.¡±

    ¡°So is she dead? She¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°This bitch, till the very end!¡±

    Despite saying he wouldn¡¯t act rashly, Mihailov couldn¡¯t endure his anger and raised his hand up.

    Yu Jitae made a frown.

    Startled, the interviewers quickly ran up and persuaded him. Within that atmosphere filled with doubt of whether he was going to hit her or not, Mihailov roughly wiped his face with his hand.

    ¡°I got it. Until the guardianes, I¡¯ll leave my mouth closed.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell her to apologise to me?¡±

    Mihailov, who had turned away, turned his head back to Yeorum.

    ¡°What, did you say just then? I hope I heard wrong.¡±

    ¡°You heard right. That side raised a sword first. After a spar, she ran in towards me! I still feel like bursting in anger, so shouldn¡¯t I at least receive an apology from that crazy bitch?¡±

    ¡°¡­You must truly have a death wish.¡±

    It was in an instant. His body with fully raised mana approached Yeorum inrge strides. At the same time, his palm reached towards the sky before falling at Yeorum.

    Yeorum twisted her body and dodged it and at the same time, her fist reached forward and drove into Mihailov¡¯s chin. A thud was heard. Although the hit wasn¡¯t strong, it was urate.

    Huh? What was happening? It was an unrealistic situation as if they were in the middle of a dream. The guards, as well as interviewers could notprehend what was happening despite things happening in front of them realtime.

    With a greatly crumpled expression, Mihailov started pouring out a turbulence of mana from his body. The people around that finally realised what was happening started separating Mihailov and Yeorum.

    ¡°Calm down!!¡±

    ¡°Oi, hold them back!¡±

    ¡°Please calm down, Mihailov!¡±

    ¡°Oi Yu Yeorum! You too, don¡¯t provoke the guardian and just stay back!¡±

    Yeorum was pushed back. In anger, she tried to push them away but they too, were ced in the top level amongst hunters and were not pushovers.

    ¡°Don¡¯t resist and just stay back! Carlton, where¡¯s this kid¡¯s guardian!¡±

    ¡°We just sent someone to call him!¡±

    ¡°Crazy bitch, hitting a guardian¡¯s chin like that?¡±

    ¡°Oi you guys, hold her back tight!¡±

    After being pushed back endlessly, Yeorum clenched her teeth. Her calm rage was soaring back up.

    ¡°Why, why am I the one¡­!¡±

    That was when Wei Yan, who had been watching the situation from behind, walked up to Yeorum. Then, he waved his hand to the surroundings, saying it was okay.

    ¡°Calm down everyone. The atmosphere is too heated up. And Cadet Yu Yeorum. We sent an assistant to search for your guardian. Since the situation is like this, it isn¡¯t something that can be solved by a cadet.¡±

    A warm light appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t provoke anyone more than this. I saw everything from the start and won¡¯t stand on any side but I wish Cadet Yeorum could endure from turning the situation worse than it already is. If it gets bigger than this, I can¡¯t help you. Depending on your actions, your entire household can receive harm. Do you get what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For the first time, a light of trouble shed on Yeorum¡¯s face. She was about to say something, but bit her lips and decided otherwise. Crimson blood surged out and touched her white teeth.

    Seeing the trouble in her face, Wei Yan made a gentle smile.

    ¡°So until your guardianes¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to search any more.¡±

    A dry voice stopped Wei Yan¡¯s words as Yu Jitae walked in.

    In that instant, Mihailov who had been bellowing, Wei Yan, interviewers and guards ¨C their eyes all gathered at Yu Jitae. They all had the same doubt in their mind.

    ¡®When did hee?¡¯

    ¡®How did hee in?¡¯

    The barrier around the dimension gap was still swaying gently, without a single trace of it being shaken and yet a person that hadn¡¯t been inside had abruptly entered through the dimension. With his eyes ncing across, Yu Jitae opened his lips.

    ¡°I am her guardian, Yu Jitae. I don¡¯t know what you adults are doing with one child in the middle but,¡±

    Facing his eyes that seemed to be piercing through things, they avoided eye contact, and soon wondered why they even avoided his eyes.

    ¡°Let me talk to her for a bit.¡±

    When their eyes met, Yeorum formed a frown and turned away ¨C it was the same reaction as always. Without caring too much about that, Yu Jitae looked at Wei Yan.

    ¡°Hmm, well. Okay.¡±

    Killing a demon always apanied a strong pleasure. Even now, Yu Jitae felt an urge to stab a sword into Wei Yan¡¯s throat, but now wasn¡¯t a good time. In previous regressions, he killed whenever he wanted but that was a bad n. Wei Yan must fall down a cliff with more things on his back.

    Thus, now was the time to momentarily stop that trail of thought.

    ¡°As soon as the first aid is finished, send Sophia to the hospital please. Mihailov, Mister Yu Jitae ¨C the two guardians please apany me to my office. Same with Referee Kurosawa and Cadet Yu Yeorum.¡±

    They all moved in perfect order while Yu Jitae approached Yeorum. When he did, the guards and the first aid member that was applying a gel on Yeorum¡¯s shoulder and cheek fell back.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°What, why. You saw everything so why are youing now.¡±

    ¡°Then what should I have done.¡±

    ¡°If you were going toe,e earlier! Otherwise, just don¡¯te¡­¡±

    Unlike her crude words, Yu Yeorum¡¯s anger appeared to have settled slightly. Yu Jitae¡¯s lips faintly rose up.

    At the start, he wasn¡¯t nning to chime in and was nning to be a bystander of the event. As a procedure, he would havee once they called him, but inwardly, he wouldn¡¯t have cared whether Yeorum could solve the problem or not.

    The reason he intervened despite that is because Yeorum¡¯s heartbeat turned a lot louder than before.

    Human¡¯s mana arose from the Mana Hall but for dragons, the structure was a bit different. They hadplete control over the Lower Hall, the Middle Hall, and the Top Hall (heart). In other words, Yeorum couldn¡¯t endure her frustration just then, and was about to gush out her powers as a dragon.

    Once things turned out like that, it wouldn¡¯t be a small incident, so he had interrupted before the situation could turn any worse.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    They headed towards the office first. Inside the small white office, a small desk and stiff chairs were ced.

    He leaned his back on the backrest. Silence enveloped the two for a short while but before long, Yeorum, who hadn¡¯t opened her mouth till now, abruptly opened her lips.

    ¡°You know¡­ do you also think I made a mistake?¡±

    Yu Jitae turned his head. Red hair had flowed down and was covering half her face.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°F*ck, I think, I might have made a bit of a mistake.¡±

    Perhaps she thought back on Wei Yan¡¯s words that had been talking about her household. It was his first time seeing an expression like that on her face and apparently, the time he made her spend with others had meaning, considering how a red race was being worried over another.

    Shaking his head, the Regressor made a hazy smile.

    ¡°No, you did well.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Next time, kill them at a ce with no eyes.¡±

 Chapter 16: â– â– â–  (3)

    <h4>Chapter 16: ¡ö¡ö¡ö (3)</h4>

    Soon, Mihailov, Wei Yan and the referee from during the spar entered the office with the referee having changed into a different clothing. The office was filled with a tense atmosphere as Mihailov crossed his arms and sat on the other side of Yu Jitae, next to the square desk.

    While Wei Yan ordered his assistant to brew some coffee, Yu Jitae sat still and imagined crushing Wei Yan¡¯s head.

    A demon referred to a human that received mana from the abyss. If an animal received the exact same thing, it would turn into a monster. Amon aspect between monsters and demons was blind rage and killing intent towards humans, as well as their intense lust.

    The world had faced arge threat due to these beings. So in the first and the second round of his regressions, without even the time to consider dragons and whatnot, Yu Jitae was led around by the demons. Memories from back then were clear in his head despite close to a hundred years having passed.

    To him, all demons were beings that must be killed and was one of therge elements hastening the approaching Apocalypse.

    It was when he was imagining crushing Wei Yan¡¯s head and wondering what to do next after seeing the protruding bones in his head. Raising a cup of tea, Wei Yan opened his mouth.

    ¡°Hah this. I don¡¯t know where to start from. First off, I am very regretful and am sorry to both guardians and cadets for such a thing happening during an interview of the Azure Dragon study group.¡±

    A soft voice, and a way of speech that calms people down.

    His eyes appeared depressed, as if he was appealing that he fully understood his responsibility in the matter. That voice which incited crowds countless times to satisfy his own desire was still the same despite the world being turned over.

    Yu Jitae got rid of stray thoughts as the matter in hand was more of a priority.

    ¡°What is fortunate, is that there hasn¡¯t been a huge problem that could cause an irreversible rtionship. There has been a contact from the hospital, and fortunately, it ended with just bruises and fractures.¡±

    Wei Yan furtively nced at Yu Jitae to read his mood.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m wondering if there even is a need to turn it into a bigger problem, or get angry over this¡­ Since both of your children had desired to enter the Azure Dragon study group, how about we end it on a good note? As long as you two consider it positively, I will take care of all the other procedures.¡±

    Unlike how demons usually showed their nature easily, Wei Yan¡¯s patience was outstanding. To put this inparison, it was simr to living 24 hours in abstinence in a period of time where one¡¯s sexual desire bursted like crazy.

    This was to increase his fame, in order to look for a bigger prey.

    Right now, it was the same as well. His gaze that seemed to be naturally ncing across the room stayed longer on Yeorum. It was a tiny bit longer.

    Her appearance as a dragon, and the overwhelming fighting ability amongst the reserve cadets meant Yeorum was the ideal member of Azure Dragon study group.

    Wei Yan was coveting Yeorum.

    ¡°Mihailov.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°Before receiving an apology, let me apologise. Sophia is still young and immature. Just then, her emotions seemed to have taken control of her. So¡­¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t receive your apology as a guardian.¡±

    Having been interrupted in his speech, he twitched his eyes.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What meaning is there to an apology that borrows the mouth of another.¡±

    ¡°¡­With both of us being in the position of a guardian, I wish you would receive it with goodwill. An apology is an apology, and there¡¯s no way you don¡¯t know where I belong to.¡±

    ¡°We are not in the same position. Is that the way you apologise at the ce you belong?¡±

    Hearing his words mentioning RIL, Mihailov¡¯s expression crumpled and the assistant that had stood as the referee was likewise slightly flustered.

    ¡°Hah, your attitude is a bit disrespectful. I started my words with goodwill and you reacting in this way confuses me. Then what do you say should be done? Should I bring a sick child and let her apologise?¡±

    ¡°If you want to apologise, then you should do that.¡±

    ¡°¡­Look here. Isn¡¯t your arrogance a bit over the top?¡±

    ¡°Yourself as well.¡±

    ¡°This guy¡­¡±

    Mihailov stood up, but Wei Yan quickly interjected.

    ¡°Calm down Mihailov. Let¡¯s just sit down first and share a slow conversation. Mister Guardian Yu Jitae, I also wish you could be less thorny. If things turn out like this, I have no choice but to hand this over to the Disciplinary Office.¡±

    There was still a video remaining and once an investigation started, it would be bothersome. Mihailov let out a deep sigh and spoke to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Sophia is neen. It was a young child acting slightly immaturely. Once we start an investigation, it would be more of our fault and it¡¯s true that her stimtion was the cause. I wish you could tolerate it as a child¡¯s mistake. And to be honest, there¡¯s nothing your side did well either, right?¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head.

    ¡°That is none of my business.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The reason I called you over for a conversation, isn¡¯t because of that girl that ran in with a sword in hand. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m naturally not nning to receive an apology.¡±

    Who was right or wrong did not matter in the slightest to him. That would be apletely meaningless debate.

    ¡°What I¡¯m curious about is this ¨C why didn¡¯t you stop the child that unsheathed a dagger and ran in? I called you over because I wanted to ask that.¡±

    ¡°What are¡­¡±

    ¡°That child, her eyes weren¡¯t sane. When I looked up, there was not a single rtion with our child. That means that running towards an opponent she¡¯s seeing for the first time with frustration from a defeat as the reason is her personality. You, as the guardian, should know that right.¡±

    ¡°Back then, it was a sudden turn of events!¡±

    ¡°Is that why you couldn¡¯t stop her? Because it was sudden?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t even control that, you shouldn¡¯t be letting her go to school. She¡¯s not a hairy beast or anything. And if you can¡¯t even control that, you shouldn¡¯t be a guardian either.¡±

    Mihailov felt his fist trembling. Yu Jitae¡¯s words were wrong over and over again, but he couldn¡¯t call out his mistakes. Back then, he definitely could have held Sophia back, but didn¡¯t.

    It was an emotional issue. He was also frustrated that his child was defeated helplessly and the fact that the redhead was provoking them in an unsightly manner was another factor.

    Whatever the case, the redhead wouldn¡¯t die, and because he himself was there, Sophia would be safe as well. Since there was RIL behind him, he would be able to ignore some small rumours. As long as he could show how scary the world was to that annoying kid¡­ that was where his thoughts were at.

    ¡°Calling yourself a guardian despite having no skills, raising a hand to an opposing cadet, and getting hit on top of that.¡±

    Hearing Yu Jitae, Yeorum blocked her mouth and giggled, as if she remembered what she had done.

    ¡°What. Why.¡±

    When eyes gathered on her, Yeorum reacted indifferently.

    Mihailov carefully chose his words. Yu Jitae¡¯s words were exquisite with ill will. They pricked at his pride that usually wouldn¡¯t have held itself back but if he were to correct it, his inner thoughts would be left in the open.

    ¡°And yet now you¡¯re saying, ¡®Sophia is young and immature¡¯¡­ Aren¡¯t you embarrassed for ming a young child for your own shoring?¡±

    Yu Jitae continued provoking him. In fact, he did not have a single emotional discontent against Mihailov. He was just saying whatever he wanted, as if he was giving advice while watching over a game of chess from the side.

    Even then, Mihailov¡¯s expression was gradually bing more ugly. He was distressed enough to feel displeased by the troubled gazes Wei Yan and the referee were facing him with.

    In the end, he chose to change the topic.

    ¡°¡­So what are you trying to do? In a small world, are you trying to oppose RIL? It¡¯s my first time hearing a household called ¡®Yu¡¯ though.¡±

    He believed in RIL, as well as his power and position. Mihailov himself was a soldier that had entered RIL before the war, and threw himself for it during the past 20 years.

    What about the guy in front of him? From what he looked up, both his name and household were things he had never heard of. Everything would be solved once he was pressured. That was what he thought.

    ¡°Why are you talking about households here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to say that nothing good will happen in the future by provoking me. Do you think Lair is a wide ce?¡±

    MIhailov forced a smile on his lips.

    Yu Jitae was familiar ¨C too familiar with that sort of expression. There were many that told him the same thing. They were ones with a lot of possessions, and were those that were used to suppressing others with force. In the end, half of them were dead, and the remaining half wished for death.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll stop here as well since it was our mistake¡­¡±

    Mihailov, who was continuing his words in confidence, slurred the end of his words.

    Eyes.

    His eyes were looking at him.

    Those eyes that appeared strangely hazy until now were clear and suppressed him. Something heavy could be felt suffocating his heart.

    ¡°Before you go, let me look at your dagger.¡±

    Before he could realise, there was a dagger in Yu Jitae¡¯s hand. It was Mihailov¡¯s. Despite having just left an artifact sheath with ¡®cleansing¡¯ spell casted, there was Yeorum¡¯s blood remaining on the de.

    With the sleeves of his shirt, Yu Jitae started wiping the blood away.

    He then reached the sword back towards the flustered Mihailov, who received the sword and unconsciously took a few steps back.

    The things that had just happened were outside hisprehension. Did he just touch my waist?

    His condescending heart vanished in an instant.

    Thinking back, it was the same before as well. When he walked in through the dimension gap, Mihailov couldn¡¯t understand it and had given up onprehending it.

    Squeezing thest bit of his pride, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°I will admit that it ispletely our fault and will be responsible for it. Since you deem an apology unnecessary I¡¯ll stop here. But¡­ it will be better for you to be more careful. With that attitude, you might get hurt some day.¡±

    Then, he regretted his words as soon as he finished them. At the end of that clear gaze was his own self. He felt tiny like a child standing before a beast, as cold sweat travelled down his spine.

    Around the time he felt that the surroundings were oddly quiet, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Use crowded roads.¡±

    Words turned into a sticky poison and enveloped him. He could feelrge thumping noises in his heart, enough to have it touch the ribs with a cold feeling. ¡°If money¡­pensation for the situation is required, send it via a letter.¡± Without even knowing what he was saying, he spouted random words and quickly left.

    It was because he had a thought that he didn¡¯t know what would happen if he were to stay there.

    There¡¯s no way such a thing would happen with that many eyes watching. He¡¯s a young dude.

    His consciousness vehemently rejected the emotion called fear but fear, which had eaten up his emotions, selfishly caused him to imagine a future that hadn¡¯t even urred. His breath quickened, as he carried his uncontrobly trembling hand to touch a cigarette.

    If he didn¡¯t leave just then, he would have been dead.

 Chapter 17: â– â– â–  (4)

    <h4>Chapter 17: ¡ö¡ö¡ö (4)</h4>

    Killing Jo Hosik¡¯s group helped him out just then. Without that, the urge to follow Mihailov as he left the room in a hurry would have been overwhelmingly burdensome.

    But that Russian soldier was neither an element hastening the approach of the Apocalypse, nor a demon. Except for the fact that he annoyed himself, there was no reason for him to die.

    This was a process of him escaping the usual ughter. In order to get closer to a daily life, the Regressor settled his heart that had been filled with such thoughts.

    That was when something tapped his arm. Turning around, he found Yeorum gesturing with her eyes, and despite saying nothing, he thought she was enjoying it more than usual due to the flushed cheeks.

    At that point, there were only three people, Wei Yan, Yu Jitae and Yu Yeorum, remaining inside the office. Suddenly, Wei Yan¡¯s watch received a message.

    ¡°There has been contact from RIL¡¯s Legal team. They want to talk about reaching an agreement.¡±

    He had noticed the situation flowing in a strange direction, as well as Mihailov leaving as if in an escape. Wei Yan¡¯s voice was more cautious than before as his subtle gaze seemed to be assessing Yu Jitae.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. And we don¡¯t needpensation either.¡±

    ¡°¡­Does that mean you wish to send it over to the Discipline Department?¡±

    ¡°Please do as you like. It doesn¡¯t matter as long as there¡¯s no downside for us.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. I understand. I will take care of it to reduce rumours as much as possible. Thank you very much for ending things on a good note.¡±

    Wei Yan gave a bow.

    Since everything had been taken care of, Yu Jitae raised his body.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be on our way. Yeorum, we¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Un.¡±

    They were about to stand up when Wei Yan quickly interrupted with his words.

    ¡°Ah by the way the interview for study group members was aborted, you see.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But an incident is an incident while an interview is a different story. I¡¯m asking this out of curiosity, but Cadet Yu Yeorum wished to enter the Azure Dragon study group right?¡±

    Yu Jitae stared at Yeorum.

    As if she had lost all interest, she crossed her arms, as well as her legs and was looking outside the window. Below the bob hairstyle consisting of crimson hairs, her white nape could be seen.

    Now that it was mentioned, why did she attend an interview for a study group?

    Yeorum remained silent.

    ¡°There were many reserve recruits but there was no-one who reached Cadet Yeorum¡¯s level in terms of¡­ how should I say this. Should I say expectations for the future? There weren¡¯t many other students with that.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°When I scanned through the freshmen profiles, it seemed that there were three reserve cadets that would be joining Lair from the Yu family¡­ If you don¡¯t mind, would it be possible for the Azure Dragon study group to make a special offer for the three?¡±

    He had nicely hidden the desperation behind his voice. Wei Yan¡¯s gaze that resembled a gentleman was filled with a fluttering expectation.

    Hmm¡­ Yu Jitae touched his chin as if in contemtion and felt a rough texture of his beard. He had no intention of bothering himself by sending them to a worthless ce. Thinking that, he was about to reject it but on another note, it felt like he could make use of the situation if handled properly.

    ¡°Not sure about that. I don¡¯t know much about Lair and the Azure Dragon study group you see. To the children, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and time in Lair, so I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s any reason for me to persuade them to stay in a study group for years.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s regarding that, I would like to say that you can trust me with that.¡±

    Wei Yan then started his exnation. He talked about the likes of support schrship from the study group, rmendation from various professors, as well as his position in the media and the influence his PR team had.

    ¡°In addition, I am thinking of having Cadet Yeorum be the main face of the Azure Dragon study group, if you help us out a little. Let alone her outward appearance, her skills had also been verified to some extent, after all. Also, I have quite the power amongst the teachers and have a connection with the deputy principal, so it won¡¯t be difficult to undergo arge-scale promotion either.¡±

    Ma Namjoon, the deputy of Lair, was someone Yu Jitae also knew of. Being thergest education association in the entire world, countless superhumans visited Lair.

    The reason was simple. Some wanted a prey, some desired fame, while there was also a social gathering of demons. Due to that, there were quite a number of demons that settled themselves at Lair and Deputy Principal Ma Namjoon was one of them. He was in fact a big shot within therge organisation of demons.

    ¡°It will be difficult to find a simr opportunity elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very generous.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how much value there is inside Cadet Yu Yeorum.¡±

    His subtle gaze connected onto Yu Jitae, who then thought for a bit.

    He knew about Wei Yan outside of Lair. The actions he will carry out and the time and asion were all things Yu Jitae remembered off his heart but he did not know about how Wei Yan was inside Lair.

    Thus, he decided to ask.

    ¡°I understand Azure Dragon study group¡¯s future. But before allying myself with an organisation, I tend to first view the people that make up the group.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    ¡°What situation are you in, professor, and why are you so desperate?¡±

    In response to his words, Wei Yan closed his lips. Then, he interlocked his fingers and buried himself in deep thought.

    ¡°It is a bit of a sensitive topic¡­¡±

    ¡°You can just tell me the things you are allowed to.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, with the end-of-the-year event this year at the centre, there will be a huge change.¡±

    End-of-the-year event referred to arge ceremony which every cadet of Lair was required to attend each year.

    ¡°What sort of change is it?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the details but¡­ it is an extremelyrge change, while also being a great opportunity. Around that time, every study group and organisation within Lair will startpeting against one another. I became a war hero at a very young age and a professor despite being young, but am still a hungry man. I wish to grasp that opportunity with my own hands.¡±

    It will probably be a n to devour the cadets. He wasn¡¯t interested in a dream like that.

    End-of-the-year event huh¡­ thought Yu Jitae. A staff member, who had stayed at Lair for a few years, calling itrge must mean that it was a rtivelyrge event, and was something he had to look into.

    Like always, a pandemonium will ur with approaching opportunity and with tons of eyes, it will also be a decent spot to decorate one¡¯sst breath.

    Wei Yan carefully asked.

    ¡°Then, can I see this as the Yu household¡¯s agreement of ater contact?¡±

    ¡°¡­Who knows.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°It appears good to me, but I think the opinions of those directly involved are more important. I am but a guardian, after all.¡±

    ¡°Ah, haha. That¡¯s true. Then, our dear Miss Yeorum. Can you help this professor out a bit?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    It felt like a bucket of icy cold water had been emptied.

    ¡°¡­Eh? You don¡¯t want to?¡±

    ¡°Why should I bother persuading them? I¡¯m not even going to be entering myself.¡±

    There was still a faint smile on Wei Yan¡¯s face, but Yu Jitae also felt something cracking inside his heart.

    ¡°Ha, haha. Why did you suddenly change your mind I wonder¡­¡±

    Making the same expression made by kind people when they were troubled, Wei Yan scratched his hair, along with his voice going, ¡°Haha, haa¡­ seriously¡±.

    ¡°¡­¡­Wait, ahh, I got it. Is it because of Sophia?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If you are being mindful of spending time with Sophia Vorkova together at the study group, nn, this professor understands as well. There was also a statement from that side wishing for a good result, but if you want to enter, although regretful I can postpone Sophia tillter.¡±

    Regretfulness dripped out of his voice. Although Sophia was less skilled than Yeorum, she had quite the fame due to her association with RIL despite her appearance as a cold beauty. He was saying that he would give up on a person like that for Yeorum.

    However, Yeorum was stern.

    ¡°No. That¡¯s not it so you can just ept her in.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait. Then why did youe for an interview in the first ce?¡±

    Yu Jitae was also curious about this. Well, for some reason, he thought that the answer would be obvious without asking.

    ¡°I was lying on my bed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and?¡±

    ¡°And got bored¡­ so I wanted to fight a bit.¡±

    And it was as expected.

    ¡°¡­No, think, think one more time at least. This is an opportunity, a huge opportunity!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Usually guardians lower their heads and carry bags of gifts with goodwill. Cadet Yeorum, think well. Look. Even right now, it¡¯s the same outside.¡±

    Wei Yan pointed at the door, most likely talking about the outside of the building.

    ¡°There are reporters there. To hear a few words of my opinion regarding the incident today, a dozen or so reporters from different countries are in wait, and it¡¯s been more than thirty minutes since we chatted inside the office right? Those people are waiting just for a few words from the Azure Dragon study group and I, Wei Yan. This is a ce like that. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Ah, whatever. I said I¡¯m not going to do it. Whatever~¡±

    ¡°You, you. Later, you will regret it for sure. Frankly speaking, do you think you will ever receive a spotlight like this again while living in Lair?¡±

    His voice turned slightly louder, and Yu Jitae interjected.

    ¡°It is unfortunate. We will be on our way then.¡±

    ¡°Ah, wait, mister guardian. Let¡¯s have a bit more chat. If you¡¯re like this, it will be difficult for us to help each other throughout our time at Lair.¡±

    Since sweet words didn¡¯t work, he was relying on a light threat. When Yu Jitae stood up from his seat, Yeorum followed suit and as if chasing after them, Wei Yan walked alongside Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Here, is an integrated world. With those people outside right now, I can say one more good word to the reporters, and also might not.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°You know the media is about image right? When you¡¯re still not known, you need to build up your image at the start to make it easier to move aroundter on, you know? Although it might sound like I¡¯m boasting, you can feel what it¡¯s like judging from how they came to visit me right?¡±

    ¡°I know very well.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    While Wei Yan was making a nk expression, Yu Jitae walked forth and pushed the door open.

    ¡°Ah, they came out!¡±

    ¡°This is CT France. Regarding the bloodshed that urred two hours ago¡­¡±

    ¡°KBC here! You have entered the trending topics of the day. Are you really a proud citizen of Korea?¡±

    ¡°A simple interview at least¡­!¡±

    But something unexpected urred. Reporters, who Wei Yan thought were for himself, surrounded Yeorum and started asking a barrage of questions.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with these people?¡±

    Despite seeing reporters for the first time, Yeorum was not nervous at all. In fact, it appeared like she was angered by the reporters that approached in an oppressive manner.

    ¡°Step aside!¡±

    But the reporters remained aggressive.

    ¡°A question from NSS! Was there an animosity with Sophia Vorkova from the start?¡±

    ¡°Is there perhaps anything you would like to say regarding this incident?¡±

    It seemed like they formed a tent, as they blocked Yu Jitae and Yeorum front the front.

    ¡°Ah, what¡¯s wrong with you people? Don¡¯t block the road and go ask there!¡±

    Then, she pointed at Wei Yan. When Yu Jitae threw a stealthy nce, he found Wei Yan forming a frown as if he couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. Was that the expression of a fisher that let a huge catch escape in front of his eyes?

    Seeing that made him feel quite pleased.

    Walking in front of Yeorum, Yu Jitae gestured with his hands to have the reporters move off but those who had seen Yeorum¡¯s face from up close lost half of their mind as they nkly ignored Yu Jitae¡¯s gesture, regardless or gender.

    That was when a camera with a fluttering Korean g approached right up close next to her face.

    ¡°Miss Yu Yeorum! Currently, Miss Yeorum¡¯s interview session is going viral on Korean intemunity and the likes! Why did you apply for the Azure Dragon study group, and what are you nning to do there?!¡±

    Yeorum, who was startledly forced to a sudden stop in the middle of her walk, crumpled her expression in the blink of an eye. Her expression that appeared to be seconds away exploding soon calmed down. Her lips, that murmured, ¡°What am I nning to do there?¡± were bent into a mischievous smile.

    Yu Jitae, who knew the facial expressions of the red race, was pondering whether he should block her mouth or not, when she mischievously shouted.

    ¡°Sex!¡±

    He should¡¯ve blocked her mouth.

 Chapter 18: Baby Chickens Dream (1)

    <h4>Chapter 18: Baby Chicken''s Dream (1)</h4>

    On the way back to the dormitory, Yu Jitae and Yeorum did not share much of a conversation.

    In the season of falling leaves, the sky was blue and the cool breeze wasforting. Yeorum¡¯s red hair fluttered in the wind.

    The road was filled with street stalls, as bakeries and takoyaki stores lined up. It was a rtively famous street market district in the Academy City, and it would perhaps be a good idea to bring Kaeul here when she had time.

    Soon, they entered the residential area and arrived before their dorm. Being automatic doors, the officetel¡¯s main entrance opened by itself as the pair of male and female reached it. Without going in, Yeorum stayed still in front and because she was blocking the way, Yu Jitae had to stop as well.

    She seemed to be either deep in thought, or in hesitation.

    When the automatic doors were about to close, she threw her hand in between and pushed it open again. Then, she resumed carrying her feet and slowly climbed the stairs, as Yu Jitae followed from behind.

    As they reached the entrance of their actual house, Yeorum once again stopped where she was and stood still without opening the door.

    ¡°On the way here, I thought a bit.¡±

    Different from the voice that usually left her husky mouth, it contained a clear timbre. She turned her head and stared at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything. Well, you probably knew already after hearing from unni, but there was a bit of a problem while leaving my home. In other words, I had to chuck everything I had before leaving.¡±

    Yu Jitae quietly listened.

    ¡°After leaving on my Amusement, the only thing I did was to go around throwing my fists so the only thing I have is my body. If I knew things would turn out like this, I should have robbed their pockets or something.¡±

    ¡°And what.¡±

    She scratched her head.

    ¡°So, there¡¯s nothing to really give you.¡±

    ¡°What would you give me.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t, okay? Because I don¡¯t have anything.¡±

    ¡°Why would you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, well. Because there are things I received from you? Though I look like this, I¡¯m not a shameless bitch.¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m having a transaction with you.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s embarrassing enough for me to die that I received help. Like I said, I do have my sense of shame okay?¡±

    She red daggers at Yu Jitae with her red eyes.

    ¡°So tell me. Is there anything you need?¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Anything you want to have or earn? Hobbies? Anything.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re interested in a female body. Then what. Should I give you a massage? I¡¯m good atbouring. Or is there anything you wish from me?¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s words saying that she would give him something was greatly unexpected. However, he shook his head. The only wish he had, was for her to not die.

    Not receiving a response, Yeorum made a faint frown.

    ¡°Ah this is frustrating. So annoying¡­ You, what in the world is your drive to live?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Just go in already.¡±

    ¡°No, wait. Even for you, there should be something you enjoy in your life. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re living everyday because you can¡¯t die, right? It can be anything simple. Is there anything you want?¡±

    Yu Jitae, who closed his mouth for a while, soon heaved out a sigh.

    ¡°I have one now.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Going inside.¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s beautiful eyes formed a frown.

    ¡°Don¡¯te in.¡±

    Kkwang!

    She entered and shut the door behind her. Left alone in the corridor, the Regressor was a bit dumbfounded. It was when he was staring at the door for a bit, before touching the door knob a secondter.

    With a click, the door was locked from inside.

    ***

    Next day, Yeorum¡¯s name spread across the inte.

    An issue was that there was a frence reporter belonging to an intemunity present, and that he had approached right up close to Yeorum with the intention of streaming an interview realtime.

    There were a few reasons this had gone viral. One was due to a news report of a heavy injury of a ¡®Russian elf girl¡¯, Sophia, who was quite popr in Korea, and the other reason was the girl that defeated Sophia being an eighteen year old Korean. There were news reports with a few connotations as a result.

    And the otherworldly ¨C which was in fact true ¨C appearance of Yeorum was like oil being added to fire. Although it was a small event that would soon go back under the radar, Yeorum¡¯s name had still entered the viral list in Korea¡¯srgest superhumanmunity.

    Unlike the media packaging the incident with words like [Lair Reserve Cadet Yu Yeorum blunt remark controversy] and [A sturdy girl¡¯s advice towards reporters. Human right concerns of Lair cadets], the video uploaded on themunity was the raw version of the video itself.

    Even Yu Jitae, who was usually uninterested in media and news reports, thought that there was a need for him to look it up. If it were to have a negative influence on the remaining time at Lair, he deemed it necessary to have a separate conversation with Yeorum.

    ¨C Se LOL x LOL

    ¨C Lmao Secss! zzzz

    However, the reaction from themunity wasn¡¯t normal.

    ¨C I don¡¯t really like it. My first time seeing her but she sounds very loose.

    ¨C Agreed

    ¨C Whoa but she¡¯s he pretty lol.

    ¨C For real;; To be honest, it¡¯s thanks to the camera right?

    ¨C Did the reporter get paid to photoshop?

    ¨C What are you all on about. Everyone! Scream! Se1x!

    ¨C Uaah Se1x! The thing we all want to do but cannot!

    ¨C They¡¯re doing that again. Admin please shut these guys up;;

    ¨C Like, she is pretty for sure, but it¡¯s a bit surprising. At a nce, she doesn¡¯t look like a gangster and yet says whatever she wants to. Like what?

    ¨C I looked up some other videos but her character is definitely an original lol. It¡¯s like a younger version of a swearing grandma

    ¨C I hate it. Looks like a local crazy bitch. Who says something like that in front of a camera? She must have chucked hermon sense away.

    ¨C The person above me is a know-it-all schr lol. I just found it funny zzz. Didn¡¯t you see her expression change? She was angry at the reporters blocking the road.

    ¨C That¡¯s because you¡¯re also a barbarian. Who are you calling a schr? You wanna die?

    ¨C ? Why you talking shit to me??

    ¨C Retards, don¡¯t fight and have se1x

    ¨C zzzzzzz f*cking lol zzzz

    ¨C Are you crazy? LOL

    ¨C zzzZzzZzzZzz

    Depending on the nature of themunities, the element of the video they focused on was different, as well as their likes and dislikes. It was fortunate that there were positive reactions but some of the negativements were extremely insulting. Despite all that, the Yu household ¨C they were being referred to by that name before they realised ¨C had a dry reaction.

    ¡°So what?¡± Yeorum was the type of person that didn¡¯t care much about how others viewed herself and Bom merely patted Yeorum¡¯s hair while saying, ¡°Interesting. Yeorum will be famous now.¡±

    ¡°Uwah, Yeorum-unni you¡¯re the best!¡±

    And Kaeul, who was still unustomed to spoken and writtennguage, didn¡¯t understand half of the bad words and just enjoyed it. She sometimes asked what ¡®barbarian¡¯ and ¡®know-it-all¡¯ meant, and Bom gave kind exnations whenever she did.

    ¡°Then what is sex?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But there was no response to that question and without replying, Bom just gave a small smile.

    ¡°Do you want me to tell you?¡±

    Yeorum opened her lips with an indifferent voice.

    ¡°Nn? Do you know unni?¡±

    ¡°Of coursee dear Kaeul, you are curious, what sex is¡­¡­ right?¡±

    A degenerate smile hung on her lips, which Yeorum¡¯s tongue soon licked. When she walked up with a strangely amorous expression, the baby chicken that sensed something ominous started retreating.

    ¡°Uh, uh¡­ Can you just forget that question¡­?¡±

    ¡°Why, you¡¯re curious right?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. My mum told me there was no need to know too many things in life¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, this is something you need to know.¡±

    ¡°D, don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°A sex, you see, is¡±

    ¡°Uwaahhh¨C!¡±

    The baby chicken blocked her ears and ran, while Yeorum excitedly chased after it and poured out words that shouldn¡¯t be put into words. Those were extremely explicit and greatly distorted information.

    ¡°¡­Mum!¡±

    Death throes belonging to a baby chicken echoed in the officetel.

    Except for events like this, there weren¡¯t any aftermaths causing a problem in their lives because it was before the start of the semester, with less interest in school affairs. A few reporters were curious about the situation and wanted to have an interview with Yeorum, but she who had settled most of her desiresid down on the living room sofa watching TV all day. Thanks to that, she was able to minimise her contact with the media, as reporters were prohibited from entering the residential area of Lair.

    But when she did enter the town albeit rare, reporters ran in with fire burning in their eyes.

    ¡°Uh? It¡¯s Yu Yeorum!¡±

    ¡°Where? Where? Ah! There!¡±

    ¡°Cadet Yu Yeorum! If you don¡¯t mind, can you spare some time for an interview?¡±

    Every time that happened, Yeorum avoided them with a frown. It appeared like she wanted to wreak havoc with profanities, but she would, for some reason, nce at Yu Jitae and read his mood before closing her mouth.

    ¡°Cadet Yu Yeorum! There are viewers curious about your childhood! What did you do most of the time when you were young?¡±

    ¡°Seriously annoying¡­ these insect-like suckers.¡±

    ¡°What? You used to do ser?¡±

    Her small fist trembled like crazy and Yeorum slowly built up patience.

    Lastly Yu Jitae.

    As Yeorum¡¯s guardian, there were quite a number of people he had to meet. He had to see various people from the Disciplinary department, as well as contacting RIL¡¯s legal team. Even though it was limited to around two hours a day, that was bothersome enough for him and he couldn¡¯t make his copy do it either, as it was working during the day. Since this was the result of telling them to take care of most of the things, he would have had more tasks if he were to handle everything himself.

    However, he started feeling something unfamiliar from that process.

    ¡°You¡¯re the guardian right?¡±

    Hearing someone call himself, he turned his head but realised that it was targeted at another guardian. The fact that he was certain of that having been directed at himself, came to him as a faintly strange feeling.

    In the past, there were words identifying himself. He had been a squad leader in the past, a centurion, a regimentmander. After that, he was called a mercenary, the wanted criminal, ranker and other names before eventually being called a hunter of demons.

    He hadn¡¯t cared too much about mere titles but the words regting himself were always along the lines of such words.

    But now, it was different.

    ¡°Sir Guardian, Yu Jitae.¡±

    He had be a guardian. For some reason, he thought about his own title, and felt that it really didn¡¯t match himself.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t like the title, guardian. Why didn¡¯t he like it?

    That might be due to an obsession he got while crawling through the depths of hell. Having something to protect, was in the end, a weakness and was an element he had to dispose of as someone that lived in the dirtiest ces on earth.

    But despite the bitter aftertaste it left, the world still regted him as a guardian.

    If he thought deeper about it, it wasn¡¯t anything significant, and was even a rather boring title but he didn¡¯t hate everything about it. With this, did I take another step closer to a daily life, he would ask himself.

    Returning back home, Yu Jitae stared at the blue egg left in the living room. Even today, Bom was in the middle of carrying out a prenatal education.

    As time passed, the egg grew bigger and bigger. At the start it was slightly bigger than an ostrich egg but now it was sorge that it required Bom to hug it with her two arms. The flowerpot had long be too small for it and barely even held it up.

    It meant that it was close to hatching.

    That was when Kaeul ran out of her room with a watch in hand.

    ¡°Uwah, unni! Look at this!¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Showing the screen of her watch to Bom who was squatting down in front of the blue egg, she bursted out intoughter. Seeing the screen, Bom also grinned. It was extremely rare for Bom to smile like that.

    ¡°It¡¯s so weird right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    What were they talking about.

    Soon when Yeorum left the bathroom, the baby chicken hid the watch behind her back in shock. No matter how one saw it, it was super suspicious.

    ¡°Why are you so excited?¡±

    ¡°Nn? N, no I¡¯m not?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on. You hid something, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®no¡¯. Hand it over.¡±

    Her retaliation was meagre. The baby chicken got suppressed in an instant and buried her head on the ground and cried ¡°Uanng!¡± while Yeorum stole the watch and checked the screen. When her eyes reached the screen, they twitched.

    ¡°Ehew. Do they have nothing better to do?¡±

    Casually chucking the watch, she turned her body around and headed back to her room. The watch fell before Yu Jitae, and he saw the screen. There, he saw Yeorum wearing a ser uniform.

    A marvelousposite photograph was being shared acrossmunities.

    ¡°Unni, unni. When did you learn ser?¡±

    But not knowing that it was a fake photo, the baby chicken asked with a ¡®hehe¡¯ smile. Along with the thud of a closing door, the door was shut and she was ignored.

    ¡°Hing.¡±

 Chapter 19: Baby Chickens Dream (2)

    <h4>Chapter 19: Baby Chicken''s Dream (2)</h4>

    ¡°Kaeul, are you ready yet?¡±

    Bom spoke facing the door.

    ¨C Mmm.

    ¡°Ahjussi is waiting for you.¡±

    ¨C One second!

    A few minutes after they waited in front of the entrance, the baby chicken finally poked her head out between a small gap created behind the door.

    ¡°You see, ahjussi. I think I¡¯m prepared.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°After three, two, one, tell me what you think straight away. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate. You have to say ¡®pretty¡¯ or ¡®not pretty¡¯ straight away. Do you agree to that as well?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He gave a faint nod. Getting rid of the frown on her face, the baby chicken heaved out a sigh. Soon, she left the room and revealed herself, while throwing her arms wide open.

    ¡°Tada.¡±

    Socks covered her ankles and there was a pair of white legs above that. Once again going above that, a blue tennis skirt was seen and the white long-sleeved shirt sticking to her skin had been tucked inside her skirt.

    For him, he did not understand what sort of clothes those were, nor the meaning behind thebination of clothes. So, he automatically said some pre-prepared words.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty.¡±

    ¡°Uwah, no hesitation!¡±

    Only then did Kaeul make a bright smile. She was concerned about choosing pretty clothes from around thirty minutes ago and Yu Jitae was bored of the wait. He probably would¡¯ve said the same thing even if she wore a paper bag but oblivious or not to his thoughts, she jumped up and down in excitement.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Yu Jitae headed to the Lair headquarters with Bom and Kaeul behind. Usually, he would have gone to restaurants or the arcade but now was the time for a field trip. They were dragons, and would inevitably be the target of attention in Lair. Since they would be frequently visiting the headquarters, he was nning to have them see it beforehand.

    ¡°It would have been nice if Yeorum-unni came along.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Yeorum seemed to have been engrossed in dramas recently and didn¡¯t leave her room. He checked it with a nce and realised they were gory dramas.

    The headquarters had been built with the colosseum in mind and tall buildings forming a long, circr donut shape weed them. On top of the donut-shaped building was arge magic stone with its diameter being around 15 metres, floating in the sky.

    ¡°Uwah, unni. Do you see that?! It¡¯s enormous!¡±

    Kaeul raised her arms up.

    Despite still being a holiday, countless staff members, professors and cadets were walking around as Bom and Kaeul watched people with interest.

    ¡°Uh? Aren¡¯t you Cadet Bom, by any chance?¡±

    That was when a woman in herte thirties walked up with a smile. Her blue name badge, proving her status as a staff member, had her post, ¡®Lair PR Team 3 Team Leader¡¯ written next to her name, Yong Dohee.

    ¡°Do you know me?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. I heard from Professor Myung Jong. Wahh, you look prettier in real life. Did you dye your hair?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Thisdy here is your younger sister? Wah, the power of DNA¡­¡±

    The amicable woman approached without shying away.

    ¡°Hello, sir Guardian. I am Yong Dohee from the PR team.¡±

    Her nature reflected on [Eyes of Equilibrium] was a fairly bright ¡®good¡¯ so Yu Jitae did not stop her. It seemed that Bom and Kaeul were likewise not that wary of her.

    ¡°I¡¯m Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°It feels like your cadets will be meeting the PR team quite frequently. In fact, I had been thinking whether I should visit you for a greeting or not but what a surprise. I¡¯m pleased to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Me too. Please take care of the children.¡±

    Team Leader Yong then started talking about unimportant things with the kids. Fitting her position as a PR member, her stories revolved around Lair¡¯s gossips, which Bom and Kaeul listened to with interest.

    In the middle of that, Team Leader Yong suddenly pped her hands as if she was reminded of something.

    ¡°Ah, now¡¯s not the time for this! There¡¯s a dry rehearsal of the entrance ceremony today. Would you like to head there and watch it together?¡±

    A dry rehearsal?

    Kaeul gave a positive answer while Bom turned towards Yu Jitae.

    He nodded his head.

    *

    Entrance ceremonies of normal schools wouldn¡¯t have anything to watch but this was Lair ¨C a school gathering boys and girls with exceptional talent from all around the globe. Lair was the foundation of the world¡¯s military force, and was thus a ce that gathered the eyes of the entire world.

    People had something close to a fantasy towards it, and Lair knew how to make use of it.

    Due to that reason, every event within Lair was of a different scale. Lair¡¯s entrance ceremony was an enormous asion that was transmitted to the entire universe via public TV so its international influence was impressive.

    They arrived at the auditorium.

    There was an extremely enormous stage as well as countlessrge and small cameras ced nearby. Since it was a building used as a concert hall, there were dozens of thousands of seats ced in an arch shape.

    Overwhelmed by that sheer massive size, Kaeul widened her eyes and nkly stared at the hall. It was sorge that it made people feel smaller inparison.

    ¡°Is it that impressive?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She then whispered, ¡°My mum¡¯sir is around this size¡±.

    When the rehearsal began, people moved in a strict order as spotlights constantly moved their focus. In that process, the directing staff members shouted and ran everywhere.

    In doubt, Kaeul asked.

    ¡°By the way, who¡¯s going to stand on the stage?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, they are the cadets.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°The mc, performers, helpers of award ceremonies, the deration reading members etc. They are all cadets. There¡¯s also an audition for that.¡±

    ¡°Aha.¡±

    With a slightly empty gaze, Kaeul stared at that ce.

    ¡°Cadet Kaeul is pretty and has a good bnced body so if you took the audition for being an award giver, you might have made it through.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no. I¡¯m not particrly¡­¡±

    The baby chicken swallowed her words.

    That was when the camera meaninglessly facing the audience seats focused on Kaeul as the rehearsal continued. She shrunk her body in surprise before quietly looking back at the camera and waving her hand.

    ¨C Hello, Miss cadet over there with a blonde hair!

    A staff member acting as the host of the rehearsal spoke through his mic and his loud voice echoed in the enormous concert hall.

    ¡°Yes! Hello!¡±

    With a smile, Kaeul replied.

    ¨C How did youe here, Miss cadet?

    Conversations like this seemed to be a part of the rehearsal. It was because the entrance ceremony was simr to a concert than a rigid, traditional entrance ceremony.

    ¡°I came to watch!¡±

    ¨C Ahah, you came to watch? Not anyone cane in here though? Only handsome and pretty people cane in.

    The staff member said as a joke. Kaeul blinked her eyes, and tilted her head.

    ¡°How did youe in?¡±

    ¡°Uhaha¡± Laughter escaped the crowd of people watching the rehearsal and despite not knowing the reason behind theirugh, Kaeul copied with a ¡®hehe¡¯ smile. Their conversationsted a few more words and she continuously made the staff members and the audienceugh with her innocent words.

    Around that point in time, Bom, who had been watching over with a content smile, asked Team Leader Yong.

    ¡°By the way, is it not possible to take the audition now?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°The contested positions won¡¯t be possible, but I was wondering if there was an empty spot for an award giving helper or something.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, that would be a bit¡­¡±

    The team leader made an awkward smile.

    ¡°Will it be difficult?¡±

    ¡°It will probably be a bit troublesome. There is a lot ofpetition for the spots and the first auditions have already all ended today.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Although unfortunate, there was nothing that could be done about it and soon, the rehearsal came to a close.

    On the way back home, Yu Jitae felt Kaeul¡¯s heart beating louder and faster than usual. It was to the point he could hear it without even trying to.

    ¡°Kaeul, was it fun?¡±

    ¡°Nn! It was the best.¡±

    The baby chicken replied to Bom¡¯s question with flushed cheeks and seeing that, the Regressor entered contemtion for a brief moment.

    It seemed that what was toe, hade.

    ***

    After the rehearsal ended, the directing staff rewound the tape of the day and watched it all and the same was for the overall directing producer, Ha Junsoo. He, whose value increased every day as the best producer of Korea, was called out to Lair twice a year to take control of directing the entrance ceremonies.

    Like always, the schedule given by Lair was packed. The first audition of cadets as well as a rehearsal held to decide on the general procedure of the ceremony ¨C these things which usually would require three days had to be reduced down to one day.

    ¡°But this year¡¯s freshmen are all quite decent.¡±

    ¡°I know right? They¡¯re handsome, pretty. And they also seem more mature.¡±

    ¡°How was that girl from India? I thought she was quite capable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more into Ailesh than her.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you mean that person directly under Britain¡¯s royal family¡­ that girl?¡±

    ¡°She was insane. Damn her body could kill someone¡­¡±

    Hearing that, Ha Junsoo erupted in anger.

    ¡°Kill my ass. I¡¯ll kill you instead! Are you not going to focus?¡±

    ¡°Aigo, mister producer. We are already dying.¡±

    The members whined, saying ¡°My back is broken¡± and ¡°My eyes are dead¡± but it had no effect toward Ha Junsoo and his steel nature. When he opened his eyes wide open and red, the members gave awkward smiles and turned their heads.

    There was always a brave one in the mix though. One of the team members nced at him and read Ha Junsoo¡¯s mood before opening his mouth.

    ¡°In any case, what¡¯s your opinion, producer? Don¡¯t you think this year¡¯s entrance ceremony will be quite the spectacle?¡±

    ¡°Gunyoung.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Stop spouting nonsense and work. Work!¡±

    In the end, they were forced to focus on work in silence.

    ¡®It is quite decent.¡¯

    Ha Junsoo, was in fact rtively satisfied. Compared tost year, this year¡¯s new cadets looked better and the overall picture of the entrance ceremony was something to look forward to.

    But as always, there were no perfect performances and everything was always slightlycking for him. ¡®Isn¡¯t there anything closer to perfect somewhere?¡¯ A thought closer to an ideology remained in a corner of his head but others could notprehend his perfectionist way of thinking.

    It had been around twenty years since he started working in this field and frustration was amon feeling. He had now learned how to be satisfied in the midst of average, decent things.

    To put it in good terms, it was a non-greedy mind and in bad terms, it would be selfpromise.

    It was, until¡­

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    While watching the video of the rehearsal, Ha Junsoo¡¯s eyes were attracted to the main screen, as the camera focused on a blonde-haired cadet amongst the audience seats.

    ¨C Only handsome and pretty people cane in.

    ¨C How did youe in?

    ¨C Uhaha!

    Rewinding it back, Ha Junsoo yed the video yet again and around the time the girl¡¯s part was about to end, he rewound it again.

    He felt something strange. Ha Junsoo was watching the face hanging on the screen inside the video. The quality wasn¡¯t good and the colour was out of ce as well, and yet it felt like he was being oddly absorbed into it as he watched.

    What is happening? Why was he feeling in this way?

    Was it because she was pretty? That was indeed true. The blonde was so pretty that she even gave off a repulsive aura, but her beauty wasn¡¯t the end it seemed.

    He had directed countless concerts as a director and had seen a numerous number of pretty and handsome people. Among them, there hadn¡¯t been anyone that sucked his gaze like she did.

    Curiosity overflowed his limits.

    There was a desire to see her in person.

    ¡°Mister Namjoon.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°This girl, which audition did she apply for?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    The person in charge of auditions walked up and saw the screen. Then, he rolled his eyes in thought.

    ¡°Who is this?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know her, Mister Namjoon?¡¯

    ¡°She is pretty¡­ but there wasn¡¯t anyone like this in the audition.¡±

    ¡°What? Are you sure it¡¯s not a mistake?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t think I would¡­¡±

    He meant it because he wouldn¡¯t ever forget a face like that if he had seen it.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you like, find her, in any way? Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡±

    Even when he brought the other staff members, there was no-one that knew who it was and in the end, the staff that had acted as the mc was scolded for some reason, for not asking her name.

    That was when someone shouted.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°Why? Why?¡±

    ¡°Producer. You see this, at the back of the screen ¨C that blue thing. Isn¡¯t that the name badge of a staff member?¡±

    ¡°Huh, you¡¯re right. You¡¯re right!¡±

    Ha Junsoo made a p.

    ¡°Contact her immediately.¡±

 Chapter 20: Baby Chickens Dream (3)

    <h4>Chapter 20: Baby Chicken''s Dream (3)</h4>

    It was around when the sunset started painting the sky orange. Here in the floating ind, one could see further off into the horizon.

    Kaeul had been watching videos of celebrities through a hologram of her watch and had just fallen asleep. She would sleep like a human, perhaps because she was younger than the other two.

    Yu Jitae stared at the blonde hair behind her head, with his head muddled in thought.

    ¡°Can I sit next to you for a bit?¡±

    That was Bom¡¯s voice.

    He nodded. She walked up to the sofa till she was next to Yu Jitae. Usually, they would have watched TV together without saying anything but it seemed like there was something she wanted to talk about today.

    ¡°Is there something you want to say?¡±

    ¡°Can I?¡±

    ¡°If you want.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a story about us¡­¡±

    She threw a nce at Yu Jitae before opening her mouth.

    ¡°We were unlucky.¡±

    In an indifferent tone, she started her story.

    ¡°Around the time we left, Askalifa had be a bad ce for Amusements. Due to a great famine, there was nothing to eat; pandemics covered the continent and there was no end to wars.¡±

    For him, it was a story he hadn¡¯t been interested in during the previous regressions but now, it was necessary for him to listen.

    ¡°It had turned into a world that didn¡¯t allow a good experience and the adults wished for us to cross over to a nearby dimension for our Amusements. Fortunately, there had been dragons that had gone to a close world for their own Amusements and we left for ours after having received a bit of their memories.¡±

    ¡°Was that when the dimension became disjointed?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That was something even I couldn¡¯t predict. Due toing to a dimension too far, we couldn¡¯t return.¡±

    When he gave a nod, Bom continued her words.

    ¡°We had quite a hard time because all the things we took with us had been lost. Dolls that can act like humans, as well as Protectors that should be protecting us all disappeared. So we couldn¡¯t mix in with humans as well, and had faced danger.¡±

    Up to there was also something Yu Jitae knew of. He decided to ask something that had been on his mind.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t the adults looking for you.¡±

    He didn¡¯t expect a good answer, because all the dragons in the previous regressions gave a consistent answer of ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯. However, this time around, Bom hesitated a little, as words escaped along with a sigh.

    ¡°They can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Dragons are mentally connected. It¡¯s like being connected by several threads, for example. But on the way here, a few of those strings had been broken. I can¡¯t tell you the details but¡­ that¡¯s why we were anxious. I was like that, and I¡¯m sure Yeorum and Kaeul were too.¡±

    She spoke with a depressed expression before raising her tone back up.

    ¡°But aftering here, they are getting better slowly. It feels like our lives are getting stable. Thank you ahjussi.¡±

    Bom¡¯s words reached Yu Jitae in the form of a constion, as it meant that the direction he chose this round wasn¡¯t wrong.

    ¡°By the way, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Can you send Kaeul to the entertainment industry?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was an abrupt question, but was also something that had to be talked about. Yu Jitae held his words in.

    ¡°You see, aftering for our Amusement, I helped Kaeul start streaming on her own because I knew she would like it.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t that popr it seems, for a few months.¡±

    This was a bit questionable for him.

    Although he didn¡¯t know much about streaming and the entertainment industry, Kaeul had turned into a sessful celebrity a number of times already in the previous lives. There probably wasn¡¯t that big of a reason behind it. It must have been because she was pretty.

    And yet, her stream wasn¡¯t popr?

    ¡°So right when we were pondering what to do, she was scouted by someone in the streets. There, they started ordering her to do strange things by using the contract.¡±

    ¡°What did they make her do?¡±

    ¡°Kaeul didn¡¯t say anything regarding that so I¡¯m not too sure either.¡±

    That must be why she had run to the amazon, and took poisonous mushrooms.

    ¡°If you could get rid of the bad people, ahjussi, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for Kaeul to be a celebrity?¡±

    Shutting his mouth, Yu Jitae closed his eyes.

    Around that point in time, Kaeul¡¯s breath changed, as well as her heartbeat rate. She had been listening to the conversation while pretending to be asleep. Thus, a careful response was what was required.

    To the Regressor, it wasn¡¯t a great situation to be in.

    Every few rounds, the Gold Dragon had be a celebrity, either as an actor, or a singer. To a daughter of the Gold race, which was the closest race to human society, it might perhaps be a natural thing.

    What would happen if he let Kaeul be here? As if imitating the previous rounds, she would grasp enormous wealth and honour. She would also be loved more than she ever expected.

    And that would be troubling.

    In a certain previous round, Yu Jitae had asked a psychologist about Kaeul¡¯s story, about why a person loved by the mass would break apart and die in despair.

    ¡®¡­It¡¯s because the expected value of love bes higher.¡¯

    The exnation was that excessive amounts of love would be poison in some areas of life. Since everyone had their own tastes, there were bound to be disjoints and shes and would inevitably give birth to some hostility. Kaeul¡¯s pure personality also yed a part.

    Since she always received an excessive amount of love, when misaligned interest approached her as a curse, her young conscience resembling a child couldn¡¯t withstand that sense of loss.

    Depression and a sense of emptiness, or even a sense of loss driving it crazy. Due to all that, the Gold Dragon started bouncing around like a rugby ball. In some rounds, she was more so than the Red Dragon.

    ¡°I can¡¯t allow that.¡±

    To the Regressor, it was a future that must be avoided and for that reason, he shared his thoughts with Bom and Kaeul. He could see the blonde hair flinching in the middle of its feigned sleep, as it must have been greatly disappointed.

    Even then, it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, it seemed like Bom hadn¡¯t given up her will, as if she had expected it from the start. With a pleading gaze, she matched her line of sight with Yu Jitae¡¯s.

    ¡°Is it really not possible?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Without any room for discussion?¡±

    ¡°It is something I can¡¯t handle.¡±

    With twitching lips, Bom asked again.

    ¡°Is it impossible even if it is just one year of experience?¡±

    She was trying to reach apromise after hearing his determined answer. He decided to let go of his stubbornness and thought for a bit.

    No, even then, one year was too long.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What about six months?¡±

    He contemted the amount of time and remembered how the Gold Dragon broke in the mere span of six months. Thus, six months wasn¡¯t allowed either.

    ¡°How about one month? She will just do it for a bit and give up if it goes wrong. Isn¡¯t that fine?¡±

    Yet again, he shook his head. One month was too long, and was enough to invite misfortune. After being rejected over and over again, Bom bit her lower lips a little. Then she turned her head slightly to the side and murmured to herself.

    ¡°Stubborn.¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t give a reply.

    ¡°Okay. Then what about just once?¡±

    ¡°Once?¡±

    ¡°Just once. Help Kaeul stand in front of people just once.¡±

    How would this turn out to be?

    Dragons did not forget. One experience could be imprinted into their brain as a good memory as they reminisce it forever. Although love and interest of humans causes addiction, just one experience should be fine right?

    ¡°Can you be satisfied by experiencing it just once?¡±

    Bom did not respond as it was a question toward Kaeul.

    ¡°I, I, I am sleeping.¡±

    A fluttered voice escaped.

    ¡°I get it so just give me an answer. Can you be satisfied with just one experience?¡±

    Golden eyes slowly showed itself as she raised her body.

    ¡°Mmm, hmm, uhh¡­¡±

    Then, she spoke after a bit of hesitation.

    ¡°Umm, back then. There were lots of seats there right?¡±

    ¡°There were.¡±

    ¡°So it means that all those seats will be filled with people. Thinking of all those people watching me, like, makes me nervous.¡±

    She hesitantly continued her words.

    ¡°And expectant.¡±

    Her voice was so soft that it was crawling but Yu Jitae did not give a response. When the silence got longer, she nced at his face and added more words.

    ¡°Ah, ah! But that doesn¡¯t mean I can stand on the stage during the entrance ceremony right? I¡¯m not asking for anything that big. Even if it¡¯s a small ce, if I could stand in front of people at least once, it would be awesome.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It, it¡¯s okay! It¡¯s fine even if I can¡¯t.¡±

    Silence befell the area yet again. Waiting for his reply, Kaeul faced Bom with an uneasy look but Bom returned a nod gesturing that it was okay. Soon, Yu Jitae finally opened his mouth.

    ¡°Right. I understand.¡±

    Surprised, the baby chicken covered her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s just once.¡±

    Slowly but surely, a bright smile was drawn on her face. Screaming ¡°Unni!¡±, Kaeul hugged Bom with excitement while Bom hugged her back and nced at Yu Jitae. Her gaze seemingly reflected her gratitude.

    That was when Yu Jitae¡¯s phone started ringing.

    ¨C Hello. This is Mister Yu Jitae, the guardian, I¡¯m talking to right?

    It was a familiar voice, belonging to PR Team Leader Yong Dohee.

    ¡°Yes. Is there any matter?¡±

    Team Leader Yong¡¯s words continued. It seemed that the directing team would love to see Kaeul at least once and told them toe for an audition if they so desired. He had thought that it would be naturally impossible to get a spot, but there was apparently a sudden change in the situation.

    If she heard it, the baby chicken would probably get so happy that she could faint.

    The situation seemed to be flowing in a perfect order, even giving off a feeling that it was manmade. In that instant, he remembered the fact that the green race could read the future by relying on Providence..

    In doubt, he raised his line of sight to face Bom and when he did, Bom turned her eyes away slightly and avoided eye contact.

    Yu Jitae made an empty smile.

    This kid¡­

    *

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seeing Kaeul from the front, PD Ha Junsoo was silent for a long time.

    ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±

    He remained silent even after Kaeul¡¯s question. As if he was looking at a piece of art, he nkly looked at her face again and again. That was when he felt a sharp gaze from somewhere ¨C it was the guardian¡¯s.

    Quickly realising his mistake, Ha Junsoo looked away and waved his hand.

    ¡°Ah, ah. My apologies. Cadet Yu Kaeul, was it?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes.¡±

    ¡°After around one week, there is a final selection for the deration reading member position of the new cadets. It is like the final audition.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, but this ¡®New Cadet Deration¡¯ is the highlight of entrance ceremonies and Cadet Yu Kaeul¡¯s image was a perfect fit. You¡¯ll be a bit short on time, but would you like to prepare for it?¡±

    Reactions varied per person.

    Kaeul made a bright smile while going, ¡°Yes!¡±, while the directing staff members that knew the usual, selfish Ha Junsoo, shook their heads while whispering, ¡°Aigo¡­ PD is doing it again¡­¡±

    The overall atmosphere of the staff excluding Ha Junsoo wasn¡¯t positive.

    What kind of thing was the New Cadet Deration? It was an event that gathered the most number of viewers amongst all the events. Countless number of reporters focused on it and people wouldpare them to the readers of previous years andpare them to evaluate superhumans.

    In other words, they would be the face of the cadets of that year.

    When Kaeul left the room alongside her guardian, sighs escaped their mouths.

    ¡°Aigo. Mister PD is being stubborn again.¡±

    ¡°True. Even if she starts now, there¡¯s no way she could even bepared to the ones that started preparing ages ago. They aren¡¯t ying around either.¡±

    ¡°I know right. The public speech academies in Haytling are all booked out yeah?¡±

    They were all expecting a negative result. That was when the youngest member of the directing staff carefully asked a question.

    ¡°Why? Wasn¡¯t that cadet super pretty?¡±

    ¡°What? That¡¯s not the important part. Being pretty or not is a secondary issue and they need charisma.¡±

    ¡°Charisma?¡±

    ¡°Because a person appearing in public for the first time has to grab the attention of cadets present in the entrance ceremony, as well as the viewers on the other side of the camera.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    Only then did the young member rememberst year¡¯s derer ande to an understanding. With a tall height and a voice lower than the echoes of a cave, he grasped the audience with a tone overflowing with charisma.

    He had quit Lair and was currently an active actor in Hollywood.

    That was the level of impact required.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°And that child is too bright and young. She is cute but her image isn¡¯t suited. Can a girl like that be the spokesperson of soldiers facing enormous threats and the despair of those that lost their loved ones?¡±

    Is that how it is?

    Yu Jitae, who had been standing on the corridor till now, slowly began carrying his feet. He came back in half-doubt and had received a fairly decent clue.

    Dragons could assimte themselves with others¡¯ feelings and memories. Thus, he thought he could provide some help to Kaeul.

    *

    ¡°Sorry? You will be helping the audition?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s how it will be.¡±

    ¡°Ah, in that case, there¡¯s this word I don¡¯t know. Exin this word please.¡±

    Kaeul shoved the script at him.

    Just like that, Yu Jitae sat together with Kaeul and focused on the script while Bom watched them from the side.

    It was then.

    Yu Jitae raised his eyes and looked forward and before long, Bom and Kaeul¡¯s head turned at the same time, to the same ce.

    Their eyes were fixated on the blue egg.

    Crack¨C

    Cracks started being formed on the egg.

 Chapter 21: Gyeoul / Winter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 21: Gyeoul / Winter (1)</h4>

    Thest ¡®birth of a life¡¯ he saw wasn¡¯t that pretty.

    In a certain round of regression, 15 kilometres to the East of the Gaza district, Palestine.

    Following down the railway that had not even a road nearby, one would end up at a shanty town called Dyrrel. It was a ce where those with no possession and those with nothing to gain gathered and sold whatever they could while avoiding conflict.

    Yu Jitae, who had visited that ce to find something he needed, coincidentally discovered a pregnant woman painted in dirt and blood, giving birth in the middle of an empty plot ofnd during broad daylight.

    There was not even a proper sewage system, and the roads were filthy and contaminated while it was a conflict zone where refugees weren¡¯t even allowed to dig up wells. With hollow cheeks and not even a sign of fat on her thin thighs, the pregnant woman wailed and screamed. Giving birth was a second priority as she cried in pain for help.

    Although there were many onlookers, there was not a single one approaching her. Her appearance as she screamed from the depths of her lungs with an extremely thin body resembled a devil and the ignorant ones watched from a distance while treating her like a pandemic.

    The only one that approached her was a sick, hungry wild dog, tilting its head and wondering when this will be its food.

    He didn¡¯t know why.

    Following the strange feelings he felt inside, he threw some money to a midwife with lots of experience located in a nearby brothel and tried to help the woman giving birth. However, the experienced midwife saw the woman¡¯s appearance and rejected the money, saying that she wouldn¡¯t be able to give birth.

    Yu Jitae did not take the money back, and told her to try it since it was okay to fail.

    The door of the pregnant woman, that wasn¡¯t properly opened, asionally retched as if it was about to vomit and appeared to be seconds away from having somethingrge escape it but shecked strength at thest minute. In the end, her breath that barely held on soon stopped.

    But when the woman stopped her movement, a baby flowed out along with a discharge of blood. In surprise, the midwife received the baby, but the baby was already dead for some reason.

    A dead woman gave birth to a dead baby.

    Without ming the midwife, he walked away.

    It wasn¡¯t a great experience and he had never been reminded of that incident ever again. But¡­

    Crack. Crackk¨C

    Why did memories of that time resurface in his head while seeing the cracking egg of the Blue Dragon? It hadn¡¯t happened in the previous round.

    Crack¡­

    The hatch was slow and the crevice slowly continued cracking in the shape of a cobweb.

    ¡°U, unni!¡±

    Kaeul went and called Yeorum.

    Sitting silently in the living room of the dormitory, Yu Jitae waited until the dragon could leave its shell on its own. Next to him was Bom hugging her knees while watching the egg and even Yeorum remained quiet in a time like this. Kaeul, who had been restlessly talking about how she would be having a younger sibling when the cracks first began, now held her breath and watched over the birth of a life.

    Drop.

    A fragment of the broken egg fell on the ground.

    Soon, a small head of a reptile soared out from the hole. With a swollen face and eyes that couldn¡¯t even open yet, the baby dragon slowly turned its face over to the surroundings.

    Gyeoul, had been born.

    *

    By the time he returned from a nearby department store with powdered milk and a baby bottle in hand, the children were sitting in a circle in the living room, watching Gyeoul.

    ¡°Uwah, she¡¯s moving! Uwahh¡­ Look at her wings. Was I this small as well?¡±

    Kaeul watched Gyeoul, as if she found her intriguing. A small kid was saying that while watching an even smaller being.

    Bom hugged the not-so-small blue dragon and cleaned the unclean parts of the dragon with a wet tissue. Her hand movements were quite natural.

    ¡°Did you learn that?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this is what my mother did to me in the past. Normally you would lick it off though.¡±

    Do they even remember things like that? Thinking that, Yu Jitae merely watched.

    ¡°Would you like to hold her?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    When Yu Jitae rejected, Kaeul ran in.

    ¡°Me! Me me me! I want to!¡±

    ¡°Her skin¡¯s still soft so you need to be careful.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Kaeul struggled to hold the blue dragon and looked at its face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After that, she remained stiff for a long time, with a nk expression and a slightly open mouth. Soon, she handed the dragon over to Yeorum as if giving away the responsibility.

    ¡°What. What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Hold her once. Unni, this, this is really like¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested though?¡±

    ¡°No. Just hold her once okay? Wahh, this feels really¡­ Uhh, ehh, ahh, just take her!¡±

    ¡°Have you gone mad? I said I¡¯m not interested!¡±

    Today, Kaeul was unusually forceful. Yeorum, who received Gyeoul with a displeased expression hugged the dragon with a dissatisfied look on her face as if she wasn¡¯t inclined to do so.

    After scanning the dragon up and down a bit, she lowered her head andid her nose closer to smell Gyeoul. Starting from the dragon¡¯s white stomach, she smelled up towards the chest, and then the wings, as well as the head. Then, she used her tongue to lick the dragon¡¯s small horn.

    As for the meaning behind that gesture, he had no way of knowing it.

    ¡°Well, she is pretty. You hold her as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Here you go okay?¡±

    Yeorum handed the dragon over in a throwing motion. Having no other choice, Yu Jitae held Gyeoul up.

    She was heavy. Whenever it wriggled its body, its movement clearly reached him through the blue skin and when he held it into his arms, he felt the loud beating of its heart. The small dragon heart embedded in the small body was already carrying out its task.

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    What are you looking at.

    ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s a bit interesting. This just looks strange. Ah! Can I take a picture?¡±

    You can¡¯t.

    He was about to say that but Kaeul had already turned on the camera app on her watch.

    ¡°Ah, Kaeul, wait.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Right when Kaeul was about to take the photo, Bom held her hands together and fidgeted. Soon, dirt was created out of nothing, after which a small flower showed its head. She created a flower with magic.

    She picked the flower up and ced it behind the dragon¡¯s ears that resembled the wings of a bat.

    ¡°How does this look?¡±

    ¡°Uwah¡­ so pretty.¡±

    After saying that, Kaeul went ¡°nn? Nn?¡± Something seemed to have popped up in her head.

    ¡°Ah, Bom-unni. Give me one more flower please.¡±

    Around the time he oddly began feeling worried, Kaeul received the flower from Bom and walked up to Yu Jitae before cing the flower behind his ear. Then, she startedughing out loud like a baby chicken while Bom and Yeorum both seemed to beughing as well.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s dark expression despite having a beautiful pink flower was like a painting.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the photo then!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Click!

    Taking a few more pictures, they showed it to each other andughed. Meanwhile Yu Jitae remained still while hugging Gyeoul.

    Soon, the Blue Dragon¡¯s eyes quivered before being carefully lifted up.

    It stared at Yu Jitae.

    And Yu Jitae stared back.

    *

    It waste at night.

    Since Bom volunteered to take care of the child, Yeorum returned to her room and Kaeul went back to her room with the deration script and a regretful expression.

    He heated the milk until it was warm and poured it into the baby bottle. When he asked ¡®what do baby dragons eat?¡¯ Bom replied by saying they don¡¯t need to. But when they do eat something delicious, they would enjoy that feeling, it seemed.

    In curiosity, he tried tasting the powdered milk and realised that it tasted like a in version of milk. He wasn¡¯t sure if it would suit the baby¡¯s taste.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Bom received the bottle from him.

    Gulping the milk down her throat, Gyeoul stared back and forth between Bom and Yu Jitae. Although he had no talent in reading the expression of dragons, the dragon¡¯s favourability when checked through [Eyes of Equilibrium] was a continuation of ¡®like¡¯, ¡®like¡¯ and ¡®like¡¯.

    It meant that Gyeoul enjoyed it.

    Late at night, when he was about to return to his own room, Bom asked if he could stay a bit longer.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It will start getting busy after the semester begins, but we have some free time now right? I was thinking of doing a magic transference for Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°Magic transference?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She will get bigger and bigger as time goes and she can¡¯t stay in this form for a few years so I wanted to teach her how to polymorph.¡±

    He asked not because he didn¡¯t know what it was.

    [Magic Transference] proceeds with the life force of the caster as a mortgage and uses a tremendous amount of mana. It could bepared to the process of cutting up one¡¯s own flesh and having someone else eat it.

    It wasn¡¯t as extreme as sacrificing half of their remaining lifespan or something but those he knew of would stay in bed for a few months with a weak body afterpleting magic transference.

    ¡°Will you be alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I think it would be better for this child as well if she could gain interesting experiences together with us as fast as possible.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Although she would be safe as long as she stayed in the dorm, she was asking him to stay nearby regardless because she would be in apletely defenceless state during the process of a magic transference.

    He sat on the sofa.

    ¡°Gyeoul. You can¡¯t move from now on okay.¡±

    Perhaps having felt Bom¡¯s feelings, Gyeoul straightened her body stiffly.

    After hugging Gyeoul, she ced her forehead on the Blue Dragon¡¯s forehead. Since the ritual and themunication of emotions urred from a brain to another, it was a required contact.

    Soon, mana started flowing through from Bom¡¯s forehead over to Gyeoul¡¯s. Without a word, Yu Jitae kept his seat until the transfer ended.

    Magic Transference didn¡¯t end with just once. Itsted around six hours a day, for two days, before continuing on to the third day. Meanwhile, Yu Jitae helped Kaeul prepare for the deration audition, while waiting for the polymorph to work.

    On the fourth day, Bom¡¯s face drastically turned muddled in exhaustion. With a sunken face and a pair of unfocused eyes, she nkly ate the sushi Yu Jitae bought, a tiny bit at a time.

    ¡°Are you okay, unni? You almost look like a zombie.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a bit tired.¡±

    ¡°Is there still a lot left?¡±

    ¡°I think today will be thest.¡±

    ¡°¡­That sounds like a lot of trouble. But at the same time, I¡¯m a bit jealous. I want to touch Gyeoul as well.¡±

    Kaeul found it regrettable. Gyeoul slept for over ten and a few hours a day and received magic from Bom whenever she was awake. Due to that, there was no room for Kaeul or Yu Jitae to approach her.

    Fortunately, Bom¡¯s hard work wasn¡¯t betrayed. By the end of the night on the fourth day, right before dawn, Bom drove her head in the wooden tile like a fermented spring onion kimchi after havingpleted the magic transference.

    ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The back of the head ced on the wooden floor gave a faint nod. She used up all her power to the point she couldn¡¯t take care of her own body. Raising her up, Yu Jitae brought her to her bed.

    ¡°Take a good sleep.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be sleeping for that long.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Kaeul still has her audition so¡­ I¡¯ll sleep just a few days¡­ and wake¡­¡±

    Her voice stopped in the middle of a speech as she started dozing off while snoring. Yu Jitae ced a nket over her and left the room but the moment he did, something he was seeing for the first time entered his sight.

    A back of a head and hair resembling the colour of the ocean could be seen. The curly long hair was in an unkempt, messy state.

    Other than that, a small body, a small head, and an even smaller shoulder, as well as a diaper he bought was seen beneath the tiny back. Bom seemed to have made the child wear it despite there being no need to.

    That was the appearance of Gyeoul in her polymorphed state.

    The child that took the form of a human was sitting on the floor tilting its head in every direction. Yu Jitae quietly approached the child and crouched down before calling it.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    Gyeoul turned around.

    There seemed to be exhaustion and sleepiness hanging on herrge, clear, blue eyes but the moment they found Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, a smile instantaneously flooded her expression. Making a bright smile, Gyeoul moved her lips but stuttered, perhaps because she didn¡¯t know how to speak yet.

    Yu Jitae raised the child up on her two feet. She already appeared like a three year-old human child and could stand on her own feet. Dragons in their polymorphed state grew extremely rapidly and kept their youth for thousands of years. Thinking back on the previous rounds, the Blue Dragon was ought to grow up and be like others before long.

    When he raised her up, he realised that she should wear something so borrowing a shirt from Kaeul, who had a shorter height than others, he put it on the child.

    Feeling the lower ends of the shirt reaching her legs, she seemed intrigued. But it waste at night, and Gyeoul appeared exhausted from the aftermath of the magic transference.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep now.¡±

    As Yu Jitae was about to raise Gyeoul up for a hug, she threw her arms wide open towards Yu Jitae. When he remained still, she leaned forward and held Yu Jitae¡¯s two cheeks before pulling him towards herself.

    Thinking that it might be thinking of a peck on the mouth, he attempted to turn his head away when a small forehead reached and touched his forehead.

    In that small distance with touching foreheads, the pair of blue eyes blinked and looked directly at Yu Jitae.

    He made a faint smile.

    It seemed that the child thought of this as a way of expressing affection.

 Chapter 22: Gyeoul / Winter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 22: Gyeoul / Winter (2)</h4>

    Lair was pretty cold during the dawn, despite Haytling¡¯s protective walls stopping the chilly air of the stratosphere. Today, the sky appeared taller than usual.

    That morning, Yu Jitae walked outside alone in order to create an identity for Gyeoul. Adding one more child to the virtual Yu household that had already been formed wasn¡¯t a difficult task. However, the processing speed of the underground wasn¡¯t as fast as himself and by the time he was returning home, it was already midday.

    On the way back, a strange yet hazy wave could be felt by his senses. Sensing that, Yu Jitae stood still and looked up at the sky. There was a fissure being created in the sky, as something crawled out through the gap.

    Are theying already? It¡¯s a lot faster than other rounds.

    With such thoughts in mind, Yu Jitae carried his feet.

    He visited a toy store on the way home and bought a small doll. It was a blue, ugly teddy bear. It¡¯s name was apparently a ¡®blue bear¡¯ and he chose it because Gyeoul¡¯s hair colour was also blue.

    Taking care of everything, Yu Jitae returned to the dormitory. Leaning on the guardrail of the window, Yeorum was having a smoke.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When their eyes met, she let out a gush of smoke.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    Staring at the teddy bear, she asked.

    ¡°A gift.¡±

    ¡°What about mine?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s none.¡±

    ¡°Give me mine.¡±

    ¡°Is there something you want?¡±

    ¡°Un.¡±

    ¡°Use your own money.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Smoke gushed out of her two nostrils.

    That looked a bit like a red dragon.

    Yeorum spitted on the ground and itnded right in front of his feet. When he raised his head back up, she was already long gone.

    ¡°Wee back.¡±

    When he walked into the dorm, he found the baby chicken weing him while wearing a wide smile on her face with half her body still inside her room. Meanwhile, Yeorum was on the sofa watching TV without even sparing him a nce.

    Four days ago, he had applied for Haytling¡¯s public speech academy with Kaeul and they would head there everyday around this time.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I mean no. Wait. I don¡¯t like these clothes so let me change into something different!¡±

    Her room door was then shut. He pondered whether he should wait outside, but decided to walk into the dorm.

    He felt a gaze from the other side of the corridor. Turning around, he found Gyeoul carefully walking up with a nervous expression.

    For some reason, it seemed like she was trying to read his countenance. With tightly sealed lips, she stared at Yu Jitae¡¯s face and would stealthily turn her eyes away whenever their eyes met.

    When Yu Jitae turned his head away, she would stare at him once again, before carefully treading one step after another, as she hesitantly approached him.

    That was when Yeorum, lying down on the sofa, opened her mouth.

    ¡°Was waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°That kid was waiting for you. Ever since I woke up in the morning, she was sitting in front of the door watching it.¡±

    Chewing on the remote, she added a few more words.

    ¡°Like a dog looking for its owner.¡±

    He didn¡¯t think much of it. Walking up to Gyeoul, he rested his hand on her head and shared a simple greeting by saying, ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Gyeoul did not say anything in response, and merely closed her eyes tight.

    The moment he retrieved his hand, Gyeoul raised both her hands and carefully caressed her own head, with widely opened circr eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s a gift.¡±

    Yu Jitae handed the teddy bear in his hand to Gyeoul and turned around.

    ¡°How¡¯s Bom.¡±

    ¡°Still sleeping.¡±

    Yu Jitae headed to Bom¡¯s room and found Bom curling her body in like a prawn in a deep sleep. cing a hand on her forehead, he felt it almost reaching boiling temperature.

    Her fever was extremely intense but when he asked Yeorum, she replied by saying that it wasn¡¯t that big of an issue in dragons¡¯ standards.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been watching that drama for a few days now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this is interesting. It¡¯s an American drama where they fight with swords and spears but there are like seven seasons to it. I was bored to death.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t understand whether it was interesting or boring.

    But that expression on Yeorum¡¯s face was that of a red race before running out of their home and making trouble so Yu Jitae left some words telling her to not cause trouble. Her response, ¡°Am I a kid?¡± pierced through his ears.

    ¡°Ahjussi! I¡¯m ready!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Before long, Kaeul left her room along with a ¡®tada¡¯.

    The children received three types of clothing as they entered Lair, with them being a school uniform, a ceremonial dressing and clothes to wear during battles. Currently, Kaeul was wearing a ceremonial dress that was worn during festivals and events. With a blouse on the top and a h-line skirt beneath, there was also aurel tree brooch ¨C the symbol of Lair ¨C attached on her chest.

    ¡°How do I look?¡±

    ¡°Pretty.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡±

    Yu Jitae was about to take Kaeul outside when a miserable gaze entered his sight. It was Gyeoul, hugging the teddy bear with both her arms.

    ¡°Do you want to go together?¡±

    A flower bloomed on her hesitant expression and with a tightly sealed mouth, she slowly gave a nod. When Yu Jitae reached forth with his hand, she slowly started walking which gradually got faster, until she toddled her way into Yu Jitae¡¯s arms. Raising Gyeoul up into his arms, he took Kaeul outside.

    During the way, Kaeul continued fidgeting with the script that had been worn out in the mere span of a few days. Even without doing that, it would remain in her memories, and yet she examined the script endlessly regardless.

    ***

    After finishing the deration, Kaeul slowly closed her mouth.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Inside a lesson room of the public speech academy, the owner, Ahn Kimoon made a frown as wrinkles filled his forehead that had been revealed in an M shape.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Touching his chin, he thought back on the current situation.

    Four days ago.

    A guardian suddenly showed up and wanted to make their cadet pass the audition that would be happening in around one week. On the outside, he was so young that he barely looked like someone reaching thirties but there was still an atmosphere around him that made it difficult to reject.

    Even then, what was impossible was impossible and Ahn Kimoon downright rejected it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten times the normal lesson fee,¡± the man said.

    ¡­At least Ahn Kimoon was nning to reject it but the amount was toorge for that.

    ¡°In return, please give her as many lessons as possible.¡±

    Thus, Ahn Kimoon decided to ept the offer first. He said a sessful pass couldn¡¯t be guaranteed but the guardian replied by saying that didn¡¯t matter.

    That was how Ahn Kimoon started teaching the student.

    And after just one day, he became dejected. Compared to those that learned how to orate from childhood and those that focused on preparing for the deration for a few months, she was horrible. The cadet didn¡¯t know anything including how to use tone properly, nor the way to express emotions.

    ¡°Cadet Kaeul. Today is the fifth day since we started having lessons together. And there are four days left till the audition. Right?¡±

    A heavy voice resonated and Kaeul opened her mouth in tension.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You will receive a fat zero as a lesson student.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    Kaeul lowered her head, but Ahn Kimoon waved his hand and added more words.

    ¡°If every student was like you, how would I earn money?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry?¡±

    Her mncholic expression immediately turned brighter.

    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting better extremely fast. Do you even sleep? Haha.¡±

    Watching that from behind with Gyeoul in his arms, Yu Jitae knew that those words had coincidentally hit the mark. During the five days after registering for the public speech academy, Kaeul did not sleep a second. She watched every video of the previous derations that had been given by the owner and repeated the deration thousands of times.

    It was possible because she was a dragon.

    In that moment, the owner¡¯s smile suddenly vanished and he heaved out a sigh in seriousness.

    ¡°But you see. You¡¯re following better than I thought but you can¡¯t be all too happy yet.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Vocalisation, breath, rhythm. Everything¡¯s perfect. It¡¯s all good but there aren¡¯t proper emotions embedded inside yet. So what if the skills are all perfect when it doesn¡¯t ring the hearts of the listeners? Do you want me to be more frank? You are like a machine reading a deration right now.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°You need emotions. The sorrow of amenting one and the desire to fight and win. Right now, you¡¯re merely imitating it.¡±

    The owner¡¯s nitpicking continued for a long time. Sensing the atmosphere, Gyeoul red at him but a baby¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t that threatening.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well until now. But you need to practise more and do better than others because you started offter than others. That¡¯s what you yourself wished for, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    After the lesson ended, the three remained in the practice room and Yu Jitae observed Kaeul. He thought she would be feeling depressed, but she was reading the deration script with an unexpectedly calm expression.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Are you fine.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m okay.¡±

    A short silence filled the room.

    ¡°¡­Umm.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°This, I don¡¯t understand very well.¡±

    ¡°Which?¡±

    ¡°I understand how the script should be expressed but I don¡¯t really understand how the feelings should be. Especially from this part.¡±

    She handed him the script.

    +++

    Moonlight to daylight; herbivores to carnivores;bourers to the rich; macroscopically speaking the entire universe and at a microscopic level, the microorganisms crawling between fingers. The weak have always been hunted by the strong leaving no traces behind, and had to depend on acquiring skills to keep their lives going.

    +++

    It was a segment that shared the sorrows of humans for their defeat against monsters.

    ¡°I have never felt a sense of danger like this you see¡­¡±

    That was understandable. Even though she appeared like this, she was a dragon.

    Dragons, the short-tempered beings, have always been the predators and were mostly selfish so would definitely be unable to understand the emotions of the prey.

    What should be done, then¡­

    As a soldier, as a superhuman, and as amander, he remembered how meagre humans were in front of countless hazards. Originally, he had been nning to share a bit of his memories and emotions with Kaeul from the get go.

    But Bom said, ¡°If Kaeul directly felt those emotions, it would be a great shock to her,¡± so he wasn¡¯t nning to do it but,

    With only three days remaining, there was no other way around it.

    After some contemtion, Yu Jitae ced Gyeoul down on top of the table. With the doll in one hand, she tried to grab Yu Jitae with the other hand but when the distance became toorge, she regretfully closed her fingers.

    ¡°How close do you need to be for dragons to receive emotions?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ touching the clothes is fine.¡±

    ¡°Grab it.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    Kaeul carefully held Yu Jitae¡¯s wrist. Closing his mouth, he contemted for a short period of time before slowly opening his mouth.

    ¡°This is a story of my acquaintance.¡±

    That was the story of a man, that worked as a centurion of Korea¡¯s superhuman soldiers, who lost half of his subordinates, plus an arm and an eye, before ultimately being held captive by the organisation of demons.

    ¡°It was a cold day. Their toes would freeze every morning.¡±

    He started the story of his second round of regression.

 Chapter 23: Those who protect (1)

    <h4>Chapter 23: Those who protect (1)</h4>

    ¡°That winter, that friend took the position of amander of a hundred men.¡±

    A life that began with the memories of the first regression.

    The man acquired all sorts of hidden treasures worldwide before others, monopolised skills and blessings while keeping the required people next to him. Thanks to that, he was able to be amander of a hundred men at a young age despite hiding half of his strength.

    ¡°He had a hundred subordinates, and they were all people who had their strengths acknowledged.¡±

    Thinking back, even their faces were hard to remember but they had been as precious as his own life in the past. He couldn¡¯t remember the feelings he had towards them though. Like a ck silhouette appearing behind a hazy fog, he could only remember the fact that there had been such a thing in the past.

    ¡°Back then, wars were breaking out around the country as organisations of demons began moving.¡±

    To him, the small andrge battles weren¡¯t of any threats. He had hidden a part of his strength and going to the dungeons and battlefields was like a job he merely had to fulfil.

    In that period of time when everyone started acknowledging him and he continued building up a career, he was satisfied by the second opportunity he was given, and longed for such happiness to continue forever.

    ¡°While going through various battlefields with his subordinates, that friend met a woman.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul.

    Being a superhuman of a rare operator position, she was a woman that had taken care of children at an orphanage before the war, before awakening as a superhuman.

    The ability she awakened with was a [Danger-sensing Eye]. It was an ability that suited the position of an ¡®operator¡¯ that served as a person suggesting the direction of the troop, and after a partial destruction of the Chungcheong district, she had voluntarily entered the army.

    Despite not receiving a proper military education, the Korean government¡¯s policy was rapid. The woman who cleaned floors and sang lubies for children at night until the day before, was forced onto the battlefield immediately.

    ¡°She was a really faint-hearted woman.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul was a coward. She feared the battle and whenever a war broke out, she was the first one to hide and wouldter hear an earful from the man. Due to her fear of blood, she couldn¡¯t even stare properly at a wounded soldier.

    There was a time when she had been at the back as a nobatant member, and had an arrow scrape past her leg. In front of others, she actedposed but when she was with him, she whined tremendously and exaggerated the pain.

    Perhaps it was natural because the battlefields were too horrendous for those that lived daily lives.

    Did a sight like that stir up the protective instinct within him? Although it was something he could hardly understand now, the man from back then slowly fell for the woman. Who other than me would help a coward like this ¨C it was probably a naive thought along the lines of that.

    ¡°As the war continued, the woman slowly opened her heart to the man as well.¡±

    In a ce destroyed by the anti-aircraft bombardments, when the two were the only ones remaining inside a hole, the man spoke to the woman casually out of the blue. And the woman replied.

    Perhaps because they both required a ce to lean on, they quickly got closer and the soldiers congratted them.

    ¡°The two promised their future. When the war ends, they would draw their future together.¡±

    A good ce for a honeymoon, and the number of kids as well as how they should be nurtured ¨C the two spent their time pondering such things.

    ¡®Jitae-oppa, can I do something that difficult?¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s like taking an egg out of a nostril, right?¡¯

    ¡®Gives me goosebumps just imagining it.¡¯

    Her voice that conveyed her fear of giving birth to a child seemed to have faintly remained in his memories despite a long time having passed by. In the midst of their time together on the vast wastnd, they stuck closeby to fight the cold.

    ¡°The night sky they watched together was very pretty.¡±

    ¡®It most likely was¡¯, he thought, but now, it was a memory that did not make him feel anything in the slightest.

    ¡°But the good times did notst that long.¡±

    The state of the war began changing. Demons suddenly got stronger, and their tactics as well as equipment were leagues apart from what they used to be.

    ¡°In the battle, there was an enemy the man did not know of. It was extremely strong and evil. The enemy had been building up its strength at a hidden ce.¡±

    Thinking that the demons were all simr was him beingcent. The ¡®real ones¡¯ that did not even show themselves in the first regression existed there.

    ¡°Although ssified as demons, there weren¡¯t many that knew their true identities. Those amongst demons that exceeded a certain boundary of strength were like living catastrophes. That dim-witted guy discovered that way toote.¡±

    Lords of demons, the so-called ¡®catastrophes¡¯. As they entered the battlefields, the situation drastically changed.

    ¡°Due to having a lot of victories, the man became a target. His troops were involved due to being under him, and his subordinates started being killed.¡±

    Half of the subordinates that travelled with him for half a year returned to the earth in the mere span of three days.

    ¡°He tried but couldn¡¯t protect them.¡±

    Facing absolute strength, the man was powerless. Despite holding the hands of the dying soldiers, he couldn¡¯t do anything but to wish for a good afterlife. In front of a failing life, the most the man could do was to bber a few words.

    Due to consecutive defeats, the troop had been pushed over and over again. And when they were pushed into a corner.

    ¡°It had finally appeared ¨C a demon of a catastrophe level.¡±

    An absolute power which, at the time, could not even be fathomed.

    ¡°The demon was strong.¡±

    To the point that all those years of holding a weapon felt meaningless, the battle ended in a nd manner.

    ¡°And was brutal.¡±

    The captured ones did not die. But instead, they were tortured for no reason.

    ¡°As the tortures continued, many of his subordinates were killed.

    ¡°The man lost an arm to a saw.

    ¡°And the timid woman had her two eyes skewered by a hook.

    ¡°They all thought they were about to die like that, but the demon that enjoyed ying with human lives said on the spot.¡±

    ¨C I¡¯m quite a benevolent person and I can let all of you live.

    ¨C But themander can¡¯t. He was more annoying than a baby mosquito so he must die.

    ¨C ¡­But you see.

    ¨C I heard your squad was very affectionate? Apparently themander threw his body to protect his soldiers.

    ¨C If you received something, you must return it or you can¡¯t be considered a human right? That¡¯s the difference with demon bastards like us, isn¡¯t it?

    ¨C So, is there anyone that would like to die in themander¡¯s stead?

    With his neck grabbed by the demon, the man wobbled like a doll with all its strings cut. The squad was silent. In front of an exceedingly enormous fear, rage cooled down and vengeance hid itself. All they could do was to tremble and pray to the gods.

    In that quiet wastnd, a woman¡¯s voice was heard.

    ¡®¡­Me.¡¯ She said.

    Losing both of her eyes and blood covering her cheeks, the woman took a step forward. That faint-hearted woman was stepping forward with her own feet.

    The demon broke out into a hugeughter. He had the ability to control people.

    ¡°The demon manipted the man and made him kill the woman after torturing her.¡±

    Just a few days ago, he said he would protect her.

    But the man raised his sword and approached the woman. Despite having no eyes, the woman sensed the man approaching her.

    She was a woman that feared fighting.

    She was stabbed by a sword.

    A woman that feared getting hurt the most. All her fingers and toes were broken. Every joint was snapped and her skin was sliced. Despite that, her life force as a superhuman was stubborn, and the slow torture served no threat to her life.

    She hated seeing blood.

    Her entire body had turned into a mess of blood.

    The wintery night was long. Her screams that started from the setting of the sun stopped by the time the sun started rising back again. However, the torture continued despite no voice escaping her lips and the man, whilst crying, could not stop his hands.

    Right before her breath ceased, Ha Saetbyul told him one thing at thest second.

    ¡®I¡¯m¡­ cold¡­¡¯

    Ha Saetbyul who would be living somewhere in Korea right now, turned into something beyond recognition and died.

    It was him, that killed her.

    What emotion did she feel? Kaeul¡¯s grip holding Yu Jitae¡¯s wrist hardened but Yu Jitae continued his exnation indifferently.

    ¡°After the woman died, every remaining soldier had their two eyes and tongue cut off and the man had lost two legs and an eye. On the way back, there were many legs but there was only one eye that could see the front. They were all severely injured and couldn¡¯t fight even after being healed, and turned into beings that would hinder the movements of the remaining troops.¡±

    A memory of when he was lifted by the soldiers, ordering the direction surfaced for a short period of time before dissipating.

    That was the end of the story. After exining up to that point, Yu Jitae closed his lips while Kaeul watched him with a stiffened, rigid expression.

    ¡°¡­¡­Did that friend of yours, die?¡±

    Her voice resembled a string that was moments away from being torn apart.

    Yu Jitae shook his head.

    ¡°Fortunately, he probably survived. He was a vengeful guy.¡±

    The man killed himself.

    ¡°Technology has gotten better. It probably took a long time but his legs and eye should have been healed now.¡±

    Though resentful, the world did not allow his death and time began rewinding itself. However, there was no reason to bother exining such things.

    Once, there was a time when he was maddened with revenge. He regressed, killed enemies and killed more and more, but time was a strange thing. Now, he didn¡¯t feel anything even after thinking back on those times and it felt like exining a synopsis of a drama he saw two years ago.

    Forgetfulness consoled him like that. Now, he was just being led around by the time flying forth with inertia.

    ¡°Weak humans can be that miserable. Do you get that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t receive a response. Kaeul¡¯s gaze was focused directly at Yu Jitae, before slowly going down and reaching the script. As for the things inside her head, he had no way of knowing.

    That was when Gyeoul carefully looked at Yu Jitae and reached forward with her two arms.

    She was asking for a hug.

    Since the exnations had ended, it was perhaps okay to get closer to her. Judging that, Yu Jitae held Gyeoul in his arms. Maybe the dragon sensed something, but she reached out with her short arms and hugged his neck.

    Then, she started crying in silence. He could feel the small head, the size of a fist, trembling next to his neck.

    For him, this was a perplexing situation.

    He did not know how to soothe a crying baby.

    ***

    On the way back home after giving a candy and a snack to Kaeul and Gyeoul, Gyeoul held Kaeul¡¯s hand and toddled forth while Yu Jitae, who had nothing urgent to do, matched their steps. The look on Kaeul¡¯s face was still nk and even when he asked why, she didn¡¯t give a meaningful response.

    But, around the time they arrived at the dormitory.

    Yu Jitae felt something foreign.

    Something had entered the dorms ¨C an extremely fierce something. A being that had exceeded a certain level in terms of hiding its senses.

    Although he realised that it was about time, they were a lot earlier than expected. The dragons inside didn¡¯t seem to be in any trouble, but that was natural, considering how the visitors were originally beings that protected dragons.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    The voice was a level drier than usual. With a hazy gaze, Kaeul looked up at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going in first. Count up to one hundred beforeing in.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    When Yu Jitae entered through the door of a room, beings with ck full ted armours showed themselves inside Bom¡¯s room. Theirrge bodies reached 2.3 metres in height.

    As he walked towards them, they also sensed Yu Jitae¡¯s existence and turned their bodies around. When four full te armours moved, a heavy sh of metal was heard.

    Around where the eyes should be at behind the helmet, red light glittered.

    ¡°Is it you, that made Green like this?¡±

    A voice resembling the screeching noise of metals left the mouth of one of them.

 Chapter 24: Those who protect (2)

    <h4>Chapter 24: Those who protect (2)</h4>

    Make Green like this?

    It seemed to be talking about Bom, who was lying down from a high fever due to the aftermaths of magic transference.

    ck¨C

    When fourrge steel armours were all in this small room, it made the room appear rather small.

    He knew they would be appearing soon. There had been a fissure in the dimension above the skies and these must be the ones that left through the gap.

    These masses of steel armours, were protectors.

    Living in the dragons¡¯irs, they would protect the wealth of the dragons or their hatchlings while acting as bodyguards for hatchlings that left on Amusements. They were one of the things that had been lost in the midst of the dimension travel.

    ¡°Where is my response? Did I not ask you whether you were the one that made Green like this or not?¡±

    A voice that resembled the screeching noise of metals flowed out and from the owner of the voice, a dense mana of green dragons could be felt.

    Ignoring its words, he decided to continue his thoughts for a little longer.

    Originally, he should be killing the protectors.

    They weren¡¯t voluntary ves of dragons. Dragons, known for their short and dirty tempers, took usable monsters or humans and attached leashes on them, telling them to protect their house till their death.

    This leash was called Magic of Servitude.

    But during the travel through dimensions, the protectors had their Magic of Servitude undone. Now, they no longer hadpulsiveness in trying to protect the dragons. In the previous rounds of regression, after looking for the dragons, they realised that there was no reason for them to protect the dragons anymore and went their own ways.

    Therefore, he killed all the protectors in other rounds. Due to the disappearance of Magic of Servitude, it had created a whole lot of other troubles.

    However.

    It was slightly different in this round.

    In other regressions, only one showed up or they would never show up at all. And yet this time, there were four that looked for him ¨C the protectors of Bom, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul had all shown themselves.

    At the same time, it was also the first time that they visited this early.

    There was no way that these existences that weren¡¯t even dragons, somehow held their hands together and endured through the gaps of the dimensions. Thus, it seemed that there was a need for him to look into this strange situation.

    ¡°Why is there no response, human¨C!¡±

    While he was remaining still, a protector shouted and although it was an ear-splitting bellow, it did not reach outside the room. Yu Jitae¡¯s mana was wrapped around the entirety of Bom¡¯s room.

    ¡°Just be quiet. She might wake up.¡±

    Closing the door of the room, he walked in.

    Did it think it was being looked down on? Green¡¯s Protector reached his hand out to the side as arge greatsword was then formed via mana before resting in his hand.

    He pointed the sword at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°This is my final warning. Answer me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But for some reason, these bastards were too arrogant.

    ¡°When you visit someone else¡¯s house, shouldn¡¯t you introduce yourself first?¡±

    ¡°It seems you are not catching up. Asking is the right of the strong. In other words, I¡¯m the one that can ask in this situation, you lowly human¨C¡±

    In that instant, a purplish-ck aura oozed out of the armoured body and enveloped the dorm. Soon, they were standing in a ck space as if they were thrown out into the middle of space.

    It was a protective barrier that was a level lower than the Laws of Nature unique to dragons, ck Gaze.

    Cling¨C

    With that as the signal, other protectors also drew their own weapons, ranging from an axe, to a spear and a longsword.

    Seeing the suspicious man in front of them, the protectors felt an inconceivable feeling of repulsion. It was a warning given from their instincts. Even in the calm before the storm, the man showed no sign of tension.

    ¡°¡­Okay I got it. I¡¯ll tell you. The Blue Dragon was born. Green Dragon wanted to teach it polymorph and conducted a magic transference and due to overworking itself, it ended up like that.¡±

    ¡°Then who are you.¡±

    ¡°Their guardian.¡±

    ¡°Guardian? What aughable self-introduction. Do you even know who you are referring to when you say that?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. Now it¡¯s time for me to ask. How did youe here so fast? You guys should have lost track of each other in an extremely distant dimension gap.¡±

    ¡°¡­It seems you know a lot of unnecessary things. There is no reason to give a response to someone that¡¯s going to die soon.¡±

    The protector took a step forward. Seemingly starting to get slightly annoyed, Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ¡°I am the one that protects the history of cause and effect.¡±

    It¡¯s crimson eyes flickered ominously.

    ¡°At the same time, I am the protector of these children. Seeing as how you haven¡¯t caused any harm to the children, I feel regretful about the thing that will happen to you from now on. Normally, sending you away would suffice but¡­¡±

    A sharp gaze flew at Yu Jitae, as if scanning through him.

    ¡°No matter how I see it, you are very far from being good. If I didn¡¯t see it, that would be a different story but now that I have, I cannot leave you alive.¡±

    The protector raised the two-handed greatsword up. A bluish-ck aura wriggled ominously and it appeared to be a demonic sword made from Lakshatium, a metal from the demon world. Soon, an intense killing intent started flowing out of the protector¡¯s body.

    For some reason, he knew that things would go this way. By nature, things that were rted to dragons were always inflexible like this.

    [Sword of a Servant]

    With the [Eyes of Equilibrium] catching onto its authenticity, its name as an ability surfaced.

    Soon, its two-handed greatsword overflowed with corrupt mana and formed a sword aura. A bluish-ck demonic mana of lightning covered the de. It was a near perfect aura.

    ¡°There won¡¯t be any pain.¡±

    Jumping through space, the protector reached nearby and took a step in with arge swing. No matter what was in front, it was a sh that could demolish anything in its path but with a light tapping noise, it stopped right in front of Yu Jitae¡¯s nose.

    Before anyone could realise, killing intent bloomed. Yu Jitae¡¯s [Shapeless Sword] had blocked the protector¡¯s initial attack.

    It¡¯s eyes flickered.

    ¡°Rather than this, how about solving it with a conversation.¡±

    None of the protectors returned a reply.

    A ray of light was shot out of the protector¡¯s bright red eyes. When Yu Jitae lowered his neck to dodge the ray that was aimed at his head, other protectors appeared from all around in the blink of an eye and swung their respective weapons.

    Kaang¨C!

    Yu Jitae either dodged or blocked them.

    Their cooperative strikes did not stop. Just like machines, the protectorspletely synchronised their movements with each other as they aimed for Yu Jitae¡¯s life.

    As if he was merely lowering one finger down, Yu Jitae calmly matched their rhythmical movements. Slightly shifting the trajectory of the spear that came flying in, he parried the axe and lowered his knee to dodge a sword.

    Kuung¡­!

    In the middle of all that, a fierce blow came rushing in.

    He blocked it. Mana erupted with the Shapeless Sword in the centre and covered the alternate dimension like a tempest. However, it did not burn a single hair on Yu Jitae¡¯s body, who was in the eye of the storm.

    ¡°¡­No-one¡¯s listening.¡±

    Right, how could someone like me have a normal conversation ¨C with a self-deprecating smile, he slowly licked his lips.

    He then took a step forward. It was but one step, and yet the entire ck Gaze shook.

    Feeling a change in the situation, the protectors distanced themselves but Yu Jitae was slightly faster. By the time they realised that his body was turning hazy, a sword was right before the head of one of the protectors. The protector urgently pulled out his sword aura.

    Kagagagang¡ª!

    Although the killing intent wasn¡¯t much, it was enough.

    Together with the sound of an operating electric saw, the guardian¡¯s sword aura started cracking and the protector, who was unable to absorb the impact, was shoved all the way back. Seeing that, other protectors utilised their mana.

    [Maditarria Henge]

    Behind the protectors¡¯ backs, arge rectangr stone started soaring out from the bottom of the dimension.

    It was magic borrowing the powers of necromancy.

    Hands formed from shadows crawled toward Yu Jitae. Those hands would deprive any source of life upon contact.

    [Summon Death Knight]

    [Summon Dragontooth Warrior]

    At the same time, several ck knights riding dark warhorses appeared from thin air. Even the strongest undead warriors born from the teeth of dragons likewise raised themselves up by lifting their bony wings.

    This was the entire army that defended air.

    Soon, the protectors dashed in along with the monsters. Perhaps they had matched their movements a thousand times already as they systematically took turns to start pressuring Yu Jitae.

    Now.

    Carefully choosing the timing, the protector of the Green Dragon raised his two-handed greatsword up to the sky.

    [Sword of a Servant. Final Form. Sword of All Ends]

    This was formed based on the demonic aura of a living armour, a part of the demon race.

    The root of all power gathered at one ce. Right when it seemed that the Dragontooth Warriors, Death Knights and the undeadspletely sealed off Yu Jitae¡¯s legs, the Sword of a Servant raised above the skies explosively let out demonic auras.

    Final Form ¨C a power only gained after mastering an authority close to its maximum. A deep, pure demonic aura created after countless filtering, close to a deadly poison, fell at Yu Jitae in the blink of an eye.

    *

    Dark warhorses and knights werepletely bisected as they rolled on the floor. A single strike that followed cut the dragontooth warrior¡¯s sword and followed through till it shed the warrior¡¯s neck.

    The same happened with the auras of necromancy. Swinging a sword, the man shed the alternate dimension apart with a speed and a trajectory that could not be followed by human eyes. After that, the hands that had been following the shadows were cut off as is, as they lost their powers.

    And the Final Form was broken head-on.

    It wasn¡¯t broken by a fancy miracle and neither was a skill resembling an authority visible.

    What happened was outside theirprehension but was nevertheless the reality.

    The strong did not need to rely on some skills. With nothing but a killing intent that surpassed normal standards a few times, the man overwhelmed the protectors.

    That was merely the beginning.

    An invisible sword came flying in and crushed the armour of a certain protector as the sharp killing intent dug through. It shed past the protective barrier of the protector, before directly piercing through the metal body and after reaching the core made of mana, it tore it apart.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    A protector crumbled just like that.

    The man did not stop. He held the helmet of another protector that was about to raise itself up. Then, he pushed the helmet forward with sheer power ¨C a strength that was unthinkable to be from a human. Due to that power, the neck of the wearer was bent back and the joint between the helmet and the armour was opened up. The man pierced through the gap with the same invisible sword and shed all the mana apart from the inside.

    And when all four protectors each received critical strikes, they copsed.

    However, there was one that endured without copsing. It was the protector of the Green Dragon, who had half of its upper body destroyed along with one of its arms. With one knee on the ground, the protector held itself up with the support of the cracked greatsword.

    Kagagack¡­!

    Metals screeched from the cracked joints and the crimson eyes that used to be fierce lost its spirit and faintly shed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The protector could not believe what was happening.

    Power had an endogenous origin and thus before being released, it cannot be clearly discerned. So before when they were looking at him, they did not imagine at all that he could be this strong but now that things turned out the way they did, ate doubt started surfacing up inside,

    Perhaps, perhaps the existence before them was stronger than an adult dragon.

    What sort of fucked up world was this?

    And,

    ¡°Who, might you be¡­¡±

    Who was this transcendent being?

 Chapter 25: Those who protect (3)

    <h4>Chapter 25: Those who protect (3)</h4>

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae looked down at them.

    The protectors raised their bodies up one by one and the unstable, wavering mana reflected their anxiety. They most likely had always been protectingirs with omnipotent strengths while looking down on the rest of the world. And yet such existences were defeated by sheer strength.

    The reason for a sudden change in their attitudes to the point that it was close to respect was because living armours were originally beings from the demon world.

    It was a world of the strong. Existences in demon worlds thus respected and feared those stronger than themselves.

    ¡°Is this ce¡­ a world under your esteemed self¡¯s reign?¡±

    That was a misunderstanding but he didn¡¯t see a reason to correct them, so quietly he stared at the protectors.

    Judging from the things that had happened before in other regressions, some change was bound to ur to these guys at this point in time. And his thoughts were on the mark.

    When the protectors were about to die, a desire to survive soared up within them. It was an instinct of an organism that wished to keep its life.

    However,

    Something was different.

    Usually even when they felt an urge to survive, the Magic of Servitude should be washing it away like a curse. Regardless of their own deaths, protectors must defeat the enemy while protecting the dragons. That was the role of the leash cast on them by the dragons.

    And yet currently, they felt a desire to survive rushing forth inside them. Perhaps the Magic of Servitude had been undone during the long journey to a distant dimension but for them, the freedom which had finally arrived after hundreds of years was more important.

    At this moment, several protectors had the same thought in mind ¨C regardless of the method, they must run away from here.

    And Yu Jitae, who precisely understood their thought process, opened his mouth.

    ¡°Now we can finally have a chat.¡±

    Approaching the protector of the Green Dragon, he kicked the upper body. With a thud, a broken metal te fell on the ground and rolled away and soon after, an invisible de touched its chest, where the core of the living armour belonged.

    ¡°There should have been a problem with the dimension. How did you all survive.¡±

    ¡°¡­If I answer, can we keep our lives intact?¡±

    ¡°Can you not catch up to what¡¯s happening?¡±

    The de pierced through the armour.

    Kagagak¡­

    And sounds of metals rubbing were heard.

    As if a soft piece of wood was being caved in, the metal armour was like wood before the de.

    ¡°¡­Let me speak. The following incidence is called a Dimension Twist. My lord tried to open a path with a nearby dimension but for some reason, the dimensions were twisted and we bounced off to an uncertain exterior of the dimensions.¡±

    Up to here was something Yu Jitae was also aware of.

    ¡°Exin about that thing called a Dimension Twist.¡±

    He once again asked something which he already knew of. It was to allow aparison with the replies he received in other rounds of regression.

    ¡°Although I¡¯m not too sure of it myself¡­¡±

    After staying silent for a short period of time, the protector continued speaking.

    ¡°In the past, my lord said that there was a ce called the ¡®Horizon of Providence¡¯ and that the horizon deviated from our world¡¯s concept of time. I remember him saying that dimension gaps urred due to a certain powering into effect from that Horizon of Providence.¡±

    But this round¡¯s exnation was different from previous ones.

    Horizon of Providence? It was his first time hearing such a word and now that he thought about it, there had never been a protector of the Green Dragon amongst those that came looking for him.

    Maybe it was because the protector in front of him was a protector of the green race that could read the Providence.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    A blue aura appeared in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes. The authenticity that floated up was ¡®true¡¯, proving that its words were true.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Comparatively speaking, dimensions were like the ocean. Although the sea was wide and broad, travelling to a nearby ind wasn¡¯t difficult. Even Yu Jitae could open the dimensions and head to the demon world if he so desired. The demon world was close and he could set sail on a canoe.

    Of course, a trip through dimensions required a sacrifice, but the point was that it was possible whenever.

    However, ¡®Askalifa¡¯, the world of dragons, was a distant dimension. Travelling from Asia to America on a canoe was virtually impossible and in addition, what happened to them was simr to meeting a storm while riding a canoe.

    That was why it was more questionable.

    ¡°Even dragons can¡¯t find the right direction in a twist like that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is the case.¡±

    Then how did you guys alle here together? Sensing Yu Jitae¡¯s question without him even opening his mouth, the protector continued his words.

    ¡°In the Horizon of Providence¡­ near it was a certain existence.¡±

    ¡°An existence?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That being started a conversation with me, from the other side of the horizon.¡±

    This too was something he was hearing for the first time, and a slight irritation appeared in Yu Jitae¡¯s frown.

    ¡°What did it say.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t something spoken through anguage. It was like a certain will suggesting me a direction. That ¡®will¡¯ taught us the direction we were to head for and I merely followed that path to gather the protectors to one ce, while finding the direction towards the hatchlings.¡±

    After disintegrating the Shapeless Sword, Yu Jitae held his forehead and faced down. Right now, he was in an extremely unpleasant mood.

    Going past four rounds of regression and excluding the small elements that changed with every regression, there was close to nothing which he didn¡¯t know about.

    It was only that, just like how the foot of a candle was always dark, he was clueless about the individuals called dragons. The reason was that up until now, he had not treated the dragons as individuals.

    Having something he was clueless about, wasn¡¯t eptable.

    This world, and this timeline ¨C everything must be in the back of his palm. That¡¯s how it must be.

    And yet the authenticity of the protector¡¯s words being drawn on the Eyes of Equilibrium was ¡®true¡¯ no matter how he saw it. It meant that an aspect he didn¡¯t know of, had urred.

    ¡°It seemed that the will contained dissatisfaction against something, to the point of cursing it¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because I have a core made by the powers of a green dragon lying inside me.¡±

    The Green¡¯s protector continued babbling on. While remembering every single word that wasing out of its mouth, on the other side of his brain, Yu Jitae reflected on himself.

    Why did I not know of these things? The Horizon of Providence and that being on the other side of the horizon ¨C did they exist in other rounds as well despite him being clueless about them?

    No.

    While travelling through dimensions, crushing the head of an archduke of the demon world, twisting the neck of a ck dragon and wandering around the Styx river and the hells of shura, he searched for everything that could be known rted to dimensions. He had confirmed and double-checked several times that everything made sense.

    And yet what was this. An element that could affect the entirety of the timeline approached him without a single warning. How could such a thing happen?

    It was when he was in the middle of a deep contemtion.

    ¡°¡­Ah, and in a corner of my core, there is a leftover sign from that existence. I don¡¯t exactly know what sort of thing it is but¡­¡±

    Due to those words, his head was lifted.

    He abruptly walked up to the protector and held onto the other sides of the hole that was made in the middle of the metal te before pulling them apart. When he did, the metals started bending like a jelly as a scream from the protector going, ¡°¡­Kuhak!¡± was heard.

    The mana core in the midst ¨C although it couldn¡¯t be seen by the naked eye due to it not being an object, Yu Jitae could clearly see it. Reaching forth with his hand, he touched the core as the metal armour started trembling.

    In that moment, a status screen floated in front of his eyes.

    [The authority [Vintage Clock (EX)] notices a twisted flow in time.]

    A one and only authority belonging to himself. A power which rewound the time of all dimensions with him at the centre.

    [The authority [Vintage Clock (EX)] discovers an element facing you with animosity.]

    [The authority [Vintage Clock (EX)] expresses an intense repulsion towards elements that had escaped the timeline of worlds.]

    [The authority [Vintage Clock (EX)] will dere everything that was not affected by the regressions, appeared from outside the timeline or those with their own timeline as enemies and will thoroughly examine them.]

    Yu Jitae repeatedly read through the status messages several times. Just as he understood, it seemed that there was an existence in a distant ce, called the Horizon of Providence, that held a dissatisfaction about his regressions.

    He had no way of knowing the sorts of uncertain aspects that would be created but at the same time, it wasn¡¯t something for him to get agitated about at this point in time. ording to the status messages, [Vintage Clock] will notice the ¡®hostility sent from outside the timeline¡¯ a second before him.

    Heaving out a deep sigh, Yu Jitae rxed himself.

    ¡°¡­I get it, for the time being.¡±

    A heavy weight that sealed the entire space finally dissipated and only then did the protectors let out sighs.

    ¡°Now, it is time to talk about your treatment. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t hand the dragons over to you.¡±

    The shes of light within the steel armours became slightly clearer as the protectors held onto hope and expectation.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll let you go out if you guys want to. As long as you don¡¯t cause any disruption outside, it will be fine. Anyone that would like to leave?¡±

    ¡°¡­I, I would like to go.¡±

    The protector of Gold Dragon was the first to express its will. Having the cores crafted by dragons, the protectors could recover their physical bodies. The bent armours were unfolded and the detached parts of the body wereing back together.

    A protector lifted itself up.

    ¡°And anyone else. Anyone else that would like to leave.¡±

    While ncing around, the other protectors also raised their hands up. They had never volunteered to be protectors of dragons and they seeked freedom. Protectors of the red and the blue race slowly stood back up on their feet.

    But until then, the protector of the Green Dragon did not show any response.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you. Aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    ¡°I cannot leave.¡±

    Without sparing it another second, Yu Jitae kicked the protector.

    Kaang¨C!

    Due to the overwhelming power, the protector flew off dozens of metres and rolled on the corner of the alternate dimension. Its metal chestte was crushed yet again.

    ¡°¡­Kuuk.¡±

    It was not a simple strike and was a shock that struck at the source of mana itself. Slowly, he walked up and stood in front of it as he gave it another question.

    ¡°Answer me. Are you not going?¡±

    ¡°¡­I will not go.¡±

    The Shapeless Sword travelled past the protector¡¯s helmet and along with a sh, the horn of the helmet was cut off. That too, was a strike aimed at its source.

    ¡°Are you not going?¡±

    ¡°I, I am the one that protects the history of cause and effect¡­¡±

    Even whilst its life as a living being was starting to flicker away, the protector of the Green Dragon held its ground. Thus, with an indifferent expression, Yu Jitae pierced through its neck with the Shapeless Sword. The killing intent that stabbed from the front protruded out from its nape.

    ¡°Not going?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t¡­ go¡­¡±

    Due to the flow of mana being interrupted somewhere, even its voice was leaving in fragments. And yet its eyes still remained flickering and thus, Yu Jitae smashed the protector¡¯s face with his fists.

    Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

    Every time a strike connected, the ck Gaze trembled. After merely three punches, the helmet of the living armour resembled a dirty rag. It meant that a shock at that level was being conveyed to its soul and from what Yu Jitae understood, it was simr to the pain of a human skull being destroyed.

    ¡°Not going?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even then, it persisted. After walking up to it, he stepped on the protector¡¯s chest with his foot.

    ¡°Last chance. Are you not going?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t¡­ do¡­ such¡­¡±

    ¡°This guy¡¯s crazy.¡±

    Yu Jitae slightly licked his lips.

    A reaction like this was extremely unexpected. To be honest, he thought that all four of them would desire freedom.

    Eyes of Equilibrium faced its flickering eyes. The favourability appearing in his eyes was ¡®dislike¡¯ and it seemed to be suffering greatly from the situation. Despite that, it was holding on.

    ¡°That guy has always been a foolish guy.¡±

    In that moment, a different protector chimed in. Different races of dragons were usually indifferent towards each other and maybe that was why.

    ¡°He is a fool that does not even grasp the freedom ced right before his eyes, so please do as you see fit.¡±

    It was a scornfulughter facing a fellow demon race that could not even grasp an opportunity at freedom. Thus, Yu Jitae decided to push the protector further into a corner.

    Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

    Until right before its fire of life was about to die down, fists heavier than metal hammers continued flying in.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    The protector of Green copsed on the ground like a pulp. It¡¯s one and only remaining eye did not look away from Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze despite its weak shes.

    That was more than enough.

    Yu Jitae was not interested in what other protectors thought all the way from their past up until now.

    He was fundamentally a broken human. If necessary, he could kill one or two innocent men without feeling a single bit of guilt. That would be an evil act but in that sense, he was already an evil person and had forgotten the values of good and evil a long time ago.

    There was only one reason for him to keep a protector alive in this current situation. And that was only if they could help protect the dragons.

    And right now, only one out of the four sessfully passed through his standards. Now this is what a ¡®protector¡¯ should be, right?

    Besides, he also required information about the other side of the Horizon of Providence so keeping it nearby shouldn¡¯t have a downside.

    Finishing his line of thought, Yu Jitae turned his head away and threw his gaze over to the other protectors.

    What was left, were the useless ones.

 Chapter 26: Those who protect (4)

    <h4>Chapter 26: Those who protect (4)</h4>

    Only two existences remained inside the ck Gaze and no signs of other protectors could be seen.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Until everything ended, the protector of Green Dragon lowered its gaze and held its words in.

    They, who had lived for over hundreds of years, came to their ends in a split second and the sole remaining protector slowly opened its mouth.

    ¡°Are you not going to take my life?¡±

    It didn¡¯t receive a response.

    The killing intent covering the entirety of ck Gaze dissipated and Yu Jitae stood before the protector. He then asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you miss freedom?¡±

    ¡°¡­Saying I don¡¯t miss it, will be me telling a lie. However, this body was formed due to the work of the demon world, and the one that saved me from an unwanted life was my current lord.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Since I gave my loyalty to the green race with all my heart, I do not n to defect even at the cost of my life.¡±

    Even though its conduct was like a gangster, it talked about knighthood. After some thought, Yu Jitae walked closer and crouched down to match his line of sight with the protector.

    ¡°The purpose of your life is to protect the Green Dragon.¡±

    ¡°¡­That is the case.¡±

    ¡°But since I will be protecting the Green Dragon, your life will be meaningless, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    It¡¯s crimson eyes ominously flickered.

    That was true. If the dragon was being protected by a being this strong, who would dare say that they needed another guardian? Even then, the protector could not walk off on its own path.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a being, closer to evil?¡±

    Well, that was true but it seemed to Yu Jitae, that the protector hadpletely misunderstood something.

    ¡°If there is a meaning in keeping my life, please do tell me. As long as it can provide more support in protecting the green race, I will do whatever it may be.¡±

    ¡°¡®Whatever¡¯?¡±

    ¡°¡­As long as it doesn¡¯t cause harm to the safety of Green Dragon, that will be the case.¡±

    Although he wasn¡¯tpletely fond of that sentence, they had reached a decentpromise. After a bit more thought, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Until the dragons finish their Amusements, act as my servant.¡±

    ¡°Servant as in, do you mean a full obedience? Even when that does notply with my will?¡±

    He thought that its words were a bit stiff but he ignored it.

    ¡°Simr.¡±

    When Yu Jitae gave a response, the protector lowered its gaze.

    ¡°¡­However, the seal drawn on this humble body belongs to that of a count of the demon world.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Though I¡¯m not sure who you might be, I do understand that you are a being that has exceeded past a certain boundary. However, now that the Magic of Servitude cast by the dragons has been undone, there is still the stamp of the demon world remaining on this body. That will be an obstacle against full obedience.¡±

    That wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    ¡°Do not look away from my eyes.¡±

    In response to his words, Green¡¯s protector raised its head up and in that instant, a blue aura appeared in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes.

    One of the three authorities stolen from the Archduke of the demon world, and a power that had only been used to discern the nature of good and evil, authenticity and favourability up until now.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    But in the essence of that ability, was the demonic mana of the Demon Archduke embedded within.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    When Archduke¡¯s mana started flowing out, the protector turned stiff like a statue.

    A demonic aura this thick.

    Don¡¯t tell me, that this man is someone on the same level as the Archduke of the demon world? The protector, who had left the demon world hundreds of years ago, was startled and baffled by the situation that then unfolded.

    A curse of the Demon Count that had settled down on its body for a long time, was being chiseled away by Yu Jitae¡¯s mana. On top of that, a stamp of the Demon Archduke began recing it.

    At the same time, the protector¡¯s body that had been recreated by the count¡¯s mana started changing yet again. Despite that, since it had originally been a living armour, its appearance after the change was still a full-ted armour.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kneeling down on one of its knees, the protector showed respect on the outside, but it felt doubt against the man in front rising from within.

    Considering that thick demonic mana, the man was definitely not a good person. Maybe ¡®protecting¡¯ the dragons was a mere hypocrisy and the dragons were being held hostage?

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    A dangerous being, thought the protector.

    ording to what it¡¯s instinctive senses alerted, the man was more wicked than the beings of the demon world. Perhaps he was the demon lord of this world.

    ¡®¡­That can¡¯t be.¡¯

    The Green Dragon was captured by a man like that and judging from his words, it seemed that all the other dragons were also caught.

    In the protector¡¯s head, Yu Jitae had be aplete devil. A demon lord, a kidnapper, and whatever he was, the man was the worst being in this world, keeping dragons as hostages. And that man was standing right before itself.

    As a protector, it judged that it must escape with the dragons and have the Green Dragon escape at the very least.

    But observing the man¡¯s strength, it did not see a single hope of possibility.

    Despair painted the protector from within.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    The protector replied with a wretched heart.

    ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡±

    After hearing that response, Yu Jitae ripped through the ck Gaze and walked out.

    Bom¡¯s room had be a mess. The wardrobe was lying on the ground and a few flower pots had been broken. A small portion of the shock that happened inside the ck Gaze had oozed out and had affected the room.

    That was obvious considering that a Final Form had also been used.

    From within the mass of dirt flowing out of a broken flower pot, a worm crawled past and Yu Jitae heaved out a small sigh.

    In that instant, Kaeul, who felt a human presence opened the door and came in.

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi?¡±

    It seemed that the baby chicken had not sensed through the pure ck Gaze.

    ¡°I, finished, counting and¡­ where in the¡­¡±

    Her eyes that had been drooping low had liveliness overflowing out once again. Throwing away the script, Kaeul approached them.

    ¡°Where did you go! Like, it was suddenly getting windy and we looked for you because we were worried you might have gotten hurt! Gyeoul was like whimpering and¡­ nn¡­?¡±

    In the middle of her speech, she found a ck full-ted armour standing behind Yu Jitae and tilted her head. It wasn¡¯t the protector she knew of.

    ¡°Who is this? Your friend?¡±

    Yu Jitae made a hazy smile seeing the innocent light in her eyes.

    Around that point in time, the protector had received a fairlyrge shock. It naturally thought that the dragons would be feeling reluctant against Yu Jitae. He was an evil man which the protector was made certain of a few moments ago. It was worried that the dragons might have gone through a dirty experience¡­

    And yet what was this reaction? The voice filled with worrying out of the young gold dragon, was that of a child that found its parents in the midst of anxiety.

    There¡¯s no way.

    There was no way¡­

    It was when a disharmony of its thoughts and reality caused the protector to be dumbfounded, when a baby dragon with blue hair carefully peeked its head past the door.

    A deep aura of water was felt. It was the Blue Dragon.

    The moment it saw Yu Jitae, the Blue Dragon formed an expression that seemed to be moments away from crying, as it began toddling towards Yu Jitae. Then, the dragon reached out its arms at Yu Jitae, as if asking for a hug.

    Yu Jitae casually hugged the Blue Dragon up. His movements did not seem to carry any deep emotion and yet the instant it was hugged by Yu Jitae, the Blue Dragon stopped whimpering and calmed down.

    A shock was added on top of another shock.

    What, in the world, was happening in front of itself?

    Did something violent invert the minds of the dragons? Or were they brainwashed? No. Even the brainwashing magic of demon lords did not work on dragons.

    Then what in the world¡­?

    ¡°Anyways! What happened, and why is the room in a state like this? Bom-unni could have gotten hurt!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    Withrge, sharp eyes, Kaeul asked with a tone that seemed to be saying, ¡®what excuse do you have?¡¯.

    ¡°This guy did it.¡±

    When Yu Jitae gestured with his hands, Kaeul¡¯s sharp eyes turned towards the protector.

    ¡°Why did you do that? Our ahjussi and Bom-unni could have gotten hurt! And who in the world is this person? Why did hee into our house all of a sudden?!¡±

    The baby chicken continued pecking on. The protector, that had suddenly turned into a sinner didn¡¯t know what to do. Even though it should have introduced itself while letting them know that it was here to protect them, the situation was turning strange and the protector missed the opportunity.

    ¡°Say hi.¡±

    It seemed that the saving grace was unexpectedlying from Yu Jitae.

    ¡°He¡¯s a new cleaner I hired.¡±

    No, it wasn¡¯t a saving grace.

    The situation continued flowing in a manner outside its control.

    *

    An hourter.

    Wearing an apron (because Gyeoul was scared of the pattern drawn on its chestte), and a pair of rubber gloves (because it couldn¡¯t pick up the shattered fragments of the flower pots with a gauntlet), the protector had to clean Bom¡¯s room all alone.

    After a long cleaning session, it was finally reaching the end.

    The protector crouched down and tried to digest everything that had happened up to the current point in time. Gold and Blue Dragon, who followed Yu Jitae just like a family member ¨C since brainwash wouldn¡¯t work on them, it must be an honest actioning from their hearts.

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi.¡±

    That was when the Green Dragon murmured in its sleep.

    ¡°¡­Is my cooking¡­ delicious?¡±

    It seemed to be feeding something in its sleep, perhaps to that devilish man.

    ¡°¡­¡­you liar.¡±

    During the sleep talk, Bom made a soft smile.

    This too, came as a shock. The protector did not see the youngdy of the green race smiling like this, for around twenty years.

    Although it couldn¡¯t understand, it had to take it in.

    Outside its expectations, the man did not do anything bad to the dragons and that wasn¡¯t the end. It was a step further and their rtionship seemed to have formed a fairly decent structure.

    There was a need to watch on for a bit more.

    At that moment, the door of the dorm was pushed wide open.

    ¡°Huu.¡±

    It was Yeorum returning home after an exercise, showered in sweat like a protagonist of a drama. After ncing around the house, she found the protector and asked with a displeased expression.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°A cleaner, apparently.¡±

    Kaeul replied.

    No, that¡¯s not it though¡­

    ¡°A cleaner? Someone that cleans? Then why is it standing still without cleaning? Something that¡¯s not even a human.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know, but ahjussi said it was the cleaner!¡±

    ¡°That human did? Hmm¡­¡±

    Feeling intrigued, Yeorum walked up and tapped the rubbish bin ced in front of the protector with her foot. The rubbish that was painfully gathered came crumbling down.

    ¡°Work. Don¡¯t y around.¡±

    ***

    Residential District.

    The third floor of a dormitory in the form of an 80-square-metre officetel.

    Weekend arrived at Unit 301.

    Normally, dragons were said to summon spirits that would organise theirirs and that seemed to be amon sense in their world. However, there were no spirits on Earth and the dragons thus apparently did not know how to clean.

    Despite that, he wasn¡¯t particrly interested in whether they lived in a pile of trash or not¡­ at least he was, until seeing what Yeorum¡¯s room was like.

    While Yeorum had gone out for an exercise in the middle of the day and the protector was cleaning the shocking room belonging to Yeorum, Yu Jitae walked towards Kaeul¡¯s room.

    Kaeul, who had been nkly staring at the script in the living room startledly ran towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°N, no you can¡¯t! How can you go into a girl¡¯s room without consent!¡±

    She held onto Yu Jitae¡¯s arm and tried to drag him away.

    ¡°It must be dirty.¡±

    ¡°N, no?! It¡¯s not that dirty! These days I didn¡¯t clean much because I was practising the script¡­ a, anyways you can¡¯t!¡±

    Without a stop, Yu Jitae headed to the door of the room and Kaeul was dragged there herself. The strength she used with a shout, ¡°Uang!¡± was meagre inparison.

    ¡°N, nooooon!¡±

    Yes.

    Yu Jitae opened the door. It was unknown where she got them from, but dolls, mirrors and photos of people were stuck on one side of the walls. The number reached almost a hundred.

    And she seemed to have consumed a lot of choctes as foils and paper boxes formed mountains on the floor.

    It was a manifestation of untidiness itself.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! My mum said you shouldn¡¯t enter others¡¯irs without permission okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Those dolls, are they recements for the audience?¡±

    He remembered hearing her voice as she practised the deration alone in her room. Did she have those dolls as an audience throughout her practices?

    ¡°That¡¯s not the important bit! Leave, please¡­! I¡¯m dying from embarrassment.¡±

    Kaeul pushed him out with all her strength. Yu Jitae, who was shoved out onto the corridor, called his copy. Since it was a weekend, the copy was on a break as well.

    ¡°Yourmand, my lord.¡±

    Yu Jitae who looked exactly the same as Yu Jitae, stood before him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s clean the house today.¡±

 Chapter 27: Weekend at Unit 301 (1)

    <h4>Chapter 27: Weekend at Unit 301 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Clean, is it?¡±

    It was when Yu Jitae was in the middle of exining the cleaning n to his clone.

    From Bom¡¯s room, Gyeoul woke up. She would spend the day at Kaeul¡¯s room and sleep at Bom¡¯s room at night. Since she was still a baby dragon, a long sleep was needed at night.

    She was inside Bom¡¯s embrace when she woke up. Wriggling her way out, Gyeoul checked that the blue teddy bear was healthy today as well and got out of the bed while hugging the bear.

    As the door was gently pushed open, the blue hair and a pair of circr eyes peeked past the small gap between the door and the wall.

    There was Yu Jitae in the living room.

    And there, was another Yu Jitae.

    With widened eyes, Gyeoul looked back and forth between the two men.

    This here was Yu Jitae and that one over there¡­ was also Yu Jitae.

    She would be hesitant to approach even with just one and yet there were as many as two Yu Jitaes in front, and her nervousness thus doubled. Due to that, Gyeoul hid behind the door for a long time as she observed the Yu Jitaes.

    But soon, her feet unconsciously led herself forward. While cautiously walking on the corridor, Gyeoul hesitated about which direction she was to head for.

    ¡°Your wish is mymand. My lord.¡±

    A Yu Jitae with a lowered head ignored Gyeoul and walked off to Yeorum¡¯s room. nkly, Gyeoul stared at his back before sensing something and turning her head back to the front. Then, she walked towards the remaining Yu Jitae.

    The small baby carefully confronted the man as a hazy gaze travelled down and met the pair of blue eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She tried to open her mouth with a mumble, but words didn¡¯t leave her mouth. Seeing the hesitant child, Yu Jitae gave a greeting.

    ¡°Did you sleep well.¡±

    A rather powerless, dried-up voice left his mouth.

    Unable to give a response, Gyeoul hesitated for a long time before raising the doll up and covering her face. Soon after, a pair of big and strong arms approached her and lifted her up. When she removed the bear from her vision, she realised that she was in Yu Jitae¡¯s arms.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul, who ended up in his embrace, stared deeply at his face,

    And those eyes stayed on him for a long period of time.

    Meanwhile, [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)] that entered Yeorum¡¯s room, was faced with a startling scene. It was unknown exactly when she bought them, but there were hundreds ofic books, gaming consoles, empty packets of crackers, cans, half-eaten boxes of chicken, some swords and unidentifiable objects with countless sword marks.

    In front of all that, was a full-ted armour wearing an apron in the middle of a cleaning session ¨C it was the protector.

    The protector, who had been standing in the corner of a room like a statue throughout the night, only started moving again from morning due to Yu Jitae¡¯smand to clean.

    Apparently, it had be a housekeeper.

    The protector thought as it pondered about its own identity, when Yu Jitae¡¯s clone came nearby and bent his back.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it. That¡¯s a food waste.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°ce it in that yellow bag over there. Do you not even know that?¡±

    Due to Yu Jitae¡¯s sudden appearance, the protector stood up in a hurry, but soon, it realised that the one in front of itself was the duplicate which had been seenst night. With a stiff back, the clone shoved the trash to a side with his feet.

    That was perhaps how Yu Jitae himself would look, if he were to clean another person¡¯s room.

    ¡°¡­Does he think he¡¯s the true body or something.¡±

    The protector whispered to itself under its breath and the clone did not respond. For a long time, the two cleaned Yeorum¡¯s room without saying another word but when some stic and cans entered a bag for general waste, the clone opened his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious about how uncivilised Askalifa is.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Seems that there¡¯s not even a proper recycling system so¡­¡±

    Obediently, the protector listened to the clone¡¯s words and separated the cans and stic. But when the clone still effortlessly pushed and shoved the wastes around with his feet, the protector let out a murmur.

    ¡°A subus riding on a count¡¯s back¡­¡±

    It was a proverb of the demon world used to denounce a powerless person that believed in their background to carry out irresponsible acts.

    However, as an SS-rated authority of a Demon Archduke, who had lived for over hundreds of years, the clone had its own personality.

    His feet came to a stop.

    At the same time, the protector¡¯s rubber gloved hands also came to a stop. Its crimson eyes flickered as it lifted up its head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Their gazes collided in midair.

    ***

    Despite it being a weekend, there had been a contact from the directing team. It was a detailed guide about the deration audition that would be held in two days. Amongst roughly 300 cadets, only 13 made it through the first audition and from those candidates, the final audition will be held, where three final members will be chosen.

    The three will consist of one main derer and two supporting derers.

    The name, ¡®Yu Kaeul¡¯ was at the very end of those 13 names. Yu Jitae, who had been ncing through the list of the audition participants discovered a name he knew of.

    [Gong Juhee]

    This name ¨C he remembered it.

    She was one of the members of the Azure Dragon study group, under a heavy support of the demon, Wei Yan.

    He was a demon that was a lot more concerned about the media and the massespared to other demons. Thus, it was perhaps natural that a member of the Azure Dragon study group was mixed within the list of deration readers of the entrance ceremony.

    Wei Yan, Wei Yan¡­

    It was a disturbing name, like a sore on the tongue.

    Yu Jitae left the house and headed for the education department within Lair. It was to look into the ¡®event held at the end of the year¡¯, which Wei Yan talked about when revealing his aspirations. Also, that perhaps wasn¡¯t just an event for Wei Yan ¨C it must be an event which the whole demon organisation he was a part of was looking forward to.

    Since it was an end-of-the-year n which hadn¡¯t been revealed yet, it was a secret from outsiders and there was no way for a normal person to get informed about it. However, it served no problem for the Regressor.

    Thanks to the Eyes of Equilibrium and several other tools, he discovered the answer rather safely and easily.

    ¡°We will be conquering an S+ dungeon. Cadets of Lair that have been selected throughpetitions will also be participating.¡±

    On the emergency stairs heading to the basement, a staff member of Lair opened his mouth with a dull expression.

    Hearing that, Yu Jitae remembered something from the past, as he reflected on a certain round of regression.

    [Melissia Masquerade]

    Melissia Masquerade was a huge incident that happened in the Melissia ballroom where more than a 100 demons were born.

    To the human race, this was one of the elements that were of great threats.

    In a certain round of regression, he had been to the Melissia ballroom as a part of the group of soldiers that were dispatched there to protect the cadets and that was nowing into y in this round.

    It was a good thing for him. Since all the demons that were carefully raised by Wei Yan will all be mobilised, it would be a great opportunity to massacre all of Wei Yan¡¯s underlings that were spread out like dots.

    Some might ask, ¡®After regressing, isn¡¯t it possible to just massacre all the demons from other rounds?¡¯

    That would be impossible.

    Wei Yan had always been a demon in all rounds, and had died in Yu Jitae¡¯s hands every round. There were no exceptions there.

    However, there were beings that were demons in some rounds, while being humans in others. On the other hand, there were also those that hadn¡¯t been demons, who suddenly became a demon in one certain round.

    Killing innocent humans due to mistaking them as demons was not a problem. That didn¡¯t result in him feeling anything in particr.

    The problem was in fact the opposite. A birth of an unknown demon was something that must be prevented to the best of his abilities, in order to extinguish even the slightest of the threatening embers. It was a form of apulsiveness that was created inside him over the long years.

    He imagined the future of this round. He wouldn¡¯t interfere with the flow of the world and just like what he had always been doing, he would let the wave flow, as it was a good idea to ride it along.

    There was nothing he could do about the grains of sand scattered beneath where the waves had hit. But that was fine. In the flow of the world, there were destined to be tornados and the scattered sands will always gather at one ce.

    Thus, all he had to do was to wait it out and discern the right timing. For the Regressor, who had lived as a predator for a long time, it wasn¡¯t a difficult task.

    *

    On the way back from the education department, Yu Jitae sensed a familiar aura.

    There was a local park nearby, where arge fountain stood tall. He carried his feet over to that ce.

    Arge tree was reaching out at the skies while cadets travelled around in groups of three to five. There, Yu Jitae found a green-haired girl sitting on a bench.

    Although it was unknown how she noticed him, the head turned towards him as the pair of green eyes blinked.

    It was Bom.

    ¡°Huh? Ahjussi.¡±

    At the ce where Bom had previously been staring at, Gyeoul was tilting her head near the fountain while cadets and adults watched her from the surroundings as if they found that cute. Bom had seemingly taken Gyeoul out for a walk.

    Yu Jitae stared at them from a distance before slowly walking to the bench and sitting next to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while! I wasn¡¯t expecting to see you here.¡±

    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve gotten better now.¡±

    The Regressor returned a light nod at the dragon¡¯s words. Although they were seeing each other for the first time in a few days, that was the end of their conversation. As both himself and Bom were on the quiet side, this was how their conversation turned out every time.

    In silence, the two of them watched Gyeoul surrounded by people.

    ¡°Aigo. So pretty.¡±

    ¡°Is her hair dyed? She¡¯s like an angel really¡­¡±

    They either made nk expressions while looking at her, or would speak up to the child. There were also those that gave Gyeoul lollies and candies.

    However Gyeoul, who was hugging the blue bear, did not appear to be in a good mood. She didn¡¯t smile or reply to them and even when they took candies out, she would ignore them after a nce and continue kicking the water with her feet.

    ¡°Little friend. Awhhh, howw old are youuu?¡±

    Unable to hold back, one of the cadets asked a question with a lisp. But seeing that, Gyeoul made a frown as if she saw something that was harmful to her eyes and soon flicked her head away.

    ¡°Ukk¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi stop. She¡¯s saying you¡¯re disgusting.¡±

    ¡°No, what? She didn¡¯t say that!¡±

    Theyughed.

    Some of them, who had been secretly looking forward to Gyeoul¡¯s reaction, were disappointed but since she was too pretty, they started talking to her again.

    It was a peaceful moment.

    While he was nkly watching that scene, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°When we are like this, we look like a family.¡±

    Was that the case?

    He couldn¡¯t remember what family was like. Ever since he remembered, Yu Jitae had always been alone. But when he pondered about it, he thought that perhaps the emotions sent by the colleagues at his clone in the police station was simr to that of a family¡¯s. Still, there was no way to confirm that guess.

    ¡°If that¡¯s how things are, we would be a married couple.¡±

    That was when Bom started talking nonsense.

    ¡°Gyeoul would be ahjussi¡¯s daughter.¡±

    He didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°And I will be her mother. How does that sound?¡±

    Bom asked.

    When he turned his head around, he found Bom¡¯s eyes staring at himself and returned the gaze with an indifferent expression.

    ¡®How does that sound¡¯?

    That was a perplexing question. He couldn¡¯t think of what to say in response, as no suitable words popped up in his head.

    Yu Jitae was definitely wearing an indifferent expression but somehow sensing the perplexity hidden within, Bom gently chuckled.

    ¡°It¡¯s a joke.¡±

    Meanwhile, some of the people went to a nearby kiosk and bought snacks. They then handed it over to Gyeoul.

    ¡°It¡¯s a fairy floss. You tear it apart like this and eat it and, hmm! Aigo, so nice!¡±

    The fairy floss ended up a failure. Gyeoul, who was suddenly made to grab the stick, didn¡¯t hold it tightly enough as it fell inside the fountain. ¡°Noo!¡± A regretful voice was heard.

    ¡°Do you want ice cream?¡±

    Next up in line was ice cream but this too was a failure. The fairy floss looked like a cloud and caught some of her attention but unfortunately, the ice cream did not even get a nce from her. Dejected, the female staff shoved the ice cream into her own mouth.

    Seeing that the sun was starting to set, Bom called out to Gyeoul.

    ¡°Gyeoul. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Hearing that, Gyeoul stopped sshing around with the water and turned around. The moody look on the baby¡¯s face instantly brightened up the moment she saw Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Ah, do you want this?¡±

    That was when Bom handed something to Yu Jitae. It was a little chestnut kernel.

    ¡°I found it on the way here. How about you give it to Gyeoul?¡±

    Would a child eat something like this?

    Thought Yu Jitae, but remembering how the taste buds of dragons were slightly strange, Yu Jitae quietly received it.

    Then, while holding the chestnut, he reached his hand out at Gyeoul.

    When he did, Gyeoul, who had not moved a foot away from the fountain up until now, quickly ran up with tottering feet and firmly grabbed the chestnut.

    Seeing that, the onlookers gasped.

    Ah, so the child liked chestnut¡­!

 Chapter 28: Weekend at Unit 301 (2)

    <h4>Chapter 28: Weekend at Unit 301 (2)</h4>

    Wei Yan checked the list one more time.

    There had been twelve candidates who passed the first audition and yet there were 13 names written on the list. When he slowly looked through the list of participants, a name entered his sight.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul¡­¡±

    It was a familiar name and after looking it up, he realised that she was Yu Yeorum¡¯s sister.

    His expression crumpled viciously in an instant.

    Yu Yeorum ¨C it was an unpleasant name. If he had brought her into the Azure Dragon study group, it would have been the best possible case scenario. He had the confidence to raise her to be a top level cadet with full support both materially and spiritually.

    And yet Yeorum badmouthed him with vulgar words and walked away.

    After that, it was even worse.

    Others spent tons of money or would treat some people with drinks to leave one line with their name on the media. However, Yu Yeorum spouted vulgar words to the reporters that came looking for her and disappeared as if she had no interest in such things ¨C as if such things were worthless. For Wei Yan who lived while being immersed in the powers of the masses and the media, it was a fairly offensive attitude.

    Not even realising that it¡¯s an opportunity, and that it was something to be grateful for.

    An immature red-haired kid¡­

    The problem was that Yu Kaeul was Yu Yeorum¡¯s sister. ording to her profile, she was a blonde and was likewise so pretty that it aroused his greed. Just having her inside the study group would definitely get more spotlights from the media.

    How did a child like this suddenlye in though?

    ¡°Producer Ha, it¡¯s me.¡±

    In curiosity, Wei Yan called Producer Ha Junsoo.

    ¡°There was a name I was seeing for the first time, you see.¡±

    ¨C Yes. You mean Cadet Yu Kaeul right?

    The response came back immediately, as if he had been expecting it.

    ¡°Yes. It was a little baffling. She didn¡¯t go through the audition like others so how did this friende in?¡±

    ¨C I put her in.

    ¡°¡­What would that mean? There¡¯s no way our straightforward producer got a heavier pocket or something right? Haha.¡±

    ¨C There must be some sort of reason right? Why are you curious about that?

    His voice seemed to be drawing a line between them.

    ¨C I hope that cleared up your curiosity a little. Please don¡¯t call me until the audition ends.

    With those final words, Ha Junsoo hung up.

    ¡®This impertinent¡­¡¯

    Anger soared up from the depths of his body. It heated up his stomach and rose up till it filled up his head.

    It was when Wei Yan¡¯s eyebrows were constantly twitching.

    ¡°Is anything wrong, professor?¡±

    A cadet with ck hair, wearing a uniform which was readjusted to have a lot of exposure on her own ord. When she, Gong Juhee, started a conversation with him, Wei Yan immediately flipped his expression and made a bright smile.

    ¡°Oh? Juhee, you came. It¡¯s nothing. More importantly, did you see Alexey?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Alexey was the main derer ofst year¡¯s entrance ceremony. Wei Yan had spent a tremendous amount of money to arrange a meeting with Gong Juhee through Alexey¡¯s manager. However, Gong Juhee made a sneer after remembering back on the meeting.

    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t much.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°He told me to scream like a warrior but it didn¡¯t reallye across to me. All he had was a big body and a loud voice. Nothing but a bubble, in other words.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm, really? Even then, there should be some things to take in. Last year, there were also lots of amazing cadets and yet he was the one that made it through and stood on the stage. It would be beneficial to learn those emotions from him.¡±

    In Russia, there was an assassin group of boys called ¡®Xivian¡¯ and Alexey was from that ce. Ever since a young age, he had to step on top of the dead bodies of others to rise to the top.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to. Is there anything I amcking?¡±

    With a confident voice, Gong Juheeughed.

    A renowned swordsmanship household ¨C the Gong family was one of the top three famous households in Korea in terms of swordy. Gong Juhee, who grew up whilepeting against countless brothers and sisters of the direct and the subsidiary descendents, had lots of faces.

    ¡°I received the best evaluation in the first audition as well right? Even if those guyse out again, they are all going to be at the same level. It¡¯s like children ying around so why would I get nervous?¡±

    ¡°Right. This professor only believes in you, Juhee.¡±

    ¡°After the audition ends, just push the PR team to a corner please.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Wei Yan made eye contact with Gong Juhee¡¯s guardian standing in the distance.

    Thirteen was too much, but two or three were bound to give up on the audition themselves. As long as they had money, finding ws and dirty rumours of others wasn¡¯t even considered a task.

    Receiving his gaze, the guardian returned a nod, signalling that things were going smoothly on their front as well. Seeing that, Wei Yan finally became at ease and turned around.

    Last year, he had been exceptionally frustrated after missing out on the opportunity, but this year was different. Wei Yan decided to not worry about the means, whatever they may be, until the very end.

    Now, until the day of the final audition,

    There was only one day left.

    ***

    Munch. Munch.

    Gyeoul bit into the raw chestnut.

    It was only possible because she was a dragon, despite being in the form of a human. Just like how squirrels ate acorns, she meticulously gnawed at the chestnut.

    ¡°Is it good?¡±

    When Bom asked, Gyeoul threw a furtive nce to the side. Her nce ended up at the kitchen, where Yu Jitae, Yeorum and Kaeul were at. Fortunately, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t looking at herself so Gyeoul turned to Bom and slowly shook her head.

    A raw chestnut wasn¡¯t very nice.

    Even then, she nibbled on the remaining chestnut.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Standing still like a statue, the protector quietly observed that scene. Bom did not even give it a nce but the protector was satisfied by merely watching.

    ¨C Ding Dong.

    ¨C Delivery!

    Today¡¯s dinner menu was jokbal.

    Yeorum, Kaeul and Yu Jitae were sitting down in the dining room, eating their shares. Its brown, shiny appearance reminding others of puddings supplemented the deep smell of pork and the salty yet sweet scent of the sauce. Yeorum was holding and chewing on arge bone but would asionally look at her side with a frown.

    At the end of her gaze was Kaeul, trembling her fingers while holding a pair of chopsticks.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°N, nn?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What? W, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sincest night, Kaeul¡¯s situation was gradually turning for the worse. When Yu Jitae asked her why, a response ¡°Me? I am normal though?¡± came back, and when tranted, it meant that she was nervous just like how she had been for the admission interview.

    However, this time, her nervousness appeared slightly worse thanst time.

    Drop.

    The meat fell on the table and Kaeul tried to grab it again with the chopsticks but couldn¡¯t hold a tight grip on it.

    Drop.

    It fell yet again.

    ¡°Aoh, this freakin.¡±

    Yeorum bursted out in anger.

    ¡°Stop fucking around and eat with your damn hands!¡±

    ¡°Nn? Why?! I want to use chopsticks as well!¡±

    After letting out a yell, Kaeul cautiously moved her fingers but the trembling did not stop. The piece of meat which travelled right up to her nose then fell around her chest area.

    ¡°Uah, my clothes! These are expensive!¡±

    Startled, she agitatedly rose up and reached out for the tissues. However, perhaps due to twisting her foot against her own leg, she stepped on Yeorum¡¯s foot before floundering her arms and shouting ¡°Mummy!¡±. She hastily held the table next to her but ended up pressing on a side of a te holding fermented slices of radish, which ording to thews of physics, ended up flying into the air.

    The destination of the flying radish slices was Yeorum¡¯s chin, but with her good reflexes, Yeorum dodged them with leisure.

    ¡°What a damn fiesta.¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­ Sorry. That was an ident¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop fucking around and sit down, before I actually get angry.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae quietly ced a piece of meat into his mouth.

    It was then.

    One of the radish slices that had soared into the skies had been stuck on the bulb but it started falling down after every other piece had already done so. It was a perfect surprise attack as the piece of radish fell on Yeorum¡¯s red hair.

    Her hands holding the bone came to a stop.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Drop. Drop.

    Following that was the sauce. It travelled down her forehead and rode down the bridge of the nose.

    In that instant, Kaeul shot out of her seat in fright.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    A deep, sunken voice escaped and Kaeul felt goosebumps rising all over her skin.

    ¡°N, nn¡­? I¡¯m sorry unni¡­¡±

    With an indifferent look on her face, Yeorum twitched her fingers and gestured toe closer.

    ¡°S, sorry. I¡¯m sorry unni! It was an ident! S, save me!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°M, m, muummm¡­!¡±

    Kaeul escaped. And three secondster, she was held captive near the shoe racks as she became a target of an arm bar technique. She resisted as much as she could while crying out ¡°Uang!¡± but ended up on the ground with her head digging into the shoes.

    Sitting down on her back, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°Oi, are you scared? Look at you trembling.¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­¡±

    ¡°Why would you be scared? Why nervous? You are going to fail anyways.¡±

    Although unknown whether her words were to abuse or to console, her words nheless continued for quite some time.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae felt a slight doubt.

    After syncing with his memories and emotions, Kaeul definitely had changed. Ahn Kimo, the owner of the public speech academy, changing his evaluations was enough of a proof. After seeing Kaeul, he asked, ¡°But how did this happen?¡± and was visibly surprised. Even Yu Jitae who was clueless about public speeches also felt a previously nonexistent charisma existing inside Kaeul.

    Naturally, he thought she would be happy but that wasn¡¯t the case. On the way back from the lesson, sheined to Yu Jitae, in nervousness, that she couldn¡¯t synchronise herself with Yu Jitae. He thought she was doing a good job but in response to his words, the baby chicken merely responded by saying, ¡°This isn¡¯t it though¡­¡± and tilted her head.

    It was questionable for him.

    If need be, Yu Jitae had been nning to reduce the number of contestants through other methods but when he asked Bom regarding it, she replied by saying that it would have negative results in the long run. Since it was a result that came from reading Providence, Yu Jitae decided to take her words in.

    That seemed impossible so everything was now in Kaeul¡¯s hands.

    Tomorrow, would she be able to pull it off?

    *

    Kaeul most likely was extremely anxious. She was murmuring to herself despite the clock hitting past midnight before suddenly turning quiet.

    Yu Jitae closed his ears immediately after and was in the middle of spending another sleepless night.

    With a creak, the door was pushed open in darkness and he opened his eyes.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Can Ie in?¡±

    It was Kaeul.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    After giving a nod, she stealthily entered his room.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°That, the¡­ umm, it¡¯s¡­ uhh¡­¡±

    She hesitated and was unable to continue her words but soon closed her mouth shut. Then, she opened her mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m nervous, by a liiittle bit.¡±

    ¡°About not making it past the audition?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no. Failing is okay but¡­¡±

    ¡°Then what.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m worried about making a mistake because of nervousness. If I can¡¯t even perform like my practices¡­¡±

    Her voice was soft, as if it was crawling on the ground.

    ¡°Is there anything difficult?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. I can¡¯t fully understand the emotions yet. No, instead it feels like I lost it after grabbing it once. I definitely knew it but¡­¡±

    As expected, it was the most difficult part that was proving to be a problem.

    After some contemtion, Yu Jitae called her closer in.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    She slowly walked closer. As moonlight entered through the window, Kaeul¡¯s endlessly quivering fingertips received the spotlight. And when she approached a step further in, a serious expression which had never been seen before entered his sight.

    ¡°Do you want to hear it one more time? The story of that friend.¡±

    ¡°¡­..Yes.¡±

    Yu Jitae tapped the empty spot on top of the bed with his hand.

    She walked up and lied down on the bed next to him, and with trembling hands, she carefully held onto his wrist. Closing his eyes, the Regressor once again reflected back on the memories of the distant past and until daybreak, he continued telling her the story.

    And when day finally approached,

    Her hands were no longer trembling.

 Chapter 29: Declarer Selection (1)

    <h4>Chapter 29: Derer Selection (1)</h4>

    That morning was the same as every other morning.

    In order to feel a daily life, the clone had gone to work and the protector was in the middle of washing dishes. And Yu Jitae prepared himself by only wearing some clean clothes. If not for Kaeul, today would have been the same peaceful day as any other.

    Sitting down in the living room in front of Kaeul, Bom showed off her skills. After tapping a few creams on the skin, she used an eyeliner, mascara, shadower, curler and tens of other tools and messed around for almost one full hour.

    Since her actions all seemed so natural, he asked and it seemed that she had learnt it back in Europe.

    ¡°Smile. Cheese.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cheese.¡±

    A pink blush was added on Kaeul¡¯s cheeks and soon after that, a deeper colour was added to her lips. Gyeoul nced back and forth between Kaeul¡¯s face and the cosmetics, as if she found it intriguing.

    ¡°Phew. Finished. Would you like to have a look and tell us how it is, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Bom removed her hands that had been blocking Kaeul¡¯s face. Slowly, the baby chicken opened her eyes.

    The atmosphere around her was different. Usually, she had an innocent, bright appearance albeit looking slightly foolish but after the makeup was over, she looked surprisingly calm.

    ¡°Uwah¡­ is this really me?¡±

    ¡°Un. Does it look okay?¡±

    ¡°Unni! How about you be the owner of a cosmetics shop?¡±

    But the look of surprise on her face as she looked at the mirror, was undoubtedly Kaeul¡¯s.

    Yu Jitae took all of them outside and today, even Yeorum who would stay holed up in her room, followed them wearing sweats.

    They headed for the venue where the deration audition will be held.

    On the way to the academy campus via taxi after leaving the residential area, Kaeul¡¯s eyes still remained on the script.

    The taxi slid by as it headed for the venue.

    A weekday morning. Despite currently being the school holidays, there were lots of peoplemuting to work and the surroundings were bustling with people. But since the audition itself would not be broadcasted, silence weed them inside the actual venue.

    There was a small stage inside that ce.

    They dide ten minutes earlier, but it seemed that they wereparativelyte. When they opened the door, dozens of gazes pierced through them. There were contestants ¨C the cadets, people belonging in the same households or study groups as the cadets and their guardians but it was obvious that their gazes weren¡¯t friendly.

    ¡°What are you looking at? Are you here for sightseeing?¡±

    In response to Yeorum¡¯s words, some of them avoided eye contact while some formed frowns.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    Bom restricted her words.

    After they sat themselves down in a corner, cadets each formed small groups of their own and started chattering. They talked about how they practised as well as who they received support from. It appeared so natural to the point that they all seemed to be acquaintances.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s hazy eyes that had been nkly looking at that scene suddenly regained its focus. Near the seats allocated for guardians, Wei Yan was looking at him.

    ¡°The participating cadet, pleasee this way and that way for guardians please!¡±

    Leaving the words, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best¡±, Kaeul left alone with a worried expression while Yu Jitae rose up from his seat and headed to the guardians¡¯ seats.

    His seat just happened to be right next to Wei Yan¡¯s. Wearing an amicable smile, he weed Yu Jitae.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Mister Yu Jitae. Have you been well?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°I was slightly surprised because I hadn¡¯t seen you in the first audition. Let¡¯s watch how our cadets perform together.¡±

    Wei Yan reached his hand out and Yu Jitae grabbed it without saying a word. For an instant, he had the urge to put strength into his hand and crush Wei Yan¡¯s hand but it was bearable. He naturally let go of the hand and interlocked his hands together.

    ¡°Meeting at a ce like this has to be some kind of fate as well. How about you also greet other guardians over here?¡±

    After saying that, he suddenly turned his head around to the other guardians and introduced Yu Jitae by saying, ¡°Everyone. This here is Mister Yu Jitae, the guardian.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been hearing lots about you.¡±

    In general, their eyes were hostile, most likely because Kaeul suddenly entered the final audition. One of the guardians who wasughing to himself sat back down in embarrassment when someone tapped his shoulders. They might have heard something about himself.

    However, he did not care too much about it. More importantly, there were only nine guardians here, instead of thirteen which should have been the case.

    The atmosphere arounds the cadets was the same as the guardians.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    An Asian female cadet with a ck hair called out to Kaeul. The ends of her eyes were raised high but the expression on her face was amiable. It was a face Yu Jitae knew of ¨C Gong Juhee.

    ¡°Nn. Hi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Who are you? I didn¡¯t see anyone like you during the first audition.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m called Yu Kaeul. And you?¡±

    ¡°No, what I asked isn¡¯t your name, but how you ended up here.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the producer suggested that I try the audition so¡­¡±

    ¡°Producer? Who.¡±

    Kaeul shared Ha Junsoo¡¯s name.

    ¡°That¡¯s strange. Your house must be quite wealthy or something?¡±

    Were they? Kaeul thought but soon gave a ¡®hehe¡¯ smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    The amiable expression crumbled slightly.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it looks at least. Look at your skin. You seem to have painted some money on the face as well. Tell me if there¡¯s a decent shop nearby.¡±

    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Everyone will know which one you used anyways.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    When Kaeul once again gave a ¡®hehe¡¯ smile, faint annoyance appeared on Gong Juhee¡¯s face with an expression that seemed to be questioning the sort of person in front of her. She scoffed before soon continuing her sentence.

    ¡°Well, whatever. More than that, you look innocent but you seem quite thick-skinned.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Everyone here other than you all took the first audition and made it through.¡±

    ¡°Ah, nn.¡±

    ¡°And it seems that you don¡¯t even feel apologetic to them?¡±

    ¡°¡­..?¡±

    In an instant, the friendly look on her face was flipped around. Her expression resembled a sharp de and even the cadets standing behind her were wearing simr looks.

    ¡°If I were you, I would be feeling super sorry. Some of them would have taken lessons and pulled all nighters to prepare for the first audition, and take the test in nervousness to stand here but someone here is relying solely on their face and is saying carefree words like ¡®The producer told me to~¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine with it, but others might hate that you know?¡±

    Confusion appeared on Kaeul¡¯s face and pushed into a corner, the baby chicken spoke in awkwardness.

    ¡°Umm, uh, sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°No? It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m not particrly saying this to make you say sorry. Maybe you are just the type of person that doesn¡¯t feel sorry in situations like this, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, that might be a bit different frommon sense and I was just saying that because you weren¡¯t saying anything. I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Then, she smiled as if she was truly feeling okay. Stuck between a rock and a hard ce, Kaeul had no idea what to do.

    She waspletely pushed back in the fight of nerves.

    ¡°Ah, and¡­¡±

    It was when Gong Juhee was about to continue her sentence with those words.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Hearing a rough voice, Gong Juhee turned her head around and found a girl wearing blue sweats.

    An unusual thing was perhaps the fact that her hair was bright red like burning mes and that she came to the participants¡¯ section, despite not being a candidate, abruptly from the family seats.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Come outside a little.¡±

    ¡°Why should I? And more importantly, who are you?¡±

    ¡°Come outside.¡±

    ¡°Are your ears okay? What are you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re noting?¡±

    Then, her hand immediately reached forth as she tried to grab Gong Juhee by her hair. Right before her quick hands could reach Gong Juhee¡¯s hair, Yu Jitae, who appeared before anyone could realise, held onto Yeorum¡¯s wrist.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Yu Jitae, who had been nning to observe the situation, stood up the moment he found Yeorum standing up. He then watched the situation unfold before intervening.

    There were eyes of surprise stabbing him from the sides but Yu Jitae nheless opened his mouth.

    ¡°Guys. Let¡¯s go outside and see Team Leader Yong for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Team Leader Yong? Uwah!¡±

    Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Kaeul nodded her head and pulled Yeorum out.

    ¡°L, let¡¯s go, unni.¡±

    Yeorum, who regained her rationality, got rid of her aura. She then faced a bright smile at Gong Juhee.

    ¡°Hoh? Oh my, sorry. That was a mistake just then. ck-haired unni. I was just trying to touch your hair because it was so pretty. You understand right?¡±

    ¡°You, you¡­!¡±

    Having previously read the killing intent oozing out of her, Gong Juhee scowled and returned a rather fierce aura herself. She screamed from the bottom of her lungs.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. Do you think I didn¡¯t see your hand tensing up just then?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a misunderstanding, okay. I was just chasing a mosquito away.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Then, Yeorum made a nasal sound going ¡®uuing¡¯ to imitate a mosquito. Her expression appeared tremendously annoying.

    Deciding that he couldn¡¯t watch on any further, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Aigoo. Yes. Our ahjussi is calling us. Shall we go, my dear sister?¡±

    ¡°Ah, nn. Team Leader might be waiting for us.¡±

    Yu Jitae took the two outside and on the way out, he found Gong Juhee¡¯s guardian ring at himself with difort but there wasn¡¯t anything particr apart from that.

    It appeared that he had blocked it at the appropriate time.

    ¡°Fucking bitch. A bitch with a snake instead of a tongue. I just want to crush her damn head.¡±

    The moment they walked outside, Yeorum let out profanities before walking somewhere else while fuming with her nose.

    He looked at Kaeul.

    ¡°Are you alright.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Thank you ahjussi. Phew¡­ I was a bit surprised because this is the first time something like this happened.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t handle it, we can stop and go back home.¡±

    ¡°No we can¡¯t! I practised so much just for today.¡±

    Her expression that appeared as if she had been pushed into a corner had vanished before long, as Kaeul made a bright smile.

    ¡°I can do it well.¡±

    *

    Until the actual start of the audition, Yu Jitae stood next to Kaeul and waited together. Despite throwing nces at them with displease, other contestants didn¡¯t approach them as if there was an invisible wall in the middle.

    Gong Juhee¡¯s guardian likewise stood next to Yu Jitae and would sometimes observe him with a nce of difort.

    ¨C The deration audition will now begin.

    Along with the words of one of the staff members, the audition began.

    There were three seats for judges. On the left side, there was the person in charge of member selections and the far right belonged to a bigshot from Lair¡¯s education department.

    Andstly, Producer Ha Junsoo was sitting down in the middle.

    With a stubborn expression and a messy beard, Ha Junsoo stared at the contestants as if he didn¡¯t like any of the ones present.

    Soon, the first cadet walked up and started the deration.

    While the deration continued, Yu Jitae had an odd feeling. It felt as if the scent of the abyss was seeping into his nose and the back of his neck felt cold.

    It was a sense based on his instincts.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    His eyes discerned good and evil.

    There was no-one problematic amongst the staff members. Although the person in charge of member selections was a slight evil, that was within the standards of average people. Even Ha Junsoo slightly leaned towards evil.

    The issue was the person that came after those two ¨C the third person sitting down as one of the judges.

    Oh Minsung, a high-ranking teaching staff member from Lair. His nature hanging on the Eyes of Equilibrium was absolute evil.

    Despite the long years, the standards of good and evil weren¡¯t yet clear. Very rarely there were some within humans that were more evil than demons. Even he, himself, would appear to be absolute evil when looking through a mirror.

    But in situations like this, it was highly probable that the opponent was a demon.

    Around that point in time, the first cadet¡¯s deration met its end and the judges started sharing their opinions on the deration.

    While thoughtlessly listening to the words that left their mouths, Yu Jitae turned his gaze away. Feeling his gaze, Wei Yan returned a faint smile before looking back at the stage.

    That teaching staff from Lair, was most likely rted to Wei Yan, and his organisation ¡®Undetectables¡¯. That was the Regressor¡¯s instinct.

    After roughly understanding the situation, he felt his heart start faintly burning up within.

    It was an anxiety that remained in a corner of his heart despite being carried around by daily life.

    The questions, ¡®Is it okay to be thiscent¡¯ and ¡®There are so many things that must be crushed to death right now, so in the midst of the daily lives, shouldn¡¯t those that should be killed, be killed at least¡¯ floated within his head in the form of anxiety.

    Those resurfaced inside his head yet again.

    Currently, there were two existences before him that seemed to be demons and watching them made a certain emotion boil up in his heart. What if I call them outside and pull their chins out? Then, he could sh their eyes like sashimi and give them two opportunities. To name the members of Undetectables and the names of demons being currently nurtured.

    His rationality told him that it would be impossible as demons were more stubborn than one might think. However, the anxiety rising up from his lower stomach, that filthy rage was urging him to be emotional.

    Thus, if his eyes hadn¡¯t met Gyeoul¡¯s, who was in Bom¡¯s embrace, there was a low possibility of him losing to that urge.

    Perhaps she had been watching him for a long time, but the moment their eyes met, Gyeoul formed a bright smile.

    ¡®You have to look forward.¡¯

    He gestured with his mouth.

    When he did, she made a sullen look and turned her head away after a few nods.

    Only then did Yu Jitae heave out a deep sigh. Although the hot feeling remained burning inside his heart, it felt like he could withstand the urge now for some reason.

    And while the Regressor was in the middle of containing his rash actions, Gong Juhee who had been the fifth in line finished her deration as resonating ps echoed in response.

    ¡°Uwahhh!¡±

    ¡°Iya! You did well!¡±

    From his side, Wei Yan also rose up from his seat and pped. It was a reaction miles different from other candidates.

    ¨C Wah, as expected, it was good. Even better than the first audition.

    ¨C Mhmm¡­

    ¨C That¡¯s the best with no questions asked. I would like to give that cadet 10 out of 10.

    He could hear the voices of the judges.

    Of all things, Kaeul was next in line and Yu Jitae left his seat to walk up to her.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Despite him calling her, there was no response.

    Quietly and slowly, her golden eyes turned and met his eyes. That was the expression he saw on her face when he told Kaeul about his memories of the second regression for the first time.

    Why was she like this again?

    He thought but soon realised something.

    Kaeul¡¯s expression, was the spitting image of his previous self.

    He who had to submit before enormous strength;

    He who had to kill his loved one with his own hands;

    He who cursed his own powerlessness more than the world ¨C the expression of that young Yu Jitae was embedded in Kaeul¡¯s face.

    ¨C Sixth contestant, Cadet Yu Kaeul. Pleasee up the stage.

    Slowly, Kaeul raised herself up.

 Chapter 30: Declarer Selection (2)

    <h4>Chapter 30: Derer Selection (2)</h4>

    Kaeul had changed in the blink of an eye.

    The change wasn¡¯t limited to her expression. Her eyes facing him had a hint of shadow within and the pressure being given off by her body was calm, yet aggressive.

    That too, was simr to how Yu Jitae had been in the distant past.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After gently lowering her head once, she walked past Yu Jitae and headed towards the stage. Cadets standing in the front row red at Kaeul and voices going, ¡°She can¡¯t even tell when not to chime in¡± were heard but Kaeul did not show any reaction in response.

    On the stairs leading up to the top of the stage, Gong Juhee blocked Kaeul from the front.

    ¡°Did you see that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Unlike someone, I had been practising for months. How was it? Quite nice?¡±

    Without responding, Kaeul looked up at Gong Juhee with a hazy gaze. Seeing that, Gong Juhee clicked her tongue once before moving to the side and walking down the stairs.

    ¡°Know your ce.¡±

    Letting her words go through one ear and out the other, Kaeul once again carried her slow steps over the stairs and stood on top of the stage, in front of the mic. The teaching staff, Oh Minsung, who had been looking at her profile, was the first to open his mouth.

    ¡°You applied for both the main and the supporting derer positions, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°There weren¡¯t any records written from the first audition so I was asking to double-check.¡±

    He then scanned Yu Kaeul with his eyes. In order to add more words, he started another sentence with, ¡°Ehh, and¡­¡± but Ha Junsoo waved his hand to intervene.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about that. Please start immediately from the first deration.¡±

    Oh Minsung made a frown.

    Kaeul closed her eyes and at an extremely slow pace, she breathed in and out.

    Deration 1. Fall of Nations.

    Human race who were made to face monsters in the everchanging period of time called New Era.

    Within the confusion, a certain girl had lost her parents and siblings.

    A deration of her mor to the world, was now flowing out from Kaeul¡¯s lips.

    *

    [Thirty-nine countries vanished from the map.]

    It was the same in every field. After exceeding a certain threshold and reaching a certain level, one couldprehend others from the smallest of the hints.

    [The origin of the human race written on papyrus, tainted with blood, was brought to an indiscernible state. A new era approached our human race, but we were yet to be prepared for an impending catastrophe arriving without warning.]

    Merely two segments had left Yu Kaeul¡¯s lips but in that moment, Ha Junsoo was certain that his own decision had not been wrong.

    There was a sensation hitting him. That certain feeling which rose up from the tip of his feet passed by his waist and hung on his fingers.

    While directing the stage, Ha Junsoo had always been thinking that his greed was too excessive.

    He had always been wishing for a perfect stage ¨C a performance that could enrapture the minds of the audience and have their hearts boil.

    But throughout his entire career, such experiences could be counted with his fingers. Even those weren¡¯t atmospheres formed by individuals but were natural results created with the stage itselfing to life.

    Perhaps it was impossible for humans to convey emotions above a certain threshold to other humans. That was a doubt that always remained in a corner of Ha Junsoo¡¯s head.

    Until today, that had been the case.

    [Moonlight to daylight; herbivores to carnivores;bourers to the rich; macroscopically speaking the entire universe and at a microscopic level, the microorganisms crawling between fingers. The weak have always been hunted by the strong leaving no traces behind, and had to depend on acquiring skills to keep their lives.]

    As Yu Kaeul¡¯s deration continued, Ha Junsoo slowly felt his greed being fulfilled.

    Yu Kaeul was expressing the sorrow of those that had lost their loved ones, in a manner so calm that it was heart-wrenching.

    That was different from a weeping sorrow. It was the voice of a person who¡¯s state of mind was so worn down after countless weathering, to the point that there were no visible fluctuations. Her voice was like a smoke that used her own life as its fuel.

    How could she express emotions like that? Ha Junsoo could not understand.

    Thus, he tried to analyse it at the start. Since emotions that were the closest to the answer was there right before his eyes, he wanted to learn from it.

    But after some time, he came to himself in shock. Due to being absorbed by the deration itself, he had already forgotten about analysing it.

    After returning back to reality, Producer Ha Junsoo made a tight fist.

    Right, that¡¯s how it should be at the very least.

    Only at this level, can someone say in front of top-level superhumans from all around the globe, facing the entire world, that they would protect humanity. This was the underlying requirement for that deration.

    It was when Producer Ha Junsoo was feeling like he was at the climax, clenching his teeth.

    Yu Kaeul¡¯s first deration came to an end.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The reaction waspletely different from Gong Ju Hee¡¯s stage and everything was silent, including the judges to those watching from a distance.

    p p p.

    That was when a soft, adorable sound of apuse was heard. It was from Gyeoul, who was in Bom¡¯s arms pping from the family seats.

    Only then did a smallmotion ur in the entire venue as if a magic spell had been lifted. Some gave ps while some noisily chatted with another.

    Finishing the deration, Kaeul remained standing on the spot, without a single light of nervousness or relief on her face.

    She stood still, and merely watched Ha Junsoo.

    Around that point in time, Yu Jitae opened his ears up.

    ¨C Wah, that was really good though?

    That evaluation was from the leftmost seat, the person in charge of member selection.

    ¨C Diction; vocalisation; they were all good and the expression was¡­ how should I say it, it wasn¡¯t the orthodox way but was unique and good.

    ¨C It was.

    ¨C Auh, it just drove me in. See these goosebumps over here?

    Yu Jitae stared at them with Eyes of Equilibrium.

    Hanging on the favourability scale from the left was great favourability, to absolute favourability in the middle, and absolute hate on the right. Only the teaching staff member was showing intense hostility.

    ¨C But then again, there is still something that is a bit of a shame.

    ¨C What is it?

    ¨C Her face is attracting too much attention and feels like the actual substance is getting downyed.

    ¨C Is that so?

    ¨C But then, intentionally wearing bad makeup is weird as well so, hmm¡­

    Unexpectedly, Ha Junsoo who held the biggest favourability remained quiet as he listened to the opinions. That was when the teaching staff member chimed in.

    ¨C I think she¡¯s just not up to par.

    ¨C Sorry?

    Ha Junsoo raised his voice for the first time.

    ¨C What are you saying?

    Wearing an expression that showed his discontent, Oh Minsung replied.

    ¨C In general, it didn¡¯t receive a popr reaction from the masses. Did you not see the reaction from family seats? There weren¡¯t any gasps of admiration and such.

    ¨C They are just bystanders.

    ¨C Producer Ha. Isn¡¯t our target audience those bystanders? The most important thing is how things are perceived from the general popce, so how could you ignore that?

    ¨C No, I¡¯m not saying we should ignore them.

    Their opinions were in a disagreement.

    Meanwhile, the other contestants were wearing gloomy expressions. Despite being of simr ages, their levels were different and it was safe to say that the expressible range of emotions were leagues apart. In the middle of her deration, Kaeul appeared like a soldier who had gone through all sorts of battles for dozens of years.

    Due to that, Gong Juhee¡¯s face was already filled with malice. Sitting on the corner of the contestant seats, she red daggers at Kaeul while biting on her fingernails, as if she wanted to kill with her re.

    Despite that, Oh Minsung remained stubborn. After having a dispute for a long time, Ha Junsoo heaved out a sigh with a stiffened expression.

    ¨C What score did you give to Cadet Kaeul.

    ¨C I gave 4.5

    ¨C Despite giving 9.8 to Cadet Gong Juhee?

    ¨C Because that instead appealed more to the popce.

    ¨C ¡­

    ¨C Hmm. Then, what about you Mister member selector? What score did you give her?

    ¨C Yes? Ah, right. I gave 8.1. My immersion was broken once due to her face. Even then, this is the highest score I gave today.

    Yu Kaeul¡¯s total score was 21.5

    8.1 / 9 / 4.5

    While Gong Juhee¡¯s score was 22.7

    6.8 / 6.1 / 9.8

    That was when Ha Junsoo opened his mouth to break the silence.

    ¨C Mister Oh, haa¡­

    With a gaze filled with annoyance, he nced at the teaching staff member.

    ¨C If I knew your opinion would differ so much from me, I would have rejected it when the education department wanted to send someone in.

    ¨C What?

    ¨C Or like, do you have something private going on with Cadet Gong Juhee?

    ¨C What? What absurd words are you¡­!

    ¨C ¡­

    ¨C That is a very offensive sentence. I am a proxy from the education department. Towards me, who try my hardest to create the best face for Lair, how could you say such a ridiculous thing!

    Ha Junsoo opened his mouth again with a sigh.

    ¨C Then let¡¯spare them directly.

    ¨C Directly?

    ¨C We will have the two of them stand together.

    ¨C That, good! Well, why not?

    The freshmen deration consisted of three acts.

    Act 1. [Fall of Nations] by Supporting Derer 1

    Act 2. [History of Battles] by Supporting Derer 2

    Act 3. [Future of the Universe] by the Main Derer

    Amongst these, the one that received the most spotlight was by far the third act. With four times the quantity of Act 1 and Act 2, it contained a final message of hope while the first two acts focused on the horrible past.

    After that, the deration continued from the seventh down to the ninth cadet. They performed decently and received a few rounds of apuse for the sake of it but there weren¡¯t any points worthy of attention.

    Just like that, the first, second and third ranks were all decided.

    Usually, this would be enough to decide on the main derer and the two supporting derers.

    ¨C Cadet Gong Juhee, pleasee up to the stage.

    In response to the words of a staff member, Gong Juhee with a rxed expression walked up and stood next to Yu Kaeul.

    But after hearing the decision of the judges that they wouldpare the two of them, Gong Juhee could not control her facial expression.

    Although the staff Oh Minsung, who was oblivious in the field, was stubborn, she had already presumed her defeat. So as their derations continued, Gong Juhee¡¯s expression gradually got worse and worse.

    After beingpared like that, the results were made clear. In regards to the depths of the expressible emotions, Gong Juhee could not even reach a quarter of Yu Kaeul¡¯s ability.

    ¨C It¡¯s good, so what! I still think Cadet Gong Juhee looks better.

    However, Staff Oh Minsung remained stubborn and it was now to the point that the other staff members and the audience sitting in the family seats were feeling embarrassed themselves. Ha Junsoo, who had been enduring it, dropped the profile in his hands as the papernded on top of the table.

    ¡°I heard that the education department will be sending someone so I was curious who would being but, wow. To think they would send someone this illiterate.¡±

    Ha Junsoo let out augh. Soon after, a bomb-like statement left his mouth.

    ¡°Mister Oh Minsung, stand up please.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    When bafflement appeared on Oh Minsung¡¯s expression, Ha Junsoo continued with a growl.

    ¡°Do you not understand what I¡¯m saying? Let me tell you again. Leave. Right now¨C!¡±

    A sharp-tempered yell shook the audition venue.

    ring at him, Oh Minsung stood up from his seat. Whether he liked it or not, this was within the area of a producer and there was no way for him to immediately resist hismand.

    Insulted in front of others, he red at Ha Junsoo and Yu Kaeul with a ferocious re before walking away.

    The audition venue was immediately filled with silence.

    Soon, whispers like ¡®what¡¯, ¡®what¡¯s happening¡¯, ¡®are the judges fighting?¡¯ and ¡®what about the audition then?¡¯ started spreading across like the breeze.

    That was when Ha Junsoo ced his mouth next to the mic and opened his mouth.

    ¨C Ah, thanks to all the contestants that volunteered, for all your efforts. Instead of announcing it at ater date, let me announce the results right now. Cadet Yu Kaeul was chosen to be the main derer. Please give her a round of apuse.

    What returned wasn¡¯t a loud round of apuse but there weren¡¯t any doubtful gazes like before. They had realised that Yu Kaeul¡¯s deration was at a whole new level after aparison with Gong Juhee, who had been the prime candidate for the position.

    But then, who would be the remaining supporting derer?

    If Gong Juhee took one spot, who would be the other one?

    The cadets were perking their ears up in order to hear that.

    ¨C Ah, by the way, as the overall producer of this event, I have great expectations for the main derer this time around. For that reason, I would like to select the supporting derer with the help of the main derer¡¯s own perspective.

    Words that had never been heard of before started leaving Producer Ha Junsoo¡¯s mouth.

    ¨C Cadet Yu Kaeul. Could you sit here for a while?

    Contestants, guardians as well as rted staff members all watched the tip of Ha Junsoo¡¯s finger with shock. His finger was pointing at the empty seat which had belonged to Oh Minsung.

    Right now.

    From the position of a contestant applying for a derer position, she became a person in charge of choosing the members.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even the one in charge of member selection sitting next to him was baffled by the producer¡¯s abrupt decision. Wearing a calm expression, Kaeul sat on the seat.

    ¡°I understand that you might be surprised from the sudden turn of events.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But you see, the atmosphere given by Cadet Kaeul during the deration was extremely different from what we had nned. Of course, in a good way that is. So instead of choosing the supporting derers ourselves on our own ord, I thought that it would be good to have Cadet Kaeul giving us your opinion as the main derer yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the first, second and third ranks that were given just then and please choose freely.¡±

    With a dull gaze, Kaeul, who had not yet escaped from the immersion, gently gave a nod and nced across the contestant seats with a low gaze.

    Only then did the contestants realise what was going on. They had all spent tremendous effort for this audition and their gazes that had been watching Kaeul changed in that instant. By either standing up from their seats or forming pitiful expressions, they urged her to pick themselves.

    ¨C You¡¯re saying that I, need to choose someone, right.

    Kaeul¡¯s sunken voice flowed out from the mic.

    ¨C Yes. Please select a supporting derer that would suit you. When we choose the final dering members, we will fully take into ount Cadet Kaeul¡¯s opinion.

    She, who had been nkly staring at the contestants, formed a crooked smile on her lips. Her expression was looking directly at reality, discerning the use and merits of humans and was simr to Yu Jitae from the past.

    ¡°A support that would suit me¡­¡± after murmuring as such to herself, Kaeul soon slowly opened her mouth, with a clear pronunciation.

    ¨C They¡¯re all, disqualified.

 Chapter 31: Declarer Selection (3)

    <h4>Chapter 31: Derer Selection (3)</h4>

    ¡°Why is she like that.¡±

    Yu Jitae was asking Bom over the phone.

    He had well known that Kaeul was in a strange state, but it was slightly more serious than he had thought.

    The person in question was none other than Yu Kaeul, and her showing a reaction like that in front of so many people was something even he hadn¡¯t expected.

    ¨C ¡­Ahjussi.

    From the other side of the phone, Bom hesitantly asked.

    ¨C You know that miserable friend you told me about, did you by any chance tell Kaeul about that?

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    He could hear Bom whispering, ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¨C The gold race, you see, can immerse themselves in the emotions they feel, more than they should.

    Immerse?

    ¨C Normally, humans stop at sympathy after listening to others¡¯ emotions, right? Hatchlings are usually like that as well, but the gold race has a different depth to it.

    ¡°A different depth?¡±

    ¨C When faced with emotions, they empathise very deeply, as if they be that person.

    Hearing that, Yu Jitae could finally understand ¨C he could understand the reason why she became a celebrity in every round of regression, as well as why she crumbled into a mess in front of the overflowing malice.

    ¨C Kaeul is excessively absorbed right now. And the person she is immersing herself to be is most likely¡­

    It would most likely be Yu Jitae from the past.

    Right now, she wasn¡¯t something like a baby chicken.

    She was a ck silkie.

    Tick.

    The microphones of the judges were turned off. It appeared that Ha Junsoo and the member selector were trying to persuade Kaeul in a fluster.

    ¨C But I don¡¯t think the immersion is that strong yet.

    That was what Bom then said.

    ¨C If there were stages to the ¡®immersion¡¯ of the gold race, she should be at the first stage right now. It¡¯s only the emotions and the atmosphere that she¡¯s copying.

    ¡°Then, what about that ¡®They¡¯re all disqualified¡¯ thing she said?¡±

    ¨C She probably meant that there weren¡¯t any supports that could suit her, but I think that¡¯s her honest opinion.

    Kaeul was bad at reading the mood but because of that, she tried her hardest to read the mood.

    If she was in her baby chicken form when the choice to select supporting derers was given, she would have nced around in confusion before bbering about how anyone would be fine.

    ¡°What would happen if she gets into a deeper immersive state than that.¡±

    ¨C If there was a second stage above that, then she would be copying the values and thoughts of the target itself. She would start imitating the thoughts and actions of the one she¡¯s immersed in.

    That wouldn¡¯t be good.

    ¨C ¡­Ahjussi.

    Bom asked in a softer voice.

    ¨C I¡¯m asking this just in case, but that friend within that story, is not a bad person or anything like that, right?

    He was a wanted criminal.

    After the second regression ended, Yu Jitae of the third regression massacred anything that irritated him regardless of whether they were a human or a demon. He had done so in a very cruel manner.

    Due to that, it was important to stop Kaeul from immersing herself more than she already was.

    The question though, was how.

    ¨C ¡­I don¡¯t know either.

    That was what Bom then said.

    ¡­

    ¨C The fact that we got close like this is an unprecedented thing that happened because of ahjussi. Normally, we are not this close with other races.

    Feeling his neck going stiff, Yu Jitae cracked his neck.

    But then again, that person called the producer should be able to persuade her. Since he was someone that would be trying his best for the entrance ceremony, he would be thus trying the hardest he could to create the best result.

    Opening his ears up, Yu Jitae eavesdropped their conversation.

    ¡°B, but what if there was someone that could be used as a decent supporting role?¡±

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s none.¡±

    ¡°C, cadet Kaeul¡­!¡±

    ¡°Their expressions are all immature and their emotions are paper-thin. If you are looking for harmony between the main derer and the supporting derers, I think it would be better if I left.¡±

    ¡°Aht¡­¡±

    The ck silkie spoke with an emotionless voice. Due to that, the person in charge of the selection was sweating his guts out in the middle of his bafflement.

    It seemed that the situation required Producer Ha Junsoo to give a hand.

    ¡°Indeed. She¡¯s right.¡±

    But unforunately, even Producer Ha Junsoo wasn¡¯t in his right mind.

    ¡°E, excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Getting rid of all the supporting roles and pushing for one main is a possibility.¡±

    ¡°Whaaat?¡±

    He was going a step further.

    ¡°Do you understand what I¡¯m saying, Mister producer?¡±

    ¡°Ah, of course I do. If you do the first and the second acts as well, then there shouldn¡¯t be any problems there. Nn? What¡¯s wrong with your face, Mister Junhyun? Do you have a good n?¡±

    ¡°Good n my ass! Of course you can¡¯t do that! What¡¯s gotten into you, Producer¡­!¡±

    The person in charge of the dering member selection started desperately persuading Ha Junsoo. He talked about how it would go against the nned procedures, as well as the contract.

    Meanwhile, several other guardians faced their eyes at Yu Jitae.

    When Kaeul was put on the judges¡¯ seats, they hadined about it, saying how a management like this could ever be allowed. But when Ha Junsoo replied to them by saying, ¡°You can leave if you are discontent¡± they suddenly turned quiet.

    They were thus staring at Yu Jitae with a myriad of emotions but there wasn¡¯t anyone approaching him for a conversation.

    ¡°Mister Yu Jitae.¡±

    Except for one person, that is.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What a joyous thing could this be? It¡¯s a happy day for the Yu household. Congrattions.¡±

    Wei Yan had an amiable smile on his face.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, seriously though, congrattions. By the way, as fellow people who both support cadets, will it be possible for me to request you with something?¡±

    His true intention immediately seeped out and it would surely be about using Gong Juhee as a supporting derer at the very least.

    Although he was seeing Wei Yan several times already, he thought that it could even be considered a wondrous thing that a demon could lower their head so low.

    Wei Yan¡¯s favourability hanging on the Eyes of Equilibrium was absolute hate. Inwardly, he hated Yu Jitae so much that he could kill him and yet he still wore a bright smile on the outside, in order to back up a cadet belonging to his study group.

    At least his patience was at a top level amongst demons.

    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±

    Thus, Yu Jitae decided to test his patience.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we are close enough to support each other though.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, you¡¯re right. In fact, I do feel cautious about sharing a conversation like this. There was an unfavourable event as well.¡±

    ¡°Indeed there was.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it better to forget the things of the past? Just like how I did, I would like to ask you for your generosity, sir guardian.¡±

    In other words, he was saying, ¡®I held it in despite Yeorum¡¯s incident offending me so you should brush aside Gong Juhee¡¯s actions as well.¡¯

    ¡°¡­Yes. Let¡¯s do as you say.¡±

    ¡°Ah, thank you very much. In that case, in order to create an even better deration, could you ask Cadet Yu Kaeul to rmend Cadet Gong Juhee as one of the supporting derers?¡±

    Yu Jitae remained quiet.

    He had been talking solely with Wei Yan, but all the nearby guardians were pointing their ears at their conversation and Wei Yan must be aware of that as well.

    When the silence continued, they perked their ears up even more.

    ¡°By the way, there are two supporting derers, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°When I suggest someone to Kaeul, I can tell her two names¡­ who would be good for the other person?¡±

    Wei Yan formed a faint frown.

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    That was when one of the other guardians opened their mouth.

    ¡°Hello Mister Yu Jitae. I¡¯m sorry for interrupting your conversation.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°I am the guardian of the candidate Ayase, called Hasegawa. If possible, could you tell Ayase¡¯s name as well when you¡¯re suggesting the supporting derers to Cadet Kaeul?¡±

    Seeing Yu Jitae not giving him a response, Hasegawa requested with a slightly more rushed expression.

    ¡°My cadet had been preparing for this event for more than one and a half years. I can¡¯t send her back empty-handedly after making it to the final audition.¡±

    ¡°Ah, please wait.¡±

    Another guardian chimed in. This time, it was a white person.

    ¡°Sir guardian. My cadet, Jefferson, had been preparing for the entrance ceremony¡¯s deration for more than 2 years now. Please give him a chance.¡±

    ¡°Austin. I¡¯m speaking right now, am I not?¡±

    Hasegawa red with wide-open eyes but the white guardian did not even spare him a nce as he bent his back in front of Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Ah, please wait a second. Guardian Yu Jitae.¡±

    This time was another white person.

    ¡°To Hansen, this deration is a huge chance that could regain the honour of Denmark¡¯s royal family. In the previous monster attack, Denmark¡¯s royal family¡­¡±

    With them as the signal, other guardians also came up to him while pushing at each other and before long, a rowdy atmosphere was created.

    They, who had been watching the situation unfold with eager emotions, all shot out of their seats and approached him. ¡°Our cadet¡­!¡±, ¡°As sister nations¡­¡±. With those words, they contested for the remaining position that could be given to their respective cadets.

    There were people who rubbed their fingers and said, ¡°Do you need some help by any chance¡­?¡± while some pleaded with their knees on the ground.

    That was how desperate they were for this opportunity.

    Currently, the atmosphere was miles away from how it had been at the start. Wei Yan, who naturally believed that he had already won a spot, had taken a step back while watching the situation unfold like a bystander.

    And when the person leading the conversation went from the guardians to Yu Jitae, the Regressor slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡°¡­It seems that one spot wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡±

    One spot? Who, what?

    They thought, but soon understood his words.

    ¡°What? Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Guardian Yu Jitae!¡±

    At that moment, Wei Yan¡¯s eyes distorted like a devil¡¯s but it onlysted for a split second. Immediately reverting back to a gentleman-like expression, Wei Yan interjected.

    ¡°What do you mean by that, Mister Yu Jitae?¡±

    ¡°Ah, professor.¡±

    ¡°But why would you suddenly take our Juhee¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I can rte to their circumstances and would love to help.¡±

    ¡°Like, who here isn¡¯t desperate though? Do you help others like that often?¡±

    ¡°Somewhat.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ haha¡­ I see. But I thought you promised¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae did not respond.

    It was a negation.

    That was when Wei Yan¡¯s lips were lifted in a distorted state. Although the smile appeared natural, the excessive power that had gone into his chin, as well as the bright, burning neck could not be hidden.

    His favourability was reaching an explosive level of hate. Having his true nature showing up here would be fine as well because a demon with their nature revealed would be amon enemy.

    However, despite blood soaring up to the top of his head, Wei Yan did not make any rash judgments.

    The guardians, however, were staring at Wei Yan with des in their eyes.

    Few minutes ago, they had been encouraging each other for good luck and yet when the position of a supporting derer was in question, their attitudes changed in an instant.

    Licking his lips, Wei Yan made an awkward smile and the same was with Gong Juhee¡¯s guardian. He hadn¡¯t even found the right timing to chime in.

    It was then.

    Wei Yan¡¯s phone suddenly rang and seeing the number showing on his phone, he quickly turned his body around and left the audition venue.

    Yu Jitae deeply stared at his distancing back.

    ¨C Please be quiet. We will now announce the main and the supporting derers.

    Perhaps due to the disputes of the guardians taking too long, the judges had made their own decision. Seeing the opportunity escape from their grasp, the guardians secretly let out sighs.

    ¨C The main derer will be Cadet Yu Kaeul, and¡­

    After listening up to that point, Yu Jitae decided to leave the venue for a while.

    *

    Receiving a phone call in a situation this important and leaving outside meant that an even more important incident had urred. Walking onto the corridor inrge strides, he concealed his presence and followed Wei Yan from a distance.

    He already had somewhat of a guess.

    Right after the teaching staff Oh Minsung was insulted by Ha Junsoo, he had thrown a re at Ha Junsoo and Kaeul. In that instant, his nature that was revealed by the Eyes of Equilibrium was exploding in evil. This only urred when someone truly decided to do something evil.

    So he was thinking that something might happen and he seemed to have been on the mark.

    However, there were footsteps following Yu Jitae from behind. Looking back, he found Bom standing there.

    ¡°What about Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°I left her with Yeorum. Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°¡­No need for you to know.¡±

    ¡°I want to follow along.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her expression was serious. It seemed that she had seen something via Providence.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    With silence, he rejected her request. Situations that diverged from daily lives shouldn¡¯t be shared with the dragons. Hereafter, he would be killing someone, and that process wasn¡¯t for the dragons to see.

    ¡°I want to go with you.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t disturb you. Please just let me go along.¡±

    Bom remained stubborn, but he had no time for a conversation. Turning his body around, he looked directly into Bom¡¯s eyes and slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    With a dry voice, and a short sentence calling her name, the atmosphere immediately changed. Her eyes widened into circles.

    ¡°Go back.¡±

    Bom opened her lips but was unable to say anything, and her lips faintly trembled. Soon, she turned around without another word.

    Only then did Yu Jitae turn around and chase after Wei Yan. A demonic aura mixed within the surrounding mana, resembled a drop of blood in a pond which was moments away from dispersing, but it still led him with a direction.

    Soon, Yu Jitae walked into Lair¡¯s restricted area (prohibited entry).

    Buildings abandoned in the middle of demolishment entered his sight.

 Chapter 32: Changes in the Seventh Iteration

    <h4>Chapter 32: Changes in the Seventh Iteration</h4>

    The Regressor¡¯s instincts sharply rose up and he could feel the odour of blood and rotten flesh seeping in.

    Wei Yan was headed to a certain alleyway, which Yu Jitae followed into. Although he walked over a path clumped up in dust, his feet did not leave any footsteps behind. His heart rate gradually decreased, and the little sounds of his joints were blocked by mana.

    Wind avoided him.

    It was his first time walking into Lair¡¯s restricted area, even out of all the regressions he had.

    There, he could feel several gazes.

    Turning his eyes around at the partially destructed buildings, he found crimson eyes ncing from behind the curtains of the broken windows.

    Evileyes.

    They werege eyeballs floating around, and appeared to be keeping a close eye on the restricted area following themands of the demons.

    Wei Yan followed down the stairs of a certain building to its basement. That ce was the epicentre of the odour he had been feeling.

    ¡°What happened.¡±

    Standing on the stairs leading down to the basement, Wei Yan asked with a cold voice. From deeper inside the darkness, a sigh escaped.

    ¡°He haspletely gone mad. Some of us went up and tried to stop him, but we couldn¡¯t calm him down.¡±

    ¡°How many sacrifices.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s two. One male and a female. One of them is a cadet.¡±

    Hearing that, Wei Yan simrly let out a sigh.

    ¡°¡­ That thing is far from being human.¡±

    A sacrifice. It was a jargon of the demons, and referred to the victims used in keeping their desires under control.

    ¡°You may go. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was no response.

    ¡°What are you doing. I¡¯m telling you to go.¡±

    ¡°Are you nning to keep him at Lair, sir?¡±

    ¡°Why would you ask that?¡±

    ¡°The lord feels ufortable about it.¡±

    The lord referred to the head of Undetectables, the organisation of demons.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    ¡°There has been an order. To get rid of as many unstable elements as possible.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Wei Yan¡¯s voice changed.

    ¡°So what.¡±

    His previously gentle tone was long gone.

    ¡°¡­Sorry?¡±

    ¡°So what, huh. Oi you impertinent guy. Are you my lord or something?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case, but.¡±

    ¡°But, what.¡±

    ¡°But the lord is feeling displeased about it so I was just trying to warn you¡­¡±

    As his words continued, Wei Yan¡¯s body in response started trembling heavily, as if he was in a seizure.

    ¡°You damn¡­ guys¡­¡±

    His eyes facing the ceiling of the basement fluctuated unstably.

    ¡°Who do you think¡­¡±

    Soon, his gaze fell down and reached the demons.

    ¡°Youarefuckinglookingat,huh? Areyouaskingmetodigthemout? ShouldIsliceyourgutsoutaswendhangthemonatower? Huuuh¡ª-!!!?¡±

    Arge bellow shook the entire basement while the surrounding mana shook as if it had gone insane.

    sh¨C!

    A whipping sound soon followed suit, which was then followed by the sound of blood being sshed on the floor. Only then, did Wei Yan¡¯s trembling bodye to a stoip.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ But still, we should respect superiors, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Go on. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±

    Seeing two demons walking towards him, Yu Jitae hid within the darkness. The woman had her cheek torn apart and the inside of her skin was in disy but things resembling tentacles came out from the surrounding skin and were healing the wound.

    Yu Jitae etched their faces into his head.

    He then once again climbed down the stairs. He could hear the sounds slightly clearer. There was the growling noise of a beast, a scream continuing onto silence, and the sound of rustling clothes.

    ¡°Minsung-hyung.¡±

    Furs, ws, tentacles and others all added into one ¨C the teaching staff, Oh Minsung had turned into something resembling a beast. He was digging his head into the ground, indulging himself in something.

    ¡°Minsung-hyung. Let¡¯s have a chat.¡±

    Wei Yan tapped Oh Minsung¡¯s head several times with his foot but Oh Minsung did not move. Behind him, there was a body of a man which had long turned into a corpse.

    The faint gasps of breath that could stop at any second wasing from beneath Oh minisung and when Yu Jitae looked closer, he found a bare skin covered in blood.

    ¡°Look at me, hyung. Let¡¯s have a chat, yes? A chat. Stop¡­ stop fucking eating that shit and look at me.¡±

    Bam!

    Wei Yan kicked Oh Minsung¡¯s head with his foot.

    Due to that, Oh Minsung was pushed away. Hiding within the darkness, Yu Jitae could finally see the thing that had been under the demon.

    A blonde hair,

    Just like a baby chicken.

    ¡­It was a girl.

    She had be a mess of blood, with several parts of her body having been devoured by the demon.

    ¡°Aigo. My brother, were you that angry?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The beast huffed while staring at Wei Yan.

    ¡°That¡¯s Ha Junsoo, and this is Yu Kaeul huh? You must¡¯ve tried hard looking for them. But, I told you right. I told you to not touch cadets since it makes things annoying.¡±

    Wei Yan then tapped the blonde-haired girl with his foot. The child was wearing cadet clothes.

    She wasn¡¯t Yu Kaeul; she was merely someone that resembled her. It seemed that she had been wandering around this area before being abducted.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, whatever. Anyways, what should we do with you? To have this little patience¡­ our lord is telling me to expel you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to do a good job taking care of you because you are an acquaintance from my human days, but it¡¯s not easy. It was just a little judge position. How can you get upset so easily?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I told you to just wait three months right. After three months, I would be stepping onto a Seat myself¡­ huu, seriously.¡±

    Stepping onto a Seat?

    Yu Jitae formed a frown.

    Seats in the organisation of demons, referred to the four selected demons of the organisation. Unlike normal demons who would act by themselves, the ones that have rose up to these Seats form their own troops.

    Plus, they are given the highest rank of strength amongst demons, the power of a ¡®catastrophe¡¯, just like the demon that had forced Yu Jitae to despair in the second round of regression.

    However, Wei Yan had never taken a Seat within the repeating regressions. Never.

    It happened while he was in doubt.

    [The authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)] reads the hostility sent from the other side of the Horizon of Providence.]

    [The authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)] observes an existence that has escaped the boundaries of time.]

    [Opponent: [Demon, Wei Yan]]

    [Exnation: There has been an interference from the existence outside the world¡¯s timeline, who holds dissatisfaction about the regressions. From the repetitive flow of regressions, the demon Wei Yan is partially dislocated.]

    [Wei Yan of the Seventh Iteration: Wei Yan of this iteration, exists while having an umtion of the strongest weapon, greatest connections and the best luck of the six previous regressions.]

    A message floated up on Vintage Clock¡¯s status window.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s chin turned tense.

    At a far, distant ce, outside the Horizon of Providence, there was an existence that belongs somewhere in the midst, who holds a dissatisfaction about his regressions. Its interference was proven by the evidence called Wei Yan.

    He felt irritation soaring up inside.

    What kind of bastard is this.

    What sort of bastard was this, that it was trying to make him eat shit.

    What was it so dissatisfied about.

    Yu Jitae thought back on the best of everything Wei Yan had in each of the past regressions. Indeed, if those elements were to all get added, it was possible for Wei Yan to rise to a Seat.

    ¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t think you can stay inside Lair, hyung. As soon as I finish organising stuff, I¡¯ll move you outside. Until then, wait here quietly. Two days should be fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hyung.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You know how much I like you, right?¡±

    The demon did not respond. Leaving the sound ofughter behind, Wei Yan turned around and walked outside.

    Yu Jitae had been nning on leaving Wei Yan alive until the end-of-the-year event where he would utilise all the demons under him. However, the situation was different now. If he grew up till he rose to a Seat, killing him would be a tedious task.

    Within those that were currently positioned on a Seat, there was one who distributed its life to ten different demons. Even if nine were to die, he could stay alive as long as there was one remaining alive.

    That was how annoying the Seated demons were.

    Therefore, he had to cut off Wei Yan¡¯s limbs ¨C every limb until the day of the event.

    As soon as Wei Yan left, Yu Jitae revealed himself from the darkness. This ce appeared to be a location where demons let go of their instincts and satisfied their desires. He could see corpses locked up inside cells after walking deeper in.

    They were humans who had been killed after the demons finished satisfying their desires.

    Growl.

    Oh Minsung let out a low growl after finding Yu Jitae. Instinctively, it realised that Yu Jitae was an enemy and thus attacked him without a single hesitation. Like a beast, it dashed at Yu Jitae on four legs.

    However, its charge was blocked by one movement. Yu Jitae had held Oh Minsung, who had turned into a beast, by its chin.

    He put strength into his grip.

    Crack.

    The jaw bone started crumbling.

    Oh Minsung attempted to scream but its lungs had already been excessively emptied out by Yu Jitae. Within the ever-so quiet basement, a beast continued its struggle in mid-air.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    He bisected the two legs and arms of the beast.

    After a struggle, Oh Minsung ended up on the ground.

    Walking up, Yu Jitae held the beast by its hair and started bashing its head onto the ground.

    Kung. Kung.

    As the shock continued after another, Oh Minsung¡¯s face was caved in and his skull had been deformed.

    This was a sort of habit ¨C a habit that did not allow demons to have an easy road to their afterlife. Just like that, Oh Minsung slowly began dying.

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes for a short period of time.

    His heart thumped heavily whenever he was killing a demon. As if it was the purpose of his life, his heart raced against the rib cages to signify its presence.

    At the same time, every strand of his hazy sensations rose up. Quickly, he let out a deep breath to drive out the apanying pleasure.

    He looked at the crumbled face belonging to Oh Minsung and deciding that it was time to let him go, Yu Jitae slowly pierced the Shapeless Sword into his head.

    Ripping through the skin, the killing intent demolished the forehead and entered Oh Minsung¡¯s body. The beast pissed itself and writhed in agony and Yu Jitae watched it die with an indifferent gaze.

    In the first ce, he had been nning to kill him.

    Since he was a low-ranked demon, killing him did not make the organisation of demons cautious. He did not need to worry about them hiding like cockroaches.

    However, Yu Jitae now had a different trail of thought.

    After killing him, he decided to look for and kill some of the high-ranked demons as well. It didn¡¯t matter even if that ended up having others be more careful with their actions. Before Wei Yan could grow any further and rise to the position of a Seat, he deemed it important to crush anything that could be beneficial for Wei Yan.

    All of that, was to make sure he could kill Wei Yan in an easier way at Melissa Ballroom during the end-of-the-year event.

    ¡°¡­Go and wait. I¡¯ll send a few down after you.¡±

    As soon as his words ended, the beast¡¯s corpseid down powerlessly.

    Just like that, Oh Minsung died.

    When the stimulus disappeared, his sharpened senses were immediately lifted. His eyes turned hazy, his ears lost its edge, and his sense of touch became dull. This was how he always felt.

    For the first time in a long period of time, the Regressor felt a suffocating feeling but even then, it was something that must be withstood.

    [Eradication (S)]

    He ced his thumb next to the index finger and ran them against each other.

    Click.

    With the click of his finger, a ck me appeared on the body which would consume everything without leaving behind any traces.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was when a soft voice was heard.

    Turning his head around, he could see the dying blonde-haired girl staring at the ceiling. Her small body seemed to be trying its hardest to hold onto the dwindling breath.

    Ignoring that, he walked up the stairs. His task had ended already.

    ¡­But after walking up, he came back down.

    No matter how much he thought, he couldn¡¯t find the reason. Why did he himselfe back down? Perhaps he had felt pity for this girl who he did not even know the name of.

    However, he couldn¡¯t help her in any way. The man only knew how to kill, and did not know how to save a failing life.

    Yu Jitae crouched down in front of the child. Her eyes had already lost focus.

    On the girl¡¯s neck, there was an identification tag of a cadet. Carefully, he pulled it out and took it with him.

    Leaving the restricted area on the way back to the audition venue, he ced the identification tag into a lost property collection box.

    After that, he forgot everything about the girl.

    From what he remembered, death was amon urrence.

 Chapter 33: Entrance Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 33: Entrance Ceremony</h4>

    The audition came to an end.

    ¨C Let me announce the supporting derers

    Thebination of a ck silkie and a selfish producer was amazing. Unexpectedly, the two supporters they decided on were candidates who had not even been in the top three.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    At the end of the audition while the applicants eitherughed or cried on their way out, mixed within the crowd, Gong Juhee red at Kaeul. She was ring forth with deep displeasure when Kaeul turned around and looked back at her.

    Kaeul¡¯s eyes were dark and dead. Startled, Gong Juhee clenched her teeth and turned her head away.

    ¡®What kind of person is that?¡¯

    Was the innocent look from before an act? She thought that Yu Kaeul was a sly fox with a ck heart.

    Gong Juhee then threw a re back in rage but this time, her eyes met Yu Jitae¡¯s while he was on his way back into the hall. This person made her feel even more ufortable. Despite the short period of the eye contact, she felt as if the depths of her heart were being read in full.

    She unconsciously let out a gasp, before quickly turning her head away again.

    ¡°¡­Juhee?¡±

    The guardian belonging in the Gong household was surprised and looked at his cadet.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to have some fresh air. Don¡¯t look for me.¡±

    While letting out little sobs, she replied. Then she separated herself from her guardian and walked off.

    It was then that a red-haired girl with both of her hands stuck inside the pockets of her tracksuit approached Gong Juhee. After that, the girl bent her back and stared directly at Gong Juhee¡¯s face.

    ¡°What you looking at. First time seeing a person cry or something?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Get lost.¡±

    In response, the redhead spoke with a nonchnt voice.

    ¡°No? That¡¯s not it. I¡¯m not trying to watch or anything and just wanted to cheer you up.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gong Juhee made a frown.

    This voice, and this tone. She understood who Yu Yeorum was imitating right now ¨C it was the same tone she herself had used at Kaeul.

    ¡°Try your best. There¡¯s next year as well.¡±

    ¡°There is no next year for entrance ceremonies. Go away!¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­ isn¡¯t that too much to say to someone that¡¯s trying to cheer you up? Aung, I¡¯m fine with it, but others might hate that you know?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to die for real?!¡±

    Gong Juhee contained her trembling, but looked as if she could dash in at any moment. Only then did Yeorum distance herself with a grin, and whisper something with a melody.

    ¡°My sister~ only prepared it for a week~¡±

    Hnn~ One week~.

    Eyes filled with killing intent faced Yeorum, who then thought to herself.

    ¡®I¡¯ll have a damn good sleep tonight.¡¯

    ***

    Kaeul remained indifferent despite having been selected as the derer. When Bom asked in doubt, ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy?¡±, Kaeul responded.

    ¡°¡­I am.¡±

    But the expression on her face didn¡¯t support her im.

    Her immersion was still there, despite returning to the dormitory. She wiped Yeorum¡¯s sword clean, and started organising her room morbidly. The mysophobia of the past Yu Jitae was being reflected through her.

    During that, something irritated the sight of the blonde-haired ck silkie.

    Click ck.

    The protector was starting to get used to its life in this ce. Perhaps it was due to Yu Jitae having removed the Demon Count¡¯s seal from him, but after regaining its free will, the protector pondered on methods that could allow an efficient workflow.

    ¡®¡­Is there a need to wash the dishes after every meal?¡¯

    In the dorms, there were lots of people that had meals. It included Yu Jitae, Bom, Yeorum, Kaeul as well as Gyeoul, who recently started eating rice like others. Plus, there was also the clone who had his meal before work.

    Although they didn¡¯t need to, they still took their meals whenever it was time to.

    Plus, they would usually take their meals at different times of the day and thus tes gathered realtime. And because it had to wash the dishes every single time, the protector had to wear rubber gloves twelve times a day!

    Putting rubber gloves over steel gauntlets was a daunting task and the rubber gloves being ripped with a slight mistake was a problem.

    ¡®If I do it after dying it, I could do it once a day.¡¯

    It was a revolutionary line of thought and thus, the protector postponed dishwashing and took care of everything at night.

    ¡°Oi, are you not going to wash the dishes?¡±

    Sometimes, the clone asked with a re.

    ¡°I am nning to.¡±

    Even then, the protector held its ground. It would be a different story if it was Yu Jitae¡¯s order, but there was no reason for it to listen to themands of that faulty clone.

    That wasn¡¯t the end.

    Every housework was the same and none of them had to be done every single time. Letting them build up for a while wasn¡¯t even obvious so the protector could take its time with cleaning and taking out the rubbish.

    That had been the case but¡­

    ¡°¡­Mister Cleaner.¡±

    With golden, yet dark sunken eyes, Kaeul called it.

    ¡°Ah, yes mydy.¡±

    ¡°There are, lots of dishes to wash.¡±

    Yu Jitae of the past had discerned the reason of existence by necessity and empathising with that state, Kaeul doubted the protector¡¯s raison d¡¯etre.

    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to.¡±

    ¡°I am nning to postpone it and do it all at once.¡±

    The protector tried its best to appeal how it would efficiently take care of the tasks without going through a cumbersome process. But what returned from Kaeul, was unexpected.

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s a thing my mum said. If you are going to dy today¡¯s tasks to tomorrow, you are better off postponing it till your death.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°It seems, that she meant we should do it only once in our entire life.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, that, the¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit of an overstatement? If we dy it more than a day, there won¡¯t be any cutleries left in the house.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I will buy more cutleries for you. You know, I actually have a lot of allowance saved up.¡±

    The protector became flustered.

    ¡°No¡­!¡±

    ¡°Dy it. Dy, dy and dy so that you just have to do it once before you die. I will help you.¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    The protector had to wash the dishes in sorrow.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. The crazy silkie then provoked the red boar.

    ¡°Why do you, always harass me unni?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Yeorum turned her head.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Does it feel good to harass a weak being like me? If you live like that, is it fun?¡±

    ¡°Have you gone mad?¡±

    Wearing a frown, she stood up from her seat but when she did, Bom opened her mouth from the living room.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°¡­I know. I know what state she¡¯s in.¡±

    But oblivious to the thoughts of the unnis, Kaeul continued adding oil to the fire.

    ¡°My mum said, that harassing the weak is something trash humans or pig nobles do.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°In that case, which side would unni fall in.¡±

    After several flinches, Yeorum barely let out a breath before forcing a smile.

    ¡°My dear sister¡­ youuu. Let¡¯s wait till that finishes and see what I do with you okay?¡±

    ¡°Look; look at this. When words don¡¯t work, you go straight to threats. Unni is always like that. So simple that it must be fun.¡±

    Yeorum twitched a few times before leaving the house.

    Looking on from the side, Yu Jitae found Kaeul¡¯s state to be a bit worrying and thus, he decided to ask Bom, about how long that wouldst.

    However, Bom¡¯s gaze facing himself wasn¡¯t very friendly either.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­Who knows.¡±

    After saying that, Bom turned her head away.

    Why¡¯s she like this now.

    Although Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t very knowledgeable about the emotions of the daily lives, he still realised something after deep contemtion. It seemed that she had be sulky ever since he left her behind with some harsh words on the day of the audition.

    For him, this was a perplexing situation. He did not know how to make a sulky dragon feel better.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your food.¡±

    That night, Bom gave him a dish with a pouty look. It had cucumber, carrots, a head of a fish and an unidentifiable crustacean. It was an otherworldly dish.

    Even the smell itself was shocking.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for any food though.¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to eat it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Thanks for the food.¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly appreciated Bom¡¯s dish.

    Its vour¡­

    Perhaps this dish, had flown here from the other side of the Horizon of Providence. It was so horrendous that it made him think that.

    After indifferently finishing the food, Yu Jitae raised his head back up. Bom was directly looking at him, with eyes bent into faint crescents and was evidently in a slightly brighter mood.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Yes? Nothing.¡±

    Why does it look like she¡¯s in a better mood.

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t understand, but it seemed that Bom was feeling better.

    ¡°Ahh, by the way ahjussi. I don¡¯t think you need to worry too much about it.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°Kaeul will probably get better soon.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    Apparently she had seen something through Providence and thus, Yu Jitae decided to not worry about it too much.

    *

    Time flew rapidly until the day of the entrance ceremony.

    ¡°Can I read this book?¡±

    Bom spent her days idly while reading books or listening to music and Yeorum yed games on consoles.

    ¡°Hey, do you have anything on today?¡±

    And on days without anything to do, he had to be an opponent for Yeorum¡¯s games. Since he had no talents in gaming, Yeorum liked Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Wow you¡¯re so good?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Where did you learn how to y games? Your master must be an amazing person.¡±

    He was insulted by Yeorum.

    Kaeul was either called for the rehearsals or had to move around busily in order to meet the rted personnel. Yu Jitae had to follow her as her guardian.

    And Gyeoul spent her days clinging onto him like a ko.

    Sometimes, he would look down after feeling a gaze but whenever he did that, Gyeoul would fidget with Yu Jitae¡¯s clothes and look away at a distant ce.

    That was the same as before, but her feigning-ignorance skills were getting more natural as time passed.

    Although it had been less than a month since she was born, he could feel her weight changing. It was safe to assume that her brain was developing at a simr rate.

    *

    Just like that, time passed until the day broke on the day of the entrance ceremony. Wearing cadet clothes, Bom and Yeorum entered the grand hall while Yu Jitae watched them from the guardian seats with Gyeoul in his arms.

    Dozens ofrge cameras faced the stage.

    After more than a thousand new cadets took their seats, the entrance ceremony began. An award certificate was presented to the cadet with the highest marks, after which a musical performance was held as amemoration.

    When those ended, Kaeul, who was still in her immersed state stood on the stage alongside two supporting derers.

    And soon, the derations of the new cadets began.

    *

    In front of the mic, the first words of Act 3 escaped Kaeul¡¯s mouth.

    [I dere for the evesting prosperity of the human race.]

    For a long time, she felt like she was walking through a thick fog. She felt anxious, sad, exhausted and couldn¡¯t even sleep during nights. Despite standing still, her heart raced and the tips of her fingers trembled.

    Yu Kaeul thought that she was feeling nervous because of the approaching entrance ceremony.

    [¡­This is a duty we face from the time civilization began; from the moment history was recorded; and from the time existences constituted a society.]

    But after keeping those emotions for several days,

    Yu Kaeul could finally understand.

    As she continued with the pledges one by one, she reflected on the emotions she received from Yu Jitae ¨C the miserable state of a fallen, destroyed person; the sorrow that had to be felt as the weak; hatred of everything in existence and detesting oneself more than anything for inability to protect loved ones.

    Empathising herself with that person, she felt sorrow trembling her body. It was so pitiful that Kaeul wanted to console him. If he was here in this ce, what would he say? Kaeul closed her eyes, as a drop of tear flowed down her cheek.

    A friend of our ahjussi, who I don¡¯t know the name of.

    In his memories.

    [¡­In this ce, I vow.]

    *

    [¡­Regardless of death, in this ce where we hope for progress, we vow by the fallen blood and sweat for this oath.]

    She continued without a single mistake. The expression and atmosphere behind her deration was enough to subconsciously draw a story inside one¡¯s head.

    It was a performance that made Ha Junsoo unconsciously form a tight fist.

    [¡­In hopes that it would remain in thisnd forever, until the children of the distant future may remember our names.]

    There, Kaeul stood.

    ¡°¡­Wahh, this year¡¯s derer is no joke.¡±

    ¡°¡­Seriously insane. It¡¯s the best of the best.¡±

    He could hear murmuring voices.

    Kaeul sessfully finished the deration.

    After the entrance ceremony came to an end and all the remaining procedures had been taken care of, Yu Jitae was waiting for her outside the building when the baby chicken walked out with a deeply excited expression.

    Both of her cheeks had deep red flushes.

    Perhaps the experience of the deration was too intense but like what Bom had said, Kaeul¡¯s immersion had naturally been undone.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The baby chicken slowly walked up to him. There were wet tears hanging on her wide, circr eyes.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­ Did I, do a good job¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae replied by cing his hand on her head.

    ¡°You did.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    On the verge of tears, Kaeul approached and hugged him tight. Soon, albeitte, Yu Jitae hugged her back.

    One experience was enough.

    Today will remain in the corner of her memories and will stay alive forever.

 Chapter 34: Gaze (1)

    <h4>Chapter 34: Gaze (1)</h4>

    ¡°Oh my, my dear sister?¡±

    Yeorum licked her lips with the end of her tongue and gave a coquettish smile.

    ¡°U, unni. H, hello¡­?¡±

    With a frightened expression, the baby chicken looked around. She was in the small dorm, and there was nowhere to hide.

    It seemed that the time she spent in her immersive state also remained in her memories.

    ¡°You look fine now don¡¯t you? That¡¯s good. Then should we have a little chat?¡±

    ¡°A, ahjussi!¡±

    Yeorum took a step closer while the baby chicken freaked out and turned around. Her eyes facing Yu Jitae seemed to be screaming S.O.S. and after hearing her shout, Yeorum also looked at Yu Jitae.

    They seemed to be waiting for a response and soon, Yu Jitae nonchntly opened his mouth.

    ¡°Do what you want.¡±

    There was no saviour for Yu Kaeul.

    After the permission was given, Yeorum walked a step closer.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    Her voice dripped with coldness.

    ¡°Mummy¡­!¡±

    Kaeul hid behind Yu Jitae¡¯s back. When Yeorum quickly dashed in and arrived behind Yu Jitae, the baby chicken threw her body to his front. And when Yeorum went back to the front, the baby chicken hid behind his back yet again in fright.

    Yeorum made a frown.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    ¡°Uahh, don¡¯t wanna!¡±

    ¡°Thirty if youe by yourself, and forty if you get caught.¡±

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t want either¡­!¡±

    They went around Yu Jitae three to four times.

    In the end, Kaeul became a victim of all sorts of wrestling techniques after being caught by Yeorum, and the house was filled with echoing screams. After the baby chicken copsed in tatters, Yeorum then stood up with a satisfied smile hanging on her face.

    ¡°You asked if I enjoyed harassing you, right? It¡¯s actually not that fun.¡±

    When the baby chicken turned her teary eyes at herself, Yeorum let out a moan, ¡°Haang¡­¡±

    ¡°It excites me.¡±

    There were lots of people looking for Kaeul.

    ¨C Uh¡­ Mister Yu Jitae, what about just once?

    Although hepletely ignored the phone calls of others, he still picked up the call from Team Leader Yong of the PR team. She was the person who had given a chance to Kaeul, who had been oblivious.

    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about her being Lair¡¯s public model, no.¡±

    ¨C I see. Is there perhaps a reason?

    ¡°There are circumstances.¡±

    ¨C Ahh¡­

    What could she do after hearing that? Team Leader Yong was extremely regretful.

    It was natural. The person she was looking for was the main derer herself, who had excelled so much that the media called her as the best of the best. This was the best opportunity for Kaeul to give a great change to Lair¡¯s image.

    ¨C Aigo. That¡¯s so unfortunate.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    But he remained obstinate. Yu Jitae had also checked the reactions from the public on the inte.

    Yu Kaeul.

    That name had entered the top trending topics of Korea¡¯s web portal and rted reports as well asments had exploded out.

    Most of thements had beenplimenting Yu Kaeul¡¯s appearance, or her deration. However, there were seldomly some negativements and a few of them had vulgarnguage as if they were swearing at a sworn enemy.

    The issue was that she was being mentioned too much. Although there were tens of thousands ofpliments, there existed thousands of insults as well.

    This, was the borderline.

    Taking a step further from here would make things bothersome.

    ¨C In that case, what about just one interview?

    ¡°An interview, huh.¡±

    ¨C Yes. If you express that she wouldn¡¯t be appearing on television there, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to better convey the thoughts of the Yu household?

    That much would be okay. But her offer was most definitely not out of pure kindness.

    ¡°¡­Are you thinking of an exclusive interview from the PR team.¡±

    ¨C Aht.

    Team Leader Yong flinched but soon gave out a gentleugh. It was the cunningugh of a middle-aged woman.

    ¨C In exchange, we will also provide help when needed.

    ¡°That would be good. But not from the PR team.¡±

    ¨C Sorry?

    ¡°When needed, if Team Leader Yong can help us privately, we will agree to the interview.¡±

    PR team¡¯s help and a private aid from Team Leader Yong Dohee were different. There was a connotation that thetter was a bit more secretive.

    ¨C Okay. That would be good. Although it¡¯s been some time since I washed my hands of it, that used to be my field of expertise in the past.

    Washed her hands?

    ¨C Back in the days, I used to be a paparazzi.

    He had a feeling that she would be a decent ally.

    *

    Q: Hello, Cadet Yu Kaeul.

    A: Yes, hello!

    Q: Currently in intemunities, Cadet Kaeul¡¯s deration is going extremely viral right now. I¡¯m sure you know that already?

    A: Yes yes.

    Q: There are lots of positivements about¡­

    ¡°Ah, one second.¡±

    Team Leader Yong intervened and stopped the interview.

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I told you to get rid of those things as much as possible, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, I got it.¡±

    After being scolded by Team Leader Yong, the interviewer fidgeted with the script.

    Q: There are many people curious about how Cadet Kaeul spends her day. What do you do usually?

    A: I eat delicious food! Macarons, chicken, red velvet cake, chocte, ice cream, churros, jokbal, bossam, and¡­ uh¡­ and chocte¡­ (etc).

    Due to leaving out all the sensitive and provocative questions, the result was a trivial interview, which Kaeul innocently continued giving answers to. Nothing was problematic until that point and it was exactly the same as how the interview had been nned to be like.

    Finally, it was time for the long-awaited final question.

    Q: Do you, by any chance, not n to appear on TV programmes?

    Kaeul stole a furtive nce at Yu Jitae and he returned a nod.

    The night after the deration ended, he had asked Kaeul whether she would be okay with that or not. In response, Kaeul gave a nod and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. We made a promise right?¡± before closing her mouth shut for a long time.

    A: Yes. There aren¡¯t any ns.

    Q: I¡¯m sure everyone will agree that that¡¯s a shame.

    A: Hehe.

    Q: Is it possible to ask you why?

    A: Uh, umm¡­ my mum¡­ Ah, never mind! Can you edit this out?

    Mum told me to treasure and keep promises, just as I would with my life.

    Kaeul swallowed those words in.

    ***

    Fall semester.

    It was the first day of school.

    Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul were wearing short-sleeved cadet shirts.

    Haytling was slowly getting colder and there was a need to get prepared for the uing winter. He should buy warm clothes and a thicker nket. Although no-one would really need it, that was still the thought that popped up in his head.

    ¡°What lessons are you taking unni?¡±

    Kaeul asked during breakfast.

    ¡°Un. I¡¯m studying superhuman studies, humanities, magic studies, societal studies, aesthetics¡­¡±

    Bom had mostly chosen nonbat subjects. Of course, there were somepulsorybat subjects she was taking.

    ¡°What about Yeorum-unni?¡±

    ¡°PE, swordsmanship sses, barehanded fight sses,bat experience, military science, history of wars, gender and growth, criminal psychology¡­¡±

    Yeorum spoke while chewing on her sandwich. Her subjects were mainly focused onbat.

    ¡°What¡¯s gender and growth?¡±

    ¡°Sex. What else would it be.¡±

    The baby chicken looked at Yeorum with a sour expression.

    ¡°Then what lessons are you taking, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi is our guardian.¡±

    ¡°Guardians don¡¯t take lessons?¡±

    ¡°Un. He will probably visit and observe during lessons.¡±

    Just like what Bom said, guardians had the right to freely visit during the lessons of the cadets.

    In Lair, the title called a guardian had a rather unique position.

    Taking care of children was a given, while they would also form connections with other households, families and guilds. Even Yu Jitae had received a few letters from professors due to Bom, and had received several phone calls from study groups asking for Yeorum.

    After Kaeul stood on the entrance ceremony, it became even worse. Even right now, there were messages hitting his watch periodically, every five minutes, from agencies, management team, A&R staff members,rge guilds and renowned households.

    Yesterday, he had also received a message from a social gathering of guardians. Apparently, it was a ce where various data were shared in order to nurture the top 1% of cadets.

    He didn¡¯t return a reply as he was nning to wait and see for the time being.

    Due to that, he might be busy during the semester.

    He was busy during the day as the children¡¯s guardian, and there were numerous things to take care of during nighttime as well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to school.¡±

    After finishing their meals, he was about to leave the house.

    That was when a pitiable gaze approached and pierced through the back of his head. No matter what, he judged that it wouldn¡¯t be possible to take Gyeoul along today and thus, Yu Jitae crouched down and met his line of sight with Gyeoul.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stay with that cleaner over there for today.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you fine with that.¡±

    She formed a startled expression and hesitated.

    Gyeoul¡¯s thoughts wereplex.

    She didn¡¯t want to be separated from Yu Jitae. Therefore, she wanted to shake her head and insist on following along, but didn¡¯t want to be a nuisance to him at the same time.

    The blue-haired child was caught in a dilemma.

    ¡°Have fun.¡±

    With an anxious expression that was moments away from breaking out into tears, Gyeoul nodded her head. Yu Jitae took the unnis out and cold-heartedly left through the door and left alone, Gyeoul sat down in front of the door and hugged the blue teddy bear with her two arms.

    She then watched the door for a long time.

    ¡°Umm, mydy. Should I read you a fairy tale?¡±

    After finally reading the mood, the protector came up with a fairy tale in its hand. It was thinking of imitating Bom, who would sometimes read a book to Gyeoul.

    But Gyeoul did not even spare a nce at the protector.

    ¡°Umm¡­ mydy?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Then, I will get on with the fairy tale.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The name of the book is, ¡®My dad is a fairy!¡¯.¡±

    But after hearing the title, Gyeoul looked back at the protector with a slightly intrigued expression. With the voice resembling the screeching sound of metal, the protector started reading the book.

    ¡°A long long time ago, once upon a time¡­ It seems that it is set before the era of the demons. Anyways, Dolsun was living with her father¡­ Hmm, it appears that her mother is dead.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Before going to sleep, her dad told Dolsun old stories¡­ Interesting. Before the era of demons should have been the great war of the primeval forest. Anyways, Dolsun would listen to her dad¡¯s stories before happily going to sleep¡­ Dolsun must have been a war addict.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But the next morning when she woke up, her dad wasn¡¯t in the house¡­ Ahh, did he go looking for a new mum? I heard that there was a culture of making prisoners of war into concubines back in the days. Anyways, so Dolsun¡­¡±

    The protector stopped its words. It was because it could feel a terrifying gaze.

    Carefully lifting its gaze from the book, it found Gyeoul ring at itself. As if she was looking at a detestable thing, she appeared greatly upset.

    ¡°¡­What happened, mydy? Did you perhaps not like the book?¡±

    Gyeoul, who had been hugging the teddy bear with her two arms, reached out with one of her hands. She was demanding the book.

    When the protector handed the book over, Gyeoul hid it behind her back. She then pointed at a location with her finger.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Following the tip of her finger, the protector looked at the ce she was pointing at before turning back to her in confusion.

    The baby¡¯s expression was serious.

    Her finger was pointing to the corner of the living room, where the protector stood still like a statue whenever it was night.

    The protector, was banished.

    *

    The Yu household entered the academy district. They were unlucky in the sense that none of their first lessons were shared inmon. Their rooms were different and they had to therefore separate and go their own way.

    In front of a crossroad, they stopped their feet.

    From this point onward would depend on themselves.

    ¡°See youter.¡±

    ¡°Yess!¡±

    ¡°Call me if there¡¯s a problem.¡±

    ¡°Okay. What will you do, ahjussi?¡±

    Since it was the first day, he decided to follow Yeorum.

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    What do you mean, why.

    ¡°I don¡¯t cause any problems. I¡¯ve been pretty docile recently right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How shocking. Is that how you see me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t follow me! It¡¯s annoying.¡±

    Yeorum walked off first while grumbling and he stood on the spot, all alone.

    Thinking back, she did change a little. Even when reporters followed her, she avoided them after swearing for a few seconds and when someone picked a fight with her, she would stick to profanities without relying on her fists.

    Wouldn¡¯t it be fine to leave her alone?

    It was when he was about to change his ns.

    Yeorum, who had been walking up, threw a nce behind. When their eyes met, she gave a frown and continued walking forward, but soon nced at him again.

    ¡°What are you doing? Will you take responsibility if I¡¯mte?¡±

    You told me not to follow.

    After some contemtion, Yu Jitae¡¯s thoughts led him to a reasonable suspicion. It was a suspicion that she might not know the way to her ss.

    He stood next to Yeorum, but when he did, Yeorum faced him with a frown.

    ¡°The guardian should be taking the lead!¡±

    It appeared that she was clueless.

 Chapter 35: Gaze (2)

    <h4>Chapter 35: Gaze (2)</h4>

    First lesson.

    After following Yeorum, Yu Jitae sat down on the guardian seats prepared at the very back of the lesson room. There were many guardians present, perhaps because it was the first lesson of Lair.

    ¡°I am the teacher of swordsmanship sses, Kai.¡±

    An ordinary first lesson began.

    To be honest, it wasn¡¯t much.

    It was simr to a university lecture; the old man moured, while the kids were bored. Unexpectedly, Yeorum didn¡¯t fall asleep or fidget. Although the sulky look on her face reflected her boredom, she still listened to the lecture.

    He wasn¡¯t even expecting her to write anything down and considered it to be fine as long as she didn¡¯t fall asleep straight after the beginning of the lesson.

    If she appeared unable to tolerate the boredom, he thought of having her quit Lair and heading to an underground arena in Mexico, but despite the poor behaviour, Yeorum listened to the teacher.

    Yu Jitae asked after ss.

    ¡°You were listening well. Wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡±

    ¡°I need to try my hardest until I can smash that bastard.¡±

    She seemed to be talking about Javier Carma. In truth, she was the most diligent despite being within the scope of daily lives. Yu Jitae remembered how Yeorum spent a few hours everyday in training centres.

    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s boring. Seriously.¡±

    But when the boring lessons were repeated three times, Yeorum made a frown.

    ¡°And how long are you going to follow?¡±

    ¡°At least the whole day today.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m your guardian.¡±

    In response to his words, Yeorum rolled her eyes in boredom.

    ¡°You are still boring.¡±

    When he didn¡¯t give a response, Yeorummented her situation.

    ¡°If a kidnapper was some interesting kidnapper, how good would it be? You looked like a super bad bastard so there was this thrill, you know? I was expecting this and that to happen and yet there¡¯s no such thing either.¡±

    The Regressor returned a random nod.

    ¡°Your atmosphere is like the worst person in existence, so why do you act so nice? Your actual nature and actions seem inconsistent. Isn¡¯t it boring to live like that?¡±

    ¡°Even then, I need to live.¡±

    ¡°That too. Why would you continue living if it¡¯s a boring life?¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head.

    ¡°Because life continues, and giving up isn¡¯t an option.¡±

    Yeorum, who knew nothing about his inner thoughts, let out a sigh.

    ¡°¡­Whatever. So, what¡¯s my next lesson?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a free period.¡±

    ¡°Ohh, really?¡±

    Hearing those two words, interest surfaced in her crimson eyes.

    ¡°Then do you want to go to that ce with me?¡±

    As if in direct contrast with the expression from before, she had a bright look on her face.

    ¡°Where is ¡®that ce¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The shooting range!¡±

    Recently, she had been watching a drama rted to World War I. While watching a sports drama, she would exercise all day and after watching a drama of a war, she seemed to be itching to shoot a gun.

    She walked at the front with excitement. It made Yu Jitae realise again that she too was a hatchling, in the middle of an Amusement.

    But there was a person who ruined her mood.

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re Cadet Yu Yeorum, right?¡±

    On the way from the academy district to the entertainment district ¨C at a ce which did not prohibit the entry of outsiders, a reporter found Yeorum and dashed in.

    ¡°Ha, fuck.¡±

    She, who had previously been surrounded by reporters a few times, let out a curse.

    Heaving out a sigh, she lowered her head and continued walking forward. Then, the reporter ran up to her and walked backwards while matching his pace with Yeorum, and shoved the mic forward.

    ¡°Wahh! Cadet Yeorum. Hello. This is the public broadcast team TTA, from Taiwan! Would an interview be okay?¡±

    Without replying, she walked faster but the reporter followed her pace while walking backward.

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long! There won¡¯t be many questions! Cadet Yu Yeorum!?¡±

    When Yeorum picked up her speed, the reporter found it difficult to keep up while running backward and thus turned around before following her.

    ¡°Cadet! Cadet Yeorum!¡±

    There was a problem and it was that the reporter¡¯s voice was too loud. Unfortunately, the road Yeorum was walking on had a cafe nearby which was frequented by reporters.

    ¡°What? Cadet Yu Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    Hearing the voice of the Tainwanese reporter, reporters from all around the world kicked their poor seats behind and dashed towards them. It was because of the recent event with Kaeul resulting in the rise of the Yu household¡¯s fame worldwide.

    ¡°Excuse me! Cadet Yu Yeorum! Is it possible to have an interview about Cadet Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°Wait a second please! We are from Korea! KSB!¡±

    ¡°What did you mean when you shouted sex in the Azure Dragon study group¡¯s interview?¡±

    Reporters ran in like zombies and blocked the front. There were more than ten reporters present.

    Unable to ignore and evade them anymore, Yeorum stood still on the spot. Then, she raised her head up.

    ¡°Cadet Yeorum? If you agree with the interview¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­Did you mean that you would be having a sexual rtionship at the study group?¡±

    The questions continued building up.

    Yeorum turned her head around with a flick and stared at Yu Jitae. In return, he shook his head. Using fists wasn¡¯t allowed.

    Seeing that, Yeorum heaved out a sigh but soon, her eyes bent into crescents as if she thought of something.

    ¡°Okay. Line up in front of me. I¡¯ll answer one question each.¡±

    Although it was a strange, iprehensible request, that was the image of Yeorum that had been spread to the media. Despite feeling dumbfounded, they still made a queue in front of her.

    Yu Jitae, who had been quietly watching the situation, opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take care of it. Now! Your questions please!¡±

    ¡°Hello I¡¯m Zai Xian from China¡¯s CCTV. Do you perhaps know the reason Cadet Yu Kaeul rejected appearing on TV?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Whether that yellow monkey appears on TV or not is none of my business. Why ask me that?¡±

    ¡°None of your business, yellow monkey¡­ by using those expressions, do you mean that there is a discord inside the household?¡±

    ¡°What? Discord?¡±

    ¡°It seems that you are not in a good rtionship with other cadets of the household.¡±

    The questions were obstinate and stubborn. It was the best topic to use for people who were interested in gossip about the cadets of Lair.

    It was important to give a prudent response.

    ¡°There is. Whenever that bitch acts stupid, I can¡¯t hold myself back from pping her butt.¡±

    ¡°S, sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°But her butt is very bouncy. It feels good to touch once in a while when I¡¯m bored. Is that okay for an answer?¡±

    ¡°¡­So you mean there is discord?¡±

    ¡°Slow-witted as heck.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°So what if there is; why do you care? Go away if you¡¯re done with the question. Next!¡±

    The reporter was about to say something back in response to Yeorum¡¯s violentnguage, but was pushed away by another reporter.

    Even now, a video footage was still being taken. Thus, Yu Jitae started contemting.

    Should he stop this? Or was it okay.

    The reason for his pondering was because of the regtions concerning Lair¡¯s enrolment. Using vulgar words that damaged the dignity of Lair would result in penalty points to the student.

    ¡°Yes. This is Park Kangho from Jeju Daily News. What did you mean when you shouted sex back in the Azure Dragon study group?¡±

    This time, the question was even more blunt.

    Yeorum took a step closer in and shoved her face forward. Startled, Park Kangho pulled his neck back with a red face, but they were close enough to have their breaths touch each other.

    With that short distance between them, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°Mister reporter.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to have sex with me?¡±

    She licked her lips.

    In that instant, Park Kangho from Jeju Daily News was turned stiff in surprise. As if she found that reaction boring, the smile disappeared from Yeorum¡¯s face and she distanced herself with irritation filling her face.

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s the sex I meant. How long are you going to make use of something you know already? It must feel good to make a damn living by nitpicking on what others say. Next!¡±

    Frozen stiff, Park Kangho was shoved away by other reporters.

    ¡°I am Japan¡¯s¡­¡±

    Around the time the next reporter was starting to open his mouth, Yu Jitae made a decision. He moved his body and after blocking Yeorum¡¯s mouth with one hand, he picked her up by her waist with the other and carried her by his side.

    It happened in an instant while the reporters were puzzled. Yeorum attempted to resist in a fluster but couldn¡¯t fight against Yu Jitae¡¯s strength and immediately after, he disappeared from that ce.

    ¡°Uhh?¡±

    ¡°They disappeared! Where are they!?¡±

    The reporters were lost as to what to do.

    ***

    Unlike what he had expected, Yeorum wasn¡¯t offended. Although she found it regretful that she couldn¡¯t go to the shooting range, she didn¡¯t make otherints aftering down from his side.

    During dinner, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°It was good that you cut me off there. I might have lost my temper and smacked them.¡±

    ¡°Why did you do that. You could have avoided them.¡±

    ¡°Like, it¡¯s been more than just one or two days. I don¡¯t really care about what others think, but they bother me every single time so how would I stay sane?¡±

    ¡°You could get expelled by doing that.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Whatever. Anyways, since I pretty much directly told them my thoughts, they wouldn¡¯te again.¡±

    It seemed that Yeorum had spouted such words simply because she found the reporters obnoxious. But Bom, from the other side of the table, deeply stared at Yeorum.

    ¡°Why? What¡¯s funny?¡±

    ¡°Things might not go the way you think.¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you mean. Did you see something?¡±

    When Yeorum made a frown, Bom gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°Un.¡±

    *

    That night, Yeorum¡¯s news flooded the inte. It started from the fingertips of the reporters that had been present during the scene.

    [A superhuman cadet requesting a sexual rtionship with a reporter?]

    [Sex! After being asked why, she¡­]

    Most of the news reports had such provocative titles. Like always, these appeared appealing and gained more clicks while the actual report itself would be about something different.

    ¡®Dude, like who would believe this¡­¡¯

    One of the online viewers clicked the link for the benefit of the doubt.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    And after reading the article, he was surprised.

    The protagonist of the news article was none other than Yu Yeorum ¨C that cadet who let out blunt remarks against every reporter worldwide. This article too contained a dumbfounding content.

    Lair¡¯smunity, as well as a fanmunity of superhumans started burning up withments.

    ¨C Crazy kekekekekek

    ¨C Seriously must be crazy. Her temper is no joke lol

    ¨C Which household supports someone like that lol

    ¨C I love crazy people like that kekekekek

    There were ones who showed positive reactions.

    ¨C Uhh. Not my style;;;

    ¨C Isn¡¯t she actually crazy? That¡¯s a disgrace of Korean superhumans.

    ¨C This is unpleasant. How spoiled must she have been at home to be like that with that age¡­

    ¨C She sounds very loose..

    While there were also displeased reactions.

    A media critic referred to Yeorum¡¯s behaviour as ¡®a raw delight and repulsion¡¯. Just like what he said, there was a clear distinction between those that liked her way of speech and behaviour, and those that disliked it.

    Fortunately, the aftermath wasn¡¯t too big, as it was a rough remark of a nameless superhuman cadet.

    But thinking that there might be a problem, Yu Jitae gave a call to Team Leader Yong, of the PR team. It was because he judged that the PR team would have started taking actions if it was deemed negative to Lair¡¯s image.

    ¨C No. It¡¯s not that serious. It should die down after being mentioned for a few hours.

    ¡°Is that how it is?¡±

    ¨C Yes, but wow¡­ Cadet Yeorum is like fire isn¡¯t she?

    The middle-aged woman giggled as if she was enjoying it.

    ¨C Actually, there had been a call from the education department.

    ¡°Did they say anything.¡±

    ¨C Well, they said this much was fine. There¡¯s the fact that the reporters were a bit annoying. Ah, there were some people who liked Cadet Yeorum for her words being straightforward.

    ¡°It was a blunt remark, and yet they like it?¡±

    ¨C Fans of superhumans, who got a bad image after being disliked by reporters ¨C well, people like that. These days, the reputation of reporters are just way too bad.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Team Leader Yong Dohee made a bitter smile.

    ording to her words, it wasn¡¯t a big issue, nor was it an extremely negative situation. It was when Yu Jitae was about to end the call with a thanks.

    ¨C Ah, did you hear that by the way?

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¨C I heard that a personal fancafe for Yeorum was created.

 Chapter 36: Gaze (3)

    <h4>Chapter 36: Gaze (3)</h4>

    [TLN: [s]zzz is like lol in Korean.[/s] Will change to kek]

    ++++++++

    [Yu Yeorum owning a reporter. Video]

    [Likes: 5812 / Dislikes: 1172]

    ¨C kekekekek it feels so refreshing.

    ¨C I wanna live like that as well lol.

    ¨C Look at those fucking trash reporters blocking the road.

    ¨C Even the questions are damn rude. Lol

    ¨C I would be mad as well if they nitpick on what I say.

    ¨C It¡¯s about time to let Hyangdan go¡­ T.T Summer must havee to my heart¡­

    ¨Nkekekekek Same lol. I¡¯m dying from heat.

    ¨NFor real lol. I love her.

    ++++++++

    Seeing the reaction on the inte, Yeorum¡¯s expression crumpled.

    ¡°¡­Did they all go crazy?¡±

    [Q. There are lots of people looking for Cadet Yeorum all of a sudden. How does it feel?]

    [Yu Yeorum: Feels pretty shit.]

    ¨C kekekek. Ah

    ¨C Love it T.T

    ¨C lololololol

    ¨C I¡¯m gonna be reborn as shit in my next life.

    [Q. Did you hear that a fancafe had been made? Would you like a word for your fans?]

    [Yu Yeorum: Crazy.]

    ¨C kekekek We crazy for you!!

    ¨C It¡¯s great for our fanclub name. Crazy ones lol.

    ¨C Yeorum and the Crazy ones lolol

    ¨C Haak haak. In this life, I will be crazy forever.

    [Q. Cadet Yeorum. The name of the fancafe has been decided to be ¡®People crazy for Yeorum.¡¯ Is it to your liking?]

    [Yu Yeorum: I don¡¯t care. You crazy lunatics.]

    ¨C Oi T.T our master is calling us.

    ¨C Swear at me more please¡­?

    ¨C Ahh, I¡¯m damn jealous of that reporter. I wanna get swore at as well T.T

    ¨C Swear at me! Hit me! Aang¡­

    [Q. Cadet Yeorum. Among the fans that really love you, there are people that want to get swore at. If it¡¯s okay, can you swear at them just once?]

    [Yu Yeorum: (Walks away)]

    ¨C Oi you retarded reporter. Of course she would run with that question. Fuck. Return Yeorum for us!

    ¨C I¡¯ll swear at the reporter instead. ¡ª-Fucking stupid, seriously.

    ¨C Where are you going Yeorum T.T Swear at me please¡­

    ¨C Insult me. Quickly call me a damn pig. T.T

    Seeing the article, Yeorum¡¯s eyebrows flinched.

    She couldn¡¯t understand the inte culture.

    ***

    Today¡¯s dinner menu was a delivery from a Chinese restaurant.

    The dark ck bean noodle was Kaeul¡¯s, and the spicy noodle soup was Yeorum¡¯s. Two tes of fried rice and a dish of sweet and sour pork was ced in front of Yu Jitae and Bom.

    Putting a spoonful into her mouth, Kaeul munched it with admiration while Bom spoon-fed Gyeoul, who was sitting on herp. The small mouth could be seen chewing on the food.

    ¡°Yeorum. How about you just go back and forth from the house to the academy district for the time being?¡±

    Bom said.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good if there are lots of people looking for you!? I heard from somewhere, but the superhumans eat off of poprity apparently?¡±

    That was from Kaeul.

    Until then, Yeorum didn¡¯t say anything. While mixing the soup and the noodles a little, she opened her mouth with a frown.

    ¡°It¡¯s damn annoying. I don¡¯t even care how they think of me but I just find it annoying to have my path blocked.¡±

    It was her honestint.

    ¡°Plus I spoke blunt, and them liking that is also annoying! Like, why on earth would you like that? I¡¯m swearing to make them feel shit though? Do they feel good to get swore at? They are seriously crazy.¡±

    As Yeorum trembled in anger, Kaeul let out a chuckle. But after receiving a nce from her, she forcibly made a smile.

    ¡°Then how about you follow her when she goes to y around, ahjussi?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded in response to Bom¡¯s words.

    In fact, today, he started forcing back the reporters who approached Yeorum. Until now, he hadn¡¯t interfered because it was something for Yeorum to solve on her own, but after seeing the reporters gather every single day over the past few days, his thoughts had changed.

    They had crossed the line.

    ¡°By the way.¡±

    That was when Yeorum talked to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°That thing ¨C how did you do it?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, that thing.¡±

    ¡°That, you know. When you red at the reporters, they all deliberately opened up a path right?¡±

    Yeorum thought of what happened during the day today.

    After the end of the lesson on the way back from the academy district, she had gone to themercial district in order to buy something and had faced the reporters. Yu Jitae, who would usually stay back with his hands behind his back, stood in front of her today.

    He then stared at the reporters.

    That was when something mysterious happened. The reporters that had been walking up all stopped their feet at the same time. As if they were staring at a terrifying beast, some of them lost bnce and fell on their bums.

    ¡°It was you that threatened them right?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a threat.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°They were annoying, so I did think that they were a bit irritating.¡±

    Back then when Yu Jitae took a step forward, the reporters naturally formed a path like the red sea being divided.

    Thinking back on that, light flickered in Yeorum¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°That, was pretty sick. You didn¡¯t say anything and yet the reporters were scared stiff right? Those retards.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a must for someone that¡¯s my guardian.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So you know, can you teach me that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That, gaze attack. If I learn that, wouldn¡¯t I be able to chase all the reporters away?¡±

    A gaze attack?

    ¡°Hnn? Teach me please.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing that great.¡±

    ¡°How did you do it though? There should still be a method right.¡±

    ¡°I looked into their eyes.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    He hesitated on the answer.

    Killing intent was a weapon which the Regressor sharpened over the six regressions. Facing the reporters that blocked his path, he thought of killing them.

    Of course, there was no reason for him to tell her everything.

    ¡°¡­I thought, I want to punch them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    cing the chopsticks down, she threw her nce over to Yu Jitae. Then, she red at him with the sinister gaze ¨C the symbol of the red race.

    ¡°How is it? Is it frightening?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±

    For Yu Jitae, it wasn¡¯t scary at all.

    Then, she started ring at Bom and Kaeul with the same expression. Although they could definitely feel that it was an unpleasant gaze, it wasn¡¯t particrly scary as there wasn¡¯t any killing intent behind it.

    ¡°Not scary? Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Nn. It is scary but¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm, damn it. Then you try it. I don¡¯t get scared easily anyways. So just think of wanting to hit me.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. Just eat your meal.¡±

    ¡°Why? I¡¯m going to go to the entertainment district a lot from now as well and you can¡¯t follow me every single time right? You have stuff to do so just do it once. I¡¯ll remember that gaze perfectly.¡±

    It did make sense.

    Being a dragon, perhaps she might be able to imitate it perfectly after seeing it once. Persuaded, Yu Jitae ced the spoon down on the table.

    Seeing that, Bom blocked Gyeoul¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As a strange sense of tension filled the dining table,

    Yu Jitae looked into Yeorum¡¯s eyes. It was the same hazy gaze as before.

    ¡®What, it¡¯s nothing much,¡¯ thought Yeorum but it was then.

    In an instant, the air suddenly felt heavy.

    Sound began dying away. As she was about to lose her mind to that hazy gaze of his, the surrounding scenery was pushed away to the side.

    Then, Yeorum felt a suffocating feeling.

    As if the eyes of arge beast was right before her, Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze had a fierce strength within. With a gulp, she subconsciously swallowed saliva.

    That was when Yu Jitae retrieved his gaze.

    ¡°Was that enough?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah, that was awesome. I almost pissed my pants.¡±

    She excitedly stared at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Just then, you thought of hitting me right?¡±

    ¡°Simr.¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    As if she came to an understanding, Yeorum gave a faint smile.

    ***

    Before long, an opportunity arrived before her.

    Yeorum wore a cap and a pair of sunsses while walking around, but couldn¡¯t hide her red hair. When she was leaving the cinemas, reporters who knew that Yeorum would frequently appear in the entertainment district that had been lying in wait, walked up to her.

    As always, random questions befell her. Most of the questions were about Yeorum¡¯s previous way of speech and attitude while there were asionally some questions about the fans.

    ¡°Cadet Yu Yeorum! This is a live recording! Please look this way once!¡±

    Among those, there was also a youtuber.

    Today also happened to be a day without Yu Jitae following behind.

    Heaving out a sigh in irritation, Yeorum took her sunsses off. She then red at the reporters just like how she had learnt from Yu Jitae. Closing her eyes, Yeorum thought of Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze from the day before and was certain that she could imitate it to a certain extent.

    These bastards. I wanna punch them so bad.

    She faced the reporters with that resolve embedded within her gaze. Then, something strange happened ¨C the reporters started sweating in nervousness.

    Although Yeorum didn¡¯t know, that was a situation based on [Fear] of the dragons. The gaze filled with rage of a higher level of existence caused an instinctive fear to rise within them.

    After seeing what happened, she walked past them in satisfaction. She then stared at the youtuber who was in the middle of a live session.

    ¡°Hey you mister. Did you say it was a live recording?¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah¡­ yes! Right now, there are lots of your fans present, Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    The youtuber nced at thement section of the video. After Yeorum took a step closer in, there was an explosive reaction from thements.

    ¨C Wow holy shit. She¡¯s suuper pretty.

    ¨C Her hair is so red.

    ¨C Yeorum T.T

    ¨C Wow shit. Talk to her a bit more.

    ¨C Tell her to swear at you.

    The youtuber was about to open his mouth, but Yeorum stopped him before he could.

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in something like that. More importantly, you know the movie Daystar, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡­! Of course.¡±

    He quickly got rid of his nervousness and forced a smile. Daystar was currently the top trending movie and it was presumed to easily reach ten million views in just Korea as well.

    But why was she suddenly talking about that¡­?

    ¡°The protagonist¡¯s sister is the final viin.¡±

    ¨C ?

    ¨C ?

    ¨C Ah fk I didn¡¯t watch it yet.

    ¨C ?

    ¨C I was gonna watch it today;;;

    ¨C Oi this is a bit¡ª

    ¡°Ah, umm¡­ I, I see.¡±

    ¡°And also, the protagonist of the series dies.¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah¡­!¡±

    ¡°The girl he thought of as a girlfriend was actually an underling of the viin¡­¡±

    After firmly sharing all the spoilers she could about the most popr movie, she turned around.

    She felt refreshed.

    ¡®After doing this much, they won¡¯t follow anymore right?¡¯

    ***

    But Yeorum¡¯s thoughts were off the mark yet again.

    [Today¡¯s superhuman! Yu Yeorum.]

    That night, articles starteding up on the inte. Although Dragon Fear was terrifying, it wasn¡¯t visible on the photo and the only thing remaining after excluding the Fear was Yeorum¡¯s gaze.

    [Melting the hearts of reporters with a deadly attractive gaze!]

    And the day after, Korea¡¯srgest superhuman news website [Superhuman Mecha] had the picture of Yeorum ring at the reporters uploaded. Although the reporters had been tensed up due to her gaze, they had still uploaded the photo inside their camera with a positivement.

    There were dozens ofpliments calling her pretty.

    ¡°These crazy bastards¡­¡±

    Yeorum trembled in rage, while Bom and Kaeul chuckled from the side.

 Chapter 37: This is my Joy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 37: This is my Joy (1)</h4>

    10pm. It was time for Gyeoul to go to sleep.

    While carrying the blue-haired child who closed her eyes, Bom patted her back. The gentle gasps during her sleep seemed to be conveying the child¡¯s good mood.

    ¡°Can I try doing this once?¡±

    That was when Yeorum asked a question whileing into her room. In her hand, there was a rubik¡¯s cube, which had been left as is ever since Bom and Yu Jitae had solved it once.

    ¡°Do you know how to do it?¡±

    ¡°You mix it up and put them back together right?¡±

    ¡°Un.¡±

    Closing her eyes, Yeorum mixed the cube and let out a groan. Then, she turned the cube left and right while trying to set it back to its original form.

    However, the cube wasn¡¯t easily solved and the mixed-up state of the rubik¡¯s cube appeared to be teasing her. When she somehow cleared one side, other sides would be in a mess and when one of those other sides were then matched to one colour, the previous side would be mixed again.

    ¡°Ah, fuk.¡±

    ¡°Not easy right?¡±

    ¡°No. Wait a second.¡±

    There was nothing impossible with strength ¨C that was the belief of the red race. After having all the piecese crumbling down with sheer power, Yeorum started assembling them back together.

    Seeing that, Bom made a faint smile.

    ¡°Do it gently. Gyeoul is about to go to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. By the way Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°Un.¡±

    ¡°Why do you live?¡±

    ¡°Hn?¡±

    What kind of question is that? Bom tilted her head.

    ¡°No, you know. I asked that human. About the fun stuff of his life.¡±

    ¡°To ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And he said there was nothing. People live to feel joy and fun, and to be honest, having nothing means that there is no reason to live, right?¡±

    Bom closed her mouth for a short time and pondered.

    ¡°The yellow monkey is happy by just reading a novel, and eating one delicious food makes her so happy that she could die.¡±

    ¡°Right? Kaeul is a bit like that.¡±

    ¡°But you see, from what I can tell, unni is a bit like that human.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m simr to ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s be real. Is there anything fun that makes you happy?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    After her contemtion continued for a long time, it seemed like a sh of thought popped up in Bom¡¯s head.

    Recently, there was something she found interesting.

    ¡°What. Is there one?¡±

    ¡°Un. There is.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Thinking back on something, Bom made a smile.

    ¡°Did you know, that our ahjussi actually gets embarrassed pretty easily?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Yeorum snorted.

    ¡°What are you saying. No matter how you see it, he¡¯s a psychopath with no blood or tears.¡±

    ¡°Right? That¡¯s what I thought at the start as well, but¡­¡±

    Perhaps it was because their time spent together had increased ¨C although Yu Jitae¡¯s expression was hard to see through before, the current Bom could faintly feel his emotions changing ever so slightly.

    ¡°But like, what about that human? Is there something interesting?¡±

    ¡°Un. There is.¡±

    ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t tell me you guys hug and kiss behind my back?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Oh my. Look at thisss. Did you ask him to smack your butt as well?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, that¡¯s not the case.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it?¡±

    Bom shook her head with a subtle smile on her face.

    ¡°Aigo, Gyeoul is sleeping now.¡±

    Then, she stood up from her seat while changing the topic. Thinking back, it was her first time feeling this much joy throughout her entire life.

    Bom liked teasing ahjussi.

    ***

    [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    Yu Jitae infiltrated into the alternate dimension inside him. The world was dark all around and from somewhere, a hand reached out to hand over a notepad and a pen.

    ¡°Erase up to number seven.¡±

    Nod.

    After giving a nod with the wrist, the hand drew a line over the seventh name written on the checklist. Ever since the day of Kaeul¡¯s deration audition, Yu Jitae left the dormitory at night. It was to kill demons and since he always had sleepless nights, he didn¡¯t feel exhausted.

    An unfortunate thing was that he couldn¡¯t perfectly figure out all the demons that would change with every regression. As power had an endogenous origin, it was difficult to clearly discern the power levels before they were released.

    That was the same for everyone and it was more so for high-ranked demons, who knew how to deeply conceal their true nature.

    Due to that, there would be days without any gains.

    His mind returned to reality.

    He was currently in Detroit ¨C a city withrge suppliers of weapons for the superhumans of USA¡¯s Department of Defence.

    Here, he found a demon. It was the leader of a group that carried out human experiments in order to test the performances of weapons. At the same time, he had also been secretly supplying Wei Yan with weapons.

    ¡°Kuuh¡­¡±

    The demon with a hole in its chest let out forced breaths but soon, his body was enveloped in ck mes and vanished.

    It was now time to go back home. If he was even slightlyte, Gyeoul who always woke up at the same time like an rm, would be sitting in front of the front entrance looking for him.

    By the time he returned home, it was morning. He thought it was the start of another usual day without any particr events.

    But wearing cadet clothes, Bom spoke to him.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Can youe with me today?¡±

    Her expression was as always, difficult to read.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But why?¡±

    ¡°You always go with Yeorum and Kaeul right?¡±

    Well that was true.

    Because of Yeorum¡¯s conflict with the reporters, he had been apanying her several times and he followed Kaeul a few times because she was a famous cadet as well. Besides, he needed to keep an eye out for Kaeul because her mind was fragile by nature.

    Fortunately, the two were adapting to the situation rtively well. In Kaeul¡¯s case, she seemed to have started making one or two friends.

    ¡°Heng? That¡¯s true. Why do you not go with Bom-unni, ahjussi? You followed Yeorum-unni a lot as well.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you favouring me and Yeorum-unni? I feel bad for Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case.¡±

    ¡°Favouring someone over another is bad¡­ but I can understand¡­! My mum also used to put extra care into one or two men while meeting hundred human males.¡±

    He was unwillingly made to hear about a gold dragon¡¯s personal life with males.

    ¡°Oi unlike you, your mum is pretty wild.¡±

    ¡°Right? Hehe.¡±

    In fact, he wasn¡¯t very worried about Bom. There was something like stability visible from Bom and she gave off a feeling that she would be able to aplish everything alone perfectly. Due to that, he did leave her alone more than others.

    ¡°Hmm, in that case, I¡¯m the 98 dumped men?¡±

    Bom then started talking nonsense.

    ¡°Why? You kidnapped me first and now you¡¯re not caring about me. Are you perhaps the type that doesn¡¯t care about a fish that¡¯s already been caught?¡±

    No, that¡¯s not it.

    ¡°Uaah¡­ I feel so bad for Bom-unni. Ahjussi is a bad person!¡±

    ¡°Right! You trash!¡±

    Yu Jitae touched his lower lips.

    ¡°No. That¡¯s not the case.¡±

    Three pairs of eyes red at him. A baby¡¯s gaze copied them for some reason as those four gazes asked him for his exnation.

    ¡°Like I said, that¡¯s not it.¡±

    It was when he was starting to feel slightly perplexed. Wearing an expression that suddenly became bright for an unknown reason, Bom chuckled under her breath.

    Why was she like that.

    In any case, it was thus decided that he would be apanying Bom today.

    ***

    The lessons that day consisted of superhuman studies, magic studies, aesthetics and people skills. Perhaps due to her quiet personality, Bom didn¡¯t seem like she had a lot of friends.

    ¡°Ah, hello.¡±

    ¡°Un. Hello.¡±

    ¡°Bom. Hi!¡±

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    Although the cadets faced Bom with faint goodwill regardless of gender, they didn¡¯t speak to her any more than simple greetings. The unique aura of dragons would have yed a part. A girl whom they would like to approach, but was somewhat difficult to ¨C that was the kind of image she had.

    ¡°Now. That would be the end for today¡¯s study. What should we do for the remainder of the lesson?¡±

    People skills, the general education course which wouldst 2 hours hade to an end after one hour. The cadets shouted ¡°Please finish!¡±, and ¡°Please¡­!¡± at the professor.

    ¡°Should we just end the lesson here?¡±

    A cadet responded by screaming, ¡°Yes!¡± and they allughed.

    ¡°Hahat. No way! Life isn¡¯t that easy¡­!¡±

    The professor continued.

    ¡°I am a professor that knows how to keep lesson times. The remaining time will be specially allocated to a prac lesson of a social dance! It doesn¡¯t matter which gender; please form a pair.¡±

    Maybe the atmosphere she gave off had be an obstacle but until the starting time of the dance session, there was no-one who asked Bom to be their partner. Of all things, the number of cadets listening to the lesson was an odd number and Bom ended up alone in the end.

    ¡°Ah, you over there. Have you not found a partner yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh no. Then how about I be¡­¡±

    That was when Bom asked a question by stopping the professor¡¯s words.

    ¡°Ah, by the way professor.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Will it be okay to have my guardian be my partner?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, of course. Why not!¡±

    Bom slowly threw her gaze over to the seats allocated to guardians. Amongst the dozen or so guardians that hade to visit the lesson today, she could see a face which was a level duller inparison.

    Yu Jitae heaved out a sigh.

    Something like a social dance session was something he had never learnt or had experienced. In the first ce, he had pretty much never danced throughout the repetitive regressions.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right.¡±

    The Regressor¡¯s expression was the same as always. There weren¡¯t any emotions visible and he appeared downhearted but in contrast, Bom seemed strangely excited.

    Soon, slow dance music started flowing out.

    ¡°Now. All you¡¯recking is experience and you are all well-versed in theory. You all learnt it after all! So go slowly. Hold your hands¡­¡±

    In response to the professor¡¯s words, Bom reached her hand forward. For Yu Jitae, who would usually avoid physical contact as much as possible, it was a troubling situation.

    When he hesitated, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Touching hands doesn¡¯t mean the emotions get linked up straight away.¡±

    He awkwardly held his hand out and Bom grabbed it. It was her first time holding Yu Jitae¡¯s hand and the first impression was that it was very cold.

    ¡°Now three two. One two. Step~¡±

    Matching the rhythm provided by the professor, people started moving. Familiar cadets moved merrily while those with an awkward rtionship started dancing clumsily.

    Around that point in time, Yu Jitae was more perplexed than he had ever been. With stiff movements, he continued moving his feet.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    And when their eyes met, Bom started staring deeply at him. Yu Jitae looked slightly away from her, as she beganughing under her breath.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom¡¯sughter did not stop. Her face turned red and her expression turned strange as she almost teared up fromughing. Even then, she was trying to keep her mouth shut to keep her voice down, and it was to the point that she appeared pitiful.

    Wait. Now that he thought about it, Yu Jitae remembered that Bom, who had been staying quiet, had suddenly asked him to apany her today out of all the possible days.

    Maybe it was for this thing¡­ Although he doubted that was the case, he couldn¡¯t get rid of the faint suspicion that remained in a corner of his brain.

    He had no idea why this green-haired dragon was so happy though, no matter how much he thought.

    ¡°That was fun. Ahjussi.¡±

    After the lesson came to an end, Bom returned to her usual expression and bought a can of drink from a vending machine before handing it over to him.

    He obediently drank it.

    ¡°Actually, can you spare two hours or so more from now?¡±

    ¡°I could, but why?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking of buying some gifts for the children. Pleasee along.¡±

    ¡°Gifts?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Did you know that Gyeoul¡¯s teddy bear is in tatters now? That plus the gifts for Kaeul and Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Got it. What will you buy for Kaeul and Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Kaeul seems to have made some friends recently. But she only buys clothes and isn¡¯t interested in other things right? I was thinking of getting her a good wallet so that she doesn¡¯t get discouraged or something.¡±

    ¡°And for Yeorum?¡±

    Hmm¡­ Bom pondered before making an awkward smile.

    ¡°A whip and some handcuffs maybe? She doesn¡¯t even use them, and yet she apparently has a lot of interest in those things.¡±

 Chapter 38: This is my Joy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 38: This is my Joy (2)</h4>

    Lair¡¯srgest children¡¯s toy store, ¡®Baby toy¡¯.

    The female owner was busy weing the iing customers.

    It had been ten years since she operated the business and she gained the ability to distinguish customers. Just like a fortune teller, she could discern whether a customer was someone who would be using a lot of money or not based on their faces.

    ¡°Wee!¡±

    As the door was pushed open, a cadet and a guardian walked in.

    The green-haired cadet was pretty enough to surprise her. Her borate nose, eyes and crimson lips supplemented her innocent yet difficult-to-approach aura.

    ording to her physiognomy, she was most likely a type of person who wouldn¡¯t spend much money.

    Then, what about the guardian?

    A thick pair of eyebrows and a stiff gaze. He appeared extremely frightening and his tall height andrge build made him appear huge. Judging from his atmosphere, he looked like someone who had been in a war until recently.

    There were sometimes such guardians.

    Looking at the man¡¯s face¡­

    ¡­It was scary.

    However, she was a veteran.

    The fact that a man like that was interested in children¡¯s toys meant that he had returned from the battlefield to a daily life, and those customers tend to open their wallets rtively easily.

    After sharing a short conversation, the cadet and the guardian soon split up.

    Leaving the store, the green-haired cadet disappeared off to a distance. Seeing that, the owner made a tight grip.

    Her opportunity had arrived.

    The man threw a nce around the surroundings, before carrying his hand over to a blue teddy bear. It was one of the least popr teddy bears of the store, which cost roughly $20.

    ¡°Hello dear customer.¡±

    His hazy gaze faced her ¨C it was a frightening pair of eyes. In an instant, she could feel her fingertips turning stiff, but the owner decided to have a bit more courage.

    ¡°Are you perhaps thinking of a gift for a child?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    As expected, his voice was likewise scary. But this was merely the beginning. His mouth had opened, which was half the work done already.

    ¡°How old is the child?¡±

    ¡°Around¡­ four years old.¡±

    ¡°I see. And was that your daughter?¡±

    ¡°No, not a daughter.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. Then are you perhaps the uncle?¡±

    After some hesitation, he gave a nod.

    ¡°For a four-year-old child, toys that require more thinking are better than plushies. How about the role y sets over there instead of a teddy bear? Would you like to follow?¡±

    The man obediently followed after her. From this point onward was her area of expertise.

    The owner showed a role y toy set.

    ¡°This here is a kitchen set. It can be yed with her uncle.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°When they reach four, children start forming a social nature. So, you can create a deeper bond by cooking with the child.¡±

    Saying that, the owner shed a replica of a fruit with a toy knife.

    Without saying a word, the man stared nkly at the set. It seemed to her that he was imagining the four-year-old child ying with this yset.

    As she had expected, after staring nkly for a long time, the man made a hazy smile.

    ¡°I would like that please.¡±

    The owner gained courage from those words.

    It would work for this customer.

    This man who lived in arge world consisting of dungeons and wars, did not care about small things like children¡¯s toys.

    The owner formed a brighter smile.

    ¡°¡­Haha. By the way if you buy the kitchen role y set now, other ysets will have a 10% discount. Would you like to have a look at the hospital role y set over there as well?¡±

    Once again, the man obediently followed her until they could see a toy stethoscope, an automated external heart defibritor, syringes, a nurse cap, medicine containers and a thermometer.

    ¡°As you would probably know already, role y is the starting point of an indirect experience right? So although normal toys are good, it is better to have them experience things that are difficult to normally encounter. It can increase their creativity and attentiveness. Very good for their development.¡±

    She continued speaking like she was on a roll. Yet again the man showed a faint smile, perhaps due to imagining the cute ¡®four year old¡¯ child.

    ¡°That as well please.¡±

    It worked!

    ¡°Ah, then there¡¯s also¡­¡±

    Grabbing onto that opportunity, the owner suggested four ysets in total and the man said he would buy them every single time.

    Good. Everything was now perfect.

    It was when the owner was about to receive the card from the man, for the payment.

    The door of the store was pushed open, as a green-haired cadet walked in. In one of her hands, was a shopping bag of a luxury store.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The name written on her nametag, read Yu Bom.

    She opened her eyes wide open.

    ¡°Ahjussi. What are they?¡±

    ¡°Toys.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to buy all that?¡±

    ¡°¡­They looked good.¡±

    With a pair of olive-coloured eyes which had the same colour as her hair, the cadet looked back and forth between the owner and the ysets. The cadet¡¯s voice going, ¡°Hmm¡­¡± made the owner feel a strange sense of anxiety.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should buy these.¡±

    Sure enough, the cadet started moving her hands.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul won¡¯t feel any interest in things like these.¡±

    After saying that, the cadet returned everything which the owner had somehow finished promoting.

    ¡°Ah, you see dear customer. If you buy them together now there is a 10% discount¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, 10%?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±

    As expected, she wasn¡¯t easy just like what her physiognomy suggested. Rejected, the owner licked her lips in regret.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much you see.¡±

    When the man said that, the cadet returned a smile.

    ¡°But that looks quite good. It looks simr to the other one and it won¡¯t make her confused.¡±

    Yu Jitae was carrying the blue teddy bear from the very start. Taking it from his hands, the cadet stretched it out to the owner.

    A $200 worth sales had been reduced to $20 in an instant!

    It was when the owner was licking her lips yet again in regret.

    ¡°Ah, you take discounts right?¡±

    The cadet held out and showed a hologram disy of her watch.

    ¨C Baby toy membership discount

    ¡°Yes. After the 8% discount, that will be $18.40 please.¡±

    Wearing a bitter smile of defeat, the owner was about to take the payment. That was when the cadet once again shared the disy.

    ¡°Yes. And these ones as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Seeing the disy, the owner doubted her own eyes.

    ¨C VIP household discount. 10%

    ¨C Lair guardian discount. 10%

    ¨C Borson membership discount. 5%

    ¨C 17th Block coupon discount 20%

    ¡­

    Discounts that could be ovepped were right before her eyes as if they had thoroughly prepared beforehand.

    Before long, the $20 teddy bear was discounted until it reached $9.13. A drop of cold sweat flowed down the back of the owner¡¯s spine. At this point, she wasn¡¯t making any profit by selling it.

    That was when the female owner realised.

    ¡®To think that she was nning for this many discounts. This cadet¡­¡¯

    She was a pro.

    More so than most housewives.

    Although baffled, the owner was about to receive the card from the cadet but while saying, ¡°Oh right,¡± the cadet flicked her wrist and raised the card back up. Then, she asked with a smile.

    ¡°I can earn reward points right?¡±

    Suppressing her tears, the owner gave a nod.

    ***

    ¡°When did you buy all that.¡±

    He asked while staring at the shopping bags in Bom¡¯s hand.

    ¡°You must have lost track of time.¡±

    While Yu Jitae was in the middle of being ¡®business¡¯ed, Bom had gone to a luxury store inside the department store for Kaeul¡¯s wallet, and had bought a handcuff and a whip for interpersonal use from the armoury.

    They were real products, and not toys. Lair was after all a military facility and all cadets were permitted to carry weapons so there weren¡¯t any problems.

    In any case, the shopping session was a sess. At least that was what he thought.

    ¡°Yu Bom. Not bad.¡±

    Bom replied nonchntly with the usual expression.

    ¡°Ahjussi is a pushover.¡±

    Speechless, Yu Jitae closed his mouth. Seeing that, Bom went, ¡°Uhu,¡± and suppressed herugh.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Since it was all for Gyeoul, you are a pushover in a good way.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Of course? So please buy a police role y set for Yeorum now.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ah, did you know? If you buy it now, you can get a 10% discount!¡±

    She was clearly making fun of him.

    It was when Yu Jitae was struggling to find an answer ¨C after ncing at his face, she started quietlyughing again.

    ¡°It¡¯s a joke.¡±

    He gave a nod.

    ¡°But you need to be grateful. If I wasn¡¯t there, ahjussi would have bought a whip, a handcuff, ropes, candles, chains and all sorts of stuff for Yeorum¡¯s gift.¡±

    ¡°Even I won¡¯t go that far.¡±

    When he made a straight face, Bom widened her eyes into circles and raised two fingers up.

    ¡°Even with a 20% discount?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t find any words to reply with, as Bom bursted out intoughter yet again. He was teased all the way back to the house, and Bom continuedughing while gasping for breath.

    ¡°Ah, ah¡­ my stomach hurts¡­¡±

    *

    By the time they arrived in front of the residential area, a savoury smell halted Bom¡¯s feet. It was a street vendor selling delimanjoo, and Bom showed interest to the sweet smell of the bread.

    ¡°One big bag please.¡±

    She seemed to have been attracted by the smell. It was Yu Jitae¡¯s first time seeing her buy and eat something in the streets like this.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    As they resumed walking down the road, Bom picked up a few pieces and threw them into her mouth.

    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡±

    But after eating just a few pieces, she seemed to have lost interest.

    She started shoving the snack to his mouth one by one. It appeared as if she was gesturing him to eat it off her hand but he didn¡¯t want to and thus picked it up with his hand before cing it into his mouth. Although Bom didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by it, her hand passing the delimanjoo did not stop.

    Due to that, Yu Jitae had to consume the soft snack until the sweet smell of pastry cream remained in his mouth.

    While staring at that, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°How was it today?¡±

    ¡°How was what.¡±

    ¡°Was it fun?¡±

    The only thing he remembered was him being teased by Bom. Yu Jitae therefore decided to ask back.

    ¡°What about you.¡±

    ¡°Since it was my first time ying around with ahjussi, I was worried that it would be awkward, but it was fun. What about you ahjussi?¡±

    She spoke with a nonchnt tone.

    He remembered that he had gone shopping with her straight after bringing her here. After some thought, he likewise replied with a nonchnt voice.

    ¡°It was good likest time.¡±

    That was when Bom¡¯s feet came to a stop. Yu Jitae didn¡¯t care too much about it and continued walking but looked back when she remained on the spot for a long time.

    ¡°What are you doing, standing there?¡±

    Wearing the same indifferent expression as always, Bom shook her head.

    She then followed after him.

    ***

    Looking back, it was very scary back then.

    A man who abruptly flew over to Firenze looking for herself. That suspicious man was stronger than herself who was a dragon, and seemed to know her very well. He reeked of danger.

    The man seemed to be living a daily life like everyone else by sleeping and eating. However, Yu Bom knew that it was close to an act. Despite the inability to fall asleep, the man pretended to sleep and took meals despite not needing it.

    It was an action which would sometimes give her goosebumps.

    That was why Yu Bom thought to herself, that she too must act.

    Act in order to get rid of that dangerous man¡¯s suspicion against herself. It was because she thought that the dragons including herself might all be killed if she didn¡¯t do that.

    Ever since the first day she met him, Yu Bom acted naturally. She suggested that they go shopping together and created a meal for him. It was because she remembered from a certain book that sharing a meal together could reduce their tension.

    When the man said that he would be bringing other dragons as well, she cooperated as much as she could. It would be impossible to stop him if he so desired anyways, and thus Yu Bom helped him so that it would be as peaceful as possible.

    Even when she sometimes felt a strange sense offort, she didn¡¯t ease her caution.

    It was still unsure, so let¡¯s not be at ease and act out an everyday life, while observing him.

    But the current Yu Bom was no longer acting. Although she couldn¡¯t remember when it was from, Yu Bom had already be her honest self with not a single falsehood.

    ¡®Good likest time.¡¯

    That one sentence from Yu Jitae had reminded Yu Bom of those things and she stood still on the spot. She nkly stared at his back, just like when she had gone shopping with him for the first time.

    But now, he wasn¡¯t scary.

    ¡°What are you doing, standing there?¡±

    That was when he looked back from a distance. She shook her head and started walking towards Yu Jitae.

    Bom, liked today better than the other day.

 Chapter 39: Anti-demon War Simulation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 39: Anti-demon War Simtion (1)</h4>

    ¡°Uwah! Is this for me!?¡±

    The baby chicken asked after receiving a shopping bag from Bom.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Try opening it.¡±

    ¡°Nn! Thank you unni¡­!¡±

    Her small hands carefully opened the bag and took out a box. Inside the box was a ck wallet made from crocodile skin. Feeling its lumpy texture that resembled a chocte, the baby chicken gasped, ¡°Uwah,¡± with sparkling eyes and cautiously observed the wallet.

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul also received a new teddy bear from Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The teddy bear in her arms had its colour faintly faded. It was because Gyeoul continued washing it with her elemental water magic, whenever it became dirty.

    With the buttons on the eyes worn out, the blue teddy bear also had its two arms in tatters.

    Gyeoul looked back and forth between Yu Jitae and the new teddy bear before carefully receiving the new bear. Then, she stared at the new teddy bear for a long time.

    ¡°Do you like it.¡±

    Her small head moved up and down, and her eyes gazing up at Yu Jitae were brighter than ever.

    ¡°Give me the old one.¡±

    But that was when the smile disappeared from her face. With a tense expression, Gyeoul shook her head.

    Feeling somewhat strange, Yu Jitae grabbed the old teddy bear but Gyeoul put power into her grip and resisted.

    ¡°Are you going to keep it? Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s worn out.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    ¡°Not going to throw it away?¡±

    Nod.

    She became stubborn. This was the first time Gyeoul was opposing Yu Jitae¡¯s decision so he therefore decided to let go of the teddy bear.

    It didn¡¯t really matter, so he decided to let it be.

    In the end, Gyeoul ended up hugging both teddy bears with her two arms.

    ¡°Uh? Unni.¡±

    ¡°Un?¡±

    It was then that Kaeul asked with a startled voice. Her finger was pointing at a handcuff and a whip.

    ¡°Who is that for?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s for Yeorum. Is she back yet?¡±

    Kaeul¡¯s face nched as the baby chicken went through a simtion in her head.

    Yu Yeorum ¨C that violent red dragon gets its hands on a handcuff and a whip. Was there someone who she would use that to inside the dormitory?

    ¡°Y, you can¡¯t give this to Yeorum-unni¡­!¡±

    ¡°Un? Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be dead¡­!¡±

    Right when Kaeul was about to dash in and take Yeorum¡¯s gifts,

    Kwang!

    Someone opened the door as if they wanted to break it.

    It was Yeorum.

    Her entire body was bathed in sweat as if she had been going through an arduous training and she was short of breath.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that. You got something good hey?¡±

    After immediately walking into the living room, Yeorum snatched the wallet from Kaeul¡¯s hand. The baby chicken was tense, because Yeorum¡¯s gifts were in her other hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty. Can I lick it?¡±

    ¡°N, nn¡­ go ahead.¡±

    When the reply came rather easily, Yeorum tilted her head. Yeorum observed Kaeul¡¯s posture ¨C her somewhat awkward expression and gesture, as well as the hand that was behind her back¡­

    ¡°Yu Kaeul. You, did you hide something?¡±

    ¡°W, w, what would I hide?¡±

    ¡°Pass it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Imagining what would happen after a minute with her brain¡¯s simtion, the baby chicken made a teary expression. In that vtile situation, Kaeul opened her lips.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°If I die¡­ please bring a bunch of chrysanthemum flowers for my funeral¡­¡±

    You, dying?

    ¡°I can¡¯t allow that.¡±

    ¡°So mean¡­!¡±

    Soon after, Kaeul was captured by Yeorum with her hands handcuffed, and was whipped on her butt.

    ¡°Uang¨C!¡±

    3am, dusk.

    Northern regions of Moscow, Russia, inside Sokolniki Park.

    In a corner of this park which had a beautiful scenery was an underground facility which had been sealed with a police line for years. It was a ce which had been used by Russia¡¯s Eastern Orthodox Church as an underground ce of worship.

    From there escaped a woman, gasping for breath.

    ¡°Huu¡­ huu¡­¡±

    Within the darkness, her eyes flickered in a red light. Her eyes were trembling in anxiety.

    ¡®Damn it¡­ damn it damn it damn it¡­ Damn it! Where did a monster like thate out from¡­!¡¯

    While grumbling, the woman observed the surroundings with an uneasy gaze. The woman was a member of the demon organisation, undetectables, and was at the same time the head director of a research group of a ¡®transcendent demon¡¯ experiment which was being carried out in secret.

    Going a step further from epting the mana from the abyss, and being able to synchronise with the abyss itself ¨C the strongest and the worst living weapon. That was what a transcendent demon meant.

    From its nning stages to the manufacturing stages, it took roughly five years and their research had seeded in creating prototypes.

    That was when an unidentifiable man appeared from nowhere and attacked the underground test area.

    ¡®What in the world is he? Is he from the Central Association?¡¯

    In an instant, the woman got rid of all the doubts floating inside her head, and focused on the main question.

    ¡®Should I escape?¡¯

    No matter what, it seemed impossible. Every staff member that had been working in dozens of rooms were all killed, despite them being rather strong demons individually. Right now, the prototypes were active and would buy some time but¡­

    ¡®Or shit, do I need to kill myself?¡¯

    That would be better than having the data stolen. Aftering to a decision, the woman lowered her hand to her waist and grabbed the handle of her dagger.

    Or rather, she tried to.

    Her hand felt empty. There was no dagger inside the sheathe.

    The woman felt her body slowly turning stiff.

    Behind her, from the stairs leading down to the underground research facility ¨C from within that darkness with all the lights turned off escaped arge hand as it enveloped her neck. Soon, she could feel a de touching her neck.

    It was her own dagger.

    ¡°Kuk¡­ Y, you¡¯re already here¡­¡±

    As the moonlight illuminated the darkness, a man¡¯s head appeared next to the woman¡¯s head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her mouth could not open as the man¡¯s breath touched her ears. Fear, which she had never felt ever since bing a demon, oppressed her entire body.

    ¡°One of the prototypes was gone.¡±

    A voice resembling a stiff broomstick dusting the ground flowed out from the man¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°I, I have no idea what you are¡­¡±

    ¡°I mean Type X. Themander-type transcendent demon.¡±

    The woman widened her eyes into circles. This was a top secret amongst secrets and even the researchers didn¡¯t know much about it. A project which was independently carried out by herself the director of the research ¨C that was what the man was talking about.

    ¡°D, do you think I¡¯ll tell you? Even if you kill me¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was nning to. But, I won¡¯t make it too painful.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I felt after killing several of you demons. You guys are unexpectedly human-like. When you¡¯re about to die, your true nature attempts to pop out but it would subside when it¡¯s too painful. It¡¯s funny. The iling struggle resembles a doll with its strings cut.¡±

    The man¡¯s words one by one dirtied her ears like a drop of sticky poison. He asked at her earlobes.

    ¡°Do you want to dance under the moon as well?¡±

    *

    The woman opened her mouth.

    ¡°Type X was already transported to the headquarters of undetectables as a test product.¡±

    [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    When Yu Jitae withdrew into the inner world, hands extended out and weed him. He replied,

    ¡°Delete up to number 34.¡±

    A line was drawn on top of number 34 of the checklist.

    ¡°And you.¡±

    ¡°Yourmand, my lord.¡±

    This time, his clone appeared from within the darkness of the alternate dimension.

    ¡°Stop the police job and prepare for [Mimicry (AA)].¡±

    ¡°Is there a recipient who you have in mind?¡±

    [Mimicry (AA)]

    It was a skill possessed by the clone, and was a skill that allowed one to possess a dead existence.

    ¡°Vera.¡±

    Yu Jitae mentioned the name of the female head director that had just been killed and the clone who shared his memories understood what hismand meant. Yu Jitae was nning on sending a spy into the demon organisation, undetectables.

    ¡°My loyalty to my lord.¡±

    After the clone disappeared from the alternate dimension, Yu Jitae too woke up from the inner world.

    He wasn¡¯t in a good mood at all.

    ¡®Prototype X¡¯ had been killed by him in every round of regression. This manding-type transcendent demon¡¯ had a unique ability that could connect the minds of countless demons into one. The longer it survived, the more demon minds it would connect into one, and it would gradually grow into a more dangerous existence.

    Originally, he knew about the identity of ¡®Prototype X¡¯. He was a Russian male in all the previous regressions but that seemed to have changed in this iteration. ording to the words of the dead head director, this time, X was a female prototype.

    [The authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] reads the hostility sent from the other side of the Horizon of Providence.]

    [The authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] observes an existence that has escaped the boundaries of time.]

    [The authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is currently searching for¡­]

    As expected, Vintage Clock started moving. The change in the identity of X was likewise a ¡®change in the seventh iteration¡¯, and it required detailed research.

    ¡°I have finished the preparations, my lord.¡±

    That was when a soft voice of a woman entered his ears. Turning around, Yu Jitae could see the previously dead head researcher, ¡®Vera¡¯, standing up and staring at himself.

    ¡°Go, and find out who X is.¡±

    ¡°My loyalty to my lord.¡±

    The clone then vanished.

    ***

    Early morning.

    The sun was yet to rise, but the sky was starting to turn bright.

    Yu Jitae returned to the dormitory.

    Click.

    ¡°Wee back, sir.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    It was still early and the children were still sleeping. The protector, who had been silently standing in the corner of the living room, weed him. In the past, he had been worried whether it would be able to adapt properly, but the protector was now an existence that they couldn¡¯t live without.

    Because cleaning was a tedious task.

    ¡°Is there anymand in particr today?¡±

    ¡°No. Just look after Gyeoul as usual.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll probably be back in three days. Take good care of her.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? In three days?¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a nod.

    For three days from now, there was an ¡®anti-demon war simtion¡¯ lesson nned for Yeorum. It was a type of test that was carried out in a virtual dungeon for two nights and three days.

    It waspulsory for guardians to attend.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    The protector threw a nce at him.

    In truth, the protector had a lot of worries these days because of Yu Gyeoul. Taking care of a baby was way too difficult, and that was more so with a grumpy child like her. No matter what it did, Gyeoul remained apathetic and would sometimes appear offended and whenever the protector saw that, it would feel hurt.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll do my best to follow themand.¡±

    But if there were three avable days, that was a golden opportunity for it to get closer with Gyeoul¡­

    Thinking that, the protector gave a bow.

    ***

    Anti-demon war simtion.

    Three cadets would form a group and the guardian would suggest the directions to head for from nearby. This was called ¡®operating¡¯, and a position called an operator existed in a group of superhumans when fighting monsters. In here, the guardian would be acting as the operator.

    And after finding a demon inside the dungeon, the cadets would hunt it while the guardian was not allowed to intervene, but giving advice was okay because that was under the role of an operator.

    Since everyone was required to wear a few artifacts which recorded the actions and words of the wearer, a guardian¡¯s direct intervention would be listed and was thus impossible.

    There was no way that demons truly existed in a mock battle, and therefore the discovered ¡®demons¡¯ were all normal cadets. They would think of each other as demons during the simtion.

    The simtion continued as long as the battery of the armour corested and it was highly unlikely for anyone to get hurt.

    Therefore, the most important question was who Yeorum¡¯s teammates were. Yeorum¡¯s response was simple.

    ¡°Who¡¯s in my team? Who knows?¡±

    He was lost for words.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything?¡±

    ¡°Like, hmm¡­ when they were all forming teams and stuff, I was standing still yeah?¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why, but the remaining guys ended up in my team after all the other teams were decided. So I got some damned leftovers.¡±

    She ran her fingers up her short shoulder-length hair and behind the red hair appeared a white ear. While doing that, she seemed to have remembered something, as she opened her eyes wide and eximed, ¡°Ah¨C¡±.

    ¡°By the way, they looked a bit like those.¡±

    Those?

    ¡°That, you know. Bastard? No, that wasn¡¯t it.¡±

    ?

    ¡°Like, you know, the cadets that don¡¯t have a guardian.¡±

    Ah, bachelor cadets, huh.

    Among the cadets of Lair, there were those who entered alone without any guardians following them. They would be in a disadvantageous position throughout the life at Lair and they tend to be from a small household that couldn¡¯t afford to find a guardian, or a child belonging to a small organisation.

    When they waited a little more at the designated spot, Yeorum¡¯s cadet colleagues arrived.

    ¡°H, hello.¡±

    A boy with a body frozen stiff in nervousness, timidly lowered his head. He had a short height, but the overall build including his shoulder width was decent. However, judging from his bent neck, it was made evident that hecked confidence.

    ¡°Right, and your name?¡±

    Although it was on the nametag, he still asked. The boy lowered his head again and added.

    ¡°Uh, that. I¡¯m¡­ called Hisaki Soujiro. Please call me Soujiro¡­¡±

    He was a Japanese.

    ¡°I, I¡¯ll try my best¡­¡±

    After giving a nod, Yu Jitae looked to the side. The girl who came with him was wearing sses. Though she didn¡¯t appear to becking confidence, there was a look of mncholy on her face.

    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m Kim Ji-in. Pleased to meet you.¡±

    He gave a nod.

    Whatever the case, they had to take the anti-demon war simtion lesson with Yeorum for the next three days. It was when Yu Jitae was about to open his mouth regarding that.

    ¡°Haigo, fuck¡¯s sake.¡±

    Seeing the two, Yeorum mumbled.

    ¡°A team with some retards.¡±

    In a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

 Chapter 40: Anti-demon War Simulation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 40: Anti-demon War Simtion (2)</h4>

    ¡°Ah, sorry¡­¡±

    The Japanese cadet, Soujiro, made an awkward smile after giving an apology.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim Ji-in, the Korean cadet, looked away. She was biting her lips, as if she was in a bad mood. Soon, Kim Ji-in slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to say it like that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°You guys. I¡¯m telling you now. Don¡¯t hold me back. I already have shit enough marks because of all the assessments I fucked up.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you have anyints against that?¡±

    ¡°No. You do whatever¡­¡±

    After saying that, Kim Ji-in closed her mouth shut. They were already off to a bad start.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t scold Yeorum. No matter what this ill-tempered dragon thought, and no matter what kinds of rtionships she forged with others, he didn¡¯t care.

    However, the vice versa was the same. Even if Yeorum was to get disadvantaged due to her attitude, he wouldn¡¯t care about it as long as it didn¡¯t go above a certain degree.

    He was merely a guardian protecting the kids, and wasn¡¯t someone that educated or disciplined them to the correct path. He had no such desire.

    ¡°¡­Since we don¡¯t have much time, I¡¯ll go straight to the exnations. Usually three guardians would be taking turns with the operator role, but I will be the operator by myself. For the next three days¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae exined about the rules he received to the cadets. Yeorum didn¡¯t seem to be listening properly, while the other two nodded sincerely.

    ¡°I, I¡¯ll try my best not to cause any trouble¡­ Please take care of me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    Kim Ji-in cautiously nced at him and asked.

    ¡°¡­How should we, umm, call you, Mister Guardian?¡±

    ¡°Just call me Mister Guardian for the next three days.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    The simple preparations were all taken care of. Taking the cadets down, he headed to the lecture room.

    *

    ¡°Everyone is checked present. Please gather with your pre-decided team members.¡±

    The air surrounding the lecture room felt heavy.

    For them, this was the firstrge-scale practical experience. Guardians gave several advice to their cadets and they all seemed nervous in front of therge practical lesson.

    There were 150 cadets and it reached 300 including the guardians, and because of that, therge lecture room felt tiny.

    ¡°Now. I¡¯ll provide the equipment for the anti-demon war simtion.¡±

    An armour core, amunication bracelet, blunt weapons, a device exclusively for operators and etc. The required equipment was all given.

    Meanwhile, there were several cadets throwing nces at Yeorum. Their name tag had a blue sticker attached and there was a Roman numeral, ¡®IV¡¯ written on top.

    It was a ¡®society badge¡¯.

    A society was an organisation formed by cadets with the same purpose and was something that couldn¡¯t be interfered on by professors or guardians. The number written on the sticker was the society¡¯s level given by Lair.

    ording to the society¡¯s activities, they would be given a level from Lair and Level 4 was second from the top ¨C it was in the top 5% of all societies.

    ¡°Hi, Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    A few cadets of the Level 4 society walked up and spoke up to Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­You seem to be in a team with them?¡±

    One of the female cadets nced at Soujiro and Kim Ji-in.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it ended up.¡±

    ¡°I feel a bit left out though? You rejected us when we asked you.¡±

    ¡°I heard you guys do some freaking logrolling.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say that. Others might misunderstand. We and a few other groups are just helping each other when needed.¡±

    ¡°Do you wipe each other¡¯s butt as well?¡±

    ¡°Oi why do you speak so¡­ anyways, how about we help each other a bit? We need to get good marks, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good, so fuck off.¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s vulgar tongue was already well-known amongst cadets. At the start, there were some who hated it and it almost led to a fight several times, but quite interestingly, they all appeared to have given up now.

    ¡°They all do it. Even the Taijutsu society guys seem to be doing it.¡±

    Taijutsu society was a Level 5 society. Currently there were only three Level 5 societies that were opened up to first grades. Members of that society were all from ¡®study groups¡¯ that were well-known inside Lair, and were at the same time from renowned households and organisations worldwide.

    ¡°And what? Will you copy them if they kill themselves?¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just go.¡±

    Clicking her tongue, the cadet opened her mouth before walking away.

    ¡°Do your best with those awesome guys over there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already regretting so just fuck off, unnis.¡±

    When the cadets disappeared, Yeorum spoke to Yu Jitae in a low voice.

    ¡°They¡¯re annoying bitches. To get good marks, they form groups, trash talk others and do all sorts of shit.¡±

    He was about to give a casual nod indifferently but Soujiro, who was right next to them, heard Yeorum¡¯s words and gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°I, I also feel a bit ufortable.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They don¡¯t do it to my face, but they stealthily talk down behind my back¡­¡±

    That was when Yeorum opened her mouth in annoyance.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry¡­¡±

    Soujiro shrunk down in an instant and seeing that, Yu Jitae pondered for a short period of time.

    Was this team okay?

    ¡°Now, please move to your designated areas.¡±

    In any case, the die had already been cast.

    ***

    ¨C Everyone will be separated into 50 teams, and the simtion will begin at your given spots.

    ¨C There is only one opportunity. The activity rate, kills, deaths and damages will all be calcted into numbers and be realtime ranks.

    ¨C The name of the virtual dungeon is an ¡®ant nest¡¯. Underground¡­

    Their team¡¯s number was Number 50. It was because their team had been decided at the very end. While the professor was continuing with his exnation, Yu Jitae was in the middle of moving to their starting spot along with other teams that had nearby starting points.

    The virtual dungeon had an underground cave system and its name was ¡®ant nest¡¯. It was made while taking into ount an actual underground dungeon of an ant monster, and there were countless rooms with corridors in between.

    Although it was an underground cave, there were sources of light in each room and it therefore wasn¡¯t that dark. On the other hand, the dark corridors had less light sources and even those few sources had a weaker light.

    ¡°Huu¡­¡±

    After arriving at the starting point, Soujiro let out a sigh in nervousness.

    ¡°Um, Mister Guardian.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°W, will we be able to do a good job.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ this subject is very important for the final marks¡­ my marks are already bad and if I fail here, I might have to repeat the grade¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, why are you saying that to him? He¡¯s not our actual guardian.¡±

    Hearing Kim Ji-in¡¯s rebuke, Soujiro dropped his head.

    ¡°Aht, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t worry too much about his words¡­¡±

    That was when a voice going, ¡°Huhh?¡± was heard. It was from Yeorum, who had been lying down in the corner of the cave.

    ¡°Of course we need to do well, you junks. My marks are on the line.¡±

    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t want to¡­? I¡¯ll also do my best.¡±

    ¡°What? You gotta be joking me. You¡¯re saying that without even undoing the safety catch of the weapon?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Come here, you bitch.¡±

    Kim Ji-in¡¯s weapon was a mana-gun. It was a weapon in the form of a musket.

    Walking up, Yeorum released the safety catch of the gun and after doing a thorough inspection of the weapon with natural movements, she handed it back over to Kim Ji-in.

    Her next target was Soujiro.

    ¡°And you, idiot!¡±

    ¡°N, nn?¡±

    ¡°You need to properly tighten the armour¡¯s body straps.¡±

    Due to the loose strap, his stic armour covering the upper body was moving left and right. Wearing a frown, Yeorum tightened the straps herself and matched the bnce.

    ¡°This is fucking why no-one was looking for you.¡±

    At that point in time, the two of them were looking at Yeorum with faint surprise.

    ¨C Anti-demon war simtion will now begin.

    The professor¡¯s voice reached their ears through themunication device in their ears. Facing the children, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°You guys. Is there a number you are aiming for?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Which group do you want to catch the back of.¡±

    When he finished his sentence, Soujiro couldn¡¯t understand it while Kim Ji-in made an awkward smile.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way it would go the way we want right¡­? They all have their guardians as operators as well, and they wouldn¡¯t let others get behind them that easily.¡±

    He replied as if it was trivial.

    ¡°So what team?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what team¡¯? Just any freaking team we find.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Hearing Yeorum¡¯s summation, Yu Jitae turned around.

    In this ce, guardians couldn¡¯t use mana. As soon as they used mana, it would be detected by the ne artifact.

    They could only locate others through the help of the operating device, or rely on sound, smell, visual hints and experience, and that was the same for Yu Jitae. But his ¡®senses¡¯ that had surpassed the norms several times, couldn¡¯t be blocked by a mere artifact.

    Even now, he could close his eyes and the things moving on the other side of theplex ant nest would be drawn faintly inside his head. Following his senses, he specified the closest opponent and opened his eyes.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He carried his feet.

    *

    Walking behind the guardian, the cadets felt strange.

    The ant nest was created with rooms and corridors. A wide room would have three to four narrow corridors connected. Due to that, it was hard to discern the source of a sound or smell even if they sensed it inside a room.

    Because of that, the most important thing was nning and stealth. How stealthily they could move, and how strategic their decisions were, were the decisive elements. And yet the guardian in front of their eyes tookrge strides forward as if he didn¡¯t care about it at all.

    ¡®Can we go randomly like this?¡¯

    It was the thought that simultaneously popped up in the heads of the two cadets.

    ¡®Eh, but it feels like I can¡¯t hear the footsteps..¡¯

    Closing his eyes, Soujiro discerned the sound.

    Step, step.

    He could only hear two people¡¯s footsteps ¨C one was his own, and the other was Kim Ji-in¡¯s.

    Did that mean that the guardian and Yeorum didn¡¯t even make any footstep noises? He heard that it was possible but¡­

    The cadets were quietly following him as if they were possessed. Soon, Yu Jitae stopped and following that, the cadets stopped their feet as well.

    After ncing behind at the cadets, he pointed at the end of the corridor. He then quickly moved his hand and gestured. The numbers he showed were 5 5 5, 4, 2.

    This was the signnguage of an attack force. It meant that the enemies were fifteen metres away, consisting of four enemies, in a situation weak to ambush.

    Four enemies was equal to one team.

    ¡®Hah? Seriously¡­?¡¯

    Soujiro wanted to ask, ¡®how did you know that?¡¯, but before he could, they heard faint voices from the other side of the corridor just as Yu Jitae had said.

    The opponents had no idea that they were there, and they had the advantage of an ambush.

    However, it was impossible to fight alone. This wasn¡¯t a real fight and it put more importance to the HP of the armour core. If Yeorum was to shoot off on her own and have her armour¡¯s HP reduced to 0, she would be deemed dead in that instant.

    In other words, the remaining two had to fulfill their tasks properly in order to be victorious in this lesson. And yet, the two remained still doing nothing.

    ¡®You idiots. Why are you standing still?¡¯

    Wearing a frown, Yeorum gestured to the two of them with her hands, but frozen stiff from nervousness, they had no idea what to do.

    ¡®You need to go sneak up and prepare to snipe them before I can ambush them. You are both sharpshooters!¡¯

    There were tons of things she wanted to say, but they couldn¡¯t do anything now because she had been toozy to discuss it with them beforehand. When they remained standing no matter what she did, Yeorum heaved out a sigh before raising the middle fingers of her hands.

    She then took out the sparring sword, and carried her feet quietly to head to the other side of the corridor.

    Only then did the other two follow behind her in nervousness.

    The distance between them and the enemy became shorter and shorter until they finally reached the end of the dark pathway. As soon as they arrived at the starting section of the corridor which had light seeping in from the room, Yeorum with her sharpened instincts, dashed in at an instant.

    ¡°Huat!¡±

    Until then, the guardian of the other party had no idea that Yeorum was approaching.

    ¡°Ah! Ambush!¡± shouted the guardian, albeit slightlyte. In fact, it was toote and the sword fiercely struck forth. The cadet standing in the front with a spear, who had been chewing on a gum, had his back smacked and the defensive barrier of the armour core erupted as the cadet fell.

    [HP: 100 -> 17]

    Backstep damage,ck of caution, charging attack, critical strike. All those things were added to be a score. After being struck, the cadet quickly turned his body around in fright.

    ¡°Aht! Attack!¡±

    ¡°This freaking!¡±

    Startled, the other two cadets took out their bow and sword respectively but Yeorum¡¯s movements were slightly faster. After pushing the cadet holding a bow with sheer strength, she focused on smacking their armour core.

    ¡°Huak!¡±

    Soujiro and Kim Ji-in weren¡¯t just watching either. Although they were still trembling after they ran forward, they still moved their fingers precisely as practised, and shot at the head of the swordsman. The armour core released a barrier of mana and blocked it, but that meant a reduction of HP.

    [HP: 0]

    Unable to properly deal with an ambush, the three opponents had their HP hitting the ground. The opposing guardian heaved out a sigh with a hand on his forehead.

    ¡°W, we did it!¡±

    Facing the unexpected first victory, Soujiro shot his fists up into the air with surprise. Kim Ji-in likewise appeared baffled, and rejoiced with her two hands blocking her mouth.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum heaved out a sigh and ced the sword back into her sheath.

    The HPs of the three were still at 100.

    Their first fight was aplete victory.

 Chapter 41: Anti-demon War Simulation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 41: Anti-demon War Simtion (3)</h4>

    [No.50]

    Rank: 6

    The 50th Team¡¯s rank appeared. Perhaps due to their first fight being earlier than others, the starting rank of Yeorum¡¯s team was sixth out of fifty teams.

    ¡°R, rank 6¡­¡±

    Soujiro flickered his eyes. It was his first time being in a rank this high in Lair.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim Ji-in was likewise surprised by the number that floated up on her device.

    The team that was pronounced dead followed their guardian and left the room while grumbling. Their guardian gave a slight bow at Yu Jitae, who then returned a nod himself. Now, they would have to wait for three hours as a death penalty before starting off at a different location.

    ¡°Why do you guys look so damn happy?¡±

    Someone poured cold water on them ¨C it was Yeorum.

    ¡°N, nn?¡±

    ¡°Is something like the rank important? It could get pushed back anytime.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Like, what were you guys doing? If you¡¯re a sharpshooter, you should obviously be hiding in a spot and preparing to snipe right?

    Yeorum spoke in annoyance. Throwing a nce at her, Soujiro lowered his head.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need an apology; just give me an answer. I¡¯m asking why you were standing still.¡±

    ¡°T, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry for being clumsy.¡±

    That was when Kim Ji-in interjected in a loud voice. After opening her mouth, she seemed to have realised that her voice wasrger than she had expected and nced at Yeorum and Yu Jitae¡¯s faces while biting on her lips.

    Soon, a seemingly crawling voice escaped her lips with an excuse.

    ¡°But, there hadn¡¯t been any talk about positions right? Usually it¡¯s the front guard leading the way with sharpshooters supporting from behind¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Yeorum gave a frown, before closing her eyes tight.

    She seemed to be thinking back on the things she had learned. Instead of getting angry first, she was checking whether that was true.

    The normal formation of a three-man raid team was as Kim Ji-in had said, but that was only for open areas. In underground dungeons and ces with barricades, it was safe to say that Yeorum¡¯s judgment was a bit closer to the correct answer.

    ¡°Anyway, sorry for being clumsy. Seriously.¡±

    ¡°U, umm. You know¡­ then, what if we adjust our positions like this?¡±

    Soujiro carefully revealed his thoughts. Laying stones on the ground, he exined the positions and roles of each one of them. It was a formation with the sharpshooters taking the lead.

    After finishing his exnation, Soujiro threw a cautious nce at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Hmm. Seems that you have a brain at the very least.¡±

    Although the confirmation wasn¡¯t from Yu Jitae which he had been waiting for, Soujiro¡¯s face still turned a level brighter when Yeorum gave her agreement.

    ¡°No. If we both go to the front, there¡¯s no-one to support Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Ah, th, that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°In any case, we will be over if the front guard dies. Being separated for three hours would definitely mean our death¡­¡±

    Carefully moving the stones, Kim Ji-in formed a new formation. It was a 1-1-1 formation with one person supporting Yeorum from behind.

    The question was who would be the sharpshooter at the front, as it was an extremely important position, while also being exposed to danger. While Soujiro was rolling his eyes in thought, a voice escaped.

    ¡°¡­Although I¡¯m not bragging or anything, my eyes are quite good. The blessing I awakened to was the [Eye of a Marksman].¡±

    After cautiously finishing her sentence, Kim Ji-in nced at Yu Jitae, but he remained silent.

    ¡°Your eyes are good?¡±

    ¡°¡­Un.¡±

    ¡°Do you see that?¡±

    Yeorum pointed at the other side of the dark corridor. Soujiro couldn¡¯t see anything through the thick darkness but Kim Ji-in slowly gave an answer.

    ¡°Stone pirs¡­ three of them¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s four. Tch.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She clicked her tongue.

    ¡°But at least you have eyeballs.¡±

    Having understood Yeorum somewhat, Kim Ji-in knew that it was Yu Yeorum¡¯s way ofplimenting.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that they¡¯re like frozen fish eyes though.¡±

    ¡­No, was it really apliment? Pondered Kim Ji-in.

    ¡°Good! First off, I don¡¯t think your opinions are trash. We won¡¯t know whether it will work decently before doing it though. So, how is it, in your opinion?¡±

    This time, Yeorum asked while turning towards Yu Jitae.

    In his eyes, it was extremely inefficient.

    It seemed that the cadets were still unaware that they would be the only ones ambushing. They would never be ambushed, and there won¡¯t be any of thosemon skirmishes either. Due to that, instead of a formation made with consideration of all sorts of situations, having an effective formation for a gueri type of tactic with focus on ambush appeared better.

    But he decided to overlook the child¡¯s y. Since the next operator won¡¯t be himself, what they needed was a formation that followedmon sense.

    ¡°Not bad.¡±

    Only then did Soujiro and Kim Ji-in give sighs of relief while wearing looks of certainty. In fact, the two were having a slight fantasy while looking at Yu Jitae.

    ¡®¡­Maybe he is a famous former operator?¡¯

    He had merely directed them with a path once. But hismand was greatly outsidemon sense and yet seeded in bringing forth an ideal situation as a result.

    Amongst cadets, there was a saying that themand of an operator that has exceeded a certain level would actually make the superhumans flustered. They would direct them with a method that made zero sense, which would somehow overflip a disadvantageous situation in the end.

    ¡®Perhaps this mister guardian, is someone like that?¡¯

    Staring at Yu Jitae, they felt a small doubt floating within.

    ¡°We¡¯ll depart immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    *

    After walking twenty minutes or so, Yu Jitae extended his hand and revealed a signnguage, going 5 5 5 5, 4, 1. There were four people standing twenty metres in front, in an extremely vulnerable situation against ambush.

    Kim Ji-in was in awe yet again, as even she couldn¡¯t see anything through the darkness. But in any case, they were all proud cadets of Lair and after receiving a mouthful from Yeorum, their movements changed.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The moment immediately before Yeorum kicked off the ground and a small shock was felt through the ground, Kim Ji-in¡¯s mana gun let out a sh. A snipe from a small distance of less than twenty metres hit right on the mark.

    [HP: 100 -> 45]

    ¡°Auk! An attack!¡±

    A spark appeared on the opposing cadet¡¯s face. Their vision was shaken for a mere second, but that was by no means a small gap. Having dashed in during that period of time, Yeorum swung her sword with all her strength.

    ¡°Uahh!¡±

    One of them who had a fast reaction speed tried to parry her attack with a sword, but it was a naive decision. The cadet probably had no idea that their difference in sheer strength was that big.

    With a fierce shock, the sword bounced off the cadet¡¯s hand, while he also fell back after losing hold of the sword.

    Soon after, Yeorum¡¯s indiscriminate attacks fell.

    m, m!

    [HP: 40 -> 5]

    One of the opposing cadets who came to himself in that instant, attempted to counterattack with his long spear. His movement supported by a tremendous amount of mana was extremely agile, but it missed and shed past the vicinity of Yeorum¡¯s head.

    [HP: 100 -> 85]

    ¡°What the fuck, I didn¡¯t get hit though?¡±

    A mortified voice left her mouth.

    It happened because the mana core wasn¡¯t that subtle or exact.

    Meanwhile, Soujiro who had been waiting for the opportunity from behind, flew in like an arrow and sniped the cadet holding a spear, who then lost his bnce and was smacked by Yeorum into a rice cake.

    ¡°You damn it. All because of you, die!¡±

    ¡°Aaht! Uahh¡­!¡±

    One of the other cadets in the opposing side aimed for Soujiro in the meantime, but Soujiro escaped while shooting at the opponent. When Kim Ji-in¡¯s support was soon added on top, the opponents crumbled in an instant.

    The situation was quickly taken care of ¨C in a much better process than the previous fight.

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave immediately.¡±

    As soon as they finished collecting their breath, Yu Jitae carried his feet. The ¡®50th Team¡¯ defeated eight more teams that day until nightfall.

    [No.50]

    Rank: 2

    Their rank quickly hit the second ce.

    ***

    ¨C No.42, out.

    ¡°Okay. Leave until further notice, which should be three hours after the death time.¡±

    Inside the control room of the dungeon ¨C at a ce that could overlook the entirety of the virtual dungeon, with gazes of curiosity, the professors and assistants watched the situation unfold all around.

    ¨C No.15, out.

    ¨C No.9, out.

    ¨C No.33, out.

    Many teams were attacked realtime, and were dered dead. Since depleted health bars could not be regenerated, there were no eternal winners in that ce. Even the victor of a fight would have their HP reduced after a battle.

    Of course, there were some teams that were outsidemon sense.

    ¡°No.48. Look at these guys using small tricks, haha.¡±

    The professor ofbat experienceughed.

    The 48th Team had a unique n. All they did was stand and wait in a room at a corner, while ambushing those that went by. Due to that, the number of fights and wins they had was merely 3, despite it having been more than a day now.

    However, they had no death records yet.

    ¡°And their rank?¡±

    ¡°They are Rank 28. They¡¯re doing quite decent due to not receiving any death penalty yet.¡±

    ¡°Survival time is also included in the marks after all. Every year there are teams like this who rely on petty tricks.¡±

    The professor turned around.

    ¡°Then, who will be the first ce in your opinion?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Currently, it¡¯s a tight match between Team 1 and Team 50.¡±

    ¡°Team 50? Are they those kids from that Level 4 society? This is also same every year, huh.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s not it. The cadets of the Level 4 martial arts society is in Team 3.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    An odd light flickered in the professor¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Then, what¡¯s No.50.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a team with Cadet Yu Yeorum inside.¡±

    Yu Yeorum ¨C the female cadet with a crimson hair resembling mes. The thing that happened at the Azure Dragon study group was quite famous among professors as well.

    If it was her, it was understandable since her strength didn¡¯t match her age group. But from what he remembered, the other two that were in her group were ones who couldn¡¯t find a team till the very end.

    Having a tight match with Team 1 while having those two¡­

    ¡°Open the data of the two teams.¡±

    Hearing that, the assistant opened the information lists of the two.

    +++

    [No.1]

    Rank: 1

    Victories: 13

    Survivor: 3

    Remaining HP: 82% / 81% / 46%

    +++

    Team 1 had three cadets belonging to a Level 5 society.

    Their results were to be expected. Level 5 societies took first ce in almost every subject every year and it was an organisation of cadets who were miles better than some of the currently active superhumans, so it was a natural turn of events.

    +++

    [No.50]

    Rank: 2

    Victories: 12

    Survivor: 3

    Remaining HP: 92% / 81% / 35%

    +++

    But this team waspletely unexpected and seeing this, the professor¡¯s expression turned rigid.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    It was highly likely that Team 50 was a one man team with Yu Yeorum in the lead, but for that to be the case, there were too many victories. Maybe they got lucky? Maybe they met weak enemies left and right.

    ¡°What about their movement speed and the teams they fought against?¡±

    ¡°Team 1 is about 1.5 times faster than them. Although Team 50 has a strangely efficient travel path, their walking speed is slow. As for the teams they fought, this is the list.¡±

    Checking the list, it became evident that they weren¡¯t just facing weak teams either. Right before the doubt was about to enter abyrinth of suspicions, the professor thought about the operator.

    ¡®That guardian¡­¡¯

    That Yu Yeorum, and Yu Kaeul from the deration ceremony, as well as Bom who had been fervently praised by magic studies professors ¨C a guardian of that household, who had a rather dangerous smell following him¡­

    Their movement path was so efficient that it was baffling. Even if the professor himself was to do it, he wasn¡¯t sure if he could do it that cleanly and it was clear that the guardian was doing something.

    ¡°Uh, their path is a bit too good right? Should I try contacting them?¡±

    ¡°Contact them, and say what?¡±

    Hearing the professor¡¯s question, the assistant closed his mouth shut. Thinking about it, it was illogical to ask an operator why they could find enemies so well. That was what operators were for.

    ¡°Ah, by the way¡­ professor.¡±

    That was when a newbie assistant opened his mouth with a serious expression.

    ¡°It appears that Team 1 is marking the area.¡±

    ¡°Marking?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Team 1, the third and the fourth ranked teams have never met despite them being very close. Although there¡¯s no concrete evidence, it seems that the top ranked cadets are somehow sharing messages with each other.¡±

    The new assistant¡¯s words and his expression were extremely serious.

    Sharing signals? In a sacred prac lesson like this?

    His voice seemed to be implying such things. Due to that, the professor wore a serious expression as well and responded.

    ¡°A, are you sure about that¡­?¡±

    But soon, with a grin, the professor smiled as other assistants followed suit and giggled. The new assistant who ended up being the only serious one copied them by making an awkward smile, but was unsure what was happening.

    ¡°Hey you assistant. Are you a referee of a sports game?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Our subject is a practical lesson. Is your head a flowerbed or something?¡±

    With those words, the professor dismissed the new assistant¡¯s words. Electronic devices and artifacts brought from outside were unusable. The fact that they could somehow exchange their intentions despite that, was something that should be in factplimented in the practical side of things.

    Even then, the new assistant couldn¡¯t get rid of the thought that this was too unfair. Wasn¡¯t it too unfair for the teams that didn¡¯t n beforehand?

    ***

    With his hazy gaze, Yu Jitae stared at the other side of a room of the dungeon. There was a man-made w mark with three w lines and those were densely packed with mana.

    Since guardians weren¡¯t allowed to use mana, it meant that that belonged to a cadet but the quality of the remaining mana was quite decent for it to be a cadet¡¯s. It was good to the point that its quality and density was very obvious.

    He hadn¡¯t cared too much when he saw a few of them before but after seeing several of these simr w marks, it was no longer ignorable.

    What did these mean? To him, it felt like¡­ some sort of a letter.

    It seemed that there were some people using petty tricks behind his back.

    ¡°Ah, shit. Why are we second ce?!¡±

    Yeorum mmed the ground with a frown. She had a thin leg and a small foot and yet her strength was immense. Small bits of stones on the dungeon ground were chipped off.

    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t second ce, s, super awesome?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you!¡±

    ¡°S, sorry¡­¡±

    While Soujiro was in a depressed state, Yu Jitae called Yeorum and exined what he saw.

    ¡°What? I knew it.¡±

    Seeing the w mark, Yeorum made a deep scowl.

    ¡°It¡¯s this. Right. These fucking random human bitches¡­! I knew they were up to something. Dirty bastards.¡±

    After gushing out with profanities, she asked Yu Jitae.

    ¡°You know, can we find those rascals that left this mark behind?¡±

    He shook his head.

    If he wanted to, it would be possible but it was extremely inefficient. In his standards, the cadets were no different from ants ¨C strong ants and weak ants. To distinguish them, he had to stand still and feel the auras for a few hours and their rank would fall behind.

    ¡°These bitch ass bastards.¡±

    Yeorum was greatly upset. Fifty teams were required to all move individually and yet there was a secret connection between some groups. Perhaps she had some suspicions beforehand, and was thus more angry after actually facing the truth.

    Comprehending what the situation was, Soujiro and Kim Ji-in¡¯s expressions also turned darker. It was likely that they had a rough idea of who was behind it.

    ¡°Hnn?¡±

    Soon, Yeorum seemed to have thought of something and widened her eyes into circles after stopping her words.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Yeorum?¡±

    Kim Ji-in asked in doubt.

    Wearing a nk expression, Yeorum walked up to the w mark and after lowering her body, she smelled the mark.

    ¡°This¡­ I think I can understand.¡±

    ¡°Nn? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Wait. Also, I saw some things simr to this on the way here, fuck.¡±

    Yeorum closed her eyes and reflected on her memories. From within her memories that contained not a single nk section, the structure of a mana formation which she had skimmed past floated up thoroughly.

    Soon, after thinking of dozens of such marks, Yeorum analysed them and sought a pattern from them. Although the process took a long time, it didn¡¯t go over thirty minutes.

    ¡°I got it. These bitches¡­¡±

    After finally finishing the decryption, she chuckled in a low voice.

    Uhuhu. Uhuhuhh¡­

    Although Soujiro and Kim Ji-in were in the same team as her, they still felt goosebumps crawling up their skin.

 Chapter 42: Anti-demon War Simulation (4)

    <h4>Chapter 42: Anti-demon War Simtion (4)</h4>

    ¡°Oi you guys. Come here for a bit.¡±

    Soujiro and Kim Ji-in, who had been ncing around until that point, came up and crouched down before Yeorum. That room had a rtively wetyer of dirt on the ground, and Yeorum started drawing something on the floor.

    The two of them opened their eyes wide. All the rooms and corridors that their team had visited were simplified onto a map. Since it had been twenty hours or so from the start of the simtion, the number of rooms and corridors also numbered in hundreds. Despite that, Yeorum calmly continued drawing on.

    Not knowing the outstanding memory of a dragon, they were baffled staring at the map being drawn realtime.

    ¡°In my opinion, the first, the third and the fourth teams are leaving records for each other.¡±

    ¡°Leaving records for each other?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. On the rooms they visit, they write, ¡®We had been here, and will head in this direction¡¯. They leave such marks down.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t see the obvious, then just listen with your mouth shut.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hearing her words, the two of them closed their mouths. They no longer seemed displeased by Yeorum¡¯s bad mouth and seemed to be ignoring it.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum drew three circles inside therge dungeon, showing their paths.

    ¡°I think the three teams are moving like this.¡±

    ¡°So that their paths don¡¯t meet?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Kim Ji-inined in frustration.

    ¡°Actually, I heard their society¡¯s seniors giving them advice. They said the professor ofbat experience had participated in the Great War and that he was a bit morex with the rules¡­¡±

    ¡°Huk. Really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But to think they would use it like this¡­¡±

    ¡°Haa, that¡­¡±

    Turning to Yeorum, Soujiro carefully asked.

    ¡°Then what should we do? S, should we pay them back?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Like, if we use their travel path to our advantage, wouldn¡¯t we be able to catch them unguarded? I, I think we are a bit strong now¡­¡±

    Yeorum snorted in response.

    ¡°Are you retarded?¡±

    ¡°N, nn?¡±

    ¡°Did you get pped by them before? Why would you bother paying them back? While throwing away a good opportunity like this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°They are all in the top ranks. If we meet them, whatever the oue, the fight will take longer and we will definitely lose HP so why would we fight them like an idiot?¡±

    ¡°Then? What do you think?¡±

    Letting out augh, ¡°Kekek¡±, Yeorum drew a small circle in the middle of the circles.

    ¡°The good things should be shared.¡±

    As if he had been shocked by the cultural difference, Soujiro turned nk while Kim Ji-in shook her head speechlessly.

    If they followed Yeorum¡¯s suggestion, they would indeed escape from the pathways of other top-ranked teams. In other words, they would be riding on the connection of other teams without them realising it.

    ¡°¡­You are more shrewd than I thought. I thought you were just someone with a bad personality.¡±

    ¡°What can be used, should be used.¡±

    After finishing her words, Yeorum stared at Yu Jitae. She then mumbled, ¡°Hnn? Nn?¡± like she was asking a question.

    What.

    ¡°How is it.¡±

    ¡°How is what.¡±

    ¡°I mean, is my decision correct¡­ well, you probably know more than me when ites to these things,¡± she said.

    Yu Jitae returned a nod. Useless pride in ces where lives could be threatened was a quick road to death and Yeorum¡¯s decision was appropriate for survival.

    When Yu Jitae gave his acknowledgement, Yeorum replied while turning her body slightly away, as if it had been a trivial question.

    ¡°I was just asking. I knew it was a good call.¡±

    She then fidgeted with the hand holding the weapon.

    He now had a rough gist.

    Yeorum tended to do that when she was in a good mood.

    ***

    After that, the 50th Team followed down the new pathway they thought of and ambushed every team they met. Even then, their rank did not go up from second ce.

    When they opened up a detailed version of the given data, it was evident that their score difference with the first team wasn¡¯t even that much and for Yeorum, this was a source of frustration.

    She could see people that tried to rest from exhaustion in a time like this, and Yeorum felt no need to encourage them.

    ¡°Get up you pigs! Don¡¯t you see that we are still in second ce?¡±

    ¡°Uahhh¡­!¡±

    Although they were both superhumans, they couldn¡¯t follow Yeorum¡¯s stamina no matter what. It was already nearing the nighttime of the second day. They had an intensive schedule for almost 40 hours, without a proper sleep or meal, which made even the superhuman cadets tired.

    ¡°L, let¡¯s catch our breath for a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°I feel like dying¡­¡±

    Yeorum shouted.

    ¡°Bullshit. Who said we will rest? Even during our break time, other teams will push forward.¡±

    ¡°S, second ce is already a good result¡­¡±

    ¡°I!¡±

    When she bellowed yet again, the loosened gazes of the two gathered onto Yeorum.

    ¡°I would rather die than lose to an opponent I can beat. If it was an opponent I gave up on, or a given-up lesson of a given-up subject, that might be alright. You all participated with the thought of trying your best and if we fall back now¡­¡±

    Her expression crumpled into a scowl like a devil.

    ¡°Hey, you pig!¡±

    ¡°Eht, me?!¡±

    ¡°I think I remember you saying with your own mouth on the first day, that you will try your best and wouldn¡¯t cause any trouble? Right now, you are causing me trouble ¨C what¡¯s your opinion on that?¡±

    ¡°T, that¡¯s¡­ but right now it¡¯s too exhausting¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I see. So regardless of whether it will cause trouble to someone else or not, you can take your own words back and lie down on the spot when you¡¯re tired, huh?¡±

    ¡°T, that¡¯s not it but¡­¡±

    ¡°Why would you guys be leftovers until the very end without being chosen by others? Both of you can fight decently and yet why are you being treated like trash? Maybe it¡¯s because of times like this where you sit for a rest despite being able to get up and move? Have you ever thought about it like that?¡±

    Her nagging continued without an end. On the verge of crying, Soujiro murmured, ¡°Hiing¡­!¡± while getting up on his trembling legs. Yeorum growled with clenched teeth and crunched the air as if she would bite him.

    Seeing that, Soujiro made a straight posture in fright.

    ¡°And you! Pessimist!¡±

    Her next target was Kim Ji-in. She, who had been pressured by Yeorum¡¯s aura, made a gloomy expression.

    ¡°W, why¡­ What.¡±

    ¡°Can you even see what¡¯s in front of you with your bangs covering half your face? So what if your eyeballs are decent, when your hair gets in the way of your sight every time you fight? Right. Now that we mentioned this, I can¡¯t let this be anymore.¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh?¡±

    ¡°Come here, you.¡±

    ¡°D, don¡¯t touch my hair¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re noting? Should I go to you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone touching my hai¡­ kkyak!¡±

    After walking up to her, Yeorum grabbed a handful of Kim Ji-in¡¯s hair which was drenched in sweat.

    ¡®Ah¡­ it¡¯s going to be torn apart!¡¯ thought Kim Ji-in as she blocked her face with her hands. But when she reopened her eyes, she found Yeorum¡¯s face right in front of her, while tying her hair with a rubber band.

    ¡°Was this how you looked?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You look like a worm.¡±

    Herst words crushed the warm feelings rising up inside.

    ¡°Good. Keep it like this until the end of the lesson. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll rip all your stupid hair out and make you into a monk. You got that?¡±

    ¡°N, nn¡­¡±

    ¡°If you got it, then quickly stand up and start preparing your weapons! You idiots!¡±

    It was an extremely energetic outburst and the two had no choice but to follow her despite theirints. Although they were dissatisfied about the current situation, they didn¡¯t seem discontent with Yeorum herself, because Yeorum was moving at least twice more diligently than the other two.

    Not bad, Yu Yeorum.

    Looking at her, Yu Jitae made a fleeting smile.

    As the guardian, he didn¡¯t stop looking for the ¡®marking traces¡¯. Meanwhile, Yu Yeorum would nce at those marks and add an extra message to the mark.

    What she was doing was obvious ¨C she was trying to mix up their paths and have them meet for a fight.

    He asked.

    ¡°Do you want me to tell you if there¡¯s a slightly bigger sh happening nearby?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Tell me.¡±

    Yeorum smiled like a mischievous child.

    ***

    Yeorum¡¯s strategy slowly began being realised as time went by. The team members who had been forming a group at the top of the spectrum felt doubt at the different marks they saw.

    ¡®What? Are they saying they¡¯ll head that way now? It¡¯s different from the previous message though?¡¯

    ¡®Well, they must have some sort of n that made them change their course. We should just move ordingly I guess.¡¯

    A conversation shared via traces that had been promised beforehand, not bynguage or words. Due to their trust in the code, they believed in their promises despite the doubts, without even guessing that those promises had been fabricated.

    And on the morning of the third day, a problem happened with merely three hours remaining until the end of the lesson.

    ¡°W, why are you guys here¡­¡±

    ¡°Haah¡­¡±

    The moment they passed by a corridor and entered a room, the members of the two teams all gave frowns. The first team had ended up meeting the third team.

    Currently, the first ce and the second ce were in a tight match, while the same was happening for the third and fourth ces.

    Since the lesson would being to an end after three hours, they couldn¡¯t do anything until the end of the lesson if they were to die here. But one of the rules that must be followed, was that the ¡®virtual demon¡¯ they encountered must be fought against, and that was an element that couldn¡¯t be changed.

    ¡°You guys, what are you¡­!¡±

    ¡°Way.¡±

    When a female cadet from the first-ce team was about to say something, their training guardian stopped her from continuing. A face-to-face negotiation wouldn¡¯t be just a deduction of marks, and could be a potential cause for disqualification.

    ¡°¡­Damn it.¡±

    Due to that, the first team and the third team had no choice but to point their weapons at each other.

    ¡°Ehew, retards. Can¡¯t even do something that easy properly¡­¡±

    The third team was frustrated, but their fight nheless soon began.

    Meanwhile, in one of the corridors that was connected to the room where the fight was taking ce, there were people watching their battle. It was the 50th Team. They were lucky ¨C right when they were passing nearby, the fight took ce and Yu Jitae took them here.

    ¡°What a fierce infight.¡±

    Yeorumughed heartily as Soujiro and Kim Ji-in made reserved smiles while watching their fight. The team being pushed back was also from a Level 4 society, and they weren¡¯t weak either. While the two teams had their HPs being reduced with every second, the onlookers remained quiet and watched on.

    Yeorum took the decisive action right when their fight hade to an end. Although the opposing guardian noticed it and warned them of the ambush, the first-ce team was busy collecting their breath from the battle they had just gone through.

    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±

    And when Yeorum dashed in to attack in a situation like that, the sharpshooter of the top ranked team copsed in an instant.

    ¡°You guys, how cowardly¡­!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You were waiting for our fight to end before ambushing!¡±

    ¡°What are you grumbling about. Will youin that a demon is cowardly when you¡¯re dying as well?¡±

    She then smacked the head of the opposing cadet and made him copse.

    In the middle of that, she made a frown. As expected, the top ranked team was at a different level from others and it was safe to assume that their individual skill level was simr to herself. She even had the thought that she wouldn¡¯t be able to beat them 1 on 3 if their HPs were full.

    ¡®In fact, can I even beat them 1 on 1, 100%? In a polymorphed state?¡¯

    That came to Yeorum as a fresh shock. She had known that the cadets belonging to the Level 5 society were strong from the rumours, but it was her first time having a direct fight with them. If possible, she wanted to fight them 1 on 1 and beat them fair and square but that would be forter.

    They, who had beenpletely defeated in terms of strategy, helplessly fell before Yeorum¡¯s fist, plus the support from Soujiro and Kim Ji-in.

    Before long, the first-ce team had to exit after being dered dead. And during the three hours when they were out, Yeorum¡¯s team had three more victories added to their record, and their ranks were therefore flipped.

    [No.50]

    Rank: 1

    Finally, the 50th Team conquered first ce as the lesson came to an end.

    ¨C Now, I proim the end of the lesson!

    The professor¡¯s voice was heard from the device hanging on their ears.

    ¡°We did iiittttttt¡ª¡ª!¡±

    With tight fists, Yeorum screamed from the bottom of her lungs. Her sincere shout had the Dragon Fear embedded within, as it shook the underground dungeon several times.

 Chapter 43: Journey (1)

    <h4>Chapter 43: Journey (1)</h4>

    After the Anti-demon War Simtion came to an end, Soujiro and Kim Ji-in returned their equipment in exhaustion. Although the past three days were tiring enough that they could have fell dead anytime, all those hard memories seemed to fly off as soon as they saw the rank underneath their team number.

    ¡°Good work. You two.¡±

    Hearing Yu Jitae¡¯s words, they lowered their heads.

    ¡°Thank you, very much. Mister Guardian.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thanks for your hard work in the past three days.¡±

    The man merely returned a nod without saying anything. Despite spending a few days together, the man was difficult to approach but the dependable feeling he gave off despite that wouldn¡¯t be easily forgotten.

    Without even bidding farewell, Yeorum disappeared along with her guardian.

    ¡°Ah, shit, so annoying.¡±

    But after their team was disbanded, a voice ofint entered their ears. Turning around, they found cadets in the Level 4 society looking back at them with frowns.

    ¡°You must have had a fun ride?¡±

    ¡°Eht¡­?¡±

    ¡°It must have been nice getting carried.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Soujiro gave an awkward smile while Kim Ji-in red at them for some time before turning her head away. Since it was an undeniable fact that they hade first thanks to Yu Yeorum, there wasn¡¯t anything to say.

    ¡°Hey, they probably had their own share of troubles right.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Imagine spending two nights and three days with someone having that atrocious personality.¡±

    ¡°Ah. That would be hell indeed.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to. Wouldn¡¯t she do whatever the fuck she wants thinking she¡¯s awesome?¡±

    Their giggling sounds were heard.

    Even now, Kim Ji-in¡¯s hair was in the messily tied-up state left behind by Yeorum. It was when Kim Ji-in, who felt offended, was about to call them out instinctively.

    ¡°Y, Yeorum is nicer than you think¡­!¡±

    Soujiro shouted with a teary voice but when the nearby cadets nced towards him, he flinched and lowered his head back down. Perhaps due to a strange sense of connection that arose from the harsh times spent together, Kim Ji-in felt an unidentifiable courage rising up within when she found the cadets staring at Soujiro.

    ¡°Look who¡¯s worried about others¡¯ personalities¡­¡±

    Her self-whisper which was backed off by mana made the cadets frown. Feeling refreshed, Kim Ji-in took her bag and walked out.

    She would probably be in a good mood for the next few days.

    When they walked out of the lecture room, they found snow falling down from the sky. Perhaps it had been snowing for the past few days that had been spent inside the underground dungeon, but there was lots of snow built up on the ground.

    The entire world was white in colour.

    ¡°Damn it¡­ To think that I¡¯m watching the first snowfall with you.¡±

    Yeorumined while ncing at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What about me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not my boyfriend.¡±

    She picked up a bunch of snow and made it into a ball.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see who dares to flirt outside. I¡¯ll kill them.¡±

    ¡°With that snow?¡±

    ¡°I pushed it all in. Will it be too weak? Hmm.¡±

    After some contemtion, she picked up a piece of stone and ced it inside the snowball. Yu Jitae made a faint smile. No matter what, he judged that that should be stopped from being thrown.

    And when they were on their way back to the residential area.

    ¡®Let me give you an interim report, my lord.¡¯

    The clone¡¯s voice shed past Yu Jitae¡¯s head. It had been a few days since it entered undetectables, the organisation of demons, and it seemed to have heard a few things.

    ¡®Let me send you the memories.¡¯

    He allowed it and the usable memories that had been felt and seen by the clone were elected and sent to Yu Jitae¡¯s head.

    For the past three days, the clone busily moved around the underworld. As the researcher ¡®Vera¡¯, the clone had to meet demons conspiring in the shadows, and ask them questions. Asking questions and giving advice to demons while being surrounded by demons must have been a tough task.

    ¡®It was in fact tougher for me to pretend like a woman.¡¯

    The clone gave a shortint. Its hands that found the brassiere ufortable popped up in a corner of his brain. It must have been because the personality of the clone had been living for hundreds of years as a male persona.

    In any case, the clone had also attended a conference of the demons. Instead of the individual called ¡®Vera¡¯, the position of a head researcher of a research facility was deemed more important in this conference.

    Yu Jitae opened up the memories of the conference that had been attended by the clone.

    ¨C Does this make any sense!

    Inside the conference room, there were dozens of demons sitting around a round table. On the highest seat, a man with arge build shouted in a voice loud enough to shake therge building.

    ¨C Thirty-three were killed. Not three; not thirteen, but thirty-three! That many of our colleagues had been killed, and yet there¡¯s not a single small clue about the enemy? You think such a thing could be called a report right now?

    One word from him filled the room with an evil aura, while other demons lowered their heads from the terrifying shout.

    He was one of the four selected Seats.

    Seat of Punishment.

    A catastrophe-level demon ¨C Lim Chul-o.

    He was the canine of undetectables. His role was to crunch and destroy enemies that had been identified and being a demon at a catastrophe level himself, he was someone who preserved countless safety devices to keep his life.

    ¨C ¡­There¡¯s a small hint we found, and it is that there is a leftover trace of a killing intent.

    ¨C Killing intent? Did you just say that? Is that what you call a hint? You useless trash!

    Silence befell the room yet again and the demons kept their heads lowered like children being scolded by an adult.

    Soon, Lim Chul-o, the middle-aged man, heaved out a deep sigh.

    ¨C Start the operation of Prototype X as soon as possible. Connect the minds of high-ranked officials first, so that we can get some data even if they die.

    ¨C Yes sir!

    ¨C Find him no matter what. Find out which impertinent guy dares to point a sword at us. And increase the protection level of Wei Yan that bastard. Judging from how the demons connected with Wei Yan are all dying in session, the enemy mighte finding him.

    Lim Chul-omanded them to be careful. From the demons that had been killed by Yu Jitae, there were also demons of the ¡®disaster¡¯ rank, that was right beneath catastrophes.

    Even such demons were killed without leaving a trace behind.

    ¨C The enemy is strong. Don¡¯t let your guard down.

    Finally, the activation time and location of Prototype X was decided, as the clone summarised it.

    ¡®The target is a seventy-man raid team of the International Hunter Association.¡¯

    ¡®Their objective is most likely a test run of Prototype X. It is assumed that X will be in the front killing seventy members of the raid team.¡¯

    ¡®As the identity of Prototype X has changed, it is a different course of events from the previous iterations. I believe it is required for my lord to personally move during the said time.¡¯

    Got it.

    Afterpletely reading through the memories, Yu Jitae cracked his neck. Just like what he had thought, the ones that had been moving by themselves started being cautious.

    That was still fine. It was because he moved every night to the point it made him feel exhausted while delicately avoiding the core members of the organisation. Although the cockroaches would be trembling from anxiety, they wouldn¡¯t scatter in front of the leftover food waste.

    Just like the previous regressions.

    ¡®Then, I will remain watching them for a bit longer.¡¯

    He praised the clone for his work and turned around.

    ¡°Ah, I need to go in and heal myself up with Kaeul.¡±

    Yeorum whispered to herself with an exhausted expression.

    After three days, they could finally see the dormitory with their eyes.

    ***

    From the other side of the corridor, the protector red at Gyeoul. With the help of Kaeul, it had finished disguising itself as a character from a cartoon. The protector was wearing the clothes of a stuffed animal with long ears and a tail and red circles were drawn on its cheeks.

    It¡¯s crimson eyes flickered.

    The past three days were truly horrendous.

    ¡°Let me read you a fairy tale.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    ¡°Would you like to y with paper airnes?¡±

    Shake, shake.

    ¡°I will give you some delicious snacks.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    Because the protector had beenmanded by Yu Jitae to take good care of Gyeoul, it tried everything possible but was rejected every single time. Gyeoul seemed uninterested no matter what the protector wanted to do.

    ¡°You can¡¯t read fairy tales like that, Mister Cleaner.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? What is the issue?¡±

    ¡°There are way too many useless words being added. Please focus more on the story so that Gyeoul can imagine more by herself.¡±

    Albeitte, the protector tried its hardest while also asking Bom for her advice. Maybe that hade to fruition but recently, there was one thing which Gyeoul showed interest in.

    ¡°Mydy. Would you like to draw together?¡±

    Nod, nod.

    Andst night, the protector and Gyeoul drew something each on their sketchbooks with crayon.

    This was a positive sign, and the protector drew a scenery of the demon world in a good mood. A dark world all around, with the demon lord¡¯s castle standing in the middle, as well as the eye of a great demon gazing down at the world from above!

    Of course, Gyeoul stared at the protector¡¯s drawing with a sour look but so what?

    ¡®Mydy is opening her heart towards me¡­!¡¯

    Thinking that it couldn¡¯t miss out on this opportunity, the protector decided to make the decisive move today, by appearing as a cartoon character which children loved!

    Since Kaeul said it was cute, it was bound to seed by even a little.

    Finishing its trail of thought, the protector was about to walk forward along the corridor, when Bom left her room while stretching her arms and met the protector. A pair of crimson eyes flickered, while the green eyes also blinked.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°M, mydy. This is, you see¡­¡±

    When the protector exined everything in detail, Bom shook her head with a faint smile.

    ¡°An electric mouse huh¡­ It is cute, but Gyeoul will be scared away by it.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Why is that¡­?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t watch that animation, and doesn¡¯t know it. You should go and wash your face.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    The protector walked into the toilet in disappointment, while Bom turned towards Gyeoul.

    Sitting in front of the front entrance, she was hugging the teddy bears and staring at the door. Although she wouldn¡¯t be like that for the entire day, she would wake up from her afternoon nap and keep her spot when it was time for lessons to end.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    A pair of blue eyes turned around and faced Bom.

    ¡°Ahjussi will being soon. Do you want to go outside and wait for him?¡±

    Gyeoul¡¯s expression turned bright. Raising her up into her arms, Bom opened the doors of the dormitory and walked outside.

    What she found was a fully white world, but this wasn¡¯t normal snow. This was in fact a snow which started to fall ever since Gyeoul started waiting for Yu Jitae. The emotions of a blue race affected the climate of the surroundings and it was currently snowing because Gyeoul was feeling down.

    ¡°Coming, soon?¡±

    That was when Gyeoul carefully opened her mouth to speak.

    Bom opened her eyes wide in response.

    Gyeoul had just spoken, and it was also Bom¡¯s first time hearing her voice. After getting rid of the surprise from her face, Bom gave a gentle smile.

    ¡°Ahjussi will be back soon. With Yeorum.¡±

    Gyeoul gave a nod and before long, they could see Yeorum and Yu Jitae walking from far away.

    ¡°Ahjussi¨C!¡±

    When Bom waved her hand, Gyeoul followed suit and waved her¡¯s.

    ¡°Why are you outside. It¡¯s snowing.¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul really wanted to see ahjussi, you see.¡±

    Walking up nearby, Yu Jitae lowered his back and stared at Gyeoul who was being hugged by Bom. Gyeoul threw a nce at Bom, before carefully extending her arms out towards Yu Jitae, who then raised the child up into his embrace.

    When he did, Gyeoul instead turned nervous. She had been smiling when he was further away but was now frozen stiff as she pushed her head into his chest and hid there.

    Bom smiled when she saw the cute Gyeoul.

    ¡°Wahh, ahjussi! Yeorum-unni! It¡¯s been so long!¡±

    Kaeul weed them when they walked into the house.

    ¡°Uh? Unni. What is that ball of snow you have?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    In an instant, Yeorum smiled, and Kaeul turned stiff.

    When Yeorum ran forward, Kaeul escaped to her room and tried to close the door but couldn¡¯t, as Yeorum¡¯s foot was caught between the door and the frame. The door only came to a close after Yeorum entered Kaeul¡¯s room. ¡°Colddd!, ¡°N, not there!¡± Her screams were the only things leaving the room.

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul pointed at a certain ce with her finger.

    What is it.

    Hugging the child, Yu Jitae walked towards the ce she was pointing at. On the other side of the corridor, there was a sketchbook ced underneath the fat cushion of the sofa where Yu Jitae always spent time lying down on.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After walking down from his embrace, Gyeoul carefully held the sketchbook forward at him, with an extremely nervous expression.

    He quietly received the sketchbook, and opened it up, while expecting the scribble of a child.

    Despite being a dragon, a child was still a child.

    Inside the painting that had been drawn in an irregr manner, he could spot several characters which could be differentiated by their hair colour.

    There was Bom with her smile, Kaeul on the ground (with her eyes in a ].[ shape), and Yeorum who was on top of her (the details were amazing). And in a corner, there was a full metal armour te, as well as a man who seemed to be the clone.

    The question was the identity of the man wearing a crown on top of hisrge head, standing in the middle. The man was wearing a smile, and there was a gem on the crown above his head ¨C it was evident that it took more time and effortpared to the other drawings.

    Thus, Yu Jitae had no idea who this man was, no matter how he stared at it.

    ¡°Who is this.¡±

    When the Regressor bent down and asked Gyeoul, she flinched in surprise and avoided eye contact.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s you ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°This?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re hugging Gyeoul.¡±

    Hearing Bom¡¯s words, Yu Jitae turned back to the drawing yet again.

    Ahh.

    He was wondering what the blue seaweed was, but it seemed that Gyeoul had drawn the back of her head. Making a hazy smile, he hugged Gyeoul in the same posture that was inside the drawing and only then did Gyeoul hug him back with an embarrassed smile.

    Thinking back, it seemed that he had been quite negligent with the child. Since it would be a weekend from tomorrow, it would be okay to leave outside and y together for a bit.

    After finishing his trail of thought, Yu Jitae asked Bom.

    ¡°Should we go y somewhere during the weekends, for two days?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯m down.¡±

    He gave a nod, and headed off to Kaeul¡¯s room, in order to call Yeorum and Kaeul.

    Around that point in time, Bom looked outside the window.

    As if the previous downfall had been an illusion, the snow had long stopped.

 Chapter 44: Journey (2)

    <h4>Chapter 44: Journey (2)</h4>

    Yu Jitae was in the middle of driving.

    ¡°Uah! That¡¯s my snack!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, so tasty.¡±

    ¡°Stop eating, you red boar!¡±

    Kaeul and Yeorum were bickering in the back seats. Snatching a bag of snacks from Kaeul, Yeorum poured it all into her own mouth and burped while saying, ¡°Even tastier now¡±.

    ¡°Aargh¡­ so annoying. You boar! Red hyena!¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah you yellow monkey. Hey, give me your leg.¡±

    Yeorum pped her own stomach a few times before lying down while having Kaeul¡¯sp as a pillow. The baby chicken could be seen trembling in anger, as Bom and Gyeoul watched their little skit from the passenger¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Ahjussi! Unni ate all my snacks!¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Hiing. Can you say something more?¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t steal others¡¯ food.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay~¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words went in one of Yeorum¡¯s ears and left through the other, as she giggled on.

    It was a peaceful journey to their venue.

    In fact, they could have arrived at the venue in one go by teleportation if they wanted to, and that had been his original n.

    However, he remembered someone saying in the past, that the path towards the venue was a part of the journey. Although he couldn¡¯t fully understand the words behind that im, he could still imitate it.

    Thus, Yu Jitae had rented a car. Inside the far-reaching world of whiteness in a cold mid-winter, the car sped forward.

    ¡°Ahh, let¡¯s y a song! A song!¡±

    ¡°What song?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll y it!¡±

    Thinking of something, Kaeul touched her watch. The sound of drums beats and other instruments left through the car¡¯s wireless speaker.

    And soon, the lyrics started flowing out.

    ¨C Mi, mi, mi, mi.

    It was a rather familiar voice.

    ¨C Mister reporter. Do you want to have¨J (beep-) with me¨J?

    Ah, this thing.

    He knew what it was because Kaeul had shown it to him beforehand.

    As Yeorum¡¯s interview went viral on the inte, one of theizens had made a remix version of her interview, and had made her interview into a song. Yeorum, who couldn¡¯t understand the reactions of the masses, ended up folding the poor monitor in half after listening to that remix video.

    The same was about to happen now.

    ¡°Wait! You freakin¡¯, Yu Kaeul!¡±

    She got up from Kaeul¡¯sp in rm, and reached her arms towards Kaeul to snatch the watch from her. While chuckling, Kaeul rolled her body inside like a woodlouse.

    ¨C How long, are.you.going.to.make use of something you know, al-ready? Next¨J Ne, next¨J

    ¡°N, no! It¡¯s funny though!¡±

    ¡°Funny my ass! Hand it over right now!¡±

    The baby chicken resisted as much as she could and giggled.

    Following their movements, the car also jumped up and down.

    *

    When there was no longer a road to continue down on, they relied on teleportation.

    By the time they reopened their eyes, a vast image of mother nature was before them. In the middle of the mountains, there was a gently glowingke.

    It was strange. Although the other ces were all covered in snow, there was no snow nearby, and the air was also warm as if it was currently spring.

    This was roughly 2000km North from the Mongolian borders.

    Severobaykalsk (§³§Ö§Ó§Ö§â§à§Ò§Ñ§Û§Ü§Ñ§Ý§î§ã§Ü)

    It had been a while since he came to Russia.

    There were tall mountains standing in lines, and in front of them was Lake Baikal, which was longer than the Korean penins.

    Around twenty years ago from the current point in time, this ce had been used as a military facility during the Great War, and the said facility was reduced to ashes from the attack of the monsters.

    This ce which now had no visitors, had a special secret to it.

    ¡°Wah. So pretty¡­¡±

    Kaeul nkly eximed.

    There was an extremely beautifulke in front. The water gave off a subtle light and a warm aura, and the water itself was also warm.

    When dimensional fissures were created, dungeons weren¡¯t the only results and although rare, treasure-like terrains would sometimes make its way over from other dimensions. Currently, it wasn¡¯t known by others but would be widely known in Russia after five years, and would be a national park.

    The name it gained was ¡®Lake of Life (§°§Ù§Ö§â§à §Ø§Ú§Ù§ß§Ú).¡¯

    ¡°¡­¡±

    From Bom¡¯s embrace, Gyeoul was mesmerised by theke. A blue dragon was the race of water, and it should therefore appeal more to her than others.

    ¡°You can look around.¡±

    After saying that, Yu Jitae started setting up a tent and other camping tools. He, who had more than 50 years of experience in field warfare, quickly finished setting up the tent and gathered twigs to light up a campfire.

    When he raised his body up after starting a fire, he heard little ps, ¡®p p p¡¯,ing from the side ¨C it was from Gyeoul, who had been watching from the side.

    Yu Jitae ced his hand on top of the child¡¯s small head.

    Turning around, he found Yeorum and Kaeul ying inside the water in shirts and short pants, while Bom was watching them with only her legs inside theke.

    ¡°Unni shoulde in as well! It¡¯s warm inside!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stay there doing nothing.¡±

    Seeing the two of them wave their hands, Bom waved back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±

    She then looked around thendscape and the mountains before lying down on the grass. The dragon of nature was fully enjoying itself within mother nature.

    This kind of leisure was also extremely rare for Yu Jitae. This iteration was overall more rxed than other rounds of regression, and the Regressor didn¡¯t hate it.

    Thus, he walked up to Bom and lied down next to her. After throwing a nce at him, Bom created space but that was when Gyeoul came and lied down between them.

    The wind felt warm.

    ¡°Ahjussi, if it¡¯s like this.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°This is a family pic.¡±

    That was when Bom started her nonsense. When Yu Jitae remained quiet and listened on, Bom continued her words.

    ¡°Ahjussi is the dad.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m the first daughter. They are all my sisters.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh wait, but then where¡¯s the mum?¡±

    Bom looked at Gyeoul with a questioning expression. Seeing that, Gyeoul likewise formed a serious look on her face and turned to Yu Jitae ¨C she seemed to be asking where the mother was.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Put in a slightly perplexing situation, he didn¡¯t respond. Soon, Bom approached him and quietly whispered into his ears.

    ¡°It seems that I¡­¡±

    He could feel her breath touching his skin.

    ¡°¡­need to be the mother.¡±

    It was an abrupt sentence and he felt even more troubled than before.

    When Yu Jitae remained lying down without a word, Gyeoul and Bom continued looking at him, as their gazes seemed to be requesting him for a response.

    Thus, he turned and faced the other way around.

    Soon, Bom broke out intoughter and gasped for breath.

    *

    During the second regression of the past, he had coincidentallye across this ce.

    Back then, they were in the middle of a war, and he was lying down with his war colleagues, staring at the night sky. Yu Jitae threw a nce at Bom, who fell asleep with Gyeoul in her arms.

    In the past, there had been a different woman sitting there.

    Ha Saetbyul, his previous lover.

    Thinking back, he remembered her saying something with her face facing him. She was probably whingeing about how she feared the water.

    He tried to recall the memories from then, but simr to pictures that only retained their form after countless years of weathering, those memories only had faint traces at this point.

    Thus, he had to spend quite some time, trying to recall memories that couldn¡¯t be recalled.

    *

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and y with them.¡±

    It was around the time for meals when he asked that. Gyeoul showed slight hesitation.

    ¡°Theke¡¯s water is warm, and has an aura that stabilises the mana.¡±

    Plus, it healed wounds and removed fatigue. He thought Gyeoul would like it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But Gyeoul repeatedly nced at theke and Yu Jitae in hesitation.

    He had no idea why the baby was so hesitant.

    As if she wanted to say something, Gyeoul opened her mouth, but would soon close her mouth which made him think that she still couldn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Then, will you stay here?¡±

    Gyeoul once again made a hesitant expression. The Regressor thought to himself, that this wasn¡¯t the answer.

    ¡°Then, do you want to stay with Bom?¡±

    There was no change to her hesitant expression ¨C this too, wasn¡¯t the answer. He thought that the thought process of children was difficult to understand.

    ¡°¡­Do you want to go catch fish together?¡±

    Only then did Gyeoul¡¯s expression turn bright.

    It was this, huh, fishing.

    Finding the answer, Yu Jitae entered the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)] and ordered the hands to bring a fishing rod.

    After attaching the bait, he started fishing. Gyeoul sat on hisp and watched him fish as if she found it interesting, but soon threw a nce at him, before abruptly jumping into the water.

    Thought you weren¡¯t going to go in.

    Regardless of his thoughts, Gyeoul sshed around with the water in excitement. She indeed seemed to be fond of water.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae continued catching fish left and right. Those were fishes from the other world, ranging from small fishes to ones that were as thick as his arm. They were overall quite tasty.

    cing the fishes into a basket, he stood up.

    The moment he stood up, Gyeoul who had been inside the water saw him stand, and quickly used levitation magic toe up to him.

    Apparently, she could use those sorts of magic spells now.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    She seemed to be asking, ¡®where are you going?¡¯ with her face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go looking for something to eat.¡±

    ¡°Something to eat? I want to go as well!¡±

    Yeorum, who had been ying around in the water for a long time, lied down next to Bom, while Kaeul held Gyeoul by her hand and followed Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What are we going to eat by the way?¡±

    ¡°Mushrooms.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Fluster appeared on the baby chicken¡¯s face.

    ¡°Did you say mushrooms? Mushrooomms?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like mushrooms. What if we eat a poisonous one by ident¡­¡±

    He remembered about the poisonous mushroom of the Amazon which Kaeul had consumed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Inrge strides, he walked down the mountain. Underneath somerge trees, although they weren¡¯t easily spottable, one could find several mushrooms with careful observation.

    From those, he pointed at a white mushroom which poked its head out through the gaps of fallen leaves.

    ¡°What about that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s cute. Right, Gyeoul?¡±

    The blue head gave a nod.

    ¡°It smells good as well. Can we eat it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s not pretty, and smells good.¡±

    That was a mushroom from the other world, called ¡®Eight day mushroom¡¯. Interestingly enough, a mushroom of that species which just grew wouldn¡¯t have any poisons inside, but as it grew bigger, the head would protrude out while creating poison inside.

    The period of its edible time was around eight days, which was the reason for its name.

    Hearing Yu Jitae¡¯s exnation, Kaeul widened her eyes.

    ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    He knew it due to the countless years that had been spent outside.

    Yu Jitae, Kaeul and Gyeoul walked on while looking for mushrooms. After picking several up, Yu Jitae let out a gasp of admiration.

    ¡°Why? Why? Is there something?¡±

    ¡°We got lucky today.¡±

    ¡°What is it¡­? ¡­Uwek.¡±

    The mushroom that appeared this time was a hideous one. It was ck, and had several thornsing out, and appeared like it would consume insects from hell.

    It was ¡®Abadone mushroom¡¯. It looked simr to Neungi mushroom but contained a vour which exceeded it by several times and was hard to buy due to ack of supply.

    ¡°You eat that? W, well, it does smell nice¡­¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t eat it raw.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There is this middle-aged couple I know and after being stranded on the mountains, starving for several days, they found Abadone mushrooms. Since those were famous for being full of energy, the couple ate it raw.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. And then?¡±

    ¡°¡­When they were rescued, both of them were dehydrated from food poisoning. There are lots of bugs living inside that strange structure, maybe because they find it nice as well.¡±

    Hearing the word ¡®bug¡¯, Kaeul took a few steps back in fright.

    Fortunately, these mushrooms didn¡¯t have any bugs and boiling them would be enough.

    Yu Jitae came back after plucking a few types of mushrooms, and started cooking himself for the first time in a long time. Boiling theke water, he threw garlic, onions and other ingredients in to make the stock.

    He then threw herbs inside and after that, was the filleted fish and sliced mushrooms. Finally, he added chilli powder, some leeks and sliced chillies.

    Yu Jitae was feeling slightly regretful about the weak heat of the campfire, but soon found Yeorum from the corner of his eyes.

    ¡°Make the fire a bit stronger.¡±

    Yeorum, who was suddenly being treated like a bunsen burner gave a frown, but obediently created fire from her fingertips and strengthened the heat.

    As a result, the fire was now quite decent.

    Around the time the spicy mushroom fish stew was about to finish, Yu Jitae took out arge thermo sk which had rice inside. He moved it over to the bowls before revealing the finished product.

    The vourful smell of Abadone mushrooms spread across in an instant.

    ¡°Wah¡­!¡±

    Kaeul gripped her hands into tight fists.

    Bom used adle to scoop the stew into soup bowls and handed them over.

    After each having one spoonful, they let out gasps of admiration, going ¡°Whoa fuck¡±, and ¡°Wow¡±.

    In the midst, he found Kaeul ring at the mushrooms. She was confronting her trauma with the poisonous mushroom head-on, as she carefully chewed on the ends of the mushroom. Soon, her expression turned bright and she threw the whole mushroom into her mouth and munched on it.

    He too had a bit of the soup. There was the spicy and savory soup, supplemented by the white tender fat of the fishes as well as the thick smells of the mushrooms infiltrating the nose. He had relied on the small pieces of his memories but it ended up rather nicely.

    That was when Gyeoul, sitting down on Yu Jitae¡¯sp, sessfully put the spoon into her mouth with awkward movements. She widened her eyes into circles and nced up at him.

    How is it, is it nice? He asked with his eyes.

    The baby¡¯s small mouth faintly opened itself.

    ¡°¡­De, licious.¡±

    Immediately after that, everyone except for Bom had their eyes agape open.

 Chapter 45: Journey (3)

    <h4>Chapter 45: Journey (3)</h4>

    ¡°Uh, uhhh!?¡±

    The baby chicken shouted in surprise.

    ¡°Gyeoul knew how to speak? Wait, no! Is that normal? Since I knew how to speak ever since I was born¡­?¡±

    Gyeoul gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°Aigo! Then why didn¡¯t you say anything till now? I¡¯m sure you wanted to speak, right? How did you hold it in! Ugugu. You little baby.¡±

    Kaeul rubbed Gyeoul¡¯s cheek with her cheek. Perhaps finding that rubbing feeling nice, Gyeoul made a wide smile.

    ¡°Maybe she saw how noisy you were, and thought to herself that she shouldn¡¯t be like that?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m the quiet, reserved type though?!¡±

    No-one agreed to her statement.

    ¡°Ah, ah! It must be this. Ahjussi¡¯s spicy stew was so delicious that Gyeoul suddenly understood how to speak! It was so delicious that it made her speak¡­!¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s delicious, you should die.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that saying? ¡®So delicious that one person could die without anyone noticing¡­¡¯¡±

    Yu Jitae stared at Gyeoul.

    The baby¡¯s voice was a lot calmer than he thought.

    He found this situation to be rather strange. Even in the previous rounds of regressions, he had rarely seen Gyeoul speak. This girl with water-coloured hair was even quieter than Bom.

    That¡¯s how she was every time¡­ including the time during herst breath.

    Even when she was hurt, she didn¡¯t say it out loud, and she didn¡¯t mention anything even if there was something she desired. But even if he knew about it, him from back then wouldn¡¯t have listened to her request. Looking back now, after living somewhat simr to other normal people, he realised that he had been living in the past with his ears and eyes shut to a radical extent.

    But he had been wrong, and now it would be different.

    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡±

    Calling it ¡®delicious¡¯ was apliment, and it thus required a word of gratitude. After going through a logical thinking process, those words left through the Regressor¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Letting out a gasp in fluster, the child avoided Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes and started carefully moving the spoon again. She scooped up a white piece of fish and ced it in her mouth, before drinking a bit of the soup. Although her movements were slow and awkward, she diligently continued eating her food.

    Thinking back on the days of the police station that had been experienced by the clone, he remembered the Team Leader¡¯s young son diligently eating a meal. And every time, the child would be told to eat a lot so that he could grow healthily.

    Young children were fragile. They were exposed to lots of dangers and every minute of their growth had to be with caution.

    He wasn¡¯t interested in other children, but Gyeoul weighed a little bit on his mind.

    In the previous iterations, Gyeoul had particrly caught more diseases than other dragons.

    During then, he had asked, ¡°A dragon catching a cold?¡±. Back then, the Green Dragon had replied with a face filled with hostility, that the water in Askalifa and Earth were too different. It was the circumstance of dragons that he couldn¡¯t understand.

    Due to those memories, the Regressor thought to himself while staring at the blue-haired child.

    At least, in this iteration,

    I wish, you grow healthy.

    *

    The pot was as big as a traditional gamasot. Even then, it seemed to have been a little bitcking for dragons who tend to eat a lot, and Yeorum asked him while staring at the empty pot.

    ¡°Any ns to make some more?¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Now, should we clean up everything?¡±

    Bom told the children to start cleaning, but Yeorum, who had already lied down on the ground, made a look of dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Unni. Let¡¯s clean!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After thinking for a bit, Yeorum gave the smile unique to the red race. Soon, mana gathered under her feet to create a magic circle as she then disappeared from the spot.

    ¡°Uhhh? Bom-unni! Yeorum-unni ran away!¡±

    ¡°Un?¡±

    She ran away because she hated cleaning?

    Bom tilted her head while staring at the ce where Yeorum had been standing. Then, she formed a nk expression, as if she felt something.

    ¡°Should we go catch her, unni?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    After a minute, her doubt was answered.

    At a ce where the magic circle reappeared, Yeorum walked out with the protector who walked with nking noises.

    ¡°Mydy. Why was I called here¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you really asking that right now?¡±

    The protector¡¯s eyes flickered and reflected its confusion. After pointing at the dirty forest with her finger, Yeorum spoke to the protector.

    ¡°What do you think your job is?¡±

    She then let out a ¡®uhuhu¡¯ smile.

    nk.

    The protector started cleaning everything up without a word.

    nk, nk¡­

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae stared at the depths of the forest. While holding his hand, Gyeoul was staring nkly at his face, before turning towards the ce he was facing.

    Why was he staring at that ce?

    Feeling that doubt, Gyeoul looked at the dark forest for some time and before long, a stranger walked out from the other side of the forest.

    The man was at least a head taller than Yu Jitae, who was near 190cm in height, with a shoulder width and a build that resembled an ogre more than a human.

    Behind the man, there was also a woman with long hair. After leaving the bushes, the man stared at them, before slowly approaching them.

    In nervousness, Gyeoul clenched onto Yu Jitae¡¯s clothes. A man she didn¡¯t know, had appeared out of nowhere and was walking towards them while ignoring the aura of the dragons.

    Gyeoul turned back towards Yu Jitae, but didn¡¯t find a single trace of tension from him. Thus, she decided to be at ease yet again.

    ¡°Hello, sir!¡±

    Therge man slightly lowered his head. Instead of a politenguage based on respect, it seemed to be a habit of his.

    Yu Jitae knew who this man was.

    A man officially ranked 9th out of the entire world ¨C a man who was the third strongest out of everyone in Korea. It was Myung Yongha.

    There were times when he had fought alongside him in the previous regressions, and had also fought against him a few times. Although he didn¡¯t have a very deep connection with the man, he was a character whom Yu Jitae was inevitably involved with in therge-scale rescue war for humanity.

    Foreign powers focused on every single movement of his, and as a national-level strategic weapon, he required permission from the country to travel. Meeting a ranker like him at a ce like this, was therefore something he hadn¡¯t been expecting.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Sir, did youe out on a family pic?¡±

    Yu Jitae stared at the people walking behind Myung Yongha. There was a boy who seemed to be around five years old, simr to Gyeoul¡¯s outward appearance, and the mother holding the boy¡¯s hand appeared to be pregnant.

    ¡°We are out on a trip. What about you.¡±

    ¡°Ah you see, we alsoe here frequently for a pic. But I never expected there to be someone else who knew about this ce outside of my group of friends.¡±

    His ¡®group of friends¡¯ meant the organisation of rankers worldwide. He went, ¡°Uhahat!¡± andughed heartily.

    Yu Jitae remembered this man pulling out arge tree up to its roots and smacking it down on a chimera¡¯s head, but in any case, he didn¡¯t have anything to do with him.

    If they were out on a pic, they just had to each enjoy their own time so he pondered about why thisrge man bothered toe looking for him. He was the ¡®Druid of Regeneration¡¯, an extremely rare nature-type superhuman. Nature-type superhumans referred to superhumans that controlled elements of nature, be it fire, water, lightning or anything else.

    The media talked about how the man could control nature just like how dragons would.

    After some contemtion, there was something he could guess.

    ¡°By any chance, have you plucked some mushrooms from nearby?¡±

    ¡°You mean the Abadone mushrooms?¡±

    Hearing that, Myung Yongha¡¯s eyebrows flinched.

    ¡°Aigo! This. It seemed that you didn¡¯t know that those mushrooms had an owner. Did you not think that those were in good conditions for some reason?¡±

    ¡°I thought I got lucky.¡±

    ¡°Haa, I see. Well, I probably would have done the same¡­ Did you perhaps eat everything? There should¡¯ve been five or so of them.¡±

    ¡°We ate everything. Sorry.¡±

    Myung Yongha covered hisrge face with hisrge hands.

    ¡°Haigo¡­ No it¡¯s nothing! It¡¯s my fault for not writing my name on it.¡±

    Even though he said that, it was obvious that he was still feeling regretful.

    Yu Jitae knew why Myung Yongha was looking for those mushrooms. Abadone mushrooms that grew by the Lake of Life, while absorbing the aura of life was good for the body. Myung Yongha¡¯s wife was a normal person, and wasn¡¯t a superhuman. Besides, she was currently pregnant, and from what he remembered, she wasn¡¯t that healthy.

    ¡°Anyways, please do enjoy your pic!¡±

    After giving a nod, Myung Yongha turned around.

    In fact, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t feel sorry at all. Saying that was merely an imitation of daily lives. Some meagre mushrooms and a sick pregnant woman didn¡¯t make him feel anything in particr.

    But now that he had resolved to live a normal lifestyle, he knew what words and actions fell undermon sense in a situation like this.

    He delved deep into his inner alternate dimension as grey hands approached him.

    Ever since the start of the seventh iteration, he had killed several monsters in order to escape the financial problems. Those were all boss monsters of dungeons that were above S in rank.

    There were some priceless by-products that he had gained in that process.

    1000-year-old ginseng.

    It was a ginseng that grew off of arge turtle¡¯s head for over a thousand years. This hade from a different dimension, and wasn¡¯t something that could bepared to the likes of Abadone mushrooms.

    If it was handed over to someone who knew of its worth, millions of dors might not even be enough but since it didn¡¯t have much effect on dragons, he had been holding onto it.

    After returning back to reality, Yu Jitae was holding a ck root. But then he realised that Myung Yongha, who had walked up to him in that short period of time, was almost right before him, as his eyes flickered while staring at Gyeoul.

    ¡°Uooooh~~! Is this child your daughter sir? She¡¯s really pretty!¡±

    ¡­Although she wasn¡¯t his daughter, there was no reason for him to exin all that, so Yu Jitae just casually gave a nod. When he did, Gyeoul startledly looked up at him. Her eyes seemed to be questioning, ¡®I¡¯m your daughter?¡¯.

    ¡°Hi little baby! What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Wahahat! Horolollo! Peek-a-boo!¡±

    Arge faceing up and doing a peek-a-boo wasn¡¯t cute at all. As if she was staring at the protector, Gyeoul gave a frown and hid behind Yu Jitae¡¯s leg. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Myung Yongha raised his body back up while scratching the back of his neck, but he seemed to be fond of children, as the smile was still stered on his face.

    ¡°Auhh, she¡¯s so pretty. It would be great if I had a daughter as well.¡±

    He then continued on by saying, ¡°Sons are good as well though¡±, andughed out loud. It perhaps wouldn¡¯t work out though, because he had two sons in every iteration.

    That was when Yu Jitae extended out the thousand-year-old ginseng roots towards him.

    ¡°Take it.¡±

    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a recement for the mushrooms. Good for the body.¡±

    ¡°Aigo. You don¡¯t have to do this. We don¡¯t need that.¡±

    Yu Jitae outright threw the root at him. It was like a skyscraper of Seoul being thrown away.

    ¡°Aigo. Sir, it¡¯s seriously okay though.¡±

    When Yu Jitae remained quiet, Myung Yonghaughed heartily and said, ¡°Wahahat! If you insist¡± and took the root. A part of his skin turned into vines and wrapped the root before turning back into his skin.

    Even a ranker seemed unable to realise its worth in an instant. It was because that was how precious it was, but being a druid himself, it wouldn¡¯t take long before he realised the worth of that root.

    With this, his task was over.

    ¡°I wish you spend a good time with your family.¡±

    Yu Jitae therefore chased him away.

    ***

    Night arrived as the sun was starting to set.

    Yu Jitae was lying down on a sunbed next to the Lake of Life. Gyeoul fell asleep on top of him, while Bom was on the sunbed next to him. The surroundings were quiet, and the regr breathing sounds of the small child tickled his ears.

    The Lake of Life wasn¡¯t that big, and when lying down on a sunbed, they could see Myung Yongha¡¯s family on the other side of theke. Their eyes would asionally meet and Myung Yongha¡¯s family would wave their hands every single time. Yu Jitae merely gave a nod back, but Bom returned a wave every time.

    ¡°Who is he? He seems like a very strong human.¡±

    He didn¡¯t tell her honestly, about how he was a soldier that would fight against the demons in a distant future.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As if she felt something, Bom murmured to herself before turning to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Why. Did you see something?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It seems that we will be seeing each other quite a bit in the future.¡±

    Since their careers were very far apart, he thought they wouldn¡¯t be meeting much but the words of the Green Dragon was always the truth. Yu Jitae gave a random nod back.

    Soon, night descended and Yu Jitae was about to enter his tent, when Myung Yongha walked up to them and spoke up.

    ¡°Sir. If you¡¯re okay, do you want me to show you a beautiful scenery?¡±

    A beautiful scenery?

    ¡°In fact, there¡¯s an amazing fissure if we walk a bit from here. If you see it, you will probably be greatly shocked by it. Uhahat!¡±

    Although he wasn¡¯t that intrigued by it, the kids would most definitely enjoy a beautiful scenery. Yu Jitae brought Yeorum and Kaeul out from the tents they had been lying down in.

    ¡°Nn? A pretty scenery?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be bothered though.¡±

    They walked out rather obediently. Seeing them, Myung Yongha¡¯s eyes widened into circles, and seemed surprised after seeing the faces of the dragons.

    ¡°Ah! Anyways, let¡¯s go together!¡±

    In a location not too far from where they had been, there was a vertical fissure in the dimension. It was arge fissure with about 200 metres in height. However, there were no traces or auras of monsters so he hadn¡¯t thought too much of it when he arrived.

    ¡°It should start after we wait for some time.¡±

    Wrapping around his wife¡¯s waist with one hand and the other hand holding his son¡¯s hand, Myung Yongha stared at the other side of the dimensional fissure.

    That was when Yu Jitae awoke Gyeoul who was still sleeping in his embrace. The baby¡¯s blue pair of eyes that were full of sleepiness slowly began to open. After realising that she was at an unfamiliar location, she nced around but soon found Yu Jitae¡¯s face and became rxed.

    ¡°Now! Everyone please stare at the sky! It will start any time soon!¡±

    As soon as Myung Yongha¡¯s words came to an end, a strand of a shooting star fell down from the sky.

    ¡°Uwah¡­!¡±

    Kaeul honestly showed her admiration while Bom and Gyeoul also stared at the shooting star with brightened eyes. However, that was merely the beginning.

    From one to two, then three, five, ten and twenty ¨C the gradually increasing number of shooting stars reached several hundreds and thousands before filling the sky appearing on the other side of the fissure. As if there was a centre to all the stars, the shooting stars drew a circle around a given point and drew a path on the night sky.

    Stars started spinning around the ck canvas.

    Startled, Gyeoul tightly grabbed Yu Jitae¡¯s cor with her tiny hands, while he stared at the child¡¯s face. Her pupils reflected the light shining down from the shooting stars. Seemingly overwhelmed by therge, cosmic scale of the universe, the baby¡¯s chin slowly dropped.

    In his embrace, Gyeoul etched the beautiful scenery into her small head.

    It became a memory that would never be forgotten.

 Chapter 46: Journey (4)

    <h4>Chapter 46: Journey (4)</h4>

    She couldn¡¯t fall asleep easily due to the loud beating heart and thus, the baby had to spend the night with wide open eyes. While her hands were full from holding therge teddy bears, the starry sky she had seen before constantly hovered before her eyes.

    ¡°You can¡¯t fall asleep?¡±

    There were three tents in total, and Bom and Gyeoul were the only ones inside that tent. Bom caressed Gyeoul¡¯s blue hair from the front to the back as the child nodded with a revealed forehead.

    ¡°It was really beautiful right?¡±

    Nod, nod.

    ¡°But you need to sleep now. Should we go to sleep together?¡±

    cing an arm underneath Gyeoul¡¯s head, she hugged her in. Along with the two teddy bears, Gyeoul was ced in Bom¡¯s embrace and only then did Gyeoul start feeling sleepy as she slowly closed her eyes.

    By the time she realised, Gyeoul was standing in the middle of theke. For some reason, Yu Jitae was extending his hand out to her with a bright smile. In surprise, the child avoided eye contact, before slowly sneaking a look back at Yu Jitae.

    He was still wearing a bright smile, and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Gyeoul. Let¡¯s y together in the water.¡±

    Together? In the water?

    Gyeoul hid her face behind the teddy bears that were in her embrace. She didn¡¯t know why but she didn¡¯t want to show her current expression. That was when Yu Jitae walked up and hugged Gyeoul, before raising her up and spinning around in a circle.

    ¡°My dear Gyeoul. Hahaha, my daughter. Hahaha.¡±

    My dear Gyeoul?

    My daughter?!

    ¡­¡­

    Inside the tent covered in darkness, Bom stared at the child who had just gone to sleep.

    She appeared to be in the middle of a dream and twitched her fingers and toes faintly. Then, she let go of the teddy bears and started iling her two arms around.

    Then suddenly, she started grinning and Bom who had been slowly caressing Gyeoul¡¯s hair, stopped her movements and tilted her head.

    ¡®What is she dreaming about?¡¯

    Bom found it cute and therefore gave a short kiss on the white, revealed forehead.

    Gyeoul continued smiling and grinning for quite some time.

    Early morning.

    Something approached and pulled the socks of Yu Jitae while he was lying down inside the tent.

    What is it.

    Thinking that, the Regressor slowly opened his eyes and found Gyeoul. He wasn¡¯t sure why but she was trying to pull his socks out so he slightly pulled his leg in.

    When he did, Gyeoul followed the escaping leg and came closer.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Perhaps she thought Yu Jitae had been sleeping, but Gyeoul was startled and quickly nced around, before picking up a fry pan and covering her face with it.

    What was this child doing.

    Even today, Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t understand the blue-haired child¡¯s thinking process. Gyeoul slightly lowered the fry pan and red at Yu Jitae with a nervous gaze, but when their eyes met again, she raised the fry pan back up to cover her eyes.

    What. Why.

    In any case, it was morning. While nning to cook the meal today as well, the Regressor took out pork belly from the alternate dimension inside him.

    Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul were already inside the water ying. When Bom used her arms to raise a ball into the air, Yeorum jumped up in a picturesque manner and spiked it. The ball came crashing down onto Kaeul¡¯s face and sounds of her grumble and Yeorum¡¯sughter could be heard.

    Dragons had great stamina.

    He picked up the fry pan from Gyeoul¡¯s hands. Realising that her two hands were now empty, Gyeoul looked around in a fluster, in an attempt to find something that could hide her face.

    Meanwhile, he relit the fire that had been extinguished and used the fry pan to cook pork belly. It was seasoned with salt and pepper, while sauce, kimchi and some vegetables that had been pre-prepared by Bom were ced on the side.

    There were still leftover fish from yesterday. Yu Jitae removed the head and the guts of the fish and skewered it before cing it next to the fire. Since those were freshwater fish with less pin bones, it would be fine to eat them with the bones intact.

    That was when someone pulled on his pants.

    It was Gyeoul.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    She, who would usually look away in a fluster when their eyes met, only faintly looked away this time, and carefully pointed somewhere with her finger. The ce she pointed at was the Lake of Life where Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul were at.

    What did she want.

    While he was pondering, Gyeoul carefully held him by his hand. Her small white hand could barely hold two fingers from hisrge hand, but she nheless pulled him along ever so slightly.

    The Regressor followed Gyeoul with awkward steps but soon, realised something and stopped the cooking that he had been in the middle of. He then picked up the child and went into the water with her.

    As he had no idea how to y inside water, he just swam with Gyeoul.

    For some reason, she seemed a lot more excited than yesterday as she repeatedly sshed her arms around.

    *

    After finishing the brunch.

    ¡°Did you all enjoy your time.¡±

    He asked with a dry, arid voice while the dragons replied, ¡°Yes!¡± with a bright expression. It was now time to return.

    ¡°Are you going back already?¡±

    Seeing how Yu Jitae¡¯s group was packing up their stuff, Myung Yongha, who had been spending a rxed morning on the other side of theke, came up and asked. He was apanied by his wife and son.

    ¡°Yes. We got to see something good thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°Uhahahat! It was quite good right? I confessed to my wife on the day I found that ce, you see.¡±

    Myung Yongha¡¯s wife tapped him on his arm. ¡°Why are you talking about things like that,¡± she said before coughing a few times.

    That was when Yu Jitae felt Myung Yongha¡¯s son nkly staring at them. Feeling curious about the end of his gaze, he followed it and found out that he was staring deeply at Gyeoul¡¯s face.

    Thinking back, it had been the same yesterday as well. When Gyeoul was ying around, Myung Yongha¡¯s son would nkly stare at her.

    ¡°That noona will be going soon.¡±

    ¡°Ah, un¡­¡±

    The boy¡¯s voice sounded calm for his age. Since Gyeoul appeared to be around five years old, they were referring to her as ¡®noona¡¯.

    Although he wasn¡¯t that curious, he decided to ask.

    ¡°What is his name.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Jun-il ¨C Myung Jun-il. Son, you need to say bye-bye to noona now!¡±

    While saying ¡°Un. Bye bye, noona¡± the boy carefully waved his hand at Gyeoul. Gyeoul, who had only been staring at Yu Jitae till that point, turned around while still being hugged by Yu Jitae, and returned a casual wave.

    Just like that, they bid farewell with Myung Yongha¡¯s family.

    After packing everything up, they were about to return but Gyeoul remained standing while nkly staring at the Lake of Life.

    ¡°She probably feels reluctant.¡±

    Bom spoke out for Gyeoul¡¯s feelings, but it was something that couldn¡¯t be helped, because it wasn¡¯t like they could live here forever. He was about to carry the luggages without thinking too much about it when Bom handed over an empty water bottle.

    ¡°What¡¯s this for.¡±

    ¡°If we bring some water back, she would feel less reluctant.¡±

    There was a method like that, huh.

    Yu Jitae walked up and crouched down next to Gyeoul, before lowering his back and filling the bottle with water. Meanwhile, Gyeoul was watching his movements with a somewhat gloomy gaze.

    He passed the water bottle over to her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Taking the bottle from his hand, Gyeoul nkly stared back at him before eventually returning a nod.

    Their journey which ignored the restraints of a wintery season, thus came to an end.

    ***

    The air felt suppressive.

    One of the drops of sweat that were filling her face slowly travelled down the cheeks. Her small hand that was held by the tworge hands continued its endless tremble.

    A, ahh¡­

    After holding back the pain over and over again, to a point that it could no longer be endured, a groan escaped her mouth like a death thro.

    His wife, who always endured the pain and never let out a gasp in pain, was having a shortness of breath. Myung Yongha quietly held onto his wife¡¯s hand.

    Just like any other day, doctors and healers came and went throughout the day but there seemed to be no improvements.

    It was around 10 years ago when his wife had be like this. Straight after the end of the Great War, she had been exposed to a virus that was spurted out from an ancient monster. Ever since that time, she had to feel extreme pain along with a severe chill at least once a month.

    Science and magic had advanced to the point that it could revive a dead person, but there were still unconquerable illnesses. Her illness was one of those.

    Ah¡­ un¡­

    Myung Yongha had gone around the entire world trying to find the best healers and doctors worldwide. He tried everything he could to make her feel better. Every time, her condition would appear to be getting better but soon would go plummeting down again. That meaningless hope made Myung Yongha feel even more distressed.

    Un¡­

    Her voice that appeared to be moments away from exploding out into a scream, was barely held back down to a groan.

    Myung Yongha clenched his teeth, as if he was trying to crunch them.

    ¡°Honey.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Honey. Hawon.¡±

    He then tightly gripped his wife¡¯s hand which felt all the more smaller today. His worried gaze travelled to her swollen stomach.

    As her body became weaker and weaker, his wife increasingly desired for a child. Myung Yongha tried to stop her, by saying that giving birth without a healthy body was dangerous, but she remained stubborn.

    Unable to hold back, Myung Yongha had gotten angry at the sickdy, while shouting, how she could possibly have a baby without even being able to lie down properly by herself, and that she should take care of her own body if she was in her right mind.

    But his wife told him that she didn¡¯t have a lot of years remaining in her life. It was her truly stubborn wish that she wanted to leave behind a proof of her love towards him before her death. Hearing that, Myung Yongha felt endlessly worthless and insignificant.

    What was good about being a ranker?

    So what if he was the world¡¯s strongest druid?

    What meaning was there behind the money and fame in his possession?

    Despite having all those powers, he himself could do nothing but to shout his wife¡¯s name out and tremble in fear.

    Ah, ahhk¡­

    When night arrived, the voice that could no longer be swallowed, escaped her lips as a feeble scream.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After she fell asleep, Myung Yongha walked towards a hideout with uneven steps. Inside, there were his colleagues who hade over for fun and one of them, who had been chatting with another, found Myung Yongha and waved his hand.

    ¡°Yo, little grass.¡±

    But Myung Yongha¡¯s face wasn¡¯t normal. Seeing that, they guessed the cause and closed their mouths.

    There had been no problems for quite some time, but it seemed to have hit today.

    Wearing an absentminded look on his face, Myung Yongha took out all the medicinal drugs and nts that he had found that month.

    Those were all precious ingredients but more than half of them had been bought with money. In other words, most of them were less effective to the point that they could be traded with money.

    The truly precious nts and drugs had already been given to his wife.

    Even then, he did not give up.

    He habitually moved his hand and after opening nature¡¯s alternate dimension inside his skin, he took out nts and started boiling them in a pot.

    In that process, he found a small root painted in ck.

    He remembered where it was from ¨C this had been given by that dubious man whom he had met at the Lake of Life. Thinking back, their family was really unique.

    ¡®Mount Tai¡¯ that was embedded in his body warned him of the man. Mother nature defined him as an enemy, and the underworld being discerned him as an evil man.

    Due to that, he was ready for a fight at the start.

    However, the moment he stood in front of the girl with olive-coloured hair who was standing next to the man, everything including mother nature changed its attitude.

    That quick change in attitude was also something he had seen for the first time.

    It was as if¡­

    In any case, that wasn¡¯t the important point.

    His fingertips changed and became white roots of a tree. By using a skill, [Root of Discernment (A)] which allowed one to analyse the mana and effect behind a pharmaceutical nt, he started analysing the ck root given by the man.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a few seconds, Myung Yongha doubted the information flowing into his head.

    ¡°Yongha.¡±

    That was when someone pped him on his back.

    Turning around, he found a skinny man with a tall height despite still being smaller than himself. In one hand, he was holding a blue marble while his other hand was carrying a bottle of vodka.

    The man was the 2nd ranked superhuman worldwide, who moved without being tied up by nationality. His known alias was ¡®BM¡¯, and at the same time, he was a longtime colleague of Myung Yongha.

    Due to a raid on an extrarge size dungeon, he hadn¡¯t shown himself at the hideout for the past few months. Despite the current situation he was in, Myung Yongha weed his friend.

    ¡°Yo-! BM. How many months has it been? I heard you were busy?¡±

    With a hup, the drunk manughed.

    ¡°Dude, I don¡¯t even have that much time to spare right now. Just take this.¡±

    BM handed over a small marble.

    ¡°Use it on Hawon-ssi.¡±

    ¡°Oi dude¡­ what is it?¡±

    ¡°Something good. See ya then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. BM! Seriously.¡±

    BM walked outside while drinking vodka from the bottle.

    Myung Yongha analysed the ck root given by the suspicious man and the marble from BM. Both of them were extraordinary medicinal herbs which even he was unfamiliar with as a top world ranker. In fact, it was hard for him to analyse them properly because he had never seen anything like them before.

    Even then, it was certain that they were good for the body.

    Aftering to that conclusion, Myung Yongha used those two ingredients to earnestly boil a soup. He created a magic circle and melted the ingredients before bringing them together.

    Holding the soup, Myung Yongha entered the ward. Perhaps her pain had dissipated a little, but his wife full of sweat, was lying down on the bed staring outside the window. She was stroking her swollen stomach.

    ¡°Honey.¡±

    She turned around.

    Myung Yongha handed her the soup. While looking at her trembling fingers that barely held up the spoon, he caressed her sweaty hair and shared a silly joke, ¡°Did you exercise while I wasn¡¯t here?¡± and used a towel to wipe her sweat off.

    He sincerely prayed to a god whom he didn¡¯t even know of.

    If needed, I would sacrifice anything in existence,

    So please, let there be a miracle¡­

 Chapter 47: Very Depths of the Abyss (1)

    <h4>Chapter 47: Very Depths of the Abyss (1)</h4>

    Without knowing why himself, Yu Jitae followed his mood and bought alcohol. 29 year old whiskeys with 70% alcohol content ¨C he bought ten of them as they clinked against one another inside a leather bag.

    When he returned to the dormitory, he found Bom, Yeorum, Kaeul, Gyeoul and the protector sitting in the living room ying a board game. It was a game designed for five people.

    Thus, he headed straight to his own room. ¡°Uh? Ahjussi, let¡¯s y together! Mister Cleaner is so bad!¡± Kaeul called him but he gave a random wave and walked away.

    After entering his room, he opened a bottle of alcohol.

    Leaning onto the wall, he started drinking it without any snacks. The sweet savoury smell unique to whiskey floated up. His body was normally unable to get drunk, but he went as far as to deliberately lowering his body¡¯s metabolism speed to that of a normal human.

    Moonlight entered through the window. It was a fairly decent day to get drunk, thought the Regressor.

    Around the second and third iterations, Yu Jitae had been living as if his life was dependent on alcohol. It was because he could escape from theplexities of the world when he got drunk.

    In the early regressions, he had revealed his wounds to others andined that this was how hard his life was, and that his life was this pitiful. But as the regressions continued, he realised that relying on meaningless constion was a foolish thing to do. In the end, nothing changed even with others¡¯ constion.

    The world left behind only him, and rewound everything as it pleased. Left behind by himself, the man who was the very definition of normal, had no choice but to take everything in.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae no longer desired the understanding of others. Others couldn¡¯t fully put themselves in his shoes, and consoling himself was meaningless. When he no longer consoled himself, alcohol soon lost its meaning.

    Thus, he stopped getting drunk.

    Drinking alcohol today was just another whim of his. It was when he was opening the fourth bottle, in the middle of being deeply intoxicated by alcohol.

    ¡®It is about time, my lord.¡¯

    His clone¡¯s will faintly popped up in his head and Yu Jitae slowly stood up from his seat. In that instant, a thick smell of alcohol spread across with his body at the centre. With that, he had chased the intoxication out through his skin.

    ¡®Let me send you the memories.¡¯

    The clone sent Yu Jitae the memories of the things that it had seen and heard during the past week. Yu Jitae opened them one by one and yed them inside his head.

    Information about the seventy-man raid team;

    Report about Prototype X¡¯s movement;

    Wei Yan¡¯s rage after losing his cherished colleagues;

    And several conferences of the demons.

    ¡®Will you be moving personally for the asion?¡¯

    Yu Jitae gave a nod.

    It was dawn already, and after finishing his preparations, Yu Jitae walked out to the corridor in an attempt to leave the house. That was when a pair of olive-coloured eyes faced him from within the darkness.

    ¡°What are you doing, not sleeping.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Going out for a bit.¡±

    Wearing the same, strange and indifferent expression as usual, Bom stared at him. Although her two eyes were staring at him, they also seemed to be staring at a distant ce. When Yu Jitae was about to walk past her side, Bom moved and blocked him from the front.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I want to go as well.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t cause you any trouble.¡±

    ¡°You must have seen something. Right?¡±

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t tell you anything. Please just understand that ahjussi needs me with you.¡±

    She must have seen something, but in any case, what shouldn¡¯t be done should never be done.

    ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡±

    Yu Jitae was about to walk past her again but Bom once again blocked his path. Wherever he turned to, Bom blocked him from the front.

    He spoke with a lower voice.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Go back and wait inside your room.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why are you against taking me along?¡±

    ¡°There is no need for you to know of these things, and nothing goodes from knowing them either. So move aside. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll tie you onto a chair.¡±

    He was half serious.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    ¡°No. You can¡¯t go alone, ahjussi.¡±

    She was more resolute this time, but he was not in the mood for an argument.

    Yu Jitae sharpened his senses a little and formed a serious expression. He then walked past Bom, who opened her eyes wide in shock and remained still.

    It was when he reached the shoe racks, and was about to wear shoes.

    Something hugged his waist from behind.

    Those were Bom¡¯s two arms.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let go,¡±

    Faint irritation was mixed into his voice.

    ¡°Ahjussi, do you think I¡¯m a child and that I need to be protected¡­?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The bad things shouldn¡¯t be shown and dirty things should be avoided ¨C we can only be happy once our lives are filled with only good things. Is that what you think?¡±

    Bom was on the mark.

    Seeing dirty things was enough with the Regressor alone. There was no need for the dragons to see or even know about those things.

    Bom¡¯s voice reached his ears from behind.

    ¡°¡­Does ahjussi know what it means to live as a dragon of the green race?¡±

    Towards his back, Bom said that along with a deep sigh. The life of a green dragon that can read Providence wasn¡¯t something the Regressor could even hope to understand.

    But regardless, he had no time to be doing this with her.

    ¡°No idea. For now, I can¡¯t take you along. So let go of me before I get angry. I wasn¡¯t joking about tying you up.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her arms became loose.

    After wearing his shoes, he turned around and realised that she was holding something in her hands. Bom was holding the protector¡¯s longsword along with its scabbard.

    ¡°What is that.¡±

    ¡°I borrowed it during the day.¡±

    After some hesitation, Bom added more words.

    ¡°Ahjussi, let¡¯s say there is something you really don¡¯t want to do, but it is something that must be done. What would you do, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°I would do it. No matter what.¡±

    ¡°Even if someone else hates it? Or even if someone would definitely get hurt by it?¡±

    He quietly stared at Bom. There were many things in the world that had to be done due to a sense of duty. A few of those things weren¡¯t mandatory.

    ¡°¡­If it needs to be done.¡±

    But even if the whole world hated it and would suffer from it, some things just had to be done.

    ¡°¡­Really? Even if you would prefer dying over doing it, doing it is right if it¡¯s something that must be done, right?¡±

    He pondered about the reason why Bom was acting like this. It seemed that she had seen something through Providence, and she must do something ordingly, but would rather not do it.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m still too young¡­ I know that it must be done. I know, but really. I¡­¡±

    After another hesitation, Bom slowly extended the longsword out towards him.

    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t want to give this to ahjussi.¡±

    He looked at Bom¡¯s face. He still couldn¡¯t see what she was thinking from her eyes, but they appeared particrly sorrowful today.

    Yu Jitae received the sword.

    ***

    A seventy-man raid team of the International Hunter Association. The objective of this raid team was the boss ¡®Kraken¡¯ of an S- ranked dungeon, ¡®Hetheia¡¯s Ocean¡¯. In order to have the least number of casualties, strong superhumans with a lot of fame within the association had gathered.

    Each individual was within the top 0.5 percentile of superhumans. The power level of this raid team was simr to the military power of a small developing country.

    The leader of this raid team was an executive member of the International Hunter Association, a powerhouse who was ranked in the ny¡¯s worldwide.

    His name was¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m Shiraishi Ryuunosuke.¡±

    Wearing a pair of silver sses, the man with an intellectual look greeted Yu Jitae with an ufortable expression.

    ¡°Are you Japanese?¡±

    ¡°I live nearby. Do you understand my suggestion?¡±

    Yu Jitae stared deeply at the man¡¯s face.

    The man¡¯s nature hanging on the Eyes of Equilibrium was ¡®slight evil¡¯. He wasn¡¯t a demon, but hade across demons and had ced a demon of undetectables, Prototype X into the raid team.

    He had made a big mistake.

    ¡°So you want a spot inside the seventy-man raid team right? And that you want to see the profiles of every member?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ do seem a bit strong. But don¡¯t you think you are asking for a seriously absurd request?¡±

    ¡°Absurd?¡±

    ¡°The day of the dungeon¡¯s raid is tomorrow morning. You haven¡¯t worked with others yet, and you have no connection either. You are not from the Association and your identity is also unclear. Under what circumstance would I trust you and ce you in the group? And yet you¡¯re so straightforward that it makes me dumbfounded.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae remained quiet.

    ¡°Someone that can¡¯t even reveal their identity ¨C I don¡¯t know how you found this ce out and came here, but do you think the Association is some random dog strolling around?¡±

    ¡°So you won¡¯t do it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Your arrogance is too much for my patience.¡±

    Ryuunosuke¡¯s two hands flickered in light and in an instant, a bow appeared in his left hand and an arrow in his right. His switching speed (Battle setup) was extremely fast.

    In the blink of an eye, he nocked the arrow and pulled the bowstring before letting go. Immediately after, Yu Jitae grabbed the arrow mid-air and stabbed it into his left wrist. The arrow pierced through the wrist as well as the table under it.

    Ryuunosuke could no longer hold the bow.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Everything happened in the blink of an eye and Ryuunosuke frowned while feeling the pain.

    ¡°Damn it. You seem to be more of a bigshot than I thought.¡±

    Despite one of his hands being pierced through by an arrow, Ryuunosuke gave out a rxed smile and used his other hand to reposition his sses. However, he couldn¡¯t stop his increasing heart rate.

    ¡°What if I still refuse?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Maybe I need to wear your skin or something.¡±

    ¡°Though I appear quite young, I¡¯m pretty old. The skin of an old man is quite rough and wearing it over you will probably be¡­¡±

    He, who was deliberately faking a rxed smile, stopped his words after seeing the man¡¯s eyes. Ryuunosuke was one of the rankers who was praised in Japan for being one of Japan¡¯s 12 Zodiacs.

    Although he was barely holding onto thest seat, he was a strong ranker, and he had never felt fear for the past twenty years while staring at a superhuman. But right now, he was frightened by the man¡¯s gaze.

    Cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

    He had to run away.

    The moment he came to that realisation, his body moved. Ryuunosuke¡¯s entire body emitted mana as they all turned into light and before long, the entire office was filled with light.

    [Luminous Light (A)]

    It was an active skill that blocked the sense of sight and touch of everyone else present. Ryuunosuke pulled the arrow out from his wrist. As his bone caused a friction with the arrowhead, blood spurted out and he could feel the wound opening up but he had no other option.

    For a split second, he contemted. Should he break the outer walls of the building and escape? No. It was likely that he woulde chasing after him and thus, he threw his body to an inner wall inside the office.

    On the other side of that wall was a corridor, connecting onto a door which contained a teleportation machine for emergency escape purposes. Since pursuing the traces of teleportation was difficult, he should be able to escape.

    But when he was a step away from the room with the teleportation machine, his feet were forced to a stop as a groan escaped his mouth.

    Through the gap behind the door, a longsword came shooting forth and drove itself into his mouth.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Ryuunosuke with a sword in his mouth was frozen stiff.

    Soon the door was slowly pushed open, and the man that left the room, was the mysterious man who had been inside the office up until now.

    Step. Step.

    With the sword deep inside Ryuunosuke¡¯s mouth, the man slowly walked forward while pushing the sword forth. In order to not have the back of his head pierced by the sword, Ryuunosuke matched the man¡¯s footsteps and slowly walked backward.

    And after walking backward, he was made to enter the office which he had left just then.

    Soon, the seventy-man raid team became a seventy-one-man team.

    ¡°I have found it.¡±

    That was when a woman opened the door and walked into the office. It was an old woman with her head shaved ¨C it was Yu Jitae¡¯s clone who mimicked the head researcher Vera.

    After walking up, she handed a document over to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°I have found the profiles of the seventy people.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Yu Jitae opened the document up and checked the faces and names of the members one by one.

    ¡°¡­My lord.¡±

    The clone carefully spoke up.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­The document rted to Prototype X is ced at the veryst page.¡±

    ¡°Have you gone through it already? You should have passed the memories over after finding it.¡±

    ¡°¡­My apologies.¡±

    The clone¡¯s reaction was slightly strange. Although he found it odd for a split second, Yu Jitae turned over to the final page of the profile list.

    Who would be the new Prototype X that had changed for the first time in the seventh iteration? In fact, it didn¡¯t really matter who it was, because that wouldn¡¯t change the fact that it would definitely have to be killed.

    But as he looked at the contents of thest page.

    ¨C Number 42 ¨C

    Name: Ha Saetbyul (26)

    Nationality: Korea

    World Ranking: 871

    Position: Operator

    Authority in Possession: Danger-sensing Eye

    ¨C ¨C ¨C ¨C ¨C ¨C ¨C ¨C

    Yu Jitae¡¯s hands came to a stop.

 Chapter 48: Very Depths of the Abyss (2)

    <h4>Chapter 48: Very Depths of the Abyss (2)</h4>

    Ha Saetbyul.

    That was his lover whom he had imagined the future with for the first and thest time ever.

    When the Regressor¡¯s head was about to be muddled with various thoughts, status messages came one after another.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)] reads hostility sent from the other side of the Horizon of Providence.]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)] observes an existence that has escaped the boundaries of time.]

    [Opponent: [Superhuman Ha Saetbyul]]

    [Exnation: There has been interference from the existence on the other side of the Horizon of Providence, who holds hostility against the regressions. The life of Ha Saetbyul the superhuman has changed immensely.]

    [Ha Saetbyul of the Seventh Iteration: In this iteration, Ha Saetbyul was unable to work at the orphanage for a long time. Due to a firing error of superhumans under the International Hunter Association, the orphanage was destroyed, and Ha Saetbyul was reborn as a demon by signing a contract with the existence of abyss out of her hatred against superhumans. The existence contracted with Ha Saetbyul is [The Seventh Lord of the Abyss, Lakshata]. Although Ha Saetbyul had felt doubt at the intense hatred that came to her from the other side of the Horizon of Providence, she forgot most of it while contracting with Lakshata. One of the memories that reached her from outside the timeline includes a portion about you, the Regressor.]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)], reveals extreme hostility against the existence that hates you!]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)], wishes for you to solve this problem as soon as possible!]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)]¡­]

    The Vintage Clock showed animosity against the hostility that had arrived from the other side of the Horizon of Providence, to the point that it seemed to be in a seizure. It was firm and resolute.

    Even in the previous regressions, never had the Vintage Clock been this vehement.

    After reading through the change that had happened to Ha Saetbyul, Yu Jitae went back to the profile in silence and viewed the data rted to Prototype X again.

    Other profiles had pictures of the superhumans, but there weren¡¯t any for this one. In doubt, he asked Ryuunosuke who was vacantly sitting down in a corner of the office.

    ¡°Why does Number 42 not have an image.¡±

    ¡°¡­Who knows. Someone must have forgotten to put it on.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember this woman¡¯s face?¡±

    ¡°I do. It was a cute face, but she didn¡¯t show her face for that long. Though rare for an operator, she was wearing a full-ted armour.¡±

    A full te armour? Ha Saetbyul in the past wasn¡¯t wearing something like that.

    That wasn¡¯t the end to the odd situation. After floating up a status message, [Searching¡­] for some time, the Vintage Clock opened up another window.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] observes an item that is outside the world¡¯s timeline.]

    [Opponent: [Arma¡¯s Longsword]]

    The target pointed at by the Vintage Clock this time, was the protector¡¯s sword which was hanging on Yu Jitae¡¯s waist. It was the object which had been handed over by Bom earlier that day.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] will stop the hostility sent from the other side of the Horizon of Providence before it could reach you.]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is fighting the hostility¡­]

    He unsheathed the protector¡¯s sword and raised it. As the authority of the Vintage Clock was influencing it, the sword was filled with the invisible aura of Vintage Clock. After contemting about the current situation for some time, the Regressor returned the sword back to its sheath.

    Then, he spoke to Ryuunosuke.

    ¡°Change my position from wing guard to operator.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing difficult, but why?¡±

    It was because Ha Saetbyul was an operator.

    ¡°Your family is in Tokyo right?¡± While speaking of Ryuunosuke¡¯s weak point, Yu Jitae left the office as his clone followed him from behind.

    ***

    There was a mountain with no human presence inside a certain conflict zone. Yu Jitae, who had been carrying his steps forward with no real objective, stopped his feet after reaching that ce.

    His clone likewise stopped its feet.

    Yu Jitae sat down on a tree stump. Then, he took out the protector¡¯s sword and filled his fingers with killing intent before sharpening the de with it.

    Shink, shink¡­

    His index and middle fingers followed down the de. There were no abrasives or whetstones present, but the sword was nheless getting sharper and shaper. With a cloudy gaze, the Regressor stared at the sword and sharpened it slowly for a long time.

    The existence beyond the Horizon of Providence.

    Someone who was dissatisfied with his regressions and thus held hostility.

    It was hard to guess who it was and what made it do this. Besides, the extent of its power, was still hard to judge.

    But now he had a gist that he could understand what it was thinking.

    Literally. It was ¡®hostility¡¯ itself.

    It was leading him to annoyance, despair, or ruin.

    As the proof, that guy had bothered to increase the strength level of Wei Yan and made Ha Saetbyul into Prototype X. ¡®Your ex-lover, who was tortured and killed by your own hands a long time ago ¨C kill her once again with your hands¡¯ was what it was saying.

    Shink¡­

    His hand grinding the sword gradually elerated.

    The de was already sharp, but Yu Jitae did not stop his hands.

    After the second round of regression,

    So after he killed Ha Saetbyul and killed himself, Yu Jitae had never gone looking for her. He avoided bumping into her when they happened to be near each other. In the early iterations, it was from guilt and in the recent rounds, he just had no reason to face her, and thus kept his distance. Perhaps that was why that guy had misunderstood.

    ¡®That guy¡¯ doesn¡¯t know me very well.

    That was Yu Jitae¡¯s conclusion.

    If that guy really knew me well, it wouldn¡¯t have worked in such an inefficient way.

    Maybe it had heard or seen some random stuff somewhere. Despite that, that guy was pretending to know him very well, and he found that to be impudent.

    When he thought deeply about it, he slowly started feeling angry from inside.

    That was when his clone interrupted his contemtion.

    ¡°My lord. If you have anything to order, please do so.¡±

    The only existence that remembered a portion of Yu Jitae¡¯s repeated history ¨C [Shadow of an Archduke (S)] spected what it had to do.

    ¡°If you so wish, I will take care of this, and will keep everything that happened inside my own memory without taking it out.¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head without saying a word.

    * * *

    Early the next morning.

    The 71-man raid team gathered together.

    As the squad had been brought together in a hurry, the members had different nationalities and associations, and in turn, they weren¡¯t very close to each other. This was why Prototype X was able to fit in.

    There was no-one who would seriously question the addition of one superhuman into the operator position and the name value of Ryuunosuke, one of the 12 Zodiacs of Japan, had enough power as well.

    ¡°¡­So you¡¯re not going to cause any problems right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Please take care of your work and leave quietly. I really feel pressured with you around.¡±

    Realising the position he was in, Ryuunosuke did not make amotion about it.

    Yu Jitae, who already knew the type of person Ryunosuke was, had been expecting this. He was the kind that understood the authority of power. Perhaps by now, he was hoping that Yu Jitae would finish his business quietly before disappearing without a word.

    Soon, the raid squad headed for the South Pacific Ocean via a warp station.

    On an unnamed ind was a 20-meter crack drawn horizontally. The closed dungeon was all ck at the entrance and the moment one entered through that darkness, they would instantly be weed by a new world.

    ¡°Ready yourself.¡±

    At the words of Ryuunosuke, the operators gathered together. From now on, they were going to lead sevenbat squads.

    Yu Jitae also headed to the squad he was assigned to and met his squad¡¯s front guards, wing guards, healers, and sharpshooters.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the operator that recently joined the team? Please take care of me.¡±

    Several people walked up and greeted him.

    And one step before them,

    An operator was standing alone.

    Thick full metal armor covered the body from head to toe. However, the person was quite short, and the magic-tailored armour revealed a feminine body.

    Yu Jitae approached her and the eyes behind the metal helmet faced him as she gave a faint bow.

    ¡°I¡¯m the operator, Ha Saetbyul.¡±

    In that instant.

    ¨C Ah, I, I¡¯m Ha Saetbyul. I was appointed as an operator.

    Funnily enough,

    ¨C Should I call you Captain¡­?

    As if he was dreaming,

    ¨C Uakk! Y, you¡¯re bleeding!

    The forgotten memories came back to life.

    ¡°I look forward to your cooperation.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As if someone was injecting him with memories, the forgotten memories started flooding in crazily through a broken dam.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you responding?¡±

    Her voice was a bit different,

    ¡°Ah¡­ umm, that doesn¡¯t mean you have to stare scarily like that.¡±

    But this was definitely the same shell as that Ha Saetbyul.

    The reason she couldn¡¯t recognise Yu Jitae even with the portion of memory that deviated from the timeline was because the persona inside the shell was different.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded as he pushed back the flood of memories. He then said, ¡°I look forward to your cooperation,¡± and only then did Ha Saetbyul reveal a small smile from her previous nervousness. Herughter echoed inside the helmet.

    ¡°Enter!¡±

    Soon after, the operation began under Ryuunosuke¡¯s instructions.

    Entering the crack, a world full of sea and reefs awaited them.

    This was the dungeon, ¡®Hetheia¡¯s Ocean¡¯.

    The superhumans walked on the water, by injecting mana into their feet. It was amendable feat, but was not something difficult for those who had been gathered here.

    ¡°¡­Huu. I¡¯m a little worried.¡±

    That was when Ha Saetbyul muttered towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m operating on an ocean-terrain like this. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to swim but deep water is scary¡­¡­.¡±

    A faint memory budded up inside him.

    Ha Saetbyul had a lot of fears. She was afraid of blood, afraid of heights, nervous in front of water and would whinge about being wounded ¨C those memories brushed past his head.

    ¡°If I fall in the ocean, you can¡¯t leave me behind okay? I¡¯m heavy so I¡¯ll definitely sink.¡±

    Sheughed, ¡°Ahaha¡± inside the helmet.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    For a split second, Yu Jitae felt irritation soaring up inside him.

    The person standing next to him wasn¡¯t Ha Saetbyul ¨C it was the servant of a devil wearing the skin of Ha Saetbyul, and yet it was mimicking her, using the memories of the main body.

    An urge to tear it apart into death struck him. It was a very intense impulsiveness, and felt as if someone was striking him on the head as hard as they could with a hammer.

    Even then, the Regressor endured the urge that threatened to burst out like a volcano. It wasn¡¯t Ha Saetbyul whom he had to kill and doing that would be ying into the hands of that guy who wished for his misfortune.

    That guy probably made this change while taking Yu Jitae¡¯s second iteration into ount.

    However, that Yu Jitae, who was swayed around by the world during the past rounds, had died in the second round.

    He had killed him.

    Now there was no such being in this timeline.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    With the guidance of Ha Saetbyul, the squad started its movement while Yu Jitae followed behind after calming himself down.

    As far as he remembered, there was one pattern in the test run of Prototype X.

    1. Secretly participate in arge-scale raid.

    2. At first, pretend to be a member and attack the boss.

    3. When the battle is over, quickly strike the allies who have built-up exhaustion.

    4. Like that, the military power of Prototype X would be measured.

    5. When everyone dies, monopolise the boss drops and take the bodies of the dead superhumans.

    From here, Step 3 which was where ¡®the full strength of the demon was brought out¡¯ was crucial.

    Like how Oh Minsung the teacher turned into a beast simr to a wolf ¨C that process was called [Extrication] and in order for Yu Jitae to kill the ¡®enemy¡¯ lying in the ¡®depths¡¯ of Ha Saetbyul, it was important for her to enter Step 3, where she extricated.

    Thus, he quietly led the squad forward with Ha Saetbyul. They killed the monsters hiding between the rocks and avoided the monsters sniping from the depths of the ocean.

    After around half a day, thebat squad gathered in front of the boss, Kraken.

    ¡°He¡¯s showing up! Everybody, ready for battle-!¡±

    Right after the main operator shouted, a ck shadow gradually grew bigger from beneath the water. All the members of the attack team watched on as the silhouette grew bigger and bigger.

    But Ha Saetbyul was staring at the raid members through the gaps of her helmet;

    While Yu Jitae was looking at Ha Saetbyul.

    As their gazes focused on different targets;

    Within that vtile situation;

    Yu Jitae slowly raised the protector¡¯s sword.

 Chapter 49: Very Depths of the Abyss (3)

    <h4>Chapter 49: Very Depths of the Abyss (3)</h4>

    Ssh¨C!

    Water gushed out after being carried up by the body, and as it sshed off to the sides, arge circr head was revealed from beneath.

    With a body 35 metres in length, it was as big as apartments. Arge cephalopod with the rank S- given to it, that could destroy onerge city just by itself;

    Kraken.

    As it rose up from beneath the surface of the water, it raised a thick leg which wasrger than human bodies.

    ¡°Front Guards! Spread out!¡±

    Hearing Ryuunosuke¡¯s shout, the superhumans that acted as the shields at the front line scattered, which was immediately followed by the thick leg swooping down like arge whip.

    The target of its attack was arge box made of wood. From the monster¡¯s perspective, it must have been thergest, and the easiest target to go after.

    Kwaaang¨C!

    The wooden box was instantaneously crushed into shatters and arge pir of water reaching dozens of metres in height was created as an aftermath. Due to the overwhelming aftershock, some superhumans failed to dodge it properly and thus bled from their nostrils.

    This was a true showcase of the might ofrge species. Even world rankers who could fight it alone wouldn¡¯t be able to remain unscathed if they received an attack like that head on.

    However, straight after the water pir disappeared, something grabbed onto the Kraken¡¯s leg. An artifact with a steel frame had left the broken wooden box as it tied up its leg likerge chains.

    Feeling its leg suddenly going heavy, therge squid used one of its other legs in an attempt to escape from the steel chain that bound its leg, but despite the tremendous power of therge species, the chains remained stiff.

    ¡°Did you think we came all the way here empty-handed¨C!?¡±

    Ryuunosuke shouted.

    Large species above the boss rank could rely on mana to have a rough understanding of the opponent¡¯s intention. Rolling its ck pair of eyes, therge squid stared at Ryuunosuke.

    ¡°Strike it¨C!¡±

    In response to his words, the superhumans started moving left and right. mes and lightning struck the body as ice picks that were a few metres long appeared from thin air. Thosences of ice were aimed at the squid¡¯s eyes but were blocked by itsrge legs and deeply pierced the legs instead.

    White liquid sshed from its wound. At the same time, parasitic monsters that lived inside the Kraken¡¯s body ripped the squid¡¯s skins apart and started crawling out.

    Gaaaah¡­

    Kraken¡¯s [Fear] began to resonate and marked the true start of the battle.

    While they were in the middle of theirbat, the operators were gathered at one spot towards the back. In small-scale raids, the operators wouldn¡¯t be a part of the battle at all but those that were currently present had their names listed on the world¡¯s ranking list.

    They therefore had a job as well, which was to deal with monsters that approached from a distance.

    In other words, they had to take care of the mobs.

    asionally, nagas, mermans and sea serpents would approach them but none of them came near Yu Jitae. That was because of their instincts which were more developed than humans.

    Thanks to that, Yu Jitae took one step away from the battlefield, and carefully observed Ha Saetbyul¡¯s actions.

    A sea serpent jumped out of the water behind and aimed for her back. Turning around, Ha Saetbyul shed with her sword and drew a line on the snake¡¯s body mid-air.

    She, who had feared even the fruit knives, was now able to use longswords at a high level.

    Meanwhile, she spared some of her time to check the surviving superhumans and their exhaustion level. Her blessing, [Danger-sensing Eye] could sense the approach of an enemy but could also sense the death of a person as a risk factor.

    Ha Saetbyul was looking for people that became weak.

    Ssh¨C!

    That was when Kraken spitted out a barrel of poisonous ink at the leader, Ryuunosuke, who immediately responded by enchanting his arrows. Shooting five arrows that contained the aura of the wind, he created an artificial wind flow and dispersed it, but a portion of the inknded on his armour.

    Ha Saetbyul¡¯s gaze stayed on Ryuunosuke for a long time, as her tongue licked past her lips inside the steel helmet.

    ¡°What a shame.¡±

    Yu Jitae, who had merely been watching on, said that as the steel helmet turned towards him.

    ¡°Sorry what was that?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, what a shame. Don¡¯t you think so.¡±

    ¡°¡­I have no idea what you are talking about.¡±

    ¡°Surely you feel a bit contradicted. It would be good if the body remained in full but if they arepletely dead, it would be difficult to use them.¡±

    As soon as his words came to an end, the pair of eyes hiding behind the steel helmet, was painted in red.

    ¡°Bastard.¡±

    A unisexual voice escaped the helmet.

    ¡°Who in the world¡­¡±

    Right when that existence wearing Ha Saetbyul¡¯s skin was about to say something to Yu Jitae,

    ¡°Finished tying it up on the spot!¡±

    A superhuman¡¯s voice echoing from mana was heard by every member present. 7 of the 10 ¡®Steel Restraints¡¯ that had been prepared were sealing seven of Kraken¡¯s legs.

    It was time ¨C Ryuunosuke floated up in the air as an enormous amount of mana gathered behind him. Soon, a 5 metre long longbow shing in light as well as an arrow of light appeared from thin air.

    Before long, arge person appeared behind Ryuunosuke¡¯s back while holding that said bow and finally, his ne, rings and earrings resonated from the mana and reverberated.

    [Giant Godly Bow (AA)]

    The mighty authority which raised Ryuunosuke to his current position was revealed.

    ¡°Monster of the depths.¡±

    When Ryuunosuke opened his mouth, therge figure of a man pulled the bowstring back.

    ¡°May you enter a deep slumber.¡±

    It then let go of the string.

    In that instant, Ha Saetbyul who had let out a ck poisonous fog to block Yu Jitae¡¯s vision turned her body around, and Yu Jitae, who had been ncing through the smoke likewise moved his body.

    After being shot, the arrow caused arge tempest. The surface of the water was suppressed by that aura and the water was pushed down by several metres following the trajectory of the arrow.

    From the body of Ha Saetbyul who had jumped in a millisecond after that, a ck aura came exploding out. At the same time, her body as well as the armour grew by arge margin and the metal around her body turned into tentacles of a horrendous beast.

    What Ha Saetbyul was aiming for was Ryuunosuke who had just shot the arrow. His back was leftpletely unprotected.

    Krrrrh¡­

    [Extrication]

    As she transformed into a full demon form, six tentacles left from her chest, back and shoulders in an appearance resembling a spider. The tentacles sshed the water and moved her body forward and acted like springs which allowed her to dash forward at a rapid speed.

    At a speed resembling a cannonball, she shot herself towards Ryuunosuke.

    The old archer was feeling a shortness of breath from the aftermath of a fierce skill, but sensed the danger and turned his head around.

    Kwaaaang!

    Right when his eyes were about to open wide, Yu Jitae closed the gap and grabbed on the head of the extricated Ha Saetbyul. He then rammed thatrge body into the water.

    Kyuaaaaak-!!

    Her face covered with tentacles roared with a splitting scream. While driving Ha Saetbyul¡¯s head down, Yu Jitae started going deeper into the depths of ¡®Hetheia¡¯s Ocean¡¯.

    ¡°Y, youuuu¨C!¡±

    A voice that could belong to either a man or a woman left her mouth through the tentacles. She then used those tentacles in an attempt to rid herself of Yu Jitae and as thorns grew on the tentacles, they aimed for his neck and face.

    Those ended up creating small scratches on Yu Jitae¡¯s skin but couldn¡¯t actually stop his movement. Despite blood leaving his face, neck and forehead, and merging with the water, Yu Jitae continued pushing Ha Saetbyul down to the very depths.

    ¡®Hetheia¡¯s Ocean¡¯ consisted of water that was densely packed with mana. The water here resisted the movement of mana, and the depths could help severe the long-distancemunication ability of the demons.

    In here, themunication skill of Prototype X would never ur no matter what happened.

    After going a few hundred metres into the depths, Yu Jitae judged that this was deep enough and threw Ha Saetbyul toward an oceanic teau that bulged out from the ground. Like a missile being shot, the demon flew forward and created a hole inside the rock.

    Along with a thud, the ground cracked open as a shockwave trembled the waters.

    Ha Saetbyul stopped moving after being buried inside the rock.

    However, something like this wasn¡¯t enough to kill her and slowly, she raised her head. That horrendous red pair of eyes that revealed itself from behind the tentacles faced Yu Jitae.

    After a short silence, the monster opened its mouth after ncing at Yu Jitae from his head to the toe.

    ¡°¡­You know me, right?¡±

    The monster¡¯s voice was clear despite being inside the water. Surprisingly, the unisexual voice from before was long gone, and Ha Saetbyul opened her mouth with her usual voice from before.

    ¡°You know me yeah? That face is very familiar. Haven¡¯t we seen each other before somewhere?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh, right. I knew I saw you before. I do remember it now. At the battlefield before, right? You know me as well, no?¡±

    When he remained quiet, Ha Saetbyul raised her body.

    ¡°You know me; you do, right? We used to know each other in the past. Weren¡¯t we quite close back then? I¡¯m sure that was the case though? I¡¯m about to recall those things from the past right now. If you know me, then say something, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you remember me. We were quite close, weren¡¯t we? I think we held hands as well and lied down next to each other staring at the night sky. Besides, wasn¡¯t it also you that I kissed? I think it was. Ohh right. How intriguing. It was you. Yes it was.¡±

    He didn¡¯t respond. She used her tentacle to raise her body up from the rock.

    ¡°Right? When I turned my head around back then from embarrassment, you kissed my forehead. Didn¡¯t you? I remember it clearly, because that was my first kiss. Your lips were so rough that I wanted to give you some lip balms, but those were still very sweet.¡±

    The man kept his silence.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Did you forget me? Or are you pretending? What is happening? Are you testing me or something? Thatwasourfirstkiss. DidyouthinkIwouldforgetit? IfIknewyouwouldbothermelikethis,Ishouldhavebittenyourtongueoff. WhydidIikeaweakuselessmanlikeyoubackthen. Thinkingback, thosearesomedisgustingandworthlessmemories.¡±

    From a certain point, her voice changed back to its unisexual tone. Within the darkness, a pair of crimson eyes were agape open ¨C so circr that the eyeballs could drop out. With a shriek, ¡°Kiyaaaak!¡±, Ha Saetbyul¡¯s body began inting and before long, she faced dozens of tentacles and tried to overwhelm Yu Jitae with them.

    ¡°Dieeeeeee¡ª!!¡±

    The tentacles gathered at her hands and created arge poisonous thorn. This was the final form of the demon, and a threatening amount of demonic aura gathered at the tip of the thorn.

    Even then, the Regressor kept his mouth shut, and silently he raised his sword.

    Kicking the water beneath his feet, Yu Jitae dashed forward at Ha Saetbyul.

    The reason he didn¡¯t take out his [Shapeless Sword (SS)], was because he wasn¡¯t confident in controlling it so that it wouldn¡¯t kill her. Shapeless Sword was an embodiment of killing intent. Since it always moved in an attempt to kill something, it sometimes escaped the Regressor¡¯s control.

    However, it was possible to have it fully under his control if he used it to cover an existing weapon.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s killing intent was added on top of the protector¡¯s sword. It formed little protruding tips and began rotating itself along the de.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C Second Form]

    A skill that had crushed the main gate of the Demon Archduke¡¯s castle back in the demon world.

    [Chainsaw Form]

    Killing intent, that ground everything it touched to dust, rotated by the de at a rapid speed. Due to the resistance and the fierce friction caused due the depths of the ocean, the killing intent as a result formed a huge tornado underwater.

    ¡°Dieeeeeeeeeeee!!¡±

    In a fully enraged state, the monster ran up to him. The protector¡¯s sword carrying a tornado within crushed therge poisonous thorn and the rotating chainsaw of killing intent started shredding past the tentacles that covered her body like an armour.

    Confusion appeared in her crimson eyes.

    Soon, the tip of the de touched her body.

    It was then.

    The Regressor¡¯s killing intent pushed away the mana in the depths of the ocean. A tempest struck the bottom of the sea, and the energy soared up before reaching the surface level, a few hundred metres above.

    Being scattered away by the unprecedented killing intent, the sea water sshed until it reached the sky, and for a short period of time, a huge hole was created in the ocean with the Regressor at the centre.

    ¡°Uaaaak!¡±

    ¡°D, dodge it!¡±

    Kraken¡¯s body was affected by the shockwave and likewise soared up into the air. Fortunately, the superhumans who had created some distance after the raid following Ryuunosuke¡¯smand, weren¡¯t caught up by it.

    But Ryuunosuke was baffled by the huge pir of water that barely missed the sky.

    What in the world was happening in the depths?

    Even the dungeon outside the fissure started trembling as if it had been struck by an earthquake.

    Meanwhile, the water came crashing down again before long and covered the area around the Regressor.

    After all the tentacles were removed, there was only Ha Saetbyul lying down in a half-naked state, but because Yu Jitae retrieved his sword towards the very end, she was still alive. However, her authority as a demon was already lost.

    Now was the chance.

    She had gone through extrication, and had then lost her powers.

    If it was now, Ha Saetbyul could be saved.

    After finishing his line of thought, Yu Jitae was about to ce the protector¡¯s sword back into his waist, but that was when a message from Vintage Clock covered his sight.

    [You have stimted the mana provided from the other side of the Horizon of Providence.]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is getting pushed away by the hostility sent from the other side of the Horizon of Providence!]

    [Source of the Outbreak: [Arma¡¯s Longsword]]

    [[Arma¡¯s Longsword] will try to kill Ha Saetbyul!]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] earnestly wishes you to stop the actions of the [Hostility]!]

    It had finallye.

    The sword hanging in his hand trembled in an attempt to shoot forward by itself. It¡¯s target was Ha Saetbyul¡¯s heart.

    Adding strength to his grip, Yu Jitae held his ground.

    He had predicted that this would happen.

    Yesterday when he was sitting down on the tree trunk sharpening the sword, he had felt a different aura from the protector¡¯s sword.

    Protector.

    It was the only existence right now that had met ¡®that guy¡¯ from the other side of the Horizon of Providence. Just like how it had been carrying that guy¡¯s hostility in its body, the protector¡¯s sword had likewise been carrying that guy¡¯s mana within.

    The reason Bom felt distressed over handing him the sword was because she had been worried about things turning out like this.

    With a tremendous strength that even the Regressor found hard to ignore, the sword moved while aiming for Ha Saetbyul¡¯s heart.

    Rigid muscles appeared on Yu Jitae¡¯s arm as veins popped out. The muscles inside his entire body transferred its power to his arm. The steel longsword that even withstood the burden that came with the usage of [Chainsaw Form] started being paved out by his fingers.

    Soon, his skin started turning red in colour. A strength that exceeded a critical level was starting to break the capiries inside the Regresor¡¯s body.

    Despite that, the ridiculous ¡®Hostility¡¯ that defeated an ¡®EX¡¯ ranked authority started slowly carrying the sword towards Ha Saetbyul¡¯s heart.

    Strength was added onto the Regressor¡¯s grip.

 Chapter 50: Very Depths of the Abyss (4)

    <h4>Chapter 50: Very Depths of the Abyss (4)</h4>

    At this rate, the sword was about to break.

    Yu Jitae, who had been holding the sword back from stabbing Ha Saetbyul¡¯s heart, changed his mind. By slightly altering the trajectory of the sword, he let it stab her stomach. Blood oozed out of the wound despite the sword having avoided the organs, but it would serve no threat to her life.

    After letting out a groan, Ha Saetbyul slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°Why, why aren¡¯t you killing me¡­?¡±

    Instead of the unisexual voice, she spoke with her own tone of voice. Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply and the sword stopped at its ce after piercing through her.

    In silence, he took off his coat and covered the half-naked Ha Saetbyul with it. She was buried inside hisrge coat.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you killing me¡­? It was you that killed me in the past¡­¡±

    He raised her body and rose up to the surface of the water without a word.

    ¡°You should kill me¡­ that¡¯s what you did in the past as well. You killed me; you tortured me the entire night and slowly killed me ¨C it was you. You have no idea how much it hurt back then, right?¡±

    While Yu Jitae was heading up, Ha Saetbyul red at him as if he was a devil incarnate and gushed forth with curses.

    ¡°You killed me, and let others die as well. You were a useless leader! And yet now you feel a sense of guilt or something? Is that why you¡¯re not killing me even though I became a demon?¡±

    After reaching the surface level, Yu Jitae killed his presence and carried Ha Saetbyul in his arms before flying off to the distance. On the other side of Hetheia¡¯s Ocean with no other human beings in sight, he dropped down.

    ¡°You must have felt sorry? To me? I want you to feel more and more sorry because it really hurted back then.¡±

    Seven regressions.

    Roughly 100 years of life.

    He had thought that all the memories had been emptied out in the midst of those long years. Until now, that¡¯s what he had been thinking but it seemed to have been wrong.

    ¡°That morning, I was really¡­¡±

    ¨C I¡¯m¡­ cold¡­

    ¡°¡­cold.¡±

    That one word from before jumped over the restraints of time and became a dagger that pierced his heart. If Ha Saetbyul had survived back then, would she have cursed him like now? Even being a regressor wasn¡¯t enough to let him know that.

    ¡°Say something¨C!!¡±

    She shouted with a devilish face but Yu Jitae remained silent.

    Right now, he had two enemies: one was Ha Saetbyul who had be a demon; and the other was the existence on the other side of the Horizon of Providence.

    The situation wasplex and muddled up, but the Regressor knew of a method that could untie the tangled knot of fate. Closing his eyes, he entered the alternate dimension inside him alongside Ha Saetbyul.

    [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    It was a ce which Yu Jitae usually used as storage. Within the darkness, Yu Jitae and Ha Saetbyul opened their eyes and despite the change in the environment, she continued shouting without concern.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Why?! Why aren¡¯t you killing me? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s toote for you to escape from your guilt? Do you think letting me live at this point will erase your sin?¡±

    Ignoring her words, he thought.

    ¡®Lords¡¯ residing in the abyss couldn¡¯t directly affect the events of the real world. Thus, they lent a portion of their power through contracts and the results were ¡®demons¡¯ like Ha Saetbyul, who was in front of him.

    There was one method which could let Ha Saetbyul survive.

    For the Regressor, it was an extremely bothersome, tiresome, and annoying task; it was a shit method. That method, was to kill the Seventh Lord of the Abyss, Lakshata, who had formed a contract with her.

    ¡°You are a sinner. You must receive your due punishment aftermiting a sin. Kill me. Kill me one more time just like how you did in the past! And remember your forgotten sense of guilt. Carry those memories and regret it. Suffer! Forever! So, hurry up and¡ª¡±

    The issue lied with the unique characteristics of the space ¡®Abyss¡¯. It was deep, dark and was as enormous as a dimension, jumbled with the auras of countless lords. Finding Lakshata¡¯s castle in a location like that was impossible for the Regressor as well, but after having gone through extrication, Ha Saetbyul¡¯s aura was simr to Lakshata¡¯s.

    In other words, she could serve as a navigation device.

    ¡°Kill me¡ª!!¡±

    But there was one thing that had to be taken care of before going to see Lakshata. With a rxed expression, Yu Jitae crouched down on the spot, and looked at Ha Saetbyul¡¯s devilish expression.

    ¡°You, have no talents as an actor.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    His face appeared oddly calm, but that apparently wasn¡¯t to Ha Saetbyul¡¯s liking. With a short distance between them, she raised her hand and moved her shoulder along with her body in a pping motion.

    p!

    However, the one who ended up with their head turned was Ha Saetbyul ¨C Yu Jitae had pped her before she could. Touching her reddened cheek, she looked back at him as the Regressor¡¯s lips began curling up.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it fun entering the body of a poor girl and doing whatever you want?¡±

    A dry voice escaped his lips.

    ***

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t here today.

    Whenever that was the case, she would wait in front of the front entrance and wait for him with the teddy bears.

    But now, she knew that even without her waiting there, Yu Jitae woulde back before long. Thinking that, Gyeoul rolled around on the sofa of the living room, which was Yu Jitae¡¯s favourite spot.

    However, she suddenly felt ufortable, and aftering down from the sofa, she carefully headed to Bom¡¯s room. And as if to prove her intuition, the flowers inside the pots were drooping down powerlessly.

    What about Bom-unni?

    She wasn¡¯t inside her room.

    Gyeoul worriedly created water out of thin air, and the blob of water created from mana wavered in the air. She watered the withered flowers but even the water carrying the aura of a blue dragon wasn¡¯t able to do anything to the flowers.

    Thus, she walked around looking for Bom.

    Bom was on the veranda, on the other side of the living room. Sitting on the windowsill, she was staring at a distant ce with an uneasy gaze.

    For some reason, Gyeoul became worried about her and therefore toddled her way up to Bom. She then decided to carefully ask her.

    ¡°¡­Are you, okay?¡±

    Bom faced her with a rather sorrowful, and lonely look.

    ¡°Un. I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Spreading her arms wide open, Gyeoul walked up to Bom, who raised her up and seated her down on her legs.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After cing Gyeoul down on her legs, Bom returned her gaze to a distant ce.

    It was strange. There was an ¡®ominous something¡¯ which couldn¡¯t be seen by her eyes looking into Providence. Resembling a drop of ink over a well-drawn painting, that alone had deviated from Providence.

    And ahjussi definitely had to face that ¡®ominous something¡¯.

    Perhaps he will get injured.

    Maybe he will suffer from it.

    Bom bit her lips.

    Whatever the case, ahjussi had to show his intention to that ¡®ominous something¡¯, and had to gain more intel about it. That was the best road out of all the possibilities that had been seen by her.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When she turned her head, she found Gyeoul watching her with a worried look. Thus, Bom fixed her expression and caressed the child¡¯s head.

    ¡°Should we wait together?¡±

    Gyeoul nodded her head.

    ***

    From the start, he had been thinking that something was strange.

    Prototype X, and her appearance and ability as a demon, as well as the curse that left her mouth.

    Like a device installed with the sole target being Yu Jitae, every one of itsponents were urging him to kill Ha Saetbyul. And yet now that he was dying the murder, it downright revealed its true self and was forcing him to kill her.

    Kill Ha Saetbyul, and suffer while thinking back on those memories ¨C that was the message from ¡®that guy¡¯. Seeing that he was still not going to kill her, it started talking with its own mouth, to kill herself and feel guilt from it.

    Truly, it was aughable thing.

    Within the darkness, Yu Jitae clicked his fingers. Along with a click, hands crawled out from the dark dimension and grabbed Yu Jitae alongside Ha Saetbyul. The hands then started dragging them deeper into the abyss.

    When they reached slightly deeper in, the skill¡¯s name changed.

    From [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    To [Deeper into the Abyss (S+)]

    They started going down to a ce where nothing could be seen or heard. Meanwhile, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°It must have been fun, right? You just had to stare on from a distant ce and utterplete nonsense however you desired.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    He continued on.

    ¡°Do you wish for my downfall?¡±

    The woman widened her eyes. This woman wasn¡¯t the Seventh Lord of the Abyss because Lakshata had a unisexual voice.

    At the same time, she wasn¡¯t Ha Saetbyul herself.

    The intention that had flown all the way from the other side of the Horizon of Providence had followed the protector¡¯s sword and had entered Ha Saetbyul¡¯s body.

    In other words, Ha Saetbyul in front of him, was ¡®that guy¡¯ who had cursed him from the Horizon of Providence and it was the first chance he got to converse with it.

    ¡°What are you trying to say? Do you not remember my voice?¡±

    He was expecting it to widen its eyes in shock and ask how he noticed it, but it had apparently decided to act things out till the very end.

    Yu Jitae ignored it¡¯s words.

    Around that point in time, the hands carrying Yu Jitae and Ha Saetbyul reached a very deep level.

    [Depths of the Abyss (SS-)]

    Slowly, a thick and muddy demonic aura started filling the surroundings. It was also Yu Jitae¡¯s first time going past this point, because there had been no reason for him to go past here. However, the Regressor seemed uninterested in something like that and opened his mouth while looking into Ha Saetbyul¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I have no idea who you are.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nor do I know why you¡¯re doing this to me.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°You probably won¡¯t say it either, because my confusion and doubt will also be your joy.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul¡¯s face crumpled in a devilish manner. She then screamed, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about!¡± as loud as she could. Yu Jitae was once again ascertained that he was right, by the fact that an ominous mana flickered next to the sword stabbing into her stomach, when ¡®that guy¡¯ became agitated.

    ¡°Like you said, I am a sinner. I have killed many things, and there are many who have suffered because of me. Is that why you said that? About how I need to receive punishment for being a sinner?¡±

    When Yu Jitae opened his mouth, she started gushing out with a scream and a plethora of curses. While taking all those words in, Yu Jitae gave a hazy smile.

    ¡°I havee too far for atonement.¡±

    He walked up to her. In a seizure, Ha Saetbyul shouted for him to kill her but Yu Jitae ignored that and continued.

    ¡°It was a very long time.¡±

    Her screams exploded out yet again.

    It was too noisy for him to talk. Yu Jitae grabbed that guy by its neck and blocked its breath. The air felt heavier as the Regressor¡¯s gaze likewise turned deeper.

    ¡°At the start, I was slightly angered after thinking that you were interrupting with my iteration, but now that I think about it, it seems okay. You don¡¯t know me well, and there are several sloppy parts. If something like this is everything you¡¯ve prepared for, then I think you are far toocking to even dare talk about punishing me. So, you can do whatever you want if you wish to do so.¡±

    As if she wanted to say something, Ha Saetbyul gasped for breath but there was no meaning in listening to it.

    ¡°However, today as well as other days ¨C maybe forever. It¡¯ll be hard to find me suffering from something. I have received more punishments than what you are aware of, and am currently receiving a few as well.¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly continued his words.

    ¡°The years I have lived through have already been hellish. I¡¯m quite used to pain.¡±

    Through Ha Saetbyul¡¯s eyes, he stared at the eyes of the ¡®existence on the other side of the Horizon of Providence¡¯.

    ¡°You did your best messing around but what a shame, right?¡±

    That was when [Vintage Clock (EX)] who had been pushed back started revealing its power again.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has recovered its power.]

    ¡°In return¡­ I will start looking into your identity. Things like who you are, and where you¡¯re hiding.¡±

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has confirmed traces of the other side of the horizon from the target, [Ha Saetbyul].]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is starting to gather traces of the revealed [Hostility].]

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 1%¡­]

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 2%¡­]

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 3%¡­]

    Meanwhile, they arrived at the ground of the depths as the hands ced Yu Jitae and Ha Saetbyul down.

    [Very Depths of the Abyss (SS)]

    The deepest location of the alternate dimension used by Yu Jitae ¨C although the ce was covered in darkness, an invisible demonic aura suppressed the entire area in a manner that resembled a quagmire of molten steel.

    Normal rankers would have a hard time breathing.

    He turned around.

    As the darkness was unveiled, he could see arge gate made of gold, reaching the skies, standing tall behind him. This was the castle gate of the existence of the abyss with whom Ha Saetbyul had contracted, the Seventh Lord of the Abyss, Lakshata.

    Turning his head, Yu Jitae stared at his ex-lover who was being carried in the air by his hand.

    ¡°After I take care of this, I will start looking for you slowly but surely. There¡¯ll be many things that need to be known, like your identity, location and reason. Even then, I will find you and if I find you somewhere after who knows how long¡­¡±

    The Regressor¡¯s clear gaze reached Ha Saetbyul¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Then you can try acting up again.¡±

    He pulled out the protector¡¯s longsword which was piercing Ha Saetbyul¡¯s stomach and raised it up. Then, he swung the sword at the pce gates.

    Kaaaaaaang¨C!

    Losing its power, the protector¡¯s longsword was crushed into pieces and at the same time, Ha Saetbyul copsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Her connection with ¡®that guy¡¯ had been fully severed.

    Yu Jitae carefully raised Ha Saetbyul, who had copsed again.

    Then, he pushed open the tall, sky-reaching pce gates.

    *

    Lakshata the Seventh Lord was unexpectedly stubborn.

    ¡°Cancel your contract.¡±

    He scoffed. Seeing that it rejected the offer despite Yu Jitae saying it nicely, he smacked Lakshata a few times, but it remained stubborn.

    However, when the pce began crumbling and half of it had been destroyed, he changed his mind, and said that the contract would be annulled, while he would stay quiet about the entire matter. Although Yu Jitae had also suffered some damage, it was within the scope of a recoverable wound.

    After that, Yu Jitae carried Ha Saetbyul and returned to [Shallows of the Abyss (S)].

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] shows gratitude.]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] ims that a periodical observation of target, [Ha Saetbyul] is necessary in order to find out who is behind the [Hostility]ing from the other side of the Horizon of Providence.]

    He looked at the woman in his arms who had lost her consciousness.

    Looking back, she had never been her true self from the very moment Ha Saetbyul had met Yu Jitae. At the start, she was a contractor of Lakshata, and waster an incarnate of ¡®that guy¡¯.

    But thanks to that, she had be a navigation device for the other side of the Horizon of Providence, from a navigation device of the abyss.

    It seemed that it was his fate to be involved with her in some way or another.

    The first priority right now was to recover the body which had be a mess, and Yu Jitae therefore decided to take her back to the dormitory for now.

    When she wakes up, she would be the true Ha Saetbyul herself.

 Chapter 51: Underground Labyrinth (1)

    <h4>Chapter 51: Underground Labyrinth (1)</h4>

    It was midnight when he returned to the dormitory. In a distance, he could see a pair of green eyes sitting on the windowsill of the veranda. Gyeoul was sitting on top of Bom¡¯s legs, and was leaning on Bom¡¯s body, seemingly in deep sleep.

    Bom had the same indifferent expression as usual but her gaze from a distance stayed on Ha Saetbyul for a long time. She appeared curious.

    After walking into the house, Yu Jitaeid the injured Ha Saetbyul down on the sofa and was about to enter his room, but that was when Bom quietly approached him. Stopping his feet, he looked back at Bom who appeared hesitant.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there something you need to say?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You see actually¡­¡±

    Staring at the floor, she hesitated on what to say. Wondering what it was about, Yu Jitae decided to wait for her to finish thinking first.

    ¡°Actually¡­¡±

    She then stopped her words again. With her bangs covering half of her eyes, she opened and closed her lips. She thought about something, pondered and decided.

    ¡°Un¡­¡±

    ¡°Un?¡±

    When she raised her head back up, she had returned to her usual expression.

    ¡°Actually, Yeorum entered ahjussi¡¯s room while you weren¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Those were some unexpected words, but now that heard that, he realised that he could sense the aura of the dragons from inside his room.

    ¡°She was happy that there were six bottles of alcohol remaining. Of course, I told her that she shouldn¡¯t drink them, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    ¡°But as you know, Yeorum doesn¡¯t listen to me. She kept on saying that she would just have a little taste.¡±

    Kwang!

    That was when someone kicked his room¡¯s door open. It was supported by a tremendous strength that could break the door and in fact, one of the hinges were broken and was dangling.

    Yeorum was standing there. Her crimson bob hair was messy while her cheeks were deeply flushed. Her unfocused eyes were each staring at different ces as they rolled around.

    In an instant, he looked past Yeorum, at the floor of his room. From the ten bottles of whiskey he had bought two days ago, he had only drunk four, but currently all the bottles were scattered on the floor.

    So much for a ¡®little taste¡¯.

    Her unfocused pair of eyes wandered around before being fixated on Yu Jitae, and despite her hups, the two did not share a single conversation for a long time.

    Within that odd state of tension,

    After the silence passed,

    Yeorum giggled, ¡°Hihi¡± and slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°Oppaa.¡±

    Oh no.

    ¡°Oppaaa¡­ why were you sote?¡±

    Yeorum mumbled with a loosened tongue. Because he did not know how to deal with a drunk dragon, Yu Jitae looked back at Bom.

    ¡°Yeorum. You should go back to your room now.¡±

    ¡°Whyy? I¡¯m going to sleep with my oppa¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re drunk.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m not drunk¡­ h.¡±

    Bom facepalmed.

    ¡°You,e here. Uh? Uh?¡±

    Yeorum fell powerlessly and Bom walked up to support her. That was when she rubbed her head inside Bom¡¯s embrace and muttered.

    ¡°Hngg¡­ so soft¡­¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the end of the whole ordeal and in the first ce, there had been two presences that could be felt from inside the room. While Bom was dealing with the drunkard, Yu Jitae walked into his room.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    From the floor on the other side of the bed, Kaeul barely raised her body up while shaking. Maybe Yeorum had forced her to drink, but the drunk baby chicken slovenly waved her hand after seeing Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Yooo, Mister Yu~¡±

    She then fully showcased her drunkenness.

    ¡°How many days has it been? Hard to see your damn mug~¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do thatt. Dear mother said that a man wandering outside should be pped on their butt¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know what that kind of guy is¡­?¡±

    After murmuring to herself, she faced her nk stare at the wall and gave a frown. Soon, tears started forming on her eyes.

    ¡°Dear. Who¡¯s that bitch?¡±

    What¡¯s happening.

    ¡°I knew it¡­ Howe you never mature up after all those damn years¡­? Whaat? You met her just thenn? Don¡¯t freakin¡¯ lie through your sharp teeth¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You said you would treat me well forever. Oh my, I was deceived like a fool. Do you think I¡¯m into old dotards like you¨C? Back in my dayss, I carried around twenty carriages of younger and more handsome men¨C¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in the blood, ey? One thousand years ago when your father was drooling over me, I should have known it¡­¡±

    Listening to her speak, it became apparent that she had a strange household history. In the middle of her speech, Kaeul suddenly flicked her head to the side and formed a ferocious look on her face.

    ¡°Wh, what do you think you¡¯re looking at? Is it interesting? Can you not read the mood at all¡­? Come here. Oi, did you not hear me speak¡­!¡±

    She reached her hand out mid-air as if she was grabbing onto someone¡¯s hair. Her extreme immersion was as if she had been possessed by something. Yu Jitae felt as if he could clearly see Kaeul¡¯s mother dragon, whom he had never seen before, pulling at someone¡¯s hair.

    Left with no other choice, Yu Jitae straightened his hand and struck the back of her neck.

    [Knifehand Strike (D)]

    ¡°Kuang!¡±

    The baby chicken fainted.

    ***

    Early next morning.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Pairs of eyes, each coloured in olive, red and gold, gathered at Yu Jitae. Without a word, they quietly stared at him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul was ring at Ha Saetbyul, who fell on the floor from the sofa after rolling in her sleep. Her small arms were in a cross. [Displeased] ¨C that word seemed to be hanging on her face.

    He had been thinking of telling them to refrain from drinking when they woke up in the morning, but the atmosphere was for some reason like an interview with himself as the interviewee.

    Staring at Yu Jitae, their eyes seemed to be requesting an exnation. Who is that woman? What rtionship do you have with her? Why did you bring her here? Those were what their gazes appeared to be asking.

    The Regressor contemted for a bit from several options.

    Choice 1. Ex-girlfriend.

    This most likely wouldn¡¯t be a good exnation. Although Ha Saetbyul had been covered with Yu Jitae¡¯s coat, she had been naked until this morning when Bom put clothes on her, and the signs of battle were still on her body.

    Choice 2. An ex-demon soldier.

    With this exnation, the reason for him bringing her here would be unclear. The children were currently undertaking a high-level education, and therefore held animosity against demons. Thus, Yeorum might run up and kick her head if he said that.

    Choice 3. Hostility flying here from the other side of the Horizon of Providence and entering the body of an ex-lover h h h¡­

    ¡­Of course, this was dismissed.

    ¡°Who is that person?¡±

    Bom asked with the same expression as always, and her tone as well as expression seemed to be suggesting that this wasn¡¯t anything significant.

    ¡°I saw her during the night, and she was naked.¡±

    Yeorum started her sentence.

    ¡°Hehh, I didn¡¯t think you were that type of person but¡­ even you are nothing but a male, huh? Un? It¡¯s that, right? The¡­¡±

    She repeatedly smacked her fist into her palm, before letting out a snigger.

    ¡°My mum said to not let unfamiliar women into the house¡­¡±

    Kaeul¡¯s voice was filled with worry.

    That¡¯s probably because your father¡­

    In any case, he couldn¡¯t stay silent about it forever, and unable toe up with a good solution, Yu Jitae spoke of whatever that came into mind.

    ¡°Someone I know.¡±

    The expressions of the three changed, each to their own.

    ¡°Right. You know, that¡¯s how things are. An acquaintance bes a close friend after taking off the coat, and takes off the shirt to be a girlfriend, and after removing her under¡­¡±

    ¡°W, w, wait! Wait! If she¡¯s just someone you know, why did you bring her in here?!¡±

    Kaeul asked once again.

    ¡°There¡¯s something, right? Right?¡±

    She then threw a nce to the side, as Yu Jitae shook his head in response.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡±

    The baby chicken remained doubtful, and for some reason, the top of her hair was in a ¡®?¡¯ shape.

    ¡°Stop with the misunderstandings. She¡¯s just someone I know myself. We¡¯re not that close, and she doesn¡¯t even know me either.¡±

    It was true.

    If ¡®Hostility¡¯ had indeed disappeared, Ha Saetbyul would have lost the memories that had deviated from this timeline. In other words after waking up, she would see Yu Jitae as aplete stranger.

    ¡°Then why did you bring her here, when she doesn¡¯t even know who you are?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because it was necessary.¡±

    ¡°Is it because of money?!¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    Kaeul apparently was mistaking him as a kidnapper or something, but well, it wasn¡¯t wrong.

    After some thought, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°There¡¯s a bad guy somewhere. He hid himself at a very secretive ce, and this woman knows where that guy is. Because of that, I need to take her around for some time and ask her questions.¡±

    ¡°Really? What about after you finish asking her what you need to ask?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send her on her way.¡±

    Yu Jitae nced at the status message of Vintage Clock.

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 9.8%¡­]

    [Vintage Clock (EX)] was working hard on it. It had gathered up to 5% in the blink of an eye, but the speed started getting slower after passing 7%. The process would probably stop at around 15% or so, and that meant that this alone wouldn¡¯t allow him to locate that guy immediately.

    ¡°You see, I don¡¯t really mind but¡­¡±

    ¡°I do mind it a bit!¡±

    Cutting off Yeorum¡¯s words, the baby chicken opened her mouth.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Here, is ourir. And I would like to keep it that way.¡±

    Kaeul spoke with a careful tone.

    Lair? School?

    But after some thinking, he realised that she was referring to a dragon¡¯sir, and while stealing another nce to the side, Kaeul continued her words.

    ¡°I like ourir a lot. If I return here from outside, I feel at ease, and just being in here is enjoyable. This is the first time I¡¯m feeling this ever since I left my mum¡¯sir, and having another human apart from ahjussi in a ce like this is ufortable¡­¡±

    ¡°What about the cleaner?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a human¡­ and there are simr protectors in our ownir as well.¡±

    It seemed that Kaeul¡¯s words weren¡¯t just limited to her own opinion, as Yeorum was also looking at Ha Saetbyul with a fairly discontent gaze, which was the same for Gyeoul who had her arms crossed.

    Surprisingly, Bom seemed to be the one who felt the least concerned about it.

    He knew that dragons liked to keep to themselves, but this reminded him once again. It was possible for him to ignore their opinions and keep her here, and that¡¯s what he probably would have done if it had been in the past.

    But looking back on the memories of the daily lives that had been experienced by his clone, this sort of discord tended to increase in seriousness as time went. Besides, the dragons were more important to him than Ha Saetbyul.

    Thinking that there was no other option, he was thinking of a substitute location when a status message floated up.

    [10% of [Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment has been gathered.]

    [From the fragments that had been gathered, the Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] discovered new information.]

    [A target that has been directly possessed by the [Hostility] enters the abnormal state, [Mental Contamination]. Until [Mental Contamination] is lifted, the target¡¯s personality, actions and vocabry are negatively affected.]

    Abnormal state: [Mental Contamination]

    This was a phenomenon that wasmonly found in other dimensions. As if the person became a totally different being, someone that has been mentally contaminated would repeat disrespectful and violent actions.

    Ha Saetbyul would be like that?

    That doubt was answered after a few hours.

    That day was a normal weekday. Excluding Yeorum who had no sses on that day, Bom and Kaeul had headed to the school district. Yu Jitae was lying down in his room, while Yeorum was watching drama in the living room.

    Slowly, Ha Saetbyul¡¯s eyes opened up. She was looking around with a face that resembled a cat and realised that she was at an unfamiliar ce, when her eyes met with Yeorum¡¯s.

    ¡°Kyaak!¡± she screamed.

    ¡°W, where is this ce!?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Definitely not your house though.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul checked her own clothes. She was wearing a shirt she was seeing for the first time, and her underwear were gone. After realising that, she was frightened.

    ¡°Who are you? What did you do to me?¡±

    Since Yeorum had heard about the mental contamination from Yu Jitae already, she tried her best to word things nicely.

    ¡°Well, I was curious whether you guys mated or not, but ording to him, you didn¡¯t. So shut your mouth please. You¡¯re too noisy.¡±

    This was her best attempt at it.

    ¡°M, mated? Freakin¡¯¡­ you guys made a mistake.¡±

    Wearing an indifferent expression, Ha Saetbyul stood up and picked up a ss vase that was next to her. Following her, Yeorum stood up with a frown while murmuring, ¡°Uh? This crazy bitch?¡±

    She raised the vase and bashed the wall with it. As the vase shattered with a clink, a sharp chip of ss was inside her hand like a sword.

    ¡°Move to the side! So that I can leave!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t look like it, but I¡¯m a superhuman too, okay? Step aside if you don¡¯t want to get hurt!¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae slowly walked out of his room. ording to his knowledge, people with mental contamination had disgusting personalities that resembled psychopaths and yet Ha Saetbyul was acting fairly nicely despite the contamination.

    It must be because her original personality was like an angel¡¯s.

    Around that point in time, Yeorum nced back at Yu Jitae.

    Her gaze asked, ¡®Can I punch her?¡¯

    He gave a nod, and gestured that a light oppression would be fine.

    ¡°Olddy, drop that thing.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s an olddy?! I¡¯m twenty-six years old!¡±

    She became angry at a weird ce. In fact, she disliked the fact that she appeared slightly more mature than her actual age.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it one more time. Drop that, before I do something to you.¡±

    When Yeorum walked up, Ha Saetbyul frowned and attacked her. Ha Saetbyul¡¯s original world rank of 871, was achieved thanks to the power of Lakshata, the lord of the abyss, and after losing her powers as a demon, she was a lot weaker than what one might expect.

    Facing the ss fragment that came flying in, Yeorum crunched on it and stopped it with her teeth.

    ¡°Uh¡­ huh!?¡±

    Despite her effort, the ss didn¡¯t go any further. Before long, Yeorum bit harder onto the ss, which broke once again into several smaller fragments.

    Ha Saetbyul was yet again flustered.

    ¡°I warned you already.¡±

    Yeorum started using her wrestling skills which had been honed after various experiences, and with her head facing down on the floor, Ha Saetbyul screamed in agony.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae who had been quietly watching the situation unfold from a distance, felt another gaze.

    Jing¡­

    A pair of eyes flickered in a crimson light. Turning around, he found the protector ring at him.

    ¡°Give me my sword back¡­¡±

    Due to the aftermath of the mental contamination, the protector too was in a strange state.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you take it? Answer me, Yu Jitae!¡±

    What a mess.

    Yu Jitae pressed his temples.

    But it was okay because he had just thought of a ce where he could ce the two of them. That ce was very deep and secretive, and was a ce which was hard for others to reach. At the same time, it was a ce where the Regressor had locked the dragons up in the previous iterations.

    [Underground Labyrinth]

    That ce would be quite decent.

 Chapter 52: Underground Labyrinth (2)

    <h4>Chapter 52: Underground Labyrinth (2)</h4>

    The reason this guy was being like this, was because the protector had also been carrying the mana polluted by ¡®Hostility¡¯.

    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t the one that borrowed your sword though.¡±

    He replied back in a half-joking voice as the pair of crimson eyes flickered in a slightly fiercer manner.

    ¡°¡­That being has no faults.¡±

    Despite the mental contamination, it did not forget its standing as a protector of the Green Dragon, but it had no such loyalty towards Yu Jitae. Raising up something that was lying next to itself, the protector pointed it at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Do not ignore my words easily. Yu Jitae. Where, is my sword?¡±

    Holding a broomstick while saying that wasn¡¯t threatening in the slightest.

    A contaminated soul would naturally return to its original state after some time. The Underground Labyrinth had a good environment for confining someone and calming them down, so he could ce them there, and bring them back after the mental contamination vanished.

    ¡°Give me my sword!¡±

    Crazily, the protector dashed in at him. Yu Jitae loaded his middle finger behind his thumb, and flicked his finger at the head of the approaching armour.

    Kkaaang¨C!

    The protector was flicked off and crashed into the wall. If the entire dorm itself wasn¡¯t being protected by Bom¡¯s alternate dimension, [Laws of Nature (S)], the protector would have broken through the walls and the floor and would have woken up on the first floor.

    Through the helmet which had been dented in one hit, a pair of crimson eyes shed. After falling head first onto the floor, the protector did not open its eyes for a long time.

    ¡°Huaak¡­ hup! Uup!¡±

    Around that point in time, Yeorum also finishedpletely suppressing Ha Saetbyul. Using the handcuffs given by Bom in the past, she tied her hands, and used a gum tape to block her mouth. Only then did Ha Saetbyul calm down, while shedding drops of tears.

    ¡°Huu. So damn annoying.¡±

    Yeorum turned to him, with an expression that asked what he was nning to do.

    It was simple.

    Although the [Underground Labyrinth] was within the material world, it was at the same time connected with the [Abyss]. After bringing them to one ce, Yu Jitae summoned the alternate dimension inside him into the real world.

    [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    A fissure was made out of thin air. Like the mouth of a greedy anglerfish, it widened up and prepared itself to devour something. Yu Jitae threw Ha Saetbyul and the protector into the abyss.

    However, there was someone who would be left alone after the protector disappeared. Behind the slightly-opened door of Bom¡¯s room, he could see Gyeoul tensed up. She must have been surprised by themotion outside.

    It wasn¡¯t the best ce to bring her to, but he couldn¡¯t leave her behind alone either.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    After hugging Gyeoul, he ordered something to the ¡®hands¡¯ and when he did, one of the hands flew to him and handed over a small container. Receiving that, the Regressor quietly entered the abyss.

    ***

    A cepletely painted in darkness. Ha Saetbyul and the protector were being carried by the hands of the abyss, while Yu Jitae and Yeorum walked in the air.

    Gyeoul in his arms looked around in curiosity and soon her eyes stayed on the grey, translucent hands. She extended her short arms out in an attempt to grab them but the hands dodged Gyeoul¡¯s reach.

    She appeared dejected.

    ¡°So there was a hidden back door like this.¡±

    Unlike Gyeoul, Yeorum was slightly more tense as she opened her mouth.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°A hideout.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in there? Is there a way to return these crazy idiots to normal?¡±

    ¡°Time will help. We¡¯ll be just tying them up.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. Maybe the woman, yeah, but the cleaner is quite strong so how will you tie him up?¡±

    [Underground Labyrinth]

    It was a ce made by a mighty, great mage of a different dimension in a distant past, and was a ce that locked up a huge monster which had been made by ident. A ce like that could even lock up a hatchling of a red dragon, who could not withstand boredom, for over ten years. It was because there were all sorts of devices inside thebyrinth, that could forcibly calm someone down, as well as mechanisms that could lock people up.

    Hearing Yu Jitae¡¯s concise exnation, Yeorum¡¯s eyes flickered in interest.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve told me earlier if there was a ce like that.¡±

    Why.

    ¡°It¡¯s the best ce for ying around, no?¡±

    However, it wasn¡¯t a ce that could be used immediately.

    Yu Jitae had found the undergroundbyrinth in his third round of regression, and had only started locking up the dragons in there from the fifth iteration. During the fourth iteration, his world ranking as a superhuman was 3rd, and there was an existence inside thebyrinth that had been slightly stronger than him back then.

    ¡°There¡¯s a fairly strong guy there that needs to be chased out.¡±

    ¡°Strong?¡±

    She, who was hearing the word ¡®strong¡¯ from Yu Jitae for the first time, showed interest.

    ¡°Is he stronger than that bastard?¡±

    Yeorum thought of her sworn enemy, Javier Karma*. To her, he was the strongest being excluding Yu Jitae but the existence inside the undergroundbyrinth was stronger than that Javier.

    ¡°Fuck. My heart¡¯s going crazy. Can I fight once?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get smashed though.¡±

    ¡°No shit, of course.¡±

    Slightly offended by his words, she murmured to herself before asking.

    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the guy¡¯s name?¡±

    A stateless person, who was at the same time one of the thirty superhumans, that possessed an ¡®Unlimited Dungeon Raid Qualification Privilege¡¯, the so-called ¡®Dungeon Free Pass¡¯. He was also one of the Five Transcendents that were viewed as the five strongest people in the history of Earth.

    With a world ranking of 2,

    His alias was BM.

    ¡°What a strange name. BM huh. Who would win if you two fight?¡±

    ¡°Me.¡±

    Yeorum smiled with a ¡°Hnn¡±, seemingly intrigued.

    ¡°Are you going to kill him?¡±

    In the fifth and the sixth iterations, Yu Jitae had killed BM. It was to take the undergroundbyrinth from him ¨C it had been BM¡¯s territory, and he was a plunderer.

    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±

    But now that he had vowed to live a normal life, Yu Jitae changed his line of thought. Besides, all he needed was one innermost room in the interior of thebyrinth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try talking to him.¡±

    ¡°Un. And what if that doesn¡¯t work?¡±

    The Regressor didn¡¯t reply.

    Before long, an entrance of a small fissure appeared from the ends of the abyss.

    ***

    When they entered the fissure, darkness weed them. The ceiling had a murky colour and there were no lights on the wall, while the air felt cold.

    A roughly 3-metre-tall wall was standing before them. Two pattern-less walls spread across and formed a maze.

    ¡°That¡¯s very low though?¡±

    Yeorum approached the wall of the maze and jumped up. When she did, the walls magically matched itself with Yeorum¡¯s line of sight. After letting out a ¡°Uh? What the fuck?¡±, she tried climbing up but it was the same. The walls continued growing taller as she reached further up.

    As she recklessly climbed up, the wall continued growing higher and reached several hundred metres in height.

    In frustration, she took out a sword artifact from her alternate dimension storage and stabbed the wall with it. A slight chip came off of the wall, but it was far toocking before its thickness, and even that small hole on the wall disappeared and became smooth again after a short period of time.

    After several more attempts, she gave up and shouted at Yu Jitae, who appeared like a small bean due to being a few hundred metres away from her.

    ¨C Can I shoot a breath at ittt?

    Even that wouldn¡¯t work.

    ¡°Stop messing around ande back down.¡±

    When Yeorum came down, the wall became lower again.

    Due to this structure, the people entering or leaving the maze had no choice but to obediently follow the path. Besides, the inner walls of the maze periodically changed by themselves, so putting one hand on a wall while walking down would not work either.

    However, it was not a problem for the Regressor.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    Killing intent gathered to one ce and turned into a sharp invisible de. After drawing a circle on the wall, he kicked it and created a hole.

    Yeorum was slightly surprised as she had personally experienced the formidability of the wall herself. Although she had known that he was strong, he had never shown off his power before her and after seeing that being unraveled for the first time, her eyes shone.

    But during that, her eyes met with Gyeoul¡¯s, who was looking past Yu Jitae¡¯s shoulder from his embrace. When Gyeoul smiled, Yeorum moved her eyes away and grumbled.

    ¡°Nothing much¡­¡±

    Like that, they continued on forward while breaking through the walls. Since the hole on the wall matched Yu Jitae¡¯s own height and size, it was wide enough for others to follow in. The wall only returned to its undamaged state after they all went through it.

    After going through twenty or so walls, a wide za appeared before them. Due to the vastness of the za, the darkness covered the wall on the other side of the area.

    Grrghh¡­

    A low growl crept up from beneath. Threerge beasts, the size of cars, walked out from the darkness. They looked just like lions, but had bigger fangs, and a goat¡¯s head was on top of their heads. A snake reced its tails and wings protruded out from their backs.

    He was at the right ce. Those were chimeras made personally by BM, and as if to prove that, an insignia symbolising the fact that they were ¡®made by BM¡¯ was drawn on the goat horns.

    ¡°I am looking for your owner.¡±

    As soon as his words came to an end, the chimeras dashed up and attacked him. They were the guardians of this ce, and had fierce animosity against uninvited guests.

    Even now, he was hugging Gyeoul with one of his arms. To ensure she couldn¡¯t see it, he ced his hand on top of the small head and softly pressed her head down into his chest. While Gyeoul¡¯s head was digging into Yu Jitae¡¯s chest, the chimeras finished approaching him and faced their fangs at his head.

    Yu Jitae reached forth with his right hand and grabbed itsrge tooth. The lion¡¯s body which was the same as a car immediately came to a stop as if there was a steel wall before it. At the same time, its head was tilted to a side.

    When he twisted his wrist, the fangs that could crush steel fractured and broke miserably. Meanwhile, other chimeras aimed for Yu Jitae, but after kicking one of them away, he slowly raised his hand back up.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    Sharp des weren¡¯t good, because the chimeras wouldn¡¯t be usable anymore.

    Thus, he gathered killing intent into a lump and while standing still like a statue, he swung the killing intent at the approaching monsters. When he lifted it up in a diagonal motion, the ¡®Shapeless Club¡¯ crushed one of their chins.

    He smashed it down on another beast. With a thud, the goat¡¯s head nted above the lion¡¯s head was shattered into dust.

    Even with one of the heads gone, they could still move, but the small skirmish just then was enough for them to realise that their opponent wasn¡¯t someone they could deal with.

    Grrrrghhh¨C!

    One of the chimeras growled loudly while two other chimeras staggered their way and stood in front of Yu Jitae. They opened theirrge mouths wide open, as their cheeks cracked up. Then, they immediately rammed their teeth into the ground of the maze, and their body started turning into an ashen grey colour.

    It was simr to petrification, but on themselves.

    At the same time, several thousand silver strings came shooting out from under their wings and covered the area between the walls of thebyrinth. Those sharp strings could gouge out one¡¯s skin and bones, and with that, they were trying to keep him here.

    Until that point in time, Yeorum was staring nkly at Yu Jitae, and finally opened her mouth after the strings stopped.

    ¡°Ah¡­ you know, should I burn those strings off with fire?¡±

    ¡°No. Just follow me.¡±

    Yu Jitae waved his hand at the silver strings, as if those were mere cobwebs, and they powerlessly fell. But after walking deeper in, they reached a point where the strings were so dense that it appeared like a white wall.

    [Eradication (S)]

    An authority that scorched the source itself ¨C like how it burned corpses into nothingness, the ck mes rose up and devoured all the strings.

    A small head that had been trembling faintly was slowly raised up at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Were you surprised?¡±

    Gyeoul slowly nodded her head.

    He caressed the child¡¯s head.

    ¡°Sorry. We¡¯re almost there now.¡±

    He walked forward without stopping.

    ***

    In front of thebyrinth¡¯s inner room, at a ce referred to by ¡®workshop¡¯, there were hundreds ofrge ss containers. Some of them were incubators while some of them were pipes leading onto different areas. Inside, there were body parts of beasts as well as organisms.

    Following several hundred pipes, liquids travelled up and down while they bubbled in certain areas. Within that workshop where unidentifiable tissues were hanging down from the ceiling, a chimera scientist raised his head up from a cluster of documents.

    ¡°A visitor huh¡­¡±

    A tall height and a slender body, with an unkempt beard ¨C the man was wearing a pair of sunsses which matched his hollow eyes.

    The man¡¯s name was BM.

    Letting out a deep yawn, BM extended his hand out. There were dozens of empty bottles of alcohol rolling on his table, and every one of them had over 50% alcohol content.

    After opening a new bottle of vodka, he chugged it from the bottle. He then gave another rxed yawn before thinking of heading off somewhere.

    ¡°They¡¯re already here. How impatient¡­¡±

    Someone was approaching him from the other side of thebyrinth¡¯s exit.

    The man had a tall height, wide shoulders and a cloudy pair of eyes. Despite his short and tidy hair, an ominous feeling reached BM the moment his eyes met with the man¡¯s. He was walking to him while carrying a head.

    Although the man was alone, BM could also sense several presences outside the workshop.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter. And who are you.¡±

    Leaning on one of his legs, BM stared at the infiltrator before having another sip of the alcohol.

    That was when the man threw the head towards him. What came bouncing its way at BM was the head of the strongest guardian he had made, the ogre-type chimera.

    ¡°It¡¯s been cut clean. You can stick it back on.¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. Thanks for the consideration I guess. By the way, did youe here knowing who I am?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    BM¡¯s lips curved into a crescent, as if it wasughable. After going through several metamorphoses, everything including his appearance, voice and identity changed and was different from his true, main body. And among his acquaintances, there was not a single person that knew of thebyrinth here.

    ¡°Who am I then?¡±

    But in the following instant,

    ¡°BM.¡±

    His eyes twitched.

    ¡°Or, Jung Bongman.¡±

    His face was painted in agitation.

 Chapter 53: Underground Labyrinth (3)

    <h4>Chapter 53: Underground Labyrinth (3)</h4>

    Gulp.

    ¡°Huu¡­¡±

    After having another mouthful of vodka, BM barely managed to regain hisposure. Returning to the desk, he sat down on his chair.

    ¡°Sorry, but I think you got the wrong person.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­A lie like that probably wouldn¡¯t work. Who are you? A superhuman? Or maybe a demon?¡±

    ¡°What do you think.¡±

    ¡°From your appearance that looks very heinous, I would say a demon.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Underneath the pair of sunsses, BM gazed at the ceiling. After his pupils vanished behind the top eyelid, a different iris of a reptile appeared from the bottom of his eyes.

    [Wyvern¡¯s Eye (A)]

    Wyvern¡¯s eyes that could distinguish the identity of its target had been added onto BM¡¯s eyeball. After staring at Yu Jitae for a long time, BM tilted his head.

    ¡°Do you see anything?¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, who knows.¡±

    BM took another sip of vodka.

    His pair of sunsses was a Level 3 artifact, and was a top level object thatpletely denied others from seeing past it. Yu Jitae had seen through that and yet he spoke as if it wasn¡¯t anything difficult.

    Despite realising all that, BM remainedposed. Being a top level powerhouse worldwide, he had the right to.

    ¡°Anyways, yes. I am BM. I don¡¯t really want to hear my real name so please refrain from using it.¡±

    The Regressor stared at the drunkard before him.

    He was a very unique person. That wasn¡¯t limited to the Regressor¡¯s image of him, and that was how the entire world viewed the man.

    ¡°So what brings you here?¡±

    ¡°I want to use the ¡®inner room¡¯ of the undergroundbyrinth a bit.¡±

    ¡°The inner room? Do you even know what¡¯s in there? Ahh, I guess you knew who I was so¡­ and how long do you need it for.¡±

    ¡°A few months will do.¡±

    ¡°For what purpose.¡±

    ¡°There are some people that need to be tied up.¡±

    BM always drank alcohol, and never stayed in one ce for a long time. He would take part inrge events but would vanish soon after as if nothing happened.

    That was the same for the uing future as well. After roughly 20 years from now, when the Second Great War breaks out, he would appear like aet and kill the monsters while protecting the people from the ancient beasts. That was what he did in all the iterations that he survived in.

    Yu Jitae nced around the room. Limbs and segments of organisms were submerged in liquids inside incubators while horrendous hearts beated on. He could also see some ws that grew longer and longer.

    Although he was carrying out experiments like this behind the curtains, he was still on the side of the humans.

    ¡°A few months is too long. I can agree up to 30 days. But, I¡¯m a fairly strict guy, and I don¡¯t enjoy negotiations.¡±

    ¡°30 days won¡¯t be enough. It might take up to half a year.¡±

    ¡°Your ears must be clogged. 25 days.¡±

    BM spoke while looking into the man¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s have a chat. Aren¡¯t there things that you need?¡±

    ¡°There are. There are lots. But those things don¡¯t exist in this world.¡±

    ¡°What if I have those?¡±

    ¡°20 days.¡±

    BM gave a frown.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I dislike negotiations?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Even 30 days is apensation for the consideration of my chimera¡¯s head.¡±

    While saying that, BM reached out. From the head of the ogre-type chimera that was on the floor, spider legs came out and walked onto the table with its own legs.

    ¡°Doing this much with a trespasser is enough of a consideration in my opinion.¡±

    ¡°You say as if this is your house.¡±

    ¡°15 days. Do local cats fight turf wars after receiving permission from the government?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You keep on trying to ignore my goodwill. Do you want to use 15 days or no.¡±

    There was no response.

    His head was tilted. The moment BM noticed a slight sharpness in the man¡¯s previously hazy gaze, the man gave a wide sneer. It looked like the man was smiling, but at the same time wasn¡¯t.

    ¡®What, is he getting angry?¡¯ thought BM, as he squinted his eyes.

    After throwing another nce at the surroundings, the man stood up from his seat without a word. His facial expression had returned to an indifferent look but the sinister smile he showed for a slight second remained in a corner of BM¡¯s head.

    Gulp, gulp¡­

    He was about to stand up in a stagger after having a drink of vodka, but that was when the man reached out at the table and picked up the chimera¡¯s head before throwing it at the incubator.

    nk¨C!

    The incubator shattered in an instant.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    BM¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ¡°Oi, what do you think you¡¯re¡­¡±

    The man reached his hand out yet again. With a nonchnt attitude, he raised an empty bottle of vodka and threw it at the incubator next to the previous one. Large containers of ss shattered and exploded in all directions. The liquid scattered and a heart that had been beating inside the liquid dropped onto the dirty ground of thebyrinth before fluttering and having a dust bath.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    BM called him with a slightly agitated voice.

    These were equipment made by BM over the course of 20 years, and the research data had been gained with the dedication of his entire life. Just for one ¡®miracle¡¯, he had been avoiding people, rejected wealth and honour, and ended up with these treasures.

    Chink¨C!

    Such treasures were being shattered by the man.

    ¡°Why, go on with your nonsense. 10 days, 5 days. bber on.¡±

    ¡°Oi¡­ You bastard. Stop right now!¡±

    That attitude, expression and voice suggesting that this wasn¡¯t anything significant, was so disparate frommon sense that he couldn¡¯t react immediately. BM only raised his body after the man finished throwing five bottles, and was reaching for the sixth.

    ¡°You will regret it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even feel like using you as an experiment material now.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore.

    His body itself had gone through a chimera experiment. The moment he decided to rush in, wings simr to a bat¡¯s surged out from his back. At the same time, his hairs clumped up into snakes, while his right arm turned reddish-ck in colour while doubling in length and thickness.

    [Ahillia¡¯s Curse (AA+)]

    A right arm of the baron of the demon world, Ahillia, that had driven the world into fear during the Great War. Tremendous amount of demonic aura gathered onto BM¡¯s right arm. A ckish blue smoke surrounded his arm, and had the ability to ¡®dissolve¡¯ anything it touched to mana.

    After rushing in, BM assaulted Yu Jitae.

    Kwakwakwang¨C!

    It was a miss.

    The man had already dodged it, and when thebyrinth¡¯s floor touched BM¡¯s hand, it crushed like a mirage. It had returned to its mana state, and had lost its ability to restore itself.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can dodge it agai¡­¡±

    But that was when something strange urred. The moment he turned around and looked into the man¡¯s eyes, his body started turning stiff from head to toe.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    As if he was drowning in a swamp of gooey mud, his body refused to listen to his brain. Was it an illusion type magic? Slowly but surely, BM raised his hand and closed it into a fist. The fingers were irritatingly slow but nheless his fingernails soon started digging into his palm. ck blood oozed out as pain struck him.

    This wasn¡¯t a mere illusion.

    The ¡®blood of a demon race¡¯ flowing inside his body was extremely nervous.

    But why? It was his first time experiencing something like this, and BM couldn¡¯t even guess the cause.

    Meanwhile, the man raised a two-handed axe rolling around on the floor and walked up to the incubators without hesitation before recklessly starting to break them.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He had no choice but to stay back and watch. Every time one of the incubators exploded, BM felt like something precious within his heart was breaking together.

    ¡°Hey, hey!¡±

    The movement of the axe stopped from the urgent voice.

    BM had no idea what was happening. Who was the man; why was he so strong; why is he doing this; and why couldn¡¯t he move? There was nothing clear about the situation.

    However, there was one certain fact. An emotion which he had forgotten recently was soaring back up. It was a sense of helplessness that appeared from seeing an unreachable, powerful being.

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I got it. I lost, so calm down now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you ¨C the inner room of thebyrinth. You can use it for as long as you want, and if you want me to, I can give you the entirebyrinth.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So just stop. Please.¡±

    Now he was ready for a conversation. Like always,plicated problems would be easily solved with the fist. Yu Jitae randomly tossed the axe away, and after rotating several times, itnded on the floor of thebyrinth.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    There was something he became curious about.

    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Ahh, yeah anything.¡±

    ¡°What were you doing here.¡±

    He looked at the muscr tissues and segments of organisms that had been inside the incubators before he broke them.

    ¡°They look quite messy. Doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re carrying out a normal experiment, and it¡¯s overlyplex for a simple chimera.¡±

    ¡°¡­You know chimeras as well?¡±

    ¡°I do. But I have no idea what you¡¯re trying to make.¡±

    In the previous iterations, he had only nced past them.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing too great¡­ I, I just want to make a human-type chimera.¡±

    Making a human-type chimera?

    He turned back to the parts of the organisms.

    Unfortunately, those were the wrong ingredients and it was an incorrect method. There were several traces of some deep contemtion, but there were ces that were out of joint, and it was impossible to make a human-type chimera with those.

    BM apparently misunderstood his silence, because the creation of a human-type chimera was deemed a taboo in all the worlds where magic existed.

    He waved his two hands.

    ¡°No, please don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m not doing this with an evil mind. I¡¯m not thinking of impersonating someone, killing someone in disguise, or using it for some dirty lust.¡±

    ¡°Then what.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ As a mortal, anyone is scared of death right. I was thinking of making a clone of myself.¡±

    Then, he forcibly gave an awkward smile.

    The authenticity hanging on [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)] was false.

    It was a lie.

    Yu Jitae felt his intrigue cooling down. In fact, whatever BM was making had no rtion to himself. He had never heard of BM sessfully making something till the very end of the third and the fourth iterations, so he made a rough guess that it would probably fail this time as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m nning on using the inner room from three months to one year. I¡¯ll drop by regrly.¡±

    ¡°Whatever that pleases you. And the number of people that will be entering it?¡±

    ¡°One living armour, and one female superhuman. They¡¯re both not in a good condition. They¡¯re under mental contamination.¡±

    ¡°Mental contamination?¡­ Well, okay.¡±

    When Yu Jitae quietly stared at him, BM raised his arms up in a surrendering manner.

    ¡°¡­Fine, I¡¯ll do a regr check up on them for you.¡±

    Being a person that had confronted an army of the demon race, BM had some knowledge about ¡®mental contamination¡¯.

    Meanwhile, BM was inwardly heaving out a sigh.

    ¡®What a misfortune¡­¡¯

    After undoing [Ahillia¡¯s Curse (AA+)], his body ironically became easier to move.

    Should I use other things and fight?

    The power he had used thus far was less than 10% of his full potential. He still had many other tools under his belt.

    Should I fight with the resolve to die? If I bring in the final hidden chimera as well¡­ but even an arm would be lost at least¡­

    After having that thought sh past his head for a split second, BM once again let out a deep sigh. Whatever the oue, it would be a loss.

    ¡°So your work¡¯s all done?¡±

    ¡°For now.¡±

    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your name, mister?¡±

    He thought for a bit before opening his mouth.

    ¡°Yu Jitae.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡­

    It was his first time hearing that name. Since that was the case for a ranker like himself, it meant that the man was definitely not an official world ranker.

    BM had heard several times in the past, that there were powerhouses on the level of rankers that moved behind the scenes without sharing their identities. He had also heard rumours of how the strongest person from there coulde close to the world¡¯s official 1st ranker.

    ¡®Come close my ass, damn it¡­¡¯

    BM shook his head.

    He had fought against the world¡¯s first ranker, but the man in front of him had a different ¡®ss¡¯ as an existence.

    ¡°¡­I need alcohol, damn¡­¡±

    It was then.

    Yu Jitae threw a small ss bottle at BM.

    ¡°What¡¯s this.¡±

    ¡°Rent fee.¡±

    Talking about rent fees at this point felt slightly weird, but thinking that this was given by a man like him, BM couldn¡¯t help but feel curiosity.

    There was white liquid inside the yellow container sshing around. There weren¡¯t any words written on the cover so he had to open it up first.

    ¡°At least you¡¯re cultured¡­ alcohol is always correct.¡±

    But after opening the lid and smelling the liquid, BM had to doubt his own nose. His face turned stiff, as he turned to Yu Jitae with a straight face.

    And with a voice that was a level lower, he spoke.

    ¡°Where, did you get this?¡±

 Chapter 54: Underground Labyrinth (4)

    <h4>Chapter 54: Underground Labyrinth (4)</h4>

    For someone to be a ¡®ranker¡¯, connection was necessary.

    That was proven by the fact that most of the rankers had organisations at their basis, like a renowned household, arge guild, or support from a transnational corporation.

    An example was Rank 9, Myung Yongha the ¡®Druid of Regeneration¡¯, who belonged to Korea¡¯s ¡®Myung Household¡¯, which was known for its prowess in magic. Ever since a young age, he had stepped through an elitist course while receiving tremendous support from the family.

    With an excellent talent, backed up by money and his own effort, Myung Yongha was able to be a world ranker despite still being in histe twenties.

    However, BM was different.

    He appeared out of nowhere, and unlike other rankers, he had no organisation or household that he belonged in. He would always act alone, and didn¡¯t cooperate with anyone.

    BM didn¡¯t have enough connection to be a ranker. Nothing, including his childhood days and his background, were known. At the very least, it was unknown to the general poption and due to that, the public had always been curious about it.

    Where did BMe from?

    The Regressor knew.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Once again, BM tried smelling the white alcohol. It was the smell of a fruit that couldn¡¯t be found on Earth, and with a nk expression, he kept smelling it.

    Approximately 40 years ago, there had been an incident that struck the entire world, ¡®Mass Disappearance of Babylon¡¯.

    Back then, thousands of young superhumans with great talent had vanished in groups. Due to the sudden incident, various governments put their heads together and searched for the missing people but ended up finding none.

    BM was a victim of the Mass Disappearance of Babylon.

    Back then, Jung Bongman disappeared inside the ssroom of a superhuman primary school in Gangwon-do, and only came back to Earth after 15 years had passed.

    He was a returnee.

    At the same time, he was the first returnee from the nearby world, [Arandot], and that was the reason he could be the world¡¯s second strongest person without any background.

    ¡°¡­This¡­ where did you get this from?¡±

    Towards the end of the sixth iteration, Yu Jitae had dropped by Arandot while on his way to the Demon World, and came across that bottle of alcohol there. It wasn¡¯t to his taste so he left it inside the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)] and now it was seeing the light of the day.

    ¡°I just got it from somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Are you giving me this while knowing what this means to me? Now I can see how you know so much about me. Are you perhaps from Arand¡­¡±

    ¡°No. Whatever you¡¯re thinking of, that¡¯s not the case. And don¡¯t try to find out too much about me.¡±

    Not just the origin of the alcohol, but also about himself ¨C Yu Jitae was telling him to remain silent about everything. BM understood his words, but for him that wasn¡¯t the important part.

    ¡°Haa, that¡¯s crazy. Seriously¡­ crazy¡­¡±

    Alcohol from Arandot.

    This was the first time he came across it in thest 25 years ever since he had returned to Earth. No matter how hard he looked around, he couldn¡¯t find anything from Arandot on Earth.

    This was more than enough for a rent fee.

    While carrying the little bottle of alcohol, which he wouldn¡¯t dare drink, carefully with both of his hands, BM could only smell it repeatedly.

    In any case, his task was over, and Yu Jitae was about to leave, but a sudden thought shed across his head and he asked BM.

    ¡°Can I ask you for a favour?¡±

    ***

    Yeorum was in a very bad mood.

    There weren¡¯t many things in the world that could put her in such a state, and the only things that could were Yu Kaeul, and her own diehard fans who had a few screws loose.

    She wasn¡¯t expecting this kid to annoy her as well.

    The blue-haired child was ring at her, and Yeorum returned the re. It had been almost ten minutes since the two of them started this.

    ¡°Step aside.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    ¡°Move.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    ¡°Freakin¡¯, why. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯d go in. I¡¯m just going to open the door slightly and sneak a nce.¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head yet again.

    Before Yu Jitae walked into BM¡¯s workshop, he stood in front of the door and gave a firm order to Yeorum and Gyeoul.

    ¨C Stay here until Ie out. Do note in.

    He said that because he didn¡¯t want Gyeoul to see the horrendous view inside the workshop. Although she was unaware of that, she blocked Yeorum from opening the door because that was what he had said.

    ¡°You¡¯re seriously annoying, did you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How ridiculous. A little kid, dares to stop her unni from entering, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Dragons tended to treat other races rather indifferently like an old neighbour, but the red dragons and the blue dragons had an especially bad rtionship.

    This was rted to their characteristics.

    Red dragons loved fighting, but blue dragons preferred peace. And due to their attributes, it was difficult for a red dragon to defeat a blue dragon in a fight.

    Thus, when there was a conflict between the races and the regtion of the green race didn¡¯t work, it was the role of the blue dragons to suppress the red race.

    This long-time discord that continued for over dozens of thousands of years, was being portrayed by the baby dragons.

    ¡°You have no idea what¡¯s happening inside there right now, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Some super strong guys will be fighting right now. Do you think it¡¯s easy to see such an interesting thing? There will be like, lightning falling from the sky, explosions, blood, you know?¡±

    As if she was uninterested, Gyeoul gave a frown.

    ¡°If you keep doing this, you¡¯ll get smacked on your butt by your unni. Didn¡¯t you see Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Am I asking for a lot? Just open the door slightly and nce through the gap. Isn¡¯t that fine?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    Damn. The kid who never spoke a word during the past week opened her mouth now. It meant that she would never move aside, in other words.

    Yeorum wanted to look at the fight, and was therefore let down.

    ¡®Haa, what should I do with this little kid? I can¡¯t hit her tiny body, and I can¡¯t tie her up somewhere either.¡¯

    Look at this small blue kid, confidently crossing her arms in front of therge door.

    ¡®But I really want to see what¡¯s happening inside. What should I do¡­¡¯

    After thinking for some time, she lowered her body and opened her mouth with a warm voice.

    ¡°My dear lovely sister.¡±

    ¡°??¡±

    Gyeoul was flustered.

    ¡°Are you feeling happy these days?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Probably not, right? You were a little disappointed because our ahjussi doesn¡¯t y around with you, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was right on the mark and tension appeared on Gyeoul¡¯s face.

    Just like what Yeorum said, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t y with her much aftering back from the trip. He seemed busy, and spent much less time inside the house.

    Because of that, Gyeoul was feeling slightly regretful inside.

    ¡°If you move aside, I¡¯ll try persuading ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°You know as well right, that ahjussi listens to us rather easily.¡±

    ¡­Was that the case?

    Gyeoul tried thinking for a bit, and realised that that seemed to be the case.

    ¡°So step aside for a bit. I take a look at what¡¯s happening inside, and you can go y with our ahjussi. Then it will be good for you, and good for me, right?¡±

    Yeorum wasughing inside.

    Little Gyeoul was still hesitating. This was still slightlycking, and she needed a little bit more sugar.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of snow these days. You¡¯ll go sledding with ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Why. Do you not know what sledding is?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°As expected of a kid¡­ now, listen. You and ahjussi will be sitting together on a long seat, and you will be sliding down a mountain of snow. You¡¯ll be sitting in the front, leaning down on ahjussi who¡¯s right behind you, and while speeding down the slope, some pieces of snow will ssh on you.¡±

    After imagining that, Gyeoul¡¯s chin slowly dropped.

    Wha¡­ there was an otherworldly thing like that¡­?

    ¡°Sounds fun right?¡±

    Nod.

    ¡°But after ying like that, it¡¯ll be cold.¡±

    Nod, nod.

    ¡°Do you know what you would need then?¡±

    Shake, shake, shake.

    ¡°Ahjussi will boil a warm soup for you. For you alone.¡±

    That was the finisher.

    Gyeoul tried imagining it once again. Cool breeze. A mountain covered in snow. Yu Jitae and a sled. A warm soup made by Yu Jitae. After giving her a bowl of soup, Yu Jitae would probably say¡­

    ¡®Here you go.¡¯

    A bolt of lightning struck her head as a ¡®helele¡¯ smile appeared on her lips.

    Yeorum did not miss that. It was now over, and as she had expected, dealing with a little child was a piece of cake.

    ¡°So, can you step aside for a bit?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was when Gyeoul broke out from her fantasy, and returned to her normal self. Despite some hesitation, she still shook her head.

    It was yet another fail.

    Yeorum felt annoyance soaring up within. She relied on her final piece of patience and barely stopped herself from the urge to hit something.

    But suddenly, she noticed something and looked to the side.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°You, why are youing from there? Are you done with everything?¡±

    Hearing her words, Gyeoul turned her head to the side while expecting Yu Jitae, but there was no-one on the other side of the corridor of thebyrinth.

    When she turned her head back to the front, Yeoum wasn¡¯t there. She, who had gone behind Gyeoul in the blink of an eye, was giving a rxed smile at her.

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    One second felt as long as ten minutes.

    Yeorum ced her hand on top of the knob;

    And Gyeoul was about to scream ¡®no¡¯.

    The door was opened from the inside all of a sudden. Yeorum ended up standing in front of Yu Jitae, and gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°Ooh, hello? Are you all done already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Haa, fuckin¡¯¡­¡±

    Nothing seemed to be working out properly.

    Yeorum ill-temperedly ran her finger through her hair.

    *

    Even now, Ha Saetbyul and the protector were floating in the air while being carried by the hands. Yu Jitae was about to head to the inner room of thebyrinth with them.

    ¡°Ah, right. Can I go there as well?¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a nod.

    On the other side of the corridor, at a ce not too far from the workshop, there was arge door.

    Opening the door, Yu Jitae walked inside, and after ncing at the room from behind his back, Yeorum opened her mouth wide.

    ¡°Wah¡­¡±

    Therge cylindrical room was filled with a myriad of natural colours. In the air there was arge crystal, the size of a normal apartment, and that was the source of the various lights.

    ¡°Fuckin¡¯, that¡¯s the size of my breast¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, it feels somewhat rxing aftering in here.¡±

    Yeorum gave afortable expression, as if she was resting under gentle sunlight, and Gyeoul in Yu Jitae¡¯s arms, looked like she just woke up from sleep.

    It was due to the mana that was being emanated by therge crystal.

    The hands followed Yu Jitae¡¯s will and dropped Ha Saetbyul and the protector there. Although the floor was made of rock, just like any other ce of thebyrinth, they nced around with afortable look after sitting down.

    ¡°You two, stay here. I¡¯lle for you after you get better.¡±

    ¡°Aahh, yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    The two of them replied with a half-dreamy expression.

    It wasn¡¯t this fast for the dragons, and it was probably working better because one was a human while the other was a living armour.

    When Yu Jitae came back, Yeorum asked him.

    ¡°Wahh¡­ this is amazing. How does this work? And what is thatrge thing?¡±

    A way to perfectly stabilise a ferocious beast and thus locking it up ¨C it was to give it satisfaction.

    The name of thatrge crystal was [Fragment of Paradise].

    From the outside, it looked like arge gem, but it was quiteplex inside. It was the essence of magic research of a certain dimension where magic was the most developed in.

    After being surrounded by the light that left the Fragment of Paradise, existences will be put in a happy, satisfied state. They would feel high, and whatever they did would make them feel at ease.

    It was at a needlessly grandiose scale for a simple monster. Perhaps the great mage of the alternate dimension knew that a human life was a continuation of pain and anguish, and thus created that in hope of solving the fundamental problem.

    However, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t like the Fragment of Paradise that much. It was a very dangerous object.

    ording to his experience, it seemed to have an expiration date for dragons. While quietly staring at Yeorum¡¯s face, he reminisced on the past memories before turning around.

    ¡°¡­It feels super good. I feel like I could take a dump now.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, why. Can¡¯t we stay inside a bit more?¡±

    ¡°Come out.¡±

    Gyeoul also pulled on Yu Jitae¡¯s sleeves, as if she found it regretful, and her gaze showed her desire to stay a bit longer.

    However, Yu Jitae grabbed Yeorum by her arm and walked out.

    ¡°Ah, ah¡­! What are you doing? Like I said, just a bit more!¡±

    ¡°¡­Hing.¡±

    Yeorumined while Gyeoul showed her discontentment with a nasal sound. The two of them remained reluctant with a dreamy expression, but as soon as the door of the ¡®inner room¡¯ was closed, they blinked their eyes as if they woke up from an illusion.

    ¡°Huh? Uh¡­? What the fuck is this.¡±

    Yeorum scowled.

    She was most likely feeling weird right now. The moment a forced injection of happiness shattered, what was left was an uncontroble sense of emptiness.

    The Regressor didn¡¯t like the dragons being in this ce for too long. This was a ce where he had failed, and was a ce that had given iparable pain to the dragons. He would¡¯ve destroyed everything if not for its usefulness.

    Thus, he carried his feet forward.

    ¡°You too, wake up.¡±

    While walking, Yu Jitae pinched Gyeoul on her cheek. The child¡¯s cheek stretched out like a rice cake, as she slowly gave a nod in a distracted state.

    ¡­But because they had stayed there for a short time, the dragons seemed rtively unaffected ¨C judging from the fact that she was still facing a smile at him.

 Chapter 55: Revelation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 55: Revtion (1)</h4>

    On the way back from the undergroundbyrinth, Yu Jitae led Yeorum to an unfamiliar location. The walls were distanced apart, and it resembled a wide za.

    ¡°Where is this ce?¡±

    Right after her question, a man with a tall height wearing a pair of sunsses, walked out from the other side of thebyrinth. He was thin, but Yeorum felt like she was facing a giant.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A very strong guy, she thought, as her expression turned serious.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m called BM.¡±

    ¡°B¡­ huh?¡±

    Her eyes shot wide open.

    She was interested in the strong, more so than anyone else. Throughout her life at Lair, she looked a lot into world rankers that she would be fighting with, some time in the future, and therefore was aware of the name ¡®BM¡¯.

    Excluding the Rank 1, Oscar Brzenk, he was the strongest superhuman known to the world.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum was aware of how secretive BM was as an individual. Unable to hide her expression that read, ¡®How did you have such a persone here¡­?¡¯, Yeorum faced her gaze at Yu Jitae.

    Gaze: I love you!

    Yu Jitae chased that thought away from his head. He must have read her gaze wrong.

    Thump, thump¡­

    He could hear her heartbeat which was louder and faster than usual.

    ¡°Red-haireddy, you wanted a fight with me?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uh, uh! I know you. I looked into you in the past.¡±

    It was like a fan meeting a superstar, but BM didn¡¯t know who Yeorum was, as he had no interest in the cadets of Lair.

    ¡°Right¡­ Okay. Then do you just want me to fight her once here?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded in response. BM hade here following Yu Jitae¡¯s request to fight with a girl he knew. This was his first time receiving such a request.

    ¡°No need for a long conversation, I guess. You can start whenever you¡¯re ready,dy.¡±

    Yeorum licked her lips once, before reaching out towards the air ¨C towards the alternate dimension storage, [Laws of Nature] and started pulling out a sword, which had been bought with Yu Jitae¡¯s money, from thin air.

    ¡°Actually, can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Are you stronger than Javier?¡±

    BM replied without any change in his tone.

    ¡°There are five humans stronger than him, and I am stronger than those five.¡±

    He was nonchntly praising himself, but that did not sound like an overstatement, or arrogance by any means. It was a natural statement of fact, and it thus reached the heart of the young dragon who aimed to be stronger.

    ¡°Well¡­ I guess I would have to actually fight before I can say it for certain.¡±

    Yu Jitae would probably be the strongest person.

    However, she didn¡¯t see him as an ¡®opponent¡¯ that needs to be fought against. That¡¯s why Yeorum didn¡¯t feel the urge to beat him, or feel her heart thump despite living with him.

    ¡®Wah, fuck¡­¡¯

    But now it was different. Yeorum could feel her heart racing rapidly.

    World¡¯s second strongest human.

    She wanted to wreak some havoc for real.

    ¡°The fight will be until one side deres, ¡®I give up¡¯, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Huuk¡­ with a deep breath out, she started circting mana throughout her body, before kicking off the ground.

    *

    The fight was one-sided.

    Yeorum shot fire from her hands, and continued swinging her sword with a strange rhythm. Her sword contained a wild nature. Someone that has properly learned the ways of a sword would in fact be flustered by her odd rhythm, and would find it hard to predict due to it deviating from the standard method.

    However, it did not work against the Returnee. He stared at every attack till the very end and dodged with simple movements, or parried the attacks.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Drenched in sweat, Yeorum made a frown.

    She was the only one attacking in their fight. Even when there was a chance to, BM did not strike back, and she thought BM was looking down on her too much no matter how she viewed it.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too half-hearted?¡±

    When BM was about to respond, Yeorum suddenly opened her mouth as mes erupted out from within. She had created [Fireball (B)] with her mouth.

    This was a hand she was revealing for the first time. The fireball came flying in and exploded after touching BM. mes soared up into the sky but Yeorum remained tense despite the sessful attack.

    After the mes and the smoke disappeared, arge pair of wings that resembled a bat¡¯s was seen covering BM ¨C it created not a single wound. But the moment the wings opened up, she dashed in yet again.

    It was a surprise attack that could be seen as an underhanded trick. However, Yeorum was aware that she was the weaker one, and although it didn¡¯t feel good, she knew that the weak had their own method as the weak.

    And she thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad as long as it could allow her to reach victory.

    Shieeeek!

    The sword pierced through the air and flew forward. When BM dodged it by a hair¡¯s breadth, Yeorum clenched her teeth and closed the distance after kicking the air.

    ¡°Stop dodging and try attacking. You¡¯ll get hurt if you look down on me too much.¡±

    That was when BM opened his mouth.

    ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something.¡±

    Arandot.

    In a world where he and the young superhumans that came with him were called ¡®devils¡¯, and were killed left and right ¨C he stayed alive in that ce for 15 years.

    ¡°In my entire life,¡±

    Being stabbed by a sword, while bleeding, he held his own innards from falling after being pierced by a spear and fought on. There were countlessrades that died from tiny mistakes. Within that wave of blood, what he stood on top of after barely escaping from the ws of death, were the bodies of his colleagues with whom he hadughed and drank with.

    That was how his 15 years had been.

    ¡°I have never looked down on my opponent.¡±

    It was then.

    Yeorum, who had closed the gap while swinging the sword shed her eyes open in surprise.

    By the time she realised, a sharp de was touching her back. It was a w that extended out from one of BM¡¯s wings.

    Did his wings have ws? When did it start growing in size? She hadn¡¯t been careless or sloppy either.

    ¡°Maybe, it was you that was looking down on me?¡±

    Thinking that it would be dodgeable as long as she moved her back away from the w, she was about to throw her body sideways. But she realised that there were ws covering her sides already.

    Aftering to a stop, Yeorum got rid of her sixth sense and nced around with her eyes. Dozens of ws were densely covering her back and sides, before she realised it.

    Ironically, she didn¡¯t see it because she was focusing too much on her sixth sense.

    ¡°You¡¯re very strong, youngdy, much stronger than what your age suggests. Quite surprising.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The only direction she could move in was the front.

    ¡°You have power, and you have a good battle sense. Honestly I have no idea how you shot magic with your mouth, and that was pretty interesting.¡±

    But a thorn was growing out from BM¡¯s hand from the front, and was slowly approaching Yeorum.

    ¡°You will be a ranker soon.¡±

    Before long, the thorn reached her forehead.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want to continue?¡±

    ¡°Fuck¡­ I knew I would lose, but I didn¡¯t think I would be this powerless. It¡¯s my loss.¡±

    ¡°Then, there¡¯s something you need to say right?¡±

    The words, ¡®I give up¡¯, which admits the loss and closes the fight. After heaving out a sigh, Yeorum dropped her head low and murmured.

    ¡°¡­I give¡­ down.¡±

    ¡­

    BM¡¯s w was still there.

    She was trying to catch him off guard, but a y with words like this seemed ineffective. Slowly, she raised her head and whispered while making an alluring smile.

    ¡°¡­That didn¡¯t work?.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    Yeorum was downhearted for several days after that.

    ¡°What you looking at.¡±

    She was a little bit edgy.

    However, it was better than before when she lost to Javier, where she was about to dig a hole even. It was probably because she had epted the loss but that didn¡¯t erase the fact that her pride had been damaged.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ avoiding her is the best when she¡¯s like that.¡±

    Thus Kaeul avoided Yeorum while stealing a few nces at her;

    ¡°She¡¯ll get better if she¡¯s left alone for some time.¡±

    And Bom spoke as if it wasn¡¯t anything to worry about.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, Gyeoul appeared to be finding something regretful.

    It was a Saturday morning. It was a day where they would rx at the dorm, after a tiresome job of pretending to be humans for a whole week. Yeorum was sitting in the corner of the living room, where the protector used to be at, and was in the middle of self-introspection.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul carefully walked up to her.

    She then carefully touched Yeorum, who was hugging her knees with her head down, on her hair. Her head was raised, as an annoyed look was revealed beneath.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Go away, you brat. Don¡¯t you see your damn unni being in a bad mood?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul nced up at her for a bit before walking away. She then entered Bom¡¯s room, but soon poked her head out behind the door. For a long time she stared on, and Yeorum who had felt that gaze from the start, erupted in annoyance.

    ¡°Seriously, what¨C!!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Startled, Gyeoul hid her head behind the door.

    At the same time, a te was heard shattering along with the shout, ¡°Mommy!¡± It was from Kaeul¡¯s room. She, who was surprised by Yeorum¡¯s shout for no reason, walked out of her room with a sorrowful expression while carrying a broken te.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum walked forth like Lu Bu and after reaching Bom¡¯s room, she looked at Gyeoul, who was hiding behind the door.

    ¡°Oi. What¡¯s your problem.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Anything you want to say or what.¡±

    After throwing a nce, the child nodded.

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°¡­If I open the door.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­You said you would do it.¡±

    ¡®If I open the door, you would do it¡¯?

    What nonsense was this about¡­ Yeorum thought before remembering something. It was what she herself had said back in the undergroundbyrinth a few days ago when they were ring at each other.

    ¡°Oi, did I say I would persuade him if the door opens? I meant I would persuade him if you moved aside.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°You little rat. You didn¡¯t even open the door ¨C it¡¯s totally different.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She reluctantly threw another nce at Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­Then, you won¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No shit. Of course no.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Then, Gyeoul drooped her head low and stared at the floor. She appeared greatly disappointed. Yeorum turned around and was about to head back to the living room, but her feet came to a stop before long, and aftering back, she asked the child.

    ¡°Oi, Yu Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Should I do it for you? Persuading that human to y with you, that is.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°You want me to?¡±

    It was Yeorum¡¯s first time seeing a dragon nod their head this fast.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yeorum marched straight into Yu Jitae¡¯s room.

    As if there was something serious that was on his mind, Yu Jitae had his eyes closed.

    When she knocked, a voice going ¡°Yeah¡± was heard from the inside. After opening the door, Yeorum carefully approached him while he was sitting down in the study.

    ¡°You see, you know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why.¡±

    Yu Jitae stared at Yeorum who had just entered the room, and also saw a blue head that was poking its way in at the room behind her.

    ¡°Do you have anything on this weekend?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡±

    She looked back at Gyeoul and gave a smile. Seeing that, Gyeoul¡¯s eyes flickered as she nodded back, and her small hand was forming a tight fist.

    Gaze: Please¡­!

    Yeorum nodded as if she fully understood what she wanted.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not trying to ask for anything big. If you have nothing important to do today or tomorrow¡­¡±

    Yeorum hesitated slightly before brushing her hair behind her ear. A white ear was revealed behind the crimson hair.

    ¡°Do you want to go on a date with just the two of us¡­?¡±

    She then lowered her head as if she was feeling bashful.

    Naturally, it was fake. Yeorum nced back with a sneer, and could see Gyeoul¡¯s face turning stiff realtime. She had to hold herughter in.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Gyeoul stared at Yeorum with a nk look, as if she couldn¡¯t take in what was happening. Then, she slowly started making a frown.

    ¡°¡­Yeah. Whatever.¡±

    When Yu Jitae¡¯s response left his mouth, her crumpled expression connected onto another shock. Soon, tears started forming on her eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Opening and closing her mouth, Gyeoul appeared to be wanting to say something. However, she did not say anything till the very end, and the blue-haired child escaped to Bom¡¯s room with a sorrowful expression.

    Kwang!

    The door was then shut.

    That was when Bom, who had been in the middle of reading a book, spoke up from the living room.

    ¡°Huh? Yeorum. Didn¡¯t we decide to go watch WOC in person tonight?¡±

    WOC was the name of a 1:1 pro wrestling league of superhuman fighters. Bom had reserved it to put Yeorum in a better mood, and tonight was the first match.

    ¡°I know. I know it¡¯s today.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m a dragon. Do you think I would forget that?¡±

    After clicking her tongue, she whispered to Yu Jitae.

    For some reason, her expression seemed satisfied.

    ¡°Anyways, what I said was a joke.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul, that little girl wanted to y with you apparently.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so? Okay.¡±

    After saying that, Yeorum hesitated before looking away.

    ¡°And¡­ after you¡¯re back,e for a chat.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Yu Jitae asked back, but Yeorum had turned around already and left some words behind as she walked out of his room.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing you know, just, a little chat¡­¡±

 Chapter 56: Revelation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 56: Revtion (2)</h4>

    Who in the world is he?

    That was a doubt which remained in BM¡¯s head for a long time.

    His name was Yu Jitae, and appeared to be in histe twenties. His height was a little short of 190 centimetres, while his physique was in an ideal state. Up to this part, was a rathermon thing.

    Normally, when he saw young outstanding superhumans, he would think to himself that they would be able to grow stronger in the future. However, he didn¡¯t feel such a thing when he saw Yu Jitae.

    ¡­Can he even be stronger after that point? After realising that he was asking himself that, BM found himself to be ridiculous.

    That short encounter was enough for him to see Yu Jitae as apletely insurmountably strong person. It was more than a mere strength level, and he contained an aura that suppressed his surroundings. It was a rare feeling even for the Returnee, who had lived in two different worlds.

    How was that possible?

    At such a young age?

    But those questions would be difficult to be answered.

    Right before Yu Jitae¡¯s group was about to leave thebyrinth, BM looked at the blue-haired girl.

    The red-haireddy was pretty as well. Her beauty was if she was from a different world, but his thoughts merely stopped there, and it failed to ring his heart.

    However, it was different for the child.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even when their eyes met, she did not wave her hand or bow as she merely stared nkly at himself.

    But how could this be? This child¡­

    ¡®She¡¯s too¡­¡¯

    ¡­too cute.

    Thus, BM decided to do something which he had never done in his entire life. Carefully he approached the child and bent his back before reaching out. When he did that, the blue-haired girl stared at his hand before turning her body around and running up to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With faint disappointment, BM nkly stared at the ce where the child had been, but after finding something, his eyes shot open.

    ¡°See youter.¡±

    ¡°Yes. See you sir.¡±

    After sending them on their way, left alone, BM summoned the chimeras. They had arms like squids and had suckers.

    ¡°Search everywhere around here.¡±

    The squid chimeras moved around the ce where the blue-haired child had been standing and dug everything out. After groping around the dust-filled ground of thebyrinth for a long time, BM finally found a short ck strand of hair.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A ck strand of hair that was stuck on the body of the blue-haired child.

    ¡­This was definitely that man¡¯s hair.

    Raising the man¡¯s hair up, BM headed into the corner of the workshop. When he opened arge door attached onto the wall, arge artifact telescope which wasrger than a human body revealed itself.

    [Hera¡¯s Telescope]

    It was a Level 4 artifact that could look into the essence of something with just a tiny piece of clue, and was one of the treasures that countries were greedy for.

    ¡®Where in the world is the man¡¯s strengthing from?¡¯

    Supported by immense curiosity, BM ced the man¡¯s hair inside the telescope.

    A murky light came out and scanned past the strand of hair and after seeing the result, BM was shocked.

    ¡®How could this be¡­¡¯

    The man revealed inside the telescope wasn¡¯t alone.

    There were multiple individuals inside him.

    Although it wasn¡¯tmon, it wasn¡¯t a very unique urrence either, and even BM himself was such a case, where he was both an ¡®individual¡¯, and ¡®multiple beings¡¯.

    In other words, for an individual to be ¡®multiple beings¡¯ at the same time, there had to be more than one person inside that one body.

    That meant that the man was¡­

    ¡®¡­He was a chimera huh. I had no idea.¡¯

    In doubt, he ced his own hair into the telescope. What he saw inside himself were ¡®multiple selves¡¯, and there were about 13 in total. It was the same number as the number of chimeras attached to his hand, arm, neck, chest, legs, back and other ces.

    What was being shown inside the telescope was like a ck screen having 13 red and blue dots ced here and there.

    ¡®This is normal. Normally it should be like this¡­¡¯

    But the number of existences shown inside the body of the man, Yu Jitae, was so much that he had a hard time counting it.

    A hundred? Or perhaps a thousand? No, that wasn¡¯t it.

    With a gulp, BM looked back into the telescope.

    Metaphorically speaking, what he could see now was like this.

    ¡®What in the world¡­¡¯

    There was a universe before him.

    ***

    ¡°Oi, I was joking soe out now.¡±

    Yeorum tapped on the door of Bom¡¯s room with her foot before walking away.

    Gyeoul too was a dragon. She probably would have kept her ear perked up so there was no way she didn¡¯t hear what Yeorum had said to Yu Jitae.

    The door was slowly pushed open, as a pair of water-coloured eyes cautiously nced outside the door.

    Until then, Yu Jitae was receiving memories from his clone. It had been around three months since he had met the dragons and it was near the end of the year. A fairly important event of the seventh iteration was approaching Yu Jitae.

    [Melissia Masquerade]

    Approximately 100 new demons would be born and Wei Yan would finally rise to a Seat. In order to make it in time, the clone was busy moving around the Undetectables, gathering information.

    ¡®It was a mess.¡¯

    Due to the sudden disappearance of Prototype X and the emergence of an unknown enemy, the demons¡¯ level of caution had reached an extreme level. Among the memories of his clone, he could often see Wei Yan screaming in anger. He shouted at his underlings to find the enemy, andter ended up cutting off the fingers of a useless adjudant.

    Since he was the killer of Prototype X, the demons called Yu Jitae, ¡®X¡¯. What he found funny was that there was a bounty under his name.

    ¡®There are 15 highest grade magic stones for the bounty.¡¯

    That amounted to roughly 15 million dors in cash. Since it was arge amount for individual demons, even the demons belonging to other organisations started moving after seeing that.

    Of course, it did not matter at all.

    ¡®Ryuunosuke, the leader of the 70-man raid team back then is keeping quiet.¡¯

    It was natural, considering how that old man loved his family.

    ¡®In any case, I will continue observing them, my lord.¡¯

    After he finished reading the memories, he left the room, onto the corridor and found Gyeoul standing behind the half-opened door of Bom¡¯s room without walking out. Their eyes had clearly met, and yet she pretended to have not seen him and fidgeted with the two ears of the blue teddy bear.

    Yu Jitae walked up to her. As he went closer and closer, her hand fidgeting with the teddy bear¡¯s ears became more and more awkward.

    He came to her side and crouched down. The distance between them was small and it would be weird at this point for her to not see him, but Gyeoul seemed to be pondering on whether to turn around or not.

    ¡°Do you want to go somewhere on the weekend?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Hearing his words, Gyeoul immediately turned around with a somewhat tense look on her face. However, she wasn¡¯t overly nervous like before, to the point she couldn¡¯t do anything.

    Nod¡­

    ¡°Where should we go.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She remained quiet and threw short nces at him. Thinking back, he remembered how Gyeoul liked being at the Lake of Life.

    ¡°Should we go ying in the water?¡±

    Her eyes turned circr, but her hands remained rolled up, and the option appeared to be slightly unappealing.

    Therefore, this was an incorrect answer.

    ¡°Or, did you want to go eat some delicious food?¡±

    Gaze: Delicious food?

    ¡°You know, things like chicken, pizza and pork belly.¡±

    After staring at Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, Gyeoul slightly lowered her gaze. Once again, she didn¡¯t look too eager and thus, ¡®delicious food¡¯ was also incorrect.

    More so than Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul, he found Gyeoul to be the most difficult. Especially in situations like this, where it was hard to have a conversation, when he did not even know what the child wanted, he felt like he was facing aplex problem.

    In front of yet anotherplicated problem, he was contemting what to do. That was when Gyeoul pulled at his pants after hesitating for a bit.

    Then, she looked at his face and slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Sled.¡±

    The answer was suddenly thrown out at him.

    ***

    ¡°Hold on tight.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    A sled carved out of wood started speeding down a mountain ridge covered in snow. It started off slow from a level ground but suddenly picked up speed after reaching a slope.

    Swishhh!

    The sled travelled down the slope of snow as small kes of the white snow sshed onto Gyeoul¡¯s face. It was cold.

    Excited, she shot her two arms up.

    However, the gradient of the slope continued getting steeper before eventually resembling a cliff. Gyeoul hesitantly looked at the slope and felt her enjoyment slowly changing into fear. She turned her head and stared at Yu Jitae.

    Gaze: Isn¡¯t it going too fast?

    ¡­She had polymorphed straight after her birth, and was yet to fly, which was the mostmon thing for dragons. That seemed to be the reason behind her fear.

    He thought about getting off if she was scared but the child seemed to be also feeling a faint thrill from it. Yu Jitae therefore extended hisrge arms forward and covered the child¡¯s body with it.

    ¡°¡­Kyaa!¡±

    Gyeoul¡¯s chuckle tickled the Regresor¡¯s ears.

    They were at a barren mountain somewhere inside Haytling. Yu Jitae was thinking of going to a sledding slope in Lair¡¯s entertainment district, but decided against it.

    ¡°Do you want another ride?¡±

    Nod, nod!

    It was so that they could sled without waiting in line.

    The wooden sled roughly made of wood was decent, and the Regressor could use mana to get rid of obstacles in their path. Oblivious to his hard work, Gyeoul pulled down on his pants with a sparkling pair of eyes, asking him to start walking already.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Yu Jitae reached his arms out to her. Gyeoul was about to walk into his arms like usual, but suddenly stopped. Then, she carefully extended her short fingers and held onto his hand.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What was she doing.

    While he was confused about the child¡¯s action, Gyeoul carefully pulled his arm forward. Yu Jitae naturally followed her lead as they walked up the slope hand in hand.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul had seen Myung Yongha¡¯s son walking while holding Myung Yongha¡¯s hand, some time in the past. At the start, she didn¡¯t think anything of it, but seeing them at the very end disappearing into the forest hand in hand, she had felt envious.

    I want to hold hands and walk as well¡­ thought Gyeoul.

    Slip.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    But the steep mountainside was slippery, and she lost her sense of bnce in an instant. Due to her fluster, she even forgot to use magic and could only shut her eyes tight.

    That was when her body was suddenly lifted. Yu Jitae had raised the child up with one hand.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After being hugged by him, Gyeoul gave a wide smile.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go up now.¡±

    He immediately started using mana to fly up the mountain, like how they had climbed it the first time, but Gyeoul grabbed his sleeves, and conveyed her panic with her gaze.

    ording to the Regressor¡¯s knowledge, that meant that she didn¡¯t want to do something.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want to stop?¡±

    Shake, shake.

    ¡°Then what.¡±

    ¡°¡­Walk.¡±

    ¡°You want to walk up?¡±

    She nodded her small head. However, the slope was too steep for the child to walk on her own feet. After some contemtion, he raised her up and ced her behind his neck.

    Being suddenly made to ride on someone¡¯s shoulder for the first time in her life, Gyeoul wrapped her arms around his head in surprise.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see the front.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    Her small pair of arms covering his eyes were undone.

    Yu Jitae ced her on top of his shoulders and climbed up the mountain, and came down on a sled. He repeated it several times.

    The smile did not leave Gyeoul¡¯s face.

    *

    They sledded for quite a long time.

    Darkness started painting the nearby area as the cold wind became a level colder.

    The Regressor whose body was being protected by dozens of [Blessings] did not feel any coldness, but Gyeoul in her human form had her nose and cheeks flushed. She wouldn¡¯t die of coldness even if left alone, but she still felt it.

    Drowning into his inner alternate dimension, Yu Jitae carried some camping equipment out and installed it in the real world. Meanwhile, Gyeoul sat down on the floor making a small snowman by herself.

    ¡°Do you want to eat now?¡±

    But the moment Yu Jitae¡¯s words fell, she started flickering her eyes.

    After quickly gathering enough twigs, the Regressor used an ignition rock to create fire. He put clean water into a pot and started boiling instant noodles inside. He wanted to let the dragons have the best food all the time, but having noodles in a ce like this, in this sort of weather, had its own uniqueness that could not bepared to having luxurious food.

    ¡­At least that was what he saw in a certain movie.

    Thinking back, he could kind of remember having a simr experience in a distant past, near the start of the regressions. While revising through his faded old memories, the Regressor boiled noodles.

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul entered extreme nervousness.

    Hiding behind the door of the tent, she held her two hands into fists and red at Yu Jitae. She could remember the words Yeorum had said a few days back.

    ¨C ¡­But after ying like that, it¡¯ll get cold.

    ¨C Do you know what you would need then?

    ¨C Ahjussi would boil a warm soup for you. For you alone.

    Like a prophecy, her words were turning into reality, but it was stillcking. There was one thing which Gyeoul really wanted to hear from Yu Jitae.

    Thump thump¡­

    The blue-haired child bit on her lips and red daggers at him. Soon, after finishing the instant noodles, Yu Jitae carried the pot and approached the child. He then ced a small bowl along with a fork and a spoon in front of her.

    After receiving the cutleries, Gyeoul¡¯s tension reached its max level. The pot was ced on the ground, and slowly he opened his mouth.

    Should be now¡­!

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    Wahh!

    A bright smile bloomed on her face.

 Chapter 57: Revelation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 57: Revtion (3)</h4>

    Gyeoul¡¯s eyes sparkled from intense excitement.

    He did not know why she seemed so happy. In any case, Yu Jitae decided to move some noodles into the smaller bowl. He lifted up the yellow noodles in one go as the smoke followed from beneath. Then, he ced the noodles into her bowl before pouring a bit of soup with it.

    Gyeoul raised the noodles with her spork and blew on the noodles. It wouldn¡¯t be hot even if she ate it as is, but she was copying what her unnis used to do.

    After biting on some of the noodles, she started slurping the noodles in. However, the noodles were long and her suction power was meagre, and it took ages before she finally seeded in sucking all the noodles in. Her two cheeks bulged out.

    But, it was delicious¡­!

    Gyeoul started diligently slurping the noodles in. It was slightly salty and warm, and it tasted very nice. She then noticed Yu Jitae drinking the soup, and after staring at his posture for a long time, she also raised her bowl and carefully took a sip of the soup.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It felt like something warm was pervading her body. Her stomach felt warm, and so did her chest. She could see more of her breath with a warmer inside, and seemed intrigued by it.

    They had boiled three packs of instant noodles, but it had all disappeared. Looking at her now-empty small bowl, she appeared regretful, and after turning to the empty pot, she seemed disheartened.

    ¡°Have you finished eating.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s clean up.¡±

    She appeared hesitant.

    When Yu Jitae grabbed onto Gyeoul¡¯s bowl, she resisted with her two tiny hands, but it soon slipped out of her weak grasp. But she still appeared hesitant so Yu Jitae stared directly at her face.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there something you need?¡±

    ¡°¡­More.¡±

    ¡°More?¡±

    She extended her hands forward.

    ¡°¡­More please.¡±

    With no other choice, he boiled more noodles. He had a lot of spare, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    But no matter what, he hadn¡¯t been expecting her to eat 25 packs.

    She asked for more straight after finishing one batch. Since this was her first time being like this, Yu Jitae did whatever she asked for and thus boiled noodles six times and 25 packs of noodles disappeared. It was as expected of a dragon, but he didn¡¯t think it would be this much.

    Gyeouly down on the ground with a swollen stomach. The child that giggled, ¡°Hihi¡± after having tasty food was long gone, and she seemed to be in slight pain.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Shake, shake¡­

    She overate.

    Burp.

    Gyeoul burped unconsciously and nced at Yu Jitae with an awkward smile. He pretended to have missed it.

    Night arrived in an instant. The inside of the tent was darker ¨C there was a crescent moon hanging on the sky but the light it gave off wasn¡¯t intense, and they could thus see more stars.

    He was going to spend the night today with Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Having finished digesting all the food, Gyeoul was wearing a rxed expression. She was lying down next to Yu Jitae, while touching his hair.

    Recently, she would often do that, and although he didn¡¯t know why, Gyeoul showed interest in Yu Jitae¡¯s belongings. Things like socks, ties, wallets and hair.

    He had absolutely no idea why she was doing that. Why was she trying to pull his socks out every time¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Today was the same. Gyeoul ced her hand on his hair and carefully caressed it while sneakily trying to pull a strand out. However, his hair remained strong, and Gyeoulcked powerpared to the blessings covering the Regressor¡¯s body.

    ¡°What now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I gave you onest time.¡±

    He had given her a strand of his hair before because she had been doing the same thing. That day, she was happy all day and wandered around with his hair in hand.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She hesitated.

    ¡°You lost it.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Shake, shake.

    Immediately, she shook her head in a fluster but her expression gave it away.

    After taking yet another strand of his hair out, he passed it over to her, who received it with sparkling eyes as if it was a treasure.

    ¡°If you lose it after a few days again, I won¡¯t give it to you anymore.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    Nod nod.

    Startled, Gyeoul tightly gripped onto Yu Jitae¡¯s hair. She did not loosen her grip even after falling asleep.

    *

    It didn¡¯t take a long time for her to fall asleep. It was most likely a tiring day for her, and she dozed off while snoring with her small nose. Since both her head and nose were small, it was a quiet snore.

    Quietly, the Regressor stared at the sleeping child.

    His head was muddled with thoughts.

    If everything was the same in this iteration, it should be tonight.

    [Revtion]

    An event that leads a blue dragon¡¯s life forward, should now begin.

    Dragons each seeked for the meaning of their life through their Amusements. The green race would stay holed up in their room and be artists, or craftsmen. Gold dragons cohabited with others as their guardian deity while the red race enjoyed fights and battles¡­

    Despite all that, the blue race did not have one predetermined direction for their future.

    After around 80 days since their birth, they would receive a revtion from the previous ¡®Lord¡¯. To be exact, it was the Blue Dragon Lord¡¯s will that was carried down in their blood, that gave an assignment to the hatchlings of their race.

    And for blue dragons, it was an assignment that continued on for their entire life. It was very important, and it could not be opposed.

    Therefore, the Regressor wasn¡¯t in a good mood.

    In the fifth and the sixth iterations, the Blue Dragon became unhappy straight after receiving its revtion. Until then, the child merely sat down in the corner of thebyrinth, watching him, but after receiving a revtion, the dragon continued asking him to let itself out.

    -¡­Let me go out please.

    Yu Jitae back then had rejected it.

    -¡­You will need me.

    And had ignored it.

    Every time, the Blue Dragon quietly cried to itself under its breath. And towards the end of the sixth iteration, the dragon even ended up ending its own life.

    The problem was that even Yu Jitae had no idea what that damned ¡®revtion¡¯ was about. Blue dragons weren¡¯t allowed to talk about the details of their revtion.

    ¨C This child was not allowed to achieve the revtion she was given.

    ¨C She couldn¡¯t get closer with someone.

    ¨C For forever¡­

    The only clue he had were the words leaving the Green Dragon¡¯s mouth like curses along with tears, towards the end.

    Get closer? With who?

    What was it, and why was it unable to be achieved forever?

    He waited for the child¡¯s revtion with a myriad of emotions.

    The moon crossed the sky, as the barren wastnd had asional growls of beasts.

    Hwaaaak¡­!

    Gyeoul¡¯s body started lifting itself up into the air.

    Her ancestor¡¯s mana that was inside her blood, started creating a magic circle in the air. Surrounded by light emanating out of the rotating magic circle, Gyeoul slowly opened her eyes, and with her water-coloured eyes, she gazed at a distant ce and listened to a revtion from someone.

    ***

    ¨C My dear daughter.

    A voice urged Gyeoul to open her eyes. It was a familiar, yet somewhat distant voice.

    Half-awake, she nced around with unfocused eyes. Her surroundings resembled the inside of an ocean, and she could see a beautiful underwater scenery through the clear, blue water.

    That was when a sh of bright light reached her from above the surface of the water.

    ¨C My young child. Just like how you know me, I know you too.

    Uh? Grandpa¡­?

    Gyeoul blinked her eyes. She hadn¡¯t met her grandpa before, but it made her think that for some reason.

    ¨C You are living a happy life, aren¡¯t you?

    She nodded her head. It felt like ¡®grandpa¡¯ had been watching over her.

    ¨C There were many happy things in your life.

    Once again, she nodded with a bright expression.

    ¨C When were you the most happy?

    ¡­When I sledded.

    The voiceughed heartily at her response.

    ¨C You are spending an Amusement more enjoyable than anyone else, and there is someone who¡¯s truly wishing for your happiness. I also feel the happiness you feel in your heart and am d.

    Really?

    Gyeoul¡¯s eyes brightened up, as a faint smile appeared on her face.

    ¨C Do you also wish for his happiness?

    She nodded her head. She hadn¡¯t thought about it before, but the answer came instinctively.

    It was then.

    The ocean rose up unstably, as the water waved and roared. Tornados started soaring up to the sky, before crashing into another and sshing around.

    Within all that came the grandpa¡¯s voice.

    It was slightly more stern and serious.

    ¨C To do that, there is something you must do.

    Although startled, Gyeoul gave a nod.

    ¨C From now, you need to protect your precious ones with your own hands.

    Protect? Me?

    ¨C You are young and powerless. You might not know what to do, nor how.

    The light on the other side of the roaring waves started flickering with more intensity.

    ¨C Even then, you must prepare. Realise what is precious to you, and ponder on how you could protect it.

    ¨C Before long, a long night wille for sure.

    ¨C It will be very dark. With nothing visible, someone would inevitably fall. Merely standing up with those injured legs will be difficult and they therefore might not even be able to stand up properly.

    Gyeoul widened her eyes into circles.

    ¨C When that timees, my child, do whatever you can.

    ¨C And protect what you must.

    Within the swirling tornado,

    ¨C If everything goes well, in a distant future, ask him to go sledding once again. Feel the kes of snow together and share a warm soup.

    ¡®Grandpa¡¯ once again beseeched Gyeoul.

    ¨C If you seed in protecting it, that day wille for sure.

    Hisst words echoed as if she was in a cave and remained in her ears.

    Slowly, the light reflecting onto the water distanced itself.

    Left alone, Gyeoul closed her eyes.

    The baby dragon was too young for it to fully understand what that was about. She did not know what night was referring to, nor what he meant by falling down.

    However, there was one thing she understood.

    Protect.

    One word etched itself clearly onto her brain, and Gyeoul repeated it endlessly in her head.

    ***

    The morning broke the day after.

    Unlike his worries the previous night, Gyeoul did not appear downhearted or sad.

    However, she was a little bit weird.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    With a strange concentrated look of resolution in her eyes, she red at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    What¡¯s with that resolve in your eyes.

    Seeing her sharp gaze, it made him think of a sloppy new recruit but fortunately, it didn¡¯t give off a negative feeling. In the previous iterations, she had cried for several days and nights straight after waking up from her revtion.

    But when she tried to pull his socks out with that resolved expression, he wondered what had happened with the child.

    Yu Jitae pulled his leg away, which Gyeoul followed with a regretful, yet sharp re.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there something you want to say?¡±

    Shake, shake.

    ¡°Then why are you doing this.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Your eyes are like an eagle¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Taking out a hand mirror from his tackle bag, he passed it onto Gyeoul. She stared at her reflection inside the mirror with curiosity and her eyes returned to normal for a split second, but after turning towards Yu Jitae, they changed into a re yet again.

    ¡­Was the revtion about ring at me? While thinking that, the Regressorid his hand on her head.

    After that, Gyeoul was a bit strange.

    On the way down from the mountain, arge deer appeared out of nowhere. If they ignored it and continued climbing down, the deer would have ignored them as well, but Gyeoul stepped in front of Yu Jitae and red at it.

    The deer red back at her, and its gaze seemed to be looking down on the tiny child.

    A staring contest thus began.

    ¨C Bleeat¡­

    The deer let out an intimidating grunt.

    ¡°¡­Aauh.¡±

    That was when Gyeoul fought back the deer with a strange voice.

    She was a child but at the same time was a dragon. After feeling an unknown sense of terror that came crashing down, the deer ran off to the opposite direction. Gyeoul then looked back at Yu Jitae with relief and gave him a nod.

    What, why. What¡¯s that nod for.

    No matter where they went, she walked in front of Yu Jitae and appeared to be vignt about their surroundings. She moved as if she was a bodyguard.

    The Regressor was slightly dumbfounded.

    However, the child¡¯s strange course of action did notst for that long. She went back to normal after a few days and reached her hand out and requested for Yu Jitae¡¯s hand. Thinking back, even when she was acting like a bodyguard, she had been throwing a few nces behind with regret.

    At the same time, it felt like she became a bit more mature. She had always gone looking for the teddy bears and a bottle of water that was taken from the Lake of Life when she returned to the dormitory, but ever since that day, that became increasingly less.

    ¨C She couldn¡¯t get closer with someone.

    ¨C For forever¡­

    Reflecting on the words that had been shared by the previous iteration¡¯s Green Dragon, it sounded as if there was a person whom Gyeoul had to be closer with.

    If the child happened to get closer with someone, he had to help them get even closer while not staying on guard too much.

    He didn¡¯t know who it was, and he did not exactly know what the revtion was about, but it seemed to have been positive. Thus, the Regressor decided to let it be.

    At the very least, Gyeoul did not cry in this iteration.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She was watching him with a smile.

    ¡°What are you freakin¡¯ grinning at?¡±

    That was when Yeorum¡¯s words caused Gyeoul to re.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her? Well, anyways, you are free right now right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Should we talk, with just the two. of. us?¡±

    Her words appeared to be targeting Gyeoul, who indeed reacted by standing between them in a fluster. Yeorum then gave her a sly smile.

    ¡°Back off kid. Now is the time for adults.¡±

    While saying that, she naturally crossed her arm with Yu Jitae¡¯s.

    ¡°Right, oppa??¡±

    She acted cute with a nasal sound. Gyeoul freaked out and twitched her entire body while Yeorum gave an evilugh like a witch.

    *

    But the moment they entered the room, she returned to her serious expression and with a hesitant voice, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­You know, there is something I want to say.¡±

 Chapter 58: Guardians Consultation[/strong]

    <h4>Chapter 58: Guardian''s Consultation[/strong]</h4>

    There had been a formal notice from Lair a few days ago.

    ¨C Guardian¡¯s Consultation Period

    In this time period, the guardians would have a counselling session with their cadets, and talk about what they needed and what theycked. They could then submit the record of the consultation to the teachers for reference.

    It was mandatory for cadets with guardians so he was thinking of doing it soon, and this was a great opportunity.

    When Yu Jitae sat on the chair next to his desk, Yeorum went and sat down on his bed. She was wearing a serious expression which was quite rare.

    After a few seconds of silence, Yeorum swept her hair up with her hand repeatedly, and soon murmured after heaving out a sigh.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I think, I¡¯m a bit too trash.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just what I suddenly thought of. And for the past few days, I kept thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°Did your thoughts change?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m a huge puny piece of garbage.¡±

    She was still serious.

    While sitting down on Yu Jitae¡¯s bed, she wrapped her arms around her knees.

    Silence continued for a long time.

    A red dragon revealing its own weakness, was a very rare thing. Including the previous iterations, Yu Jitae had known this young red dragon for dozens of years, and despite being defeated in several fights, she had neverbelled herself as weak.

    ¨C I!

    ¨C I would rather die than lose to an opponent I can beat.

    That was what Yeorum had said in the past, during the Anti-demon War Simtion and the Regressor knew that it wasn¡¯t a metaphoric expression.

    ¡°A few days ago, I asked for a duel with a cadet in a Level 5 society.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°He was good with a sword, so I took out mine as well. Fuck, I was certain that I would be the oneing out on top.¡±

    ¡°Then, did you lose?¡±

    ¡°No, I won. I won but¡­ I didn¡¯t win with a sword.¡±

    There was only one thing that could have been used then.

    ¡°Did you use the mana inside the dragon heart?¡±

    ¡°Un. I was so frustrated that I wanted to break the Taboo of Amusement.¡±

    Taboo of Amusement was the lifting of polymorph.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a taboo that had a restrictive power, but even the trash, bastard-like dragons kept this taboo as something important.

    She almost lost as a human form, and thus used the power of her true body.

    ¡°I wanted to kill myself. Because I was beyond pathetic.¡±

    After saying that, Yeorum stuck her finger into her ear.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just saying, that¡¯s what happened.¡±

    She then leaned back and started rolling on top of the bed. Yu Jitae stared at her for a bit. Bom talked about him taking her in as a disciple, but the red race had tremendous pride in fighting, and she had not been seeking his teaching.

    But that pride of hers was crushed by a bit.

    Yeorum rolled around on the nket before rolling her body in like a sushi. Her gaze was facing the wall, and she was wearing a nk expression.

    Because of the time they spent together, he had a rough idea.

    She was seeking help.

    However, there was a problem.

    First ¨C Yu Jitae had never taught anyone before.

    Second ¨C the process of getting stronger was quite painful, and it did not suit a hatchling who had left for a fun Amusement.

    Andstly.

    Yu Jitae walked up to her head that was peeking out from the nket and crouched down.

    ¡°You are strong.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    She, was 15 years old.

    This was extremely young for a dragon who lived up to 10,000 years and it was like a human child that was 2 months old.

    ¡°You are strong already, and you will be stronger in the future. The blood flowing in your body will make you like that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Right now, there are humans stronger than you in Lair, but there won¡¯t be such a human after 10 years. After a 100 years, it will be hard to find humans stronger than you in this world, and after a 1000 years, it would be difficult to find such a human in all dimensions. There is that limit ced on humans.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Just by living, you gain the authority to reign. That is the future given to you, luckily enough.¡±

    ¡°¡­And?¡±

    She raised her head and looked at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°But if you want to surpass your future by ten, or a hundred years, that would be going against the flow of time. And if you wish to go against thews of nature in any shape or form, you must pay a price that corresponds to it.¡±

    Six regressions.

    The time he spent struggling to be stronger.

    And everything that he had to lose because of that.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There might be things you must sacrifice.¡±

    The Regressor had lost everything.

    ¡°Do you still want to be stronger?¡±

    Perhaps saying this to a young dragon that wished to climb one step further in a staircase was a bit extreme, but he knew exactly what kind of monster one¡¯s ¡®strength¡¯ could be.

    Going against thews of nature wasn¡¯t a one-time decision. It was their attitude facing their life, and that flow followed thews of inertia.

    Power was sweet, and there was no end to it once you got drunk in it. Demons didn¡¯t sign contracts with the existences of abyss because they were retards as humans.

    Are you ready to embrace that attitude?

    That was the Regressor¡¯s question.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    And the response,

    ¡°Un.¡±

    Came rather easily.

    The Regressor gave a nod.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it together when the holidays start soon.¡±

    ¡°Do what.¡±

    ¡°Getting stronger. I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Yeorum suddenly widened her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be teaching me? I wasn¡¯t asking for you to teach me anything though.¡±

    Thinking back, she indeed did not directly ask him for help.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I get it. You wanted to teach me huh? Right?¡±

    It was hard for Yu Jitae to understand whether this was a joke, or whether he waspletely wrong in the first ce.

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not do it if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Huh, uh¡­? Well, I don¡¯t really mind, but like, I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Then, should I teach you.¡±

    ¡°Uh, I wasn¡¯t really asking you to teach me, but if that¡¯s what you want.¡±

    ¡°¡­Should I not?¡±

    Yeorum deeply stared at him, trying to hint him at something. Asking him to teach her damaged her pride, but if she were to say that she didn¡¯t need it, he seemed to be taking it in literally.

    Huu¡­ Heaving out a sigh as if she¡¯s given up on something, she opened her mouth powerlessly.

    ¡°¡­Yes. Please.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please teach me how to fight. Mister Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You happy now? Ehew¡­¡±

    Clicking her tongue, she crawled out from the nket and walked towards the door. In the middle of that process, she opened her mouth casually.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Think of it as an honour.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Which human would dare teach a red dragon?¡±

    After she left, Yu Jitae randomly wrote the record down on a notebook.

    [Yu Yeorum: No manners. Same as always.]

    ***

    His next target was Kaeul.

    ¡°¡­Consultation?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Uh, umm. As for me! Recently, I¡¯m just going to school normally. Hehe.¡±

    He gave a nod.

    Inwardly, he had been slightly worried. Ever since the end of the deration during the entrance ceremony, she had a lot of chances to stand in front of countless people, receiving love and attention.

    When those were blocked, what would happen to the daughter of a gold race that was thirsty for attention? Would it amplify the problem instead as a side effect? That was the worry that had been on his mind.

    But fortunately, she was leading a decent life at the academy city.

    ¡°Umm, I made some friends, and¡­ I¡¯m studying as well. There are many interesting things. Walking around with Bom-unni is fun as well! And Gyeoul likes me reading books as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°And Yeorum-unni is¡­ um¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh, e, energetic¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay I got it. Anything you need?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, not really.¡±

    The baby chicken gave a wide smile.

    ¡°Ah, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°If possible, can I go on a dispatch if there¡¯s a chance?¡±

    ¡°A dispatch?¡±

    ¡°Yes! When I looked into it a bit, I found that the Lair sent cadets on a dispatch to military camps here and there. Can I go as well?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Nothing really. I want to try volunteering. And I also want to meet new people!¡±

    Who knows.

    The location and the people within that ce were important.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it again once there¡¯s a detailed n.¡±

    ¡°Yess!¡±

    When she stood up, her hair braided into pigtails swayed. Her feet carrying her outside the room were light, and the Regressor¡¯s gaze followed the back of the gold head.

    He raised his pen.

    [Yu Kaeul: Doing well, but requires further observation.]

    ***

    Lastly, Bom walked into Yu Jitae¡¯s room.

    Wearing an indifferent expression that hid her thoughts underneath, she approached him and stood in front.

    ¡°Sit down.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    There was only one chair.

    When Yu Jitae was about to point at the bed, Bom abruptly came closer and sat down on his knees.

    ¡°Here?¡±

    ¡°¡­No. There.¡±

    ¡°I like it here as well.¡±

    Even when he gestured, Bom looked into his eyes without moving.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He found this distance to be slightly perplexing.

    ¡°So, why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time for a consultation. How is it these days.¡±

    ¡°Listening to lectures; ying with Yeorum and Kaeul, and I¡¯m looking after Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°Anything you need.¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    He decided to ask her something.

    ¡°What about like, wanting to draw or wanting to write a novel. Anything like that?¡±

    ¡°No, why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re from the green race.¡±

    Bom shook her head.

    ¡°I tried it, but it wasn¡¯t fun. Weird right.¡±

    That was when Bom snatched the notebook off of Yu Jitae¡¯s hand. She then extended her hand out, asking for the pen, which he obediently handed over.

    ¡°What about ahjussi?¡±

    The target of the consultation was switched in an instant.

    ¡°How is it these days for ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Just normal.¡±

    ¡°Any problems?¡±

    ¡°My knees are a bit heavy.¡±

    In response, she raised her leg and turned her body around to face him. They were very close, and he was even more perplexed than before. Seemingly without even caring about that, Bom started moving her pen.

    ¡°Guardian Yu Jitae¡­ knees are heavy¡­ assumed to be due to adhesive capsulitis¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is adhesive capsulitis for knees? Anyways, anything else that you need?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Guardian Yu Jitae¡­ living a satisfactory life¡­¡±

    She then continued writing.

    ¡°Just get off.¡±

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s close and good.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too close.¡±

    ¡°Better than being too far right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°We need to be this close as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°For now, we¡¯re not this close right.¡±

    Bom stared directly at him.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What should I do, to make us a bit closer?¡±

    She then slowly began leaning forward with her upper body. Yu Jitae brought his body back, and seeing that, Bom whispered with a very soft voice.

    ¡°See?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°When I get closer, you distance yourself.¡±

    The delicate distance became shorter yet again.

    ¡°Do you find me burdensome, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Or do you see me as a woman?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°But the outside shell is a female human. So are you embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She then started slowly whispering.

    ¡°Did you know? Ahjussi, you¡¯re¡­¡±

    Soon, the back of the seat touched his back.

    ¡°Unexpectedly¡­¡±

    Even then, Bom¡¯s face continued approaching his face.

    His gaze remained indifferent, and was wearing the same expression which everyone else would find intimidating. However, he was feeling gradually more perplexed inside as time went on.

    Realising that, Bom who had been nk-faced till then let out a ¡°Puhup..!¡± andughed. Once a crack appeared on her expression, she couldn¡¯t hold it back and she struggled to breathe in herughter.

    ¡°Ah¡­ that was fun¡­¡±

    After having Bom leave the room, Yu Jitae moved his pen.

    [Yu Bom: Doing fine. She hasn¡¯t found anything of interest yet, but enjoys making her guardian perplexed¡­]

    In the middle of writing down the record, he erased everything. He then edited it by writing a simple sentence, [Hasn¡¯t found a dream yet].

    However, behind the thin paper, he could see some words which hadn¡¯t been written by himself. He turned a page and read the words.

    [Yu Jitae: Unexpectedly shy.]

    ***

    With that, the cadet consultation was over.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But why was she here.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul nced at where her unnis were at before turning back to Yu Jitae. Her gaze turned into a re.

    ¡°Why, is there something you want to say?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing, just go out. I have things to do.¡±

    After giving a nod, Gyeoul turned and walked out.

    Yu Jitae was about to turn around but soon he felt a gaze. Looking back, he found Gyeoul¡¯s blue pair of eyes staring at him through the gap between the door and the hinge.

    It was unclear why but disappointment was shooting out from her eyes.

    Thus, Yu Jitae suddenly had to carry out an unnecessary consultation with a baby. He lifted the child up and ced her down on the bed, and only then did she break out into a wide smile.

    ¡°How are you these days.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Perhaps it was a difficult question, as Gyeoul remained smiling all the time.

    ¡°Anything you need.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She was still smiling.

    ¡°Anything you want?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Until the very end, she wore a wide smile on her face.

    Since there was no need to write it down, he closed the notebook but realised that the child seemed regretful after seeing that. Yu Jitae therefore wrote something down as the consultation record.

    [Yu Gyeoul: Appears to be in a good mood.]

 Chapter 59: A Melodious Night (1)

    <h4>Chapter 59: A Melodious Night (1)</h4>

    ¨C (Breaking News) Lair¡¯s end of the year event revealed. Gathers the attention of the media worldwide.

    ¨C Deputy Principal, Ma Namjoon says, ¡°S+ Dungeon, Melissia Masquerade will be the target.¡± and further ims, ¡°The raid team will mostly consist of cadets.¡±

    ¨C Governments, top-level guilds, transnational corporations and renowned households contest for positions in the raid team. A heatedpetition is expected, as the likelihood of corruption in the member selection looms.

    ¨C Principal Ha Sukmoo, ¡°I am aware that the member selection of the raid team is gathering many eyes¡­ I will promise a fair selection process.¡±

    Once a year.

    Lair nned for an end-of-the-year event every year. This year was the raid of the S+ Dungeon, Melissia Masquerade, which was the same as what Yu Jitae had discovered around the time the dragons of the Yu household had entered the school.

    The PR team of Lair was busy spreading news rted to that, while regrly hosting press conferences.

    ¨C The head professor of the Azure Dragon study group¡­

    A reporter, who had been writing down a news article, stopped his hand. With a clean appearance and a fine-tuned navy-coloured tuxedo, the head professor ¨C Wei Yan ¨C was in the middle of answering questions from the reporters with a smile.

    ¡°The power level of the Azure Dragon study group this year, is evaluated to be several times higherpared tost year, and the year before. What is the secret?¡±

    ¡°Ascking as I am, I have nothing that could be said about the likes of ¡®secrets¡¯. In order to live up to the expectations of the guardians that believed and assigned their cadets to me, I am merely trying my hardest to deliver a great career to them in response.¡±

    ¡°How many positions in the raid team are you expecting from the Azure Dragon study group? A fiercepetition and an examination for a spot is being expected though?¡±

    ¡°I will refrain from mentioning anything rted to that. Everyone is working hard, and me boasting about my confidence won¡¯t result in any additional positions, after all.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re not very confident?¡±

    ¡°The Azure Dragon study group has tried harder than ever. Through three camp training sessions, we have seeded in taking down three A-rank-plus dungeons with cadets alone, and this is a very rare sight. What do you think, miss reporter? Isn¡¯t everyone trying their hardest?¡±

    When Wei Yan smiled with his eyes, the female reporter that met his eyes flushed her cheeks. In female superhumanmunities and the likes, Wei Yan alwaysnded in the top 3 positions whenever there was a poprity poll of professors.

    Such Wei Yan spoke with a wide smile.

    ¡°I, am confident.¡±

    The reporters quickly moved their pens.

    ¨C Azure Dragon study group¡¯s head professor Wei Yan, shows unyielding confidence towards the raid team memberposition.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, behind the press conference room.

    There was a man looking into his smartwatch with a nervous look. He appeared anxious, and his fingers trembled even when he tried to remain still.

    His shaking fingers were rather strange. Each had different lengths, and a closer inspection would reveal that the man did not have a thumb and an index finger in his left hand.

    He was Wei Yan¡¯s close assistant, Kwok Pan Wei.

    ¡°¡­Are you alright, sir?¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s own assistant, Hashimoto carefully asked him a question.

    She was a Japanese woman in her twenties.

    ¡°Ye, yeah. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine¡­¡±

    He murmured as if he was hypnotising himself, but when the watch remained quiet for a long time, he suddenly erupted in frustration.

    ¡°¡­W, when are they going to give contact?¡±

    He used his middle finger and two other fingers to scratch his hair. His other fingers had been cut off by Wei Yan.

    The organisation undetectables, was in a funeral-like atmosphere.

    38 affiliated demons had disappeared, and among them was one who Wei Yan had followed like a younger sibling.

    There was one survivor, but that middle-aged woman had no idea regarding the identity of the culprit, and even died a few days ago. The biggest damage nheless was the disappearance of Prototype X.

    Ever since the disappearance of the prototype, the undetectablesbelled their hypothetical enemy as ¡®X¡¯.

    X.

    They would love to crush its limbs and swallow it in whole if only it was possible.

    After the recent cases, Wei Yan had been called by the head executives of the organisation and had suffered from insults, and couldn¡¯t hold back his rage aftering back, as he cut Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s fingers.

    The man stared at his empty index and thumb.

    ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fucking hell¡­ Me getting a treatment like this¡­¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei moved his fingers while staring at his handicapped hand. It felt as if the missing fingers were still moving.

    It was a fairly pathetic sight for a demon, but because he was still a human at the basis, there was no way around it.

    ¡°Sir¡­¡±

    His assistant, Hashimoto, murmured with a dejected expression.

    ¡°What would be happening to us now¡­¡±

    ¡°S, shut up! What could possibly happen to us?¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei growled.

    ¡°There is nothing to worry about. As long as this is dealt with, Professor Wei Yan will rise to a Seat, and we will be able to eat some of the falling crumbs at least.¡±

    ¡°But if X appears again this time¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. That¡¯s why this time, there are three elders¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Realising his slip-up, he closed his mouth. Appearing to be curious, Hashimoto took a step closer and asked him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a top secret. Don¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡°¡­Can you just tell me at least? You know I¡¯m good at keeping secrets.¡±

    In response to her words, Kwok Pan Wei slowly turned his head.

    He was anxious, and frightened. He needed somewhere to lean on, even if that happened to be a female demon ten years younger than himself.

    There was the trust that was built after several years of eating off the same pot, as well as the sense of kinship as fellow demons. Plus, because the erosion of the demonic aura on him was shallow, there was still a human-like desire within him that wished to share and lower his mental burden.

    Such elements caused Kwok Pan Wei to open his mouth.

    ¡°¡­Two Disaster-level demons.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Hashimoto let out a gasp.

    There will be two disaster-level demonsing?

    In the entire world, there were only twelve disaster-level demons, and they were powerhouses that could contest against the top rankers of the world.

    But this was far from the end, and the following words caused Hashimoto¡¯s eyes to shoot open.

    ¡°And an esteemed catastrophe-level demon will be making his way to the Melissia Masquerade this time.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    A catastrophe-level demon.

    Someone like that wasing as well?

    ¡°¡­Ah! Finally.¡±

    That was when Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s watch rang, and he quickly walked away to answer the iing call. Soon, after pausing the press conference for a break, Wei Yan walked up to him. From outside the room, their voices could be heard.

    When she was left alone, the look of surprisepletely vanished from Hashimoto¡¯s expression. Slowly, she raised a hand and ced it next to her temple.

    ¡®Not too different from your predictions, my lord.¡¯

    Closing her eyes, she started sending memories to a distant ce.

    ¡®As expected, the scale of the event has increasedpared to the previous iterations. In order to minimise the variables, I will continue gathering more information.¡¯

    It was then. Along with the sound of a p, Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s head was turned to a side. ¡°You only discovered this much with all the time I gave you? Please do a better job, Pan Wei,¡± said Wei Yan with a voice filled with killing intent. After that, Wei Yan headed for the conference again while Kwok Pan Wei returned to the waiting room with a hand on his reddened cheek.

    ¡°Sir¡­¡±

    Hashimoto returned to her look of surprise and walked up to him.

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul had two choices.

    A calm and static fairy tale to Bom-unni, and an exciting, jumpy story to Kaeul-unni.

    That was why she handed over the book to Kaeul today.

    ¡°Should I read you this today?¡±

    Nod nod.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see¡­ My dad is a fairy! Ehh? I read you thisst time didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to read it again?¡±

    Nod nod.

    ¡°A very ve~~ry long time ago, Dolsun lived with her daddy.¡±

    Her bright and clear tone of voice had the power to touch the hearts of the listeners. With that voice which had been used to echo around the entire world in the previous rounds of regressions, Kaeul started reading the fairy tale.

    Gyeoul was slowly absorbed into the story.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was tying a tie over his long-sleeved shirt. When he carelessly hung it on his neck, his skill [Inherent Customisation (S)] re-tied it. Finally, he covered his body with a long trench coat and finished readying himself.

    It waste and it was approaching nighttime, but he was earlier than normal.

    Even then, he had to leave right now.

    When he left the room, Kaeul and Gyeoul¡¯s gaze naturally gathered onto him.

    Kaeul flickered her eyes.

    ¡°Uwah. What is that?¡±

    ¡°What is what.¡±

    ¡°Your clothes of course! That formal kind of clothing suits you a lot ahjussi!¡±

    Gyeoul likewise appeared slightly surprised.

    Gaze: oohh.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happening? What¡¯s the asion? Why are you dressing up so nicely? Is it someone¡¯s wedding ceremony?¡±

    After a slight hesitation, Yu Jitae replied.

    ¡°A funeral.¡±

    ¡°Ahht¡­!¡±

    ¡°See you then.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yes. Goodbye!¡±

    Kaeul waved her hand, and Gyeoul followed suit, half a second after.

    He thought it was over, but there was an ambush.

    The moment he opened the door of the dormitory, he found Bom staring at him.

    ¡°What are you doing there. It¡¯s cold.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She had the indifferent yet pouty look as usual.

    ¡°Go in.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Was she infected by Yu Gyeoul? She was silent.

    Perhaps thinking about something, or looking into something, her gaze was looking at something distant but slowly regained its focus.

    ¡°I will follow ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­If I say that, ahjussi would be like this.¡±

    With a lower tone, Bom imitated Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Don¡¯t follow meh!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°No? You will need me this time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Go bakk! Before I get angry.¡±

    Bom continued acting out the role of two people.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And then, it¡¯d be like, ¡®Yu Bom.¡¯¡­ with a serious look.¡±

    She mimicked Yu Jitae¡¯s expression. Her gaze looked like she could swallow someone alive¡­ or at least that was what she tried to be like, but she wasn¡¯t very threatening.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Then the coward Yu Bom will stay back alone. And will look back on it with regret.¡±

    ¡°What, are you doing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a simtion of the things that will happen from now.¡±

    Bom gave a calm smile.

    ¡°No.¡±

    He replied instinctively.

    She was trying to follow him this time as well, just like how she tried to when he followed Wei Yan during Kaeul¡¯s audition, and when he was going after Prototype X.

    And that was the final borderline past which the Regressor was trying to hide from the dragons.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But this time, she did not whinge.

    ¡°I want to ask.¡±

    ¡°Ask what.¡±

    ¡°The reason I¡¯m not allowed to follow.¡±

    Early in the night, where the darkness was about to settlepletely, the pair of olive-coloured eyes shone gently.

    Perhaps this wouldn¡¯t be the end, and she would continue being this cumbersome if he merely avoided her. Therefore, Yu Jitae decided to be honest for a tiny bit.

    ¡°From now, someone will die in my hands.¡±

    It was a fact, and not an assumption.

    ¡°Do you remember what I said? I¡¯m not that good of a person. I tend to let them suffer when killing those that ought to be killed. The process will be violent, and the result will be disgusting. Because of that, I don¡¯t want you guys to see it.¡±

    If he delved deeper in, it was more so for Yu Jitae himself, than the dragons. They needed to have happy memories only, for the curse of regression binding him to be distanced.

    ¡°If you understand, go in now.¡±

    His words were clearcut, with not a single room for negotiation, but Bom did not avoid him.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    After lowering her head, Bom interlocked her fingers.

    ¡°Do you remember how I asked you if you know how it feels to live as a dragon of the green race?¡±

    The night he set off to deal with Prototype X, he remembered the things that Bom had asked along with a sigh.

    ¨C ¡­Does ahjussi know what it means to live as a dragon of the green race?

    Even now, he had no idea.

    ¡°We live while looking into Providence. We can see traces of the things that had happened, and can also see fragments of the approaching future. If I see happy things ahead of time, I be happy myself, thinking that such things would being now. But you know¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°In the world, there are slightly more sad things than happy things. Every existence lives with faint misfortune, and that¡¯s why I see the deaths of many existences and live while seeing the end of many rtionships. Yesterday, I saw a son with a disability, killing his mother who had cared for him for twenty years. It was really tragic, but that¡¯s the way of the world. That¡¯s why I was depressed all day.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I never wanted to see it in the first ce, you know¡­¡±

    Her soft whisper contained a certain resonating power and echoed in his ears for a long time.

    Bom slowly raised her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s what it feels like to live as a green dragon. A tiring race, right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So even the things that ahjussi doesn¡¯t want to show, I have already seen faint bits of it.¡±

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes, and reflected on something.

    ¡°You, how many things do you know of.¡±

    ¡°You will be going to a social meeting.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°With a fake identity.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be looking for a man.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°A very bad guy.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    After a slight hesitation, Bom carefully opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­You will need me.¡±

    He heaved out a sigh.

    Thinking back, she had said the same thing during the case of Prototype X as well. If he had taken Bom along, would it have been possible for him to deal with it in a more convenient manner?

    Should I take her along.

    For the first time after starting this iteration, the Regressor found his own judgment to be unreliable.

    ¡°You, if you be a nuisance even slightly, I¡¯ll send you home straight away.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It was a permission and despite it not being a full permission, Bom¡¯s expression brightened up by a bit.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    ¡°Ah, one second¡­!¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I need to match the dress code.¡±

    Bom turned her body.

    She walked into [Laws of Nature (S)], the alternate dimension of dragons. After a few minutes, she poked only her head out from the dimension.

    ¡°¡­Can Ie out?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°¡­A mental preparation. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ if it doesn¡¯t suit me, pretend like you didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    He gave a nod.

    Soon, Bom walked out from the alternate dimension, while wearing a red off-the-shoulder evening dress.

    The moment she walked out, the corridor¡¯s sensor sensed a person as themp lightened up the surroundings. Her white arms and white shoulders that had been covered by the veil of night were revealed in full. Perhaps Bom had deliberately set that ce for the illumination.

    She carefully asked him.

    ¡°Does it suit me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Huhuh. I actually wanted to receive some lights because I wasn¡¯t confident¡­¡±

    In fact, the Regressor didn¡¯t know the standards for ¡®suiting¡¯. Wouldn¡¯t the Green Dragon suit any clothes she wore?

    However, there was one thing which he had learned while dealing with Kaeul, and there was one magic word which the baby chicken had loved.

    ¡°Looks pretty.¡±

    Bom appeared slightly surprised.

    And soon, she covered her face with her two hands.

    ¡°Whatever¡­¡±

 Chapter 60: A Melodious Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 60: A Melodious Night (2)</h4>

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll turn after counting down from three. Three.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Two.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°One.¡±

    Bom turned around. She then saw Yu Jitae¡¯s face, before bursting out inughter. Letting out a groan, ¡°Uuh¡­!¡± she blocked her mouth and twisted her body in an attempt to hold herughter back.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s face was slightly different due to the effect of [Temporary Body Modification (A)]. It was something which he habitually did before having his face be seen by someone else.

    It was a randomly oriented face, so what was with that intense reaction?

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°No no, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Then, how do I look?¡±

    After barely escaping from the loop ofughter, Bom supported her own face with her two hands.

    The Regressor gazed deeply at the Green Dragon¡¯s face. She too had changed her appearance with [Polymorph (S)]. She had ck hair and ck iris, even changing her facial characteristics which had shifted slightly. Her nk gaze was still the same, but she appeared more strong-willed perhaps due to the hair colour.

    ¡°Not that good.¡±

    Green hair was better.

    More importantly, he had a doubt in mind.

    ¡°I thought changing the appearance with polymorph didn¡¯t feel nice.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡¯

    ¡°Is it true?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not familiar, and it¡¯s mentally ufortable. Hmm¡­ it¡¯s like wearing high heels that are a size bigger than your feet while climbing up a mountain.¡±

    I see. After casually returning a nod, Yu Jitae passed his coat over to her.

    ¡°Put this on.¡±

    Her clothes were too eye-catching.

    8:20 PM.

    Kyoto, Japan.

    Following the Kamogawa River which divided the town in two, there were tall skyscrapers reaching the sky.

    ¡°¡­Is it there?¡±

    [Laws of Nature (S)]

    From within the alternate dimension of dragons that was formed in midair, Bom gazed off into a distance. The two of them were staring at the top level of arge hotel that was roughly 2 kilometres away.

    Hario Carlton Kyoto.

    It was the first 5-star hotel that had been built in Kyoto, ever since its partial destruction during the Great War.

    ¡°It would be difficult to enter without proving our identity. Their security system looks rather strict.¡±

    She, who had been excited before, became serious the moment they arrived, and not a sliver of her yfulness remained.

    ¡°Quite normal.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s the person we¡¯re going to be seeing?¡±

    There were 3 demons that had been selected to fight against ¡®X¡¯ ¨C two disaster-level demons and one catastrophe.

    If there was one that had to be gotten rid of before others, it was the one that was staying inside that hotel.

    He was a Disaster-level demon, and at the same time;

    ¡°There¡¯s one that ys a piano.¡±

    It was an elegantly crazy bastard, which was quite rare for a high-ranked demon.

    ¡°A piano? That¡¯s weird. He wouldn¡¯t be a hireable performer or something.¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°A person ying the piano at a social meeting is the demon¡­ Ah, what about our identities? We won¡¯t be allowed in without right?¡±

    She was right.

    After the New Era, they reached a time period where monsters appeared from time to time, and 5-star hotels had surprisingly advanced facilities for protection. It was a system that allowed its customers to warp for a temporary refuge, if the hotel was targeted by a considerable impact.

    Of course, he could delete Kyoto from the map if he desired, but the world¡¯s flow of events would go out of hand if he did that.

    Therefore, he had to go in stealthily, and deal with him quietly.

    ¡°No problems there.¡±

    ¡°Have you prepared for something already?¡±

    ¡°There is. Although it wasn¡¯t me that prepared them.¡±

    A certain veteran police officer of Kyoto¡¯s Superhuman Local Bureau had decent abilities, but he wasn¡¯t that good at reading the situation. He had been gathering information about one demon for the past 2 years, and had even seeded in creating an identity that could allow him to enter the ¡®social meeting¡¯.

    All that was done, without even really knowing the kind of monster he was trying to catch.

    ¡°There he is.¡±

    Bom followed Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze and turned her head.

    In a back alleyway, there was a small, white car with its internal lights on. Inside, there was a Japanese man staring at the hotel with nervousness, but he appeared resolved, as if he had made a resolution.

    ¡°If we leave him alone, he would enter the hotel¡­¡±

    ¡°And would probably die.¡±

    ¡°¡­probably yes. It¡¯s too dangerous. But how do we borrow the identity from him?¡±

    Like this.

    [Knifehand Strike (D)]

    ¡°Ukh.¡±

    The moment the man was about to leave the car, Yu Jitae walked up and struck him on the back of his neck, before pushing him back into the car. Then, he went through the man¡¯s pockets and took out an invitation card.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Wearing a look of surprise and interest, Bom looked back and forth between the fainted man and Yu Jitae.

    After that, the two of them went into the 5-star hotel. The reception area was extremely wide and tall, with lots of people here and there. Despite it costing a hundred thousand yen a night, there were still a considerable number of people.

    He revealed his purpose at the reception desk and took out the invitation card.

    ¡°May I ask who the one behind you is?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my secretary.¡±

    The staff member made a call with someone, before soon giving the OK sign. That was when a young Japanese woman approached the two.

    ¡°Hello!¡±

    She was the hotelier.

    After giving a bow to Yu Jitae, she turned to Bom and widened her eyes in shock. The hotelier assisted and talked to countless customers a day, and several of them had outstanding identities, but none of them had given her the noble feeling thisdy was emanating.

    ¡®Woah¡­¡¯

    However, she was still a professional. She bit on her tongue and came to herself, before leading the two of them to the top floor of the hotel.

    There was a social meeting of a VVIP customer, and naturally the hotelier assumed that the pair of male and female following from behind were top-ss nobles.

    The male was most definitely a soldier¡­ maybe love and affection bloomed between a royaldy and a hunting dog? How romantic¡­!

    ¡­While having such thoughts at the back of her head, she opened the door of the auditorium.

    In contrast with the dark corridor, the room was exceptionally bright and ornamented. There were sculptures and famous paintings being presented all around, as the light travelled down the chandelier and brightened up the room. A smell of an unknown flower gently touched their noses.

    Tables were lined up in rows, with dozens of VIPs worldwide sharing a meal or a conversation, or dancing in line with the music.

    This was the social meeting, hosted by the disaster-level demon, Hasegawa.

    ¡°Please enjoy your time.¡±

    The door closed behind them.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seemingly overwhelmed by the foreign scenery, Bom hesitated her steps for a second, while he naturally walked up and sat down on an empty table.

    The people turned their gazes at him, probably because it was their first time seeing him.

    Their gazes spread to every corner like an infection, and before long, the middle-aged man sitting on the seat of the host also turned towards them.

    The middle-aged man, who was also the host of the meeting, came up and greeted them.

    ¡°Thank you foring here.¡±

    Wearing a clean costume, and a gentle expression, he gave off a sweet scent with his entire body. He resembled a gentle old man living in the neighbourhood that tried his hardest to look good for once.

    Anyone seeing him for the first time would feel at ease.

    But this guy was the disaster-level demon himself.

    ¡°My name is Hasegawa.¡±

    And was the Regressor¡¯s target.

    The middle-aged man extended his hand. Yu Jitae grabbed it in response, and felt the stiff and rigid hand.

    ¡°You¡¯re the second son of the Konnosuke Household, right?¡±

    It was the fake identity that had been earned by the police officer.

    The Konnosuke Household was a modern-day ninja household, and their faces weren¡¯t known to others externally. ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± said Yu Jitae as he gave a slight bow.

    ¡°And the beautifuldy next to you is¡­¡±

    ¡°I apologise for thete greeting.¡±

    Bom replied instead.

    ¡°I am the secretary, Haru.¡±

    While cing a hand on her chest, she gave a bow. She appeared extremely natural and elegant. Haru (´º), was the Japanese word for ¡®Bom¡¯, which she had discovered with the help of a tranting application before they entered.

    ¡°I have heard many good things about you, sir. I heard that you stole the hearts of everyone listening with your beautiful performances.¡±

    Despite being clueless about the situation, Bom smoothly opened her mouth.

    ¡°I am grateful that there are people listening to this humble one¡¯s music.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the scent be the initial catalyst of an attraction? We also wish to be a pair of butterflies following the scent tonight.¡±

    Hasegawa¡¯s eyes became thinner.

    He appeared greatly satisfied by Bom¡¯s naturalpliments. But simultaneously, his deep gaze infiltrated through Yu Jitae and Bom¡¯s eyes, at a vigor which would startle normal people.

    However, the auras which had been carefully hidden by a regressor and a dragon, weren¡¯t things that could be easily seen through, even by a disaster-level demon.

    ¡°May thecking melody leave a mark on your esteemed souls.¡±

    Like a pianist that wrote the most-renowned song of the century, Hasegawa shed a noble smile whileying a hand on his chest.

    After Hasegawa walked away,

    ¡°What will you do now¡­?¡±

    Bom whispered with her usual voice.

    What do you mean, what.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be killing him¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°I wish I could.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­?¡±

    ¡°That guy doesn¡¯t die easily.¡±

    Hasegawa was an immortal.

    There actually were a decent number of them among high-ranked demons.

    In three previous iterations, the Regressor had killed Hasegawa by pure strength. He had decapitated him twice, and had made him explode once. When he died by explosion, Hasegawa did not leave a single trace of his body behind.

    Despite that, he showed himself at a different ce in a normal form ¨C that happened in all three iterations.

    There definitely was a defence mechanism that stopped him from death.

    ¡°But he takes some time before he cane back to life.¡±

    ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°10 years.¡±

    In fact, being an [immortal] was just an expression, and there was no way that he was truly an immortal. There were no true immortals in this world, and there would definitely be a way to kill him if he looked into it in detail.

    However, he did not allocate much time to dealing with small fries in the previous iterations and even today, if Bom hadn¡¯te with him, he would¡¯ve blown the entire hotel floor away while blowing Hasegawa¡¯s head in the process.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You said I would need you, right.¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°How is it. Do you think there will be a method?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom nced around the surroundings. Letting out a mutter, she whispered to herself.

    ¡°¡­I think I might understand but¡­¡±

    She then asked a question.

    ¡°How long is the social meeting for?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Is it for two full days?¡±

    ¡°No. Only the nights.¡±

    Two days ¨C that was the time given to Bom. If she couldn¡¯te up with a different method within that time period, Yu Jitae would use the same method he had used in the previous rounds to kill Hasegawa.

    ¡°In that case, can I roam around a bit?¡±

    If you want to.

    Bom chimed into unfamiliar groups of people and naturally shared conversations. He perked up his ears and realised that they were all meaningless conversations ¨C she talked about things like weather, and how pretty their clothes were. However, the people started speaking back to her, as if they had been possessed.

    ¡°Should I show you a magic trick?¡±

    ¡°Ooh, you can do magic,dy?¡±

    ¡°Hohoho. That would be interesting. You¡¯re wearing a dress so there won¡¯t be any pockets right.¡±

    She opened her hands up and showed them the palms, before showing them the back of her hands.

    Then, she slowly turned her wrist. With her left hand, she clicked with her fingers while the right hand formed a fist. It appeared as if there was something hiding in her right hand, and the people stared at it in curiosity.

    Her hand was slowly opened up. Revealed inside was a speck of dirt, on which there was a small yet beautiful flower in full bloom.

    ¡°Oohh! A flower!¡±

    ¡°Iya. That got me. Is it a real flower?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t much, but the people enjoyed it.

    ¡°Haru. That was really beautiful¡­! It was like magic.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    After dusting off the dirt, Bom plucked the flower off and brought it to thedy¡¯s ear. She then ced the beautiful flower behind her ear.

    ¡°What should I do? You are more beautiful than the flower now, unni.¡±

    ¡°Ara ara¡­! Really?¡±

    Thedy gave a wide smile as she looked back at her partner. Then, she took Bom over to a different table with a smile, as Bom instantly caught the attention of the people and led the conversation forward.

    She was quiet all the time so he didn¡¯t think she was this good at socialising.

    There were some people who had chatted with Bom, who then approached Yu Jitae with curiosity.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Konnosuke-san. If it pleases you, would you like a dance with me tonight?¡±

    Ady with an ornamented dress reached forth with her hands. However, Yu Jitae remained still with his hands in his pockets and did not respond.

    ¡°Ah¡­ it seems that you¡¯re not in a good mood. I apologise for my intrusion.¡±

    There were some who were displeased due to him being silent, but Yu Jitae continued ignoring them.

    ¡°How could there possibly be such a rude person¡­¡±

    ¡°Aye, let¡¯s just ignore him ourselves.¡±

    Left alone, the Regressor leaned on the back of the chair.

    He slowly raised the wine ss up. The performance of the musicians was unpleasant to his ears so he closed them, and the bright light was annoying so he shut his eyes. But after all that the scent of the magnolia reached his nose.

    There were countless things affecting his mood. As he did not know how to enjoy romanticism like this, the room wasn¡¯t really to his liking.

    Why is that guy carrying out this kind of joke in the first ce?

    For the first time, the Regressor had such a doubt.

    He thought back on the final moments of his first iteration. While the Gold Dragon was dying in loneliness, Yu Jitae was missing an ear.

    Back then, the Second Great War was wreaking havoc, and his ear had been cut off by a certain disaster-level demon.

    The fact that he made it out alive was purely based on luck.

    The demon that had cut his ear back then, was none other than that old bastard Hasegawa.

    Thinking back, it wasughable. Even during the first Great War, Hasegawa had killed thousands of humans, and had disyed their ears in his own house ¨C he was the devil amongst demons. A bastard like that was imitating a normal lifestyle and was gathering, and making people listen to his piano performance¡­

    ¨C May thecking melody leave a mark on your esteemed souls.

    It was truly a demotivatingment. He was definitely misunderstanding something ¨C he was thinking of himself as an artist.

    While the Regressor was in the middle of his own thoughts, the musicians stopped their performance. At the same time, the MC of the event opened his mouth at the podium.

    ¡°Now will be the start of Mister Hasegawa¡¯s performance.¡±

    Meanwhile, Bom came back to Yu Jitae after sensing the change in the atmosphere. She was quiet, and the joy she showed while being in the centre of attention was long gone. As if she was pondering on something, her white teeth were clenching on her red lips.

    ¡°The first song, will be Liszt¡¯s La campane.¡±

    After a deep bow, the clean middle-aged man ced his hands on top of the piano.

    Following the quiet, yet rushed fingers, a melody started painting the night.

 Chapter 61: A Melodious Night (3)

    <h4>Chapter 61: A Melodious Night (3)</h4>

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t in a particrly good mood. The light shing in front of his eyes; the piano¡¯s melody striking his ears; the smell of a flower touching his nose; the stupid sculpture; the paintings that ought to be burned; the floor; the ceiling ¨C everything in this ce was touching his nerves.

    In contrast to his feelings, Hasegawa¡¯s piano skills weren¡¯t bad. Even from Yu Jitae¡¯s perspective as someone unknowledgeable in performing arts, the song was a difficult song and Hasegawa was urately sounding out the notes. It was a marvelous skill in terms of humans, and his skills weren¡¯t bad for a superhuman either.

    But even then, the performance was the worst. As someone without much knowledge in music, Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t describe what he was feeling in words. It just felt shit.

    However, unlike his own perception of the performance, the members of the social meeting were absorbed into the performance while staring at Hasegawa.

    Yu Jitae nced past them, and thought to himself, that it was understandable for them to be like that.

    When the first song, La campane came to an end, a roaring thunder of apuse erupted out. The people stood up from their seats and pped as if they were wholeheartedly touched by the song.

    It was followed by several other songs. Those were all personalpositions of Hasegawa.

    The music contained his disgusting desire and greed beneath, that couldn¡¯t be portrayed by existingpositions. Hidden under the shell were dirty emotions that were vividly conveyed by the song.

    After every song came to an end, the ps came erupting forth yet again.

    Until then, Yu Jitae remained quiet.

    It was a horrendous melody; a disgusting music. The performance made even the Regressor feel an unpleasant degree of dirty emotions.

    However, Bom appeared to be in an even worse state. Her eyes had lost focus, and her arms could be seen quivering faintly.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s finished.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    Bom held onto Yu Jitae¡¯s sleeves, and heaved out a deep sigh.

    When the performance as well as the social meeting came to an end, Bom was muddled deeply in her thoughts.

    ¡°It truly felt like my heart was going to melt down.¡±

    ¡°That was so moving. As expected of sir¡­¡±

    The people surrounded Hasegawa and wereplimenting him for his performance. Hasegawa gave them words of gratitude and returned a small bow towards them. However, unlike when Bomplimented him, he appeared calm and did not show a single sign of happiness.

    ¡°So, was mycking performance to your liking?¡±

    After approaching them, Hasegawa asked. Because Bom was still in her own world, Yu Jitae heaved out a sigh inwardly before giving a nod.

    ¡°Thank you for the performance.¡±

    Only then did Hasegawa give a wide smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ will youe and listen tomorrow as well?¡±

    Of course.

    Because that would be your final performance.

    Yu Jitae nodded.

    ***

    Inside a hotel room prepared for VIP customers there were elegant nkets ced above the two king-size beds.

    ¡°Ahjussi. There are several strange points.¡±

    Late at night, at a room that allowed a full view of the river and a night view of the city, Bom started her sentence with an ufortable voice under the ambient light.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The performance was bad, and it seemed like Hasegawa himself was aware of how his performance sounded to others¡¯ ears.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t seem happy even when others congratted him, and it waspletely different from when I cheered him up. That wasn¡¯t modesty, and his attitude was as if theplimentsing from them were obviously natural.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But the people heree and listen to Hasegawa¡¯s performance right? I asked several people and there were those that had beening here for a few years. If they listen to it once, apparently they are so touched that they alwayse the following times as well¡­¡±

    It was then that Yu Jitae stopped her words.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    His voice was quiet as always, but his gaze wasn¡¯t hazy like before.

    ¡°Go back.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°I thought about it again, but I don¡¯t think this is the ce for you.¡±

    Bom met his eyes with a calm gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine though¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. It¡¯s just that, I was slightly surprised because it was my first time listening to a strange piece of music like that.¡±

    She had asked before, ¡®why can¡¯t I follow ahjussi¡¯.

    It was now time for Yu Jitae to ask her.

    ¡°Why do you try to follow me.¡±

    ¡°I¨C¡±

    ¡°You should know if you¡¯ve read Providence.¡±

    He stopped Bom from continuing.

    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve faced it, you would know even better. Here, it¡¯s dirty and evil and it doesn¡¯t suit young people like you. Why are you bothering toe to a disgusting ce like this and trying to face these dirty things, when you tremble from fear.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    If she was scared, and was frightened, that could be an element that hastened the approach of the Apocalypse.

    That wasn¡¯t very weed.

    With a gaze like always, that didn¡¯t reveal her inner thoughts, Bom stared deeply at him. Her two feet that were under the bed wriggled, as she bit on her red lips.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯te¡­¡±

    Ending her hesitation, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi would be alone forever.¡±

    The Regressor couldn¡¯t understand Bom¡¯s words.

    ¡°What about being alone.¡±

    ¡°Un¡­¡±

    ¡°¡®Un¡¯?¡±

    ¡°The rest, will be forter.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°You can scold meter.¡±

    As always, she was stubborn.

    Yu Jitae contemted around twice on whether he should bind this young dragon and throw her into the abyss. However, he decided to y along for thest time.

    ¡°¡­For now, okay.¡±

    ¡°Can I continue what i was saying then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Continuing from where I stopped, this is the part which I found weird. Everyone apart from us were all rxed when they listened to Hasegawa¡¯s performance. They were wholeheartedly moved, while we weren¡¯t able to¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe there was something there that didn¡¯t work on us? Because ahjussi is ahjussi, and I¡¯m a dragon?¡±

    After a few seconds of silence, Yu Jitae asked back.

    ¡°What if you know what that is?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What would change then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hasegawa is a demon right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Based on what I learned at Lair, I heard that demons had a ¡®Catalyst for the Contract¡¯ unlike superhumans. For example, if I sold my soul to a devil, there would be a cause that led to it as well as a result.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°And if that objective can¡¯t be fulfilled even after bing a demon, they [extricate] right?¡±

    ¡°So you mean the hidden things will be revealed?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And that, that is the element linked to Hasegawa¡¯s ¡®immortality¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Almost certainly.¡±

    Bom nodded with an expression filled with assuredness.

    In other words:

    1. There was something Hasegawa was hiding.

    2. It was rted to his ¡®immortality¡¯;

    3. So make him angry;

    4. And have him reveal what¡¯s been hidden beneath.

    ¡°What made you think that way.¡±

    As always, it was the reason that was the most important.

    ¡°That¡¯s because¡­¡±

    ¡­

    And the following im from Bom seeded in persuading Yu Jitae.

    ¡°But the biggest problem obviously is that we don¡¯t know what the thing hidden by Hasegawa is. This can¡¯t be seen through Providence either.¡±

    The biggest question was this ¨C what in the world was different between the ones that were moved by Hasegawa¡¯s performance and they who weren¡¯t?

    ¡°I know why.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words caused Bom¡¯s eyes to shoot open.

    ***

    The day after, on thest night of the social meeting, Yu Jitae took Bom to the venue. Same as the day before, the ambient light; the warm atmosphere; and the faint scent tickled his nose.

    As Bom walked in, the people weed her with a smile, and although reluctant, there were also some who gave little bows to Yu Jitae. He replied back with a short nce. It was but an insubstantial gesture.

    Time flew by, as it reached the time for Hasegawa¡¯s performance. With the same posture as yesterday, the middle-aged demon gave a bow towards everyone, before sitting on the piano seat with a serious atmosphere.

    ¡°The first song, will be Mister Hasegawa¡¯sposition, ¡®Before the Night¡¯, 3rd movement. Please wee him.¡±

    He started ying the piano. A heavy melody brought with it an unidentifiable tension, which at the same time was followed by an unpleasantness unrted to the music itself.

    The Regressor thought of his performance to be dirty. His heart urged him to run up and pull on the performer¡¯s hair while smacking his head down on the keyboard and breaking it in half, but it was merely an impulse.

    As his thoughts continued onward, a memory from a certain iteration in the past shed in his head.

    ¨C How is my performance.

    They were at arge cathedral which had been half-ruined. While someone was suffering from the pain of that horrendous performance which threatened to tear the eardrums, Hasegawa opened his mouth with his hands on the piano.

    ¨C Your ears have no sense for music.

    With that sentence as the sign, he stabbed the audience¡¯s ear with his dagger.

    Truly, it wasughable, and the Regressor gave a faint smile.

    It was then.

    Bom, who had been feeling repulsive feelings from the detestable performance held onto the sleeves of his shirt.

    Right, there was no reason for them to listen any longer, to this garbage of a music piece.

    ¡°Bom. We are going to start now.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me ask you onest time. Will you be okay?¡±

    She gave a nod with a rigid expression. Then, Yu Jitae raised his body straight from the chair he had been leaning on.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom prepared her heart.

    While everyone was absorbed into the melody of the piano,

    Yu Jitae lifted up a wine ss and threw it on the floor.

    nk¨C!

    As the ss shattered into pieces, the ss fragments sttered across. It bypassed the noisy 3rd movement of ¡®Before the Night¡¯, and the shattering sound of the wine ss struck the ears of everyone present.

    The performer¡¯s hands came to a stop.

    As the ce had solely been for his own melody and his melody alone, when the music filling the area disappeared, the room became frighteningly quiet.

    At the same time, the atmosphere changed. An unimaginable change urred.

    The heads of the audience all turned at the same time, with not a single misalignment, and faced Yu Jitae.

    ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯

    Bom formed tight fists with her hands.

    Last night, the two of them had gone through a strategy meeting. The biggest problem which Bom had thought of, was about why there were people that could be moved by Hasegawa¡¯s performance.

    In response, Yu Jitae gave a reply.

    ¨C There were no humans there.

    It was unbelievable, and was hard to believe, but that was what he had said. And now, his words were being proven.

    The faces of the ones looking back were strange.

    Some of them had ignored the restraints of a human body, with their heads turned behind their backs. There were even those whose skin had been ripped.

    Their widened eyes had the white areas of the eye fully surrounding their pupils. Regardless of gender and age, they all wore the same expression, and their strange gazes were slightly off-centred from Bom.

    She soon realised, that they were ring only at Yu Jitae.

    It was a tremendously detestable sight, and her hand clenching on Yu Jitae¡¯s sleeves exerted more force.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lastly,

    Hasegawa turned his head while wearing the same expression as the members of the social meeting and stared at Yu Jitae. The force behind his gaze was immense, and the baby dragon that jumped out of her seat in surprise, had to feel her two legs trembling.

    However,

    While being in the centre of that scenery which stimted the very fear of any living being, the Regressor was giving a hazy smile, as if he was used to it.

    It appeared as if that situation itself waspletely normal for him.

    ¡°Yu Bom. If you can¡¯t handle it, step outside.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a ¡®coward¡¯ right.¡±

    He shared a joke, but Bom did not loosen her expression. While staring at the people standing still with strange expressions, and while feeling the atmosphere which was a level weirder than that, Bom reflected on the past.

    ¨C Yu Bom. Go back.

    His straight face and low voice during Kaeul¡¯s audition.

    ¨C There is no need for you to know of these things, and nothing goodes from knowing them either. So move aside. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll tie you onto a chair.

    Those gestures that had pushed away her pleading self during a freezing dawnbreak.

    Back then, she had no idea.

    Or rather, she thought she had understood.

    He was the guardian of the dragons, and was the breadwinner of the family, but kept his distance and seemed out of ce.

    Because she had seen several clues via Providence, Bom knew of the things he had been doing behind their backs. However, she had not a single idea, that it could have been a horrendous ce like this.

    ¡°¡­Is this, the world, that ahjussi is living in?¡±

    The Regressor slowly gave a reply.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you now understand that you were being a bit childish?¡±

    Meanwhile, Hasegawa slowly stood up from his seat. At the same time, everyone within the venue stood up in conjunction.

    ¡°If so, then go out.¡±

    As long as she used teleportation once, Bom would be able to go to a ce located miles away from here. It was as simple as pressing a button.

    Yet Bom did not leave.

    She had gone against Yu Jitae¡¯s words that told her to stay, and pestered him to take her along.

    ¨C I want to know more about ahjussi.

    Bom wanted to know him better. She wanted to understand the world he was living in, even by a little.

    Even now, her thoughts hadn¡¯t changed. She wanted to dash off immediately. She was now aware that the people that had turned strange were mere shells, as well as the fact that there were more dirty things inside them. Bom was not able to find enough courage to face that truth head on with ease.

    However, Bom did not want to turn away from the ¡®real¡¯ world on the other side of things, which Yu Jitae was living in. With a trembling hand, she held onto Yu Jitae¡¯s hand.

    Dragons received the emotions and memories of living beings close to them.

    Following their physical contact, Yu Jitae¡¯s memories and feelings started flowing into Bom¡¯s head. The scenery of the room started changing like water that had a drop of murky paint mixed within.

    Getting rid of her hesitation, Bom once again opened her eyes.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    Meanwhile Yu Jitae identified the authenticity of the ce.

    Disgusting outer shells, and rotting clothes.

    Their desated heads contained not a single fat or muscle, with only unknown leather covering them ording to their skeletal structure. The only human-like feature they contained were the ears, which were pitifully hanging on the leather.

    This was the scenery which the demon Hasegawa was desperately trying to hide, and at the same time, was the image which the Regressor had been seeing from the very beginning.

    From the start, there was not a single human that listened to Hasegawa¡¯s horrendous melody. There were nothing but puppets under his control.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Bom bit on her crimson lips.

    This was a world which had been made by Hasegawa, but was nevertheless the world which Yu Jitae was living in.

    In order to give happiness to the dragons, while attempting to create a normal daily life, the Regressor had to walk down a particrly darker night all alone.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    That world of his, was currentlyid out in front of Bom.

 Chapter 62: A Melodious Night (4)

    <h4>Chapter 62: A Melodious Night (4)</h4>

    ¡°I thought I was lucky enough to find someone with opened ears, but that must have been a mistake.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°This is a ce where people with their hearts aligned, gather and listen to music. I don¡¯t know who you are, but it¡¯s hard to wee uninvited guests.¡±

    Hasegawa¡¯s aura changed. The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes became tainted in red.

    ¡°Here to kill me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then you should¡¯ve said that from the get go.¡±

    A crack appeared in his indifferent expression.

    ¡°Why meaninglessly interfere in someone else¡¯s performance?¡±

    Yu Jitae frowned, as Hasegawa raised his voice, seemingly frustrated from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°A performance is sacred. If you had a business with me, it could have been any other time ¨C I had time in the morning as well. And yet; out of all the times it could have been; in the middle of a time that I value more than anything; in this ce where I¡¯m sharing music with my precious ones; you dare, interfere with my performance! That, is an insult against me!¡±

    The Regressor did not respond, but Hasegawa bellowed by himself.

    ¡°In Ancient Egypt, they cut off a noble¡¯s ears for interfering with the pce musician¡¯s performance, because ears that can¡¯t hear, are worthless.¡±

    ¡°Must have been inspired by that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You wandered around, and cut lots of ears, didn¡¯t you. Saying that them having ears were pointless.¡±

    His voice came to a stop. Hasegawa¡¯s gaze looking down at Yu Jitae was that of a cat gazing down at a mouse. However, with that one sentence from Yu Jitae, Hasegawa realised that there was a tall wall standing before him.

    His enemy was aware of his actions, despite him having the least number of actions as a disaster-level demon.

    ¡°This is going to be rough.¡±

    As soon as his words came to a stop, the demonic aura of the abyss came soaring up from the surroundings.

    ¡°Haha¡­ Lim Chul-o, Wei Yan were creating so much fuss about the whole thing¡­¡±

    Suddenly, the puppets started running into Yu Jitae.

    In an instant, one of the puppets lost a head. Hasegawa realised that the man¡¯s arm had moved, a second after it happened.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Killing intent gathered and formed a shape. With his hand holding onto an invisible handle, the killing intent extending from it lengthened itself like a stick, while sharpening itself into a de.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    ¡°Bastard! So you were the enemy of the ¡®undetectables¡¯ huh!¡±

    There was no need for a long conversation.

    Immediately after, his body disappeared. The sword shed sideways as he closed the distance and passed by Hasegawa¡¯s neck.

    Drop¡­

    The head rolled on the ground, and his body fell behind after a split second onto the carpet.

    Silence befell the room in an instant, but this was still the beginning.

    Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    In response to his words, Bom closed her eyes. Then, she interlocked her fingers and focused. The heart of a green dragon containing the power of mother nature started fluttering. Although a dragon, she was still a hatchling and it thus took some time until she sessfully pulled up all the necessary mana.

    Her body was embraced by nature¡¯s mana and floated in mid-air.

    Meanwhile, tentacles emerged out from Hasegawa¡¯s decapitated neck and carried the head back to its ce.

    ¡°How dare you¨C!¡±

    Hasegawa stood up with a struggle and scattered the demonic aura with his two hands. From his hands, it travelled thinly like a cloud before reaching the puppets.

    ¡°Move!¡±

    They then started moving as if in a seizure.

    After noticing the difference in power level, Hasegawa would be acting in order to prioritise his own survival. Some of the puppets would halt Yu Jitae, while some would escape.

    Like cockroaches.

    Yu Jitae thought back on the strategy meetingst night.

    ¨C If, if the humans there, really weren¡¯t humans¡­

    Bom had spoken while biting on her lips.

    ¨C Hasegawa might¡¯ve been extricated already¡­

    She had clearly seen through the situation.

    A few weeks ago, Ha Saetbyul had gone through [Extrication] and had entered a monster form. It had happened because she had seeked for a strong physical prowess after bing a demon.

    But extrication wasn¡¯t only limited to physical changes to the body. Although rare, there were asions where they would be separated into different individuals.

    Hasegawa had already been revealing his true body as a demon.

    In the form of a ¡®performer¡¯, and the ¡®audience¡¯.

    ¨C They used to have their own providence and fate.

    ¨C Originally, they must have been different people.

    ¨C Most likely, they were made to listen to Hasegawa¡¯s performance, and had suffered from it.

    Even during several regressions, he hadn¡¯t checked up to that point.

    ¨C That¡¯s why Hasegawa made those people, who couldn¡¯t understand the value of his music, into puppets.

    Now, was the time to confirm Bom¡¯s deduction.

    Pat¨C!

    Like an exquisitely formed sh mob, the audience scattered to all directions in an instant. They were trying to break the walls, windows and ceiling for their escape.

    In that instant, Bom, who was halfway up in the air, opened her eyes. Her heart with an umtion of mana, started resonating itself with the surrounding area and thumped.

    That was an authority which could only be used by a dragon. As the ruler, it was their right to force all creations with words alone.

    [Dragon¡¯s Voice (S+)]

    Everything halted in an instant, including the puppets.

    Within that world of stillness, Bom opened her mouth.

    [Rotten existences with destined dooms, remain here and obey your providence]

    The words of a green dragon contained a mighty power. Those living had no choice but to obey, and the dead could not dare disobey its words.

    All the puppets in the area, that had been encroached by the dirty mana of the abyss, stopped their feet. Them, including Hasegawa, had been dropped to the [providence as a mortal]. They could no longer regenerate, nor live forever.

    ¡°¡­This¡­¡±

    Even the disaster-level demon was unfamiliar with something like this. Hasegawa¡¯s eyes shot wide open.

    And meanwhile, Yu Jitae moved his body.

    sh¨C

    There was a puppet that had raised its arm up in order to break the ceiling. Its arm was shed along with its head and dropped on the floor.

    Swoosh.

    Near the window, there was one that had thrown its body to break through the ss. Soon, its body was divided into two from the head down, and dropped on both sides.

    Stab¨C

    There was one that was about to raise its weapon from the waist in order to buy time for other puppets to escape. But, it¡¯s upper body soon dropped on the floor.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Dragon¡¯s Voice had gone through, but Bom¡¯s mana wasn¡¯t infinite. When the power suppressing their movement disappeared, the puppets slowly started to move again.

    However, they still were not allowed to run away.

    Changing their objective, they crouched down and stood with their four legs on either the floor, or on the tabletop. From their bodies, tentacles covered in des reached froth.

    Those weren¡¯t normal des ¨C they werepressed forms of demonic auras, and could destroy the skins of world rankers with a scratch.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The puppets simultaneously dashed in towards Yu Jitae.

    It all happened in an instant, as if they had nned it from the start. Their attacks were sharp and on point, with not a single gap between their movements. They attacked while surrounding Yu Jitae, and their pin-point movements were the best form of a joint attack.

    He could dodge it if he wanted to, but didn¡¯t bother.

    Instead, he twisted his waist to the side.

    Soon, he twisted his upper body with his waist resembling a wringing towel. The power gathered at his feet travelled up the upper body and the spine before being conveyed to his shoulders. The resulting circr sh contained a clear path.

    It was so fast and fierce, that the dozens of iing attacks from the puppets were all ignored. The puppets were immediately crushed from the strike and bounced off to the sides.

    He had required that much killing intent in order to kill these monsters. The killing intent that shed past a few of its targets continued on through the outer walls and the windows of the building.

    Kakang!

    Kwagwang¨C!

    Along with a thud, everything that supported the building flew off. The walls, windows, the pirs of the hotel that were protected by all sorts of devices, as well as the ceiling were all broken.

    They could hear the crumbling sounding from a different side of the hotel floor. A portion of the top floor had started crumbling down.

    The puppets that were still alive threw their bodies in at Yu Jitae. His body became hazy as the running puppets had their heads explode.

    When he finally revealed himself again, he was right in front of Hasegawa.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)] was shed at his body. A bluish-ck light of demonic aura seeped out from Hasegawa¡¯s body in an attempt to block it, but it was futile.

    Kaaaang¨C!

    In front of a killing intent that was at a different level, his dense demonic aura was crushed, and Hasegawa flew to the side after being shed until he crashed into the wall.

    Only then did a stream of ck blood leave the middle-aged man¡¯s mouth.

    Kugugugung¡­!

    Though the crumbling started from the other side of the hotel floor, distant from the room they were in, it slowly started to reach them. He could sense the ceiling copsing right outside the room.

    An immense flow of mana started approaching them from underneath. It was the [Emergency Warp (A)] trying to evacuate the customers to a safer location.

    Thus, Yu Jitae walked up again and stood in front of Hasegawa. He then watched and waited for his decision.

    ¡°¡­What are you waiting for. Are you going to follow if I leave?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±

    Hasegawa let out a hollowughter.

    Normally, those puppets weren¡¯t easily broken or killed. To be exact, it was close to saying that those could not be killed. They were individually as strong as a local ranker of a country, and they used the mana of the abyss to regenerate even if they were broken.

    But due to the magic of that green-haired bitch, the regeneration had been blocked, and the ¡®monster¡¯ in front of him was crushing them like they were sugar canes.

    ¡°You would need to stab quite deep, if you want to destroy this body of mine!¡±

    Hasegawa shouted after realising his doom.

    ¡°You want to die, it seems.¡±

    ¡°Die? Kuhuh. Me? Kuhuhu¡­¡±

    He, who had been quietlyughing, soon crazily bursted out into a loudughter.

    ¡°¡­Me, dying? Why? I sold my soul to a devil and wrote songs, and performed with my life as mortgage. As long as my song remains in someone¡¯s heart, I will not die even if I die. I will not disappear.¡±

    The Regressor¡¯s lips formed a wide crescent.

    Right, that was the answer.

    ***

    In the previous iterations, Yu Jitae had tried something in order to kill Hasegawa.

    If there was no audience, wouldn¡¯t there be no meaning to the performer? Thus, he had cut off all the ears of the puppets.

    However, that had been in vain. Hasegawa did not die, and although his head had been cut off, he came back to life again.

    Butst night, Bom had said something during the strategy meeting.

    ¨C In order to kill Hasegawa, we can¡¯t kill him.

    ¨C What?

    Bom had not sensed through the puppets before he told them. How was Hasegawa able to deceive a dragon, the ¡®owner of mana¡¯, and create a falsified world?

    ¨C Hasegawa¡¯s power does note from mana.

    A strength that had been received from the lord of the abyss ¨C quite strangely, it had a deep connection with music.

    ¨C So if we really want to kill Hasegawa¡­

    His shback came to an end as Hasegawa lifted his head up.

    The demon who had fainted after getting smacked on his head by Yu Jitae, nced around the surroundings before turning to him with a crimson pair of eyes.

    He then smiled with a precarious look.

    ¡°Not a bad atmosphere¡­¡±

    They were now at a certain cathedral of Mongolia, which had been partially destroyed, and therefore abandoned, due to the horde of monsters that attacked straight after the Great War.

    Underneath the half-crumbled ceiling of the building, there was a grand piano covered in dust.

    Around 15 years from now, Hasegawa would be killing lots of humans at this ce. Since it was a fitting end for him, Yu Jitae had brought Hasegawa to this ce.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Who knows.¡±

    While carrying the killing intent in one hand, the Regressor shed at Hasegawa¡¯s left wrist.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Due to the aftermath of [Dragon¡¯s Voice], his physical body would not regenerate. It¡¯s because he was made to forcibly belong to ¡®Providence¡¯.

    As if to prove that, a crack appeared on Hasegawa¡¯s face which had been full of leisure till now.

    He predicted the future that would approach him.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Ignoring his words, the Regressor cut off Hasegawa¡¯s right hand as well.

    ¡°Kuaaaaaaak¡ª!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a scream rising from pain, or a sense of loss.

    He would not die ¨C Yu Jitae would not allow it.

    He would not regenerate ¨C it¡¯s because his current physical body was in the jurisdiction of Providence.

    Therefore, Hasegawa right now, was not able to y the piano ever again as a musician.

    ¡°T, this can¡¯t be¡­!¡±

    Wearing a clear smile, the Regressor opened his mouth.

    ¡°y it.¡±

    With a body that could no longer y the piano, the condition of his contract as a demon lost its light. The first one to react in this situation wasn¡¯t Yu Jitae, and nor was it Hasegawa.

    ¡°W, wait¡­¡±

    The red aura slowly dispersed from Hasegawa¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Wa, wait! I can still y!¡±

    Looking into nothingness, he screamed as if there was someone in the air above him.

    ¡°So what if I have no arms! I can still y the piano¡ª!!!¡±

    Hasegawa was abandoned by the lord of the abyss he had followed.

    He was no longer able to regenerate, nor y the piano. And now that he was unable to die as well, Hasegawa could not follow his contract.

    But, even then, Hasegawa did not give up. Crazily, he screamed and bbered on about how he could still perform music.

    ¡°Now¨C Amurbarka! Listen! Listen!! This was the first song I gave you while offering you my soul!¡±

    And then, he started bashing on the keyboard with his arms that had no fingers, and smacked his head down on the keyboard. A lump of random notes in an uneven rhythm continued.

    Blood oozed out from his body, that had lost support from the demonic aura of the abyss, and painted the piano in red.

    Yu Jitae did not find Hasegawa to be pitiful. Emotionlessly, he watched the final end of the half-assed devil.

    A stage which no-one would ever listen to, and a melody running astray flowed through the night.

    But it did not continue for long.

    Leaving behind the cathedral burning in ck mes, the Regressor turned his body.

 Chapter 63: Ahjussi is a little kid (1)

    <h4>Chapter 63: Ahjussi is a little kid (1)</h4>

    On the way back to the dormitory, Yu Jitae decided to walk back to the residential area. It was because he deemed it necessary to have a conversation with her.

    The Green Dragon was a lot stabler and calmerpared to other races, but nheless, it was her first time facing a demon¡¯s aura head on. He thought she might be depressed, or perhaps surprised, but despite his worries, Bom was wearing the same expression as usual and was silent.

    Tap, tap tap¡­

    All she did was type something on the watch¡¯s hologram keyboard. Was she sending someone a message or something?

    ¡°What are you writing.¡±

    He had somewhat felt it from a long time ago, but Bom was very efficient with conversations.

    ¡°No?¡±

    She was therefore efficient with ending conversations as well.

    ¡°¡­Why, is it something I shouldn¡¯t know of?¡±

    ¡°Maybe yes.¡±

    Yu Jitae closed his mouth.

    Thus, the Regressor wasn¡¯t able to talk much with the green-haired baby dragon on the way to the residential area.

    Bom decided to write a diary starting from today.

    It¡¯s title was:

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary]

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    She didn¡¯t really like the name. Maybe it was because it sounded like an observation record of an animal or a bug.

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ¡î]

    After adding a star to it, it appeared a little bit better. Bom started writing down the things that she had seen, felt and heard today with Yu Jitae.

    First and foremost:

    [1. Ahjussi is strong.]

    It was a very obvious point. Sometimes, he even made her think that he was stronger than dragons.

    [2. He was probably alone for a long time. Due to that, he doesn¡¯t talk much.]

    Thinking back, it was rare to see Yu Jitae talking in long sentences. He seemed tock interest in the act of talking itself.

    [3. Usually, he is mild.]

    The usual Yu Jitae was like azy beast with a full stomach. It was kind of like a lion lying down, resting in the Savannah.

    [4. He sometimes bes serious. Especially in problems rted to demons.]

    Her fingers typing on the keyboard came to a stop.

    Bom took some time to ponder. Was it really only limited to problems rted to demons?

    ¡­It was a bit difficult to say that with certainty. Even when he was seeing her for the first time, Yu Jitae was very serious despite that having nothing to do with demons.

    Therefore, she edited her sentence.

    [4. He sometimes bes serious. On the outside, they appear like aspects rted to demons, but there seems to be a cause originating from a bigger framework. (+) Additional observation is required.]

    After that, she just jotted down anything that came to mind.

    [5. Formal clothes suit him well.]

    [6. He seems to find daring clothes pretty.]

    [7. Just like the first time we met, he seems to have no interest in anything happening around him.]

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Un?¡±

    It was then.

    Suddenly, she felt Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze turning towards her. Bom scrolled the screen up to the first page, and nonchntly covered the disy with her fingers. However, the disy screen was too big to be fully covered with merely two fingers.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    [Ahjussi ¡î]

    Due to that, the middle words had been covered, with only the word ¡®ahjussi¡¯ and the star being shown.

    ¡°Ahjussi, and a star?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With a face that suggested that it wasn¡¯t anything important, Bom replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°Just what.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking of adding a few more stars as we be closer.¡±

    Yu Jitae seemed to be thinking, ¡®is that so¡¯.

    The moment his head was turned back to the front, Bom inwardly heaved out a sigh. She was extremely startled, and it was a close call; too close forfort.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In any case, it was decent for an excuse that came out on the spot. Today was a day where she was able to understand him a bit more, so Bom filled the star in.

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ¡ï]

    Suddenly, her eyes widened.

    Huh¡­?

    Didn¡¯t Yu Jitae show interest in her diary just then?

    With circr eyes, she stared at Yu Jitae¡¯s face. Since when was ahjussi interested in such things? But now that she thought back on it, it felt like he was having a little bit more leisure these days.

    Thus, Bom edited the seventh point.

    [7. Unlike when we first met, he is showing faint interest in the surroundings.]

    The two soon reached the dormitory. After exiting the elevator on the third floor, Yu Jitae opened his mouth while walking down the corridor.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to say it?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°You should now say the reason you want to follow me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He turned towards her.

    Bom met his gaze with an indifferent expression. Since they were too close, she had to raise her head up in order to meet his gaze.

    ¡°Can we call it off?¡±

    ¡°Call what off.¡±

    She wanted to postpone this kind of conversation tillter.

    ¡°Yes. In the end, I was helpful right. Ahjussi, if you hold your curiosity back, then I¡¯ll forgive you for abusing me for being useless, and how you made a straight face at me.¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae gave a slight frown. ¡®Ah, did I make a mistake?¡¯ thought Bom, but she did not change her expression despite feeling tense inside.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s hands came closer and pinched her cheeks.

    It hurt.

    ¡°Uht¡­¡±

    His fingers had power within them. It wasn¡¯t a little prank, and it was painful. It was very painful to the point that she felt tearsing out from her eyes.

    ¡°Uuuuh¡­ it hurrs¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Khuuu¡­ ai sowwy¡­¡±

    He then walked into the house.

    Left alone in the corridor, Bom wiped her tears off, and rubbed her reddened cheeks. She then threw a re at the door for no reason.

    But then, something popped up in her head and she added it to her diary.

    [? Doubt:]

    The reason she volunteered to follow Yu Jitae.

    In fact, Bom didn¡¯t know either. At the start, she was just driven by the urge to without even knowing why. She thought she had to follow, and felt like she had to help with something.

    But when she put it into words while writing the diary, a new question appeared in her mind.

    [? Doubt: Maybe I¡¯m trying to make ahjussi into something different?]

    ***

    ¡°Damn¡­ what in the world happened, for there to be no traces at all?¡±

    Hario Carlton, Kyoto.

    Within that five star hotel of Kyoto, which had its top floor flown off, were local police officers and detectives of Kyoto in full dispatch.

    ¡°A total mess huh¡­¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I have no idea how we¡¯re meant to approach this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ it¡¯s not any random building either, and it¡¯s a building with a Level 9 defence mechanism in ce.¡±

    The officers clicked their tongues.

    Breaking a building with a Level 9 defence system in a short period of time like this, was impossible for anyone outside of the top 500 ranks worldwide.

    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that it was the top floor at least.¡±

    ¡°Tch, what about the VIP room¡¯s borrower? That, Hasegawa or something.¡±

    ¡°We are still unable to locate him. It looks almost certain that he was involved in the incident but¡­¡±

    It was then.

    ¡°Oi. Step aside.¡±

    A voice of an unfamiliar woman was heard.

    Thinking to himself, ¡®Who is this condescending person?¡¯ the detective turned his head with a frown and found police officers wearing peculiar uniforms. He thought, ¡®This is my jurisdiction, so who are these that dare¡­¡¯ before noticing the silver badge hanging on their uniforms.

    It was in the form of a sakura that represented Japanese royal family, and there was one single sword shing through it.

    That symbol¡­

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    The detectives saluted in fright.

    Among them, the woman that appeared to be the one in charge, ignored them while looking at the site.

    ¡®Jack had fainted inside his car.¡¯

    ¡®Jack¡¯ was an agent of a special task force that she had secretly deployed, in order to find Hasegawa¡¯s secrets.

    ¡®There was a ¡®Konnosuke¡¯, from the members that had entered this ce. In other words, someone made Jack unconscious before snatching the invitation card.¡¯

    It was a top grade secret among the special forces, but Hasegawa was almost certainly a high-ranked demon. Therefore, the signs of battle in this ce could be seen as the aftermath of the battle between Hasegawa and the ¡®one that reced Jack¡¯.

    ¡®I must find traces. If Hasegawa is dead, there needs to be proof that he is actually dead.¡¯

    But unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t find anything.

    That night after work, she headed to the ¡®hideout¡¯. It was a social club of world rankers that had thebined goal of exterminating demons.

    [Grand Natural Society]

    During this time period, there would be two to three peopleing here and cking off in search for leisure from their busy lives. She wanted to ask them about the strange happenings that had urred today.

    She opened the door of the hideout. The ones that were always there were nowhere to be seen, and she could only see Myung Yongha and BM.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Myung Yongha was staring at a leaf ced on top of the table with a serious look;

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gulp.

    And BM was drinking alcohol like usual, but was lying down on the sofa, while holding a small ss bottle up in front of the light.

    ¡°Yo, guys, what are you doing? You look out of it.¡±

    No-one replied.

    ¡°Huh? Oi yous. You little grass, what are you doing here right now? Isn¡¯t it time for you to go hospital?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Huhh? What¡¯s wrong? Did some ntsy their roots down in your ears?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­oi.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­You, you. Don¡¯t tell me, Myung Yongha¨C!¡±

    Thinking of the worst possible case scenario, she unconsciously screamed out.

    ¡°Minamoto¡­ the doctor today, said this for the first time.¡±

    ¡°¡­Uh? Hnn?¡±

    Myung Yongha murmured with a nk, and quiet voice.

    ¡°¡­there has been an improvement.¡±

    ***

    That day, they were all slightly weird.

    ¡°Bye bye¡­¡±

    Kaeul on her way to her lesson wasn¡¯t jumping around like usual.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    And Yeorum on her way to the physical training rooms with a sword, didn¡¯t even spare a nce at him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom was the same as usual, so he didn¡¯t really talk to her.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    And finally, Gyeoul threw nces at him.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    She turned her head around.

    With no-one talking to him, Yu Jitae searched up news reports and read them. During that, he could sense a gaze, and it was most definitely Gyeoul.

    When he nced back at Gyeoul, she pretended to be doing something else, and grabbed the teddy bear¡¯s hand before shaking it up and down. However, it somehow felt different from how she usually threw nces at him.

    What exactly was happening.

    *

    Their strange actions continued even during the evening. When it was mealtime for dinner, Bom asked them naturally.

    ¡°What do you want for dinner?¡±

    Yeorum, who was drenched in sweat after justing back from training, shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±

    ¡°Nnng, unni. I¡¯m not really hungry either¡­¡±

    While saying that, Kaeul threw a few nces at Yu Jitae. Yeorum poked her with her elbow, and them saying ¡°What now!¡± and ¡°You yellow monkey¡± could be heard.

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul walked up to the two of them and sent them a gaze as if she was asking something. When Yeorum frowned, Gyeoul met her gaze with a ring look.

    ¡°Guys, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s what?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Then no dinner for today?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Unni.¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae thought that something was weird.

    They had almost never skipped a meal. Kaeul, the baby chicken, who especially loved eating, hadmented the fact that humans only ate three meals a day.

    ¨C How good would it be if we could eat five times a day?!

    That was how she normally was, so thinking that it was weird, Yu Jitae called her.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Y, yes?¡±

    ¡°Are you sick?¡±

    ¡°N, n, n, no no no no?¡±

    The baby chicken had a hard time meeting his gaze. Therefore, Yu Jitae walked up and held her by her arms and looked into her eyes.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡±

    ¡°Ah, u, uah¡­ I, I¡¯m fine!¡±

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    Hanging on the authenticity scale was ¡®truth¡¯.

    She wasn¡¯t sick.

    The baby chicken fluttered her arms like wings and escaped from his grasp. Then, she dashed into her room as if running away.

    He had no idea what was happening, and it felt like there were four Yu Gyeouls today.

    However, his doubt was cleared when it passed midnight.

    Suddenly, the living room¡¯s lights were turned off.

    It wasn¡¯t a big deal to the Regressor, who could see through the darkness. He fidgeted with the switch, before heading to the front entrance in order to check the circuit breaker.

    Behind him, a different dimension was divided into two. From Bom¡¯s alternate dimension walked out Kaeul, who had balloons hanging on her head.

    Buzz-

    Mana containing lightning, the attribute of a gold dragon, flowed and it was unclear when she had prepared them, but the small lights hanging on her body started flickering.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Happy birthdayyy¨C!!¡±

    Bang! Bang!

    The firecrackers bursted out after that, but the baby chicken was suddenly startled and started making a fuss.

    ¡°Noo¡­! It was meant to be after blowing out the lights of the cake!¡±

    It seemed that she had messed up the order.

    Meanwhile, Bom and Gyeoul who had been on the sofa, also stood up and pped.

    ¡°Happy birthday, ahjussi.¡±

    Birthday¡­?

    Now that they said it, it was true.

    It was past midnight, and today was the 12th of December. It was indeed his birthday, which he had never thought about over several regressions. He hadpletely forgotten about it because it wasn¡¯t even on his mind.

    ¡°¡­How did you find out.¡±

    ¡°I looked at ahjussi¡¯s ID cardst time.¡±

    Before he could even ask anything else, Gyeoul toddled up with quick steps and extended her arms forward, and Yu Jitae hugged her. Although he had no idea, Gyeoul had been wanting to do this since the morning, so she repeatedly bumped her forehead on his chest with a wide smile.

    That was when the door of the terrace was slid open, as a pair of red eyes walked in through the darkness.

    Yeorum was carrying a cake on her hand, and started slowly walking forward after seeing Yu Jitae. However, there was a dark smile hanging on her face for some reason.

    The room had a strangely tense atmosphere.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    When Bom called her name with a voice that seemed to be trying to stop her, Yeorum suddenly started running forward.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum!¡±

    ¡°Aht, unni! That¡¯s different from what you said¡­!¡±

    Before they could even try to stop her, Yeorum threw the cake at Yu Jitae¡¯s face with an expression filled with mischief.

 Chapter 64: Ahjussi is a little kid (2)

    <h4>Chapter 64: Ahjussi is a little kid (2)</h4>

    Yu Jitae stared at Yeorum.

    Each second felt like a minute and he could hear Kaeul¡¯s lengthened voice calling out, ¡°Ooouuuuhhhhhh nuuuoooooo¨C¡±. Naturally, he wasn¡¯t thinking of getting hit by it, and it should be okay to just grab it.

    At least that¡¯s what he had thought.

    Suddenly Gyeoul, who was in Yu Jitae¡¯s arms, opened her eyes wide with a sh as she red daggers at Yeorum. She had known that a day like this woulde, and that red lizard was finally showing its true colours.

    The cake was slowlying closer, to Yu Jitae¡­!

    ¨C Protect.

    Thinking of the word of a certain grandpa which remained in her small head, Gyeoul reached forth with her arm. Mana, densely packed with the water attribute, gathered at one ce and wrapped around the cake before having it bounce off to the direction it came from.

    Yeorum widened her eyes. The cake was flying towards her face, but Yeorum with her good reflexes was able to lower her head in time.

    Then, the cake flew behind her towards Kaeul¡¯s face.

    ¡°Adorubilb!¡±

    Kaeul threw her arms forward along with a bizarre shout.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    In the next instant, Kaeul¡¯s eyes shot wide open. Rather surprisingly, the cake being protected by mananded exactly on her hands.

    ¡°Kaeul. Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    Bom, Yeorum and Gyeoul turned to Kaeul with surprise. Receiving those gazes, Kaeul threw her chest out and revealed the cake with her hands.

    ¡°Tada-!¡±

    Only then did Bom and Gyeoul let out sighs of relief, while Yeorum walked up to her with circr eyes.

    ¡°Oi. Anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! I may look like this, but I¡¯m a dragon!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, let¡¯s see¡­!¡±

    ¡°Uh? Nn?¡±

    ¡°Thank goodness. The cream¡¯s still fine.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    Yeorum showed her sincerest relief as she stared at the cake. ¡°You weren¡¯t talking about me¡­?¡± whispered Kaeul, with disappointment while ncing at Yeorum.

    ¡°Anyways, I can¡¯t trust you unni! Go away!¡±

    ¡°What are you saying. Pass me the cake.¡±

    ¡°No! I¡¯ll give it to ahjussi!¡±

    ¡°Give it.¡±

    As she dodged Yeorum¡¯s hands and took a step back, her legs were caught by the little ropes of lights used for Christmas, that were hanging on her body.

    ¡°Uh¡­?¡±

    Because she wasn¡¯t tensed up like before:

    ¡°Kkuaang¨C!¡±

    She wriggled her arms around and fell behind while dropping the cake on her face.

    ¡°Kyaa, hahaha!¡±

    Yeorumughed like a witch.

    ***

    ¡°Uuh¡­ I¡¯m sorry ahjussi.¡±

    After cleaning everything up;

    ¡°I thought we might need it.¡±

    Bom took out a second cake which she had prepared.

    ¡°Happy birthday dear ahjussi~¡±

    ¡°Happy birthday¡­ Yu Jitae~¡±

    They cursorily sang the happy birthday song.

    ¡°Yap!¡±

    Kaeul popped her lightning mana like firecrackers;

    Click¨C

    And Yeorum clicked her fingers to light the candles standing on the cake;

    ¡°¡­Hu.¡±

    And Yu Jitae blew the lights off.

    ¡°¡­Heuh.¡±

    Then, Gyeoul copied Yu Jitae.

    Next up was a photo-taking session. It was seriously hard to imagine how long they had been preparing this for ¨C Bom and Kaeul took out a birthday cone hat and party horns.

    There was nothing he could do. In an instant, the dull-coloured Regressor had a cone-shaped hat ced on top of his head, while Gyeoul bit on the party horn.

    Bbooo¨C!

    He still thought he wasn¡¯t suited for a thing like this, but they nheless looked at the photos and giggled.

    Bom slowly sliced up the cake and gave each a piece.

    The Regressor spared some time to nce around the surroundings. Underneath the brightmp, he could see dragons wearing bright smiles. It was truly, an unfamiliar scene.

    As he repeated the regressions, he had started to ignore celebratory events.

    Whatever the case, celebrating andmemorating something contained meaning because it wouldn¡¯te back. To him who repeated going back in time, special people becamemon, and specific days that should nevere back approached him several times.

    Perhaps because of that, the Regressor wasn¡¯t feeling much even now.

    However, it was different for them.

    ¡°Nuoo. Why do you look so weird in that cone hat, ahjussi?! It feels like this picture woulde out of a horror movie!¡±

    ¡°And this looks like it¡¯s from National Geographic.¡±

    ¡°Nn? What! What¡¯s wrong with my solo picture!¡±

    They were celebrating his birthday with sincerity, with extremely content expressions, while preparing a variety of things.

    ¡°Ahjussi! How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Great right? It¡¯s like, my first time celebrating someone else¡¯s birthday!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How is it? Nn? Come on?¡±

    Yu Jitae thus realised something.

    It was probably their first timememorating someone¡¯s birthday. Even if it wasn¡¯t, at the very least, it was their first time celebrating Yu Jitae¡¯s birthday. For them, today was a special day, and was worth celebrating.

    Although it was his birthday today, at the same time it was an anniversary for them.

    Yu Jitae slowly gave a reply.

    ¡°Feels good.¡±

    Kaeul and Gyeoul chuckled and pped.

    ¡°Now.¡±

    Around the time they almost finished the cake, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°Now will be the time for presents.¡±

    ¡°Yesss!¡±

    Presents?

    ¡°What presents.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not a kid.¡±

    When Yu Jitae shook his hand, Gyeoul ced her hands on her hips in amanding posture.

    Gaze: Wants to refute.

    What.

    ¡°That¡¯s not right, ahjussi¡­! Ahjussi is a little kid.¡±

    What was this about.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡¯s only 27 years old right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm. You actually look like you¡¯re a lot older than that but¡­ anyways, 27 is a kid in terms of dragons you know? Like me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true for dragons, but it¡¯s not a young age for humans.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, but, the ones giving the presents right now are dragons, right?¡±

    ¡°The receiver is human though.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm¡­ that¡¯s not it¡­ But, ahjussi is a kid though¡­¡±

    Kaeul was trying to expand on her own logic, but turned to Bom with perplexity after being rebutted. As the baby chicken¡¯s saving grace, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°A young and weak dependent can still give presents.¡±

    Bom had seen through Yu Jitae¡¯s essence.

    ¡®Receiving something from someone¡¯ was also rare for him. It was a type of constraint as he was always the one controlling rtionships and distances. Giving and receiving were only allowed inside his regtions, and it was his habit as a dictator.

    ¡°In situations like this, you can just receive it.¡±

    While saying that, Bom handed a small box over.

    ¡°Me too, me too!¡± said Kaeul, while giving him a packaged box. Gyeoul also held out a small box, but when Yu Jitae tried to grab it, she pulled her hands back.

    Yu Jitae opened Bom¡¯s present on the spot.

    It was made out of metal, and resembled a thick pendant in a circr shape. When he pressed a button that was on the side, the lid opened up.

    Inside was a pretty pocket watch.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is nervous.]

    What was wrong.

    Ah.

    Thinking back, he remembered it being jealous of a watch in around the fourth iteration.

    ¡°Ah, you know. That¡¯s not the end.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Press the button on the top side.¡±

    There was indeed another button near the top as she had said. When Yu Jitae pressed on it, another lid, located on the original lid-part of the pocket watch, was opened. Inside, there was the group picture that had been taken at the Lake of Life. The date and the location, as well as a sentence, ¡®Fun times ^^~¡¯ were written with a marker.

    It appeared that Bom had written those herself.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    A gentle smile appeared on Bom¡¯s lips.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is on guard.]

    ¡°Next is mine!¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡±

    Kaeul¡¯s box was light. When he unboxed it, there was a small paper inside, and thinking that it might be a letter, he opened it up and read the words that were written with a pleasant handwriting.

    [Wish Card ?]

    ¡°A wish card?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    ¡°What is this.¡±

    ¡°Like, I pondered about it with unni over a week, right? But I just couldn¡¯t think of what ahjussi needed.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why I made this. If there¡¯s something you need, whatever! And whenever you want! You can ask me for it.¡±

    ¡°Whatever?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Whatever you want!¡±

    ¡°Even money?¡±

    ¡°M, money? H, how much¡­?¡±

    It was a joke, but the baby chicken seriously murmured to itself, ¡°This month¡¯s allowance¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    After unboxing Kaeul¡¯s present, Gyeoul fidgeted with the small box with her two hands, while wearing an extremely tense look. Unlike other boxes, that box did not have a ribbon or other ornaments.

    ¡°Will you give it to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae extended his hands forward.

    However, Gyeoul shook her head and took a few steps back. He didn¡¯t know why she was doing that, but she threw a nce at Bom. Bom returned her a nod, and appeared to be giving her courage.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae turned to Yeorum.

    ¡°What. Why.¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°You want it? The gift? I actually have one.¡±

    Yeorum took out a folded-up pair of socks from her pocket.

    It was white.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Used ones.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    No wonder it wasn¡¯t pure white.

    ¡°Well, I bothered to wash it, you know.¡±

    Yu Jitae was dumbfounded, but Yeorum looked away slightly and avoided eye contact. In fact, it was Bom, Kaeul and Gyeoul who were more surprised.

    ¡°Eeeng? Really?¡±

    Let alone Kaeul, Bom and Gyeoul also looked at Yeorum.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Uwah. Unni, you¡­? That¡¯s amazing!¡±

    ¡°Stop making a fuss, you monkey.¡±

    It seemed that there was something about it that Yu Jitae was unaware of.

    Dragons and socks.

    Thinking back, Gyeoul used to frequent his own socks as well.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°That, you see¡­, umm so like¡­! The, the¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s just, there¡¯s a thing!¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just a thanks for the uing holidays.¡±

    Yeorum shook her hand, and Kaeul looked at her as if she found it extremely intriguing, while he had absolutely no clue. In any case, it appeared that it wasn¡¯t just a prank, so Yu Jitae took the pair of socks that Yeorum had worn.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Then, it was finally Gyeoul¡¯s turn with nowhere for her to run. Holding a very small box, she appeared extremely tense.

    ¡°Hmm. In fact.¡±

    Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°I helped Gyeoul prepare for her gift. We did it together.¡±

    ¡°Together?¡±

    ¡°She said she really wanted to give you this. Now, Gyeoul, do you want to give it to him yourself?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul nodded.

    Then, she stared at Yu Jitae, before carrying the box and covering her eyes.

    What was she doing.

    After soon realising that the box was still in her hands, she ced the box on the ground. Then, she once again covered her eyes with her hands. Even then, he had no idea what to do, so Yu Jitae asked, ¡°What.¡±

    Gyeoul jumped on the spot for a bit, before slowly opening her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Close.¡±

    Close?

    ¡°¡­Please.¡±

    It seemed that she was telling him to close his eyes.

    Thus, Yu Jitae obediently closed his eyes. He then controlled his optic nerves, and for the first time in a long time, he made it so that he couldn¡¯t see the world at all. But even with his eyes closed, he could still sense the world, so he locked his mana¡¯s sensory receptors, and because his sixth sense could still sensitively pick up the surroundings, he had to close that as well.

    After all that, he could hear a rustling sound.

    Rustle, rustle.

    Rustle¡­

    Someone approached him, and stood in front of him, who was sitting down on the floor. Then, that child figure slowly raised her foot up before standing on top of his thighs. He could feel her weight.

    There was a click, and it sounded like she was opening a box.

    But after that, nothing was heard for some time.

    What he felt after that, was some things wrapping around his neck. It touched his skin, and was very soft.

    Were those Gyeoul¡¯s arms?

    After wrapping her arms around Yu Jitae¡¯s neck, she fidgeted with something near the back of his neck.

    There was a click, after which Gyeoul stepped off of his legs.

    ¡°Can I open my eyes now.¡±

    There was no response. Don¡¯t tell me she was nodding her head?

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Bom replied instead.

    Yu Jitae checked what was hanging on his neck. There was something that resembled a ne ¨C the string was blue in colour, and there was a blue scale hanging in the middle. It was a dragon¡¯s scale.

    ¡°It¡¯s Gyeoul¡¯s scale threaded with Gyeoul¡¯s hair.¡±

    Bom exined it to him.

    Then, he also found Gyeoul wearing a ne herself. In the middle, there was a small container instead of a gem, inside which there was a strand of ck hair.

    ¡°And that is ahjussi¡¯s hair. We did that so that she wouldn¡¯t lose it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is there some meaning in sharing hairs?¡±

    ¡°No? There¡¯s no such thing.¡±

    Despite her saying that, Gyeoul appeared extremely ted. She was wearing a truly bright smile.

    In any case, he had to respond like what he had been doing after receiving something. Yu Jitae hugged her up and gave a word of gratitude.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Excited, she rapidly nodded her head and carefully opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Dun lose it.¡±

    Of course.

 Chapter 65: Ahjussi is a little kid (3)

    <h4>Chapter 65: Ahjussi is a little kid (3)</h4>

    ¡°What? There¡¯s been an improvement?¡±

    Under her boyish bob-hair cut, was a fierce appearance resembling a feral cat.

    Minamoto Ai.

    World Ranking of 13.

    This Japanese woman in herte thirties was one of the strongest superhumans of Japan, and was a swordswoman affiliated with the Royal Family¡¯s special forces. Her alias was ¡®Sword of the Royal Family¡¯.

    She asked back at Myung Yongha, as it was difficult for her to believe it.

    ¡°Is that for real?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    nkly, Myung Yongha swept his hair up.

    ¡°You, you bastard. What the hell! If something that good happened, you should¡¯ve told me earlier!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You son of a bitch. You looked so depressed, that it made me think something had happened. That was scary!¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    His nk face slowly regained its vigour. Soon, a heartyughter fitting hisrge build, ¡°Uhahahat!¡± escaped from his lips.

    In fact, he had bowed on the ground at BM the moment he came.

    ¡°Hey, but it¡¯s still too early to be too happy. It¡¯s not fully cured and¡­ we need to watch for now.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true but,¡±

    An illness rted to ancient beasts, was an unpredictable type that could go south at any time. Myung Yongha held back his own mood to stay vignt.

    ¡°But what happened? Don¡¯t keep me on the edge and hurry up and exin.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay. You remember how I boiled a stew here before? Back then, I added a precious medicine given by BM, and a medicinal herb given by someone else.¡±

    ¡°Herb? Who was it from?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it was this man that I met at a pic ce. He seemed like a very strong person.¡±

    ¡°Strong?¡±

    Strong.

    It was an easy word to overuse for others, but the expression ¡®strong¡¯ was used slightly differently for them. They were individuals that were utilised as national strategic weapons.

    Thus, even BM, who had been lying down on the sofa, showed his interest and raised his upper body.

    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t fight him and stuff, but he looked strong.¡±

    ¡°Who was he?¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±

    Myung Yongha thought back on the man.

    As an individual, he appeared extremely strong, and was seemingly so dangerous that mother nature warned against him. However, while he was spending time with the girls, the atmosphere oddly gave off a feeling that it was safe and secure, instead of being dangerous.

    Comparatively speaking, he was simr to a thorn fence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know his name. Anyways, he gave me this ck root of a nt, and I mixed that with what BM gave me and made a stew.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and then?¡±

    ¡°I gave that to my wife and¡­¡±

    He could still vividly remember that time.

    After her illness got more serious, she had no appetite at all. That was the case even for delicious meals, so it was even worse for medicines and stews. The process of swallowing food was her desperate attempt at survival, and it wasmon for her to throw up.

    And yet she¡­

    Scrub scrub¡­

    In an instant, she had emptied the bowl before passing it back over to him.

    When he thought of that, a smile naturally floated on his face.

    ¡°And then she asked for more, saying that it was very delicious and was easy to swallow¡­ So I thought maybe something might have happened. And during a visit, the doctor said the concentration of the ancient beast¡¯s virus has gone down¡­ and that there is an improvement¡­¡±

    Myung Yongha made tight fists in the middle of his speech to contain his overflowing emotions.

    ¡°I was tearing up, even¡­ Those words were something I really wanted to hear.¡±

    The two remained silent for some time.

    But they had seen their colleague tearing up right next to them, for a long time. Minamoto thus also felt simr emotions rising up within.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s amazing. Damn. Seriously.¡±

    She murmured while feeling the lingering trace of joy, as BM also gave a wide smile before taking a sip of vodka.

    In fact, BM also had something he wanted to ask hisrades about ¨C it was about the man who had visited his workshop. Of course, his name ¡®Yu Jitae¡¯, as well as the feeling and information he emitted would be excluded as much as possible, since that was his wish.

    But after hearing Myung Yongha¡¯s words, there was another question in BM¡¯s head.

    ¡°Wait. Then whose medicine was the effective one?¡±

    In response to Minamoto¡¯s question, Myung Yongha heaved out a sigh.

    ¡°That, I have no idea. The one BM gave me was also an amazing one. BM. I¡¯m seriously grateful from the bottom of my heart.¡±

    BM shook his hand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who it was, but he must have been a bigshot. If it was at a simr rank to the medicine found by that drunkard, it should be around SS at least.¡±

    ¡°¡­It was above that, you know.¡±

    Quietly, BM refuted.

    ¡°It¡¯s something I was nning on using. H.¡±

    Does that mean Myung Yongha had received something that great, as a gift from a man whom he didn¡¯t really know of, at a pic?

    Naturally, the three of them soon had the same question in mind.

    ¡®Who in the world was that person?¡¯

    And Myung Yongha had a slightly bigger desire to know his identity.

    ¡®It would be great if I could see him again.¡¯

    He wanted to pass words of gratitude.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go sleep now.¡±

    Yeorum was the first to leave;

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to sleep as well!¡±

    And Kaeul followed soon after.

    Yu Jitae opened the pocket watch and checked the time. It was 2am at night, and for the baby dragons that matched their sleep patterns to humans, the time they normally went to sleep had already passed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul was in Yu Jitae¡¯s arms, dozing off as her head repeatedly fell down. Unlike others, she was actually feeling sleepy.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep now.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    She looked up at Yu Jitae with half-opened eyes, and gave a nk smile.

    He took Gyeoul to Bom¡¯s room, andid her small body on Bom¡¯s bed. Because she reached her two arms forward, Yu Jitae handed her the nket.

    ¡°Good night.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But for some reason, she appeared somewhat disappointed.

    She tightly held onto the nket with her small hands, and started moving it to the side. After repeating that process a few times with her short arms, Gyeoul seeded in getting rid of the nket.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be cold if you don¡¯t cover yourself up.¡±

    Shake shake.

    She shook her head.

    Well, it was true that she won¡¯t feel cold even without the nket. When Yu Jitae was about to walk out of the room again, Gyeoul cried out.

    ¡°¡­Hing.¡±

    He looked back.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was unclear what she was disappointed about, but sorrow overflowed out from her two eyes.

    Thinking back, Bom had always gone to sleep with her at night, and Yu Jitae hadn¡¯t been interested in that in the past.

    Therefore, he asked Bom, who was lying down on the living room¡¯s sofa.

    ¡°How do you make her sleep.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I ced her on the bed, but she¡¯s not sleeping.¡±

    After murmuring to herself, ¡°Hmm¡­¡±, Bom raised her body.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird. She normally goes to sleep straight away¡­¡±

    *

    Bom caressed Gyeoul¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep, little Gyeoul.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to?¡±

    Nod, nod.

    It was strange. The child, who had been half-immersed in her sleep, was now looking up with circr eyes, refusing to go to sleep.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sleep then.¡±

    The Regressor¡¯s answer was simple.

    Just don¡¯t do what you don¡¯t want to do.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    And Bom agreed with his words.

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    But for some reason, Gyeoul appeared flustered.

    Although her eyes appeared to be wide open, a close inspection revealed that they were loose, about to be closed at any time. It was clear that she was sleepy, so why was she trying not to fall asleep¡­ even today, the Regressor found it hard to understand the reason behind the blue-haired child¡¯s actions.

    ¡°Then, do you want to sleep with unni?¡±

    After Bom¡¯s words, Gyeoul slightly turned her head at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go out then.¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head several times before looking at Bom, who realised the child¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°It seems that Gyeoul wants to sleep with ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°With me?¡±

    It was a request that was slightly hard to understand.

    Even then, after judging that it should be fine to stay until Gyeoul fell asleep, the Regressory down on one side of Bom¡¯s bed. Then, Bom also took off her slippers before lying down on the other side of Yu Jitae.

    Only then did Gyeoul make a nk-minded smile of satisfaction, before turning towards Yu Jitae. However, since she still had not acquired the ability to sleep on her side, her back was facing the ceiling. Half of her face was buried inside the nket, as she stared at Yu Jitae with one of her eyes, which was revealed from beneath.

    He raised the nket up, and wrapped it around the child.

    It was snug andfortable.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But why wasn¡¯t she sleeping.

    For about twenty minutes or so, Gyeoul merely watched Yu Jitae, and did not go to sleep.

    Yu Jitae looked at Bom.

    Gaze: Why isn¡¯t she sleeping.

    Bom¡¯s eyes bent into crescents.

    Gaze: kekek

    Gaze: Do something

    Gaze: Hmm¡­

    After some pondering, Bom raised her hand up. Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know what she was doing, but still simrly raised his hand up.

    Then, Bom slowly reached forth and held onto his hand, before slightly pulling it over towards Gyeoul¡¯s back.

    Mouth: Tap, tap, tap.

    It seemed that she was telling him to tap her back. Yu Jitae therefore raised his hand up and started tapping on Gyeoul¡¯s back.

    Kung Kung.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Kung Kung Kung Kung.

    ¡°¡­¡­!?¡±

    Surprised out of her sleepiness, Gyeoul widened her eyes with a nk expression.

    Yu Jitae stopped his hand. Apparently it was a little bit too strong, despite him trying to tap as gently as possible.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul¡¯s eyebrows bent down to an eight (°Ë) shape.

    Sorry, that was a mistake.

    He could hear a rough breathing sound. Bom was rapidly breathing in and out with her nose, in an attempt to contain herughter. Then, she whispered with a very soft voice.

    ¡®Who taps a baby¡¯s back like that?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ve never done it before.¡¯

    ¡®It needs to be a little bit more gentle. A bit softer.¡¯

    Bom showed a demonstration.

    Tap- tap- tap-

    Even the sound was different.

    Bom¡¯s hand moved very slowly, at a regr pace, and tapped on Gyeoul¡¯s back. She seemed to have liked those delicate taps, as Gyeoul¡¯s eyes went back to normal and she started going back to sleep.

    Once again, Bom reached her hand forward and led Yu Jitae¡¯s hand.

    He carefully moved his hand, so that it touched her back ever so slightly.

    Tap¡­

    It sounded okay. With machine-like movements, Yu Jitae tapped on Gyeoul¡¯s back. Tap. Tap.

    ¡®Good.¡¯

    Bom gave a nod.

    ¡®Just a little bit gentler.¡¯

    It was a difficult order.

    ¡®As if you¡¯re caressing her.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t understand it very well. How would you caress in the middle of tapping something. Maybe if it was instead about hitting as if caressing, he had a feeling that he could understand that¡­

    Even then, Yu Jitae obediently followed Bom¡¯s words and moved his hand gently, as if he was caressing her.

    Gyeoul¡¯s dim eyes slowly came to a close, and just like that, the baby fell asleep.

    When Yu Jitae was about to feel relieved, Bom¡¯s gaze connected onto him.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    The pair of olive-coloured eyes were also bent gently, and she appeared sleepy. Now that he thought about it, Yu Jitae was currently lying down on Bom¡¯s bed.

    Bom whispered.

    ¡®What about me?¡¯

    ¡®¡­?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m, still not sleeping though¡­¡¯

    Yu Jitae was slowly starting to know more about Bom. Right now, it was about time for her to make a prank, so he decided to reject it.

    ¡®Sleep now. You have lessons tomorrow morning.¡¯

    ¡®What if I have a day off tomorrow¡­?¡¯

    While saying that, Bom had the same expression as usual, and it was also the reason he found it difficult to guess her intentions. Yu Jitae was in the middle of contemtion, for he did not know what to say in response.

    ¡®If I don¡¯t have any lessons, can I not sleep?¡¯

    ¡®You still have to.¡¯

    ¡®Why?¡¯

    ¡®Because it¡¯s nighttime.¡¯

    ¡®¡­Then, help me fall asleep as well.¡¯

    ¡®What?¡¯

    ¡®I think I can go to sleep if you pat my head.¡¯

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Yu Jitae felt slightly perplexed.

    He was dying the response, because he was at a loss of words, when Bom extended her hand forward and touched his cheek.

    ¡®Oi.¡¯

    Then, Bom slowly started caressing his hair, with a gesture that was extremely gentle.

    ¡®What are you doing.¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s a demonstration.¡¯

    ¡®A demonstration?¡¯

    ¡®I can¡¯t have my hair pulled out right.¡¯

    Bom let out a gentle giggle, before returning to her dreamy expression.

    ¡®Softly. Like this¡­¡¯

    Her eyes were as if she was staring at a scenery of a dream. While repeatedly murmuring, ¡°Like this, like this¡­¡±, Bom continued patting Yu Jitae¡¯s head with a sleepy pair of eyes.

    He was slightly more perplexed than before.

    Although he had no idea why, he was still filled with such feelings. It was almost certain that Bom was carrying out a prank right now, but the person herself appeared serious.

    ¡®What if she wakes up.¡¯

    After contemting, the Regressor thought of an excuse.

    ¡®You didn¡¯t know? Gyeoul doesn¡¯t wake up easily after falling asleep.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t know that.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    ¡®Hurry up please¡­¡¯

    She said that, before removing her hand. However, her gaze was still there. Her eyes seemed to be saying, ¡®Are you still not going to do it?¡¯.

    He was filled with doubts whenever this green-haired dragon acted like this. Why would this child, who¡¯s dignified most of the times, asionally do this to him?

    He was asking himself that question with confusion, when Bom turned her head around and buried her face into the pillow. She was showing the back of her head.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    What to do now.

    Left with no other choices, heid hisrge hand on top of Bom¡¯s head. Then, he caressed it with careful movements, as if it was the small cub of an animal.

    The hair fluttering to the sides whenever his hand moved felt soft, but his hand was overly cautious, and Bom seemed to have realised it.

    ¡®¡­!¡¯

    Bom raised her head from the pillow.

    Her two cheeks were popping out, as she quivered her body with her eyes tightly shut. Before long, she broke out intoughter and startedughing silently.

    ¡­I was pranked today as well huh.

    Heaving out a sigh, the Regressor walked out silently, and Bom even bit on the back of her hand to hold back herughter until he left.

    *

    Next morning, Bom came out from her room while carrying a bag. What was the bag for?

    ¡°Where are you going.¡±

    ¡°To lesson.¡±

    ¡°You said you had nothing on today.¡±

    Stopping her feet, Bom turned around. Then, she opened her mouth with a giggle.

    ¡°That was a lie, hehe.¡±

 Chapter 66: Happy Happy Fitness (1)

    <h4>Chapter 66: Happy Happy Fitness (1)</h4>

    TL: There are lots of references to Korean folklore in this chapter. I have links at the end of the chapter, in case you wanted to have a deeper look into them.

    The chief assistant was looking through a pile of documents.

    He was currently inside an office of the International Hunter Association, and this morning, they had received an unbelievable message from an anonymous person.

    It was regarding the end-of-the-year event of Lair, which was soon to happen at the S+ dungeon, ¡®Melissia Masquerade¡¯, about how there was a chance for a catastrophe-ranked, and a disaster-ranked demon to appear there.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After going through the document again, the chief ced his hand on his chin.

    This person was just writing fiction.

    No matter how he saw it, it was a cluster of usible opinionated ims.

    1. A troop of demons located in the Balkan Penins was heading to Korea. Apparently it was because the dungeon, ¡®Melissia Masquerade¡¯ was inside Japan¡¯s territory.

    2. Obelisks appeared all the way from a deserted ind in the North Pacific to Saipan. ording to the one that sent the documents, it was a structure that could allow a concentration of immense amounts of mana.

    3. Recently, the price of magic stones had jumped up significantly, and it was apparently because someone was buying them in bulks.

    4. Several countries whose governments are suspected to be hugely influenced by demons, are requesting to be absent during Lair¡¯s end-of-the-year event. It was in order to take a step back from a potential turf war with other demons.

    Using dozens of various other information, ranging from political to economic and social issues, the anonymous informant was expanding on one im.

    ¨C Something is going to happen at Melissia Masquerade.

    And it would be something very dangerous.

    The chief aide returned his gaze back to the disy. He checked the im¡¯s evidence, and realised that they were indeed true. The only doubt that remained in his head, was that those points seemed extremely far off and unrted to each other.

    He scratched his chin.

    This sounded like an umtion of gossips, full of holes. Right, something like this is what we call a narrative¡­ but,

    ¡®Why does everything fall into ce?¡¯

    The proofs of the im were so indistinctly different, that it was hard for him to understand in one go.

    He thought for a bit, before asking his secretary.

    ¡°Source. Where¡¯s this from.¡±

    ¡°It was anonymous¡­¡±

    ¡°But there should be traces at least right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯spletely anonymous, since it was ced on top of my desk when I came to work.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that earlier?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? I told you just a few minutes ago¡­¡±

    nkly, the chief listened to the words of his secretary, beforeughing out.

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t remember everything you say.¡±

    It was unknown who it was from, but it was nheless a nasty piece of work.

    The person was strong enough to infiltrate into a secretary office in the headquarters of the International Hunter Association. He was either a superhuman or a demon.

    Although the proofs of the im were weak, the distant evidences were all talking about the same thing.

    Arge ear; a long nose; and a fat body. It was hard to figure out when the clues were seen individually, but it was clear that it was an elephant after adding them together.

    That was just an analogy, but what did this mean?

    The im wasn¡¯t spected after gathering up the puzzle pieces. The informant had already known about the whole picture beforehand, and he just randomly threw pieces together before giving out his im.

    In other words, it was an intel from an insider of the demon organisation.

    ¡®¡­Or another organisation keeping them in check.¡¯

    A convoluted im usually had a hidden meaning to it, and the hidden meaning was generally rted to a sh of interests.

    Demon organisations weren¡¯tpanies ¨C their system was closer to religious groups. If there was only one religious order in the centre, there wouldn¡¯t be any infights, but it seemed that there had been an internal strife.

    Knock knock!

    ¡°Sir, this is Jefferson, the assistant.¡±

    He quickly reported the details of the documents to the boss of the association.

    Before long, arge conference was opened at the hunter association, as the top figures of various countries and high-ranked officials of the association gathered.

    The direction which the conference took was like this:

    There had been a report, and the things that are happening these days are simr to the phenomena that happened prior to the Great War.

    It therefore seemed necessary to intervene, even slightly.

    If we make a fuss about it, we might end up losing the chance to subjugate the demons. So, let¡¯s go stealthily, and pretend like things are going in their favour, while ensuring that we don¡¯t lose anything ourselves.

    Let¡¯s cut out an arm, and hurl some dirt so that they can¡¯t seal up their wound.

    ¡°If we do that, the cadets will end up being hostages huh¡­¡±

    The scribe jotted down the words of a certain ambassador. As expected of the winner of the Nobel Peace Prizest year, he was pretending to be a kindhearted person.

    But that was the end.

    No-one insisted for the event itself to be dismissed.

    They were all superhumans that had fought in the East Asian Great War, and were soldiers that were powerless as 30% of the human poption dropped. To soldiers that weighed andpared human lives, disregarding a small sacrifice in order to stop a big loss became a way of life.

    Values like bioethics and humanitarianism were difficult to be found from their conference.

    Then, the topic after that was about selecting the leader of the secret task force.

    Peace was like an epidemic and had be the norm, and there weren¡¯t any governments that wished to put the rankers of their country at risk. Plus, it wasn¡¯t a situation where they could proudly announce to the world that they had dealt with the issue either, even if they seeded.

    It wasn¡¯t difficult for them to find someone who would shoulder all the responsibility. It would be happening inside Japan¡¯s territory, so who was the one that would be the most inconvenienced by it?

    The ambassador from Japan suggested a different approach with falling beads of sweat, but no-one stood up for him.

    After the conference came to an end, a woman in her twenties lying down behind the venttion hole, ced her finger on her temple.

    ¡®I have carried out yourmand, my lord.¡¯

    ¡®A secret task force will be created with the rankers under the Japanese Royal Family.¡¯

    ¡®With this, the association will be more conscious of the demons.¡¯

    ¡®And there will be less need for you to move personally, my lord.¡¯

    Good work.

    ***

    ¡°What, you want me to read you a fairy tale?¡±

    Nod, nod.

    It was the first time Gyeoul was asking her to read a book.

    Yeorum gave a frown.

    It was bothersome.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul, who was looking back at her, simrly had a frown on her face. Even she didn¡¯t want Yeorum to read her a book. However, Bom and Kaeul were at a lesson today, and Gyeoul was extremely curious about the new storybook bought by Bom yesterday.

    ¡°Then just read it yoursel¡­ no, whatever. Juste here.¡±

    When Yeorum sat down cross-legged on the sofa, Gyeoul went in through the gap and sat in between her legs.

    The name of the fairy tale, was ¡®The fairy and the woodcutter¡¯.

    ¡°Ehng? What, you don¡¯t know this story?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°This is that right? A long time ago, a woodcutter was cutting wood at a mountain.¡±

    Nod.

    ¡°But suddenly, a deer crazily came dashing up to him. It then said to the woodcutter, ¡®I¡¯m fucked, a hunter ising after me. Please hide me somewhere¡¯.¡±

    Nod.

    ¡°So the woodcutter gave a bright smile, and said ¡®Trust me¡¯, and helped it hide.¡±

    Nod.

    ¡°Inside his stomach.¡±

    Nod¡­?

    Yeorum massaged Gyeoul¡¯s stomach and licked her lips. As she then said ¡°Ah damn, I feel like having some meat, some tender deer meat¡­¡± Gyeoul nced at her as if she was looking at a bug.

    ¡°Anyway, the deer told him before dying, that there was a fairy bathing at a nearby pond.¡±

    ¡­Nod.

    ¡°So the woodcutter was like, ¡®Uuooh what the fuck, I¡¯m a 40-year-old virgin. What the cow!¡¯ and ran there.¡±

    Here was a red dragon, whose vocabry had been ruined by online videos.

    ¡­Nod.

    ¡°When he went there, what the hell? There really was a naked fairy in the bath. But when he looked a bit closer, he realised it wasn¡¯t a fairy. It was a damn old spinster from a nearby vige ¨C she was dirty because she didn¡¯t wash frequently. But damn, who cares if she was dirty? The woodcutter was a virgin, and anyone wearing a skirt was a fairy.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°He immediately stole her clothes and ran away. With that, he tricked her and abducted her, but the other side was also an unmarried woman in her forties, so you know? The two were on fire. They were a perfect couple! Every night~~ you know. In the end, they gave birth to around ten babies, and because the woodcutter was broke, he went to his brother to borrow money, and was pped with a rice paddle by his brother¡¯s wife.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°The name of the woodcutter, was Heungbu.¡±

    ¡­

    Thus came the end of the fairy tale of chaos and destruction.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it goes. Is it your first time hearing it?¡±

    Gyeoul, whose innocent heart had been crushed, looked at her as if she was staring at an insect with many legs.

    Yeorum giggled inside.

    She wriggled around. In fact, Gyeoul had wanted to escape from a long time ago, but Yeorum was holding tight onto her body, and stopped her from running away.

    ¡°But you see, there¡¯s a plot twist.¡±

    ¡°¡­I, don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°In fact, there was no such a thing as a hunter going after the deer.¡±

    ¡°¡­Who cares.¡±

    ¡°The deer was irritated by the olddy dirtying the water that it was trying to drink from.¡±

    Wriggle, wriggle.

    ¡°But then it was captured by the woodcutter and became food for the couple. It tricked itself into it.¡±

    Wriggle, wriggle.

    ¡°The moral of the story today. If you¡¯re stupid, then don¡¯t pretend like a know-it-all¡­¡±

    Unable to hold it back anymore, Gyeoul smacked Yeorum¡¯s chin with the back of her head.

    Bam!

    ¡°Arg! Uuh¡­ Oi, Yu Gyeoul!¡±

    After escaping from her grasp, Gyeoul ran away with tottering feet. She went up to Yu Jitae, who was inside the kitchen, and whined. When he asked, ¡°What happened¡±, she started exining with sloppy words and pointed at Yeorum.

    It seemed that she was saying how Yeorum was the bad guy.

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    Yu Jitae raised Gyeoul, who struggled to speak while whinging, and tapped her back several times. Only then did she calm down, before ring at Yeorum.

    ¡°Ehew. Look at her running up like a stupid dog.¡±

    Gyeoul stuck her tongue out at Yeorum.

    It was a peaceful day.

    It was rtively cool, and dry. What would be good for them to eat on a day like this?

    Recently, Gyeoul was having more and more interest in food. In the past, she merely imitated what others ate, but these days would bring Yu Jitae a magazine and point at a food.

    Since Kaeul was the expert of eating, he decided that it would be good to ask her before deciding on the menu.

    It was then.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has discovered a small fragment of [Hostility] which had flown over from the other side of the Horizon of Providence.]

    Vintage Clock floated a warning message, as Yu Jitae squinted his eyes.

    Up until now, the Vintage Clock had only identified phenomena which had happened, on whether it was rted to the Hostility sent from the other side of the Horizon of Providence. So he could only find out after the actual thing happened.

    But now it was different. A few days ago, a message had floated up before his eyes.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] seeded in gathering all traces of the revealed [Hostility].]

    [Fragments of [Hostility] gathered from targets, [Ha Saetbyul], and [Armata]: 15.1%]

    A long time had passed since he locked Ha Saetbyul and the protector (apparently its name was Armata) inside the undergroundbyrinth. After finally gathering all traces of ¡®Hostility¡¯ from Ha Saetbyul, the Vintage Clock could now point things out realtime, when something happened.

    So, what was happening.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has confirmed a target exposed to a small fragment of [Hostility].]

    [Target: [30-man special force team]]

    30-man special force team, was the name of abat force group belonging to the International Hunter Association.

    Its members were all buff, regardless of their gender. They always stood at the front in dungeon raids, and were sometimes used in anti-terrorist suppression strategies.

    A unique trait about them, was that they were all ¡®front fighters¡¯. In other words, they were all tankers who stood at the very front, swinging their weapons.

    Yu Jitae had also been a part of the 30-man special force team, some time in his early regressions, but only for a short time.

    If they were likened to animals, they were like elephants and rhinos, and a simr machine would be a bulldozer.

    There was a child who admired barbarians in the past, andter became a top executive of the association, as he then realised his fantasies.

    That was the reason for the creation of this peculiar team.

    It was a secret story which only the Regressor knew of.

    Okay, that¡¯s fine, but how were those guys exposed to the Hostility?

    As soon as the question floated up on his mind, Vintage Clock created a new status window.

    [30-main special force team of the Seventh Iteration: In this round of regression, the 30-man special force team is under an abnormal status, [Group Mental Contamination]. The following group was originally sent in order to locate demons that were hidden inside Lair, but in the process were inflicted by the [Hostility] inside Wei Yan. Until [Mental Contamination] is undone, the following group¡¯s personalities, actions andnguages will be violent.]

    Damn.

    It seemed that the cause was Yu Jitae sending information to WOO (World Hunter Association). After realising that something was up, the association had sent them to investigate, but something wrong must have happened to them.

    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t that big of a problem. ¡®Mental Contamination¡¯ wasn¡¯t that bad, although they would try to smash everything around them as if they had gone insane. It was an issue that the target happened to be the 30-man special force team, as Haytling itself might crash down, if they wreaked havoc with all their hearts.

    Before his thoughts even came to an end, a thud was heard from a distance.

    Kwaaang-

    Yeorum and Gyeoul couldn¡¯t hear it. It was that much of a distance away from them.

    Closing his eyes, the Regressor calcted the direction and the distance. The distance was roughly 8.5km, and the location was outside Lair, in the north west region of Haytling. Judging from the way the sound echoed, they were underground, and it must have been an underground facility or something that exploded.

    His [sixth sense] alerted him that nothing more than that had happened so far.

    Yu Jitae raised his body.

    He had to hurry, before it got noisier.

 Chapter 67: Happy Happy Fitness (2)

    <h4>Chapter 67: Happy Happy Fitness (2)</h4>

    ¡°Huaak!¡±

    Inside an area designated for construction ¨C in that vast wastnd with nothing but several fences to block unauthorised entry, something was happening at its basement.

    ¡°M, mister Kim!¡±

    The manager of this facility, was an old man in his seventies, who used to be a soldier back in the days. He had sold the medal he had received due to ack of money, so the only thing he had was his pride in the fact that he had protected humans against the beasts.

    When he found the job of managing a facility under construction, he was happy that he was able to live without financially burdening his son, who was living in a distant location. The moment he started working, he vowed to himself that he would try everything he could, till the day his body no longer moved.

    And that had happened this morning.

    ¡°Mister Kim, mister Kim! Damn it¡­!¡±

    The trainer, that was teaching him how to manage the facility had fainted. Fortunately, he was wearing protective equipment, and had merely lost consciousness.

    ¡°T, this¡­ bloody hell¡­¡±

    Raising his head, the old man stared at ¡®them¡¯, the so-called 30-man special force or something.

    Apparently, they had received permission to enter from the top, and even the old man Kim had willingly let them in.

    But then they started piging through the inside of the facility, to an unpleasant degree. Old man Kim also appeared flustered, and it was clear that they were being disrespectful.

    Up to that was fine.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go in there!¡±

    They suddenly headed to the ¡®mana core storage room¡¯, which was a restricted area, and although they tried to stop them, by saying how it was neglected and was therefore dangerous, they were ignored.

    It was an underground facility, which had the size of several basketball courts added together, and those thirty soldiers scattered around before starting to search for something.

    In the middle of that process, the leader of the 30-man special force group suddenly let out a shout.

    ¡°Kuaaah¡­!¡±

    Then, she started swinging her fists at the walls as magic engines and the likes crushed alongside thuds.

    ¡°Bloody cow! What¡¯s wrong with you!¡±

    Startled, the managers dashed forward, and immediately afterwards, old man Kim was pped away.

    That was the situation they were in.

    These guys ¨C something was weird. They used to lookposed like decent soldiers, but now had loose eyes, as if they were on drugs. But there was at least one person among them, who looked fairly normal.

    The old man raised his eyes and stared at the leader of the 30-man special force. With a height that was at least two heads above normal men, and a build that made him question whether she was the same species as himself, the woman with a tremendous aura was gazing down at him.

    An instinctive fear came crashing down.

    ¡°You bloody bastards! What in the world are you!?¡±

    He forced a shout, but was unable to hide the trembling of his body.

    ¡°Shut your mouth old man.¡±

    The leader opened her mouth.

    With one word, and one word alone, the entire atmosphere of the basement felt oppressed.

    ¡°Y, you¡­¡±

    No, it would be the end if he lost in terms of vigour. Coming to that judgment, the old man quickly took out a mana gun from his waist and pointed it at them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move! Unless you want another eye socket in your damn head!¡±

    ¡°Old man. Stop messing around with a toy and listen to me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I think we touched something wrong. I feel really weird, and the urge to break everything around me is driving me crazy. It¡¯s the same with my men.¡±

    ¡°W, what are you talking about¡­?¡±

    When he looked closer, he realised that the woman with arge build had her hands and legs faintly shivering. It appeared like she was trying to stop her own body from trying to move on its own ord.

    ¡°All I can do is keep my mind intact.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°While I can still hold on, take the old man next to you and leave this ce.¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­!¡±

    Seeing how the old man was still unable to clearly see what was happening, the leader let out a shout.

    [ Hurry up¨C! ]

    nk¨C!

    A lion¡¯s roar ¨C a scream shook the dimension itself, as everything made of ss inside the basement shattered into fragments. Herst bit of remaining consciousness allowed her to control the roar so that it didn¡¯t affect the old man. With one mistake, his head would have exploded.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But the stubborn old man remained standing while holding onto the gun with trembling hands.

    Her emotions crazily soared up.

    This crazy old dotard wasn¡¯t listening.

    There were traces of dirty demons in this ce.

    Nothing was to her liking.

    Then?

    Isn¡¯t it fine to just crush everything?

    A twisted sense of logic continued.

    By the time her subordinates slowly lost their sense of reasoning, she also let go of thest bit of rationality that was binding her.

    ¡°I told you not to move!!¡±

    Instinctively, the old man pulled the trigger. A bulletposed of mana struck her forehead, and resulted with a light tinging noise.

    That was the end.

    She immediately moved her body.

    As shock coloured the old man¡¯s face, the woman floated a devilish smile.

    Her hand extended forward, and reached for the old man¡¯s head.

    But suddenly, her chin was rotated to the side.

    m!

    As if a dashing vehicle had crashed into something, she rolled on the ground several times before crashing into the wall. When she raised her head back up, she found a man with a hazy look standing in front.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was Yu Jitae.

    He observed the old man, and realised that he was unconscious.

    It seemed that the mental contamination took some time, and he had made it in time. Due to the electricity of the surrounding areas being cut off, there were no cameras, and the location wasn¡¯t too bad either.

    The leader, who had been stuck on the wall, raised her body with a struggle and roared.

    ¡°Uaaaaaaaaaaaaah¡ª!!¡±

    The underground facility echoed, as her subordinates also screamed like beasts.

    ¡°Aaauaaa-!¡±

    ¡°Iyaaaaaa-!¡±

    ¡°Haaaaak-!¡±

    It was a sight to see.

    There were ones jumping up and down on the spot, as well as ones thrashing their arms around on the ground like babies. There were also ones resembling goris as they bashed their chests like a king kong.

    Unlike Ha Saetbyul who originally had a kind personality, they were violent from the start.

    When their minds got contaminated, they had no control over their bodies.

    ¡°Anything that stands in our way¡ª!¡±

    ¡°¡°Crush them¨C!¡±¡±

    The moment they cried out their chants, their auras changed.

    Yu Jitae shook his head.

    They weren¡¯t in the right mind, so he didn¡¯t bother trying to talk to them.

    ¡°Crush him!¡±

    ¡°Uaaah!¡±

    Thumping on the ground like beasts, they ran in.

    He threw a fist forward, as one of the soldiers flew backward with a thud and dug into the wall.

    Someone else approached with a longsword and shed it downard, but the Regressor grabbed the falling sword and threw the man back. While screaming ¡°Uuuk!¡± the man was thrown into a group of other soldiers and fell behind.

    There was another one who punched his own fists, before lowering his body and standing on four legs. Then, he started dashing in towards Yu Jitae with his entire body like a rhino. Taking a step back, Yu Jitae avoided him, as the man crashed into the wall, unable to fight against his own inertia. His upper body was inside the wall, with only his feet floundering outside.

    ¡°You¡¯re a little bit strong yourself, huh!¡±

    Meanwhile, the woman plucked arge barrel that was embedded onto the wall and lifted it up. It was a metal container, that was at least the size of a dump truck.

    ¡°Try breaking this!¡±

    After throwing the barrel at Yu Jitae, she followed right behind it, and right when she couldn¡¯t be seen by him, she took outrge nunchucks from an alternate dimension storage.

    [Ruyi Jingu Nunchucks]

    It was a Level 3 artifact, whose size and weight could be controlled at will.

    Swish¨C

    The barrel was powerlessly shed, but it was within her expectations. The moment it started dividing into two in front of the man, therge nunchucks were already falling down towards him.

    Kaaaang¨C!

    It was a strike that was filled with her mana, that could break normal navy ships in one hit!

    ¡­At least it was supposed to.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The leader shot her eyes wide open.

    Rather easily, the man had caught the nunchucks with his hand.

    ¡°Impossible¡­!¡±

    Before she could finish her words, he pulled the nunchucks towards him, as her body was powerlessly led forward.

    ¡°¡­No way!!¡±

    She mmed her legs into the ground. With her disgusting strength, the ground was paved in, as her legs dug into the ground. Then, she pulled all the power inside her body.

    [Strength Empowerment (B+)]

    The muscles in her legs expanded forth, as her arms¡¯ muscles inted. Her alreadyrge body, got thicker by at least two times. Thanks to the power of the blessing that could appear disgusting at first, she gained ten times the strength she originally had in her body.

    It was only thanks to this otherworldly physical strength she had, that she was able to be the leader of this group of soldiers.

    Due to that, she was full of confidence. Thus, when she realised that she still couldn¡¯t pull the nunchucks, she couldn¡¯t believe what was happening in front of her.

    They did not move an inch, as if it was being grabbed by a titan.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    Astonishment painted her two eyes, as Yu Jitae approached her before she could even realise it, and grabbed her by her ear.

    ¡°Uhk!¡±

    His strength was so immense, that she was pulled along by Yu Jitae despite herrge build. In front of the existence that had escaped the boundaries of normal standards, the outstanding agent was simr to a young child.

    ¡°Aaaahk! Let go!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What kind of bastard are you! Huh!? Aak! Fuck. Let go damn it!¡±

    ¡°Just stay still.¡±

    ¡°Keuukk! Let go! You can¡¯t even stop us anyways! I have more than twenty subordinates. Do you know how many are here right now?!¡±

    She was right.

    In the short span of time where Yu Jitae was dealing with her, her subordinates had already left the underground facility like mad men.

    But after being pulled all the way outside by her ear, the leader doubted her own eyes. It was hard to understand why, but her subordinates were bound up, with their knees on the ground.

    And behind them¡­ there were angels in white clothes, with ck linen covering their eyes.

    No, they weren¡¯t angels. The things hanging behind their backs were extremely disparate, from their elegant appearances. Even if angels existed, there was no way that they would be having the wings of a bat behind their backs.

    It was one of the three great authorities that Yu Jitae had stolen from the Demon Archduke, alongside [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)] and [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)].

    [Punishment of an Archduke (SS)]

    It was a troop of fallen angels.

    ¡°Sleep for now.¡±

    [Knifehand Strike (D)]

    ¡°Kuk!¡±

    After striking the leader on the back of her neck, Yu Jitae threw all of them into the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]. Since it was a group of thirty withrge builds, the dark alternate dimension felt small.

    Because he was trying to suppress them without killing them, he had to use an authority which he didn¡¯t really like. In other words, he had to keep the 30-man special force alive, even if it was tedious.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)] reads the hostility sent from the other side of the Horizon of Providence.]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)] starts gathering the fragments of the revealed [Hostility].]

    It was because of this.

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 15.3%¡­]

    The percentage that hade to a stop at 15.1%, started slowly rising back up. As long as he kept on gaining more of this, [Vintage Clock (EX)] would gain information about ¡®that guy¡¯, who was on the other side of the Horizon of Providence.

    Thus, he had to diligently gather them.

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 15.5%¡­]

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 15.7%¡­]

    On the way to the [Underground Labyrinth], he stared at the status message. It felt like he was building up exp points ¨C the only exp points that could possibly stop the Apocalypse.

    Thus, he felt satisfied for the first time in a long time.

    ***

    BM thought to himself.

    It was a very strangebination.

    One day, the metal armour asked for a broomstick, and started sweeping the floor of the inner room, which was already clean, and the woman with a gentle look started wiping the floor with a rag.

    Was her name Ha Saetbyul?

    Maybe due to having their minds contaminated, they did not lie down in rxation despite being affected by the light falling down from the [Fragment of Paradise]. They moved as their instincts told them to, and repeated a habitual process.

    ¡°Hey. It¡¯s time for a meal.¡±

    The metal armour raised its body with a nk-, and Ha Saetbyul walked forward with an amiable smile. They both looked like they had a screw loose.

    BM gave Ha Saetbyul a soup and a simple sd which he had made, along with some bread. And for the metal armour, he passed over the fatty oil of a high-ranked beast. Instead of having a meal, it applied the oil of a beast on its body in satisfaction.

    They did not require meals, as the energy being emanated from [Fragment of Paradise] was more than enough. However, he decided that it was good to make a habit of eating things for the future, since they wouldn¡¯t be in here forever.

    After having a mouthful of the sd, Ha Saetbyul went ¡®hihi¡¯ and giggled.

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious. Thank you.¡±

    BM made a spection.

    The metal armour seemed to have been a housekeeper, judging from how he wiped and cleaned all day, while sometimes asking for some dishes to wash.

    However, he had no idea about the woman. She sometimes copied the metal armour and cleaned, but would suddenly ask, ¡°Are there any kids that need help?¡± time after time.

    When the metal armoury down after finishing cleaning up, the woman would ce the metal armour¡¯s head on herp and sing a luby.

    Maybe she was a mother of a baby, or perhaps¡­

    In fact, it had nothing to do with BM, since he didn¡¯t give affection out randomly, but today, an odd unknown feeling moved his heart, as he threw a question.

    ¡°How is this ce. I¡¯m not sure if you guys like it here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡±

    The response came from the metal armour, as its crimson eyes flickered like the ocean waves.

    ¡°Anything you need?¡±

    ¡°Nothing really, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°I looked around for a long time, but couldn¡¯t find the most important thing.¡±

    ¡°What were you looking for?¡±

    After stopping its hands that were moving the broomstick, the metal armour gazed off into a distance. Then, with a voice that sounded like the screeching sound of metals, it quietly asked a question.

    ¡°Where is mydy?¡±

    ¡°Yourdy?¡±

    ¡°¡­There is ady. There is ady I must protect, and there is ady that needs me. There are otherdies as well, but I have no clue where they are at.¡±

    Then, the metal armour nced around the surroundings.

    ¡°Do thosedies of yours need you?¡±

    ¡°They are all busy. The littledy would be left alone if I¡¯m not there. She needs me¡­¡±

    nkly, the metal armour stood there in ce, and seemed to be reminiscing in its memories.

    BM made a frown.

    The metal armour¡¯s reaction, was quite dangerous.

    He turned his gaze.

    ¡°Then what about you miss. Anything you need?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ha Saetbyul, who was biting through the sd, came to a stop. She then nkly stared at BM.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you want or need, say it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Anything?¡±

    ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For a split second, BM thought he was seeing things. With a face devoid of liveliness, Ha Saetbyul gave a faint smile.

    ¡°Can you kill me?¡±

    BM¡¯s hands that were pulling a piece of bread out, halted.

    ¡°That was a joke.¡±

    Then, she giggled ¡®hihi¡¯ again, as she ced the sd into her mouth.

    ¡°You surprised me there.¡±

    Letting out a snort, BM finished eating the bread, but he was feeling increasingly moreplex inside.

    These guys, they weren¡¯t in a good situation.

    It seemed that he needed to talk to Yu Jitae about them if he came by.

    *

    By the time they were almost done with their meals, a dimensional fissure was created in mid-air. The alternate dimension opened its mouth like a greedy anglerfish, as a man walked out from the darkness.

    ¡°Have you been well.¡±

    ¡°Ahh yes. It¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    In the middle of his greeting, BM¡¯s eyes shot wide open. From behind Yu Jitae¡¯s back, enormous things started revealing themselves.

 Chapter 68: Happy Happy Fitness (3)

    <h4>Chapter 68: Happy Happy Fitness (3)</h4>

    Since BM had some connection with the International Hunter Association, he immediately knew who they were.

    ¡°Ha¡­ this.¡±

    He clicked his tongue.

    Yu Jitae threw the 30-man special force team and sat them down alongside the wall. They were all thrashing around on the way, so the ¡®hands¡¯ had to block their mouths, but they all seemed to have calmed down now.

    Thirty people was a lot.

    However, the circr shaped ¡®inner room¡¯ had a surface area that was simr to a ser field, so there was no problem with keeping them all in this ce.

    ¡°This ce¡­ what was I¡­¡±

    The leader of the 30-man special force team was Bell Baryon, ranked 171st from the entire world. With a height reaching roughly 2.2 metres and arge build, she was a Mestizo woman from the Philippines.

    Bell had a half-vacant look on her face.

    ¡°Are you awake?¡±

    ¡°Ah, uh¡­¡±

    In response to Yu Jitae¡¯s words, her blurry eyes regained its focus.

    ¡°Where, is this¡­?¡±

    How should I exin this.

    It was a ce that isted these guys who had a problem with their heads, and would amodate them while having them stabilise their emotions.

    He came up with a simr word.

    ¡°A mental hospital.¡±

    ¡°From now on, you guys have to stay in this ce. From around three months to a year.¡±

    Yu Jitae spoke to the agents of the special force team.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying we need to stay in quarantine or something?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You guys should¡¯ve felt it yourselves, that your thoughts and emotions aren¡¯t going the way you want. This is because of a contact with an unnecessary object or existence.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Their eyes were widened, as if they had an idea of the cause, but that was forter.

    ¡°If you go out, someone will definitely be killed or hurt by your hands, and the victims could be your own family members. So just stay put and follow your orders.¡±

    ¡°Who, are you?¡±

    ¡°Well, just think of me as a doctor.¡±

    They weren¡¯t in their right minds, evident from how they honestly epted his words and murmured, ¡°I see¡±, ¡°A doctor huh¡­¡±.

    Their current situation was simr to an ice being dropped into a cup of hot water. If it melted sessfully and became room-temperature water, they would be stabilised, but currently their two statuses were greatly conflicting one another.

    Thus, their thoughts weren¡¯t normal.

    ¡°And this is the nurse.¡±

    He pointed at BM.

    ¡°Hooh. To think that ¡®BM¡¯ was working as a nurse as his second job¡­¡±

    Indeed, they weren¡¯t in their right minds.

    BM let out an emptyughter as if it was absurd, before swallowing a gulp of vodka.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see how your symptoms go and do the rest in the future. For now, you can stay here and rest to your heart¡¯s content.¡±

    ¡°¡­Wait.¡±

    That was when Bell raised her hand up.

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°We are¡­ soldiers.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t have a loss on ourbat power. I understand that we have to stay in this ce, but can we have ess to training equipment?¡±

    If it had been Yu Jitae from his sixth iteration he would have pped her here, shouting at her to know her ce. That was the best course of action, as there wouldn¡¯t be any cumbersome troubles, with them staying here quietly.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll prepare some for you.¡±

    So when those words left his own mouth, Yu Jitae realised that despite it being such a trivial matter, it was nheless, the proof of how he was a step closer to ¡®daily lives¡¯. Perhaps it was a habit that he had picked up while spending time as the children¡¯s guardian.

    Because he would¡¯ve given the children anything without a question, if they asked for something.

    ¡°Then, that will be the end of the exnation. Take out what you found inside the underground facility.¡±

    In response to his words, Bell carefully extended her hand forward. She was carrying a ck ziplock bag.

    Inside, there was a cigarette bud.

    This was simr to the ¡®protector¡¯s sword¡¯. It was probably used by Wei Yan, and the [Hostility] would have risen significantly while he was smoking it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep this.¡±

    Next, BM stood in front of them. He taught the 30-man special force team about the regtions of the ¡®inner room¡¯. As Ha Saetbyul spent time in this ce, he intentionally made the ce have day and night, and had taken in a TV, some newspapers as well as books.

    A systematic set of regtions were needed since various objects had been added to the ce.

    The soldiers nodded their heads at BM¡¯s words.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    BM nced across them.

    It felt rather refreshing.

    The 30-man special force team was originally famous for being a tough group of individuals. In the first ce, most of them were ex-convicts with criminal histories, and the association had formed a special team to make use of the superhuman criminals.

    Well in the first ce, there weren¡¯t that many physical-oriented superhumans these days that had clean histories.

    If swords broke, they would use fists, and would use their teeth to crush enemies if their fists were rendered unusable. Seeing such barbarians kneeling down like obedient kids was rather strange, and invoked augh.

    BM drank a mouthful of vodka.

    When 31 humans and 1 metal armoury down on the ground of the inner room, BM urgently called Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Do you have some time to spare?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    He talked about the things he had seen and felt.

    The metal armour expressed its nostalgia, while Ha Saetbyul mentioned her own death, although as a joke.

    Amon aspect of the two circumstances, was ¡®dissatisfaction¡¯. It was a phenomenon which shouldn¡¯t happen to people being showered by the light of [Fragment of Paradise].

    ¡°Even though they¡¯re mentally contaminated, this status still appears like a very dangerous one. The moment the light of the paradise disappears, their emotions will crash to the ground.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a nod, as BM¡¯s words were right. As if it waspletely unrted to himself, BM continued with an indifferent voice.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really understand. As long as you¡¯re breathing with a decent body, I think that should be satisfactory enough.¡±

    That was the thought of an old chimera engineer, but the Regressor shook his head.

    Does breathing equate to living? Even if every single day was unsatisfactory, would that be considered a life?

    It was then.

    ¡°Don¡¯te near me! Otherwise I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±

    A loud shout echoed inside the inner room. Ha Saetbyul had screamed as if in a seizure, and was ring at a woman of the special force team with a ferocious expression.

    ¡­It seemed that she required some chatting.

    *

    Yu Jitae called Ha Saetbyul over to a small room branching off of the ¡®inner room¡¯. Her gently bent eyes nced around the surroundings with a hazy gaze before reaching Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    ¡°Un. Hello.¡±

    Ha Saetbyulughed, ¡°hih¡­¡±.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know. Were you a doctor?¡±

    She had probably heard what he said. Yu Jitae gave a casual nod.

    ¡°Ah, that¡­ it was an ident just then. When I screamed at them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Ha Saetbyulughed.

    ¡°¡­Ah, and sorry aboutst time.¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°That, at your house. How I¡­¡±

    She then pretended to be swinging something, after perhaps thinking back on how she had gone on a rampage with a broken ss fragment.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t in the right mind back then. Normally I¡¯m scared of sharp things like that¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Once again, sheughed ¡°Uhihi.¡±

    ¡°Why did you call me? Is it the doctor making rounds?¡±

    ¡°Just for a little chat.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Just, about life.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ There¡¯s nothing much. In here, I just lie around and read magazines. Ah! But the magazines are super interesting.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Un. So I kept on reading the same magazine. It¡¯s this one.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul carried a magazine that was in tatters and waved it.

    ¡°I think I read it 50 times or so. I¡¯ve read it so many times that I can remember what¡¯s in every page; the words and the images. Do you want to try asking?¡±

    Yu Jitae received the magazine. It was an exercise magazine rted to fitness¡­ Ha Saetbyul in the past wasn¡¯t fond of exercises.

    ¡°Page 35. The first line.¡±

    ¡°Umm, umm. I know. It¡¯s about the correct way to squat. Underneath, there¡¯s the image of a male Chinese model. He has his shirt off for some reason, and his nipples are very big.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re correct.¡±

    ¡°Right? And, something else?¡±

    ¡°The image on page 55.¡±

    ¡°I know that. It¡¯s about a couple doing yoga. The man wearing purple tights is lying down on the floor, with the woman standing on his feet.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re correct.¡±

    A look of pride appeared on her face.

    He threw several other questions, and Ha Saetbyul gave the correct answer every time. After sharing questions and answers for some time, Ha Saetbyuly down on the table, and slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°When I see that magazine, I feel like I¡¯ll never be able to exercise.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°What if I get hurt.¡±

    ¡°You can heal it back up.¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t heal your memories.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul murmured with unfocused eyes.

    ¡°If I injure my shoulder during a pull-up, then it will stay as a memory and it¡¯ll be scary every time I do a pull-up.¡±

    ¡°Is that the case?¡±

    ¡°Am I the only one? But then what if I slip from a clifftop and end up hanging with only my hands¡­ I need to raise my body up, but I won¡¯t be able to do that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll still climb back up, doctor?¡±

    ¡°If I need to.¡±

    ¡°How lucky. But I¡­¡±

    Ha Saetbyul started twisting her hair into a circle.

    After a few seconds of silence, she started murmuring a story with a nk expression.

    ¡°In the past, there were lots of kids in our house. Kangjun, Heejun, Taejun. They were the 3 Juns. Bora, Heesoo, Hyunji¡­ they were all kind and beautiful kids. Ahh, it¡¯s not a house, and it¡¯s an orphanage. I¡¯m the teacher there.¡±

    Tilting her head, she continued her speech.

    ¡°When arge fissure was opened, we missed out on the timing and couldn¡¯t escape. The kids were inside the house, and fortunately the monsters walked past us. I ced the kids inside the bedroom and covered them with a nket. Then, I went out to the living room by myself and looked outside, because that was the direction where the monsters had gone.¡±

    This was the change that had happened in the Seventh Iteration.

    ¡°The owner was the first to run away, so it was just me and the kids. I was thinking of being the bait if need be. The youngest child back then was three years old, and was a crybaby that would cry all day from a paper cut. But then the International Hunter Association made a mistake ¨C a friendly fire. The cannonball came flying from behind. A thunderous sound was heard from the bedroom, I dashed in and¡­

    ¡°I was the only survivor.¡±

    She smiled, ¡®hih¡­¡¯.

    ¡°No, I was the one that killed them.¡±

    Then, she startedughing ¡®hihi¡¯.

    ¡°Later I went to the association and asked, and they instead asked me why we didn¡¯t follow the evacuation instructions. Hmm, it was my fault.¡±

    Therefore, Ha Saetbyul had detested superhumans and ended up signing a contract with the existence of the abyss, in this 7th iteration.

    ¡°After that, I can¡¯t really remember anything. It¡¯s ck¡­ as if there¡¯s something hidden¡­ I feel like I had be something different.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Un¡­ So everything I remember is about the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But those big ahjussis and ahjummas, they had the association badge in their chests¡­ I was surprised. It was my bad for shouting. Except for the fact that they belong to the association, there is nothing inmon between them and that situation, hih¡­ I need to apologise¡­¡±

    ¡°So, is it tough?¡±

    ¡°No? It should be tough, right¡­¡±

    Twisting her hair, Ha Saetbyul gave a smile.

    ¡°But I¡¯m happy.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Weird right? For some reason, I¡¯m constantly happy ever since I came here. It is weird. Someone like me has no right to be happy¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy even if I stay still, cleaning makes me happy, and reading the most boring magazine is still enjoyable. It¡¯s weird. That shouldn¡¯t be the case.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    nkly, she let out a sillyughter.

    ¡°Do you, also have a bad memory like me?¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly gave a nod.

    ¡°Those things are hard to forget, right.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Bad memories remain in a corner of the head for a long time. Those were hard to erase, and a catalyst was all that was needed to have it shooting back out.

    ¨C I¡¯m¡­ cold¡­

    That was the case even after more than 100 years have passed.

    And especially for kind people like Ha Saetbyul, such sorrows tended to stay for longer, because they med themselves at the same time.

    ¡°Taejun. Stay here and don¡¯t move.¡±

    It was then.

    With a hazy pair of eyes, Ha Saetbyul murmured.

    ¡°Heejun. You need to hold Taejun¡¯s hand.¡±

    ¡°Kangjun. Can you please listen to my words just for today?¡±

    ¡°Bora. Heesoo. Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯ll be fine as long as you stay here. I¡¯m with you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Soldier ahjussis wille to save us. You saw them on TV right. They¡¯lle to our house, and if you¡¯re noisy, you¡¯ll be thest one to be saved.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared at all.¡±

    ¡°Un. I¡¯m fine. Soldier ahjussis wille soon, so there¡¯s no need to be scared.¡±

    ¡°Al-right. Well done. Cover yourselves with nkets, and pull your feet in. It¡¯ll be noisy so block your ears.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go to the living room to see what¡¯s happening outside. You guys have to stay here without going anywhere.¡±

    ¡°For how long? Hmm¡­ let¡¯s count up to 10,000 together okay?¡±

    ¡°After you guys count up to 10,000¡­¡±

    Suddenly, her words came to a stop. Ha Saetbyul started giggling in a silly manner, and after a long time, she opened her mouth with a soft voice.

    ¡°Doctor¡­ a person with an injured shoulder will be scared when doing a pull-up, right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very scared of living. Maybe my heart was the one that was crushed.¡±

    While giving a sorrowful smile, she asked.

    ¡°¡­Should someone like me, still live on?¡±

 Chapter 69: Happy Happy Fitness (4)

    <h4>Chapter 69: Happy Happy Fitness (4)</h4>

    Painful memories of the past were holding onto her ankles, stopping her from reaching for the future. That was Ha Saetbyul¡¯s current situation.

    As if she was powerless, her eyes contained no energy.

    ¡°Hingi¡­¡±

    Ssh.

    Limpily, Ha Saetbyuly down on top of the table. With her eyes staring past the window at the [Fragment of Paradise] hanging down from the ceiling, she murmured to herself.

    ¡°So I thought about it for some time¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll be at ease if I got rid of my memories¡­ I heard there was a superhuman hypnotist that could erase memories for you¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you erase people¡¯s memories as well, doctor?¡±

    Slowly, Yu Jitae gave a nod.

    ¡°How convenient would it be, to turn everything to nothing.¡±

    ¡°It would be.¡±

    ¡°Un. Since I¡¯m a superhuman, having a blessing rted to being an operator, I can find a few decent licences and find a job at the government¡­ Operator is a popr job right. I can find a good workce and earn enough sry, hih¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m quite cute right¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Uung?¡±

    She then raised and tilted her head with her two fists on her cheeks. When she received no reaction from Yu Jitae, sheughed ¡®hihi¡¯ as if she was embarrassed.

    ¡°¡­Sorry. Ahh! Whyy~~ I was quite popr, you know. There were three teachers in the orphanage, but all the boys liked me the most¡­ people say I look like a rabbit.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m 26 years old, so I¡¯m at the peak of my youth right¡­ I want to be a gold digger¡­ so I¡¯ll find a handsome rich man, and marry him. Giving birth is scary but¡­ I should be happy after all that¡­¡±

    Heaving out a sigh, Ha Saetbyul spoke with a sunken voice.

    ¡°But I can¡¯t do that, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The kids died because of my misjudgment, and they are only living inside my memories now. Hihi¡­ If I forget those kids, then they won¡¯t be remembered by anyone else.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Those kids, will really die then.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hih¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do. I can¡¯t lose my memories, but it¡¯s hard to live on without forgetting them.¡±

    After driving her head into the desk, she twisted her hair into a mess.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seeing how he was still silent, Ha Saetbyul opened her mouth.

    ¡°Give me my prescriptions please.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any.¡±

    ¡°Ehng. I thought you were a doctor¡­¡±

    Ha Saetbyul wanted to lose her memories, but those shouldn¡¯t be forgotten. And because they couldn¡¯t be forgotten, she had to live on while embracing those memories.

    That was why she was asking him this.

    ¡°¡­How am I supposed to live in the future?¡±

    He replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°¡­What. That¡¯s not what a doctor is supposed to say.¡±

    The Regressor gazed into her eyes with a hazy look.

    If he wanted to console her, it would be possible albeit awkward.

    Even then, you have to live with your two feet firmly on the ground, and you have to live with an atoning heart.

    He could¡¯ve also said something conceptual, like how humans were forgetful creatures.

    However, he didn¡¯t say that.

    He also could¡¯ve created an enemy in her heart to lessen her mental burden:

    It was the association¡¯s fault for friendly fire. It was the demons¡¯ fault for waging a war.

    It¡¯s the Hostility¡¯s fault foring from the other side of the Horizon of Providence.

    It¡¯s my fault for not saving the world with six regressions.

    It¡¯s the era¡¯s fault, for being the way it is.

    However, despite all those possibilities, he didn¡¯t say them.

    Words that reced all those possibilities and stuck its head out, were based on his honest opinions that he umted throughout his life.

    With a dry voice, the Regressor opened his mouth.

    ¡°There is no correct answer in life.¡±

    ¡°¡­Un?¡±

    ¡°How you¡¯re supposed to live ispletely up to you. There is no correct answer in life and you shouldn¡¯t seek an answer from someone else.¡±

    In the past, there was a time when he had the exact same thought.

    First iteration. Yu Jitae¡¯s age: 46. Ranking: 9917.

    During the war against the demons, fighting under the Korean banner, the empress of pop culture, Luna who had given a significant musical shock to the entire world whileing out on the top of the billboard,mitted suicide, which marked the beginning of the attack of the dragons. Thus came the end of the world.

    Second iteration. Yu Jitae¡¯s age: 32. Ranking: 847.

    He fought against a catastrophe-level demon during the war and lost his lover in the process. After returning to the camp, Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t fight his PTSD andmitted suicide, which marked the end of the world¡¯s timeline.

    Third iteration. Yu Jitae¡¯s age: 45. Ranking: 45.

    After 18 years of living in the dungeons with his back turned against the world, while he was half-crazily killing monsters and demons, the actress of the century, Ieyeta G.D.mitted suicide and thus started the raid of the dragons which ended the world¡¯s timeline.

    Fourth iteration. Yu Jitae¡¯s age: 46. Ranking: 3¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    .

    The world had discarded him over and over.

    If only he could die, he would have.

    ¡°If you want to die, you can.¡±

    His words struck Ha Saetbyul¡¯s ears with a thud.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing worth expecting in your life, it is better to end it right now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    To prove his words, Yu Jitae took out a dagger from his internal alternate dimension. Then, he ced it in front of Ha Saetbyul on the desk, as her gaze sank down.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She picked up the dagger, and touched the de with her index finger with a nk expression.

    ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to die¡­ think of things you can expect.¡±

    The world repeated itself, and he was unable to die. In order to survive, he needed to change his thought process. So what made people live on?

    ¡°¡­Expectation?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ha Saetbyul wore a dumb expression.

    The answer he found was this.

    ¡°Expectation drives people¡¯s lives.¡±

    People ate delicious meals with the expectation of a good experience;

    And people fasted and exercised with the expectation of a good experience.

    People married while having expectations for happy lives;

    And people divorced due to having expectations for a happier life.

    People lived on due to the expectations of a better future;

    And people died due to being unable to have expectations of a better future.

    ¡°Is there still something worth expecting for you?¡±

    The sharpened de cut her finger, as a drop of blood travelled down the de.

    ¡°¡­I.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s even the slightest thing in the world that is worth expecting, you don¡¯t have to die.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul¡¯s hands came to a stop.

    ¡°You talked about marrying and having a child. Is that your honest thought? Making a family with a rich and handsome man?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re wishing for a marriage, and are hoping for happiness after giving birth, you don¡¯t have to die in this ce right now.¡±

    With a smile, Ha Saetbyul lowered her gaze. Then, after a long time of silence, she carefully opened her mouth.

    ¡°The thing about marriage was a joke.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°B, but! I still have something worth expecting. But it¡¯s really far.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s way too far. I can¡¯t see it, and I don¡¯t think I can reach it either.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m small and weak.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul fidgeted with her fingers.

    ¡°At the start, I hated the association, andter I hated myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Even now, I detest myself and the association. But now¡­ I hate something even more than that. I don¡¯t like this era, because I wasn¡¯t the only one that ended up like this.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why did everything have to turn out like this. Why did the kids have to die. Why do I have to be a sinner¡­¡±

    Afterughing, ¡°Hih¡­¡± she covered her face with her two hands.

    ¡°My expectation is this. I want to change this era, so that there are no more orphanage teachers like me. But, what can I do. It¡¯s so obvious that I¡¯ll stumble on the way there¡­ How can I change this era. To be honest, I won¡¯t ever reach it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t reach it.¡±

    As death, emotions, and hellish senses of loss repeated itself, to the point he became numb to them, the impetus that drove him on regardless, in search for the happiness of the dragons was¡­

    ¡°The time you spend reaching for it, is life.¡±

    When a single expectation seeded in creating one¡¯s attitude facing life, it followed thew of inertia from then on.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you want to die, then die. But if you want to live, then kill your past self.¡±

    The smile vanished from Ha Saetbyul¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Open your eyes and live the present.¡±

    Her fingers twisting her hair came to a stop. While wearing a nk expression as if she felt something, her fingers slipped down to the desk.

    If you want to live,

    If you must live¡­

    In a soft voice, she whispered.

    ¡°¡­Can a person like me have expectations?¡±

    He gave a nod.

    Unfortunately, even if someone had expectations, those goals wouldn¡¯t be unconditionally fulfilled, but the process of running towards the goal was life. Achieving it was a different story.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    However, her expectations won¡¯t be betrayed.

    Because he was in the middle of changing this era.

    ***

    If you want to live, you must change the era, and you must do whatever you can in order to change the era.

    Despite having a cloudy mind, that was the conclusion Ha Saetbyul came to after understanding Yu Jitae¡¯s words. Therefore, she first went up to the soldier of the special force team, whom she had shouted at.

    This person was a grateful person who was trying her hardest to change the era.

    ¡°Hih¡­ umm.¡±

    ¡°Ooohh?¡±

    She was a ckdy, who was at least two heads taller than herself, with her shoulders being wider than Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Sorry about that. Sorry for screaming all of a sudden¡­¡±

    ¡°Hoho¡­ that¡¯s alright. I sometimes do that to my husband¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah really? Hih¡­¡±

    ¡°Hoho¡­ Last week. Damn it¡­ Suddenly he was trying to leave the house in the middle of the night, trying to drink with his friends you know¡­? I got married to a scoundrel that drinks all day¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh my¡­ then what did you do?¡±

    ¡°I had to force him to stay inside¡­¡±

    ¡°Ohh¡­ did you lock the door?¡±

    The agent took out a mana gun from her waist and pointed it at her.

    ¡°Hohohohoh¡­!¡±

    There was an even more efficient method¡­!

    ¡°Ahahaht¡­!¡±

    In any case, the woman had fortunately received her word of apology, and Ha Saetbyul chatted with her in a good mood.

    *

    Sitting while facing the wall, Ha Saetbyulughed to herself, ¡®huhuh¡¯ and contemted.

    What could she do right now?

    Spending time in this ce was satisfactory, and thus, anything she did would be satisfactory. However, she couldn¡¯t exactly think of what to do.

    The most important thing was for her to get stronger. She was weak, and that was the reason she couldn¡¯t protect the children.

    So how could she be stronger¡­?

    *

    However.

    The change started from apletely random ce.

    ¡°Hoho. Miss Ha. Do you want to exercise together¡­?¡±

    That was the suggestion that came from an agent of the special force team whom she had apologised to a few days ago.

    Ahh? Thinking back, the other side of the inner room had been rowdy from a few days ago, and it sounded like they were undergoing construction. She had nced past it due to her hazy mind, but now that she properly looked at it, she realised that there was a building resembling a container ced near the edge.

    ¡°Exercise? Ooh¡­ that would be good.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul was still not in her right mind, and it required a lot of time for her to understand what ¡®exercise¡¯ meant, when it came from a woman who had an arm thicker than her waist. The moment she opened the door of the container building, an otherworldly gym weed her.

    ¡°Uaaah¡­!¡±

    ¡°Kuaaat¡­!¡±

    Inside the container:

    Soldiers of the special force let out roars filled with delight and madness, while raising dumbbells the size of humans, with but one arm.

    ¡°Kuaaaaaht!¡±

    The agents doing dumbbell curls were sitting on chairs, and those chairs were connected to a thick metal bar, which was being used by another agent doing a bench press.

    ¡°Uwaaaaaah!¡±

    ¡°Oi! Brandon! Is that all you got? That¡¯s why you¡¯re still without kids. Wahahah!¡±

    Those words touched his pride.

    ¡°Should I chuck you¨C! Or not¨C!!¡±

    ¡°Chuck us!¡±

    With a scream, the agent threw the bar up without being able to hold his strength back, so the two agents doing dumbbell curls ended up smashing into the ceiling.

    ¡°Jik!¡±

    ¡°Kyarb!¡±

    Letting out streams of blood from their noses, they screamed after dropping down to the floor.

    ¡°Ouch! Kuhuhu! You¡¯re full of strength so what¡¯s the reason¡­!¡±

    ¡°So the bottom was the problematic one huh! Hahat!¡±

    Meanwhile, Ha Saetbyul was wearing a faint smile, but her pupils were shivering to the sides.

    ¡°Hih¡­¡±

    Something was wrong.

    Ha Saetbyul instinctively realised that something was going wrong, and she took a few steps back with a nk expression.

    ¡°Hoho. Where are you going?¡±

    A voice of the female soldier reached her ear from the side.

    ¡°Hihi¡­ t, this¡­¡±

    ¡°I heard the story¡­ Saetbyul. You said you wanted to be stronger right?¡±

    ¡°T, that¡­ hehe.¡±

    She had indeed said that to BM.

    ¡°Our leader told us this. She¡¯s Bell Baryon¡­ you know her right?¡±

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m mentally prepared yet¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the strongest warrior from our group. Bell says this every time. You train and you be stronger! Hoho¡­¡±

    Ha Saetbyul quickly walked backward. The door was right behind her, so she just had to walk a few more steps¡­!

    Click.

    That was when a mana gun touched her back.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡±

    It was unclear when she had gone behind her, but the agent was pointing a gun at her.

    ¡°That, the¡­ hih¡­¡±

    ¡°Apparently the light in this ce heals your wounds¡­ so it¡¯s the best ce for training¡­ hoho.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Should we be stronger together?¡±

    With a face filled with sorrow, Ha Saetbyulughed.

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    *

    ¡°Kkng.¡±

    ¡°Eight-hundred and forty-two.¡±

    ¡°Kkuaang¡­!¡±

    ¡°Eight-hundred and forty-three.¡±

    After ages of doing a pull-up with another agent behind her back, Ha Saetbyulughed and cried.

    ¡°Kkuuu¡­! Hehe¡­¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t go all the way up. Eight-hundred and forty-three.¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­¡±

    Drop.

    Unable to endure anymore, she let go of the bar and dropped down on the floor.

    ¡°Oh no. You haven¡¯t even done a thousand reps yet, so how dare you¡­¡±

    Regardless of what was being said above her, the exhausted Ha Saetbyul looked forward with a hazy gaze. Near the entrance of the storage, was the name of the gym which was personally written by BM.

    [Happy Happy Fitness]

    ¡°Hihi¡­¡±

    It was a name that automatically put a smile on her face.

 Chapter 70: A baby chicken picked up by the baby chicken (1)

    <h4>Chapter 70: A baby chicken picked up by the baby chicken (1)</h4>

    ¡°That was a nice, short lecture.¡±

    ¡°I know right.¡±

    Kaeul walked out through the exit with her friends andughed.

    There was a lecture on ¡®Spirit Beasts and Taming¡¯ today. Animals that harboured mana in their bodies and awakened to a blessing were called spirit beasts. Originally, it was meant to be a 2-hour lecture, but it ended when they were 30 minutes into the lecture today, so the cadets were in a good mood.

    ¡°By the way, you know how the professor was in a hurry. Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°From what I heard, I think there was an issue with the spirit beast breeding centre.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    One of the cadets widened their eyes with shock.

    ¡°Well, they¡¯ll figure it out somehow right. Anyway, we have some free time; do you want to go ride a d-pang*?¡±

    ¡°D-pang? Let¡¯s go.¡±

    While the cadets were excitedly sharing a conversation, Kaeul asked.

    ¡°Me too, me too! But what¡¯s a d-pang?¡±

    Hearing that, the cadets became flustered.

    ¡°Aigo, right.¡±

    ¡°Oops¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? Why, why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of ride, that goes up and down.¡±

    ¡°Ohh, okay?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ but there¡¯s one problem.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s inside the entertainment district¡­¡±

    Thinking to herself, ¡®Ah I see¡¯, Kaeul gave a nod.

    In the past, Yu Jitae had told her to avoiding into contact with reporters at all cost, with a rare serious expression. Thus, Kaeul could not visit the entertainment district during this time, because people unrted to Lair were allowed into the entertainment area.

    There would be reporters in that ce, and although unfortunate, there was nothing she could do about it.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, so go and have fun.¡±

    ¡°Un. See you tomorrow Kaeul.¡±

    After sending her friends on the way, Kaeul sat down alone on a bench in a nearby park. Then, she started humming a song and pped her legs back and forth.

    She could see her own breath forming a mist. The winter sky seemed very tall, and the leafless branches appeared rather empty.

    Rustle.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    That was when something moved behind the bushes.

    ¡°Oing?¡±

    Kaeul widened her eyes.

    What was itt?

    She walked up with curiosity and observed what was inside.

    [img loading=zy" src="https://i1.wp/rainingtl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Chapter-70-Kaeul-the-baby-chicken-2.jpg?resize=840%2C615&ssl=1" alt="" width="840" height="615" srcset="https://i1.wp/rainingtl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Chapter-70-Kaeul-the-baby-chicken-2.jpg?w=786&ssl=1 786w, https://i1.wp/rainingtl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Chapter-70-Kaeul-the-baby-chicken-2.jpg?resize=300%2C219&ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp/rainingtl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Chapter-70-Kaeul-the-baby-chicken-2.jpg?resize=768%2C562&ssl=1 768w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" data-recalc-dims="1" /]

    There she saw a bundle of yellow fur through the gaps between the leaves, which quickly ran away. ¡°Ah, helloo¡± said Kaeul, but the furry creature distanced itself without a response.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae appeared.

    ¡°Ah, yes ahjussi!¡±

    Even while on the way back, Kaeul seemed quite disappointed, and repeatedly turned around.

    The furry ball was already long gone.

    The day after was a weekend.

    Whenever it was mealtime, Gyeoul ran into Bom¡¯s room with a beaming smile.

    She opened her treasure box ¨C Bom¡¯s drawer. Inside was a pile of leaflets. Scanning through them, Gyeoul decided on the menu with a bright smile and ran towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul carefully handed the leaflet over to him.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Recently, she had started gaining more interest in food and was trying all sorts of new dishes. So yesterday, they had eaten flounder sashimi; salmon sashimi the day before, and had gotten yellowtail sashimi before that.

    ¡­What sashimi would it be today? Thinking that, Yu Jitae received it.

    On top of the te inside the leaflet, there were several pink fleshes of fish. Next to that was boiled pork and there were neatly arranged kimchis in the middle of the te.

    It was a Korean-style dish and its name was¡­

    ¡°Skate sashimi?¡±

    Nod nod.

    Was it okay to feed her this? Yu Jitae pondered for some time.

    She was a blue dragon that usually ate fish instead of snacks, so he hadn¡¯t stopped her from eating sashimi before, but ¡®skate¡¯ was a different story.

    While wearing a smile, Gyeoul tilted her head.

    Gaze: ???

    ¡°Alright. But you can leave some food today.¡±

    Since she usually ate everything on the te, Yu Jitae told her that.

    Soon, the delivery came.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    And when she smelled ¡®samhab*¡¯ for the first time in her life, confusion appeared on Gyeoul¡¯s face, as she looked up at him.

    Gaze: ???

    Fermented skate contained with it the smell of ammonia, and it would be an unfamiliar smell to Gyeoul, who didn¡¯t go to the toilet herself.

    ¡°You can¡¯t eat it?¡±

    Shake¡­ shake¡­

    Even then, Gyeoul carefully raised her spork, and with stiff movements, she picked up a piece of skate sashimi and slowly ced it into her mouth.

    She chewed it once.

    Crunch¡­

    It was a culture shock. For some reason, the sashimi was crunchy. It was extremely salty, sour and, and¡­

    Something wasing up¡­!

    ¡°¡­Kkubuuhh.¡±

    Gyeoul squinted her eyes and sniffed her nose. Her hand holding the spork didn¡¯t know where to go, as a drop of tear soon appeared in her eyes.

    As expected, it seemed to have been a fail. It was a great dish to people that enjoyed that vour, but was a terrible one to those that didn¡¯t.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Aftering to herself, Gyeoul held the spork upside down, and started ring at the skate sashimi. With a teary pair of eyes, she looked at Yu Jitae, then red at the food. While biting on her lips, her eyes didn¡¯t know where to look.

    ¡°Have the meat. I¡¯ll eat this.¡±

    When Yu Jitae raised a bunch of skate sashimis with his chopsticks, Gyeoul suddenly held tightly onto his sleeves.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    ¡°I can eat it.¡±

    Shake shake shake shake.

    Gyeoul frantically stopped him. Her facial expression was considerably grim and resolute, as if she was stopping him from eating poisonous food.

    Even today, the Regressor had no idea what was up with the child, but what was clear was that he had to eat thister.

    ¡°I¡¯m backk.¡±

    That was when Kaeul opened the door and walked in. She looked a bit energyless today.

    ¡°What happened.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You seem to have no energy.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing¡­ ohh! What¡¯s this. Meat and sashimi?¡±

    He ordered arge size so there was still plenty remaining. With sparkling eyes, Kaeul sat down on her seat but her expression soon became the same as Gyeoul.

    ¡°Kkuuuh¡­!¡±

    *

    ¡°Ahjussi. Can you give me one second.¡± said Bom, with a fairly serious expression.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Your ear please¡­¡±

    What was it.

    Yu Jitae remained still, so Bom walked up till she was in front of one of his ears.

    She opened her mouth and¡­

    Suddenly, his ear was bitten.

    Feeling perplexed in an instant, Yu Jitae pulled his head back and found Bom watching him with a slightly ted look on her face.

    ¡°¡­I thought you had a question.¡±

    ¡°When did I say that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As Yu Jitae shook his head in resignation, the excited Bom chuckled out loud.

    ¡°Haa¡­ that was fun¡­ anyway, that was a joke. I actually have something to say regarding Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She looked kind of gloomy these days. I think she might need some of your help, ahjussi.¡±

    Bom said that with a mysterious expression.

    Yu Jitae remembered how Kaeul had been looking through the bushes the day before when she was alone. Maybe she was looking for something. And thinking back, she had appeared powerless ever since, and since she always had her energy overflowing out, even Yu Jitae could spot the anomaly.

    There must have been something in there.

    He found Kaeul, who was staring outside from the veranda.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Mommy¡­!¡±

    Kaeul was startled and fluttered her arms around because he hadn¡¯t given signs of his approach.

    ¡°Why?!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Ah, nothing. I was just looking outside.¡±

    Her body was facing the entertainment district. Perhaps she wanted to go there and y, but there were time periods where outsiders of Lair weren¡¯t allowed in, so that shouldn¡¯t be the case since she could visit it then.

    ¡°Why. Is there something there?¡±

    ¡°No?!¡±

    ¡°There is.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°So there is.¡±

    ¡°¡­Umm, t, there is nothing though!¡±

    I see. So there was something.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Uhmm. That, uhh¡­ actuallyy.¡±

    Kaeul carefully opened her mouth.

    ¡°There¡¯s a baby chicken.¡±

    ¡°A baby chicken?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a baby chicken. Ites out there a lot.¡±

    The direction she was pointing at, was the middle area between the entertainment and the academy district, and was also where he had picked her up a few days ago.

    ¡°It¡¯s a wild baby chicken. I see it often, but feels like it¡¯s not opening its heart up to me.¡±

    Seeing a wild baby chicken often?

    Yu Jitae tilted his head.

    It was cold, and the wintery weather even froze the puddles of water in the streets. A baby chicken wasn¡¯t an animal that could be seen often in the city, in a weather like this.

    So it probably wasn¡¯t a normal baby chicken.

    ¡°In any case, I saw it three to four times, but it ran away every single time. I was just worried and wanted to help because of the cold weather.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I see.¡±

    ¡°So you know. There¡¯s this thing I really want to ask.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°When you meet someone for the first time, how do you open their hearts up?¡±

    He reflected on his own experiences. When meeting someone for the first time, he would often point swords and guns at them.

    ¡­This wasn¡¯t a good choice.

    Then what else would there be; when he first met Bom, he had threatened her, and in Yeorum¡¯s case, Bom was the one that started the conversation. And when he first met Kaeul¡­

    Ah.

    ¡°Why? Do you have a good idea?¡±

    He had lured her in with food.

    ¡°Ohh¡­! Ahjussi you¡¯re a genius¡­!¡±

    *

    That night, Yu Jitae threw three eggs into a pot of boiling water. After boiling for around 10 minutes,

    Crack.

    He took the hard-boiled eggs out and separated the egg yolks. When he looked it up, it seemed that yolks were used to feed baby chickens. For a split second, he thought it was rather ironic to feed eggs to baby chickens, but they apparently liked it.

    Then, he headed to the academy district with Kaeul and Gyeoul.

    ording to Kaeul, the baby chicken appeared in the bushes in front of the school building everyday for the past few days, during this period of time.

    ¡°Here?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­!¡±

    Kaeul hid herself behind the bushes, but her gold-coloured hair was very eye-catching so she was still easy to find. Yu Jitae also killed his presence and crouched down next to her, as Gyeoul also wore a rather serious expression.

    After they waited like that for some time.

    Rustle¨C

    Something appeared from the other side.

    A bright yellowish fur, an ivory beak and a ck pair of eyes; as well as its size that was slightly bigger than a fist.

    Its furry body was smeared all around with dust, and appeared extremely dirty.

    Chirp.

    It was a fairlyrge baby chicken, and Yu Jitae saw through it with a nce.

    That was a spirit beast. However, it wasn¡¯t from Earth, and it must have been taken from the dungeons or something while it was still inside an egg.

    Chirp, chirp.

    After chirping a few times, the baby chicken brought its beak down to the ground. There was food waste in the nearby areas, and it seemed to be eating those leftovers.

    Gyeoul pulled on Yu Jitae¡¯s sleeves.

    Gaze: !

    Right. It really came.

    Then, Gyeoul held onto Kaeul¡¯s skirt, as Kaeul whispered with her body frozen stiff.

    ¡®Y, you¡¯re very flustered, Gyeoul¡­! C, calm down. Gyeoul. Calm¡­!¡¯

    She was several times more flustered herself.

    Huu, haa, huu, haa.

    After breathing in and out, she carefully took out a bowl from her pocket, and approached the baby chicken.

    ¡°¡­H, hello?¡±

    The baby chicken urgently raised its head up, and became stiff. Due toing into contact several times with the baby chicken, Kaeul knew how quickly it escaped. Thus, she pushed the bowl forward instead of speaking for a long time.

    ¡°E, eat this¡­ It¡¯s food. Food.¡±

    Since she had been rejected several times during the past few days, Kaeul was considerably careful with her movements.

    ¡°You¡¯re hungry right¡­? This, is delicious¡­¡±

    When Kaeul carefully took a step closer towards it, the baby chicken kept a fixed distance apart from her, and took a step back. Nervously, Gyeoul held tightly onto Yu Jitae¡¯s sleeves, while Kaeul ced the bowl down before pulling herself back again.

    ¡°T, there you go.¡±

    Only when Kaeul disappeared from its sight did the baby chicken sneak up and point its beak at the food.

    ¡®It worked¡­!¡¯

    Watching on from the other side of the bush, Kaeul gripped her hand into a tight fist.

    After emptying the bowl, the baby chicken waddled with a swaying butt and disappeared into the distance.

    *

    ¡°Huhuhuh~~.¡±

    Kaeul prepared its food once a day ever since that happened. Although the baby chicken was still cautious of Kaeul, it didn¡¯t stay vignt against the food, and diligently consumed the feed with a dirty beak.

    Chirp chirp!

    And once it finished the food, it would chirp once before walking away.

    ¡°Uwahh¡­! It emptied the food today as well!¡±

    Kaeul appeared very proud.

    ¡°Uuhh, but I still feel it¡¯s a shame.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I want to touch it. So furry and¡­ it¡¯s dirty as well. I want to wipe it with a wet tissue or something.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae thought to himself, whether it would be dangerous or not.

    The baby chicken was a spirit beast, not a monster, and such bird-type spirit beasts were generally mild. After bing adults, bird spirit beasts also formed a society simr to humans, alongside the bird-people.

    So it should be fine, and he decided to be less concerned about it.

    Chirp!

    That day, the baby chicken emptied the bowl again, before chirping as if to say thanks. On the way back, Kaeul opened her mouth with a smile.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine now. I should be fine by myself!¡±

    *

    But the next day.

    The baby chicken didn¡¯t show up.

    ¡°Uh¡­?¡±

    Kaeul, who hade alone with the bowl, waited for a long time. Since she had seen it everyday for almost a week, the fact that it suddenly stoppeding made her feel worried.

    However, the baby chicken did not show up till the end.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Carefully, Kaeul walked to the ce where the baby chicken always stood and brought her nose next to it.

    Taking in the smell of the spirit beast, she concentrated and found a direction to walk in while reflecting on the smell. After walking for a long time, Kaeul¡¯s feet came to a stop.

    The smell of the baby chicken wasing from somewhere inside the ¡®entertainment district¡¯.

    And,

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    There was also the smell of other spirit beasts mixed with it.

 Chapter 71: A baby chicken picked up by the baby chicken (2)

    <h4>Chapter 71: A baby chicken picked up by the baby chicken (2)</h4>

    ¡°¡­¡±

    On top of a tall clock tower, Yu Jitae was sitting down gazing off to a distance after killing his presence to the max.

    His gaze was fixed on Kaeul.

    Although she said she could go by herself, he didn¡¯t let her. Was it because he couldn¡¯t trust her? No; instead it was more so that everything regarding Kaeul required conviction.

    It was because Kaeul¡¯s heart was especially more delicate than Bom, Yeorum and Gyeoul.

    Unaware of his gaze, Kaeul was running somewhere with short strides as her blonde hair fluttered behind her.

    But for some reason, the baby chicken didn¡¯t appear today. Kaeul was flustered.

    She got on all fours, and ced her face near the ground. Then, she nkly stayed still for a long time, perhaps recalling her memories.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Soon, Kaeul started running in the direction heading to the entertainment district. She must be tracking the baby chicken¡¯s smell.

    Yu Jitae raised his body.

    But before long, her feet came to a stop.

    Kaeul hesitated.

    *

    This sticky, stinky smell¡­ where did I smell this before? Hmm¡­ Ah, was it from that cat that I saw in the Amazon?

    Nn? A cat? Did something happen to my Chirpy?

    S, should I go? I¡¯m a dragon as well. I can run if I want to, and I can run before things like reporters can find me.

    Can¡¯t I just run in and take the chicken out?

    Auh, uah, I should have learned teleportation magic from Bom-unni¡­ If I did, I could have jumped in and out after taking the baby chicken¡­!

    But, but¡­ I promised that I would never go to where the reporters are with ahjussi! If I go in, that would go against the promise I made with him¡­

    Ah¡­

    I think I remember Yeorum-unni saying that promises are meant to be broken¡­

    No, but mum told me to keep promises like you would with your life¡­

    What should I do.

    What should I do. What should I do. What should I do. What should I do. What should I do¡­

    Ah, I really must be an idiot.

    I should¡¯ve brought the baby chicken home earlier. You know how cold and dangerous it is outside. Why did you hesitate?

    Idiot Yu Kaeul. You fool. Why did you do that? Is giving food all you can do?

    But, mum told me to think a hundred times before bringing someone into the house¡­ she said living together is a different problem¡­

    Kauel came to her senses.

    Without even realising it, her legs had started running already.

    Entertainment district.

    Every building was filled with leisure activities and there were several people in cadet uniforms as well as their guardians, and she could also see teachers and staff members in blue name badges.

    In between all that, there were also white name badges symbolising reporters and people rted to the media.

    With a oops, she realised that she was running bare-faced, and althoughte, Kaeul covered her face with her two hands. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t anyone that stopped her as she urgently dashed forward.

    Even with her face covered, she was precisely aware of the direction she was to run in, and after running for a long time, she arrived at a quiet alleyway as she gasped for breath.

    Should be near this ce¡­

    It was then.

    Meow!

    Chirp!

    From the other side of the alleyway, she heard a sharp cry of a cat and the chirping of a baby chicken.

    In surprise, she headed to the corner, and stealthily gazed at the inside of the alleyway.

    There were threerge cats frantically jumping and dashing forward, with their ws out, attacking something. Some of them were then hit by something as they rolled around.

    And in the middle of the cats¡­

    A yellow furry ball!

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Startled, Kaeul raised her body.

    ¡®Nn?¡¯

    If she hadn¡¯t sensed something weird, Kaeul would¡¯ve ran out immediately.

    ¡®Huh? Ehng? What¡¯s happening?¡¯

    Kaeul once again hid her body and watched the situation unfold. The furry ball¡¯s fluttering wing became slightlyrger as it smacked the cat on its cheek.

    m!

    Letting out a meow!, the cat tumbled down.

    However, there was another cat on the side running in at the baby chicken with its sharp ws.

    Kaeul was confused yet again. Now that she had some time to see things straight, she realised that the cats were standing on two feet. How was this possible?

    Soon, the story with her friends from a few days ago, floated in her head.

    ¨C By the way, you know how the professor was in a hurry. Did something happen?

    ¨C From what I heard, I think there was an issue with the spirit beast breeding centre.

    Spirit beast breeding centre?

    Don¡¯t tell me¡­

    sh! Chirp!

    Struck by the ws of the cat, the baby chicken fell down. A small wound was formed, as blood flowed out from the head and painted the yellow fur in red.

    From the sudden turn of events, Kaeul was unable to act.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae arrived nearby. He stood on the rooftop of a building, as he watched on.

    Meow!

    The cats raised their voices sharply. Anyone listening would only hear the growling of a cat, but Yu Jitae was able to understand the underlying meaning behind it.

    [Fallen Babel (S)]

    It was thanks to a skill which he had earned from an adult dragon.

    Although Kaeul also had [Fallen Babel (S)], she was still young andcked an in-depth understanding of magic spells and skills. She probably couldn¡¯t understand the words of the spirit beasts.

    Meanwhile, the cats threatened with their sharp ws.

    Meow!

    ¡®This will be the end!¡¯

    Then, the cat immediately dashed towards the baby chicken that was on the ground, but the chicken responded by slowly raising its head. Its ck eyes shed in blue.

    [Repetitive Beak Blows (D)]

    Pabababak!

    The beak containing mana resembled a woodpecker, as it repeatedly pecked at the cats. Meow! Two of the cats fell down in an instant, which was soon followed by the mackerel-coloured cat, thergest within the mix, which copsed after being pecked on its nose.

    However, the baby chicken wasn¡¯t unharmed either, as it had been struck on the side by the ws of the cat.

    Silence befell the area.

    Meow¡­

    ¡®Kuuk¡­ not bad Razor¡­¡¯

    The wounded mackerel-coloured cat stood up with a stumble.

    Chirp.

    ¡®Now stop with the meaningless turf wars.¡¯

    Meow¡­ meow.

    ¡®Kukuk¡­ Indeed, you¡¯re strong. But it seems your beak is the only thing alive.¡¯

    Chirp?

    ¡®What did you say?¡¯

    Meow. Meowow!

    ¡®Look at you. Even though you talk big, you¡¯re not in a good situation yourself!¡¯

    The cat was right. The baby chicken lost strength in one of its legs, as it dropped onto the ground.

    The end ising huh¡­

    Raising its head, the baby chicken stared at the blue sky.

    Chirp, chirp¡­

    ¡®¡­How high and blue. How long have I been longing for this scenery.¡¯

    Kyaong! Kyang.

    ¡®Hmph. Are you indulged in meaningless sentiments? Stop with your nonsense and leave our territory.¡¯

    Chirp. Chirrp. Chiirrp.

    ¡®I thought a wide world would be waiting for us once we escaped those tiny cages¡­ but you guys try to lock yourselves in, even in this ce.¡¯

    Meow!

    ¡®Shut your mouth!¡¯

    Meooo!

    The cats growled menacingly.

    Yu Jitae decided to silently watch on, as the conversation between the boss cat and the baby chicken continued.

    ¡®I shall ask for thest time! You were seemingly going to give up the past few days, so why did you show up again?¡¯

    ¡®I had never given up. It¡¯s just that, there was a young girl waiting for me there, and I had to find her.¡¯

    ¡®What?¡¯

    ¡®I didn¡¯t want to betray her expectations. She was the first girl that treated me so nicely.¡¯

    ¡®Kuk¡­ a pushover till the end huh. Alright. See you in the afterlife!¡¯

    Meow¡­

    With sharp ws, the cats started viciously running in, and their vigour was more brutal than before.

    Chirp¡­

    ¡®Egg yolks¡­ they weren¡¯t bad.¡¯

    Resigning itself to its fate, the baby chicken lowered its head.

    In that vtile, dangerous situation, Kaeul startledly kicked off the ground but ended up touching a rusted bicycle standing in the entrance of the alleyway.

    With a thud, the bicycle fell.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The gazes of the cats and the baby chicken travelled back and found Kaeul.

    ¡°Ah, the¡­ umm!¡±

    Flustered, Kaeul spoke of whatever that came to her mind.

    ¡°Uhh, umm. Uhh¡­ S, sorry for the intrusion.¡±

    After a few seconds of silence.

    Chirp?

    The baby chicken chirped.

    *

    ¡°So, the cats and the baby chicken were having a turf war, and when you showed up, they ran away?¡±

    Yu Jitae pretended to be clueless and asked.

    ¡°Yess¡­¡±

    ¡°And this guy is like this, because it was hit by some cats?¡±

    ¡°Yess¡­¡±

    Kaeul replied with a disheartened voice.

    On top of a soft cushion was the baby chicken, breathing but unconscious. Yu Jitae looked through the baby chicken¡¯s mana and observed that there were no threats to its life.

    ¡°I heard somewhere but the spirit beast breeding centre was apparently destroyed. This child looks like a spirit beast from that ce, but its wounds are quite severe¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Is the baby chicken fine¡­?¡±

    With her eyes filled with worry, Kaeul looked at the baby chicken. He nodded.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    These days it was easy to find healers, but there was no such thing as ¡®healing magic¡¯ in the distant past, until it was created by the green dragon race.

    Bom walked up and ced her hand on top of the chicken¡¯s small body. The power of nature that cured any hardships of life, stretched out from her hand.

    [Restoration (A)]

    Green-coloured light mixed with the dragon¡¯s mana spreaded out in a circle, before slowly seeping into the baby chicken¡¯s body.

    nkly, Kaeul and Gyeoul watched on.

    On its small body the size of a fist, there were traces of blood. Despite believing in the fact that those would be cured, her heart was still filled with worry as Kaeul made fists.

    After a few minutes passed,

    Slowly,

    The baby chicken squinted and opened its eyes.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    With its eyes open, the baby chicken nced around the surroundings before carefully standing up. However, its body was seemingly powerless as it fell head first onto the cushion after taking a few steps forward.

    Bom opened her mouth with a smile.

    ¡°Not yet. You can¡¯t stand up yet.¡±

    Chirp¡­

    ¡°And Gyeoul, can you create some water?¡±

    Gyeoul opened her small hands. Then, mana gathered and formed a drop of water.

    After stealing a nce at Yu Jitae, she carefully extended her hands forward and ced them in front of the baby chicken. Her small hands were faintly shivering from nervousness.

    Soon, the baby chicken barely stood up and brought its beak next to the water. Then, it raised its head to swallow it.

    It repeated that several times, before returning its gaze to Kaeul.

    Chirp! Chirp!

    Finally, it came to its senses.

    ***

    After waking up, the baby chicken no longer avoided Kaeul.

    Chirp chirp!

    It ran towards Kaeul. ¡°Uh, uhh?¡± Surprised, Kaeul carefully carried it up with her hands, as the baby chicken charmingly rubbed its head on her palm.

    ¡°Uwaah¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae was lying down on the sofa quietly watching that, when the baby chicken crossed the living room and approached him. Then, it lowered its head.

    Chirp.

    ¡®Perhaps you wouldn¡¯t understand my words.¡¯

    Chirp. Chirrp.

    ¡®Myself am from Kaiman. A coteral descendent of the bird-people.¡¯

    Kaiman was the name of one of the alternate dimensions nearby. Just like what Yu Jitae had predicted, it was taken here via a dungeon through a dimensional fissure.

    Chirp. Chirp. Chirp. Chirp chirp!

    ¡®Name is Razor. That is what the breeding centre called me. You seem to be the leader of this territory. I shall give you my word of thanks!¡¯

    He casually ignored the young spirit beast¡¯s words.

    At least the baby chicken knew manners.

    ¡°Uwah¡­ feels like it¡¯s saying thanks¡­ so cute.¡±

    Unconsciously making a precise judgment of the situation, Kaeul flickered her eyes.

    After that, Razor walked to Bom and lowered its head.

    Chirp. Chirrp. Chirp.

    ¡®You¡¯re the one that healed me. Thanks to yourself, my body has regained its health. There is no pain no more.¡¯

    Chirp chirp chirp!

    ¡®My gratitude. We, the bird-people of Kaiman, do not forget the kindness we were shown.¡¯

    Chirp!

    ¡®I shall think of it as an eternal debt!¡¯

    ¡°Un. Okay.¡±

    Bom carefully caressed the baby chicken¡¯s head with her fingers, and felt the soft yellowish fur resembling cotton.

    ¡°Uung? Unni. Did you just talk to the child?¡±

    ¡°No? I just thought it was talking to me.¡±

    Meanwhile, Razor walked over to Gyeoul, and lowered its head.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Surprised, Gyeoul turned to Yu Jitae.

    When Yu Jitae gave a nod back, Gyeoul stood in front of the baby chicken and ced her hands neatly on top of her stomach, before giving a 90 degree bow.

    Finding that cute, Bom and Kaeul chuckled.

    Chirp!

    ¡®Thank you for sharing the fresh, clean water!¡¯

    Chirp. Chirp.

    ¡®Beautiful young girl. That was the taste of heavenly water.¡¯

    Gyeoul once again looked back at Yu Jitae, and her gaze seemed to be asking if she could touch it. When he nodded, Gyeoul slowly lowered her back and opened her palms on the ground.

    Without any hesitation, the baby chicken walked onto her hands.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was Gyeoul who instead hesitated. With careful fingers, she caressed the baby chicken, which cried ¡®Chirp chirp~¡¯ and rubbed its body on her hand.

    ¡°¡­Pretty.¡±

    With flushed cheeks, Gyeoul jumped up and down on the spot while letting out a groan. She seemed to be lost as to what to do, because of its cuteness.

    Lastly, aftering down from Gyeoul¡¯s hands, the baby chicken approached Kaeul. Despite being a baby chicken, its strides were solemn and dignified.

    At a rate slowerpared to others,

    Razor lowered its head,

    And did not raise its head back up for a long time.

    Kaeul was flustered. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± said Kaeul, as she kneeled on the ground and lowered her body too with a panic.

    That was when Razor let out a soft growl.

    Chirp. Chirp.

    ¡®You, are my saviour.¡¯

    Chirp.

    ¡®My guardian deity.¡¯

 Chapter 72: A baby chicken picked up by the baby chicken (3)

    <h4>Chapter 72: A baby chicken picked up by the baby chicken (3)</h4>

    Inside an underground ce of worship of the undetectables, crimson mes soared up high within the darkness.

    There, Wei Yan and several demons under him were gathered. Wei Yan burned a sacrifice and offered a prayer to the existence of the abyss, praying that there would be a cadet in the Melissia Masquerade, that would have the honour of receiving thy precious grace.

    That will in turn, add to Wei Yan¡¯s overall power.

    Creak¨C

    That was when the door of the worship room was pushed open.

    ¡®Which stupid lunatic¡­¡¯

    Interfering with an offering was hard to forgive. Wei Yan temperamentally turned his head but after seeing who they were, he smiled with a rxed expression.

    ¡°Wee, good sirs.¡±

    Wei Yan, whose individual strength came close to the disaster-rank, had a fairly high position inside the undetectables. Now, demons that required Wei Yan to treat with utmost respect didn¡¯t amount to more than twenty worldwide.

    But the male and female standing before him were included in those twenty.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re having a hard time, Wei Yan.¡±

    The first one to open their mouth was the middle-aged woman.

    Her jaws, as well as the elbows, wrists and all the joints of her body resembled a puppet, and her gaze remained nk.

    She was a disaster-ranked demon.

    [Demon Engineer, Ysayle Khalifa]

    She was one of the elders of the undetectables.

    ¡°But thanks to youing madam, I am able to have some breathing space. I am sincerely grateful for your help.¡±

    ¡°A slippery tongue you have as always.¡±

    ¡°I will be in your deepest care. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard it already but¡­¡±

    Wei Yan dropped his gaze to the floor.

    ¡°Right. Dead, that retarded old man.¡±

    They were talking about the disaster-ranked demon of Japan, ¡®Hasegawa¡¯.

    ¡°Tch tch. Well, it¡¯s a good thing. I was getting upset and bothered by him asking for a puppet every single time. Old nerd. Immersed in a refined roley of a noble¡­¡±

    ¡°I have no words that could be possibly said.¡±

    ¡°Even if you do, stuff it back into your mouth and leave it there. I have a lot in mind.¡±

    After giving a polite bow to Ysayle, Wei Yan looked behind her.

    ¡°Sir.¡±

    The man who had been nkly staring at the altar turned his head. His elegant face overflowed with vintageness, but it was hard to believe from his appearance that he had lived for over 470 years.

    He was a man who had been Wei Yan¡¯s idol in the past.

    ¡°Been a while, young child.¡±

    His low and heavy voice resonated across.

    Currently, there were 5 catastrophe-ranked demons in the entire world, and 4 of them belonged to the undetectables, taking the position called ¡®Seats¡¯.

    They each contained their army as lords, and at the same time received a significant number of authorities from the existence of the abyss as catastrophes.

    [Seat of Covenant, Ma Namjoon]

    He would act as the deputy principal of Lair, in preparation for the flowing current of the times.

    [Seat of Punishment, Lim Chul-o]

    The fangs of the undetectables; the one that bites enemies to death.

    [Seat of Iron Blood, Bartali Argorian]

    The military general of the undetectables; the lord with the most number of troops under him, who at the same time had pushed Yu Jitae of the second iteration to despair.

    Andstly was the man with Wei Yan.

    [Seat of Deepest Desire, Noah]

    20 years ago, during the East-Asian Great War, he was the one that had deleted portions of Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon from the map.

    He was known to use an ability rted to ¡®minds¡¯, but nothing more than that was known. Besides, even Wei Yan, a high-ranked official, knew basically nothing apart from the fact that the man was 470 years old.

    Although the demons spared less attention to others even inside the same organisation, Noah was still unique and different in the sense that he was covered in mystery.

    ¡°I am sincerely sorry for troubling you, sir.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be the fifth sword of the undetectables?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Mycking self somehow received the blessing of the abyss, but an opposing hindrance is causing a headache.¡±

    Merely meeting Noah¡¯s gaze for a split second gave him chills but Wei Yan instead felt excitement more than anything.

    ¡°If you do help me sir, this inadequate self would definitely be able to rise to a Seat, and will try my hardest to be useful to the great n.¡±

    After giving a faint nod, Noah returned his gaze to the altar.

    ¡°There has always been hindrances.¡±

    ¡°And there will be no more¡­ You are the one personally protecting sir, so who would dare oppose us?¡±

    Wei Yan did not receive a response.

    ¡°It would be great if that was the case but¡­¡±

    Staring at the altar, Noah quietly whispered an iprehensible murmur.

    ***

    Chirp chirp.

    ¡®In fact, I myself feel slightly burdened by others¡¯ hands¡­¡¯

    Chirp. Chirp.

    ¡®After hatching at the breeding centre, my growth had been restricted for more than a decade.¡¯

    Chirrp. Chirp. Chirp chirp chirp.

    ¡®When those humans fed me those damned drugs, they used to touch me. They said it was a supplement, but howughable. It was not for me at least.¡¯

    Chirp!

    ¡®So I would prefer you stopped touching my fur!¡¯

    It bbered about its past trauma. However Gyeoul, who did not understand what the baby chicken was mouring about, continued patting its head.

    ¡°¡­Good child.¡±

    Chirp.

    ¡®I myself am not good. I can be evil whenever I want¡­¡¯

    Despite murmuring that, the baby chicken was not threatening at all.

    ¡°¡­So cutee.¡±

    Chirp. Chirp.

    ¡®I am not cute. More importantly, how long are you going to touch me for?¡¯

    ¡®Stop touching me. This is a warning.¡¯

    ¡®If you continue touching my head like that¡­!¡¯

    Gyeoul¡¯s soft gesture continued, as the baby chicken¡¯s eyes slowly came to a close. ¡®If you touch me like that¡­¡¯ murmured the baby chicken before crying out, ¡®Chirp!¡¯.

    ¡®Hnnng¡­!¡¯

    What was that for.

    It was old, but a baby chicken was still a baby chicken.

    That was when the door of Yeorum¡¯s room was kicked open.

    Wearing a singlet and a pair of short pants, shezily walked out with a yawn. These days, she rarely stayed home from day to night, and appeared tired whenever she was home.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    In surprise, Kaeul hid the baby chicken behind her back.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°My dear sister. Don¡¯t you think you make it too obvious whenever you¡¯re hiding something?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Me!?¡±

    ¡°What did you hide.¡±

    ¡°Umm, no?¡±

    ¡°Ah, what is it. Hurry up and take it out.¡±

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Her struggle was in vain.

    After being instantaneously suppressed, Kaeul groaned on the floor, while Yeorum picked up the chicken.

    ¡°¡­ what¡¯s this yellow thing.¡±

    ¡°No! My Chirpy!¡±

    ¡°Chirpy? Is that it¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not even a kid, what the heck is a ¡®Chirpy¡¯¡­ it¡¯s just some fried chicken with no expiration date.¡±

    Kaeul immediately gave a frown.

    ¡°What? Fried chicken with no expiration date? Unni is an old ahjumma! Idiot!¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, you monkey.¡±

    ¡°Ugly! Ill-tempered! Pervert! Lowlife! If only I was a bit stronger, I would¡­!¡±

    Her repetitive rant suddenly came to a stop before the widened crimson pair of eyes.

    ¡°You would, what?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­? Hehe¡­¡­

    ¡°Uaang! W, w, wait! I give! I give!¡±

    Kaeul took a small win at the cost of arge defeat. Meanwhile, the baby chicken distanced itself in rm.

    Chirp! Chirp!

    ¡®This foul smell; a cigarette huh! Horrendous. Get away you!¡¯

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    While Kaeul was powerlessly on the ground, Yeorum ced her nose next to the baby chicken¡¯s body and smelled it. Sincerely, from the head to the butt, and after smelling it, she tilted her head before licking the chicken¡¯s beak.

    Chirp!

    ¡®Gyaak!¡¯

    Seemingly having lost interest, Yeorum randomly chucked the baby chicken at Kaeul and gave a stretch.

    Chirp¡­

    ¡®My god has died¡­¡¯

    But her interest seemed to have returned when the baby chicken was eating its feed. Crouching down on the ground, Yeorum nkly watched the baby chicken indulging in its meal.

    Then, she grabbed the container and pulled it slightly away.

    Chirp!

    The baby chicken ran up and dipped its head into the bowl again, but Yeorum then pulled the bowl once more.

    Chirp! Chirp!

    Being a spirit beast, the baby chicken was considerably fast when it started running and jumping. Thus, Yeorum raised the bowl to an adequate level, so that the baby chicken could see it, despite being unable to ce its beak into it.

    ¡­

    Then, the baby chicken¡¯s gaze slowly shifted from the bowl to Yeorum.

    A strange tension flowed between the two,

    Chirp.

    ¡®This fuc¡­¡¯

    And the baby chicken swore for the first time.

    *

    Kaeul tended to take pictures whenever she liked something. Whether it be animals, nts, food or people, there were no exceptions.

    Today was the same. When the baby chicken in Gyeoul¡¯s arms started dozing off, aparativelyrge hand came to its head.

    Razor¡¯s eyes opened slightly as Gyeoul gave a smile,

    Click!

    And Kaeul took a photo of it.

    ¡°Amazing! So pretty. Come here too ahjussi!¡±

    Yu Jitae was pulled along by Kaeul¡¯s hand all of a sudden. He was about to receive the watch thinking that she wanted him to take the picture, but Kaeul requested him to hug Gyeoul instead.

    So Yu Jitae was carrying Gyeoul, while Gyeoul was carrying the baby chicken.

    Click!

    ¡°Take a picture of me as well!¡±

    She said, before handing him the watch.

    While she was at it, Kaeul also decided to take a video. Gyeoul and Kaeul carried the baby chicken while running around and chuckled. Sneaking a look into a room, they found Bom studying, and also stole a nce together at Yu Jitae who was writing something down in the living room.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae called her over.

    Although she was having fun, Kaeul felt a prick in her conscience and widened her eyes.

    ¡°M, me?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s chat shall we.¡±

    Carefully, Kaeul sat down on the sofa as she threw nces at his face. Yu Jitae rarely called the kids over separately one by one, so Kaeul felt something pricking at her heart.

    ¡°Uuh¡­ I was actually thinking of telling you myself¡­¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°I went to the entertainment district, during the time reporters were there.¡±

    Kaeul started her words before Yu Jitae could scold her and carefully whispered.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Her head was dropped down, as her hair covered her face. She looked miserable like a puppy out in the rain, so Yu Jitae no longer felt like saying something.

    ¡°Okay. Be careful next time.¡±

    ¡°Yess¡­¡±

    But even after saying that, Kaeul remained there without moving. Perhaps there was something else she wanted to say.

    ¡°Umm, by the way¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Until now, I just didn¡¯t go because you told me not to, you know? Mum said there was always a reason behind what adults said.¡±

    ¡°Un.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­ am I not allowed to show myself in front of other people?¡±

    That question would have been in her heart for a long time ¨C why was she not allowed to go in front of other people?

    She had asked a simr question before, and Yu Jitae had stopped any further discussion with one word, ¡®dangerous¡¯.

    Raising her gaze, Kaeul looked at Yu Jitae.

    Things she wanted to do, and things she shouldn¡¯t do. Since she had missed out on what she had desired the most after identally falling to a foreign world, her golden eyes contained a myriad of sorrow, doubt and anxiety within.

    The eyes of the actress Ieyata, who had put tears on the eyes of the world in the third iteration, would have been simr to this.

    ¡°There are bad people.¡±

    ¡°Bad people?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re very bad people. They live on, while feeling joy from others¡¯ sorrow and sufferings.¡±

    The moment she stood in front of people, there would definitelye a time where she would be the prey of such people. Defeating that was up to the individual, but Kaeul was unable to withstand it.

    Multiple times.

    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t you stop them for me, ahjussi?¡±

    Looking into the gold pair of eyes, the Regressor continued.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing right now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But your life is long, and you can stand before others in other worlds whenever you want. You just have to endure it for a bit. Do you understand.¡±

    His words seemed to have consoled her slightly, as Kaeul gave a nod.

    ¡°Yess.¡±

    It would be fine to send her off like this, but a sudden thought that it might be better to brighten up her mood, unknowingly popped up in his head.

    ¡°Do you want to have something delicious?¡±

    ¡°Ohh, sounds good. What about Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with just the two of us today. Have a little chat as well.¡±

    ¡°Okayy!¡±

    These days, Gyeoul no longer whinged even when Yu Jitae left by himself, so he took Kaeul out with an ease of mind.

    But meanwhile,

    Something, which even Yu Jitae hadn¡¯t expected, started happening at a very close location. The watch that Kaeul had untied from her wrist as she asked Yu Jitae to take a picture, was fidgeted with by Gyeoul when she was left alone.

    [Video]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul yed the video that had been taken just then, as a hologram disy showed up. Several videos of herself and Kaeul running around continued, and seeing it made her feel rather satisfied.

    ¡°¡­This.¡±

    She showed the video to the baby chicken.

    Seemingly intrigued by it as well, the baby chicken walked up to the disy and pecked on the baby chicken inside the hologram that looked simr to itself.

    Finding that cute, Gyeoul gave a bright smile.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul, who was still unfamiliar with electronic devices, randomly touched the screen. There were three dots at the bottom of the video and a screen saying ¡®share¡¯ popped up when she clicked on it.

    Share? What is dis?

    Without thinking too much, Gyeoul went through, and pressed a red button which she was the most familiar with.

    [Uploading¡­]

    Then, a strange word popped up all of a sudden as the disy screen turned darker. She clicked it a few times but nothing happened, so she shook the watch left and right.

    ¡°¡­Uiing.¡±

    It¡¯s nat working¡­

    And only when the disy screen became bright again was Gyeoul able to interact with the watch.

    [Upload Complete]

    *

    Thirty minutester.

    A video was uploaded on a worldwide video tform YuTuV.

    [asvbvbnsp]

    Views: 0

    There was no title or exnation that gathered the attention of the viewers, nor was there a subscriber of the channel. Theoretically, there shouldn¡¯t have been anyone ying the video, but,

    ¡°Abubu, ubu¡­¡±

    At a certain household of Ulsan, a child watching YuTuV while his mum was cooking typed whatever he wanted and yed the video. After watching the video, the child chuckled out loud.

    He was always honest, and although the videocked deep ns and thorough edits, the child was still fond of it.

    Dozens of years had passed since video tforms had be popr, and the child remembered his mum clicking on the ¡®Like¡¯ button.

    [asvbvbnsp]

    Views: 1

    Likes: 1

    It was a humble beginning.

 Chapter 73: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (1)

    <h4>Chapter 73: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (1)</h4>

    Wei Yan called his assistant Kwok Pan Wei.

    ¡°Yes, professor. Did you call me.¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei held his shivering hands together.

    Now that [Melissia Masquerade] was just around the corner, Wei Yan was as sensitive as he had ever been. There were many things that had to be done, and Kwok Pan Wei had received his orders multiple times a day.

    But this time, the atmosphere was rather strange.

    ¡°I have a few of my people inside the International Hunter Association. You¡¯re aware of that, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, professor. Of course¡­¡±

    ¡°One in human resources, one in the supplies, three in the frontlines and two from themanding group¡­ I have a lot of ears spread out in all ces, and hear many stories.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°But most of the reports I receive aren¡¯t interesting. Stories of high-ups with stored belly fat, are always one or another.¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei rolled his eyes because this time, Wei Yan¡¯s exnation was a lot longer than usual. What was he trying to say?

    ¡°But¡­ today was a little bit interesting.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°There had been an official letter secretly sent to Japan¡¯s royal family.¡±

    In surprise, Kwok Pan Wei widened his eyes.

    Japan¡¯s royal family?

    If that was true, the letter would most likely have been in rtion to Melissia Masquerade.

    ¡°Well, us demons aren¡¯t perfect existences either, and the moment Prototype X became a failure, it also became impossible to fully connect our minds. So it¡¯s possible for there to be a little rat from the association. I understand that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°An official document from the association to Japan? Possible. They could have had a clue regarding it, but sending it to Japan¡¯s royal family, and not a random guild of Japan? I wouldn¡¯t say that¡¯s possible. The association and the royal family aren¡¯t close enough to send greetings are they? In other words, there is a high chance that the association is aware of every hint of ink that is on our strategic document. Aigo, but you know what?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Wei Yan¡¯s expression crumpled like a devilish ghost, as Kwok Pan Wei felt something suppress his breath.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that ¡®letter¡¯ is about.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a gap in data and intel.

    The association started preparing against the strategies of the undetectables, while they hadn¡¯t even grasped the intention of the association.

    ¡°Go and find the rat. If you can¡¯t find it, bring me a tail at least. If you can¡¯t even find that, find traces.¡±

    Due to the appearance of an unbelievable existence named X, things started going south, and the assistant professor had been pped a few times. He had already known that Wei Yan hadbelled him useless, but this time, he was swept past with a different anxiety.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t even find traces¡­ why am I keeping you?¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei started moving.

    Spending sleepless nights, he checked the entry records and looked through surveince cameras of the surrounding areas. He browsed through security artifacts, and crazily searched through everything that could have caused a leak in information.

    However, he was unable to find any traces of outsiders approaching, and that was when something popped up in his head.

    ¡°No way, this fucking¡­¡±

    With a stiffened expression, he called his assistant Hashimoto. She knew of one of the most important secrets regarding Melissia Masquerade, because he himself had told her about it. When the short Japanese woman in her twenties entered the office, Kwok Pan Wei pushed her to the wall.

    ¡°Ahk! W, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°How could you do this to me, bitch.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°How many years did we work together, and yet you betrayed me like that? What tempted you huh. Did the association give you money? Did they promise you a better life? Or did they allow you to live without others finding out you were a demon? How dare you! How could you betray me!¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei was furious like fire. Instead of the certainty of Hashimoto being the traitor, his rage stemmed from his anxiety and unease.

    Thus, when the fear on Hashimoto¡¯s face immediately vanished like an illusion, Kwok Pan Wei instead felt his emotions dying down.

    ¡®Yourmand on the action, my lord.¡¯

    In front of the unexpected incident, the clone waited for Yu Jitae¡¯smand and the response it received was ¡®do what you want¡¯.

    Thinking that it was fine to kill him, the clone raised its hand in an attempt to crush Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s neck. That was when Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s expression turned strange.

    ¡°It was for real huh¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hashimoto. S, since when were you¡­ No, that¡¯s not it. Now I can¡¯t even believe that you¡¯re the Hashimoto I know. Damn it¡­¡±

    After murmuring that, he pulled his hand away from Hashimoto¡¯s body. He then asked with a suggestive tone.

    ¡°¡­So what did the association propose in return for the information? Was it money, or maybe a new life?¡±

    His eyes changed in an instant.

    ¡®This guy.¡¯

    A faint smile appeared on the clone¡¯s lips. This imperfect demon was trying to forsake the society of the demons.

    ¡°I am not Hashimoto. That young female demon is no longer in this world.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s expression changed several times in the span of a few seconds from surprise, to anger, and resignation. Suddenly, he started pushing Hashimoto into the storage, and the clone allowed it to happen.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°L, let¡¯s talk business.¡±

    ¡°What business. It¡¯s funny enough that a damned demon is talking about the likes of a ¡®new life¡¯. What kind of use does a deadweight like you have.¡±

    ¡°E, even if I look like this, I¡¯m an assistant professor.¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei quickly changed his attitude.

    ¡°I met him at the same study group as a senior and junior at Beijing. I stayed under Wei Yan and wagged my tail for over 10 years. You wouldn¡¯t know since you¡¯re not Hashimoto, but I barked when he told me to, and buried something whenever I was told to. There are few things that are done behind the curtains that I am not aware of.¡±

    Within his desperate expression was an undisguisable trace of servility.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired of crawling like a lowly dog in a ce where I could lose my life any day. As long as I can keep my life, I would even dly enter the underground prison of the association. Please tell them nicely. Please¡­¡±

    The situation was unfolding in a funny manner. The clone closed its eyes, and thought to itself since its lord had left things to its own decision.

    If this was the sixth iteration and the Melissia Masquerade was to end like a child¡¯s y, and if he wanted to watch Wei Yan make a fool of himself by receiving public denouncement on the TV, the life of this imperfect demon in front might have continued a little bit longer.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s original n had been to make Wei Yan lose everything rted to the media which he believed in the most.

    However, the seventh iteration was different.

    ¡°You seem to have no idea on how things are going right now.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°I do not understand why Wei Yan is keeping you as a watchdog. Your vision is limited; you can¡¯t read the mood, and you¡¯re a coward.¡±

    Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s eyes shot wide open from the clone¡¯s words. Screaming out, ¡°You bitch!¡±, he ran up in an attempt to strangle the clone.

    It was in vain, as the clone held Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s neck instead and crashed it into the storage wall.

    Kung!

    A strong grip, unthinkable to be from such a thin wrist, suppressed Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s breath. In the seventh iteration, Melissia Masquerade was turning out to be way too big of a scene. There was no room for a mere watchdog in a ce like that.

    ¡°At least a dog is loyal to its owner¡­¡±

    The thick neck was crushed in an instant.

    *

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    While a small change beneath the waters was slowly gaining size, a slightly bigger change was starting to happen under the heavens.

    ¡°Royal Family Task Force¡­ haha, what brings such esteemed people like you here?¡±

    Japan¡¯s CHC (Central Hunter Committee) requested to take part in special protection during the raid on Melissia Masquerade.

    It meant that half of the forces that were meant to protect the royal family, would be protecting the cadets instead. Naturally, it was a request worth kneeling down for, but after realising that something strange was happening in the event, the principal of Lair Ha Sukmoo was about to turn their offer down.

    If not for an urgent call through the VVIP line from the association, Ha Sukmoo would have rejected their offer, while cancelling the Melissia Masquerade itself altogether.

    However, Lair was systematically under themand of the International Hunter Association, and due to the structure, Ha Sukmoo had no choice but to stay away from the matter.

    That was how superhumans of the royal family ended up protecting the cadets of Lair.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae took Yu Bom outside.

    Despite his sudden call, Bom didn¡¯t ask him the destination or reason and proceeded to change her hair colour and face. Since she acted as if she perfectly knew what they were going to do, there was no need for him to bother exining it.

    ¡°A letter of rmendation is it?¡±

    ¡°Can you write me one?¡±

    Yu Jitae requested for a letter of rmendation from BM.

    ¡°This is a debt okay. Please pay me back with the monthly rent fee of those guys as well.¡±

    ¡°Right. Got it.¡±

    BM readily wrote him a letter of rmendation.

    The two of them headed straight to the office of Japan¡¯s Royal Family Task Force, and looked for a woman in herte thirties at the undergroundmand centre.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    World superhuman rank of 13.

    The Sword of the Royal Family, Minamoto Ai, stared at the two with an acute observatory nce.

    ¡°I¡¯m Minamoto. You guys are?¡±

    ¡°Demon hunter.¡±

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the assistant.¡±

    Yu Jitae and Bom replied, as Minamoto gave a frown.

    ¡°Fuck, are you here to have a joke with me? Give me name, affiliation, rtionship with BM, and your reason foring here!¡±

    Since they hated being treated differently for being women, female soldiers that had survived for a long time in the battlefield tended to have tones that were harsher than men.

    She was an example of that.

    Yu Jitae stared deeply at Ai with a reminiscing light.

    In the third and the fourth iterations, she had been Yu Jitae¡¯s colleague. Especially in the fourth iteration where Yu Jitae had been a member of the Grand Natural Society, she had respected and followed him from behind.

    Back then, he had spent a fairly long time with Myung Yongha, as well as other members of GNS including Minamoto.

    Of course, that was all in the past.

    ¡°Affiliation is the association. You should know since you¡¯ve seen BM¡¯s letter but I came because there was something to tell you in secret.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Minamoto gave a frown from theck of information, but didn¡¯t delve in deep after hearing the word ¡®association¡¯. The association had a counterpart in the shadows that was as huge as what was shown on the outside.

    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s hear the reason at least.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something to say regarding Melissia Masquerade.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s to be expected considering you¡¯re from the association. What is it.¡±

    ¡°¡®Ysayle Khalifa¡¯ and ¡®Noah¡¯ will being.¡±

    A crack appeared on Minamoto¡¯s indifferent expression.

    Disaster-ranked demon; Demon Engineer Ysayle Khalifa.

    Catastrophe-ranked demon; Seat of Deepest Desire, Noah.

    They were names which were impossible to not know, as a soldier that had participated in the East-Asian Great War.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°The source is my own eyes. If you can¡¯t believe it, I¡¯ll just go back.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    In a situation like this, there was only one choice for soldiers to take. They would stay in doubt, while still listening to the information.

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°The undetectables will invest 20% of their military power into Melissia Masquerade. Their objective is to offer 700 selected high-achieving cadets as sacrifices in order to create 100 new demons. In that process, Wei Yan who would be the owner of the 100 will pass the test given by the abyss and rise to a Seat.¡±

    A nonsensical story began.

    ¡°¡­And then.¡±

    ¡°Since the masquerade is a dungeon, it ispletely cut off from the outside. It is the best ce for the demons to carry out their n, and we can massacre all of them there. As long as it continues like this, that is.¡±

    ¡°If the scale grows bigger, the event itself will be cancelled so that¡¯s why you looked for me 1 on 1?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The masquerade was like a; a ce that gathered all the scattered demons to one ce.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Stuck in between, Minamoto Ai had no choice but to attend whether she wanted to or not.

    ¡°Bring rankers that you can believe and trust, that can act in private. If you go alone, you¡¯ll die for sure.¡±

    His words were attacking her pride as a ranker.

    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t know until you try. It¡¯s different now from during the Great War.¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head.

    It was still the same.

    Unfortunately, there were only around 3 people amongst the rankers of the world that could fight with a catastrophe-ranked demon 1 on 1. However, none of them could be assured of their victory against them.

    The reason why the demons stayed undercover despite that is because of the difference in numbers. Throughout the entire world, there were around 2 million full-time superhuman soldiers, but there were only a bit more than a thousand demon soldiers.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. I¡¯ll kill the catastrophe-rank myself.¡±

    ¡°Whaat? Haha¡­¡±

    Minamoto grinned as if she found it ridiculous.

    Soon, a strand of mana stealthily left her body. It was an extremely secretive and delicate maniption that tried to scan through Yu Jitae, but the Regresor¡¯s body rejected her mana.

    When her mana was resisted from the front, the reactive force struck her heart, and Minamoto let out a gasp.

    yfulness disappeared from her expression.

    ¡°¡­Was it perhaps you that encouraged the association to move?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°How absurd¡­ what¡¯s your objective?¡¯

    ¡°Objective?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s say you¡¯re that great yourself. So why are you telling me this, when you can do it by yourself.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t do that.

    [The [Earth] has entered the abnormal state [Apocalypse].]

    Those were the words that had revisited him every single time the world rewound itself.

    Strictly speaking, the cause of the world¡¯s timeline going back, was not because of the death of the dragons.

    When the baby dragons die, the adult dragons woulde attacking and wreak havoc, which would in return result in the apocalypse of the human race. And when the human race is near extinct, the world would rewind itself back in time.

    What Yu Jitae pursued the most in the seventh iteration wasn¡¯t killing demons. A higher priority on his list was the happiness of the dragons.

    The Regressor was aware of himself being targeted to pleasure of ughter every time he killed demons.

    The longer he held onto a sword, the further daily lives would be, which would serve to be a problem. Now that he was barely managing to reach ¡®daily lives¡¯, it became an aspect that must never slip out from his fingers.

    He would shoulder everything rted to the dragons, but the humans also had to partake in stopping the Apocalypse. And in order to share the burden, the rankers had to stay alive, since they were the ones that could shoulder the real weight.

    This was the reason behind the Regressor¡¯s n for Melissia Masquerade.

    ¡°I can¡¯t have you die.¡±

    Oblivious to Yu Jitae¡¯s inner thoughts, Minamoto frowned, before replying with a giggle.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty straightforward considering it¡¯s our first meeting¡­ you must be into olderdies with good bodies?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think so?¡±

    It was Bom that replied instead.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The two remained silent for a short while, and Bom was wearing the same strange yet indifferent expression as always.

    ¡°In any case, I understand the situation. Let¡¯s meet here again at this time tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring some people.¡±

    That marked the end to their conversation.

    *

    Next day, she returned with two other people ¨C two rankers who were unbound from international rtions, who could be requested in private.

    ¡°To think that things would turn out like this¡­¡±

    The man wearing a pair of sunsses ¨C BM ¨C grumbled while swallowing vodka. Behind him came the voice of an olddy.

    ¡°Ehng. How would a granny with trouble walking like me be helpful¡­¡±

    ¡°Like I said, old hag, just listen at least okay?¡±

    ¡°You little girl. Are you sure you weren¡¯t deceived?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think I am!¡±

    An olddy with a gentle face, that appeared to be in her 80¡¯s walked in. She was an Austronesian person with nched hair, a bent back, and a limping leg that required the support of a stick.

    ¡°Who are you? Of course you¡¯re nothing but an innocent youngdy. You only know how to use your fists. Didn¡¯t I tell you countless times that you¡¯re too easily tricked, and that you need to filter what men say to you?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, like I said, that¡¯s not it okay?¡±

    Yu Jitae knew this old woman.

    She was a member of the Grand Natural Society, who had been ranked 6th worldwide during the East-Asian Great War in the past. Being a user of the rare telekinesis type of blessing, she had been known as the best maniptor of that blessing in the past.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Li Hwa.¡±

    There was a flicker in the olddy¡¯s eyes.

    Due to a heavy injury during the Great War, her face had changed greatly. She was reported to have gone missing after the end of the war, and there were hardly any people that recognised her these days.

    ¡°Ai. Are you into bad men?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not okay?¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­ At least he doesn¡¯t seem like a random con artist. Nice to meet you. Let¡¯s hear what you have in store for us.¡±

    Bom greeted her with a little nod, as the olddy sat next to BM with a gentle smile.

    ¡°How is it. Is that enough?¡±

    Minamoto asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Having BM, Li Hwa and Minamoto was enough.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start on the next topic.¡±

 Chapter 74: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (2)

    <h4>Chapter 74: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (2)</h4>

    ¡°Before that.¡±

    Li Hwa interrupted him. With a low voice, and a gaze that tried to look deeper beneath, she addressed Yu Jitae.

    ¡°There is something that needs to be rified.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Are you, young man, on the side of humanity?¡±

    The olddy spoke in a firm, curt tone. She was asking as a veteran that had participated in three wars after the introduction of the New Era.

    Knowing how the olddy had lived her life, as well as her values as a soldier, he replied with a natural yet serious voice.

    ¡°Yes. I am on the side of humanity.¡±

    Only then did she ease her expression.

    She probably wasn¡¯t fully relieved and as long as his identity and affiliation weren¡¯t clear, Li Hwa would always be on guard. However, since their thoughts were in ordance with another, there was no reason for conflict.

    ¡°You have data on Melissia Masquerade?¡±

    ¡°What, you think we don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Put up the screen then.¡±

    Minamoto obediently magnified the hologram disy, as the survey map of the S+ ranked dungeon, Melissia Masquerade appeared in the air.

    Melissia Masquerade was a rare type of dungeon with divided sections. There were open fields with differing sizes, and fissures connected a field to another. Since it was simr to moving between rooms, this dungeon type was also referred to as a ¡®Room-type¡¯ dungeon.

    The number of rooms inside the map amounted to roughly 180. Small rooms had the size of two ser fields at the very least, andrge ones were as big as the suburb, Yeouido (about 8.4 square kilometres).

    ¡°There are three targets we need to focus on.¡±

    ¡°Wei Yan, Ysayle and Noah¡­ is it those three?¡±

    ¡°No. There is no need to care that much about Wei Yan.¡±

    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t that guy the main character? You said everything was being carried out to feed that one guy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but Wei Yan will only gain enough power once everything is almost done. The targets we need to focus on while following the raid group are Ysayle, Noah, and¡­ Melissia.¡±

    Melissia.

    She was the boss of the dungeon, Melissia Masquerade.

    At the same time, although Lair had no idea about it, she was a monster that had a tremendous amount of mana for a mere boss of an S+ dungeon. Comparatively speaking, she had around 30% of an adult dragon¡¯s mana, and this was on the level that could only be seen above SS+ rank.

    The demons were aware of that as they chose Melissia Masquerade for their venue.

    ¡°The boss room will be a living sanctuary and Melissia will be a living altar.¡±

    ¡°The sacrifice¡­¡±

    ¡°Right, it will be the cadets.¡±

    ¡°These fucking bastards.¡±

    A heavy dump of profanities left her mouth, as Minamoto¡¯s mana fluctuated irregrly. She was infuriated from the bottom of her heart.

    ¡°Then, what should we do. Should Li Hwa and I take care of Noah, while this girl fights Ysayle, and you go against Melissia?¡±

    In response to BM¡¯s question, he shook his head.

    ¡°You three need to be with Noah.¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯re saying you will be fighting both the dungeon boss as well as that crazy demon engineer?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll be fighting all three including Noah.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°You just have to buy enough time to minimise the damage. If things go ording to n, that should be enough.¡±

    ¡°Ysayle Khalifa¨C¡±

    That was when the old woman opened her mouth.

    ¡°She¡¯s ady that is extremely skilled at making puppets. Her ability to soul transfer is exquisite, and it won¡¯t be easy to kill her.¡±

    [Soul Transfer] ¨C it referred to a blessing or a skill that allowed one to move between bodies.

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be a problem there.¡±

    Yu Jitae threw a nce at Bom.

    ¡°She will take care of it.¡±

    Bom nodded while saying, ¡°Yes¡±.

    ¡°How will she do it.¡±

    ¡°I have a blessing that can interrupt with soul transfers.¡±

    ¡°Interrupt soul transfers¡­? You have a blessing like that, youngdy?¡±

    Minamoto appeared astonished, but it was a lie. In fact, Bom¡¯s ability was even greater because she had the ability of adjusting anything that deviated from Providence to its correct path.

    It was the ability that had once neutralised Hasegawa¡¯s puppets, and since Ysayle Khalifa was the one that had made Hasegawa¡¯s puppets in the first ce, it should work the same way.

    Metaphorically, it was simr to using a bazooka to catch a mosquito.

    ¡°I might be able to provide some help then, in catching Ysayle Khalifa that is.¡±

    Li Hwa held her wrinkled hands together.

    ¡°Ah right. You fought her once right, old hag?¡±

    ¡°I did. It was really tiring. Do you want to see it as well young man?¡±

    The old woman looked at Yu Jitae with a clear gaze. She then pulled down the chest area of the red hoodie she was wearing. Beneath her neck, there was a horrendous-looking electronic device embedded within.

    ¡°I can stop this old thing if I want to. My body remembers how to stop the device.¡±

    Although she was saying that, Yu Jitae knew.

    He knew that the one that had burned her entire body during the East-Asian Great War was none other than Ysayle Khalifa. There was a reason why Li Hwa, who had pretty much retired, had shown up at this ce once more.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    But there was no reason to get emotional and put Li Hwa against Ysayle. That was something that required more time to decide.

    BM opened his mouth while dropping the bottle of vodka down on the table.

    ¡°Then the biggest problem¡­ will be Noah.¡±

    Every one of them excluding Bom had experienced the East-Asian Great War. They knew how strong and peculiar Noah was as a demon.

    Minamoto raised her voice.

    ¡°You said you would take care of the catastrophe-rank yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°And you should know what kind of existence Noah was during the Great War.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    His response came way too easily.

    With a scowl, Minamoto yed several videos and ced images on the disy.

    There werendmarks and crushed buildings, as well as corpses and testimonies of survivors. ¡°My friend suddenly stabbed me with a sword¡­ i, in order to survive I¡­¡± with a stuttering voice, the young superhuman of Africa wept during the interview.

    ¡°5,423,755 ¨C 70,315,424 ¨C 51,130,271,230.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know what those numbers are? It¡¯s the number of humans killed from Noah¡¯s influence; the size of the area that had been influenced by Noah, and the amount of financial loss because of one Noah. The units, in hectares and dors.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your first time hearing that is it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I know already.¡±

    ¡°And despite those huge casualties, there isn¡¯t much information known on Noah. All we have is a report on how hundreds of superhumans inside Noah¡¯s influenced territory went crazy and attacked their friends and families. So we assumed that Noah¡¯s ability had something to do with minds¨C¡±

    Yu Jitae waved his hands and cut her words off.

    ¡°Stop. There¡¯s no reason to add meaningless exnations.¡±

    ¡°¡­Meaningless?¡±

    ¡°I know what Noah¡¯s ability is, and I know how to kill him.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it?¡±

    ¡°Noah is not a mind-control type of demon. It¡¯s simr, but it¡¯s a different concept altogether. It¡¯s a lot more dangerous, and he has several authorities that are much more cumbersome to deal with.¡±

    ¡°And what are they?¡±

    ¡°Noah can be a god.¡±

    It was absurd.

    What was a god? What did it mean to be a god? What was the ability of a god, and were there limitations? It was difficult for her to know how to approach his response with questions.

    She thus skipped the questioning phase.

    ¡°And how do you kill him?¡±

    ¡°Even if I say it, you won¡¯t understand, and even if you know of the method, you can¡¯t imitate it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Minamoto¡¯s cat-like eyes gave a frown.

    ¡°What the hell¡­ fuck. With that attitude you¡¯re showing, how can I trust you?¡±

    ¡°Minamoto. Stop there.¡±

    BM was the one that intervened.

    ¡°You standing on your acquaintance¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°Wake up. Frankly speaking, who¡¯s the one that¡¯ll be inconvenienced if that person decides to wash his hands off it?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯ll be me.¡±

    ¡°See? Go and look for that trust or credit or whatever at your bank.¡±

    Minamoto gritted her teeth.

    She wasn¡¯t a fool herself and was aware. From the get go, the nature of this situation wasn¡¯t a coboration, and Yu Jitae was merely providing her with some help. Although the end result will be in the form of a cooperation, she was still the one in need.

    ¡°I apologise for my rash choice of words.¡±

    ¡°Right. Be careful of your tongue, before I tear your chin out.¡±

    He said that subconsciously as a habit, and turned his gaze to Bom after realising what he said. It seemed that she had been staring at him for a long time, and Bom greeted him with a stare as their eyes met.

    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t look too surprised.

    ¡°¡­Tch.¡±

    Minamoto wasn¡¯t the type to linger on things, so she indifferently set the conflict aside.

    Their meeting continued for another two hours or so, as Minamoto, BM and Li Hwa thoroughly understood how the situation will proceed as well as how to react in certain scenarios.

    ¡°Aigo. These old legs of mine will have to suffer a bit, ey.¡±

    Li Hwa grumbled with a chuckle and that was the onlyint that left during the meeting. At the masquerade, anyone could end up dying, but none of them were worried about their death.

    The conference thus came to an end.

    ***

    ¡°I have something to ask.¡±

    At the end of the fifth iteration.

    Yu Jitae was inside a dark building looking straight at Noah. On the top floor of the building where they were in, there were mountains of corpses. The dead ones contained tentacles, furs, hairs, ws and horns, and were monsters wearing the shells of humans.

    Back then, he wasn¡¯t able to form a shape with his killing intent. Yu Jitae was carrying a Level 5 sword artifact in one hand, with a Level 5 mana gun in his other hand.

    ¡°What questions for someone who¡¯s going to die soon.¡±

    He was gazing down. Noah, in his tuxedo, was on the ground and had ck blood flowing out of his mouth and nose.

    This was the result of the fight with Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Huhu¡­¡±

    Since he was finally about to kill a catastrophe, which he hadn¡¯t been able to during the fourth iteration, Yu Jitae was having expectations for the first time in a long time, and had felt great pleasure as he ughtered Noah¡¯s subordinates.

    ¡°Little child. What made you start hunting demons.¡±

    Yu Jitae pulled the trigger instead of giving an answer.

    Tukung¨C

    As the surrounding space fluctuated, a bluish ckser was shot forward. It blew Noah¡¯s arm off and pierced through the wall of the skyscraper before flying hundreds of metres outside while drawing a visible cylinder.

    However, Noah was still smiling.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have caused you any harm.¡±

    Tukung¨C

    This time, he blew off Noah¡¯s other arm. Resembling a pot with a empty hole, ck blood flowed out of his body alongside a thick demonic aura.

    ¡°Why are you so worked up? It looks as if¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae shot a leg,

    ¡°¡­Looks as if you¡¯re the victim.¡±

    Before shooting the other leg.

    Despite losing all his limbs, Noah was still wearing a smile ¨C despite his body evidently nearing death, he continued talking.

    ¡°You must have suffered something from the demons¡­ right?¡±

    Click¨C

    Lastly, Yu Jitae pointed the muzzle at Noah¡¯s head.

    ¡°You seem to have been dreaming for a long time to kill off us demons.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But unfortunately, you won¡¯t be able to kill me.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll live with a hole in your head?¡±

    ¡°Of course. This body even survived through the hardships of the outer dimension. Even though this body of mine had been shed to dust, I am still alive.¡±

    Noah is an existence from another world.

    He was different from a returnee, since he was originally not from the Earth. Therefore, there was a weapon only he could earn originating from outside Earth, and an abyss that couldn¡¯t be contacted from Earth still managed to reach him.

    ¡°I am Eternal, Immortal, Omniscient, and Omnipotent. Who dares to say that they can possibly kill me?¡±

    Yu Jitae pulled the trigger.

    Tukung¨C

    The fluctuation shook the dimension. Shooting forth, the bluish ckser covered Noah¡¯s body before blowing off the entire floor of the high-rise building.

    Straight afterward, Yu Jitae felt something strange. Despite killing such a strong demon, and despite it being certain that it was an enemy, Yu Jitae was unable to fill any pleasure.

    He didn¡¯t feel anything.

    Suddenly, theser he shot starteding back towards him.

    He tried to dodge it, but couldn¡¯t. Yu Jitae¡¯s body moved by itself; Noah¡¯s head gathered back together in mid-air and he came back to life, as theser returned to Yu Jitae¡¯s muzzle.

    ¡°As long as your desperation doesn¡¯t reach me, you cannot kill me in this ce. This is my world¨C¡±

    Did the world rewind itself back in time ¨C Yu Jitae of the fifth iteration had trouble understanding the situation.

    ¡°And in this ce, I am the god.¡±

    It was ridiculous and iprehensible, but Noah¡¯s words were true.

    Noah had the authority resembling a god.

    He fought hundreds of days on Earth in an attempt to kill Noah, but it was just fundamentally impossible for him to kill Noah.

    Thus, he had to change his n, and decided to blow Noah away to a ce where he couldn¡¯t reach the dragons. By entirely blowing off a portion of the Eurasian continent, he seeded in pushing Noah outside the dimension.

    It was a half-sess.

    And when the fifth iteration came to an end, the Regressor vowed to himself while staring at the world that had be a ruin from the attack of the adult dragons.

    He vowed to prepare, so that he could kill Noah easily if he were to meet him in the next iteration.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Fortunately, there was one method which only Yu Jitae could use in the entire world.

    Although his mind and thinking process had already deviated from the norm, it was a fairly crazy n even from his current perspective.

    And with the start of the sixth iteration, Yu Jitae who opened his eyes from between the ash-coloured buildings next to a road, let out an empty smile.

    When all the preparations were ready with only the real n waiting for him, he once again heaved out a deep sigh. Through the repetitive regressions, he had done all sorts of things to kill demons, but he hadn¡¯t guessed that a day like this woulde.

    Even then, he had to do it.

    Because that was his way of life.

 Chapter 75: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (3)

    <h4>Chapter 75: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (3)</h4>

    On a cold winter night, the airship ¡®Guardian¡¯ was flying across the territorial ocean of Japan. With a discement tonnage of 24,500 tonnes, it had a length of 95 metres, and a width of 37 metres.

    Standing on top of the wide deck were nervous-looking cadets standing in rows.

    The number of cadets on board were 800, with 87 of them belonging in the Azure Dragon study group. In addition there were staff members from Lair, guards from the International Hunter Association, as well as those from Japan¡¯s Hunter Committee, and reporters. Their total number reached approximately 1400.

    It had thergest scale worldwide for a mere one-time event of a military education institute, and was a demonstration of Lair¡¯s capability.

    ¡°Our priority is practical experience.¡±

    The principal, Ha Sukmoo, started the press conference with those words.

    ¡°But even before thates the safety of the cadets.

    ¡°It has been less than 20 years since the storms of war had drifted past us. Due to that, we had lost our family, brothers, sisters, friends and loved ones.¡±

    Ha Sukmoo read through the prepared script.

    There were still countless monsters, as well as wars against demons being carried out realtime around the globe. The likes of safety and peace were unrealistic but Ha Sukmoo sincerely wished it to exist.

    ¡°I wish the same tragedy wouldn¡¯t revisit us in this time of peace. We have taken all sorts of precautionary measures to make this raid into¡­¡±

    His voice reading the script faintly quivered.

    ¡°¡­a safe event.¡±

    He knew that something dangerous would be urring in this ce.

    The event had to be cancelled.

    With the mic in front of him, he could drop the bomb right now and the event will naturally be cancelled, since the media was watching.

    ¡°So parents and caregivers that have sent your precious sons, daughters and disciples to this ce do not need to worry.¡±

    However, as a mere figurehead chosen by the Association, there was only one thing he could do.

    He could do nothing but read the script.

    ¡°The event will end safely.¡±

    The dungeon raid thus began.

    ***

    BM and Li Hwa were able to join the raid team with the rmendation of Minamoto Ai, while Yu Jitae and Bom joined in as assistants of BM.

    ¡°Oi Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You nervous? What¡¯s with that stiff expression?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I tried talking casually as fellow assistants. Sorry.¡±

    Bom appeared nervous, and it was evident from how she was trying to put up a casual front with a joke.

    Once the raid begins, the two of them had to split. Yu Jitae had to move alone, while Bom had to travel with Li Hwa. During the nning of the battle formation, Li Hwa ended up being the one in charge of Ysayle Khalifa. The old woman smiled while whispering to herself, ¡°It¡¯s fate, huh. Fate.¡±

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You have to run if need be.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Have youpleted the Teleportation Memorisation?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°If you think you might get hurt, don¡¯t even look back.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Bom would never get hurt. Despite being certain of that, Yu Jitae did not spare his entreat.

    ¡°You have to kill demons as cleanly as possible.¡±

    Yu Jitae looked into Bom¡¯s eyes. What did she see, and why was she saying this?

    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have to kill, please don¡¯t kill them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°If you can, you have to let innocent people survive.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t get hurt. Otherwise I¡¯ll jump in, carry ahjussi and run away.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Okkayy¡­¡±

    ¡°Later then.¡±

    Bom gave a nod.

    Her eyes were slightly nted down from anxiety.

    Meanwhile, his clone confirmed the locations of Ysayle Khalifa and Noah, who were in the midst of other demons. The two of them seemed to have changed their facial features with the likes of a fake skin, but by relying on reading their demonic auras, it was easy to find them.

    ¡®It¡¯s these two.¡¯

    Okay.

    ¡®In that case, I¡¯ll move on to your next orders.¡¯

    There were seven routes leading to the boss room in total, and seven groups were therefore formed. Each route had around 50 to 200 cadets, with around 40 guards on average following them from behind.

    For the cadets, this was the firstrge-scale raid they were in part of, and their immature faces were filled with nervousness.

    As he had expected, Ysayle, Wei Yan and Noah were all standing at different locations.

    ording to his assumptions, their roles were probably like the following:

    Ysayle Khalifa: Enter the boss room, ¡®Melissia¡¯s room¡¯ before anyone else. After that, hunt Melissia and use her core to activate the ¡®altar¡¯.

    Wei Yan: Lead the cadets of the Azure Dragon study group into Melissia¡¯s room before other cadets.

    Noah: Protect Wei Yan, as well as ensuring everything goes smoothly.

    And there was one more existence.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A puppet was mixed within the human nobatants ¨C that one seemed to be staying behind at the entrance of the dungeon.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. Throughout the dungeon, there were puppets resembling humans standing in the mix. In addition to the one amongst the nobatants, there was one from the reporter¡¯s side, and each group of the seven raid groups had at least 2 puppets inside.

    From the very beginning, the raid was on the back of the demons¡¯ hands.

    The Azure Dragon study group was allocated to the fifth group, and would be led by Wei Yan and Noah. They would probably ignore the regtions of the raid and enter the boss room before others could.

    A group of guards had to be assigned to the fifth group as well, and after talking to Minamoto, Yu Jitae was able to join them.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re from Japan¡¯s Royal Family right.¡±

    And there, he found Wei Yan.

    After greeting the captain of the guards of the fifth group, Wei Yan turned his head and threw a nce across the guards.

    His eyes were trying to spot any possible nuisances. In that process, he found Yu Jitae, and his eyes twitched once he recognised him.

    ¡°Oh wow. Our pleasure to have you here.¡±

    Yu Jitae hadn¡¯t used [Temporary Body Modification (A)], since there was no need to hide his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s the badge of the Royal Family huh¡­ Others were extremely curious about your affiliation, Mr Yu Jitae. Did you know?¡±

    Wei Yan seemed to have misunderstood the situation.

    ¡°No wonder, considering you belong to Japan¡¯s Royal Family.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing that great.¡±

    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s no-one in the academy that doesn¡¯t know the Yu household.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    Wei Yan wore a smile as he threw a gaze down for a split second. No, in fact, he was scanning Yu Jitae from the top to the bottom.

    ¡°Professor Wei Yan. It¡¯s time for thest meeting.¡±

    That was when Noah, wearing the mask of a young man, opened his mouth.

    ¡°In any case, nice to have you here.¡±

    He shed a faint smile, before turning around.

    ¡°Enter your pathways!¡±

    And before long, the order of themander echoed across, as every raid group rode dimensional fissures and entered their designated rooms. It was simr to an old school RPG, in the sense that one had to move between maps (rooms in this case) with portals (fissures).

    The first room of the fifth group he belonged in, was the sewers. It was in the shape of arge and long cylinder, and the disgusting odour irritated their noses the moment they entered.

    This was the beginning of the shortest route to the boss room.

    Squeak squeak¡­

    Squeak¡­

    ¡°At the front, 15 sewage rats!¡±

    When the information was given by the operator, the cadets of the Azure Dragon study group all prepared themselves for the battle. Monsters like sewage rats and sewage lizards showed up asionally, and although they were as big as humans, the cadets defeated them in an instant.

    ¡°They are all quite good¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they even need us?¡±

    The cadets were strong to the point that the guardsposed of professional superhumans were surprised.

    ¡°But¡­ are they all nervous or something?¡±

    One of the guards looked at the cadets with doubt.

    ¡°Huh? You thought that as well? Their expressions and stuff are quite rigid right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little bit weird, yeah¡­¡±

    The Azure Dragon study group cadets all wore rigid expressions, and their movements were slightly unnatural at times. Even then, the cadets fought well, and obeyed their instructions very well.

    ¡°Maybe they were instructed to be on guard or something.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not a bad thing right?¡±

    Thus, the guards went over it indifferently. Whatever the case, up to now was a fairly normal raid.

    But when night befell after the first day of the raid came to an end,

    A change urred.

    *

    Inside the temporarymand centre of arge tent, there were three representatives from the guards, Yu Jitae, with threemanders of the raid group plus Wei Yan.

    Noah was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Then, we will end the meeting there.¡±

    Once the long conference as well as the calctions came to an end, the participants were about to heave out sighs when a guard opened his mouth up with an objection.

    ¡°Umm, I have a question about the raid speed.¡±

    His question earned the res of the superhumans in themanding position. It was because the guards had no right to take part in directing the cadets.

    ¡°A question, is it?¡±

    After carefully looking around, the guard continued.

    ¡°From 9:00 to 24:00, we have cleaned up 9 rooms in the span of 15 hours. Isn¡¯t that 4 more rooms than what we had in n?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ and does that serve as a problem?¡±

    ¡°In my opinion, I think it¡¯s too fast.¡±

    ¡°It could happen when the cadets are all superb and themanding group is excellent, can¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°I was given the impression that it was consumptive. Judging from the stamina level of the cadets, I don¡¯t think quarter a day of rest is going to fully recover their strength.¡±

    ¡°The Azure Dragon study group focuses our training heavily on stamina¨C¡±

    ¡°Damn it, we¡¯re saying they¡¯re pushing themselves above their limits!¡±

    A slightly more aggressive sentence left the mouth of another guard. He was a ck person with a tough build, and he had been grumbling about the speed throughout the raid.

    Wearing a gentle smile, Wei Yan looked back at him.

    ¡°Above their limits?¡±

    ¡°What will we do if our group is the only one in front of others?¡±

    ¡°Please use appropriate expression.¡±

    ¡°Heavily on stamina or whatever, aren¡¯t you speaking in circles right now? Ah, okay, let¡¯s say their staminas are great. Leaving all the other groups behind, we¡¯re gonna go before others and do what; lick our fingers or something?¡±

    This was the fundamental problem.

    The cadets of the Azure Dragon study group had to arrive at the boss room before others, in order to be demons, and that was a clear breach of the raid¡¯s regtions.

    ¡°Let me ask you again. Please use appropriate words.¡±

    ¡°Trying to change the topic now ey. We¡¯re not in front of a camera right now.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°You want to go before others and promote, or something? ¡®Our fucking Azure Dragon study group was the first group to arrive¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­ Please refrain from excessive interference. I am themander.¡±

    Kwang!

    In response, the guard smacked the table and stood up.

    ¡°Then are we just servants? Flowery decorations or something? Are we not even allowed to object when the lives of the cadets are on the line?¡±

    Other guards nodded in response to his words.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae had his arms crossed, as he watched the situation unfold with interest. Wei Yan, who could not find anything to say, had his eyes quivering.

    ¡°If you continue doing this, I won¡¯t hold myself back either. I could send you off by the military regtions.¡±

    ¡°Look, look. He¡¯s changing the topic again; that Professor Wei Yan, who¡¯s famous for being a good speaker. Ahh, is it because we¡¯re not in front of a camera?¡±

    Yu Jitae could see the demonic aura swaying faintly near Wei Yan¡¯s eyes and mouth.

    ¡°Moderation, moderation please¡­ Do not forget your ce as a guard.¡±

    The aura was hanging in his mouth, as if it could explode out whenever possible; like a snakehead barely caught up in a, it seemed like he could explode anytime.

    That was when someone rose up from themanding section.

    ¡°Like, how rude are you!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know to look before you leap?¡±

    ¡°What a joke. What are you guys doing, instead of being the first ones to stop him when you¡¯re meant to bemanders as well? You are the most ipetent!¡±

    ¡°Your impertinence is going out of control. You might end up dead if you¡¯re like that all the time.¡±

    ¡°Did I say anything wrong? The kids will be the ones dying if this goes on, you retards!¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    Shrrng¨C

    Unable to hold back, one of themanders unsheathed a sword and shed the table. The longsword shed through the table as it fell onto the ground in two pieces.

    ¡°This crazy bastard¡­!¡±

    Shrrng!

    The guards unsheathed their swords as well.

    That was when someone contacted Wei Yan on the radio.

    ¨C Urgent news! Urgent news!

    Due to the rushed voice, themanders and the guards all turned their gazes to Wei Yan¡¯s handheld radio receiver.

    ¨C The Grand Fissure, the entrance of the dungeon is fluctuating!

    Gasps left the mouths of the superhumans.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae wiped his mouth with his thumb.

    They were trying to close the entrance of ¡®Melissia Masquerade¡¯, and the radio news was like a signal re marking the start for the demons. Only now would all demons of the dungeon start moving themselves.

    ¡®Kuaak!¡¯

    ¡®W, why are you suddenly doing this¡­! Aaak!¡¯

    At the same time, shrieking screams were heard from outside the tent. Small explosions and the firing sound of mana guns were also heard.

    It was probably Noah, who started killing some of the troublesome members of the raid group that could serve as even a small threat.

    ¡°What! What¡¯s happening outside!¡±

    Startled, the guards were about to move.

    Bang¨C

    But that was when the head of the guard with the tough build, exploded.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    In that instant, they all stopped moving.

    Straight after that, the astonished guards took several steps back, while the unawaremanders also distanced themselves.

    Even then, Yu Jitae was still sitting on his seat.

    Soon, the gazes of the surroundings all gathered at Wei Yan, and the mana gun in his hand.

    ¡°Thisfuckingpieceoftrash,who,whodoeshethinkheis.Impertinenthumantrash.¡±

    With his eyes inside out, Wei Yan mumbled and the guards were stunned.

    Speaking without a break was an abnormal symptom seen from demons. That wasn¡¯t the end ¨C the gun in his hand was the Level 3 artifact, [Peace Invoker], and was one of the well-known treasures of the undetectables.

    ¡°Fuckinghell,dotheythinkthey¡¯retheonlyonesthatcankill? Theonlyonesthatcanswear? Theycan¡¯tunderstandforshitif I trytosmileandbenice¡­¡±

    After realising the situation, the superhumans were about to back off when Wei Yan opened his mouth with a smile, after returning to his usual expression.

    ¡°Ahh, stop there please. Anyone that moves from hereon, will have their heads explode okay?¡±

    ¡°You fucking¡­!¡±

    They twitched and unconsciously took a step back in surprise.

    ¡°I.¡±

    Bang¨C!

    ¡°Told you.¡±

    Bang¨C!

    ¡°Not to move!¡±

    Ba, bang¨C!

    Their heads exploded consecutively, and all the guards were then killed. Let alone them, even themanders were in a panic. Although they stood up from their seats, they were all awkwardly half-way up in the air, and stared at Wei Yan.

    ¡°P, Professor Wei Yan¡­ You, what in the¡­¡±

    ¡°Do humans only listen obediently once they¡¯re scared? Lowly creatures¡­ Well in fact, I¡¯ve gotten used to it since that¡¯s always been the case.¡±

    ¡°¡­You, you¡¯re not human?¡±

    ¡°Surprise. I was a demon ¨C the demon that devoured your sons, daughters and friends. Ah, this is not a joke by the way. Biruan, your wife tasted like pork. You must have been nice to her? Her stomach was full of fat.¡±

    ¡°¡­!!¡±

    ¡°Now, wake up all of you. I got this gun as a gift, and it has a decent output. So I rmend you obediently listen to my¡­¡±

    Wei Yan was in the middle ofughing and murmuring something, when his eyes turned to the side and found Yu Jitae on the other side of the table.

    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡±

    Yu Jitae was raising his watch and facing Wei Yan¡¯s direction. The disy of the screen was standing vertically, and it was obvious that he was filming a video. Since there was no longer a need to keep up the pretense, Wei Yan raised his voice with a growl.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, Yu Jitae!¡±

    In contrast to the situation, there was not a single trace of tension on Yu Jitae¡¯s face.

    ¡°What are you doing. You¡¯re in front of a camera.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    With a slow movement of his fingers, he zoomed on the disy and focused on Wei Yan¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Smile, won¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 76: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (4)

    <h4>Chapter 76: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (4)</h4>

    For him, ¡®not knowing something¡¯ was a negation against his entire life.

    So when an unknown hostility reached him from the other side of the Horizon of Providence for the first time ¨C when something ¡®he didn¡¯t know of¡¯ was created in his world for the first time, Yu Jitae had to suppress his uncontroble anger.

    Although his thoughts had changed ever since he faced the Hostility head-on while catching Ha Saetbyul, he still couldn¡¯t help but get sensitive in front of the unknown.

    [Wei Yan of the Seventh Iteration: Wei Yan of this iteration, exists while having an umtion of the strongest weapon, greatest connections and the best luck of the six previous regressions.]

    In the fifth iteration, Wei Yan had gained the Level 3 artifact [Peace Invoker]. This must have been the weapon he had gotten in this iteration.

    In the third iteration, Wei Yan had been one of the top executives of the undetectables. Since Noah wouldn¡¯t participate in the event of a random demon, this must have been the connection he gained.

    However, the ¡®luck¡¯ part was difficult to assess.

    Yu Jitae did not know what Wei Yan did in the first iteration, nor the type of person he was. That was proving to be holding him back aftering all the way to the seventh iteration.

    If it was referring to the ¡®luck¡¯ given as a demon, it must have been the contract with one of the ¡®31 Lords of the Abyss¡¯.

    A human went through the process of awakening and enlightenment to gain a [blessing] before bing a superhuman. Likewise, demons were also granted with a [stigma], during their contract with a lord of the abyss.

    Among them are catastrophe-ranked lords including Noah. They showed themselves in the real world very rarely, and were monsters that distributed ridiculous stigmas fitting its rarity.

    If by chance Wei Yan had formed a contract with such lords, the n he had created to kill Wei Yan had to be reconstructed from scratch. Demon lives were clingy, and catastrophe-ranks were even harder to kill. There were also stigmas that only activated post-death.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae decided to watch on.

    He watched Wei Yan hold killing intent against someone for the first time, and the resulting demonic aura wasn¡¯t that incredible. Thus, he went ording to the n and kept Wei Yan¡¯s conduct in the form of a video, in preparation for what would happen after they left the masquerade.

    During the process, some people ended up dying, but it failed to ring the Regressor¡¯s heart in any way. Death in this era was a verymon urrence, and was more so for someone that could rewind the world¡¯s time at will.

    It was nothing but an organism¡¯s actionsing to a stop. Something that was moving stopped; that was all there was to it.

    However, he thought of how Bom had asked him to help survive those who could live. The Regressor was in the middle of remembering the ends of those that had ceased to move, when a curved scimitar entered his sight.

    Wei Yan opened his mouth. He, who had been screaming like an enraged beast, was a lot calmer now.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s a difficult life already, so we should smile.¡±

    Once his atmosphere changed, themanders turned their backs and began running away. However, Wei Yan remained on the spot and merely watched Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Not going after them?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s actually no reason to. At this point, there should only be my cadets standing outside.¡±

    ¡°They must¡¯ve been brainwashed quite heavily.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Now their intellect is at the level of a dog.¡±

    ¡°A dog; why did you mess up those normal humans.¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re better than humans. Humans are all foolish, slow and have contradicting thoughts in mind. They tend to betray your trust.¡±

    ¡°Would demons be much different.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re right. So I use half-assed demons as bait. It works fairly decently here and there, but I was slightly disappointed this time because nothing ended up being lured in by the bait.¡±

    Wei Yan was talking about his assistant professor, Kwok Pan Wei.

    There was a dark serpent inside him. If a normal superhuman had trusted Kwok Pan Wei¡¯s betrayal in full, they would have ended up being swallowed by Wei Yan.

    Meanwhile, he felt a tremendous demonic aura from outside the tent. It was most likely Ysayle Khalifa who was heading for the boss room, who was found by Li Hwa and Bom, as well as Noah moving to help her after receiving the danger signal from Ysayle.

    The way to Ysayle¡¯s location would be covered with [Laws of Nature (S)] constructed from the mana of a green dragon acting as traps, which would dy his movement alongside BM, who was lying there in wait.

    ¡°You know what?¡±

    It was then. Excitedly, Wei Yan approached Yu Jitae and sat down next to him.

    ¡°You were the biggest nuisance while I was at Lair as a head professor. There were a few times¡­ maybe dozens of times where I wanted to kill you.¡±

    With his thumb raised up, he pointed at Yu Jitae with his index finger. He then went, ¡°Bang¡± and pretended to shoot his head.

    ¡°One shot would have done it, but it was hard to find that opportunity. You wouldn¡¯t understand how annoying you were.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Because of Yu Yeorum who looked down on the media, Sophia Vorkova rejected the offer of her entry into the Azure Dragon study group. Because of Yu Kaeul who deceived everyone with an innocent front, the Gong household retracted all their support to the Azure Dragon study group and Cadet Gong Juhee left school. If I think of all that¡­ ah, let me use a cigarette.¡±

    With a pant, Wei Yan ced the cigarette into his mouth and lit it on fire.

    ¡°And I heard somewhere that Yu Bom was a genius in magic. Isn¡¯t that fucked up? Where did all those cadets suddenlye out from, and why did they have toe near me and interrupt my poor self who was just trying to lead a diligent life. Ishouldhavegoneandrippedallofthemtodeath¡­ I used to think something like that.¡±

    Huu. Smoke escaped from his lips.

    Wei Yan¡¯s eyes started being painted in crimson. At the same time, a tremendous amount of demonic aura erupted forth. In between the glimpses of demonic aura were evident traces of an aura that deviated from Providence. The moment Yu Jitae¡¯s sixth sense clearly felt it, a message was portrayed by Vintage Clock.

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)] has confirmed the hostility sent from the other side of the Horizon of Providence inside the target [Wei Yan].]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock(EX)] starts collecting traces of the revealed [Hostility].]

    Good.

    Just like the fragments he had earned from the cigarette bud given by the 30-man special force team, Wei Yan was giving off fragments himself.

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 18.1%¡­]

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 20.1%¡­]

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 22.1%¡­]

    A lot more traces of Hostility were found from him,pared to Ha Saetbyul who had gone through demonification. What was strange was that the fragments had been collected automatically from Ha Saetbyul, while it could only be gathered manually from Wei Yan.

    But perhaps because of that, he was collecting the fragments at an extremely fast rate in a short period of time. Therefore, Yu Jitae decided to listen to his meaningless story for a bit more.

    ¡°Well, Japan¡¯s Royal Family must have been determined to make something happen, I guess. Judging from how they gathered all those fabulous kids to one ce.¡±

    ¡°So, what are you going to do.¡±

    ¡°What would I do?¡±

    Wei Yan pointed at Yu Jitae¡¯s head with [Peace Invoker].

    ¡°The gates of Melissia Masquerade have been closed.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no more room for outsiders to intervene. I¡¯ll kill you, and once the masquerade ends, I will send those annoying kids to your ce.¡±

    A faint smile appeared on Yu Jitae¡¯s lips.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite slow at understanding the situation for a demon.¡±

    ¡°Guardian Yu Jitae. I think it¡¯s you who¡¯s slow to the point of being stupid. We were the ones that had closed the gates of the fissure.¡±

    ¡°I know that.¡±

    Yu Jitae sounded way too nonchnt that Wei Yan tilted his head with a sneer.

    ¡°An ant does not know the ways of a human. I don¡¯t know what a random superhuman like you would know, but I would like to personally teach you.

    ¡°There¡¯s a Grand Schema for me.

    ¡°It will take 15 days or so to restore the closed fissure. That is more than enough for us to raid Melissia, fulfill my wish, kill you, kill others and finish cleaning up.

    ¡°History will remember this as an unfortunate event. My surviving cadets of the Azure Dragon study group will be seen as victims, while also beingmended as heros. And I will receive acknowledgement from my lord and be gifted with a tremendous power. Isn¡¯t that awesome? Isn¡¯t this a perfected Grand Schema?!¡±

    His eyes were filled with madness, as he raised his voice.

    ¡°And you will be the one that marks the start of this Grand Schema. Isn¡¯t that an honourable thing?¡±

    Wei Yan¡¯s eyes shot wide open, and the insanity of a demon that had been suppressed, exploded out in its instinctiveness. Matching that, an enormous amount of fragments of Hostility were conveyed to Vintage Clock.

    ¡°You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this day do you? For an extremely long period of time, I have controlled myself; control, control, control, control and controlled myself! All that effort! There¡¯s no way alowlyhumancouldevendarprehendit!¡±

    Perhaps because of all the fragments that had gathered in a short period of time, Wei Yan rose from his seat with exaggerated movements and threw his arms into the air.

    ¡°Ahh¨C! My lord Seirapuan! Yourfirstlivingsacrificewouldbegivenbyburningthebloodandskinofthisursedhuman,¡±

    [[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 34.5%¡­]

    [The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has finished collecting all the Hostility of the other side of the Horizon from the target, [Wei Yan].]

    ¡°Yu Jitae¨C!!¡±

    Wei Yan pointed at Yu Jitae with [Peace Invoker].

    Suddenly, something smacked him on his face.

    ¡ª¨C!

    Due to an unknown jolt, Wei Yan flew backwards. His body ripped through the tent and didn¡¯t stop even after breaking the shoulder segment of the operator¡¯s armour that was hanging outside. Only after smashing through the walls of the underground dungeon and reaching the end of the room ¨C the walls of the alternate dimension separating the worlds, did he fall on the ground.

    It was an intense shock and despite him earning a physical body which could stand against disaster-ranked demons, his facial bones had been fractured, with one of his eyes exploding to nothingness.

    *

    Crumbled on the ground, Wei Yan only came to his senses after a fair bit of time passed.

    He couldn¡¯t tell how much time had passed, and his body had trouble sensing what was around him. ck blood was oozing out of the seven orifices of his face.

    In the corner of the dark dungeon with not a single trace of light, the first thing Wei Yan noticed was the odour unique to the habitats of monsters. Blinking his bleeding eye, Wei Yan faced the world with a hazy gaze.

    Inside the dark sewage, an even darker shadow was gazing down at him. There was a scimitar hanging in his hand.

    ¡°Ha¡­¡­ fuuckk.¡±

    Since his mouth had been crushed, Wei Yan had to mumble his words.

    ¡°W¡­ who aree you¡­¡±

    ¡°You woke up.¡±

    The shadow approached him.

    ¡°Then get up, actor of thisic act.¡±

    Coughing out ck clots of blood, Wei Yan shook his head left and right. When he did so, more blood flowed out from his nose, ears and eyes.

    Yu Jitae walked up and crouched down in front of him.

    ¡°I should have crushed you like this ages ago.¡±

    With a dry voice, and a tone that resembled that of a broomstick dusting the earthy ground, the man was looking down at himself with an emotionless gaze.

    In addition, there was this iprehensible strength.

    Who, in the world,

    ¡°Whoo, are youu¡­!!¡±

    Squeezing everything he had inside his body, Wei Yan screamed viciously. His cracked voice desperately echoed across the sewers.

    ¡°There was no need to close the dungeon gates.¡±

    ¡°Whaat¡­?¡±

    ¡°I was going to destroy it anyway.¡±

    It was hard to understand.

    The fissure into the dungeon, was in the end a dimensional fissure. By paying a tremendous cost, it was possible to seal it for a short period of time, but the expression ¡®destroy¡¯ was not appropriate for it.

    ¡°The rats have entered the trap, so naturally it should be sealed tight.¡±

    He threw something over to Wei Yan¡¯s body.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After slowlying to his senses, Wei Yan looked at the thing that hadnded on top of his stomach.

    It was a handheld radio transmitter.

    ¨C Buzz

    Just in time, the transmitter received a signal.

    ¨C Urgent news! Urgent news!

    A message arrived from the mainmand centre located at the entrance of the dungeon.

    ¨C The Grand Fissure, the dungeon entrance is crumbling down!

    His voice sounded at least twice more astonished than before.

    In that ce near the entrance, there were puppets of the demons,

    ¨C The dimensional fissure is being destroyed!!

    And at the same time, there were Yu Jitae¡¯s puppets as well.

    Only then did Wei Yan widen his remaining eye and look up at him. There was not a single human in the world that could destroy a dimensional fissure.

    At the very least, that was what he thought until now, but if there was an exception¡­

    ¡°Ha, haha¡­ huhaha¡­¡±

    After realising something, Wei Yanughed powerlessly.

    They, the undetectables, had ¡®one single enemy¡¯.

    The enemy had an unclear objective, mysterious ability, and a concealed strategy. He was the murderer of Prototype X; the murderer of Hasegawa. Despite those cases having shook the entire demon society, the enemy had not left a single trace behind.

    ¡°It was¡­ you huh¡­¡±

 Chapter 77: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (5)

    <h4>Chapter 77: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (5)</h4>

    If he hadn¡¯t gotten rid of Prototype X; if Ha Saetbyul was able to link the minds of all demons to one ce, Wei Yan¡¯s current situation would¡¯ve been immediately conveyed to Noah and Ysayle.

    But since that wasn¡¯t the case, Wei Yanid his hand on his waist, looking for themunication artifact. However, there was nothing on his waist.

    ¡°Looking for this?¡±

    The Regressor lifted a long stone te.

    Hatred and despair appeared on Wei Yan¡¯s face. That was the only device that allowed one tomunicate with others outside the current room, and Wei Yan now understood the ce he was in.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With the scimitar in his hand, Yu Jitae walked towards Wei Yan.

    He was breathing heavily and ufortably. The intense shock had destroyed all his organs and the demon barely managed to raise his trembling head to re at Yu Jitae.

    The one remaining eye however, was out of focus.

    ¡°Why, why¡­ the fuck¡­ are you doing this.¡±

    His voice squeezed out the remaining life he had.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What did I do to youu¡­ you piecee of shit.¡±

    After approaching him, Yu Jitae stabbed the scimitar into the ground.

    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m doing this.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I did something to you, huh? Thest name ¡®Yu¡¯¡­ if I remember correctly, the girl I kidnapped when developing a new drug was a ¡®Yu¡¯¡­ is it her? Because of that?¡±

    ¡°Wrong.¡±

    Wei Yan faced Yu Jitae with a powerless gaze.

    ¡°I have no grudge against you.¡±

    ¡°Whaat¡­? Are you crazy then¡­¡±

    Perhaps there was a time in the distant past where he had a grudge, but there was not a single emotion against Wei Yan at this point, that could be considered a resentment.

    There were times when he had been annoyed because of Wei Yan in the seventh iteration, but ultimately Wei Yan had never been a direct source of harm. There was no reason for him to feel emotions like grudge or vengeance.

    ¡°Should I be honest.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I wish for, and you¡¯re a hindrance. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll be killing you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Fuck, fucking trash¡­ are you still human?¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a faint smile. For the first time in a very long time, he felt a trivial doubt.

    ¡°If there¡¯s a human somewhere that could ruin your ns, and if that future wille for sure, what will you do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pull their intestines out and strangle them¡­ but, aren¡¯t you human¡­?¡±

    ¡°What does ¡®human¡¯ even mean.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°They are a disturbance, but words don¡¯t go thorough, and they remain stubborn even with swords pointed against them. You guys are all generally like that. Disgusting, pathetic and talk nonstop about a boring topic.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Annoying enough to see them one or two days, but I had to watch on for a fairly long time because of circumstances. So what else can I do.¡±

    Looking back, he had killed a lot of innocent people for various reasons. For being a hindrance; because they were annoying; identally, etc¡­ if actions defined a person, he wouldn¡¯t be a human.

    Yu Jitae did not deny that.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What should I have done.¡±

    The man locked up in the walls of time did not put regtions on himself. He just had to live some way or another.

    ¡°¡­Cough.¡±

    After understanding what the Regressor meant as a demon, Wei Yan felt nk. He looked into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, beforeughing, ¡°Kuk, kuk¡± while bleeding from his mouth.

    Because of his short breath, hisugh also left with short pauses.

    Soon, hisughter as well as his breath came to a stop, as Wei Yanprehended the situation.

    Yu Jitae.

    Themunication artifact in Yu Jitae¡¯s hand; the direction of the Azure Dragon study group¡¯s encampment at a distance; the room-type dungeon with dimensional walls isting the room, as well as something that was distancing itself on the other side of the wall.

    ¡°All fucked up¡­ Cough¡­¡±

    Before long, Wei Yan opened his mouth with a calm voice as he made a resolve.

    ¡°This is the heart¡­¡±

    Since he understood that his Grand Schema had failed,

    ¡°The bone¡¯s quite tough, so you should stab properly.¡±

    Wei Yan discarded himself without a second thought.

    ***

    ¡°How old are you, young miss?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m 20 years old.¡±

    ¡°Twenty?¡±

    Before the dungeon gates closed, Li Hwa was talking to Bom while flying through the empty sky of a ¡®room¡¯.

    ¡°How pretty. I have never seen a child as beautiful as you in my fairly long life.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Even your voice is like a ss marble¡­ you must be loved a lot.¡±

    Bom returned a smile.

    Due to the nned battle formation, Li Hwa had to go stop Ysayle Khalifa.

    Ysayle had departed before them, and she must be heading to the boss room through another room with a puppet. Therefore, they needed to go faster if they wanted to stop Ysayle from going any further.

    With an unfamiliar dimension and the coordinates not being clear in her head, even a green dragon was not able to teleport from the inside of a dungeon, to another area of the dungeon.

    And while they werefortably flying thanks to the telekic ability, Bom suddenly turned nk. Aftering to herself, she stared at the olddy.

    There was something strange ¨C what she read through Providence was different from the olddy¡¯s current self.

    Bom therefore decided to ask her.

    ¡°Granny.¡±

    ¡°Nnn?¡±

    ¡°¡­If this sounds rude, you don¡¯t have to reply.¡±

    ¡°Okay I will. What is it.¡±

    ¡°What happened between you and Ysayle Khalifa?¡±

    Li Hwa stared at Bom with a smile. Beneath her eyes were the deep wrinkles of her life.

    ¡°Back in the days¡­ I was like you, young miss. I was very pretty as a child.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a joke. I wasn¡¯t as pretty as you. If I was, I would have be a celebrity instead of a superhuman.¡±

    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±

    ¡°But even then, I was quite loved. The men of my vige woulde near my house to sneak a look at me.¡±

    ¡°Ahh.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why in the past, but I didn¡¯t want to show myself to them. Maybe I thought my face would wear down if I showed them too much. I was acting snobby.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And there was this boy who was really persistent. He was short, and ugly. Every time he would stay at a nearby park alone, and if I left for the convenience store, he would greet me from a distance without even having the courage to step up.¡±

    ¡°¡­Was he younger than you?¡±

    ¡°He was. That¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t that content, because I was into confident older men.¡±

    ¡°Aigoo¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh, am I saying too much?¡±

    ¡°No? It¡¯s fun.¡±

    Others would be surprised if they saw this, because Li Hwa rarely ever talked about herself. Thus, even the members of the Grand Natural Society that were close with her barely knew about Li Hwa¡¯s past.

    ¡°Hulhul. It¡¯s against the rules if you¡¯re kind on top of that¡­¡±

    But Li Hwa was feeling a strange sense offort from this unknown girl.

    ¡°And one day, he plucked up his courage and walked up, and handed me a small envelope, you see. He put a letter and a picture of himself inside.¡±

    Searching through her pocket, Li Hwa took out a small notebook. It was a leathery notebook, that had been nched here and there. Inside, there was the faded photo of a man taken with a proid.

    ¡°No-one used a proid back then¡­ well, he was a strange child. His face wasn¡¯t that great, nor was his family. He was short, and he wasn¡¯t even a Taiwanese like myself. And back then, the interpreting artifact was expensive so he was a slow speaker too. I had never thought that I would end up marrying him.¡±

    ¡°Oh wow?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We somehow ended up dating, and also somehow ended up bearing a child. I regret it a lot. I should¡¯ve met a better man! You know.¡±

    Hulhulhul. Sheughed from her own joke.

    ¡°Or I should¡¯ve lived by myself¡­ who would have known that he would die while I had a child inside.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It was Ysayle Khalifa¡¯s troops. Back then, I had just awakened and Ysayle Khalifa wasn¡¯t a strong demon either.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But it was still very scary¡­ We were going to hide in the wardrobe, but my husband couldn¡¯te in because of my swollen stomach. So he put me inside the wardrobe and locked it from outside.¡±

    With a reminiscing light, Li Hwa gazed off into the distance.

    ¡°But that indecent bitch lit the apartment on fire afterwards. It was very hot, and I thought that was my death bed.¡±

    Hulhul, the olddyughed.

    ¡°My body is very stained and dirty right? Since everyone around was interested, I just told them it was from the East-Asian Great War. In fact, it¡¯s different. It¡¯s a burn I got when I was a lot younger.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Technology has gotten better and it¡¯s possible to get rid of it but I decided to leave it, because I didn¡¯t want to erase that memory. Every time I look into a mirror, I think to myself, and wait for the time toe.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°During the Great War, and even after the war after retiring, I looked everywhere but couldn¡¯t find her¡­ But now, the day has finallye.¡±

    Bom held onto the olddy¡¯s hand with a sorrowful gaze. The old woman¡¯s eyes were staring past the interdimensional wall, off at a far distance.

    ¡°Today must be the day I finally kill that bitch¡­¡±

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The 67th room was the shortest pathway to the boss room from the 39th room where Noah was. It was a room of vast wastnd, filled with dry dirt and stone. BM had arrived there first and was waiting for Noah toe.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    BM, the alcohol addict, was craving alcohol. In the hideout, he had given empty promises of how he would quit alcohol to hisrades, but now that he was actually sober for around 15 hours, his fingers started trembling.

    He nheless had to hold it in.

    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s me. Noah¡¯s here.¡±

    It was because his enemy was right in front of him.

    His voice travelled across the wireless artifact and was conveyed to Minamoto, who was heading to the boss room, Li Hwa and Bom who would be going after Ysayle Khalifa, as well as Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What are you doing? Standing there doing nothing.¡±

    He had appeared like an average youth until now, but it seemed that Noah had discarded his mask. The clean and fancy tuxedo did not suit the dungeon, but the middle-aged gentleman full of elegance stood in front of BM.

    ¡°You must be busy. Go on.¡±

    BM continued his words.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll simply make a road for me though.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it went. I wasn¡¯t nning on going after and fighting you, but now that it¡¯se to this, I can¡¯t take a step back.¡±

    ¡°Are you that BM?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I have long heard about your name.¡±

    ¡°What an honour.¡±

    ¡°They say, there¡¯s Oscar Brzenk under the heavens, and you under Oscar Brzenk.¡±

    BM whispered to himself about how he didn¡¯t really want to hear that name.

    ¡°Did you have a good night¡¯s sleep?¡±

    That was when Noah suddenly talked about something off the topic.

    ¡°Sleep?¡±

    ¡°Humans tend to sleep and dream.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you dream of?¡±

    BM¡¯s head was tilted to a side. Raising his hand, he pushed his sunsses up, before scratching his ears.

    ¡°What stupidity is this about.¡±

    ¡°The thought of an existence is projected to their unconsciousness, and it is disyed in the form of a dream during their sleep.¡±

    ¡°So what.¡±

    ¡°What would your dream taste like, as someone under the heavens. I¡¯m very curious.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is he crazy or what.¡±

    Unlike the words bluntly leaving his mouth, BM was tense.

    During the Great War, everything rted to Noah had usually urred during the night.

    Dream ¨C it was something that happened during their sleep.

    Yu Jitae had said that this man could ¡®be¡¯ a god, but he did not mention any details. There must have been a reason he didn¡¯t.

    Besides, the fact that he could be a god meant that he was not a god yet. If it was just a normal demon, there was no need for anyplex thoughts.

    ¡°Stop with your nonsense, and let¡¯s fight.¡±

    [Extrication (S)]

    BM¡¯s body started transforming. Just like a demon pulling out their hidden true self, BM also began pulling out 13 chimeras embedded inside his body.

    [Wings of a Wyvern (AA)]

    A pair of bony wings appeared behind him.

    [Ahillia¡¯s Curse (AA+)]

    His two arms became the arms of the demon baron, Ahillia,

    [Heavenly Flute (AA-)]

    And five horns appeared on his forehead.

    Apart from that, arge tail extended out from BM¡¯s waist, and his skin was covered in an armour-like leather.

    Once he started operating all 13 chimeras, BM¡¯s body started exuding a tremendous amount of mana that could shake the entirerge dimension by itself.

    ¡°Interesting¡­ it doesn¡¯t look like a chimera of this ce.¡±

    Since Noah was also from another world, there were things he could see.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll hear the other detailster. As you said, I¡¯m a bit short on time.¡±

    An ash-coloured aura started pouring out from Noah¡¯s body. It then began painting the world with its colour, and soon covered the entire room in achromatic colours.

    Then, Noah extended his hand forward. A fissure was created in the alternate dimension as a sword dropped down andnded in his hand. Within that world which had lost its colour, his sword was the only thing retaining its previous colour.

    ¡®Dream Eater¡¯.

    It was a Level 4 artifact; a weapon that would be considered a national level strategic weapon.

    ¡°Today will be your nightmare.¡±

    Noah was about to move.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    But suddenly, after feeling something Noah widened his eyes. Colour returned to the world of achromatic colours, and the sword vanished into a smoke.

    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡±

    Wearing a devilish scowl, Noah did not respond to BM¡¯s words and ced his hand near his ears before sending a message to someone else.

    ¡°Wei Yan, find Wei Yan. Right now¨C!¡±

    Noah¡¯s sonorous voice resonated across the wastnd.

    ***

    The demons that were waiting at a nearby dungeon urgently rushed in towards the 39th room. Reaching the long sewage-shaped dungeon, they headed to where the tents were and found the cadets of the Azure Dragon study group copsed unconscious on the ground.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    These cadets had their minds encroached by Wei Yan¡¯s demonic aura for a very long time. And yet they were all unconscious?

    ¡°Shit¡­!¡±

    Letting out profanities, the demons searched for Wei Yan. He should still be nearby, as they could sense his demonic aura.

    Where is he, and who was it that did it?

    Wei Yan had to survive though, because this entire Grand Schema had been for Wei Yan. Thus, when they finally found Wei Yan, they were all frozen stiff.

    ¡°T, this¡­¡±

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    The transparent interdimensional walls covering all sides of the 39th room.

    High up on one of those walls; in the middle of the invisible wall; as if he was floating in mid-air ¨C there was a scimitar stabbing Wei Yan¡¯s heart, straight into the wall of the dimension.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Staring at the ck blood that flowed down the wall into thin air, the demons lost their words.

    Wei Yan was dead.

 Chapter 78: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (6)

    <h4>Chapter 78: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (6)</h4>

    ¨C Professor Wei Yan has died¡­

    The demons received a great shock and stopped their feet.

    Before long, their eyes started being tainted in the colour of blood.

    In an instant, Noah kicked off the dimension and flew off. It was a different direction from before. Instead of going through with his initial n and going to help Ysayle Khalifa, he headed in a different direction, in order to head straight to the boss room.

    Since BM had already heard about Wei Yan¡¯s death from Yu Jitae, he threw his body almost immediately after Noah.

    With a flutter of the wyvern¡¯s bony wings, BM¡¯s body vanished and was in front of Noah when he reappeared.

    Baam!

    BM crashed into Noah at the speed of sound. Due to the unexpected crash, Noah was bounced off and flew around 100 metres behind while BM ced himself at where Noah was facing.

    ¡®Let¡¯s be careful.¡¯

    A thought that he was a lot weaker than expected popped up in his head, so BM reminded himself to be careful.

    Whatever the case, there was no need to defeat him, because his mission was to halt Noah.

    From a distance, Noah spoke with a low voice.

    ¡°Step aside right now, or I¡¯ll skin you alive.¡±

    His calm and antique atmosphere was long gone.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try.¡±

    And BM¡¯s provocation made Noah¡¯s eyes turn a level redder.

    ¡°Impudent¡­¡±

    Once again, ¡®Dream Eater¡¯ appeared from thin air andnded in Noah¡¯s hand. The two of them were a hundred metres or so apart, which made a person appear like a bean.

    Noah rushed through that distance with one step. He shed fiercely down with a sword covered in murky demonic aura. It was stopped by the demon baron¡¯srge and ck arms, as arge w mark reaching dozens of metres in length were drawn behind BM from the aftermath.

    Kwaaang¨C!

    A cloud of dust rose up and covered their sight. When BM was about to raise his senses to the extreme, Noah jumped through the dust.

    [Self-protection of a Baron (A)]

    A bluish ck demonic aura appeared above BM¡¯s arms and formed a shield.

    Kwang Kwang Kwang Kwang!

    After ten or so shes, BM formed a frown behind his sunsses.

    ¡®Indeed, he¡¯s strong.¡¯

    The shock was enough to cause the arms of Ahillia, who was famous even in the demon world for the toughness of his body, to go numb, despite Noah not even using a special skill or the authority of his stigma.

    ¡®He¡¯s constantly trying to get closer. Is he the type that relies on his physical power for closebat?¡¯

    Each strike of his was a strong blow. In the middle of the hectic battle, BM pondered.

    ¡®He¡¯s merely covering his body with demonic aura, and hasn¡¯t revealed any skill or authority.¡¯

    It should be a fairly urgent situation, so what did this mean?

    ¡®And he¡¯s far from what that man was saying about how he could be a ¡®god¡¯.

    ¡®If that referred to his [Extrication], then it seems that he can¡¯t use much of other abilities in his normal state.¡¯

    There was that type of demon. They looked weak normally, but once they started explosively using their hidden strength, their fighting prowess would increase exponentially.

    These demons tended to be weak usually, so their opponents would put their guards down during their extrication.

    ¡®In any case, let¡¯s buy some more time. In order to prolong this battle of attrition, I need to create some distance.¡¯

    ¡°What are you rolling your eyes for, you disgusting cluster of monsters!¡±

    That was when Noah¡¯s sword had an explosive amount of demonic aura shoot out.

    Despite not using any real skill, the demonic aura itself was overwhelming. The pir of demonic aura which soared 20 metres into the sky, shredded the particles of mana and the air of the dungeon as it fell toward BM.

    [Heavenly Fantasia (AA+)]

    In that instant, the jaws and teeth of arge monster appeared right behind BM¡¯s wings and swallowed BM¡¯s upper body in whole.

    It was the head of the great monster of Arandot, Kalyavan, which had five horns on its head.

    After swallowing a heap of mana, the horns on his forehead swayed and shook. BM followed where his instincts led him, and opened his mouth. His cheeks were torn apart, as his chin dropped hideously wide open.

    Mana started being suppressed to its maximum and formed a small marble. Soon, it created a shock wave that quaked the entire room and shot off as a destructive beam shuddering the dimension.

    The beam was bright enough, to make the world appear darker for a split second.

    Noah quickly adjusted the trajectory of his sword and parried the threatening beam of light. Along with a fierce shock, the beam bounced off and left traces behind on the ground, as it covered the rocky hills of the wastnd.

    Kwakwakwakwang¨C!

    The rocks and sands of the ce where the beam had passed by immediately evaporated and created a long crater reaching dozens of metres. From the overwhelming thud, the interdimensional walls of the room also fluctuated like ocean waves.

    During the parrying process, Noah¡¯s hand and arm had skins ripped off as his dark blood erupted out.

    His frown became deeper in intensity.

    ¡®For now, I can take a breather but¡­¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t something to be happy out.

    BM reflected on the abilities Noah had revealed when he was about to fight against him for the first time, when the enormous 67th room had turned into achromatic colours.

    That was probably rted to his extrication.

    And usually, the demons who gained a tremendous power boost from extrication had to umte enough strength, in order to be able to release it in full. In other words, they required a lot of energy for extrication.

    ¡®He¡¯s saving his energy after noticing that person¡¯s existence¡­¡¯

    So he¡¯s too reluctant to use his power on the likes of me, huh.

    BM felt his pride being scratched, but there was nothing he could do since that was the reality of it.

    There was a faint curiosity, but the anxiety against the unknown power was slightly greater than that. Tensing his body, BM opened his mouth.

    His role was to buy time, and he could do anything for the objective.

    ¡°You said you were curious about the taste of my dream?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When Noah remained silent, BM also hesitated slightly, as the breeze carried the dust of the wastnd from one side to the other.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be that tasty. Because¡­¡±

    BM whispered slowly.

    ¡°Because I am tormented every night from boring nightmares. Hmm, but what do nightmares taste like? Does it taste good for you demons? Ah, but you know what.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get fat if you eat too much sweet stuff. You¡¯re quite old yourself, so you need to control your diet. Well, with your age¡­¡±

    ¡°How dare you try to buy time, you impudent, lowly mortal.¡±

    BM¡¯s lips were nted up.

    ¨C He noticed it lol¡­

    ¨C Dude, why did you make it so obvious?

    ¨C This guy is pretty bad at acting kekek.

    BM listened to the chimeras inside his body giggling out loud. These guys were generally quiet, but asionally chatted like this.

    ¡°Seems that I can¡¯t just ignore you¡­¡±

    Wearing a frown, Noah raised the sword. Demonic aura iparable to before, erupted out, and the world started instantaneously being coloured in ash.

    ¨C He¡¯s angry lol.

    ¨C That bastard¡¯s gone angry.

    Shut up, you guys. We might all end up dead right now.

    ¨C And this guy¡¯s scared lol

    ¨C kekekekekekekek

    ¨C Ohoh, little friend, are you scared? Lol

    Damn this noisy bunch.

    As their mutters irritated him, BM closed his ears. Then, he closed his eyes with a deep breath. His tiny eyelid covered the world in darkness, and thus the ash-coloured world was no longer seen either.

    [Eyes of Abraxas (S-)]

    The blue bird that had pushed the alternate world ¡®Arandot¡¯ into ruin; at the same time it was the eyes of the strongest chimera BM had.

    sh¨C

    Behind the sunsses, his eyes revealed themselves.

    ***

    The moment they heard a report of how the fissure entrance had been closed, the cadets and the guards paused the raid. They wouldn¡¯t move until they had aplete understanding of the situation.

    But a few of the cadets, guards and nobatants suddenly left their ranks and started running somewhere.

    ¡°Uh? Huhh? Where are you going, Hidan!¡±

    ¡°Miss Boya! What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Oi, oi! Hey! Catch him!¡±

    With their eyes painted in red, the demons followed someone¡¯s order and ran forward. They amounted to around a few dozens, and after gathering together, they dashed across the path created by Ysayle Khalifa like fleas.

    Their destination was the boss room.

    ***

    The 141st room ¨C its name was ¡®Public Garden¡¯.

    A beautiful and tidy grasnd wasid out along with low hills as far as one¡¯s eyes could see. Room-type dungeons usually had ¡®settings¡¯ for each room, and the 141st room was probably a ¡®garden Melissia would have made in her fortress¡¯.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time¡­¡±

    From a distance, something approached them.

    Li Hwa opened her eyes, as her wrinkled gaze revealed her killing intent. The vigour being emitted from the old woman¡¯s body turned violent, to the point she appeared like a different person.

    Raising her body, Li Hwa spoke to Bom.

    ¡°You cannote out from this ce.¡±

    Despite her politeness, it sounded like amand.

    ¡°Sorry? But¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m old but not old enough to control my emotions it seems. I can¡¯t be sure that I won¡¯t be hurting this wonderfuldy. So, could you please listen to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Without even waiting for her response, the old woman walked forward.

    From a distance, they could see an existence flying while causing mana fluctuations in the surroundings. It was as fast as a missile.

    In response, Li Hwa¡¯s body also floated up in mid-air.

    It was a power that allocated direction to mana and forced a change in the nearby space. At the same time, it was a spell that was known to have a diverse range, going from the F-rank to the A-rank depending on the user.

    [Telekinesis (S-)]

    Ever since the start of New Era for the past decades, the world of magic being researched by countless schrs still hadn¡¯t seen an official statement of an S-rank telekinesis, but here it was in disy.

    The grass were all bisected, and a circr hole was being formed in the garden due to the telekic ability.

    Li Hwa threw her body and crashed into the flying object.

    Bababababam¡ª!

    Though they crashed head-on, tens of explosive sounds continued in the air. Bom unconsciously raised her arm and covered her face, as a vomit-inducing shockwave repeated one after another.

    ¡°Who the fuck are you!¡±

    A shout left Ysayle Khalifa¡¯s mouth in disbelief, but Li Hwa did not give a response.

    Husband, house, assets, memories, youth ¨C the devilish demon that had taken everything she had owned, still had the same face even after decades had passed.

    Therefore, the olddy was feeling strangely sentimental.

    It was because it was way too simr to the dreams she had.

    Li Hwa often dreamed. At the start, she had only dreamed of the day her husband died and her body caught on fire, butter, she only saw herself meeting Ysayle in the future.

    Of course, it was but a dream and Li Hwa had no way of controlling it herself.

    But sometimes when her mind was in a mess, the dream would be a reality and reveal itself in the form of an illusion.

    She didn¡¯t hate that, because she was at least able to talk to Ysayle.

    In that illusionary dream, the old woman asked Ysayle time after time.

    Why did you do that to me and my husband.

    Then, Ysayle would open her mouth and give her different reasons every time.

    Because you¡¯re a human.

    Because you were annoying.

    Because you were irritating.

    Because I had to live.

    Because of nothing special.

    Because I was bored.

    Had to do it to show my ability.

    Because I wished for your despair.

    Is a reason required for a demon to kill a human.

    I don¡¯t remember who that was.

    Should I send you to where your husband is.

    What would change even if you know it.

    Those were Ysayle Khalifa¡¯s replies, which Li Hwa had drawn in her imaginations.

    With hundreds of hallucinations, and hundreds of encounters, she received all sorts of replies, but not a single one of them appealed enough for Li Hwa to understand.

    Therefore, she stopped asking Ysayle at some point.

    The old woman realised that whatever left the mouth of the devil, would not be the one she was waiting for.

    ¡°Am I not asking who you are, you old hag!¡±

    So when Ysayle Khalifa screamed while staggering from the shock, Li Hwa remained silent.

    Kugugugung¡­!

    She only burned her source of life and bloomed it in the form of telekinesis. The air of the 141st room became heavier by dozens of times.

    [Telekinesis (S-) ¨C 103rd Form]

    Buzz¨C

    From an uncontroblepulsion of the ability, the olddy¡¯s eyes sparked.

    [Mt. Tai Pulverising Form]

    Soon, tens of thousands of [amputations] attacked from all directions and covered Ysayle Khalifa like a storm. The armoured drones protecting Ysayle turned into fragments, before eventually being ground to dust. Ysayle had to quickly avoid them.

    ¡°This fuckin¡­ where did this crazy dotarde from¡­!¡±

    But vigour alone was not enough. Ysayle¡¯s chest began opening up alongside the skin beneath.

    Inside her body, there were no bones, organs or the heart. The ck marble inside started furiously emitting an insane amount of demonic aura.

    The demonic aura shredded her alternate dimension storage open. Then, a long crevice appeared in the dimension as a human-type gigantic machine with only its upper body revealed itself.

    It had a thick pair of arms and a wide shoulder made of the S-ranked superalloy ¡®Mithrium¡¯.

    [Armoured Giant]

    It was one of the three great armours in the possession of Ysayle Khalifa, the demon engineer and puppeteer.

    Facing the Mt. Tai Pulverising Form, the Armoured Giant swung itsrge fist.

    Kakakakakang¡ª!

    The storm of des started pushing the unbreakable metal.

    At the same time, dozens of puppets crawled through the dimensional gap as the old woman¡¯s white hair waspletely enveloped with the telekic power and floated up in mid-air.

    The full-scale battle between the two thus began.

    *

    Meanwhile, Bom had her eyes wide open as she watched the battle unfold from behind the hills.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Although she was young, she was still a dragon. They were the race that had created ¡®magic¡¯ which had not existed in the world tens of thousands of years ago.

    Li Hwa¡¯s telekinesis was astounding even from Bom¡¯s perspective.

    It felt like the countless molecules of mana scattered across the room were either directly or indirectly under theplete influence of Li Hwa. It was an astonishing delicateness and magnitude.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom saw a certain Providence happening in front of her eyes.

    In a short future, Li Hwa would be engulfed in arge explosion.

    If Li Hwa had died within that Providence, there was nothing she could do. As the Protector of Cause and Effect, a dragon should not touch on it.

    However, Li Hwa¡¯s death hadn¡¯t been revealed. It was just that she had been subjected to a dangerous explosion that could take her life.

    There was a massive difference between certain death and a possibility of death.

    ¡®I need to do something myself.¡¯

    Her olive-coloured eyes became a level deeper.

    The control, expansion, contraction, direction allocation, converging and diverging ¨C all sorts ofplicated forme appeared here and there and vanished.

    Bom slightly twitched her lips, and her white fingers fidgeted as if she was calcting something.

    And soon, she started understanding theplex arrays and formations.

 Chapter 79: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (7)

    <h4>Chapter 79: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (7)</h4>

    With coarse steps, the puppets strided forth. The beautiful garden was overturned.

    The problem was with their endless numbers.

    It was unclear how many there were, but armoured golems and puppets flooded out from the alternate dimension without an end. They amounted to at least over a hundred, and machines in shapes of scorpions, spiders, bats and bees attacked from all around.

    All sorts of poisons were scattered, as fire was breathed out. Dozens of bats screamed simultaneously, and their ultrasonic waves threatened to rip one¡¯s eardrums. When Li Hwa lost slight delicacy in her telekic control for a split second, blood exploded out from her ears.

    ¡°A strong army wouldn¡¯t even be enough. How dare a fucking dotard and a young chick try to get on my level?¡±

    Ysayle broke out into a maddenedugh.

    ¡°Die, and don¡¯t bother me!¡±

    Aparatively deep silvery metal appeared out of thin air. It stretched out like a ballista. Ysayle ced a horrendous-looking arrow that resembled a fresh leg of an insect in the string, and shot it.

    Shrrrrrk¨C!

    It was dodgeable, and blockable.

    The problem once again, was the sheer number of threats.

    Due to having to deal with the armours and puppets running in from all directions, she was unable to properly deal with it. The old woman raised her hand slightlyte, as the arrow scraped past her shoulder.

    A stuffy demonic aura followed suit. Her cheek and ear were grazed as blood oozed through her skin.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Li Hwa fell on the ground and rolled a few times before she could regain her bnce and float back up in mid-air. Despite that, she did not blink a single time.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Meanwhile, Bom who had been watching the situation unfold from a distance, frowned with her delicate face.

    Li Hwa¡¯s telekic maniption.

    She could understand it. She understood it, but when Bom actually tried to copy it, she was met with an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

    It wasn¡¯t strange for Bom to be feeling this way.

    Originally, telekinesis was a rare ability, and there was one in ten thousand, who could use D-rank telekinesis from the beginning. Even amongst those people, Li Hwa was a special case. The ability she was enlightened with from the start, was:

    [Telekinesis (B-)]

    It truly was an astronomical chance, and was a talent that couldn¡¯t bepared with anyone else during her time. Thus, the media including TTA referred to the thirty-year-old Li Hwa as the ¡®superhuman that was blessed by the world¡¯.

    Li Hwa then went over to America, which was the most active in terms of research into telekinesis, and received full-on support from America Cypher Academy, the only ce that educated A- ranked telekinesis. She crazily lived through battlefields and was able to put a step into a world which humanity was yet to see.

    The worldwide rank she was given, was 5th.

    ¡®Even imitating it would take a hundred years at least. So let¡¯s think step by step.¡¯

    Bom bit her lips.

    It was 100 years even for a dragon. That was the level Li Hwa¡¯s maniption had reached.

    There were things in the world that couldn¡¯t be resolved with just eagerness and vigour. Having a delicate control over mana molecules in such a manner was realistically impossible for the current Bom.

    ¡®Let¡¯s think¡¯.

    What was worse, was that it was a bad matchup. Ysayle Khalifa¡¯s armoured golems were all created from Mithrium, whichpletely shut off external mana. She must have been holed up in a workshop, creating them during the 20 years after the Great War.

    Therefore, directly messing with and breaking the core of the armours was impossible, and the benefit of a delicate telekic control was halved.

    ¡®Think.¡¯

    Ysayle Khalifa¡¯s [Armoured Giant]¡¯s wrists and elbows opened up. There were fans inside the wrists which crazily turned and gathered the air to one ce andpressed it.

    Thepressed air was processed through the elbow¡¯sbustor and was exchanged to energy. It then travelled past a turbine, and left the elbow through a nozzle with an unprecedented force.

    Ysayle shouted something out loud, as the unidentifiable power propelled the fist forward at Li Hwa.

    ¡®Think¡­¡¯

    A fist shaking the entire ¡®room¡¯ flew forward. Along with a loud thud, the olddy¡¯s body was flung away. She had barely seeded in protecting her body with telekinesis but she would be unable to avoid the physical impact once shended on the ground.

    The ground was overturned, as grass fluttered.

    And the moment she saw that grass, Bom¡¯s eyes turned into circles.

    ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯

    There was no need to bother controlling mana molecules.

    ¡®If it¡¯s like that¡­¡¯

    She urgently stood up.

    The core of a green dragon started thumping fast and loud. Bom held her hands together as if in a prayer, closed her eyes and heaved out a deep breath.

    What then left her mouth, was the dragon¡¯snguage that forced creations.

    [Dragon¡¯s Voice (S+)]

    This was the Public Garden, the only ce inside the dungeon where the power of ¡®nature¡¯ was present. The Green Dragon ordered ¡®nature¡¯.

    [Bloom¨C]

    Stalks of grass were melting away from poison, and the trees were on mes; the fragments of nature were scattering away in the wide wounded garden.

    Somewhere within that garden, between tiny stalks of grass,

    Plop¨C

    A small, blue flower raised its head.

    ¡®Frivoa¡¯ ¨C it was a flower of Askalifa that scattered an enormous amount of pollen. During cross-pollination times, it would fill the sky of a nearby hill in a deep bluish colour.

    Although Bom couldn¡¯t manipte molecules of mana, she was confident in controlling the fluttering pollen.

    [Disperse¨C]

    In response to the next words of the dragon, the flowers shook their heads and blue powders, as light as the air, scattered across the sky. Each and every pollen was covered by the mana of a green dragon.

    In an instant, the garden¡¯s sky was covered in blue. Feeling the strange atmosphere, Ysayle turned around with a frown.

    ¡°You audacious bitch!!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Her gaze and aura were heavily packed with killing intent, and Bom shed her eyes wide open in surprise.

    Although she lived while facing Providence, and had stood against Hasegawa once, Bom was still afraid of such intense hostility. However, she knew that during her hesitation, Li Hwa would have her arms ripped off, and her bones broken.

    She must not hesitate.

    [Rage on¨C]

    The slight gesture of her hand initiated a flood of pollen, and molecules of mana that were surrounded by it.

    It was far from perfect, but it mimicked Li Hwa¡¯s telekinesis and began storming across the 141st room. The pollen containing mana within were like sharp powders of iron, and because of the addition of another set of attacks, the puppets had to waste energy by deploying shields.

    Even with just that, Bom had fulfilled her role.

    Buzzz!

    The flow of the battle that had to be given up due to the sheer number came back to Li Hwa, as the olddy widened her eyes into circles.

    Buzz, buzzzz!

    Yet again, her telekic powers caused a rough friction near her eyes, as she gathered her power to one ce.

    [Induce (B-)] [Synthesise (B+)] [Compress (A-)]

    An unbelievable amount of mana was crumpled down to one ce, and the ball of telekic energy that gathered as the result, revolved rapidly and sucked the dimension into it.

    [Induce (B-)] [Compress (A-)] [Induce (B-)] [Compress (A-)] [Induce (B-)] [Compress (A-)] [Induce (B-)] [Compress (A-)]¡­

    After repeating that process several times, a mini ck hole was created as it gathered almost all the mana present inside the 141st room.

    ¡°This damned! crazy dotard¨C!!¡±

    Ysayle Khalifa, who realised it half a secondte due to dealing with Bom, screamed out.

    Buzzz! Drop~

    Due to the vast amount of mana that she couldn¡¯t control alone, a small vein in her eyes popped. As blood and tears mixed and fell together, the old woman released the heavily suppressed telekic energy.

    [Telekinesis (S-) ¨C 108th Form]

    [Form of Annihtion]

    The world started flowing slowly, as a small ball of telekinesis flew forward, ignoring everything it grazed past. The ball, which was invisible yet clearly identifiable due to the fluctuation in the nearby space, touched Ysayle Khalifa.

    ¡°Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaah¡ª¨C!!¡±

    Her physical body was ground to dust as a whole and began being absorbed by the small ball. The shock was so intense, that her head popped out from her body andnded on the ground.

    The iprehensible ball of telekinesis swallowed everything in a 10-metre diameter. All the armours and totems she ced, that were trying to protect Ysayle Khalifa followed her into the ball.

    Then, it vanished silently, as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    Only then, did the olddy fall to the ground.

    The ce became oddly silent.

    When Ysayle Khalifa disappeared, the dolls that had been synchronised with her demonic aura, started creaking when they moved.

    Creak.

    Crack¡­

    They appeared broken and twitched, simr to the nerves twitching after the death of an animal. Fortunately, their movements seemed to be without any purpose.

    ¡°Haa¡­ haa¡­ egugu¡­¡±

    Collecting her breath, Li Hwa sat down. Then, she used her sleeves to wipe the blood flowing down her cheek, before turning to Bom with a wrinkled smile.

    ¡°I told you not to intervene, and yet¡­¡±

    However, Bom was still wearing a grave expression. The explosion she had seen via Providence had yet to ur.

    It was impossible.

    Providence was unchangeable. It must not be changed by any action, and wasn¡¯t something that could be changed easily, because there existed a structured flow in Providence.

    Thus, the explosion had to ur.

    ¡®¡­!¡¯

    Bom¡¯s eyes became wide open.

    Thinking back, there was something which was missing in their previous fight.

    Did Ysayle Khalifa, extricate?

    ¡­No?

    The moment she thought that, Bom pulled all her mana up and moved.

    Even with an explosion, she herself wouldn¡¯t die, because she had followed Yu Jitae¡¯s orders and had already set [Guard Memorising (A+)]. When she was subjected to an explosion, Bom would leave the dungeon whether she wanted to or not, with [Teleport (S)] which would be automatically casted.

    However, the weakened Li Hwa would definitely die!

    Bom had pushed herself by utilising Dragon¡¯s Voice, and felt aching pain from the dragon heart.

    Yet, she moved in order to save Li Hwa.

    Almost at the same time, Ysayle¡¯s head that had popped out from her body, started flying towards Li Hwa, and the dancing puppets began dashing forward.

    ¡°Ah, this¡­!¡±

    The olddy, who had been feeling lethargic from exhaustion widened her eyes, as the flying Ysayle Khalifa¡¯s head formed a strange smile with crescent eyes and a mouth.

    ¡°BOOOOOOM-! You old dotard¡ª!¡±

    In the first ce, she wasn¡¯t the real Ysayle Khalifa.

    It was one of the three armoured golems created by Ysayle Khalifa.

    [Ysayle Khalifa No.2]; a puppet she had made with herself as the model.

    The head started expanding out, like a closed pot with boiling water,

    ¡°Noo¨C!¡±

    And Bom hugged the old woman¡¯s small back.

    Soon, the 141st room was filled with an immense explosion, simr to that of a nuclear missile.

    ***

    ¨C Buzz, buzzz.

    ¨C It¡¯s me. In 67,

    ¨C Noah¡¯s gone. Strong as fuck, damn it.

    ¨C But I still bought a fair bit of time, so I yed my part. You do whatever you guys want to do now.

    ¨C I¡¯m gonna rest a bit.

    ¨C Beep

    ***

    It was ridiculous.

    Noah believed in his own senses after living an almost eternal life.

    There had been nothing near Wei Yan, that could have been of threat to him. No matter how strong and great that ¡®X¡¯ was, Noah had been certain that he would never be able to dodge his senses.

    Thus, when a warning sign had reached him from Ysayle Khalifa, Noah had moved in order to help Ysayle Khalifa.

    ¡­And Wei Yan was dead.

    All this, had been carried out with the premise of Wei Yan rising to a Seat, and receiving the power of a catastrophe.

    The moment the young demon died, all the ns had turned into mere bubbles.

    Demons did not mourn for others¡¯ death. They lived solely for themselves and their organisation, and when theirrades die, they would be mad from the organisation¡¯s loss in strength, instead of being emotional at an individual level.

    Therefore, Noah calmly pondered what was toe next.

    [ck Coffer]

    A power that sealed the time and space, straight after death.

    It was one of the abilities Wei Yan¡¯s stigma contained. He had the stigma of a demon that had reached the disaster-rank, and no matter how strong X was, Wei Yan should be able to buy some time.

    The issue, was that the dungeon¡¯s entrance had been closed.

    Apparently, that X had been greatly prepared for this, because destroying a dimensional fissure required a tremendous amount of energy, reaching that of [Melissia¡¯s Tears].

    In other words, as long as he could head to the boss room and take Melissia¡¯s Tears, Noah would be able to take all the demons here and escape.

    He had that ability with him.

    And thus, Noah called all the demons to this ce.

    After reaching the 179th room, the ¡®Masquerade¡¯, Noah massacred all the monsters that bothered him, and stood in front of therge door without hesitation.

    He was feeling rushed. Noah pushed open therge gates reaching the skies.

    It was the long awaited 180th room, the boss room.

    ¡®The Room of the Esteemed Noble Lady¡¯.

    Arge room, as high as the heavens was unravelled before his eyes. He could see all sorts of high-ss ornaments, hazy artworks and sculptures, as well as arge bed and a dressing table.

    Looking at it made one feel like they were at the country of giants. Every single thing was enormous, and even the slipper on the ground was longer than Noah¡¯s height.

    So, where¡¯s the boss?

    Where is Melissia?

    Noah expanded his senses.

    Creakk¡­ Kung.

    That was when the door he opened, came to a close by itself.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Feeling a presence, Noah looked up at the ceiling.

    In the sky, there were several chandeliers the size of football fields, and the one in the middle had a corpse hanging on it. It was that of arge human, with a grey skin.

    ¡­It was the boss, Melissia.

    Noah¡¯s eyes started being painted in a bloodish light.

    Melissia¡¯srge arms were hanging down powerlessly, and on top of the slightly bent fingers, a man was sitting down with his hand carrying a gem the size of a human head.

    That was Melissia¡¯s Tears ¨C he could feel it with his senses.

    That guy arrived here before himself, killed the boss and waited for him?

    It was hard for him to understand logically, and thus, Noah felt sincere admiration before rage.

    ¡°Even I am having nightmares¡­¡±

 Chapter 80: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (8)

    <h4>Chapter 80: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (8)</h4>

    The boss room was an astonishinglyrge ce. The ceiling felt like a sky and the distant sculpture appeared like the pyramid in a desert.

    Everything was of a dumbfounding scale. The surroundings were oddly quiet, which added to the strangeness of the size.

    ¡®Dream Eater¡¯

    Noah raised his sword and pointed it at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Had we met before?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Really is strange. It¡¯s my first time seeing you, but you appear to be familiar with me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case? You apparently know how my senses travel through the ground and thus climbed up to a high ce in order to avoid my gaze, and the reason for dodging my senses was to seal the door easily.¡±

    Yu Jitae remained silent as Noah¡¯s eyebrows twitched.

    While he was inside the headquarters of undetectables, there was the story of X being told everywhere.

    He is dangerous; we have to give up on gaining control over Lair; how about we revert our organisation back to small local groups.

    No, we can catch him as long as a catastrophe-rank moves personally.

    Just like that, there were contrasting opinions even inside undetectables, in a 5:5 ratio. That was how fine of a line X was walking on.

    ¡°Howe you know so much about me? Your face says you would have been sucking on your mother¡¯s breasts during the Great War.¡±

    If X had appeared slightly more threatening, they would have disintegrated their groups in order to avoid being targeted by him.

    However, X was menacing without crossing the bottom line.

    He¡¯s strong and secretive, but have we received enough damage to warrant us giving up on the Grand Schema that we had been nning dozens of years for? Were there any organisations that had been wiped out?

    No, that wasn¡¯t the case.

    Thus, Noah had two theories regarding X. Starting off, it was certain that he was fairly strong.

    1. He¡¯s an extremely lucky bastard.

    If that wasn¡¯t the case, then¡­

    2. He is an incredible bastard that has a tremendous understanding of cause and effect.

    In the past, Noah had thought that X was the former because what the demon organisations showed on the outside was different from their true form.

    There was no way that a human that fully understood their behavioural patterns could exist and it was impossible for there to be a traitor amongst the top executives who had been fully demonised.

    That¡¯s why Noah thought he was a lucky guy but after reaching this point, a bitter smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

    ¡°You see, I have juste up with a hypothesis.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°About that ability of yours.¡±

    Noah had encountered countless superhumans and hade across even more monsters. He had lived roughly 750 years in the other world, and another 50 years ever since he fell on Earth. The number of blessings, authorities, skills, magic, stigmas and curses he had seen reached tens of thousands.

    Among those were also astonishing ones that allowed one to twist the dimension at will, or live on without an end.

    However, there were still some abilities which undoubtedly didn¡¯t and shouldn¡¯t exist in his opinion.

    ¡°Even I am aware that it makes zero sense but¡­¡±

    Noah gave out a hollowugh, as if it was ridiculous.

    Right, it was ridiculous.

    There was no way it could exist.

    His life was the history itself and he had never seen the likes of it throughout his history. However, all the iprehensible things made sense if that was true.

    ¡°¡­Can you see the future?¡±

    It was none other than the ability to see the uing future.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Preparing a device that could destroy the dungeon¡¯s fissure and privately moving a bigshot like BM ¨C those should have required more than a day or two of preparation. How did you know this would ur; how did you prepare for it and how¡­¡±

    How can you be this strong?

    Until then, Yu Jitae had not said a single word and Noah gave a scornful smile.

    ¡°How arrogant are those eyes of yours. How dare you look down on the world in front of me¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae did not reply back.

    All the conversations that were to be had were already shared in the previous iterations. After reaching the seventh iteration, amunication throughnguage became meaningless to him. Therefore, he was thinking back on something while Noah was bbering by himself.

    It was the memory of a past not so distant.

    A very painful one, which had required him to discard countless things.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Only now did all those memories of the past vividly float back up to the surface. His hazy gaze became sharp and clear.

    Slowly, he raised his body, ced his hand on his neck and twisted it. He then slowly carried his thumb to his mouth, before crunching on it and ripping the skin. Blood could be seen flowing out.

    ¡°Ha.¡±

    Noah realised something from his movements and sneered. At the same time, the air of the enormous room started bing heavier.

    ¡°Did you notice it or perhaps you were already aware of it, but it seems your future sight is only half useful.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How unfortunate. I am not an existence that can be ovee by having a sloppy prediction.¡±

    With a tone as arrogant as an absolute being, Noah raised his sword in a straight line with his body. Demonic aura dispersed out from the ground and started creating a tornado with Noah in the centre.

    [Ignite]

    Artifacts that exceeded a certain standard needed to be sealed, in order to hide its destructive power in its unused state. The seal on Dream Eater began being lifted.

    Kugugugugung¡­

    The dimension of the ¡®boss room¡¯ which was vastly greater and stabler than other rooms ¨C the ground, the walls and the ceiling started shaking from the influence of the ignition.

    Before long, the middle portion of the greatsword was torn apart and the metals elongated themselves. They soon became eyes and the red eyes quickly nced through the surroundings.

    [Synchronisation]

    The Third Lord of the Abyss, Ny-ar¡¯s authority began flooding out of Noah¡¯s body and the enormous room had already turned into achromatic colours before anyone could have realised it.

    ¡°You will die here.¡±

    It was different from when he was fighting BM.

    Somehow, it felt like the ce had originally been of ck and white, with the filter called ¡®colour¡¯ rightfully taken away. The only existence that retained its colour within that ce was Noah and his sword.

    ¡°This is the world only for me, permitted by my lord¨C¡±

    In response to his words, the eyes on Dream Eater began being tainted in crimson.

    Then, the world turned upside down.

    *

    ¨C This is the 156th room. We can feel a demonic aura.

    ¡°Got it. Everyone, gather at the 156th room!¡±

    ¨C Yes!

    After turning off the radio, Minamoto grumbled.

    ¡°They¡¯re finallying¡­ these disgusting demon trash.¡±

    When the original n changed, Minamoto had received a newmand from Yu Jitae.

    ¨C What? You want me to stop the oing demons? Are you telling me to just stand on the sidelines or what?

    It was a ce where bigshots like Ysayle Khalifa, Noah and Wei Yan would be showing themselves. Minamoto, who originally had intense hatred against demons, wasn¡¯t content with Yu Jitae¡¯s orders.

    ¨C I would rather just send two or three of my soldiers to that ce.

    But Yu Jitae shook his head.

    ¨C They won¡¯t be able to handle it.

    ¨C ¡­Huh? Are you looking down on our Special Forces right now?

    ¨C If you want to kill all your subordinates, then do what you want.

    ¨C Ridiculous. Do you know how strict of a test the superhumans under the Royal Family¡­ go through¡­ damn it¡­

    Feeling a strange sense of anxiety from Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze, Minamoto stopped her words. It felt like she was back to being a child, caught red-handed while lying to an adult.

    Left with no other choice, Minamoto had to stand in the 156th room.

    ¡°They¡¯reing!¡±

    The agents of the Special Forces unsheathed their swords in nervousness. Before long, demons started rushing forth from the dimensional gap with red, upturned eyes. They began running at Minamoto¡¯s group as if they had gone insane.

    And after 5 minutes, Minamoto understood what Yu Jitae had meant.

    ¡®How are they¡­!¡¯

    The half-senseless demons were strong to a point that couldn¡¯t be logically understood.

    ¡°STAY ON GUARD ALL OF YOUUU¡ª!!¡±

    Minamoto shouted from the bottom of her lungs.

    *

    Noah lived in a dream.

    He swallowed the dreams of superhumans and changed it to nutrition. With that, he built up power and extended his life. That was the reason he was the only human that had lived for 800 years.

    Sometimes, he made superhumans be swallowed in their own dreams. They, who would then be controlled by their unconsciousness, would move in reality ording to Noah¡¯s consciousness.

    Due to that, there had been superhumans who had suffered from mental illnesses like group hallucinations in Africa during the Great War, and a group of local rankers in the Cameroon area had all been controlled by him as they destroyed their own country.

    The world had beenpletely coloured in ash and the 180th room ¨C the Room of the Esteemed Noble Lady, had already disappeared without leaving a trace behind.

    Yu Jitae was floating in the air, while Noah was floating at a ce slightly higher than him and gazed down at Yu Jitae.

    Noah had been [extricated] from the very start.

    This was Noah¡¯s dream and Noah was like a god in this ce.

    Ironically, since Noah lived in a dream, one had to kill Noah inside his dream in order to kill the real Noah.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s the correct eye level.¡±

    In a world with an unclear shade of grey, Noah¡¯s words were like thunders striking Yu Jitae¡¯s ears.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be afortable dream.¡±

    Straight after that, the world changed.

    The sky was slightly dark while the setting sun was colouring the clouds in red. Yu Jitae was standing inside a forest.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kicking off the ground, Yu Jitae rose up. His target was Noah floating in mid-air. The moment he thought of ripping Noah into pieces, thin strings of killing intent stacked on top of another and revealed itself.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    Kwaduk¨C

    Yu Jitae pierced Noah¡¯s head.

    However, Noah who should have had a hole in his head, was still as far as he had originally been. The ¡®Noah¡¯ he had stabbed had already vanished into nothingness.

    ¡°Did you not foresee my Immortality?¡±

    Noah held his hands together.

    Then, tens of thousands of winged beasts showed up from behind the mountains and covered the sky. They quickly shortened the distance and flew towards Yu Jitae, having chisel-like beaks and sword-like ws.

    [Raptors]

    Yu Jitae quickly distanced himself while slicing the birds with his killing intent. [Shapeless Sword (SS)] changed into a long shape and killed dozens with one sh. Some of them lost legs while others lost their heads as they fell in groups.

    ¡°Shocking. How shocking!¡±

    After finding a gap, Yu Jitae jumped the dimension and shed his sword at Noah¡¯s head. He had understood the principle and direction that Noah had jumped in at the start, so this time, his [Shapeless Sword (SS)] spreaded across like a thorny bush and covered several hundred metres around them.

    It was a rapid attack which even Noah would find it hard to follow.

    But after changing his location, Noah clenched his teeth and hurriedly ced his palms together.

    ¡°You dare!¡±

    p¨C!

    This time, the sky and the ground turned upside down.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He was still standing still, but the top and the bottom of the dimension had been turned. Suddenly, Yu Jitae was looking at the world in an upside down manner.

    That wasn¡¯t the end ¨C his sense of directions changed. Left became right and front became back.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be confusing. Up and down, front and back, left and right, far and close. Everything is changed in this world.¡±

    Of course, he had experienced it once and was well aware.

    Yu Jitae thought of pushing his Shapeless Sword to the back, and it then came forward until he retrieved it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He stood still for a bit and closed his eyes.

    It felt shit.

    This thing called Omnipotence.

    It was his third time experiencing it, but it was still hard to get used to. Before being a transcendent he was a human, and was an existence that had to incorporate himself into the general framework of the world.

    When the world¡¯s framework changed like this, it was very difficult for a human to adapt. Besides, this was Noah¡¯s existing world and everything was therefore true. He couldn¡¯t use [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)] here either.

    That wasn¡¯t the end.

    Noah¡¯s words contained some falsehood.

    It wasn¡¯t merely up and down, front and back, left and right, far and close that had changed. The moment he ced his palms together, the standard of ¡®I¡¯ and the ¡®world¡¯ had also changed.

    I became the world.And the world became me.

    This downright interfered with his senses and the sixth sense whichprehended the flow of the world. The only thing Yu Jitae could feel right now, was himself.

    Comparatively speaking, he felt like he had turned blind.

    ¡°How obnoxious¡­¡± the world murmured. He would require some time to adapt.

    However, there was no reason for Noah to wait until he could adapt to it. When the demon gestured with his hands, tens of thousands of birds flew in at Yu Jitae from all directions.

    Of course, it was possible to handle it. The only things upturned were his senses analysing the world.

    Changing the form of the Shapeless Sword into a ball, Yu Jitae thought of walking forward. He thus walked backwards and the ball of thorns protected Yu Jitae from the raptors. The monster birds that crashed into it all crumbled into pieces and fell.

    He thought to himself.

    Even omnipotence had its limit. It was like a machine that required a petrol called ¡®imagination¡¯. It required time for the world inside the dream to change.

    However, Noah¡¯s next imagination was faster than Yu Jitae¡¯s adaptation.

    [This will be the end.]

    A voice resonated Yu Jitae¡¯s body from within ¨C it was Noah¡¯s voice that had been thrown at the world. Soon, the sky under his feet began roaring.

    Kugugugung¡­

    Something appeared from the sky as it shoved everything away. It appeared like several apartment buildings had been stuck together, and had a blunt circr end. It was like a thorn that had increased several thousand times in size.

    [Divine Spear of Pairan]

    Red sparks of lightning shed around therge thorn as if to protect it. It then began distancing itself from the world. In other words, it was flying forward with Yu Jitae as the target.

    Ku gu gu gu gu gu gu¨C

    The air itself was being pushed away.

    That was an object of another world.

    It was a totem protecting the temple of the Lightning Spirit King. Naturally, there was no way it could exist in a ce like this, if not for Noah¡¯s imagination in his dream.

    Yu Jitae stared at the Divine Spear of Pairan roaring on.

    Slowly, he was getting used to his senses, and it seemed that he had to start moving seriously now.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In the sixth iteration, Yu Jitae had realised that his strength had reached a level that could not be controlled as a human.

    A slight mistake in control caused his killing intent to stretch forward on its own ord. Buildings were destroyed, mountains disappeared and thousands died on the spot.

    Thus, towards the end of the sixth iteration after realising that his judgment had been wrong, Yu Jitae decided to seal a portion of his strength in order to live normally.

    He achieved it by shoving an artifact into his body.

    While feeling the enormous thorn gradually distancing itself from him.

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes.

    [Ignite]

    The world began fiercely beating its heart.

 Chapter 81: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (9)

    <h4>Chapter 81: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (9)</h4>

    After conquering the demon world in the sixth iteration, by the time heid his hands on strength that had exceeded the boundaries of a human, Yu Jitae felt awkward every time he looked at other humans.

    The way they walked, and the way they breathed were awkward. From life to death ¨C the system of life itself felt terrible.

    Everything in existence was unaware of the proper way to walk and couldn¡¯t breathe efficiently. Like ame puppet imitating the movements of a human, every organism living in the world was crude.

    The world had changed in one day.

    It took some time until he realised that it was himself that had changed. The world was still the same, and the humans weren¡¯tme.

    Yu Jitae was the one that had changed.

    Kugugugugu¡­

    A ck chain lock devoid of light snapped. A Level 5 artifact, [Binds of Hell] oppressing his heart loosened.

    Kugugugugugugugugu¡­

    He found a pair of red eyes erge from shock. Noah was baffled.

    What Yu Jitae had suppressed inside him was his killing intent; the desire to destroy and kill something. The world that had been restructured with Noah¡¯s imagination began trembling despite Yu Jitae merely unlocking the previous suppression.

    The earths were overturned and the sky copsed. [Divine Spear of Pairan] which had been flying at Yu Jitae started crumbling intorge fragments.

    While the entire world was crumbling, Yu Jitae merely stood still and gazed at the sky.

    Slowly, his senses returned to himself.

    Front and back, left and right, up and down, far and close ¨C he beganprehending these concepts in their original ways.

    The direction of [Sixth Sense] changed from the ¡®world¡¯ back to himself. When that happened, the world¡¯s framework which had been tempered by Noah was no longer able to affect Yu Jitae in any way.

    His senses had be a level clearer as Yu Jitae dashed forward. He lowered his body before kicking up while the ground sunk down behind him.

    After kicking off the ground, Yu Jitae propelled himself towards the Divine Spear of Pairan.

    Therge thorn had half-crumbled already and it¡¯s hideous interior was in full disy. Red sparks of lightning aimed for his body and violently sttered from nearby. It was a restraining lightning that would hinder him from dodging the spear.

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t thinking of dodging in the first ce. From the front, he flew forward at the Divine Spear of Pairan.

    It was like a meteorite strike.

    Therge thorn crumbled and fell as tens of thousands of fragments the size of a car.

    Power the world had never seen.

    Standing in front of the contorting world, Noah raised his voice that echoed across the world.

    [This is impossible¡ª-.]

    The world was falling apart. His imagination was faltering. What appeared here and there were grey dimensional gaps that couldn¡¯t be filled with Noah¡¯s imagination.

    [How can this possibly happen¨C.]

    [How dare a mere mortal¡ª-!!]

    Leaving those words behind, Noah¡¯s body disappeared. After understanding that his world was being disintegrated, Noah once again upturned the world inside his dream.

    When Yu Jitae re-opened his eyes, a strange world was waiting for him.

    If Earth was a world created on top of a ball, this was a worldposed inside a ball. When he looked closer, he could see the opposite side of the continent on the other side of the sky. In the middle, there was a light source which substituted the Sun.

    However, the environment was nothing like Earth. Redva flowed through the crevices on the ground and an extremely hot air filled the surroundings. All the mountains were active volcanoes while volcanic ash fell like snow.

    It appeared like an alternate world where outer space didn¡¯t exist.

    [Kill that man¡ª-!]

    In response to Noah¡¯s words, an enormous monster revealed itself from the sun. With a body constantly on me andva flowing down, it had five heads of different species ¨C namely that of a human, a horse, a goat, a lion and an eagle.

    The monster appeared like a spirit but also resembled a chimera.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There were no issues here.

    Yu Jitae flew up and started destroying the monster.

    Noah had now be one with the world of dreams. In order to kill him, Yu Jitae therefore had to wait until his imagination ran out.

    Once he inspected it closer, it was obvious that the background was far from perfect. Like a photo taken from a low resolution camera, the background was disjointed at ces, and the shadows were odd.

    In contrast to that, the monster in front was clear and distinct all around. Thus, Yu Jitae decided to crush it.

    There was no reason for him to struggle like back in the fifth iteration. His current self was different from back then.

    [Do you think I will go down like this¡ª-?]

    Once again, the world crumbled down. Within the world that showed nk spaces of grey here and there, Noah continued pouring out his imagination.

    ***

    [How could a mere mortal do this¡ª?]

    There was a tower crashing down from the sky. The tower barely remained standing while being supported by an ancient beast.

    This was the world of [Karkua], a great ancient monster.

    Yu Jitae killed Karkua and copsed the tower.

    [What mindless being has granted you with a power like this¡ª!]

    An endless ocean of poison stretched out. Arge snake lived in the depths, and this monster with the name [Bysarquay] was a monster that absorbed the power of anything it devoured.

    At the start it was small butter devoured all of its enemies inside the ocean and eventually the poison flowing inside its body had filled the ocean.

    Yu Jitae crushed Bysarquay¡¯s head and killed it.

    [How can such Providence exist in my timeline¡ª!]

    It was a world with a night sky filled with white shooting stars.

    Shrrrrr¡ª-. Kwaaaaaang¨C!

    Yellow meteorites bloomed from the sky before copsing and destroying everything on the ground.

    This was the world where Noah was born and nurtured in. At the same time, it was a world that had been met with an apocalypse. Therefore, an apocalypse which was more detailed and exquisite than others was unraveled before Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes. Since there was no opponent to crush, he quietly watched the apocalypse unfold.

    It was simr to a scenery which he had seen several times already. He didn¡¯t feel much from it.

    The apocalypse didn¡¯t end with just one day. It only took a few moments for the meteorites to crush the world, but soon the ground was unable to tolerate the shock and exploded open asva flowed out. Mana churned like a hail and covered the entire world while he had to wait and see the apocalypse through the perspective of the, not as a human.

    Several weeks passed,

    Followed by a few months.

    Yu Jitae did not die.

    He had not been damaged a single time, and the nameless alternate world met its apocalypse while leaving Yu Jitae behind.

    Back then, Noah seemed to have been swallowed into a dimensional fissure before the worldpletely copsed. Thus when the world reached a point that he couldn¡¯t remember, the world began scattering in ash.

    ¡°Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaah¡ª-!!¡±

    Noah finally showed himself as he frantically screamed out. He had practically lost all his imagination. Yu Jitae was certain because he saw things even greater than what he had seen in the previous rounds of regression.

    ¡°Finished?¡±

    Yu Jitae wandered through the grey dimension and approached him. There was no longer a young human full of dignity. He had nched hair with significant hair loss and a face full of wrinkles.

    Noah, who had gotten old in a short period of time, kneeled down and looked up at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Why not just give up halfway in after realising your loss.¡±

    The first time Yu Jitae came across him was in the fourth iteration. Back then, he avoided him because he wasn¡¯t be able to win.

    ¡°You all are pathetic.¡±

    Next was in the fifth iteration. He fought him inside his dream for several years and after his imagination ran out, Yu Jitae expelled him outside a fissure while destroying a portion of the Eurasia continent.

    That had once again taken several hundred days.

    ¡°Each and every one of you, always gives me trouble.¡±

    In the sixth iteration, Yu Jitae had ruled the Earth with fear from the very start. The demons curled their tails in, hid in a corner and bided their time. Due to that, when the Second Great War urred after 20 years or so, Yu Jitae had been fatigued several times more than before.

    They would hide every time he saw one, and after hiding they hatched more eggs and waited for an opportunity.

    Therefore, killing required the correct time and ce.

    Now was an example.

    ¡°Just die now.¡±

    Yu Jitae raised his [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    ¡°Kuk, kuuuk¡­¡±

    That was when the old Noah suddenly started trembling his body.

    He was curious about the reason he was suddenly doing this but there was no need to wait for him. Yu Jitae drove his sword forward.

    But suddenly, a white hand came out from behind Noah¡¯s back and held onto Yu Jitae¡¯s Shapeless Sword.

    In the blink of an eye, a white girl covered in pure white was standing behind Noah. There had been no signs, traces nor a presence.

    Soon, the grey world began changing yet again.

    However, this time it wasn¡¯t a detailed material world that showed up. As if he was thrown out in the middle of outer space, no light or object existed near him and the beginning and end of the dimension was unknown.

    There, the shining white girl opened her mouth.

    [Hello, dear twisted existence.]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was his first time seeing it face-to-face because the abyss of that ce wasn¡¯t essible from Earth¡¯s dimension.

    However, Yu Jitae realised it.

    Sometimes they would appear in the shape of an evil dragon, or arge flying object covering the entire world. asionally they would appear like the little girl in front.

    The lord of all lords; the producer of the deepest abyss.

    [Third Lord of the Abyss, Ny-ar]

    That divine existence showed itself in front of Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae put more strength into the hand holding onto the Shapeless Sword, but the de did not move a single inch from the girl¡¯s hand.

    It was strange. The third lord had never shown itself in other iterations even when Noah was beaten to a pulp.

    [Do you know me?]

    It was a clear and transparent voice along with her rather sacred and dignified atmosphere. Yu Jitae scattered the killing intent that had gathered in his fingertips.

    ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­ I did hear that you had interest in your contractor.¡±

    That interest was nothing but weird.

    In response to Yu Jitae¡¯s words, the girl gave a wide smile.

    [Yeah. I decided to show myself here because this child didn¡¯t die.]

    The pce of the third lord was located at a very distant ce even inside the depths of the abyss.

    That ce wasn¡¯t connected to Earth. Like how Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t go to Askalifa, it would require a fair bit of price for someone even at the level of a lord of the abyss, to directly send their intent like this.

    ¡°Is that your business? Keeping Noah alive?¡±

    The girl shook her head. Light fragments scattered like powder.

    [If it was just that, I wouldn¡¯t havee. I came in order to see you, dear warped and twisted existence.]

    ¡°What business do you have with me.¡±

    [We gaze upon a lot of dimensions. There are lots and lots of dimensions and many creations live the life of mortals. But in the very depths under the ground, you have started gathering the eyes of everyone.]

    It wasn¡¯t surprising considering that he had just recently crushed the pce of Lakshata, the Seventh Lord of the Abyss.

    The Abyss would have been in a panic. Although it wouldn¡¯t be like people in the human world chattering while watching TV, it was certain that many lords were interested in Yu Jitae.

    [Don¡¯t kill this child please.]

    Yu Jitae¡¯s frown twitched.

    [You cannot stay in that world. A small movement of your body will ruin the world, the dimension.]

    [In a distant future, your existence will definitely have a bad influence.]

    [But¡­ I know that you¡¯re not an existence that can be regted. Thus, I decided to watch on through this child. I will wait for the time to move until you leave this world since that is our only joy.]

    Yu Jitae did not respond.

    [If you do so, I will give you a present.]

    It was then.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has discovered familiar traces from the dimension, [???].>

    Vintage Clock began sending him a message.

    A dimension with an unknown name? Was it a reflection of Noah¡¯s dream?

    Yu Jitae raised his eyes and gazed at the ck world which was different from before.

    Looking closer, he realised that this ce contained two ck dimensions stuck with one another. Like the meeting point of the ocean and the atmosphere, he could see ck things endlessly fluctuating and moving each other in the distance.

    Since he couldn¡¯t see the end he had thought of this ce as a conceptual dimension but that was wrong. When he followed the surface areas of the two darknesses and turned his gaze, he discovered that the swaying continued even to a distance difficult to fathom.

    This was a dimension that truly existed.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] defines the dimension, [???].>

    <The name of [???] is [Horizon of Providence].>

    Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes shot wide open.

    Horizon of Providence? This ce?

    [How is it?]

    As if confident, the girl ced her hands on her waist and pushed her chest forward. It was a gesture that imitated a human¡¯s movement.

    The Horizon of Providence¡­

    If this ce was modelled after the actual dimension, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t have to collect Hostility. It would be possible to lead the seventh iteration in a safer and stabler manner.

    [The present is still a secret. But it¡¯s something that will definitely help you.]

    Indeed, it was tempting.

    The fact that ¡®Ny-ar¡¯ bothered to draw this dimension inside the world of dream implied that her gift would be rted to the Horizon of Providence.

    [Besides, you can¡¯t even kill Noah because there¡¯s a reason this poor child must live. It¡¯s just his mind that will gradually copse from your violence.]

    However, the girl¡¯s words failed to ring his heart.

    ¡°No.¡±

    [¡­Nn?]

    The atmosphere changed.

    Killing intent formed at the end of Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C 4th Form]

    At the start, the authority was extremely peaceful. Killing intent moved easily and just like when the lord came out from Noah¡¯s body, there were no preceding signs or a presence.

    The resulting shape of the revealed killing intent was the same as Shapeless Sword, but the quality of killing intent gathered within was different.

    The lord stared at Yu Jitae. Not a single change had urred from him. His expression was still indifferent and his body remained still. Despite that, his gaze suddenly turned heavy as it began suppressing its illusionary body.

    Sound disappeared from the ck dimension as if someone had forcibly cut it off. Then, the beating heart of the dying Noah became louder, and Yu Jitae¡¯s heartbeat and breath which was slightly louder than that, started resonating the world with an ominous vibration.

    The smile had disappeared from the girl¡¯s face. Wearing a frown, she looked at Yu Jitae.

    [You, what are you doing¡­?]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Laughably,

    Even a transcendent existence like this was unaware of the things that had happened to Yu Jitae after the fifth iteration came to an end.

    Currently Yu Jitae was able to kill Noah and he did not need assistance from someone with a vile intention.

    This was his authority that had cut the head of the archduke of the demon world.

    [God ying Form]

    ¡ª¨C.

    The sword drew a horizontal line through the world.

    The girl¡¯s head dropped.

 Chapter 82: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (10)

    <h4>Chapter 82: End; Death dancing in the Masquerade (10)</h4>

    The illusionary body of Ny-ar, the Third Lord of the Abyss.

    Her head fell and rolled around the ashen dimension.

    Yu Jitae dispersed his killing intent. Because it was talking nonsense; because it dared to try to negotiate; and because it pretended to know something which should only be known by him. It was true that he had felt such emotions.

    However, he was always the type to prioritise calctions. The basis of the Abyss and it¡¯s very depths were too far and low for it to be connected with Earth. It was near impossible for the lord of that ce to directly influence Earth with its own power.

    Therefore, it wouldn¡¯t get bothersome.

    That was when the rolling head automatically stopped at a certain point and raised its face up.

    [¡­Impudent.]

    The head with scattering fragments of white light spoke to him. Even now, it was acting like a girl and the gentle smile on its face was gross.

    Every time he saw one, they were like that.

    The demons weren¡¯t all pathetic and clingy for no reason.

    [You twisted existence. I have definitely shown you goodwill.]

    Slowly the voice of the illusion turned unisexual.

    [But now with you ignoring my goodwill like this, I want to see a very interesting scene of you suffering a bit more.]

    [Now I¡¯ve lost interest in whether that child¡¯s mind is destroyed or not. But throwing away my power which I managed to raise up with difficulty would be a shame.]

    With a voice that now resembled that of a monster, Ny-ar smiled with a gentle appearance.

    [So I am going to lock you up in this ce and the world of dream will be imprisoned inside my child in its entirety. You will be locked here and you¡¯ll realise that you will never be able to leave this ce ever again.]

    [In this ce, forever¨C]

    m.

    Yu Jitae crushed the head of the illusionary body with his foot and made it explode. White fragments of light scattered like feathers and covered the sky.

    The mouth remained intact until the very end. Left by itself on the ground, the remaining jaw threw out words in pauses.

    [¨CYou. Will. Be. Locked. Here. Forever.]

    That was like a signal re.

    The girl¡¯s jaw and the body all turned into white light and began covering the world. Following suit, the world of darkness which was divided by two boundaries was slowly erased away.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is disappointed!>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wishes to get even the slightest clue about the Horizon of Providence.>

    You shut up.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: Q.Q >

    Soon, Noah¡¯s world of dream began changing.

    Yu Jitae was now inside arge cave that resembled arge za.

    In the centre of the za was a scaffold which was dozens of metres above the ground and Noah was kneeling down with his head on the ground in the gallows.

    Under the gallows, countless humans were standing in circles watching Yu Jitae.

    It was noisy. They were jeering.

    ¡°You can¡¯t kill him!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the god! He doesn¡¯t die! Do you even know the time he spent living!¡±

    ¡°Come down! You filthy creature!¡±

    ¡°You devil!¡±

    The Regressor nced across the cave with an indifferent gaze. The cave was tall yetpletely sealed away, and there were existences inside the unconsciousness that were crazily obsessed with Noah¡¯s life. In addition, there was the old Noah facing him with a smile as if confident that he wouldn¡¯t die, despite kneeling down in the gallows.

    This was inside Noah¡¯s unconsciousness.

    It seemed that Ny-ar had locked him up in this ce in order to prove itself right before leaving.

    Funnily enough, the faces of the jeering humans around the gallows all had the same face as Noah.

    They were the 997 unconsciousness that had been swallowed by Noah. The intense desire to live of those humans had now be Noah himself.

    ¡°You can¡¯t kill him ever¡ª!¡±

    ¡°¡±YOU CAN¡¯T!¡±¡±

    ¡°You ursed being! Come down immediately!¡±

    ¡°Come down!¡± ¡°Come down!¡±

    ¡°Come down!¡± ¡°Come down!¡±

    ¡°Come down!¡± ¡°Come down!¡±

    Before long, the Noahs inside Noah went mad and began shouting.

    ¡°¡±COME DOWN¡ª!¡±¡±

    Their insanity came in like a storm and pressured Yu Jitae. Their screams, jeers and yells shook the Regresor¡¯s ears.

    Among the shouting ones were those that were inflicting pain on themselves. They bit on their own flesh and bellowed with their bleeding mouth.

    There were even those that shed their own heads. With their heads half-cut-off from their bodies, they twitched on the ground and yelled.

    If the one standing on the spot was anyone other than Yu Jitae, or if this was Yu Jitae¡¯s fourth iteration or before, he would have been overwhelmed by their vigour.

    Noah¡¯s desire to live was this hideous.

    However, Yu Jitae grasped the killing intent in his hand without another word. He was not disturbed and in fact didn¡¯t feel anything from it.

    You are an unkible existence? What a joke.

    What life had he gone through, just for this moment?

    There is no value in things that aren¡¯t rare.

    At a certain point, ¡®life¡¯ was no longer a rare thing for Yu Jitae and he was able to die whenever necessary to go back in time.

    But since it was always more efficient to live than to die, the Regressor decided to live on.

    However, the fifth round¡¯s Yu Jitae felt the need for death for the first time in his life. His strength had reached the limit of a human and there were things that couldn¡¯t be killed with half-assed killing intent.

    ¡®I am Eternal, Immortal¡¯

    Noah, whose attachment to life was monstrously clingy, had made a fool of Yu Jitae who had been geared with killing intent.

    ¡®Omniscient and Omnipotent.¡¯

    Inside the dreams, his body restored itself every time it was destroyed.

    That was the case even though his imagination had been depleted after the long battle. When he beheaded him, the decapitated head floated back up and attached itself again. If he exploded it, the fragments of flesh gathered together and formed its original shape.

    ¡®Who dares to say that they can possibly kill me?¡¯

    If he burned him, the scalds soon disappeared, and only his flesh froze in a world of ice. He didn¡¯t die even when his breath stopped.

    The Regressor thought that Noah¡¯s body was like his own that went against the flow of time.

    ¡®As long as your desperation does not reach me, you will never be able to kill me here. This is my world¨C.¡¯

    But at a certain point when his imagination was restored and Yu Jitae was once again swallowed into his imagination, Yu Jitae realised that it wasn¡¯t the likes of a regression.

    That was the foundation of all strength.

    [Desire]

    Noah¡¯s ¡®desire to live¡¯ had exceeded a point that could be had as a mortal. Even during death, he couldn¡¯t die nor did he wish for death ¨C such an existence gazed up at him.

    ¡®In this ce, I am the god.¡¯

    In front was a living and breathing flesh of life.

    His desire to live was stronger than Yu Jitae¡¯s desire to kill, and because of that Yu Jitae was unable to kill Noah in his dream.

    To him, life had lost its rarity. He thought to himself that he might not be able to end the loop of regression after 20 and even after a 100 iterations.

    If it was going to be a repeating life, Noah would hold his feet back every single time.

    Yu Jitae needed a tool that could kill him.

    Thus, the Regressor pondered.

    When the ones being killed by his hands wished to live, Noah swallowed their ¡®desire to live¡¯ and strengthened his own survivability.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t have a convenient authority like Noah. However, after scanning through and learning about every authority of his, he realised that he had a simr tool with him.

    It was none other than [Vintage Clock (EX)].

    <You have failed in saving the Earth. The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rewinds the world¡¯s time.>

    After the end of the fifth iteration, when the world rewound itself back in time; when the Regressor opened his eyes in a rainy city of Korea.

    He decided to go and be killed by someone.

    The ¡®desires to live¡¯ that had been swallowed by Noah was roughly 997. Since it was unclear how much it would change in the various iterations, he had to absorb a lot more ¡®desires to kill¡¯ than that.

    Therefore, he had to make someone want to kill him and he had to die to that person.

    The method itself wasn¡¯t difficult.

    He went up to someone and took their precious ones.

    Going to a filial child, he killed his parents and said to the son that night while showing the bodies of his parents.

    ¡®I killed your parents.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t a good feeling.

    The faint emotions as a human that had remained until that point, were felt screaming that he didn¡¯t want to do this.

    ¡®I killed your son.¡¯

    But he still had to do it,

    ¡®I killed your husband.¡¯

    And that was his life.

    ¡®Kill me if you dare.¡¯

    He was then murdered by the enraged people.

    <The existence, [Yu Jitae] has entered the abnormal status, [Death].>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] collects the wish of the killer, [Kim Chulgon].>

    <You have failed in saving the Earth. The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rewinds the world¡¯s time.>

    He was repeatedly killed.

    <The existence, [Yu Jitae] has entered the abnormal status, [Death].>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] collects the wish of the killer, [Oh Minji].>

    <You have failed in saving the Earth. The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rewinds the world¡¯s time.>

    And was killed time after time.

    In order to die, all the authorities and blessings protecting his body had to be lifted. Thus, the pain of death that came with the process was solely for Yu Jitae to shoulder.

    ¡®Die! Dieeeeee! You murderer¨C!!¡¯

    His physical body being ripped was painful.

    ¡®Why, why did you do that¡­ What did our family ever do to you?¡¯

    ¡®You will burn in hell forever. I will curse you till I die.¡¯

    And the hatreds of others were slightly more painful.

    Back then, that was the case.

    Every time someone killed him, their emotions and desire to kill were absorbed. A dark poison-like substance dropped and merged itself into his blood. One drop, two drops, ten drops¡­ the sticky and disgusting poison began encroaching his blood vessels and the heart.

    10 deaths.

    50 regressions.

    And when the world restarted for the 100th time.

    A change urred inside Yu Jitae.

    <With your desire to kill that has exceeded the limit, the world¡¯s Providence gifts you with an authority.>

    <Obtained Authority: [Shapeless Sword (A)]>

    Killing intent began showing itself in a shape.

    However, he was stillcking in numbers. Noah had swallowed 997 desires to live, so the Regressor had to gather a lot more desire to kill.

    It was truly a crazy act.

    After 200 regressions, the grade of the authority changed.

    <Evolved Authority: [Shapeless Sword (A+)]

    He had been killed 200 times.

    Gradually, he no longer felt the pain of death. Once he got used to it, death felt a lot easier and he was no longer afraid of pain.

    <Evolved Authority: [Shapeless Sword (S)]>

    Then, he was killed another 300 times.

    At that point, he no longer felt afraid or apologetic of others¡¯ hatred against him. Hepletely got rid of hypocrisy from himself.

    He had no choice but to do this in order to kill Noah? It was wrong. He was a selfish existence that took crazy measures like this for his own necessity.

    He was but a sinner.

    <Evolved Authority: [Shapeless Sword (S+)]>

    For the final time, he was killed 500 more times.

    During that, he sometimes forgot what was happening and what was going on with himself.

    He had started doing this shit in order to be something, but forgot what he was trying to be, and had already turned into something he himself didn¡¯t know of before realising it.

    <Evolved Authority: [Shapeless Sword (SS)]>

    And with 1100 deaths, Yu Jitae¡¯s insane deeds came to an end.

    Those were times that had only been for death without any other action. Since he did not assign any meaning to the iterations that had solely been for death.

    <You have failed in saving the Earth. The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rewinds the world¡¯s time.>

    He thought to himself, that this was the start of the sixth iteration.

    Although he didn¡¯t end up encountering him in the sixth iteration because Noah had hidden himself.

    He was able to meet Noah in the seventh iteration.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There were mouring humans. Their voices of hatred and jeers left in unison while Noah reflected his confidence in his desire to live with a sneer.

    Killing intent gathered in the Regressor¡¯s hand in the form of a tornado and formed a shape.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    The Regressor¡¯s killing intent resulting from his 1100 deaths from those filled with hatred, that had solely been for this moment, shed Noah¡¯s body in half and killed him.

    ¡°¡ª¨C!¡±

    Thest thing he saw was the look of disbelief hanging on Noah¡¯s face.

    In an instant, the jeering outcries stopped.

    He kicked Noah¡¯s corpse with his foot and dropped it off the scaffold. Then, he slowly gazed at the ¡®desires to live¡¯ that had been screaming their guts out.

    Noah¡¯s dream hade to an end.

    Gradually, the ashen world began dispersing like a fog.

    He gazed at the ¡®desires to live¡¯. Once the main body¡¯s desire ended, the existences that had been swallowed by the demon¡¯s dream floundered their arms around and started carrying out meaningless gestures. They shook their heads, iled their arms and walked endlessly in a direction.

    Close to a thousand existences danced.

    Slowly, the scenery before his eyes scattered and vanished.

 Chapter 83: After the Lights are out (AS)

    <h4>Chapter 83: After the Lights are out (AS)</h4>

    ¡®Yourmand, my lord.¡¯

    Open the door.

    ¡®My loyalty to my lord.¡¯

    The destroyed fissure of the masquerade was reopened.

    Melissia Masquerade, the Lair¡¯s end-of-the-year event came to an end.

    The raid team was in a state of shock.

    For an unknown reason, the fissure had been destroyed and a different fissure reappeared instead. Everyone was aware of how different logics applied in fissures and dungeons but it came as a different shock altogether when it directly corrted with their lives.

    In doubt, Lair organised an exploration team after the event.

    ¡°Sir. There¡¯s a report that they found something at B24 of the 39th room. They found¡­ huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re saying there was a corpse hanging in the sky!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Professor Wei Yan of the Azure Dragon study group¡­¡±

    ¡°Whatever mate. Just clean it up and leave.¡±

    ¡°Sir? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what the higher ups are saying.¡±

    The captain was clearly aware of the fact that their team was just for show, for the outsiders to see. Although he was filled with unease and doubt, they didn¡¯t create a fuss out of it. Since the boss was dead, the dungeon will be closed in a few days along with the truth.

    After receiving the report from Minamoto, Lair described the raid differently.

    The moment a problem urred with the fissure, the raid team immediately halted the raid and followed the emergency regtions.

    There were close to no casualties from cadets, guards and Lair staff members. Instead of focusing on the ¡®unidentifiable disaster¡¯, Lair spread news of the excellent steps taken in an emergency situation.

    In this era natural disasters weremon. With the way the news reports had been written, people showed less interest in the emergency situation itself.

    ¡°The AT team, that has misused the artifact during the prior investigation, is responsible for¡­¡±

    iming it to be due to an improper dungeon exploration beforehand, Lair fired several innocent staff members,

    ¡°That fissure as big as a building suddenly started crumbling down¡­!¡±

    And though the raid team had done nothing but stay still, they were still treated as victorious heroes.

    ¡°Woah, that was really close then.¡±

    ¡°Thank goodness¡­¡±

    The entire world paying attention to Lair, was merely grateful for the young superhumans of their countriesing out safe and unscathed. What had happened inside wasn¡¯t revealed.

    Just like that, the lights of the masquerade went out.

    *

    Meanwhile, inside the airship ¡®Guardian¡¯.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)], which had discarded its female mask, sat down on the deck and gazed down at the world. The wind felt cold.

    It had been a while since he had ordered an espresso but he was only able to drink it now because of several suddenmands from Yu Jitae.

    Sip.

    Due to the passing of time, the coffee tasted cold.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Wei Yan was dead,

    The undetectables¡¯ n had been ruined,

    Ysayle Khalifa the disaster-rank, had lost half of her power,

    And the catastrophe-ranked Noah had died.

    If this was changed to numbers, it was like the total power level of the undetectables being reduced by 20%. Driving this much impact into the demons that were internationally spread across, was impossible if not for this event.

    The necessary task had finallye to an end at a decent timing.

    Melissia Masquerade would perhaps be the turning point of the seventh iteration.

    How would the undetectables, who has parasitic roots inside Lair, react to this? How would the demons move past this point? The clone who shared portions of Yu Jitae¡¯s memories, drew a rough image in his head.

    Demons knew how to bide their time.

    In other words they were insanely good at waiting and because of that, there wouldn¡¯t be anything troublesome happening any time soon.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    For that to happen, there were lots of things he had to do.

    After pouring the coffee down its throat, the clone rose up from the seat.

    There was a person he had to meet.

    ***

    Among the heavily wounded people was a middle-aged man wearing a pair of sunsses.

    He was inside a private room being healed by army surgeons and healers. Because he was hiding his face with a fake skin, the surgeons nagged him to stop drinking alcohol. Naturally BM did not listen.

    He had no choice but to drink. 3 of his 13 chimeras had died and the other chimeras weren¡¯t in a good state either.

    ¡®Almost died helplessly.¡¯

    Although he hadn¡¯t heard the specific details yet, it appeared that Yu Jitae had killed Noah.

    BM felt disturbed for several reasons.

    The destroyed chimeras had been made from Arandot. Since one of the few good memories of that ce had disappeared, he wasn¡¯t in a good mood.

    It was also a great impact to his fighting strength. The international rank of 2, was only possible because he had the fitting power level to support it.

    ¡®I knew a day like this woulde eventually but¡­¡¯

    Even though he knew it wouldn¡¯t be his position forever, he nheless felt bitter as the number ¡®2¡¯ representing him was his only source of pride.

    The thoughts regarding Yu Jitae also muddled his head. The man who had brought him alcohol from Arandot, was stronger than anyone else despite previously never showing himself once. He spoke of absurd ideas but those became realities and he personally ended the task.

    ¡®All decisions had been made by an individual, and he also moved as an individual.¡¯

    The fact that an individual¡¯s influence instead of a social system could shake the world, was a very dangerous situation.

    BM imagined a dangerous future. What if Yu Jitae was determined to point his sword at humanity?

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Of course, BM didn¡¯t think that would happen. What he saw from the side revealed that he was friendly to humanity.

    However.

    It was a question that would obviously be asked if someone else found out. The fate of humanity hanging on an individual¡¯s hands? Other individuals will have differing opinions, the crowd will have a negative look on it, while the world would view it pessimistically.

    They would try to use his strength in some way or another, or would beg for assuredness or resist. Thinking about it made BM feel tired already.

    ¡®Damn it.¡¯

    Yu Jitae¡¯s existence had to be hidden away from the world. In that case, what was his task as the only individual who currently had ties with him?

    It was when BM was absorbed in thinking about something he had never even imagined of.

    Knock knock.

    A knock sounded from the door before Yu Jitae opened it and walked into the private room.

    ¡°Ah¡­ wee.¡±

    ¡°Your body¡¯s fine?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s tough. What about you, no injuries?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded slightly and took a small weapon out from his inner pocket to hand over to BM.

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    BM widened his eyes.

    It was a mana gun shing in blue. The sheer amount of mana embedded inside was enough to add to the weight.

    This was a gun-type artifact considered to be the highest grade even from Level 3 artifacts, and was the gift Wei Yan had received from the undetectables.

    [Peace Invoker]

    With a dumbfounded expression, BM fidgeted with the gun.

    ¡°Why are you giving this to me?¡±

    It was because there had been amand from Yu Jitae, to make sure there was no loss to the ranker¡¯s fighting capability.

    ¡°You have to protect it; your rank.¡±

    After chatting with BM, the clone moved once again. This time, it had to meet Minamoto.

    ***

    A scent tickled her nose.

    It was rxing andfortable to her heart, and something warm and soft was being immersed into her body. The olddy felt that way for the first time in a long time.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When she slowly opened her eyes, she found a beautiful young girl in front. Her grass-coloured eyes flickered from sunlight and because she looked like an angel she saw in her childhood dreams, the old woman nkly stared at the girl¡¯s face.

    Then, she suddenly came to her senses.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Li Hwa abruptly raised her body.

    Bom, who had been healing her, widened her eyes. Li Hwa¡¯s body was pretty much in a mess since the overstrained maniption of mana had internally injured her as a side effect.

    ¡°You should stay down.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m okay. I know my body the best.¡±

    Several bones had been fractured here and there, and there were several internal wounds. It should be painful for her to breathe and yet the olddy naturally stood up and began walking off.

    They were near the Lake of Life, where Yu Jitae and the dragons had travelled to and came across Myung Yongha in the past.

    ¡°What a beautifulke.¡±

    With steady steps, Li Hwa approached theke and kneeled in front of it. Her shrunk body made her already-small body appear even tinier.

    ¡°That bastard wasn¡¯t Ysayle Khalifa right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I think it was her puppet.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Ah, I thought I was gone when something exploded.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Seriously.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re safe.¡±

    Back then,

    Bom had been able to cast teleportation slightly before the explosion. If she hadn¡¯t realised something was strange with Ysayle Khalifa, she wouldn¡¯t have made it in time.

    ¡°¡­Did I fight well?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I was so angry that I can¡¯t remember it well¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Li Hwa and Bom chatted for a bit about the things that had happened at the masquerade. It was mainly Bom telling her what she saw.

    The old woman quietly listened to her words as Bom carefully reopened her mouth.

    ¡°If it was me, I think I would get angry.¡±

    ¡°Hnn?¡±

    ¡°I mean if I realised it was fake after all that waiting.¡±

    Slowly, the olddy shook her head andughed.

    ¡°I¡¯m used to waiting.¡±

    Soon, a presence was felt nearby the Lake of Life.

    ¡°Ah, ahjussi.¡±

    Yu Jitae came to pick Bom up.

    ¡°Thanks for your work, Li Hwa.¡±

    ¡°You too, young man. Thank you.¡±

    Bom followed Yu Jitae, before turning her head slightly and looking back. The olddy was still facing theke with a nk gaze and she remained still for a very long time.

    ***

    In the residential area, on the way back.

    It had been 2 days since they left home but for Yu Jitae who had been wandering in Noah¡¯s dream, it had been several months.

    Cadets were wearing thick clothes from the cold weather while the sky felt closer than before. Bom was walking right next to him.

    In the distance he could see the dormitory buildings.

    That was when Yu Jitae stopped his feet and turned towards Bom. He then looked inside her.

    Her dragon heart waspletely empty and there were traces of her forcibly squeezing mana out. Li Hwa was alive and the clone had discovered how the 141st Public Garden had been ruined from arge explosion.

    It was obvious what Bom had done at that ce. She must have squeezed her mana out in order to save Li Hwa.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you openly staring like that.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Only then did Yu Jitae realise that his gaze had been towards her chest.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When he raised his head back up he found Bom wearing a smile.

    She knew what Yu Jitae was looking at, and yet was making a joke. However, Yu Jitae did not respond regarding that because instead, there was something he had to mention.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why did you push yourself.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°You did. From what I see.¡±

    ¡°I just tried my best.¡±

    ¡°I told you to run if need be.¡±

    ¡°Hnn?¡±

    Despite clearly knowing her mistake, she talked back without an end. Finding that somewhat cheeky, Yu Jitae pinched her cheeks.

    ¡°Aut¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do dangerous things.¡±

    ¡°It wawn¡¯t dangerwous¡­¡±

    ¡°It was. Although you weren¡¯t injured.¡±

    ¡°No it wawn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to me like that, I can¡¯t bring you along. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re helpful or not.¡±

    ¡°Nnn, it hurrs¡­¡±

    She appeared to be in pain but did not avoid his hands. Her eyes turned watery instead.

    There probably was a reason for her actions. Maybe it was due to her personality which wanted to save people.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it countless times. You can¡¯t die, nor get hurt. If you get hurt even slightly, I¡¯ll get really angry. You know what I¡¯m talking about so be a bit safer from now on.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You understand?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With teary eyes, Bom resentfully stared at Yu Jitae before slowly giving a nod. Only after receiving a reply did he let go of his hands as Bom rubbed her reddened cheeks.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°No? Not yet.¡±

    But this time, it was Bom that blocked Yu Jitae from the front. Wearing a tenacious look, she looked up at Yu Jitae but she didn¡¯t appear intimidating because of her red cheeks.

    ¡°Did you kill demons as cleanly as possible, ahjussi?¡±

    He thought about it. Before killing the demons he had suppressed his desire a few times. At least Wei Yan¡¯s body was intact.

    Therefore he had tried his hardest.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill enemies that didn¡¯t have to be killed?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Did you let the innocent people survive?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±

    ¡°I forgot.¡±

    Then, Bom suddenly took a step closer and pinched his cheeks. Judging from the tendons bulging out from her thin wrists, she seemed to be pinching as hard as she could, but it did not hurt at all.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t hurt?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why am I the only one suffering¡­¡±

    What a kid.

    When he moved his feet forward, Bom followed suit.

    It was time to go back home.

    *

    Unit 301.

    The house¡¯s door was pushed open. A familiar shoe rack, a familiar scent ofvender and a familiar scenery of the house weed him.

    ¡°Huh? Ahjussi?¡±

    In surprise, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul walked towards Yu Jitae and Bom.

    ¡°What. What. What¡¯s going on! Why did you go out without saying anything! Where did you go? With just Bom-unni?! What is it? My intuition is good!¡±

    Kaeul pressured Yu Jitae with a fierce re.

    ¡°I told you I had something to do.¡±

    ¡°You did. But I thought you wereing back after a few hours! Bom-unni as well, why did you go without saying anything!¡±

    ¡°Did I? Sorry.¡±

    Bom hugged Kaeul, but the enraged baby chicken still wriggled around and pointed at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What did you do! Just the two of you outside! What¡¯d you do! What¡¯d you dooo!¡±

    On top of the baby chicken¡¯s head, the real baby chicken also pped its wings forward and pointed at Yu Jitae. ¡®Are you aware of how long my guardian deity had been waiting for?¡¯ it chirped.

    Yeorum floated a crooked smile.

    ¡°Look at you guys¡­¡±

    ¡°Un?¡±

    ¡°A male and female sleeping outside?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what happened, Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°It must have been pretty fun, ey? Why are your cheeks red; are you into that?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°How do you know what I¡¯m talking about. What are you into?¡±

    ¡°¡­Who knows?¡±

    When Bom was forced into a corner, Yeorum gave a sneer.

    ¡°Count me in as well next time.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae felt a gaze from Gyeoul, who was pushed back by Yeorum and Kaeul. She was looking at Yu Jitae with concern.

    When Yu Jitae walked forward, she naturally extended her arms forward like a habit. In his arms, Gyeoul carefully pulled the shirt down from his chest while throwing nces at him realtime.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The ne was still hanging on Yu Jitae¡¯s chest.

    Would she know. When he was inside Noah¡¯s dream, facing another world meeting its apocalypse for several months, Yu Jitae often stared at his ne when he thought of home.

    Her expression eased slightly after checking the ne but she still did not appear fully relieved. Gazing up at Yu Jitae, she asked with her unique quiet voice.

    ¡°¡­Did somessing, happen?¡±

    He wondered why, but it felt like he had finally returned to the ce he belonged to.

    ¡°¡­Un? Somessing?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing happened.¡±

    Finally her expression became more rxed.

    Yu Jitae faintly smiled.

    ¡°What about you.¡±

 Chapter 84: The Ace up the Sleeve is (1)

    <h4>Chapter 84: The Ace up the Sleeve is (1)</h4>

    The semester came to an end.

    Lair¡¯s education department had their hands full with the after-measures of the end-of-the-year event.

    They came into contact with the governments of various countries and received endless words of gratitude from the International Hunter Association, while also carrying out a joint funeral for the small number of cadets and guards that died during the event.

    Then, they relied on the Promotion Team to spread news of their actions. Although the destruction of the fissure into the masquerade was brought from a disaster that no-one could have expected, Lair¡¯s actions were deliberate demonstrations saying, ¡®We are this responsible¡¯.

    Due to that, the school holiday began without even having any ceremonies. The event was serious to the point that Team Leader Yong of the PR team made a fuss about how the next year¡¯s entrance ceremony might even be held in a simpler format.

    ¡°Is there anywhere you guys want to go?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    Dragons, the territorial animals, had already recognised Unit 301 as their ¡®home¡¯.

    The school holiday was a 2-month weekend for them.

    *

    That day, Yu Jitae took Bom and headed down to the undergroundbyrinth.

    Even though it was her first time setting foot on the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)], Bom didn¡¯t appear too surprised. As always, she had the expression that hid her inner thoughts as she walked side by side right next to him.

    When the ¡®Light of Paradise¡¯ touches them, the baby dragons would feel ufortable. Because of that, Yu Jitae used a lot of money to buy a ne at an underground auction in North Europe the day before.

    [Unsightly Truth]

    This ne which was in the shape of a w was a Level 2 artifact. It wasposed of a special type of metal, and the wearer would be rtively freed from the influence of the ¡®Light of Paradise¡¯.

    ¡°Put this on.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    They walked into the inner room of the undergroundbyrinth. The wide and tall cylindrical room as well as therge apartment-sized crystal [Fragment of Paradise] weed them.

    However, there was a change that had happened while Yu Jitae was away. There were severalrge blocks of container storages ced in a line.

    ¨C Kiyoooooot!

    ¨C Kuhahahatt!

    Bizarre sounds came out from the containers. It resembled a scream but also sounded like a shout.

    What are they doing.

    When he opened the door, zing heat shot out and Yu Jitae and Bom quietly looked inside through the gap. Men and women ofrge builds were exercising.

    ¡°Haaat!¡±

    A barbell that appeared to weigh around 1 ton was raised while arching like a bow while some did squats and deadlifts. Their entire bodies oozed out with heat as they carried out insane weight training sessions.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom looked slightly surprised.

    ¡°Are those people exercising¡­?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it.¡±

    After carefully shutting the door back, Yu Jitae nced across the inner room and searched for something. He then approached a container block that was especially noisy and slightly pushed the door open.

    There, he found a dozen or so ofrge male and females standing in a circle as they cheered for someone.

    ¡°Push! Push! Press harder!¡±

    ¡°Damn it, don¡¯t give up! You can do it! COME ON!¡±

    ¡°Good. Good! Push yourself! It doesn¡¯t matter if you get injured so press it away!¡±

    ¡°Pull out all the stops!¡±

    They made a fuss while swinging barbells and kettlebells like a tribe of ogres dancing in front of their food. And the ¡®prey¡¯ hidden from sight due to their backs was¡­

    ¡°Miss Ha! Let¡¯sss goooo!¡±

    ¡°Le¡¯ss goooooo!¡±

    It was none other than Ha Saetbyul.

    She was holding onto a barbell bigger than her own body and groaned. Her frowning face was flushed in deep red and her two cheeks were bloating out like balloons.

    ¡°A liiiittle bit moree!¡±

    ¡°Presss!¡±

    The bulky people shouted with tight fists.

    ¡°Kuuung ahnahng kaaaak!!¡±

    Letting out an eerie shriek, Ha Saetbul finally managed to press a barbell weighing 500kg.

    ¡°Uwaaahhhh!¡±

    ¡°Damn! Kiyoooot!¡±

    ¡°She did it! She really did it! Wahahahat!¡±

    When the hulks jumped around in delight, the container began shaking. There was also someone who couldn¡¯t withstand the joy as they banged their head into the wall and shook the container that way.

    Putting down the barbell, Ha Saetbyul¡¯s arms drooped low. She was wet with sweat and she turned her hazy gaze towards Yu Jitae and Bom.

    She waved her hand which made the hulks turn their gaze behind.

    ¡°Aht! Our doctor¡¯s here!¡±

    ¡°What? Ouuuh! It really is the doctor!¡±

    Wearing bright countenances they ran in with thuds. Since each and every one of them wasrge, they appeared like a herd of oxen.

    Bom had an indifferent expression on her face, but slowly ced herself behind Yu Jitae when they came closer.

    ¡°Holy sshit!¡±

    ¡°Doctooorrr!¡±

    Kwang! Yu Jitae shut the door.

    And when he held onto the knob and resisted against them, the metal door of the container building trembled and shook as the door dented in the shape of their faces.

    Wahahahahat! Theirughter could be heard through the door.

    It was a mess.

    Was the name of the gym Happy Happy Fitness? It was a fitting name.

    In any case, he had brought Bom here in case she could help Ha Saetbyul if she was doing nothing but dig holes in the ground, but Ha Saetbyul unexpectedly appeared to be doing fairly well. Perhaps there was something now that she could sincerely expect in her life.

    Yu Jitae separately summoned Bell Baryon, the squad leader of the 30-man Special Force Team.

    ¡°33 in total. Currently 32 active, and 1 outlier. All clear.¡±

    The female soldier with a particrlyrge build from the Philippines reported.

    ¡°¡­And the outlier?¡±

    ¡°The nurse, BM, had been drinking alcohol fromst night to mid-day and fell asleep.¡±

    When he opened the door of the workshop, there were countless bottles of vodka rolling around on the ground with no space to set foot in. BM was leaning powerlessly onto the chair.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him.¡±

    ¡°It seems that he was heartbroken from a failed experiment.¡±

    It was perhaps an experiment rted to mixing [Peace Invoker] into his body in the form of a chimera.

    ¡°Got it. Anything you need?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Except for how everyone is wishing to go back home, life here is quite satisfactory.¡±

    That was good to hear.

    ¡°By the way, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡®He¡¯ is here as well right?¡±

    In fact, that was what Yu Jitae had been looking for. The protector wasn¡¯t inside the containers.

    ¡°If this is regarding the Magic Living Armour, Armata, let me lead the way.¡±

    When they followed behind Bell Baryon, they found the protector hangingundry at another smaller room inside the inner room.

    Clink. nk.

    It carefully raised arge brasier and an even bigger brasier and pondered for a bit, before hanging them in the order of size.

    ¡°Armata alone is in charge of washing dishes,undry and cleaning for the soldiers of the troop.¡±

    A washing machine was rattling in the corner. Surprisingly, this ce had electricity, water and inte thanks to BM bringing all of them in.

    Clink. Pang. nk.

    The protector meticulously dusted theundry.

    Grrrrrng~<i>? </i>Kwagagagak~~<i>?</i>

    Meanwhile, it hummed with a voice resembling the screeching noise of metals.

    ¡°Armata¡¯s anxiety symptoms have reduced a lot recently and he either does housework or ys with the agents. ording to the nurse, he is the fastest at recovering.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡±

    ¡°There seems to be a difference with humans.¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded his head.

    A living armour would also have a magic circuit drawn inside their body inducingposure. It was natural for it to be the first one to recover.

    He might be able to bring the protector back soon before others.

    ***

    Recently, Gyeoul began slowly shifting her gaze away from Yu Jitae.

    In the past, she anxiously looked for him whenever he wasn¡¯t present. Now however, she didn¡¯t wait for him in front of the entrance when he left nor did she try to always stay next to him when together.

    It was just that while ying in the living room, she would asionally turn her head to nce at Yu Jitae. The bright smile on her face was a plus.

    These days, she seemed to have learned how to hum from Bom.

    ¡°¡­¡­<i>?</i>¡±

    She often hummed when she was in a good mood. It was a very soft voice that she carefully hummed with, and it suited Gyeoul very well.

    Chirp chirp.

    ¡°¡­¡­<i>?</i>¡±

    Right now, she was humming while chasing after the baby chicken.

    Kaeul was outside on an errand. The baby chicken scanned the house once a day like a patrolling guard and that caught Gyeoul¡¯s attention.

    Gyeoul toddled her away after it. Passing through the corridor, the baby chicken entered the kitchen, while Gyeoul followed suit and circled around the kitchen.

    After the kitchen was Kaeul¡¯s room. The baby chicken checked the number of dolls and plushies after entering the room and Gyeoul likewise stared at the dolls.

    Uiiing¨C

    And when the robotic vacuum cleaner became moving itself, the baby chicken began hurriedly running below the table. Gyeoul also urgently followed it but didn¡¯t take into ount the height of the table and ended up bumping her forehead into it before falling down on her back.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was quite a strong hit. He nced at the child to see if she was startled or not.

    But soon, Gyeoul stood back up and rubbed her forehead before once again chasing after the baby chicken with a wide smile. The baby chicken marched forward on top of the robotic vacuum cleaner but ultimately was captured by Gyeoul and was stroked.

    Chirp chirp.¡®Do not touch my nape.¡¯

    Chirp chirp!¡®The nape is the pride of us males!¡¯

    However, the baby chicken was standing up and the best ce for Gyeoul to pat was its nape. From the endless stroking, the baby chicken¡¯s eyes began slowlying to a close.

    When the chicken fell asleep, Gyeoul carefully ced it down on the sofa. She then looked at Yu Jitae and ced her finger on her lips, going ¡°Shh¡±.

    Then, she sneaked a nce at him before extending her arms forward and asking for a hug. After he lifted her up, the blue-haired child soon fell asleep.

    Her gentle breaths came from up close.

    *

    Whenever Kaeul was outside, the baby chicken asionally disappeared. It was apparently going outside somewhere but always returned with a few injuries, probably from fighting the cat spirit beasts at the entertainment district.

    Gradually its wounds reduced as time passed, but the issue was that Bom was always the one that had to heal it.

    ¡°You got hurt again?¡±

    Chirp. Chirp.

    ¡°Why do you think you get hurt every time?¡±

    Chirpp¡­

    ¡°If you always get hurt like that, do you think Kaeul would like it?¡±

    Chirp¡­!

    ¡°I know you always go outside when Kaeul¡¯s not home. How long do you think I¡¯ll keep it a secret for?¡±

    Chirp¡­! Chirp chirp¡­!

    And so the baby chicken was scolded by Bom that night.

    She had an expressionless face as well as her same old voice. Bom didn¡¯t show any signs of anger and yet the baby chicken was extremely nervous as it rubbed its forehead on her clothes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt. We¡¯ll get angry.¡±

    Bom carefully healed the small furry ball.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae stayed still and watched over the children. Since it was now the holidays after he had taken care of Wei Yan, there was really not much for him to do.

    He just read some books rted to education after buying them at a bookshop.

    ¡°Educational Psychology? Are you going to teach someone?¡±

    Bom walked to the sofa and sat down next to him.

    ¡°Thought I might need it soon.¡±

    However he didn¡¯t get any words back from Bom.

    Yu Jitae turned towards her and found her nkly staring into nothing. Was she looking into Providence? After staying in that state for a long time, Bom suddenly turned to Yu Jitae with an astonished gaze.

    He thought she was going to pull another prank but that wasn¡¯t it. Bom abruptly raised her watch and checked something.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°¡­One second please.¡±

    A blue website was opened on the screen and she typed something into the search bar. Her movements were quite rushed which also made Yu Jitae focus on her hands.

    ¡°Not here¡­¡±

    Bom soon opened a yellowish site and began inserting a strangebination of letters.

    But it was wrong this time as well. After pondering for a while, Bom went into a red website and once againid down strange letters into the search bar.

    ?asvbvbnsp

    What is that.

    In any case, he was familiar with this site. It was one of the top three video tforms worldwide called YuTuV. He was wondering what it must be for Bom to be like this and was quietly staring into the disy.

    This time, a video with the same title as the search bar appeared at the very top.

    [asvbvbnsp] (Uploaded a week ago)

    The thumbnail of the video was an average image with a window and a wall. But unlike the thumbnail, it appeared to be quite a popr video and had a high number of views as well as severalments.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom looked at Yu Jitae with a slightly surprised expression.

    ¡°Why. What is that.¡±

    ¡°¡­You can¡¯t get angry.¡±

    ¡°Why would I get angry.¡±

    ¡°Please promise me you won¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    Yu Jitae nonchntly responded and soon Bom yed the video.

    ¡­

    When the video came to a silent end, Yu Jitae and Bom also went silent.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­How do you think this happened.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you see through Providence.¡±

    ¡°Something I can¡¯t tell you¡­¡±

    ¡°Something bad?¡±

    ¡°No? It¡¯s not bad but¡­¡±

    It¡¯s nothing bad ¨C after hearing that, Yu Jitae was relieved that it wasn¡¯t the worst possible case scenario.

    Nevertheless, something that shouldn¡¯t have happened had urred. But since it had already urred, the priority was to have a clear understanding of the situation.

    ¡°y it again.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    What they first saw was Unit 301. The door to Yu Jitae¡¯s room, the living room, TV, the wall, floor and the ceiling wereid bare.

    Kaeul¡¯s voice rolled like marble throughout the video while Gyeoul and the baby chicken shed their faces once. Yu Jitae¡¯s back also appeared for a second or so.

    Before the video ended, Kaeul¡¯s face also briefly appeared in it.

    Right, that was the problem.

    Kaeul¡¯s face was too close and too clear.

    ¡°How many views did this have? It shouldn¡¯t be a problem if there¡¯s not that many.¡±

    Bom carefully showed the screen.

    [asvbvbnsp] (Uploaded a week ago) (#14 on Trending)Views: 292,135Likes: 8k / Dislikes: 141Comments: 999+

    290 thousand, and it was a trending video at that.

    At the very least, it didn¡¯t have a crazy amount of views making it a problem. Yu Jitae opened his mouth while cing his hand on his temple.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s have a look at thements.¡±

 Chapter 85: The Ace up the Sleeve is (2)

    <h4>Chapter 85: The Ace up the Sleeve is (2)</h4>

    [Sort by Oldest First]

    ¨C ¥¢

    At the start, it was ament like this. It had been 2 days after the upload date.

    There weren¡¯t any elements inside the video that attracted the eyes of others. The first 15 seconds was nothing but the baby chicken running somewhere with the legs of a child (Gyeoul) toddling after it.

    ¨C ewpijwexzc

    ¨C adsFnl

    The twoments after that were the same as well. Those were just randomments written by babies that somehow ended up in the video.

    ¡°Why did he watch this¡­¡±

    That was why Johnson, an American businessman who had been checking the watch history of his 5-year old son, was about to stop the video with little regard.

    But after around 20 seconds, the blue-haired child finally appeared in full. Johnson¡¯s hands stopped from trying to turn the video off because the girl was around the same age as his own son.

    ¡®Gyeoul, it¡¯s here!¡¯

    In response to someone¡¯s voice, the blue-haired child turned to himself, the camera, and gave a bright smile.

    My gosh¡­!

    Johnson felt like his heart had been hammered by something. That child was as beautiful as his son, the cutest child in the world.

    Next one is going to be a daughter¡­!

    While he was having such thoughts, his wife walked up and flickered her eyes.

    ¡°Oh? Who¡¯s that kid?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uh, Not sure. It¡¯s just a video our Joshua watched¡­¡±

    ¡°Really? She¡¯s really cute.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    The blue-haired child followed the baby chicken from behind. That was when the voice of the cameraman reverberated.

    ¡®Aye so cute¡­ anyways, Gyeoul would be surprised if she saw this after growing up.¡¯

    It was just a simple mutter. However, that beautiful and clear voice resembling an angel, echoed delightfully. His wife whose attention had been taken away by the blue-haired child, tilted her head.

    ¡°Hnn?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Her voice is a bit familiar¡­¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Whatever the case, Johnson turned the video off.

    The child and the baby chicken were cute, and there was a pretty voice but it had nothing to do with himself. He was just d to confirm that his son hadn¡¯t watched a strange video.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    However, his wife Lexi, once again checked the video. She had a lot of interest in the superhuman industry and was an active fan of an English superhuman.

    I definitely heard it somewhere¡­

    After checking the video till the end, she pped her hands.

    ¡°Ohh¡­!¡±

    It was a face she knew.

    She was that cadet who had suddenly been in charge of the deration of Lair¡¯s entrance ceremony, without any fame nor fanbase. Her face had appeared several times in news reports and websites and Lexi had been disappointed by her short media exposure.

    ording to her memory, her name was¡­

    ¨C Cadet Yu Kaeul?

    ¨C Is thedy in the video Miss Yu Kaeul?

    Lexi added ament to the video.

    Thinking back, there was a friend in her fancafe that had been extremely fascinated by Cadet Yu Kaeul.

    [Lexi]: Heyyy did you watch it?

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Receiving a message from his friend, Max opened a video. It was a normal household and an average baby chicken¡­ but the voice he was hearing was a familiar one. It was bright, high, clear, innocent and cute¡­

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    These days, video tforms all offered interpreting and tranting services. When the voice left after being neatly interpreted to English, Max watched the 4-minute video till the end in a fluster.

    And towards the very end, a familiar face entered the screen.

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    Yu Kaeul ¨C it¡¯s Yu Kaeul!

    She was there for a split second but there was no way he could mistake it. After all, Max was a full-on superhuman otaku who had watched the previous deration ceremony 150 times.

    ¡®Damn it. Why did you waste such a pretty face and only show up now¡­!¡¯

    Max closed his eyes and reminisced on the past.

    When Kaeul rejected appearing in interviews and TV shows out of the blue, how disappointed and regretful had the fans of the superhuman industry including himself been? A few of them had even cursed Kaeul¡¯s guardian.

    It was for a short period of time but it was a great trending topic. They could have earned money! And it was a chance to be famous, so why¡­!

    But now that he got this, it felt like the disappointments of the time were melting away. Max began sharing the video to his fancafes and variousmunities.

    *

    ¨C Waahhhhh Kaeul-unni Q.Q

    ¨C Is it really Yu Kaeul? Woah;; super pretty;;

    ¨C Her voice is so sweet Q.Q Boss! Give me a bowl of honey!

    ¨C The baby¡¯s also so pretty¡­ Now I want to marry and have a child..

    ¨C Where have you been? Why are you uploading only now?

    ¨C Exin please.

    ¨C Exin what. Maybe she just didn¡¯t want to do it.

    ¨C But this doesn¡¯t look like it was taken properly though;;

    There was a thing called Potent Index in the algorithms of video tforms.

    The total number of current views; views in ratio with the number ofments; the number of likes and dislikespared to the views; the number of times the video had been shared and the session time. After taking all these elements into ount, they would give scores for their potential.

    Outstanding videos were followed by arge number of views, with high number of likes andments which in turn would cause it to be exposed more.

    Such videos had the right to be supported.

    ¨C Me: Ah let¡¯s sleep now ???: Do you wanna see someone¡¯s house before you do? Me: ?

    ¨C A minute ago) I can¡¯t understand algorithms these days¡­ Now) Why is that blue head child so lovely¡­?

    The home page of the tform users had [asvbvbnsp] rmended.

    ¨C What is with these rmendations lolololol. 150k views with a title like that? For real?

    ¨C I work in the field, but this is my fifth time watching the video today T.T.,,, the babies and the chicken are all so cute and it would be amazing if you could upload more please!

    ***

    There were things that could bepromised on and things that couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Kaeul standing in front of a crowd, was something that could never bepromised on from his perspective.

    ¨C Was the response bad?

    From around 9000ments, 50 or so were either sarcastic or malicious. A few of them even directly disyed their animosity and anger.

    The reason for their animosity didn¡¯t lie with Kaeul.

    ¡®Why is something like this in my rmended list? I don¡¯t wanna fucking watch it ffs.¡¯

    ¡®What the fuck lmao. Getting views with jack shit. At least learn how to edit?¡¯

    ¡®Random cats and dogs doing YuTuV.¡¯

    However, their target was still Kaeul.

    Nothing would change even if he cursed and criticised them. The important part was that it was inevitable for there to be such people and that it would never disappear.

    ¨C Hmm, but 50 maliciousments isn¡¯t that much though?

    Yu Jitae was aware. However, he didn¡¯t want to cultivate a seed of anxiety. No matter how small it was, it was in a field that could never be fixed after going wrong.

    Things had to be shut off beforehand.

    ¡°In any case, no. Don¡¯t even mention taking videos. Please.¡±

    ¨C Hmm¡­ okay I got it. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s a shame¡­

    Team Leader Yong of the PR team gave an awkward smile.

    ¨C I think the most important thing now is to take the video down.

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¨C For now, 190,000 views isn¡¯t that much¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s 210,000 now.¡±

    ¨C Yes. Even then it¡¯s the same. A video having 210,000 isn¡¯t that big of an issue. Tens of thousands of videos are made worldwide that exceed 200k views in a day. Like how I only just got to know when you, the guardian mentioned it, despite being in the Promotion team.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¨C But if the number of views reaches several million, or you have several videos with a simr number of views, that would be a trending topic. So make sure there aren¡¯t any other uploads. As long as you delete the uploaded video and delete the channel, it should be good.

    After finishing the call with Team Leader Yong, Yu Jitae turned to Bom.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom had already discovered that this was Gyeoul¡¯s mistake. She told Gyeoul to never make that mistake again.

    The problem here was that Kaeul was not aware of the situation. There was nothing for them to do if Kaeul found out by hearing it from someone else, but she had to be left as is if she was clueless about it.

    But the ount was linked to Kaeul¡¯s device. In order to delete the video without rming her, they had to take her watch.

    Although Kaeul was naive, she wasn¡¯t a fool. She would be suspicious if someone suddenly asked for it.

    After reading Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze, Bom nodded her head and turned towards Gyeoul. She had already talked about it with her.

    ¡°Gyeoul. Operation start.¡±

    Nod nod.

    In response, Gyeoul toddled her way forward and headed into Kaeul¡¯s room.

    ¨C Nn? My watch? Why?

    ¨C ¡­photo

    ¨C Photo? You want me to take it for you? I¡¯m good at it. Hehe.

    ¨C ¡­

    ¨C Ah, un¡­ here you go¡­ you have to be careful okay?

    He could hear their voices from the other side of the door, and soon, Gyeoul ran out in short strides while carrying Kaeul¡¯s watch.

    ¡°Thank you, Gyeoul.¡±

    Smile smile.

    After receiving the watch from Gyeoul, Yu Jitae entered the video tform website and deleted the video. He then got rid of the ount altogether. Creating a new ount wasn¡¯t difficult so there should be no problems there.

    However, this was nothing but a sloppy first-aid.

    As a Korean ranker, a worldwide ranker or as a member of the Grand Natural Society, Yu Jitae had been exposed to media throughout until the middle portions of the fourth iteration. He had a faint idea about how cumbersome media tforms were.

    Something that could be trended even slightly, would always raise its head back up like a zombie.

    There might be ones antagonising Kaeul and because of that, he needed a hand that was slightly more certain.

    The method itself was there.

    Media was a monster that always tried to live off ofrge trending issues like a parasite. Using that, he could create insurance.

    That night, Yu Jitae left the house by himself and looked for Minamoto of the International Hunter Association. She, who had short-hair like a guy, was leaning onto the sofa of the office sharpening her sword and gazed up at him.

    ¡°Why are you here? In the middle of the night without an appointment.¡±

    ¡°Was thinking of maybe giving a video.¡±

    ¡°Tch, how random¡­ what video?¡±

    Yu Jitae opened his disy up. A man angrily shooting a gun continued inside the video.

    Minamoto¡¯s eyes shot wide open.

    ¡°You took a video of this? In a pressing situation like that?¡±

    She found it absurd and let out an emptyugh.

    ***

    Next day.

    It was a lot faster than what he thought, but Yu Jitae¡¯s prediction had be a reality.

    There were people in the world that were displeased from the mere existence of ¡®Yu Kaeul¡¯. They were none other than Wei Yan¡¯s individual fans.

    Due to his graceful appearance, an aesthetic style, a gentle and sweet voice as well as his gestures and gaze that shook the hearts of others, Wei Yan had a lot of fans.

    He, who put a lot of emphasis on the influence of the media, alwaysmunicated with the fans through his personal SNS ount. All of his actions were inted and described nicely onto the SNS.

    Most of them were stories of his sess but there were often news of his failure.

    ¨C [Wei Yan]: The deration audition hase to an end. Unfortunately, we were unable to get a good result but I don¡¯t think Cadet Gong Juhee¡¯s effort and passion werecking. I feelpletely responsible regarding this and would view this as a mirror to reflect back on mycking self¡­ ?Captain TT.TT ?Don¡¯t be too disappointed T.T It¡¯s not your fault¡­ ?There will be better things soon Q.Q

    The fans cried together when Wei Yan appeared sad on his uploads. Up to here was a normal rtionship between a superhuman and the fanbase.

    But within them were those who were in the extreme.

    [Ah what the fuck¡­ which bitch made our Captain cry?]

    [I looked into it. It¡¯s her. ¡ª- I sent the picture.]

    [Ehng? What the hell¡­]

    [Apparently she¡¯s Yu Yeorum¡¯s sister. Their entire family¡¯s just¡­]

    They were called Community Wei Yan Defence Team, abbreviated as WDT.

    That day, their members etched Yu Kaeul¡¯s face clearly into their heads. Just like every other extreme fanbase, there was no such thing as fairpetitions for them. Things good for Wei Yan and things bad for Wei Yan ¨C that was all that existed in their heads.

    After the entrance ceremony and when Yu Kaeul¡¯s deration had been evaluated to be the best throughout history, they revealed their anger and repeatedly dumped malicious words on the inte.

    However, since the general overview on Yu Kaeul was way too positive back then, their voices had been buried.

    Time passed and soon came Melissia Masquerade. Wei Yan was known to have died guiltlessly from trying to save the cadets.

    The WDT was in a mess.

    [Ah¡­T.T T.T T.T T.T]

    [Captain, please always be happy there.]

    [I want to follow you, Captain Q.Q]

    They were lost in rage and a sense of loss, and posts reminiscing on Wei Yan were being uploaded everyday. That was when it all happened; it wasn¡¯t a good timing.

    [Guys, what is this? The fuck?]

    Yu Kaeul¡¯s video appeared as a target. They, who had already been buried in anger and helplessness, needed a target whom they could oppress and reveal their rage on.

    [Hah, what the fuck is this]

    [Crazy bitch lol]

    In case Yu Kaeul would remove the video, the members of the WDT saved the video.

    And when Yu Kaeul¡¯s video did in fact go down, they began moving. They reuploaded Kaeul¡¯s video over and over again, and shared links amongst each other to explosively upload maliciousments of hatred.

    Turning Yu Kaeul into evil wasn¡¯t difficult. Yu household and their actions that deviated away frommon sense had several things to be faulted with and the decisive fact was that Gong Juhee had quit Lair when the semester started.

    ¨C Woah like ffs, Gong Juhee even quit Lair because of her. Look how thick-skinned she is fr.

    ¨C Fuckin¡¯ uploading videos like this like an attention seeker;; why not kys?

    The reason for Gong Juhee quitting Lair wasn¡¯t certain but the truth was not important for them. All they required was hatred that could allow them to spill out more hatred.

    Yu Kaeul¡¯s video and Gong Juhee¡¯s name began rising up in the trending topics of various websites. Soon after that, even the name of the deceased ¡®Wei Yan¡¯ was being mentioned by the media.

    A massive fire began burning off the topic.

 Chapter 86: The Ace up the Sleeve is (3)

    <h4>Chapter 86: The Ace up the Sleeve is (3)</h4>

    ¨C Hello? Guardian Yu Jitae?

    It was 7 in the morning when a call came from the PR team. The voice sounded quite rushed.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¨C Sorry for calling you so early in the morning. Did you see it by any chance?

    ¡°I am seeing it right now.¡±

    There was a news report.

    +++[Superhuman Today]WDT, ¡°You dare upload something like this?¡± Excessive anger of themunity¡­+++

    PR team.

    Keeping Lair¡¯s image and protecting the professors, cadets and staff members from the turmoils of the media was their job.

    They often referred to their job as the ¡®rainy season¡¯ as a joke. It was because there were countless problems urring from tens of thousands of people which caused their work to fall like heavy rain.

    ¡°Yong Dohee here. Are you okay, sir guardian?¡±

    ¨C Yes

    A calm voice resounded from the other side of the phone. Though she felt doubtful for a second, Yong Dohee spoke urgently.

    ¡°For now, there is no need to be too worried. It¡¯s not that big of a problem, you see.¡±

    Following on from the rainy season analogy, what happened today was like water leaking from the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t a massive deal.

    However, the issue was that Guardian Yu Jitae tended to be overprotective regarding Yu Kaeul. Therefore, Yong Dohee decided to pacify Yu Jitae.

    ¡°The WDT has a wrong focal point.¡±

    ¨C Focal point?

    ¡°Yes. Rather than doing that out of hatred against Cadet Kaeul, they¡¯re just venting their anger. They are hardcore fans that follow every single event of Professor Wei Yan and those lunatics also visited Professor Wei Yan¡¯s hometown in China, saying that they were visiting a sanctuary.¡±

    ¨C ¡­

    ¡°Because of the unfortunate death of Professor Wei Yan, they¡¯re shocked. They¡¯re angry but there¡¯s no target to vent at and it would be meaningless to point the me at the monsters or the fissure. And then they chose the meless Cadet Kaeul as their target.¡±

    Yong Dohee looked at her screen. If her prediction was right, the media would probably reveal a different attitude.

    To prove her right, the superhuman fandommunities and Lair¡¯s fansite offered differing opinions.

    [The WDT guys are a bit weird;;;]I understand that Professor Wei Yan passing away is sad¡­ but why are they ming Yu Kaeul for that;;?? Am I the only one finding this weird?

    [They¡¯re overreacting. WDT has always been a full-on fanboy and fangirl group]They¡¯re super violent in their fan activities and it made me take a step back. I used to be Professor Wei Yan¡¯s fan, but not anymore because of them¡­

    [But it is a delicate timing]Guys, fucking think about it. How long has it been since Professor died? And yet casually uploading something like that? Isn¡¯t it time for everyone to be careful? They themselves should fully know of the discord that happened between them and yet look at how thick-skinned they are. Don¡¯t you get angry, you fucking idiots? ? Next WDT member please¡­ ? Bro, this isn¡¯t your camp¡­;;; ? This guy¡¯s lost.

    While monitoring the reaction from themunities and the news reports being written, Yong Dohee bit on her nails.

    ¡°Sir Guardian. Cadet Kaeul is not aware of this yet right?¡±

    ¨C She isn¡¯t.

    ¡°In case Cadet Kaeul finds out about it through other means, please give her a word about it beforehand, so that she can shield herself before seeing them.¡±

    ¨C I think so too. What about the video uploaded illegally.

    In response to Yu Jitae¡¯s words, Yong Dohee turned her gaze over to the disy screen.

    [Yu Kaeul video] (12 hours ago)Views: 3,894,334Likes: 31k / Dislikes: 27kComments: 999+

    After she reported this being an illegal upload it went down from the trending list. However, since the vicious deeds of the WDT were intense, it was still a trending topic in other websites and the number of views was still on an increase.

    ¡°I¡¯ve requested for it to be deleted, so it¡¯ll go down in 3 days at thetest. We will also go through the legal measures regarding the illegal upload.¡±

    ¨C Three days, is it.

    ¡°The PR team will try everything we can to help Cadet Kaeul, so please don¡¯t worry too much.¡±

    ¨C Thank you.

    As she ended the call, Yong Dohee felt doubtful.

    Why was he so calm?

    She thought about Guardian Yu Jitae. Like alcohol and water mixed together, he always had an unfocused gaze and a bored expression but would form a serious and scary expression whenever things were rted to Kaeul.

    But isn¡¯t he tooposed now that something actually urred?

    Is there something he was believing in?

    While the middle-aged woman was in doubt, her phone rang once again. This time it was from the Education Department.

    ¡°Yong Dohee of the 3rd PR team speaking.¡±

    ¨C This is Danie from the Education Department. There has been a notice from the Strategy Office of the Association.

    Yong Dohee was dumbfounded.

    From the Military Strategy Office of the International Hunter Association?

    What notice?

    From the phone came the secret of Professor Wei Yan and the schedule for an urgent conference regarding that.

    ¡°Sorry? What did you say just then¡­? Professor Wei Yan¡­¡±

    Her head seemed to have gone empty from the unbelievable news. After ending the call, she nkly stared at nothing as unnecessary thoughts surfaced before anything.

    Did she have to work overtime for the next few days?

    Team Leader Yong Dohee murmured to herself.

    ¡°That¡¯s fucked¡­¡±

    Windows were shattered from the heavy rain.

    ***

    Kaeul and Gyeoul were in the middle ofpleting a puzzle together. It was 1.6 metres in width and 1.1 metres in length ¨C an extremelyrge puzzle with 10,000 pieces. The living room was filled with puzzle pieces and the two children were struggling as they attempted to solve the puzzle.

    ¡°Uuuh! This piece, I think it goes there?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°No? Maybe it¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re not sure either. What about you, Chirpy?¡±

    Chirp!

    It was a toy bought by Yu Jitae.

    When the holidays began, all her friends went back to their hometowns and Kaeul who was left with nothing to do, yed around with her watch all day. She appeared to be searching things rted to the baby chicken or food everyday.

    Thus, Yu Jitae ¡®identally¡¯ broke her watch and it was currently being fixed elsewhere. He bought them a puzzle to make sure they weren¡¯t bored and unexpectedly, they were rather seriously solving the puzzle.

    ¡°You guys. You can¡¯t use magic okay.¡±

    ¡°Yess!¡±

    Since Yu Jitae had taken few of the puzzle pieces, it would take a lot more time. By the time they finish solving the puzzle, all the storms should be gone and it would be good to slowly chat about it then.

    Meanwhile, Bom was sitting down on the sofa checking thements being written realtime. She had a deeply sunk expression as she checked thements and news reports being refreshed.

    When the children were about 500 pieces into the puzzle, Bom spoke with a very soft voice.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I think I understand what ahjussi was worried about.¡±

    The emotive expressions of the WDT were bing more and more intense.

    Their hatred began even before Kaeul¡¯s video was well-known.

    From the sudden news of Wei Yan¡¯s death, variousmunities had several waves of people showing their condolences.

    However, the WDT was different. Their beginning was based on hatred and Kaeul¡¯s video was just a trigger.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    An image of self-injury; an image of a letter admiring the dead Wei Yan, written in blood.

    Words reflecting their rage at Lair which failed to protect Wei Yan; words saying they would inflict harm on Kaeul.

    The excessive people even marched into the joint incense altar and destroyed the images and incenses of everyone excluding Wei Yan.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom gazed at Kaeul.

    She was solving the puzzle with Gyeoul. With her tongue hanging out, she was seriously pondering about the two puzzle pieces hanging in her hands.

    ¡°I think there are lots of scary people.¡±

    Gold dragons found value in their identities for being guardian deities. They protected nations and sheltered their precious ones and were praised for doing so.

    However, it felt like that could never happen in this world.

    ¡°What wrong did such a kind girl do¡­¡±

    Just watching it made her upset but the more she became upset, the more she realised how futile it was. At least in Askalifa, casual dissatisfaction and anger of others wouldn¡¯t be ryed so easily.

    The reason Kaeul couldn¡¯t stand in front of a crowd:

    It wasn¡¯t because Earth was wrong, nor was it because Earthians were unique. It was just a systematic problem that naturally existed in a highly scientifically advanced world.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The moment she was made to face the fact that this world and gold dragons contradicted one another, Bom finally realised that Yu Jitae¡¯s protection hadn¡¯t been from overprotectiveness.

    There was a reason he had to do it.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t yourst Amusement. Don¡¯t take it in too seriously.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ You¡¯re right, ahjussi.¡±

    But since she still felt somewhat depressed, Bom continued reading the renewing texts.

    Meanwhile Kaeul, Gyeoul and the baby chicken hadpleted 1,000 pieces or so. The face and neck of a savanna giraffe revealed itself.

    ¡°Uwah¡­! This part¡¯s finished!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul, we did it!¡±

    While Kaeul and Gyeoul were doing high fives, a different news report came up.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    After checking the headline, Bom¡¯s grass-coloured eyes shot wide open.

    [Today Lair] (Exclusive) The deceased Professor Wei Yan was btedly confirmed to be a demon as the investigations start once again¡­

    The situation was flipped in an instant.

    ***

    [??? Guys what¡¯s this.]

    [Where¡¯s the proof? A report without even supporting it with a proof?]

    [Ah what the fuck. Are you fucking retards crazy?]

    [These Lair retards are fucking crazy. How are they going to handle itter if this is false?]

    When the exclusive news was uploaded by Today Lair, the zing WDTmunity had a tremendous amount of oil added to the fire.

    They could not ept it. Even they knew that demons were bad and that they were the enemies of humanity.

    In other words, there was no way Wei Yan was a demon¡­ that should never be the case.

    The devout believers of Wei Yan filled their forum with all sorts of profanities and words of hatred. Before long, they even went around other sites to pour out their discontentment against Lair.

    Conspiracies also began being shared.

    [I think I know what this is about. When Captain was trying to form the Azure Dragon study group, Lair fucking restricted him, about how the size couldn¡¯t be too big. Because other study groups have to grow as well.]?Really? Wtf?For real????Yeah. People just don¡¯t know. I work at Lair and I heard it from others. Apparently that¡¯s why Lair and Captain had a bad rtionship.

    The post was soon deleted after around ten minutes, but the truth of the matter was not important for the WDTmunity members who had lost their sanity.

    [Hello? Where¡¯s the proof?]

    [Lair, you shouldn¡¯t ever think about easily going over this matter.]

    In rage, they organised a donation to hire awyer while spouting more and more posts of malice.

    Soon, they all gathered at Haytling and began protesting in front of Lair¡¯s entrance. Regardless of gender and race, people gathered from worldwide and amounted to around 300 in total.

    In front of therge main entrance of Lair that resembled the entrance of a shrine, the protesters shouted.

    ¡°Quickly provide correction for the preemptive news report and apologise!¡±

    ¡°¡°Apologise¨C!¡±¡±

    The insane crowd burned a living pig to death, overturned and destroyed vehicles and created noise throughout the night with a megaphone. Some of themid down on the ground refusing to eat anything.

    ¡°This is Haytling Local Police. Calm down everyone! What do you think you¡¯re doing here?¡±

    ¡°You are all in cahoots! Aren¡¯t you!?¡±

    A conflict was formed with the police but they struggled and stood firmly. Around three days into their maddened protest, a high-ranked staff member of Lair appeared in front of them.

    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m the Deputy Director of the Lair Investigation Authority, Zhang Haoyu.¡±

    During the past three days, Lair had repeatedly spoken of how they were in the middle of an investigation. Due to that, the WDT members were slightly more assured of the fact that Lair¡¯s report had been a spection.

    Facing the deputy director, they screamed for a correction to the report.

    ¡°Yes. Please calm down everyone. There are several reasons why I, who usually scribbles with a pen at the back, stood here instead of the Judicial Affairs or the Promotion team¡­ One is because it has finally been confirmed through investigations that the deceased Professor Wei Yan had been a demon.¡±

    ¡°Ehh¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­W, what was that?¡±

    The voices of the WDT stopped immediately. ¡®Finally confirmed through investigations¡¯? Those weren¡¯t the words they had been waiting for.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the proof? F, fuck! Every time, there¡¯s no proof!¡±

    Someone near the back of the crowd shouted as it caused a ripple in the silent crowd.

    ¡°R, right! What is that based on!¡±

    ¡°Stop insulting the deceased and show the proof!¡±

    ¡°Show us the proof!¡±

    When they were once again about to raise their voices, the deputy director of the Investigation Authority lifted his hand and stopped their words.

    A bitter smile appeared on his face. He flicked his fingers and a hologram began disying itself in mid-air.

    ¡°This is a video taken by a guard under Japan¡¯s Royal Family. The Association has given permission for this to be shared and by now the video should have been revealed on the news with several reports regarding it.¡±

    The moment Lair actually provided what they referred to as proof, the crowd turned quiet. While their doubtful gazes were showering down like arrows,

    ¡°This is the proof you had been asking for.¡±

    The deputy director pressed on the button of a remote controller.

 Chapter 87: The Ace up the Sleeve is (4)

    <h4>Chapter 87: The Ace up the Sleeve is (4)</h4>

    Inside a dark military tent, the camera focused on Wei Yan¡¯s face. He had a crimson aura flickering in his eyes.

    ¡°W, what is that¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    The protesters murmured to themselves. When Wei Yan soon opened his mouth, the crowd got rowdier in an instant.

    ¨C Thisfuckingpieceoftrash,who,whodoeshethinkheis.Impertinenthumantrash

    It was an undisguisable symptom shown by demons that were right about to extricate. Their words woulde out rapidly while taking a toll on their pronunciation, and this process was called theing up phenomenon.

    ¨C Fuckinghell,dotheythinkthey¡¯retheonlyonesthatcankill? Theonlyonesthatcanswear? Theycan¡¯tunderstandforshitif I trytosmileandbenice¡­

    Currently, theing up phenomenon was being repeatedly revealed by Wei Yan inside the video. His gaze remained low while veins could be seen in his reddened eyes.

    Through videos and images, the popce already had a general understanding about demons. Their perceived image of a demon was being reflected by Wei Yan.

    The protesters crumpled their expressions, and some of them even covered their mouths with their two hands.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be! This is impossi¡­!¡±

    While someone was about to unconsciously let out a shout,

    ¨C Ahh, stop there please. Anyone that moves from hereon, will have their heads explode okay?

    Wei Yan smiled and opened his mouth inside the video.

    ¨C You fucking¡­!¡±

    A voice was heard from someone outside the screen, followed by the tumbling of chairs and furniture. At the same time, the red light intensified inside Wei Yan¡¯s eyes.

    ¨C I

    Inside the video, he pulled the trigger.

    ¨C Told you

    Something left the nozzle while something else exploded.

    ¨C Not to move!

    Soon, something was heard copsing inside the video. It was most likely a person.

    A scream escaped the group of protesters.

    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±

    ¡°Huhk¨C!¡±

    ¡°N, noo! Uaaaak!¡±

    Our Professor Wei Yan the Captain did that? Seriously?

    It was an unbelievable video. What should never change was being changed inside them, and the support they had been believing in was crumbling.

    To some, it was a denial of several years of time they had been loving Wei Yan; a denial of their effort in sending an international letter for his birthday; and a dismissal of their dreams of being confessed by him.

    Someone raised his voice and shouted.

    ¡°You fucking pieces of trash! Turn it off¨C! T, this is all made up! It¡¯s all fake!!¡±

    His shout was in vain.

    That¡¯s what everyone wanted to believe in and they felt a strange sense of relief the moment they heard such words, but no-one dared to move easily or raise their voice.

    They were still caught in the shock of the video and before anyone could move, the film continued on.

    ¨C Do humans only listen obediently once they¡¯re scared? Lowly creatures¡­ In fact, I¡¯ve gotten used to it since that¡¯s always been the case.

    ¨C ¡­You, you¡¯re not human?

    ¨C Surprise. I was a demon.

    Wei Yan¡¯s gentle voice was way too simr to the one inside the surprise video he had shared with his fans. Someone ended up tearing up.

    ¡°S, stop¡­ P, please turn it off.¡±

    A woman who had been standing at the front of the protesters asked the deputy director with tears, but Zhang Haoyu ignored her words.

    ¡°T, turn it off. Please¡­!¡±

    Meanwhile, Wei Yan¡¯s voice continued.

    ¨C The demon that devoured your sons, daughters and friends. Ah, this is not a joke by the way.

    ¡°I, I¡¯m telling you to stop¡­! Please!¡±

    ¡°R, right! Do you think you can get away with this fake video?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    The buzzing crowd gained confidence from each other¡¯s shout as their voices became increasingly louder.

    ¨C Biruan, your wife tasted like pork. You must have been nice to her right? Her stomach was full of fat.

    ¨C Now, wake up all of you. I got this gun as a gift, and it has a decent output. So I rmend you obediently listen to my¡­

    When the video still continued without being stopped, a male with arge build near the back finally erupted out in anger and unsheathed a dagger.

    ¡°Stop! Oi¨C! You can¡¯t fucking hear me? You fucking bastards!!¡±

    He was the manager of the WDTmunity. No-one was expecting someone to suddenly raise a weapon, so both the protesters and the police were startled.

    The man began running with a de in hand. Being a superhuman, he immediately jumped a head over other protesters and flew toward the screen in an attempt to destroy the disy. It was immediately followed by several shouts from policemen.

    That was when an opaque te appeared in mid-air.

    Kuung!

    It was the skill of the Deputy Director, Zhang Haoyu.

    After crashing into a te of mana, the man fell back. The wrist of the hand holding the dagger snapped as blood oozed out and coloured the road in red.

    A sharp shriek left the crowd.

    The onlooking protesters felt their blood boiling. Their emotions had reached a level where a slight trigger could cause them to explode.

    That was when Wei Yan stared directly at them from inside the screen.

    ¨C ¡­What are you doing?

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    ¡°Huk¡­¡±

    Wei Yan¡¯s gaze contained killing intent. It was a vicious gaze and expression that had never appeared in his thousands of images and hundreds of videos.

    ¨C I¡¯m talking to you, ¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö!

    Although half of his scream had been filtered, the protesters once again entered a state of shock.

    That was the end of the video.

    ¡°No fucking way¡­!¡±

    Someone turned their bodies around.

    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±

    And some refused to ept reality and screamed.

    Chaos broke out in an instant. A few of them began running away from the unbelievable reality, while some decided to attack the fabricators and raised their weapons at Zhang Haoyu.

    ¡°Ah, ah. Where do you think you¡¯re going.¡±

    A clear voice resonated across the havoc.

    ¡°Destroying objects and arson¡­ Just protest quietly; why did you have to flip cars and burn innocent pigs?

    ¡°Obstruction of justice, creating social anxiety and several other reasons. Because of those, warrants have been issued against you people.

    ¡°And from now on, we will be carrying out investigations to see if any of you have been in league with the demon Wei Yan. Are you surprised? Well, this is why they sent me here.¡±

    Zhang Haoyu made a bitter smile.

    ¡°Arrest them.¡±

    Immediately after his words, the military police officers of Lair and Haytling dashed out and began arresting the protesters.

    ¡°H, how dare you! Don¡¯t touch me!¡±

    ¡°Uaak! I, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡±

    The group of protesters amounted to several hundreds. A few of them tried to run but opaque tes appeared in mid-air and locked them into a box. The escapers fell on the ground after running into them and were soon arrested by the police.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be! Professor Wei Yan, Captain is the person that saved me!¡±

    A woman who was extremely thin, screamed and resisted without even caring about her clothes tearing apart. Thus, Zhang Haoyu walked up to her and crouched down.

    ¡°Hello. You¡¯re Chinese right? I know you because I¡¯m a former Security Officer of China.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°You know, you¡¯re the fan that secretly followed Professor Wei Yan into a dungeon raid right? You wanted to steal his undies while Wei Yan was asleep and almost died to a monster didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°N, no¡­! And Professor Wei Yan saved me!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very weird, saving an underwear thief¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because you have no fat in your belly. Just wake up, you crazy bitch.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Oi, take thisdy along.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    The pandemonium was quickly suppressed.

    ***

    ¨C The extreme protesters of the WDT have all been led to Haytling Central Police Office, and were sent back to their home countries at 11am today¡­

    Checking the news realtime, Bom heaved out a deep sigh.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s settled down for now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Even on the next day, Kaeul and Gyeoul were struggling with the puzzle.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t working, ahjussi!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯recking a piece no matter how I think about it!¡±

    Kaeul whinged, but that was natural considering the piece in Yu Jitae¡¯s pocket.

    ¡°Try harder.¡±

    ¡°Hiing. But it¡¯s not working¡­¡±

    Gyeoul also appeared discontent and her lips were protruding out.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    That was when Kaeul widened her eyes with a sh as if she realised something. She then gave a frown.

    ¡°E, eeeennng¡­! I knew it!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°Bom-unni, listen to me!¡±

    Kaeul red at Yeorum¡¯s room.

    ¡°She came back home this morning and came nearby saying ¡®what are you doing?¡¯ right? I had a bad feeling so I stopped her froming, okay?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Did Yeorum flip everything upside down?¡±

    ¡°No? She just obediently walked off so I was wondering what happened. But you know what? I think she stole a piece back then¡­!¡±

    Kaeul appeared way too serious that Bom ended up smiling.

    ¡°That must be the case¡­! That must be right!¡±

    Enraged, Kaeul ran into Yeorum¡¯s room. ¡°Unni! You¡¯re caught red-handed! What did you do to my puzzle piece?!¡± she shouted and woke up Yeorum who had been training overnight and was sleeping from exhaustion.

    ¡°Ah fuck, what¡­? Puzzle? What¡­?¡± Yeorum¡¯s annoyance could be heard along with her sleepiness while Kaeul grumbled back.

    ¡°Uaang!¡±

    And soon, Kaeul¡¯s scream echoed across Unit 301.

    ¡°I give, give givegivegivegivegive¡­!¡±

    When Kaeul screamed after being oppressed, Gyeoul for some reason kneeled down on the ground and tapped the ground several times with her tiny hand.

    While saying, ¡°Unni¡¯s a devil! A red devil!¡± and ¡°Is this monkey crazy¡­¡± Yeorum and Kaeul quarreled,

    ¡°Guys, let¡¯s stop there.¡±

    And soon, Bom walked into Yeorum¡¯s room and calmed the children down.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was nkly pondering about something.

    The media was babbling about Wei Yan and the WDT continuously from yesterday morning till today. Stories about Kaeul were hard to find and just like what they always did, the media had shifted their focus to a bigger prey.

    Up to here was ording to his n, but there was still something remaining in a corner of his head.

    Unless they quit their life at Lair and headed into an isted ind, Kaeul would find out about this situation. She would either hear it from her friend or someone else, and it would be better for him to tell her before that could happen.

    However¡­

    A portion of the WDT would disappear but the traces left behind by them wouldn¡¯t. Maliciousments and posts were still spreaded on the inte and if Kaeul happened toe across those, she would be opening up remaining traces of animosity.

    The Regressor didn¡¯t like that fact. He wanted Kaeul to live the way she was right now while facing as little hostility as possible, and seeing as many positive stories as she could.

    Was there a way to do this¡­

    A method that would fill themunities with happy, enjoyable, good and positive words.

    ¡­But no matter how much he pondered, he couldn¡¯te up with a good method. Even throughout his seven lives, this was the first time he was in such a situation.

    Therefore, he decided to ask Bom just in case.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s difficult.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Unless we privately make use of a national level of information division¡­ but doing that would make things moreplicated right? Doing all that just to cover Kaeul¡¯s maliciousments is a bit¡­¡±

    While she was touching her bangs in contemtion, her hands suddenly came to a stop with a ¡°¡­Nn?¡±.

    ¡°What. Anything good?¡±

    ¡°Un¡­ It might be a bit ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°That, you know the ce ahjussi took me to a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°The undergroundbyrinth?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The washing machine worked there right? And so did the inte.¡±

    Indeed that was the case because BM had brought all of them in from above ground.

    ¡°The people there withrge builds weren¡¯t easily tired and were always happy right? I heard they could stay up all night¡­¡±

    Only then did Yu Jitae finally understand what she meant by a ridiculous idea.

    30 happy superhuman NEETs, and Ha Saetbyul.

    Yu Jitae still had an ace up his sleeve.

    ¡°¡­Would that work?¡±

    Bom scratched her cheeks as if she found it absurd herself. Then, she met his eyes and gave a gentle smile before slowly giving a nod.

    The assurance of a green dragon ¨C what did it mean?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go right now.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    *

    ¡°Fucking¡­ damned pieces of shit.¡±

    The WDTmunity was in a mess.

    ¨C Ehew, bunch of trash lol serves you right kekek

    ¨C 400 imprisoned LOL Congrattions! ?

    ¨C Embarrassing £¨Ð¦£©If it was me, I would follow Wei Yan. w

    Netizens gathered at Wei Yan Defence Teammunity from worldwide and uploaded all sorts of derisive and sarcasticments.

    ¡°Like, what¡¯s fucking wrong with these bastards!?¡±

    A young man who had been cheering for the WDT from a corner of his room shouted. In just one day, the WDT had be a globalughingstock.

    ¡°Of course that thing¡¯s a fake video!!¡¯

    The youth couldn¡¯t ept reality but at the same time, he didn¡¯t have the courage to go outside and protest. The courageous ones all ended up in the jail.

    ¡°Fuck¡­ these clueless idiots¡­¡±

    He began typing away on his keyboard. The young man fought with them, but also went around the fanmunities of Kaeul which started all this, and began bombarding it with negativements.

    There were several people in the WDT like the young man. Stuck in a chaotic situation without being able to ept the truth, there was nothing stopping them from wreaking havoc.

    ¨C Let¡¯s not criticise others ^^

    It was then.

    Bizarre people began appearing inmunities and forum sites.

    ¨C This is the fansite of our beautiful Miss Kaeul ^^,,, please be respectful to each other.

    ¨C Let¡¯s only use good words hahahahahaha

    ¨C Look at the picture of Miss Kaeul and have a great day today as well,,~~ ^3^

    ¨C See Miss Kaeul¡¯s picture and everyone can also do SBD 5000* ^^! Aaht! Energetic today as well!! £¨Ð¦£©

    ¡­

    A bunch of them appeared at once.

 Chapter 88: Happy Happy Comment Squad

    <h4>Chapter 88: Happy Happy Comment Squad</h4>

    ¡°Hah.¡±

    In the inner room of the undergroundbyrinth, BM let out an emptyugh.

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡±

    Sitting in front ofputers, huge people were typing on the keyboard. Their expressions were all serene as if they had won the lotteryst night.

    Currently they were going around websites, leaving only positivements. It was none other than the ¡®ws of the Association¡¯ ¨C the 30-man Special Forces that were doing this, so how unnatural was it?

    ¡®To think I would see something like this¡­¡¯

    While BM was dumbfounded, one of the agents shouted.

    ¡°One instant noodles please!¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Clink.

    The protector added hot water to a cup noodle and carried it over to the agent. BM felt like he had seen something simr when he was very young.

    ¡°¡­Is it an inte cafe or what.¡±

    <Comments of hatred being poured onto a future youtuber. But why?>

    It was a column written by a reporter about the reason for a continuation of such maliciousments on an identally uploaded video. Beneath were dozens ofments.

    ¨C Read the first two lines and scrolled down lmao. I can see you¡¯re spouting out nonsense but don¡¯t say shit without knowing anything about it.

    ¨C Yu Kaeul can¡¯t read the atmosphere and has no manners lol. My friend was at the audition and she swore at Gong Juhee and talked behind her back lolol. And when she was caught she was like what did I do wrong.?Wow really??Yeah. That¡¯s what my friend said.

    Even a small news report would get dozens ofments at the very least, once they were targeted by the WDT.

    (Comments: 54)

    This ce was the same.

    Hatred existed solely for the production of more hatred. Even towards the end of the investigations after Wei Yan was identified as a demon, they brazenly remained without disappearing.

    But in that ce,pletely differentments suddenly began being added one by one.

    ?Cadet Kaeul is a nice person ^^ Her smile¡¯s very beautiful.?Let¡¯s all have a look at a picture of Miss Kaeul~~ haha how could she be so small, precious and cute.

    After the storm, only garbage remained on the ground but beautiful petals of flowers were falling on top.

    ¨C What merit is there to be gained in denouncing others ^^,,, if you denounce others¡¯ pride to be above them for a split second, can that life truly be considered to be on top??Oh my ^^ Such beautiful words.?Hohoh, hope you have a wonderful day today.

    ¨C Let¡¯s not waste our precious muscle energy in writing bad words hohoho~~~

    For an unknown reason, there were lots of flower petals.

    (Comments: 884)

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    The columnist doubted his eyes. Hundreds ofments swept past the article in the short span of 5 minutes.

    ¡®Are they just going around writing goodments?¡¯

    Although it was strange, he found himself being at ease as he quietly read through thements. The world was still a liveable ce.

    After they were done with their task, the squad would move over to another site before going to another one as the bizarre goodment-movement spreaded fast.

    Old news reports, videos and forum posts that were seeing less frequent views were suddenly filled withments thatplimented and cheered for Kaeul.

    This sort ofmenting maneuver wasn¡¯t anything rare and simr to how the crowd hadn¡¯t been too interested about the WDT sabotaging at the start, the media and the general popce didn¡¯t take this to heart.

    However, there was a group who had been bothered by it: the WDT.

    ¨C Guys who the fuck are these? There are weird people in Yu Kaeul¡¯smunity right now?

    ¨C You guys have a look as well. Here¡¯s the link.

    The ¡®Yu Kaeul Community¡¯ was a ce that had originally seen a sh of poprity during the entrance ceremony, with not as much liveliness now. The site which no-one looked for had be the greatest target of the WDTmunity due to the aftermath of an idental upload.

    Due to all sorts of maliciousments and forum posts, the manager of themunity had given up on controlling it and was in the middle of considering whether he should close the website or not.

    ¨C Cheering for Miss Kaeul ^^

    ¨C Precious Cadet Kaeul,,,~~~ huhu, I don¡¯t know much about her but I do know that she is a gentle and a kind-hearted cadet.

    ¨C I hope you don¡¯t take this to heart, and hope everything goes well with you in the future ^^,,, I don¡¯t know why, but I always tear up when I see a picture of Miss Kaeul¡­

    But now, there was a storm ofplimentaryments ¨C hundreds had been posted within several minutes.

    Naturally, the WDT members weren¡¯t kind enough to watch that happen.

    ¨C Yu Kaeul the retard.

    ¨C Is there no-one else to bias? Hope you all get eaten by monsters~

    Logic or rationality was no longer important. They had gathered here as fans of Wei Yan, but the moment they revealed their identities, they would be targets of justified criticism. Thus they hid their weak points while only conveying their anger.

    ¨C Lol hey, I just spitted on Yu Kaeul¡¯s picture and ripped it apart kekek. Angry right? Lol. It turned into powder when I tried ripping it.

    There had been no images and the person hadn¡¯t ripped anything apart either. It was just a hatement that was meant to drive them mad.

    Immediately afterwards, ament appeared underneath the post.

    ¨C From what I know, a picture of Cadet Yu Kaeul publicly taken was only once during the entrance ceremony¡¯s deration, on the day she was the brightest. I am jealous of you for having held onto the image of Cadet Kaeul on her brightest day even for a slight moment.?No you fucking idiot, I spitted on it and ripped it apart wtf.?We live in this moment, and let the present flow to be the past. In order to hold onto a moment for eternity we tend to leave it as photos. Some might criticise you as a bad person, but I also know that your bad feelings will also only besting for a moment. That would soon be the past and when timees where your beauty blooms in full, please call me. I will take a picture of your beautiful moment and keep it forever as a picture.

    ¡°No, what in the fuck is this¡­¡±

    A member of the WDT who had been reading thement in a corner of her room, twitched her fingers.

    ¡°Is this person crazy or what¡­¡±

    She swore but it resonated in vain. For some reason, her rage died down and the member soon halted her hands. Then, she read through thement one more time.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    In one of the posts, there was a picture of a yellow doll torn apart with a knife which was one of themon pictures cursing Yu Kaeul. That post also had a picture of a male with a chiseled body along with a message.

    ¨C Yu Kaeul, you see my arms? I will go look for you in your house and tear you to pieces with a knife¡­

    Since there were several female members in the WDT, he had uploaded it to both swear at Yu Kaeul and to boast about his body. Ament was soon added to his post

    ?Looking at your arms, I think you¡¯ll need a little bit more exercise in order to do so ^^. After all, Cadet Kaeul is also a superb superhuman of Lair. First off, the shoulder seems to be the biggest problem so for your routine, I would rmend adding military press and an overhead dumbbell press¡­(etc)

    ¡°What the fuck is this? Is this guy crazy or what?¡±

    ?Who the fuck are you? I do SBD 1500 lol. What a joke kekekek.?Eguguh,,,~~ It¡¯s just that your strength is a little bitckingpared to your mass¡­?What about you? It¡¯s always people like this that are all for talk lololol.?I do around SBD 6250¡­ haha, it¡¯s still verycking. I¡¯m sorry if you found it ufortable,,~~~?6250????? Bullshit lol wtf. You think you¡¯re a local superhuman ranker or something. Where¡¯s the proof.

    Proof?

    Joshua, a ck agent of the 30-man Special Forces, was flustered.

    ¡°Haigo, I shouldn¡¯t have said that. I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Joshua?¡±

    ¡°Look at this. He¡¯s telling me to prove my weight training.¡±

    ¡°Oh no. Proving it? That¡¯s a bit¡­ hahat¡­¡±

    ¡°Right? It¡¯s not that great so it¡¯s a bit embarrassing though¡­ haha¡­¡±

    With a height of 2.4m, shoulder width of 94cm, and a weight of 269kg, he had a SBD record of 6250.

    Wearing an embarrassed smile, Joshua turned on his device¡¯s camera. That was when the leader of the Special Forces, Bell Baryon, shouted.

    ¡°Oi Joshua! You know you can¡¯t show your tattoos, your face and therge crystal right?¡±

    ¡°Of course boss. I¡¯m just going to show a tiny bit of my arm!¡±

    An arm resembling that of arge monster wriggled and raised a car-sized barbell. It easily travelled up and down several times.

    Only after receiving a check from the leader, was he able to upload the simple exercise video on the site.

    5 minutester, an apology was posted.

    ¨C I¡¯m the person that had been acting extremely rude. I am very sorry. I will delete the nderous words I posted and will go exercise following the routine you provided. Once again, I¡¯m deeply sorry¡­

    Like that, the Happy Happy Comment Squad travelled around all sorts of websites and buried the dirtyments down deep, while writing down cheerful words for Kaeul, advice regarding exercises, and positivements that made everyone happy.

    The WDT members that had been proactivelymenting lost their vigour when the news revealed more treacherous deeds of Wei Yan.

    ¨C Best wishes to our precious Cadet Kaeul,,,^^

    ¨C I love you, Yu Kaeul~~!!

    ¨C Let¡¯s exercise today as well, with the picture of Cadet Kaeul hohohoho~~~

    ¡­

    After the storm, countless petals of flowers were endlessly built on top.

    ***

    He could close his eyes and rather vividly remember what had happened back then.

    Fourth iteration.

    The top pop singer of the era with no questions asked, the goddess of billboard with 24 songs that had reached the first ce who was chosen as the greatest singer of all time by the International Pop Song Authority ¨C Baby Yellow.

    When there were talks about her attempted suicide, Yu Jitae hid his identity and acted as her bodyguard. It was because he had realised that it was the Gold Dragon who had brought the Apocalypse in the first and the third iterations.

    With the rtionship of a top bodyguard and a celebrity without crossing the line, Yu Jitae spent every day with Kaeul and protected her.

    On the top floor of an elegant hotel, when Baby Yellow was lying down on the bathtub cutting her own wrist with a sharp dagger,

    From the ominous feeling, Yu Jitae broke the door of the bathroom and dashed inside.

    The Gold Dragon was crying under its breath.

    Inside the bathtub painted with blood, the Gold Dragon was crying while its blonde hair refused to be tainted in blood. It all felt unrealistic for a second.

    Urgently, Yu Jitae pulled her out and tried to stop her blood. Meanwhile, he shouted as his rage filled him up to the brim of his head.

    ¡°Why did you do this. You were fine until just then. Weughed and chatted together, so why¡­!¡±

    It was a fact he hadn¡¯t known until the third iteration where he didn¡¯t even have the right to get close to a dragon. There was an antecedent to the Gold Dragon¡¯s change.

    The dragon hid its emotions.

    The tendency to be immersed deeply and empathise as a gold race was instead drowning it into a quagmire. The dragon would hide its emotions over and over again. It was so young and fragile that it didn¡¯t know how to reveal its wounded self and because of that, the shadow formed inside it would gradually rot and crumble.

    Perhaps due to that, she always had an uncontroble urge that erupted out in a self-destructive form.

    Why had he ignored such signs?

    ¡­Now this was the result.

    Cutting the wrist was nothing but a symbolic action. The dragon heart was slowlying to a stop whilst Yu Jitae persuaded her to his best ability. It was because back then, he didn¡¯t know why she was like that nor where the problem had begun.

    The Gold Dragon cut off the Regressor¡¯s words with a nonchnt voice.

    ¡°Look, you think I¡¯m the problem as well right? Everyone else was saying that so I thought about it, and I think they¡¯re right. My existence itself was the problem. That¡¯s why I¡¯m regretting it. If I knew I was a bitch like this, I shouldn¡¯t have been loved in the first ce.¡±

    Hearing that, Yu Jitae finally realised that the ¡®start¡¯ itself was the problem.

    All these things should never have urred in the first ce. Slowly, the faint heartbeat distanced away from his ears.

    ¡°But you¡¯re no good either. If you wanted to persuade a problem child like me¡­¡±

    She cried yet again with a frown.

    ¡°¡­You should¡¯ve brought something sweet.¡±

    Then, her heart stopped.

    *

    Regardless, that was all in the past.

    That was why he thought locking them up would solve everything but a problem urred elsewhere in the fifth and the sixth iterations. In any case, those were also in the past.

    ¡°Huung? Whyy? Why why?¡±

    Yu Jitae, who had been nkly indulged in his thoughts, returned to reality. He had just called Kaeul over to the terrace.

    ¡°Why are you giving me this?¡±

    Seeing the candy in Yu Jitae¡¯s hand, Kaeul widened her eyes. It was a lollipop with a mix of blue and pink.

    ¡°¡­Eat it.¡±

    ¡°Is it a present? It¡¯s so pretty! How can I eat something so pretty?¡±

    Crunch, munch munch!

    Despite saying that, her mouth was honest.

    After biting once into the candy, sheughed, ¡°Hihi¡± from the sweetness. Meanwhile, Yu Jitae carefully talked about what had happened in the past three days and although she was surprised, she calmly nodded her head.

    ¡°Kaeul. If there¡¯s something on your mind, no matter what it is and what kind of feeling it is, just say it.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You have to say it to me, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes.¡±

    Heid his hand on top of her head as she slurped on the candy. Her blonde hair that hadn¡¯t been wetted in blood gently tickled his fingers.

    ¡°I¡¯ll always be on your side.¡±

    Hearing the echoing heartbeat, Yu Jitae was relieved.

    In the end, the past iterations had already gone past, but he had to refrain from making the same mistakes in the uing periods of time including right now.

    That was when Kaeul murmured while crunching on the candy.

    ¡°This is how Bom-unni felt like before, huh¡­¡±

    What?

    ¡°Nn? It¡¯s nothing!¡±

 Chapter 89: For a dragon (1)

    <h4>Chapter 89: For a dragon (1)</h4>

    There were two types of cadets that remained at Lair during holidays.

    One of them was the type that had no money.

    Using portal stations required a tremendous amount of money. There were cadets who found it difficult to manage the price it took to go back and forth, and such cadets remained at Lair. Examples of such cases were Soujiro and Kim Ji-in.

    ¡°Soujiro, are you alright?¡¯

    ¡°Uuhh¡­ Yeah! Aigo, my head.¡±

    The other type were the cadets that desired to use Lair¡¯s facilities during the holiday period. Lair¡¯s training system was renowned worldwide to have gathered the essence of magic engineering to one ce. Cadets who were dying to get stronger would remain during the holidays to train themselves.

    ¡°Hey, look at them though.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Aahh.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they really intense¡­?¡±

    While having a drink of water, Kim Ji-in gave a frown.

    Cadets of Level 5 societies were training on the other side of the physical training room. They were the most promising members of Lair and would be the top ranking superhumans of their nations once they returned after their graduations.

    ¡°Must feel good to be talented.¡±

    ¡°L, let¡¯s notpare ourselves to them! We can try harder ourselves!¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re right, tch.¡±

    It was then.

    ¡°No! That¡¯s not it, Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    The head instructor of the Combat Skill Training Room, Barack, shouted. Kim Ji-in and Soujiro turned their gazes towards the sound.

    ¡°Are you only going to wake up after you get injured?¡±

    Barack, a bald man with a ¡®Ê®¡¯-shaped scar, crumpled his vicious face into a frown. He was a world ranker with the shocking rank of 5813th, who was also a former veteran soldier before bing an instructor.

    Yeorum stood crookedly and looked up at Barack.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how you do Shock Adaptation Training. You need to start with something that can be handled easily. It¡¯s like a jab, and a jab followed by a hook. How many times do I have to say this?¡±

    ¡°I know. But I¡¯m doing this because I can.¡±

    ¡°You idiot. Your stomach will be ruined! All your organs will be damaged!¡±

    Yeorum scratched her ears as if she couldn¡¯t be bothered to exin it.

    What she was doing right now was the Shock Adaptation Training. The machine would shoot out a ball made of an alloy and cadets would receive it with their bodies. They would repeat the process and get used to the shock, while learning how to move the mana to certain ces to strengthen their body, by for example protecting the stomach from a flying ball.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine, so stop minding my business please.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve been watching for several days but I can¡¯t do that anymore. The Combat Skill Training Room is under my supervision during the holidays. I don¡¯t know if Instructor Carlin let this be, but not me! I can¡¯t let anyone get hurt while I¡¯m on duty here!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So just obediently listen to what I say. If you¡¯re into getting hurt, then you can enjoy it outside after graduation. ws of monsters that are several times stronger than this machine would be aiming for you.¡±

    ¡°Like I said¡­ it doesn¡¯t really hurt okay? I wasn¡¯t injured.¡±

    ¡°Just listen to what I say¨C!¡±

    Giving a frown from the scream, Yeorum heaved out a sigh.

    ¡°Then what should I do, should I show you? Hnn?¡±

    ¡°What?¡¯

    ¡°I just have to show my stomach and see if it¡¯s bruised or not, right?¡±

    ¡°No that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Yeorum suddenly began taking off her protective equipment. Her casual clothes ¨C the t-shirt and her tight leggings were revealed but perhaps thinking that that wasn¡¯t enough, she raised her cotton shirt and opened her stomach up.

    ¡°Oi!¡±

    ¡°Look. Look at my stomach!¡±

    A white stomach was on full disy.

    There was a clear six pack with not a single excess of fat. Let alone a bruise, there was not a single blemish.

    Immediately afterwards, Barack turned his eyes away in surprise.

    ¡°You, what do you think you¡¯re doing right now.¡±

    ¡°Aigo! What should I do? It¡¯s bruised, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s full of bruises and wounds everywheree. It must hurt, this cute belly fat of little Yeorum~.¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum¡­!¡±

    The gazes of the surrounding cadets and guardians were all on him. Thinking that she was insulting him, Barack scowled.

    ¡°The stomach is being protected by the protective equipment. The issue will be in the organs, so there obviously won¡¯t be any bruises left behind. So stop! If you try to tease me anymore than this¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay?¡±

    Yeorum smiled.

    ¡°So you want to see my legs since they get bruised easily?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Ah, just stay here! Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    Her hands went down to her waist.

    ¡°Oi, oi!¡±

    She was about to take her leggings off.

    ¡°Uaaaat, Y, Yeorum!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Calm down!¡¯

    Startled, Soujiro and Kim Ji-in ran up and held onto Yeorum¡¯s hands to stop her.

    ¡°Why¡¯re you holding me back? What are you guys doing?¡¯

    ¡°C, calm down!¡±

    ¡°Like I said, my legs aren¡¯t bruised okay?¡¯

    ¡°I get it so please calm down¡­!¡±

    The two of them desperately tried to stop her. Barack shook his head as if he found it ridiculous but was pressured by her aura as he therefore turned around.

    ¡°Where are you going? I can show you my leg right now.¡±

    It was early, during breakfast.

    Today¡¯s menu was a simple udon. Bom boiled the noodles herself and heated up some frozen tempura. They were ready-made and thus tastedpletely fine despite having gone through her hands.

    Thinking back, Bom¡¯s recent dishes didn¡¯t seem that strange either. But it might be because humans were adapting animals or because a few of his taste buds had died from eating them.

    He pondered about that for a second.

    During the meal, Kaeul was boasting to Bom, Yeorum and Yu Jitae about how she hadpleted the puzzle and Bom praised her for her sess. Gyeoul also appeared rather content, as she repeatedly nced at the picture frame of the puzzle that was hanging in the living room.

    Yeorum remained silent and appeared to be in a bad mood today. Her legs were crossed and her chin was resting on her hand, while she stirred the noodles with chopsticks in her other hand without eating them.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul carefully dug into the noodles with a spork.

    She was eating very diligently.

    It shouldn¡¯t be that hot, but she didn¡¯t forget to imitate her unnis by blowing ¡®hoo hoo¡¯ on it several times. These days, she almost never dropped her food either. Thinking back on how she had spilled half the noodles she ate back when she went sledding with Yu Jitae, it was a great improvement.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, she appeared slightly discontent for some reason.

    Gyeoul nkly stared at her own spork before looking at Yu Jitae¡¯s chopsticks. Then, she threw a nce across the chopsticks in Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul¡¯s hands before turning back to her spork.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gaze: Displeased.

    She pulled on the sleeves of Yu Jitae, who was sitting next to her.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Me too. Chopsticks.¡±

    Yu Jitae quietly took out a pair of chopsticks from the container and handed it over to her. She then began using the chopsticks awkwardly with her tiny hand.

    Her first goal was to grab a strand of noodle.

    She focused intently but the chopsticks failed to meet one another as the noodle slipped in mid-air and fell down.

    Unknowingly, Gyeoul even sneaked her tongue out as she concentrated even more. However, there was no way it would be easy considering that it was her first time using chopsticks and after struggling for a long time, she turned to Yu Jitae with a frown.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her current gaze meant she was asking for help.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just use a fork.¡±

    ¡­Shake¡­ shake.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    Gyeoul merely shook her head in repeat. When she was stubborn for an unknown reason like this, it was usually better to just listen to her request.

    ¡°¡­Hold onto it.¡±

    Throughout the entire breakfast, Yu Jitae taught her how to use chopsticks.

    Towards the end of the meal, Gyeoul carefully raised a soggy strand of noodle with her chopsticks and seeded in dropping it into her mouth before it snapped.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Slurrp. After slowly pulling the noodles into her mouth, Gyeoul looked back at Yu Jitae with a beaming smile.

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    She was apparently in a good mood as her ¡®nod nod¡¯s were more energetic than usual.

    ¡°You know what.¡±

    It was then. Yeorum, who had remained seated on the table even after finishing her meal, called him.

    ¡°Is it fun? Teaching her how to use chopsticks?¡±

    Hearing her voice which seemed to contain a thorny edge to it, the Regressor turned his head. Gyeoul likewise looked at Yeorum with circr eyes.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Is it fun, doing that.¡±

    He had no idea whether it was fun or not. He had just taught her because she asked for it, but the joy she revealed after finally seeding in using her chopsticks, wasn¡¯t too bad to look at.

    Right when he was about to reply, Yeorum raised her body.

    ¡°Whatever. Who cares whether it¡¯s fun or not¡­¡±

    She then went into her room so Yu Jitae asked Gyeoul.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Gyeoul who was clueless, merely waved her chopsticks with a smile. That was when Bom¡¯s voice was heard from behind.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Weren¡¯t you going to do something with Yeorum once the holidays began?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I was.¡±

    Teaching how to fight.

    In other words, he was thinking of making her stronger, but it was pushed back by several days due to the issue with Kaeul¡¯s video. Maybe she was upset because of that.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Even Bom who always knew the answer when it was rted to dragons, appeared to have no idea. It seemed that he had to look into it himself.

    ***

    She wore a cotton t-shirt and leggings, with a cap and a padded jacket on top ¨C this was how Yeorum looked like whenever she was out to train by herself.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She nced at Yu Jitae before starting to walk without saying anything else. The two remained quiet for some time.

    Soon, she whispered aint.

    ¡°Thanks for starting so early.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for beingte.¡±

    ¡°¡­You know how to say something like that?¡¯

    ¡°I learned it.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±

    Silence covered the two once again.

    The two of them walked for a long time without saying a word and before long, Lair Central Training Centre revealed itself. Therge building with a dome-shaped roof was a building with all sorts of training facilities installed inside.

    Yeorum stopped her feet.

    ¡°You know what, I don¡¯t think I really have to learn from you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Now what was this about. He couldn¡¯t see a single light of mischief on Yeorum¡¯s face.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m not saying this because you werete. I thought about it myself and that was the answer I came up with. And I¡¯m a dragon so what do I really have to learn? It might be okay to do it myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So just go back.¡±

    After finishing her words, she walked into the training centre. She roughly tied her hair and the red tail leaving the gap at the back of her cap gently swung across.

    It was a situation he hadn¡¯t been expecting. Nheless, he couldn¡¯t just disregard everything and go back so Yu Jitae also entered the training centre.

    Yeorum used several machines by herself or trained with just her body. Yu Jitae quietly watched over her.

    Even when their eyes asionally met, she would only frown slightly without even speaking up to him. Thus, he decided to ask her.

    ¡°You, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    On the way back from training, Yeorum did not say much.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was nothing he could do.

    ¡°Why not just go back? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter even if you follow though.¡±

    Should I go back.

    For him, it didn¡¯t really matter even if he didn¡¯t train Yeorum.

    In the end, she was a dragon and would be stronger even if she did nothing. Besides, his objective was to protect her so that she wouldn¡¯t get hurt so there was no need to bother forcing himself to teach her.

    He was just slightly curious, about the reason she suddenly changed her attitude.

    *

    The Regressor who wasn¡¯t good with words, decided to just follow her for the time being.

    On the second day, Yeorum once again travelled between training rooms every 2 hours and exercised. There were a few cadets who greeted her but she was alone throughout. Besides that, he didn¡¯t spot anything strange.

    Thus, the Regressor followed her for three more days and watched her train.

    *

    But on the third day of him following her, someone called Yu Jitae from the Combat Skill Training Room.

    She was a short female and her blue name badge read ¡®Interpersonal Combat Skill Adjunct Professor Ha Yoon¡¯. He remembered hearing her name somewhere.

    ¡°Are you by any chance the guardian of Cadet Yu Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. It¡¯s just that I had something to say to you.¡±

    Just like how former soldiers were all like, Professor Ha Yoon went straight to the topic.

    ¡°I think you need to manage Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching from 2 months ago, but Cadet Yeorum¡¯s training method is extremely wrong. And she is too stubborn to listen to the words of the professors or the instructors.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°She is abusing her joints and muscles excessively. Her body still shouldn¡¯t be used to mana so training like that for a long time will lead to an injury. Don¡¯t you know that yourself?¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly raised his hand and touched his lower lips.

    ¡°¡­And?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, it makes me think that sir guardian might be neglecting her too much. It might be presumptuous of me to say this, but I would like you to manage her a bit more in the future. For the correct growth of Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    After saying that, the professor turned around and walked away.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Left alone, Yu Jitae nced across the training room onest time. There were all sorts ofplex machines as well as cadets using those to train themselves. However, not a single one of them was alone.

    Yeorum, who was training alone, exercised without following the safety regtions and the staff members with blue name badges would click their tongues whenever they walked past Yeorum. They all appeared to have given up.

    Finally Yu Jitae realised it.

    He realised why Yeorum suddenly said that she didn¡¯t need to learn from him, as well as the reason for that change in her attitude.

 Chapter 90: For a dragon (2)

    <h4>Chapter 90: For a dragon (2)</h4>

    The physical body of a polymorphed dragon was simr to a human¡¯s. It consisted of around 200 segmented bones. Apart from the skeletal structure, they also had muscles, nerves, blood vessels, a digestive system and more, which acted in a simr way to a human body.

    In other words, they appeared exactly like a human from the outside.

    However, they weren¡¯t humans.

    All education facilities including Lair were created to match a human¡¯s standard. The objective of military academies was to cultivate excellent soldiers which tranted to fostering fighting ¡®humans¡¯.

    They, however, were dragons.

    It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for Bom who only did what she needed to do, nor would it be a problem for Kaeul who had not a single interest in bing a soldier.

    But it was different for the daughter of the red race.

    They were a soldier from birth and would be perfected into a monarch throughout their life. The life at Lair for such Yeorum might have felt like wearing a smaller pair of shoes. Every step forward would have been frustrating and bothersome.

    ¡°¡­This might not be the first time Yeorum is feeling that way.¡±

    Bom replied after listening to Yu Jitae¡¯s words.

    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s been feeling like that ever since the admission.¡±

    The Regressor nodded in response.

    He remembered about the time she fought with Sophia Vorkova. When Mihailov pressured her, she threw her fist and smacked his face. Instead of simply saying that Yeorum was violent, it would be more correct to say that she would show a firm reaction to the stimuli approaching her.

    Was giving up on learning from Yu Jitae simr to the fist she threw at Mihailov?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He felt skeptical.

    So what?

    Was it wrong to give up on learning from others to try and do something on their own? If that was her process of adapting to Lair¡¯s system, was there a need for him to intervene and change something?

    He had never contemted such things before throughout his regressions, so the Regressor was having trouble finding a clear solution.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    After a deep contemtion, Bom opened her mouth. As always, she had a sulky yet indifferent expression that made it hard to read her thoughts.

    ¡°Help Yeorum a bit more please.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°If ahjussi helps her¡­¡±

    Bom carefully selected her words and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Yeorum will be more happy.¡±

    ***

    A dragon bing happier was more than enough of a reason for him to intervene. However, the situation wasn¡¯t simply resolved just because he decided to help her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not learning from you okay?¡±

    Yeorum downright stopped his words. Her face was devoid of the usual mischief and it seemed that she had resolved herself already.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine by myself so you don¡¯t need to follow me like today.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°To be honest, having someone follow me is weird and annoying.¡±

    While saying that, Yeorum turned around. Therefore Yu Jitae had to go a step closer.

    ¡°I can teach you.¡±

    Yeorum halted her feet and turned silent for a split second.

    ¡°¡­You know, aren¡¯t you also a human?¡±

    Still with her back facing him, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re very strong and that you¡¯re great. But you¡¯re still a human and not a dragon.¡±

    She slightly turned her head back and continued.

    ¡°There seems to be no dragons on Earth. No matter how great you are, you wouldn¡¯t know how my tail moves, right?¡±

    Then, she pushed her butt out and gently shook it a few times.

    Indeed, he didn¡¯t know how to move a tail. But when Yu Jitae tried to persist in trying to persuade her, Yeorum hated it and ran away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t want to!¡±

    He thought to himself that it would be useless to stop her by force. He thus decided to quietly follow her from behind.

    ¡°Ah, just go back! You stalker!¡±

    ¡°¡­Stalker?¡±

    ¡°What are you if you¡¯re not a stalker? Why are you following me for several days now; do you like me that much? Well, I can see why. Female dragons are pretty, and I¡¯m on the prettier side as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­What. What¡¯s with that face¡­ Ah! So when are you going to stop following me!¡±

    She suddenly shouted which made the surrounding people nce at her. They then realised it was Yeorum and turned away as if they hadn¡¯t seen her.

    The Regressor scratched the back of his neck as Yeorum heaved out a sigh.

    ¡°Whatever; a kidnapper or a stalker¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the teacher. A teacher. The one that will be teaching you from now¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, who cares!¡±

    She ended her sentence with that and focused on her training.

    Yu Jitae once again felt slightly strange.

    A guardian following a cadet ¨C this was also a regtion made by the humans. The Red Dragon was epting that as if it was natural and hade to terms with it. It was the proof that Yeorum was trying to adapt herself into Lair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t follow me!¡±

    ¡­In any case, Yu Jitae had no choice but to watch over Yeorum from a distance. It was frustrating, but there was no other option.

    *

    Where Yeorum headed to was the ¡®Elemental Resistance Training Room¡¯. In here, cadets could touch the elemental orbs with their skins and train by using mana to raise their elemental resistance.

    Buzz! Buzz!

    Yeorum touched the lightning orb as she carefully began raising her resistance against lightning. Since her innate resistance was extraordinarily and iparably higher than a human¡¯s, she started with Level 7. It was like the final level for normal cadets so the instructor heaved out deep sighs as he watched on.

    She did not even spare Yu Jitae a nce.

    Maybe he should give up for today.

    He then remembered about this food which Kaeul and Gyeoul both wanted for dinner.

    ¡®A super super spicy chicken!¡¯

    Nod nod¡­!

    Thinking that he should just buy that, Yu Jitae walked out from the training room.

    ¡°Uut? Ahjussi?¡±

    A chubby cadet recognised him and walked closer. He was a boy who smiled brightly without any signs of falsehood.

    Who was this again.

    ¡°Do you remember me? I¡¯m Hisaki Soujiro!¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, right. It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    He was the cadet who had done the Anti-demon War Simtion with Yeorum in the past. The slightly depressed-looking girl, who was always with him, was nowhere to be seen this time. Wearing a bright expression, Soujiro chatted about several topics to Yu Jitae.

    When he quietly listened on, he realised that the stories were unexpectedly about Yeorum.

    ¡°Ah and these days, Yeorum had a slight conflict with the professors.¡±

    ¡°A conflict?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Yeorum is very individualistic right? So Yeorum tends to fight professors and instructors quite often. It feels like, ehh they¡¯re fighting again? I was always trying to stop them but¡­ aht, umm¡­¡±

    Soujiro suddenly stopped his words and scratched his hair. He appeared to be thinking that he might have said too much.

    ¡°I see. And then.¡±

    ¡°Umm, she wasn¡¯t in a good mood after hearing a mouthful from Professor Ha Yoon but the fight she had after that with the Moonlight study group didn¡¯t end well either. I think her pride might have been hurt back then.¡±

    Ha Yoon? That was the name of thebat skill adjunct professor that told him to manage Yeorum properly and the Moonlight study group was the study group operated by Ha Yoon.

    ¡®In the Moonlight study group there are cadets from a Level 5 martial art society¡¯, added Soujiro.

    He thought this must be it.

    A fight between a human trained by a human¡¯s method and Yeorum who trained by imitating a human¡¯s method. If she had lost in that fight, he could understand the obstinacy in Yeorum¡¯s attitude.

    In fact he was surprised that she was able to maintain a normal appearance.

    The red race had an extremely strong pride and the Red Dragon from previous iterations might have been in a seizure.

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡¯

    While Yu Jitae was quietly pondering about something, the door of the Training Room was pushed wide open as a somewhat gloomy girl, Kim Ji-in, dashed out.

    ¡°Oi, oi, Soujiro!¡±

    ¡°Huh, huh!? Why!¡±

    ¡°Come in and stop Yeorum¡­!¡±

    During her speech she saw Yu Jitae and widened her eyes. Before Kim Ji-in opened the door, he had already turned his body towards the training room because of the noise inside.

    ¡°The, umm¡­ good afternoon?¡±

    ¡°Right. Why is it so noisy inside.¡±

    Soujiro momentarily thought about saying that he didn¡¯t hear anything but decided against it.

    ¡°Right, umm¡­!¡±

    Kim Ji-in urgently exined the situation.

    ¡°Yeorum is about to fight the professor again!¡±

    *

    But from what Yu Jitae saw, it wasn¡¯t as serious as what Kim Ji-in had said.

    ¡°Cadet Yeorum. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re overusing the lightning orb?¡±

    ¡°Like I saidd, unni. How many times do I have to say that I¡¯m fine?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a ¡®professor¡¯ teachingbat skills to cadets. Cadet Yeorum, be mindful of your words.¡±

    ¡°Haigo¡­¡±

    ¡°Where is your guardian? I met him the other day and talked to him regarding it but you still haven¡¯t gotten rid of your habit.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I would¡¯ve done it ages ago if it was necessary?¡±

    ¡°A cadet!¡±

    Professor Ha Yoon raised her voice.

    ¡°Is young and immature! Cadets are inexperienced and require protection and education! For now stop with the orb. Right now! If you do any more, you might get incurable injuries to your eyes and your blood vessels!¡±

    Yeorum bit on her lips. The eyes of the Moonlight study group cadets behind Professor Ha Yoon were unpleasant.

    Do I duke it out? She pondered for a bit but soon shook her head. Whatever the case, she didn¡¯t want to cause harm to the entire household.

    Holding back her frustrations, she was about to take her hands off the orb when someone walked up. She lifted her head and found Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum frowned while Professor Ha Yoon called Yu Jitae with a slightly brighter expression.

    ¡°Ah, you came right on time. Sir Guardian Yu Jitae. I told you before but Cadet Yeorum is still carrying out her training on her own ord. Didn¡¯t you educate her about it yesterday?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Hearing the response that came out so naturally, Ha Yoon blinked her eyes.

    ¡°¡­Sorry what was that?¡±

    ¡°Professor. Just leave it be.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about right now?¡±

    Yu Jitae deeply stared at Professor Ha Yoon¡¯s face. The short and thin middle-aged woman had an unfamiliar face but he was used to the sharp gaze of a surviving soldier of the front lines.

    ¡°She¡¯s a cadet under my supervision. You can leave her be.¡±

    ¡°The lightning orb is especially dangerous. It¡¯s not as easy as just saying that the guardian will be responsible for it. You should be aware of that yourself, I believe?¡±

    The Regressor¡¯s gaze slowly travelled down onto the orb. It was a ss orb the size of a fist.

    What¡¯s so special about this thing.

    He silently ced his hand on the orb. Due to the safety device set by Yeorum, a shield appeared at a distance that matched Level 7.

    nk¡ª!

    But the Regressor¡¯s hand destroyed the shield and approached the orb. The closer he was, the stronger the output.

    Finally, Yu Jitae¡¯s skin touched the orb itself. Then, lightning sparks of the max level, Level 20, covered Yu Jitae¡¯s hand and violently wriggled around.

    Blue sparks of lightning sttered everywhere.

    Buzzzzzzzzz¡ª!!

    Startled, Ha Yoon distanced herself and covered her face with her arms.

    ¡°Mister Yu Jitae¡ª!¡±

    Level 20 was a dangerous level even for a superhuman well-versed in mana control. It was more so because this was the lightning attribute which could burn someone to death with one mistake.

    But standing inside the flickering lightning sparks, Yu Jitae looked way too calm. It meant that he was a lot stronger than what she thought.

    Due to that, Professor Ha Yoon was about to ease her startled heart, but that was when Yu Jitae casually tossed the orb over to Yeorum.

    The professor immediately shouted from surprise.

    ¡°What are you¡ª!¡±

    Even the Moonlight study group cadets standing behind the professor were astonished as Yeorum dazedly received the orb with her two hands.

    ¡°Noo¡­!!¡±

    But nothing happened after that.

    Buzzzz¡ª!

    The lightning sparks merely continued flickering.

    Did a cadet just grab a Level 20 lightning orb? Unable to understand the situation, Ha Yoon and the cadets widened their eyes into circles.

    ¡°How is it.¡±

    ¡°Well, it pricks a little.¡±

    Yeorum replied with a bitter face.

    Professor Ha Yoon frowned with a nk face.

    Pricks a little? That didn¡¯t make sense. Generally, a young superhuman at a cadet level holding a Level 20 orb would have their eyes burned while also possibly having a heart attack.

    However, no such signs were being shown by Yeorum right now.

    ¡°I thought so.¡±

    This should be enough.

    Yu Jitae decided to chase Professor Ha Yoon away.

    ¡°Did you see that. Sorry for making you worried but you can go now thanks.¡±

    She was dumbfounded and had trouble understanding but couldn¡¯t think of any words to say. ¡°¡­You take the responsibility yourself as a guardian. Then we¡¯ll be on our way¡± she said as she turned her body around. Towards her back, Yeorum threw her middle finger up.

    ¡°Ah, and also.¡±

    When Yu Jitae opened his mouth, Professor Ha Yoon turned back. Thinking that she was caught, Yeorum slowly lowered her middle finger with a serious expression but Ha Yoon wasn¡¯t looking at Yeorum.

    ¡°I would like to borrow my name as a guardian and request for an announcement for all the instructors of the training rooms.¡±

    That was a rightful request as a guardian.

    ¡°¡­What would you like to say to them.¡±

    ¡°Do not interfere with Cadet Yu Yeorum¡¯s individual training session. Your policy and Lair¡¯s are not suited for Cadet Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Professor Ha Yoon gave a frown.

    Those words which denied her way of teaching, as well as Lair¡¯s system itself as a whole, sounded like it was touching a corner of her pride as a professor.

    ¡°Please tell them that.¡±

    She felt a lump in her throat but didn¡¯t feel like refuting his words the moment she looked into the guardian¡¯s eyes. His request strangely felt like amand being given by arge existence gazing down on herself.

    For some reason, she couldn¡¯t go against it.

    Of course it must be stemming from her own inferiorityplex considering that Yu Jitae¡¯s attitude had been polite throughout.

    While telling herself that, Ha Yoon suppressed her emotions.

    ¡°I will¡­ do so¡­¡±

 Chapter 91: For a dragon (3)

    <h4>Chapter 91: For a dragon (3)</h4>

    ¡°I was holding myself back already.¡±

    Yeorum grumbled.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to help me. I know how to read the atmosphere at least.¡±

    Yu Jitae remained quiet without saying anything.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a kid that causes problems left and right?¡±

    Yeorum added excuses on top of excuses.

    ¡°I had it all nned out.¡±

    And she did not look like a typical red dragon.

    ¡°You got that? Even if you didn¡¯t chime in, nothing would have happened. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Or what, don¡¯t tell me you think I acted like a child?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, why are you silent! If you¡¯re treating me like a child and ignoring me, I¡¯m really going to get angry okay?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Hearing the sudden response, her energy that went up along with her voice was immediately cut in half.

    Yeorum lowered her head.

    ¡°You could¡¯ve¡­ said that earlier¡­¡±

    She then murmured as if there was a candy in her mouth.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll let you off this time.¡±

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You wanna kiss?¡±

    Yu Jitae did not respond.

    ¡°How boring¡­ I wasn¡¯t gonna anyway.¡±

    Huu¨C the smoke dispersed from her mouth.

    They were at a dark alleyway with not a single person nearby due to the current school holidays, next to an empty parking lot. The red-haired girl was crouching down and hugging her knees while leaning on the outer wall of a building. She slowly let smoke flow out of her mouth and because there was nowhere else to be at, the man was crouching down next to her.

    Yeorum sucked air in deeply through the cigarette before breathing it back out.

    ¡°You know, it kinda feels like I¡¯m bing weird staying here.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°You should know what kind of race the red dragons are. To be honest, I really hate living in a box like this.¡±

    ¨C.

    Smoke gushed out from her mouth.

    ¡°Who would lock you inside a box.¡±

    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t? Even you¡¯re doing it right now. And dragons aren¡¯t gods either and when I was young, I was locked up in a very small ce.¡±

    She raised her hand up and touched her cap. Was it a story about her time at her mother¡¯sir?

    ¡°I could hear others mouring and moving outside. I want to go out, talk and move my body but something¡¯s just blocking me from all around. I can¡¯t speak, and because something sticky was holding my body back, I couldn¡¯t move either.¡±

    No. This was probably a story from even before that.

    ¡°If I leave this ce, I¡¯ll be free ¨C I remember thinking that and when I dide out¡­¡±

    ¡°Was it bad?¡±

    ¡°It was the best. Feels great to do whatever the fuck I want.¡±

    She seemed excited, as she fluttered her legs left and right while spewing smoke from her nose.

    ¡°So when I was caught by you, I thought about running away every single second. If I didn¡¯t get the sword as a gift, I probably would¡¯ve ran straight away.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She probably would have, because that¡¯s how she had always acted in the previous iterations.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae was slightly surprised by Bom who had kept Yeorum nearby at the start of the seventh iteration because he had been unable to have her stay no matter what he did without relying on force.

    ¡°You can¡¯t adapt to it?¡±

    ¡°No? It¡¯s doable. At the start, it felt shit but now that I see it, it¡¯s a good shit.¡±

    ¡®So like,rge and aesthetic¡­¡¯ she murmured before heaving out a deep sigh.

    ¡°Anyways, and now I just feel slightly confused.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Well, it¡¯s like this. Ahhh fuck am I doing the right thing. Does it make sense that I¡¯m living in a ce like this. But then, it doesn¡¯t feel too bad and I feel like holding myself back isn¡¯t so bad as time goes. But then what would happen to my identity? Hey, hey wake up~ You¡¯re a red dragon you retard, be like you~ Ahht, like me huh~? Sex sex~~.

    ¡°But then that makes me wonder.¡±

    After murmuring with a soft voice, she took a deep breath through the cigarette.

    ¡°What does it mean to be like me?¡±

    Yeorum muttered to herself before turning to Yu Jitae. Her blurry and unfocused eyes were facing Yu Jitae and she nonchntly opened her mouth.

    ¡°You know what.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want a kiss, can I hit you once?¡±

    Then, she slowly raised the cigarette which was still burning up.

    ¡°Or can I use this to burn your face a little?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Well, you have nothing to lose right. You¡¯re not good-looking and you already look like a murderer so what difference would a little scar make?¡±

    He quietly looked into her eyes for a bit.

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll know what it means to be you then?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ Our race is all like that. Hit, fight, gamble, do drugs, sex, steal others¡¯ stuff and drink. That¡¯s our entertainment.¡±

    Yeorum snickered.

    ¡°Whatever. It¡¯s just something trivial ¨C don¡¯t worry about what I said.¡±

    He did nothing but listen to Yeorum¡¯s words of concern. She might be waiting for his advice but the Regressor remained silent.

    What does it mean to be like oneself.

    In the end, one had to define it themselves.

    The Regressor had no ns to interfere with the process of this young red dragon¡¯s self-definition. If there was a red dragon who adapted decently into the human world without resulting in some sort of a problem, he would just watch on from the sidelines.

    However, he did know that she was in an extremely anxious state, though she was pretending to be normal.

    For them, this was probably an unwanted Amusement. It began with the twist of the dimension and when they fell on a foreignnd, a random man suddenly kidnapped and locked them up into a ce.

    Since their surrounding environment had suddenly changed, it was their time to adapt to the environment.

    Yeorum had to find the answer herself, and what the Regressor had to do was to maintain his attention on her by keeping an eye out so that she didn¡¯t go astray.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m actually on the docile side for kids from my race. I don¡¯t live everyday addicted to sex and drugs like others, and I¡¯m not a gamble addict crazy about money either. I¡¯m not interested in harassing others or being a dictator of a territory.¡±

    Those were the definitions of a red race.

    ¡°I just know how to fight, and that¡¯s all I like. So when I lost to that Javier or whatever, I really wanted to kill myself.¡±

    There was only one thing remaining in her.

    ¡°This is all I got. If I give up on being a dragon here as well, then I really don¡¯t know what I am.¡±

    This was herst resort in order to not lose her sense of identity as a dragon.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to learn from you. In the end, you¡¯re also a human right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s fine now. Just stop following me.¡±

    After finishing her words, Yeorum rubbed the cigarette bud and turned the fire off.

    ¡°Right. I thought that might be what was on your mind.¡±

    He already knew what she was thinking about but teaching her how to fight was a different problem. Whatever the case, she had a definite goal and in order to enjoy this Amusement and be stronger, she had to learn how to fight.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you to do it with me. You won¡¯t be able to learn it from any other human.¡±

    When Yu Jitae broke his silence, Yeorum gave a frown.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I heard you lost. To the kids under Professor Ha Yoon.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t though?¡±

    ¡°Then, did you win?¡±

    ¡°No? I just, just¡­¡±

    Thinking back on something, she frowned as if she was about to cry but then suddenly vented her anger.

    ¡°No! More importantly, did you hear my words with your asshole? I clearly told you that I can¡¯t learn to fight from a human!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Or what, do you have a secret to your birth or something. Are you actually a dragon?¡¯

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not.¡±

    She stood up with anger.

    ¡°And yet what¡¯s with this teaching and stuff? You can¡¯t! As long as you¡¯re a human, you can¡¯t teach me! Fuck, even after I say all this shit about my situation¡­!¡±

    Her breaths were rough and she appeared to be really angry. It might be because she thought she was being ignored.

    However, the Regressor wasn¡¯t saying everything without a n either. He thought this was the time to show it.

    ¡°Did you think I was saying that without knowing your circumstances.¡±

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes.

    He closed his eyes and thought back on the starting words of the blessing. Then, his heart which always imitated the heart of a human, began to resonate louder and louder.

    Thump.

    In an instant, waves of mana fluctuated across the silent parking lot and expanded.

    Thump.

    The frown on Yeorum¡¯s face slowly disappeared.

    Thump.

    A heartbeat different to a human¡¯s continued with its unique rhythm.

    Thump.

    And soon Yeorum¡¯s eyes widened into circles.

    Thump¨C.

    ¡°¡­How did you do that? That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Yeorum couldn¡¯t continue her words due to astonishment.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve seen it, let¡¯s go back. It¡¯s toote now.¡±

    ¡°What was that? How did you do it?¡±

    ¡°Just think of it as me having the right to teach you at least.¡±

    ¡°No, but what <i>was </i>that?!¡±

    When he stood up, Yeorum hurriedly blocked him from the front. There was excitement and astonishment in her eyes.

    Just then, Yu Jitae¡¯s heart had beated with the same sound, at the same rhythm and the same quality as a red dragon¡¯s ¡®dragon heart¡¯.

    ¡°Tell me! Were you a dragon!?¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head. He was a human.

    There were lots of stories behind it, but it wasn¡¯t a topic he wanted to chat about with her.

    ¡°It¡¯ste today so let¡¯s start from tomorrow.¡±

    ***

    Around the time a dragon born from the red race was able to polymorph, they would learn a mixed martial art from their parents.

    In a distant past, where dragons had yet to create magic.

    There was a tribe living in an enormous forest called the Ancient Forest, that fought with and survived against fierce monsters that were several timesrger than themselves. It was theirbat-focused martial art.

    [Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art]

    ¡°¡­Where did you hear that from? You¡¯re not even a dragon.¡±

    Inside an alternate dimension for training purposes, resembling a vast grasnd, Yeorum stood still as she red at Yu Jitae with skeptical eyes.

    ¡°Is that correct?¡±

    ¡°¡­It is. And when the first Amusementes to an end, we get tested on that. In front of all the dotards of our race, we need to use that martial art to defeat someone, for our Amusement to be recognised as a good one.¡±

    Being acknowledged by their race was extremely important for a dragon. Thus, mastering the martial art to a decent level was the goal of her Amusement, while simultaneously being herst sense of identity as a red dragon that had to be held onto.

    ¡°So, how is it. Are you doing fine?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the issue.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just, everything from the start.¡±

    When a slightly more detailed conversation began, Yeorum who was embarrassed about her achievement, heaved out a deep sigh.

    ¡°By start, you mean the way you get your heart to beat. Right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She slowly nodded her head.

    ¡°My dragon heart doesn¡¯t even beat properly yet. I could force it to beat if I wanted to, but¡­¡±

    It was as he had expected.

    It most likely was around 1 year into her life of imprisonment that the Red Dragon was able to pass the first hurdle into Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art. In other words, it would take her half a year from now at the very least even if things went the way it did.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t learn it from your parents?¡±

    ¡°¡­Every individual has its own rhythm and the dragon heart doesn¡¯t resonate if we don¡¯t match that rhythm. So mine¡¯s different from my mum or dad¡¯s. It should be really easy once you get the hang of it, but I haven¡¯t found my own rhythm yet.¡±

    Is that so.

    Yu Jitae thought back on the fifth iteration.

    The Dragon continued her own training session even after being detained in the undergroundbyrinth. Back then, she was always full of dissatisfaction and although she would act obscenely or violently at times, the dragon never stopped training.

    And everything that Yu Jitae would be teaching from now was what he had learned watching the Red Dragon of the fifth iteration.

    ¡°Hold my hand.¡±

    When Yu Jitae reached forward with his hand, Yeorum awkwardly extended hers but the doubt remained in her gaze.

    ¡°Close your eyes.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°Just close it. Sync with my consciousness and emotion, and just do what I tell you to.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm, can I just not do it? You are kinda suspicious.¡±

    Seeing that she was hesitant about grabbing his hand, he reached his own hand further out and held onto her small hand. Unlike the normal hand of a young girl, hers was coarse with calluses.

    ¡°¡­It should be pointless though. Like I said, even if you imitate the resonance of a dragon heart, every individual has their own rhythm, okay?¡±

    But when Yeorum continued babbling on, Yu Jitae irritatedly opened his mouth.

    ¡°I got it so shut your mouth and close your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Aye okayy ?¡±

    She tried to move on from the grumbles with a cute act but the look of distrust was still on her face and murmured, ¡°But¡­¡±

    The discontentment and doubt remained in her gaze but Yeorum nheless closed her eyes.

    ¡°How many times do I have to say it¡¯s not that easy¡­¡±

    Yeorumined till the very end.

    And after around 10 hours, when the sky of the alternate dimension was about to be coloured in orange,

    Thump¨C.

    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡±

    Atst, Yeorum¡¯s dragon heart began resonantly beating itself.

 Chapter 92: For a dragon (4)

    <h4>Chapter 92: For a dragon (4)</h4>

    Lifting up the pocket watch, he checked the time.

    It was 6:10 in the morning.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] alerts of the current time, [6:10 am].>

    You¡¯rete mate.

    <Vintage Clock (EX): ¡­>

    The day broke. The sleepless night passed and it was about time to get up.

    Now there were container blocks, a kitchen, a cooking living armour,rge exercisers and a supervising nurse, but the undergroundbyrinth had been a rather boring ce in the fifth iteration.

    The floor and the walls were all rough and crudely built. There was a big void of emptiness under the tall ceiling and dust gathered with not a single breeze to push it away. The only decoration was therge and unfitting crystal decorating the air.

    Smiling as if they had been intoxicated, the young dragons rolled around on piles of dust. There was no source of entertainment whatsoever but the dragons drunken with happiness and satisfaction did not seek any new entertainment from their lives. That was especially so when they were younger.

    Thus if someone acted in a certain way while they were in that ce, it would be a type of habitual act resulting from their remaining faint trace of aspiration.

    The Gold Dragon, which did not have any habit or a sincere desire, remained still;

    The Green Dragon was the only one that attempted tomunicate with the Regressor;

    And the Blue Dragon wished to leave that ce and apany the Regressor.

    However, the Red Dragon was different. Stuck in a corner of the inner room of thebyrinth, it nkly began training in [Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art]. It started doing every training method that could be done with a bare body. At times, the dragon felt its own heartbeats with its eyes closed, and sometimes took a deep breath in and out. It even ran across the walls of the inner room in a distracting manner.

    ¡®Please give Red a monster, or a human to fight.¡¯

    The Green Dragon often requested Yu Jitae but he refused it. He was not at all interested in giving a monster to a time bomb. But the Green Dragon continued asking him for a favour and even pleaded with him towards the end saying to please give the Red Dragon something to fight even if that was thest thing he would do for them.

    The Regressor from back then ignored the request of the Green Dragon and violently rejected her pleas. Even then the Green Dragon did not give up, so he had to tie it up for some time.

    After that, the Green Dragon did not request Yu Jitae in any way until the end of the 20 years of imprisonment.

    Meanwhile, the Red Dragon began acting in a strange way. It struck the ground with its fists or smacked the wall with its forehead. The ¡®inner room¡¯ made by a magic engineering genius of another world was not broken by the fists and kicks of the dragon.

    What broke instead were the hands and the forehead of the Red Dragon.

    Back then, Yu Jitae discovered that the Gold Dragon had brought about the Apocalypse in the first, third and the fourth iterations and concluded that that was the only element causing the downfall. He was ignorant and stupid so he did not think much of it even when the Red Dragon began showing strange signs.

    But in fact, the Red Dragon¡¯s actions weren¡¯t simple self-injuries and it was some sort of a training method. It destroyed its body to a degree that did not put its own life at risk as the Light of Paradise instantaneously cured it back up. The fractured bones and muscles became stronger after the rapid restoration but it was a mediocre change in the Regressor¡¯s eyes.

    He therefore ignored it and maintained his ignorant viewpoint.

    He thought it would be fine to leave it be.

    That was until 15 years into their life of imprisonment when he came back after fighting Noah for several months,

    ¡®¡ª¡ª!¡¯

    That was when he saw the Red Dragon strangling someone by their neck.

    Back then.

    After around a year or so from their imprisonment, when the Red Dragon¡¯s dragon heart began resonantly beating itself for the first time,

    ¡®There¡¯s a hidden fissure in the south of Balkan Penins. The other side of the fissure should be connected to a dungeon in the North Hallyavan Mountain Range.¡¯

    That¡¯s what the Green Dragon had said.

    ¡®There arerge tribes of orcs in that ce. After discovering the fissure, the monsters sneak out and attack the nearby viges and devour humans. They¡¯re brutal and aggressive.¡¯

    The young Green Dragon mentioned an exact name and a race, which was rarely the case when seeing Providence.

    ¡®Orcs with three lines of ck paint on their heads are the tribal leader and the great warriors. From them, Red needs Great Warrior Armarkrak.¡¯

    ¡­So what.

    ¡®Please make that monster fight Red.¡¯

    Don¡¯t want to.

    ¡®It has to be done.¡¯

    I¡¯m warning you. Go back to your ce right now.

    ¡®Please.¡¯

    Since the dragon continueding up to him, Yu Jitae pped the Green Dragon on the cheek.

    ¡®You always rejected me during the past year and I have never asked for the same thing more than once. This is the first time I¡¯m asking you like this.¡¯

    Kneeling down with injured legs, the Green Dragon cried as it resentfully gazed up at him.

    ¡®Can¡¯t you just, do it once¡­?¡¯

    Then, it twitched its bleeding lips.

    ¡®Even though I¡¯m asking you like this¡­¡¯

    Sheughed while crying.

    So when the fifth iteration came to an end and when the world began moving away from him once again, he had regretted it tremendously. How difficult could listening to a request like that have been?

    It probably would have been as easy as it was right now.

    ¡°Kuruk¡­! A human dared toe here with their own feet? Kuruk, kuruk!¡±

    Of course, that was all in the past.

    ¡°¡­Kuruk? But you, are you a human¡­?¡±

    It was a changeable future for him.

    ¡°Krrrr, that should be fine. Kuruk kuruk! I am the great warrior of the Great Mountain ¡®Hallyavan¡¯, Armarkrak.¡±

    The past had dispersed like an illusion and no longer remained.

    ¡°Kururuk! Let go! How could a mere human¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°W, what are these hands! Kururuk! No! Krararara¨C!¡±

    Raa¡ª raa¡­ raaak¡­¡­

    After pushing the great orc warrior into the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)], Yu Jitae turned his feet. Leaving the dungeon, he raised the pocket watch and checked the time.

    It was 7:12 in the morning, with a lot of time to spare.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He stopped his feet.

    While he was closing the pocket watch, a group photo that Bom had inserted entered his sight.

    Bom with a gentle smile; Yeorum smiling after cing a bug on Kaeul¡¯s hair; Kaeul innocently smiling without knowing anything; and Gyeoul nkly staring at his face from his arms.

    They were all smiling. Why were they so happy¡­

    When ending the iterations with his own hand, he hadn¡¯t thought of that act as a sin.

    But now, he slowly began to understand that his past life had been full of sin. The closer he got to daily lives, therger such thoughts became.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Of course, this was but a passing thought. He was aware that it was toote to atone for them, nor did he have the right to. Thus, his current actions were not for an atonement and were just a continuation from his inertial life ¨C he decided to think like that.

    There was no self-pity within all those thoughts. He just had to continue what he was doing until this life came to an end.

    After condemning himself for his sins, the Regressor moved his feet forward.

    ***

    ¡°¡­You want me to fight that?¡±

    [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    After entering the alternate dimension, Yeorum stared at the great warrior locked down by the hands while shouting.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    From what he could see, the great orc warrior was probably a Named Monster with the rank A- which was never defeatable 1 on 1 as a normal cadet. One would usually need a local ranker at least in order to fight that on equal terms.

    Therefore, Yeorum appeared slightly nervous as well. Under the Taboo of Amusement, she had to fight with a human body.

    ¡°But seriously, that guy looks like crap for real.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Did he draw ck lines because there was nothing on his head? If he was gonna draw some, why not just draw more than three¡­ What a frugal guy. Or is it because he never had any?¡±

    Kururuk¨C kurararak¨C!

    The great warrior, who had been remaining silent, suddenly wriggled its arms around in fury. It was shouting something along the lines of, ¡®My hair is the pride of a great warrior¨C¡¯.

    ¡°Ready yourself.¡±

    She nodded.

    The first hurdle into ¡®Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art¡¯.

    [Pulsation]

    It was the door allowing the caster to be reborn as a warrior and was a process unlocking a portion of the energy limit that had been set by the physical body. In other words, it would allow a red dragon to control their mana in a slightly better way.

    Due to that, Yeorum¡¯s fighting prowess increased by more than 20%pared to yesterday. It was an extremely big development even considering the talent of a dragon.

    However, there was still a long way to go until she could fully incorporate it into a real battle. She resonated her dragon heart over and over again throughout the night, due to which there were big bags under her eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look very fine.¡±

    ¡°Because of sexual frustration.¡±

    Her word choice was always like this.

    ¡°Then can you fight that right now? I know it¡¯s hard to maintain the resonance. You don¡¯t have to push yourself¡­¡±

    ¡°A piece of cake. I¡¯m going!¡±

    She ran in after unsheathing the sword artifact. Perhaps due to exhaustion, her feet weren¡¯t travelling straight and although Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t very content, he nheless untied the control of the ¡®hands¡¯.

    Bamm¨C!

    One strike.

    Yeorum rolled across the floor of the abyss before lying down spread-eagled on the ground.

    He walked up to her.

    ¡°¡­What.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with those eyes, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ Ah fuck. I meant I was the piece of cake. Damn it.¡±

    After releasing her anger, she stood up from the spot.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel bad. I didn¡¯t lose.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°This is just training.¡±

    I don¡¯t feel bad, I don¡¯t feel bad¡­ She murmured that to herself like an incantation before closing her eyes again.

    Indeed he was nning to drive her beyond her limits while teaching her during the holidays but he thought that taking rests were also necessary.

    Kung.

    But Yeorum was more enthusiastic than himself.

    ¡°Huu¡­¡±

    With a deep breath, she calmed the beating resonance. Her red eyes shot open as she dashed in.

    Bamm¨C!

    She then rolled across the floor again.

    *

    On the third day.

    It was around the 100th time that Yeorum ended up on the floor. Blood was running down from her nose, her lips were torn and her clothes were all in a mess. Her ragged training clothes were ripped near her shoulder and chest, and ck bruises could be seen through the gap.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lying down on the ground, she nkly stared at the sky of the shallow abyss. It was all ck with nothing to be seen so her unfocused eyes were looking at nothing.

    ¡°Are you alright.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t get any reply back.

    The dragon¡¯s mana being emitted out with the resonance was recovering her body in real time. Yeorum did not rest for the past three days. She resonated her dragon heart throughout the night and fought the great orc warrior during the day.

    Recently, even the great orc warrior was showing signs of exhaustion despite it being a monster existing solely for the purpose of fighting.

    Yeorum however did not show any signs of giving up.

    Tch.

    While spitting out a phlegm mixed with blood, she raised her body up. She lifted her shirt which now resembled a rag to wipe the blood near her mouth and raised her sword.

    ¡°Fucking annoying, this piece of trash. This fucking piece of trash¡­ Drooling everywhere. Fucking disgusting¡­¡±

    She swore along with a sigh.

    ¡°Is that ink on his damn head waterproof or what¡­ why is it not going away! He¡¯s fucking sweating like shit as well!¡±

    She got angry as she spoke and began fuming because of something random.

    ¡°How about you properly rest for a day. It should be more doable if you¡¯re in a better state.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll always be fighting when I¡¯m feeling good.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I might fight on a good day but I could also fight when I¡¯m sick. Isn¡¯t that the case for you as well?¡±

    For Yu Jitae, that was naturally the case. From the third iteration to the end of the sixth iteration, he could count his actual ¡®rest days¡¯ with his fingers.

    ¡°But I¡¯m making quite the progress right? At the start I was pushed back a lot, but now I¡¯m fighting for at least five minutes.¡±

    That¡¯s probably because the great orc warrior was tired but¡­ Yu Jitae deliberately did not say that.

    The reason she couldn¡¯t manage her [Pulsation] properly is because she was entirely focused on resonating the dragon heart that it did not contain a single killing intent.

    Should he wait for her to ovee this herself, or should he start helping her now. The Regressor, the imperfect teacher, was pondering about it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to help me or anything. I¡¯ll do this by myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna dash in until I win. Don¡¯t stop me okay?¡±

    As if she read his thoughts, Yeorum gave a firm statement. She looked like she would dash out straight away but once she was actually ready for the fight, she began murmuring to herself on the spot.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel bad.¡±

    I don¡¯t feel bad. I don¡¯t feel bad¡­

    She morbidly repeated those words. Her voice sounded obsessive as if she was controlling her own mind in order to suppress her anger from surging forth.

    Suddenly, he remembered her small shoulders that twitched when she was crying after being crushed by Javier. He also remembered how she had been depressed for over a week after being one-sidedly defeated by BM.

    Was there a need to dishearten her?

    So he decided to secretly help Yeorum.

    It wasn¡¯t that unique of a method.

    Thump¨C

    He just resonated with his own [Pulsation] by adding killing intent to it. Even with just this, it should definitely be helpful for a dragon that received emotions and thoughts.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After noticing something, Yeorum gave a frown but did not do anything apart from that.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go at it until I win. Huu¡­¡±

    Heaving out a deep breath, she once again began dashing in at the great orc warrior.

    *

    Her loss streak continued even after that but after another week.

    Baam! Kururak!

    The great orc warriorid on the ground after being smacked by Yeorum¡¯s fist.

    ¡°Hah! I finally won¨C! You fucking piece of¡­!¡±

    In excitement, she ran up and started rubbing off the ck lines on its head with her fingers.

    Kurukk! Kurururakkk!

    A sorrowful scream of an orc echoed across the shallows of the abyss.

 Chapter 93: A Simple Favour (1)

    <h4>Chapter 93: A Simple Favour (1)</h4>

    ¡°Kuuh, how should I say this. It¡¯s a good day right?¡±

    It was Myung Yongha the Druid of Regeneration, officially ranked 9th worldwide.

    ¡°Been a while since we¡¯ve gathered at one ce in good health. Why don¡¯t you all smile a bit more hey? Uhahat!¡±

    He nonchntlyughed out loud, but not a single one of the people sitting with him smiled back. Around the circr table were members of the Grand Natural Society sitting down. They were all top superhuman rankers of the globe but they were wearing grave expressions.

    Slightly embarrassed, therge druid scratched his cheeks before leaning back onto the backrest.

    ¡°Seriously¡­ does it hurt to say a few positive words aftering together like this? You all look as if there¡¯ll be a war anytime soon¡­¡±

    ¡°Congrats¨C¡±

    Gulp.

    After a mouthful of vodka, BM opened his mouth with a murmur.

    ¡°For having a son. Now you¡¯re a father of two sons.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, you weren¡¯t therest time right? Thanks! How¡¯s your dungeon raid going?¡±

    ¡°Well, like always.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re so stubborn. I can help you anytime if you want.¡±

    ¡°¡­You need to change nappies for your baby.¡±

    BM vaguely dodged the question.

    It was when Myung Yongha was about to ask something after staring deeply at BM¡¯s face through the pair of sunsses.

    ¡°Ah, this is annoying.¡±

    The Sword of the Royal Family of Japan¡¯s special forces, Minamoto Ai officially ranked 13th worldwide, irritatedly grumbled. The eyes of the surroundings turned towards her.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it past the conference time?¡±

    ¡°By 5 minutes already.¡±

    And yet the president of the Grand Natural Society wasn¡¯t here yet.

    ¡°Hahaha! What can we do? It¡¯s not the first time he is like this.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s alwaysingte because we¡¯re not saying anything.¡±

    ¡°Hey, at least he¡¯s neverte by more than 30 minutes right.¡±

    ¡°What does that even mean? I have an appointment in the evening.¡±

    Someone interjected their chit-chat.

    ¡°¡­The agenda of this conference,¡±

    An olddy seated in the corner opened her mouth with a creaking voice. Her low and soft voice had a unique tone to it that closed the mouths of theiners.

    She was Li Hwa, formerly ranked 6th worldwide officially.

    ¡°Is about that young man if I¡¯m not wrong?¡±

    With one sentence, the crowd became quiet once again.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A myriad of emotions passed across their faces ranging from confusion, puzzlement, ufort and displeasure to admiration and goodwill.

    ¡°Ai. The Royal Family and the Association haven¡¯t discovered it yet right?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Probably not yet.¡±

    ¡°Hulhul.¡±

    Li Hwa¡¯s lips formed a deep wrinkle while Minamoto Ai heaved out a deep sigh.

    ¡°We had to scale the size of the incident down for the report to hide that person¡¯s identity. So, the Royal Family doesn¡¯t even know that there had been a catastrophe there. At least not yet.¡±

    There were several pieces of information that discouraged them from revealing it to the media, so Minamoto concealed information rted to the Melissia Masquerade. Even the Association was only aware of Ysayle Khalifa¡¯s appearance.

    ¡°What a dilemma. It was a catastrophe-rank this time. That¡¯s not something we can do anything about. Throwing a hot potato to the Association now might even bete already and yet¡­¡±

    The ones that had despaired from the might of catastrophe-ranked demons at the battlefront during the Great War had now be the heads of the organisation after 20 years. They would be in a seizure just from hearing the name ¡®Noah¡¯. What would happen if they were to reveal everything that happened inside Melissia Masquerade?

    Noah appeared?-> But what, he died?-> Who killed him?

    ¡­With that procedure, information about that man would also inevitably have to be shared. One of the members asked, ¡°What do you know about that man?¡± and Minamoto replied with a sigh.

    ¡°All I know, is that the man referred to himself as a ¡®demon hunter¡¯ and that he had a disgustingly pretty assistant next to him.¡±

    ¡°And he¡¯s strong?¡±

    Minamoto clenched her teeth.

    During the war, demons that remained unkible against three to four top rankers received the title ¡®catastrophe¡¯. A catastrophe who had hidden himself after the war appeared once again after 20 years or so.

    This was more than enough to shock people.

    But then, an ¡®unidentified superhuman¡¯ appeared and individually killed a catastrophe, let alone the fact that all his limbs were intact after killing it. The Sword of the Royal Family conveyed that she felt like ¡®a herbivore that froze in front of a carnivore¡¯.

    The only ones that were aware of this were the seven members of the Society. No-one from the group frankly revealed their thoughts, but the Grand Natural Society needed an insurance. They wanted to share information about this unssified existence and lessen their burden.

    Wasn¡¯t there the International Hunter Association, the world¡¯s best insurancepany?

    ¡°I¡¯m against it.¡±

    That was when BM shattered the tacit atmosphere with his voice. He, who was known to have the closest rtionship with the ¡®man¡¯ from the Grand Natural Society, argued that all records about the man had to remain hidden. He provided several evidence to back off his im.

    ¡°We should never let the Association know about him.¡±

    He was sharing the same argument today as well when a member raised their hand.

    ¡°BM.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t we go through an interview even when we¡¯re finding a casual employee?¡±

    Beneath the pair of sunsses, BM gave a slight frown.

    The Saviour of Gallia, officially ranked 29th worldwide, Simon Abkarian. He was wearing a bored expression full of leisure while twitching his elegant moustache.

    From what BM thought, that hero of France was someone who wanted everything in the world to be under his control.

    ¡°Let me ask for a simple request. Please bring that person over here.¡±

    ¡°Will something change if you see him in person?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. At least it would be better than hearing the story of a distant country through a spokesperson.¡±

    He was now being sarcastic about BM, calling him a spokesperson. BM therefore let out an emptyugh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would work.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been sitting on top of others for so long that it seems you can¡¯t differentiate top from bottom anymore. Casual employees was it? Are you still the boss here?¡±

    Simon¡¯s eyes twitched as a leisurous smile appeared on his lips.

    ¡°That¡¯s true too. Then please give him a word so that I can go find him.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re close enough to be a spokesperson so that shouldn¡¯t be hard right? Please do so.¡±

    ***

    ¡°We¡¯ll get going then!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go Gyeoul!¡±

    In the morning, Kaeul and Gyeoul left the house while holding hands. The two of them were recently loving Lair Amusement Park. It was a small theme park located in the entertainment district but apparently there was close to no-one there during the holidays.

    ¡°Yeorum. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Yu Jitae also took Yeorum outside.

    She was growing at an exponential rate in the mere span of ten days or so. Defeating an A- ranked Named Monster as a cadet was an extremely praiseworthy task.

    Yu Jitae thought it was about time to enter the next stage of training so he was nning to start a slightly different training method from today.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ I¡¯ming.¡±

    Yeorum walked out from her room withrge bags under her eyes and followed behind him. That was when Bom called him from the living room.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Can youe a bit earlier today?¡±

    He gave a nod.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The door closed with Yu Jitae, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul having gone outside. Left alone, Bom sat down on the sofa of the living room. When everyone left the house to do their own thing, she would stay behind alone to read or watch dramas, like what Yu Jitae would do when he was alone.

    Ah.

    She remembered that it was time to give food for the baby chicken.

    Bom filled the baby chicken¡¯s bowl up to the brim with chicken feed. Then, a baby chicken the size of a ser ball dashed forward and buried its face into the bowl.

    The chicken was growing fast from its original fist-sized body. ording to Yu Jitae, it was normal for a spirit beast to grow like this and it¡¯s growth must have been restricted before. Even then, it appeared exactly like a baby chicken and thus resembled arge fairy floss.

    Chirp!

    After finishing its meal and drinking some water, the baby chicken threw several nces before dashing into Kaeul¡¯s room. Bom did not forget to remind it.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go outside and fight just because Kaeul¡¯s not here. Okay?¡±

    ¨C Chirp chirp!

    ¡°Don¡¯t just say that and ignore it.¡±

    And just like that, silence covered Unit 301.

    Lying down on the sofa, Bom stared at the ceiling. Her grass-coloured hair was scattered in disorder and she deeply pondered about something.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She nkly looked at the ceiling before stretching her hand forward and grabbing a notepad out from her alternate dimension storage.

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ¡ï]

    Then, she began writing something down.

    *

    ¡°Ahjussi. I have a request.¡±

    It was at night after he returned from educating Yeorum.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of making some healthy food for Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Healthy food?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Yeorum doesn¡¯t look very good these days.¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded his head.

    A dragon¡¯s mana could only cure the body and was powerless in front of overwhelming piles of exhaustion and mental stress.

    ¡°Actually, our green race has a unique health food.¡±

    Unique health food of the green race?

    ¡°It¡¯s like a medicinal soup but I don¡¯t think I can find the same ingredients on Earth.¡±

    ¡°You want me to go look for the ingredients?¡±

    ¡°Well, I gathered a few already with things that had simr mana properties and attributes.¡±

    Bom showed a sieve full of ingredients.

    Bigyeong, Old Crescent, Root of Adria, Full Moon Grass¡­ even Yu Jitae knew some of these medicinal herbs. They were all good for mana regeneration and energy recovery.

    ¡°So, are you going to boil these?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But since all the ingredients are different, I can¡¯t find the right ratio. So I¡¯ll try cooking with different ratios and can you try tasting them ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    She walked into the kitchen and began cutting the ingredients up. And after rustling around for ten minutes or so, a bubbling soup was created.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    The soup was full of green and the smell of medicine crawled up in between. It was a sample dish for tasting so there wasn¡¯t much in volume. Yu Jitae calmly raised a spoonful to put into his mouth,

    ¡°¡­¡±

    And lost hisnguage.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    Silently, he scooped it up once again with the spoon. He then tilted the spoon and the thick mixture slowly dripped down. It was the same as before but what he perceived from it was different from before. He thought the spoon might melt but it somehow didn¡¯t.

    To be fair, the soup was meant to be a medicine and not a dish. She probably wasn¡¯t creating this kind of vour to kill him.

    Closing his eyes, he felt the medicinal herbs reacting with one another inside his body. It wasn¡¯t that good.

    He could only feel the individual effects of the ingredients while some of them in fact had their effect downgraded which acted like a faint poison.

    Only after getting rid of the poison did he open his mouth.

    ¡°I think that one¡¯s a fail.¡±

    ¡°Ah, really?¡±

    ¡°The ratio seems to be wrong. I don¡¯t know the details, but I think there¡¯s too much Full Moon Grass.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    cing a finger on her lips, Bom contemted.

    ¡°Then, can you please help me a bit more?¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±

    As usual, he gave a nod and Bom began boiling the soup again but finding the perfect ratio of a soup that had dozens of ingredients wasn¡¯t an easy task.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡±

    The food tasting session continued for a long time.

    *

    It was night.

    ¡°We¡¯re back! Ahh, that was so fun. Right, Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn!¡±

    Kaeul and Gyeoul excitedly came back to the house from their entertainment.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    For the first time in a long time, Gyeoul reached her arms forward asking for a hug.

    Yu Jitae pulled her in as the small pair of arms went around his neck. Her cheeks that had been flushed from the cold wintery wind touched his neck. It was cold.

    Gyeoul slowly gave a smile.

    ¡°You must have enjoyed yourself. How was it.¡±

    She mumbled with her small mouth and exined what happened that day. ¡°¡­Arge ship¡±, ¡°¡­like this, like this¡±, ¡°¡­went in circles¡±. She used her hands and diligently exined but he honestly couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying. Nheless he calmly nodded back.

    After finishing her exnation, Gyeoul carefully gazed up at him.

    ¡°¡­Next time.¡±

    Next time?

    ¡°¡­Go together?¡±

    She appeared expectant so he gave a nod.

    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    Perhaps exhausted from ying around, she fell asleep quickly in Yu Jitae¡¯s arms.

    Her gentle breathing sounds echoed in his ears.

    Every time he was hugging her like this, he would realise once again that her body was really small despite having reached the size of a six-year-old. She had a small head, a thin neck and a tiny body ¨C shoulders, arms and hands.

    It was his first time thinking like this but it came to him that a dragon could be this small.

    Was this small girl happy today?

    ¡°Oh? Little Gyeoul is asleep already.¡±

    That was when the seventeenth soup had been finished.

    Gyeoul¡¯s sleeping posture was crooked. She would fall if Yu Jitae didn¡¯t support her body with his hand and she was effectively sleeping on his arm. Besides, his other hand had to support her drooping head so even his other hand wasn¡¯t free.

    ¡°Should I move her for you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She might wake up.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, then let¡¯s go like this.¡±

    Bom naturally raised a spoonful and pushed it towards Yu Jitae. Whenever Bom tried to feed him something, he received it with his hand before eating it but there was a problem with that today.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Yu Jitae opened his mouth after stopping for a second as the soup came straight into his mouth.

    But then, Bom didn¡¯t take the spoon out.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She stayed at a very close proximity and stared deeply into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What is she doing.

    When he looked back into her eyes, the spoon slowly went back out.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    It still had a horrendous taste, but the herbs were harmonious this time. There wasn¡¯t any ingredient straying off from other herbs and there was no waste. Forming a subtle harmony, they spread past Yu Jitae¡¯s body.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s good this time. It¡¯s not bad.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Well done.¡±

    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±

    Bom nodded with a gentle smile.

    ¡°Oh right, how did it taste?¡±

    ¡°Well, just like normal herbs.¡±

    ¡°Herbs¡­¡±

    In response to his words, Bom slowly sat on the dining table in front of him.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    She then gave a mysterious smile. As if she was observing something, Bom looked into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes deeply before opening her mouth.

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    Her lips twitched with a very soft voice.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ever say it tastes bad?¡±

    He didn¡¯t know what to say in response. Did she know something; why was she asking this? When he remained silent, Bom asked yet again.

    ¡°Why, do you never refuse?¡±

    ¡°¡­I do when I have to.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only when you think I¡¯ll be in danger.¡±

    Why do you not refuse my request in a normal daily life ¨C Bom was asking that with her eyes.

    ¡°I want to know why.¡±

 Chapter 94: A Simple Favour (2)

    <h4>Chapter 94: A Simple Favour (2)</h4>

    The reason was simple.

    It was because the dragons had to be happy.

    Since they don¡¯t forget, their memories remain forever including painful memories. Therefore, Yu Jitae had to act in a way that made them feel happy every single time.

    Radically speaking, if Bom was a child that became happy for being rejected, Yu Jitae could deny every single word of hers. But in reality, Bom was not like that so he did not refuse her requests.

    ¡®You always rejected me during the past year and I have never asked for the same thing more than once. This is the first time I¡¯m asking you like this¡¯

    He could remember the Green Dragon of the fifth iteration. It was the only one that tried tomunicate with Yu Jitae among the four dragons and asked him for a favour.

    ¡®Can¡¯t you just, do it once¡­?¡¯

    If he didn¡¯t refuse her request, would the fifth iteration have ended differently?

    ¡®Even though I¡¯m asking you like this¡­¡¯

    It probably wouldn¡¯t have been all that different, considering that he had gotten off on the wrong foot. However, the dragons of that iteration would have been slightly less unhappy at the very least.

    He refused and thus the dragons became unhappy ¨C such memories of the fifth and the sixth iterations became stuck in his head like a road sign. Despite being a forgetful human, those memories floated back up whenever he closed his eyes.

    Of course, he couldn¡¯t say that out loud. How could he say that it was because they were like sunfish that died from every single thing in the world*?

    He therefore gave up on replying.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nnnn?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I want to know¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me?¡±

    She was persistent for some reason today. He decided to move away from this ce.

    While carrying Gyeoul, Yu Jitae tried to carefully stand up but couldn¡¯t. After jumping down from the table, Bom sat down on hisp.

    ¡°Where are you running.¡±

    After smiling, ¡°Hihi¡±, she moved around until she wasfortable with her seating posture. Gyeoul was still soundly sleeping so Bom¡¯s voice got softer aftering closer.

    ¡°Do you remember what my first request was, ahjussi?¡±

    He didn¡¯t.

    ¡°It was on the day we first met when I was asking you to not kidnap me. I became fond of that ce and was staying there for half a month so please leave me be, is what I said. But ahjussi rejected my first request. And I was kidnapped.¡±

    ¡°You said you weren¡¯t kidnapped. You came with your own feet.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s the reality of it. An adult taking a child into custody. That¡¯s a kidnap no matter what you say.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But you see, something strange happened. On the very next day, I asked the second request, to go shopping together. And ahjussi did not reject it.¡±

    He vividly remembered that. It was when she suddenly said that she would cook a meal for him.

    ¡°It was strange ¨C being nice after doing a bad thing. But I didn¡¯t hate it. On the first day, I was trying to hide my fear but my thoughts changed slightly after that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But then there was this doubt. Why did he kidnap me? How did he know who I was?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell¡­¡±

    ¡°You said you can¡¯t tell me that, but it wasn¡¯t just me. Even Yeorum and Kaeul were curious several times.¡±

    Yu Jitae closed his mouth. After taking all of them in, he thought their life together was somehow going well. He thought it was because they were young kids that didn¡¯t know about the worldly affairs but¡­

    ¡°I persuaded them. I exined in your stead, ahjussi¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°In order to live? But you see. After living like that for some time, we all started thinking differently.¡±

    ¡°Thinking differently?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Or should I say we got attached to it? You know how sometimes we slowly start to like things that we hated.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, I did carry out some small revenges.¡±

    A small revenge?

    He suddenly remembered something.

    ¡°The first meal you made for me. That was on purpose, huh.¡±

    Her smile became a level deeper. Thinking that he had suffered a loss, Yu Jitae gave an empty smile.

    ¡°That soup must be the same as well?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I think you should make that again. I get that it¡¯s a medicine, but it¡¯s not the best thing to eat.¡±

    Even now, Yu Jitae refrained from saying that it tasted bad. Realising that, Bom smiled.

    ¡°Ah, but by the way, I didn¡¯t make this for revenge.¡±

    ¡°Then, is that how it always tastes?¡±

    ¡°No? Don¡¯t you know that, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Know what.¡±

    Her eyes bent into crescents.

    ¡°You look cute when you¡¯re eating.¡±

    Cough.

    Yu Jitae unconsciously coughed out loud in reflex. For him, that was an extremely dumbfounding sentence to hear.

    Gyeoul wriggled her body from Yu Jitae¡¯s cough. When he carefully patted her back, the child went back to sleep.

    ¡°She almost woke up.¡±

    ¡°¡­What are you trying to say.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, what I mean by cute? You look really awkward when you¡¯re eating something. You eat really slow and carefully.¡±

    He suddenly thought that that might be possible because he had not eaten for over dozens of years.

    ¡°Your expression changes when it tastes bad, and I can tell them apart.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Today, this was the cutest.¡±

    Bom raised a Bigyeong fruit. It was a dark green fruit the size of a fingernail.

    That thing. He remembered that it tasted very bitter.

    ¡°That¡¯s a bad habit. Do youugh while seeing others in pain or something?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. But¡­¡±

    ¡°But what.¡±

    ¡°Because ahjussi never refuses it, I keep on giving you more.¡±

    The Regressor heaved out a small sigh and shook his head.

    ¡°Are you still not going to tell me why you don¡¯t refuse?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe you like me?¡±

    Now what was this about. The Regressor replied with an indifferent voice.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Going, ¡°Hmmm?¡±, Bom brought her body even closer. Her body was almost touching Gyeoul as she raised her face and looked into his eyes.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    It seemed that he had to draw a line.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re expecting, but you and I, are in the rtionship of a guardian and a cadet and nothing else.¡±

    She widened her eyes into circles.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t refuse and be nice, isn¡¯t that because you like me?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, no.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­¡±

    ¡°What is.¡±

    ¡°Every female dragon is pretty and males are handsome. We change it like that because we know that appearance is a very strong authority in human society. At the end of beauty, there is a power that transcends the limit of gender and age, so how can ahjussi not like me?¡±

    His eyes reflexively turned to her face.

    ¡°When I¡¯m this pretty.¡±

    It sounded shameless that she was saying that herself, but there was not a single trace of embarrassment on her face. Like a child calling a dog ¡®cute¡¯, Bom expressing herself as ¡®pretty¡¯ sounded like her take on a natural fact.

    In that instant, Yu Jitae felt something strange.

    His senses that were always faint due to being covered by something like a fog, slowly became clearer. The scenery of the house became more vivid and the sound of Gyeoul¡¯s sleeping breaths resonated clearly. The thing pressing down on his thighs felt slightly heavier.

    When that happened, the green eyes appeared slightly more burdensome.¡°¡­¡±

    His scattered emotions always gathered at one ce and became clearer whenever he was killing an enemy. It was an effect that happened because he felt the increasing distance away from the Apocalypse.

    Quietly pondering about it, he realised that it might be because the happiness of the dragons was also an element pushing the Apocalypse back like the deaths of the demons. It seemed that he would be feeling the distancing of the Apocalypse whenever they became happy.

    There was also a difference. He would feel a sort of pleasure filling up his lower stomach whenever he killed demons. It was close to a dirty pleasure but there was no such thing right now.

    In any case, the Regressor decided to cut things off here.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°I get it so just stop sitting on my legs.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Her eyes turned into circles.

    ¡°We¡¯re all living together so you need to keep a moderate distance. Other kids are not like that, but you tend to cross the line sometimes.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to keep your delusions in check. Do you think everything in the world is yours because everyone calls you pretty?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you continue being like this, you could end up ruining the atmosphere of the house. You need to act like an adult. You¡¯re their unni.¡±

    It might be slightly too harsh, but this was as delicate as he could get. But suddenly, the smile disappeared from Bom¡¯s face as her atmosphere overturned in an instant.

    ¡°I never wanted anything in the world. What about the world? I never wanted even the smallest thing so ahjussi is the one having the delusion.¡±

    Her words were profound yet mysterious. He didn¡¯t understand what she was trying to say. Soon, Bom carefully caressed Gyeoul¡¯s head.

    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m the older sister of these kids?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    Bom sorrowfully smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m, not their unni.¡±

    He felt like something had smacked him on the back of his head. The tower of rtionship that had been built up with difficulty felt like it was crumbling down from its foundations.

    Indeed, Bom was right. They were all dragons of a different race and Bom wasn¡¯t an older sister of Gyeoul. That was just a framework made from the regtions and the customs of human society which Yu Jitae was using to manage them with more ease.

    ¡°Do you see me now?¡±

    Do you see me, the Green Dragon instead of the older sister that you had defined ¨C that was what Bom was asking.

    Suddenly, he thought that the distance between them was very perplexing. It was closer than necessary.

    No, wait. He knew what Bom¡¯s current expression was entailing. Whenever she was trying to pull a prank at him, she would look at him with an overly serious expression.

    So around three seconds after his confusion, she would break out into aughter andugh out loud. He waited for that timing.

    ¡­

    But Bom did not smile.

    Her eyes became thinner.

    ¡°I can see you though.¡±

    Reaching her two arms forward, she approached Yu Jitae even more. Her face was now closer than Gyeoul¡¯s face. When his level of perplexity was about to break through the limit.

    ¡°KYAA¡ª¡±

    Bom beganughing.

    The risky atmosphere that had been built disappeared in an instant. In a fit ofughter, she couldn¡¯t even breathe properly as she dropped down from Yu Jitae¡¯s legs and ended up on the floor.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Due to that, Gyeoul woke up in a fluster and faced Bom with unevenly opened eyes of sleepiness. The Regressor who had remained quiet on the outside, readjusted Gyeoul¡¯s posture and pressed on his temples with his freed hand.

    ¡°Oi, Bom¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­!¡± she shouted while almost rolling on the floor. Without even knowing why, Gyeoulughed ¡®hehe¡¯ in suit.

    After rolling on the floor for some time, she collected her breath and wiped her tears as she gazed up at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Sorry, ahjussi. Were you surprised?¡±

    It was the first time he was seeing such a smile on her face. She seemed to be dying from excitement.

    She was being really cheeky but he didn¡¯t feel like getting angry after seeing her enjoying it so much. Even after that, sheughed out loud for a long time to the point that it made him wonder whether she was the same Bom he knew.

    ¡°Hukk¡­ nnnnn¡­! Ah, ahhh, my stomach hurts¡­¡±

    ¡®¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­?¡¯ When Gyeoul tilted her head at Bom aftering down onto the floor, Bom barely managed to control her smile and lifted her up while collecting her breath.

    ¡°¡­What, happened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Gyeoul. Sorry your unni woke you up.¡±

    She then naturally referred to herself as an unni. He checked the authenticity of her words with [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)] and the result that came up was Truth.

    Her words were true and that meant it had indeed been a prank.

    He had suffered big time.

    When Gyeoul smiled once again with sleepy eyes, Bom caressed her hair. ¡°Should we go back to sleep?¡± she said before handing her over to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Can I ask you for a favour?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please put Gyeoul to sleep today.¡±

    Giving a random nod, Yu Jitae hugged Gyeoul up with powerless movements and headed to Bom¡¯s room.

    *

    After leaving the house, Bom followed the road without an end. Thinking back on Yu Jitae¡¯s troubled expression almost made herugh once again. She tried to settle her breath but ended upughing out loud.

    ¡®Ah, I need to stopughing¡­¡¯

    Even her diaphragmatic muscles hurt fromughing too much.

    No wait, this wasn¡¯t the time for this.

    With a lively expression, Bom took out a notebook from the alternate dimension. She then added a new use.

    [25. Ahjussi is really cute.]

    Whenever she teased him, ahjussi was always perplexed but he was good at hiding it and appeared indifferent.

    But today was definitely different. Didn¡¯t his expression change ever so vividly?

    His face of extreme fluster was so funny that her heart didn¡¯t settle back down whenever she thought of it. While deciding to think back on today whenever she was depressed, Bom closed the notebook.

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ¡ï¡î]

 Chapter 95: Restriction (1)

    <h4>Chapter 95: Restriction (1)</h4>

    There was a wend continuing on without an end, waterlogged and humid. Thend swallowed each step like a quagmire and made it difficult for people to travel through.

    A pair of male and female was standing in front of an unnamed dungeon.

    The dungeon was filled with water-attribute mana and was S- ranked, which was quite rare to find. It didn¡¯t receive its S- rank due to its size, and instead was because there were a small number of elite monsters inside.

    In order to find a ce that suited the power level of the baby red dragon, the Regressor looked for this ce. Yeorum, who had been fighting against monsters just then, was dropping beads of sweat.

    ¡°Huk, huk¡­¡±

    She sat down on top of a monster. During the fight that continued for around 2 hours, she was forced to squeeze her dragon heart dry several times. She had used a tremendous amount of mana which seemed to have made her dizzy.

    Yeorum buried her head inside her two hands.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°W, wait.¡±

    ¡°We should move.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just wait a second. I, feel like throwing up.¡±

    She was even drooling while collecting her breath.

    Her proficiency level wasn¡¯t high enough and the [Pulsation] always shook unstably.

    Of course, it would be fine to leave it like that. She was a dragon and would gradually perfect her [Pulsation] as time passed even without taking all this toll on her body.

    However, a real fight was the best method to make someone stronger as soon as possible.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Despite her body and her clothes being covered in dirt, Yeorum did not use magic to clean it off. In fact, it didn¡¯t look like she even had the leisure to do so, but she obediently stood back up after collecting her breath.

    ¡°Go, go.¡±

    He took her and walked through the quagmire. As they went deeper in, the sticky wend became deeper so he relied on mana to walk on top. Yeorum arduously followed behind.

    After walking for a long time, something was visible through the gaps of the dense forest. There was a fish that resembled a human, with a long fin travelling down the spine from the head to the tail. With pink gills on the neck and arge body, it carried a spear and swallowed a horrendous-looking fish.

    It was the elite soldier of the fishman race, [Shakargin].

    Yu Jitae hid his body behind a tree trunk. Yeorum followed suit with a slightly nervous look.

    He quietly opened his mouth.

    ¡°Can you see them.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What do you think.¡±

    ¡°¡­They look fucking strong.¡±

    ¡°How would you take them down.¡±

    Yeorum clenched on her crimson lips. She then observed the area she and Yu Jitae were standing in.

    ¡°You brought me here on purpose right? To ambush them.¡±

    Since he remained silent, Yeorum gave a frown and turned back to her enemy. The elite soldier was carrying a long spear, with two Shakargin mages standing behind it. They would both use water-attribute magic.

    Since the entire area was covered in water, she had trouble finding a method.

    ¡°¡­Do I scorch them with a breath?¡±

    There was an easy way out.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°No. I was just joking.¡±

    Looking back to the front, Yeorum once again contemted as Yu Jitae quietly waited for the child to finish her line of thought.

    The reason Yu Jitae gave such a trial to her was because she had been fighting until now without any ns. She had a physical body that could overwhelm current superhumans let alone the cadets of Lair, an elemental resistance that broke through the charts and a ridiculous control over mana.

    Due to having all those things from birth, she had never thought or pondered before, regarding how to fight.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ First off I¡¯ll smack the shit out of the warrior.¡±

    ¡°And then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the spear and throw it.¡±

    ¡°And then.¡±

    ¡°When it¡¯s in a panic from losing the spear, I¡¯ll bash the mages up.¡±

    ¡°And then.¡±

    ¡°¡­And then just fight?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Yeorum threw a nce towards him.

    ¡°Is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s first try doing what you said.¡±

    Their strategy meeting came to an end.

    She closed her eyes.

    With a thump, her heart rate began slowing down. Then, she dashed forward like a bullet as the water sshed underneath her steps.

    The situation didn¡¯t go as she thought.

    Just like her original n, she seeded in ambushing and smacking the shit out of the elite soldier, but the fishman¡¯s arm muscles hideously erged itself and held tightly onto the spear.

    She had gotten off on the wrong foot.

    After that, a chaotic battle continued. Due to the interruption of the mages, she couldn¡¯t deal with the elite soldier. Wounds stacked on top of another and blood oozed out of her body. When Yeorum was finally caught after being struck on her face with the spear shaft, Yu Jitae stepped forward and smashed the back of their necks.

    ¡°Let go, let go!¡±

    While being dragged out by Yu Jitae, Yeorum couldn¡¯t control herself and yelled at him to let go. Left with no other choice, he also struck the back of her neck.

    [Knifehand Strike (D)]

    He had to make the Shakargin elite soldier, the two mages and Yeorum faint, for the situation to be wrapped up.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When she woke back up after 2 hours or so, Yeorum red at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What was the problem.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Then what do you think the problem was?¡±

    She reluctantly asked a question. During the learning process, she began to acknowledge the fact that she was weak.

    ¡°Everything was the problem.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave his honest opinion as Yeorum revealed annoyance and irritation with her face.

    ¡°What do you mean, everything?¡±

    ¡°The start itself was full of problems. You didn¡¯t make the most out of an ambush.¡±

    ¡°¡®Make the most out¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Right. At least you did realise that the location and the direction were good for ambush. However, the method was wrong. You were in too much of a hurry and weren¡¯t stealthy enough.¡±

    ¡°Urgh¡­ I don¡¯t really understand what you¡¯re saying. Wasn¡¯t I quite stealthy? I did smack the fish on the back of its head. I was pretty fast.¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. Why focus on speed.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°The merit of an ambush is in its stealth and precision.¡±

    ¡°Then? Is speed a secondary thing?¡±

    Once again he shook his head.

    ¡°To be frank, speed is unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s an ambush ¨C an ambush. Shouldn¡¯t I smack them as fast as possible?¡±

    ¡°Look.¡±

    Yu Jitae extended his finger.

    It was fast yet slow. Startled, Yeorum twisted her head trying to dodge it but the finger seemed to have predicted where she would go as it changed its trajectory.

    Soon, it collided with her forehead.

    ¡°Huh? Fuck¡­ what?¡±

    She touched her forehead with astonishment. It was slow and yet she had been hit by it. She thought she could dodge it with ease but couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re urate, the speed doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Yu Jitae continued with a hushed voice.

    ¡°An ambush must be stealthy and precise every time. Sometimes, you would be better off walking up and slitting their throat, instead of chucking a knife at their back. Slow might be better.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t focus too much on general knowledge. This has to be this; that has to be that. Throw that away. Whenever you¡¯re faced with something, you need to think what you really need in that situation.¡±

    Realising something, she let out a faint gasp.

    ¡°You understand?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, un. I think I do.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s think back to the start. Restructure the situation in your head. When you were trying to ambush them, where did you go wrong, and how could you change it to be more efficient.¡±

    Yeorum closed her eyes and revisited her unforgetting memories. She vividly remembered the situation.

    She remembered the path she took, the direction and speed. From there, she reflected on the direction the mages had been staring at and the move pattern of the elite soldier.

    Assuredness began appearing on her face as Yu Jitae asked the previous question one more time.

    ¡°If you could do it over, how would you take them down.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. Hmm, I think I could¡¯ve taken down the two mages first if I had done it right.¡±

    ¡°How.¡±

    With a slightly excited look on her face, Yeorum began exining something.

    It was just a slight tweak to her knowledge but after understanding the principle of an ambush, her horizon had been broadened. She racked her brain to think of a strategy.

    ¡°¡­What do you think?¡±

    She asked excitedly after finishing her exnation.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try doing it first.¡±

    The result of the battle will be her answer.

    At a nearby ce, there was another group of an elite soldier and two mages. At a simr yet different environment, Yeorum went through with her strategy and urately dealt with the two mages. After controlling the flow of the battlefield, she then defeated the elite soldier as well with rtive ease.

    ¡°I did it, I did it! These fishy and stinky bastards!¡±

    In high spirits, Yeorum dashed back to Yu Jitae while carrying the head of the elite soldier.

    She then asked with a bright expression.

    ¡°You want one?!¡±

    ***

    The chill in the air was starting to disappear and cadets could be seen wearing one less garment.

    Yeorum went around various dungeons with Yu Jitae and fought every single day. For 2 weeks, she trained without resting. Her battle sense and [Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art] skills were growing rapidly.

    Even then, the morning inside the dormitory was the same as always.

    ¡°Uwaaah it¡¯s falling!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Kaeul and Gyeoul were sitting together ying jenga, while Bom was giving Yeorum a soup.

    ¡°Ukk, uuuk¡­¡±

    Yeorum retched after drinking the soup.

    ¡°It seriously, seriously, tastes like shit¡­ You could scoop up some drain water and it would taste better than this.¡±

    She didn¡¯t reject drinking the soup despite saying that. Bom gave a smile.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was looking at a world map, pondering about something.

    From the 2 weeks of dungeon explorations with Yu Jitae, Yeorum¡¯s dragon heart was slowly getting used to the basic [Pulsations]. She needed to move on to the next stage of her training.

    ¡°Go to the training room by yourself for today.¡±

    He needed to get the tools ready.

    ¡°Why? Ah, is it for that new training method?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You need to put on some chains.¡±

    ¡°Chains?¡±

    She had seeded in resonantly beating her heart with [Pulsations]. Now, she had to make sure it stayed firm and Yu Jitae knew the method already. It was an extremely unsophisticated yet certain method, but it couldn¡¯t be done empty-handed and he needed a tool.

    After listening to a short exnation, Yeorum gave a nod.

    But when Yu Jitae was about to leave, her voice halted his feet.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    He looked back and found Yeorum looking at him with expectant eyes.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I¡­ like, get a little bit stronger?¡±

    Unbefitting of her usual self, her voice sounded careful.

    He pondered for a bit.

    Yeorum did get stronger through the 2 weeks of training but if he was asked whether she had fulfilled his expectations or not, that would be a no. Yeorum was barely catching up.

    If she couldn¡¯t even do this, he would have taken her over to a volcano to push her into theva.

    When Yu Jitae¡¯s silence continued for a long time, expectation began disappearing from her face. Soon, she turned her body around in depression.

    ¡°But you did diligently¡­¡±

    After realising his mistake, the Regressor said to her back but it was already toote.

    She flicked her head towards him. Her pride must have been hurt, judging from her irritated and mncholic expression. It seemed like she could shout something at any time.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    But thinking that it would be meaningless, she turned around with a sigh.

    Yeorum was put in a pretty bad mood. For no reason she went up to Kaeul and Gyeoul and kicked the jenga.

    ¡°Why, why! What are you doing? You devil!¡±

    ¡°Is this your room? Do it on top of a table.¡±

    Kaeul rebelled against her and they quarrelled.

    ***

    Taktaktak¡­

    Inside a very deep dungeon, the S- ranked boss ¡®Elder Lich¡¯, chattered its teeth. The Lich saw a human suddenly appear in the boss room before sitting down on its throne.

    Powerlessly, the skeleton magician shivered from fear in a posture that didn¡¯t suit its alias, the ¡®High Priest of Death¡¯.

    Taktaktaktaktak¡­

    Exactly 10 minutes ago, this human who somehow appeared from somewhere, threatened the Lich to ¡°Stay quiet, without making a fuss¡±.

    The Lich thought he was a crazy human and thought it would be fine to just kill him. However, the moment it looked into the eyes of the man, the Elder Lich realised the level this existence was in.

    This intellectual boss-ranked monster thought to itself that its 500-years of life could end today.

    Taktaktatakktakkktakk¡­

    ¡°Be quiet.¡±

    ¡­Tak.

    The Lich grabbed its own chin. It then hid in a corner and stole nces at the man.

    Sitting down on the Lich¡¯s throne, Yu Jitae closed his eyes and went through his body. Inside the Regressor¡¯s heart, there were [Chains of Hell], an artifact with a slightly childish name.

    Having no reflection at all, it was a chain that was way too ck.

    In fact, it wasn¡¯t made of metal. This had been gained from a ck dragon whom he didn¡¯t know the name of, and was created by stacking very very thin string-like substances on top of another. It was a device that had been set to manage his killing intent which had grown beyond his control over the countless regressions.

    He easily untangled it inside Noah¡¯s dream, but that couldn¡¯t be done in the real world because of the aftermath.

    That¡¯s why he hade to this ce.

    Yu Jitae quietly undid the chain.

    ¡ª-.

    In that moment, a shockwave resonated across the world.

    Soon, coarse killing intent shot forth from his body like an ocean wave and covered the world.

    It travelled through the boss room, the underground graveyard, the forests and the desert.

    Several hundreds of kilometres were destroyed inside the alternate dimension of the fissure.

    *

    After putting the Chains of Hell back on, Yu Jitae stood up from his spot. He looked at several tiny pieces of string ¨C fragments of [Chains of Hell]. This would be enough.

    Behind the strings, he could see the Lich¡¯s dungeon in tatters, but it failed to ring his heart.

    ¡°Thanks for your seat.¡±

    When he stood back up, the naked skeleton whose old robe had turned into dust, nodded its head while shivering.

    ¡°Stay here quietly.¡±

    The human was looking into its eyes. Lowering its head, the Lich avoided eye-contact.

    ¡°You¡¯ll die if you crawl out.¡±

    ¡­After saying that, the human vanished.

    Left alone, the Elder Lich raised its body which had been holed up in the corner. It then ced the crown half-ruined from the killing intent, back on top of its head.

    Crack¨C. The crown crumbled and fell in pieces.

    Takk¡­

    That day,

    The Elder Lich quietly gave up on its ambitious dream of conquering the human world.

 Chapter 96: Restriction (2)

    <h4>Chapter 96: Restriction (2)</h4>

    He opened the pocket watch and checked the time.

    It was 7:35 am, about time to leave.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum walked out with powerless steps.

    Although he quietly stared at her face, she didn¡¯t look back at him. She didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood today.

    Regardless, Yu Jitae left the house with her.

    There was close to no traffic In the residential area, in front of the dormitory buildings lining up. Yeorum, who would always babble on about what she learned, was keeping her mouth shut with a pout so the road felt quieter than usual.

    Why was she like this.

    The Regressor carefully contemted. What could have caused the baby dragon to be unhappy, when nothing much had happened both yesterday and today?

    He suddenly remembered something which had happened yesterday, about her question on whether she had gotten stronger or not. He wasn¡¯t able to reply easily because Yeorum¡¯s achievement wascking.

    Then should he have given her a false praise? Maybe she would have been in a better mood if that was the case.

    Before teaching Yeorum, he had read ten or so books about education and some of those books told him topliment the action itself rather than the result: instead of praising a child for drawing a pretty picture, praise them for drawing instead.

    But did a falsepliment like that have meaning? He didn¡¯t know. Could something socking in sincerity really be called apliment? And if he praised every single time, wouldn¡¯t that dilute the actual meaning of thepliment when they do get it right?

    It was a soft and tender contemtion. He, who had always been pondering about the Apocalypse and killing demons, wasn¡¯t used to such worries.

    In any case, a topic like this would result in a different take for everyone without an ideal answer, which the Regressor wasn¡¯t fond of. He instead decided to do what he could.

    In the Central Training Room of Lair, Yu Jitae and Yeorum entered an ¡®Alternate Dimension Training Room¡¯. He didn¡¯t set the environment, so a translucent wall and floor of white weed them.

    ¡°From today, we will start training while using some restricting tools.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum didn¡¯t even give a nod. She didn¡¯t look eager.

    She was sitting down on the floor on her bum, so he walked up to her and crouched down to match the line of sight.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to do it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°We can rest for today if you want.¡±

    When he was about to raise his body after not getting any response, Yeorum opened her mouth with a depressed voice.

    ¡°¡­You can scold if you want.¡±

    He had a hard time understanding her words.

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°You can scold me if I can¡¯t match your standards.¡±

    ¡°Why would I?¡±

    ¡°Then I would get slightly better right. It will be embarrassing, but I would at least be upset enough to try harder.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Instead of saying well done when I seed in something, why didn¡¯t you tell me, that it wasn¡¯t time for me to be happy.¡±

    ¡°You were doing a good job on your part.¡±

    With a slightly angry look, she lifted her head.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re saying that, I thought I was actually doing a good job. When I was jumping around thinking I did well, howughable would that have been for you? I didn¡¯t even know that and¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just, hurting my pride. Tell me if I¡¯m doing bad; swear at me if I make a mistake; call me a retard. If I can¡¯t follow your standard you can hit me to make me better. I put down most of my pride against you, so you can do whatever you want.¡±

    In the middle of her speech, she bit her red lips.

    ¡°My cheeks and my butt are okay.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°A bat or a cane¡­ un, I think I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡¯

    ¡°But, you can¡¯t use a knife or a whip. I can¡¯t think straight if I see blood.¡±

    He slowly began understanding her words.

    Her words which made her appear to be on top despite the topic of punishment, somehow did fit the image of the red race.

    Yu Jitae shook his head. She was being overly anxious for no reason.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to hit you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better than me being thought of as a retard.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just stop. We have to start today¡¯s training. You wanted to be stronger. Don¡¯t you find it wasteful to sit down like this and talk nonsense?¡±

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m not talking nonsense¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here. If you¡¯re going to repeat the same thing, just shut your mouth and get up.¡±

    Her mouth closed to a pout.

    She stood up from the floor and dusted her butt. There was the look of discontent on her face, but that was probably at her own self.

    Suddenly, he felt slightly doubtful. The red race always seeked to be stronger but it wasn¡¯t to this degree ording to his knowledge.

    ¡°But how do we restrict the dragon heart?¡±

    ¡°I have the tool so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±

    When Yu Jitae took out three small strings, Yeorum gave a doubtful look.

    ¡°¡­Ehng? You¡¯re going to restrict a dragon heart with this?¡±

    She held onto the ck strings and waved it around. Like a strand of hair, it powerlessly fluttered in the wind.

    ¡°I thought you were bringing an awesome device or something. What is this.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t look down on it.¡±

    ¡°Eyy, who would be nervous after seeing this. It¡¯s just someone¡¯s pubic hair.¡±

    Her depression vanished after a second and sheughed.

    Well, it would be good for her to not look down on it though.

    Yu Jitae quietly ced the fragment on her hand before repeating the ignition keyword. Then, the fragments of the [Chains of Hell] entered through her fingers and restricted the dragon heart.

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t feel anything though?¡±

    And,

    After exactly 5 minutes, herposure disappeared.

    *

    ¡°Ur¡­gh¡­¡±

    She grumbled. Feeling a strange sensation for the first time in her life, Yeorum widened her eyes and looked up at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°How is it. Is it bearable.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ uh?¡±

    ¡°Tell me whenever if you can¡¯t endure it.¡±

    It was natural for her to be flustered. A dragon having their mana, supernatural senses, resistances and blessings restricted wasn¡¯tmonce. She asked while pressing her chest in confusion.

    ¡°¡­Like, how does this work? I thought it was just restricting the mana?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s moreplicated than that. You can think of it as a device that crushes the body to the point it can¡¯t be moved. From now, your body will feel heavier and it will be harder to breathe. The mana that had been naturally following you will now rebel against you.¡±

    ¡°Why. Why do we have to go that far?¡±

    ¡°Fighting power tends to develop the more you break through the limit. A restricting device like this will push you to that limit.¡±

    Of course, being pushed to the limit was extremely painful. Like how someone had said in the distant past, ¡®The Chains of Hell got its name because it made the restricted one feel like they were at hell¡¯.

    ¡°Ah, uhh¡­¡±

    Yeorum clutched the clothes around her chest and wriggled her body.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that, limit of whatever, dangerous? I, it feels like my heart is burning up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal. Perhaps more than usual because you¡¯re a red dragon.¡±

    ¡°It, it feels super stuffy¡­ like really, really.¡±

    Yu Jitae looked into her eyes.

    ¡°Let me say it again, Yeorum. You can give up whenever you want to.¡±

    ¡°No. Who would give up? I¡¯m not giving up. I won¡¯t but¡­ how long do I have to endure this for?¡±

    ¡°Until you give up.¡±

    ¡°Whaat?¡±

    When she was startled, the mana within her heart gently fluttered as pain flooded in.

    Alongside a groan, Yeorum closed her eyes tightly. Soon, when most of the pain dispersed, she settled herself down with consecutive short breaths.

    She turned towards him and powerlessly smiled.

    ¡°You know,¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m, not gonna die, am I?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t exaggerating it because that really was the first thought toe to mind when people used the chains for the first time. It was the same with Yu Jitae.

    However, he shook his head. She would never ever die.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start the training.¡±

    Yeorum hurriedly refuted his words.

    ¡°Start what? I¡¯m doing it right now though?¡±

    ¡°Do you call it a training after just carrying a sandbag? Moving while in that situation is what training is.¡±

    Hukk¡­ she gasped before murmuring to herself.

    ¡°That¡¯s fucked, for real¡­¡±

    ***

    Applying the ¡®Chains¡¯ was a training method that would induce her [Pulsations] to reach a stable condition. It was a process that took somewhere around 24 to 30 months in the past iterations.

    Yu Jitae was nning on perfecting that within just one month.

    ¡°I¡¯m not exaggerating anything.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really, really hard to breathe¡­¡±

    She wore a frown the whole time while beating her chest.

    From now on, Yeorum had to force her body which had reached its limit, back to its original state. She had to breathe, walk and move.

    The first training session was on ¡®breathing¡¯.

    ¡°Now you have to breathe properly.¡±

    ¡°Ye, yeah¡­ hu, huu¡­¡±

    Closing her eyes, she began breathing in and out. Her fire attribute mana gathered near the dragon heart that had lost its mana affinity. Right now, she would properly feel like her heart was on fire.

    Due to that, her breaths were short and irregr.

    ¡°Hu, huuu¡­¡±

    Every time the zing pain soared up inside her, her chin and those lips could be seen faintly trembling.

    ¡°You have to breathe properly.¡±

    ¡°Ye, yeahh¡­!¡±

    ¡°Breathe. Properly.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I got it¡­¡±

    Wearing a frown, she started slowly breathing out and her shivering breaths reached his ears. It was not at a regr pace at all.

    ¡°I, I can¡¯t breathe. I can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Breathe. Just shut up and focus on breathing. It will definitely return soon.¡±

    ¡°Ah, fuck¡­ huk, huk¡­¡±

    Huu, huu¡­ Yeorum once again closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. She was so tensed up that her tendons were visible beneath her white cheeks.

    ¡°Is it way too difficult to breathe?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to help?¡±

    ¡°N, no? It¡¯s fine. All good.¡±

    ¡°There is an easier way to do it. The efficiency will decrease by a bit though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Huu, huu¡­ She tried to regte her short breaths to the best of her ability and heaved deep breaths in and out, but her chest seemed to be filled up with the scorching heat whenever she did so. Then she would groan instead of breathing.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s painful, the breath has to continue. Whether it¡¯s difficult or not, you must never stop breathing.¡±

    ¡°Ye, yeah. Huk¡­¡±

    But even then, she didn¡¯t breathe properly which meant that her sufferings were being discarded meaninglessly. Thus, Yu Jitae growled with a slightly louder voice.

    ¡°Breathe!¡±

    ¡°Yea, yeah. Ukk¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop. Just breathe.¡±

    ¡°I, I know!¡±

    Yeorum bit her lips and caused her red blood to leak out. But fortunately, her breaths soon began returning to her.

    That was how the training went that day. Until the very end, Yeorum did not ask Yu Jitae for help.

    Perhaps thanks to that, her breaths were a lot stabler than before by the time they returned home.

    However, it wasn¡¯t something to be happy about.

    It was just the beginning.

    *

    After that day, Yu Jitae and Yeorum continued the breath training for several more days. They did not stop even after returning home, let alone when they were at the training room.

    Cough, cough!

    Staying holed up in her own room, Yeorum coughed like crazy. Even Kaeul worriedly opened her door and asked, ¡°Are you okay, unni?¡± However, the sensitive Yeorum bursted out in anger.

    ¡°Close the door!¡±

    ¡°Mommy¡­!¡±

    Her shout resembled a sharp de.

    Startled, Kaeul closed the door and looked at Yu Jitae, who gave a nod signalling that it was okay. Bom tried to give her medicine time after time, but Yeorum refused everything altogether.

    Due to that, Unit 301 had a delicate atmosphere like walking on eggshells.

    It was because Yeorum appeared as if she could die any time.

    ¡°Is Yeorum-unni okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    That¡¯s all he said to the other kids.

    *

    On the fourth night after the breathing training began, Yu Jitae was in the living room when his watch rang. What appeared on the disy screen was Yeorum¡¯s number.

    It was his first time receiving a call from her.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me.¡±

    ¨C You know, I¡¯m, bleeding. This, isn¡¯t anything weird right?

    ¡°How are you bleeding?¡±

    ¨C Just, a nosebleed, and some¡­

    Her capiries were bleeding, which was normal when training with the chains.

    However, Yeorum¡¯s voice contained a different tremble than before. She was anxious so Yu Jitae decided to go inside her room.

    Within the darkness with no lights, her crimson eyes gently flickered. Yeorum was crouching down in the corner of the bed and there were tons of bloody tissues.

    With tissues ced inside her nose, she breathed heavily with her mouth.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. W, why else would I call you.¡±

    She seemed to be extremely stressed out. Her eyes shivered unstably.

    ¡°¡­Right. Let¡¯s see.¡±

    He slowlyid her down and looked inside her body. Fortunately, her dragon heart was normal and there weren¡¯t any abnormalities in her body.

    ¡°I¡¯m, fine. Right?¡±

    Her anxious voice once again reached his ears.

    Probably because the blessing that subdued mental stresses was being restricted, she was made to confront her anxiety head on. This baby dragon was trembling severely and it seemed that it was necessary to slightly regte the power of the chains.

    However, the moment his mana entered her body, Yeorum noticed it.

    ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not much.¡±

    ¡°You, you¡¯re trying to make it easier for me right? I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to go slightly easier than be anxious about it. There shouldn¡¯t be too much of a difference in terms of the result.¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m fine, so don¡¯t do it.¡±

    Until the very end, she was trying to fight against it with her own power. Thinking that there was nothing he could do about it, he was about to leave the room when a hurried voice halted his feet.

    ¡°Where you going?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°W, where are you going?¡±

    He turned around.

    A voice that couldn¡¯t hide the trembling anxiety flowed out of her mouth.

    ¡°Stay here for today¡­¡±

 Chapter 97: Restriction (3)

    <h4>Chapter 97: Restriction (3)</h4>

    He looked at the red-haired child.

    Her eyes couldn¡¯t hide the tremor within. With crooked eyebrows and a powerless gaze, her small body was curled up.

    The hair drenched in sweat reminded one of a puppy out in the rain. Her hunched shoulders and knees seemed to be shouting that she was hurt and anxious.

    Had she been unhappy today?

    Thus, he decided to stay with her tonight.

    Sitting on a chair, the Regressor stared at the dragon who was unable to fall asleep even at night. Her delicate and unstable breaths that could cease at any moment trembled while her hands and feet squirmed around.

    After listening to her groan for a long time, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°How about you sleepfortably at least. You look like you need a medic.¡±

    For a long time, she didn¡¯t say anything in response, but soon, her head turned towards him beneath the nket.

    ¡°¡­me ¡®dic¡¯?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°P, penis¡­¡±

    She then tried tough. But due to the severe pain, she couldn¡¯t evenugh properly as her eyes formed a crooked smile.

    ¡°Nothing but talk nonsense.¡±

    ¡°¡­The mouth has to be light. Then, it would float and save our life even when we¡¯re dumped in the water.¡±

    If you say so.

    ¡°How does it feel. Can you handle it?¡±

    Yeorum looked back at him. Moonlight sneaked past the curtains and lit up her face. Her eyebrows slightly eased despite the irritation on her face.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. How many times do I have to say it? I¡¯m, okay¡­¡±

    Although she was pronouncing every single word urately, she couldn¡¯t hide the shivering of her lips. The moon was too bright.

    ¡°¡­Stop, asking me the same thing.¡±

    Looking back, Yeorum¡¯s Amusement was different from others¡¯. The other dragons left for their Amusements in order to enjoy their life; to forever etch those good memories into their heads. To prove that, they didn¡¯t show any particr habit or regr actions when they were shoved into the undergroundbyrinth in front of the Fragment of Paradise. It was because they had already found their happiness.

    However, the Red Dragon alone was different. It continued training endlessly without a stop. The Regressor thought that it was because the dragon had a strong desire for improvement in its heart.

    From what he saw, it was fundamentally different from how the 30-man Special Forces were dying to exercise. Their training session was an inertial continuation of their habits, while the Red Dragon¡¯s training was a manifestation of her desire for improvement.

    In that case, why did the Red Dragon seek strength so badly? Was it simply because she was from the red race?

    It could be said that receiving the acknowledgement of the race was important, but the Regressor still found it difficult to understand itpletely.

    For him to just assume that to be the case,

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The tremor and shivering behind her face appeared overly precarious.

    However, the only thing he could do right now was to remain sitting there with her. The Regressor watched over her.

    In the cold pale light of dawn, she fell asleep amidst her unstable breaths.

    She had kicked the nket away due to the fire in her heart, so he carefully ced it back on top. He then stared deeply at her face and those tissues stuffed into her nose, before standing up in order to leave the room.

    But then, Yeorum woke up.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her half-opened eyes looked directly into his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Thinking that she was bing anxious again, he gave a light shake of his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going. Rx and sleep.¡±

    A response didn¡¯te back. The only thing that came back was her gaze, with her head poking out above the nket.

    He sat back down and started at her as the silence continued for several minutes.

    ¡°You know¡­¡±

    That was when she opened her mouth with a very soft voice.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°This, r, restricting thing¡­ You said it was in your body as well right.¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°It, doesn¡¯t hurt?¡±

    He was about to reply, ¡®No¡¯, but then hesitated. Thinking back, he had read from an education-rted book that he had to empathise with them and share the pain.

    Empathise, empathise¡­ it was a foreign word prickling his tongue.

    How should he say this.

    ¡°In the past, it did for me as well.¡±

    ¡°In the past?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It was painful when I put it on for the first time.¡±

    ¡°Why did you w, wear it?¡±

    ¡°To be stronger.¡±

    It was in the sixth iteration, before he crossed the dimensional gap in order to conquer the demon world. Later, its purpose was changed to restricting his power, but he had worn it at the start in order to be stronger.

    ¡°My heart didn¡¯t beat properly. It was hard to speak, and hard to walk.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I wanted to breathe but my lungs didn¡¯t listen to me. And my heart ached like it was being torn apart.¡±

    ¡°Did you like, c, cry and stuff?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t cry. I did vomit a lot though.¡±

    ¡°Going like, u, uweek?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fucking¡­ funny. Going uwek with that face. Lol¡­¡±

    Sheughed under her unstable breaths.

    ¡°W, why did you do that?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why. I vomited because I didn¡¯t feel good.¡±

    ¡°No, not that. Why d, did you want to be stronger.¡±

    It was an unexpected question.

    The Regressor was about to reply instinctively but stopped his tongue. He thought power would be able to solve everything back then but it wasn¡¯t a good topic to discuss with Yeorum.

    When he went silent, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°See that? L, look at you going silent again.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Silence is your f, forte ey? Whenever you talk a little bit about yourself¡­ you just s, shut your mouth.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right.¡±

    ¡°¡®Righttt~¡¯ m, my ass. F, fuck.¡±

    Her mana fluctuated alongside her unstable emotions. When the pain red up inside her heart, Yeorum stopped herint and groaned to resist the pain.

    The Regressor, who wasn¡¯t good with words, merely watched on.

    After the pain dispersed and her breaths returned, she opened her mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m the y, youngest daughter.¡±

    ¡°Youngest daughter?¡±

    ¡°I had unnis. Seven.¡±

    It was the first time he was hearing this.

    ¡°Red dragons always give birth to a lot of children. It, it¡¯s different from other dragons who always keep their numbers between one to three¡­ They give birth, as much as possible when they can and send everyone on their Amusement. All the unnis from 20 to 100 years old already had their first Amusements.¡±

    ¡°And you hadn¡¯t gone for yours yet?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I was born really reallyte¡­ Breaking out of the eggs that wereid at the same time, is also a talent and I wasn¡¯t talented.¡±

    She nkly stared off into the distance, thinking about something.

    ¡°For some reason, I, I was reallytepared to other unnis. The other unnis didn¡¯t really care about me who was still a baby, and I was bashed whenever we were eating¡­ but then my youngest unni took care of me. S, so we became really close.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If we go out together and y, we will bring a carriage full of good men. W, we talked about things like that everyday. I was three years old back then, but it sounded really fun. I wanted to go out on my Amusement asap¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So when my youngest unni left for her Amusement, I was really jealous and sad. She protected me whenever I was getting hit by other unnis so when she went off on herself, it, it was shit.¡±

    After forcibly settling her breath, she heaved out a sigh before pulling the tissues out of her nose.

    ¡°Haa, fuck¡­ That¡¯s a bit better.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyways, on the day that youngest unni came back from her Amusement, she called me just by myself and suddenly threatened me.¡±

    She extended her arm out, and mimicked what happened back then.

    ¡°She then said this. If the adults ask if you want to go for the Amusement, refuse and say you¡¯re too young and scared. So I got angry. ¡®Are you the only one going? I¡¯ll go as well.¡¯ You know what happened? When I said that, she suddenly pointed a sword at me. She said, do you think a child like you could even dream of going for the Amusement; do you know how cruel the world is; and that she would kill me if I didn¡¯t listen to her words.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And, fuck, because her eyes were crazy scary, I felt betrayed and scared but still li, listened to her words¡­ The adults really didn¡¯t like it, but I s, stood firm. At least it would be better than being k, killed by my youngest unni¡­¡±

    Then, Yeorum suddenly chuckled out loud.

    ¡°And after a few days, I discovered the truth. In arge mountain full ofva, a, all the dotards of our race gathered and my family was all there as well. It was like t, twenty dragons in total¡­¡±

    She then bit her lips.

    ¡°Suddenly, my oldest unni bit my youngest unni¡¯s neck¡­¡±

    The Regressor gave a frown. He instinctively understood what had happened. It was a possible story for the red race which worshipped the strong.

    ¡°I found outter on. T, the reason the red raceys a lot of eggs, is to find one or t, two excellent children.¡±

    It was obvious what would happen to the non-excellent ones.

    ¡°When they all finish their first Amusements, our race forces the kids to fight against each other. One remaining dragon per generation will be monopolising the blessings¡­ W, we call this the ¡®Selection Ceremony¡¯.¡±

    Her breaths quickened.

    ¡°There, all the other unnis died, and th, the oldest unni was the only survivor.¡±

    Yeorum closed her eyes.

    Her unforgetting memories brought her back to the unforgettable scenery. The volcano erupted as rocks and dust scattered like clouds above the sky. Embers of fire danced.

    Large dragons of the race spread their wings far apart and bellowed towards the heavens. There, the bloodstained hatchling looked down on its youngest sister.

    ¡°F, fuck¡­ Do you know what that bitch, said to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum looked back at Yu Jitae. Soon, she stood up from her bed and stumbled her way across to him. The Regressor was sitting down so Yeorum gazed down at him from higher up.

    She grabbed him by the chin.

    ¡°Lucky aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Then, she imitated someone else¡¯s bewitching voice.

    ¡°T, that¡¯s what she said. Fucking seriously. That fucking slut, that disgusting bitch¡­¡±

    Lucky.

    It was a sarcasticment on how Yeorum was born extremelytepared to the other unnis of the generation. If she had been born slightly earlier, around the time her youngest unni had been born, Yeorum wouldn¡¯t be standing here.

    ¡°But, it was very scary back then.¡±

    Yeorum clutched her heart and held her breath in pain, which had surged back up from speaking too much. She struggled but copsed so the Regressor hurriedly supported her.

    Haa, haa¡­ her pained groans continued endlessly.

    When heid her back down on the bed, she held tightly onto her chest and curled her body. She then shivered for a long time in pain and it took a long time for her to settle back down.

    He didn¡¯t know what to do. The Regressor carefully pulled several tissues out and wiped off the beads of sweat forming on her forehead and her face. She slowly opened her eyes from the flood of pain.

    ¡°What happens when you go back.¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply.

    But, her red eyes reflecting the moonlight nkly stared into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Through the repetitive regressions, he had encountered her countless times but had been unaware, of the reason why the Red Dragon had to be strong.

    ¡°For the first time, I pushed my pride down against you¡­¡±

    But now, he could understand ¨C the reason why she would always head to the training room, even when Kaeul and Gyeoul were ying around, and when Bom was leisurely reading a book; the meaning behind the drops of sweat that fell on the floor of the undergroundbyrinth as she nk-mindedly trained in martial art.

    For her, this was not an Amusement.

    Losing in a fight against someone would remind her of the impending death once more.

    The fact that she couldn¡¯t get stronger despite working hard, would mean that it wasn¡¯t good enough despite her life being on the line.

    Everything he had seen so far ¨C her expressions and her words came to him with a different resonance.

    She gazed up at him, and asked.

    ¡°But I¡¯m¡­ doing a good job right?¡±

    Her voice ovepped with the question she asked several days ago.

    Despite being in so much pain, she didn¡¯t give up. She knew that relying on someone would make herfortable but didn¡¯t.

    As Yeorum¡¯s guardian, he was now in the position of a teacher although still imperfect. Her happiness rested on his shoulders.

    He was certain, and thus was able to give her a share of his certainty.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Only then did Yeorum give a nod in relief. Then, she slowly went back to sleep with her unstable breaths.

    Until the break of dawn, the Regressor remained by her side.

 Chapter 98: Lair Amusement Park (1)

    <h4>Chapter 98: Lair Amusement Park (1)</h4>

    But she didn¡¯t wake up even after the sun rose.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Opening the pocket watch, he checked the time. It was 8:30 am, which was past the time for the morning training session.

    Why isn¡¯t she waking up.

    He looked into Yeorum¡¯s body. She had been groaning throughout the night in an attempt to keep her breath steady, which seemed to have paid off. Now, she was breathing fairly stably in her sleep.

    But her dragon heart which had been exhausted from that process automatically entered a forced rest period.

    ¡°Oh, really? Then she probably wouldn¡¯t wake up for the next three days,¡± Bom said.

    Indeed, he could still remember how Bom had been sleeping like a log for three days after transferring magic to Gyeoul.

    ¡°Must have been tough for her.¡±

    Bom caressed her head in her sleep.

    During breakfast, Gyeoul focused on her chopsticks. She was trying to eat some jello and got upset after it repeatedly escaped from her grip.

    Slip¨C

    The jello slid through the chopsticks. After failing multiple times, she became upset and stabbed the jello deep.

    Now, she just had to lift it up.

    She carefully raised the pair of chopsticks with her hand but the jello broke into two pieces and fell off.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul turned rigid. She seemed to gotten a brain freeze ¨C her face was nk and the chopsticks stopped in mid-air after losing its purpose.

    That was when Yu Jitae carefully called her.

    ¡°Do you have time today.¡±

    Her dull eyes were refilled with liveliness with his voice.

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go to the amusement park?¡±

    She gave a wide smile.

    <strong>Episode 33: Lair Amusement Park (1)</strong>

    Go and bring that guy.

    That was themand it received from its lord.

    ¡®I shall listen to yourmand, my lord.¡¯

    [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)], wearing the mask of ¡®Hashimoto¡¯, a female Japanese.

    She was living a busy life recently with not a single room for rest. After the Melissia Masquerade came to an end, the sense of caution of the demons reached its max level with the deaths of Noah and Wei Yan.

    The society of demons was divided into several smaller portions and the undetectables split into multiple organisations. There was an increasing number of those questioning the strategy of swallowing Lair itself, and once the opposing group increased in size, Ma Namjoon the deputy principal, killed a few of those demons and disyed their heads for all to see.

    However, his threat wasn¡¯t very effective because fear had alreadyid a deep root into the entire organisation.

    Not a single demon survived the Melissia Masquerade, so they knew close to nothing about what happened inside. From the fear of being targeted by the unknown, the demons scattered like cockroaches.

    The clone infiltrated the undetectables within that reorganising period, and endlessly watched the situation unfold under the deputy principal, Ma Namjoon.

    In summary, it was like the following:

    1. An extreme number of demons were leaving Lair.

    2. Demons will disperse andy low in order to build their power and wouldn¡¯t act or dream big any time soon.

    3. Nothing rted to the dragons would probably happen for the next 20 years

    Just like that, the world was flowing as Yu Jitae had nned.

    If there was onest thing that interrupted the ¡®Perfect 7th Iteration¡¯, it would be the Hostility being sent by the existence on the other side of the Horizon of Providence. Even the Regressor was powerless before this but fortunately, it was pretty quiet recently.

    That day, the clone travelled to the [Underground Labyrinth] through the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]. She hade here twice already instead of Yu Jitae. There were stillrge containers, mental soldiers, a small rabbit-like woman and an insincere metal armour.

    ¡°Ohh! The pharmacist is here!¡±

    ¡°Pharmacist! Wee, uhahaha!¡±

    The agents called Yu Jitae a doctor and BM a nurse. For some reason, the clone was being called a pharmacist.

    ¡°Where is BM?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll tell you easily? Kuhaha!¡±

    Bell Baryon, drunk with the Light of Paradise, said that and the agentsughed, ¡®¡°Wahahahat!¡± in response.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The clone didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do an arm wrestle. I¡¯ll tell you if you beat me.¡±

    ¡°An arm wrestle?¡±

    The soldiers refuted.

    ¡°Hahat! Boss! Aren¡¯t you being too shameless?!¡±

    ¡°Look at the difference in arm size. The pharmacistdy has an arm like my little son, while boss¡¯s arm is like an elephant¡¯s leg! And yet you¡¯re asking for an arm wrestle? Uhaha!¡±

    Bell screamed.

    ¡°Shut up you idiots! Miss Pharmacist. How is it. Do you want to or not.¡±

    The clone indifferently looked at them before shaking her head. She decided to y along for just once.

    On top of the table, a thin and slender arm and an arm bigger than a person¡¯s waist confronted one another. Straight after an agent signalled the start of the fight,

    Kwaaang!

    Bell¡¯s hand was flipped outward as it crushed the table in an instant. She screamed from the sudden pain. One round was enough to see the winner ¨C it was the clone¡¯s victory. At once, a thunderous apuse left the crowd.

    ¡°Uwaaaaah! Pharmacist!!¡±

    ¡°Damn it! She¡¯s so cool! Kuhahahaha!!¡±

    ¡°Oh gosh! Our boss was crushed¨C! Along with her pride! We must give her IV therapy with vodka until tomorrow morning!¡±

    Bell Baryon shouted, ¡°Damn it! Who the fuck are you guys cheering for? Kyahahat!¡± but they ran up to the clone and tossed her into the air without caring about Bell. Some of them went up to Bell and tried to tie her hair into two braids saying it was the loss penalty but were bashed up.

    While moving up and down in mid-air, the clone turned her head around.

    Within the crowd, she could see Ha Saetbyul with widened shoulders.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    For some reason, that child seemed to be getting bigger and bigger as time went.

    ¡°Oh. We have a guest.¡±

    After a few minutes, BM returned from outside thebyrinth. Pushing his sunsses up, BM chugged some vodka and weed the clone.

    ¡°What brings you here today, I wonder.¡±

    ¡°I came here to bring the metal te back.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, if you¡¯re talking about ¡®Armata¡¯, please do whatever suits you the best. I was thinking that he was getting better. He¡¯s gradually getting brighter these days and I think it¡¯s a great time for him to leave.¡±

    The protector bing brighter meant that the mental contamination had been lifted, with the Light of Paradise having a greater effect on it.

    ¡°Ah, but by the way¡­¡±

    BM carefully opened his mouth. He then talked about the thing that happened at the Grand Natural Society.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying Simon Abkarian wishes to see my lord?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well yeah. Well, that¡¯s how things turned out.¡±

    Simon Abkarian.

    He was the Saviour of Gallia, the hero of France; representative of the organisation, ¡®Superhuman Without Border¡¯, ranked 29th officially worldwide.

    It was a name which the clone also knew of, as a being that shared a portion of the Regressor¡¯s memories. There were times when he had been arade in the past iterations as well as an enemy. Looking back at this point, the only characteristic that stood out was that he was quite an obstinate guy.

    ¡°Seems to be doubting my lord.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, my persuasion wasn¡¯t enough. That guy ¨C he really doesn¡¯t listen. If you think it¡¯ll be bothersome, you can refuse it. I don¡¯t think <i>he</i> would worry about his image perceived by the Grand Natural Society.¡±

    That was true. Yu Jitae wouldn¡¯t really care how the Grand Natural Society thought about him.

    Whatever they tried to do, Yu Jitae¡¯s daily life wouldn¡¯t be disturbed.

    The Regressor had a firm grip on a few of the Association¡¯s weak points. Although the Association was already aware of the existence of an ¡®unofficial ranker transcending the normal standards¡¯, they could never openly discuss the topic.

    As the proof, even the Grand Natural Society seemed to be clueless about how the Association already knew about Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But for some reason, Yu Jitae of the seventh iteration appeared to be trying to stay close to the Grand Natural Society.

    Right in front of itself was the proof. Even the fact that BM still had his head attached was more than enough of an evidence.

    After some thought, the clone gave a nod.

    ¡°Do you want me to leave the address?¡±

    *

    Three dayster, at the officetel of the clone.

    The clone was still wearing the mask of a young female Japanese. She was randomly putting makeup on her face in preparation for the afternoon schedule.

    Knock knock.

    Something knocked on the window of the officetel.

    When the clone turned her head, she found a crow spirit beast.

    ¨C Kraa.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¨C Kraaa.

    It seemed that it would continue screaming as long as the window was left closed.

    The clone opened the window as therge crow turned small before entering the officetel. Seeing a letter tied onto its leg, the clone was curious about the person that would use such an outdated method but quietly opened it up.

    When she looked inside, a scoff naturally left her mouth.

    [Little Red Door, 60 Rue Charlot, 75003 Paris, France]

    She had left the address for him to visit if he wanted to meet, and yet the other side had sent another address.

    ¡°How rude¡­¡±

    She was dumbfounded.

    Was he trying to have a battle of ego? For some reason, some humans became more and more egoistic about worthless things the more they aged.

    Using the lipstick which she was trying to put on her lips, the clone drew an X on the letter. Then, she tied it back onto the crow¡¯s leg before sending it back out.

    ***

    Lair Amusement Park.

    It was at the northmost ce of the entertainment district. For Yu Jitae, it was his first time visiting this fancy theme park which was connected to both Lair and Haytling,

    Kaeul had left early in the morning to meet her friends.

    Today, it was just Yu Jitae, Bom and Gyeoul who arrived at the amusement park.

    ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot of people,¡± Bom murmured.

    They thought it would be quiet considering that it was still the holidays, but the line waiting for their tickets was quite long. They were tourists from all around the globe.

    Once they set foot onto the amusement park, they found a fancy floating castle decorating the background off in the distance. People wearing costumes of a reliable cat, the symbolic mascot of Lair, waved their hands to wee the visitors.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    After entering the amusement park, Gyeoul shed her eyes and wriggled around inside Yu Jitae¡¯s arms.

    ¡°You want to go down?¡±

    Nod.

    It was rare for her to request him to put her down. When he put her down, she began throwing cautious nces towards him.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A small hand slowly sneaked towards his. She carefully held onto Yu Jitae¡¯s fingers and held Bom¡¯s hand with her other hand. Then, she walked forward as if saying that she would be the one in the lead today.

    ¡°I got it, Gyeoul. Let¡¯s go slowly.¡±

    Gyeoul, who was alwaysid back, was unusually excited and thus Bom had to calm her down.

    The first ride they got on was a pirate ship. Arge ship floated up with magic and began moving left and right. The Regressor sat down without thinking much but Bom and Gyeoul screamed, ¡°Kyahaa¨C!¡± and enjoyed themselves. Their refreshingughter reached his ears.

    Gyeoul, who took the human form straight after her birth, especially enjoyed things like this that were fast.

    ¡°Wahh that was fun. Was it fun for you as well, Gyeoul?¡±

    Nod nod.

    The next ride was called ¡®Urobos Coaster¡¯. At the gates, one of the staff members asked Gyeoul.

    ¡°Littledy. Can I check your height?¡±

    Since she had already gotten on it a few times, Gyeoul gave a big, confident nod. Her height was 110cm. She barely made it in.

    Soon, Yu Jitae and the kids rode on the back of arge spirit beast snake, ¡®Jormungandr¡¯. This spirit beast loved flying around. The animal keeper tapped the snake a few times with a whip which made it begin flying up. It felt like they were riding on a dragon¡¯s head.

    The snake flew inside the amusement park for a while and sneaked past to Haytling, before flying off the floating ind itself.

    Seeing the unfathomable height they were in, others let out screams of joy while Gyeoul followed suit without knowing why.

    The snake suddenly dropped down as the spirit beast keeper took a picture of the tourists.

    Once they got out of the ride, a picture of Yu Jitae, Bom and Gyeoul appeared on the hologram disy. Bom was smiling brightly while Gyeoul had a slight frown.

    Yu Jitae, who didn¡¯t bother hiding his presence, was also seen in the corner with a depressed expression.

    ¡°What is this. This is too funny.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    His expression which remained extremely serious despite the hair fluttering in the wind appeared like a strange painting. After having the picture sent to their own devices, Bom and Gyeoul chuckled.

    After taking a few other rides, it was time for lunch.

    At the corner of the amusement park, there was a cafeteria disying the scenery of the ground beneath. Yu Jitae and the kids decided to have lunch there.

    They ordered some food at a rip-off price 20 times more expensive than their actual worth, and were nkly sitting there.

    ¡°Unn? Aren¡¯t you Bom?¡±

    That was when someone greeted Bom from behind.

    ¡°Huh? Professor. Hello.¡±

    She gently smiled with a nod.

    It was a middle-aged man with a nk forehead, Professor Myung Jong.

    He was one of the renowned professors of Lair, the leader of White Horse study group and a local ranker of Korea. He was also one of the magic studies professors that were infatuated with Bom during her admission.

    There were many offers from Myung Jong and other professors even after that but Bom politely turned them down every single time. Now, the two of them appeared to have a good rtionship as a professor and a cadet.

    ¡°Aigo, who knew I¡¯d find you here? Ahh, hello. I¡¯m Myung Jong.¡±

    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m the guardian, Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°What brings you here, professor?¡±

    ¡°Un? I came to y with my family, of course. How about we have a meal together if you¡¯re okay with that sir?¡±

    There was no reason to reject his offer.

    When he agreed, Myung Jong called his family over with a bright expression. Yu Jitae had seen Professor Myung Jong several times while apanying Bom with her studies, but he hadn¡¯t been interested in this timid professor so up until now, he didn¡¯t know.

    He didn¡¯t know the fact that Professor Myung Jong was from Korea¡¯s renowned magic household, the ¡®Myung Household¡¯. He also didn¡¯t know that his son was the Druid of Regeneration, Myung Yongha.

    ¡°Father. They¡¯re saying we can¡¯t take the spiciness out from the curry.¡±

    Arge voice of a big male was heard from a distance. It was Myung Yongha.

    He was Korea¡¯s strategic weapon and because he was a world famous celebrity, he had changed his appearance with a fake mask. However, the aura he gave off and his sheer size gave it away.

    Myung Yongha was pushing a pram, from which a small baby was peeking its head out.

    ¡°They can¡¯t take it out? But whyy? I hate spicy food.¡±

    ¡°Uhahat! Then why don¡¯t you have something else? But why are you telling us toe here when we finally got ourselves a seat¡­ nn?¡±

    After finding Yu Jitae, Myung Yongha¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Huuh? You¡­¡±

 Chapter 99: Lair Amusement Park (2)

    <h4>Chapter 99: Lair Amusement Park (2)</h4>

    Jean-Luc Wenger, the secretary of Simon Abkarian, was a superhuman in histe eighties with a nched hair. He heaved out a sigh as deep wrinkles appeared near his lips.

    ¡°So you directly sent them the address.¡±

    This old superhuman was always worried about his master Simon, the representative of Superhuman Without Border (SWB).

    ¡°What could possibly happen?¡±

    ¡°I heard that ¡®demon hunter¡¯ was very strong. To an overwhelming level amongst the unofficial rankers.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, yes.¡±

    Simon Abkarian was an extremely ambitious man. Despite being in his forties, he seeked strength like a young child and moved his tongue like an old politician. Such characteristics of his amplified even more as he rose to be the saviour of France after a meritorious service during the war at a young age.

    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t the Association be in my hands sometime soon?¡¯

    The words he spoke of during a drinking-bout a few years ago, was etched into Jean-Luc¡¯s brain.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t that BM say he was stronger than himself? There must be some circumstances if a person that strong had been hiding his identity.¡±

    ¡°Circumstances as in?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps something that can¡¯t be shared. Like a catastrophe-ranked demon that betrayed itsrades, or possibly another returnee.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, you can¡¯t be saying that for real, Jean-Luc.¡±

    ¡°Simon! BM is very transparent. He¡¯s a strong-willed person who shared the responsibility despite having no interest in the merits.¡±

    ¡°I know that much as well. He¡¯s most likely not telling a lie.¡±

    ¡°And yet, you gave them such a first impression? It wille back to bite us over and over again.¡±

    He was referring to Simon¡¯s rudeness, but he merely shook his head.

    ¡°Who am I, Wenger.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I am the representative of SWB, a VVIP of the Association, the Hero of Gallia.¡±

    A sense of authority dripped from his voice.

    ¡°<i>I</i> requested for the address, and yet BM apparently gave me the address of another spokesperson. In that case, who¡¯s the one that started the bad first impression?¡±

    Simon gave a crooked smile.

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter what the first impression is. BM said he was an individual, right.¡±

    ¡°He did.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say he really is awesome. He¡¯s still by himself isn¡¯t he? Even if he can fly or whatever, can he do what he wants to after ignoring the Grand Natural Society, the SWB and the Association?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°In fact I couldn¡¯t understand why BM and Li Hwa were acting like that. What¡¯s so great about a person whose name we don¡¯t even know that they¡¯re revering him so much? Well, I guess both of them are also a bunch of fools with nothing but strength. They don¡¯t know it¡¯s the end once they get pulled into the opponent¡¯s pace.¡±

    He had been living for dozens of years in the battlefield after the New Era, but the old man couldn¡¯t give a straightforward answer to this situation. An unprecedented existence had appeared and there was no historical evidence that could be referred back on.

    However, the man still had his instincts.

    ¡°Perhaps that might not be the end.¡±

    Demon hunter.

    BM exined the power level of that person as ¡®unfathomable¡¯. And yet he didn¡¯t move for personal gains nor did he belong to an organisation.

    Power was given to those that strongly seeked it, and thus the strong always desired for something repeatedly. An existence like that person who deviated from the logic of power was the paradox itself.

    An rm bell was going off in Jean-Luc¡¯s head. The old man felt ominous for some reason.

    ¡°Jean-Luc. You¡¯re wise but always worried. Ahh, look. There¡¯s Crow finallying back.¡±

    The spirit beast fluttered its wings across. The letter was still on its ankle.

    A frown appeared on Simon¡¯s face as he opened the letter. On top of the address written down, there was a red cross casually scribbled across.

    Simon gave an exaggerated smile in a sarcastic admiration. He licked his lips with the tip of his tongue.

    ¡°Do you see this! How rude could they be.¡±

    Rejection was one thing, but disregarding him like this was uneptable ¨C that was usually the case for all ambitious people.

    Emotionally, Simon infuriatingly wrote the next letter. The content was as follows.

    [Last Chance]

    [Little Red Door, 60 Rue Charlot, 75003 Paris, France]

    I¡¯ll give you yourst chance.

    Hurry.

    ¡°Now, Crow. Off you go.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Here is the Set Menu A that you¡¯ve ordered.¡±

    Along with curry, a roasted chicken and several noodles were ced on the table.

    ¡°Should we wash our hands?¡±

    While Bom and Gyeoul were wiping their hands with a wet tissue, Yu Jitae sliced the chicken into small pieces and ced them on Gyeoul¡¯s te. She, who had been excited throughout the entire day, was now holding a chopstick in each hand while disintegrating the chicken.

    ¡°So, like, Bom. Where did Yeorum and Kaeul go?¡±

    ¡°Ah, they both have something to do.¡±

    ¡°That little friend, is her name¡­ Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Hohh. I thought that might be the case. But seriously, the power of DNA is amazing. She¡¯s so pretty. Uhahahat!¡±

    It was now clear why Myung Yongha alwaysughed the way he did. Professor Myung Jongughed heartily and blinked his eyes at Gyeoul while saying, ¡°Ururung! Ororong!¡±.

    She gave a slight frown at Myung Jong, before turning back to the chicken.

    ¡°Hahat! Father. You can¡¯t do it like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay?¡±

    ¡°Watch me.¡±

    Then, Myung Yongha went ¡°Ddork! Ddork!¡± and clicked his tongue. But once again, Gyeoul frowned without saying anything.

    ¡°You¡¯re being silly, honey.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°You too, father. The baby¡¯s scared.¡±

    ¡°Urgh, I wasn¡¯t that bad¡­¡±

    Only after hearing a mouthful from the wife did the father and son restrain themselves. Soon, Myung Yongha sent a subtle gaze to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Do you recognise me?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Hahat, I never even imagined I would meet you here.¡±

    Myung Yongha¡¯s party consisted of Professor Myung Jong, Myung Yongha himself, his wife and his two sons. Thedy wearing a straw hat appeared healthier than before and unlike when they met at the Lake of Life, she didn¡¯t cough either.

    Looking back at the previous iterations, she would have died but this time she was alive. The Regressor had saved her.

    However, he only thought to himself, ¡®Is that so¡¯. He didn¡¯t really feel anything apart from that.

    He turned his gaze over to the side. There was a child staring nkly at Gyeoul.

    It was Myung Yongha¡¯s son. Was his name Myung Jun-il?

    The child wasn¡¯t focused on his meal and his eyes remained stuck on Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    And when Gyeoul turned towards him, he hurriedly devoured his bread. He looked exactly like Gyeoul when she was looking at himself.

    ¡°¡­Congrattions on your second child.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. His name¡¯s Junhyuk.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    After that, Myung Yongha stayed quiet and focused on feeding the child.¡°Ahuh, dude, this is spicy. Ahoo¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    When Professor Myung Jong fanned his mouth with his hand, Gyeoul showed interest. The Yu household was good at eating spicy food and didn¡¯t find it painful so she was intrigued by Myung Jong¡¯s reaction.

    Wearing a bright smile, Gyeoul fanned her own mouth with a small hand. Seeing that, a flower bloomed on Professor Myung Jong¡¯s face.

    ¡°Why are you copying me?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s spicy as well? Nn? Uhahaha!¡±

    For some reason, Myung Yongha¡¯s son also carefully copied Gyeoul and waved his hand.

    That was roughly how the meal continued.

    It was time to have ice cream as a dessert after the meal. Myung Yongha called Yu Jitae separately and asked if he could have a private chat together. Outside the cafeteria was a bench and the two males stood near it.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious and I just wanted to say thank you very much.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°Do you know who I am, Mister Jitae?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you might be confused but in fact¡­¡±

    He began talking about the things that happened with aposed voice. He talked about his wife who had been exposed to an ancient virus and how her condition worsened as the due date of her pregnancy approached.

    That was when he came across Yu Jitae as well as some medicine given by BM. He said it was honestly hard to see which of the two had been effective, but something like that wasn¡¯t important.

    ¡°I¡¯m extremely, grateful.¡±

    The strongest superhuman of Korea ¨C one of the greatest magicians worldwide. Myung Yongha the Druid of Regeneration, gave a deep bow and thanked Yu Jitae.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sincerely grateful. You are my benefactor.¡±

    ¡°Please raise your head. The kids might see it.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s goodwill had been on a simple whim. He was certain that Myung Yongha¡¯s wife would have no impact on the future and was givingpensation because he ate the mushroom that Myung Yongha had grown with care.

    The pained expression of Myung Yongha of the previous iterations shed in front of his eyes, but he still didn¡¯t feel much about it.

    ¡°Thanks to you, we¡¯re thinking of having a third as well. Hahat!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡±

    He was just curious whether he would finally be able to have a daughter or not.

    ¡°By the way.¡±

    Myung Yongha¡¯s voice got softer.

    ¡°Do you, by any chance, have an alias that you¡¯re working under?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Are you registered in the Association?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°So I assume you don¡¯t have any official records either.¡±

    ¡°That is the case.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His gaze became more profound.

    ¡°Mister Yu Jitae, ah, is that your real name?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I am quite confident in my ability to discern other superhumans with my eyes. That brings me to the next point.¡±

    Since his expression was overly serious, Yu Jitae realised what his offer would be.

    ¡°From the world rankers, there are a few friends gathered in order to drive the demons away from this world.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, nowadays the objective is slightly changed, and we spend half the time ying around but¡­¡±

    He awkwardly smiled before returning to his serious tone.

    ¡°There are several famous superhumans as well. We sometimes host banquets to build friendship and exchange information. It¡¯s kind of a secret so I can¡¯t really tell you their actual names but¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re okay, would you like to attend our banquet?¡±

    Instead of talking about the organisation itself, he was offering him to participate in the banquet.

    Unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t an innocent offer.

    If he did go there, the members of the Grand Natural Society would first try to check whether Yu Jitae was evil or not. And after the verification, they would turn him into a member.

    Like it had always been in the previous iterations.

    ¡°Thanks for your words, but I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°Ah, there are lots of good superhumans there. I swear on my name.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in a social meeting of superhumans.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±

    He sounded regretful but the light was still in his eyes. Myung Yongha didn¡¯t give up.

    ¡°If my offer had been too sudden, you can slowly think about it. We don¡¯t know how the world¡¯s going to change and we have to group together when we can.¡±

    ¡°I have some circumstances that stop me.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not something huge. You can juste and see it. Mister Jitae is a good person as well right?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think that?¡±

    That¡¯s¡­

    Myung Yongha was about to continue, but closed his mouth.

    The fact that Yu Jitae was good-natured was proven by Yu Bom, the girl who carried mother nature itself. A guardian of a child like that meant that he couldn¡¯t be an evil person.

    ¡­At least that¡¯s what he strongly believed based on the circumstantial evidences.

    ¡°I wish you didn¡¯t pay too much attention to me.¡±

    ¡°Mister Jitae is¡­¡±

    Before he could continue any further, Yu Jitae cut him off.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have that much of a good opinion on the Grand Natural Society.¡±

    Astonished, Myung Yongha¡¯s eyes widened. He wasn¡¯t expecting the organisation¡¯s name toe out from his mouth.

    However, the superhuman in front of him was unfathomably strong and Myung Yongha¡¯s brain worked fast.

    He instantaneously changed his line of thought.

    ¡°¡­Then does that mean Mister Jitae is against the Society.¡±

    His voice was a level deeper.

    There was no longer a kind and amiable superhuman. Wearing a calm and prudent expression, he gave off the aura of a soldier.

    But the Regressor replied indifferently.

    ¡°A hundred people have a hundred thoughts. The g of an organisation cannot substitute the thoughts of an individual.¡±

    Even though they had gathered under the pretext of defending humanity, not all of them wanted to protect humanity.

    ¡°¡­Is it because you don¡¯t find me reliable enough?¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head.

    ¡°I can trust you.¡±

    However, there were those that he couldn¡¯t.

    ***

    Simon¡¯s spirit beast, ¡®Crow¡¯, came flying but was unable to knock on the window as it always did. It did smack its head on the wall but the sound it created was a thud and not a knock.

    Jean-Luc Wenger doubted his own eyes. Something red exploded and had wetted the window.

    Soon, the old man looked around in astonishment.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The crow¡¯s neck had been snapped.

    A letter was inside its mouth.

 Chapter 100: Lair Amusement Park (3)

    <h4>Chapter 100: Lair Amusement Park (3)</h4>

    *(TL: The ending of previous chapter where the crow crashed into the window is more of a ¡®bump¡¯ than a ¡®thud¡¯ implying that it flew powerlessly on its own. Sorry about the mistrantion.)

    It struggled to take a few steps forward. Every time it moved, blood flowed out of its half-crushed neck.

    The crow lost its bnce after a few seconds and copsed after crashing its head into a table. After stopping once, the spirit beast was unable to stand back up on its own feet.

    What did this mean?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Jean-Luc Wenger raised his trembling hand to pull out a sses case and took out his sses artifact.

    Fortunately, no-one was inside the office. Simon was out on a personal matter with his attendants and Jean-Luc was the only one remaining inside the office as Simon¡¯s representative.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He decided to think about it.

    1. The other side is on the outskirts of Haytling. Haytling was currently floating above the Pacific Ocean, so it was on the other side of the globe.

    2. The crow spirit beast had its neck half-snapped but relied on the intense survivability of a spirit beast to fly all the way here.

    In other words, the opponent had snapped the neck of the crow to a point right before its death, so that it would die the moment it arrived at this ce. The reason they would do that was probably to warn them along with the return of the letter, telling them to know their own ce.

    But what? Snap the neck of a spirit beast so that it would die at a given time? Does that even make sense? If someone told him that, Jean-Luc wouldn¡¯t have believed it.

    There was something fishy about it. The old man decided to stop there for the time being.

    3. [Little Red Door, 60 Rue Charlot, 75003 Paris, France]

    The office Simon and Jean-Luc were in, was different from the address written on the letter. Little Red Door was a cafe where a different superhuman was currently positioned at. Simon would only leave for that ce after that person contacted them.

    The reason was simple ¨C it was because they wanted to hide the location of the office.

    When ¡®Crow¡¯ was being educated, it was taught to head to the closest base whenever it was flying. So theoretically, Crow should have gone to the cafe which was closer to Haytling than here, before flying over to this ce.

    And if the crow had gone to the cafe, he should¡¯ve been reported regarding it.

    However, there had been no reports.

    And Crow was here.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He gazed outside. The old man felt a prickling sense on his fingers. A hypothesis of an outrageous situation appeared on his head.

    Immediately, he called someone with his watch.

    After some time, the other party picked up.

    ¡°Arthur?¡±

    ¨C Yes, Arthur speaking.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¨C Sir Wenger? Your order please.

    ¡°¡­No. It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Jean-Luc ced his sses back into the container with shivering hands.

    He rposed the situation.

    The conclusion was this: the opponent knew where Simon¡¯s office was from the very start. Crow flew to the office because its neck was snapped at a ce that was closer to the office than the cafe. In other words, the opponent was nearby.

    Perhaps¡­ they were watching him right now somewhere beyond the window.

    ¡°This damned¡­¡±

    The old man heaved out a profanity before pulling the curtains to a close.

    His wrinkled fingers moved and took out the letter, etched deeply into the crow¡¯s mouth. It was wetted with Crow¡¯s blood.

    After opening the letter, the wrinkle on Jean-Luc¡¯s face became a level deeper.

    There were three circles and the first one had a red cross on it.

    Who would be the remaining two?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The old soldier intuitively realised it.

    Every time they handed the letter back, a cross would be added. However, if Simon didn¡¯t see this letter, the unnecessary strife would vanish and he definitely had to stop it from elerating.

    But, how?

    The old soldier closed his eyes.

    This was all because his senses had aged after the war ended. Back in the days¡­

    Damn it, the old age was getting to him.

    Now was not the time for excuses.

    He felt like bashing his young master on his face today. What was fortunate was that Simon wasn¡¯t next to him right now. Persuasion would have been near impossible if he had seen the dead body of Crow.

    So he had to hide Crow but Simon would be back in 20 minutes. What excuse should he give to exin the disappearance of a well-trained spirit beast¡­

    It was then.

    Thinking back, Crow tended to act selfishly once a year.

    When was his mating seasonst year again¡­?

    The old soldier opened his eyes.

    Although he finally saw a path out of this, a myriad of emotions came flooding in at the same time.

    He sincerely apologised to the spirit beast that suffered for more than ten years for them. He had flown back to his owner even at thest breath but the owner would never find out about his death.

    ¡°This is all my fault for being virtueless¡­¡±

    Jean-Luc chose to hide the body of the crow.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    There was no way out except for this.

    ***

    ¡°¡­I got it.¡±

    After saying that, Myung Yongha quickly returned from his tense expression and smiled.

    ¡°Hahat, sorry. I pretended to be serious for no reason.¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head. The reaction he showed just then was in fact on the milder side as a soldier.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re my benefactor. I¡¯ll give you my business card. Please contact me if you need help for anything, whatever it may be.¡±

    It was a white card with only the name and phone number written on it. Myung Yongha gave a wink.

    ¡°It¡¯s my number, not the manager¡¯s.¡±

    Their private conversation came to an end.

    Once they returned to the table, they found Professor Myung Jong, Bom, Gyeoul, Myung Yongha¡¯s big son and Myung Yongha¡¯s wife, Jung Hawon, chatting around.

    Myung Yongha carried seven bowls of ice cream and ced one in front of each person. The vours were vani, chocte and strawberry, and the one in front of Gyeoul was a strawberry-voured one. Seeing that, Myung Jun-il shook his head at his father.

    ¡°Why why. My son.¡±

    Seemingly at a shy age, Myung Jun-il was unable to clearly state what he wanted and instead sent his father a gaze. Then, Myung Yongha gave a faint grin before changing the ice cream with his son. Myung Jun-il was therefore able to eat strawberry-voured ice cream.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you not like strawberry?¡±

    ¡°I, I like it now.¡±

    ¡°Ohh, reallllyyy? Hmmm?¡±

    Wahahat! Myung Yongha heartilyughed after ncing at Gyeoul.

    Even after that, Myung Jun-il vaguely nodded or shook his head but Myung Yongha seemed to know exactly what his son wanted every single time like a detective.

    The Regressor found that to be intriguing. How did he know his son so well.

    Sitting on his seat, he looked back at Gyeoul. She, who had been mindlessly digging into the sticky gto ice cream, felt his gaze and faced him.

    Why don¡¯t I know what you¡¯re thinking, Yu Jitae asked inwardly.

    Then, Gyeoul widened her eyes into circles, hesitated for a bit, before scooping a spoonful of the strawberry ice cream and handing it over to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    She shook her head.

    Why?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should eat it.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    He still didn¡¯t really understand what the child wanted.

    *

    Gyeoul nkly stared at Myung Yongha and his wife. The eyes they had when looking at one another, was special.

    Was she seeing things? Gyeoul tilted her head.

    No. She wasn¡¯t. While the wife was feeding ice cream to the older son, Myung Yongha¡¯s eyes as he looked back and forth between the wife and the son appeared to be shooting something out.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Gyeoul wanted to know what that special gaze was about.

    Myung Yongha hummed and smiled as he leaned his chin on his wife¡¯s shoulder. He then eximed, ¡°What about me?¡± in a charming manner. His wife grumbled and said, ¡°Auuh, what are you doing?¡± Her words were clearly that of a refusal but the gaze she faced her husband with, also seemed to emanate something.

    The wife¡¯s gaze was still the same when she looked at the son, as well as the little baby.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For some reason, Gyeoul thought it looked very good.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She felt the little boy looking at her for some reason, but regardless, Gyeoul was curious.

    So, she scooped up some strawberry ice cream with her small hand and looked back at Yu Jitae. Then, she gently pushed her hand forward like what she had seen just then.

    *

    ¡°You want me to eat it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    She appeared expectant.

    When Yu Jitae extended his hand and tried to grab the spoon, Gyeoul stealthily dodged his hand and pushed it again once he lowered his hand.

    In other words, she was trying to feed him directly.

    He didn¡¯t know what meaning there could be behind feeding him, but Gyeoul was staring at him with extremely expectant eyes so Yu Jitae had no choice but to swallow the strawberry ice cream from Gyeoul¡¯s spoon.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Then, she suddenly widened her eyes.

    Excited, Gyeoul continued scooping up ice cream for Yu Jitae to eat. He didn¡¯t know how much he had to eat for the child to be satisfied, so the Regressor ate everything she was giving him.

    After repeating that for a long time, when the bowl of ice cream was about to bepletely emptied out, he found Bomughing under her breath.

    Why.

    ¡°Nn? It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    She continuedughing after that.

    It seemed that he had eaten too much. Gyeoul¡¯s bowl was now empty.

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    When she came to her senses and realised that the bowl was empty, Gyeoul formed a depressed expression. She was so absorbed in giving the food away that she didn¡¯t even see the state her own bowl was in.

    After noticing her expression, Bom whispered into Yu Jitae¡¯s ears.

    ¡®Please feed Gyeoul ice cream as well, ahjussi.¡¯

    What?

    ¡®Hurry. Gyeoul will be happy.¡¯

    Bom disyed a smile full of certainty.

    He didn¡¯t do it often, but it¡¯s not like this would be his first time feeding Gyeoul something. Nheless, the Regressor raised her up and ced her on top of hisp before giving her his chocte ice cream. Even then, he was doubtful.

    He wasn¡¯t giving a great gift, nor were they staring at a beautiful scenery. It was nothing but feeding ice cream.

    Would something like this, make you happy.

    While thinking that, the Regressor brought his spoon to her mouth. Since he was staring at the back of her head, he couldn¡¯t look at her expression as she carefully closed her mouth over the spoon.

    Her head swayed back and forth. She chewed after wiping the spoon clean as her cheeks twitched up.

    Before long, she finished swallowing the ice cream and gazed back at Yu Jitae. She was staring straight at his eyes, clearer than ever before.

    The Regressor didn¡¯t avoid her eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A few seconds passed as they nkly stared at each other. Soon, Gyeoul took in a deep breath and nodded her head. What was making her so satisfied¡­? He didn¡¯t know.

    But there was a bright smile of satisfaction hanging on her mouth.

    That was when Bom once again whispered into his ears.

    ¡®How was it? She liked it, right?¡±

    ¡®She did. Thanks.¡¯

    ¡®Then¡­ whose turn is it now?¡¯

    What?

    He turned to Bom and saw her opening her mouth, going ¡®Ahh¨C¡¯.

    Yu Jitae felt perplexed as Bom bursted out inughter and giggled.

    *

    After parting ways with Myung Yongha¡¯s family, he was going around the amusement park with Bom and Gyeoul.

    ¡°How about we go to the haunted house?¡±

    ¡°¡­Haunted house?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I think it¡¯ll be fun.¡±

    The Regressor thought for a bit.

    Haunted house, haunted house¡­

    It would be a different story for him and Bom, but Gyeoul might like it.

    On the way there, people wearing full costumes of Lair mascots weed people and handed out candies.

    There were costumes of a cat, a dog, a zebra, a deer, a baby chicken, a tiger and others.

    But from them, there was one extremely unique animal costume. With a blue face and a body resembling a reptile, it had a horn and beard on the head.

    It was the mythical creature, dragon.

    Gyeoul, who was in Yu Jitae¡¯s arms, shed her eyes and gestured to go towards the dragon mascot.

    When he did go there, Gyeoul began touching the animal costume on the face. Perhaps because of her careful touches or because the child was pretty, the person wearing the costume did not turn away from Gyeoul¡¯s fingers.

    After touching the beard for a long time, Gyeoul looked back at Yu Jitae. Then, she began pointing at other animals.

    ¡°¡­Cat.¡±

    He gave a nod.

    ¡°¡­Dog.¡±

    He nodded.

    After saying a zebra, a deer, Chirpy, a tiger and others, Gyeoul finally pointed at the dragon costume and asked.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s, this?¡±

    The Regressor gave an empty smile. He was slightly baffled.

    That was when a female voice was heard from inside the costume.

    ¨C It¡¯s a dragon, cute little friend!

    ¡°¡­Dragon?¡±

    Gyeoul looked back with a bright smile.

    She asked Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­What is, a dragon?¡±

 Chapter 101: Lair Amusement Park (4)

    <h4>Chapter 101: Lair Amusement Park (4)</h4>

    ¡°Everyone, gather up.¡±

    In response to BM¡¯s words, the hulks lying down on the floor raised their bodies.

    ¡°Get up, get up! Youzy pigs¡­! Don¡¯t you hear Mister Nurse calling us to gather up!¡±

    Bell Baryon shouted. Hearing their boss yell, they moved slightly faster and lined up in front of BM.

    With unfocused eyes, therge men and women gazed at the nurse and smiled. Behind the nurse stood a metal armour. Seemingly polished with a better oil than usual, the full-te armour shone like a new one.

    A nurse? Are they ying hospital or something? BM had never participated in their jokes but decided to y with them just for today.

    ¡°The metal armour, Armata¡­ is leaving hospital today.¡±

    In an instant, a wave of fluster appeared in their giggling faces and when the protector bowed from behind BM, the Special Force agents grabbed their heads and screamed.

    ¡°WHAAAAAAAT?!¡±

    ¡°HOOOOUULY SHIT!¡±

    ¡°SERIOUSLY?!?!¡±

    They were shocked.

    A precious friend who frequently exercised with them, washed their drenched clothes, washed the dishes and personally volunteered to do housework ¨C it was time for him to leave.

    While they were dismayed, the protector took a step forward and gave yet another bow.

    ¡°It was fun staying with you.¡±

    A metal-screeching voice flowed out.

    ¡°I was able to practise mycking housework skills. I realised the joy of washing dishes, and understood the happiness ofundry. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±

    The agents weren¡¯t able to speak. Joy and sorrow intertwined in their hearts.

    Amidst the silence, the protector opened its mouth.

    ¡°Kaiman. You¡¯re a good person. Although you¡¯re an old man in your fifties and short, I know the type of person you are. You will definitely meet a good person.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you damned full ted armour! There are lots of womening after me, man!¡±

    Kaiman, the agent, raised his middle finger with augh. The protector turned its head and stared at the other agents.

    ¡°Santos. Please ask the nurse for new underwear. It¡¯s worn out.¡±

    ¡°Damn. It¡¯s because my thing is too amazing.¡±

    ¡°¡­Not from what I saw.¡±

    Wahahat! Theyughed and someone pped Santos on his butt.

    ¡°Judie. I can¡¯t believe your husband is still alive.¡±

    ¡°What?? Why! Fuck.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you do a guillotine choke in your sleep?¡±

    Kuhahahat! Therge woman heartilyughed and eximed, ¡°That¡¯s why we used different rooms!¡± Other agents remembered that the protector would sometimes wake up in the morning creased and dented andughed.

    Calling out the thirty agents one by one by their name, the protector gave them its opinion before calling the leader, Bell Baryon.

    ¡°Bell. Be a good leader.¡±

    ¡°See youter. You damned metal.¡±

    A faint degree of sorrow was slightly mixed into their happiness for the protector¡¯s departure. It was the same for everyone present.

    Bell extended her fist out and the protector awkwardly matched its own fist with hers.

    Thest one remaining was Ha Saetbyul.

    ¡°Saetbyul. I¡¯m particrly more concerned about you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your hard work. My hospital friend.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. You and I are beings that live to protect others. Once there is something you wish to protect, protect it at all costs.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul walked up and bumped her fist with the protector.

    ¡°Wish you a happy life.¡±

    ¡°I shall see youter.¡±

    ¨C A dragon is an imaginary animal.

    ¡°¡­Imagin, ary?¡±

    ¨C They fly around the air and shoot out fire. Kuaaang~!

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¨C Do you want toe over? Should we go ¡®vuuung¡¯ and fly?

    Nod!

    While the part-timer wearing the costume raised Gyeoul and flew her around the air, Yu Jitae threw a nce at Bom. It was because she tended to know things he didn¡¯t know.

    Bom whispered.

    ¡®I think she¡¯s confused about the word, dragon.¡¯

    ¡®Confused?¡¯

    ¡®I told her a long time ago that we are dragons and not humans. But Gyeoul has never seen her true body and hasn¡¯t seen us undo the polymorph either.¡¯

    In other words, she knew she was a dragon but thought that dragons were like humans.

    ¡®She¡¯s thinking if there¡¯s a different meaning to the word, dragon. In her head, a dragon looks like a human like me and Yeorum, and yet a costume is suddenly calling itself a dragon.¡¯

    ording to Bom, she only cancelled the polymorph once after she was born and even that was only for a split second.

    Thinking back, Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul went on their Amusement after the age of ten while Gyeoul was still in her egg state.

    Were dragons the same as humans for her?

    Even if that was the case, there was probably no need to touch on her values on a day like today where they were out to y.

    ¡®I guess we should tell her when the timees.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, you¡¯re right.¡¯

    ¡®Would Gyeoul be very surprised when she finds out about it?¡¯

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Bom went hmm¡­ and pondered. Her grass-coloured eyes looking at Gyeoul became profound.

    ¡®Nn¡­ I think so, yes. If she happens to cancel the polymorph one day, she would probably be very surprised after seeing her body. We have be very used to the human body after all, and that¡¯s how much we¡¯re absorbed in this Amusement life as well.

    ¡®What do you mean that you¡¯re absorbed in the Amusement?¡¯

    ¡®Just, it feels like this is where we are meant to be. Not an Amusement.¡¯

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    ¡®In fact, even I be confused sometimes.¡¯

    Yu Jitae had no time to think deeply about Bom¡¯sst words because Gyeoul pped her hands from the dragon mascot¡¯s grasp and reached her hands out at him.

    Perhaps having roughly understood the part-timer¡¯s words, Gyeoul didn¡¯t ask anything on the way to the haunted house.

    She felt thrilled to be at high ces, and enjoyed getting on anything fast. She was interested in food and liked water. Although she no longer yed with it, in the past she had liked dolls and plushies like kids of her age. Despite being able to fly, she usually walked and even now was resting in Yu Jitae¡¯s arms.

    While pondering, a question appeared in his mind.

    If she thought of a ¡®dragon¡¯ as another type of human race or some sort, what would she be thinking of him as?

    He decided to ask her.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Who am I.¡±

    She tilted her head.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°What am I. Who am I.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yu, Jitae?¡±

    ¡°No, not that. What kind of thing am I.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s question was slightly weird so she merely tilted her head with a wide smile, unable to process his words. Thus, Bom asked directly.

    ¡°Gyeoul. Is ahjussi a human or a dragon?¡±

    Gyeoul finally gave a big nod signalling that she understood the question. She closed her mouth and pondered slightly. Then, she replied with an uncertain voice and an awkward smile.

    ¡°¡­a dragon?¡±

    ***

    Although all sorts of thoughts went across his head, he decided to leave it be. Right now they were at the amusement park and an exciting experience was more important for Gyeoul.

    A spooky sign, walls with red blood travelling down and an entrance resembling arge drac¡¯s mouth weed them. The first thing he realised as they set foot into the haunted house, was that Gyeoul unexpectedly was not scared of ghosts.

    ¡°Guooooo¡­¡±

    Men dressed realistically like zombies, walked into the safety bar with their hands in front. Whenever they approached, Gyeoul hid behind Yu Jitae¡¯s legs.

    Thinking that she was indeed a baby, the Regressor consoled her saying that it was okay. He thought she was doing that because she was scared, but Gyeoul was just hiding from an unfamiliar person rather than being scared of ghosts and zombies.

    ¡°Kuooook! Kkwekk!¡±

    So once she was used to ghosts and zombies, she just slightly nced at them.

    ¡°Your heart¡­! Give me your heart¡­! Kuhuhukk!¡±

    One of the female ghosts sneaked under the safety bar and went onto the pathway to dash into Yu Jitae¡¯s group.

    But Yu Jitae, Bom and Gyeoul did not move an inch.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Feeling embarrassed, the ghost hurriedly turned around to leave but that was when Gyeoul reached her hand out and grabbed the female ghost by her wrist.

    ¡°Nn? Wat is it!¡±

    She had to work since she was getting paid, so the ghost raised her motivation and acted.

    ¡°You¡¯ll give me your hearttt?¡±

    The child wasn¡¯t even surprised. She, who had acted as a ghost for over three years, was surprised by the iprehensible reaction and chose to scare the child even further by extending her arms that were drenched with blood.

    However, Gyeoul then looked at the ghost with a pitying gaze.

    ¡°¡­Did itt hurt?¡±

    Did what hurt? My hand?

    The baby held onto the ghost¡¯s hands with her tiny fingers. The actress was startled as a water-attribute mana gently moved and covered the female ghost¡¯s hands.

    It was the magic, [Cleanse (B-)].

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Seeing her hands that immediately became clean, the actress became flustered.

    *

    In the end, the haunted house was a massive fail.

    The Yu household got on several other rides and took more pictures.

    Click! Gyeoul was holding a big fairy floss with her hands.

    Click! Bom was holding Gyeoul in front of a carousel.

    It was nighttime when they realised and it was time to go back.

    There was enough time to go to one more ce. Which ce would make her the most happy?

    Although he asked her directly, she shook her head without saying anything. Thus, the Regressor decided to send Kaeul a message with his watch.

    [Me: Kaeul]

    [Kaeuli ?: ?????????][Kaeuli ?: Oooohhhhhhh!!!][Kaeuli ?: o.o? Ahjussi you know how to use messenger?]

    [Me: Ye.]

    [Kaeuli ?: Oh wow lololololol][Kaeuli ?: It feels a bit weird hehe][Kaeuli ?: Anyway, what happened??]

    If one experience was enough to etch it forever into their memory, wouldn¡¯t that mean that there was no need to try the same thing more than once? That was a question which had popped up in his head when he saw Kaeul regrly ordering chicken.

    But in response to his question, Bom shook her head back then.

    ¡®An experience changes every time. Even if it¡¯s the same chicken, the weather is different and her mood would be different as well. The way she eats the chicken is also different so it contains a new experience every single time.¡¯

    He therefore asked about Gyeoul to Kaeul.

    [Kaeuli ?: Gyeoul likes everything!]

    Even he knew that.

    [Kaeuli ?: Ahh! Right!][Kaeuli ?: There¡¯s a ce she always goes to when we go there together!]

    [Me: Where is it]

    [Kaeuli ?: The third back entrance!]

    The third back entrance?

    [Kaeuli ?: Gyeoul always wanted to go there at the very end hehe. She was sad if we didn¡¯t go there.]

    It wasn¡¯t a ride nor an attraction but a back entrance.

    Though doubtful, he obediently listened to Kaeul¡¯s words and took them to the back entrance. The main front entrance looked like a normal amusement park filled with dreamy fantasies, while the third back entrance resembled a castle gate from a distance.

    There was nothing special about it, but Yu Jitae soon understood what she meant.

    In that ce, workers wearing costumes of metal armours from the middle-ages, were lowering their heads at the customers.

    A helmet and a full-te armour covered them from head to toe. They looked like someone.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul nkly stared at the metal tes from Yu Jitae¡¯s arms.

    ording to Kaeul, Gyeoul hade here multiple times.

    ¡­She hated it so much when they were together, but it seemed that Gyeoul was missing the protector.

    *

    On the way home, Gyeoul, who had been excited throughout the day at the amusement park, returned to her original calm expression.

    When the protector suddenly disappeared, she was only told that it was being treated somewhere else because it was sick.

    ¡°Do you want to see Mister Cleaner?¡±

    After giving a slow nod, she leaned her head on his chest and gazed into the distance with an unfocused gaze.

    She didn¡¯t even know what present was waiting for her at home.

    When they returned home, they found arge metal armour standing in the living room.

    Kuguk¡­ a screeching sound of metal resonated.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Bom let out a surprised remark while Gyeoul¡¯s eyes regained its focus.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    She, who had walked in on her own feet, blinked her eyes after seeing the protector.

    Then, she widened her eyes into circles and looked up at Yu Jitae. Her expression appeared to be asking him how and when the protector hade back.

    ¡°Mydy! It¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    ¡°Mister Cleaner? Are you well now?¡±

    ¡°I am indeed! I became very healthy!¡±

    Bom chatted with the protector with a bright expression. After giving a courteous bow to Yu Jitae, the protector finally walked up to Gyeoul.

    ¡°Have you been well? My youngdy?¡±

    *

    Imagining a hug from the happy reunion, the protector attempted to hug with open arms but Gyeoul slightly walked back and dodged it. Thinking back, the protector had never been able to hug Gyeoul before.

    Somewhat disappointed, the protector retrieved its extended arms back, but still decided to show courtesy by kneeling and bowing to her.

    Then, something shocking happened.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul walked up with a smile and carefully patted the protector¡¯s helmet.

    ¡°Youngdy¡­!¡±

    Deeply touched, the protector went for another hug but Gyeoul once again escaped.

    The protector was slightly disappointed.

 Chapter 102: Bob Hair

    <h4>Chapter 102: Bob Hair</h4>

    Kwagagak¡­? Kugugung ??

    The protector hummed.

    The kitchen and the sink sparkled like brand new, while the white toilet with not a single sign of bacteria appeared as if it was built yesterday.

    Even a thief would run away in a fluster after seeing such a clean main entrance!

    Seeing the house that became perfectly clean, the protector felt satisfied.

    ¡®I knew it. Unit 301 needs me, not some random trash like that.¡¯

    In fact, there had been something displeasing the protector throughout the cleaning session¡­

    Vuing, viing.

    The object appeared in a timely manner. That ¡®guy¡¯ cautiously sneaked towards the protector¡¯s feet before crashing into the armoured boots.

    ¨C A wall has been confirmed.

    Bullshit, thought the protector with a flickering gaze.

    It was a circr robotic vacuum cleaner. To think that something meagre like that had been cleaning Unit 301 while it was away was infuriating. Right now, the cleaner was letting out steam while cleaning the floor but it was to no avail. The floor that had already been touched by the protector had a shiny lustre.

    ¨C Looking for a different route.

    Look for a different career too while you¡¯re at it.

    After picking it up, the protector chucked it in the bin.

    Chirp!

    It was then. Something cried out loud.

    A flurry ball the size of a ser ball was peeking out from Kaeul¡¯s room. Curby was it? It seemed that a newbie had entered the house during its absence.

    It looked straight at the protector and cried.

    Chirp!¡®What in the world!¡¯

    Chirp chirp!¡®Have thou done to my dear horse!¡¯

    Noisy.

    It couldn¡¯t understand the words of a baby chicken spirit beast but it was still very clear that the chicken wasining about something, considering that it was pecking at the armoured leggings.

    Despite being a baby chicken, the spirit beast was powerful and it created a thud every time it struck.

    The protector decided to ignore it. The most important question was why that thing was at Unit 301 but,

    ¡°Nnng? I¡¯m going to raise it!¡±

    Kaeul replied while hugging the furry ball.

    ¡°Can I ask why you are raising it?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm, uhh¡­ umm¡­¡±

    Kaeul had a hard time finding a response. She had taken it in since it was hurt, and was providing food since she brought it home.

    Therefore, in the midst of silence, the protector imagined the possibilities and came up with a decent, usible answer.

    What was Kaeul¡¯s favourite food?

    It was nothing other than chicken.

    ¡®It was for food, huh.¡¯

    Chirp chirp!

    Looking at the baby chicken furiously screaming at itself, the protector realised its due responsibility.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s eat. Baby chicken.¡±

    Arge amount of food was poured into the bowl.

    Chirpy the baby chicken watched the mountain being created on the bowl in nervousness. Bom controlled its daily intake to make sure the baby chicken didn¡¯t grow too fat and yet the protector poured at least five times the amount it usually ate.

    Quietly staring at the increasing amount of feed, the baby chicken slowly felt its anger dissipate.

    Chirp.¡®Hmm, this does change things quite a bit.¡¯

    Chirp chirp.¡®Though I still do feel wrath for the disposal of my horse,¡¯

    Chirrrp!¡®I shall dig in!¡¯

    Chirpy beautifully cried several times before starting to eat the food in delight.

    The protector watched it eat with a heartwarming gaze.

    If a baby chicken this big grew up into a big chicken, how big of a pot would it need?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Beneath the long eyshes, a crimson pair of eyes resembling meticulously crafted ruby were opened. Arge shadow was visible with her unfocused vision. The shadow was blocking the sunlight prating through the window and it was therefore not too harsh on her eyes.

    Her breath continued regrly and the heart pulsed stably. Although the restrictiveness suffocating her heart was still painful, it was at least bearable.

    The shadow spoke to her.

    ¡°Did you have a good sleep.¡±

    The words spoken overnight floated back up.

    Yeorum covered her eyes with a sigh as embarrassment came flooding in like a tidal wave. Fuck¡­ I must have been crazy. Why did I bber about something like that?

    She heaved out another sigh. Revealing her weakness felt as terrible as dying.

    But why did I say that?

    It¡¯s just, you know¡­

    Just¡­ it seemed that she wasn¡¯t sane from the anxiety attack.

    ¡°Wake up and get ready.¡±

    She removed her hands and opened her eyes.

    ¡°¡­For what?¡±

    ¡°For training. It¡¯s time.¡±

    Yu Jitae did not look at her with pity nor did he mention anything about that story. Thinking that he was just that type of person made her feel morefortable.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get ready now.¡±

    However, he did not leave the room even after Yeorum got up from the bed.

    ¡°What are you doing? Not going out?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, you can stay if you want.¡±

    She immediately crossed her arms to grab the shirt drenched in sweat and tried to take it off.

    Yu Jitae therefore quietly left the room.

    *

    It was time for another training session.

    The heart beat stably and her breath was also stable despite still wearing the Chains of Hell. It was an astonishing level of achievement in the mere span of a few days.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re finally in a simr situation with the Karl-Gukwa race. You can now breathe like them and your heart beats like them. You can more easily manipte mana.¡±

    She could¡¯ve relied on him and there were multiple opportunities to make it morefortable. Had she said one sentence about giving up, he would have immediately helped her lessen the burden no questions asked.

    However, she didn¡¯t give up. Even under a severe distress and fear, she did not try to dump her load away or lean on somebody.

    That was making her stronger.

    ording to his distant memories, wearing the Chains were more painful than when he was tortured by the demons in the second iteration. She triumphed over something that stressful and it was amendable feat even for a dragon.

    ¡°So, did I do well?¡±

    This time, she asked without any expectation,

    ¡°You did a very good job.¡±

    But the Regressor gave an honestpliment.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Surprised, Yeorum slightly looked away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin the next training method.¡±

    The first hurdle of Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art,

    [Pulsation]

    One of the training methods to perfect that pulsation was [Breathing], and the other which they were now about to start was [Walking].

    ¡°Now, you¡¯ll learn how to walk.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    If it was before, she would have doubtfully said, ¡°Why do I have to learn that¡± or ¡°That¡¯s too easy¡± but now she nodded in nervousness.

    Taking out more fragments of Chains of Hell which he had prepared beforehand, Yu Jitae tied a knot around her ankle. ck strings covered her white, slender ankles.

    Feeling the outburst of pain and heaviness from the feet, Yeorum gave a frown.

    ¡°What¡¯s this.¡±

    ¡°Is it heavy?¡±

    ¡°¡®Heavy¡¯? I feel like I¡¯m fucked already.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just heavy and it felt like mas had been attached to her feet. She tried putting strength into her thighs but couldn¡¯t even raise a foot.

    The Regressor thought to himself.

    With this, it would reduce the hardship she went through when she was running across the walls of the undergroundbyrinth for several weeks without a rest in the fifth iteration. It would be groundbreakingly easier to stabilise the [Pulsation].

    One thing to note however was that the Chains did not simply add on to the weight. She would now have trouble bncing herself and find it difficult to walk straight.

    ¡°Say it whenever you need help or want to give up.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. Don¡¯t say something like that. Don¡¯t you know me even after all that? You don¡¯t know my personality?¡±

    ¡°But, if you do feel painful then tell me whenever¡­¡±

    ¡°Penis!¡±

    After stopping Yu Jitae¡¯s concern with one word, Yeorum took a deep breath in and out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself. Be prudent.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s enough. Just watch me do this. Don¡¯t be surprised!¡±

    Soon, she took a heavy step forward but missed her footing andically fell forward.

    She seemed to be showing off her extraordinary reflex skills by taking another step forward but once again lost her footing and fell down. While falling down she crashed into all the cones that had been set for the training session.

    It was aughable and an unseemly turn of events.

    However, Yeorum rested her head on the cone as if it was the living room and lied downfortably. She then gazed up at him with a shameless smile.

    ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s sofortablee.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you doing dear? Come here and lie down ?¡±

    ***

    ¡°What¡¯s she doing.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s doing something weird again¡­¡±

    The cadets whispered amongst themselves.

    Their gazes were gathered onto the red-haired girl who was carefully walking down the track, hand in hand with her guardian. Like a baby learning how to walk for the first time, Yu Yeorum held tightly onto the guardian¡¯s hand and struggled to take a step forward.

    ¡°It¡¯s been like two to three weeks right. Now both she and her guardian are doing something strange¡­¡±

    ¡°What in the world are they doing?¡±

    ¡°Something useless; what else?¡±

    Tch tch. A cadet clicked his tongue.

    But seeing the anxious look on the face of Yeorum, who always acted indifferent and appeared angry whenever someone talked to her, was a refreshing sight. The cadets threw nces at Yu Yeorum.

    ¡°Apparently she¡¯s really strong though, right? I heard she smashed Sophia down before admission.¡±

    ¡°Well, she is strong. Probably stronger than us.¡±

    ¡°Then, wouldn¡¯t there be some sort of reason behind her doing that?¡±

    ¡°I think she¡¯s just cosying as a stupid genius or something. You know, like acting unique and stuff.¡±

    ¡°Really? I think there would be more to it though. Hmm¡­¡±

    Yu Yeorum had a lot of enemies and no friends.

    In fact, there were some people that liked Yeorum among those that haven¡¯t talked to her, but she wasn¡¯t an easy person to chat with. She was way too unfriendly.

    Thus, those cadets only watched on from afar.

    ¡°She looks kinda retarded though. Why¡¯s she doing that?¡±

    ¡°You want me to go up and trip her?¡±

    ¡°Go for it. Do a slide tackle right now.¡±

    A few of the cadets belonging to Level 4 and Level 5 societies giggled andughed. When Yeorum was going around various ces looking for sparring sessions (or trouble), there had been several conflicts with them.

    ¡°A slide tackle doesn¡¯t always have to be on the ankle right.¡±

    ¡°Then where?¡±

    ¡°Do it at her head lol.¡±

    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s good. Her head¡¯s probably empty anyways.¡±

    They wereughing for several minutes until they realised a hostile gaze. Turning around, they found Kim Ji-in and Soujiro ring at them. They looked back at them for a few seconds.

    ¡°What you looking at?¡±

    One cadet began the conversation.

    ¡°Is it fun?¡± replied Kim Ji-in.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Is it fun talking shit behind someone that¡¯s trying hard?¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy or what. Why are <i>you </i>talking shit?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m just asking whether you guys find that funny or not.¡±

    One of the ring cadets shot out of the seat and although Kim Ji-in became tense, she didn¡¯t run away. Then, while saying, ¡°Hey, Ji-in¡­! Guys, it¡¯s nothing! Sorry¡­!¡± Soujiro pulled her away by the arm.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you¡­!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I must have picked it up from Yeorum¡­¡±

    Time flew by.

    Yu Yeorum, who had been struggling soon began walking stably andter was able to walk alone without holding onto the guardian¡¯s hand. After failing hundreds of times with her shivering legs and unstable steps, Yu Yeorum was finally able to walk by herself.

    Then, she jumped up and down and hugged her guardian. She appeared sincerely happy.

    ¡°What the hell is she doing¡­ did she break her legs or something?¡±

    Some of the cadets swore at her,

    ¡°Why is she so happy?¡±

    While some were in doubt.

    Yeorum¡¯s strange training method was conveyed to other cadets by word of mouth. The rumours gained more and more size including some very strange ones. One of them was as follows.

    ¡®I was doing a 350kg bench press without the safety device but identally stumbled and was about to injure myself when Yeorum, who was doing the walking session nearby carried me with one hand.¡¯

    350kg was quite heavy for a cadet. Some scoffed while others were skeptical. A small portion of them thought to themselves, ¡®Isn¡¯t it true?¡¯ and believed it but kept it to themselves.

    Several cadets asked for a spar with Yeorum but she turned everyone down, and guardians that directly talked to Yu Jitae were also turned down.

    Thus, the story about Yeorum¡¯s new training method was kept a mystery until the holidays came to an end.

    ***

    From spring till the start of summer vacations, the ¡®Campus Ranking Competition¡¯ would be carried out at Lair.

    Cadets that applied for thepetition would be given a rank within their grade. It was one of Lair¡¯s systems that endlessly encouragedpetition, and none of those that had experienced the war criticised them for creating suchpetitiveness.

    The ranks were allocated after adding the scores from the individual spars, assignment performance and tournament. It was simr to how the official superhuman ranks were given worldwide.

    Strong cadets would receive high ranks, and those ranks would be recorded down as a part of their achievement. Due to that, study groups, societies, guardians, the media and the cadets were all interested in this event.

    Finally, as the long winter holiday neared its end, Yu Jitae¡¯s holiday training also came to an end.

    ¡°Good work.¡±

    He untied three [Chains of Hell] that restricted Yeorum¡¯s body. Then, he visited the education department with her and applied for thepetition.

    ¡°Haa¡­ it feels fucking amazing. Was my body always this light?¡±

    Yeorum gave a big stretch as her crimson hair fluttered in the wind. Her short bob hair that had barely reached her chin at the start of the training session was now long enough to reach her shoulders.

    ¡°I can fight now, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Thought I was gonna die holding it in.¡±

    On the way back from the education department, they could see plum blossoms decorating the sky with a pinkish light, and magnolia adding a hint of white. Near the ground, forsythia and dandelions revealed their yellow heads.

    Spring.

    It was time for the next semester to begin.

 Chapter 103: Ah, these â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  retards, actually â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  (1)

    <h4>Chapter 103: Ah, these ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö retards, actually ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö (1)</h4>

    At the start of the semester when cadets of Lair began returning to the academy district in their uniforms, a renowned embedded journalist of Serbia with a record of receiving the Pulitzer Prize, Petrovi?, uploaded a post on his personal SNS ount.

    +++

    [Official Petrovi? of WHO]

    Title: Which cadet will be the one sitting on the Throne of Hell?

    In Korea, the ¡®Yong household¡¯ sends fabulous sword prodigies into Lair once every three years. I¡¯m sure everyone is already aware that they are a subsidiary of the Korean government as well as how most of the household members are adopted. Gifted children are admitted into Lair after learning the great swordsmanship of the household.

    The Yong household started sending their prodigies in from the 1st year, followed by the 4th and the 7th, and the current cadets of the 10th year.

    What about the cadets of the ¡®Erfan Guild¡¯ nurtured intensely by the Communist Party of China? The government enforced a harsh curriculum that could be seen as torture and cultivated them into living weapons. But this does ultimately contribute to how hundreds of excellent soldiers are made at Lair each year.

    They began sending cadets in every second year from the zeroth year. 0, 2, 4, 6, 8¡­ and finally the 10th year.

    After reading this much, you should start to see the point I¡¯m trying to make.

    But, there¡¯s one more. You guys know it too.

    North America¡¯s ¡®Noblesse School¡¯ could be seen as the ambitious result of the greatest capitalists of North America. These superhuman children that take precious herbs like normal supplements and drink Elixir instead of water enter Lair after growing up. The military funds that skyrocketed to a point simr to how it had been during the Cold War, is now being funneled into cadets instead of nuclear missiles.

    They began from the 0th year and entered Lair on a 5 year basis.

    In other words, the 0th, the 5th and the 10th.

    Right, this here is the problem. Three massive organisations are gathering in the 10th year.

    Isn¡¯t it interesting?

    You guys should be able to remember ¨C the neck-to-neckpetition between the Erfan Guild and the Yong household back in the fourth year. The battle between the young prodigies of Korea and the wild beasts of the Communist Party.

    And now, the Noblesse School is added on top of that.

    Is that everyone?

    No!

    From my research, I¡¯ve found Carlton, Skovseg, Van Guirrons, Sophia Vorkova, Yu Yeorum, Ling Ling, En, Carsau, Koizumi Tenichi etc¡­ There are especially more cadets this year that are renowned for their skills.

    Thus, I would like to call this year the Year of Hell. In fact, I am aware that all sorts of media worldwide are already bustling with discussions. Just like how you guys are curious, I am too.

    Now, who will be the cadet ending up on the Throne of Hell?

    Keep your chin up. All of you!

    +++

    The following post got liked by a million followers and was shared tens of thousands of times.

    Arge cylindrical building decorated the central area of the academy district like andmark. This building was referred to as the Colosseo Lair and was the ce where all conflict of Lair started and ended.

    ¡°So noisy.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s seriously a shit ton of people.¡±

    Yeorum grumbled with her hands stuck in her pockets.

    6pm. Colosseo Lair after the end of school day was crowded with cadets and guardians. On one of the reception desks, cadets could receive their assignments while the other side was to sign up for individual spars.

    ¡°Do you know how the system works?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What system?¡±

    ¡°The individual spar system.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t we just fight?¡±

    He knew she would be clueless for some reason.

    All the individual spars of this ce were a process for gathering virtual grades called ¡®Points¡¯. Cadets would receive about 10 points with victory and lose about 10 after a defeat. The more points they had, the higher their rank in the ¡®individual spar¡¯ segment.

    ¡°Hnnn. Well, it¡¯s fine if I just win everything right?¡±

    ¡°That is correct.¡±

    ¡°Then who am I versing? Do I have to go up one by one every single time like before?¡±

    She asked as if she couldn¡¯t be bothered to do all that. Well, it was understandable considering how she had gone around asking for a fight only to be rejected most of the times. Since she couldn¡¯t just find a random cadet and bash them up, she wasn¡¯t able to fight even if she wanted to.

    ¡°No. During thepetition, the opponent will be selected at random.¡±

    ¡°At random?¡±

    ¡°Do you see the rooms over there?¡±

    Yeorum followed his finger and turned around. Small cylindrical rooms could be seen beneath the window guards at the basement.

    It amounted to around a hundred or so and since there were five floors going underground, it added up to around 500 rooms.

    ¡°Once you enter that ce, you¡¯ll be summoned to a temporary battlefield in an alternate dimension. And you¡¯ll be fighting the opponent there.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? You have to fight inside? Not out here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. There has to be a record saying that it was a fair fight and the cadets can¡¯t be injured either.¡±

    On average, there was around 2000 cadets that applied for thepetition in each grade. That was the same number of people as the number of opponents that Yeorum was going to bepeting with.

    Right, peting¡¯.

    In this ce, everyone was an enemy.

    As if to prove that, Colosseo Lair had a heavy suppressive atmosphere filled with tension. Cadets nced around with nervousness and kept others in check while the guardians were more sensitive to anything that could negatively impact their cadets than usual.

    However, they were all smiling on the outside and acquaintances would greet each other with a smile.

    ¡°Aigo, surely your cadet will be doing a better job.¡±

    ¡°No no no. Let both our cadets try our best!¡±

    They cheered for each other.

    But there was no-one greeting Yeorum or Yu Jitae. People tended to avoid Yeorum even when she was alone and it was now more so because Yu Jitae the guardian, was also with her.

    However, they still nced towards her from all around. Voices asking the likes of, ¡°That¡¯s her right?¡± were also heard from time to time. Only a few dozen or so out of the thousands of cadets were mentioned as powerhouses and Yeorum was one of the few dozen.

    ¡°The fuck are they staring at¡­¡±

    Yeorum, however, seemed to be discontent with their gazes.

    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that Superhuman Without Border?¡±

    ¡°It is¡­ that golden cross symbol.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nothing. I saw ¡®Regeneration¡¯ just then.¡±

    ¡°What! You mean that Myung Yongha¡¯s guild?¡±

    Some chatted here and there.

    asionally, they also saw outsiders who hade to watch thepetition. Most of them naturally had the intention of creating a good rtionship with talented cadets that did not have a unique background.

    Of course, all that had nothing to do with Yeorum.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Yu Jitae quietly took her towards the underground sparring rooms. The elevator heading underground was filled with people and when the doors were about to close, a familiar duo of male and female entered at thest second.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    The guardian having a disturbing appearance with a long scar, was Mihailov. And the cadet whose face was as white as snow was Sophia Vorkova, the Russian cadet who had fought with Yeorum during the Azure Dragon study group interview.

    As soon as they found Yeorum and Yu Jitae, they frowned. Mihailov soon turned his back around and covered Sophia to protect her.

    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you that girl?¡±

    But Yeorum wouldn¡¯t be Yeorum if she stood still.

    ¡°Hey. You know me, right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Mihailov gestured at Yu Jitae with his eyes. However, Yu Jitae calmly received his gaze without stopping Yeorum.

    ¡°Been a while. Your face okay?¡±

    Feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, Mihailov nced at Yeorum with a troubled look before looking back at Sophia. He then shook his head slightly, telling her to stay silent.

    However, he couldn¡¯t stop an immature young girl and Sophia turned her head around with a flick and faced Yeorum.

    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s all good. Your face looks fine as well.¡±

    ¡°I know right? I almost ended up with a big fat knife mark.¡±

    Noticing the hidden meaning behind Yeorum¡¯s words, Mihailov facepalmed with a sigh.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When Sophia went silent, slight tension started flowing between the two of them.

    Like how Yeorum was temperamental, Sophia was too. Sincerely hoping for the conversation to end, Mihailov ced his hand on top of Sophia¡¯s shoulder.

    But the tension immediately dispersed with Sophia¡¯s following words.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened back then. I wanted to apologise, but I couldn¡¯t find the courage to.¡±

    She didn¡¯t sound or look very sorry but it was clearly an apology. Yeorum, who had been itching for a quarrel, quickly became sullen from the disappointment.

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    After several seconds of awkward silence, Sophia opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­You became quite famous in the meantime, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only hearing stories about you.¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°About doing a strange training method. ording to those guys, you were walking like a toddler hand in hand with your guardian.¡±

    Yeorum shook her head.

    ¡°Those idiots don¡¯t know shit.¡±

    ¡°Nn, well. Thanks to that, I was also bad-mouthed by those ¡®idiots that don¡¯t know shit¡¯. They were freakin¡¯ like, how weak is Sophia for her to be smashed by someone like that.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything after hearing that?¡±

    ¡°I know right. Those fucking idiots have a death wish or something¡­¡±

    Hearing the natural outburst of profanities, Yeorum grinned.

    ¡°Why not pick up your sword. I thought you were good at it.¡±

    ¡°My guardian held me back.¡±

    In response, Yeorum bursted out inughter and Sophia also chuckled after feeling more rxed.

    Other cadets and guardians inside the same elevator threw nces signalling their difort but the two of them did not care at all. It was Mihailov, who was once again put in an awkward spot.

    ¡°Haa, so I¡¯m going to prove it this time around.¡±

    ¡°Prove what.¡±

    ¡°The fact that I¡¯m strong. There are lots of guys thinking they¡¯re strong in our tenth year and I¡¯m going to smack all of them down.¡±

    ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When Yeorum said that with an expression suggesting that it was ridiculous, a crack appeared on Sophia¡¯s smile.

    ¡°Aiiinng, unni. It¡¯s a joke. Don¡¯t be angry ?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Arre you angwwy? You wanna touch my titties?¡±

    ¡°Huu¡­ whatever. I just can¡¯t get my head around you¡­¡±

    It seemed that their emotional crack had been resolved. By the time they got off the elevator they appeared much more rxed.

    Sophia took a step forward first and Yeorum was also about to turn her body around to the designated room.

    ¡°I think.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    That was when Sophia opened her mouth.

    ¡°There will be quite a lot of people watching you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re strong and unique. There will be a lot of viewers. If there¡¯s a skill you cherish or something, don¡¯t use it until you have to. So that they don¡¯t see it.¡±

    All the fights happening inside the sparring rooms were recorded and could also be watched in real time.

    However, Yeorum grinned without a care.

    ¡°So what if they watch it?¡±

    Like a flooding river in a rainy season, her pride overflowed. Sophia smiled as if she was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Crazy bitch¡­¡±

    ¡°Take care of yourself. You weakling.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right. I guess there was no need to say that. Try your best. Let¡¯s meet once we both reach one digit in our ranks. I¡¯ll crush you.¡±

    Despite their words, the mood was quite bright. Before leaving, Mihailov bid farewell to Yu Jitae with his eyes so he returned a nod.

    Soon when they entered the designated room, the device that would send her to the alternate dimension weed them. There was a scoreboard that disyed the points and ranks as well as the [Spar] button.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here so go do your best.¡±

    The guardian had to remain in the room.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Yeorum ced her hand next to the button.

    But suddenly, she stopped her hand. Yeorum, who had been full of confidence, now looked slightly nervous and was hesitant on pressing the button.

    After a sh of gloominess on her face,

    ¡°¡­Should I do a warm up first?¡±

    He watched her stretch.

    She was a child who had cried after a single defeat. Such a child had lost nearly a hundred times against the great orc warrior alone during training. Somewhere inside her unforgetting memories, defeat might have bemonce.

    Perhaps because of that, Yeorum was nervous right now.

    ¡°No need to be nervous.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t lose.¡±

    It wasing from Yu Jitae, who was always objective. Hearing those words which were close to an affirmation, Yeorum gave a nod with a better expression.

    She pressed the button and soon disappeared along with the intense light of mana.

    Yu Jitae sat down on the seat and watched the disy screen.

    There was an outdoor arena in a vast wastnd.

    Stones and sand rolled around the ground and in a distant ce was a surprisingly high-level artifact, the Level 4 artifact [Statue of Competition]. It would cast a thin protectiveyer around the cadets¡¯ bodies.

    The opponent soon entered the battlefield.

    It was a male cadet in the first grade. His name, age, and a simple status of his physical capabilities were disyed on the screen. He was better than average.

    On top of their heads were HP bars resembling characters of a fighting game. The moment those bars reached 0, the users would be expelled out of the alternate dimension and lose.

    Raising the wooden sword, Yeorum prepared herself against the opponent.

    *

    Inside the alternate dimension,

    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you Yu Yeorum?¡±

    The cadet recognised her and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Uhh, umm. I¡¯ll be in your care¡­¡±

    However, Yeorum did not reply and her attention was at a totally different ce. From some time ago, a number was going up next to the face symbol hanging in mid-air.

    <strong>[</strong>(<strong> ??</strong>¦Ø??) x 5<strong>]</strong>

    It was the number of viewers who were watching the battle unfold somewhere via the Lair app. The number quickly went up every single time it got updated; from 5 to 10 before eventually hitting 15¡­

    Tch. Clicking her tongue, Yeorum raised the sword up.

    Don¡¯t show what doesn¡¯t have to be shown, was it.

    [3]

    [2]

    [1]

    The hologram countdown slowly went down.

    Ding¨C

    And the moment the chime rang, Yeorum flung her body forward.

    Shiieeeek¨C! Kwaang!

    Her body moved without the opponent even seeing it and her strike was likewise invisible to the eye. Nheless, the wooden sword uratelynded on the opponent¡¯s head.

    ¡°Kuuk!¡±

    After being smacked on the head, the cadet was shot back around 10 metres before disappearing into fragments of light.

    Bababbam! A fanfare congratted her victory as the words hanging on the hologram changed.

    [Victor: Yu Yeorum.]

    [Combat time: 00 minutes, 01 second.]

    [Acquired Points: 10]

    A spherical lump appeared in mid-air and was absorbed into Yeorum¡¯s body.

    It was but one strike.

 Chapter 104: Ah, these â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  retards, actually â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  (2)

    <h4>Chapter 104: Ah, these ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö retards, actually ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö (2)</h4>

    During the two months of school holidays, Yeorum didn¡¯t fight against other cadets. It was because Yu Jitae didn¡¯t allow her to.

    How much stronger have I be; how much can I fight?

    Those were the thoughts that had constantly hit her throughout the training.

    And by moving her body just once, Yeorum realised that everything had be a lot better than before. The weight of the ground when she kicked off it; every strand of body hair fluttering against the breeze, and the shock received by her fist when she struck her opponent ¨C everything made her heart beat faster.

    ¡®I, became stronger.¡¯

    The pain she went through during the training vividly shed past her eyes ¨C the suffering that tempted her to give up, the time she spent crying before sleep at night and the stream of blood that travelled down the sword handle. She could remember her own shameful voice that asked the guardian to stay together, thinking that she might die.

    It felt like she was being rewarded for all that suffering.

    After the battle ended, right before being summoned back to the real world, Yeorum showed a bright smile at the camera artifact and shot her fist up.

    She then screamed while jumping up and down.

    ¡°I won!¡±

    It was her expression of joy towards Yu Jitae but Yeorum did not know. She didn¡¯t know the fact that the footage continued even after the fight ended until she was summoned back.

    [( ??¦Ø??) x 23]

    ¡°Uwah¡­¡±

    Carley from the PR team absent-mindedly watched the disy screen.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Carley?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, it¡¯s just¡­ I was thinking to myself that Cadet Yu Yeorum also made faces like that.¡±

    ¡°What face?¡±

    Even the senior who revisited the footage was surprised andughed. The video had more potential than just a simple surprise factor. The Public Rtions team responsible for the promotion of Lair was also in charge of creating Lair¡¯s image, and Lair¡¯s image was made by cadets themselves.

    Yu Yeorum, who always had a pouty look and easily got upset was not suited for being Lair¡¯s mascot character. There was also the atmosphere around her that dissuaded others from approaching her.

    However, Yu Yeorum inside the footage was full of liveliness and energy. It was more striking than normal because she was acting differently.

    Her ridiculous beauty was another positive element.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ not too bad.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Keep as many videos of her as possible.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Can I ask why though?¡±

    ¡°Looks decent right. There was a lot of talk about creating a mascot character out of her in the first ce so¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? I thought we weren¡¯t doing that for the Yu household cadets?¡±

    The PD shook his head.

    ¡°Mate. No. That¡¯s just for Yu Kaeul. Anyways, take the videos and send it to me on email. I¡¯ll try showing it to the team leader when we go through the script.¡±

    *

    Whatever the form, one could only participate in the rankingpetition once a day but it was fine considering that the eventsted four long months.

    Anyone could freely continue the spars but points wouldn¡¯t be given after the first one, and so Yeorum wanted to go back. It seemed to be because of the advice given by Sophia.

    Therefore, the two of them left the Colosseo and were in an alley on the way back to the residential area. After looking around, Yeorum crouched down next to arge bin on the side of the alleyway.

    ¡°What are you doing? Come here.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae also went near her and crouched down. She took out a cigarette and ced it between her lips.

    ¡°You know. Tell me honestly. Honest.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Super honest. Well, I know you¡¯re pretty bad at lying in the first ce, but as honestly as you can.¡±

    ¡°¡­Got it.¡±

    ¡°In your opinion, how much have I grown? Is it to a satisfactory degree?¡±

    Immediately after finishing her sentence, Yeorum shook her head.

    ¡°No, wait. Don¡¯t say anything. Fuck.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°You were about to go quiet and hesitate. I know.¡±

    How did she know.

    ¡°Ehew. So it¡¯s still not enough after all that¡­ isn¡¯t your standard too high?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Not that I hate it though.¡±

    She grumbled. Thinking to himself that she might need apliment, Yu Jitae opened his mouth while shaking his head.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing good. A lot better than what I expected.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true. There aren¡¯t any dragons living as earnestly as you.¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±

    Kum, hmph. After giving several meaningless coughs, Yeorum lit the cigarette on fire. In the back alleyway away from others, she slowly breathed out smoke and lowered her head.

    The joy she tried to suppress bursted out as she faintly chuckled.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Meanwhile, the Regressor felt another strange feeling.

    The small lines of smoke diverging into the air could be seen vividly and the smell of cigarette nearing his nose contained a heavy texture.

    What about the scattered bob hair and the smile on the child¡¯s face? The hazy world which appeared to have been behind a blurry cover became clear, from the alleyway all the way up to the sky above.

    This was not his first time feeling this.

    It was simr to what he felt when Bom was being mischievous with him in the past; the sensation that hit him when he could visibly sense the distancing of the Apocalypse.

    Without even blinking his eyes, he absorbed the clean feeling in its entirety.

    It didn¡¯t feel too bad.

    ¡°¡­Anyway, let¡¯s talk about what to do next.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Your goal is to be ranked 1st in the schoolpetition, right?¡±

    ¡°Right. If I can¡¯t even do that, how would I take down Javier, and how would I go home. I¡¯ll be fucked.¡±

    Though she didn¡¯t specify, that ¡®oldest unni¡¯ who had broken out of the egg before others probably had an outstanding talent evenpared to other dragons. It might even be enough to make her the lord of their race.

    Besides, if she was over a hundred years old, she would still be considered a hatchling to dragons who lived over thousands of years but might be as strong as the 40-year old Javier and could even be stronger depending on her level of talent.

    ¡°¡­Right. So, I looked into it.¡±

    Yu Jitae turned his watch on and disyed a hologram of the screen. A list of profiles appeared.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°Cadets receive the most points from individual spars,pleting assignments and the tournament. These three.¡±

    They each took about 30% and added up to 90%.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°And from those three, the spars and the tournament are especially more driven towards individual power. Since that¡¯s the case, the ones that will bepeting against you are pretty much already decided.¡±

    He shared the information about cadets that he had discovered with Yeorum.

    1. Renowned Swordsmanship Family, the Yong household.

    27 cadets were admitted into Lair from the Yong household this year and the ones that were considered the cream of the crop are Yong Taeha and Yong Danbi, the son and daughter of the family head, Yong Jungkook. Of course, they were both adopted and Yong Danbi wasn¡¯t even an Asian and she was ck.

    ¡°It¡¯s them, huh. I¡¯ve seen them somewhere.¡±

    2. China¡¯s Erfan Guild.

    510 cadets had been sent from the Erfan Guild, and there were about four that required more attention ¨C Zhou Luxun, Ling Ling, Zhang Xueyan and O Wong. In this era where human rights were being reconsidered, these had received hellish training ever since they were babies.

    Zhou Luxun also belonged to Professor Ha Yoon¡¯s Moonlight study group.

    ¡°These guys look fucking sinister.¡±

    3. Noblesse School.

    85 cadets had been sent from there. Although their average level of skill was already very high, the one that required the most amount of caution was Tyr Brzenk, the son of the current Rank 1 worldwide, Oscar Brzenk.

    Almost everyone sent from Noblesse school belonged to a study group or a society, but Tyr Brzenk wasn¡¯t. He appeared to have learned it from his father.

    There were lots of exceptional cadets apart from them. First grade students living in the academy city amounted to around 10,000, and 1% of those were prodigies who had been praised for being geniuses in their home countries.

    They would all bemuting to Colosseo Lair, pondering on how to raise their ranks.

    ¡°Then what should I do now?¡±

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s continue with the spars and slowly raise the points. There aren¡¯t any assignments with a high number of points avable yet, and the tournament is only going to open next month.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Yeorum nodded with a serious expression.

    ¡°So this guy¡¯s father is that Rank 1 Oscar?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s also the vice president of the International Hunter Association.¡±

    ¡°Hnn, is he stronger than you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    After casually flicking the cigarette bud away, Yeorum grinned.

    ¡°He¡¯s trash then.¡±

    ***

    After that, Yeorum spent the next two weeks diligently participating in the duels without resting a single day. Most of them ended with one strike and were boring.

    The semester had just begun and the cadets all had rtively low points on average. Strong and weak cadets were all intertwined within the simr range of scores and Yeorum¡¯s opponents wereparatively too weak.

    Of course, it was also true that Yeorum was just overwhelmingly strong.

    The allocation of points decreased when there was a bigger gap between the scores of the participants. For example, If Yeorum with 100 points defeated a cadet with 50 points, she wouldn¡¯t get the full 10 points and would instead get 5.

    Due to that, the points she had gathered from the past 14 days was 111. The ranks weren¡¯t given yet because it only got refreshed monthly, but she would at least be in the top twenty.

    On Lair¡¯s forum page, there was an anonymous cadet with 113 points. That cadet probably won all 14 days but was just luckier and received more points than Yeorum did.

    Once everyone umted a decent amount of points, cadets with high scores will fight others with simr points.

    That will be the true starting point of thepetition.

    ¡°Uwaaah! Our unni is crazy. Crazy crazy!¡±

    Kaeul pped and created a fuss. p p pp¨C! Without knowing anything, Gyeoul copied her unni and gave a p.

    ¡°Unni unni unni! Can I go have a look?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I want to watch unni fight!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Do you know everyone¡¯s talking about you these days? I¡¯m not interested in fighting so I didn¡¯t know, but the kids were calling Yeorum-unni insane!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Nn! They said you look like a charging boar!¡±

    When Yeorum made a straight face after hearing that, Kaeul went, oops.

    ¡°Umm, anyways! Can I go watch?¡±

    ¡°Why bother. Just use your watch at home. Why would you go all the way there?¡±

    ¡°Whyy? It¡¯s going to be more exciting in person right!¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯te. There¡¯s nothing to watch anyway. It ends straight after the start when I smack their heads so why bother?¡±

    Kaeul appeared regretful and Gyeoul also showed a regretful look a second after her.

    ¡°Do you even know what we¡¯re talking about?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn,¡± nodded Gyeoul.

    ¡°Know my ass. What do you know.¡±

    ¡°¡­I, know. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Whatever. Come watch when I¡¯m actually fighting someone a bit stronger, when there¡¯s actually something to watch.¡±

    ¡°¡­Will you call me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Hearing that, satisfaction arose in the water-coloured eyes.

    Although Bom didn¡¯t say much, she tied Yeorum¡¯s hair into a bun before she left for Colosseo and said, ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt.¡± But her hair was too short and it was hard to create a good bun without all the hair sticking out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    *

    The gazes of the surroundings had changed. Cadets wearing short sleeves stole nces at Yeorum whenever she was walking down the road.

    This was the same as usual. However, it was to nce at her face before while now they looked as if they were staring at a celebrity. Some of them whispered, ¡°Is that her?¡± among each other.

    ¡°What you looking at?¡±

    Sometimes, Yeorum frowned and spoke to the whispering ones who would then turn their heads away in fright. There were asionally cadets who walked up calling themselves a fan but Yeorum remained apathetic.

    ¡°A fan? So what?¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the end. When they were at the waiting room of Colosseo, people nced at Yu Jitae with eyes that seemed to be asking, ¡®Is he that girl¡¯s guardian?¡¯. For him, this was a new experience because everyone had been ufortable and afraid of his existence from the fifth iteration onward.

    Since they werepletely uninterested in fame, Yu Jitae and Yeorum both ignored them.

    However¡­

    Something added fuel to the fire.

    Two weeks after the start of the schoolpetition when Yeorum was struggling from the boredom of fighting against boring cadets, a special cadet was finally chosen as the opponent.

    The stage for the battle in the alternate dimension was a back alleyway of a town. A gloomy townscape was visible behind the pathway.

    Yeorum was waiting for a person to join after entering first when the opponent was found and a simplified profile appeared in mid-air.

    ?[Ling Ling]

    (Erfan Guild, Heavenly Horse study group)

    ¨C Strength 9 Agility 9 Stamina 9 Mana 9

    ¨C Acquired Points: 109

    She was a cadet from CPC¡¯s Erfan Guild, who also belonged to the Heavenly Horse study group, which rivalled the previous Azure Dragon study group of Wei Yan.

    The statistics weren¡¯t very meaningful beyond the limit and Yeorum also had 9 for all her stats. However, considering the fact that average cadets had 4~5, it was a pretty high stat.

    Her acquired points were 109 and were 2 less than Yeorum who had 111 points. It also meant that she hadn¡¯t lost during the past 14 days.

    As light gathered in one ce and soon scattered, a female cadet holding two swords appeared from within.

    It was Ling Ling.

    She was short and small and was a head shorter than Yeorum who was about 167cm tall. Although her body was small, she resembled a wild beast.

    Her eyes were blurry and her unkempt hair was left messy. Her face, neck and arms were all full of scars and wounds, and her fangs were also protruding out like a beast.

    The only things clean were her two wooden swords that had been provided by Lair.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The aura she was giving off was different from others.

    She was strong ¨C after estimating the power level of the opponent, Yeorum¡¯s gaze became a level sharper. News about their fight seemed to have spread in that short span of time and the number of audience which usually stayed somewhere around 50 to 100, quickly soared up like crazy.

    [( ??¦Ø??) x 373]

    Soon, the countdown began.

    [3]

    Ling Ling raised her two swords and readied herself for battle.

    [2]

    Yeorum closed her eyes and felt her pulsation.

    [1]

    And finally, the bell rang.

 Chapter 105: Ah, these â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  retards, actually â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  (3)

    <h4>Chapter 105: Ah, these ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö retards, actually ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö (3)</h4>

    ¡°Oi, dude, dude. It¡¯s starting now.¡±

    Inside a waiting room on B3 of Colosseo, cadets were gathered in front of a disy screen.

    It was 14 consecutive wins vs 14 consecutive wins, and was a big match that would be carried out once a day at most. Simr to the battle yesterday between Yong Taeha of the Yong household and Sophia Vorkova who each had 13 consecutive wins, the fight today would be an interesting sight for the excited cadets.

    ¡°Wow, is it Ling Ling versus Yu Yeorum? That¡¯s gonna be spicy.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they both in the top 30¡¯s at least?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but with their scores, they would have been in the top 20¡¯s or the top 10st year.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think¡¯s gonna win? They both look super strong.¡±

    During the two weeks after the start of the semester, cadets that were greatly interested in getting stronger tended to watch footage of cadets with a high number of points. If they couldn¡¯t make it for the live battle, they would find a recorded version at least.

    Thus, they watched with intense excitement.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll stan for whoever that wins.¡±

    ¡°Dude, if you¡¯re a Korean, cheer for the Korean at least.¡±

    ¡°My mum¡¯s Chinese though.¡±

    ¡°Aht¡­¡±

    One of the two will rise to have 15 consecutive wins, while the other would have their record broken. Depending on the oue of the battle, their points would end up having a difference of 20 points, so it would be a huge blow to the loser even though it was still the start of the semester.

    One day¡¯s loss required them to have two days of wins to rise back up.

    A cadet wearing a pair of circr sses opened his mouth.

    ¡°Actually, it might end quickly. Both of them are extremely aggressive so rather than bing a battle of attrition¡­¡±

    ¡°Just shut up.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Tension arose as the area turned quiet. But once the countdown began, the cadets turned rowdy again. Ling Ling, who grabbed the swords in a reverse grip, formed a cross with her arms.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Ehng?¡±

    Cadets who were used to watching Ling Ling¡¯s fights were in doubt.

    Ding¨C

    The moment the bell rang, Ling Ling stabbed the swords down before pushing the ground away.

    Like pushing off the ground with ski poles, she elerated her small body forward and bounced forward like a tiny flea. ¡°Uwah!¡± The cadets created an uproar as they watched Ling Ling shorten the distance of 15 metres in an instant while swinging the two swords around like a blender.

    It was difficult to spot it with their eyes but Yeorum seemed to have blocked it. A destructive thud that was unbelievably made by the sh of wooden swords resonated as dust clouded the alleyway arena.

    ¡°Guwaaaa!¡±

    ¡°What the hell! That¡¯s insane!¡±

    Their arms appeared to be moving judging from their body and shoulder movements but everything was blurry past the elbow and the sword wasn¡¯t even visible.

    The two of them were in a different time nepared to the spectating cadets.

    After receiving a strike, Yeorum kicked the ground and flew forward. It was an intimidating stab, which Ling Ling parried by crossing her swords but the aftermath of Yeorum¡¯s mana went on and demolished the wall behind her.

    The following sh aimed for Ling Ling¡¯s head and although she tried to block it with one of the swords her power was far toocking. Along with an explosion, Ling Ling¡¯s head received a direct hit. Even the barrier wasn¡¯t enough to fully nullify the strike and blood oozed out of her head while the HP bar also went down by arge margin.

    Despite that, she used her other sword to reach for Yeorum¡¯s lower stomach, but Yeorum, who had trained how to delicately manipte mana with Yu Jitae, protected her stomach with mana.

    She was still flung backward by a dozen metres before she immediately tried to raise her body back up. However, Ling Ling didn¡¯t wait for her. Her small body once again flew forward with her swords acting like ski poles as mes rose up from the des.

    It was her forte, [me Sword (B+)]. The two swords enveloped in mes came crashing down like the fangs of a beast.

    Kwaang!

    A pir of fire was created and covered the two behind the ze.

    ¡°Oi, oi! What¡¯s happening! Come on!¡±

    ¡°Uwaaah!¡±

    They screamed from the cliff-hanger.

    Bam! That was when someone was flung outside with their body burnt ck like charcoal. It then fell down on the ground. Ling Ling, who stood back up with her fangs in full disy, had her teeth painted in deep red as if she had been hit on the mouth.

    And before long, Yeorum slowly walked out from the mes. Disgust was evident in her expression.

    ¨C Fucking bitch. You dare try to bite my ear?

    ¡°Kuuuuhh!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s swearing! She¡¯s swearin¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum¡¯s angry!¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s left fist was covered in blood.

    Blood travelled down her nose after perhaps allowing a hit from Ling Ling. Raising her left hand, Yeorum aggressively wiped the blood and it was apparent that she was fuming even from the other side of the camera.

    Soon, Ling Ling dashed forward again. It looked like she was in a fight to death as she shed down with the two swords but her arm was soon bent into an unnatural angle, crushed by Yeorum¡¯s sword.

    ¡°Uaaak¡­!¡±

    ¡°Uwah, what the fuck!¡±

    But Ling Ling did not give up. The small beast dropped the swords and used her fractured arm to grab Yeorum by her hair.

    Bam!

    She then gave a headbutt which made Yeorum roll on the ground. Chasing after her, Ling Ling rode on top of Yeorum and revealed her fangs with her hands on Yeorum¡¯s chest.

    Yeorum¡¯s elbow was then bitten as blood oozed out through the gap created within the barrier. Meanwhile, Ling Ling¡¯s hands tried to rip Yeorum¡¯s protective equipment on the chest area. Her nails were broken and blood raced out but she did not hesitate.

    Ling Ling did not care about the method as long as she could win.

    At the start, Yeorum was dumbfounded,

    ¨C What are you trying to¡­?

    Ling Ling smiled,

    ¨C This fucking bitch! You have a death wish!!

    And Yeorum finally went insane.

    She raised her [Pulsation] to the max.

    m! She smacked her on the face which twisted Ling Ling¡¯s chin to the side. Ling Ling¡¯s hands that looked for a ce to grab managed to reach Yeorum¡¯s neck but Yeorum withstood against the grip with her neck alone and held the unkempt hair with her hand. Then, she used her fist to crush Ling Ling¡¯s face. Along with a nosebleed, her lips were torn.

    Startled, the beast distanced itself but that was soon proven to have been a mistake. [Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art]¡¯s swordsmanship was revealed. Yeorum¡¯s sword was covered in a red light as it travelled down an unthinkable trajectory.

    Ling Ling tried to use her arms and the wooden sword she managed to pick up to parry the sword, but her arms were crushed yet again along with the sword this time. She was flung backward and crashed into the wall, through the building, until she crashed into the fence on the other side of the building.

    The camera quickly rose up in order to film both of them. However, Ling Ling¡¯s HP was reduced to 0 and she soon turned into fragments of light.

    Still enraged, Yeorum approached the ce where Ling Ling had been, and angrily bellowed at an empty ce.

    [Victor: Yu Yeorum.]

    [Combat time: 03 minutes, 15 seconds.]

    [Acquired Points: 10]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    An unfathomable battle and the gruesome appearances of the two cadets ¨C after watching it all, one of the spectating cadets blocked their mouth with a myriad of emotions. He wasn¡¯t the only one getting goosebumps from it.

    To prove that, the waiting room remained quiet for a very long time.

    ***

    ¡°That fucking slut! I¡¯ll kill her!¡±

    Yeorum screamed after being summoned back to the real world.

    The Level 4 artifact, [Statue of Competition] healed the injured cadets almost entirely after the end of the duel. Thanks to that, she was back to normal and her several wounds had already vanished.

    ¡°Calm down. Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°You saw right? You saw that as well! That crazy bitch tried to rip my clothes after realising she couldn¡¯t win!¡±

    She no longer had a weapon after the spar ended. While fuming, Yeorum nced around and picked up a fire extinguisher before kicking the door open with her foot. She walked forward inrge strides and appeared like she was about to kill someone.

    He could understand both sides. The red race viewed fights and duels as important but amongst thepetitive superhumans, there were several of them that had a screw loose like Ling Ling.

    Should he stop this, or no.

    In fact, the Regressor couldn¡¯t really find the reason to stop her. Wouldn¡¯t she be in a better mood after venting her anger?

    So if this wasn¡¯t Colosseo, he might have let her do whatever she wanted. However, there were too many eyes in the surroundings.

    A thick arm covered her body before she could go outside onto the corridor.

    ¡°Let go. Don¡¯t hold me back. I¡¯m serious!¡±

    Driven insane, Yeorum shouted and raised her nails to scratch Yu Jitae¡¯s arm. Of course, he didn¡¯t bleed and it was her own nails that bled instead.

    There was no other choice.

    [Knifehand Strike (D)]

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That night, Yeorum crouched down and smoked a cigarette after cooling herself down.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t get angry at him for stopping her. Having decided to obey the system of the academy, she knew what sort of result her actions would have caused.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Aftering back to the dormitory, Yeorum stayed holed up in her room and brooded over what happened the entire day. It wasn¡¯t the first or second time she was doing this, so the Regressor had an idea of what it meant for her to spend time alone and sulk.

    In fact, it wasn¡¯t something to get angry about. The fight had just escted more than it should so her anger was only temporary.

    She needed some time to settle her rampaging emotions, like what she was doing now.

    As he had expected, Yeorum walked out of her room the next morning while scratching her belly beneath the shirt as if nothing happened.

    ¡°Do you feel a bit better now.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah. Breakfast?¡±

    Yeorum spread some cream cheese on a slice of bread with nimble hands and pushed it into her mouth. Meanwhile, Yu Jitae talked about what happened the day before.

    ¡°You fought well yesterday.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah. I won, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Yourself?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°You thought it was a shame didn¡¯t you? When you were looking. Since I didn¡¯t properly use what I learned.¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything in response. She was right and her fight yesterday was simply a mess.

    Yeorum grinned.

    ¡°You knoo~ That girl was fuckin¡¯ acting like an animal. I was freakin¡¯ surprised and I got caught up in her pace.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. No need to exin what¡¯s happened already.¡±

    Hearing that, she gave a nod with a pout. Then, she quietly resumed pushing the bread into her mouth so Yu Jitae had to break the silence.

    ¡°Lair¡¯smunity website is in an uproar. Quite a lot of them watched the video as well.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you mean that, footage of the fight?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°How many?¡±

    ¡°5,200.¡±

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    It meant that half of the 1st grade cadets had seen it. ¡°They must¡¯ve seen me go mad,¡± she chuckled.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Anything fun apart from that?¡±

    ¡°People were bad-mouthing that Chinese girl a fair bit.¡±

    ¡°What were they saying?¡±

    When Yu Jitae quietly showed her the posts andments of [Community Lair], Yeorum once again chuckled.

    And after seeing an announcement, her expression turned a level brighter.

    ¡°Hoh? What¡¯s this. She got sanctioned! You see this ¡®3 days of restriction on individual spars for misconduct and 20 points deducted¡¯ part? She¡¯s fucked now right?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t there when hest checked but it seemed that the education department had juste up with a punishment.

    ¡°Serves you right, you stupid bitch. Fight if you¡¯re there to fight. Why try to rip someone else¡¯s shirt?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Did she want to see it that badly? Well, my titties do stand out a bit too much ?¡±

    She joked around andughed frankly without keeping a pretense. Even her mouth munching on the bread began moving slightly faster.

    Yeorum being happy and enjoying herself wasn¡¯t too bad to look at.

    ¡°Anyway, there was a call from the PR team.¡±

    ¡°What did they say.¡±

    ¡°They want to carry out an interview with ten or so from the top ranks of the individual spar section. How is it ¨C are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°You want me to turn them down for you?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    nkly chewing on the bread, she asked.

    ¡°By the way, is that tiny bitch alsoing?¡±

    She appeared to be talking about Ling Ling.

    ¡°I think she was.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going then, of course.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to fight. My mood¡¯s all settled now, and I just wanted to have a chat.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, do you think I get angry all the time?¡±

    Although it was hard to believe her, the Regressor couldn¡¯t find the reason to dissuade her either. Thus, he took Yeorum that day and headed to the PR team.

    *

    But after arriving at the waiting room of the PR team¡¯s interviews, Yeorum became slightly startled.

    She entered after kicking the door. When eyes gathered on her, she greeted them by saying, ¡°Hello unnis and oppas?¡±.

    Up to there was fine because she was doing all that without thinking too much about it. What was strange instead was the atmosphere surrounding the room and the ones that had already gathered.

    When she curiously inspected them closely, she realised that someone was holding another person by their cor.

    Besides, they all looked familiar. Those nine cadets who had gathered at that ce were all inside the list of people that required more attention, provided by Yu Jitae. In other words, they were all candidates for the top positions amongst first graders.

    They were fighting but the tense atmosphere was cracked by Yeorum¡¯s entrance.

    One of them let go of the cor and spitted on the ground, while someone else swore.

    ¡°¡­Look at you guys.¡±

    Though surprised, Yeorum gave a smile.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

 Chapter 106: Ah, these â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  retards, actually â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  (4)

    <h4>Chapter 106: Ah, these ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö retards, actually ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö (4)</h4>

    Yu Jitae and Yeorum didn¡¯t know because they weren¡¯t interested, but the current candidates for the top positions weren¡¯t in a good rtionship.

    Their conflict began ever since the seventh day when they started directlypeting against each other in the ¡®assignment performances¡¯ and ¡®individual spars¡¯. Being young children with both strength and a good background, there was no reason for them to be nice with each other considering the sh in their interests.

    Thus, they tended to nder each other when they met privately, like right now.

    ¡°Fucking piece of dog shit¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you say, you nigger?¡±

    When Yong Danbi, a ck girl, swore at the Chinese cadet, O Wong nonchntly returned a racistment. Yong Taeha from the Yong household held Yong Danbi back, while Zhang Xueyan stopped O Wong.

    Right when the overheated atmosphere was about to cool back down, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°Huh? Why are you guys stopping?¡±

    She attracted the res of others.

    ¡°Dude, that guy was calling you a nigger.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any self-esteem? If someone called me a mtang-hair, I would skin their face.¡±

    Yong Danbi scowled as her anger rose back up, and turned her body back towards O Wong.

    ¡°Oi, oi. Danbi!¡±

    Having a clean and handsome appearance, the greatest genius of all time of the Yong household, Yong Taeha, stopped Yong Danbi in a fluster.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. Why are you chiming in for no reason?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying. Hey, Chinese. She¡¯s calling you dog shit though?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    O Wong with a sinister scar on his face suddenly unsheathed a dagger from his waist. ¡°Calm down!¡± shouted Zhang Xueyan as she stopped him yet again.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. I know what kind of person you are.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make other fight for no reason. Please. What do we gain by fighting in the first ce?¡±

    In response to Yong Taeha¡¯s words, Yeorum shrugged her shoulders.

    Kukukuk. That was when someoneughed from the side. It was Sophia Vorkova.

    ¡°Bullshit. Didn¡¯t you say something the day before about a girl acting up to me?¡±

    ¡°Oi Sophia. When did I say that?¡±

    ¡°Eat shit. You fucker. That¡¯s exactly how you sounded.¡±

    Right before it was about to turn chaotic again, the producer from the PR team entered the room and informed them to be on standby for the interview. The cadets turned quiet again.

    While the room was surrounded in tension, Yeorum looked at Ling Ling ¨C at the small girl hidden behind tall andrge cadets, Zhou Luxun, Zhang Xueyan and O Wong.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Her words in the midst of silence gathered their attention. Their eyes seemed to be saying, ¡®What is she trying to do now?¡¯.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there something you need to tell me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Unlike when she was holding onto the swords, Ling Ling¡¯s eyes appeared powerless.

    ¡°Hello? Anything.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t? You said something inside thatrge outburst of mes, didn¡¯t you. ¡®If you see me outside¡­¡¯¡±

    It was then. Zhang Xueyan from the Erfan Guild cut her words off and shot out of her seat.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. That¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°Who are you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very mean aren¡¯t you? Our Ling Ling is a sick child. She¡¯s mentally weak. The fight¡¯s over and she received a punishment for her error. Do you still want to threaten her like that?¡±

    Her voice was full of sorrow and sadness. The tide soon shifted and the cadets threw nces at Yeorum.

    ¡°Stop there, Yu Yeorum. You¡¯re being disgraceful to us Koreans.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I know you¡¯re famous for your personality but you¡¯re crossing the line.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m crossing the line?¡±

    Yu Yeorum rose from her seat in a sudden outburst of anger.

    ¡°You want me to show you what crossing the line really means?¡±

    When the situation was about to escte once more, the PD entered at an opportune timing and signalled the start of the interview.

    ***

    Yu Jitae went to the guardian¡¯s seat of the interview room after sending Yeorum to the waiting room. As expected of the renowned guilds and households, the guardians were all rtively strong.

    There were a few Yu Jitae recognised including Professor Ha Yoon, the teacher in charge of Cadet Zhou Luxun.

    ¡°Hello. I wasn¡¯t expecting you toe here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering what Cadet Yeorum¡¯s rather unique training was about, but she got a lot stronger.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The Regressor¡¯s voice was as dry as a straw broom sweeping over asphalt. Seemingly discontent about something, Professor Ha Yoon threw a nce at Yu Jitae.

    Before long, the cadets entered the interview room as the interview soon began with the Head Producer asking questions to the 10 cadets at random.

    In general, the questions of the PR team were provocative and sensitive. It was to create the image of the cadets being in a fiercepetition, which the audience tended to love. And to make their cadets more famous, the guardians agreed to a certain degree of provocation.

    Four days ago, O Wong from the Erfan Guild and Yong Danbi of the Yong household had fought once with Yong Danbiing out victorious. Thus, the PR team asked O Wong, ¡°What type of person is Yong Danbi to you?¡±

    ¡°Cadet Yong Danbi?¡±

    O Wong replied with a very amiable smile.

    ¡°She¡¯s a very strong cadet.¡±

    Since they had learned how to treat the media from their guilds and households, the cadets stealthily avoided the sensitive questions. It was difficult to think that they had been cursing at each other several minutes ago.

    Yong Danbi likewise answered with a gentle smile.

    ¡°Cadet O Wong is very diligent. He has a lot of potential that could still be developed.¡±

    Although it sounded like apliment at a nce, it had a different meaning for the two of them. It became even more evident after the PD asked, ¡°Anything you would like to say to each other?¡±

    ¡°O Wong looks very handsome and has the strength that suits his beautiful face. As expected of Erfan¡¯s representative model.¡±

    ¨C O Wong is a retard who believes solely on his face.

    ¡°I heard that Cadet Yong Danbi is better at magic than Cadet Yong Taeha, although he is better at swordy.¡±

    ¨C Lol, you¡¯re mediocre at both sword and magic.

    ¡°I think there would have been a different road even if he didn¡¯t work as a superhuman. This industry is dangerous after all.¡±

    ¨C Go entertain others or something. Where do you think this is, you trash.

    ¡°Cadet Yong Danbi is very nimble. I think she has the talent of getting into a secret task force.¡±

    ¨C You¡¯re invisible at night.

    They continuedplimenting each other with connotative words but the PD felt regretful. He wished there to be morepetitiveness but it was way too subtle right now.

    Next up was Ling Ling, who the PD then handed the mic over to.

    ¡°Cadet Ling Ling. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡±

    When hesitation appeared beneath her messy and unkempt hair, a flower bloomed on the PD¡¯s face.

    ¡°Haha. Although you¡¯re very charming in reality, there are a lot of fans who love your unpolished beauty whenever you are in a fight. It¡¯s called gap moe, right? Gap moe. Are you aware of that?¡±

    Ling Ling looked back at Zhang Xueyan with an anxious look who then replied in her stead.

    ¡°Ling Ling is a bit indifferent to others¡¯ interest.¡±

    ¡°Is she? Then about the fight with Cadet Yeorum that happened yesterday¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m very sorry but Ling Ling is very fragile at heart. It would be great if you didn¡¯t ask that question please. Sorry.¡±

    The mic went over to Zhang Xueyan.

    The interview room was filled with an awkward and ufortable aura. It was because cadets who were trying to kill each other with swords in hand were now made to force a smile at one another.

    ¡°Ah, these fucking retards¡­¡±

    So when Yeorum whispered to herself, it felt like the interview room had been bombarded.

    ¡°¡­they¡¯re actually fucking disgusting.¡±

    Her somewhat loud mutter was heard by everyone present. The PD, who was about to open his mouth, dropped his chin in shock while Zhang Xueyan also turned back to Yeorum in surprise.

    They all widened their eyes into circles and the PD quickly handed Yeorum the mic.

    ¡°Sorry, what was that just then? Cadet Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you didn¡¯t hear it. More importantly Mister Producer, please hurry up with the interview with me first so that I can go home. I can¡¯t stay even a minute longer in a ce this disgusting.¡±

    Hearing her unstoppable and unhesitant outburst, the Audio Director and the cameraman immediately focused on Yeorum in fright. The PD felt like there was a firework going off in his head. This might be the true start of today¡¯s interview.

    ¡°Ah, umm¡­ in that case, let¡¯s start with Cadet Yeorum¡¯s interview first. How are you that strong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that strong.¡±

    It was a question meant to make her feel good but what came back was an unexpected response. The PD gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s very modest of you. During yesterday¡¯s spar with Miss Ling Ling, there was footage of you swearing in anger, but that was because you were too stimted by the fight, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, right. And I assume you didn¡¯t mean what you said when you were swearing?¡±

    ¡°I meant it. That fucking bitch started it first.¡±

    It was time. Something big was about to explode.

    ¡°That vile bitch. She¡¯s acting nice and all right now but inside the me, that little thing swore at me saying she would rip me to pieces if we met outside. Who wouldn¡¯t get mad after that? Wouldn¡¯t you be mad as well, Mister Producer?¡±

    Startled, the cameraman faced the camera at Ling Ling but she looked surprised and frustrated, as if she was being wrongly used.

    ¡°I, I see. But Cadet Yeorum. Even though I understand you were irritated, swearing back isn¡¯t the ideal reaction of a responsible superhuman, right?¡±

    ¡°What you fucker.¡±

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    ¡°If you hear that, you wouldn¡¯t be in a good mood either, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Haha.¡±

    It¡¯s ring up a bit too much though¡­ thinking that, the PD sweated.

    ¡°I see. By any chance, is there a cadet you are close with?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then, what about someone you are acquainted with?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, her?¡±

    Then Sophia, who was pointed by Yeorum, spoke in response with a yful voice, ¡°I don¡¯t like her though?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you either, bitch.¡±

    After saying that, they seemed to have found it funny as both Yeorum and Sophiaughed out loud.

    ¡°In that case, is there a cadet in this ce who you would consider a rival?¡±

    Throwing a nce across the room, Yeorum spoke towards the camera with a serious look.

    ¡°None. They¡¯re all weaker than me.¡±

    Hearing that unconventional response, the camera swept past the cadets and filmed their ill-humoured expressions.

    ¡°During an interview that was carried out before the holiday, Cadet Zhou Luxun said that he would win against someone like Cadet Yu Yeorum. What do you say?¡±

    While the smart-looking male cadet of Moonlight study group, Zhou Luxun sneered, Yeorum replied while picking her ears.

    ¡°To be honest, I would have won back then as well.¡±

    ¡°Then what about now?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? Should we try it right now?¡±

    The PD flickered his eyes. Ament like this was very good.

    ¡°Let me twist his head.¡±

    No, wait. It was over the top.

    She was the personification of audacity. Her words that appeared to have no restriction caused the cadets to whisper among themselves while the guardians also turned rowdy in their seats.

    ¡°She¡¯s saying whatever she wants to¡­¡±

    ¡°Tch. Who does she think she is¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae ignored their words and their gazes. He wasn¡¯t interested in stopping Yeorum, nor was he nning to change others¡¯ perception of the situation. In fact, he found the situation to be slightly interesting.

    But Professor Ha Yoon seemed to think otherwise.

    ¡°Mister Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Cadet Yeorum. I think she¡¯s very ill-mannered.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Taken aback, Ha Yoon red at him.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you stop her as the guardian? When the cadet is straying off the road on her own?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Can I say something as a professor? I understand that you prefer leaving her alone but if you leave her like that, the cadet willter resent their guardian.¡±

    Yu Jitae asked back in a sluggish voice.

    ¡°If the guardian stops them, does the cadet follow the guardian?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Well¡­ instead of saying that they¡¯ll follow the guardian, we could say that they¡¯ll start going on the correct path.¡±

    ¡°What is the correct path.¡±

    ¡°Bing strong enough to protect others and being loved as a superhuman. Isn¡¯t that the objective of the cadets of Lair?¡±

    He turned his head back to the cadets without saying anything in response. Thinking that her word had gone through, Professor Ha Yoon added.

    ¡°If the pedagogy of education is wrong, they have to go back to the start again. Cadet Yeorum¡¯s attitude is wrong. As the guardian, you need to hold her¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze returned to her and he silently looked into Ha Yoon in her eyes in silence. He remained still for a long time.

    Until he turned his head back to the front, Professor Ha Yoon couldn¡¯t even breathe. She couldn¡¯t get used to it no matter how many times she saw it ¨C those eyes resembled a demon or a murderer¡¯s¡­

    ¡°Then, it¡¯s time for thest question. I can see that Cadet Yeorum is always full of confidence, but is there a reason behind that?¡±

    ¡°My guardian.¡±

    ¡°Your guardian? Is your faith in your guardian that strong?¡±

    ¡°No? It¡¯s because my guardian is the strongest.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The cameraman shifted the focus to Yu Jitae, who looked back to the camera with an indifferent expression. Being a professional, the PD shared a joke with an awkward smile.

    ¡°Ahh I see. Is it like a fox carrying a tiger on the back? Like an ass in a lion¡¯s skin?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. That sounds about right.¡±

    She rather obediently nodded her head.

    ¡°And this here is a rabbit kingdom.¡±

    The PD pressed on his temples. He had no idea where to edit from and how much he had to edit.

    At this point, other guardians were giving empty coughs to openly reveal their difort. Other cadets were also dumbfounded and flustered.

    That was when Yeorum turned her head and nced across the guardian seat.

    ¡°Why the heck are you coughing? Say something if you want to. Or do you unnis and oppas want to fight right now with my guardian?¡±

    She then mischievously smiled.

    ¡°Your heads will be twisted though ?¡±

    That was the end of her interview.

    *

    Even after several internal discussions, there was no-one inside the PR team who retorted on the fact that the interview would entice attention from the public. Thus, the [Interview of 10 Top Rank Candidates] was uploaded in full with only her swear words being censored.

    On the next day, Yeorum¡¯s fancafe, ¡®Crazy for Yeorum¡¯ was in a mess.

    ¨C Lolllllllll our Captain is crazy ?

    ¨C Fuck kekekek. Feels good to have her back!

    ¨C Yeorum. Please twist my headd as well T.T

    ¨C I can¡¯t hear what she¡¯s saying with all the swear words filtered out.. Q.Q

    ?You can put the subtitles on now! I added them on!

    ?Thanks, but I don¡¯t think I need them T.T

    ¨C Woah¡­ the guardian though, he looks really fucking scary;;

    ?For real;;; I would piss myself if I see him around the corner¡­

    The shocking interview spread across the globe and Yeorum became a hot topic for unending discussions in severalmunities. Both inside and outside Lair, there was an increase of people that liked her for having a straightforward attitude, but there were also people that hated her for being undisciplined.

    However, the person in question did not care about them.

    ¡°How was it? Was the interview okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Yeorum was satisfied with one sentence from Yu Jitae.

    As long as he was okay, nothing else mattered.

 Chapter 107: In Search of the Dream (1)

    <h4>Chapter 107: In Search of the Dream (1)</h4>

    Bom was lying down on the sofa.

    She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a tie and a brown checkered skirt beneath. Her grass-coloured hair was scattered about while her hands were neatly ced on top of her stomach with her fingers interlocked.

    Since she was nkly staring at the ceiling, he asked.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ss?¡±

    She raised her head.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s ss today. You should go.¡±

    nkly, Bom thought about something before giving a response.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    That day, he didn¡¯t follow any of the kids.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself today.¡±

    Yeorum left by herself,

    ¡°Me too, me too! I¡¯m going to do a group task with my friends!¡±

    And Kaeul also left.

    ¡°¡­Eating, well.¡±

    Gyeoul smiled in satisfaction as the protector lifted the bag of feed once more.

    ¡°Let me feed it a little bit more.¡±

    ¡°¡­More, than this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, youngdy. We have to do that so that this guy turns juicy¡­ I mean, grow bigger, right?¡±

    Gyeoul and the protector stayed behind in the kitchen, feeding the baby chicken. The chicken chirped out loud, ¡®Art thou trying to test my limit?¡¯ with a voice filled with joy.

    Thus, the living room was quiet for the first time in a long time, but¡­

    ¡°I thought deeply about it.¡±

    Sitting down while hugging her knees, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°But I can¡¯t find the reason to go to ss.¡±

    ¡°The reason?¡±

    ¡°Like¡­ Yeorum and Kaeul enjoy attending lectures and meeting friends, right.¡±

    They indeed did.

    ¡°But I¡¯m not really interested in that.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Going there and listening to the professor speak, studying, sitting tests and meeting new people. They¡¯re all fine. It¡¯s good, but I thought to myself that there was no need for all that.¡±

    ¡°Your grades were quite good though.¡±

    Last semester, Bom received A for all her subjects. Considering that Kaeul had an average of B+ and Yeorum B-, it was a fairly decent score.

    However, Bom shook her head with a dull pout.

    ¡°I got a few of the questions wrong on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Because there was no reason to get good grades.¡±

    Thinking about it, the fact that Bom only received A despite studying from time to time was strange considering that Kaeul, whom he never saw study and Yeorum, who slept throughout the ss, had such results. They were dragons who remembered whatever they saw for eternity.

    Looking back, he hadn¡¯t been very interested in Bom¡¯s school life. It was because he thought she would be doing a great job at school, like how she always did elsewhere.

    When he remained standing in silence, Bom carefully pulled on the sleeves of his cardigan and gestured for him to sit down.

    The Regressor sat next to her.

    ¡°Can I ask a question?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why do humans go to school?¡±

    ¡°To be educated.¡±

    ¡°Then why do they try to get good grades?¡±

    ¡°Because a better future awaits them once they win thepetition.¡±

    ¡°What is a better future?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Wealth, good connections and a happy household. Something like that.¡±

    ¡°Did youpete with others for those things too, ahjussi?¡±

    The Regressor couldn¡¯t respond for quite some time. As the regressions stacked on top of another, he rarely ever thought about anything in the standards of a normal human. Thus, he needed to think for a bit.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Looking back, the only opponent hepeted with was himself.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bom fidgeted with her bangs. They were now slightly longer than her eyebrows and were at an awkward spot.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m a dragon, I don¡¯t need money. I can earn whenever I want.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really need connections either. I don¡¯t get lonely so I don¡¯t need rtionships.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And I can¡¯t really imagine what a happy household would be like. Because my family wasn¡¯t like that.¡±

    It was his first time hearing the story of the green race. Regardless, her values and standards were different from humans as a dragon.

    ¡°Why do you live, then.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, to be happy¡­?¡±

    ¡°What makes you happy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already happy though.¡±

    ¡°Why are you happy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Unit 301 is just enjoyable. Even without anything else in particr, staying with Yeorum and Kaeul and watching Gyeoul grow are fun. Ahjussi is funny as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s why there¡¯s no reason to go to ss?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He reflected on the ¡®Green Dragons¡¯ of the previous iterations.

    The first time he discovered its existence was in the third iteration where the Green Dragon had been a painter, staying holed up in its room.

    In the 4th iteration, it became a sculptor.

    In the 5th iteration, it was drawing somewhere in Europe.

    In the 6th iteration, it was writing a novel, likewise in Europe.

    The dragon had to give up mid-way in the fifth and the sixth iterations because it was caught by Yu Jitae, but Green Dragon did not achieve much in the third and the fourth iterations in the first ce.

    It was very different from the current Bom. She looked like she could do anything perfectly but had not seeded a single time in the past.

    How could this be?

    ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t think this is my problem alone.¡±

    That was when Bom slightly changed the topic.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi is the same right. Apart from taking care of us and catching demons, you don¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Just a NEET.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Or a kidnapper.¡±

    She giggled ¡°Hihi¡±. Her gentle chuckle reached his ears.

    ¡°Why do you live, ahjussi?¡±

    Because of the atmosphere, the Regressor was slightly caught off guard from her sudden question that delved deeper into his circumstances

    It was a troubling question.

    There was a time in the past when he had assigned meanings to life; that he would do something, and that he would be something. However, due to the repetitive failures, his life lost a lot of its purposes. The only remaining purpose was an abstract and distant goal that persisted throughout his lives.

    And that wasn¡¯t a suitable conversation topic with the baby dragons. When she didn¡¯t receive any replies, she turned her body and stared directly into his eyes. Although her expression was still hard to read, her gaze was evidently requesting for a response.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡±

    ¡°Look. Look. Bing all serious again.¡±

    Bom smiled.

    ¡°Same asst time¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m used to it now.¡±

    He decided to change the topic.

    ¡°Then should we do something together.¡±

    ¡°Hn?¡±

    ¡°If you try something new, wouldn¡¯t there be something interesting that catches your attention.¡±

    ¡°Will something like that exist?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be better than lying down and doing nothing.¡±

    Bom nodded before going into her room. Soon, she walked out of her room wearing a sweatshirt on the top and a pair of shorts on the bottom.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re a green dragon, how about you try making something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try. What should we do?¡±

    He knew of three things that had failed for sure. It was drawing, writing a novel and sculpting.

    The Regressor¡¯s intention was to now look into the reasons behind those failures.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try drawing.¡±

    *

    Inside Bom¡¯s room, on a table.

    Bom turned the lights off and used the magic [Light (D)] as amp. A white canvas shone brightly beneath the light source.

    Next to it was watercolour paint, coloured pencils and crayons. Those were gifts for Gyeoul that Bom had bought in the past.

    While biting on her hair tie, Bom gathered her hair to one ce before using the band to tie her hair up. Her white neck was revealed by the light within the darkness.

    ¡°What do you want to draw.¡±

    ¡°One second.¡±

    Bom held onto Yu Jitae¡¯s wrist. When he tried to slightly pull his hand away, she held onto it with a tighter grip.

    ¡°Stay there.¡±

    She then folded his sleeves up until it reached his elbow.

    ¡°So what do you want to try drawing.¡±

    ¡°No idea. A person? Or still life?¡±

    ¡°What about something like a flower or a scenery. It¡¯s spring now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay with that, but you can¡¯t draw flowers or sceneries, can you ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you the one drawing?¡±

    ¡°We have to do it together. So we can¡¯t do flowers orndscapes.¡±

    She sounded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

    ¡°I can draw.¡±

    ¡°Reallyy?¡±

    ¡°A flower isn¡¯t that difficult.¡±

    ¡°Try drawing it then.¡±

    Yu Jitae ced his hand on top of the crayons.

    A flower¡­

    Thest flower he saw was the flower that bloomed in the crumbling world inside Noah¡¯s dream. Thus, he picked up a gray crayon. He could sense Bom grinning on the side.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The finished version of the flower had its gray head lowered.

    ¡°Like, what is this.¡±

    Bomughed under her breath. It didn¡¯t really look like a flower even in his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Reaching his hand forward, he grabbed onto a new canvas. When he tried to push the original drawing away, Bom stopped him.

    ¡°What are you doing. That¡¯s a waste.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a flower.¡±

    ¡°Noo, it¡¯s still a flower. It¡¯s gray, has its head lowered and dark but it still is.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to draw again from the start. I think it¡¯s a fail.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    She pondered slightly before shaking her head.

    ¡°I feel bad for the flower.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°At least give it a name please.¡±

    ¡°To the flower?¡±

    ¡°No? Every drawing usually has a name right.¡±

    Yu Jitae thought for a bit before opening his mouth. The flower had bloomed whilst Noah¡¯s world was crumbling down so its name would be¡­

    ¡°Apocalypse.¡±

    Bom shook her head with a sour look.

    ¡°Is it weird?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to make it better. Let¡¯s name it after that.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Bom wetted her brush with watercolour paint and began drawing a new flower behind the gray flower. Her fingers began creating a stem, leaves and flower petals. She was so absorbed into the task that she didn¡¯t even realise that her tongue was sticking out.

    Before long, a new flower was drawn behind the gray flower. The petals were coloured pink.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    As he had expected, Bom wasn¡¯t that good at drawing but it was nheless a lot better than his.

    ¡°Looks good.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Name?¡±

    ¡°Umm, astral projection?¡±

    She giggled.

    When he looked at the painting again after hearing that, it did look like the pink flower had a gray soul sticking out from it.

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    ¡°It was a joke.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then what¡¯s its name?¡±

    ¡°Should we think while we draw the background?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Yu Jitae began filling the canvas up with Bom. He didn¡¯t know how to draw grass, but copied Bom and created sharp, jagged lines with a green paint that resembled grass.

    While drawing, Bom nkly opened her mouth with a mutter.

    ¡°I¡¯m a green dragon right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°So I tried growing a lot of flowers.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You know, flowers look very small and fragile but are actually very strong. They tend to grow anywhere, from barren wastnds to piles of ruin.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Even for a short period of time, they prove their existence. That they were alive at that ce.¡±

    He gave a random nod back and drew a yellow sun in the corner. When he did, Bom went ¡°Ohh¡± and nodded with satisfaction.

    ¡°It¡¯s spring, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°Do you like spring?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it.¡±

    ¡°Nn. I see.¡±

    The first draft version of the flower was soon finished.

    ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡±

    ¡°Flower.¡±

    ¡°Too insincere.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please do it earnestly like when you were giving us our names.¡±

    He didn¡¯t tell her how that was also cursorily done. While applying anotheryer of gray over Yu Jitae¡¯s strange flower, she asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try again. What¡¯s its name?¡±

    ¡°¡­Flower.¡±

    Her eyes twitched.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like that. It¡¯s way too insincere.¡±

    ¡°Astral projection.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, seriously.¡±

    ¡°¡­Flower¡¯s astral projection?¡±

    Discontent, Bom flicked her body towards him but the gray paint on her brush sshed onto Yu Jitae¡¯s face.

    ¡°Aht.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry. It was an ident.¡±

    He nonchntly shook his head and wiped it. If he so desired, he could¡¯ve blocked or dodged it anyway.

    However, he sensed yfulness rising up in her expression. Come to think of it, all the conditions were already fulfilled ¨C they were close enough to have their legs touch and the atmosphere was suitable for a prank.

    Right when he was thinking that it might being any time, Bom flicked her wrist and sttered the paint.

    ¡°Oi, oi.¡±

    Bom did not stop sshing the paint while chuckling out loud.

    Yu Jitae covered his face with his hand and took the brush away from her hand. Then, Bom closed her mouth and stopped giggling but looked into his eyes with an undisguisable trace of enjoyment in her eyes.

    ¡°Knock it off.¡±

    ¡°So scary.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Without a word they remained still. The air became heavy as the atmosphere turned tense. That was when he began shaking the brush he stole.

    ¡°Kyaaa¨C!¡±

    Gray watercolour paint scattered without mercy as Bom escaped to the living room in surprise. Left alone inside the room, Yu Jitae slowly raised his body and wiped the paint drops that had gotten on his face and the floor.

    ***

    Gyeoul, who had been taking a nap inside the living room, opened her eyes from the suddenmotion.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    She saw Bom-unni. There was something gray like a mole on her cheek.

    What is that? In curiosity, she stood up from the sofa and carefully followed after Bom. Then, she gazed at her unni from behind the door as she entered the toilet.

    Bom was standing nkly, staring at her own reflection on the mirror. She tilted her head a few times, before moving her fingers to spread the paint stain on her cheek into five paths.

    Something appeared when she did that.

    It resembled, and looked just like a gray flower.

    Only then did Bom give a gentle smile and wipe the paint off.

 Chapter 108: In Search of the Dream (2)

    <h4>Chapter 108: In Search of the Dream (2)</h4>

    Next morning, Yu Jitae took out the pocket watch from his pocket.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] alerts of the current time, [9 am].>

    This time, it was faster.

    But, you¡¯re wrong.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ?>

    Right now, it was 8:59 am.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ¡­>

    There was still one minute to go until 9 am, and this one minute was very important. The assignments of the day were refreshed at 9 am everyday.

    As always, Yu Jitae opened the app, [School Competition] and checked the assignment of the day.

    +++ Today¡¯s Assignment Performance +++

    ¨C 1. Rift of Anguish C+ Dungeon Clear (5 People)

    Points: 10

    ¨C 2. Exploring 5 regions north of Haytling (2 People)

    Points: 8

    ¨C 3. Producing a Level 1 Artifact (1 Person)

    Points: 80

    ¡­

    ++++++++++++++++

    There weren¡¯t any assignments with a high number of points.

    The only high one was the artifact production but let alone the fact that this took more than a few days, it wasn¡¯t suited for Yeorum in the first ce. At this rate, it was just better off winning at the individual spars instead of going for the assignments.

    Yu Jitae turned off the watch and turned to the other side of the sofa. Bom had sneaked up before he could say anything and was nkly lying down.

    ¡°Are you seriously not gonna go?¡±

    ¡°You mean ss? I don¡¯t have any today.¡±

    ¡°Yes you do.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    Lying had be a part of her daily routine but it wasn¡¯t spiteful enough for him to say anything about it.

    That day, Kaeul had no ss in the morning. ¡°Unni unni unni!¡± shouted Kaeul as she ran up while hugging Gyeoul in her arms. Gyeoul was smiling while hugging tightly onto the now basketball-sized baby chicken.

    ¡°Unni. What¡¯s that picture?¡±

    She pointed at the wall. The painting drawn by Yu Jitae and Bom was hanging next to one drawn by Gyeoul (Big-headed Prince and the Yu Household). The name given to the painting was ¡®Salvation¡¯. It was a name abruptly thrown out by Bom as sheined about the name ¡®Apocalypse¡¯ that Yu Jitae tried to give.

    ¡°It¡¯s something I drew with ahjussi yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? You drew with just the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi, what about us?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Draw with us as well please.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    When Kaeul protested, Gyeoul likewise wore a serious look on her face and rapidly nodded. Without even really understanding why, the baby chicken followed her and nodded.

    Seeing that, Bomughed.

    ¡°You guys are funny. What are you three doing?¡±

    ¡°Nn, this? It¡¯s Doonga Doonga! Do you want to try too?¡±

    Soon, Bom joined them by hugging Kaeul on her waist and lifting her up from the ground. Kaeul was still hugging Gyeoul and Gyeoul was still holding onto the baby chicken in a row.

    Bom walked around the living room like that and groaned. Rather than the weight, she appeared to be more troubled by the posture and bnce. Kaeul and Gyeoul who were being raised up from behind chuckled.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Youe as well!¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Do Doonga Doonga for us!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Gyeoul waved her hands. It seemed that they wanted him to raise that strange sideway human pagoda by another level.

    Left with no other choice, Yu Jitae stood up and walked towards them. He was nning to hold Bom by the waist.

    That was when his eyes met with Bom who slightly turned her head back. Her usual, indifferent pout was long gone as she faced a slightly nervous gaze at Yu Jitae.

    When he brought his hands closer to her waist, the nervousness hanging in her gaze turned even bigger by a slight margin. Her powerless gaze soon shifted its focus away from his eyes.

    What¡¯s wrong with her.

    Inside the Regressor¡¯s head were two analysers. They were ¡®Bom Analyser¡¯ and ¡®Gyeoul Analyser¡¯. Yu Jitae inserted the current situation into the Bom Analyser in his head.

    Were they close? They were, and were closer than necessary.

    Was it quiet and gloomy? Not really, since Kaeul and Gyeoul were singing an enigmatic song like drunkards.

    Thusing to the conclusion that he might be seeing things, he ced his fingers on her waist but saw her lips slightly twitch. She seemed to dislike it.

    Perhaps Bom didn¡¯t like making physical contact like this. Maybe she was okay with herself touching but disliked others touching herself.

    In any case, he, who only wanted the dragons to keep good memories, pulled his hands away and turned around before walking back to the sofa. Because of that, he didn¡¯t see Bom staring deeply at his back and how her gaze lowered to the ground as he distanced himself.

    Meanwhile, the protector threw several nces at them.

    What you looking at.

    *

    In the afternoon, Kaeul headed to her ss while Gyeoul was having a nap. Yu Jitae asked Bom, who had skipped the ss today as well.

    ¡°Do you think drawing suits you?¡±

    Bom shook her head in response.

    ¡°It was so-so. It was fun, but there wasn¡¯t any sense of satisfaction from finishing the drawing.¡±

    ¡°What do you think was the problem.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± she pondered before shaking her head. ¡°I just think it¡¯s not for me, and I¡¯m not talented at it either.¡±

    ¡°Talented?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I think I¡¯ll be able to draw better if I precisely drew the image inside my head.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Since her paintings in the previous iterations had always been a mess, it was a questionable statement for the Regressor. Mistaking his gaze as suspicion, Bom widened her eyes into circles.

    ¡°What? I really can draw better.¡±

    She began drawing on a notebook in pencil. The subject was the protector who was sleeping like a statue near the wall of the living room.

    ¡°Mhmm¡­ if I go like this, and this¡­¡±

    Surprisingly, she was right. When she began drawing a still life drawing, theplex and ornamented helmet of the living armour was copied onto the book like a photo.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Looks good. Why didn¡¯t you do this yesterday.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just, didn¡¯t want to draw it like this¡­¡±

    Because she had aplicated look on her face, Yu Jitae did not bother delving any deeper into it.

    In any case, one thing became clear. Out of the three things that she tried and failed ¨C drawing, sculpting and writing, the reason for her failure in drawing was because ¡®she didn¡¯t want to draw it nicely¡¯.

    ¡°What are we going to do today?¡±

    Next up was sculpting.

    ***

    The spring breeze was warm and there weren¡¯t any clouds hindering the spring sun.

    Lair¡¯s production district allowed residents of the academy city to use all sorts of manufacturing and performing art facilities like cooking, metallurgy, drawing, fishing, alchemy, sculpting, music and others. There, Yu Jitae purchased blocks of wood for sculpting and chisels.

    ¡°Have you sculpted before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t done it either, but why sculpting?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not somethingmon.¡±

    That was also something he wanted to ask. Why were you sculpting in Europe? It was a question that could never be answered at this point.

    Whenever he was trying to buy one product at the shop, Bom added another. Her brazen expression didn¡¯t change even slightly and she was adamant about how she would never be the only one doing it.

    The two of them returned home and headed to the terrace.

    ¡°What do you want to make.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ what about you, ahjussi?¡±

    The textbook they bought rmended fish and rabbits for low difficulty.

    ¡°How about we listen to what they say since we¡¯re not sure? Ahjussi, you try the fish, and me the rabbit.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Yu Jitae and Bom nkly sat down on the terrace and began following the instructions written in the textbook. After marking where they wanted to cut on the block of wood, they just had to cut until that point. Since the two of them were both able to add mana into objects, the rigid piece of wood was chiseled away like tofu.

    Shieek. Shieek.

    The block of wood began being chiseled into an oval lump. Before long, it began resembling the shape of a fish. It¡¯s streamlined body was soon revealed beneath the head as circr eyes, fins and gills also formed a shape. It wasn¡¯t too difficult after copying the instructions.

    Shieek. Shieek.

    Meanwhile, he asionally nced at Bom¡¯s rabbit. The head was revealed beneath the ears, with a bent neck and a chubby body, as well as an adorable spherical tail. Being absorbed into sculpting, she appeared to have found her hair to be in the way and tucked her grass-coloured hair behind her ear.

    Shieek. Shieek.

    After the silence continued for about an hour, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s very quiet.¡±

    ¡°It is ss time.¡±

    The residential area was eerily quiet so their sculpting sounds echoed noisily.

    ¡°I like it when it¡¯s quiet.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you? My voice is pretty soft, and my voice doesn¡¯t go through very easily when it¡¯s noisy.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What about you, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really care whether it¡¯s quiet or noisy.¡±

    ¡°Even if what you say doesn¡¯t get heard?¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t say anything then.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an easy solution.¡±

    ¡°Are all green dragons poised like you?¡±

    ¡°No. They actually all speak a lot.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Except for the blue race, dragons of Askalifa all speak a lot. I¡¯m just on the quieter side.¡±

    A chatterbox green dragon. He couldn¡¯t really imagine it, because the green dragons in his head had always been quiet.

    ¡°And, I¡¯m asking this just because it¡¯s quiet but¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Just then¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why did you suddenly decide not to Doonga Doonga?¡±

    She was still using her small hand to meticulously move the chisel across. It seemed that she was trying to express the furry texture.

    He beganposing the details of the fins.

    ¡°Why. It was because you appeared to dislike it.¡±

    ¡°Why did you think that?¡±

    ¡°I can see from your face.¡±

    They continued talking in a diminished voice.

    ¡°Do you know how to read my expression, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been about half a year since we lived together.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a given after that much time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom suddenly turned nk, as if she was pondering about something.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Is half a year short for rtionships?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s short.¡±

    Spending that much time together in one house could be considered quite long.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you know, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Know what.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hate it back then.¡±

    His hands came to a stop.

    Slowly raising his head up, he found a pair of grass-coloured eyes staring at him. It was the same expression, that made it hard for him to read what in the world was going through her head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Shieek¡­

    Right when Yu Jitae began moving the chisel again and thus broke the silence, Bom¡¯s voice reached his ears.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it ahjussi that found it ufortable instead?¡±

    ¡°What does that even mean.¡±

    ¡°Why? You get embarrassed easily.¡±

    Bom was saying that because she was clueless.

    He had lost arge portion of sexual interest throughout the repetitive regressions. Even in the first and second iterations, he had a lot of experiences with women and unhesitantly abused them whenter oppressing others with fear.

    However, there was no reason to exin all that so he stopped replying to her.

    Then, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Rightt?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I know I¡¯m right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not, then try proving it right now.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Do Doonga Doonga on me.¡±

    She was still wearing an indifferent look on her face. He applied the current situation into the Bom Analyser inside his brain. Considering the environment, her expression, the distance between the two and the results that tended to show after a discussion like this, this was most certainly another prank of hers.

    It seemed that she was expecting him to be perplexed after cing his hands on her waist. Within that expressionless look, she must be fully prepared to break out intoughter whenever possible.

    He didn¡¯t hate pranks, but he became doubtful on whether it was correct for him to y along or not.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    At the end of hisplex thoughts, he decided to draw a line.

    ¡°Because I always listen to what you want and protect you, you seem to be thinking of me as a nice person.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember what I said at the very start.¡±

    ¡°¡­How you are not a good person?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll say it again. I¡¯m not a very good person.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I could be a lot worse than you think. You seem to be clueless about this despite being a green dragon.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Stop. You¡¯re a smart kid so you should understand what I¡¯m saying. Just because someone treats you nicely doesn¡¯t mean you should think of them as nice people. No matter where you go and who you meet. You understand?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Although he wanted them to only have good memories, he also wanted there to be a barrier ¨C a line between them.

    Was she disheartened? Perhaps. However, the disappointment wouldn¡¯t be big enough to shake her life from its foundation. Bom was very stable even in situations that were harsher than this.

    ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t matter whether ahjussi is bad or not. So what if others think of ahjussi as a bad person?¡±

    Turning all of his worries into needless jokes, Bom opened her mouth with a nonchnt expression.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re a good person to me, that¡¯s all that matters.¡±

 Chapter 109: In Search of the Dream (3)

    <h4>Chapter 109: In Search of the Dream (3)</h4>

    Even a green dragon wasn¡¯t omniscient ¨C that was the conclusion Yu Jitae made. If Bom knew even a small fraction more about himself, she wouldn¡¯t be saying that.

    Right, that was the problem. Bom didn¡¯t know precisely what type of person he was.

    Never had he exined about his evil self to the kids. There just wasn¡¯t any reason to tell them. In order to create a better daily life and happier memories for the dragons, it was better off for them to not know of the life he had led thus far.

    As long as the dragons were happy, that was enough for the Regressor. He didn¡¯t wish for them toe closer than necessary, and he had never wished to approach anyone in the first ce. Naturally, he hadn¡¯t tried to make them like him either.

    It¡¯s just that there was an iteration that had failed into oblivion because he was clueless about daily lives and they were thus living a daily life together.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Because of that, he wasn¡¯t really fond of the current situation.

    A bodyguard staying next to a celebrity ¨C that was the level of distance and recognition he wanted. Did she think he was actually a part of her family now?

    ¡°So, no changing the subject now, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Now, please prove yourself.¡±

    Standing up, Bom walked up towards him. After being close enough for an arm¡¯s reach, she gazed down into his eyes before slightly turning away. She then ced her two hands on her waist, on top of her boxy sweatshirt.

    ¡°Prove what.¡±

    ¡°I said it just then. Please try Doonga Doonga.¡±

    She then pulled her own sweatshirt from behind. As the oversized shirt stuck right next to her waist, the curve from her ribs to the waist, all the way down to her pelvis was revealed in full.

    When she gazed back into his eyes, there was no longer a perceivable trace of nervousness or hesitation. It was a lot different from when she became nervous from him bringing his hands closer.

    Why did she look like she hated it back then, and why did she look fine now? The Regressor couldn¡¯t understand the delicate and subtle emotions of the baby dragon.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    But despite still being awkward with daily lives and rtionships, Yu Jitae was clearly aware of the fact that Bom wanted him to feel perplexed. And her method wasn¡¯t wrong. He was now starting to be more and more troubled.

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    Bom took a step closer. Yu Jitae stared into her face and had an indifferent expression as always. However, he couldn¡¯t think of any decent words or actions suitable for the situation and thus remained still and silent.

    So Bom took another step forward.

    ¡°Hurry¡­¡±

    As her stomach came right up to his nose, Yu Jitae turned his face away. And from that small action, Bom fully realised how troubled he was.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to do it?¡±

    Bom barely suppressed herughter that threatened to burst forth. She then walked even closer and tapped Yu Jitae¡¯s head with her stomach.

    He pulled his head back and gazed up at Bom.

    She couldn¡¯t withstand it anymore.

    ¡°Kyaa¡­!¡±

    Letting go of her waist, Bom beganughing out loud to the point that she fell into the corner of the terrace after losing her bnce. ¡°Anng¨C hakk¡­! Kyaha!¡± sheughed under her breath and literally rolled on the floor. Whileughing like she was in a seizure, she wriggled her legs around.

    He heaved out a sigh and shook his head.

    *

    Afterughing for a long time, she collected her breath.

    He decided to ask her today.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny.¡±

    Wiping the little beads of tears, she raised her head.

    ¡°It just is. Ahjussi being embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°Hnng. I see.¡±

    ¡°¡­And so, why is that funny.¡±

    ¡°Of course it is. Who in the world could ever make ahjussi embarrassed?¡±

    As the refreshing spring wind breezed onto the terrace, her grass-coloured hair fluttered across. She smiled.

    ¡°If not me.¡±

    ***

    A fish and a rabbit were ced on the table.

    Bom asked.

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask.¡±

    ¡°For me, it was so-so.¡±

    As expected, sculpting was a failure like it had been in the previous iteration.

    If she was a normal human, he wouldn¡¯t havee to a hasty conclusion like this after one try, but she was a dragon. Dragons rarely ever changed their thoughts or values.

    ¡°You did good though.¡±

    ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t feel any affection for the sculpture I made.¡±

    Bom reached her fingers forward and gently pushed the rabbit sculpture she made. The rabbit fell.

    Drawing, sculpting, and writing. From those, the reason sculpting failed was because ¡®she didn¡¯t feel any affection for her sculptures¡¯.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was sort of a let-down. The reason for drawing was because ¡®she didn¡¯t want to draw it nicely¡¯ and sculpting was because ¡®she didn¡¯t feel any affection for her sculptures¡¯. None of them were grandiose reasons.

    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±

    Somehow, it felt like the next one would be the same but even then, he decided to have a go.

    ¡°You want to try writing a novel?¡±

    ¡°A novel?¡±

    After pondering for a bit, her expression turned slightly brighter.

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    Since it was unexpected, he asked.

    ¡°Were you thinking of writing a novel before?¡±

    ¡°Yes actually. When I was very young, I sneaked out from their without the adults noticing it and used to see a lot of ghosts.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I thought that was very interesting so it might be okay to write a novel based on that experience.¡±

    ¡°Then what would be the genre.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ horror?¡±

    A green dragon and horror? Would there be a mismatch bigger than this?

    In any case, she looked more interested than before.

    If the genre was horror, the experiences she went through during her time with Yu Jitae might y a part, since there were several horror-like experiences when facing demons.

    And if that had resulted in some sort of a change happening inside her heart, she might be able to write a novel which she wasn¡¯t able to during the sixth iteration.

    ¡°Right. Have a go.¡±

    ¡°Yes. What about you, ahjussi?¡±

    The Regressor shook his head. Drawing and sculpting were the same, but writing a novel was especially not for him.

    ¡°Try it just by yourself this time.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Bom obediently gave a nod.

    That day, Bom walked around carrying a hologram device and typed on the keyboard in either the living room or her own room. Later, she even somehow found a pair of sses withrge, circr frames.

    ¡°This makes me look more like a novelist. Does it look okay?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure about the standards of ¡®looking okay¡¯, but what wouldn¡¯t? He cursorily returned a nod.

    Unlike when she was painting and sculpting, Bom was genuinely absorbed in it. Of course, her ¡®deviation from the norm¡¯ period still continued, and she truanted more than half the ss for the several following days.

    Being a military school, Lair was strict with attendance. There was a call from the education department by a professor who questioned Bom¡¯s recent attendance rate. Yu Jitae glossed over it by saying that she was feeling sick and saw Bom smiling from the side while still typing on the keyboard.

    Different from how she lost interest after a day for drawing and sculpting, the novel continued for four days. Perhaps she really did find something that matched her aptitude.

    However,

    After the fifth day, her expression as she continued writing the novel began changing for the worse.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Wearing a pout that was at least twice more sullen than usual, she looked back and forth between the device and Yu Jitae.

    She then shook her head. It seemed that she was slightly displeased, but she didn¡¯t stop typing on the keyboard.

    He decided to watch on a bit more.

    *

    At nighttime around 2 am, someone knocked on the door of Yu Jitae¡¯s room. ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied as Bom peeked into the room through a small gap between the door and the frame.

    ¡°Were you sleeping?¡±

    The Regressor shook his head. She heaved out a sigh while still wearing the circr sses.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a bit hard to write the novel.¡±

    ¡°Come sit down.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    She sat down on his bed.

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s a horror novel, there will be lots of ghosts right.¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡±

    ¡°When the ghostse out, the protagonist has to be afraid. But no matter how much I try, I can¡¯t express the feeling of fear.¡±

    ¡°But you said you saw ghosts before.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Ghosts and some undead¡­ but back then, I wasn¡¯t that scared.¡±

    Indeed, a dragon fearing ghosts would be slightly weird as well.

    Hatchlings were simr to humans at a nce but were different in certain ces. Maybe this was why she wasn¡¯t able to get much of a positive reaction even when she wrote novels in the sixth iteration.

    ¡°Anyways, and?¡±

    ¡°I thought about it for a few days. And there was this one time where I became scared of someone for the first time in my life, you know¡­?¡±

    She then threw nces at Yu Jitae. Even without hearing it, he could somewhat guess when that would have been.

    ¡°Is that the first day you saw me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The day I was kidnapped.¡±

    Damn.

    ¡°And then.¡±

    ¡°Can you try acting as the ghost please?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It¡¯s not like he couldn¡¯t, but at the same time, he didn¡¯t really feel like willingly listening to her request.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you also scared when you were caught up in the dimensional disjoint.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not being scared of a specific target.¡±

    ¡°How is it different.¡±

    ¡°Umm, so like, the disjoint is like a spooky night. That is scary in itself, but there has to be a ghost inside a horror novel.¡±

    ¡°¡­Guess that makes sense.¡±

    Even after hearing her exnation, the Regressor wasn¡¯t too keen.

    It was fundamentally different from when Yeorum wanted to learn his gaze so that she could threaten the reporters. In the end, Bom wanted a situation where she would be scared and threatened but wouldn¡¯t fear remain in her memory forever?

    Therefore, he remained silent.

    ¡°You can¡¯t? It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to¡­¡±

    He thought she gave up rather easily.

    ¡°You know how to reject as well, ahjussi. Well¡­ no-one¡¯s stopping you¡­¡±

    But she kept going on.

    ¡°Drawing and sculpting were no good and¡­ even the novel is the same, I see. I thought it was pretty fun this time though¡­¡±

    Then, she took off her sses and threw them into the bin.

    ¡°¡­What should we do next?¡±

    He could feel her protesting with her entire body. Left with no other choice, Yu Jitae decided to help and Bom nodded with a brighter expression.

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be writing here so please frighten me from behind.¡±

    ¡°Like, surprise you?¡±

    ¡°A little bit more violent please. Slightly more bad.¡±

    ¡°Exin the situation in a bit more detail.¡±

    ¡°Ummm, so¡­¡±

    This was how the novel went.

    A female criminal discovers a cabin in the middle of a mountain while running away and peacefully lives there. She brings friends in to y and brings her loved one in as well. Actually, the woman had killed the owner of the cabin and the owner¡¯s soul returns as a ghost to take revenge on the woman.

    ¡°Do you know about revenge, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°You know that feel, right. Like, how something big is about to happen.¡±

    Like something big is about to happen?

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    The role y soon began.

    Bom turned the lights off and sat down in front of Yu Jitae¡¯s desk. She then used a pen to write something down on the notebook.

    Meanwhile, the Regressor slowly raised his body.

    Like something big is about to happen¡­

    It wasn¡¯t necessary to get serious against a child. He simply had to give her a rough feeling.

    He thought to himself.

    I am the owner of the cabin.

    That woman killed me and stole my cabin away.

    There was a distant memory of a distant iteration where he had been deprived of something by a woman and how he took revenge on her.

    How did I do it back then.

    Probably¡­

    He probably walked up to her back in silent steps. Back then, the target was sitting down in front of a table,ughing as she ate. Simr to that, the green-haired girl did not sense his presence. As he embraced the woman from behind, he reached up and touched her on the neck. When she sensed the touch of a stranger on her neck, the woman that had not sensed the approach of another being, finally noticed the arms covering her body. He ced his lips next to her ears and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°You seem to be enjoying yourself,¡± he whispered and used his big, thick hand to strangle the slender neck of the woman¡­

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    In that instant, Bom turned towards him in fright. There was nervousness, never seen before, hanging in her eyes.

    Was it that scary? It can¡¯t be. He had no intention of scaring her, nor did he have even a sliver of killing intent like before. Yu Jitae was only copying the movement.

    ¡°¡­Bom. Are you okay.¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah, ah¡­ Yes.¡±

    Her expression definitely wasn¡¯t okay. At least he could tell that.

    After slightly looking away, Bom tightened a fist around her chest and lowered her head. Then, she began slowly heading towards the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if that surprised you. I was trying to make it feel like something big was about to happen, but it must have been over the top.¡±

    ¡°N, no¡­ I¡¯m really fine.¡±

    Until the end, she never looked back and closed the door as if she were running away. He was trying to hold himself back, but it seemed to have failed. Left alone, the Regressor awkwardly touched the back of his neck.

    That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to do it.

    *

    After returning to her room, Bom leaned on the door. Only then was she able to collect her breath that threatened to explode.

    She was so surprised that she had a slight fever on her forehead and cheeks. Even her heart thumped loudly as it pleased.

    She thought he would just walk up and surprise her, and wasn¡¯t expecting him toe hug her with his two arms from behind¡­

    Once again thinking back on the situation, she closed her eyes and heaved out a deep, heated sigh.

    Her shivering lips curled up faintly and she murmured with a smile.

    ¡°That was dangerous¡­¡±

 Chapter 110:

    <h4>Chapter 110:</h4>

    ¡°How was writing.¡±

    Bom replied without hesitation to his question.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try a bit more.¡±

    Unlike drawing and sculpting, she appeared to be slightly interested in novels. Maybe she had found the thing that suited her the best in the sixth iteration and maybe she was working earnestly and enjoying herself until Yu Jitae suddenly kidnapped her.

    ¡°By the way.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­Would you be able to help me every now and then?¡±

    Her voice was soft. Thinking that she was quite scared before, he worriedly asked her if she was okay and Bom casually returned a nod.

    Later when he tried looking into it, he realised that there were also literarypetitions for cadets. The writing segment mainly consisted of pure literature and poempetitions but there was one horrorpetition each year, with the deadline being in July.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Yu Jitae and Bom opened the outline of thepetition. The only requisite was that theposition had less than 300 pages and considering that there was still about half a year left, writing one or two pages a day would be more than enough.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try preparing for it. Also, did you want to have a look at what I wrote yesterday?¡±

    ¡°You wrote after that yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She handed him the manuscript and Yu Jitae quietly sat down on the spot and began reading the text. Meanwhile, Bom leaned on his back with her two arms resting on his shoulders, and read through the manuscript with him.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Seeing her unni do that, Gyeoul tilted her head.

    With a pink flower-shaped hair pin on her hair, Bom was resting on Yu Jitae¡¯s back. Since he was sitting down, Yu Jitae¡¯s body was curled forward while Bom¡¯s upper body remained straight.

    She remembered seeing something simr¡­

    After contemting deeply, Gyeoul realised something and turned her head to stare at the painting hanging on the wall ¨C the painting of a gray, withered flower and a pink flower sticking next to it.

    She turned her head back to the front.

    The painting resembled Yu Jitae and Bom.

    <strong>Episode 37: Mental Preparation</strong>

    Bom¡¯s deviation from the norm came to an end after that. She went back to wearing cadet uniforms like usual and wore a flower-shaped hair pin on her hair, while diligently attending ss.

    Thinking that she might finally be able to find her dream in the seventh iteration, Yu Jitae decided to watch her future unfold.

    On a side note, before they left for the academy district that morning, Unit 301 was a little rowdy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The protector and the baby chicken were ring at one another. Tension was mixed within the atmosphere.

    ¡®I thought feeding it more was all I had to do,¡¯ thought the protector.

    Recently the baby chicken, Chirpy, was gorging through half the sack of feed every day. Since it ate everything that was being given, things had turned into a mess.

    In fact, just eating more was not that big of a problem. Money was never a problem and buying more wasn¡¯t an issue either, while seeing the baby chicken grow fatter and fatter made the protector feel good.

    How happy would Kaeul be if she received a massive chicken¡­?

    Just thinking about that put the protector in a good mood.

    However¡­ the problem was the thing the chicken did to the toilet.

    ¡®I didn¡¯t even think about it.¡¯

    Nothing came out of the dragons no matter how much they ate. It was because their digestive system was able to change almost 100% of the things that entered their body to energy.

    However, spirit beasts weren¡¯t dragons. The more they ate, the more they would give away.

    This hadn¡¯t happened before when the chicken only ate a bit, since it tended to go outside and take care of itself outside. But now, it was different. Being a spirit beast with a high intellect, it did go to the bathroom but didn¡¯t finish everything inside the flush.

    It was then the protector¡¯s job to clean it all up. Because of that, the protector heaved out a sigh every time it saw the damned chicken leave the bathroom.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough. You need to be trained from today onwards.¡±

    ¡°Chirp? (What does thou mean by ¡®train¡¯?)¡±

    ¡°You need to be toilet trained.¡±

    ¡°Chirp? (What toilet train?)¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°Chirp? Chirp chirp. (No, but, I am asking what toilet training means).¡±

    Although it didn¡¯t understand what the baby chicken was saying, the protector could still tell that it was curious about what was being said.

    Hmm. So human words do not go through, huh. The red glittering dots behind the helmet flickered.

    Then what about this.

    ¡°Chirp.¡±

    ¡°Chi¡­ (What the¡­)¡±

    ¡°Chirp. Chirp.¡±

    ¡°¡­? (??)¡±

    The protector cried out ¡®Chirp,¡¯ with the voice of a screeching metal while the baby chicken became afraid of what this crazy armour was trying to do.

    ¡°So now you understand what I¡¯m saying. Chirp. Chirp.¡±

    ¡°Chirp! Chirp! (No, I do not! Speak normally like a human!)¡±

    ¡°Huhuhu. Chirp chirp.¡±

    ¡°Chirp? Chirp! (Have thou gone mad? What art thou trying to do!)¡±

    ¡°Chirp.¡±

    ¡°Chirp. (This is driving me crazy.)¡±

    Regardless of its thoughts, the protector took the baby chicken around and taught it how to use the toilet. Although it could understand the words of a human, the chicken couldn¡¯t understand the ¡®Chirps¡¯ of the protector and was thus frustrated for the whole morning.

    Looking on from the side, Yu Jitae was slightly dumbfounded but couldn¡¯t find the reason to bother straightening things out for them, so he stopped caring about them.

    ¡°Uaaaah¡­!¡±

    Meanwhile, after changing into her cadet clothes, Kaeul had her hands on her head as she wandered around the corridor. She looked at least 3 times unstabler than usual.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°W, w, w, what should I do unni? What should I do!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her,¡± asked Yeorum from the side.

    ¡°Today¡¯s the presentation day for my group assignment¡­! I wasn¡¯t able to help much in gathering information and became the presenter¡­ But this is my first time presenting!!¡±

    ¡°Just do it then.¡±

    ¡°But, I¡¯m, I¡¯m nervous!¡±

    She went up and bothered Bom, before irritating Yeorum and evenined to Gyeoul, before dashing towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Ahjussiii!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What should I do!? I didn¡¯t even prepare much! I have to stand in front of the ss! They¡¯ll all be looking at me¡­!¡±

    After saying that, she murmured, ¡°Huh? That¡¯s not that bad¡­¡± and turned quiet. Of course that didn¡¯tst any more than a few seconds as she resumed noisily pressuring him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any friends that did group tasks, ahjussi!?¡±

    She apparently wanted him to share his memories and emotions like he had during the deration ceremony but he shook his head since he hadn¡¯t done group tasks before. Kaeul became teary-eyed and looked at Yeorum.

    ¡°Yeorum-unni!¡±

    ¡°Ahh, why, you pig. So freakin¡¯ noisy.¡±

    ¡°Howe you never get nervous? You looked very natural even during interviews!!¡±

    Yeorum scoffed.

    ¡°Do you get nervous when ants look at you?¡±

    ¡°¡­?!¡±

    The perspective and values of the red and the gold race were this far apart. But calling them ants¡­ whispered Kaeul before asking Bom.

    ¡°What about you, unni? Hn? Howe you don¡¯t get nervous?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Nn! You usually don¡¯t get nervous either right!¡±

    ¡°Umm, I guess?¡±

    Bom thought for a bit before opening her mouth.

    ¡°You just have to mentally prepare yourself.¡±

    ¡°But how do you mentally prepare yourself?¡±

    ¡°Before a startling event or happeninges to you, think about it beforehand. Think of the things that could happen in that situation.¡±

    ¡°For example?¡±

    ¡°So¡­ when you present, some people will ask you right.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ¡°Think about what sort of questions will be asked, and some unexpected situations and n how you should handle it ahead of time.¡±

    ¡°Ohh¡­! And how many situations do I have to think of?¡±

    Kaeul looked at Bom with hopeful eyes.

    ¡°Around 200 to 500?¡±

    Her hope was crushed into pieces. Something like that was only possible to green dragons, since thinking of 200 unexpected situations would be impossible for others in the first ce.

    But nning ahead of time would be better than not doing anything. Kaeul started whispering to herself while going through the group assignment on her watch. Then, something struck her so she turned back to Bom and asked.

    ¡°Ah, unni unni! But when I thought about it, I almost never saw you get flustered though?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Do you get flustered and stuff as well if you¡¯re not mentally prepared?¡±

    Bom stole a nce at Yu Jitae, who was on the other side of the corridor.

    ¡°Nn. I didn¡¯t know, but I do too¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul stretched her two arms forward at Yu Jitae, asking for a hug.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    When he raised her up, her small and soft cheek touched him by his neck. She used her hands to lift his cor to the side to check that he was wearing the ne. Since he had never taken the ne off, Gyeoul gave a satisfied nod today as well.

    Now, she looked around 6 to 7 years old, no longer looking like a toddling baby. Thinking back to the previous iterations, she usually shed her skin around this point in time.

    [Shedding skin] referred to how growing dragons literally shed their old skins as their bodies grew in size. Dragons went through 2 or 3 processes of skin-shedding when they¡¯re babies without a very delicate control over mana. During that process, the dragons tended to turn weak.

    Was it about time?

    After thinking back on the sixth iteration for a bit, he asked.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Do you feel like your body feels ticklish here and there?¡±

    Shake shake.

    ¡°Tell me straight away if you think your body feels a bit weird. Okay?¡±

    She obediently nodded her head.

    After a nod, Gyeoul hugged Yu Jitae¡¯s neck with all her strength. It was one of those hugs that had no reasoning behind it.

    He was thinking that she had gotten over it but here she was, doing it again after a long time. Her water-coloured hair tickled his chin.

    ¡°Chirrrp!¡±

    That was when the baby chicken screamed from a distance. Listening to it speak, it seemed that the middle portion of its legs had been¡­ attacked by the protector¡¯s wet tissue. Gyeoul appeared to be curious about the scream as she went down from Yu Jitae and ran towards them.

    The baby chicken was drenched in water. Startled, Gyeoul hurriedly took the baby chicken into her arms and reproachfully stared at the protector.

    ¡°Aht. Youngdy.¡±

    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I was undertaking a toilet training session.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why, bully?¡±

    ¡°B, bully?! No. This is just one of the necessary educations!¡±

    ¡°¡­Devil.¡±

    Devil.

    Devil¡­

    Devil¡­¡­

    The protector was shocked by Gyeoul¡¯s clear enunciation.

    At the same time, the baby chicken began swearing at the protector and leaned onto Gyeoul as if it had found its saviour. But that was when the situation immediately turned for the worse. From the baby chicken¡¯s fur, something dirty(?) that hadn¡¯t been fully wiped off, ended up getting on her arm.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    What¡¯s this?

    Kng kng.

    After smelling it, Gyeoul¡¯s expression turned serious.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you see that, youngdy. Something like that is happening because it isn¡¯t trained at all.¡±

    The protector persuaded Gyeoul after realising that it was a great opportunity. Gyeoul cleaned her arm with the magic, [Cleanse (B-)] before looking at the baby chicken.

    ¡°Chirp chirp!¡±

    It cried out loud and exined after seeing that it was the mistake of its lifetime. However, Gyeoul merely returned a faint smile while patting the baby chicken on the head.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s, learn.¡±

    The baby chicken felt the world crumbling before its eyes. ¡®That can¡¯t be! Do not give up on me!¡¯ shouted the baby chicken as it was being handed over by Gyeoul to the protector. Although it tried to escape with fluttering wings, it was caught on the foot by the protector and dragged all the way back to the bathtub.

    Gyeoul closed the door as she left the bathroom.

    ¨C Chiiirr¡­!

    A hollow scream of a baby chicken echoed across Unit 301.

    *

    That day, Yu Jitae apanied Yeorum and around the time they arrived at the ss,

    A status message floated up.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] alerts of the current time, [8:59 am].>

    It seemed that it hated losing to the pocket watch.

    After a minute, Yu Jitae checked the refreshed list of performance assignments. A dungeon clear of a low-ranked dungeon was 15 points. An assignment of a specific professor was 15 points and taming a spirit beast was 7 points¡­

    All of them had low points as usual and right when he was about to think to himself that there wasn¡¯t anything useful today either,

    There was one assignment that attracted his attention.

    +++

    ¨C 87. B+ ranked Underground Fissure Raid (100 People)

    A 4-man party at least is required / Oncepleted by the cadets without any intervention from the guardians, 20 points will be given as the basic reward / In addition, further points will be given ording to contribution points.

    (However, it will be considered a fail for the party once the guardian intervenes)

    +++

    20 points as a normal reward and further points depending on the contribution. This meant that one assignment would be giving at least 30 to around 100 points at max.

    The underground fissure was a ce where monsters came flooding out without a stop. Although dangerous, it had the highest reward among the assignments that had been provided thus far.

    To prove that, the capacity of 100 people waspletely filled up 3 seconds after Yu Jitae epted the assignment. If he missed out on it, Yeorum would have been quite sad.

    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s not bad.¡±

    Just like what he thought, Yeorum couldn¡¯t hide her excitement after checking the assignment.

    ¡°Then am I going to fight some monsters underground to death?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°While the one with the most number of kills gets all the points?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Ah fuck, I love it.¡±

    That was when another status window floated up.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ?(?? ???)?>

    Right. Good job.

 Chapter 111: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (1)

    <h4>Chapter 111: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (1)</h4>

    It all began with an interview of the Communist Party of China¡¯s Erfan Guild.

    Q: Currently, you are on a 26 win streak without a loss. Ever since you defeated Cadet Yong Danbi two days ago, there have been rumours that you might perhaps be the strongest 1st grade cadet. Any thoughts on that?

    A: It¡¯s not just rumours.

    One of the candidates for the top position of thepetition, Zhou Luxun replied with a smile. Cadets of Erfan Guild standing nearby became flustered.

    A cadet acting humble before the media was a widespread culture of Lair. But Zhou Luxun, who had always been acting modest, suddenly revealed his confidence during the interview without any hesitation.

    Q: Is there an opposing cadet, whom you could say with confidence, that you would be able to win?

    A: Could you ask the other way around please?

    Q: Ahh, I see. In that case, is there a cadet who you think would be difficult to win against?

    A: None. Yong household of Korea, Brzenk of United States, RIL of Russia and the Three Families of Japan¡­ well, I saw all their videos but they were all quite boring.

    Q: It¡¯s good to see that you¡¯re confident.

    A: Honestly, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to pierce through my ¡®Stronghold¡¯.

    [Stronghold Promation]

    It was a blessing that had been at a shocking A- rank the moment it was awakened. The reason Zhou Luxun was called the greatest genius of Erfan was founded upon this blessing, which only belonged to him worldwide.

    Inside that unique dimension, others would be attacked repeatedly, while Zhou Luxun can focus on defense and push the opponent into a quagmire.

    A: Yong Taeha? I¡¯m confident that I won¡¯t get hit a single time by him.

    Nearby cadets once again stole nces at Zhou Luxun with anxious eyes. Behind them were also Professor Ha Yoon being astonished as well as the guardian from Erfan Guild heaving a sigh.

    Q: Any final words you would like to add?

    Zhou Luxun took out a red string before snapping it into two.

    That was the end of the interview.

    After they were dismissed, Professor Ha Yoon urgently summoned Zhou Luxun and lectured him.

    ¡°Zhou Luxun, what are you doing! How can you be so rude when the world is watching you?¡±

    ¡°Professor. I¡¯m tired of acting.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I also want to say what I want.¡±

    Despite wearing a frown, Ha Yoon tried to calmly persuade Zhou Luxun, but he remained stubborn. She sighed.

    Judging from how Zhou Luxun said, ¡®also¡¯, Ha Yoon immediately realised who he was affected by.

    [Official Sophia_RIL]

    §ä§í §á§à§Õ §ß§Ñ§â§Ü§à§ä§à§Û? (Are you on drugs?)

    After the interview, posts were uploaded by the angry cadets who had been insulted and called ¡®boring¡¯ by him.

    [Official / Family Brzenk]

    We are very displeased with the interview of one immature cadet. But that cadet can enjoy himself and indulge in himself for the next three months. The results will prove things ?

    [Official Yong Taeha_Yong]

    Acting big lol. Don¡¯t get smacked.

    [Official ?Yong Danbi_SweetRain_?]

    Someone threw his manners down the drain haha.

    Won¡¯t say who. Í¹

    [Official Kimura(Ä¾´å)]

    Words cannot express this displeasure! ?`?¡ä?

    Such reactions of cadets were spread to inte forums, news articles and media tforms. After watching the sudden rudeness of Zhou Luxun and the anger of those who had been insulted by him, the onlookers began amusing themselves with imaginations of what would happen next.

    ¨C Isn¡¯t snapping a red string implying something about Yu Yeorum?

    ¨C Remember how she said she would twist their heads lol. Zhou Luxun¡¯s angry imo.

    ¨C Probably yeah. It was also silk, not just a normal string;; It¡¯s the same as Yu Yeorum¡¯s hair.

    ¨C Did Yu household say something about their official standpoint?

    ¨C They don¡¯t have an SNS ount.

    But there weren¡¯t anyments from Yu Yeorum or the Yu household for the next three days.

    ¨C What the heck lol. Are they scared?

    ¨C Why isn¡¯t she saying anything back? It¡¯s so frustrating.

    ¨C He downright snapped a red string and burned it. Does she have no pride or what¡­

    Despite attacking others when they were quiet, she suddenly went quiet when others attacked back. Those that loved Yeorum¡¯s straightforward approach were disappointed, while those that hated Yeorum criticised her for being a coward.

    But after three days, everything turned upside down with one video.

    [Urgent news!!!] Yu Yeorum vs Zhang Xueyan is finally here;;;!

    A ranker candidate from Erfan Guild, Zhang Xueyan.

    Her specialty was in gentle swordy. Using a strange flow of mana, she focused on redirecting others¡¯ attacks while looking for gaps. She was the type to defensively control the flow of battle.

    She was someone that could aim for an extended fight of attrition against any opponent including professors, and had a favourable matchup especially against opponents like Yeorum who focused on aggressiveness.

    Despite that, she was unable to fight after merely 5 seconds.

    ¨C ;; What the hell? What¡¯s happening?

    ¨C Why can¡¯t she dodge anything?? Wut? She¡¯s just getting smacked..

    ¨C Dude they¡¯re in a different league. Since when was Yu Yeorum this strong?

    Yeorum used the pulsations of the dragon heart following [Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art] to fluctuate and unstabilise mana in the surroundings. That ended up destroying the flow created by Zhang Xueyan.

    Zhang Xueyan wasn¡¯t Yeorum¡¯s opponent.

    It was in fact quite natural. Though others didn¡¯t know, even when she was fighting Ling Ling, Yeorum had been hiding 70% of her strength until she was infuriated.

    But the moment the victor had been decided, Yeorum began acting strange.

    ¨C ???

    ¨C ??;;;

    The HP bar was almost gone to the point where a little jab would end the fight but Yeorum did not finish Zhang Xueyan, who was lying down on the ground. After crouching down, Yeorum ced her two hands on Zhang Xueyan¡¯s forehead before suddenly bringing her lips to her forehead.

    ¨C What? Dafuk?

    ¨C ?? What¡¯s she doing?

    She then kissed with a loud chu ?.

    Naturally her lips did not actually touch the forehead due to the barrier provided by the [Statue of Competition], and it was just the sound of the kiss that reverberated across.

    ¨C Why is she doing that??

    ¨C What the heck?

    ¨C Are those two in that sort of rtionship?

    After that, Yeorum wrote the alphabet ZL on Zhang Xueyan¡¯s cheek with blood. Then, she pped the remaining HP away.

    As Zhang Xueyan soon scattered into light, Yeorum chortled and faced the camera with two middle fingers raised up.

    ¨C What the fuck lololol. Now I get it.

    ¨C She¡¯s saying something to Zhou Luxun lolololol.

    ¨C Yeah kekekekek

    ¨C Actually crazy lol;;

    ¨C That¡¯s a bit too much imo;

    ¨C Her personality though¡­

    That was the end of the video.

    ¡­Because of that, Yu Jitae was summoned by the education department.

    When he entered a conference room inside the education department, approximately six guardians and staff members weed Yu Jitae. They were all wearing serious expressions but couldn¡¯t hide the look of intrigue shing in their eyes.

    A guardian from Erfan Guild, ¡®Lyun¡¯, showed his anger after Yu Jitae walked in.

    ¡°How could a cadet be so incorrectly educated, that they insult their opponent like that during a sparring session?¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply.

    In fact, Yeorum asked Yu Jitae the moment Zhou Luxun¡¯s overbearing interview came to an end. ¡°Can I smack them and tease them if I meet one of the Erfans?¡± she asked and he allowed it, because she tended to feel happy from straightforwardness.

    ¡°Answer me, Guardian Yu Jitae!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Now, now. Lyun. Please calm down. First off, the purpose of this meeting is to decide on the punishment and action that should be taken on Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    The meeting continued with one of the staff members bbering and Lyun showing his fiery temper.

    Yu Jitae listened to everything in silence.

    He didn¡¯t think much of Yeorum¡¯s insult. As long as she enjoyed herself, it didn¡¯t matter what happened to others.

    On the other hand, if she did something that was against the general framework of the society, he was nning on letting her take responsibility for her actions for the most part. Yeorum insulted someone when she didn¡¯t have to, so she should take ountability for her actions if that proved to be a problem.

    So he was intending to ept the punishment as long as it was appropriate.

    But surprisingly, there was a witness who stood on Yeorum¡¯s side.

    ¡°Is it okay for me say something?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, Guardian Yong Chuljun. Yes, please do.¡±

    ¡°I think a punishment would be taking it too far.¡±

    He was a guardian from the Yong household.

    ¡°I do agree with the fact that Cadet Yeorum did go too far, but we should still adhere to the regtions.¡±

    ¡°Look here, Guardian Yong Chuljun! Doesn¡¯t Section 2 of the regtions clearly state that excessive swearing and violentnguage are prohibited!?¡±

    ¡°So did she swear excessively, or speak violently? I think she just returned what Cadet Zhou Luxun did by insulting her.¡±

    ¡°If she wanted to pay him back, why do it to Cadet Zhang Xueyan and not Zhou Luxun himself!¡±

    ¡°Well, group responsibility I guess.¡±

    ¡°Damn it. Are you standing on her side just because you¡¯re both Koreans?¡±

    ¡°Be mindful of your words. My parents are Chinese,¡± stated Yong Chuljun indifferently.

    Zhou Luxun¡¯s interview had provoked a public outrage of the cadets so the guardians from a Japanese household and Russia¡¯s RIL all showed their support for Yeorum.

    Thus, the punishment was cancelled.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t really fond of the current situation.

    Guardians weren¡¯t charitymissions or donors. They never helped others without anything benefiting them. Most of the old superhumans were veteran soldiers, and soldiers loved ying with numbers as much as businessmen did.

    The Regressor could clearly see the things they wanted.

    The next day when Yu Jitae was apanying Yeorum, Yong Chuljun visited the lecture room with Yong Taeha and Yong Danbi.

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°Hukk¡­¡±

    Since they were considered small celebrities even within Lair, the cadets that were still in the lecture room turned to them in surprise.

    ¡°Hello. This would be our first time having a chat like this. I¡¯m Yong Chuljun.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Yu Jitae.¡±

    Yeorum gazed at Yu Jitae with an expression that read, ¡®What¡¯s wrong with these guys?¡¯ but he shook his head.

    ¡°Cadet Yeorum. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°You guys, say hello as well.¡±

    Yong Taeha and Yong Danbi gave light greetings despite the awkwardness.

    ¡°What brings a busy person like you here.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, yes. Let me go straight to the topic. If you haven¡¯t decided on the members of the 4-man party yet for the raid, I was wondering if you would like to have Cadet Yeorum join the Yong household¡¯s group.¡±

    He was here because of the assignment performance that had been posted yesterday ¨C the raid of B+ ranked underground fissure.

    A maximum of 100 cadets were allowed to enter. With three days left till the day of the raid, cadets had to form a party that consisted of at least 4 members and register for it again.

    ording to his knowledge, all the cadetspeting for the top positions had applied for the assignment. Since they had all gathered on one fertilend, the question now was how much piece of thend they could get.

    That¡¯s why they were asking to join hands but,

    ¡°Is there a written proposal for the raid already?¡±

    There was something that was weighing on the Regressor¡¯s mind.

    ¡°The proposal hasn¡¯t been written yet. We were going to write it after the members were decided.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m curious how it would be roughly.¡±

    ¡°As always, we will be moving for the greatest benefit. In the shortest period of time, going for the most amount of kills and rewards. We can promise all that to Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Points are given per individual contribution, if I remember right. How will the positions be formed?¡±

    ¡°It will probably be 2 front guards, 1 operator and 1 sharp shooter ¨C if Cadet Yeorum joins us that is. And the front guard at the very front will be our Taeha as well, so there¡¯s no need to worry about her safety.¡±

    Up to here was a general exnation that sounded as if he were considering and worrying about Yeorum¡¯s safety, but Yu Jitae focused more on the fact that the proposal hadn¡¯t been written out yet.

    ¡°We will look through it optimistically if the four members are moving together and once the proposal is ready.¡±

    In response to Yu Jitae¡¯s words, Yong Chuljun¡¯s eyes twitched. As he had thought, a household that focused heavily on the points and ranks of their cadets won¡¯t ever give such a proposal out of a genuine goodwill.

    ¡°As you are probably aware, Guardian Yu Jitae, raids don¡¯t always go the way we expect it to right? Sometimes the members might be forced to move separately and we can¡¯t predetermine that right now.¡±

    He made it sound humble and realistic, but sounded like an obvious excuse to Yu Jitae. Although the Regressor was still inexperienced with human rtionships, he was very familiar with how humans acted before greed.

    ¡°If the original n promotes individual movements of each of the positions, that would be troubling.¡±

    ¡°I do understand what you¡¯re worrying about, but I can assure you that that would never happen.¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re focused on the shortest time span, most kills and rewards, positions might be discarded per their level of necessity. And if it¡¯s outside, having a person die as bait might be an easier method to gather monsters.¡±

    Hearing his words, Yong Chuljunughed heartily and shook his head.

    ¡°Haha! I wish you would trust us a little bit more. Our Yong household isn¡¯t a family that is so heartless and cruel.¡±

    ¡°In that case, can I ask something.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Are you thinking of using Yeorum as a scapegoat?¡±

    Yu Jitae tantly asked him.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    The seal of the demon archduke that discerned good and evil, authenticity and favourability was drawn over Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes. True or false will be revealed depending on the thoughts of the opponent once he answered the question.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yong Chuljun was a genius of the Yong household, currently ranked somewhere in 3 digits worldwide. He was a superhuman who would stand somewhere around the back if a hundred top ranking cadets from Korea were made to line up.

    Although he couldn¡¯t see the seal of the demon archduke, his instincts alerted him of something serious and made him close his mouth.

    ¡°¡­A question like that does make me feel slightly ufortable. I don¡¯t know what makes you think of our Yong household the way you make it out to be.¡±

    ¡°I would like to hear the answer to the question first. Are you thinking of using Yeorum as a scapegoat?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You can just say no if you don¡¯t.¡±

    Cold beads of sweat travelled down Yong Chuljun¡¯s forehead. A feeling that he should never reply to this question strongly controlled his lips.

    ¡°No no no. The word ¡®scapegoat¡¯ is a bit too overboard. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re being so blunt. Didn¡¯t I help you just yesterday? I just want us both to do well as fellow Koreans.¡±

    He somehow managed to gloss over it.

    Yu Jitae remained silent for a bit. It was tantly obvious to him that he was trying to use her while pretending otherwise.

    ¡°And, it is unpleasant to be treated like a criminal.¡±

    ¡°Are you here to y around?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Just reply to what I say. Stop going around in circles.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The sudden change in his attitude made Yong Chuljun speechless for a second. Startled, Yong Taeha and Yong Danbi looked back and forth between Yu Jitae and Yong Chuljun.

    ¡°Look, your word choice is a bit overboard don¡¯t you think? You young, hot-blooded little friend.¡±

    Unlike his bold words, Yong Chuljun wasn¡¯t angry. To be exact, he was just unable to get angry.

    For some reason, his anger cooled itself down on its own and it was a strange feeling for him who brazenly talked about everything he so desired to even the family head. It felt like a nail was poking into his stomach.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking for thest time. Will you use her as a scapegoat?¡±

 Chapter 112: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (2)

    <h4>Chapter 112: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (2)</h4>

    All sorts of iprehensible things happened and existed inside dungeons. Participating in a single raid would broaden one¡¯s horizons in regards to the situations, existences and objects that deviated frommon sense.

    Soldiers that survived for a few, or even dozens of years at a ce like that, had one thing inmon.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    They knew how to obey their instincts.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was the same for Yong Chuljun, who had been adopted into the Yong household as a young prodigy, eventually being praised as one of the top rankers.

    He prided himself for being an important figure of the Yong household no matter where we went, but even he was nervous when confronting a monster inside a dungeon, since monsters wouldn¡¯t acknowledge his position and run away.

    So whenever he felt like this, he knew it was important to be cautious.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But this time, the opponent was a problem. This feeling of iprehensibility was currentlying from a man who appeared to be more than 10 years younger than himself. It felt simr to what he felt when he was entering an SS ranked dungeon while he was still under the Association.

    During the forty years of his life, Yong Chuljun had never felt this way from another human. Something extremely ominous that had been felt from a dungeon the size of the South American continent was flooding out from this man, despite him standing still.

    Hisst question therefore had a lot of pressure behind it.

    Use her as a scapegoat?

    Yong Chuljun wanted to lie but it felt like he shouldn¡¯t. Like how a young child couldn¡¯t hide their thoughts from their mother, it seemed that small tricks would never be able to hide the truth.

    It was a decision made by his instincts and the ominous feeling encroaching his heart.

    He had to be honest.

    ¡°Such a thing was never my intention¡­¡±

    *

    The eyes of the demon archduke judged its target.

    His nature was neither good nor evil.

    The authenticity was shown to be true.

    And his favourability changed from ¡®faint like¡¯ to ¡®faint dislike¡¯.

    He wasn¡¯t an evil person at heart and had no intention of openly throwing her away as a scapegoat. Plus, the positive feeling he had for the Yu household became slightly negative.

    ¡°However, I was thinking of cing her at the back of the four-man group. There was the possibility of making her a scapegoat but if the problem urred at the front side, the scapegoat would have been our Taeha instead.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying something could happen to the cadet called the greatest genius of Korea in a B+ dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Haha. Thanks for thepliment but as you know, dungeons¡­ No. It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    He closed his mouth, just to ensure that nothing that was even slightly false could leave his mouth.

    ¡°In any case, it¡¯s true that I wasn¡¯t thinking of apletely fair arrangement so let me apologise. I shouldn¡¯t have brought it up in the first ce.¡±

    Despite the situation, he took his outward appearance into consideration. There were many onlookers inside the ssroom and even during his apology, he remained as a member of the great Yong household.

    His attitude wasn¡¯t really to his liking.

    The Regressor knew himself well. He had lived for a long time but wasn¡¯t enlightened and the life he had led was too devastated for him to be virtuous. He was nothing but an old beast.

    Although theplex mechanism of emotions had been broken, the cog of irritation and annoyance remained intact. From time to time he felt annoyed, and that tended to lead to needless thoughts and actions.

    It was the same now.

    ¡°I wish good luck for Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    He didn¡¯t like how the opponent was reaching his hand out for a handshake at a level ground despite cowering beneath him. The thought of crushing his neck appeared for a split second.

    Therefore, the Regressor squeezed killing intent into the opponent¡¯s body during the handshake.

    des stacked on top of each other like an ocean wave and surged up the arm through the palm. The hand twitched instinctively and he tried to pull it out, but the Regressor maintained a firm grip.

    After piercing through the skin, the des wreaked havoc and ripped his organs and the heart, including every strand of mana that was nearby.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The moment he let go of the hand, Yong Chuljun¡¯s body faintly trembled. His eyes shook as he stared at his own hand and the body, and his gaze turned even more anxious as he looked back in search of the exit.

    ¡°I wish good luck for the Yong household as well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±

    It was surprising that he didn¡¯t fall. It should have been more painful than slicing his skin and organs with a kitchen knife and yet the man did not let out a single groan. However, his fingertips trembled endlessly, so Yong Chuljun had to hide his hand inside the pocket.

    A soldier was a soldier regardless.

    Yong Chuljun gave a faint bow and turned around. The fact that he was holding onto his breath because of the tear in his lungs was visible but Yong Taeha and Yong Danbi were unable to sense anything.

    It was quite severe and even a superhuman with a tough body would vomit a fair amount of blood once he went to the hospital.

    Perhaps having guessed something after looking at Yong Chuljun¡¯s expression, Yeorum appeared slightly surprised.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    On the way back from the academy district, Yeorum¡¯s surprise soon changed to joy. Her eyes flickered.

    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s freakin¡¯ great.¡±

    ¡°What is.¡±

    ¡°You getting angry for real. I thought you only knew how to act weak but seems to be wrong ey?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t think much of what had happened.

    Conflicts of interest and strife weremon in dungeons where groups with conflicting interests gathered together.

    Lair was a small society of superhumans.

    In the end, whether he liked it or not, he had to spend time with humans who were blinded by their greed. It was because the Red Dragon had to prove its own aplishments in this ce, while he was currently living for the dragons.

    ¡°You know, you can be slightly more angry when you¡¯re mad.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I think guys are cool when they act like a beast when they¡¯re angry.¡±

    ¡°Stop your nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Okay ?¡±

    She threw a joke with a mischievous tone andughed out loud.

    *

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    When he returned to Unit 301, Gyeoul came running up to Yu Jitae with an anxious look on her face.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Did somessing, happen?¡±

    ¡°No. Nothing.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Even after he said that, Gyeoul toddled and chased after Yu Jitae while staring at him with a serious gaze. Thinking that she was asking for a hug, he reached out but she shook her head instead. With her tiny hands Gyeoul pointed back at the watch, which he was using to send a message, and gestured him to not worry.

    Despite that, she continued following him around like a turtle shell so he couldn¡¯t not worry about it.

    Her two eyes resembling sapphires kept on ncing at him. As if anxious, she grabbed her right hand with her left and fidgeted.

    Did she know something? But it¡¯s not like she could see Providence like Bom did.

    ¡°Gyeoul! Ahjussi! Let¡¯s eat tteokbokki!¡±

    But when Kaeul came back carrying tteokbokki, her re vanished and she moved her head around following the trail of smell. Then, she became surprised at the fact that something had managed to steal her attention before once again ring at Yu Jitae with big eyes.

    Just stick to one thing at least.

    While eating the tteokbokki, she obediently sat on hisp. As she took a bite of the sticky yet soft and spicy rice cake, the worried look on her expression vanished in an instant and was reced with a bright, blooming smile.

    In any case, there were only three days left till the day of the assignment and Yeorum had to find a party of four.

    ¡°Hmm, should I bring them?¡±

    Them?

    ¡°You know, those losties.¡±

    She seemed to be talking about Hisaki Soujiro and Kim Ji-in.

    ¡°Are they attending thepetition as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Apparently they¡¯re trying to do whatever that can be added into their CV. They¡¯re both weak as, and are at the bottom though.¡±

    ¡°Do what you want.¡±

    Yeorum called the two of them with her watch. It seemed that she somehow knew their numbers.

    Despite her scores being on the line, she was bringing in cadets that wouldn¡¯t be able to help much. Was it because she was that confident?

    Regardless, everything was up to her.

    ¡°Right, then who¡¯s gonna be thest one? I wish thest one would be slightly useful though.¡± She grumbled, ¡°It¡¯ll be kinda annoying to have three losties.¡±

    He had already sent a message for thest person ¨C someone that was fairly useful, that would probably match well with Yeorum.

    After around two hours, Yu Jitae¡¯s watch rang.

    ¨C Mihailov speaking.

    ¡°It¡¯s Yu Jitae. Have you talked to her about it.¡±

    ¨C I did. Sophia liked it.

    A voiceined from the side saying, ¡°Who said I liked it, Mihailov.¡±

    Yu Yeorum, Hisaki Soujiro, Kim Ji-in and Sophia Vorkova.

    Those were the four members of the group.

    That evening, Yu Jitae took Yeorum and headed to the central area of the academy district. Inside a strategy meeting room of Colosseo Lair, Soujiro, Kim Ji-in, Sophia and Mihailov had already gathered and were waiting for them.

    ¡°Hello, weaklings!¡±

    To her greeting, Soujiro gave an awkward smile, Kim Ji-in greeted back indifferently and Sophia showed her middle finger. As Mihailov greeted Yu Jitae with his eyes, the scar on his forehead twitched faintly and it appeared that he was slightly ufortable.

    ¡°You smacked Zhang Xueyan up didn¡¯t you? She couldn¡¯t do shit when she was getting bashed around.¡±

    ¡°I did. Unlike someone who couldn¡¯t do shit and got bashed up by Yong Taeha.¡±

    ¡°¡­I had my period that day and I wasn¡¯t feeling good.¡±

    ¡°Hnng. I seee.¡±

    ¡°What about yourself. Didn¡¯t you almost get shit on by the education department?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re making a fuss out of nothing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying doing that to someone on the ground is nothing? Look at you. How¡¯re you gonna get married in the future?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just look for a ve or something if I need to.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know who it¡¯ll be but unlucky for him.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better than getting sliced by a knife during a lovers¡¯ quarrel?¡±

    Yeorum and Sophiaughed and joked around but Kim Ji-in and Soujiro turned pale while watching from the side. In their eyes, it appeared as if they could p each other any time.

    While the cadets were bustling around, the guardians watched the situation unfold with their arms crossed.

    ¡°Who knew a day like this woulde.¡±

    ¡°Indeed you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for calling. You see, that child doesn¡¯t have any friends.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was the same for Yeorum.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Sophia the genius of RIL.¡±

    ¡°She is, but, her personality¡­ is as you can see so¡­¡±

    Apparently, Sophia wasn¡¯t that friendly even to the ones inside RIL. It seemed that she was on the temperamental side even among the young hunting dogs of Russia.

    ¡°Um, you know, Yeorum¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Is it really okay for us to be here¡­?¡±

    Soujiro worriedly asked.

    He came because she told him to but one of them was the genius of RIL who also belonged to a Level 5 society, Sophia Vorkova, while the other was Yu Yeorum who had 25 consecutive wins that had defeated Ling Ling and Zhang Xueyan.

    ¡°Right. I also¡­ feel skeptical. I think we¡¯ll just be a nuisance.¡±

    ¡°R, right? We¡¯re doing average at best so¡­¡±

    Kim Ji-in nodded with a gloomy expression. Until the start of thepetition, they were able to spend time with Yeorum normally.

    But as thepetition began, the two of them realised that there was a massive gap between Yeorum and themselves which only increased over time.

    With an overwhelming talent and a crazy amount of effort, plus a good guardian, Yeorum had everything that the two of them did not have. And when all that was revealed on top of apetitive yfield, the two of them began slowly avoiding Yeorum.

    ¡°You two are simr, but we are not¡­¡±

    ¡°What the fuck are you guys on about?¡±

    ¡°Why, it¡¯s true isn¡¯t it? If I hold you back, I think I¡¯ll start loathing myself¡­¡±

    Yeorum frowned.

    ¡°No, what the fuck are you talking about. You said she¡¯s simr to me? She¡¯s weak as fuck.¡±

    ¡°What? Me?¡± Sophia asked with a frown. ¡°Hey. Have you gone mad? Who are youparing me with?¡±

    ¡°All three of you except for me are all baggage. You losties. All the other teams have ranker candidates grouping together, you useless idiots.¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°So get up now. If you don¡¯t want to hold me back, you need to practise cooperating for the next three days at least.¡±

    Yeorum stood up, but the two depressed kids and Sophia did not.

    ¡°What you doing. How long are you gonna stay on your stupid bum? Oi! Soujiro¨C!!¡±

    Her sudden yell startled the kids.

    ¡°N, nn?¡±

    ¡°Raise that heavy ass up right now!¡±

    ¡°Aht, sorry¡­!¡±

    Soujiro immediately stood up from the ground.

    Despite being discontent, Sophia was led by the aura she was giving off and closed her mouth.

    Yeorum took them and headed to Lair Central Training Room and began preparing for the raid in full. They had to n out the route and decide on the formations, the battle n and an overarching strategy.

    Yu Jitae and Mihailov decided to watch over and help the kids.

    .

    .

    .

    There were only 3 days to go, until the start of the assignment performance [B+ Underground Fissure Raid],

 Chapter 113: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (3)

    <h4>Chapter 113: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (3)</h4>

    On the screen, Yong Taeha, the genius of the Yong household, raised his sword. The opposing cadet was Sophia Vorkova.

    Yu Jitae was watching the footage of an individual spar session from a week ago.

    The two of them immediately kicked off the ground as soon as the bell rang. During the first sh, Sophia stabbed forward with her rapier which Yong Taeha parried by slightly tilting the angle of his longsword.

    His counterattack that followed straight afterward was sharp. Raising the sword up to eye level, he aimed it at her head.

    After watching up to this point, Yu Jitae could see the winner.

    Sophia blocked his sword, but her movements were too big. Using the force that bounced his sword away to his advantage, Yong Taeha spun the sword and struck the other side of her head. She blocked it yet again, but her movements were again, too big.

    The flow of the battle waspletely in Yong Taeha¡¯s hands and his delicate level of control was two steps ahead of Sophia¡¯s. The following attacks were natural like a gentle wave and although Sophia somehow managed to block it with her remarkable reaction speed, her movements were too big.

    Of course, her movements being too big was in rtion to the standards of a superhuman ranker. Sophia definitely was strong and was blocking well for a cadet.

    But if the sword shook for even 1 cm, the joints would be stiffened for around 0.03 seconds. Yong Taeha was able to manipte that time efficiently, and knew how to umte it. He stabbed, shed on and on. Once he had the fight under control, there was nothing to stop him and Sophia was pushed back again and again.

    It was slightly different per every iteration, but Yong Taeha generally ended up in the two-digit ranks after around 15 years. There was almost no-one in the entire world that was more talented than him in swordy.

    Even now, it was being disyed in full. A young child was imitating an adult¡¯s movement rather decently.

    Sophia¡¯s rapier rapidly shot forth aiming for the stomach. She was aiming for a slight gap in Yong Taeha¡¯s control over the fight.

    By adjusting the distance, he dodged it by a hair¡¯s breadth, but that was when the rapier suddenly ignored thews of physics thanks to Sophia¡¯s blessing, [Refraction] and soared up with an impossible angle and speed.

    Yong Taeha immediately kicked off the ground and pulled his head back by bending his body back into an arch, but the rapier still managed to graze past his chin. His HP bar dropped by a bit.

    Up to here was okay.

    But what happened after that was the true highlight. When the same situation was about to unfold yet again, Yong Taeha tilted the longsword slightly as the rapier came piercing at his stomach. Once the rapier was caught between the cross-guard and the de, it was no longer able to [Refract].

    It was but a small movement, but contained a massive effect.

    Doing this much with an iplete and immature body was decent even in the Regressor¡¯s eyes.

    And as one could expect, below were countlessments of cadets that were shocked by his decision.

    ¨C It¡¯s insane. Guys, did you see Yong Taeha twist his sword at around 00:48? Try watching with 0.1 y speed.

    ¨C What¡­¡­ in the world¡­ geniuses really are made different.

    ¨C I¡¯ve watched that part more than 30 times now. How does he make it look so easy¡­ his battle sense is insane.

    A sparring session was the process of endlessly giving and solving problems. Ideally, one had to easily and efficiently solve the problem thrown out by the opponent, while drowning them with difficult problems.

    In that regard, Yong Taeha was iparable to others of his age group.

    In the end, Sophia got smacked three times by the wooden longsword and fell outside the arena. She appeared upset and he could hear her swearing.

    ¡°Ahh, can you just stop?¡±

    That was when he heard Sophia¡¯s voice in real life and raised his head back up.

    Inside the preparation room of Colosseo, the team, ¡®Yeorum and the Losties¡¯ had gathered from daybreak without even attending ss, and were in the middle of a heated debate.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that bloody C-47 corridor? I said we can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Just power through it. Why go around.¡±

    ¡°No you idiot. How many times do I have to say it. We can¡¯t power through it!¡±

    In response to Yeorum¡¯s grunts, Sophia got angry.

    ¡°That tiny corridor apparently has more than 20 FG-type monsters so how could we ever power through it? Are you a tank? A bulldozer? If you just run like that, we would be licking our fingers for 30 minutes. Is that what you want?¡±

    ¡°Right. So you¡¯re saying we should go around to the A-9 corridor?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a big road so that would be a lot faster as long as we run fast.¡±

    ¡°I seeee, is that why it still takes 20 minutes? Aigooo unni~. Everyone knows that A-9 is an empty road. Do you think there won¡¯t be any other parties there?¡±

    They bickered and argued, as they both refuted each other about the path they should take.

    ¡°Considering your damned appearance, you need to be smart at least.¡±

    ¡°What about my face? Don¡¯t you know what the rted searches for my name are?¡±

    ¡°¡®Yu Yeorum¡¯s Lackey¡¯?¡±

    ¡°What did you just say, huh?¡±

    Right when they were about to get even more heated up,

    ¡°¡­Um,¡±

    Kim Ji-in opened her mouth.

    When she was red at by two pairs of eyes, each sharp like an angry feral cat, Kim Ji-in slightly looked away and continued.

    ¡°I think D-19 looks alright too¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    She exined her line of thought despite being scared and soon, the feral cats calmed down.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ doesn¡¯t sound that bad.¡±

    ¡°Though I look like this, I got A+ for the guiding courses. Maybe operating suits me the most.¡±

    Meanwhile, Soujiro filled in the written document that had to be filled out. Apparently the fingers of a chubby boy were more stable than that of three girls, so the resulting n document looked quite professional.

    Once they finished fine-tuning it among themselves, they showed it to Yu Jitae and Mihailov.

    This was Mihailov¡¯s suggestion, that they allow the cadets to consider it themselves without having the guardians help from the get go.

    The Regressor agreed without saying anything.

    ¡°It looks okay. What do you think, Mister Jitae.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t bad.

    ¡°¡­Looks okay.¡±

    Their expressions brightened after he gave his approval. However, they didn¡¯t have much time to linger on joy and they had to worry about the next problem immediately afterward.

    When they were practising their roles and their positions, Mihailov willingly stepped forward to be the one teaching them, so Yu Jitae had no choice but to train them for the anti-boss war.

    ¡°The boss of the underground fissure will abuse its gravitational blessing once it turns into a human type. If it does seed, you guys will be unable to move while the boss flies around like a fly so the sharpshooter¡¯s role bes very important in order to allow the front-fighters to deal damage.¡±

    The front-fighters here meant Yu Yeorum and Sophia. After noticing the importance of their role, the other two became nervous.

    The training method itself was simple. Yu Jitae manipted the mana and artificially added 20 times the gravitational force onto the entire alternate dimensional training room.

    In an instant, Kim Ji-in¡¯s posture crumbled. Since almost a ton of weight had suddenly been added to her back, trying to keep herself on her feet was the most she could do. Meanwhile, Soujiro fell on his bum.

    Watching Yu Jitae¡¯s godly maniption from a distance, Mihailov let out a gasp inwardly. Did he just raise the gravity of an entire dimension without using a blessing? How delicate does his mana control must be in order to achieve that?

    ¡®I knew he was a monster but¡­¡¯

    While he was astonished, Yu Jitae walked up to Kim Ji-in who was struggling to stay standing up and opened his mouth.

    ¡°This is the best method for short-term improvement. As long as you get used to the gravity once, you¡¯ll catch on and it¡¯ll be easier the second time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim Ji-in appeared to have meant it when she said she might loathe herself if she held Yeorum back. Despite drooling and tearing up, she held her ground.

    Soujiro also stood back up with difficulty.

    ¡°You raise your musket, and you your bow.¡±

    The weapons that were usually easy to lift were currently so heavy that their muscles threatened to rip apart. Kim Ji-in clenched hard to the point that her teeth might crack while squeezing everything into her shoulders.

    But it all failed. The musket felt like a metal ball with a person attached. How could she possibly raise this with one hand?

    Seemingly indifferent to their thoughts, Yu Jitae apathetically opened his mouth.

    ¡°Raise your weapons.¡±

    Soujiro managed to seed before her. He was stronger than her as a male, and the bow was rtively lighter than a musket.

    After struggling for another 30 minutes or so, Kim Ji-in finally managed to raise the musket and point it at Yu Jitae.

    Seeing that, he scattered the mana that was oppressing the alternate dimension.

    Copsing onto the ground, Kim Ji-in held her stomach and began throwing up on the ground. Mihailov dashed forward in surprise and tapped her on the back.

    While collecting her breath, and with her drenched bangs covering more than half of her eyes, she asked Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­Did Yeorum go through something harder?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°Rest up. We¡¯ll start again after 10 minutes.¡±

    ¡°Yeorum¡­ Did Yeorum train in something that was harder than what we just did?¡±

    He remained silent.

    And after realising that his silence meant a ¡®yes¡¯, Kim Ji-in turned nk for a while. She saw Yeorum, who was still smoking a cigarette in a corner of the alternate dimension, in a different light.

    ¡°¡­This must be why we¡¯re no good.¡±

    The training session continued and by nighttime, Soujiro and Kim Ji-in were both able to cope with 20 times the gravity to a decent level. However, their mentality had received a great impact and they looked 20 times more depressed than when they joined the group.

    While staring at the disheartened kids, Yu Jitae decided on something.

    He took them and headed to themercial district and entered an extremely elegant artifact store. Weapons and armour artifacts lining up like masterpieces weed them.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Confusion reced the depression that were on their faces. The two of them did not have a decent artifact and were carrying simple weapons that were provided by Lair. It was because they didn¡¯t have guardians, and didn¡¯t receive any support from households or guilds.

    ¡°Choose one.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±

    ¡°Ehht!? Really? B, but¡­!¡±

    The Regressor remembered back when Yeorum was dispirited, and also remembered how Bom helped her cast away the depression.

    Startled, the kids shook their hands saying that they couldn¡¯t receive something like that but once those hands carried artifacts, their expressions changed.

    Yu Jitae used 85,000 dors there in cash and the kids followed from behind while carrying their weapons as if they were in a dream.

    ¡°T, thank you¡­¡±

    They were okay when they were carrying the weapons in their hands and were fine when he was paying for them as well. But once they began walking down a dark alleyway after exiting the shop, it seemed that memories of her hardships floated back up as Kim Ji-in broke out into tears.

    She held onto the musket with her two hands and cried for a long time and Soujiro consoled her while tearing up himself.

    However, the Regressor spoke indifferently.

    ¡°You have to get up. We¡¯re busy.¡±

    ¡°Ye, yes¡­¡±

    Three days was too short for a raid preparation.

    ***

    Grand Conference Room, Colosseo Lair.

    Yu Jitae and Mihalov were attending the briefing of the assignment performance, [B+ Underground Fissure Raid].

    The professor was still yet toe and there were about 30 guardians gathered in the conference room, with most of them being guardians of top ranking cadets.

    The atmosphere wasn¡¯t very friendly.

    ¡°It¡¯s as if they¡¯re about to eat each other,¡± Mihailov described the room.

    There were 30 guardians in total and most of them were silent. A few of them were openly revealing their killing intent and were ring at one another.

    The only source of sound wasing from guardians who usually remained together while others acted like strangers.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard it yet?¡±

    Mihailov lowered his voice and touched his moustache.

    ¡°The Yong household and the Erfan Guild had a big fight.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Apparently a cadet called Yong Jinyong and Wang Lai from Erfan had a spar but one of them insulted the other. And then they happened to meet each other when they wereing out from their rooms. They started bashing each other and the guardians were grabbing each other by their cors ¨C it was a mess. Lair gave both sides a heavy sanction.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s crazy for school grades.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that as if it has nothing to do with you but, I heard you grabbed someone by their cor too.¡±

    ¡°Damn. You heard that? I wouldn¡¯t have said all that if I knew you did.¡±

    RIL also had a fight recently with the Quintom Guild of Japan. A cadet from the Quintom Guild interfered with the assignment of a cadet from RIL as if by coincidence. Due to that, the cadet from RIL missed out on the due date and wasted all the potential points, time and effort that had been invested into it.

    However, not everyone was unfriendly.

    ¡°Hello. Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Ha Jongkwon from the Ha household.¡±

    Some of them abruptly started a conversation with Yu Jitae. They were guardians of cadets that were slightly lower than the peak despite being around the top ranks.

    ¡°I¡¯m Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°Ah, umm, these days our kids are watching Cadet Yeorum¡¯s videos a lot.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°I knew she was originally a strong cadet but now she¡¯s in a different league altogether. I heard that you were the one that directly trained her, Mister Guardian.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, I did.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I think that¡¯s truly wonderful. How could you do that in just one month¡­ ahh right. Mister Pan! Come here for a minute.¡±

    The guardian from the Ha household called a different guardian from China.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Pan Yong. I¡¯m your fan sir.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Ah, was that too sudden? I mean I¡¯m a fan of the Yu household, haha.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You know, you uploaded an announcement before regarding Cadet Yeorum¡¯s individual training methods, right?¡±

    He did.

    ¡°Back then, we were slightly worried actually about whether Cadet Yeorum would be able to grow nicely or not. Well, I guess it would be strange to worry despite never talking to her before but¡­ she threw us all off guard by growing so much stronger right?¡±

    The Chinese guardianughed out loud.

    ¡°Allowing them to be free, while still nurturing them to be excellent. Isn¡¯t that something worthy of respect for every guardian out there?¡±

    Mister Pan, the Chinese guardian, gave a p.

    Since Yeorum was consistently in an upward trend in thepetition, her name value thus increased which seemed to have naturally spread word about Yu Jitae¡¯s story.

    Now, there will be conversations held behind his back by people he didn¡¯t know, whether that was good or bad.

    Even now, there were people throwing nces at him. Some of the thoughts that were behind those gazes weren¡¯t so friendly, because Yeorum¡¯s 25 consecutive wins was founded upon the defeats of 25 cadets.

    Yu Jitae had looked into their names and organisations.

    ¡°Ahh, now¡¯s not the time for this. Would it be okay for me to introduce my acquaintances?¡±

    Next up, guardians from Norway and Argentina greeted Yu Jitae.

    They abruptly walked up and gave an awkward greeting but soon became rxed as they mingled together with other guardians. Compliments that he didn¡¯t care about, like, ¡®I respect you¡¯ and ¡®You¡¯re amazing¡¯ were repeatedly thrown out.

    By the time he realised it, Yu Jitae was covered by guardians on all four sides.

    He didn¡¯t think much of it and there wasn¡¯t much he wanted to say either, so he just nodded in response to their words.

    ¡°Ah, can I ask for a selfie together if you¡¯re okay with that?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I would like to ask the same if possible.¡±

    Middle-aged men pushed their watches out and since there was no reason to turn them down, Yu Jitae took a photo with them.

    ¡°Should we take a group photo?¡±

    For some reason, Mihailov was suddenly tasked with taking a group photo. The middle-aged menughed and chattered while sharing photos.

    The Regressor was slightly dumbfounded.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When¡¯s the professoring.

    .

    .

    Until the start of the assignment performance [B+ Underground Fissure Raid],

    There was 1 day left to go.

 Chapter 114: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (4)

    <h4>Chapter 114: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (4)</h4>

    The assigned preparation time was only three days.

    However, it wasn¡¯t a short period of time because they only slept 2 hours a day. It was to the point that everyone other than Yeorum, including Sophia with her high standards almost vomited from the schedule.

    Soujiro went as far as to cry and whinge, ¡°Would a day that I work this harde ever again in my life?¡±

    The preparation time they spent while vomiting and crying was nearing its end.

    Finally, the day of the [B+ Underground Fissure Raid] arrived.

    5 am.

    After a simple injection, they were hurriedly admitted into the first aid facility of Colosseo Lair. It was an idea from Mihailov so that they would be able to have a short yet effective rest.

    7 am.

    Yu Jitae woke them up and took them to a virtual dungeon for the final realistic training drill. Meanwhile, Mihailov went around receiving munitions like the essential protective equipment and protective artifacts.

    8 am.

    They wore the supplied equipment and tuned them so that they were a perfect fit for their body. The process usually took about an hour or two.

    And 9 am.

    With only 3 hours left until the start of the raid, they had a quieter breakfast than usual. The three cadets excluding Yeorum were evidently quite nervous.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t like what.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s the team name, Yeorum and the Losties?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that now?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday was too busy for me to say anything.¡±

    Sophia grumbled.

    ¡°I doo what I want.¡±

    Yeorum giggled but the two of them stopped joking around after that.

    ¡°Guys. If you¡¯re done with eating, let¡¯s wear the artifacts and take a nap. We need to gather and start the formalities after an hour or so.¡±

    In response to Mihailov¡¯s words, the cadets opened their jewel boxes and took out the protective artifacts. The thick ne made of ck metal had a deep-greenish jewel hanging in the middle.

    [Protective Ne]

    It was a Level 1 artifact ne. Unlike normal nes, the protective ones had several devices attached on it that concealed various thorns, and in order to wear it properly, the thorns of the device had to pierce through the skin slightly.

    The device was made like that to protect not only the outside, but the inside as well.

    ¡°Hukk. This looks like it¡¯ll hurt a bit.¡±

    ¡°It will sting a little. I¡¯ll teach you how to wear it so follow me precisely. You might end up with a few holes on your neck otherwise.¡±

    Mihailov ced the ne on his neck and pressed on various buttons to stabilise it on his neck. The kids were about to copy him and hang it around their neck.

    That was when Yu Jitae, who had been quietly watching over them, stood up from his seat.

    He was always quiet and his movements were rxed. So when he moved at a pace that could be considered slightly urgent, the cadets all gazed at him.

    ¡°Wh, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    The Regressor walked up to Soujiro. He then grabbed the ne hanging on his neck.

    As if he was seeing something different from others, he stared deeply into the ne. Soon, he immediately turned his body and approached Yeorum.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    And before Yeorum could stop him, he pulled the ne out of her neck. Confusion appeared in her two crimson eyes.

    ¡°What is the issue.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something weird?¡±

    Voices of doubt were heard.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a defective item.¡±

    ¡°Defective?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Mihailov frowned.

    ¡°That¡¯s strange. It¡¯s straight from the munitions department and they have gone through a safety check without a problem. I¡¯ve checked it work as well. Wouldn¡¯t we know if we put it under the light?¡±

    Raising it up, the Regressor ced it under the sun. Indeed, light scattered evenly and the flow of mana was stable as well. It was true that it appeared normal on the outside.

    ¡°No, this really is defective.¡±

    A protective ne had three functions.

    One was the protection of the physical body. By casting a thinyer over the body, it would protect it from external shock. It could be considered as a simplified version of [Statue of Competition].

    The second function was the protection of the internal body. It protects the organs and stops any dangerous overuse of mana.

    And finally for its third purpose, whenever an unbearable level of shock was applied to the wearer, the supplementary gem would destroy itself and create a protective field around the area.

    They would basically use up all the leftover battery to create a shield. And after sensing the fluctuation caused by the protective field, the guards will run in and help the cadet ¨C that was how it was supposed to work.

    ¡°The supplementary gem is defective.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fuck.¡±

    In response to Yu Jitae¡¯s words, Mihailov couldn¡¯t hide his displeasure.

    ¡°The munitions department didn¡¯t even find that out.¡±

    The frown on his face intensified gradually. The scar on his forehead made him look all the more sinister.

    It was not a weapon nor equipment that was the problem, but a protective artifact. The most important item that directly corrted to the safety of the cadets.

    There should never be a defect in an item like that.

    Never.

    ¡°These fucking dogshit retards¡­¡±

    Violent profanities escaped the mouth of the retired soldier, who had belonged to the special forces of Russian hunters.

    Meanwhile, the coward, Soujiro imagined the worst case scenario.

    In the depths of the dungeon, something causes a sharpshooter like him to be separated from the front-fighters. Since neither Yeorum nor Sophia were there, he would be prone to the attacks of the monsters. If three or four monsters surrounded him in close range, there was nothing he could do.

    Armours would break every single time he received an attack and some of the monsters would definitely attack his head. If that happens, the protective shield should be formed to save his life.

    ¡­If it didn¡¯t?

    ¡°¥¯¥½ (Damn)¡­¡±

    A chilling thought travelled down his spine.

    ¡°Jitae. I know you¡¯re not a superhuman that should be acting as a mere guardian, but how did you find out that the gem was defective, without any equipment?¡±

    Mihailov requested Yu Jitae to assure them.

    Yu Jitae himself didn¡¯t see through it either the first time he saw it. That was how meticulous it was crafted and even now, he needed to check what sort of defect it was.

    Thus, he intentionally disabled all the blessings and authorities that protected his physical body. He then pinched on the gem of the ne with his thumb and the index finger.

    Buzz¨C!

    A crack was created on the gem and soon, an rm went off, going ¡®Bbibbibbibbibbbi!¡¯.

    Kwaang¨C!

    Immediately after that, an explosive noise echoed across the waiting room. Sharp fragments of mana scattered in all directions but Yu Jitae covered it with his hand to have it remain in his grasp.

    ¡°Kyaak!¡±

    ¡°W, what¡¯s happening!?¡±

    If,

    If, by one in a million chance,

    The protective ne had to resort to creating a protectiveyer from Yeorum¡¯s neck¡­

    Drip¡­

    Blood dripped from his wounded palm onto the ground.

    While everyone was astonished, Yeorum startledly walked up.

    ¡°What, why are you bleeding? Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Without a word, the Regressor held the damaged ne in his hand before collecting all the other nes. The issue was that there wasn¡¯t just one defective ne. There were 4 exactly the same, meticulously crafted defects.

    What did this suggest.

    He calcted the time in his head.

    There were 51 minutes left until the formalities of the raid began, and 2 hours and 51 minutes until the start of the raid.

    ¡°You guys stay here.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle back before the formalities so just stay put. And Mihailov.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the munitions department that supplied the ne.¡±

    The moment she met eyes with Yu Jitae, Yeorum felt stifled.

    She had seen him get irritated and displeased multiple times. Whenever the surroundings got eerily quiet and an ominous feeling rose up inside her heart, Yu Jitae had always been visibly irritated.

    But now, something was different despite the ominous feeling rising up in her heart. Yu Jitae still looked normal.

    For some reason, that made Yeorum feel more uneasy.

    *

    ¡°It was Team 3, those useless bastards¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae checked the clock. There were 48 minutes left until the formalities.

    He had enough time, but it wasn¡¯t that much either.

    ¡°I¡¯llin. Please go help the kids once the protective nes get reced.¡±

    ¡°¡­I shall.¡±

    Mihailov restrained the surging anger inside him. Right now, the assignment performance of the kids was more important so the two guardians had to do their own task.

    By the time they arrived at the munitions department with urgent steps, there were 46 minutes left until the formalities began. Yu Jitae pushed wide open, the door of the office next to arge storage and walked in.

    Inside were Korean staff members eating jjajangmyeon. Some of them got upset at the uninvited guests that walked in without even knocking or setting an appointment, while some were astonished after recognising Mihailov and the orange guardian name badge.

    ¡°Umm, we¡¯re in our meal break¡­ but what brings you here?¡±

    Yu Jitae gazed across. There wasn¡¯t anyone who was downright evil in the [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)].

    ¡°It¡¯s him.¡±

    But when Mihailov pointed at someone, Yu Jitae walked up to him.

    Then,

    p¨C!

    He pped him on the cheek without a word.

    The pped one fell back alongside the sofa he was on and rolled on the floor. Shocked, the officials were frozen stiff while the guards began moving.

    ¡°W, what is this about, Mister Guardian!¡±

    Mihailov stepped forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m Mihailov from RIL. Defects have been confirmed from nes supplied for a B+ dungeon raid, and there is less than an hour left until the formalities. I would like to ask the artifacts to be swapped right now.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    After roughly understanding the situation, one of the staff members went to the storage and brought protective nes.

    ¡°Then if you could allow us to collect the nes that you consider defective¡­¡±

    ¡°How dare!¡±

    Mihailov yelled sonorously. Immediately after receiving the boxes, he opened it up and showed the nes to Yu Jitae.

    Yu Jitae nodded. These were authentic goods.

    ¡°You can go first.¡±

    The formalities required time. Mihailov had to leave right now.

    As soon as Mihailov left, the guards surrounded Yu Jitae and the pped one struggled before managing to stand up. He wasn¡¯t dead after getting hit by Yu Jitae, because he didn¡¯t kill him.

    ¡°Excuse me! How could you just hit someone like that?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the director of the munition department.¡±

    Seeing that Yu Jitae was looking for the head of the department immediately after what he did, the staff members shouted aggressively.

    ¡°Hello. Do you hear me? Just because you¡¯re a guardian doesn¡¯t mean you can do that!¡±

    ¡°R, right! Absolutely! You have to follow the procedures when filing aint¡­!¡±

    ¡°Mister Guards! What are you doing not stopping him!¡±

    The flustered guards began moving hesitantly.

    Yu Jitae lifted their dining table with one hand. The circr wooden table with a diameter of 3 metres was raised just like that.

    In the middle of their shock, he threw the table at the window. When both the window and the windowsill shattered into pieces, they turned quiet.

    ¡°Uaaah¡ª!¡±

    But there was a guard who was still courageous enough who ran in carrying an electric baton.

    Yu Jitae grabbed him by the cor and casually threw him back to the ce he came from. But the guard flew all the way to the wall, destroying both the wall and the cab in the process.

    A different office next door was in full disy.

    One of the guards urgently raised his walkie-talkie. Yu Jitae looked into his eyes, and thought about killing him. Then, the guard dropped the device with trembling hands. His muscles were frozen stiff and his body refused to move.

    When everyone was finally quiet, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Bring me the director of the munitions department. Before I kill everyone.¡±

    His indifferent tone dug through their ears and was etched into their brains. With shivering hands, someone urgently called someone up.

    A few minutester, an old staff member walked into the office in befuddlement.

    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Mungu, the team leader of Team 3. What in the world, is¡­?¡±

    Team leader, he says. Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes twitched.

    They don¡¯t fucking listen.

    There was nothing more to say. He walked up and grabbed the middle-aged man on the neck and lifted him up into the air.

    ¡°Bring the director. Director.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°How many times do I have to say it. Huh?¡±

    Yu Jitae spoke to everyone present but none of them replied. Only the groans of a middle-aged man in pain continued.

    ¡°Bring the munitions director here in front of me in 3 minutes. Otherwise, you can stay there and watch who dies first.¡±

    No-one was able to stop him, and no-one dared to run away either. That was when a woman took a step forward.

    ¡°T, the director is in a meeting right now!¡±

    ¡°Where.¡±

    ¡°I, in the main conference room of the education department. There was an important report from there. I, I think she would take at least an hour mor¡­¡±

    ¡°Bring her.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    The female staff thought she was hearing things but the moment she looked into the guardian¡¯s eyes, she realised that she wasn¡¯t.

    Since they were starting to dilly dally again, he carried the middle-aged man and pushed his head outside the broken window. Only his leg was on the building, while his upper body was outside.

    The munitions department was on the 7th floor, and seeing the distant ground beneath, the team leader screamed in fright.

    With his back facing the window, Yu Jitae¡¯s face was shaded by darkness. His mouth; his face growled like a beast.

    ¡°Bring her right now.¡±

 Chapter 115: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (5)

    <h4>Chapter 115: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (5)</h4>

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    Director of the munitions department, Riyachana.

    This young Cambodian superhuman in herte thirties received a shocking call during the report of the education department.

    She hurriedly ended the conference and on her way outside, she contacted the strongest group of guards of Lair, the Central Sentries, about some crazy person showing up.

    The director of the guards replied, ¡°Alright. I¡¯m on my way.¡±

    Officially ranked 53rd worldwide, ¡®Final Wall¡¯, Sirdo Leo.

    He stood up along with hisrge shield.

    *

    ¡°I¡¯m Riyachana, the director of the munitions department. Guardian Yu Jitae.¡±

    She was wearing the ssic costume of a career woman, with tidy hair and simple makeup. Although she was a fairly strong superhuman, the aura she gave off was not that of a soldier¡¯s.

    There were multiple people tailing her. Judging from how they were simrly all decently strong superhumans, it seemed that they were from the Sentries.

    He was being treated like a terrorist, and the staff members of the munitions department were all hostages. Although he wasn¡¯t pointing a gun at their heads, the entire body was a weapon for rampaging superhumans so the sentries did not dare act with haste.

    For him, it didn¡¯t matter.

    In fact, he had wanted them toe.

    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been calling me. Fortunately, it seems that I¡¯ve made it in time.¡±

    High ranking officials of Lair were one of the two. They were either soldiers or politicians, and the one standing in front of him appeared to be thetter.

    Yu Jitae pulled in the team leader who was hanging outside the window and threw him back into the office. While coughing desperately for breath, he crawled on all fours and quickly hid behind other staff.

    ¡°Please calm down. We will definitely be able to solve this problem with a conversation.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What made you act so violently in the office of the munitions department? If you discuss it with me, I would surely be able to help you without putting what happened into ount.¡±

    With stealthy words and a secretive question, they induced others to answer them. It was the typical speech technique of politicians.

    More questions would be made depending on the response of the opponent, which would then lead to more questions. By having the opponent reply like that, politicians tended to gather information.

    Who does she think she is, to dare crawl up.

    ¡°The Level 1 protective ne artifact. What¡¯s the supply channel.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, so there must have been a problem with the protective ne. What was the problem I wonder.¡±

    ¡°I asked for the supply channel.¡±

    ¡°If I hear what the problem is, I think it would be easier for me to give a more suited response.¡±

    Yu Jitae was a terrorist.

    So shepulsively thought that the flow of the conversation cannot be handed over to a terrorist.

    ¡°¡­Guardian Yu Jitae. I sincerely think it¡¯s a shame that we have made you this upset. As you are probably aware, the supply channel is slightly lengthy and needs to be checked before we can give you precise information. So please calm down for now. The innocent staff members of the munitions department are shivering in fear.¡±

    ¡°Miss Director.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to say the supply channel of the defective item?¡±

    Riyachana¡¯s eyes shook greatly. She wasn¡¯t able to reply to his question for some time.

    ¡°Please give me a second. First, please let us apologise for what happened. A defective item¡­ it really was a big problem. I¡¯m extremely sorry for what happened.¡±

    But her favourability that was revealed by the voice was a clear ¡®dislike¡¯.

    ¡°Excuse me but, when you say there¡¯s a defect, may I ask what sort of problem it had? I don¡¯t know the details yet.¡±

    ¡°The supplementary gem had an issue, and mana scattered instead of creating a shield.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, such a thing¡­¡±

    Right after she slurred the end of her sentence, Riyachana slightly raised her voice.

    ¡°But, that¡¯s strange. All the artifacts get double-checked by the inspection team before being sent to the munitions department. They all get confirmed that they are genuine before they are supplied to the cadets.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°However, there¡¯s no way you would be lying. First off, I think it¡¯s a great shame that a defective item had appeared. And we will provide more than enoughpensation for what happened. I¡¯d assume that you won¡¯t be able to avoid a disciplinary action from Lair, but as long as you calm yourself down¡­¡±

    She bbered on.

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes for a second.

    Whatever it was, they consoled and tried to deal with everything with money so that others wouldn¡¯t delve in any deeper and create more problems.

    Since there were many onlookers, politicians always had credibility behind their words.

    However, he wasn¡¯t interested in something like that.

    ¡°You¡¯re putting it in a weird way.¡±

    ¡°¡­and, huh? Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Even if I call it a defective item, you can¡¯t call it that.¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a defect in supplementary gems and not random manufactured items. Four of them, at that. The same problem and they all happened to be sent to the four cadets on our side. And yet the serial numbers aren¡¯t even in an order.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is this still a ¡®defect¡¯?¡±

    In the first ce, this wasn¡¯t a defect. It was definitely touched by someone and they had been adjusted.

    ¡°Wait. There must have been an error¡­¡±

    ¡°You wanted to hear, so I told you. And now you chit-chat as if you¡¯re in a negotiation.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m here to bargain? You still don¡¯t understand your position?¡±

    His killing intent overflowed and flew across. The neck of a superhuman guard was bent in an unnatural angle. ¡°Kuhuk!¡± he shouted, to which the onlooking staff members reacted by screaming and increasing the distance.

    He could sense multiple presences outside the building twitch. But since the injured one was a guard and not the director, they did not move.

    Shock painted the eyes of the middle-aged woman.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Try cutting my words off again with nonsense.¡±

    Riyachana¡¯s lips were closed shut. In that instant, she couldn¡¯t control the trembling of her legs.

    ¡°Supply channel of the ne.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Supply channel¨C¡±

    The voice resembling the growling of a wild beast forcibly opened Riyachana¡¯s lips.

    ¡°¡­We bring them in from the Virian Magic Stone Industrial Complex. A, already crafted.¡±

    ¡°Management staff.¡±

    ¡°¡­All, all the artifacts stay sealed in the basement of the storage. The administrator of the storage room, staff members of the munitions department, and several managers are able to open it in special cases.¡±

    ¡°Who went in.¡±

    ¡°¡­Henry. Please bring him the entry record.¡±

    Yu Jitae confirmed the names of the people who had gone in and out of the underground storage.

    ¡°Bring everyone that¡¯s in here.¡±

    In seconds, staff members and high-ranking officials of Team 3 that were written on the list gathered in front of him. Fortunately there wasn¡¯t anyone working outside the office.

    ¡°Answer yes or no.¡±

    Five people including Riyachana, were unable to look into his eyes properly in fright.

    ¡°I am rted to this protective ne incident.¡±

    They appeared confused but after furtively ncing at each other, they answered ¡°No¡±. Without saying anything, Yu Jitae continued with the next question.

    ¡°I received bribes from someone.¡±

    Perhaps because they were more at ease after saying it once, the second reply came with haste. They all replied, ¡°No¡±.

    ¡°I, am the culprit.¡±

    The third question. They were all aware that the same thing had happened without a problem two times already. Now, they all merely thought about when this strange question and answer session would end.

    Therefore, they were slightly more rxed when they replied.

    ¡°¡°No.¡±¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae walked up to a man and stood in front of him. From a head above the man, he gazed down at him at a distance where his forehead might even touch him. This might be how a rabbit would feel when there was a tiger in front of it.

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one that needs to reply now.¡±

    ¡°¡­S, sorry?¡±

    The team leader of munitions department Team 3; he was the same one who had been grabbed on the cor by Yu Jitae, called Kang Mungu.

    In surprise, he looked away from Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes.

    Seeing the sudden turn of events, everyone else also held their breaths and watched the two.

    ¡°Yong household. Erfan Guild. Brzenk Family. One of these organisations was the briber.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Reply.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Sitri. Kanaye. Bright Moon. Heaven-Defying Sect. Jung Household. Pan Household. One of these was the briber.¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of them.¡±

    ¡°S, sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°Who is it.¡±

    The Regressor¡¯s voice became even lower.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking.¡±

    From the aura suffocating him, Kang Mungu was unable to do anything. He had trouble breathing and couldn¡¯t even blink his eyes.

    However, since Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze remained only on Kang Mungu, Riyachana was able toe back to her senses. She was a superhuman who had experienced the war as a daughter of a countryside vige head, who had also stood firm for 20 years within a group of vicious soldiers.

    The sentries were yet to move. It was because they had sensed a new incident from the man¡¯s mouth, and because the man wasn¡¯t as violent as he first seemed. If he turned uncontrobly violent, that¡¯s when the sentries would begin to act.

    As long as he didn¡¯t, it was her job as the director of the munitions department to persuade and calm the man down.

    ¡°T, there is one question I would like to ask¡­¡±

    Her voice shivered but the meaning went across. The beast slowly turned his eyes.

    ¡°H, how was it proved that the following object was a defective product?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°From the delivery to being distributed to the cadets, all artifacts go through multiple stages of ¡®circuit check¡¯. T, they are analysed by machines that cost millions of dors, but there isn¡¯t any evidence backing up your im, Mister Guardian. Isn¡¯t it possible that only one was defective?¡±

    The Regressor looked away from Kang Mungu.

    Then, he stared at Riyachana for some time, before taking the protective nes out from his pocket. It was the ones that had belonged to Sophia, Soujiro and Kim Ji-in excluding Yeorum¡¯s ne that had exploded.

    ¡°Good words.¡±

    He hung the three nes around Kang Mungu¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Uh, uhh¡­?¡±

    Befuddlement appeared in their gazes.

    ¡°Director Riyachana. If you¡¯re doubtful, checking it right now on the spot is an option.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°What. You have to stay still. What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°I, it¡¯s¡­!¡±

    In shock, Kang Mungu brought his trembling hands to his neck. Yu Jitae slowly held onto his hands and grabbed it. Following a sharp shriek, the bones were broken.

    ¡°Stay still. You said you didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    A few of the staff members had already fainted on the spot and were being supported by the ones next to them.

    Yu Jitae turned back to Riyachana.

    ¡°Pleasee and destroy the protective ne, Director.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Then, a protective shield will appear, and save Team Leader Kang Mungu.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her doubt rapidly vanished.

    Riyachana looked at Kang Mungu and hesitated.

    If it really was defective as Yu Jitae had said, it would be detonated the moment it was destroyed and kill Kang Mungu in the process. If he was right, a colleague whom she had been working with, would die in her hands.

    Kang Mungu was about to open his mouth and say something but Yu Jitae did not allow it. He reached forth and covered his mouth. While Riyachana was hesitant, Yu Jitae grabbed Kang Mungu by his arm and revealed his back.

    Then, he kicked a weapon that had been dropped by a guard and sent it to Riyachana.

    ¡°Come here and destroy it. If the shield protects the team leader, that means I¡¯m just a crazy idiot that did random nonsense. I¡¯ll take responsibility for everything that happened here today, and I¡¯ll follow everyone that came here obediently.¡±

    The director who was suddenly made to hold the weapon didn¡¯t know what to do. There wasn¡¯t any concrete or clear evidence, but she had a strong gut feeling that dissuaded her from destroying it.

    ¡°What¡¯s the hesitation for.¡±

    But the man¡¯s voice was like a sticky poison that forced her to make a decision.

    ¡°This, it¡¯s a protective ne right.¡±

    Riyachana couldn¡¯t look into his eyes.

    Kwakakang¨C!

    It was then.

    The ceiling of the seventh floor crumbled down as arge man fell in between Yu Jitae and Riyachana. Carrying arge blue shield and having a fluctuating aura of mana, the enormous man with a rigid expression gazed down at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Please stop there. Mister Guardian.¡±

    It was the director of the sentries, Sirdo Leo.

 Chapter 116: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (6)

    <h4>Chapter 116: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (6)</h4>

    Sirdo Leo.

    He was the director of Lair¡¯s sentries, and was at the same time the representative of the strictest investigation authority of the academy city.

    Although he was also a director, he was different from the director of the munitions department who yed around with numbers on a chair. Sirdo had already been a world ranker during the great war, back when he was in his thirties.

    With his body that had been erged after a transfusion of a giant¡¯s blood, he reached 3 metres in height. Even Yu Jitae, who was on a fairly tall side, looked small like David standing before Goliath.

    The Regressor reflected back on the previous iterations. Sirdo Leo was an individual that would y a big part in the uing second great war and was one of the few remaining soldiers that wholeheartedly devoted themselves to the wellbeing of humanity, in this time of despondency. He was the type of person that had to live at all cost.

    But Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t interested in that right now.

    ¡°I¡¯m Sirdo Leo, the director of the sentries. For assault, violence, ckmail, damage to property and well, a few other reasons, I will now arrest Mr. Yu Jitae, the guardian.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°As the guardian, you have the right to keep silent and can hire an attorney. Do you have any objections.¡±

    Blue mana fluctuated from therge shield on his left. Yu Jitae nodded indifferently. Whatever the reason, he had done a ¡®bad thing¡¯ and was naturally a target of arrest.

    ¡°I do not.¡±

    ¡°Then I ask for your cooperation during the process.¡±

    He took out a chain artifact used for arrests. However, seeing that Yu Jitae remained standing without doing anything, the giant stopped moving and opened his mouth.

    ¡°However, you do not need to worry too much. From what I have just seen, I can understand why you would be upset as the guardian. As long as you cooperate nicely, most of your offences would be reconsidered¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait please. There¡¯s something I¡¯ve yet to hear.¡±

    Yu Jitae interjected.

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Let me ask onest question before I go.¡±

    He walked past the giant and headed to Kang Mungu. It was because he hadn¡¯t confirmed who the briber was yet.

    Kung¨C

    But that was when arge foot reached out and blocked him from advancing any further. Sirdo¡¯s leg, which had suddenly appeared, caused the Regressor to halt his feet.

    ¡°I apologise, but you cannot.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You will not be allowed to approach him.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I ask for your understanding. The sentries have confirmed that an investigation into the protective ne incident is warranted, and we have already requested the education department under my name as the director, for a warrant.¡±

    He was saying that the rest was for the police, not for citizens.

    Yu Jitae ced his hand on the back of his neck and massaged it a few times.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t approach, and will only ask.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t allow that either.¡±

    ¡°For what reason.¡±

    ¡°We shall talk once we get into the car. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Then I can¡¯t go either.¡±

    The deep eyebrows of the giant twitched.

    Although he had retired when he began hunting the demons in full-scale, Yu Jitae had belonged to Lair¡¯s Local Police Force in the past.

    There were strict regtions regarding investigations, which was also the same for Lair¡¯s sentries. But none of the regtions required officers to stop others from asking questions, especially in a situation like this where the assant was not clear.

    In other words, it was just Sirdo being obstinate, probably trying to be the one leading the situation.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to go. Because I¡¯m nning on taking you along.¡±

    His following words were the proof.

    Kung.

    Arge foot of an enormous giant wasid firmly on the ground. Oppressively, a strong aura surged forth.

    Sirdo clearly knew that Yu Jitae was strong, but suppressing the strong was his specialty.

    ¡°Let me say it for the final time. Obediently cooperate with the investigation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to, but you¡¯re interfering.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for isting purposes. How is it interfering.¡±

    When the atmosphere flipped in an instant, Sirdo growled back.

    ¡°You,<i></i>can¡¯t be stiff-necked about it. As the head of security, you don¡¯t feel ashamed for being unable to stop a cadet¡¯s head possibly flying off, and instead you¡¯re trying to stop others from digging into it?¡±

    How would anyone but god know of all the crimes that would ur beforehand? However, the policeman did not make an excuse for himself.

    ¡°¡­It might bete, but I¡¯ll do what I must henceforth.¡±

    He raised the shield into the air.

    ¡°This is thest time. Obediently cooperate with the investigation.¡±

    Then, he reached out into the air as blue mes red up. As the fire scattered, arge blue hammer was revealed.

    It was a Level 3 artifact, [Judgement of Tubalcain].

    And the shield he had been carrying from the start was [Fragment of the Great Wall], a Level 4 artifact. It was the fragment of the Great Wall of Extreme North, which had divided a continent of another dimension into two in a distant past, even before dragons existed,

    It was an unbreakable shield.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Killing intent gloomily trickled out.

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    After sensing that, an intricately formed alternate dimension erupted out of Sirdo¡¯s body and covered the world. Inside a new blue world filled with scattering strands of azure light, the director of sentries ran in towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°EVIL ONE¨C!¡±

    His yell shook the dimension.

    Each step of therge body trembled the dimension like hundreds of buffalos shaking the ground and flooded Yu Jitae.

    Mana gathered onto the hammer. As the blue light exploded out with its luminosity, it resembled a fallinget and gushed towards Yu Jitae.

    Kwaang¨C!!

    But the light was blocked by something and its vigorous strike bounced back. The bluish mana stormed like a tornado back to where it came from and pushed the world away. As the alternate dimension wavered and trembled, mes sparked into the air.

    Sirdo doubted what he was seeing. The hammer was stopped in mid-air and was unable to be pushed any further.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    The Regressor easily pushed his sword forward and both the hammer and the giant were pushed back.

    Lowering his body, he ran in at Sirdo for a stab. Despite his speed reaching a point where he was invisible to the eye, Sirdo instinctively managed to match the invisible sword with the centre of the shield and blocked the stab.

    Kwagagagakk¨C!

    A tremendous impact unstabilised the shield. That one sh greatly surprised Sirdo.

    It was a stab. How could a simple stab be this heavy?

    Yu Jitae approached him again and swung ¡®something¡¯ in a big motion. The moment Sirdo thought to himself that he had managed to block it again, that ¡®something¡¯ dug into the shield and his body flew dozens of metres and crashed into the ground.

    A simple suppression would never work at this rate. He resolved himself.

    [Blue Ocean (A+)]

    The skill that allowed one to synchronise with the dimension covered the giant¡¯s body with a bluish light. This wasn¡¯t enough. Sirdo began enabling all the authorities and skills in order to protect his body.

    [Steel Chains of Avian (A-)]

    Sevenrge metal chains of blue creeped out from the walls and the ceiling of the alternate dimension and put a restraint on Yu Jitae¡¯s legs, arms, chest and neck. It was an undodgeable skill as long as the target was inside Sirdo¡¯s dimension.

    [Aura of Peace (A)]

    An inexhaustible amount of stamina surged up inside him and all his physical capabilities explosively increased. Even after that, he enabled more than 10 other B ranked skills and blessings.

    [Execution Ground Deration (AA+)]

    Finally, the territory of the judge spread across with him in the centre. All the proimed evils inside the domain lost a portion of all their abilities, which then supplemented Sirdo¡¯s strength.

    All sorts of transcendent lights surged out of his body.

    Now, he was stronger than average organisations of superhumans.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    It was then.

    The moment Sirdo finished his preparations, he was instead shocked and couldn¡¯t move. He muttered.

    ¡®What in the¡­¡¯

    [Execution Ground Deration (AA+)] was the strongest authority he had. It was one of the few authorities in the world that allowed one to suppress someone stronger than oneself as long as they were inside the dered domain.

    However, the power level that had been absorbed from the target was so unimaginably great that it was impossible to logically understand.

    ¡®How could something like this happen¡­¡¯

    Before he became the head of the sentries at Lair, he had been the president of Superhuman Without Border. He had ended many wars and skirmishes, and had contested against countless rankers before eventually suppressing them.

    And the amount of power absorbed by [Execution Ground Deration (AA+)] during those fights was around 30% of his own stats on average, which sometimes reached 40% depending on the opponent.

    That was the numeric version given on a status screen that was only seen by him.

    Holding his shield, Sirdo stole a nce at the status screen.

    But what in the world was this¡­

    Then, the policeman looked at the criminal walking towards him.

    Without a word, expression or gesture, the man was carrying something like a weapon in one hand as he approached Sirdo. The steel chains of Avian, and the alternate dimension covering him stretched extensively to stop his feet but the man walked forward without batting an eye.

    After walking right up to his face, the man swung his sword as killing intent gushed out of his shoulders.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C Second Form]

    [Chainsaw]

    The one that had disintegrated the gates of the demon castle ¨C the authority that had demolished the possessed spirit of Lakshata, the Seventh Lord of the Abyss post-extrication.

    That tyrannic killing intent vibrated like an electric chainsaw as it fell down.

    This is dangerous¨C

    I have to block this¡­!

    He raised his shield and used all the absorbed power to push the opponent away. A tempest of mana enough to push a mountain surged out from the [Fragment of the Great Wall] but he realised afterward, that a hand had reached out and was grabbing onto his neck.

    Sirdo could see the man¡¯s arm, which was so stupidly tough that the giant felt like his neck was going to snap.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Soon, the man¡¯s invisible weapon came and touched the shield.

    An unfathomable impact covered his body and trembled his consciousness.

    At the same time, the alternate dimension turned into fragments of light and scattered into fine particles.

    Sirdo shot out of the alternate dimension along with his shield. His body broke through the office walls and continued plunging down till he crashed into the ground.

    A thunderous thud enough to destroy heaven and earth resonated across. Multiple shockwaves followed one another as the windows of nearby buildings and cars shattered.

    At the same time, the floating ind, Haytling, which was protected by dozens of spells, fell roughly 15 centimetres in altitude.

    At the epicentre of the incident was a crater 30-metre wide.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    He blocked it but didn¡¯t block it fully. The impact had been conveyed and had destroyed his internal organs.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Today, the sky was further and higher than usual.

    That was thest thing Sirdo saw before his consciousness faded away.

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After finishing with the formalities, they were on their way to the dungeon. Inside the Portal Bureau were a hundred cadets and dozens of guardians chattering away.

    Yeorum irritatedly looked outside and checked the time. There were only 4 minutes left until they entered the dungeon and yet for some reason, Yu Jitae was yet to appear.

    She asked Mihailov.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t received any message from my guardian? I saw you call someone just then.¡±

    Mihailov didn¡¯t look too good. He shook his head.

    ¡°Why. Is he noting?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the raid for the time being.¡±

    ¡°What the hell. That¡¯s annoying¡­ why isn¡¯t heing?¡±

    ¨C We will be entering the safety area of the dungeon in three minutes. Please do a final checkup before we go in.

    Hearing the announcement, cadets stood up from their seats. Yeorum did her best to hide the displeasure inside her and stood up. While the teams lining up at the front walked into the portal, Yeorum who was near the end of the line, kept ncing back at the entrance.

    Her being unfocused was directly conveyed to her teammates. They also became fidgety and distracted.

    Unable to withstand it, Sophia opened her mouth.

    ¡°Maybe your guardian¡¯s busy with some work.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you listening to me? You¡¯re making us bothered as well for no reason. You can just see him after youe back.¡±

    ¡°Ah, please just shut up.¡±

    ¡°Bitch. Here I was worried about you¡­¡±

    It was then. Yu Jitae suddenly appeared at the entrance. Even though she saw that, the look of displeasure remained on Yeorum¡¯s face.

    ¡°What? Why youing now. Why not next year?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. At least I wasn¡¯tte.¡±

    ¡°You were. You¡¯re superte.¡±

    Yu Jitae was wearing different clothes from before and Mihailov looked doubtful but that didn¡¯t matter. After walking up to the team, Yu Jitae handed them small choctes for them to eat. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡± Yeorum grumbled.

    ¡°Good work for all your preparations. Wish you the best.¡±

    ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±

    It was soon their turn. Sophia looked back at Yeorum and saw her heaving a sigh. But when she raised her head back up, there was aparatively calmer look on her face as she began stepping forward towards the portal.

    ¡°Jitae. Howe you¡¯re here¡­?¡±

    Left alone, Mihailov asked with a frown but Yu Jitae shook his head in response. Then, he walked away without saying anything.

    On the way outside the Portal Bureau, Yu Jitae called someone.

    ¡°Aah, it¡¯s me.¡±

    ¨C ¡­!

    ¡°No. It is my voice. We¡¯re short on time so don¡¯t say anything unnecessary. I¡¯m calling because there is something I need some help with.¡±

    ¨C ¡­?

    ¡°Right. It is time for that. Come as fast as you can please. Before things go out of hand.¡±

 Chapter 117: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (7)

    <h4>Chapter 117: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (7)</h4>

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll see youter.¡±

    After ending the call, Yu Jitae closed his eyes and ced his hand near his temple.

    ¡®As you have ordered, my lord.¡¯

    Nothing came back in response.

    The clone headed to a secluded area and put a mask on. Before long, he turned into a ck middle-aged man in his 50¡¯s.

    It was one of the forms of [Mimicry (AA)] that had been collected by the clone.

    Since he had reverted back to the main appearance for the first time in a long time to greet Yeorum before she took off for the dungeon raid, the body that became weaker after the mimicry felt ufortable.

    The clone sat on a nearby bench and was waiting for the nextmand, when arge shockwave reached him as Haytling dropped in altitude by a conceivable amount.

    Finally, his lord had done it.

    Soon, the voice of his lord reached him regarding the one that had bribed the staff member. The clone stood up from the seat.

    Guild Kanaye.

    It was the name of a superhuman war guild belonging under SAN, the South African Nations union.

    ¡®Just because of that one incident from the past?¡¯ thought the clone in doubt, until more memories arrived from Yu Jitae. A cadet under Kanaye lost to Yeorum 4 times, and their favourability hanging on the Eyes of Equilibrium was at extreme hatred.

    In most cases, this sort of extreme hatred being shown despite them not knowing each other very well, was because of an indirect yet immense impact they had.

    Thus, the clone decided to go and ask.

    When he arrived there without an appointment, a ck guardian from Kanaye was smoking a cigarette outside. His name was Malunga and had written a book about nurturing cadets. He even made several speeches and was a fairly famous person at Lair.

    The clone walked up and when the opponent stood up in doubt, he struck him on the face. With a thud, the man fell down.

    ¡°Kuk!¡±

    After falling down, he tried to get back up but couldn¡¯t. His body was left powerless. Meanwhile, the clone carried Malunga by the cor and carried him to the basement of the dormitory.

    ¡°T, this. Damn¡­ who in the world are you¡­!¡±

    Seemingly high on drugs, Malunga¡¯s eyes were hollow. Hisrge body as well as his head was heavily shaken by the fist thrown out by the opponent, and Malunga realised that the opponent was in a different league.

    The clone looked into his eyes and muttered.

    ¡°Everything¡¯s gone down the drain because of you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°All the strategies and hard work of driving the Yu household out from Lair were ruined by you.¡±

    Doubt appeared in Malunga¡¯s eyes. He red at the clone who appeared like a ck male and touched his own wounded cheek. Then, he heaved a sigh.

    ¡°Where are you from. SAN?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡±

    ¡°Damn it¡­ so someone else was doing it already huh. I guess it doesn¡¯t make sense for everyone to be quiet when those idiots were thinking so highly of themselves.¡±

    Sharpness dissipated from the clone¡¯s aura.

    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that I somehow interrupted you. I apologise. But isn¡¯t it too much to juste up and chuck a fist?¡±

    ¡°You better shut your mouth. Unless there¡¯s a decent reason behind it, you¡¯ll get smacked to death today by me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Damn. How¡¯d you find out it was me.¡±

    ¡°Munitions department, Kang Mungu.¡±

    Hearing the name leave the clone¡¯s mouth, Malunga shook his head with a sigh.

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±

    Seemingly feeling betrayed, Malunga repeatedly shook his head.

    ¡°But you know, brother, don¡¯t be like that when we¡¯re all in the same boat. Were you the only one that lost something? I also lost a truck of things.¡±

    ¡°What did you lose.¡±

    ¡°After Malta lost to Yu Yeorum 3 times in a row, my position inside Kanaye was destroyed. We were being treated like heroes when he was at 16 consecutive wins as well. Just letting you know, when Malta crushed Erfan Guild, my sry jumped up by three times.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If he managed to enter the top 10 like that, a new future would have been waiting for Malta and I. Do you know what everyone was like in Kanaye back then?¡±

    Filled with regret, he formed a teary expression and bit his lips.

    ¡°And that was all ruined by Yu Yeorum, that boar-like bitch.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There are thousands of cadets participating in thepetition. Malta met Yu Yeorum 4 times there. Even if the matches are made between cadets with simr points, four times is too much isn¡¯t it? That damned bitch must have somehow sniped us multiple times. Or she must have been in cahoots with one of the staff!¡±

    ¡°You have proof?¡±

    ¡°Fuck, who cares about proof! Can¡¯t you just see it?! So Kanaye took my name down from the list of excellent guardians and Malta that freakin¡¯ idiot is on drugs after four losses. He lost 34 points to Yu Yeorum. Drugs can be stopped but even if we somehow recover those 34 points, we will never make it into the top 10. The tower that we¡¯ve managed to build up is just gone now!¡±

    The clone realised after listening to him speak.

    This person was extremely unlucky.

    ¡°Fuck¡­ it must¡¯ve been rigged. It¡¯s all rigged! Does it fucking make sense that Yu Yeorum fights Malta four times out of thousands of cadets? There¡¯s definitely something fishy! Since it¡¯s obvious that Yu Yeorum wins because of the match-up, she sucked all the points in by sniping Malta!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with those eyes?! I¡¯m a victim of this disgusting maniptive society! You have to feel sorry for me! This fucking retarded city is only good for people that are either rich or full of connections. Since Yu Yeorum¡¯s household looks like it doesn¡¯t have any connections, she must have given money, or her body. Do you think I¡¯ll be going down by myself like this?¡±

    He became increasingly agitated throughout his speech and furiously trembled his hands.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never go down alone. I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    m! His head turned to the side. Raising his fist, the clone smashed and broke his nose as Malunga copsed with a nosebleed.

    ¡°You still don¡¯t understand what kind of ridiculous thing you¡¯ve done.¡±

    Malunga held onto his crushed nose and gazed up at the clone.

    His eyes were a bit clearer.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see by tomorrow.¡±

    ***

    Lair education department.

    There was a conference being held by seven people. Surrounding the round table were middle-aged men ¨C seven in total,prised of Principal Ha Sukmoo, Vice Principal Chun Qin, Assistant Principal Ma Namjoon, Assistant Principal Yerson Riverti, and three school inspectors.

    They were figureheads chosen by the International Hunter Association for a myriad of different reasons, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that their job was to decorate the present outlook of Lair, while preparing it for the future.

    ¡°We must give a strict punishment following the school regtions.¡±

    One of the inspectors raised his voice.

    ¡°By that, you mean?¡±

    ¡°Their entire household must be expelled. How could they point a sword at a staff member? He must¡¯ve been crazy.¡±

    Things that could be easily regted were always inside a certain framework without breaking the rules too much. So when things exceeded that normal scale by too much, it caused headaches for the politicians.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Things would be different if it was a strife between cadets or forpetitive reasons, but we can¡¯t encourage or risk the fall of the school¡¯s authority. There¡¯s also the casualties to consider.¡±

    That was when Vice Principal Chun Qin shook his head.

    ¡°Of course, we need to give punishment for the violent actions but¡­ we can¡¯t give a punishment that strict from casualties alone.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°This is the list of casualties that was just organised.¡±

    A document appeared in the hologram disy.

    [Injured: 11]

    [Dead: 0]

    It was an unbelievable result.

    No-one was dead despite the chaos. Those with cracked necks were superhumans, and others that were injured were also superhumans. After being sent to the first-aid emergency centre, it was confirmed that there was no risk to life, including Sirdo Leo.

    In recent times where medicinal and curative means have developed to the extreme, ¡®murder¡¯ was an extremely big factor when considering the level of punishment. Arms and legs could be reattached at a cheap cost, but the dead could not be brought back to life.

    ¡°But, the situation is a bit moreplicated.¡±

    ¡°Could you borate, Vice Principal?¡±

    ¡°It was confirmed that someone from the munitions department had been bribed. Because of that, Cadet Yu Yeorum and her group could have had their lives at risk.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but we can¡¯t justify an emotional revenge, can we?¡±

    Someone was enraged because there was a life at risk, and no-one was killed in the process.

    ¡°And the thing that happened after Sirdo fell, was more absurd¡­¡±

    After asking something to Kang Mungu, Yu Jitae calmly walked up to a sentry and ced his hands together for them to take him into custody. Although the said sentry was frightened, Yu Jitae obediently followed them and walked into a prison cell on his own ord.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what happened but¡­ thanks to that we were able to solve the situation quite easily.¡±

    Even then, the Yu household had to be punished severely ording to the school regtions.

    ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s someone that made Sirdo like that.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Even if there is a punishment, it can¡¯t be too confronting.¡±

    The sentence that left the principal¡¯s mouth was something that didn¡¯t sit well with the school inspectors.

    ¡°Principal. Then, what¡¯s the purpose of regtions? What you¡¯re saying does not allow justice to be achieved.¡±

    ¡°¡­Calm down, Inspector. It¡¯s true that we should keep it inside a frame if it¡¯s a scoop of sand. But from what we see, this is more of an avnche.¡±

    ¡°We are educators, Principal!¡±

    The inspectors were displeased.

    ¡°We understand your position as the principal, but you can¡¯t be saying that. Yu household doesn¡¯t exist! It¡¯s a fake! It¡¯s probably a group of hunting dogs being raised by the Korean government.¡±

    ¡°I think you need to tone down your expressions but¡­ I also agree. He¡¯s an individual and not an organisation. Realistically speaking, there¡¯s no need for us to go up and curry his favour. It¡¯s better to keep the school authority instead.¡±

    ¡°In the first ce, preferential treatment for the strong is against justice. Can you deny those words as an educator yourself?¡±

    Words of criticism continued for a long time. After quietly epting all the condemnations, Principal Ha Sukmoo wiped the sweat travelling down his wrinkled forehead.

    ¡°It¡¯s already been 11 years since I¡¯ve managed this position. It was¡­ in the first or the second year I think? It¡¯s already been 9 years since that happened.¡±

    His downhearted voice caused everyone to remember the same incident.

    ¡°As you all know, both Lair and the sentries were stricter back then, and we were the epitome of military academies. It was almost straight after the war, after all, and punishment was given for almost everything.¡±

    The old figurehead continued with a sorrowful expression.

    ¡°When Family Head Yong Jungkook¡­ no, he wasn¡¯t the family head back then. When he pointed a sword at the sentries back then as a guardian, did any one of us say the same thing about him?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a different story, is it not? There were actual victims back then!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s same in the sense that no-one had been killed. What¡¯s different is that they are a household with the Korean government behind them. Does justice sleep sometimes and stand up asionally depending on the situation? Is that justice?¡±

    ¡°Principal!¡±

    ¡°¡­Since when were we true educators?¡±

    That was when the catastrophe-ranked demon, Assistant Principal Ma Namjoon opened his mouth with the slithery tongue of a snake.

    ¡°If you would give me a chance to speak up.¡±

    Gazes gathered onto Ma Namjoon.

    ¡°The situation is different from Yong Jungkook¡¯s incident. As long as their household isn¡¯t on solid grounds already, I think there is a slightly better method.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Yong Jungkook back then already had the Korean government on his back. Even though his household wasn¡¯t that great, it could grow immensely anytime. Since someone strong already had a good background, it was impossible to regte him.¡±

    But the Yu household was different.

    ¡°When I tried asking them, the Korean government vehemently denied all connections with the Yu household.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they doing it in secret?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. What¡¯s important is that they¡¯ve denied it on the outside. By giving them a productive punishment here, we can form a positive rtionship with the guardian. Besides, Lair also needs more power right now, right.¡±

    He was suggesting that they put a leash around their neck before they grew any bigger. Even the school inspectors, who had cried out for justice and criticised the principal for trying to give less punishment, could not refute his idea.

    If the household didn¡¯t have much power, isn¡¯t it possible to control and use them in some way?

    It was then.

    ¨C S, some guests havee to stand for Guardian Yu Jitae.

    A voice was heard from Ha Sukmoo¡¯s wireless earphone, but the reporter¡¯s voice was evidently flustered so Ha Sukmoo asked what the issue was with a whisper.

    ¨C The thing is¡­

    ¡°What?¡±

    After listening to the words, Ha Sukmoo shouted unconsciously and gathered the eyes of everyone around the round table. Before long, when the door was pushed open and two men walked into the conference room, his astonishment was ryed to everyone present like wildfire.

    ¡°Ah, ahaha! Wee, wee! Howe you havee such a far distance, despite having so many things on your hands?¡±

    Without even waiting for his secretary to greet them, Ha Sukmoo stood up from his seat and weed them.

 Chapter 118: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (8)

    <h4>Chapter 118: The Thing Wriggling in the Depths (8)</h4>

    In surprise, Chun Qin, the assistant principals and the school inspectors all stood up.

    For a split second, Assistant Principal Ma Namjoon¡¯s face crumpled viciously but he too, had no choice but to stand up after changing his expression back to normal.

    The tall and thin man had cranky wrinkles visible underneath his sunsses. He was considered one of the strongest humans in the history of Earth, one of the so-called Five Transcendents, and he alone equaled a regiment of soldiers.

    He was BM the Returnee, ranked 2nd worldwide.

    Next to him was the strongest magician, who had just recently be the family head of the Myung household, which was one of the two leading organisations alongside the Tower of Mages in magic research.

    Myung Yongha, Druid of Regeneration ranked 8th worldwide, was standing next to him.

    They were both one of the 30 superhumans who possessed a Dungeon Free Pass, which was the right to enter any dungeon worldwide ¨C they controlled the flow of the superhuman industry worldwide.

    ¡°Enough for greetings. I¡¯m a bit busy, so let¡¯s start straight away.¡±

    BM casually sat down on an empty chair.

    ***

    20 minutes ago, BM thought to himself while wearing a tuxedo for the first time in a very long time.

    He had received a message from Yu Jitae a few days ago, saying that he wanted him toe help in the near future. And BM had agreed.

    Although it was slightly bothersome, he agreed because it was none other than Yu Jitae. If he pointed a sword at him because BM didn¡¯t help him out, that would be the end. Besides, he had begun to have some respect for him ever since the Melissia Masquerade.

    Even then, BM was slightly discontent with the fact that he had to move personally just to stand up for someone.

    It was the first time he had to do this ever since he had returned to Earth. He had always been the one ordering others around, and not the other way around. That was what it meant to be at the very top.

    Does he know how expensive my day is?

    Damn it¡­

    ¨C Isn¡¯t it difficult, making the heart?

    But one sentence caused all his dissatisfaction to sink back in. It was because that one sentence was directly rted to BM¡¯s lifelong wish of creating a human-type chimera.

    ¨C I know a little bit about it.

    That was why BM was currently wearing a tuxedo.

    Meanwhile, he remained doubtful in a corner of his brain. Why was such a strong existence staying at school? Being a mere guardian of some kids?

    What in the world are those kids? Are they that incredible?

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t the one to speak considering that he was staying holed up in the workshop, researching chimeras. Most of the superhumans were slightly sick in the head and now that there was no longer a reason to put their own lives at risk with the end of the war, most of the heroes from back then did whatever they so desired.

    Maybe that person just liked looking after kids.

    It was understandable once he thought about it like that.

    However, the man¡¯s course of action had a lot of doubtful aspects. Quite recently, he had predicted the strategy of a catastrophe-ranked demon, organised a countering strategy and had killed Noah.

    And yet now he was asking him toe stand up for him at a ce for kids to fool around.

    BM could not find the answer to his curiosity, so he asked the ¡®Pharmacist¡¯, who supported Yu Jitae as an aide.

    I get that raising kids is his hobby, but why is he doing this ¨C what does he desire?

    The aide (Pharmacist) said the following in response:

    ¨C That being can see the hostility of others. Funnily enough, when one cadet became the focus, hostility became rampant all over Lair.

    ¨C Therefore, that being is nning to stop the troublesome things from happening in advance, in order to protect the daily life.

    ¨C Isn¡¯t there something wriggling in the depths of a human heart? An individual without a backing always tends to be the target of others and it¡¯s extremely troublesome. Random fleas and locusts jump in without fear and the daily life might be interrupted.

    ¨C Thus, that being has felt the necessity of a fake background, and is now nning to make it.

    Through the repetitive regressions, the Regressor managed to find an efficient method.

    When trying to deal with an incident that has ured, what was the most efficient way to handle it? That used to be the biggest question that remained habitually inside a corner of his head.

    In the past, he had tried solving things peacefully with a conversation. And after that, he crushed all thepetitors with pure strength. None of them were very efficient.

    Then what was efficient?

    Humans trusted what they saw the most. They prove to others by showing physical objects as evidence, and prove their love with actions. Even someone enraged would not dare act without care when there was a sword being pointed at their throat.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. When dying of thirst, humans see an oasis in the middle of the vast desert. What they desire the most appears in reality, despite being an illusion.

    That¡¯s why he had acted, but it snowballed in size somehow and he ended up crushing the leader of the sentries.

    On the way to the conference room, BM stopped by the first-aid centre and encountered Sirdo Leo after a long time.

    The tough giant gave a dumbfounded grin while being enveloped in bandages.

    ¡°BM¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look too bad.¡±

    ¡°What are you looking at. Is it fun?¡±

    ¡°You should¡¯ve died instead.¡±

    ¡°I should¡¯ve. It¡¯s quite embarrassing.¡±

    BM was walking out of the room after a light farewell when he met Myung Yongha, who had hidden his face with a different mask.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Little Grass.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up BM? Why are you here?¡±

    It seemed that he had also been called here. On the way to the conference room, BM had a conversation with Myung Yongha and had a clearer idea about what Yu Jitae had in mind.

    ¡°Uhaha. It¡¯s a little bit strange though.¡±

    ¡°What is.¡±

    ¡°I understand that he¡¯s strong, but it¡¯s strange that he doesn¡¯t have any organisations, and it¡¯s also strange that he¡¯s trying to create a fake household. Something like that will onlyst 5 years at max.¡±

    It might be better instead to do something for real and make something genuine. An empty suit would be discovered sooner orter.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    BM couldn¡¯t reply either.

    It was because he also didn¡¯t know that households only mattered to Yu Jitae for 5 years, the schooling period of the dragons.

    That was what had happened before they walked into the conference room.

    Inside the conference room, gazes filled with curiosity were gathered at the two of them and BM calmly returned their gazes. It was natural for them to be curious, and even he himself would¡¯ve been if he was in their shoes.

    From now, the two of them had to create an imaginary household, the ¡®Yu household¡¯.

    They had to turn something that didn¡¯t even exist to a usible organisation, an omnipotent and almighty household.

    ¡°Uhh, could I ask what the rtionship is between you and Guardian Yu Jitae¡­¡±

    ¡°He is my benefactor.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ I see. He looked a lot younger though.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think age matters when ites to benefactors.¡±

    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re right.¡±

    In response to Myung Yongha¡¯s words, confusion appeared in the eyes of the old figurehead.

    ¡°We work together.¡±

    The next response from BM was a magical reply that rejected any further questions upfront. They were curious what world¡¯s Rank 2 was doing, but no-one dared to ask him about it during an official conference.

    No-one could ever guess that BM was just talking about him being the nurse and Yu Jitae being the doctor.

    He opened his mouth while pushing his sunsses up.

    ¡°Things have gotten slightly out of hand. First off, let me apologise in Guardian Yu Jitae¡¯s stead.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve met Sirdo on the way but that friend really is quite tough. The shield only has a small crack on it and it¡¯s fortunate that the losses aren¡¯t too big either.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°On the other hand, an extremely young cadet could¡¯ve died on this side. I heard it was because of something that happened in the munitions department. What a shame that the incident originated from that ce.¡±

    He was practically shouldering the me on the munitions department, which was the cause. It was evident that the school inspectors were bing slightly displeased.

    ¡°Near is the shirt, but nearer is the skin. From what I¡¯ve heard, I think it¡¯s understandable that you would want to cover for the ones closer to you. I probably would¡¯ve done the same myself.¡±

    BM expressed his dissatisfaction with a low voice. Despite his low voice, the aura he was emanating was very fierce. He might be a nurse that listened nicely when he was with someone specific, but he was originally known as a mad scientist among other superhumans.

    While everyone became nervous, Assistant Principal Ma Namjoon, the only one not nervous, intervened and cut him off.

    ¡°But as you know, there were a lot of eyes looking at us. Such rampages go against the regtions and we can¡¯t not consider the equity of regtions as the authority maintaining the rules of the academy city.¡±

    ¡°Equity. You like that a lot huh.¡±

    ¡°Of course. At least in my opinion, the guardian staying behind at Lair¡­ would be difficult due to the conventional thoughts of the society. There are lots of things to take into consideration after all.¡±

    Ma Namjoon¡¯s eyes bent like a snake.

    He had been nning on using the Yu household if it was a half-assed organisation but since BM and Myung Yongha suddenly appeared out of nowhere, this catastrophe-ranked demon had to change his n.

    Yu Jitae had to be distanced away from Lair as much as possible.

    ¡°Ahh. But you know! It¡¯s not like we have to do that right?¡±

    That was when Myung Yongha opened his mouth with an amiable smile.

    ¡°¡­Please borate.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s this regtion I found on the way here. Would you like to look at it together?¡±

    Myung Yongha clicked his fingers. Soon, his wrist divided and turned into tree branches, before spewing out a book.

    ¡°Punishment Regtions Article 17 Paragraph 4 says that guardians can be punished after the graduation of the cadet.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well yes. There is that but.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Lair prioritise the cadets above anything else? I know this because my cousin graduated 2 years ago.¡±

    It was one of the regtions that had been made after the war, but there were no precedents of the regtion taking effect.

    ¡°However, there is no precedent. We need to inspect it a little bit more before we can make a decision.¡±

    Then, Myung Yonghaughed heartily.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you make one now.¡±

    It was an imposing sentence with amanding tone despite his smile. There was an undisguisable trace of confidence in his voice.

    The middle-aged men of the education department gulped.

    Right now, they were suddenly visiting a house and were telling the tenants to mow thewn, but he had the right to do that. As a VVIP of the International Hunter Association, he was like a colleague of the house owner.

    Ma Namjoon hid the frown by forcing a smile on his face. As a catastrophe, and as one of the heads of the undetectables, Ma Namjoon was confident that he would not lose to them even if he had to face the two of them at once.

    And yet they were pushing through with their public authority.

    Things couldn¡¯t go this way. Right when Ma Namjoon was about to say something,

    ¡°Right, this isn¡¯t why we came here, but it¡¯s unfortunate. Sirs, I know that you¡¯re having a hard time doing great things at great ces.¡±

    BM slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in the military and I know myself. You¡¯re all innocent and doing great things but you get pushed around left and right. The ones above talk shit and the households try to keep you in check. It¡¯s ufortable right? They think they¡¯re strong and do unreasonable things.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say.¡±

    Ma Namjoon was unable to hold it in any longer and asked without hiding his displeasure. A pair of eyes behind the sunsses nced past him.

    ¡°¡­But what unreasonable household would possibly be able to use Myung Yongha and BM as spokespeople? It seems that you¡¯re slow on the uptake because you spend all day looking at ink and documents.¡±

    The expressions of several staff members turned dark.

    ¡°Let me ask you a question, Yongha.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Would you be his spokesperson if the Association Head asked you to do so?¡±

    Myung Yonga chuckled.

    ¡°Why the heck would I.¡±

    BM followed him andughed.

    But no-one was able tough from the education department¡¯s side. Ma Namjoon did not even bother hiding his difort now as he yelled out loud.

    ¡°BM! Are you trying to assert your public authority during an official conference?¡±

    BM grinned.

    ¡°Listen mate. I led the Third Kalian Brigade during the great war andter became the head of the Fourth Division of Korea¡¯s superhuman soldiers. Then, I became the deputymander of the First Division of the Second Corps. Now, I¡¯m the deputymander of the Association¡¯sst resort Suicide Squad, the consultant of the Catb Vanguard Royals.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And a VVIP of the Association. One of the 30 with the right to raid dungeons at will, and ranked 2nd worldwide. One word from me and the Association will turn a country upside down to catch a little rat. So what if I assert my authority. What, you have something to say?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Do you not understand what it means for me, this ¡®Returnee¡¯, to directly stand up for someone?¡±

    Knowing something and listening to it be spelled out were different. Each and every one of them closed their mouths but with differing thoughts. Ha Sukmoo red at Ma Namjoon with a myriad of thoughts while Ma Namjoon had to suppress his overflowing killing intent.

    Their thoughts were different but the end result was the same. They had no choice but to harbour a question that drove them crazy.

    What in the world was the Yu household?

    ¡°I know you¡¯re all holding onto your dear positions no matter what the Association says to you. If you don¡¯t want to let that go, don¡¯t be too straight. The ceiling is lower than you think, and losing your job is also easier than you think.¡±

    When Ma Namjoon also closed his mouth and turned quiet, BM threw his final remark.

    ¡°So just lower your head and live. Pretend you didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    That was the end of the conference.

    Yu Jitae was dered to be punished with 10 hours of campusmunity service and some fines.

    There were many that questioned the decision but none of them voiced it out to the public. It was because Ha Sukmoo apologised to the Yu household publicly, saying that it was the fault of the munitions department.

    Meanwhile Kang Mungu, who had been bribed, received a death sentence at a military trial. Other guardians of Lair who had quick insight, quickly saw that something had happened behind their backs.

    Just like that, the name of the Yu household was spread to every corner of the city.

    ***

    The day after the incident, Malunga received unbelievable news.

    It was that they were no longer able to contact anyone from Kanaye¡¯s superhuman nurturing team. Within them was also Malunga¡¯s family.

    And his cadet, Malta was found dead in his room, dead from drug abuse.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He was a realistic person, and was quicker at adapting to the situation than others. So when unbelievable things became reality in the span of one day, the decision he made was also extremely rapid.

    Malunga strangled himself.

 Chapter 119: Yu Household (1)

    <h4>Chapter 119: Yu Household (1)</h4>

    This was an extremely foreign phrase for the Regressor.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    After leaving the detention centre, Yu Jitae met the two of them.

    In the end, the most efficient method of describing the power level of the non-existent Yu household was to borrow the fame of these two.

    Myung Yongha hade in secret but BM didn¡¯t. Lair was in an uproar when he appeared and rumours spread quickly that BM hade to stand for Yu Jitae.

    Two names that could be used anywhere around the globe etched the virtual organisation of Yu household into the brains of the education department staff. And at the same time, the name of Yu Jitae, who had driven Sirdo Leo into the ground, also spread like wildfire.

    As time passes, the name value of the Yu household will gradually increase.

    ¡°¡­By the way.¡±

    Myung Yongha spoke to Yu Jitae with a fairly serious expression.

    ¡°You know that assistant principal. The Korean with thest name, ¡®Ma¡¯.¡±

    It seemed that this sharp-witted superhuman had felt something.

    ¡°You mean Ma Namjoon.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    His usual amicable smile was long gone. With a serious and grave look on his face, Myung Yongha looked into the eyes of Yu Jitae.

    ¡°There¡¯s this feeling I get sometimes. It¡¯s my first time seeing him and I don¡¯t know him well, but he feels like a demon.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It had never been wrong before. Well, it was wrong once recently so it¡¯s hard for me to say with certainty but¡­¡±

    His gaze was still on Yu Jitae.

    ¡°That Assistant Principal Ma Namjoon, had a dirty odour around him.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you know already? It should¡¯ve been ufortable living at the academy with someone like that around though.¡±

    When Yu Jitae returned a nod, Myung Yongha once again opened his mouth.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how strong of a demon he is, but is it okay for me to deal with him?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine?¡±

    The druid¡¯s eyes turned sharper. He was still unable to fully trust Yu Jitae, and it was a fitting attitude for a soldier. Since there was no need to make him doubtful, Yu Jitae gave a sinct exnation.

    ¡°We can¡¯t thoughtlessly kill him.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean we can¡¯t kill him?¡±

    Demons were all clingy with their lives, and it was more so for catastrophe-ranked demons. It wasn¡¯t just Noah who desperately struggled to stay alive. They usually borrowed the power of their lords of the abyss to add several protective insurances to their lives.

    ¡°A war will break out if Ma Namjoon dies.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    In response to his words, both Myung Yongha and BM turned stiff.

    War.

    It had only been 20 years since the Great War, and the weight behind the word, ¡®war¡¯, was significantly heavy.

    ¡°¡­Can I ask why?¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply.

    It was better not to disclose any information hereafter.

    In the first ce, Ma Namjoon had pretty much lost all his limbs. Like all demons who loved staying under the radar for a long time, Ma Namjoon would also try to build his power up over an extended period of time, even after the Amusements were over for the dragons.

    Therefore, he was only nning to observe Ma Namjoon from nearby.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it myself.¡±

    The Regressor ended the topic with those words.

    For some time, the two of them were silent as they organised their thoughts.

    ¡°¡­Ah, right. Mister Yu Jitae.¡±

    When Myung Yongha opened his mouth again, he sounded slightly brighter.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing too serious, but, was it Gyeoul? Jun-il really wanted to meet that little blue-haired girl again.¡±

    By Jun-il, he was talking about his biggest son.

    ¡°Would you like to go on a trip together when you¡¯re free?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a little bit busy right now. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°It is. I¡¯m also a bit packed on schedule, so I think we¡¯ll have to talk about it in more detailter on.¡± Myung Yongha thenughed, ¡°You know, I actually sneaked out in the middle of my patrolling session today. Uhahat!¡±

    A trip, a trip¡­

    It sounded okay. The water that had been taken from the Lake of Life was still sitting in a corner of Bom¡¯s room. He could vividly remember the back of a blue-haired child nkly staring at the water bottle.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s try organising the timeter on. I know a few ces that are insanely beautiful.¡±

    Indeed, thinking back on the previous iterations, the Grand Natural Society was an organisation gathered for the purpose of killing demons, but they spent more time ying around and visiting ces.

    Since he had been uninterested in going on trips back then, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t able to fit in.

    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll see youter then. Wish you all the best.¡±

    After Myung Yongha left first, the intertwined long and thin legs were undone as BM pushed his sunsses up.

    ¡°Jung Bongman.¡±

    ¡°Oh please. I wish you would stop calling me that.¡±

    ¡°¡­I was thinking of adding some rent fee for the 30 tenants.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    BM¡¯s expression turned serious behind the pair of sunsses.

    ¡°Were you for real?¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°You know, heart. It¡¯s a lot more difficult than what words could express.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Making it simr in terms of shape isn¡¯t even an ordeal, nor is making a simr organ that does simr things. Creating the internal elements of an organ that big is also a piece of cake but the problem is that we have to add all three of those and make it function in a human body, not a superhuman one.¡±

    The Regressor nonchntly gave a nod.

    ¡°I know, of course.¡±

    Dumbfounded, BM let out an emptyugh.

    ¡°¡­Crazy. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re saying nonsense either. Seriously, what in the world are you? Are you like a god?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    Yu Jitae pondered on the answer, but soon changed the topic with a shake of his head.

    ¡°When do you want me to help.¡±

    ¡°Right now will be a bit troublesome. I have a few things to do, so I¡¯ll tell your aide when I have free time.¡±

    ¡°Do whatever you want.¡±

    Until now, Yu Jitae had tried to avoid both directly and indirectly impacting other rankers including BM. And he still thought that way.

    Yu Jitae did not fully trust humans.

    In a book he had read in the seventh iteration, there was a question about whether the noun ¡®human¡¯ cane after the adjective, ¡®trustworthy¡¯ or not.

    Impossible. That was the answer he came to after repeating a series of long iterations.

    It didn¡¯t matter for normal humans and there wasn¡¯t much a homeless person could do even if they were given a sword.

    However, BM was different. He was part of the strong, and was someone that could directly influence the flow of the world by himself.

    The reason Yu Jitae decided to partially help with the creation of the chimera despite that, is because BM had seeded in creating a heart in a distant future, without showing any strange signs afterward.

    ¡°Then, I shall see youter.¡±

    *

    After sending BM away, Yu Jitae returned home.

    The first one to greet him was Gyeoul. For the first time in a while, she was sitting down near the shoe racks, ring at the door with a pair of anxious eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything but nced all over Yu Jitae. Then, she reached her arms out with a teary expression.

    He lifted the child up and hugged her.

    Her tiny lips moved faintly. She then slowly bit her lower lips and gazed up at him.

    Was this an expression of anger, or worry? Whatever it was, he had no idea about the reason, so the Regressor merely returned her gaze back.

    It was the same as what she had done during the small conflict with the Yong household.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ne check: Nothing out of ce.

    Gyeoul checked the ne and heaved a sigh. The sigh of a small child wasn¡¯t deep because of her short breaths.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t be angry,¡± she muttered.

    For an instant, Yu Jitae doubted his ears.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She turned silent after that and did nothing but rest her head on Yu Jitae¡¯s chest.

    Around the evening was when Bom and Kaeul came back. Yu Jitae let them know of the things that had happened, because he thought they at least had to know about it.

    ¡°Whaaat?!¡±

    In a fluster, Kaeul asked why that happened and whether he was hurt somewhere, before making a fuss about how Yeorum-unni had it rough. Meanwhile, Bom gave a nod with her eyes drooping slightly lower.

    Fortunately, no-one became scared or confused because of something like this.

    ¡°If someone asks about the household in the future ¨C it shouldn¡¯t happen too often, but tell them you don¡¯t really know.¡±

    Bom asked after thinking for a bit.

    ¡°Or how about this?¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Like this¡­¡±

    She indifferently looked into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes with her gaze having a trace of Dragon¡¯s Fear. It looked slightly sloppy for him, but it was enough to surprise others away.

    ¡°Was that close enough?¡±

    He could tell who she was trying to imitate without her even saying it.

    Kaeul nodded.

    ¡°Uwah, that¡¯s scary unni¡­¡±

    ¡°Was it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why would you have to do that.¡±

    ¡°Others will be scared by themselves then, right.¡±

    Bom giggled.

    ¡°Then what about me? Me me?¡±

    It was Kaeul¡¯s turn. Closing her eyes, she deeply breathed out. The moment her inner golden eyebrows raised itself back up, the air turned oppressive. Her low yet profound gaze was facing the ground but as her eyes began widening itself, she slowly began raising her gaze.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A pair of eyes, fatigued beyond repair, slowly regained its focus. A closer inspection revealed a reflection of Yu Jitae within.

    This, was quite good.

    ¡°Kaeul. You¡¯re really scary¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, she didn¡¯t respond.

    Damn, he thought to himself. Just like what she had done before, she had immersed herself into Yu Jitae¡¯s emotions.

    He pinched her soft cheeks. ¡°Ayayah! It hurrs!¡± she yelled aftering back to her senses in an instant, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that too often.¡±

    ¡°Uooh¡­ it hurts¡­ then when should I do it?¡±

    ¡°Only when someone tries to dig deeper into the Yu household, or when someone annoys you.¡±

    ¡°Okkayy.¡±

    It seemed that the kids were epting the situation without too much of a problem.

    Yu Jitae felt doubtful for no reason. Perhaps Bom had already spoken about it before, but when their eyes met, she looked at him for a bit before turning away as if nothing happened.

    ¡°Come here, all of you.¡±

    That night, Yu Jitae called them as Bom and Kaeul ran up to sit on his sides. Gyeoul also imed her position on top of his knees.

    The most important thing was about to begin now.

    9 pm everyday.

    A highlight video of the B+ Underground Fissure Raid will be uploaded on Lair¡¯s official application. [B+ Underground Fissure Raid] was a three-day raid, with the first two days being highlight videos and thest day being a live session of the boss raid.

    ¡°Uhh?¡±

    Right when Yu Jitae was about to turn the video on, Kaeul held his arm back in a fluster.

    ¡°Uhhhh, I don¡¯t think I can see it.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Yeorum-unni is doing a good job right?¡±

    The Regressor pulled his hand away from the disy screen.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet either.¡±

    ¡°Uh, urgh, then how can we watch it¡­!¡±

    ¡°Why? Why can¡¯t we watch it.¡±

    ¡°Unni really did her best. Like, she didn¡¯t even sleep and vomited in the toilet every time.¡±

    He nodded. Yeorum had adhered to her training frantically, to the point that ¡®diligently¡¯ was not enough to express her efforts.

    ¡°Unni would do well in spars obviously because she¡¯s strong but, this doesn¡¯t work just because unni is strong by herself, right? She tried super hard and yet if she¡¯s not doing a good job right now¡­¡±

    Thinking of the worst possible case scenario, Kaeul soon turned depressed. He thought it was just her being overly worried, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Unexpectedly, even Bom who was leaning on the backrest of the sofa, and Gyeoul who was empathising herself with Kaeul, all appeared worried.

    Because they had watched on from up close, they wished her hard work wouldn¡¯t betray her.

    Thus, the Regressor tried to sneakily check the result, but Kaeul once again jumped in and held him back.

    ¡°Ah¡­! Ahhh! Don¡¯t do it!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out about itter anyway.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t want to. We might find outter, but at least for now, I don¡¯t want to know!¡±

    He ignored her and moved his hand. There was no way she could ever stop him, no matter how tightly she held onto.

    ¡°No¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Uaaang!¡±

    With a touch, he pressed on the button. Before the highlights were shown, the scores of the 25 teams were revealed first.

    It was right there.

    +++Score Board+++

    1. Yeorum and the Losties: 20

    1. Squad ¡®Dragon*¡¯: 20

    1. Team Erfan: 20

    2. Kimura: 19

    ¡­

    +++Score Board+++

    Above the list of names that revealed the pretentious nature of young kids, was the weirdest name.

    ¡°Uwah! She¡¯s first ce! But why are there three?¡±

    ¡°ording to the rules, the first and the second day scores are given objectively.¡±

    ¡°Ah, really?¡±

    Right.

    Everyone was given 20 points for participation.

    20 possible extra points on the first day.

    20 more points avable on the second day.

    20 points for arriving at the boss dungeon on the third day.

    And the final 20 points were given subjectively during the boss raid. Among the top ranking cadets who risked their lives for merely ¡®10 points¡¯, these 20 points were a huge deal.

    As soon as Kaeul¡¯s arms fell down, Yu Jitae yed the highlight video.

    There was no reason to watch other groups so he skipped over them and before long, he found a familiar red-head.

    ¡°It¡¯s unni!¡±

    Yeorum and Sophia led the front with their targets being the underground orcs, who had rock-solid physiques. When the orcs tried to block her strike, Yeorum crushed their heads with sheer strength and charged in.

    She shed her sword sideways. As the orc attempted to block it, she chopped its axe in half and drew a horizontal line across the orc¡¯s neck. Her rigid longsword shed through the rock-like skin of the underground orc, ripped through its flesh and crushed its neck.

    Meanwhile,ments were being shown next to the highlight video.

    ¨C Like, how is that a cadet? Lolololol.

    ¨C She¡¯s doing everything by herself;;

    ¨C Underground orcs have super thick skins though¡­ woah¡­ it¡¯s crazy lol.

    Sophia also revealed her prowess by piercing the vitals like the throat and the eyes with her rapier. Orcs crumbled in an instant.

    ¨C Kuuuh, look how she¡¯s stabbing only their eyes.

    ¨C Nice teamwork. Sophia neutralises them and Yeorum kills them.

    ¨C Feels good to watch them do everything in sync.

    ¨C What are the two losties doing?

    ¨C Ehng? The two at the back were quite good too though?

    The two cadets, who had each been given a bow and a musket by Yu Jitae, were clenching their teeth tightly as they tried to keep up with Yeorum and Sophia.

    Although their weapons were Level 1 artifacts, they were nothing but the most normal weapons for cadets.

    ¨C Getting carried irl.

    ¨C For real.

    However, thements changed after the camera gave a close-up shot of Kim Ji-in and Soujiro.

    Kim Ji-in physically fought against the monsters with teary eyes, but wasn¡¯t being pushed around. Even worse was Soujirou¡¯s condition. Every time he released an arrow, drops of blood sttered, and he was shooting them so desperately that his chubby fingers were all worn out.

    Even then, they didn¡¯t give up.

    ¨C They¡¯re crazy as well¡­ ;;

    ¨C Why does everyone look so vicious;;?

    Receiving the aid of those two, Yeorum easily crushed the monsters. Soon appeared the mid-boss of the first day, ¡®Underground Twin-Head Orc¡¯, who vomited out poison and filth with its mouth.

    Yu Jitae half-squinted his eyes.

    Yeorum maximised her [Pulsations]. When that was furtherplemented by her [Breaths], the first skill of Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art was disyed in full.

    Her sword divided the Twin-Head Orc vertically into two.

    ¡°Wahh!¡± shouted Kaeul with a closed fist,

    And that was the end of the highlight.

 Chapter 120: Yu Household (2)

    <h4>Chapter 120: Yu Household (2)</h4>

    ¡°Would you like to order, miss?¡±

    In a cafe at Lair, a green-haired female cadet was ordering drinks.

    ¡°I would like a strawberry smoothie. What about you, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°And one green grape ade as well please.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    While they were waiting for the two drinks, people stole nces at them. The bright sunlight of the dazzling sun entered through the window and made the cadet¡¯s hair shine like polished emerald.

    Resting her chin on her hand, she gently leaned her head onto the window. Her face ¨C her eyes and her nose were so beautiful that it made people wonder whether they would be able to see something simr ever again.

    As always, people either nkly stared at her face or stole nces.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    One of the onlooking cadets had his ear pinched,

    ¡°Ah, ahh, ahhhkk¡­!¡±

    By his girlfriend.

    ¡°Wh, why¡­?¡±

    ¡°What are you looking at.¡±

    ¡°Uh? I, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°Whatever. Don¡¯t say it. I thought your eyes were on fire.¡±

    His girlfriend turned back to the coffee after letting go of his ear.

    ¡°Honey. You¡¯re misunderstanding something. I wasn¡¯t looking at her.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you angry?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    She was 100% angry, thought the cadet as he sweated. He then whispered with a softer voice.

    ¡°No, I seriously wasn¡¯t looking at Yu Bom. Did you not hear that yet?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The thing about how Yu Bom¡¯s guardian smacked the director of the sentries.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    Only then did the shadow disappear faintly from his girlfriend¡¯s expression.

    Lair was a military academy, and the cadets were all reserve soldiers that had been sent from various countries for being talented superhumans. Due to that, almost every cadet was interested in the topic of the ¡®strong¡¯, regardless of age and gender.

    ¡°Apparently the sentry director was bashed up by that guardian over there near the education department yesterday. You see that person? He looks super scary.¡±

    ¡°¡­Does that make sense? Leo is in the top 50¡¯s worldwide.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s 53rd. It¡¯s not fake. My friend¡¯s actually seen it and there¡¯s quite a lot of guys that saw it as well. It should be pretty well-known by now.¡±

    Strife between cadets sometimes corrted to conflicts between guardians, and feuds between households.

    There were tons of current and previous rankers amongst the guardians. Whenever small conflicts escted beyond control, their fights tended to leave immense aftereffects.

    Whenever things escted, the sentries always oppressed them with brute force. They crushed the arms of those who held swords and drove the heads of the violent to the ground. Some pointed fingers at them saying that they were too over the top, but that was the regtion and no-oneined about their existence itself.

    ¡°The sentries are all about physical power,¡± said the ¡®Final Wall¡¯, Sirdo Leo, as a joke during an interview. It had be a meme among the cadets.

    And yet a giant like that had been bashed up by that man? Was it true? Or was it a gossip created by her boyfriend in hopes of exining theck of control he had over his eyes?

    After ring at her boyfriend from the side of her eyes, the cadet opened a messenger app with her watch and entered a group chat.

    She was just in time for a conversation that was about the mentioned topic.

    ¨C Guys, look at this.

    It was an image of a road in the middle of a city where the ground had crumbled. Around the crater were yellow police-lines and mages were using earth elemental magic to fill up the hole.

    ¨C They¡¯re fixing it lol.

    ¨C Is that human shape in the middle Sirdo?

    ¨C Ye loool

    ¨C Ah, kekek, I was wondering what that was lol.

    At the very centre of the crater was a hole shaped like a human with their arms and legs wide-open. It was the trace of a gigantic human taller than 3 metres.

    ¨C The Director was alive even after that?

    ¨C Lmao yeah.

    ¨C That¡¯s insane lol.

    ¨C Use him as a cannon ball if we run out of them.

    ¨C Lololololol

    ¨C Cannon ball (Physical Power)

    ¨C Kekekek

    ¨C Lololololol

    ¨C ¡®Final Cannon Ball¡¯

    ¨C Ahkkkekekek crazy.

    ¨C Lolololol wtf

    ¡°¡­¡±

    nkly, the cadet stared at the group chat before raising her head back up. That famous ¡®Yu Bom¡¯ was handing a drink with a straw inside over to her guardian.

    ¡°Why? Do you not like green grapes? Green grape ades here are very nice.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like sweet stuff.¡±

    ¡°Still, just try it. Come on.¡±

    Now that she looked around, the cadet realised that others were also throwing nces at the two of them. There were always such gazes wherever Yu Bom was, but there were more eyes staring at the guardian today.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not bad.¡±

    ¡°See? I knew it.¡±

    With a hazy gaze and a slow body, the man slurped the drink and took Yu Bom out of the cafe. The cadet stared at their backs vacantly before asking her boyfriend.

    ¡°That person punched the director of the sentries, right.¡±

    ¡°Nn, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then how is he just walking around like that¡­?¡±

    *

    ¡°That¡¯s also what I want to ask.¡±

    Guardians of Level 4 society cadets had gathered.

    After finishing the routine for the day, the guardians gathered at one ce and chugged shots of alcohol. There were always various incidents and happenings at Lair, but the story that had spread today was about a slightly bigger incident than usual.

    ¡°10 hours of campusmunity service and 500 thousand dors of fine, was it?¡±

    ¡°It was.¡±

    ¡°Themunity service thing is just for show¡­ it¡¯s always around 30 hours even if it¡¯s just a fight between cadets. At least the fine is pretty high though.¡±

    ¡°No. That¡¯s also close to nothing considering all the damage done to property.¡±

    ¡°Seriously. There¡¯s not a single sign of equity¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how Lair is, I guess. Well, they are the big boss in this ce after all.¡±

    ¡°But even Erfan and the Yong household wouldn¡¯t be favoured like this¡­¡±

    ¡°Right? The Association wouldn¡¯t stand still unless it¡¯s the Brzenk Family or something.¡±

    It was possible for the Brzenk Family, because they were the direct family members of the official Rank 1 worldwide. In other words, it was impossible unless one was at their level.

    ¡°Then what in the world is the Yu household? Mister Huangbo, do you know something about them?¡±

    The guardian from the Huangbo household downed a shot of alcohol.

    Yu household. Yu household¡­

    Nothing rang a bell. Although he had a connection with most of the well-known households and guilds, it was the first time hearing such a name.

    It was also hard to think of them as a secret organisation under the Korean government. The two cadets apart from Yu Yeorum didn¡¯t even appear like soldiers.

    As they became more and more intoxicated, the topic of their conversation gradually changed. They began putting subjective imaginations into the equation as they tried to backtrack the unidentified household.

    ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s an organisation that¡¯s being grown by the Association?¡±

    ¡°Whatt?¡±

    ¡°You know, the previous Rank 1 before Oscar Brzenk was a Korean right? He was from the Association as well.¡±

    ¡°Aye, it¡¯s been confirmed that he died already¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I think he¡¯s a returnee.¡±

    ¡°A returnee?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Like a brother of BM. Then doesn¡¯t everything make sense, how he suddenly appeared out of nowhere and how BM stood up for him?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, not sure¡­ it¡¯s not like they¡¯re returning from a convenience store run or something¡­ it doesn¡¯t happen that often.¡±

    For the rest of their imaginative session, the Yu household was repeatedly beingpared to something great.

    *

    Lair¡¯s education department controlled the reporters and the media so that news of the incident did not spread outside the academy. The public and the national broadcasting tforms did not talk of these events.

    But due to the nature of the incident, stories about the incident continued spreading across behind the scenes.

    ¡°We will now look into the Yu household which everyone was curious about.¡±

    A cadet who was also a streamer, got up on his two feet saying that he would ask about the Yu household in person.

    He was sessful at gathering the attention of others. There were 30 times the average audience on the live stream, as curious cadets and citizens waited for the answer.

    The cadet looked for Bom and Kaeul in their ssrooms and requested for an interview but the two of them refused without any room for negotiation. Bom simply shook her head while Kaeul stuttered, ¡°Uhh¡­! I, I don¡¯t know!¡± and ran away.

    Though he wanted to physically stop them from walking away, he was just unable to do so for some reason.

    ¨C Ah what the fk.

    ¨C No fun¡­

    ¨C All bark and no nothing.

    When most of the audience rapidly left, the cadet became dejected and ended up making a decision that shouldn¡¯t be made. That night, he pressed on the record button and carefully sneaked after Kaeul.

    The blonde girl was on her way back to her house after ying with her friends. He jumped over the outer walls of the dormitory and followed Kaeul as she climbed the stairs.

    ¡°Excuse me, cadet. What are you doing?¡±

    It was then.

    A superhuman from the sentries appeared out of nowhere and held onto his arm. The camera dropped from his hand and rolled on the floor.

    ¡°A camera?¡±

    Startled, the cadet gave a serious look and shook his hand.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this camera. Was this with consent?¡±

    ¡°What consent. I was just taking a picture of thendscape.¡±

    ¡°Just thendscape?¡±

    ¡°Yes. This is near my dormitory. I was just taking a picture on my way back. Why are you doing this to me right now?¡±

    The cadet thought the sentry would be flustered if he was confident. That¡¯s what he heard from his drunk friend before, but it didn¡¯t work.

    He sneered and said, ¡°Where do you live then.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Where do you live, cadet.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I live just around this ce.¡±

    ¡°Show me your ID card please. Let me confirm it.¡±

    When his lie was about to be discovered, the cadet quickly changed his expression in a fluster.

    ¡°Umm¡­ sir. Actually, I¡­ think I¡¯m a bit lost¡­¡±

    ¡°Lost?¡±

    ¡°I, it was just an ident. I¡¯m a bit bad with directions so¡­¡±

    The sentry once again snickered as if he had heard something absurd.

    ¡°Cadet. You don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been following you for, right?¡±

    Hearing that, the cadet felt a turmoil in his heart.

    ¡°Ah, umm¡­¡±

    ¡°A little friend is trying to y with an adult, I see. Do you think the sentries are your friends, cadet?¡±

    ¡°Umm, uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The next day, his live streaming ount was deleted.

    *

    Word travels fast and a rumour travels across the world in one day.

    Yu Jitae was also able to feel the change in the surroundings after three days.

    ¡°Wee, Jitae. People are talking about you everywhere I go these days. How does it feel.¡±

    ¡°Nothing much.¡±

    Gyeoul, who was being hugged by Yu Jitae, became tense.

    ¡°Hmm? Was there a child like this in the household as well?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the youngest.¡±

    ¡°I see. The child really is cute. Are you well, little child?¡±

    Mihailov smiled. His face with a scar running across it floated a vicious smile.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head. She wasn¡¯t well after seeing his face.

    Mihailov appeared doubtful about the events that had happened recently, but being a true man, he did not ask anything unnecessary.

    Five white cadets were behind him today. They looked nervous after seeing Yu Jitae from a distance and now that they were close, they awkwardly greeted him with their eyes.

    ¡°Who are these kids.¡±

    ¡°They are cadets from our RIL. Don¡¯t know where they heard some rumours from, but they were creating a fuss about how they wanted to see you at least once. I¡¯ve given them a lesson all morning but they still wanted to follow.¡±

    RIL considered power to be the sole determining factor of a superhuman. The cadets there received a strict education that rivaled that of the Erfan Guild of China.

    Mihailov frowned.

    ¡°You bunch. If you bother Mister Guardian, say goodbye to your legs after we go back.¡±

    ¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡±

    ¡°My apologies. Please pretend you didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    Yu Jitae therefore pretended that he didn¡¯t see it.

    They were in an auditorium inside the education department. The reason they gathered here was because today was thest day of the B+ Underground Fissure Raid.

    It was the same as the briefing day a few days ago, but there were more people. In order to cheer for the cadets that were already inside, guardians were apanied by rted personnel and other cadets.

    Yong Chuljun, the guardian of the Yong household and Professor Ha Yoon of the Moonlight study group were also present.

    It was bustling.

    ¡°Ahjussi! We¡¯re here!¡±

    Soon, Bom and Kaeul walked into the auditorium once their lectures were finished. ¡°Uwaah! So many people!¡± she shouted. Since Kaeul created so much of a fuss as she ran up to him, the gazes of other guardians all turned and they stared at Yu Jitae.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    Yu Jitae was staring at Kaeul, but he was watching the entirety of the auditorium. Due to the Eyes of Equilibrium which was constantly on these days, their nature, favourability and authenticity were all revealed at once.

    The emotions and attitudes prevalent across the area were in full disy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The results were different from a few days ago.

    Back then, except for the few who had been interested in him, most had hated him, were true and evil. In other words, they detested and carried sincerely evil thoughts against him.

    In apetitive environment, this revealed ¡®jealousy¡¯ and ¡®envy¡¯. It was the thing wriggling in the depths of a human heart, and was the most bothersome thing to deal with for the Regressor, who tried to live a normal daily life.

    But now, it was different.

    Their favorability showed hatred.

    Authenticity, false.

    And a nature of good.

    They hated Yu Jitae, but despite carrying such thoughts, they tried to deceive themselves by trying to think of good things. This represented ¡®reverence¡¯ in apetitive situation. While respecting Yu Jitae, they were now thinking of him as an ufortable and fearful existence.

    While feeling those stealthy gazes, Yu Jitae rxedly leaned his back onto the chair.

    It was a familiar situation for the Regressor.

 Chapter 121: Yu Household (3)

    <h4>Chapter 121: Yu Household (3)</h4>

    [B+ Underground Fissure Raid] was the performance assignment with the most amount of scores given, and was an assignment that allowed others to have a peek at how the top cadets carried out a raid.

    The media and the masses were thus considerably intrigued by it, and there were four cameras under use inside the auditorium.

    On the first day, Yeorum¡¯s team came first and received 20 points. There were three teams in total that came first.

    On the second day, Yeorum once again came first and received 20 points. This time, there were four teams that came first due to the objective grading system.

    However, the third day had a rtive grading system.

    Considering the number of teams that had the same scores, it was difficult toe to a conclusion as to who would be sitting on the throne. It was hard to take all the variables into ount.

    Everyone was hoping for a miracle.

    [Raid Start]

    The final raid began atst.

    Following a 2-hour-long pathway, the cadets set foot after the signal. The atmosphere of the auditorium synchronised with the one inside the live footage, as nervousness and excitement filled the air.

    The camera showed all the teams one by one. Whenever their cadets were on the disy, guardians and acquainted cadets cheered for them.

    ¡°Uwaaaah! Yooonggg Houuseeholldd¡ª Go crush it!¡±

    ¡°¡°Crush it¨C!¡±¡±

    They were quite childish and even their cheers ended up beingpetitive. Their shouts gradually increased in volume, and soon became thundering yells that could tremble the building itself.

    Gyeoul, who was nkly watching the disy screen, was startled whenever that happened so the Regressor blocked her ears for her. Because it was still noisy despite his hands covering her ears, she ced her hands on top of Yu Jitae¡¯s hands and further blocked her ears.

    Finally, ¡®Yeorum and the Losties¡¯ appeared on the screen.

    ¡°¡ª-!¡±

    Male cadets of RIL screamed out loud.

    ¡°Uwaaah! Yuu Yeoorumm!¡±

    Thinking that it was finally her turn to shine, Kaeul shouted, ¡°Aahhhk!¡± as well. Gyeoul also stopped fidgeting around and nervously watched the screen.

    In the middle of the screen was Yeorum biting her lips.

    Yu Jitae watched them advance. At the start of the raid, they followed the pathway they reserved for themselves and moved hastily. They defeated any enemy that appeared without hesitation. All the battles were handled the way they had nned it out beforehand, and everything was going smoothly.

    However, when they arrived at a room and encountered other teams, the situation immediately changed.

    A Japanese teaming 5th on the rank, suddenly turned around.

    ¡°Uhh? UH!?¡±

    Kaeul shouted with surprise.

    ¡°Why are they blocking Yeorum-unni¡¯s path?¡±

    Without even trying to hide it, they went in front of Yeorum¡¯s group and took their reserved path.

    ¡°They¡¯re trying to keep her in check.¡±

    ¡°In check? Why?! They¡¯re trying to defeat the boss together!¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s important to go early and hit more.¡±

    If they were to go before others, they would encounter the boss first so it was important to select a good pathway. Two or more teams going on the same pathway was against the rules, and attacking other cadets was also against the regtions.

    Thus, ¡®Yeorum and the Losties¡¯ had to bite the bullet and look for a different road.

    ¡°Aohh, those stupid Japs!¡±

    The abrupt profanities had unexpectedly been from Soujiro¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Japs? It¡¯s your country though.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t acknowledge those cheap bastards as the same Japanese¡­¡±

    Yeorum frowned.

    ¡°Shut up. If you have time to move your tongue, move your feet instead.¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry¡­!¡±

    It was as expected. Although their teamwork had increased from the three days of training, it was impossible to drastically increase their raid efficiency.

    Besides, Yeorum was a specialist only when it came to closebat and she was quitecking in regards to deactivating traps and fighting against peculiar monsters.

    She could bulldoze through all the traps if this was an actual raid with limited time, but it was an assignment so Yeorum had no choice but to deactivate all the traps.

    After passing through the corridor of traps, they were met by monsters.

    ¡°Front side. 9 Underground Spiders!¡±

    In response to Yeorum¡¯s words, the sharpshooters immediately prepared themselves for battle. The spiders dropped from the ceiling and the walls, but Kim Ji-in and Soujiro had be more sensitive than ever from the past two days of hellish raids.

    The spiders began moving under the veil of darkness. Their body colour was simr to the colour of the wall but Yeorum lit up the corridor with the spell, [Fire (E)], before jumping into a group of five spiders.

    She was buying time for them.

    Meanwhile, Kim Ji-in used her musket and aimed for the eye of a wolf-sized spider and Soujiro alsonded a shot on the head of another spider.

    When two out of the remaining four were unable to fight, the front fighter was able to go around without a worry. Sophia immediately removed the remaining two. Seeing that, Yeorum also distanced herself from the five spiders and grouped up with the other three. The 4 v 5 was immediately taken care of.

    Thanks to Yeorum throwing her body forward, the party was able to save the time they had lost in other ces, during thebat phase.

    Whatever the case, they had to enter the boss room before others.

    But when they were at the next room with multiple crossroads, this time the Yong household took their reserve path, a split second before them.

    ¡°You fucking bitches! That¡¯s our corridor!¡±

    Sophia swore at the Yong household.

    ¡°Lol, retard. Your fault foringte isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yong Danbi! You damned n*gga!¡±

    ¡°What, you blonde retard.¡±

    They shared words of racism without holding back. When Yong Danbi showed her middle finger, Sophia raised hers as well.

    In the end, their path had been taken.

    ¡°Ah, I just want to go up and p them on the back of the head.¡±

    Sophia panted in anger.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Fuck.¡±

    Yeorum frowned temperamentally.

    The Yong household was slightly faster than them. Acknowledging that fact, they turned to a different path they had reserved. In order to save time, Yeorum once again bought time duringbat while the remaining three quickly dealt with the monsters. After hunting three to four groups of monsters, they finally arrived at the next crossroad.

    But how unlucky could they be? This time, it was the Erfan Guild that took their reserve path.

    ¡°Aigo, we¡¯ll be going on ahead.¡±

    ¡°Hihi!¡±

    Ling Ling, Zhang Xueyan, Zhou Luxun and others who did not have a good rtionship with Yeorum in the first ce,ughed as they ran into the corridor. Sophia¡¯s fingertips trembled.

    ¡°Should I go and kill them. For real.¡±

    Yeorum and the Losties stopped their feet. All the routes they had nned for had been taken.

    ¡°Kill what. You should¡¯ve dealt with the monsters faster.¡±

    ¡°What? Yu Yeorum. Are you saying I¡¯m the problem?¡±

    ¡°Hey unni. Then am I the problem?¡±

    Yeorum and Sophia growled and Sophia soon pointed at the two.

    ¡°It¡¯s because they are slow as fuck.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve always been slow. You should¡¯ve been faster since you¡¯re at least faster than them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re putting the me on me now? Are you crazy?¡±

    The energy they had maintained throughout the raid was being threatened by them fighting after a long sprint. If they didn¡¯t find a new path soon, their remaining raid would be at risk.

    ¡°¡­Um.¡±

    That was when Kim Ji-in opened her mouth with a mutter.

    ¡°I, actually thought a bit more about the reserve paths¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m quite pessimistic so I was thinking what if and¡­¡±

    While catching her breath, Kim Ji-in floated a hologram map and suggested new paths.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know what would be the best out of them¡­¡±

    There was a short yet extremely dangerous path,

    A long yet less dangerous path,

    And one that was safe but very long.

    ¡°This way.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Just follow me unnis~ Stop asking.¡±

    The road she chose was the short yet extremely dangerous route. Obediently, Kim Ji-in listened to her call but looked at Yeorum with a worried gaze.

    How many monsters had Yeorum been taking care of until now?

    Only after thinking about that was she able to see the wounds shing underneath Yeorum¡¯s ckbat clothes. Those blood stains hadn¡¯t been visible because of the dark underground fissure and her clothes being a matching colour.

    ¡°Yeorum. Your arm¡­¡±

    Hearing that, Yeorum nced at her arm before casually dusting it off and she continued walking forward.

    On the dangerous road, Yeorum threw her body forward more often as she fought. Whenever the monsters appeared, she crashed into them at the same running speed.

    Besides, they were moving so fast that Soujiro fell during the sprint and retched.

    ¡°Yeorum. It¡¯s too fast.¡±

    Sophia shouted, unable to hold back any longer. Even she, who was a top ranked cadet, had trouble breathing and Yeorum was the only one that appeared normal.

    ¡°We¡¯ll bete if we don¡¯t do this, idiot.¡±

    ¡°Then how are you going to raid the boss. Don¡¯t you see how everyone¡¯s all tired?¡±

    Coming to a stop, Kim Ji-in ced her hands on her knees and panted. Not even realising that she was drooling, she heavily breathed in and out.

    ¡°Then what.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Should we just sit down and rest?¡±

    ¡°No, but,¡±

    ¡°Then just fuckinge. Stop whinging!¡±

    ¡°Dude.¡±

    It was then. Sophia red at Yeorum with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Why do you speak like that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re the boss just because the team name is Yeorum and the Losties?¡±

    Yeorum turned around and faced Sophia.

    ¡°Then what? Is there a better way? Comest? Or aim for the back of their heads with a knife?¡±

    Yeorum never ran away from a fight. Right when Soujiro and Kim Ji-in were throwing nces at the two of them in a fluster, Yeorum pushed her fist forward and so did Sophia.

    ¡°Scissors, paper, rock.¡±

    Sophia kept her fist closed, while Yeorum opened her fist into paper. This was the method the two of them hade up with during the training to solve any conflict.

    ¡°Now, who¡¯s the boss then?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Whoo is itt?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, just go!¡±

    As Yeorum began running again with a grin, Sophia also suppressed her discontentment and carefully followed after her.

    Now was not the time for a fight.

    *

    Fortunately, their hard work hadn¡¯t been in vain.

    After twists and turns, Yeorum and the Losties seeded in reaching the boss room before others.

    ¡°Huuk, huuk.¡±

    ¡°Uwek¡­¡±

    They were all exhausted. Soujiro leaned on the wall and retched, and Kim Ji-inid down on the ground holding her forehead.

    However, they couldn¡¯t rest for long. Soon, other parties would also be arriving here since there was only one road connecting to the boss room.

    ¡°See that, unni? We listened to the leader and we came before others, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Yet you were angry at me, weren¡¯t you? You wanna die?¡±

    Sophia shook her head with a sigh.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t angry at you. It was because those other guys trash-talked before taking our road.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. If they want to go, just go. Why talk shit? Those idiots.¡±

    In fact, Yeorum was the leading pioneer in the trash-talking industry but so what? It was in human nature to hate other people shit-talking while loving their own trash-talks. Sophia was aware of that.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    As she was listening to Sophia¡¯s grumble in silence, Yeorum seemed to havee up with something. She turned her head and inspected the cave they were in, and the entrance leading to the boss room, before suddenly standing up.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum nkly stared at the ceiling and the ground.

    ¡°Block the road¡­?¡± she muttered.

    There was only one road to the boss room. If this was blocked, all the other teams had to lick their fingers and watch.

    That was when footsteps were heard from the other side of the cave.

    ¡°Oi! Get up, all of you!¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Come inside the boss room right now! Hurry up!¡±

    After everyone entered the boss room, Yeorum gripped onto the sword artifact with her two hands.

    [Pulsation]

    She utilised [Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art], as her heart began pulsing greatly. Normally she wouldn¡¯t use it to this extent, but Yeorum used all the fire-attribute mana she could as a dragon.

    [Congration]

    Then, she shot the mes of a dragon that resembled a breath, toward the ceiling of the cave. It was crimson like the colour of blood and fueled itself with mana. While her teammates were startled, Yeorum attached the congration to her sword and smacked the cave ceiling with it.

    Kwakwakwang!

    Explosions repeated one after another as the ceiling began crumbling. Sophia finally understood what she was trying to do and screamed out in thrill.

    ¡°Dude! Are you a genius?!¡±

    A yell could be heard from the other side of the small corridor. This voice definitely belonged to that retarded Yong Danbi.

    Yeorum had blocked the one and only path.

    ¡°Kyahahaha! Crazy, for real!¡±

    Sophia chuckled like an evil witch but Yeorum did not. Since she was the only oneughing, Sophia slowly stopped herugh.

    ¡°Haha. Ha. Ha¡­?¡±

    Unlike Sophia, Kim Ji-in and Soujiro were startled by the sudden turn of events.

    It was because they still remembered what Yeorum had said nonchntly at the start of the raid. She had asked, ¡°Should we try defeating the boss with us four?¡±

    Sophia back then had returned her sentence by saying, ¡°That would be epic. Everyone will go crazy.¡± The other two had alsoughed because they thought Yeorum was obviously just joking around.

    ¡°You guys. You¡¯re ready right?¡±

    Sophia realised what Yeorum was thinking half a second toote.

    ¡°Uuh? Oi, Yu Yeorum! Wasn¡¯t that thing before a joke¡­¡±

    Before Sophia could finish her sentence, Yeorum abruptly dashed towards the centre of the za-like room and snapped a tight spider web with her foot.

    ¡°Haigo, that crazy bitch¡­!¡±

    Sophia¡¯s pained mutter signalled the start of the fight.

    Kugugugugung¡­!

    Before long, the entire underground fissure began shaking. Kim Ji-in and Soujiro both held onto their weapons, as Sophia stood next to Yeorum.

    At the highest area of the za, higher than the heavens, four pairs of crimson eyes revealed themselves.

    The boss. Spider Queen.

    With the height reaching 5.5 metres and a body length of 10 metres, the spider was bigger than most dump trucks. There was an upper body of a human where its head should be, that looked exactly like a human except for the 8 crimson eyes.

    Therge spider dropped from the ceiling andnded in front of Yeorum.

    Kuung!

    The upper body of a human above the spider¡¯s chest was facing Yeorum, as it¡¯s crimson eyes red at her.

    As her small body stood before therge monster, her red hair fluttered at the gush of wind created by the spider¡¯s fall.

    There, Yeorum slowly licked her upper lips.

 Chapter 122: Verification of Life (1)

    <h4>Chapter 122: Verification of Life (1)</h4>

    ¡°What is that!¡±

    ¡°How could she¡­¡±

    After Yeorum exploded the entrance of the boss room, angryints echoed across the auditorium.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much?¡±

    ¡°Can the security guards even go in?¡±

    ¡°Is it allowed to block the entrance like that!¡±

    In response to the denunciations of the guardians, the professor in charge of the assignment, Katreyvan spoke.

    ¡°It is a practical application of thendscape, and there is no problem with it ording to the regtions. It¡¯s not like she was attacking a cadet either.¡±

    ¡°No, but even then¡­!¡±

    They hesitated during theirints. It was because it was rted to none other than the Yu household, which was one of the most troubling topics recently.

    ¡°Can the securities even protect them at this rate?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Team 3 of the guards are currently on the mission.¡±

    Team 3 was a stealth group, specialised in fluid-like movements. By relying on the flow of mana, they could stealthily travel to ces without being bound by physical restraints. Moreints like, ¡°Even if there aren¡¯t any problems with the regtions¡­!¡± and, ¡°She has no etiquette.¡± were heard.

    Those continued until Mihailov shot out of his seat and yelled.

    ¡°Seriously! You guys are being too noisy. There would be no problems if your cadets have the ability to destroy the rocks blocking the road and go in, no?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem here!¡±

    ¡°Now! Since there aren¡¯t any problems with the regtions either, just stay quiet and watch! Don¡¯t you understand that the kids on our side are also taking a risk?¡± Mihailov continued.

    ¡°That¡¯s true but¡­¡±

    ¡­Wait, something was weird.

    ¡°Sorry? You mean they¡¯re trying to defeat a B+ ranked boss with a four-man party?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not trying to just buy time for their recovery?¡±

    Things were different from their original n. Mihailov wasn¡¯t certain either, so he kept his mouth closed.

    How can four cadets defeat the boss of a B+ dungeon? The minimum number of members required was 8, because Spider Queen had arge body, with a lot of vitality and defensive measures.

    The guardians who had been causing a ruckus from their discontentment closed their mouths. One quarter of the screen focused on Yeorum¡¯s party.

    There were lots of people watching the raid.

    Unlike the individual spars that had been uploaded a few days after the event, the dungeon raid was revealed live by the PR team in order to prove that the assignment was genuine.

    A war correspondent from Serbia who had won the Pulitzer Prize; a prestigious superhuman analyser who had himself been in the top 200 ranks worldwide before retiring from injuries ¨C

    Petrovic.

    He was doing a live stream whilementing on the videos.

    ¨C Holy shiiit.

    ¨C How do you even defeat that thing?

    ¨C Are they really trying to defeat that? Impossible.

    People that were interested in Lair gathered from worldwide to watch thepetition of 1st grade cadets like it was a sport. There were 120 thousand live viewers, with livements being uploaded in many differentnguages.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shocking turn of events indeed.¡±

    Petrovic gave a frown.

    ¡°As I¡¯ve mentioned before, this year¡¯s line-up for the Yong household is exceptionally great. It might be possible for their 4-man party, but it will be a long battle, and would only be possible as long as Cadet Yong Taeha doesn¡¯t make a single mistake.

    ¨C What about other cadets?

    ¡°Only Yong Taeha and Tyr Brzenk will be able to damage the boss in a short period of time. Other cadets do not have enough power.¡±

    The immense vitality of the boss, Spider Queen, was the biggest problem.

    ¨C What is Cadet Yeorum¡¯s blessing? We haven¡¯t heard anything about it yet.

    ¡°Her blessing is probably rted to body strengthening.¡±

    ¨C Why?

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing but an assumption, since Cadet Yeorum has never made it clear. However, you can tell that she has an extremely tyrannical way of fighting from the individual sparring sessions.¡±

    ¨C I see. Will Cadet Yeorum be able to defeat the boss?

    ¨C It¡¯ll be difficult imo. Body strengthening has a hard time dealing with things that are bigger than themselves.

    ¨C Yu Yeorum is strong, yeah. Might just be because of the size of her body though.

    ¨C I still think it¡¯ll be impossible.

    ¨C Same. It¡¯s too reckless.

    ¨C She might get injured.

    Most of thements expected Yeorum¡¯s team to go down.

    ¡°Indeed¡­ it seems difficult from what we¡¯ve seen so far.¡±

    ¨C Do you think they¡¯ll lose as well?

    ¡°We don¡¯t know about that yet. A superhuman is called a superhuman because they go beyond the limits, after all.¡±

    Petrovic watched the situation unfold with a worried expression. Before long, Yeorum¡¯s team began fighting the Spider Queen head-on, and his words gradually became faster.

    ¡°The most terrifying thing about the Queen, is that she can increase the number of her army.¡±

    As soon as his words came to an end, dozens of eggs came flooding out of the Queen¡¯s stomach. Each and every one of those eggs was an ¡®underground spider¡¯. Although the spiders that had just hatched were weak, they were very aggressive.

    Dozens of spiders dashed towards Yeorum¡¯s party whilst staggering. Soujiro and Kim Ji-in sniped the heads and the eyes, but there were too many of them.

    ¨C What do they have to do to win?

    ¡°They must control the situation. 3 of them need to locate and defend an advantageous area and deal damage over time, while one of them shifts the attention of the boss to them.¡±

    That was the thought of a soldier who had, 5 years ago, been the raid leader of a S+ dungeon, that had triumphed over 200 dungeons.

    And as he had expected, Kim Ji-in and Soujiro with Sophia at the lead eliminated the baby spiders and focused their shots on one of the Spider Queen¡¯s legs. Soon, one of the eight legs was crushed.

    At the same time, Yeorum stepped on top of the spiders and the wall, and attracted the gaze of the Spider Queen by jumping up.

    ¡°As we thought, she is trying to gain aggro¡­ Ohhh!¡±

    Petrovic let out a yell. Yeorum suddenly dashed up to the head of the boss ¨C at the gray upper body of a human that was attached to the spider¡¯s chest!

    ¨C ??

    ¨C Huh? Why¡¯s she doing that?

    ¨C Risky!

    It was an extremely dangerous idea. Mother-type monsters had all sorts of defensive measures at the cost of their agility.

    Tentacles came shooting out of the Queen¡¯s body. With poisonous thorns hanging here and there, they surrounded Yeorum and simultaneously shot for her body.

    That was when mes surged forth from Yeorum¡¯s shoulders, ribs, back, chest, legs, ankles and her two hands that were holding onto a sword.

    ¡°Oh my word!¡±

    It was a feat that had never been shown before.

    Attaching the zing mana onto her de, Yeorum shed all the tentacles apart. The tips of the tentacles were scorched after being cut by the de. The Queen tried to raise her legs to block it, but Yeorum¡¯s sword created a massive explosion the moment it touched the Queen¡¯s legs.

    Kwakwakwang¨C!!

    Petrovic shouted in surprise.

    ¡°mes! It seems that Cadet Yeorum had a fire-attribute blessing all along!¡±

    The live video hadn¡¯t shown how Yeorum destroyed the entrance of the boss room, and it was the first time the masses had ever seen Yeorum use her blessing.

    ¡°Ahh, thinking back, when Cadet Ling Ling was using her fire-attribute blessing, she did casually walk out of that. No wonder!¡±

    ¨C How astonishing.

    ¨C She had been hiding that all the time?

    ¨C What the fk. Does that mean she was bashing up Zhang Xueyan and Ling Ling like that without even using her blessing?

    The Spider Queen¡¯s second leg was soon cut off, but the boss didn¡¯t remain still either. The horrendous-looking mouth of the female body was dropped all the way to her chin, as it vomited out a crazy amount of poison.

    Yeorum shouted as she dodged it, while other cadets discarded the advantageous position they were in and scattered.

    It was the start of a dogfight. The Queen jumped up and down withrge thuds and stabbed the dungeon walls with her legs. She also climbed the walls and continued attacking Yeorum. Her movements were swifter than anyone had expected.

    Meanwhile, she still vomited out poison and endlessly spewed out eggs.

    Even the watchers were filled with nervousness.

    ¡°They have to be careful now! The human body attached to the Spider Queen¡¯s body is not there for show!¡±

    In an instant, a sharp icence was created on top of the Queen¡¯s hand, before quickly heading for Yeorum. Unable to dodge the unexpected magic spell, she raised her sword and destroyed thence but crashed into the wall from the sheer force.

    ¨C Ouuhh, damn!

    ¨C Her protective ne is still there!

    Petrovic once again shouted.

    ¡°She blocked it!¡±

    Right when the icence was flying towards her, Yeorum had moved her mana to the edge of the de in preparation for the strike. That had happened in just 0.1 seconds!

    Moving mana fluently inside the body in that short period of time is skilled enough already, and yet she had moved it outside her body?

    To Petrovic who had only been interested in Yong Taeha, Tyr Brzenk and Zhou Luxun until now, it was a shocking situation.

    ¡®Yu Yeorum!¡¯

    The name of the red-haired female cadet, whom he thought was only pretty, was etched into his brain.

    While Yeorum was readying herself for battle again, her teammates moved.

    The three of them gathered and stood with a small opening in front of them. Sophia used her blessing, [Refraction] to an exceptional degree. She bent the trajectory of her rapier over and over again and blocked all the baby spiders that were jumping in at them.

    SHOOT¨C! Her yell echoed through the dogfight.

    With Sophia as a shield, Kim Ji-in and Soujiro screamed while shooting their gun and bow.

    Stab¨C! The poisonous fangs of a baby spidernded on Sophia¡¯s shoulder, but without hesitation, she used [Refraction] to change the path of her rapier and shed the spider alongside a portion of her own shoulder.

    ¨C Oh my gosh.

    ¨C Crazy, for real!

    ¨C Doesn¡¯t it hurt?

    Poison dripped from the spider and dropped on Soujiro who had been unable to dodge. His clothes melted as the poison festered his leg. Soujiro thus leaned on the wall as he continued shooting the arrows.

    ¡°Hecks power and experience, but he is really fierce regardless!¡±

    Kim Ji-in shortened the distance a bit more in order to snipe the boss, but was discovered by a spider and was kicked by it. She crashed into the wall and bleeded from her lips. If the shock had been slightly greater, her protective ne might have been activated.

    However, the direction she was kicked in wasn¡¯t bad because the boss was slightly closer to her now. While bleeding from her mouth, Kim Ji-in ced her eye near the scope of the musket.

    She had changed to RT bullets. It was an anti-monster armour-piercing bullet that was extremely effective at close range.

    Tang! Tang! Tang! Tang!

    Her hands quivered. She was extremely close to the boss and the magic bullets managed to destroy three of the boss¡¯s eyes.

    Kyuuaaak!

    The human¡¯s upper body went insane while holding onto her eyes.

    ¡°Itnded perfectly! Perfect! Not only did she stay conscious after the kick, she was still in focus!¡±

    ¨C Iyaaaa!

    ¨C It¡¯s crazy! Crazy!

    ¨C Woah tf!!!

    Petrovic shouted.

    ¡°That would¡¯ve put her life at risk if it was a real battle! Although the protective ne does protect her life, is she not scared?¡±

    Were there any cadets that went to such lengths for a mere assignment performance? In fact, it wasn¡¯t just her. The entirety of Yeorum¡¯s team looked as if they were in a real battle. Their auras cried out that they¡¯ll sacrifice their flesh for the bones of the enemy.

    Petrovic felt his blood boil for the first time in a very long time.

    ¡°Now, this is the most ¨C most important situation! The boss has her eyes blocked! And her movements are slowed! The baby spiders will begin to act defensively to protect their mother now! How will they create a gap there! And how will theynd a fatal blow?!¡±

    As soon as his words came to an end, the baby spiders shot out spider webs from their bottoms and began covering their mother.

    Then, a bunch of sharp tentacles suddenly flew in towards Yeorum, but Sophia appeared out of nowhere in an instant, and used [Refraction] five times consecutively and used the rapier like a shield to block them all.

    ¨C She blocked it! The Russian blocked it!

    ¨C Damn it, using the blessing like that is bad for the heart though!?

    ¡°Thanks to her, Cadet Yeorum managed to save her own power! But now they must be prudent with how they use their remaining power!¡±

    By nature, power was something that was consumed.

    If she were to attack the baby spiders, it would take away from the power that would otherwise be used for the boss. But the baby spiders were in the way, stopping her from attacking the boss directly.

    There wasn¡¯t much time. The boss would recover soon.

    ¡°Cadet Yu Yeorum! What will she do!¡±

    *

    Yeorum closed her eyes.

    She remembered walking hand in hand with Yu Jitae.

    Back then, she asked why she had to walk. Walking was hard, but so was anything that required her to move the body. Wasn¡¯t it better to practise something else in that case?

    Yu Jitae replied, ¡°In order to live, you must walk.¡± It was difficult for Yeorum to understand it, and in fact, she still found it hard to understand in full.

    However, Yeorum trusted him. Thanks to him, she was able to explosively increase her mastery over footwork which was one of the skills belonging to a dragon.

    Yeorum opened her eyes.

    With her quivering gaze, she could see white strings as tough as metal protecting the mother of spiders. If she were to invest her power into dealing with that, she wouldn¡¯t be able to deal a fatal blow to the broodmother.

    But,

    If with just one step;

    If one step was all it took for her to pierce through all the cobwebs and reach the Queen ¨C

    [Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art]

    mes exploded beneath her feet. It was the footwork of the Karl-Gukwa race who lived on the ground in a distant past, that allowed them to shoot their bodies like missiles to fight the wyverns flying in the sky.

    [Spark]

    Yeorum was enveloped in mes as bombs exploded under her feet. With one step, Yeorum reached the other end of the boss room from one end.

    All the spider webs that touched her body melted. However, Yeorum¡¯s mana and the mes blooming all over her body ¨C the power embedded in her body wasn¡¯t consumed.

    She cut the head of the Spider Queen. The detached head was set on fire.

    Kwaaang¨C!!

    Straight afterward, the body of the Spider Queen exploded.

 Chapter 123: Verification of Life (2)

    <h4>Chapter 123: Verification of Life (2)</h4>

    Good. Itnded perfectly.

    Thinking that, Yeorum distanced herself.

    A portion of the battle was over, and her body became rxed. The time she spent walking awkwardly while holding onto Yu Jitae¡¯s hand shed across her head. ¡°You¡¯ll now learn how to walk.¡± Those were the exact words that Yu Jitae had used back then.

    The fact that she will learn how to walk implied that she wasn¡¯t able to walk until now, so Yeorum had been discontent and doubtful.

    But now she had a rough idea.

    This was how great ¡®walking¡¯ was.

    Since she had been holding back because of what Sophia said, it was the first time she used everything in her arsenal against a living target in a real battle. Strength overflowed from her body. Despite the fight having ended, her dragon heart still pulsed with a thud.

    The first thing that she thought of was Yu Jitae.

    Yu Jitae.

    He was a very strange human.

    At times, he was like a kidnapper but now he was acting like a guardian. At times, he acted like a human but was like a red dragon during training.

    Plus, before, he had been acting as if he was interested in teaching her, but was now like a true teacher.

    She wasn¡¯t sure but now she was certain. Yu Jitae¡¯s training method was correct, and he was her teacher.

    Just then, she had proven that with her own body.

    ¡°Oi! Yu Yeorum!¡±

    That was when Sophia urgently ran up and pushed a potion bottle into her mouth. Her own shoulder had a hole that bled heavily but she didn¡¯t care.

    After Yeorum swallowed the potion, Sophia yelled.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. Are you crazy for real?¡±

    ¡°Aingg. What now.¡±

    ¡°What were you thinking, like seriously?¡±

    ¡°We won anyway.¡±

    ¡°No we didn¡¯t. It¡¯s not over yet! Why in the world did you start this just by ourselves? We almost all died here!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t die though? You just get proimed that you¡¯re dead.¡±

    ¡°If that happened, you would be dead by me!¡±

    Wearing an expression tainted with fury, Sophia irritatedly shouted.

    ¡°Why are you doing whatever the fuc* you want without saying anything?¡±

    ¡°Why not.¡±

    ¡°Stop. I¡¯m really angry right now.¡±

    ¡®Why¡¯ am I doing this?

    Yeorum turned around with an indifferent expression. Sophia shouted something but ignoring that, Yeorum rummaged through her pocket and found a small piece of chocte.

    At a distance, something covered in blue light could be seen raising its body up behind therge, burnt corpse of therge spider.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote anyway. Prepare yourself if you have time to chit-chat.¡±

    Yeorum threw the chocte Yu Jitae gave into her mouth. She didn¡¯t really like the sweet vour it had.

    A cigarette would have been better.

    ***

    Petrovic, and not only him but most of the superhumans that had been active during the Great War, tended to find the new generation of superhumans sloppy.

    Petrovic always thought to himself.

    Back in my days, my mother would die if I died to a monster. The life of a single mother who had lost her husband to a monster in her youth; her life that was spent trying to feed my younger brother and I, rested on my shoulders.

    But do the kids these days even understand that?

    The kids these days,

    They were sloppy.

    There¡¯s no eagerness, no sense of danger and no urgency. The desire to get stronger at the risk of their lives is non-existent. Since they are feeding themselves on a safe grasnd with plenty of water, they don¡¯t understand how it felt to look for weeds and devour it up to its roots at a dusty desert.

    To them, superhumans were some sports yers or something.

    Geniuses existed in any era, and there were some dumbfounding ones like Yong Taeha in the mix, but that was the end.

    Most of them avoided risky ces and were busy trying to push their task onto someone else. It was impossible to find any young one that tried zealously to kill monsters at the cost of their flesh.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t their fault as cadets. He just found it regrettable that the era and the society had made them like that.

    That¡¯s what he had been thinking, but ¨C

    ¨C Wahh! Yu Yeorum!!

    ¨C So cool!!

    ¨C Wtf! She¡¯s really insane!!!

    ¨C YOOOOOOO!!!

    Petrovic formed tight fists.

    On the screen were superhumans of the past.

    They had young and immature faces and it was a sloppy battle, but he could see a reflection of the past young soldiers in them ¨C those who had to shoulder the lives of their families and those that were made to realise that weakness was a sin.

    ¡°Ouuhh damn! It¡¯s crazy!!¡±

    The moment Yu Yeorum dashed through dozens of metres andnded a strike onto the boss, Petrovic unconsciously swung his fist and destroyed his bookshelf. Books came crashing down but he didn¡¯t spare it a nce.

    ¡°Stay on your toes everyone! It¡¯s not over yet!¡±

    The middle-aged retired soldier yelled excitedly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said it many times, but you always have to understand the monsters when you¡¯re fighting a monster inside a fissure!¡±

    ¨C Yes sir.

    ¨C Yes, you said it!

    ¡°Why would the boss have a human body on it as a mere spider?¡±

    As soon as his words came to an end, the second phase of the boss raid began.

    mes erupted and the body of the spider was scorched to ashes. Like all arthropods, spider-type monsters were also weak to fire.

    However, things were different for the human body that was attached to the outer shell of the spider. Despite its head being cut off, it began to move.

    Kwakwakwang!

    At the same time, the entrance of the boss room that had been blocked by Yeorum, was opened. While swearing out loud, approximately 30 cadets came rushing in as a grooup.

    Grit¡­ griiit¡­

    The second phase began with the human body separating itself from the outer shell. Although the upper body resembled a female, what came out from beneath the shell were four pairs of wings, and it looked like a winged insect.

    ¨C Uaak, looks disgusting.

    ¨C Damn it. The soup I had in the morning ising back up.

    ¨C Woah, it looks shit fr;;

    Witch.

    It was a monster resembling a human that used magic.

    Petrovic focused on the screen with a frown. From now, the insurmountable wall of reality, that small levels of desperation cannot deal with, wille crashing at the cadets.

    Desperation had to be normalised into their lives, not a once-in-a-lifetime asion. ording to the data shared by Lair, the time given to prepare for the underground dungeon raid was three days.

    How much they¡¯ve prepared for the raid will be shown now.

    Forgetting tomentate for a few seconds, Petrovic focused on how the situation would unfold hereon. Now that dozens of cadets had entered the boss room, defeating the boss was a natural result and was beside the point.

    ¡°Actually, the audience watching this, as well as the cadets probably don¡¯t exactly know how the marks are given.¡±

    ¨C Isn¡¯t it about who deals more damage?

    ¨C No. Last hitting is more important than damage. The one that kills the boss gets more points don¡¯t they?

    ¨C Lololololol. You lunatics are obsessed with fighting. You idiots, don¡¯t you know ¡®safety first¡¯? Not getting hurt at the boss raid is the most important!

    Hundreds ofments were posted after that and they were all correct. They were correct, but what Lair valued, and the thing they were trying to evaluate was slightly different.

    ¡°The most important question is, ¡®Which team will adapt to abnormal statuses first and be ready to fight again?¡¯¡±

    Lair wanted evidence, verification of the cadets¡¯ preparation time. How well have they prepared for the raid in three short days? How ready were they for the raid? That was the crucial element of their evaluation criteria.

    ¡°It¡¯ll start now. Gravity will go up immensely!¡±

    Before long, a tremendous amount of pressure began pushing the heads of the cadets down. It was roughly 20 times the gravitational force.

    ¡°The cadets will be flustered!¡±

    They probably would¡¯ve gone through several adapting practices, but they were still cadets. The only superhumans that could immediately deal with an immense increase in gravity were the veterans.

    ¡°If they can¡¯t handle it, they¡¯ll drop their weapons that suddenly became heavier, and fall down!!¡±

    His words became reality.

    More than half the cadets dropped their weapons, and 80% of the cadets faltered beforending on their knees. Some cadets who had broadswords and heavy weapons like sniping muskets were pinned down by their weapons.

    The witch floated in mid-air. She then frantically flew around while showering down piles of icy arrows and bolts of lightning.

    There was nothing they could do when they were on the ground. As long as the cadets weren¡¯t front-guards or physically strong superhumans, they couldn¡¯t do anything against the fierce spells of the witch. With one strike, their protective nes were shattered, creating a protective shield around them.

    Meanwhile, the cadets slowly pulled themselves together.

    ¡°Don¡¯t blink! It¡¯ll be anytime soon!¡±

    There was one team that adapted to the immense gravity before others, and entered the second phase of the boss raid.

    ¨C Woah, they must¡¯ve prepared super hard lol

    ¨C Amazing. Despite their injuries!

    ¨C They got up¡­!(¡ã ?¡ã)(¡ã ?¡ã)(¡ã ?¡ã)

    It was none other than Yeorum¡¯s team.

    Petrovic felt his blood boil somewhere in the depths of his stomach. Besides, they weren¡¯t struggling to fight properly either. Fitting their roles as front-fighters, Yeorum and Sophia jumped up like always, and the two sharpshooters at the back raised their weapons and attacked without any hesitation.

    ¡®Yeorum and the Losties¡¯ were thorough with their preparations as well.

    ¡°HOLY SHIT!¡±

    The retired soldier yelled with joy.

    Soon after that, the Yong household, Erfan Guild and Noblesse School also got up at around the same time. Because there were so many cadets, the witch had trouble sustaining the spell once all the attacks were focused on her. A few secondster, the gravity spell was undone.

    What could she do when a group of cadets ran up and smashed her to a pulp? The witch was soon killed and the raid came to an end.

    +++Score Board+++

    1. Yeorum and the Losties: 20

    2. Noblesse: 8

    3. Team Erfan: 7

    4. Squad ¡®Dragon¡¯: 6

    ¡­

    +++Score Board+++

    It was an overwhelming victory from Yeorum¡¯s team.

    ¡°This will be the end of today¡¯smentary.¡±

    Petrovic gave a p with a satisfied smile and signalled the end of the PR team¡¯s live streaming session.

    ¡°Today is a great day, because I was able to have a peek at a new possibility. Well then, I will be back when the PR team hosts another video. This was from Balkan Penins, a reporter of Serbia¡¯s Association, Petrovic.¡±

    But even after the end of the stream, Petrovic could not stop thinking about ¡®Yeorum and the Losties¡¯.

    Seriously, how long had it been since he was this excited?

    There were many cadets who spoke about how they would fight desperately, and some might be able to imitate it to an extent. However, he had never seen anyone carry a gaze, an atmosphere and energy around them, that caused him to reminisce on the soldiers of the past.

    Sophia Vorkova, and two cadets whom he had never heard of before. Those three were truly great.

    However, Yu Yeorum who had led the three and controlled the flow of the battlefield. She was¡­ a one of a kind, never seen before.

    +++

    [Official Petrovic of the Association]

    Title: Summer is Coming.

    Today, I became a fan of one cadet. A cadet whose marvelous, mighty and beautiful talent shines like a star.

    +++

    That night, Petrovic searched for Yeorum¡¯s fancafe in secret, and discovered a Korean web forum which was the most active.

    It¡¯s name was ¡®Crazy for Yeorum¡¯.

    <Wee, member ¡®PV¡¯!>

    However, he felt doubtful on one end. What made a young cadet like Yu Yeorum be like that in such a peaceful era? What were her circumstances?

    In fact, even the cadets of Communist China and RIL who have their lives on the line, are not able to fight so desperately. It¡¯s because the fact that they became cadets meant that their positions in their organisations were great enough to secure their lives.

    In any case, this was not a problem that Petrovic had to involve himself in. With a smile, he left his first post on the forum page.

    PV: Hi guys! New kid on the block here!

    ***

    After the raid, Yeorum walked outside and nced around. She seemed to be looking for something.

    But once a group of people began walking up to her, she gave a frown.

 Chapter 124: Verification of Life (3)

    <h4>Chapter 124: Verification of Life (3)</h4>

    They were the reporters who had been waiting outside the Portal Bureau.

    Yeorum had a lot of enemies, and many were badmouthing her regarding the underground dungeon raid already. Since she disyed a power level that was beyond that of a cadet despite the hatred, it was clear that her interview would be a hot issue no matter what her response was.

    Dozens of reporters ran towards her like zombies, while the security guards of the Portal Bureau stopped them.

    ¡°Please don¡¯te too close to the cadets!¡±

    ¡°They just finished a battle. Please understand!¡±

    ¡°Hey, you reporter over there! Where are you from? Keep your distance please!¡±

    The person the reporters wanted to interview the most was naturally Yu Yeorum. She was drenched in blood and sweat and looked unhappy for some reason, but so what? Somehow, they managed to squeeze through the gap and excitedly asked her.

    <Q: Was the route you took nned from the start?>

    <Yu Yeorum: ¡­>

    <Q: It was edited out of the video, but we heard Cadet Sophia Vorkova yell for like one second. Is it true that you arbitrarily decided on another route on the spot?>

    <Yu Yeorum: (heaves a sigh)>

    But the reporters were stubborn.

    <Q: What do you think about people saying that youcked etiquette?>

    <Yu Yeorum: I don¡¯t know.>

    The moment their eyes met, fear stiffened the body of the reporter. However, he was delighted inwardly. Since Yeorum finally opened her mouth, his report will gain a lot of traffic.

    Soon, the reporters began throwing more aggressive questions.

    <Q: When you say you don¡¯t know, does that mean you were blinded by the scores despite knowing that it was against manners, and tried to monopolise it?>

    <Yu Yeorum: Ah, what the **** is this **** about.>

    ¡°Hello. Why aren¡¯t you pushing these guys away?¡±

    In response to Yeorum¡¯s irritated voice, the guards came and pushed the reporters away, but there were too many reporters inparison to the guards. Before long, other reporters came and asked her.

    <Q: Cadet Yeorum¡¯s victory is, in essence, the victory of our proud Republic of Kore¡­>

    <Q: Kim Ji-in and Hisaki Soujiro, these two cadets are really weak as cadets. Was there a reason you brought them togeth¡­>

    <Q: If you failed, Sophia Vorkova would¡¯ve suffered a big loss to her score. Cadet Yeorum, don¡¯t you think your self-confidence is too excessive¡­>

    Hearing the questions go on and on, she stopped her feet. Then, she turned around.

    <Yu Yeorum: What¡¯d you say, you ****?>

    When the interview was shared after having the profanities filtered, Yeorum¡¯s fancafe, ¡®Crazy for Yeorum¡¯ went wild.

    ¨C Looooll

    ¨C Our Boss is mad lolololol

    <Q: Weren¡¯t you holding your teammates¡¯ scores hostage?>

    <Yu Yeorum: Yeah, I did. So what?>

    ¨C ;;;Yeah so what if our Yeorum does that!

    ¨C Take my useless brother hostage as well unni T.T

    ¨C Isn¡¯t it fine since everything turned out well? Lol

    ¨C Well, it could¡¯ve been bad for them, yeah¡­

    ¨C Ahh whateverr. It turned out fine anyway kekek.

    ¨C True lololol

    <Q: What in the world was the reason you brought Kim Ji-in and Hisaki Soujiro, these two weak cadets?>

    <Yu Yeorum: Yourpany uses people like you as well.>

    <Q:¡­>

    ¨C Lolololololololol

    ¨C So true kekekekek

    ¨C Ahh fk. The way she speaks lololol

    <Q: The Koreans are excited for the victory of our nation! Please give them a word!>

    <Yu Yeorum: I am Chinese.>

    When the angry Yeorum said whatever that came to mind in response, one of the reporters was displeased and went a level further.

    <Q: Has your personality been like that from the start?>

    <Yu Yeorum: What?>

    <Q: Cadets talk about how impolite you are, Cadet Yeorum. What¡¯s your opinion on that?>

    <Yu Yeorum: Hah, **** youe here.>

    <Q: Sorry?>

    <Yu Yeorum: Come here you ****.>

    ¨C Lololololol

    ¨C Kekekek. Our boss lololol she grabbed the reporter by his neck lololololol

    ¨C Feels so fuc*ing good lololol

    ¨C Hah I love you unni T.T But doesn¡¯t that be a problem? Lair hates things like that Q.Q

    ¨C Don¡¯t think so lmao. It¡¯s the reporters that crossed the line first lolol.

    This interview was more violent than any other interviews, and her words had crossed the line to the point that the PR team became conscious of the matter.

    Thus, the ones that hated Yeorum were extremely angry. They would¡¯ve stopped after swearing one or two times, but this time, they furiously hurled swear words at her.

    ¨C She¡¯s crazy for real. She¡¯s actually gone mad.

    ¨C Are reporters your friends? Crazy bi*ch;;

    ¨C Why is she so rude? Look at how impolite her gaze is. The ones that think she¡¯s pretty need to get their eyes checked. She looks like a venomous snake.

    ¨C ¡­Tbh she is pretty. But what if she¡¯s pretty? Her personality¡¯s gone down the drain.

    ¨C I liked her before but it¡¯s disappointing. I think Cadet Yu Yeorum crossed the line by too much.

    Yeorum herself didn¡¯t care at all, but the ones that loved and cared for Yeorum including Soujiro and Kim Ji-in were displeased. But since the haters began grouping together, even the PR team had to consider the general opinion of the masses.

    But that night, the public sentiment was flipped at once.

    +++

    [Official Petrovic of the Association]

    Title: Thoughts and Manners

    As a war correspondent and a world ranker, I¡¯ve been living my life wandering and interviewing people around ces where volcanoes erupted, and where grounds ruptured from earthquakes.

    Since everyone had the right to know the correct information about what was happening inside the dungeons, we ran, and the families who were waiting for news of their sons and daughters teared up from our stories.

    But what¡¯s wrong with the reporters these days? Despite having no manners themselves, they arbitrarily call young and talented superhumans as nobles and yet continue acting without manners.

    Of course, this isn¡¯t a problem. Reporters can naturally make others feel ufortable. By nature, revealing the inner thoughts should be carried out under the assumption that it will make someone else feel ufortable.

    But on the other hand, society being unable to handle a young superhuman revealing their own thoughts in a situation like that, is a problem.

    Young generation of reporters, you are garbage.

    You have made me displeased. But that is fine, because I too, will make you displeased.

    +++

    That night, each national broadcasting channel received a call from Petrovic and the Hunter Association. Due to that, the press shared a word of apology, which was rare, and the ones that hated Yeorum hid themselves.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Against her will, Yeorum had to head to the PR team and be lectured on the ways to treat the media.

    She followed them without anyints.

    Time flew after that as the first quarter of the Campus Ranking Competition came to an end. The scores and the ranks of the cadets that had been hidden until now, were revealed just today.

    ***

    The parents quietly watched on.

    The selected oldest unni gazed down at her with an expression filled with arrogance. She reached out and grabbed her by the chin.

    She then opened her mouth.

    ¡®¡ª¨C?¡¯

    Yeorum could never forget it. She couldn¡¯t forget the rough hand thatnded on her weak and feeble chin; the words that had been spoken by the one that hatched before others, and the dead kins that were lying behind her.

    Since she couldn¡¯t forget, the emotions from back then were vivid and she could remember it whenever she closed her eyes.

    Yeorum cursed the oldest unni that killed her youngest unni. She was disgusted by the Selection Ceremony of the red race, and more than anything, she detested herself for being weak.

    If she was born slightly earlier, she would¡¯ve gone to her Amusement at around the same time as other unnis, and would have had her neck crushed by the oldest unni at the Selection Ceremony. Just like what her youngest unni went through.

    Thus, the reason that Yeorum was alive and breathing right now, was because she was weak.

    In other words, even her own life had been the result of her weakness, so she was distressed every living second. Sometimes, she felt a ridiculous level of self-hatred.

    Weak individuals of the Red Dragons had to all die, but she was the weakest. Every second of her breath was a paradox itself.

    And the reason such a paradox existed wasn¡¯t because Yeorum tried hard, nor was it because she was born with something special.

    It was because,

    ¡®Lucky aren¡¯t you?¡¯

    ¡­it was because she was lucky.

    If anyone thatmitted a sin had to die, Yeorum thought to herself that she too had to die. She was weak, and being weak was a sin.

    The reason she was still alive despite that, was because there were some words she had yet to convey. As long as she could convey those words, Yeorum had no qualms with dying right now.

    But holding onto this tedious life just by relying on such an idealistic thought wasn¡¯t an easy task. There were times where her emotions suddenly crashed all the way down to oblivion. During those times, Yeorum had to console herself in order to discard the desire to die.

    Since I¡¯ve tried this hard today, since I¡¯ve be this much stronger, I have the right to breathe and live tomorrow.

    In order to live, Yeorum always needed affirmations like that. That was also why she was motivated during thepetition.

    Fortunately, the strongest man she had ever seen in her entire life, was there next to her.

    Since the red dragons worshipped the strong, the man was a target or worship for Yeorum, and was the person she could trust the most now that he had be her teacher.

    Thus, she asked Yu Jitae.

    ¨C Didn¡¯t I¡­ like, get a little bit stronger?

    If my efforts today were in vain, I don¡¯t have the right to live tomorrow.

    ¨C But I¡¯m¡­ doing a good job right?

    But, I worked really hard. Isn¡¯t it fine for me to live tomorrow?

    Yeorum asked Yu Jitae over and over again.

    ¨C How much have I grown, do you think? Is it to a satisfactory level?

    You can stay alive. If you¡¯ve done this much, you have the right to breathe tomorrow. She really wanted him to say that.

    It was a plea for her life.

    But the man did not lie nor did he listen to her plea. He was honest and Yeorum liked his honesty, so when she wasn¡¯t acknowledged by him, she found herself detestable.

    However, one day, near the back alleywayte evening. When she was habitually smoking a cigarette, Yu Jitae told her.

    ¨C You¡¯re doing good. A lot better than what I expected.

    Yeorum was startled by the man¡¯s words.

    ¨C What?

    ¨C It¡¯s true. There aren¡¯t any dragons living as earnestly as you.

    Hearing Yu Jitae¡¯s words, Yeorum was unable to hold it back and giggled after lowering her head.

    ¨C That¡¯s good.

    When she was acknowledged by him, Yeorum openly felt happy about the fact that she was alive.

    But upon closer inspection, the fact that she was working earnestly wasn¡¯t apliment. It¡¯s not like her unnis had been killed by the oldest unni because they weren¡¯t working hard.

    Yeorum had to do better, and she needed to hear apliment saying she did well.

    She had to do a lot better.

    Better.

    So even during a team assignment, Yeorum ended up impulsively making an unreasonable decision. The obsessive thought that she needed to get a better grade than others had made her anxious.

    So now,

    Now that the B+ Underground Fissure Raid had ended, and the first quarter of the Campus Ranking Competition came to an end, unveiling the ranks that had been hidden until now.

    +++RANK+++

    1. Yu Yeorum: 901

    2. Yong Taeha: 893

    3. Bera Blueday: 889

    4. Zhou Luxun: 883

    ++++++++++

    Yeorum took the paper in hand and went to Yu Jitae¡¯s room. As always, the strongest man in existence looked back at her with a hazy gaze.

    ¡°What.¡±

    After walking up to him, Yeorum hesitated on her words. She fidgeted with her toes.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°This.¡±

    She handed him the report paper and Yu Jitae opened it up.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing much, but I just, came first.¡±

    He said something casually in response and wore some sort of expression but Yeorum wasn¡¯t interested in a superficial response.

    Yeorum had proven with her body that Yu Jitae was her teacher and that his training method had been correct. So this time, she wanted Yu Jitae to verify the value of her life.

    Thus, she forced her heavy lips open again, and asked.

    ¡°Did I, do well?¡±

    After the question, Yeorum forced down the sense of fear that threatened to suffocate her throat, and gazed into the face of the man who knew not how to lie.

    Immediately after her sentence,

    Without any hestiation,

    Without any contemtion,

    The man replied in reflex.

    ¡°Right. You did a very good job.¡±

    Yeorum clenched her lips.

    Just now, Yu Jitae had verified her life. The moment she realised that, her body all the way from her toes to the tips of her fingers trembled with thrill as her body was shaken from its core.

    Lowering her head, she breathed out a gush of warm breath, before slowly walking forward.

    She then wrapped her arms around the neck of Yu Jitae, who was sitting down on the chair. He tried to stealthily pull his body away but Yeorum hung onto his body obstinately without letting go.

    Soon, hisrge hand came and gently tapped her on the back. She felt like tearing up, and she thought her feelings might explode if she spoke out loud.

    Thus, Yeorum whispered in his ear with a very soft voice.

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 125: Learning Manners

    <h4>Chapter 125: Learning Manners</h4>

    Q: Ever since you called yourself Chinese, Cadet Yeorum, there have been people in Erfan Guild bing your fans. Any thoughts on the matter?

    Yu Yeorum: Idiots lol. I¡¯m Japanese from today~

    [Official Petrovic of the Association]

    Before we focus on the harsh use of her words, we should first realise her true thoughts hidden behind those words. The following cadet is aware of how people see her, and have experienced how easily the interviews were distorted. Therefore, the use of short sentences allows her true words to get across better. The fact that she easily changes her nationality allows us to see the wise reaction of the cadet as she wishes individuals to not be regted or over-focused on the virtual boundaries called countries.

    She will continue to incorporate her clear visions as priceless connotations into short responses. As she had been doing all along.

    ¨C Hukk¡­ I see!!

    ¨C Cadet Yeorum is unexpectedly very smart.

    ¨C Our Boss¡¯s interview had such a profound meaning to it ;;¡­

    ¨C You retards, do you believe this?

    ?It¡¯s Petrovic. Who else would we believe in lol.

    ?Huhh? It was Petrovic¡­ Sorry.

    Q: Your fancafe, ¡®Crazy for Yeorum¡¯ began collecting donations for Cadet Yu Yeorum. Is there something you would like?

    Yu Yeorum: I don¡¯t need it. Am I a beggar?

    [Official Petrovic of the Association]

    Why does she bother referring to herself as a ¡®beggar¡¯? Until now, she had been swearing at someone else or had been irritated by others. The fact that someone like her calls herself a ¡®beggar¡¯, incites us to look beyond the superficialyer of profanities.

    I know she has a heart warmer than anyone else when ites to her treatment of the people around her. This is rified further when we look at the interview of her friend, Kim Ji-in. Perhaps her warm heart wants those precious intentions and the resulting donations to go to the people who truly need it the most?

    Once we pull ourselves away from her conventional image, the warm yet settling breeze of the summer ocean will surelye to us all.

    ¨C Hukk¡­ T.T

    ¨C Q.Q So that¡¯s what it meant¡­

    ¨C You¡¯re right¡­ T.T I thought she was just swearing, but she meant we should share it with the poor.

    ¨C Hello. I¡¯m the manager of the site, Crazy for Yeorum. Taking into consideration the interview of Cadet Yu Yeorum and Sir Petrovic, our team have decided after a lengthy discussion to donate the entire pool of donations to the victims of war.

    ¨C Woahh Q.Q

    ¨C That¡¯s so nice T.T I love you unni TT.TT

    ¡°Kyaaah!¡±

    Kaeulughed her head off. It was because Yeorum was wearing a very deep frown after checking Petrovic¡¯s SNS post and the reaction of the masses.

    Besides, the donation of ¡®Crazy for Yeorum¡¯ for the victims of war was being shared in realtime on the news. There still were several people swearing at her, but the majority of the crowd called her cool andplimented her.

    ¡°Like, what the fuc*¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh it¡¯s so funny! Unni, were you always such a nice person?!¡±

    ¡°You think?¡±

    She shook her head with a sigh. This ce called Earth was hard to understand, she muttered while changing her clothes.

    ¡°They freakin¡¯ have nothing to do on their hands or something.¡±

    ¡°We must first focus on the fact that we ¡®have nothing on our hands¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps she is praising the end of the war and theing of a peaceful era.¡±

    ¡°¡­Oi, Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°She is a very kind-hearte¡­ Kyahahahahh!¡±

    Kaeul teased her until she was caught by Yeorum. She was sentenced to the arm-bar punishment. ¡°Uaang! S, sorry! My arm¡¯s gonna break!¡± Her scream echoed across Unit 301, and the punishment continued until Gyeoul walked up and sat on the ground going, ¡°Tap Tap Tap!¡±

    ¡°Uuhh¡­¡±

    After finally being released, Kaeul massaged her shoulder. Yeorum was changing her clothes from a cadet uniform to a set of training clothes.

    The pair of golden eyes nkly stared at Yeorum¡¯s bob-hair, and her gaze travelled down to the small yet rigid shoulders and her bnced body. Confidence oozed out from her back.

    ¡°But unni, you should be quite happy right?¡±

    ¡°Happy for what. I¡¯ll be on my way now.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°For a video with the PR team.¡±

    ¡°Ah, nn.¡±

    Kaeul gazed at Yeorum¡¯s back as she walked out of the house. Once the door closed, her eyes turned slightly depressed as she gazed down at the watch.

    She couldn¡¯t look away from it for a very long time.

    ***

    Today was a weekend.

    ¡°Ahjussi, is there something you need?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Bom walked up to him. With thest cold snap having ended, she was wearing a sleeveless shirt that revealed her white arms. She gently grabbed Yu Jitae¡¯s shirt by the sleeves.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go together?¡±

    He shook his head. There was something he had to do at home.

    ¡°See you then.¡±

    ¡°See youter!¡±

    Bom, Kaeul and Gyeoul went out for a walk. Left alone, Yu Jitaeid down on the living room sofa, reading a book.

    It was a horror book. Bom was writing a novel and because he had to know something about the genre to give advice regarding it, the Regressor began reading a horror novel. He had never expected himself to do this aftering to the seventh iteration.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But no matter how much he read, he couldn¡¯t understand what was so scary.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He read the story that was meant to make it¡¯s readers scared, but it failed to ring his heart in any way.

    In a dark alleyway, if someone unknown touches his back, isn¡¯t it fine to just rip them apart to pieces? In the first ce, he couldn¡¯t understand how someone might touch his back without him knowing it.

    Due to that, the Regressor closed the book.

    On the other side of the living room, the baby chicken was eating a mountain of feed while the protector was on theputer.

    Looking closer, he discovered that the protector was going through an inte shopping site, looking for pots.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just a normal pot, but an extremelyrge pot for deep-frying purposes.

    ¡°A caldron?¡±

    ¡°N, no it¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking that the quality of the metal was quite good¡­haha.¡±

    I see, he thought to himself and stopped thinking about it. Seeing Yu Jitae, the baby chicken who was now bigger than a basketball pecked him on the toes and cried.

    ¡°Chirp. (A good day it is)¡±

    These days, the chicken still went outside the house and came back injured, but the injuries were getting fewer as time passed. It seemed that its fight against the cat spirit beasts near the area were bing smoother as it increased in size.

    Why in the world was it fighting, and what were they fighting for? The chicken appeared to have its circumstances but the Regressor didn¡¯t think much of it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Standing still, Yu Jitae watched the baby chicken indulge in its food.

    The small seeds disappeared one by one every time it pecked as it diligently consumed the feed. It then chirped out loud after perhaps sensing his gaze.

    How long would this guy stay here? By nature, spirit beasts had the homing instinct regardless of the species.

    ¡°Chirp. (These feeds are interesting indeed).¡±

    ¡°Chirp. (I¡¯m tired of them, but I must still consume them).¡±

    ¡°Chirrrp. (Is this life?)¡±

    If the chicken epted this ce as its home, there would be no reason to go outside and fight. Perhaps it was fighting against the cats in order to find the way to go back.

    In any case, the baby chicken had the right to stay in this ce, just because Kaeul liked it.

    In the evening, Kaeul hugged the baby chicken and fell asleep on the living room sofa aftering back from her walk. While sleeptalking, she scratched her stomach. The Regressor ced a thin nket on top of Kaeul, who was sleeping with her stomach revealed.

    A yellow-haired girl hugging a yellow furry ball to sleep was quite good to look at.

    The Regressor, who had his position stolen away, went into the study and began writing the daily record as a guardian.

    Peacefully, daily lives continued.

    A daily life that was quite realistic, which he hadn¡¯t expected at the end of the sixth iteration, had surrounded him. The hazards were far apart and the kids were happy. Within a peaceful time, good memories and experiences were repeated.

    The Regressor felt content.

    The abnormally long winter had already passed.

    It was already fully spring.

    *

    ¡°Gyeoul. You have to be polite.¡±

    ¡°¡­Iing.¡±

    ¡°Polite.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ppolite.¡±

    ¡°Nn. You don¡¯t know how to be polite?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Uuing.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think you do. I¡¯ve seen you copy us sometimes.¡±

    If you continue being like that, people will think you¡¯re like Yeorum, okay? After Bom said that, Gyeoul also turned serious. Watching on from the side, it seemed that something had happened while they were outside.

    That night, Bom went into her room with Gyeoul and began teaching her manners.

    ¡°Repeat after me slowly.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    After a few hours, Bom peeked out of the room.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Can you help me with something?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I tried teaching manners to Gyeoul, and I wanted to test it.¡±

    Do dragons need to learn manners? The Regressor didn¡¯t know, but thinking back, he too tried to fit into the frameworks of society and daily lives by showing manners.

    Apparently from what Bom told him henceforth, it seemed that the dragons learned ¡®Askalifa¡¯s etiquette¡¯ in their youth, except for the red race. It was because the dragons tended to be involved with the ones in power including nobles and politicians.

    Since Bom was always right, he went into her room and sat face-to-face with the child sitting on the bed. Therefore, Gyeoul had to sit in front of both Yu Jitae and Bom.

    ¡°Are you ready, Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For some reason, Gyeoul nodded with an extremely excited expression.

    ¡°Now, there¡¯s an adult here. What should you do when you first see him?¡±

    Gyeoul bent her back to a 90 degree angle.

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    Her words were still slow, and her reaction time was also slow, but that was because she always thought extensively before putting her thoughts into words.

    ¡°Good. Now, ahjussi will give you something.¡±

    Bom gestured with her eyes, to give her whatever it may be.

    You didn¡¯t tell me this.

    In any case, he had to give her something so Yu Jitae put his hand into his pocket. He found the pocket watch he always carried around, so the Regressor handed it over to Gyeoul.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rejoices in joy.>

    Why are you happy.

    ¡°Ahjussi is¡­ lending you his watch for a bit. You know what to say in response, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. Thank, you.¡±

    ¡°Good. And what do you have to do after you finish using it?¡±

    Gyeoul looked at Bom and Yu Jitae before showing a bright smile. She then put the pocket watch into her own pocket.

    ¡°Are you going to just take that?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Whose watch is that.¡±

    ¡°¡­Mine?¡±

    She gave a wide smile despite knowing it wasn¡¯t hers. In other words, she wanted to have it.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] cheers for the pure desire.>

    ¡°No. Gyeoul. That¡¯s ahjussi¡¯s. You have to give it back to him.¡±

    ¡°¡­Do I, have to?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You can¡¯t steal someone else¡¯s stuff no matter how much you want it. Your unni will buy one for youter, Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hing.¡±

    Gyeoul carefully took the pocket watch out with her two hands, appearing regretful. She then slowly pushed it towards Yu Jitae.

    He tried to take it, but her tiny hands fiercely held onto it. She appeared reluctant to return it, but Yu Jitae still took the pocket watch from her hands.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is depressed.>

    ¡°Now, ahjussi will go somewhere. He will go outside, and visit the supermarket on the way back. You know what you have to do?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Say goodbye, and tell him if there¡¯s something you want.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, nn.¡±

    Gyeoul stood up on the bed and waved her hands.

    Yu Jitae, who had been looking into those water-like eyes, also returned a wave albeit awkwardly.

    However, she didn¡¯t say anything.

    You have to say what you want, so that I can get it for you. He thought and waited.

    She mumbled like usual as she carefully pondered on the words to use, before finally deciding to share what she wanted.

    ¡°¡­Can you, not go?¡±

    *

    Starting from that day, Gyeoul started being more polite. After the lesson on manners, she began talking more about the things she wanted. She also seemed to think that bidding farewell to anyone leaving the house was a rule that had to be followed.

    For example, the protector had to leave the house for a bit so it wore arge coat, rubber gloves, a mask and a hat, when Gyeoul came to the entrance with a bright smile and waved her hands.

    ¡°Yes? You mean me, youngdy?¡±

    She appeared indifferent for a few months already, but now Gyeoul greeted and bid farewell whenever it was going to and from the house.

    The protector was moved.

    ¡°¡­Nn. Good, bye.¡±

    But after listening to her farewells several times, it started to feel slightly strange. Gyeoul always said ¡®goodbye¡¯ when the protector left. Instead of that, the protector wanted to hear, ¡®see you soon¡¯ and ¡®take care¡¯.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way, youngdy. Cat spirit beasts seem to have appeared nearby, so I¡¯m going to go there for a bit and wille back ¡®soon¡¯. I¡¯ll be back soon, kmm, kmm¡­¡±

    It then waited for the reply toe with a flickering crimson gaze. It waited and waited.

    Gyeoul looked at the protector with a nk gaze and asked.

    ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    The protector was sad.

 Chapter 126:

    <h4>Chapter 126:</h4>

    <strong>Episode 42: Discussion Topic: Clothes (1) </strong>

    ¡°Ahjussi, ahjussi. Are you busy today?¡±

    No.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go shopping together!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Kaeul ran up to him with the baby chicken in hand. Gyeoul was even more excited than her, and was wearing the bucket hat Bom gave her alongside a cross bag. She was fully ready to go outside.

    Thinking back, the Regressor could remember a blonde head and a blue head looking at a magazine togetherst night.

    ¡°Why. What are you going to buy.¡±

    ¡°Clothes. It¡¯s spring already.¡±

    It was on a Sunday with the cold snap having ended. Most of the clothes they had were winter clothes. Kaeul was right. It was time to buy spring clothes.

    As soon as they received permission from Yu Jitae, Kaeul headed to Yeorum¡¯s room while Gyeoul entered Bom¡¯s room. They then persuaded them to go shopping together.

    ¡°Clothes? Hmm.¡±

    Yeorum scratched her waist as she walked out of her room.

    She really needed some new clothes. The one she was currently wearing was originally a u-neck t-shirt, but the neck part had extended to the point that it slid off to the side and revealed one of her shoulders. It was tattered.

    It was because she only wore the same t-shirt, sleeveless shirt, training clothes and cadet uniform over and over again, both day and night.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you interested in clothes, unni?¡±

    ¡°No? Well, I was.¡±

    ¡°What kind of clothes?¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­fortable ones?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯sfortable? Like training clothes?¡±

    Yeorum replied while picking her ear.

    ¡°To be honest, not wearing anything is the mostfortable.¡±

    ¡°O, oouuhhh..¡±

    Startled, Kaeul smiled awkwardly.

    ¡°Umm, but not wearing anything is a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why? Of course it¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Oi, yellow monkey.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Kaeul realised half a secondter that she shouldn¡¯t have replied to the words ¡®yellow monkey¡¯. Yeorum opened her mouth with a grin.

    ¡°Clothes are the most inefficient things ever created by humans.¡±

    ¡°Why, why?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re expensive for no reason and it¡¯s ufortable, but everyone has to wear it. Howfortable would it be to go around naked if there was no embarrassment? What¡¯s worse is that I have to wear them even if I¡¯m not embarrassed, because others get embarrassed by it, you know? Like, what about my titties.¡±

    During her speech, she fondled her breasts as if they were ufortable.

    ¡°This is the problem. The body line¡¯s pretty and it¡¯s a waste to rip them out though¡­ tch.¡±

    ¡°Uh, umm, b, but, clothes aren¡¯t just there to stop embarrassment.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You know, they block the heat! And block the cold¡­? Humans are sensitive to weather and they freeze to death, after all.¡±

    Since she was correct, Yeorum indifferently murmured.

    ¡°¡­Inferior meagre species.¡±

    ¡°Uah, unni is a species racist!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you monkey.¡±

    While the two of them were quarrelling, Bom also walked out of her room after being persuaded by Gyeoul. She was wearing a pair of circr-framed sses.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    When Yu Jitae replied back, Bom took the sses off and ced it into the spectacle holder.

    ¡°Are you going to buy spring clothes as well, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need them.¡±

    ¡°Why? You always wear simr clothes, don¡¯t you.¡±

    It was true, because Yu Jitae usually only wore a white business shirt, and cks pants.

    ¡°Nn? Nn? Oh yeah, why don¡¯t you have that many clothes, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The reason was simple. It was because he didn¡¯t need many clothes. He didn¡¯t get cold or hot and wasn¡¯t interested in polishing himself either. He only wore a coat in winter to fit into the norms of ¡®daily lives¡¯ and the clothes were to maintain a clean look.

    The Regressor pondered for a bit and replied.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a shame. Ahjussi is tall and has a good body so I think you¡¯ll look good if you wear pretty clothes.¡±

    Then, Kaeul and Gyeoul fidgeted with a magazine. Kaeul pointed at the picture of a model wearing a v-neck t-shirt, while Gyeoul pointed at a rider jacket.

    The Regressor shook his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯m fine with a business shirt.¡±

    ¡°Ehhng. That¡¯s no good!¡±

    Bom interjected with a question.

    ¡°Ah, then what clothes do you like, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Business shirts.¡±

    The grass-coloured eyes blinked.

    ¡°Not that. What about female clothes?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    Hearing his response, Kaeul widened her eyes.

    ¡°Ahjussi, did you not have a girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    More than a 100 years ago, he did. Even without counting Ha Saetbyul from the second iteration, he had a few other girlfriends in the first iteration.

    ¡°Then you know, what did you want your girlfriend to wear the most?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Closing his eyes, the Regressor tried to think back.

    No matter how much he tried, he couldn¡¯t really remember. The faces of his previous girlfriends were hazy like fog, let alone their clothes. The only thing that remained in his memory was the soldier uniform Ha Saetbyul was wearing ¨C the one that had leather and armour tes protecting the entire body.

    ¡°¡­Just, somethingfortable.¡±

    ¡°You mean not wearing anything?¡±

    Yu Jitae went silent, while Yeorum giggled.

    ¡°But but! You said my clothes were pretty whenever I wore new clothes!¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°Uh? Ahjussi said my evening dress was pretty as well.¡±

    ¡°I did that as well.¡±

    ¡°What the heck is that.¡±

    They continued asking for Yu Jitae¡¯s preference but he truly had nothing to tell them in response. In the end, they gave up on looking into his tastes and turned around.

    ¡°What are you going to buy, Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    It¡¯s my turn now¡­!

    Excitedly, Gyeoul pushed the magazine forward and showed a children¡¯s wear. The model was wearing blue denim jeans with a shoulder strap that covered the white t-shirt.

    There were several other types apart from that. While Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul were criticising other clothes, Gyeoul asked Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­How, does it look?¡±

    It was suitable for spring. Her hair was blue, so light blue denim jeans would match her colour.

    ¡°Looks pretty.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sealing her lips, she nodded with a brighter smile. Meanwhile, Bom opened her mouth while looking through Kaeul¡¯s collection.

    ¡°But Kaeul, I don¡¯t think that one piece dress is going to suit you?¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it suits people with a big chest.¡±

    ¡°Why, why?!¡±

    Kaeul tilted her head.

    Bom pondered on how she could exin this, before shaping the alternate dimension of dragons, [Laws of Nature (S)], into a translucent cotton shape.

    She then ced it over Kaeul.

    ¡°Look. It gets caught on the chest, and makes everything below seem big.¡±

    ¡°Hukk, you¡¯re right¡­ I look fat. Do I need a belt?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡±

    Bom pulled the alternate dimension near the waist. This time, the chest was being overly emphasised.

    ¡°Uhhh, this is a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Right? I think darker clothes will suit you better.¡±

    They continued talking about clothes. After a long conversation, their original picks tended to be discarded.

    ¡°Unni. That¡¯s only something models wear¡­!¡±

    ¡°And? It¡¯s super sexy and I love it.¡±

    ¡°Where would you even wear that? Are you going to show everything to everyone?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum, since your shoulder line and your muscles are pretty, how about wearing sleeveless shirts like this?¡±

    ¡°Not bad. Looksfortable.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re tall as well. I think these pants will look good too.¡±

    ¡°Hnnn¡­¡±

    ¡°Uwah, thinking about it, Bom-unni must feel nice! You look pretty with anything you wear¡­! I think my polymorph was a bit wrong.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, why the heck did you polymorph like that? It¡¯s burdensome.¡±

    ¡°I was just copying my mum okay¡­!?¡±

    Kaeul cried, saying it was hard to change the body shape now since she was already used to it.

    They were nning to buy some clothes because they were pretty, but sometimes those clothes didn¡¯t suit their physiques or were socially problematic on Earth. Sometimes, it was only themselves that found those specific clothes pretty, probably because of the different set of values of each race.

    ¡°Hey guys.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°How about we go to the department store and wear them.¡±

    Thus, Yu Jitae rmended an alternative to which they agreed. For the first time in a long time, he took everyone out to the department store.

    Before leaving the house, Gyeoul stopped toddling after Yu Jitae and turned around. She saw the baby chicken sleeping on a nket under dazzling sunlight, and the protector standing in front like a statue.

    Wearing an apron and a pair of rubber gloves had be a natural habit and the protector rarely ever took them off.

    Gyeoul quietly stared at him. Those red eyes flickered as the protector turned around.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m, going out.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Youngdy. Please be careful on the way out.¡±

    ¡°¡­Anything, you need?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, actually I do not need clothes. As you can see, my body is entirely made of armour.¡±

    Kang- kang-

    The protector tapped his own body with the back of his hand. Gyeoul nodded and turned back to the front but soon, she looked back again and nced at the protector¡¯s arms.

    *

    Girls.

    Girls with a lot of stamina.

    Girls with a lot of stamina that quarrelled over every single detail.

    ¡­It was a shopping session with them.

    They left at 9 in the morning and shopped around but it was already 7 pm.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He wasn¡¯t particrly tired or anything, but watching them made him realise that they were really energetic. They had gone twice through all four department stores of themercial area, scavenging through every apparel store.

    The clothes they purchased amounted to 30, but even that was less than 1% of what they¡¯ve seen.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was when the Regressor was contemting whether he should throw all these jamming shopping bags into the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)].

    ¡°Wahh, this is definitely ahjussi¡¯s!.¡±

    Kaeul brought ¡®definitely ahjussi¡¯s clothes¡¯ for the 23rd time and put it against his body. It was an amber-coloured, knitted turtleneck sweater.

    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Ahhnng! That¡¯s what you saidst time! Do you know how many times you¡¯ve said no?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh? But this does look like it would suit you though?¡±

    For some reason, even Yeorum pitched in andmended him to wear it. Seeing that he was still hesitant, Gyeoul tried to take the shopping bags in his hands with her tiny hands.

    ¡°¡­Hurry.¡±

    It was weird to resist a child¡¯s actions so he let her take them. He couldn¡¯t understand why they were like this.

    ¡°Where is the changing room.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Sir, it¡¯s behind the pir over there!¡±

    Yu Jitae obediently entered the changing room with the sweater. Taking off the business shirt, he hung it casually and threw the knit over his body. Then, his body¡¯s ability controlled the clothes by itself and began matching it to his body.

    [Inherent Customisation (S)]

    After it ended, the sweater had been adjusted to fit his body perfectly. His height that was slightly short of 190 centimetres, broad andrge shoulders, the reverse triangr-shaped body, his thick arms and wrists and the non-excessively muscr body ¨C the physique of a soldier best-suited for warfare, created by various authorities, was revealed beneath the knit.

    The neck parting all the way to his chin was a little bit annoying. But it¡¯s not like he was going to buy it anyway.

    When Yu Jitae walked out of the changing room, they were amazed.

    ¡°What is this! Uwaah!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul also looked very surprised as she reached her arms out. When Yu Jitae raised her up, she used her fingertip to tap him on the chest and shoulder with intrigue.

    ¡°Your body¡¯s amazing, ahjussi!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that amazing. There might be exceptions but most of the soldiers had good bodies. Even Myung Yongha probably had a better body than himself.

    But perhaps because they were seeing an unfamiliar side of Yu Jitae whom they were already used to, they were noisy while Yeorum gulped for some reason.

    Thinking back, he had never worn anything that revealed his body despite living together for some time.

    ¡°¡­Done?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not buying them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Buy it! Buy it!¡±

    They protested and coerced him, leaving Yu Jitae with no choice but to head to the cashier to pay for the clothes. He couldn¡¯t find the reason to reject them.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum chose a set of clothes for herself and was about to walk into the changing room, but her hands that were about to open the door, came to a stop.

    She could see a familiar pair of shoes visible under the door of the changing room that Yu Jitae had used.

    ¡°What¡¯s this.¡±

    Yeorum nonchntly pulled the door wide open.

    Inside was Bom wearing Yu Jitae¡¯srge business shirt. Her beryl-coloured long hair was tied up into a ponytail, revealing her white neck. The fingers that peeked out from the long sleeves were fidgeting with the ends of the shirt.

    ¡°What are you doing, unni?¡±

    On the mirror,

    The grass-coloured gaze looked at Yeorum with a strange light.

 Chapter 127: Discussion Topic: Clothes (2)

    <h4>Chapter 127: Discussion Topic: Clothes (2)</h4>

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Bom turned around nonchntly. The grass-coloured ponytail shook underneath themp, while all the mirrors of the changing room appeared like they were sparkling.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to try this on.¡±

    She looked indifferent, as if she wasn¡¯t concerned about anyone entering in the first ce.

    ¡°Why would you wear that?¡±

    ¡°Why not.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I just wanted to try it on.¡±

    ¡°Hnng¡­? That¡¯s a bit perverted.¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡±

    She smiled.

    Yeorum found that smile to be interesting. Ever since they had set off for the Amusement, they went through a dimensional disjoint and identallynded on Earth and lived together for a while, but she had rarely ever seen Bom smile. Back then, she thought the Green Dragon was just acting mysterious and elegant as always but,

    These days, Bom tended to smile very easily.

    ¡°How is it. Does it look good?¡±

    Wearing a gentle smile, she raised her arms up. The business shirt came all the way down to her thighs and thus concealed the short pants she was wearing.

    Even in the eyes of Yeorum, who wasparatively uninterested in beauty, it looked good.

    ¡°Looks pretty.¡±

    Hearing the word ¡®pretty¡¯, Bom ced her two hands under her chin, like the leaves of a flower.

    ¡°Ahh, I already said it looks good. You look pretty okay. You want a kiss or what?¡±

    Bom giggled, hearing her irritated voice.

    ¡°Pretty yeah, but more importantly¡­¡±

    Recently, Yu Jitae spent his days killing his aura as much as he could. He seemed to have judged that enough of a trust had been formed between them, and felt like he was respecting their privacy.

    So he probably didn¡¯t know what was happening yet but,

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that human hate it if he knew?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ maybe.¡±

    Wearing the same expression as always, Bom gestured to Yeorum.

    ¡°Come in. You shouldn¡¯t open changing room doors wide like that.¡±

    Yeorum walked in and closed the door behind her as Bom turned around and began taking the shirt off.

    There was a passing thought.

    Thinking back, Bom sometimes mentioned Yu Jitae in weird situations all of a sudden and talked about strange things. Things like, doesn¡¯t he look cute when eating, and how he would probably pay someone back diligently after borrowing money.

    They were mostlypliments and good words, and were praises that didn¡¯t really suit Yu Jitae. Whenever that happened, Kaeul would say, ¡°Is that so?¡± and give little regard to it, while Yeorum would consider it the usual nonsense of the green race with a ¡°Bullshit¡±.

    Once, Bom had said this.

    ¡®You see, when I wore the evening dressst time, it was actually my first time wearing it and I was very nervous. But you know what? Ahjussi said it was pretty straight away. Sometimes, ahjussi surprises people with one unexpected word.¡¯

    Bom appeared very happy about something unimportant so Yeorum had been doubtful back then but her thoughts changed when sheter heard Kaeul speak.

    ¡®Unni unni! I think I know what Bom-unni meantst time.¡¯

    ¡®Nn?¡¯

    ¡®You know, when there were lots of badments, ahjussi gave me a sweet candy so I ate it, yeah? And after the candy, he talked about what happened and at the end, he said he would be on my side no matter what. I was really surprised, you know?¡¯

    ¡®Ohh. Right? You know what I mean?¡¯

    Bom empathised with Kaeul¡¯s words so Yeorum decided to think less about the rtionship between Yu Jitae and Bom.

    But now that she was watching Bom carefully take the business shirt off, a doubt appeared in her mind.

    Wait, this kid.

    Don¡¯t tell me.

    ¡°Bom-unni. I¡¯m just asking this but, do you¡­¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    Theid-back voice replied to her question before it even ended. Caught off guard, Yeorum¡¯s reaction was slower.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    Bom turned around after hanging the shirt.

    ¡°I don¡¯t. So¡­¡±

    She ced her finger near her lips with a ¡°Shh,¡± and left the changing room. An iprehensible smile had been hanging on her lips until the moment she walked out.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Left alone inside the changing room, Yeorum slowly thought about the things that had happened once again and yet again felt doubtful.

    However, even the fact that she was thinking about something like this didn¡¯t make sense.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on. Seriously.¡±

    Seriously, the green race all has a screw or two loose¡­

    She wasining when Yu Jitae¡¯s shirt entered her eyes.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ***

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a lot of shoes.¡±

    Yu Jitae spoke to Kaeul inside a branded shoe store.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re buying more?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Can¡¯t I?¡±

    Carrying a bunch of shoes, the baby chicken asked Yu Jitae. He shook his head. It didn¡¯t matter how much she bought, even if she bought the entire store for herself.

    He was just curious.

    ¡°We have something simr at home.¡±

    It was a ck shoe with low heels.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s different tho.¡±

    ¡°Looks simr.¡±

    ¡°See this.¡±

    Kaeul pushed the shoe forward.

    ¡°This one has shoces but the one at home doesn¡¯t have them.¡±

    What was the difference, he thought.

    Even after that, she chose several pairs of socks and more shoes before asking him if she could buy all of them. He nodded but for some reason, it seemed that Kaeul was buying more than she usually did.

    Well, she did like shopping especially more than others so it was understandable. That¡¯s what he was thinking but the moment he saw her choose four exactly the same shoes with different colours, he thought differently.

    Suddenly, Yu Jitae thought back on the Gold Dragon of the fourth iteration.

    The goddess of billboard, Baby Yellow, enjoyed shopping frequently whenever she wasn¡¯t actively promoting songs. He had followed her from behind as a bodyguard so he could remember the faint traces of how she was like.

    Even though she was called the goddess of billboard and was an amazing singer, there were always those that hated Baby Yellow, and it¡¯s not like all the songs ended up at the top of the charts.

    Although her life was blessed all around, that might in fact be the reason Baby Yellow had felt extremely stressed out from small misfortunes. He didn¡¯t know back then, but that might be the case now that he thought about it.

    She tried to look fine on the outside but couldn¡¯t withstand the urge sometimes. During those times in order to rx herself, she tended to visit department stores and show mindless purchasing behaviours.

    With a doubtful heart, Yu Jitae asked her.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yess!¡±

    Her circr golden eyes revealed pure innocence devoid of contamination. While Yu Jitae looked for the correct words, Kaeul tilted her head.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Were his worries unnecessary? Regardless, the Regressor decided to ask.

    ¡°Is there something difficult these days.¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°You feel fine?¡±

    ¡°Yess. I¡¯m really fine.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything you need.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, hmm¡­ shoes?¡±

    She chuckled.

    ¡°Oh, oh right! There¡¯s something I need. Can I say it?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Maybe because I¡¯ve only been going to the lessons these days? I want to go somewhere far on a trip.¡±

    Was this a problematic response? The Regressor assessed her answer.

    Looking back, the Gold Dragon loved travelling around. That was the same in the fourth iteration and even in this iteration, she talked about wanting to be dispatched somewhere during the guardian consultation session. It might just be her personality.

    Thus, deciding to just watch on for the time being, Yu Jitae nodded.

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll prepare for it.¡±

    *

    Only after visiting several more stores did the shopping end that day. Yu Jitae wore the turtleneck knit straight away after removing the tag.

    They bought dozens of clothes and shoes but most of them were Kaeul¡¯s. Gyeoul, who had bought herself cute gata shoes, seemed to be greatly fond of them and was walking on her two feet. These days, she looked really natural walking and running.

    But suddenly, Gyeoul looked back at Yu Jitae with surprise.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    She thoroughly red at Yu Jitae¡¯s neck before soon bing greatly flustered. Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t understand why but it was because Gyeoul had finally realised the critical downside of turtleneck knits.

    Turtleneck knits!

    It stuck close to the body and covered both the chest and the neck. Unlike business shirts, she couldn¡¯t open the chest up, nor was it easy to pull it down.

    At this rate, she wouldn¡¯t be able to check whether the ne was there or not¡­!

    And doesn¡¯t Yu Jitae wear the same clothes without changing for several days?

    The more her thoughts continued, the worse her expression became.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Of course, the ne would most likely be there as always. Gyeoul trusted Yu Jitae.

    However, directly checking it with her eyes and not doing it were greatly different. Checking his ne was like a ritual for Gyeoul, carried out whenever she was seeing Yu Jitae after a long time.

    Wearing a depressed look on her face, Gyeoul reached forward with her arms. Yu Jitae habitually raised her up as Gyeoul ced her hand next to his neck. Then, she tried to pull the knit down.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    It didn¡¯t work. It was impossible to easily pull the knit down to the chest, and forcibly doing it would tear the sweater apart. Realising that none of the options were viable, Gyeoul became teary.

    ¡°Huing¡­¡±

    Her panic manifested as teardrops.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Regressor was slightly stumped. He didn¡¯t know why she was like this, but since she could talk a lot better now, he decided to ask her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yu Gyeoul.¡±

    Gyeoul mumbled and hesitated before opening her mouth.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t, like this.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like these clothes? Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­don¡¯t like.¡±

    ¡°You liked it before.¡±

    Shake, shake.

    He thought he could understand her with a conversation, but that was a mistake. The Regressor still couldn¡¯t understand the thought process of the blue-haired child.

    But what else could he do if she didn¡¯t like it? He promised that he would change into different clothes once he got back home, and only then did Gyeoul stop whining.

    After arriving at Unit 301, Gyeoul walked down from his arms. The kids all carried their bags and entered their rooms while Yu Jitae also went into his. In the living room that suddenly turned quiet, Gyeoul looked for the protector, who was habitually cleaning the already-clean floor.

    Gururuk¡­? Kwaruruk¡­?

    He was humming with the shing sound of steel.

    Gyeoul nced at the protector before toddling her way behind. Then, she pondered whether she should tap the protector by the back or something, before opening her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Hel, lo.¡±

    The protector turned around as Gyeoul looked back with a gentle smile.

    ¡°Yes yes. Did you call me, youngdy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°What is the matter. Is there something you need?¡±

    Gyeoul hesitated for a bit before taking something out from behind her back and giving it to the protector. The protector quietly received it. He was wondering what it was but after looking at it closely, it was a pair of pink¡­ rubber gloves.

    ¡°¡­Present.¡±

    Gyeoul stared at the hands of the ¡®Cleaner Ahjussi¡¯. The vicious gauntlets had various spikes so the original rubber gloves had a lot of holes in them. The spikes were too sharp, while the rubber gloves were too old.

    The protector finally realised why Gyeoul threw a nce at his arms before walking out of the house.

    ¡°¡­Youngdy!¡±

    He felt warm inside. Humans seem to call this ¡®being moved¡¯. She acted as if she hated him everyday, but to think she would buy a gift for him¡­

    Ahh, youngdy¡­!

    It was when the protector was about to follow the etiquette of Askalifa by bending his back.

    ¡°Thank y¡­¡±

    Gyeoul took something else out.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was Gyeoul¡¯s exclusive bowl, which the protector had identally scratched the day before while washing dishes, with the spikes that ripped through the rubber gloves.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t, scratch dem.¡±

    In other words, the gift didn¡¯t have a pure intention behind it, and was only because the bowl was scratched. The protector felt less moved.

    Even then, the protector was happy. He continued through with the etiquette and bent his neck into a 90 degree angle.

    ¡°It will never happen again.¡±

    That was when two arms were wrapped around the helmet of the protector¡¯s lowered head. He was slightly surprised.

    ¡°¡­Thank, you.¡±

    By the time he looked back up, Gyeoul had already run away. Left alone in the living room, the protector looked at the rubber gloves and thought.

    Thank goodness he became a cleaner.

 Chapter 128: Campus Community Service 3/10 (1)

    <h4>Chapter 128: Campus Community Service 3/10 (1)</h4>

    ¡°Oi you fuc*ing bit*h!¡±

    ¡°Ahk! Have you gone insane¡­!¡±

    Bam! Bam! m!

    People were fighting in the middle of the road. One cadet attacked another as they began hurling fists at one another. One of them had their nose broken while the other had his lips torn apart. Perhaps it was a quarrel regarding their love interest. ¡°Why are you guys doing this! Why! Stop!¡± shouted a female cadet in between, not knowing what to do.

    ¡°You b*itch! Do you think I can¡¯t kill you?¡±

    The one with a smaller build used his supernatural powers. It was a clear vition of school regtions but he wasn¡¯t in the mood to worry about that. A sharp thorn was formed from his elbow which shed past the cheek of the bigger cadet who was pushing him down.

    Blood sttered onto the road.

    The conflict became more and more serious which gathered onlookers. But most of the people watching were cadets and staff members, so themon consensus was to wait for the sentries to arrive, without hastily jumping in between them.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As the fight turned more serious, Yu Jitae happened to walk past the area.

    ¡­And he continued walking by.

    His feet were natural as if he hadn¡¯t seen anything.

    Today¡¯s breakfast menu was toast and skewered fish cakes. Kaeul loved them, but since Gyeoul also loved eating food these days, he was carrying arge amount of food which would usually be enough to feed 20 people.

    These had to be eaten warm.

    Cadets fighting each other was in fact quitemon at Lair. Considering that they were young yet able and proud young soldiers, various sorts of incidents and conflicts weremonce.

    Within those types of happenings, fights and injuries were nothing significant.

    In the morning after feeding them breakfast, he listened to a report on Ma Namjoon and the surviving demons from his clone.

    ¡®In that case, I will continue observing them. My loyalty to my lord.¡¯

    OK.

    He didn¡¯t go to Lair with any of them today because of something that had to be done in the morning.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way! Have a safe trip too, ahjussi!¡±

    Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul went to the academy district in cadet uniforms while Yu Jitae went separate ways and headed to the sentries. Since he hadmitted a sin, it was now time to atone for it.

    He entered the Campus Community Service reception desk on the second floor of the sentries building. No-one was there at the desk so he waited on a chair nearby when several staff members finally came in.

    ¡°Ah, ah! Guardian Yu Jitae?¡±

    The name of the officer was Ichimon who described himself as a section head, forever stuck with the sentries. He looked flustered, which in fact was the same reaction he saw whoever Yu Jitae met these days, both guardians and staff members likewise.

    ¡°Haha. We went to the front entrance to receive you but for some reason we weren¡¯t able to see you. Sorry for beingte.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I came through the back entrance.¡±

    ¡°Aigo. I see. It¡¯s my mistake. We should¡¯ve sent someone else to the back! Sorry.¡±

    Ichimon rubbed his hands like a fly and weed Yu Jitae as if he was his direct superior.

    ¡°Sorry, haha. We will make sure you can start withmunity service straight away.¡±

    He gave a servile smile.

    Yu Jitae was being treated like this by the sentries despite himing here formunity service. The falsely created Yu household had be an extremely convenient measure.

    ¡°This way please!¡±

    In the waiting room, Ichimon personally brewed some lemon tea and served him, before touching his thin moustache.

    ¡°Hmm. So, what kind ofmunity service are you looking for today, Sir Guardian?¡±

    His words sounded quite strange. Yu Jitae was here formunity service and yet the person in charge was asking him the type of task he was after, while carrying a list of task descriptions in hand.

    ¡°Is that something the volunteers usually choose?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? No¡­ umm¡­ you know? The sentries are in fact quite flexible at times. Haha.¡±

    In other words, it was a privilege given because he was from the Yu household. He didn¡¯t think much of it however, and all he wanted was to go home early. Looking at the list, he couldn¡¯t really find anything he liked.

    ¨C Organising the flower bed in front of the 3rd Main Entrance (1 hour)

    ¨C Education department flower arrangement (1 hour)

    ¨C Helping cook food for the cadets learning Fundamental Basics (Cooking, 1 hour)

    ¨C Looking after young kids of education staff members (1 hour)

    He didn¡¯t like any of them because they only ounted for 1 hour each. At this rate, he had to visit this ce 10 times.

    But looking further, there was onemunity service that was 3 hours long.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with this one.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ahh, you mean this?¡±

    ¨C Helping delinquent cadets leave detention centre (3 hours)

    ¡°Umm, you see¡­ this one. To be honest, it¡¯s not a very good service.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little bit difficult¡­ You would have to deal with trashes that were rted to violence, drugs and sexual assault, that barely managed to avoid getting expelled. They don¡¯t listen at all and are all hopeless. Especially this one kid called Jake from Noblesse School is a lot worse. He would¡¯ve been expelled already if he wasn¡¯t from Noblesse School¡­ Ah, kuhum.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°In any case, today, there¡¯s even a documentary film shoot for the delinquent cadets. Umm¡­ as you probably know already, violence, threatening and swearing ¨C whatever it is, forcing a cadet to do something will leave a negative impact on Lair¡¯s image¡­¡±

    Ichimon gave an awkward smile along with his chatter. It was a sincere request from him to not get angry at them even if he were to go there.

    ¡°If you choose the flower arrangement here instead, I¡¯ll try to do something about it. So that you don¡¯t have to do anything.¡±

    Flower arrangement?

    ¡°Time is a bit more important. Can you make it 3 hours long?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, umm¡­ extending the time is a bit¡­ because we allocate all the times following a set program¡­¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with this one.¡±

    Yu Jitae was stubborn so Ichimon, who didn¡¯t want to get on his wrong side, sweated but failed to persuade him until the end.

    ***

    500 metres to the north of Lair Sentries, there was a door going to the underground detention centre hidden next to the tall stalks of grass. There, Yu Jitae met the prison warden.

    The warden was an old man perhaps in his sixties. With a gentle appearance, he had less hair in the middle, which was covered up awkwardly by raising the sides of his hair. His personality apparently suited his appearance, and his nature hanging on the [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)] was a rare ¡®extreme good¡¯.

    Judging from his aura, he wasn¡¯t a superhuman. He didn¡¯t appear like a former soldier, so he probably became the prison warden with the help of an aged welfare policy.

    ¡°Helping and guiding others is a wonderful thing in my opinion.¡±

    This old man who seemed to be a chatterbox started his sentences with that.

    ¡°Anyone makes a mistake throughout their life and the more so for these young cadets. I think these young cadets thatmitted crimes justcked the opportunities to be good people. At least that¡¯s what I think.¡±

    No-one asked.

    ¡°So when treating these cadets, I always try to do so with a¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t respond but the warden excitedly continued expanding on his philosophical interpretation of guidance. Until they arrived at the underground facility, Yu Jitae had to listen continuously about something he was totally uninterested in.

    If the facility was 50 metres further away, this old man could¡¯ve had his mouth smacked.

    After opening several doors that were sealed tight, the prison warden and Yu Jitae walked in. There were 27 cadets due to leave the detention centre today, who had all been a part of an uwful group activity as a society, at the start of the semester.

    ¡°Hello. We are from NNO.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. Yes, wee.¡±

    Saying that they¡¯ll be filming a documentary of violent cadets, several cameras were turned on. Even this time around, the chatterbox prison warden showed off a wondrous feat by greeting the camera crew for 15 minutes.

    After that, themunity service of helping delinquent cadets leave the detention centre finally began. The cadets had all gathered at the auditorium, and the moment they opened the door, they were met with all sorts of uproar and ruckus.

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s so boring as heck. When are we going out?!¡±

    ¡°Just stay put. We have to wait here till 10 anyway.¡±

    ¡°Freakin¡¯ annoying, those idiots.¡±

    These cadets were seeing each other for the first time in a while after spending most of their time in their individual wards. Thus, they either chattered about how it was here,

    ¡°Look at how oily that bastard is. Nice job jigging the training run yesterday. Those worms must have been quite salty?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you know. Your sister was salty as well.¡±

    ¡°What? This f*cking bi*ch¡­¡±

    Or they tried to fight.

    Whatever the case, they were all rowdy without listening to the voice of the warden.

    ¡°Now¡­! Hello everyone!¡±

    Awkwardly, he smiled and waved his hand. The first thing they had to do was toplete a survey about their life at the detention centre. However, the cadets did not even look at the prison warden. They were too rowdy to even listen to him, but most of them nced at him before ignoring him altogether.

    It was because there was a rumour that they¡¯ll be dismissed at 10 o¡¯clock whether they did the survey or not.

    ¡°Guys. Umm! A survey! You have to finish a survey okay?¡±

    While sweating, the old man showed a survey paper to the cadets.

    ¡°What¡¯s he saying¡­¡±

    ¡°Freakin¡¯ annoying.¡±

    They turned their backs to him and murmured.

    ¡°Those cameras are fuc*in¡¯ getting on my nerves. Are they gonna blur our faces?¡±

    ¡°Of course they are. Did you even listen yesterday?¡¯

    ¡°No? I was sleeping of course. Why the heck would I listen to that.¡±

    ¡°Kukuk.¡±

    The prison warden diligently waved the survey at them but the cadets did not listen.

    Until then, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t think much of it and in fact, he wasn¡¯t even inside the auditorium. Standing behind the cameras, he was observing the structure of the underground detention centre from the corridor all the way up to the gates.

    It was because Yeorum might end up in here sooner orter.

    ¡°Guys! Can you listen to me for a bit? You have to finish the surveys quickly to get out faster!¡±

    Despite sweating buckets from his naked head, the old man was unable to be harsh and maintained a goodnguage. And his submissive words had no power in them even when he shouted.

    ¡°Stop bullshiting. We heard from our seniors that we¡¯ll be leaving at 10 no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Right. Look at that dotard. Is that chicken stock flowing down his head?¡±

    ¡°Uhh. Disgusting.¡±

    Insulted upfront, the old man¡¯s expression turned stiff but perhaps being conscious of the camera, he once again gave an awkward smile. Like that, he repeatedly approached and distanced himself from the cadets.

    ¡°The cadets really don¡¯t listen.¡±

    In response to the VJ¡¯s scripted question, the old man gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°All kids are like that. It¡¯s my fault for being unable to set things straight.¡±

    ¡°Are you the only warden?¡±

    ¡°Umm, in the past when there were several tough and strong wardens they listened very well, but they¡¯re not here now because we don¡¯t get paid much¡­ Anyway, I¡¯ll try it one more time.¡±

    He tried sharing the survey paper again but the cadets refused. Then, one female cadet finally received it but dropped the pile of papers which all ended up on the floor.

    ¡°Ah. Sorry. Sorry.¡±

    The female cadet walked away with her friends with a giggle. Heartlessly, the cameraman filmed the old warden who had no choice but to lower his body and pick the papers up one by one.

    His attempt at persuading them failed after 20 minutes of hard work.

    ¡°Aigo. My apologies.¡±

    After closing the auditorium doors behind him, the warden apologised to the camera crew before throwing a nce at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Sorry, Mister Guardian. I¡¯ll buy some treatster and try talking to them again.¡±

    All Yu Jitae had to do was protect the warden during the procedure, to make sure nothing bad happened to him. He therefore nodded his head because he just had to stay there for 3 hours, no matter what the warden did.

    ¡°Please do whatever suits you the best.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Sorry. If this is over quickly, we should be able to send you off early as well but¡­¡±

    Taking out a checkered handkerchief from his chest pocket, the prison warden wiped the sweat beads forming on his wide forehead.

    Yu Jitae felt doubtful for a second.

    ¡°¡­Do you count all the hours even if it ends early?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ahhh, yes. We do. We give a lot more time for this one because of how mentally exhausting it could get.¡±

    Ah.

    Should¡¯ve said that earlier.

    ¡°Uh, huh? What¡¯s wrong, sir?¡±

    When Yu Jitae suddenly began walking up to him, the warden took a few steps back without even realising it, but Yu Jitae¡¯s legs were slightly longer than his. He took the survey papers and a stic bag off of the old man¡¯s hand. Half of them were crumpled with signs of being smudged by their feet.

    He walked further and pushed the auditorium doors wide open as cameras followed behind him.

    ¡°Uhh, umm¡­ Sir Guardian¡­! You can¡¯t shout or punish the cadets¡­!¡±

    It seemed that even a low-ranked official in a ce like this knew who Yu Jitae was.

    However, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t respond.

    The cadets who were either chatting on the auditorium floor, or running around the room nced at Yu Jitae, who suddenly walked in. Some of them were surprised at the size of his body but most of them were inside the detention centre when Yu household became a thing so almost none of them realised who he was.

    He couldn¡¯t punish them, nor could he swear or shout at them. Reminding him once again, the warden was sweating like crazy.

    Yu Jitae walked up to them and stood up straight.

    He stared at the cadets.

    Without saying a word; without doing anything. He nced across the cadets to check their numbers, before choosing the one who ran around creating the most uproar and focusing on his movements with his eyes.

    He didn¡¯t bother lifting his killing intent, and merely watched on.

    Something strange began to happen.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Someone looked into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes before being startled. That one cadet¡¯s gaze was contagious as it soon spread to others.

    Nearby cadets also looked at Yu Jitae, curious about the reason that cadet was surprised and that caused a chain reaction.

    Before long when several were looking at Yu Jitae, the cadet that was running around also turned to Yu Jitae. His feet gradually became slower before eventuallying to a stop.

    Silence spread across like ocean waves. When the slowest cadet who wasughing out loud finally closed his mouth from the sudden silence, all the cadets were already looking at one person.

    Why? Who is that person? Why is everyone like this? They all had the samemon doubt in mind but none of them dared to open their mouths.

    That was when Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°You at the front.¡±

    A dry voice resonantly echoed across the quiet auditorium. One of the cadets nced around before replying in fright.

    ¡°Ye, yes? M, me?¡±

    ¡°Come out.¡±

    The cadet walked towards Yu Jitae after ncing around the room. His hands and legs were visibly trembling.

    Yu Jitae handed the survey papers and the stic bag of pens to the cadet. Then, he took the pocket watch out from his pocket and said after checking the time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 3 minutes.¡±

 Chapter 129: Campus Community Service 3/10 (2)

    <h4>Chapter 129: Campus Community Service 3/10 (2)</h4>

    ¡®Front¡¯

    That one word created a sense of direction inside the auditorium.

    ¡®3 minutes¡¯

    Those two words of his created a time restraint for the cadets.

    The man that suddenly appeared out of nowhere regted both the time and space of every cadet present.

    Soon, the young cadets began moving ording to his standards. When someoneparatively more fearful than others started moving their pen, other cadets were influenced by their peers and started their surveys.

    3 minutes were more than enough.

    ¡°Here sir¡­¡±

    Despite still not knowing who this man was, one of the cadets in charge gathered the papers before handing them over to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Looking back, he realised that the prison warden was wearing a strange look on his face. His facial muscles twitched and turned serious, before eventually forming a smile. He appeared bewildered.

    ¡°Thank you, Mister Guardian¡­ next one on the schedule is breakfast. I think we can start moving now.¡±

    Meanwhile, the camera crews were put in an awkward spot.

    ¡®Damn. We¡¯re not going to have enough videos¡­¡¯

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t interested, but the theme of today¡¯s documentary was on ¡®the dangers of delinquent cadets and the necessity of increasing the number of guidance wardens¡¯. The documentary was meant to criticise the low morality of the superhuman industry and the need to guide young cadets properly!

    But in order to achieve that, they needed videos of delinquent cadets not listening to instructions, contrasted by videos of the warden who was nothing but nice. Watching that, the audience will be enraged which will allow the broadcasting crew to grab both the number of views and their original theme.

    ¡°Breakfast, is it.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s a few missing.¡±

    ¡°They must have gone somewhere else. I was actually thinking of looking for them right now¡­¡±

    The warden nodded with a serious look on his face.

    ¡°Guys. Let¡¯s all line up¡­!¡±

    The cameraman heaved a sigh.

    Everything started going south ever since the man who was here onmunity service intervened. This time, themand was from the warden and yet the cadets still obediently lined up albeit slowly.

    Even the warden himself seemed surprised.

    ¡°Number.¡±

    In response to the man¡¯s words, the cadets each called out one, two, three¡­ and so on in a line. The number of thest person in line was 23.

    Carefully lowering their heads, the cadets stole nces at Yu Jitae.

    The number of cadets for dismissal today was 27. Four were missing.

    The warden scratched his wide forehead while the cameras went through the cadets one by one.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae stared at the cadets with a hazy gaze.

    He didn¡¯t say anything, and was searching where the missing cadets were on the other side of the auditorium walls. However, his silence seemed to have caused tension as the cadets anxiously stole nces. They became nervous despite him not doing anything.

    ¡°All of you, stay here.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes!¡±

    Being cadets and reserve soldiers, they were used to replying ¡®yes¡¯. Soon when Yu Jitae began moving his feet, the warden followed him from behind with a dreamy expression as if he was in the middle of a dream.

    ¡°Sorry. I definitely locked the doors but how did they get out¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t respond.

    The four missing cadets were quite nearby. On the other side of the auditorium was an underground football ground with a storage next to it. Three of the four cadets were inside the storage building.

    Smoke was seeping out of an area next to the storage, hidden behind several boxes. There was a venttion hole right next to it.

    Walking forward inrge strides, Yu Jitae stood in front of the female cadet who had a cigarette in her mouth.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    Startled, her eyes widened as he reached forward. He pinched and rubbed the cigarette with his thumb and index finger to turn the fire off. His fingers ended up bing dark from the ashes.

    ¡°Why are you here.¡±

    ¡°Y, you surprised me there. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Why, are you here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Who cares. So what if I¡¯m here or not.¡±

    The cadet was throwing nces at him but still grumbled to protect her ego. She tried to sneak past him and return to the auditorium naturally but she couldn¡¯t. Yu Jitae with hisrge bodypletely blocked the gap between the boxes and the wall and stood there even after she came closer.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Now that she couldn¡¯t sneak out, the cadet raised her head with a frown but the moment her eyes met with his, an ominous feeling caused her to lower her eyes in an instant.

    She then instinctively called out.

    ¡°S, sorry.¡±

    Only then did he turn around, leaving the rest to the warden. The reason Yu Jitae stared at her like that was because he deemed that it had to be done to make her listen obediently, for today at least.

    He wanted to go back to Unit 301 as soon as possible.

    Apparently it was effective. When she was asked about the source of the cigarette, the female cadet obediently replied that she had gotten it from another cadet.

    They soon arrived at the storage but the doors were locked. Yu Jitae tried to pull it but it remained closed. When he was contemting whether he should break the door or not, the warden stepped forward and knocked on the door.

    ¡°Guys. Are you in there?¡±

    Arge amount of smoke oozed out through the gap between the doors but no-one replied.

    ¡°Guys? I¡¯m the warden in charge. Can you open the door¨C?¡±

    They still didn¡¯t respond. It seemed that they would waste time here until it was 10. The camera came closer as the cameraman asked the obvious.

    ¡°Is the door locked?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They must¡¯ve locked it from inside¡­ They probably left through the auditorium windows to smoke a cigarette in secret or something.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t they get punished more for it?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ the actual leaving time is 10 o¡¯clock but they in fact get treated like normal cadets already. It¡¯s not something that goes against the regtions¡­¡±

    The warden sweated. Then, he appeared embarrassed as he quickly resumed knocking on the door.

    ¡°Guys. If you don¡¯te out now, know that I¡¯ll open the door and go in!¡±

    Is that meant to be a threat? Yu Jitae watched on.

    The warden unlocked the lock with his key but the door was still stuck by something, unable to be opened.

    ¡°Aigo, why is it like this¡­ they must¡¯ve done something with the door.¡±

    Yu Jitae nced at the cameraman¡¯s watch before cing his hand next to the door. Killing intent left through his palm and cut the baseball bat, locking the sliding door from inside, in half.

    It looked strange in the eyes of the warden. Yu Jitae gently slid the door to the side and it opened.

    Three cadets were lying down on mats, smoking cigarettes.

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°What the fk.¡±

    Staring at the door that suddenly opened, the broken baseball bat and Yu Jitae, they raised their bodies up. Wearing a serious look on his face, the warden told Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Sorry for all the trouble. I have no excuses.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ll try to do my best from now on.¡±

    Yu Jitae was about to tell him to stay still but decided against it, because the warden¡¯s face looked a lot more serious. After entering the storage he spoke with a resolve that was a tiny bit, about as big as a rat¡¯s tail, stronger than before.

    ¡°Guys. What are you doing here.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have everyone there. At this rate, no-one will be able toplete the guidance procedures until 10 o¡¯clock.¡±

    ¡°Ah, and what.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not even allowed to eat right now.¡±

    The cadets giggled in response.

    ¡°Do you think anyone would want to eat food here.¡±

    ¡°We can just go outside and eat something better. Do you even hear yourself¡­¡±

    He pped once.

    ¡°Still, you need to eat. It¡¯s thest time you¡¯ll be having food here. Right?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all going to be leaving at 10 anyways.¡±

    ¡°No no. We will send you off earlier if you cooperate better, you know?¡±

    ¡°Sir.¡±

    It was then. The one sitting in the middle called the warden with a low voice.

    ¡°Do you really think we are retarded?¡±

    With a tattoo of an eagle underneath his eyes, he was from the greatest nurturing facility of North America, ¡®Noblesse School¡¯. The name written on his name tag was Jake whom Ichimon from the sentries had been talking about.

    ¡°Just go. Stop annoying us. We¡¯ll get the fuc* out of here at 10 without you doing anything.¡±

    The warden pressed on.

    ¡°How can you guys do this? We enjoyed thest few months together. Can¡¯t you just listen to my request once for the final time?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a disgusting delusion. Who enjoyed what?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°At least I didn¡¯t.¡±

    The two next to him also giggled saying, ¡°Me too,¡± and ¡°I hated Tuesdays the most¡±. Today was a Tuesday, which probably was the day this old man was in charge of.

    All the time he spent was being denied, reduced toughingstock which caused his expression to be depressed. But judging from how his favourability towards them still hadn¡¯t changed, it seemed that he was feeling lost and lonely, instead of being offended and upset.

    Even now, the camera was filming the cadets and the old man. Knowing that their faces will be censored anyway, they showed a V with their fingers at the camera.

    At this rate, he really will be going home at 10. Yu Jitae spoke to the warden.

    ¡°Step outside for a bit please.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Go outside. You as well.¡±

    The prison warden and the camera crew were chased out of the storage. However, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t leave after they all left and the moment they curiously pointed their cameras at him, he closed the door.

    ¡°Uhh? Uh?¡±

    Click¨C

    And the door was locked.

    ¡°Haigo¡­¡±

    They were losing more and more film time.

    Wearing a dumbfounded expression, the VJ asked the warden what was happening, but didn¡¯t receive any response from the simrly dumbfounded warden. The door was closed shut. Curiously, they leaned closer to the door but nothing could be heard from inside the storage.

    *

    After around 10 minutes, the door was pushed open.

    Surprisingly, the cadets opened the door with their own hands and walked out.

    ¡°Guys. Uhh, umm¡­¡±

    Surprised, the warden was about to talk to the cadets but realised that their expressions were dead. Like children who saw a mass murderer on a dark mountain, cold beads of sweat were flowing down their cheeks as their eyes trembled unstably. Their hands and feet shivered.

    However, they weren¡¯t hurt anywhere and fortunately, it seemed that they weren¡¯t hit or anything.

    ¡°S, sorry. Sir¡­¡±

    ¡°¡°Sorry¡­!¡±¡±

    The warden was startled at their sonorous shout of apology. Like a herd of meek sheep, they quietly followed the warden¡¯s instructions and returned to the auditorium.

    That wasn¡¯t the end.

    ¡°Oi, you bastards! Line up properly, you hear me? Meal! It¡¯s time for the meal, you bunch of trash!¡±

    As if they were being chased by zombies, they urgently threatened other cadets to move quickly. Theirmands however, were virtuous.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be having breakfast together. Go to the front!¡±

    Jake from Noblesse School became the one in charge as he shouted his guts out to lead the cadets into the cafeteria.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with him? Has he gone mad?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this shit about¡­¡±

    There was a hierarchy among the cadets. Jake must¡¯ve acted like the leader for a long time, evident from how the cadets meekly obeyed his orders despite grumbling at times.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    The warden was greatly shocked.

    ¡°M, Mister Guardian. What did you do just then with the door closed?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°How in the world did you make them like that? How are those kids so regted¡­¡±

    He asked with sincere curiosity but Yu Jitae remained silent. It wasn¡¯t much, and he just used a slightly different method to the one he used back in the days that made the demon race of the Demon World good.

    ¡°What¡¯s the next schedule.¡±

    After that, everything was a piece of cake. Once Jake began listening to the instructions, the cadets also obeyed their given orders. The 27 cadets hurriedly pushed the food down their throat as if it was water.

    The 3-hour schedule ended in 25 minutes.

    ¡®How did this¡­¡¯

    The warden began feeling doubtful about his guidance philosophy of love and tolerance.

    ¡°Ahh, we¡¯re doomed. What do we say to the MD¡­? We don¡¯t have enough.¡±

    ¡°What can we do at this point? It¡¯s over.¡±

    The filming crew heaved sighs.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae returned to the dormitory after 25 minutes, thus ending the Campus Community Service.

    ***

    Next day, Yu Jitae was out walking with Kaeul and Chirpy. A group of cadets that looked like delinquents walked up to them with sticks in hand. They were the ones that were with Jake inside the storage.

    Kaeul was worriedly ncing at them, when they suddenly bent their backs into right angles.

    ¡°¡°Good morning, Mister Guardian!!¡±¡±

    ¡°Mommy¡­!¡±

    Startled, Kaeul hid behind Yu Jitae, while the baby chicken hid behind Kaeul.

    He nonchntly nodded at them. The sticks they were holding were in fact broomsticks, which they were using to clean the environment as a part ofmunity service.

    After Yu Jitae greeted them back, they started cleaning once again. They were so diligent with their task that not a single speck of dust remained where their brooms had gone past.

    Once those cadets disappeared into the distance, Kaeul hugged the baby chicken dumbfoundedly and asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?!¡±

    ¡°¡­Who knows.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re really hard-working¡­ they look scary but they¡¯re kind people I think.¡±

    They became kind.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±

    Yu Jitae walked on.

    The road on a bright spring day was sparkling clean.

 Chapter 130: Troubling (1)

    <h4>Chapter 130: Troubling (1)</h4>

    There was arge hill behind Dorm Building 107. It was one of the really few mountains of Haytling.

    Cadets were prohibited from entering it but recently, this ce was gaining many visitors.

    ¡°Chirp.¡±

    One of them was the baby chicken. About once a week, the baby chicken, Chirpy, would leave the dormitory in secret and head to the mountain. He, who was now slightly bigger than a basketball, knew how to use mana and could easily move up and down the mountain.

    The baby chicken chose this area as its own territory and fought against the cat spirit beast group. Back in the days, it would be reduced to a pulp every time but due to its current size, the cat spirit beasts were unable to fight Chirpy back.

    ¡°Meeeoow¡­¡±

    A cat growled in anger after being stepped on the head by the baby chicken.

    ¡°Chirp. (If you want to intrude yet again, so be it).¡±

    ¡°Chip. (But do tell your children yourst words).¡±

    Once the chicken lifted its feet up, the cats immediately ran away.

    The baby chicken was always doubtful. Despite running away, they didn¡¯t go far. Their hideout seemed to be nearby but it had no idea what they were doing there or why.

    ¡°You went outside again, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    On unlucky days, the chicken tended to be caught by Bom.

    ¡°Chirp? (Chirp?)¡±

    ¡°Acting cute doesn¡¯t work on me. Are you going to keep on going outside like that?¡±

    ¡°Chirp.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not just going outside for a walk, are you. You always fight someone and get hurt.¡±

    Bom scolded the baby chicken with a quiet voice. She didn¡¯t know if the baby chicken understood her words or not, but she still had to say it to relieve herself of frustration.

    ¡°Seriously, what are you going to do if Kaeul sees you hurt?¡±

    Kaeul loved Chirpy.

    She always hugged it to sleep, and the chicken was the first thing she looked for in the morning. Kaeul brushed its yellow fur everyday and on non-school days, she was always the one giving it food and taking it outside on a walk.

    ¡°This won¡¯t work.¡±

    Even Bom herself felt sad looking at the injured baby chicken. Then how would Kaeul feel, being the one that took the chicken in?

    Heaving a sigh, Bom called the protector.

    ¡°Yes, mydy. Have you called me.¡±

    ¡°Watch after this kid from now on please.¡±

    The protector¡¯s crimson eyes flickered. Ever since that day, the baby chicken was locked up in the storage when Kaeul wasn¡¯t home.

    ¨C Chirp chirp!

    *

    Meanwhile, there was another one leaving the house in secret. It was Gyeoul.

    Usually the lessons at Lair didn¡¯t ovep and there was always someone staying behind at the house. But whenever no-one was home, Gyeoul would take a nap, read a book, or y with the protector and the baby chicken.

    And now she had a secret which no-one knew about apart from Yu Jitae.

    After she became good at walking on her own feet ¨C and after she mastered how to fly in the air with magic, Gyeoul asionally left through the window of Bom¡¯s room and wandered around the residential area.

    She was a dragon despite being young, and because she had received magic theories from Bom, she was able to somewhat use the alternate dimension of dragons, [Laws of Nature (S)]. Thus, she knew how to avoid others.

    Recently, Gyeoul had a new hobby ¨C it was feeding some cat spirit beasts.

    Even today, she sneaked outside, cuddling a bunch of baby chicken feed with her two hands. Hiding her presence, she flew and headed to the mountain behind Dorm 107.

    After she fed them several times at the same ce, the cat spirit beasts always gathered here. They were always injured for some reason. She opened therge bag of feed in front of them.

    Nom nom¡­

    Nom nom¡­

    Hearing the cat spirit beasts eat, Gyeoul made a bright smile.

    They ate so zealously that it made her feel good just by watching them. Some of those cats walked up and tried to lick her but Gyeoul refused them by shaking her head. It was because they looked dirty.

    ¡°¡­Is it, delicious?¡±

    Nyaa.

    Meoww!

    But today, one of the spirit beasts ced something down in front of Gyeoul.

    It was a dead mouse.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Wearing an ufortable expression, she shook her head.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t, need.¡±

    Nyao¡­

    Meow¡­

    The cat spirit beasts were disheartened after understanding her words.

    In any case, she was feeding them like any other day when something clinked behind her. Startled, the cat spirit beasts immediately ran into the forest.

    Suddenly left alone in front of the remaining pile of food, Gyeoul discovered a big shadow towering over her from behind and turned her head.

    ¡°Youngdy. What are you doing here.¡±

    Wearing a thick padded jacket despite being spring, the figure was wearing a flower-patterned apron, brand new rubber gloves, a ck mask and a pair of sunsses hiding the crimson dots beneath.

    It was the protector.

    In response to the question, Gyeoul nced behind before pushing the food forward with her two hands. She was gesturing that she had been giving food.

    ¡°Huu. Youngdy. You can¡¯t give food to the cats.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°The chicken ising outside and fighting them because the cats keeping to this ce.¡±

    Gyeoul tilted her head.

    ¡°¡­They¡¯ll be, hungry.¡±

    ¡°You still can¡¯t. Even if you don¡¯t feed them, youngdy, they¡¯ll hunt or do something to take care of themselves. Please do not feed them from now on. I¡¯ll be keeping the feed myself at a different ce.¡±

    Gyeoul crossed her arms, seemingly discontent. However, the protector who was always nice to her remained headstrong.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, youngdy.¡±

    She was acting bold but when that didn¡¯t work, she soon became depressed.

    ¡°¡­I, hate you.¡±

    ***

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking I should start publishing.¡±

    ¡°Publish?¡±

    Bom nodded, wearing a pair of circr-framed sses.

    ¡°There¡¯s way too much time left until the writing contest and writing by myself is difficult. I think getting feedback from people will help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing it right now.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not scary, right?¡±

    Well, she was right. Her novel wasn¡¯t scary at all.

    ¡°I thought about it, but is there a novel ahjussi would find scary?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°See? Your qualification as a horror novel reader is questionable.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He touched the back of his neck.

    The Regressor was trying to study the horror genre himself, by looking through other novels. Extremely disgusting descriptions, plot twists, fear of the unknown and the disappearance of the most confident ones were cliches that happened in many horror novels. However, Bom¡¯s novel did not have any of them.

    ¡°Maybe the genre doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be better to write something you¡¯re good at. Since you¡¯re good with magic, how about something rted to that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a scary woman you know.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her expression remained utterly shameless.

    ¡°I¡¯m, still a dragon you know¡­¡±

    ¡°Right. I see.¡±

    Bom nkly stared back at Yu Jitae, before turning to the screen.

    ¡°Anyway, it must¡¯ve been because ahjussi doesn¡¯t get scared. Normal people will be scared plenty.¡±

    And after a week.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom¡¯s fist shivered looking at the screen. She uploaded quite a lot of chapters but the reactions seemed to have been less than satisfactory.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She slowly took the sses off and ced them on the table.

    ¡°Apparently my novel¡¯s not scary.¡±

    What did I say.

    Bom suddenly flicked her head towards him and said, ¡°Did you just think to yourself that it was a natural result?¡±

    She guessed it right.

    It was rare to see a frown on her face. She was taking in deep breaths while her hands were temperamentally forming fists. Ever since she had been insulted by Yeorum in Africa, this was the first time Bom was getting this angry.

    ¡°Like, how is this not scary? It¡¯s scary to me.¡±

    ¡°What do thements say.¡±

    ¡°Look. See this.¡±

    She showed him thements.

    ¨C Ehnng? So a mysterious manes up and just grabs you by the cor and that¡¯s it?? Lololololol

    ¨C Ukk kekek. I thought it was the chin lololol. It was cor huh lolol

    ¡°Like, why are theyughing¡­!¡±

    It seemed that watching peopleugh at a novel that was made to make them scared, was upsetting her.

    ¨C My wifey grabbing me by the cor will be a lot scarier than that haha~~

    ¨C Aye. It¡¯s not a street fight right lol. Cor is a bit weird lmao.

    ¡°¡­Apparently so.¡±

    With a sigh, she covered her eyes with her hands.

    Looking at the text, there indeed was a scene with the cor but even in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, it didn¡¯t seem scary at all. To be exact, it didn¡¯t feel like something a mysterious and dangerous stranger would do.

    ¡°Do you also think it¡¯s not scary, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it scary? Think about it. It¡¯s not broad daylight.¡±

    He quietly nodded his head, because it really wasn¡¯t scary. Then, Bom suddenly clicked her fingers. With a click!, her spell turned the lights off and the curtains immediately closed themselves.

    Inside the shroud of darkness, Bom grabbed Yu Jitae who was sitting next to her, by the cor. She then slowly came closer.

    ¡°Look. Still? Still not scary?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t just grabbing the cor. He was ring at you from above like this, you know? A stranger?¡±

    She then gave an angry expression.

    Nheless, it still wasn¡¯t scary no matter how close or far her face was. When Yu Jitae shook his head, Bom released her hand with a dispirited expression. She wobbled her way to the chair and copsed on it with a deep sigh that could extinguish embers.

    ¡°I feel dejected. Maybe I¡¯m not talented at writing.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re good at writing.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The cor is the problem. Why the cor.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s scary if they suddenly cross the line, right. Because you¡¯re not mentally prepared yet¡­?¡±

    ¡°Is that the case?¡±

    ¡°Nn. You can¡¯t run away when you¡¯re grabbed either.¡±

    She had her reasons for writing it that way.

    Bom was depressed.

    Yu Jitae stood up and killing his presence, he melted into the darkness. Right when Bom started looking around in surprise, a rigid arm shot out of the darkness and caught her chin.

    Startled, Bom took a few steps back before crashing into the wall. ¡°Uht¡­!¡± she gasped. Slowly, Yu Jitae¡¯s face was revealed from the veil of darkness.

    Suddenly,

    It was an expected turn of events,

    When she wasn¡¯t mentally prepared.

    She couldn¡¯t even look away even if she wanted to, so a sincerely flustered look appeared on her face.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Immediately, Bom pushed Yu Jitae¡¯s shoulders away with her hands. She tried her hardest to push him away so he pulled his body back.

    ¡°How was it. Was it okay?¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­¡±

    ¡°The cor is a bit weird so wouldn¡¯t it be scarier to grab the chin and force them into a situation where they can¡¯t look away.¡±

    He was expecting Bom to agree. Despite killing almost all his senses now to respect the privacies of the dragons, he could still hear her dragon heart fluttering resonantly. It must¡¯ve been quite scary.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that scary you know?¡±

    ¡°You flinched quite hard.¡±

    ¡°I was just surprised. Nothing else.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true¡­ and before you do something like that, can you at least give me a sign?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    Despite what she was saying, it seemed to have been scary. As if to prove that, Bom had her head nted down as she softly whispered with a warm sigh.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s troubling.¡±

    *

    She looked very troubled.

    Suddenly, for a split second, Yu Jitae felt something strange. For some reason, he wanted to make her feel more troubled.

    What should he call this, he pondered quietly. Thinking back, he could remember Bomughing as she made him feel perplexed. Was this how she felt? Back then, Bom expressed that as ¡®interesting¡¯.

    In other words, does that mean he found it interesting to have the Green Dragon feel perplexed?

    Since it was a refreshing feeling for the Regressor, he decided to make her troubled one more time.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    The grass-coloured gaze turned towards him.

 Chapter 131: Troubling (2)

    <h4>Chapter 131: Troubling (2)</h4>

    ¡°Why?¡±

    However, the Regressor couldn¡¯t continue. Now that he thought about it, he didn¡¯t know what had made her feel so troubled.

    What did he do just then?

    He had suddenly approached her in the darkness.

    Thinking back, something simr had happened when she first tried writing a novel. When he grabbed her on the neck from behind, she was frightened.

    Back then, the Regressor had slightly regretted his actions. She acted normally the next day but the memory of getting startled would remain in her memories forever.

    He therefore decided to just ask her.

    ¡°Why did you feel troubled.¡±

    Her usually indifferent expression turned into a frown.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    He told her he was curious.

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna tell ya.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As always, she was carrying a gaze that didn¡¯t reveal her inner thoughts as well as a simr expression and voice. And while she was looking at his face, it felt like her gaze was reaching somewhere deeper.

    ¡°Then why did you feel perplexed, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You also feel troubled and perplexed when I suddenly get closer to you.¡±

    When he remained silent, Bom squinted her eyes and approached him. She, who had been sitting on the chair in front, ced her hands on his thighs and leaned her body forward.

    ¡°Actually.¡±

    She slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°I wanted to say this.¡±

    ¡°¡­Say what.¡±

    ¡°¡®You don¡¯t need to know¡¯.¡±

    Bom spoke with an indifferent and powerless voice. Her hazy and foggy gaze seemed to be trying to imitate someone.

    When he gave an emptyugh, Bom giggled.

    ¡°If I ask you, ¡®Why do you feel perplexed?¡¯ you would answer like that right? Just like what you¡¯ve always been doing.¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°Is there even a reason? A reason why you¡¯re perplexed?¡±

    It was a fundamental doubt.

    In fact, even he doubted the reason why he felt perplexed.

    Through the repetitive regressions and especially after the second and the third ones, he lost almost all sexual interest. To be more exact, instead of just sexual interest, he lost interest in forming a deep rtionship that crossed personal boundaries, since every rtionship in the world would leave him behind and dissipate.

    Losing that had caused him pain in the second iteration;

    And fearing the loss was the third iteration.

    After that, he learned how not to get hurt, and began living without fearing anything. It wasn¡¯t difficult. He just had to draw a line without allowing anyone to cross it.

    But his distancing policy faced a great dilemma in the seventh iteration, when he began living a daily life.

    In fact, there were several dilemmas. People that had to be distanced with and situations that didn¡¯t allow him to create distances were intertwined in his life.

    And the greatest dilemma of them all¡­

    ¡°I, think I know.¡±

    ¡­was none other than this kid.

    ¡°What do you know.¡±

    ¡°You know? I know a lot more than you think.¡±

    She continued with a pout.

    ¡°Remember how Kaeul called you a kid, ahjussi. The reason¡¯s a bit different, but now I think she¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Let¡¯s say there¡¯s a pirate who lived travelling around the oceans for 20 years, and a bandit who lived in a mountain for 40 years.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Usually, the bandit will be more of an adult than the pirate.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right.¡±

    ¡°But in the ocean, the pirate has more experience than the bandit so he¡¯s the adult there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright, I get that but, what are you trying to say right now.¡±

    Her lips began twitching. Slowly, her eyes began avoiding his gaze.

    ¡°Just, you know¡­¡±

    It looked like she was trying her hardest to hold herughter inside.

    ¡°I was thinking, that I might be more of an adult, in certain areas¡­¡±

    Taking her hands off of his thighs, she went back to her seat. Then, she tucked her hair behind her ear before turning to theputer disy screen.

    It felt like something had happened, but he didn¡¯t know what.

    ¡°Let¡¯s write.¡±

    Saying something that didn¡¯t have to be said out loud, she started typing on the keyboard.

    Her white ear, the hair tucked behind that ear and several strands of hair that weren¡¯t tucked ¨C looking at her side profile, Yu Jitae suddenly realised that he had been forgetting something.

    He was trying to ask her about the reason she felt perplexed but he waspletely swallowed up to her pace before even realising it. Thus, he didn¡¯t get to ask the reason, nor was he able to make her troubled again.

    All the things that had been nned and failed in the seventh iteration were always like this.

    In any case, there was no reason to stay here any further when she was working. While leaving the room, he powerlessly spoke to her.

    ¡°If you want to know why, I¡¯ll tell you. There hasn¡¯t been anyone like you who crossed the line to approach me.¡±

    Her eyes that were focused on the screen widened.

    ¡°And, that¡¯s why I find you troubling.¡±

    But without seeing that, he walked out of her room.

    *

    [39. There hasn¡¯t been anyone like you who crossed the line to approach me. Hhe..]

    For an instant, she almost died from being overly perplexed.

    [Heh¡­hehe¡­]

    [Huhuhuhuhu]

    Thinking about it again made her feel perplexed yet again. In order to stop the corners of her lips from curling up, she took several deep breaths in and out and closed the book.

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ¡ï¡ï]

    Then she added colour to the empty star. Suddenly, another doubt appeared in her mind, so she opened the book and added another line.

    [?. Question: Why didn¡¯t ahjussi do a prank? I thought I induced it more than enough¡­]

    The moment Yu Jitae walked up to a hair¡¯s breadth and grabbed her by the chin, Bom was indeed flustered and was perplexed.

    However, expressing that was a different matter altogether. She didn¡¯t have to state it out loud that she was perplexed and yet still bothered to do so.

    Until now, she had never shown herself feeling troubled. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just Yu Jitae and no-one had ever seen it.

    In other words, all the expressions and words that had been shared today had been nned. Yu Jitae was sensitive to things rted to the dragons so she thought he would be intrigued by her showing such a side¡­

    [Was I too rash?]

    Inducing something had to be subtle. But how subtle did it have to be for him to notice it? Bom contemted for a little bit longer before adding to her observation diary.

    [¡­Or should I do a bit more?]

    Maybe the bait today was too small.

    ***

    2 pm.

    Although she was first ording to the results of the first quarter, that was only one fourth of the 4 months ofpetition. Yeorum¡¯s fight was still in process and as always, she left the house for the individual spars.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get going then.¡±

    ¡°Are you fine going alone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fed up. Why do you try to monitor us 24 hours? Daddy is always like that¡­!¡±

    Yeorum grumbled, imitating some character of a morning drama. Seeing the serious look on Yu Jitae¡¯s face, she giggled.

    ¡°See ya~¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    In the living room were Yu Jitae, Bom and the protector, all staring deeply at something.

    Gyeoul was taking lollies out of a container that was as big as her thigh, and was aggressively scavenging through it. Last week, Kaeul bought several containers together and recently, Gyeoul was almost crazy for lollies.

    ¡°She¡¯s eating them really well.¡±

    ¡°She is.¡±

    These days, she loved eating more and more, to the point that she ate 10 people¡¯s worth of toasts and fish cakes. Due to that, her originally visible jawline was reced with a double chin.

    ¡°Chirpy. Let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Meanwhile, Kaeul was feeding the baby chicken.

    She was training the chicken these days. Hearing her voice, the baby chicken toddled forward. When Kaeul slightly lowered her face, the yellow furry ball approached her head and gently pecked on her cheek.

    ¡°Good!¡±

    The feed came pouring down. In fact, the baby chicken had eaten in the morning before Kaeul woke up and yet it was still eating well.

    Thus, it made the protector think to himself.

    ¡®First time seeing a spirit beast like that. Is that a baby chicken or a pig.¡¯

    Without sparing them a nce, Gyeoul zealously pushed lollies into her mouth. Everyone stared at both the baby chicken and Gyeoul, as if they were watching a mukbang* youtuber.

    Gyeoul was enjoying the food but soon noticed the protector¡¯s gaze and looked up. Then, she looked at Yu Jitae, Bom and Kaeul.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    She was asking what they were looking at.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re cute.¡±

    Bom giggled, ¡°Hihi¡±. When Gyeoul smiled back, it was more obvious that her cheeks were chubbier than usual.

    She got fatter indeed.

    Dragons weren¡¯t gods, and were organisms just like humans. That was why young hatchlings that were unable to regte themselves could easily get fat.

    But maybe the reason she was craving food more than usual was because it was soon time for her to shed skin.

    In any case, he wasn¡¯t going to take food away from her and nkly watched Gyeoul who smiled widely from a mere lolly.

    Soon, the lollies were all gone.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul stared at the empty container. Her lips that were closed into a pout appeared extremely discontent.

    She turned to Kaeul.

    Gaze: Is there no more.

    ¡°Nn. There is! I bought a lot.¡±

    Kaeul took a lolly container from her room but on the way, something seemed to have sparked in her mind.

    ¡°Gyeoul. You¡¯re not asking for the lollies for free, are you?¡±

    Tilt?

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Lowering her body, Kaeul closed her eyes.

    After realising something, Gyeoul approached her and pecked on her cheek. ¡°Kyahaha! Well done!¡± yelled Kaeul with a wide smile as she pushed the container forward.

    For some reason, Kaeul seemed to be finding her exceptionally cuter today. She watched Gyeoul indulge in the lollies from the side before asking her.

    ¡°Can you give one to unni?¡±

    The pair of blue eyes turned towards her. Kaeul opened her mouth.

    ¡°Ahh¨C.¡±

    Gyeoul stopped her bright smile, and said.

    ¡°¡­For, free?¡±

    Hearing that, both Bom and Kaeul bursted intoughter. Bom wasughing too, but Kaeul almost literally rolled on the floor.

    Gyeoul went a step further. Pushing her chubby cheeks forward, she tapped it with her fingers and Kaeul finally ended up on the floorughing.

    ¡°Uuh¡­ You¡¯re not like a normal kid! You¡¯re all grown up already, aren¡¯t you?!¡±

    ¡°¡­If you don¡¯t want,¡±

    ¡°No-one said that!¡±

    Chu! Chuu! After receiving several pecks on her cheek, Gyeoul smiled bashfully and passed the lollies over.

    Kururung. Kurung¡­ Hearing something strange, Yu Jitae turned to the side and found the protector avoiding his gaze.

    Youughin¡¯?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Those red eyes flickered but bent like bows once it looked back at Gyeoul.

    It seemed that this guy also knew how tough.

    After that, they started running around mindlessly.

    Gyeoul ran after the baby chicken to hug it while the baby chicken wanted Kaeul to hug it instead. Kaeul was enjoying the procedure and ran away for no reason, but because the living room wasn¡¯t that big, the run didn¡¯tst long and she was caught soon enough.

    ¡°Guys. Don¡¯t run too much.¡±

    Bom intervened to calm them down.

    ¡°What if the people living under usin.¡±

    ¡°Nnn? Wasn¡¯t your dimension protecting our unit, unni?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm¡­ That¡¯s true but¡­?¡±

    That was when the baby chicken, who was running out from the room, identally crashed into Bom¡¯s stomach.

    Hugging the baby chicken in her arms, she took a few steps back before falling down.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    It happened to be right next to the sofa Yu Jitae was on. He, who was nkly sitting there, instinctively raised his body and supported Bom with his arms. Being a dragon, she wouldn¡¯t get hurt and it wasn¡¯t a dangerous situation, but it was literally an instinctive reaction.

    ¡°Ah, sorry. Ahjussi¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you alright.¡±

    Bom, who was being awkwardly held by Yu Jitae, ced the baby chicken down and turned her head. Since her skin was white, her flushed ears were clear and visible.

    In that instant, the Regressor realised that Bom was feeling perplexed.

    That was the end. They started running around again while Bomid down on the sofa with her face turned towards the backrest of the sofa.

    What happened just then?

    nkly staring at the green hair, he analysed the current situation. A faint touch of the body or close proximity. The situation wasn¡¯t scary, and even if it was, it wasn¡¯t excessively so.

    To Bom, it would have been an unexpected turn of events.

    Ah.

    Only then did he understand the reason Bom was feeling perplexed.

    To sum things up, it was because she was from the green race. Since she acted like she knew everything, apparently she became flustered whenever something unexpected happened to her.

    The Regressor learned something new about Bom today.

    *

    But it seemed that he didn¡¯t notice the smile on my face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Everything was going as nned.

 Chapter 132: Troubling (3)

    <h4>Chapter 132: Troubling (3)</h4>

    ¡°I think I need to study.¡±

    ¡°Study what.¡±

    ¡°Horror. Would you like to watch a movie with me?¡±

    That day, he decided to go outside with just Bom. She was wearing an oversized shirt and short pants.

    ¡°How does it look?¡± she asked. She spread her arms out wide and looked like a flying squirrel.

    ¡°Looks good.¡±

    Bom nodded in response.

    It wasn¡¯t even summer yet so he wasn¡¯t sure if there would be horror movies being screened, but there actually were some being screened right now.

    The cinema inside Lair¡¯s entertainment district had very few people. It was already nighttime, close to closing time and it seemed that the movie itself wasn¡¯t very popr either.

    Bom and Yu Jitae were the only ones watching the horror movie, as if the entire cinema had been borrowed by them.

    The movie started with a happy family adopting a baby possessed by evil ghosts.

    It wasn¡¯t that fun.

    During the movie, Bom¡¯s eyes suddenly turned nk but Yu Jitae didn¡¯t care too much about it. She was like that several times a day with the ¡®Eyes of Providence¡¯ forcibly showing her Providence on its own ord.

    Would she be able to focus on the movie?

    ¡°How was it?¡± Bom asked after the movie.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t good.¡±

    ¡°Me too. Was it scary?¡±

    ¡°The child running in with a knife was alright.¡±

    ¡°Right. That scene was good.¡±

    ¡°Did it help?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    She then went to the bathroom. After waiting outside for a few minutes, he suddenly wondered why she was going to the bathroom but decided to ignore it.

    The two of them got on an elevator. Since it was close to closing time, the elevator of the cinemas had no-one else inside. Yu Jitae stood still and Bom remained still as well.

    Nothing happened in particr.

    Because the cinemas were located at one of the top floors of the building, they had to change elevators to a different one in order to get to ground floor. However, the other elevator was out of service after closing time so Yu Jitae took Bom and headed to the emergency staircase.

    They quietly walked down the emergency staircase.

    Nothing happened in particr.

    When they got out of the building, Bom suddenly stood still on the spot. With pouty eyes she stared at him and her slightly nted eyes resembled a puppy whose treats had been taken away.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up.¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    It struck him several times, but Bom was really efficient with her words sometimes. And in the Regressor¡¯s eyes, it seemed that she was somewhat discontent.

    He had no idea why.

    ¡°Ah, would you like to go to a cafe?¡±

    She didn¡¯t look very happy tonight. Thinking that she might feel slightly better after they went to a cafe, he agreed.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Whenever they went to a cafe, Yu Jitae ordered a long ck. It was because he didn¡¯t feel anything no matter what he ate, but Bom always suggested a new menu to him.

    ¡°Ma please.¡±

    ¡°Yes miss. Ice, right. Would you like cream on top?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Two please.¡±

    Today¡¯s menu seemed to be a coffee that tastes like chocte. After grabbing the coffees, Yu Jitae and Bom sat on some small and ufortable chairs. The chairs were oddly close to each other and the height of the table was strangely low.

    ¡°Maybe this is for taking pictures.¡±

    ¡°Pictures?¡±

    ¡°You know, this ce is pretty, right?¡±

    He looked around but didn¡¯t really get it. What was clear was that it looked very ufortable.

    Yu Jitae drank the coffee with a straw. It tasted sweet and smelled like both coffee and chocte. They were drinking their drinks without any conversation when Bom asked him.

    ¡°You¡¯re not eating the cream, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no particr reason why. Why do you eat them.¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re nice? Try it at least.¡±

    Then, she used Yu Jitae¡¯s straw to scoop up some whipped cream and lifted it up. When he tried to receive the straw, she pulled her hand back and pushed it towards his mouth again, only after he lowered his hand.

    She was stubborn at making him eat it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hurry.¡±

    Left with no other choice, he ate it off of the straw in her hand. It tasted slightly sweet with a hint of the fatty smell unique to milk.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°Just so-so.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Bom still continued trying to feed him cream so Yu Jitae had to eat it on repeat.

    The street lights outside the window were bright. Stopping her hands, Bom looked off into the distance so Yu Jitae also stared at the distant streets of Lair.

    Looking back, he was alone with her for aparatively longer period of time today. The thought that he could make her feel troubled did sh at least once during that long time.

    However, he didn¡¯t.

    The image of a ¡®Mischievous Green Dragon¡¯ was something that had been formed very recently. The Green Dragons that he saw and remembered had never shown a side like this.

    For over 50 years.

    Thinking back, his rtionship with her was close to being the worst. He didn¡¯t listen to her words andpletely refused her requests. She pleaded so he pped her and tied her up.

    The voice towards the end of the sixth iteration that cursed him and imed that she would never forget this day was still vivid in his ears.

    ¡®And yet you¡¯re the one that ruined everything.¡¯

    It was a tragedy brought upon by his excessive greed. During the time, he thought it was an okay-level of greed but looking back, he realised that it had been excessive.

    But that didn¡¯t mean that he felt a sense of guilt from that. He wasn¡¯t the type of person to do so. There might be plenty of people cursing him right now but he did not care a single bit about that.

    However, it was true that the Apocalypse hade because of his excessive greed so it was important to be careful at least in this iteration.

    Therefore, there was no reason to make Bom feel perplexed just because of simple entertainment and intrigue.

    ¡°Are you thinking about a woman?¡±

    It was then that Bom turned towards him and asked. Since the Green Dragons were always females, it was true that he was thinking about a woman.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Someone I knew in the past.¡±

    ¡°How long did you know her for?¡±

    ¡°Quite a lot.¡±

    Bom halted her questions for a bit and took a sip of her drink.

    ¡°¡­But why all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°No real reason. I was just thinking about the past.¡±

    ¡°Were you friends?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Were you on bad terms?¡±

    ¡°Probably yes.¡±

    ¡°How bad?¡±

    He hesitated before answering that question. It was because this child tended to realise a bit more than what he knew and thought of.

    ¡°Very bad.¡±

    ¡°Did that woman curse you, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Simr.¡±

    ¡°What a bad person.¡±

    He smiled hazily.

    ¡°Why did that woman curse ahjussi. Did you do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you time to defend yourself.¡±

    As if she was a judge, she acted prim and spoke.

    Yu Jitae had never talked about anything on this topic with the kids, and wasn¡¯t nning on doing so in the future. But there was this strange feeling today that made him decide to show a slight fragment of it.

    He had no idea why he was feeling like this. Perhaps it was because the street lights were brighter than usual.

    ¡°It was just, an unfortunate event for both me and the opponent. We were both caught up in an unfortunate event but I seem to have been too greedy. I didn¡¯t think it would be harsh on her, so she probably would have suffered.¡±

    ¡°Was it very harsh?¡±

    ¡°If I think about it now, it probably was.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why that woman was in a very bad mood?¡±

    He agreed silently. With a more subtle voice, Bom asked.

    ¡°Do you regret it?¡±

    ¡°I used to. Back then, I had no wisdom of understanding what it was that I had to shoulder the most.¡±

    ¡°Was that person unfortunate, do you think?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    She thought for a bit before asking again.

    ¡°By the way.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What kind of woman was she?¡±

    ¡°I told you it was someone I knew.¡±

    ¡°Nn, not that.¡±

    ¡°Someone young.¡±

    ¡°Not that either. More specific please.¡±

    Following the unknown feeling, he replied.

    ¡°She was like you.¡±

    Hearing that, she stopped her questions.

    Her gaze that was fixed on Yu Jitae went slightly lower and reached the table. This strange cafe had extremely low tables so her eyes were pretty much looking at the ground. Her lips twitched slightly.

    By the time she raised her head back up, she was wearing the same indifferent look as always. Then, she scooped her own whipped cream and handed it over to Yu Jitae.

    He had gotten used to it already but when Yu Jitae opened his mouth, Bom slightly adjusted the straw to the side and smeared the cream next to his mouth.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    She looked at him with a brazen look on her face.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry. I¡¯ll do it properly now.¡±

    After he wiped the cream off, she once again went, ¡°Ahh-¡± and gave him more cream. Although he didn¡¯t find her trustworthy, he still opened his mouth and as he had expected, Bom flicked her wrist again and this time it got on his chin.

    ¡°Yu Bom¡­¡±

    There was a lot of cream on his chin. Seeing that, Bom beganughing under her breath while Yu Jitae closed his eyes and wiped his chin.

    She opened her mouth.

    ¡°But, isn¡¯t that sacrificing yourself to shoulder more than the other person?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something that grandiose and noble.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simr though?¡±

    It might be possible to say that if he were to think only for his own convenience.

    ¡°Is there meaning to a happiness built upon sacrifices?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Are you trying to say something like how happiness gets doubled when shared?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But sacrificing would be better than having greed ruin everything.¡±

    ¡°You can just be slightly greedy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine without doing that.¡±

    ¡°You might be fine ahjussi, but for me, that¡¯s a bit, weird.¡±

    She slowly swirled the whipped cream with the straw.

    ¡°That¡¯s too unfair for ahjussi¡­¡±

    The Regressor had never thought about anything along the lines of that and thus couldn¡¯t empathise with what she was saying. They became silent because of that.

    Thinking that they should get up, he took his wallet while Bom also tidied up her clothes and stood from the seat.

    And for no real reason, he flicked the whipped cream with the straw.

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    When cream got onto her cheek, her eyebrows became creased.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Revenge.¡±

    ¡°Ha¡­¡±

    Bom smiled dumbfoundedly from the unexpected childish behaviour.

    ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Standing up from the seat, the Regressor reached out and wiped the cream that was on her cheek.

    Maybe his hands were too sudden. Perplexity shed past her green eyes for a split second. Since he had seen it several times already, he was able to notice it straight away.

    He contemted whether this was excessive greed or not.

    ¡®You can just be slightly greedy.¡¯

    But the words from Bom just then washed his previous thoughts away.

    He wanted to make her feel perplexed one more time.

    Now, he understood the procedure. Close proximity, but a gesture that is not aggressive. He therefore reached his hand deeper in and ced his palm on her cheek. Her skin was soft.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Like a drop of water causing a ripple, the sign of her being perplexed spread across her face. Her eyes were looking away from his own.

    Does this mean that even the green race was unable to expect a situation like this?

    Looking on, it was quite an interesting reaction. For the first time in a very long time, the Regressor was feeling slight entertainment.

    Should I do a bit more.

    What would be something that even this ¡®Green Dragon¡¯ was unable to predict? It was when the Regressor was thinking about that.

    It was then.

    He realised that the previous look of perplexity hadpletely vanished from her expression as she gazed up at him.

    She was smiling.

    ¡°We got a little bit closer.¡±

    Hearing that, he noticed the distance between them. His tie was touching Bom¡¯s shirt.

    When the troubled look disappeared from her face in a situation like this, the one that instead became perplexed was Yu Jitae. They were too close to each other for no reason.

    Why am I doing this with her? He pondered in doubt.

    She whispered.

    ¡°Then. Now.¡±

    Bom grabbed his tie and gently pulled it.

    ¡°You won¡¯t go further away even if Ie closer¡­?¡±

    She brought her body even closer. The perplexity crossed the line and appeared in his eyes.

    Bom twitched her lips.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let go, first off.¡±

    But her two arms began wrapping around his waist.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to¡­¡±

    His face revealed an undisguisable sign of perplexity. Finally, she bursted intoughter and silentlyughed under her breath.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The built-up tension was washed away.

    He could see a green dragon sitting on the cafe chair,ughing with a hand covering her mouth. For how long had he been ying in her hands? The Regressor couldn¡¯t even estimate when it all started.

    ¡°W, were you that troubled? Like really? Tremendously?¡±

    With a face blooming of happiness, Bom teased Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Kyaa-hahahaha!¡±

    Even when they were out on the road, sheughed every time she saw his face and because of that, the road home today was longer than usual.

    *

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ¡ï¡ï¡î]

 Chapter 133: Negotiation Skills (1)

    <h4>Chapter 133: Negotiation Skills (1)</h4>

    ¡®Once addicted to sweet stuff, you cannot find enjoyment from anything not sweet.¡¯

    Gyeoul these days was always eating lollies.

    Staring at the leftover food, the Regressor thought to himself.

    On the te were vegetables, meats, a block of cheese and fruits with no signs of Gyeoul having even touched them. But if she felt happiness from eating sweet stuff, isn¡¯t that more than enough? The Regressor therefore wasn¡¯t going to intervene.

    However, the dragons seemed to think otherwise.

    ¡°Ehng? Gyeoul! Why did you leave these behind? Wait, you didn¡¯t even touch them¡­ My mum said you shouldn¡¯t leave any food behind.¡±

    Kaeul raised the problem;

    ¡°A little kid is already this picky. Oi Gyeoul you kid, don¡¯t you know how important it is to eat during the Amusement?¡±

    Yeorum criticised her;

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to eat lollies for now.¡±

    And Bom made a special arrangement for the problem.

    Gyeoul stared at her two hands that were now empty after the container of lollies had been confiscated.

    Those soft yet chewy lollies that tasted sweet,

    Those sweet yet savoury lollies with an exhratingly soury kick,

    Those gem-like lollies of vibrant colours that were always in her hands¡­

    They were no longer there¡­

    ¡°¡­How, could, this be¡­¡±

    She became depressed.

    On a certain weekend, Yu Jitae took Bom and Kaeul out of Unit 301.

    ¡°Why just us two? What about Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°I want to ask a few questions about shedding skin.¡±

    ¡°Shedding skin?¡±

    Kaeul widened her eyes. Shedding skin referred to how dragons shed their old skin as their bodies grew in size. They walked into a cafe near the residential area as Bom ordered Yu Jitae¡¯s drink today as well.

    ¡°Nn? Why are you choosing ahjussi¡¯s drink, unni?¡±

    ¡°Because he only drinks coffee.¡±

    She squinted her eyes and smiled.

    ¡°Is that soo? Hmmm~¡±

    ¡°Why. Is it weird?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    They sat on a table after receiving their drinks. Both in the fifth and the sixth iterations, the Blue Dragon had gone through two skin-shedding processes ording to his knowledge.

    Every time it happened, the Regressor was not inside the undergroundbyrinth so he didn¡¯t exactly know the type of situation she was in. The only thing he checked back then was that there were no threats to her life and health.

    By the time he arrived there after the Blue Dragon shed skin, he was met with the old shell of a dragon, body fluids and blood. Due to the effects of [Fragment of Paradise], the whole ce was in a mess. He had faint memories of how the Green Dragon was sluggishly cleaning up the mess.

    Looking back to it, that was when the Blue Dragon began acting weird. Despite being under the influence of the paradise, she trembled anxiously or injured herself by biting on the skin.

    He thought it was weird but didn¡¯t think it was very serious, because something simr happened everywhere in the battlefield.

    But now, it was something that had to be asked.

    ¡°You guys went through it as well, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. I went through it twice.¡±

    Kaeul, who was now 11, said with a smile.

    ¡°But mine came quite fast!¡±

    ¡°Fast?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Shedding skin depends a lot on the situation. My mum was very very loving so mine was a bit earlier.¡±

    Love.

    It was a tough topic.

    ¡°Right. The environment is very important.¡±

    Bom added more.

    ¡°It¡¯s more the environment than love. What¡¯s important is whether the situation needs them to grow or not, and that¡¯s why the thoughts of the hatchling are significantly important.¡±

    ¡°The thoughts of the hatchling?¡±

    ¡°You see, dragons can grow as much as they want, to the form they want to grow in.¡±

    ¡°Right right! I wanted to be an adult as soon as possible!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°My mum was the guardian deity of Kirido Dukedom.¡±

    Kirido Dukedom was probably the name of a country back in Askalifa.

    ¡°My mum being loved by the citizens looked very cool and I became jealous, so I wanted to look after my mum. That¡¯s why I¡¯m really simr to my mum, like, appearance and stuff.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then what do you think of our unit as an environment.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­!¡±

    Both Kaeul and Bom pondered for a bit before replying.

    ¡°It feels like our house.¡±

    ¡°Me too. It¡¯sfortable and snuggish.¡±

    ¡°Un un. First, I love how ahjussi always buys us delicious breakfast in the morning. What about you unni?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    While they were chattering about what they loved about Unit 301, he thought to himself.

    Both the undergroundbyrinth that forcibly injected happiness and Unit 301 that contained peaceful daily lives weren¡¯t environments that required one to grow rapidly.

    He sent a message with his watch.

    [Me: Yeorum]

    [Yu Yeorum: ??]

    [Yu Yeorum: What¡¯s up lol]

    [Me: When did you shed skin]

    [Yu Yeorum: When I was super young]

    [Yu Yeorum: Like 3 times yeah]

    3 times at the age of 16, and when she was young.

    Since she had to be stronger, she had to be an adult as soon as possible. That¡¯s why she went through the process multiple times at a young age.

    It made sense ording to what they were saying.

    [Me: K]

    [Yu Yeorum: -.-]

    [Yu Yeorum: What¡¯s up? Is that all? -.-]

    Yu Jitae turned the messenger off. The rm rang a few more times after that but he nonchntly ignored them.

    There was a time when he had taken Bom to the undergroundbyrinth. He therefore decided to ask her.

    ¡°If Gyeoul sheds skin at the undergroundbyrinth, what would it be like.¡±

    ¡°What? You definitely can¡¯t do that.¡±

    Bom¡¯s response came immediately after his words.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°We be really sensitive when shedding skin. It¡¯s the time when dragons be the most sensitive. At a young age, it¡¯s hard to control mana properly and the body hasn¡¯t grown enough so both the body and the mind are extremely fragile. The light from thebyrinth will have a negative impact for sure.¡±

    The Regressor didn¡¯t know what to say. It was rare for Bom to say something in such a clear-cut manner.

    ¡°Hukk. Really? Where is the undergroundbyrinth? What¡¯s it like!?¡±

    Kaeul, the only one that hadn¡¯t visited thebyrinth yet, widened her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a mental hospital, where happiness is forcefully injected into you.¡±

    ¡°Ahah¡­! Then if I shed skin there, would I like, die or something?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t die, but wouldn¡¯t it feel like you¡¯d rather die?¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s even scarier¡­ but why?¡±

    ¡°We be sensitive when shedding skin right. We can¡¯t take in irrational and unreasonable things when that happens, so what would it feel like to have happiness injected into us?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Nn? I see¡­ right, I also heard my mum swearing about my dad when I was shedding skin¡­¡±

    The two of them chatted, going through a simtion of how it would be like in such a situation.

    Meanwhile, the Regressor gazed at the blue lemonade that Bom ordered with a hazy gaze.

    His thoughts were muddled.

    They wouldn¡¯t die, but would rather die.

    He remembered the end of the sixth iteration. The blue-haired girl that stopped her own heart. The words that had been spoken by that little girl vividly shed past his ears.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Those thoughts sparked up against his will. Branching into other further thoughts, they gained size. Most of them were negative emotions and memories.

    But when the kids became aware of his silent state, Yu Jitae ced a stop on the continuing thoughts.

    Whatever the case, those had all been in the past.

    ¡°Also, I have another question¡­¡±

    That day, Yu Jitae asked them everything about shedding skin.

    ***

    Lying down on the living room floor, Gyeoul appeared disheartened. The protector nced at the child¡¯s eyes. Gyeoul, who was nkly staring at the ceiling, had the expression of a person who had lost everything in the world.

    A few minutes ago, Gyeoul whimpered to Bom and asked for lollies but failed. After that, she came to the protector and asked if she could go outside but the protector had to hide his sorrow and say no.

    These days, the cat spirit beasts weren¡¯t gathering near the house after Gyeoul stopped going outside. In other words, stopping her from going outside was working out.

    ¡°For the next three weeks, you are not allowed to leave, youngdy.¡±

    Hearing that, she crossed her arms. Even her arms were slightly chubbier than before and thus resulted in a chubby appearance.

    After staring at the protector with a dissatisfied look on her face, sheid down on the floor, carrying out a one-man protest.

    In fact, she was fine at least around 10 minutes ago because Yu Jitae was inside the house.

    Having everything taken away from her, Gyeoul ran up to Yu Jitae and was hugged. She then checked his ne and gazed at his face to be at rest both physically and mentally.

    But he went outside with just Kaeul and Bom. Gyeoul asked if she could go out with them as well but in the end, he only took the two of them outside.

    After that, this cute yet beautiful and precious youngdy started lying down on the floor, as if her soul had followed them outside.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gaze: What is life¡­

    ¡°Umm¡­ youngdy. Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lying still on the ground, she rolled her eyes to the side but ignored him.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    It was then. Gyeoul widened her eyes with a sh. Havinge up with something, she sat up on the ground and with a serious look on her face, she touched her chin.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After pondering for a little bit, she stood up and walked to the protector with a determined expression.

    ¡°Youngdy?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The child pointed at the gates on the other side of the corridor.

    ¡°Are you saying you would like to go outside? You cannot.¡±

    ¡°¡­Do you, have to do that?¡±

    ¡°My apologies. Even if you do go outside, I must go with you and you can¡¯t carry the feed outside either.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sorrowfully and slowly, she approached him. The protector became nervous, because it was rare for Gyeoul to personally walk up to him.

    After nearing him, Gyeoul ced her hands on his gauntlet.

    ¡°¡­I, bought you this¡­¡±

    She was referring to the pink rubber gloves.

    At this point in time, the protector felt like he had be a great sinner. But he couldn¡¯t allow it. What was no, was no.

    ¡°My apologies.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you¡­ stubborn as a donkey?¡±

    ¡°Kuhuk.¡±

    Gururuk¨C

    The protector¡¯s heart began wobbling.

    But he still couldn¡¯t allow it. The identity and purpose of Armata the protector, was to look after dragons as a protector. He held his ground.

    Then, Gyeoul heaved a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair.

    She primly opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s, make a deal.¡±

    ¡°A deal?¡±

    What deal.

    Thinking back, he remembered Gyeoul kissing Kaeul on the cheek a few days ago. The protector¡¯s eyes flickered.

    Don¡¯t tell me.. Is it that?

    Oblivious to the protector¡¯s wish, she gestured with her chin and instead of a kiss, it seemed that she was telling him to follow her. Feeling slightly regretful, the protector followed from behind.

    Gyeoul took the protector and stood in front of the storage room before quietly opening the door.

    The storage in the corner of the dormitory was quiet and tidy, with fans, reserve cupboards and toilets.

    However, one more thing which should be here, wasn¡¯t here.

    The protector squinted his eyes.

    After Yu Jitae took Kaeul outside, the protector had immediately locked the baby chicken up in the storage, so that it couldn¡¯t somehow sneak outside.

    And yet, where did this chicken go?

    Gyeoul ran to a deep corner of the storage and vanished.

    ¡°¡­Here.¡±

    When the protector walked up to that ce, he realised that there was a hole in some stic in the corner of the storage, that was hidden behind objects. Upon closer inspection, he could tell that it was a broken venttion hole.

    It was slightly too small for a basketball to go by, but the protector knew that the baby chicken with its fur lowered after a shower, was smaller than a ser ball.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The protector¡¯s crimson eyes carried a deeper look.

    ¡°¡­How, is it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Deal made. Thank you for your precious information, youngdy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Close, your eyes.¡±

    ¡°I have. Anything that happens henceforth is beyond my knowledge.¡±

    Wearing a bright expression on her face, Gyeoul nodded and ran out of the room. She then carried a whole bag of feed and headed outside the house.

    After a few minutes, she met a cat at the same old ce.

    What came today was a gray mackerel-coloured cat, which was the one that got scared the most. Perhaps it was ced low on the hierarchy, but it always nced at other cats and was always near the end when other cats were leaving.

    Gyeoul poured some of the chicken feed onto a bowl. Then, she said the magic word that she learned from Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­Here you go.¡±

    The cat dashed forward and became indulged in its food. There was only one catpared to before but it was still eating something that was given by herself.

    Thinking about that fact put her in a very good mood. She was unable to touch it because the cat might not like it, but she was patting the cat on the head in her mind.

    That was when a thought sparked in her head.

    If she used the method that allowed her to receive permission to go outside from the protector, wouldn¡¯t this work on allowing Bom-unni to give permission to have those lollies again?

    *

    That night, Gyeoul walked into Bom¡¯s room withrge strides. She had a serious look on her face, with confident steps.

    Bom, who was nkly focused on writing the novel, turned her eyes to the water-coloured child.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little Gyeoul?¡±

    The opponent was tough.

    Gyeoul knew what Bom-unni was like among the dragons. The green dragons were the ones that created regtions for all and because of that, she was slightly scared of making a deal with her.

    But once she looked at the container of lollies, ced behind some flower pots on top of the bookshelves, she gained courage.

    ¡°What¡¯s with the seriousness. Do you have something to say to your unni?¡±

    ¡°¡­I want to take, what is mine.¡±

    ¡°Yours?¡±

    Bom smiled gently. It was a smile that somehow made Gyeoul feel smaller inparison.

    Therefore, she repeated the slogan of courage once again inside her head.

    Lo¨Cllies¨C!

 Chapter 134: Negotiation Skills (2)

    <h4>Chapter 134: Negotiation Skills (2)</h4>

    TL: Lollies -> Gummies

    Bom did not miss Gyeoul throwing a nce at the gummies and a faint trace of a smile appeared in her indifferent expression. Did she miss it that much? She thought, but asked calmly without showing any signs on the outside.

    ¡°What is yours?¡±

    ¡°¡­Gummies.¡±

    ¡°Gummies?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. They¡¯re, mine.¡±

    ¡°Hmm~ I can¡¯t give you gummies. Our dear Gyeoul always eats these gummies and is picky during the meal.¡±

    ¡°¡­But, I¡¯m not, picky with gummies.¡±

    Bom looked into her eyes.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°¡­I can, eat anything.¡±

    ¡°So you mean you¡¯re fine with just eating gummies?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°What if there aren¡¯t any gummies in the world?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any gummies in Askalifa. So Gyeoul, will you be starving when we go back?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul might die of starvation then, so I can¡¯tt. Your unni can¡¯t give you these gummies.¡±

    Gyeoul pondered for a bit, before slowly opening her mouth.

    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t, from now on.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t do what?¡±

    ¡°¡­Being picky.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. You can, trust.¡±

    ¡°What a good girl.¡±

    After finally receiving a positive response, Gyeoul¡¯s lips curled up slightly.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll give it back to you once you¡¯re no longer picky with food.¡±

    But soon went back down.

    ¡°¡­Unni, you don¡¯t, trust me?¡±

    ¡°You? I trust you of course.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then?¡±

    ¡°But as you know, gummies are sour and sweet.¡±

    Nod, nod.

    ¡°And they¡¯re savoury and chewy.¡±

    Nod, nod¡­!

    ¡°It makes you happy to eat them, right?¡±

    Is that even a question? Gyeoul nodded with a bright expression.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t trust gummies.¡±

    Kwagwang.

    Something visibly crumbled in Gyeoul¡¯s expression.

    She thought to herself that the first negotiation skill, ¡®calm conversation¡¯ had failed. To be fair, this skill had never really worked on anyone other than Yu Jitae.

    Now that things hade to this, she needed to start with the second negotiation skill¡­!

    The second negotiation skill was a skill that was already confirmed to work through a test with Kaeul-unni.

    Gyeoul reached her arms out at Bom, asking for a hug. Since Bom hugged Gyeoul the most after Yu Jitae, she naturally raised her up and ced the child on herp.

    Aftering right up to her nose, Gyeoul hesitated for a bit before lifting her head up. The pair of water-coloured eyes closed in.

    Bom watched on, doubtful of what she was trying to do when the child kissed on her unni¡¯s cheek.

    Slightly surprised, Bom gazed down at Gyeoul.

    ¡°What was that? What was that just then, Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Mhmm, bribe?¡±

    She gave a wide smile. Finding that cute, Bom also smiled gently.

    But Bom wasn¡¯t that easy. Grabbing onto her two arms, Bom slowly carried her lips to the child¡¯s forehead. She then kissed with a loud ¡®chu¡¯.

    Gyeoul was the one that then became flustered.

    The child quickly went through a calction in her head. She gave a bribe, but it was returned. Isn¡¯t that plus minus 0?

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°The bribe¡¯s been cancelled now. Isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­It is.¡±

    But that wasn¡¯t the end. With a crafty and a deep gaze, Bom looked into her eyes before carrying out a baptism of kisses on her forehead and cheeks.

    ¡°¡­S, stop.¡±

    Having received too many bribes, Gyeoul waved her hands and blocked Bom¡¯s face froming closer.

    ¡°Now Gyeoul is a corrupt official.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul covered her face with her two hands and murmured ¡°¡­I¡¯m, a corrupt official¡­?¡± She was thinking of the corrupt official that had appeared in a fairy tale read by the protector.

    Seeing the child sincerely concerned, Bom giggled.

    This time as well, Gyeoul epted her defeat with the failure of her ¡®bribes¡¯, the second negotiation skill. Bom-unni was terrifying.

    The blue-haired girl who instead became a debtor heaved a sigh.

    Now, the only one that remained was the third negotiation skill. She didn¡¯t want to go this far, but there was no other way around it at this point.

    Surrounding herself with magic, Gyeoul slowly flew forward before sitting down next to Bom¡¯sptop.

    The smile on Bom¡¯s face vanished.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s, a hostage.¡±

    ¡°Hostage?¡±

    ¡°¡­Give me, gummies.¡±

    Gyeoul reached her hand out with a rigid look on her face. She was copying what she saw from Yeorum¡¯s favourite American drama.

    Bom smiled dumbfoundedly and asked.

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°¡­If you, don¡¯t give me gummies¡­¡±

    She nced at theptop and pondered. She couldn¡¯t fold theptop in half, nor did she know how to use a device.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul wanted to threaten, but couldn¡¯t do anything even after holding something hostage.

    What should she do¡­

    After some time, something decent popped up in her mind.

    Creating water in mid-air with mana, she gathered it to one ce and carried it until it was above theptop. Buoyantly, a ball of water fluctuated in mid-air, as if it was in a vacuum.

    ¡°¡­There will be no tomorrow, for Laptop.¡±

    That was the threat she barely came up with after deep contemtion. Bom, who was indifferently staring at Gyeoul, waited for a bit before opening her mouth.

    ¡°I dun care?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    Gyeoul asked back, thinking she heard it wrong.

    ¡°¡­The novel, will be gone?¡±

    ¡°Of course I saved it somewhere else, you blue devil.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even the third method proved to be a fail. Heaving a sigh, she shook her head, and water which had been formed with mana returned to its original state.

    And she probably didn¡¯t know;

    In fact, Bom wasn¡¯t that interested in writing novels.

    ¡°Come down if you¡¯re done. Let me write.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    In the end, she used everything that she had prepared but failed. Gyeoul powerlessly walked out of the room. It was herplete defeat.

    Bom watched her powerless back leave the room. She then gave a faint smile.

    *

    She couldn¡¯t just give up like this.

    Gyeoul went to Yu Jitae and whinged. Gummies. Bom-unni. Corrupt official. Behind flower pot. Help please. Seeing her diligently exin with an awkward and slow tone of voice, the Regressor patted her head.

    ¡°You need help?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Wearing a pitiful look on her face, she nodded. Unlike usual, it was easier to understand her expressions and actions. The Regressor pondered.

    ¡°How should I help.¡±

    ¡°¡­Mhmm.¡±

    Didn¡¯t everything fail despite her trying whatever she could? Gyeoul¡¯s eyes turned into a re. After thinking for a while, she ced her hands on top of her head and shook it.

    She had no idea what to do.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    Yu Jitae raised the child and sat her on hisp.

    ¡°Look.¡±

    They stared at the same ce ¨C at the door of Bom¡¯s room.

    He opened his mouth with a crafty voice.

    ¡°What do you see.¡±

    ¡°¡­Bom-unni¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s inside it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°Yes. And where are the gummies inside Bom¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°¡­Top of bookshelf. Behind flower pot.¡±

    ¡°I see. The bookshelf is at the end of the left wall, so you have to go in quite a bit. Right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it like this. I¡¯ll call Bom out for a bit. And when she¡¯s outside, you can sneak inside and take the container out.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    In other words, ahjussi will be bringing the boss out of the boss room for a bit. Gyeoul just had to take the treasure out.

    It was an extremely simple and easy task, but for Gyeoul who was forming a cooperative n for the first time since her birth, it was an extremely exciting situation, to the point that her heart beat faster and louder than usual.

    ¡°¡­There was, such a method¡­?¡±

    ¡°Does it sound good?¡±

    Nod, nod.

    ¡°¡­Genius?¡±

    ¡°No. In any case, you roughly understood everything, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t hit the flower pot or something. It¡¯s Bom¡¯s writing time, so I can¡¯t bring her out far.¡±

    Gyeoul nodded.

    ¡°You can¡¯t make a sound either. She¡¯s fast at reading the mood so she¡¯ll find out immediately if you do.¡±

    All the dragons copied Yu Jitae by killing their senses as much as possible inside Unit 301, so she wouldn¡¯t find out if Gyeoul moved stealthily.

    ¡°Stealthily. Carefully and quietly. Understood.¡±

    Nod. Gyeoul brought her index fingers together and crossed them into an ¡®x¡¯ in front of her mouth.

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s start straight away.¡±

    Right when Yu Jitae was about to stand up, Gyeoul held his sleeves down.

    Why.

    She then pushed her fist forward ¨C this too was something she saw from the American drama she watched with Yeorum. With a nod, Yu Jitae pushed hisrge fist forward as well and bumped it with the small fist.

    Operations start.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    Yu Jitae knocked on the door.

    Gyeoul hid beneath the sofa and curled her body. She saw Yu Jitae¡¯s legs and feet and after the door was opened, she could also see Bom¡¯s legs and feet.

    ¡°Yes, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Can we have a chat.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why, you know. The one from before.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. Okay.¡±

    He took Bom and headed to the kitchen. Seeing the legs go further away, Gyeoul tried to sneak out from beneath the sofa.

    ¡°Ah, one second.¡±

    But Bom suddenly turned her feet back to the room, making Gyeoul stiffen on the spot in fright. Her heart thumped. However, she couldn¡¯t be too nervous. She would definitely make a mistake if she was.

    After exiting the room yet again, Bom followed Yu Jitae and walked towards the kitchen.

    Is sheing back now? Gyeoul deeply stared at Bom¡¯s feet but realised that she probably wouldn¡¯t being back. This was the chance.

    Sneaking out from under the sofa, Gyeoul slowly walked towards Bom¡¯s room. Bom was especially sensitive to mana, so she would immediately find out about it if she used mana to fly there.

    But she was soon met with the first obstacle. After leaving the room, Bom had closed the door shut.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Holding the door knob with her two hands, she carefully lowered it.

    Very slowly,

    Like the hands of a clock.

    It won¡¯t make a sound if it goes down slowly¡­

    Click.

    That¡¯s what she had been firmly believing in, so the moment it created a sound, Gyeoul felt her heart skip a beat. If Yu Jitae¡¯s dry cough hadn¡¯t intervened from the kitchen in a timely manner, she would¡¯ve been caught red-handed for sure.

    I made it. I made it¡­!

    Slowly opening the door, Gyeoul carefully walked in and went straight to the end of the room. The clean and tidy white room with not a sign of rubbish only had a bookshelf with organised books and flower pots decorating it.

    After finally standing in front of the bookshelves, she realised that it appeared taller than usual. However, Gyeoul had also gotten slightly taller. She stood on her toes and carefully pushed the flower pots away.

    Since the pots were made with porcin, they would make a clicking noise if she was too hasty.

    Carefully. Ever so carefully.

    She grabbed the opaque stic container and felt its heaviness. The treasure was there indeed.

    Carefully carrying the container, Gyeoul controlled the urge to cheer out loud and cautiously walked out of the room.

    Then, she waited behind the sofa again, waiting for the opportunity.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to writing then.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Soon, Bom went back to her room. Yu Jitae sat on the sofa and Gyeoul, who had been hiding behind the sofa, stood up carefully and faced a bright smile at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°How was it. Did you seed?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn!¡±

    Gyeoul bent her back before lifting the container of gummies. He pushed his fist forward, which the child bumped her own fist to multiple times.

    Sess!

    ¡°¡­Kuhih.¡±

    Excitedly and hurriedly, she opened the lid.

    But, what was this.

    There were no gummies inside the container, and it was just filled with dirt.

    ¡°¡­Uh. Uh?¡±

    Startled, she shook the container several times but she could only find a stack of dirt.

    It was then.

    Feeling a gaze, she raised her head in doubt and found Bom peeking out of the room. The moment their eyes met, Bom giggled before closing the door.

    Gyeoul was shocked quite a bit.

    It was a fail..

    ¡°¡­Huing.¡±

    A fail. Another fail.

    Realising that all the effort had been in vain, she whined and extended her arms at Yu Jitae. She was seconds away from tearing up.

    So he hugged the child, and gently tapped on her back.

    *

    After lying down on the sofa, Gyeoul stayed still for over twenty minutes with her head buried inside the pillow. She wasn¡¯t crying, but it seemed that she had a severe reality hit.

    He expected things to turn out this way because the opponent was none other than Bom. However, Yu Jitae was learning how to go against Bom these days.

    You couldn¡¯t fight a straightforward battle with her.

    Knock knock.

    Someone soon knocked on the door of Unit 301. Yu Jitae opened the door and received a ck stic bag from the person.

    ¡°Good work.¡±

    ¡°Your will, my lord.¡±

    After sending the clone away, Yu Jitae walked towards Gyeoul. Then, he took the new container of gummies out and shook it near her head.

    With a pair of dispirited eyes, Gyeoul turned her face but the moment she saw the gummies, doubt caused a ripple in her face.

    ¡°¡­Uh?¡±

    She sat up with a vacant mutter and with stiff hands, she received the container. Her astonished gaze nced at Yu Jitae and the gummies, before going back to Yu Jitae. After her initial surprise, joy bloomed forth threatening her to scream out loud in happiness.

    Seeing that, the Regressor ced his finger in front of his mouth.

    Shh.

    Aht, right.

    Gyeoul realised the situation and gave a big nod with her mouth closed.

    ¡°You can¡¯t let other unnis find out about it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    She pped her feet and toes around in joy, before slowly standing up from her seat in silence and bending her back to a right-angle.

    ¡°¡­Thank, you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­You can¡¯t, tell anyone too. Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Therefore, that day became a slightly more special day for them.

    There was a secret which only Yu Jitae and Gyeoul knew of.

 Chapter 135: My Guardian Deity (1)

    <h4>Chapter 135: My Guardian Deity (1)</h4>

    There was an official notice from Lair.

    ¨C Guardian Consultation Period

    It was time for another one already, but the consultation theme today was slightly special.

    ¨C Consult through an informal conversation and record it.

    Of course, this ¡®consultation theme¡¯ wasn¡¯t mandatory and it didn¡¯t matter whether people adhered to it or not. Therefore, Yu Jitae was thinking of skipping the informal part, and sticking to a normal consultation.

    That was his n until Kaeul found out about it.

    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s this?¡±

    Hugging the baby chicken all morning, she brushed and yed with its fur. After that, they ran around the room until Chirpy discovered the notice, which had been randomly ced on the ground beneath the living room table.

    ¡°Is the guardian consultation going to be in casual?¡±

    ¡°Casual?¡±

    ¡°In a casual tone. Like informal talk time*? We can talk casually with each other during the given amount of time!¡±

    ¡°What? Why is that necessary?¡±

    Yeorum, who was sitting on the floor trimming her toenails, opened her mouth.

    ¡°Just speak casually from the get go.¡±

    ¡°Unn? Now that you mention it, why don¡¯t you speak politely to ahussi, unni?¡±

    ¡°Why do I have to?¡±

    ¡°Nn? That¡¯s¡­ uhh, umm¡­¡±

    Kaeul tilted her head and contemted which the baby chicken mimicked by tilting its own head. Then, she thought of something and gave a p.

    ¡°Because someone that doesn¡¯t know manners is a ruffian?¡±

    ¡°What about ruffians.¡±

    ¡°Everyone hates them right? Ahht¡­¡±

    During her speech, she realised that she was talking about someone that was specifically inside the living room. ¡°Uang!¡± Yeorum raised her body andpressed Kaeul¡¯s temples with her two fists, while iming that she had no manners.

    ¡°Chirp!¡±

    The baby chicken counterattacked in order to protect its owner. The chicken ran to Yeorum on the side and pecked her near the ribs.

    Even a dragon was like a human with the polymorphed body. ¡°Ah, fuc*,¡± Yeorum swore with a frown from the tickle and changed the target. The baby chicken had its temples pressured like its owner and growled in pain.

    ¡°Asking for death.¡±

    Kaeul and the baby chicken rolled on the living room floor in pain.

    In any case, it was time for the guardian consultation period. He decided to gather them together and do it all at once.

    When he told them that they can speak to him casually, Kaeul and Gyeoul appeared especially excited.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Why, Jitae?¡±

    Hearing Bom¡¯s words, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul all giggled. The Regressor looked at Bom with his hazy gaze, before turning back to the paper.

    ¡°How are you.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°Anything you need.¡±

    ¡°Nope. Doing fine.¡±

    ¡°Anything difficult happening at school.¡±

    Bom shook her head so Yu Jitaepleted the consultation record saying that there were no problems. That was when she opened her mouth for a question.

    ¡°Ah, by the way ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Can I ask you for one favour?¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°At least during the consultation, can you speak to us politely instead?¡¯

    He was wondering what nonsense this was about but he seemed to be the only one thinking that. Kaeul pped sonorously and shouted.

    ¡°Uwaaah. Unni. You¡¯re the best!¡±

    ¡°No joke, that would be quite funny.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Yeorum and Gyeoul were the same. It was unclear what they were so excited about but they showed enthusiastic support for Bom¡¯s idea.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just going to be for a short period of time. Can you not?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    Seriously. Bom had an innate talent at making Yu Jitae feel troubled, to the point that he wondered why he didn¡¯t even catch a glimpse of such a side in the previous iterations.

    ¡°No.¡±

    He shook his head. For the most part, he would do everything that they enjoyed but he seriously didn¡¯t want to do this.

    ¡°Whyyyy~ That¡¯s such a shame!¡±

    ¡°What a boomer.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What followed the zealous support was an intense disappointment but he shook his hand and continued with the questions. He asked what they needed to Yeorum and Kaeul, as well as their life at school and the things they found difficult.

    Even this time around, Gyeoul looked like she wanted to be included so he added her to the mix naturally and asked her.

    Kururung¡­

    That was when the protector who was standing in the corner of the room like a statue, gave an empty cough (probably).

    Understanding his sign, Bom took the paper from Yu Jitae¡¯s hands.

    ¡°How are you these days, Cleaner ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°As for me, you can say that I have discovered the enjoyment of household chores. In the very distant past, there were times where I¡¯ve found such tasks to be superficial and low-end, but whatever the task, so long as you undertake an essential task that necessitates a being to be in charge, that is perhaps destiny itself. If there are people that need me¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh. So you¡¯re doing fine?¡±

    The bevor of the headpiece that was rambling came to a stop.

    ¡°¡­That is the case.¡±

    The consultation continued. The consultation topic began with their recent hobbies, Yu Jitae¡¯s hobby, hobbies that can be carried out together, trips and future ns, before connecting to apletely different topic altogether.

    ¡°You know. Who do you think you know the best out of everyone here?¡± asked Yeorum.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡±

    ¡°Ohh, ohh. I want to know as well!¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a significantly important question, and it was probably something they randomly chucked without thinking too much about it.

    But as always, the Regressor was a boring human who thought a lot. He therefore pondered seriously in response to the question.

    The answer however, was simple.

    ¡°Kaeul of course.¡±

    They appeared surprised evident from their gazes. Gyeoul especially looked slightly shocked.

    ¡°¡­Me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting to know you better.¡±

    His reply must have been quite good. Hearing his response, Gyeoul regained her peace.

    It was the same for everyone else. Yu Jitae was getting to know Bom, Yeorum and Gyeoul better every single day but that wasn¡¯t the case for Kaeul. Yu Jitae already knew a lot about Kaeul.

    The one that was curious the most was in fact Kaeul.

    ¡°Uing¡­? How do you know me the best, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°I just do.¡±

    ¡°But if you think about it, don¡¯t ahjussi and I talk the least?¡±

    That was true. Somehow, he didn¡¯t have much of a chance to talk to Kaeul and it was bing more like that recently.

    But the one that he knew the best was definitely Kaeul, and the one he knew for the longest and was the closest to was also Kaeul.

    There was no doubt about that.

    That day,

    Kaeul had her day off.

    After the consultation was over, she gave a big stretch and hugged the baby chicken to sleep. Yu Jitae watched her quietly and didn¡¯t look away for a very long time.

    The seventh iteration seemed to be a sess for the time being.

    Judging from how she was sleeping so soundly.

    ***

    Fourth iteration.

    He could remember the first time he saw the Gold Dragon.

    Back then, he was 35 years old. At a young age, he had be a national hero and was a superhuman ranker. After suddenly dering his retirement from the army, he left the Grand Natural Society temporarily.

    He thought it was only the death of the Gold Dragon that brought the Apocalypse before, so he formed a group of security guards to protect the dragon. Being the guard in lead, he worked in the front lines himself.

    Unlike other iterations, Baby Yellow (BY) of the fourth iteration debuted when she was slightly older. She grabbed a mic for the first time at 18 years of age and only began gaining fame after she was over 20.

    ¡°Nice to meet you¡­!¡±

    Yu Jitae remembered the first time he met BY. Her blonde hair was braided into a twintail, while her sparkling eyes were brighter than gold.

    Dragons quickly looked like adults and stayed in their youth for a long time, so the 20-year-old BY was very simr to the current Kaeul. Her face, expressions, voice, thought process, vocabry as well as her cheerfulugh were all simr.

    She was loved by everyone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be your security guard from now on.¡±

    ¡°Uwaah! I¡¯ve heard stories. You¡¯re extremely famous right?!¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Umm, I, don¡¯t think I¡¯m worth being protected like that yet, but please take care of me¡­!¡±

    After that, he rarely ever talked to her.

    Like a shadow, he watched on from nearby.

    If she was like a bright gold, it could be said that a dark rust began forming somewhere within the gold over time. It was a very gradual change over time, but looking back, one would realise that she had changed so much.

    Signs that he had been clueless about until the third iteration, which he couldn¡¯t understand until the start of the seventh iteration, began showing themselves.

    After 5 years, BY was 25 years old.

    ¡°You¡¯re a really strange person, you know that?¡±

    One day, she said that.

    Her appearance was mysteriously the same as the first time he met her, but childishness could no longer be noticed from her voice, tone and expression.

    ¡°Strange.¡±

    During that time, there was a special team over 40 in number, dedicated to BY. From music, broadcast, road and head managers, to hair artists, makeup artists, coordinators, back dancers, guards,wyers etc.

    In other words, all those people worked only for BY and her schedule was therefore jam packed.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired? It¡¯s my first time seeing a human refuse to leave on vacation for over 5 years.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my job.¡±

    ¡°Did I say it wasn¡¯t? I¡¯m saying that because you don¡¯t even go home.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to.¡±

    ¡°You have families right. Aren¡¯t they waiting somewhere back in Asia? Mummy~ When¡¯s our daddying~.¡±

    BY giggled.

    Sheughed wherever she was, but the smile that day was slightly different to the one she showed outside.

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    As she got older, BY began going further astray. It was evident from how the first thing she did when she had a day off like that day at her pce-like mansion, was to naturallyy her hands on drugs.

    ¡°Light.¡±

    Wearing nothing but arge gown on her wide, golden sofa, BY told the security.

    Yu Jitae went and used his lighter for her.

    It wasn¡¯t something to make a fuss about. BY back then was in mid-twenties, and celebrities of her age enjoying drugs was in fact quitemon.

    But, it was indeed a new side of the Gold Dragon which he had no idea about in the previous iterations.

    ¡°Hmm¨C so do you have a family or not.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Where did they go.¡±

    ¡°They weren¡¯t there from the start.¡±

    ¡°You were born because you had parents. Or what, is your mother¡¯s name Maria?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Is that all.¡±

    BY took a deep breath of the smoke in.

    Seemingly feeling something, her chin, fingers and toes shivered faintly. While she was breathing the smoke out, her eyes were upturned as an orgasmic gasp left her mouth.

    Staring at Yu Jitae, she smiled.

    ¡°Speak a bit more. I¡¯m bored today.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Just do it. I¡¯m not asking for anything difficult.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­ if you¡¯re like that, I¡¯m gonna cancel all my schedule alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Called the offense of boredom. You dare make me bored? Then everyone needs to be screwed. Right?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just one or two people that would be harmed from her cancelling the schedule for one day, let alone the financial loss. Unlike how she usually ignored Yu Jitae, BY was aggressive that day.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s because I have nothing to say. I can¡¯t remember. I was at an orphanage when I was very young and I don¡¯t know my parents¡¯ faces.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ then something else.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°There can¡¯t be nothing. You were a ranker, right? And a hero of war. There has to be some stories.¡±

    ¡°Stop asking.¡±

    ¡°¡­What? What did you say?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s seriously nothing in particr.¡±

    ¡°No, what was that tone just then.¡±

    The golden eyebrows gave a frown from his words.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait outside and don¡¯t smoke too much. It¡¯s been a while so take a good rest.¡±

    In order to put a stop on the unnecessary conversation, the Regressor turned his feet. He didn¡¯t want to impact the Gold Dragon, who was leading a decent life by herself, in a negative way by telling her something unnecessary. Until the fourth iteration, he was just a soldier riding along with the wave, instead of being in charge of the flow.

    ¡°Stop there.¡±

    But for some reason, BY stopped Yu Jitae¡¯s feet that day.

    ¡°There¡¯s no problem with guarding you from outside. I won¡¯t interfere with your rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to stop.¡±

    She was easygoing on the outside, but was stubborn on the inside.

    With a golden pair of eyes that dripped of authority, BY stared at Yu Jitae. She tapped the seat next to her sofa.

    ¡°Come here and sit.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to make me say it a second time again?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t follow orders that may cause inconvenience to my duty.¡±

    Her voice was slightly coarser than usual but disregarding that, Yu Jitae was going to do what he wanted.

    But that was when BY threw the wine ss in her hand to the wall.

    Crash! ss fragments scattered left and right.

    ¡°Sit. I¡¯m telling you to sit. Don¡¯t you understand? What I, your employer, is saying? Or are you looking down on me as well or what?¡±

    The hand holding the cigarette, the pink character nail art engraved on her nails and her golden gaze were shivering like never before.

    It was a reaction that had never been shown before in the fourth iteration.

    He had been watching BY suffer from ill-willed rumours and anti-fans recently. Thinking that that might have acted as a catalyst for something, he quietly went and sat next to BY.

    ¡°Good. Now you¡¯re listening¡­¡±

    High on drugs, BY wore a debaucherous smile on her face andid down with her head resting on his thigh. The loose knot caused her robe to be disordered and her skin was showing here and there.

    In the fourth iteration, his body was still living a normal life but his heart and mind were far from it, so he was feeling quite annoyed from the situation.

    ¡°Why are you doing nothing.¡±

    Her unfocused eyes gazed up at him.

    ¡°Pat my head.¡±

    After adding, ¡®Like my mum¡¯, BY slowly closed her eyes.

 Chapter 136: My Guardian Deity (2)

    <h4>Chapter 136: My Guardian Deity (2)</h4>

    Because of the innate ability of detoxification, BY¡¯s drugs were countless times more intense than normal ones, and sometimes she couldn¡¯t control the amount she took in.

    That day was another simr day.

    Perhaps feeling lustful, BY licked her lips with her tongue as her golden eyebrows twitched. Her hands that didn¡¯t know where to go mindlessly swept through her body.

    There was a smile on her face.

    That smile was like a drop of ck paint on a white canvas.

    ¡°What are you doing. Hurry¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t pat her head.

    ¡°Think of me as your daughter¡­¡±

    Back then, he just didn¡¯t want to anything like that.

    ¡°Something bad happened to your daughter today¡­¡±

    Although he was protecting her, he wasn¡¯t doing it because he liked the Gold Dragon. Never was he here because he wanted to.

    ¡°Hurry¡­ Nn¡­?¡±

    Her acting cocky made him irritated and he felt like pulling her up by the hair and chucking her onto the living room floor. But he hid that urge in a deep corner of his heart.

    Time passed, and BY slowly fell asleep.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After her restless breaths calmed down, her face was finally devoid of the lecherous appearance it contained. Sleeping there was the young BY whom he had met 5 years ago, who smiled without any signs of falsehood.

    Yu Jitae carefully raised her up. After heading to her room, she ced the child on the bed that could only be described as a princess¡¯s bed.

    Carefully, he lifted the nket and covered her body with it.

    ¡°Where are you¡­?¡±

    He was leaving the room when BY muttered.

    ¡°Nn¡­? Where¡­?¡±

    She seemed to be looking for someone in her sleep.

    *

    Something like that didn¡¯t happen very often. It was an impulsive thing that happened once every few months or so.

    ¡°Sorry about yesterday. I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±

    The next morning, she apologised with a deep sigh. Saying that she didn¡¯t know why she was like this, and that he could change the frontline guards if he was discontent with the work, she apologised throughout breakfast with a fluster.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    He was already no longer irritated, and didn¡¯t think much of it.

    After that, BY would suddenly wreak havoc once a year or two. Things like that only happened when no-one else was watching, like when she was resting alone at home after a long overnight schedule.

    Because of that, no-one apart from Yu Jitae, who was in charge of the security 24/7, knew about it.

    BY¡¯s deviated behaviour was a secret only he knew of.

    Usually, BY loved people. She sincerely treasured the people that loved her, and even teared up after receiving a surprise gift from her fans.

    The media even referred to Baby Yellow as the personification of a perfect top star.

    She appeared content from being loved by others. Since his objective in the fourth iteration was mainly to observe the daily life of the Gold Dragon, Yu Jitae watched on.

    Another 5 years passed by.

    When BY was 30 years old, she appeared in a famous variety show. Another guest invited to the show was a famous psychologist / consultor.

    She carried out a psychology consultation with BY while other guests joked around, saying BY didn¡¯t need any. But after a short art counselling session, the psychologist gave a different answer.

    ¡°¡­Hmm. This is very ambiguous.¡±

    Seeing the painting drawn by BY, the counsellor tilted her head.

    ¡°It might be that a dormant ¡®intense fear¡¯ is somewhere inside your heart.¡±

    Other guests reacted exaggeratedly.

    ¡°WHAT THE¡­. Baby Yellow, is that for real?¡±

    ¡°No? I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Sheughed. Other celebrities seemed to be agreeing with her instead of the psychologist, but without going back on her words, the counsellor rmended her to keep a pet or something.

    The next day, Baby Yellow took in a parrot. It was a white, clean and pretty parrot.

    During that time, BY was unable to sleep properly. She kicked around trying to go to sleep before temperamentally throwing the pillow. Or, she would rip the nket for no reason and cause white duck furs to flutter around the room.

    Fortunately, the parrot was helpful. Whenever BY covered her face and heaved deep and coarse breaths unable to control herself, the parrot came flying and acted cute.

    Then, BY would close her eyes again.

    Despite the struggle, she would then force her way to sleep.

    ***

    ¡°Nnnnnng!¡±

    After the nap, Kaeul stretched her arms out. Her face was blooming with a smile.

    She flinched after seeing the clock.

    ¡°Aht. I slept too much¡­!¡±

    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±

    ¡°Yess ahjussii¡­!¡±

    But still, she was in a good mood and smiled.

    Near her head was the baby chicken, Chirpy. The chicken also woke up from its nap, and was blinking its ck eyes, with its head buried into the pillow.

    Since they wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep at night if they slept too much now, Kaeul caressed the baby chicken¡¯s fur.

    ¡°Wake up Chirpy! We have to go on a walk¡­!¡±

    ¡°Chirp¡­¡±

    ¡®Why doth a baby chicken go on a walk¡­¡¯ it grumbled but Kaeul, who still didn¡¯t understand its words, raised Chirpy up in a sh.

    ¡°Walk walk~?¡±

    Using the rope she got from Yeorum, she wrapped loosely around the baby chicken¡¯s neck and wings, and prepared to go on a walk. When it was time to go out, even the baby chicken was excited as it chirped out loud.

    ¡°Would you like to go together?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Today, Yu Jitae decided to follow the two out on a walk. With the cold havingpletely dissipated, the walk alongside the two baby chickens was warm.

    When they came across a dirty road, Kaeul raised the baby chicken, while Yu Jitae raised Kaeul by the calves and thighs before cing her on his shoulders.

    ¡°Uwaahh¨C!¡±

    It was an alternative to Doonga Doonga.

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul in Unit 301 peeked out of Bom¡¯s room.

    Was it just the protector?

    Indeed.

    For some reason, he was reading a fairy tale but she wasn¡¯t interested in something like that.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m, going outside.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, yes, youngdy. Please take care.¡±

    Gyeoul carried a bag of feed for spirit beasts and ran outside with short steps. Then, she flew to the sky. As always, she headed to the mountain behind the dormitory and found the cat spirit beasts gathered around, waiting for her.

    She gave them food.

    Hyap hyap hyap¡­

    The quiet hill was filled with diligent eating sounds.

    Watching them eat, Gyeoul tilted her head. There were a lot less cats than usual, to the point that therge bag of feed appeared way too over the top.

    ¡°¡­Uing?¡±

    Her head was tilted, and a question mark was above her head.

    Recently, there indeed were less and less cats. She thought it was because she was prohibited from going outside by the protector, that they came less frequently.

    But now, their numbers didn¡¯t increase even when she was back toing here frequently.

    ¡°¡­Where, did they go.¡±

    And the three remaining ones also looked injured. It wasn¡¯t rare for spirit beasts to fight for territories, but their furs were messier and they had more injuries than usual.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul carefully reached her hand forward. She was going to create curative water and apply it to the cats.

    But the moment they saw her reach out, the cats distanced themselves in fright and discarded their leftover food. Kyaak¨C! Let alone that, one of the cats even growled menacingly at her.

    Surprised, Gyeoul carefully stood up and took a few steps back.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    These ungrateful bas¡­

    Feeling betrayed, she frowned but had no idea why they were suddenly acting like this. When she closed her eyes and forcefully felt their emotions¡­

    What she felt was fear.

    ***

    Time passed.

    Yeorum fought and won against Yong Danbi at an individual spar, and also defeated a prominent ranker candidate of Noblesse School. Plus, she also got high scores on her assignment performances and was at the lead of the second quarter of thepetition.

    Even without looking at the ranks, everyone was acknowledging the fact that she would probably be in the top three.

    It was convenient because no-one created a fuss like the first quarter.

    Gyeoul was eating well. She was still a child and wasn¡¯t at an age that required her to have a life goal so she was focused on eating and enjoying her life every single day.

    Bom started uploading her horror novel to Lair¡¯smunity website.

    There were only a few people writing horror novels excluding Bom, and because it was a novel that was prepared after going through several rewrites, it finally gained traction once it was shared. A hundred or so read her novel.

    One day, gloomy Asian cadets came looking for her after the lesson.

    ¡°Hello¡­ I read your novel¡­ Do you want to join our horror society¡­?¡±

    They appeared somewhat gloomy and despondent. Bom told them she¡¯ll think about it and postponed her response.

    These days, the protector was addicted to the inte. Hisrge hand grabbing onto the tiny mouse looked like a quail egg to Gyeoul.

    What the protector was interested in the most recently, was ¡®dishwasher¡¯.

    ¡°¡­Not bad. To think there was something like this.¡±

    Was he looking for a more efficient working method that could finally get him out of the dishwashing hell?

    No, he wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°But it has less adaptability than myself.¡±

    It was to boost his ego. Nonmercial dishwashers were unable to washrge deep-frying pots.

    ¡°You are ¡®disqualified¡¯¡­¡±

    The protector umted another win today against modern products.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    And Yu Jitae was the same old Yu Jitae. Nothing changed much for him.

    Time passed without a problem at Unit 301, until a change hit them at once.

    ¡°Walk walk~?¡±

    ¡°Chirp chirp~ ?¡±

    The baby chicken, who was now too big to hug, was running alongside Kaeul. They were enjoying yet another walk today breathing in the fresh air of the spring forest.

    That was when a change struck them.

    Adults wearing hazmat suits stood in front of them and blocked the road.

    ¡°Excuse me, Cadet.¡±

    There were 2 men and 1 female, wearing name badges that disyed their official duty under Lair.

    Surprised, Kaeul stopped her feet. They also appeared surprised when they saw her and it probably was because of her different ¡®ss¡¯ as a dragon, but they didn¡¯t recognise her.

    ¡°Yes? Why? Who are you?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here from the Spirit Beast Management Department.¡±

    Those adults in hazmat suits gestured at one another, before carefully walking up to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. That baby chicken spirit beast. Is it registered by any chance?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Registered¡­?¡±

    Her tone of voice that suggested her cluelessness caused the staff members¡¯ expressions to stiffen.

    ¡°Are you¡­ keeping a spirit beast that hasn¡¯t even been registered? So you don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s been disinfected or sick?¡±

    ¡°W, what¡¯s register. And Chirpy is clean¡­¡±

    Frightened, Kaeul asked carefully. An ominous feeling crept up like a ck shadow, rearing its head.

    Kaeul thought to herself. Thinking back, the baby chicken, Chirpy, was a spirit beast that had escaped from the breeding centre. She was mindful of taking it around for the first few months but thought it was fine these days to go around.

    ¡°¡¯What¡¯s registering?¡¯ So you haven¡¯t heard anything about the process of registering spirit beast pets at all?¡±

    ¡°Umm, yes¡­¡±

    They clicked their tongues. The careful attitudes of the staff members slowly disappeared as doubt appeared in their eyes.

    ¡°Haa. To keep a spirit beast inside Lair, you must register it as a spirit beast pet. But you don¡¯t have it. Can I ask where you got the spirit beast from?¡±

    ¡°Umm so, why¡­? What¡¯s wrong¡­?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in charge of collecting the escaped spirit beasts. About half a year ago, the breeding centre was destroyed and we still haven¡¯t found a portion of the spirit beasts that have escaped from that ce. Two days ago, they formed a group to attack the Spirit Beast Management Department.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ uhh¡­ I haven¡¯t heard anything about that¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t. How would a cadet know what happened to a management team? So unregistered spirit beasts could be those that escaped the breeding centre. So¡­¡±

    Kaeul twitched her lips before biting them. She didn¡¯t know what to say, and her head turned nk. Her eyes caught sight of somerge cages that were being held by the man on the side. He was carrying two cages coloured in bluish ck, and one of them was being shook left and right.

    The woman took a step forward. Her eyes ncing back and forth between the baby chicken and Kaeul gradually had a deep look of doubt.

    ¡°That spirit beast. Where did you obtain it?¡±

 Chapter 137: My Guardian Deity (3)

    <h4>Chapter 137: My Guardian Deity (3)</h4>

    ¡°Ah, umm¡­, no. Just no.¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Our child, isn¡¯t like that. He doesn¡¯t have any problems¡­¡±

    After finallying back to her senses, Kaeul waved her hands.

    ¡°Ah. Yes. I get that, but please tell us where you obtained it.¡±

    ¡°I just, brought it in¡­¡±

    ¡°You brought it in? From a dungeon?¡±

    ¡°No, not a dungeon but¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you have a certificate or a serial number? If it¡¯s not registered at Lair, is it registered in a different country?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    She felt her lips going dry. The look on her face made it extremely evident that she was guilty of something. One of the staff sneered and shook his head.

    ¡°We must temporarily put them in quarantine for disinfecting purposes for unconfirmed spirit beasts. I ask for your cooperation.¡±

    He then abruptly took a step forward. His hands reached forward at the baby chicken, Chirpy.

    ¡°Please wait!¡±

    Surprised, Kaeul stopped his hands.

    ¡°Uhh, certificate¡­! We probably do have it! I don¡¯t really know, but I can ask our ahjussi!¡±

    ¡°Alright. You can bring that to uster. You do not have to worry and we¡¯re just separating them for the time being as a disinfecting measure. Once you find your registration certificate, you cane to our Spirit Beast Management Department.¡±

    ¡°You mean you¡¯ll still take him now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We do need to put them in quarantine for the time being.¡±

    With that, the woman pointed at her own helmet which read [Urgent Quarantine Period] in red. Seeing Kaeul still stubbornly resisting them, the woman heaved a sigh.

    ¡°We¡¯re not doing this because we want to either. Unregistered spirit beasts might have some sort of virus in them right? You can evene tomorrow with the certificate. Please understand that it¡¯s for the safety of everyone.¡±

    Her words were slightly gentler than before. But as she was listening to them, Kaeul could feel the baby chicken in her arms trembling.

    Chirpy was frightened.

    ¡°S, sorry.¡±

    Without even knowing what was going through her lips, Kaeul rambled.

    She understood the necessity of the procedure,

    But the child was scared right now.

    ¡°¡­I, I don¡¯t think I can send him away.¡±

    *

    The beginning of their rtionship was light.

    She fed it and it ate well, and seeing it getting injured time after time made her pity the animal. Living together, she slowly became more attached and without even realising it, her feelings towards it changed from sympathy to affection.

    Perhaps that originated not from her own affection for the baby chicken, but from the love shown by the baby chicken to herself. After all, this spirit beast tended to follow her everywhere she went.

    Sometimes, Kaeul was unable to give it much love. Because of lectures and assignments; and because she had to y with her friends and unnis, she was asionally inattentive and couldn¡¯t do much for the baby chicken.

    Even then, it always followed around her.

    The first one to greet her when she returned from her lectures was the baby chicken. Before she could even ce the bag down, the yellow guy would run up and rub its head on her shin. The soft yellow fur tickled her legs and she could feel the weight of its rub.

    Kneeling down, she lifted it up and felt the warm temperature of the tiny body.

    How would you live without me? She thought to herself.

    And it was rtively recently that the baby chicken became more special to her.

    It was when Yeorum achieved the top grade of the first quarter, and was being repeatedly called by the PR team.

    They asked for an interview every single day and even after rejecting most of them, there were still a few that had to be taken. Yeorum began bing more and more famous. More people recognised her and sometimes girls came to her when they were walking, and created a fuss calling themselves her fan.

    Kaeul was jealous of Yeorum. She was jealous that she was going on interviews, and was also jealous of how she was annoyed by them.

    To her, Yeorum being loved by others, appeared bright.

    So on the day of her final interview, Kaeul who was left alone closed her eyes, and relived the moment she stood in front of a crowd.

    It was only once, but countless people were watching her with undivided attention. Vividly reminiscing in those memories and emotions made her depression slightly dissipate. But the frustration that still remained made her nkly sit in the living room, when the baby chicken approached her and rubbed its fairy-floss-like fur.

    As if it was telling her to give it her attention.

    How did he know.

    Or was it a mere coincidence.

    In fact, that didn¡¯t matter. Whatever the reason, it was giving Kaeul the entirety of its attention and asked for her own endlessly.

    Like a child looking for its mother.

    On that rather depressing day, Kaeul hugged the baby chicken tightly.

    Chirpy cried zealously.

    ¡®Did anything happen? My dear guardian deity.¡¯

    Despite not understanding what the baby chicken was saying, the yellow creature tilting its head and the ck pair of eyes staring at only her, consoled Kaeul without her realising it.

    After that, she became curious about everything rted to the baby chicken and she asked Yu Jitae this and that. And during that, she heard another astonishing story from him.

    ¡°This child was confined in a small ce like that for 20 years?!¡±

    ¡°It probably was.¡±

    ¡°Hul¡­ he was older than me¡­! No, more importantly. Why? Why in the world would they do that?¡±

    Why would they confine a spirit beast in a breeding centre and limit its growth.

    Yu Jitae exined it byparing it to how dolphins were in aquariums.

    Simply put, it was a result caused by human greed. To make it easier for humans to grow, they used knives, and to make it better for humans to grow, they restricted its growth and kept it small.

    However, the Regressor didn¡¯t really think of that as a problem. Greed was always greater than reality, and always led to a destructive form in the end.

    Other people being greedy or not had nothing to do with him, so he didn¡¯t stand for anyone nor criticise them.

    Kaeul couldn¡¯t really understand everything he was saying, but realised that that was just how reality was like.

    ¡°That¡¯s so sad¡­¡±

    How frustrating would being confined in a small ce like that have been? Kaeul didn¡¯t want him to feel locked in, at least when they were at Unit 301.

    Therefore, Kaeul thought to herself that she had to go outside with the baby chicken whenever it was time.

    ¡°Chirpy.¡±

    What was the best and the most natural way to go outside?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go on a walk! A walk!¡±

    ¡­In other words,

    The risks that apanied them going on a walk was her problem, and was an issue that had to be resolved with her hands.

    ¡°Cadet!¡±

    ¡°No?! Don¡¯te closer.¡±

    ¡°Cadet. Please cooperate. This isn¡¯t even that big of a problem.¡±

    ¡°No. He doesn¡¯t have anything. I¡¯ll give you that, document or whatever tomorrow, so can you please just go back for today?¡±

    Seemingly irritated, the female staff grabbed her forehead.

    ¡°Haa¡­ do you think we¡¯re doing this because we want to? If you¡¯re like this, we have no choice but to do it by force. Mister Hyungtae.¡±

    The man came closer.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    His words were polite, and his hands were cautious. Regardless, it was clear that those hands were trying to grab the baby chicken.

    She took him in to protect, and had to protect him.

    She wished to stay together, so she had to be responsible.

    Since it was the first time ever that a life was dependent on her hands, Kaeul was feeling pressured. That apparently made the staff members also irritated, as another man began walking up with a loud voice.

    ¡°Just give that to us because it¡¯s dangerous! Okay?¡±

    ¡°Oi oi, Pilson.¡±

    ¡°Dude, step out. Why are you so slow?!¡±

    The man reached forward. A strong male adult, who was also a superhuman, forcibly grabbed the baby chicken by its wing.

    She could feel the baby chicken wriggling and squirming with its two legs and wings.

    It was then.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    A golden spark of lightning flickered in Kaeul¡¯s eyes.

    She unknowingly reached her hands forward.

    The mana of a dragon flourished through her chest and a spell which she had never used since birth ¨C the authority of the gold race ¨C shot forth like a bullet.

    [Forked Lightning (A)]

    Taang¡ª!

    Fragments of lightning tore through the air. It was clearly enough to kill a person.

    If someone hadn¡¯t suddenly appeared to hold her wrist, that destructive force would have definitely emerged out,pletely burning everyone present into ashes.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    The moment she looked into his eyes, the tension of a tight balloon exploded in an instant. She finally came to her senses. Yu Jitae was grabbing her wrist.

    ¡°Ah, ahjussi¡­!¡±

    Thinking that she had made a great mistake, Kaeul lowered her head in fright.

    The baby chicken was trembling and so was Kaeul.

    However, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t say anything in particr to her and turned around.

    Startled by the sudden outburst of magic, they were on their bums. Despite being high-end superhumans, the use of mana just then was at a shocking speed.

    Even the Regressor couldn¡¯t tell how anxious they were, but there were signs that were revealed from agitated reactions.

    Just then, he was training Yeorum. From realising that there was a problem to getting here, it took exactly 15 seconds.

    The things that had happened in that short period of time were quite extreme.

    Kaeul was a lot more impatient than he expected.

    ¡°I¡¯m the guardian.¡±

    He raised his name badge.

    ¡°What, what was that just then? Did she just attack us with her ability?¡±

    Things had happened all too suddenly, and they shouted in surprise after calming themselves down.

    The Spirit Beast Management Department was an extremely trivial post, separated from other departments. There were some that knew of the name, Yu Jitae, while some didn¡¯t.

    After some contemtion, Yu Jitae replied.

    ¡°Let me apologise. Our child made a mistake.¡±

    ¡°Like, is that everything? Someone almost freakin¡¯ died just then¡­!¡±

    Someone shouted abruptly, while another finally came to their senses. The name on the guardian name badge read Yu Jitae.

    Yu Jitae?

    ¡°Pilson. Is that person, like¡­ umm¡­¡±

    ¡°What! Just stay back, Hyungtae.¡±

    He was extremely agitated. The one that somewhat recognised his name was half in doubt, while the one that didn¡¯t recognise him decided to violently put Yu Jitae on the spot.

    ¡°I¡¯ll apologise, and resolve what happened just then to a satisfactory level.¡±

    ¡°What does that even mean. Right now, it¡¯s an incident of ¡®an unauthorised use of ability of a cadet¡¯! Stay right there! I¡¯m going to call the sentries!¡±

    While the staff temperamentally called the sentries, Yu Jitae looked back at Kaeul. He then ced his hand on top of the golden hair of Kaeul, who still didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°Are you okay.¡±

    ¡°Ah, ye, yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Good. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It seemed that she needed a conversation.

    After a few minutes, someone from the sentries arrived.

    The management staff appeared to be someone that stayed angry for a long time. He shouted loudly about how they were sote but suddenly turned frighteningly polite once the sentry did arrive.

    The sentry that arrived after hearing the name, Yu Jitae, was none other than Sirdo Leo.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With arge build that exceeded 3 metres in height, and wearing sparkling metal tes of armour, the man raised his war hammer and scratched his hair with his hand.

    ¡°W, what brings you here personally, sir¡­¡±

    Pushing the bewildered management staff to the side, Sirdo walked up to Yu Jitae. He then gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s you again?¡±

    ¡°For some reason, yes. How is your body.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll be back to normal already after being smacked like that?¡±

    His voice had a hint of remaining grudge. The giant had a small heart, it seemed.

    The management staff were in shock. One of the staff members that finally became certain of who he was, whispered it into the ears of hisrades, which caused their shock to escte even further.

    After the giant heard everything about the situation, he realised what was happening and ended the whole ordeal with one sentence.

    ¡°Ayish, you people. It¡¯s not even something important¡­¡±

    Since things had turned out like this, spirit beast registration and whatnot were no longer important, because the sentries will take care of it. Thus, there was no longer any reason to shift the me to other people.

    ¡°Management team, make a proper announcement about the disinfection period please.¡±

    The giant settled the situation with that and turned around.

    *

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    On the way back, he asked Kaeul who was nk.

    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m fine. Sorry. Thank you. I made a mistake. I wasn¡¯t trying to do that. I¡¯m really, sorry¡­¡±

    She murmured with a nk expression.

    It seemed that she was fairly shocked. The mana just then was extremely sharp. She almost attacked people and almost killed them.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡±

    She looked like she needed a conversation.

 Chapter 138: My Guardian Deity (4)

    <h4>Chapter 138: My Guardian Deity (4)</h4>

    Time creates an existence.

    This was the reason dragons, who lived for thousands of years, became one of the strongest races and at the same time was the reason young dragons were weak and delicate.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually fine, you know?!¡±

    Kaeul said to Yu Jitae.

    No-one said anything.

    ¡°Yes? Ah it¡¯s just¡­ because, you were ring at me¡­¡±

    Sheughed, ¡°Hehe.¡±

    The moment she uttered the words that she was fine, she became better like magic.

    It had only been a few hours since they came back to the dorm. As if nothing happened, she was nonchntly taking a chocte ice cream out of the freezer with a smile.

    For a long time, he watched her eat.

    ¡°Uh? What you eating?¡±

    Yeorum asked after finishing the training session for that day. Wearing a smile, Kaeul showed the half-eaten ice cream in her hand.

    ¡°Ice cream!¡±

    ¡°Oh, the one we bought yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Nn nn! It¡¯s super delicious.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna have mine as well.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any left?¡±

    ¡°What? Why? We bought four to have one each.¡±

    ¡°Nnn¡­?¡±

    Kaeul¡¯s eyes drew a curve and travelled down. She checked the number of ice creams she had eaten with the number of empty packs that were inside the rubbish bin.

    ¡°Did we¡­?¡±

    She tried to stealthily stand up with an awkward smile when a frown appeared on Yeorum¡¯s face.

    ¡°My dear sister.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way you ate all those four damned ice creams by yourself. Right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Mommy!¡±

    Kaeul saw the eyes of a murderer and urgently ran away. There wasn¡¯t even a need to check the freezer. ¡°Why would you eat all that you idiot!¡± shouted the boar as it chased after a baby chicken. A scream echoed across the other side of the house.

    Just like that, everything around Kaeul appeared normal. That was the same reason why no-one including Yu Jitae had been able to see through what was going inside BY¡¯s mind in the fourth iteration.

    Ever sinceing back, Chirpy the baby chicken, buried itself inside the nket and stayed there. It even peed on the bed so Kaeul had to clean it with the spell, [Cleanse (B-)].

    Frightened, the baby chicken was sick and Kaeul looked after it the entire day. When she did leave the room, she was wearing a smile but Yu Jitae saw through it. Because she was still young, the mask she formed wasn¡¯t perfect.

    ¡°Dude. Your heart¡¯s beating a bit weak though? Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re harassing me, unni!¡±

    ¡°No you retard. Not that.¡±

    Back in the fourth iteration, he didn¡¯t have a convenient tool like this.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    Her authenticity was at false. It was an ¡®extreme false¡¯ at that.

    If this wasn¡¯t the seventh iteration, Yu Jitae would havecked the knowledge to realise her situation. And if this was the fourth iteration, he wouldn¡¯t have known how to see through her mind and chat about it.

    But since this was the seventh iteration, he had a way.

    ¡°Cooking?¡±

    After hearing the Regressor¡¯s request, Bom tilted her head.

    ¡°Did you want me to help you cook?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    She curiously asked.

    ¡°What kind of food is it?¡±

    He still remembered it because of its unique name. It was called ¡®Offering for Eternal Peace¡¯ ¨C something which the Gold Dragon asionally requested of her exclusive chef in the fourth iteration.

    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m hearing it¡­ did something happen to Kaeul, by any chance?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing important.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°No need to worry about it.¡±

    Bom looked into his eyes with an indifferent expression and a gaze that tried to look deeper within. When he looked back thinking what this was about, she gave a faint smile and asked with her usual light tone.

    ¡°And the ingredients?¡±

    He still remembered them: several vegetables and extremely fatty meat; some other special ingredients and a blended mix, as well as a unique sauce.

    The problem was that he didn¡¯t know whether it would taste good or not. But, since they liked Bom¡¯s food at least, wouldn¡¯t the end result be quite nice if Bom helped out?

    After buying the ingredients, they began cooking. The Regressor slowly cleaned and cut the meat and the vegetables before cing them into the mixing bowl. He swirled the killing intent like the des of a blender and ground them into fine particles. Finally, he threw the secret ingredient in which he also ground into fine powders.

    The blended pieces of meat and vegetables were mixed with other liquids and solids, creating the texture of soy pulp. Because of the fatty gtin, it looked like jelly before being boiled.

    At this point it was just healthy food and the most important factor was the sauce.

    In order to replicate the spices of Askalifa, Baby Yellow endlesslypared all the spices avable on Earth and came to a conclusion. The closest result she had was by mixing powdered garlic, salt, basil and ghee.

    The issue here however, was that he didn¡¯t really know the ratio.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Bom grabbed a pinch or plucked those spices and herbs before having a taste. She stayed still and contemted the vour with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Can you make it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I guess, something simr could work¡­¡±

    No-one else would know if Bom didn¡¯t. He had no choice but to trust her senses here.

    After boiling all the ingredients, she added the sauce. Unexpectedly, it gave off a rather familiar scent.

    The ingredients that resembled a jelly melted from the heat which resulted in an extremely thick soup.

    Using a spoon, he had a taste. It had the savoury vour of meat but overall contained a healthy vour.

    He asked Bom for her evaluation.

    ¡°It¡¯s good. It¡¯s tasty, but it might be too nd for Kaeul¡¯s tastes¡­¡±

    She had the same opinion as him.

    Fortunately, there was another tasting judge peeking her head out from behind the kitchen door. She asked when their eyes met.

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Gyeoul¡¯s here. Would you like to try it? It¡¯s something ahjussi made.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    The child gazed up at Yu Jitae. Unintentionally and unknowingly, the tasting judge was being bribed by the cook.

    Bom lifted her up and ced her on the seat, before giving her a spoonful of the soup.

    Nom nom. Gyeoul had a mouthful of soup.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything in response but the smile on her face was extremely bright. The evaluation of the tasting judge was very positive.

    ¡°¡­Is there, more?¡±

    It was so positive that they had to cook another pot.

    The Regressor carried the finished soup to Kaeul¡¯s room.

    She was lying on the bed watching the baby chicken, who was the same as before. Eyes closed, the baby chicken shivered with its head buried into the nket.

    ¡°Oohh. What¡¯s this smell.¡±

    ¡°Have some of this and take a good rest.¡±

    She turned around and looked at Yu Jitae. As always, she was wearing a bright smile and a sparkling gaze.

    ¡°What is itt?¡±

    ¡°A soup. We made it together.¡±

    ¡°Uwaah. It smells amazing. Did you make it with Bom-unni?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    After he carried it to the table, she came and sat on the chair.

    ¡°But what¡¯s the soup for? I¡¯m full ¡®cuz of the ice cream though.¡±

    ¡°Just eat it.¡±

    ¡°Okayy.¡±

    With a spoon, she scooped up the thick soup and carefully carried it to her mouth. Meanwhile, he looked at her face.

    Perhaps thinking that it was something tasty, she hummed but the moment she ced the spoon into her mouth and savoured its vour;

    Her humming stopped.

    Before long, her golden eyes slowly turned wider. Her fluster erased the smile on her lips.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul looked at him.

    ***

    In the fourth iteration, while BY was enjoying a vacation on a personal beach in bikinis, Yu Jitae discovered a man filming her in secret with arge camera. He made the paparazzi¡¯s face into a mess.

    ¡°Oh my. I¡¯m fine but¡­¡±

    Baby Yellow was benevolent to him.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t do it from now on. Okay?¡±

    BY of the fourth iteration always smiled in front of others. She was a kind child when she was young and after she aged, she became a kind celebrity. It was to the point that the Times newspapers decorated their first page with the headline, ¡®The word kind was made for Baby Yellow¡¯.

    As she gained more and more fame, thepany tried harder to have that image built in. So unlike normal top celebrities, she personally went to militaries and performed there.

    After visiting superhumans that were carrying out a war for a very long time in the fissures, BY consoled them with her beautiful songs.

    A public image was hard to build and maintain because one had to diligently show an attractive side. The best method was to reveal their personality as is but unfortunately, BY¡¯s personality was changing over time.

    The longer something took to build, the easier it was to crumble. BY, who felt greatly pressured from single malice, became a person that couldn¡¯t afford to make mistakes at all costs.

    And because she was a dragon, she didn¡¯t make a single mistake. She gradually became more perfect as she built up her experiences with age.

    One day, during a military performance,

    In a certain fissure,

    BY was met with a fairly big problem.

    To be exact, it wasn¡¯t BY¡¯s mistake. What became an issue was what her parrot said, as it copied the words BY said during her intoxication.

    It was a quiet parrot until then but for some reason, it spoke of words that should never be said in front of a camera ¨C words that were extremely vulgar and violent.

    At the time, the incident was glossed over nicely but that wasn¡¯t the case for some people. Everyone already knew that the parrot was BY¡¯s favourite pet, so criticisms and ridicules of BY quickly spread to every corner of the inte.

    Dirty and vulgar woman. A psychopath. Crazy bi*ch.

    BY who deeply immersed herself in those hostile words had her watch confiscated, and was locked in a tent with all the schedules cancelled.

    Inside an SS-rankedrge fissure, BY who was locked up in a fancy tent, called here and there with a pitiable voice and apologised. Whenever they met, she apologised to Yu Jitae as well but fortunately nothing happened apart from her sorrow.

    But one night.

    In the middle of the night, she woke up and suddenly opened the storage of the tent. It was locked with a padlock, but she forced it open with her nails. Then, she red at the parrot who was in quarantine.

    Soon, her white hands strangled the parrot¡¯s neck and squeezed it. The bird was unable to resist.

    Right before it¡¯s thin neck was about to be crushed, BY released her shivering hands. When Yu Jitae rushed into the tent after sensing something strange, she red at him with congested eyes.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you do just then.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know. Just go outside for now. I want to be alone.¡±

    ¡°Wake up. We have to leave this ce soon.¡±

    ¡°I get it, so just go outside¡­ please¡­¡±

    He felt somewhat ominous but Yu Jitae back then only prioritised her safety and refrained from doing anything apart from that.

    ¡®¡­¡­ ¡­? ¡­¡¯

    But he heard BY whispering something to herself throughout the night.

    Back then, thepany in fact cared more about her mind than Yu Jitae. A counsellor or a massager woulde during the day and care for her and unlike nighttime, BY conventionally listened to their orders during the day.

    That wasn¡¯t the end.

    ¡®Offering for Eternal Peace¡¯ was sent from outside the fissure, mixed with the military munitions. The jelly-like soup inside the stic container was sent by thepany, with the help of her exclusive chef who knew BY¡¯s favourite dish.

    At the start, it looked like jelly, but became the thick soup BY loved after he heated it back up at the military kitchen.

    Holding the soup, the Regressor headed into BY¡¯s tent. But the moment he walked in, Yu Jitae felt extremely irritated.

    BY wasn¡¯t there.

    She went missing that day.

    On the floor, there was a cross drawn in red blood. Looking at that symbol, it seemed that she had been abducted by the demon organisation, ¡®Blood Cross¡¯.

    Blood Cross was a human trafficking organisation located throughout the world, a wicked group that focused on women as its target.

    In the fourth iteration, Yu Jitae was ranked 3rd.

    However, the rank was given because of his contributions at war more than his individual power, so there were countless superhumans in the world that could hide from his senses around the globe.

    ¡°I should kill them all or something¡­¡±

    Hiding the irritation soaring through his throat, the Regressor turned around. Throwing the soup into the alternate dimension storage, he flew up into the air.

    After flying high above, he looked into the distance. There wererge forests and mountains in front.

    This was an SS-ranked dungeon.

    It was simr to the ¡®Ancient Forest¡¯, and no-one knew whaty near the end of it. The area they mapped out was at least 4.95 million square kilometres, which was roughly half of China.

    Beyond the end of the extensive forest, he could see the endless horizon past the mountains.

    ¨C There has been no signs of anyone having left through the dungeon entrance!

    ¡°¡­Got it.¡±

    After receiving the report, Yu Jitae heaved a deep sigh. From now on, he had to look for BY in this wide and unknownnd of danger.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Swallowing the profanities inside, the Regressor moved.

 Chapter 139: My Guardian Deity (5)

    <h4>Chapter 139: My Guardian Deity (5)</h4>

    ¨C We have received a response from the Association regarding our request for cooperation!

    ¨C 42D, 17C, 85C¡­

    The numbers went on and on.

    Raiding an exceptionallyrge dungeon was like a war. There were strict, systematic frameworks in ce and there was a restriction on the avable pathways.

    All army troops had a military objective. Instead of simply fighting, the objectives ranged from constructing bases and trenches, to sending supplies and being decoys for monsters. Because of that, no-one was allowed in from outside unless permitted.

    In order to move privately, they had to receive permission from the troop guarding that area. As soon as they received news, the security team sent a message over to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the one in charge of 17C.¡±

    ¨C It¡¯s Major Jo Yoojin from Joint Affairs Team!

    ¡°Got it. Get the bestmunication device possible. I¡¯m moving as fast as I can. Our device won¡¯tst.¡±

    ¨C The Headquarter does not wish to provide support. Will there be a different method?

    ¡°Look for Commander Myung Yongha and tell him 4Life is in need of assistance with themunication device. Tell him it¡¯s rted to subjugating the Blood Cross.¡±

    ¨C S, sorry?? 4Life¡­ eh, to C, Commander Myung Yongha?

    ¡°Oi. You bastard. Just do what I say. Is it time to muck around?¡±

    ¨C Ah¡­ yes! Understood!

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time. Secure it. Hurry.¡±

    ¨C Yes sir!

    4Life.

    It was the alias he was using in the fourth iteration ¨C the name of the 3rd ranker worldwide.

    He discarded that name and face the moment he became the bodyguard of the Gold Dragon and also disguised his identity as a random decently powerful superhuman. In order to be a mere bodyguard of a celebrity, he had to hide his identity as a top ranker.

    But now wasn¡¯t the time for that.

    After entering the forest, Yu Jitae met the Major of the base troops holding 17C.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t caught any sign of demons having moved, from ourmunicationwork or our radar.¡±

    She spoke with a gaze of doubt.

    ¡°Is it true that BY has been abducted?¡±

    ¡°Just stay put with your mouth shut. Do you think I need to exin every single thing to you right now?¡±

    Although the Major was discontent, there was an approval given by the Commander already so she closed her mouth.

    Once the security fences were lifted, he ran forward without turning back. Meanwhile, he closed his eyes and extended his senses to the extreme, to feel traces of the Gold Dragon.

    He could certainly feel it.

    However, the physical distance between them was considerablyrge, and she was going further away rapidly in real time.

    How in the world were they moving this fast.

    ¡®A stealth movement-type demon huh¡­¡¯

    There would be troops nearby with great superhumans in them, as well as monsters whom they were fighting against. Despite that, the trace of the dragon was leisurely moving through them.

    Above the forest with trees that were a hundred metres tall were S-ranked monsters, [Sky Race]. It would take more time to go above so without any other choice, he had to go through the forest head-on.

    ¡°I¡¯m Captain Cortua of 119F. Mister Yu. I heard you were a great superhuman but in order to go through here, we must go through the battlefront¡­!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go immediately. Make them follow me if you so wish.¡±

    Sometimes, there were superhumans who tried to use Yu Jitae to turn the battle to their favour but since that was the shortest path, he had to be used by them.

    He lifted a massive longsword from his dimensional storage. It was a Level 4 artifact borrowed from the Association as a new VIP.

    [Conviction of Ancient Soldier]

    It was an unbreakable sword.

    ¡°Front side! 1 tribe of Red-haired Trolls. 37 in number!¡± shouted the operator.

    The A+ ranked trolls were already prepared for the fight behind the bushes. Red-haired Trolls were generally at least 2.5 metres tall and tribes always contained a tribe leader and a great warrior.

    Yu Jitae aimed for the monster who was a head taller than others. That was the great warrior.

    Paaat¨C!

    He kicked off the ground as hard as he could. Coarsely, mana crushed the ground as he quickly rushed forth. Kwuuoook! The troll shouted and swung its two-handed club at Yu Jitae. If he were to contest that, he had to be ready to suffer a loss.

    However, Yu Jitae did not fight it head-on.

    He didn¡¯t have time.

    [Sword of Giant Soldier (AA) ¨C 2nd Form]

    [Wrecking Ball]

    His body was flung forward like a missile.

    Kwaaang¨C!

    The [Conviction of Ancient Soldier] crushed the troll¡¯s club from the front as therge metal club shattered like ss fragments. His palms felt like they were being torn apart but without caring about that, he crushed the troll¡¯s head alongside its weapon.

    Let alone the trolls, even the soldiers were shocked from the strike.

    ¡°Charge¨C!¡±

    Hearing theirmander¡¯s voice, the soldiers each deployed their blessings and skills to rush forward.

    Agitated from the death of their great warrior, the trolls shouted. Guraarararara! Gurararara¨C!! Their muscles exploded in volume as thick veins were revealed in full disy.

    Since he had to go past them as fast as possible, Yu Jitae headed to the most dangerous area ¨C the ce where he would be surrounded by trolls in all four directions.

    Smacking the club that was flying at him with his arm, he swung his sword. His strength was ridiculous and at least one troll was crushed every time he moved his arm. The ones that tried to block with their clubs were destroyed along with their weapons.

    That was when another club struck him at the back of his head. It was a great jolt, enough to have someone¡¯s eyes pop out. But after reaching the fourth iteration, his physical body was that of a monster and his eyes remained in their sockets.

    While bleeding from the back of his head, Yu Jitae turned around at the troll that just attacked him. Only the handle remained from the previous club, so the troll took a step back in a fluster.

    He reached out and squeezed the troll by the skin. What awaited the head after being pulled was a sword.

    The troll was stabbed in the head.

    Yu Jitae ripped the stomach of another troll and bisected another troll¡¯s arms into two. And another one was shed into two from the head down to the neck. A troll whose brain had beenpletely destroyed couldn¡¯t even be saved by their unique regenerating ability and died powerlessly.

    The nearby trolls had already been killed. After standing still for some time, he heaved deep breaths in and out and nced across the battlefield.

    The shock on the back of his head still caused his gaze to wander.

    Trolls, bodies, corpses, corpses, corpses, bodies, trolls, soldiers, great warrior, tribe leader and¡­

    He ran.

    ¡°Mister Yu! Where are you going!¡±

    It was the voice of the captain, but he ignored it.

    He wasn¡¯t here to fight. The troll camp was already in chaos and there was a decent way out, which he was now following through.

    ¡°Kuak!¡±

    ¡°Aaak!¡±

    Sharp screams were heard from behind. Thick weapons crushed the legs of a soldier. The battle became harder when he distanced himself from the stalemate.

    Whatever the case, that had nothing to do with him.

    Several hundred metres after he left the battlefront, his walkie-talkie rang.

    ¨C Sir! We have gotten approval from Commander Myung Yongha. Next is 93F!

    ¡°What¡¯s the area currently like?¡¯

    ¨C They¡¯re in the middle of a fight! However, 93F is suggesting that we go to 117N instead!

    He frowned. He had to go through 93F because that was the shortest path ording to the map.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¨C Apparently, there¡¯s a Sword Forest¡­!

    Yet again, he felt irritated.

    A Sword Forest out of everything¡­

    He could understand the rmendation of the troops. Sword Forest was a mutatedndscape. Physical bodies of dead swordsmen sumbed to the ground and rotted beneath. Stained mana under the name of grudge would then move, seeking for a ce to gather.

    At the ce where their grudges gathered would be tall stalks of grass but as if to vent their spirits, they were always in the shape of des. Dancing under the wind, they would sh anything that walked over thend.

    That alone was annoying enough but the problem was that this ce had monsters ¨C monsters that weren¡¯t impacted by the des of grudge. Namely they were spectors, ghosts and devils.

    There would probably be superhumans of the holy type, confronting the ghosts.

    ¨C So, currently we are in touch with 117N! Any words you would like to tell them sir?

    ¡°Nothing. Just cutmunication with them.¡±

    ¨C Sorry?

    ¡°We¡¯ll use 93F. Are you going to make me say it twice every single time? Cut it!¡±

    He shouted like the growl of a tiger. It was the first time hearing Yu Jitae shout for the one on the other side of the call, despite working under him for over 10 years.

    ¨C U, understood, sir!

    Yu Jitae rushed towards the Sword Forest. Each step of his caused the world around him to rapidly change. He soon came across another troop.

    ¡°This is Yu Jitae. Please cast a divine spell.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡±

    A saint-type superhuman walked up and used her blessing on Yu Jitae. Gentle light seeped into his body.

    ¡°Mister Yu Jitae. The wounds on the rear and the back of your head are severe.¡±

    During the blessing, the saint spoke with a worried expression.

    ¡°You are bleeding a lot.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°How about you recover before you go. It won¡¯t take more than 5 minutes. The Sword Forest will make you bleed a lot as well.¡±

    ¡°Please, stop babbling and give me holy water.¡±

    The saint and other superhumans were shocked by his attitude. He was acting without any manners.

    Seeing them stay still, he revealed his irritation on the outside without hiding as he walked to the statue of a goddess.

    ¡°Mister Yu Jitae?¡±

    He then plucked the bottle of holy water that was inside the statue¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Mister Yu Jitae! What are you doing? That¡¯s something that shouldn¡¯t be used like that!¡±

    Without saying a word, he kicked off the ground. Although the superhumans ran in trying to grab him, he was faster and quickly he distanced himself from the encampment.

    Meanwhile, his hands opened the sk and he drank it in one go. The saltish vour of holy water spread in an instant as something hot began surging inside his body.

    In front of his eyes was a forest darker than ck.

    Sword Forest.

    Into the ominous aura, he ran in.

    ***

    On the ground were des shaped like grass slicing his feet, ankles and knees, while trees shook their branches in the air trying to dice him into pieces.

    He zealously blocked them with [Conviction of Ancient Soldier] and used his mana to parry them away. He created sparks throughout his run.

    It was when he was about half way past the Sword Forest that he was nearing his limit. A de swept across before he realised it and scratched past his cheek. His skin was ripped as blood flowed out. Meanwhile, another de tore one of his ears. He could feel the cartge in his ear breaking.

    There was no need to even mention his arms and wrists. Already, there were dozens of scratches and wounds. His gray security clothes and the outer garments were already painted in blood, and had already turned ck.

    Even then, he didn¡¯t stop.

    Slowly but surely, he could feel himself closing into the trace of the Gold Dragon.

    But at the same time, he could feel the blessing and the holy water losing its power.

    Damn it. It was 3 minutes from now at max. During that time, he had to break through Sword Forest because if he didn¡¯t, he would be surrounded by extremely cumbersome enemies.

    His feet came to a stop.

    Finally, what was toe hade.

    Shiiieek¡­!

    There was a reason why 170 highest ranked superhumans were struggling for over 3 weeks.

    Crimson eyes fluctuated behind the Sword Forest, and there were at least 30 pairs of eyes.

    Those red eyes looked at one ce. Soon, they widened their eyes by a little bit. It looked horrendous but from the ghosts¡¯ perspective, it was a worship.

    At the same time, a figure of a person began walking towards him from the depths of the forest.

    That thing was a colony of ghosts.

    As a mix of countless ghosts, it was an S+ ranked mid-boss, who at the same time was the owner of the Sword Forest, born from the graves of countless swordsmen.

    It came closer ¨C the human-type monster with not a single bit of flesh, who only had skin on top of its bones. On one of its hands was a ck, half-melted longsword.

    [Sword Ghost]

    The owner of the Sword Forest finally revealed itself.

 Chapter 140: My Guardian Deity (6)

    <h4>Chapter 140: My Guardian Deity (6)</h4>

    Observing the opponent, estimating how they¡¯ll move, looking for a gap.

    There was no such thing.

    Yu Jitae ran in and swung [Conviction of Ancient Soldier].

    Kwaangg¨C!

    The Sword Ghost blocked it resulting in massive sparks. As their fight began, Yu Jitae was made to look into its disgusting face.

    With the astonishing strength fitting an S+ mid-boss, the Sword Ghost pushed his sword away. Despite being a regressor living his fourth life, he was helplessly pushed back.

    It didn¡¯t give him any chance to restabilise and immediately ran in. The sword half mingled with darkness had an unpredictable length and range to the weapon. He thought he blocked it, but the darkness embedded within the sword flowed down before scratching Yu Jitae¡¯s neck like the ws of a beast. His powerful physique was torn apart.

    Parrying the sword, Yu Jitae tried to decapitate its head. However, the Sword Ghost¡¯s lower body turned into a dark mist and immediately distanced itself. The [Conviction of Ancient Soldier] ended up shing nothing but thin air.

    Its movements were mysterious and due to its unpredictable nature, the Sword Ghost was already in the air above him before his eyes could follow it.

    After a turn in the air, the Ghost shed down with its sword. Even the trajectory of the sword was extraordinary.

    If he were to try to block it he could, but should he?

    If he were to try to dodge it he could, but should he?

    Or else¡­

    Quickly making a judgement, he stabbed the sword whilst blocking the opponent¡¯s sword at the same time. The Sword Ghost¡¯s sword which he couldn¡¯t fully parry swept past his shoulder and his left shoulder muscles screamed out in pain.

    Nheless, the attack was effective. [Conviction of Ancient Soldier] had stabbed one of the eyes of the Sword Ghost.

    However, that became a problem. Since its eyes were hollow in the first ce, it didn¡¯t damage the Ghost and instead, the sword was stuck inside its skull. To the monster, its head was not a weak point.

    He tried to pull the sword away, but the Sword Ghost utilised its mysterious movements again and didn¡¯t allow him to create a distance.

    That was when the surrounding forest moved in a timely manner and began shing him like a wave of swords. Hundreds of des scraped past his entire body as pain erupted all around. His left arm lost its sense of touch.

    Because of that, his mana flow became slightly slower.

    The mana soaring from his heart travelled across his upper body, through the ripped shoulders, arms and wrists, before eventually gathering at the tip of his sword.

    [Sword of Giant Soldier (AA) ¨C 7th Form]

    [Obliterate]

    Yu Jitae struck the ground with his sword. It created an immense explosion and fragments of sharp mana scattered everywhere, taking the des with them. Everything within ten metres from him were all crushed including the metal trees.

    The Sword Ghost hastily distanced itself.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    While bleeding from his entire body, Yu Jitae bit his lips. His breaths were short.

    After reaching a certain level, superhumans were able to estimate their opponent¡¯s power level. Yu Jitae predicted that the Sword Ghost was weaker than himself. However, it had a profound understanding of swordy and thendscape was negatively impacting him.

    He thought to himself.

    If he were to destroy all the trees nearby one by one, he would be able to remove thendscape. He could fight with more leisure and figure out the weakness andmon habits of the opponent.

    If he so wished, he could use all his leftover power to immediately kill the Sword Ghost.

    However, he didn¡¯t do so.

    He had no time to waste destroying trees and observing the opponent. And the road was still too long for him to use all his power here.

    Because of that, he had to kill the Sword Ghost with the least amount of power necessary, within the least amount of time.

    It was easier said than done.

    Yu Jitae took a deep breath in.

    Time and power. Catching two birds was excessive greed and there would definitely be a negative side result following such greed. Wishing for his body to be safe on top of saving both time and power was him being overly greedy and the Regressor was aware of that.

    In any case, he just had to stay alive.

    Choosing from the best of the best, he used the most suitable authority he had.

    [Seven-headed Dragonification (S-)]

    It was an authority he gained by killing a boss of a hidden dungeon at the start of the fourth iteration. At the same time, it was the authority which had been in the hands of Oscar Brzenk, the official Rank 1 worldwide in the third iteration.

    [Pure Blood]

    His heart began pumping blue blood. His entire body began sensing every single thing surrounding him.

    The sense of sight allowed him to look further and deeper, and everything hazy became clear.

    The sense of smell made him smell the odour of mold and moss behind the dense odour of blood and corpse of the Sword Forest.

    And strange feelings that couldn¡¯t be felt until now were being sent to the brain. This was what was referred to as ¡®sixth sense¡¯. With this, he would be able to instinctively distinguish between attacks that had to be avoided and those that could be allowed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He just had to not die. Yu Jitae moved his body.

    After exactly 1 minute; after 50 exchanges,

    sh¨C

    [Conviction of Ancient Soldier] ripped through the Sword Ghost¡¯s heart.

    ¡°¡ª¡±

    It murmured something even after falling down, so he crushed it beneath his feet.

    This was the end.

    However, it wasn¡¯t a clean victory. By the time he left the Sword Forest, Yu Jitae¡¯s body had countless swords popping out like an echidna.

    Once he left the forest encroached in darkness, aparatively brighter forest weed him.

    He forced those swords out one by one. His entire body ached as if it was on fire and his skin and muscles screamed out in pain.

    It was painful.

    For the first time in a very long time, he sincerely thought to himself that it was painful. His muscles and joints felt disjointed. A rest of one or two days would not be enough to fully cure his broken body.

    Drip¨C

    When he pulled out the des that were clogging up his vessels, blood raced out like a broken dam.

    He took an elixir out from his dimensional storage and rubbed it randomly onto his body and swallowed the rest. Because of the sheer mana capacity of his body, he couldn¡¯t expect a full recovery on his mana but it could help him restore all the lost blood at least.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Only a half of the front was visible.

    Yu Jitae touched his eyes. His entire body was full of blood but there was something more gooey next to his eyes. It seemed that some fluids hade out from his ripped eyeball.

    He once again examined his body.

    Fortunately, none of the wounds were fatal. It was thanks to his sixth sense allowing him to notice attacks that had to be dodged.

    Thanks to all that, he wasn¡¯t too far off from the Gold Dragon.

    Yet again, he moved forward.

    ***

    Some time in the distant past, Yu Jitae was a human.

    An extremely ordinary human. In fact, he was slightly less talented than others.

    From a young age, he wanted to be stronger. But after his body was controlled like a puppet in the second iteration and was made to murder his lover with his two hands, he became more desperate.

    The third iteration was him living every single day, simply to be stronger than the day before. He practically buried himself and dedicated all his time in dungeons for over 20 years and lived with his life constantly on the line.

    He was such a normal human,

    Who had lost many things from the third iteration.

    After reaching the fourth iteration, Yu Jitae became a human who was extremely distant frommon sense. Simply put, he was a psychopath.

    What the Gold Dragon was thinking and the psychology behind her life had nothing to do with him. Isn¡¯t it fine as long as she didn¡¯t die no matter what? That was the only thought he had in mind.

    And when the Gold Dragon was abducted like this, powerlessly beyond his control, he had to feel the same emotions he felt at the start of the third iteration. Despite trying desperately to be stronger, he was still this weak.

    In order to stop the Apocalypse, he had to be stronger. That¡¯s what he thought back then.

    He went on for three days and nights.

    He came across monsters and either killed them or broke past them.

    During the sprint, the Regressor did not think about the Gold Dragon at all. He merely med and reprimanded himself.

    The third iteration was truly garbage.

    BM, Myung Yongha and even Yong Jungkook, the current family head of the Yong household ¨C whoever it was, the gifted ones were always either as strong as him or stronger than him.

    He fought fiercely. Vomiting blood, he sacrificed his flesh and crushed his bones wishing to be stronger. When he was stuck inside a monster¡¯s mouth; his body broken by the teeth and smothered by its saliva, he would fight back by ripping its tongue.

    When his wrists broke on top of his sword, he would crunch the neck of the monsters with his teeth and kill them before they did.

    When his legs were broken and his lower body paralysed, he would hold onto the horns of the beast and dig his fingers into its eyes.

    Even then, he was weak. Thinking about all that, the Regressor felt something dark like the head of a ck monster wriggling within his heart. It was stuck in his throat.

    Upon closer inspection, it was simr to self-hatred. The feeling he hadn¡¯t felt for thest 10 years was rearing its ugly head back up and made him feel like he would go insane.

    That was when he received a message.

    ¨C Sir. This ce¡­ restricted entry¡­, ¡­

    Byparing this dungeon¡¯s size to China, it could be said that he had crossed 80% of the country over four days and nights. At this point, he was closer to the boss monster¡¯sir than the encampment, andmunication became harder as he went further in.

    ¨C ¡­ Please¡­ take care¡­

    He thus turned the device off.

    This ce was the front line. And he felt the trace of the Gold Dragon from a ce not too far from here. The dragon had stopped at that ce from yesterday.

    However, there were soldiers stopping him from entering when he arrived at the frontline.

    ¡°Stop there please!¡±

    A man and two women. Hanging on their chest was a brooch of a golden bull, with strange horns resembling weapons.

    Vanguard ST.

    They were the frontline squad under the International Hunter Association. At the same time, they were in the lead at creating the path from the front line to the heart of the dungeon, with every agent being at least in the top ten thousand.

    ¡°We have received a note from themand centre. Our Commander especially wished for us to take care of you and we do understand that you are a great superhuman.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°However, we do not know what sort of danger there is beyond this ce. Please listen to our orders hereon and tread carefully. Although we do not know where you wish to go to, we cannot allow anyone to move privately beyond this area.¡±

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    The ¡®standard moving distance¡¯ of the shock troop was 150km. But the encampment of the shock troop, Vanguard ST, should be 220km to the East from this ce.

    In other words, it was highly likely that this group of soldiers were scouts.

    There was a clear limit on the distance that could be travelled withmunication devices. It was the same as how the device provided by Myung Yongha could not reach his current location.

    And the ¡®standard moving distance¡¯ was the same as the distance coverable by themunication device.

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    So if he were to kill them here.

    ¡°Let¡¯s first go back to our camp.¡±

    No-one will know.

    ¡°This way please.¡±

    And the Regressor did not want to waste time.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    sh¨C

    He swung his sword as the man¡¯s head dropped and rolled on the floor. Immediately, the other two women struck back.

    One of the women drove a sword in through his rib cage. The strike was so fierce that the forest and trees behind him were caught in the aftershock. However, he did not die. Although it was close to the heart, it had barely missed it.

    He decapitated the woman. Meanwhile, the other side instinctively shot an arrow at him. Dozens of arrows dug into his muscles and joints and soon they exploded and caused his body to stiffen.

    However, that wasn¡¯t enough to fully stop his movements. The moment his body was able to move again, he approached the woman and took her bow. He then threw the woman to the ground. Her neck was broken as a yell left her mouth.

    Superhumans did not die just from having their neck bones broken. Yu Jitae crushed her neck with his trembling hands.

    ¡°Ukk¡­ Kuhuk¡­¡±

    The opponent grabbed onto his wrists in an attempt to pull them away. Her sharp nails ripped his wrist but also broke her own nails.

    Her frightened eyes were staring at him, but he didn¡¯t think much of it. But at least, his head that was about to go insane was slowly going back to normal.

    His current decision was efficient. As if to prove that, the woman¡¯s body soon stopped and they turned quiet.

    Even if his life was short,

    Isn¡¯t it fine if it is as efficient as possible.

    Consoling himself with that thought, the Regressor lifted his body.

    The corpses were all scorched behind him.

    ***

    When Yu Jitae finally came across Baby Yellow¡¯s presence, she was inside a cave at the very end of a mountain range.

    Although the battered man stumbled forward, there weren¡¯t any signs. Being cautious of an ambush from the demons, he carefully walked forward with his hand tracing the wall.

    But for some strange reason, he¡­ couldn¡¯t feel any demonic presence.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    All he found there was arge monster.

    There were gold scales covering its body, with strong tendons and muscles in the front and back legs. If it were to fully expand itsrge wings, they would be able to cover any random building.

    Its gaze overflowed with dignity and the sheer difference of ss in their existence itself was enough to oppress Yu Jitae.

    There, was a gold dragon.

    Yu Jitae opened his mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°You need to get scolded.¡±

 Chapter 141: My Guardian Deity (7)

    <h4>Chapter 141: My Guardian Deity (7)</h4>

    There were no demons there. Only the Gold Dragon was gazing down at Yu Jitae.

    The abduction was just an act scripted by BY.

    It finally all made sense. If she were showcasing all the dignity and ss of a dragon, the Sky Race would¡¯ve made way without daring to fight back. There would¡¯ve been nothing stopping her and she would have been able to fly in the sky, away from the eyes of others.

    After understanding everything, he sheathed his sword.

    ¡°What is all this about.¡±

    With an indifferent expression and an apathetic voice, he spoke.

    ¡°Go back to human form.¡±

    Therge body of the gold hatchling decreased in size and was soon reced by her human form, but BY wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes. As her bright and untainted golden hair fluttered, BY opened her mouth with a wry voice, sitting copsed on the ground.

    ¡°¡­Not surprised at all?¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Since when did you know? That I was a dragon.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡±

    Without even bothering to cover her body, she nkly stared at Yu Jitae.

    Following the rules of a security officer, he took off his jacket and tried to hand it over to her. The jacket was muddled in blood, with countless holes and was tattered like a rag.

    But BY didn¡¯t receive it.

    Still vacantly sitting on the ground, she merely gazed up at Yu Jitae with sunken eyes.

    ¡°Wear it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Wear. It.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Since she still didn¡¯t receive it, Yu Jitae walked up and threw the jacket over her shoulders. His feet weren¡¯t stable ¨C he was staggering.

    The jacket was full of blood. When it touched her body, it left a red trace behind on her white skin.

    BY, who had been nkly staring up at him, finally lowered her head and gazed at the jacket covering her body and sniffed it.

    ¡°Why did youe?¡± she opened her mouth.

    ¡°To save you from dying.¡±

    ¡°As always. Seriously.¡±

    ¡°Get up. You¡¯ll hear a mouthful once we go back.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not doing it here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why? Why are you that rxed? Aren¡¯t you mad?¡±

    ¡°Not much.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re not dead.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    BY red at him with a crooked gaze and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Who do you think you are?¡±

    It was a sharp voice. His eyes twitched.

    ¡°What am I.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just a hired bodyguard. It¡¯s just a simple contracted rtionship between an employer and an employee.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°What ¡®and¡¯? Put another way, I¡¯m the boss of yourpany and you¡¯re just an employee. If I fire you, you be someone that¡¯s totally unrted to me.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°But what are you trying to do. Your boss is slightly mental and wanted to take some rest. Who are you toe and stop me from doing so.¡±

    The wound on his forehead that was about to close up reopened as blood flowed down. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision.

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not someone special to me. I¡¯m serious. There¡¯s nothing special about you and you have nothing to brag about either. All you did during the past 10 years is just bash a few paparazzis.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°And, and, and! What¡¯s with these ¡®and¡¯s! Don¡¯t you have anything you want to say? Talk back or get angry. Or if you wanted to make me hear a mouthful, then do it. Say something!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Postponing the response, he thought to himself.

    The Gold Dragon didn¡¯t think of him as someone special? Something like that didn¡¯t matter a single bit.

    So what¡­

    The important thing here was that she didn¡¯t die. Apart from that, nothing was able to arouse any feelings inside him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say? Just say it!¡±

    And yet BY was telling him to say something back. BY carrying out a scripted abduction drama was fine and the fact that he had to cross countless hazards in order to save her was also fine. Those didn¡¯t matter.

    However, her voice that urged him to speak was slightly irritating.

    Thus, he walked up and crouched before BY.

    Despite the close distance between them, she didn¡¯t look away nor did she turn around. For some reason, she was angry and was ring at him with heavy pants.

    ¡°What. You want me to be angry?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you mad? This doesn¡¯t make you angry? Are you like an enlightened hermit?¡±

    ¡°No. But it does annoy me a bit.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you do something then!¡±

    Listening to her request, Yu Jitae pped her on the cheek.

    With the p, her small head was turned to the side.

    It wasn¡¯t a powerful p, and she probably knew that too.

    ¡°Never have I wanted to be your special person. So even if you get angry and even if you think of me as someone under you, I don¡¯t really care.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You just have to not die. As for the other things, I honestly don¡¯t really understand what you¡¯re trying to say.¡±

    Looking back now that he had earned daily lives in the seventh iteration:

    He was ignorant, abnormal and didn¡¯t have the ability to tell what was correct and wrong as a guardian. So until the end of the fourth iteration, he didn¡¯t regret the attitude he took against BY.

    What he did think however, was that the method itself was wrong so without caring about celebrities and whatnot, he locked her up in the undergroundbyrinth.

    But there was one thing, which he had done right.

    ¡°This is what thepany made for you. It was boiling hot, but now it¡¯s gone cold.¡±

    He took out the soup which was inside a stic container, in his dimensional storage.

    It was ¡®Offering for Eternal Peace¡¯.

    Due to the chilling spell of the alternate dimensional storage that was casted for preservation purposes, the soup went back to being like a jelly and didn¡¯t fall even when he carried it upside down.

    ¡°It¡¯s irritating that this cools down like this. I have to guard you and I can¡¯t afford to leave the area for something like this but there wasn¡¯t anyone that could do this in the morning. What should I do if you end up in a life-or-death situation when I leave for a little bit. Huh?¡±

    Blood dripped down from his chin onto the solid soup.

    ¡°You said ¡®do something¡¯?¡±

    He threw the soup at the ground in front of BY. The stic container was crunched as the solid soup scattered across the floor.

    ¡°You happy now?¡±

    But that was the end. Yu Jitae walked up and reached out with his hand, which was filled with wounds. Blood was still dripping from his fingertips.

    ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°What. Is that all¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m done doing something, so hurry and get up. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She remained silent. BY nkly stared at the fragments of soup scattered on the ground, before lowering her head.

    ¡°Turn around. Let me wear this properly.¡±

    Yu Jitae turned around.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was then. A different breathing sound suddenly reached his ears and made him look behind. The small shoulders and the long strands of hair covering her shoulders were shivering restlessly.

    BY was sobbing.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Be quiet. You¡¯re seriously annoying¡­ Do you think, you¡¯re like, my guardian deity or something?¡±

    With a voice drenched in sorrow, BY cried under her breath.

    ¡°If we¡¯re nothing special¡­ Why would you try so hard to bring me back. Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why did you bleed so much¡­ what¡¯s with that arrow on your knee? What¡¯s with the hole on your chest and why aren¡¯t you saying anything? If you came here after all that effort, why would you hide it and pretend like it¡¯s nothing. Even I would be in pain so why are you¡­¡±

    BY retched her words out in sorrow.

    ¡°You¡¯re nothing special to me¡­ so why are you trying so hard to save me¡­¡±

    Then, she began picking up the fragments of the broken soup from the ground and pushed them into her mouth.

    They were covered in dirt and were dirty but BY ignored that and pushed them into her mouth, again and again. Endlessly.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    She tearily mumbled.

    If he had consoled her back then,

    Would the fourth iteration have gone differently?

    ¡°I think I¡¯m the problem¡­ I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m like this. Sorry¡­ I¡¯m just so scared of someone hating me¡­¡±

    Like a broken dam, she endlessly poured out tears. Despite wiping them with both her hands, her teardrops did not stop.

    She shoved so many soup fragments that she had to cough and clear her throat in between, but she continued nheless while crying.

    ¡°It¡¯s just, because I¡¯m so, so weak¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Until the end, he didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m so creepy¡­ Why is it so¡­¡±

    BY, who had been pushing those cold fragments into her mouth for a long time, once again covered her face and sobbed.

    ¡°So damn tasty¡­ I must be crazy. For real¡­¡±

    Back then, he didn¡¯t have the wisdom of hugging a crying child.

    ***

    ¡°It¡¯s strange¡­¡±

    Kaeul nkly opened her mouth after having the soup for some time.

    ¡°What is.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking ¡®there¡¯s no way¡¯ when I first ate this, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s so strange the more I eat it. This is extremely simr to the one mother used to make for me.¡±

    ¡°Is it.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I love it¡­ How did you make this? To say it¡¯s a coincidence, it¡¯s so so simr¡­¡±

    With a vacant gaze, she continued bringing the soup into her mouth for a long time.

    He stood there without leaving the room, and watched her eat. Kaeul, who usually hadrge bites, was currently having small amounts of soup at an extremely slow rate.

    And suddenly, she opened her mouth as a slightly sunken voice left her mouth.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Before, by mistake I¡­ No, I mean, I made a mistake.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I will go tomorrow and sincerely apologise to them.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°I almost killed¡­ someone¡­ Sorry.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°He, he suddenly came closer and I was super surprised so unconsciously I¡­¡­ But whatever I say, it¡¯s nothing but an excuse¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sorrow appeared on her face.

    ¡°My hands still shiver whenever I think back to what happened¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Our gold race is really close to humans¡­ Maybe that¡¯s also why¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But I really wanted to protect Chirpy. He was like, frightened and was shivering. How can I send him away. Can you do it, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it¡­ No, actually, I don¡¯t know. Everything is just, my fault¡­¡±

    Tears were formed beneath her golden eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m this child¡¯s guardian, aren¡¯t I. I¡¯m his guardian deity¡­¡±

    In Askalifa, gold dragons were worshipped as guardian deities of their respective countries.

    ¡°Even if he makes a mistake, a guardian deity shouldn¡¯t make any mistakes right¡­ How can a guardian deity make mistakes¡­¡±

    He crouched down next to the child sitting on the chair. From below the child, he gazed up at her and opened his mouth.

    ¡°You did well.¡±

    ¡°I did well? I almost made a really big mistake¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You can make mistakes but you protected the baby chicken.¡±

    ¡°I almost killed a person though¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But you didn¡¯t. You just have to be more careful from now on.¡±

    If he had more wisdom on how to treat other people in the fourth iteration, he wouldn¡¯t have made any mistakes. Kaeul¡¯s concerns shared a percentage of the doubt Yu Jitae used to have in the past.

    Back then, no-one gave advice to Yu Jitae.

    And he ended up repeating those mistakes.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay to make mistakes.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    While crying, Kaeul shoved the soup into her mouth. But due to her tears, she was unable to eat properly and was spilling half the soup.

    He took several napkins out and handed them over to the child. Kaeul received those napkins and wiped her mouth.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    She once again became teary-eyed.

    ¡°Maybe ahjussi, is my guardian deity¡­¡±

    ***

    Kaeul nklyid down next to the baby chicken. Without leaving her room, he sat down on the bed next to her.

    Seemingly in a better mood after crying, she was just nkly staring at the baby chicken. Yu Jitae watched her, before cing his hand over her hair.

    Following a strange urge to do so, he patted the child¡¯s head. Following the lines from her forehead, his hand caressed over the gold strands of hair.

    While he was awkwardly moving his hand, Kaeul opened her mouth.

    ¡°Nnn~ How did you know I liked having my hair caressed? It feels good.¡±

    Without a response, he continued with what he was doing for a long period of time. At some point in time, her eyes slowly came to a close as she mumbled right before going to sleep.

    ¡°By the way ahjussi. It feels slightly weird, you know¡­?¡±

    Feeling his touch, Kaeul mumbled without even thinking.

    ¡°It feels like my mum¡­¡±

 Chapter 142: Happy Happy Idol Worship (1)

    <h4>Chapter 142: Happy Happy Idol Worship (1)</h4>

    ¡°Mhmm~?¡±

    That day, for some reason, Bom wore makeup from noon. After applying eyeliner, she curled her eyshes and touched them with a mascara. Then, she mixed some stuff here and there before adding colour around her eye.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°You look beautiful. Mydy,¡± replied the protector, while carrying a mirror.

    Yu Jitae reflected on how she looked before the makeup andpared with how she looked after the makeup.

    ¡­

    It was so faint that he couldn¡¯t tell the difference.

    ¡°Uwah. Unni. You look super pretty today¡­!¡±

    ¡°Really? Thanks.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s seriously amazing! What¡¯s that blusher?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this is¡­¡±

    Kaeul, who recently became interested in makeup, watched Bom¡¯s cosmetics from the side with sparkling eyes.

    He was curious about the reason Bom was wearing makeup. She was usually like air and was very consistent, but acted strange whenever something different was about to ur. There must be a reason why she was wearing makeup all of a sudden, despite them having no ns to go out.

    And as he had expected, his watch rang after some time.

    [MYH: Sir. Have you been well??? ^^,,,~~~ It¡¯s me, Myung Yongha!!]

    It was from Myung Yongha. This was the first time he was having a private conversation with him ever since they shared their contact details.

    [MYH: What a bright and happy weekend morning! Have you had breakfast~~!!??]

    [MYH: Take a kimbab (simr to sushi roll) for yourself~!!]

    [MYH: @)))))))]

    [MYH: Hahaha~~~!!!!!!]

    Being in his forties, even his messages gave off a human feeling. Yu Jitae slowly carried his fingers across and typed the reply.

    [Me: Y es]

    [Me: What could be the matter]

    [MYH: You know~~ I finally received my vacation hahaha!! Let¡¯s n our trip!!]

    [Me: Ah]

    [MYH: Seriouslly~~ T.T These government bass-taards don¡¯t give me any days off~~ It¡¯s thiste already!!]

    [MYH: (an emoticon of a dancing olddy)]

    [MYH: (an emoticon of a dancing elephant)]

    [Me: When¡¯s the best for you]

    [MYH: Strike~~^^ while the iron is hot,,,,,, How~ about~ today,~~ right~~ now!?]

    So after thirty minutes, Yu Jitae met Myung Yongha, who was wearing a fake human-faced mask, at a cafe inside Haytling. He walked into the cafe with his wife and was surprised when he found Yu Jitae.

    To be exact, he was surprised by Bom who was sitting next to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    She was wearing an off shoulder blouse and a pair of jeans. Her white shoulders as well as her corbones were in disy.

    For some reason, she was also wearing earrings and those pink flower-shaped earrings shing beneath her grass-coloured hair perfectly suited the meaning behind her name.

    ¡°Iyaa~. She looks really pretty today, no? Hahaha!¡±

    He could now tell why she wore makeup in the morning.

    ¡°Nice to see you again, Bom.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ hello, unni.¡±

    With a gentle smile, Bom greeted Myung Yongha¡¯s wife, Jung Hawon.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Jun-il and Junhyuk?¡±

    ¡°Our nanny is taking care of them. We want to have a day off a week just for us.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, the baby should be bigger now, right.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Would you like to have a look?¡±

    While Bom and Jung Hawon were sharing a conversation, Myung Yongha brought up the main topic to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°There are two choices for the family trip.¡±

    ¡°Two choices?¡±

    ¡°The Association gave lodging tickets for a good vacation spot for VVIPs. The maximum number of people avable is 20, so we can head there with others if you¡¯re okay with that!¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s the other choice.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the other one! I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll like it sir, but apparently there¡¯s this deserted ind for vacation being built north of Las Vegas, which is a hot topic. I¡¯ve made reservations for it for the time being.¡±

    ¡°A deserted ind?¡±

    Seeing that he was curious, Myung Yongha opened his mouth with a suggestive tone.

    ¡°Uhuhu¡­! You see, it¡¯s a pretty interesting ce. Do you have field warfare experience by any chance, Mister Jitae?¡±

    He did.

    Around 90 years or so.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±

    For a few minutes, Myung Yongha exined the vacation spot which was modeled with the concept of a deserted-ind.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s how it is. So although the kids would love it, we won¡¯t even be allowed to take a good rest. Does that still sound good?¡±

    Yu Jitae imagined what it would look like.

    It wasn¡¯t that difficult, and he simply ced Gyeoul inside the background described by Myung Yongha. Imagining how Gyeoul would look on a deserted ind¡­ It looked fairly promising overall.

    ¡°That would be good.¡±

    Their drinks were served during their conversation. Bom¡¯s drink was a cherry ade, and she naturally lifted the cherry that was ced on top of the drink and carried it over to Yu Jitae¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    Due to theck of experience with daily lives, the thought that it might look strange did not hit the Regressor instinctively, and he habitually received it with his mouth.

    Myung Yongha and his wife stared at the two of them with intrigue. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± murmured Jung Hawon with a gentle smile which suggested that she was enjoying what she was seeing.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll contact you again once we get the schedule. Hahat!¡±

    ***

    That evening, he received a call from BM.

    ¨C It¡¯s me. Do you have time by any chance?

    Judging from how BM also happened to have a day off on the day Myung Yongha was free, it seemed that one of the projects of Grand Natural Society hade to an end.

    Yu Jitae headed to the undergroundbyrinth.

    After passing through a deep valley of darkness, past the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)], he finally came across the undergroundbyrinth. Despite there being no light source, the floor and the walls were all bright, and despite being devoured by the darkness, the sky shone gently above.

    But today, the inner room was quiet for some reason.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The 30-man special force agents always ran in like a bunch of dogs while shouting out, ¡°The doctor¡¯s here!¡± but none of them were here today.

    In addition, the structure of the inner room had been changed. Before, they alwaysid down on the bare ground under the [Fragment of Paradise] whenever they weren¡¯t working out, but now, there were dozens of container blocks inside the wide inner room.

    It seemed that they each prepared their own house.

    ¡°Ah. You¡¯re here already.¡±

    BM weed him inside the workshop. There were empty bottles of vodka on the floor and the person wearing sunsses appeared very haggard.

    ¡°Jung Bongman.¡±

    ¡°Please. Like I said, I threw that name away.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look too good.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I have been a bit busy these days. And things weren¡¯t working out well either.¡±

    Standing up from his seat, he gave a stretch. Because of his long and thin body shape, he looked like chopsticks.

    Yu Jitae looked around and observed the workshop. Hundreds of containers had disappearedpared to before, only leaving around a dozen. It seemed that he only left the best of the best.

    ¡°Do you like tea?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then, coffee? Or water?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. More than that, I want to see the chimera you made first.¡±

    BM scratched his unkempt hair.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ You mean right now?¡±

    ¡°Why. I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No. Of course you can. It¡¯s just, embarrassing to show what I did. To think¡­ I would feel like a child having his homework marked at this age¡­¡±

    While grumbling, BM wobbled across the room and Yu Jitae followed suit. On the back wall was a storage and when BM pulled the blinds that were blocking the way, arge hibernation capsule revealed its gentle blue lustre.

    Inside it was a young human figure whose gender was hard to tell.

    There was a hole around where the heart should be.

    ¡°How does it look?¡±

    Yu Jitae stood in front of the hibernation capsule and stared at the child inside. Soon, the child slowly opened its eyes and looked back at Yu Jitae.

    When he lifted his hand and ced it next to the capsule, the child also carried its hand to the wall. With the thick ss in the middle, Yu Jitae and the child¡¯s hands were ovepped.

    ¡°Why did you do something unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Why did you put a light reflex on it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Can you see that?¡±

    BM gave an emptyugh.

    ¡°If you¡¯re asking me why I put it on¡­ Well, who knows, maybe it¡¯s because I wanted to make it look more like a human¡­¡±

    Just like what Yu Jitae said, the child inside the capsule was not a living child. It was nothing but an awkward machine acting in reflex after sensing light.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t really know why.¡±

    In other words, it was more like aplex machine than an organism.

    ¡°Pull all that stuff away. Don¡¯t put something useless inside a human body.¡±

    ¡°I shall.¡±

    Walking around the storage, Yu Jitae opened up various boxes in search of something.

    Seeing that, BM once again felt somewhat strange. For some unknown reason, Yu Jitae was only opening the boxes that had the key ingredients inside.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any heart fragments?¡±

    ¡°Yes. No matter how trash and garbage I am, I didn¡¯t want to use a human heart.¡±

    ¡°Why are you trying to save face.¡±

    ¡°What?¡¯

    ¡°You¡¯re not using it because you know it won¡¯t work.¡±

    BM scoffed.

    ¡­In fact, the man was right.

    It¡¯s something he felt whenever he met him but the man was very difficult to deal with. Despite not having a single bit of respect for adults, he was more like an adult than himself. So BM, who was always treated like an adult wherever he went, felt like a child in front of this man.

    After checking the ingredients, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen everything now.¡±

    ¡°How does it look.¡±

    ¡°What do you think. It¡¯s a mess. So listen up. ATTN essence 425 mL, 45.3g of carbon extract from glycine, purple elixir 4.25 mL, glycoten reverse gravity fragment, 32.2 g of refined hydrogen, 11.5 g of nitrogen, and for calcium, 0.18 g from the beak of a Raptor, and 0.02 g from a human bone.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes yes.¡±

    ¡°Those are the basic heart ingredients of an eight-year-old child. Make sure you don¡¯t get a single decimal wrong.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    BM gasped.

    It was an astonishingpound equation that could never be bought with gold. He didn¡¯t need to write it down, because his brain remembered it all.

    ¡°Wait! Please wait. If those are the basic ingredients, does that mean you need more apart from those?¡±

    The Regressor nodded.

    ¡°Yeah. And in order to obtain that, you need to go to a slightly dangerous ce.¡±

    ¡°What is that thing.¡±

    ¡°At the very summit, there is a seed that allows the dead to breathe.¡±

    ¡°A seed that allows the dead to breathe¡­¡±

    He had never heard of it before.

    ¡°Wait, is it that dangerous? Even for you?¡±

    ¡°No. Just for you.¡±

    ¡°Damn it.¡±

    He grumbled.

    ¡°I get it. I¡¯ll prepare them right now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯ll take some time so don¡¯t rush.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going already?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded.

    In the previous iterations, he wasn¡¯t interested in BM and had thus never looked into it, but he had a few questions, including the reason he was trying to make a human-type chimera as well as what he wanted from it. At the same time, BM probably had his share of questions.

    However, it was now time for the kids to have dinner.

    ¡°Let me contact you once I prepare everything.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    *

    It was when he left the workshop and was about to return to the Shallows of the Abyss. Something strange entered the corner of his eye.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was something resembling a portrait hanging around the middle of the [Fragment of Paradise], like arge card. And what was hanging on that card was Kaeul¡¯s face.

    Why is that there?

    When Yu Jitae was feeling doubt from the unexpected situation, someone drenched in sweat left the container and found Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    She, who was wearing a sleeveless shirt revealing those tough arms and her broad shoulders, was surprisingly none other than Ha Saetbyul.

    ¡°Ooohhh¡­! Doctor¡­?¡±

    Carrying a body that was even sturdier than the memory sent by the clone, Ha Saetbyul dashed towards him. Her blurry eyes flickered.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°You too, sir¡­! Uhihi¡­¡±

    As if she was half-intoxicated, Ha Saetbyul giggled and hugged Yu Jitae, before trying to lift him off the ground. Although she was still shorter than him, the arms surrounding his body felt rigid.

    ¡°You came for a round¡­ I wanted to see you¡­!¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not here for a round. For starters, get off.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Right. Have you been well these days?¡±

    ¡°Of course?¡±

    With vacant eyes, she giggled and revealed her biceps.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting stronggerr.¡±

    ¡°¡­I can see it. How is everything.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad¡­ I¡¯m getting harassed everyday because I¡¯m bad at these exercises. But I¡¯m trying harder because I¡¯m annoyed¡­!¡±

    ¡°You look like you have a goal now.¡±

    ¡°Yess. I want these old ogres to not be able to look down on me anymore. In the distant future, I¡¯ll be the boss of the 30-man special force¡­¡±

    He nodded.

    She looked a lot better than he thought. Despite receiving the Light of Paradise head-on, she had a firm determination and goal, which proved that she now had a strong desire to improve.

    Suddenly, Ha Saetbyul flinched with the same dull expression.

    ¡°Oopsiess¡­ You can¡¯t tell anyone that¡­ Boss Bell Baryon, that gori woman will be angry for sure.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Scary scary¡­ My waist will be folded in half easily¡­¡±

    Right. That¡¯s that.

    More importantly, Yu Jitae decided to ask about that strange thing.

    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s that.¡±

    ¡°Yes? Ahh¡­ you can¡¯t call her ¡®that¡¯. Sir¡­ Even if it¡¯s you, doctor, the patients will hate it.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡¯

    ¡°She is the idol of our mental hospital¡­ Goddess Yu Kaeul¡­!¡±

    During her speech, Ha Saetbyul gave a full smile with her loose gaze.

    The Regressor doubted his ears.

    What?

    ¡°Do you want to have a look togetherrr¡­?¡±

    ¡­What?

 Chapter 143: Happy Happy Idol Worship (2)

    <h4>Chapter 143: Happy Happy Idol Worship (2)</h4>

    ording to Ha Saetbyul, it all started during the Happy Happy Comment Squad days.

    ¡°You and our nurse asked us right¡­? You know, to cheer for our Goddess. Uhuhu¡­¡±

    Back then, BM brought in dozens ofwork devices and had asked them to manipte thement section. But even then, the 30-man special force agents didn¡¯t think much of Kaeul. They were just following the nurse¡¯s orders.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t know her face nor her name. We were just following our mood, repeating good words¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae could still remember the things that happened after that. A video of Kaeul taken by Bom had been sent to his device.

    ¡®Nn? What¡¯s this? Why are you taking a video of me?¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s a Q&A.¡¯

    Kaeul had her hands on her cheeks and was acting cute, but widened her eyes after hearing the words, Q&A.

    ¡®Can you try introducing yourself? What kind of person are you, Kaeul?¡¯

    ¡®Hmm, I¡¯m¡­¡¯

    Bom asked who she was, where she lived, the food she liked and so on. Throughout the video, Kaeul replied with a bright smile without any sign of falsehood.

    When BM yed that video, Kaeul¡¯s tweeting voice as well as her refreshing smile reced the somber mood of the undergroundbyrinth. Seeing the unpretentious voice of honesty, wide smiles were revealed on the faces of the agents.

    ¡®What do you think, Kaeul, about buff superhumans?¡¯ Bom asked, before showing her a picture of famous superhuman bodybuilders. They were around 2.5 metres tall and their bodies were covered with explosive muscles!

    ¡®Uwah¡­! They¡¯re so cool!¡¯

    ¡®Are they?¡¯

    ¡®Nn! It would¡¯ve been super hard to make their bodies like that right? I think they¡¯re super, outrageously amazing¡­!¡¯

    ¡®I see.¡¯

    ¡®And my mum liked people with good bodies as well!¡¯

    The special force agents that were watching the video shown by BM, felt their happiness increase by twofold.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Kuhum¡­¡±

    ¡°She is cultured indeed¡­¡±

    ¡°Kukuk¡­¡±

    Whenever they smiled, their arms and traps twitched. Regardless of gender, their faces were showing dark smiles.

    ¡°Miss Kaeul was it¡­? She¡¯s a good, pretty child¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s precious and cute¡­ she¡¯s like my daughter¡­¡±

    ¡°She really is like my daughter. If there are people badmouthing her, I would like to have a chat with them in real life¡­¡±

    ¡°Santos. Don¡¯t you only have 3 sons?¡±

    Santos smiled benevolently in response to someone¡¯s doubt.

    ¡°It happenedst year. My first child is no longer a son.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­?¡±

    ¡°It is possible to have acquired daughters.¡±

    ¡°Ouh god¡­¡±

    ¡°T, That¡¯s a joyous asion indeed¡­¡±

    In any case, the 30-man special force agents became more active in writing positivements aftering across the video. And soon, Kaeul¡¯s name and face gradually began inertially being attached to their lives.

    There were two factors that caused people to move inside the undergroundbyrinth. One was a strong desire for improvement that controlled the subconsciousness, which was the reason why the special force agents were crazily addicted to exercises.

    And the other factor was the inertial actions of life.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Mister Nurse. Could you please give us a picture of Miss Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Her cute face continues to hover inside my head. I feel that we¡¯ll be able to exercise better if we see her face.¡±

    BM was dumbfounded.

    He deliberately didn¡¯t show pictures of their family members to the special force agents, because it would be troubling if they wanted to suddenly leave before the mental contaminations were cured.

    However, Kaeul¡¯s pictures should be fine. So BM took a few still pictures from the Q&A video and printed them out for the agents to keep.

    ¡°They are here¡­!¡±

    When Ha Saetbyul opened the door of the gym, scorching heat gushed forth. ¡°Guaah!¡±, ¡°Chwaaa!¡± Even during the day, the agents were swinging metal poles as if they were crazy.

    All around the gym were pictures of Yu Kaeul, as if she was a celebrity.

    In fact, one of the lockers was filled with those pictures.

    ¡°Whose locker is that.¡±

    ¡°It is mine. Dear Doctor¡­!¡±

    Kuhuhu¡­ughing like a drunkard, therge Mestizo woman came to his side. She was the boss of the special force agents, Bell Baryon.

    ording to Ha Saetbyul, there was an incident which caused Kaeul¡¯s poprity, which had already been on a gradual increase, to increase to a massively explosive level.

    It was none other than Bell Baryon¡¯s SBD 20,000 incident.

    ¡°Before, my records were 4826 kg bench press, deadlift 7210 kg, and 7452 kg squat¡­ For over 4 years, I couldn¡¯t cross the SBD 20,000 level because of 600 or so kilograms.¡±

    Bell Baryon¡¯s tworge fists shivered.

    ¡°The problem is clearly because my two arms are that weak¡­ In order to be stronger, I tried zealously for years¡­ Others did increase faintly, but I just couldn¡¯t bench press 5000¡­ It was times like this that made me frustrated for being born a woman, with weak arm strength¡­¡±

    Now, even her arms began shivering and for some reason, Ha Saetbyul¡¯s arms also trembled. Her powerless gaze had fluttering madness within.

    ¡°But, that day, I was saved¡­ I don¡¯t know why but Goddess Kaeul looked for me in my sleep¡­ Puhuhu¡­ And then she smiled after seeing me¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s when I realised that it was time¡­! 1 rm. The weight I was going for was 5400 kg¡­ It was 574 kg above my previous record¡­! It would be enough to crush my bones and kill me if I couldn¡¯t press it¡­! I was scared¡­! But I called out the name of the Goddess¡­! Right, like this¡­!!¡±

    She opened herrge mouth.

    Yu¨C Ka¨C Eul¨C!!!

    Her thunderous shout shook the gymnasium. The agents who were each in a trance with their barbells were surprised, but soon went back to their exercises while shouting after her.

    ¡°¡°Yu Kaeul!!¡±¡±

    ¡°¡°Yu Kaeul!!¡±¡±

    ¡°¡°Uaaahhh¨C!!¡±¡±

    Shatter¨C!

    All the mirrors that were inside the gym shattered. Their yells were so loud that it made even Yu Jitae frown.

    ¡°What¡¯s all this about!¡±

    In surprise, BM ran into the gym after opening the door and shouted.

    ¡°You¡¯re killing me with this noise, you crazy beings! Be quiet!¡±

    He returned after scolding the patients. The special force agents were disheartened.

    Yu Jitae knew of a simr phenomenon. Ogres, would be enraged by the death of theirrades and enter a status called [Berserk Mode]. They weren¡¯t all that different.

    ¡°Kuhum¡­ What a damn strict nurse. In any case, like that, I reached SBD 20,062 with the body of a female¡­!¡±

    ¡°Ouuh! I get emotional whenever I hear this¡­!¡±

    ¡°Our boss reaching SBD 20,000¡­! Goddess¡­!¡±

    ¡°Damn it¡­! Goddess Yu Kaeul, please look after this poor oldmb¡­!¡±

    ¡°Gyaaaaak¡­! I also want to hit SBD 7,000¡­!¡±

    It seemed that throughout that process, Miss Kaeul had be Madam Kaeul, before eventually being called Goddess Kaeul.

    Although he was dumbfounded, he thought to himself that it was possible because this was in the undergroundbyrinth. They were mental after all.

    Going around the inner room, he looked for traces of Kaeul and it wasn¡¯t that hard. All the new rooms including ¡®cafeterias¡¯ and undries¡¯ were filled with Yu Kaeul¡¯s portraits.

    Among them, there was a container block which had nothing inside but a portrait hanging on the wall. It had a gloomy atmosphere, and there were candles burning inside it.

    Where was this ce? To his doubt, Ha Saetbyul smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s the prayer room.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ***

    Today¡¯s dinner was Korean-style braised beef ribs.

    He bought it from outside.

    The salty and savoury scent of soy sauce filled the dining room. After having their share of rice, they cleaned the bones by eating everything that was attached to it.

    ¡°Gyeoul. Try this as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a potato; very delicious.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Uwah. The meat¡¯s super tasty. Hasty. Pasty. Face tea¡­¡±

    ¡°Nas¡­¡±

    ¡°Un? Nas, what?¡±

    Their rustling voices reached his ears. While nkly staring at the kids eating their food, Yu Jitae looked at Kaeul.

    A question appeared in his mind. How did gold dragons go on Amusements in a ce other than Earth, like in Askalifa?

    -¡­ The gold race can immerse themselves in the emotions they feel, more so than what is required.

    He reflected on what Bom said in the past. ¡®Excessive immersion¡¯ was a characteristic of the entire gold race, and wasn¡¯t limited to just Kaeul.

    ¨C They empathise to an extremely deep level with the emotions they feel. As if they be that person.

    He hadn¡¯t ever been to Askalifa, nor was he able to. The dimension was way too far.

    However, if that was a ce inhabited by ¡®humans¡¯, it was natural for someone to hold hostility against a gold dragon. And if it was that dangerous, the gold race wouldn¡¯t send their hatchlings to the human world for Amusements.

    In other words, it meant the gold race was sending their baby dragons off because it wasn¡¯t dangerous even if someone held hostility against them¡­

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    After the meal, he asked Bom.

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, but the gold race are guardian deities right? They send a message beforehand, saying, ¡®My daughter is going on her Amusement. Please take good care of her.¡¯¡±

    An adult dragon probably wouldn¡¯t word it that nicely. ¡®Take care of her, if you don¡¯t want to die¡¯ would be more urate.

    ¡°What happens after that.¡±

    ¡°After that, the royal pce sends someone to wee us. They probably protect the dragon and help from the shadows so that only good things happen to them.¡±

    Bom gave a faint smile.

    ¡°If you think about it, our existence is actually quite the nuisance for humans.¡±

    It was his first time hearing such words from a dragon.

    ¡°However, Askalifa is a world with many problems. Dragons act as deterrents of wars, block the gap between the world and the outer dimension, and help sustain the natural cycle¡­ well, we do those things for them.¡±

    Is that so.

    After listening to that much, Yu Jitae was able to find another perspective to the matter.

    Perhaps, the problemid not with Kaeul, but with the media and the inte.

    In the previous and even in the current iteration, he thought the Gold Dragon was the fundamental problem causing this situation.

    Her feeble heart added to the excessively immersing characteristic of her race was the factor resulting in her death. Those things were outside his control, so he stopped Kaeul from standing in front of other people, no matter what.

    But the fact that gold dragons could enjoy their Amusements in Askalifa, meant that it was fine as long as their ill thoughts did not reach her directly.

    If that was correct, the target he was to be mindful of was not ¡®Yu Kaeul¡¯, the one with the ss mentality of a m m, but the ¡®media¡¯ which could easily convey hostile thoughts of a stranger from the corner of a room.

    There was a joke among the high rankers of the past. It was that the inte was scarier than S ranked monsters.

    It was possible for them to notice S ranked monsters even if they were sneaking up to them, but they had no way of noticing the person next to them swearing about them on their device.

    Mana was the manifestation of will. It was the desire to achieve something acting as an invisible force, but electric transmissions were sent from electrical devices that had no desire.

    Since electricity itself contained no desire, superhumans were only able to faintly sense it going to and from, and had no way of knowing the content of the message without special equipment or artifacts.

    That was the reason Yu Jitae was unable to notice Gyeoul unknowingly pressing on the upload button of the video. At the same time, that was also why Yu Jitae of the seventh iteration, who had the power to stand against the entire world, couldn¡¯t control the media.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Regressor quietly thought to himself.

    ording to this hypothesis, there were two solutions that would positively affect Kaeul.

    1. Restricted rtionship with a selected few that had no hostility against her.

    2. An environment without the media.

    The second option was impossible as long as Kaeul was on Earth. But what about the first one then.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It seemed the seventh iteration so far hadn¡¯t been meaningless. The everyday cause and effect which he couldn¡¯t even think of due to being immensely distant from daily lives, was slowly being shaped inside his head.

    It felt quite nice, like a tiny and cramped coffin had been cleared up.

    Yu Jitae went to Kaeul¡¯s room.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yess?¡±

    ¡°Should we make a video message.¡±

    ¡°A video message? To whom?¡±

    To your religious fanatics.

 Chapter 144: Happy Happy Idol Worship (3)

    <h4>Chapter 144: Happy Happy Idol Worship (3)</h4>

    Kaeul inside the video gave an awkward smile at the 30-man special force squad.

    ¨C Hello¡­?

    She repeatedly looked away from the camera and twirled her hair with her fingers, and constantly fidgeted.

    ¨C Uh, umm¡­ this is my first time making a video message for someone.

    ¨C So like, umm¡­ uhh, sorry¡­ So¡­ umm¡­

    ¨C Ah, I can¡¯t do this¡­!

    Her face turned red.

    All Yu Jitae told Kaeul was that there were people who loved her. ¡°Hukk, really!?¡± And ever since that, she was in that state and became even more nervous once the camera started rolling.

    ¨C I, I can¡¯t do this. C, cut! Cut it!

    ¨C Cut what. There¡¯s no such thing.

    ¨C Uaah¡­

    Yu Jitae¡¯s t refusal inside the video caused the audience tough out loud. The 30-man special force squad was currently sitting closely next to each other inside the ¡®prayer room¡¯, watching the video of Kaeul.

    The heavy pants of both male and female inside the cramped container were hot.

    ¨C Uhh¡­ I heard you were exercising patients. I haven¡¯t seen you before but¡­ thank you for looking kindly on me.

    ¡°Holy¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being cleansed by her¡­¡±

    ¡°Heavens¡­ I¡¯m being melted¡­ Like, like¡­¡±

    ¡°Like your pen*s¡­?¡±

    Santos, who had an erectile dysfunction due to the overuse of roids, showed Judie his middle finger.

    ¨C Living in a hospital would be hard and exercising would be hard as well¡­ I don¡¯t really know what it¡¯s like but I¡¯ll always be cheering for you. Please don¡¯t be sick¡­

    It¡¯s been around half a year ever since they were locked inside the undergroundbyrinth. Called the ¡®ws of the Association¡¯, the 30-man special force squad had been freer than any other squad in the past.

    They killed monsters, bashed up criminals and spent the rest of time with their family at home. Yet those people were suddenly forced into a small location. They didn¡¯t perceive it fully because of their unstable minds but unknowingly, they were slightly sick of it.

    Due to that, the agents were feeling rather consoled.

    ¨C I hope you stay happy.

    A gentle smile and a warm voice. Hearing that, Bell Baryon shouted.

    ¡°From today, our squad is happy¡­ Got that!¡±

    ¡°¡°Yes¡­!¡±¡±

    ¨C Please don¡¯t work out too hard and injure yourself.

    Bell Baryon shouted yet again.

    ¡°From today, any bastard that overdoes their training will die in my hands¡­ Got that!¡±

    ¡°Ouh no, Bell¡­!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡±

    Being happy was easy but that was difficult. Their devotion to Kaeul and devotion to exercise ¨C those two desires shed head-on as the mental patients pulled their hair out in distress.

    ¨C Ah! But muscles are very cool¡­! I looked into them a bit, you know? You¡¯re all bulky and huge¡­!

    Once again, Bell Baryon shouted.

    ¡°Ignore what I said just then¡­! Press those weights away. As safely as possible¡­! This is themand of your Goddess!¡±

    ¡°¡°Guooooh¨C!¡±¡±

    Having finally been freed from their agony, the special force agents screamed out loud. As if they were having a party at a pub with country songs, they drank water like alcohol and cheered and danced.

    Once they all began jumping around, the entire container started shaking from its core. The ruckus did not end until BM came and yelled at them.

    *

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Regressor showed the response video of the special force squad to Kaeul. In that 20-minute video, Bell, Santos, Judie, Ha Saetbyul and the rest of the 30-man special force agents were contesting against each other to introduce themselves to Kaeul and appealed their affections.

    I love you. I get stronger seeing you. Don¡¯t be hurt from seeing bad people. I got SBD h h h thanks to you¡­

    Although there were some words that she couldn¡¯t understand, she could clearly sense the emotions embedded within.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Wearing a nk expression and her mouth vacantly open, Kaeul watched the video till the end without saying a word.

    Excessive empathy, and immersion.

    Those were negative aspects that caused Kaeul to despair at this point in time but it fundamentally existed for the gold race to be loved and for them to be happy.

    The video ended and the hologram disy turned dark.

    Drops of tears flowed down her two cheeks.

    His guess was on the mark.

    A restricted rtionship with a selected few that had no hostility against her, caused Kaeul to feel an unbelievablyrge sense of joy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Kaeul swallowed her tears and nodded. She then gave a bright smile, but had trouble holding the overflowing emotions inside as her lips twitched.

    Soon, she reached her arms out and wrapped them around his waist while he stood still.

    ¡°What should I do¡­?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m too happy¡­¡± the child murmured.

    Suddenly, he started feeling something strange. But since this was the third time he was feeling it, he had gotten somewhat used to it already.

    His senses that were covered by a thick fog were revived with rity. The meagre arm strength of the child hugging his waist and the fingers that were touching his back vividly reached his brain.

    It was the same as when Bom was whispering on hisp, and when Yeorum was giggling with a cigarette in her mouth in the alleyway.

    ¡°Thank you. Ahjussi¡­¡±

    He sensed once again the Apocalypse visibly going further away.

    ***

    It was two dayster that BM notified him that he was ready.

    ¡®I¡¯ll go if you allow me to, my lord.¡¯

    No. He decided to go himself.

    This was regarding chimeras, and there were plenty of memories that even the clone had not received regarding them. In the undergroundbyrinth, in the workshop attached to the inner room, Yu Jitae met BM, who had a serious look on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared everything. Please have a look.¡±

    BM bit his lips. As the saying went, there was no end to learning. However, him being at this age and position having his homework task checked wasn¡¯t the best experience.

    As always, Yu Jitae walked to the table with an indifferent non-human-like expression. He then started going through the items BM had prepared.

    ¡°Are they fine? I tried everything I could to obtain these.¡±

    BM was nervous, but Yu Jitae did not return the reaction he was expecting.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Drop¨C

    Yu Jitae tipped the leather container carrying ATTN essence over the edge of the table.

    ¡°We can¡¯t use this.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? What¡¯s the reason.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been 3 weeks since it¡¯s been refined. The purity is too low for it to be used for a heart.¡±

    BM¡¯s eyes twitched under his sunsses.

    ¡°Can¡¯t use this either.¡±

    Yu Jitae pushed the ingredient next to it over the table edge as well. The carbon extract from glycine ¨C the silver spherical object did not fall on the ground and stopped in mid-air.

    That one thing had cost millions of dors.

    BM unconsciously clenched his fists as his veins protruded out. After lifting the next ingredient as well, Yu Jitae dropped it as if there was no need to look any further.

    ¡°Bongman.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You ordered all these, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    BM couldn¡¯t reply, because he was right. Using all his connections and his authority, BM ordered all the ingredients from governments worldwide. A faint trace of irritation appeared in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, which had remained indifferent until then.

    ¡°Do you think this is a joke?¡±

    He grabbed the bottle of purple elixir and dropped it.

    ¡°How dare,¡±

    Then, he dropped the reverse gravity fragment as well.

    ¡°You try to make a heart,¡±

    Even the essence and the leather pouch of nitrogen,

    ¡°With these rubbish.¡±

    The calcium was the same.

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s usable.¡±

    Each and every word of his was oppressive and pressed on from above, like an adult scolding a child.

    ¡°Your head¡¯s muddled for no reason. Even if it took some time, you should¡¯ve taken your time to prepare something good.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to create a heart. Don¡¯t you know that yourself?¡±

    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t I be in a bit of a rush?¡±

    It was then.

    BM, who felt greatly offended, couldn¡¯t control his emotions and opened his mouth. He heard the frightened voices of the chimeras inside his head but decided that he had to say what was on his mind.

    He turned towards BM.

    ¡°I started this shit 23 years ago. And 21 years ago, I made the muscles, the skeleton, organs and the brain.¡±

    In other words, it was just the heart that he couldn¡¯t make for 21 years.

    ¡°People my age are all grown up at this point, and they enjoy their time with their families. Meanwhile, I was stuck in here only doing this stuff. I had two choices ¨C using a human heart and not using it.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°My body was already not that of a human, but I wanted to remain a human at heart so I didn¡¯t use any human ingredients. But I got nowhere for over 10 damn years.¡±

    He stacked failures upon failures for over 10 years and the sleepless nights he spent trying hard were scattered like dust. BM wasn¡¯t able to hold it back any longer.

    ¡°You saw through it straight away. Yes, I used a human as the ingredient as well.¡±

    Yu Jitae nonchntly listened to his words and nodded.

    ¡°And it still didn¡¯t work.¡±

    Around 10 years ago, after failing despite going against the principle he had been holding dear inside his mind, BM couldn¡¯t endure it any longer and smashed everything that was inside his workshop.

    But that was all in the past. A human mind was very sloppy and it even got used to the countless failures over time. Right now, he wasn¡¯t expecting it to seed, and the only thought on his mind was that it would fail no matter what.

    ¡°That was when you suddenly appeared in front of me. You must have it easy. Because you are like a god or something. So you treating what I prepared as rubbish, might be the same as a god looking down on the offerings of a creation. However, I¡¯m not like that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t someone like me be in a slight rush?¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze still remained foggy.

    Only after finishing his sentence did BMe to himself. He finally realised that he had said something that he shouldn¡¯t have.

    The overflowing emotions resembling a teenager¡¯s short-temper quickly disappeared in a sh. BM started thinking back on the reason he blurted something like that out, but it was impossible to recover the words that had already left his mouth.

    That was when Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Right. They are all usable indeed.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°ATTN essence that was refined three weeks ago is still clean. It can be used as an ingredient for anything else.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well yes. Since itsts 6 years.¡±

    ¡°Everything else is the same.¡±

    They either had impurities, or were not fresh. Whatever the reason, they weren¡¯t the best of the best.

    ¡°There¡¯s no rubbish in the things you¡¯ve brought.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you call them rubbish.¡±

    ¡°But your mindset that brought these things here is rubbish.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Yu Jitae picked up the glycoten reverse gravity fragment that was rolling on the floor.

    ¡°You were trying to make a heart for over 20 years, was it? And yet you¡¯re bringing these useless low-grade ingredients when the opportunity is finally here after 20 years?¡±

    In fact, they couldn¡¯t be called low-grade items. They were high quality items but it was just that they weren¡¯t the best of the best.

    And Yu Jitae, who knew of BM¡¯s position and circumstances, was in fact quite irritated when BM showed him things like these and imed that he was ready.

    He was a superhuman that could definitely gather better ingredients by getting on his own feet, but BM was in a rush.

    Yu Jitae held the reverse gravity fragment tight as it powerlessly crumbled into pieces.

    ¡°Or is it because you think it won¡¯t work anyway, and that it¡¯s the same as every other failure you¡¯ve had?¡±

    ¡°No. I never thought such a thing!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked. Or else, how dare you bring these rubbish here in front of me.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s, I¡¯m sorry. Let me apologise.¡±

    BM finally lowered his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare them once again.¡±

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t bother.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to. I won¡¯t be doing this.¡±

    When BM raised his face back up, there was a look of astonishment on it.

    ¡°This wouldn¡¯t have happened if you were sincerely desperate. I gave you a chance and you kicked it away. You becamecent in front of the opportunity that came after 20 years.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also annoying that you talked about your circumstances. Do I need to know that? Did you expect me to console you if you add reason to that hopeless mindset of yours?¡±

    BM¡¯s hands shivered. Unable to look back into his eyes, he stared at the ground.

    ¡°If you need rent, I¡¯ll give it to you another way. There¡¯s no need to be disappointed but do the rest yourself. This matter¡¯s done. If you try to talk about anything rted to chimeras with me ever again, you either die by my hands or get chased away from this ce.¡±

    The Regressor drew a line with a low voice.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to choose one of the two.¡±

 Chapter 145: Resting Place of Rusted Swords (1)

    <h4>Chapter 145: Resting ce of Rusted Swords (1)</h4>

    ¡®I have finished receiving it, my lord.¡¯

    Inside an office at Lair, the clone was receiving the memories of what had happened with BM. After taking in all the memories that had been sent, the clone organised them before sending his own thoughts to Yu Jitae.

    ¡®However¡­ There is one question in my head, which I dare to ask your wisdom of, my lord.¡¯

    The clone had the ability to share memories with the Regressor but there were certain memories that weren¡¯t shared. Mainly, they consisted of ¡®things that could affect the clone¡¯s personality¡¯ and only a portion of them were shared. It was an arrangement made by the Regressor to enable a smooth operation of the clone.

    And memories regarding chimeras also fell into that category.

    ¡®Are you truly wishing to help BM?¡¯ the clone asked.

    At the current stage, what Yu Jitae had to be the most cautious of weren¡¯t dragons nor demons. The hostility from the other side of the Horizon of Providence was cumbersome, but that too could be dealt with his abilities.

    More importantly, what Yu Jitae had to be the most mindful of was the flow of time being shaken beyond his control. That was also why he need a specific period of time and location in order to kill Wei Yan and Noah.

    Due to that, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t share his power or knowledge with others without a good reason since he was an existence that could twist the flow of time.

    Fortunately, the flow of the world had its ¡®Correction of Cause and Effect¡¯, and the so-called butterfly effect did not exist. However, there were strong ¡®causes¡¯ that could resemble the butterfly effect.

    Small waves could not dare shake the ocean itself.

    But¡­

    ¡®As you are aware of it, my lord, a human-type chimera has the ability to shake the future.

    ¡®It is very dangerous and very destructive. Even in the previous iterations, it was fortunate that BM had failed on repeat and it is an element that must be eliminated in this iteration as well ording to my knowledge.¡¯

    Human-type chimeras were dangerous.

    They were immensely dangerous hazards whose danger levels could never be assessed. It was evident from how the ones that had brought BM¡¯s alternate world, ¡®Arandot¡¯ to destruction was a human-type chimera and its followers.

    However, Yu Jitae did not force BM to give up. Instead, he was giving him an opportunity, practically telling him to try it one more time if he was willing to put the undergroundbyrinth on the line.

    That was when Yu Jitae¡¯s thoughts were conveyed.

    ¡®¡­Yes, my lord. BM was killed by you in the 5th and the 6th iteration, and in the 3rd and the 4th, hemitted suicide straight after the Second Great War came to an end.¡¯

    The reason BM was killed by Yu Jitae in the 5th and the 6th iterations was for him to plunder the undergroundbyrinth. However, the clone did not know why BMmitted suicide in the 3rd and the 4th iterations.

    And right now, that reason was finally conveyed by Yu Jitae.

    ¡®¡­My. He looked well-mannered but it seems that he was a lunatic.¡¯ the clone gave an emptyugh.

    The more riches someone had, the more lingering attachment they had to life. Like how Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, searched for the immortality elixir, BM should have had a lot of attachment to life, considering the amount of time and effort he built up.

    However, BM was the type of person who was living the rest of his life as a bonus.

    ¡®Your will.¡¯

    That was the end of the story. It was when the clone was deeply contemting the dangers of a human-type chimera; the reason its lord was trying to help BM, as well as the purpose. Yu Jitae suddenly gave a different order to him.

    ¡®¡­Ye, yes? A new shadow you mean?¡¯

    Yu Jitae ordered him to create a new [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)].

    A Level 5 artifact was required to create a new clone and even Yu Jitae only had one spare Level 5 artifact with him. It was hard even for the Regressor to obtain them.

    What was the reason for creating a new clone?

    As a being containing its own ego, curiosity struck the clone first, but it did not ask what would happen in the future.

    The lord was the one creating the ns.

    ¡®Your will.¡¯

    And the clone was simply a being that followed those ns.

    ***

    After a week,

    A young boy opened his eyes inside the clone¡¯s house. He was a child around 15 years of age and looked simr to Yu Jitae. However, the sharp gaze and atmosphere of the original weren¡¯t there and the child had an innocent appearance.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Clone 1, who was still wearing the mask of a young female woman, ¡®Hashimoto¡¯, greeted the child.

    The boy looked up. He was pretending to be tough with a crooked expression but within his eyes was an undisguisable trace of fear.

    When their eyes met, the boy looked away.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡¯

    ¡°Any replies? I greeted. Hello.¡±

    The thorny voice seemed to have surprised him. Clone 2 nced at Clone 1 before carefully giving his response.

    ¡°H, hello¡­¡±

    Clone 1 felt afresh.

    By nature, [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)] was created based on its owner. Himself was a special case and was different, but the boy in front should be simr to Yu Jitae before going through all the vicissitudes of life.

    In other words, the boy was Yu Jitae of the first iteration. An innocent boy, defensive and lonely due to growing up without any parents, and a dreaming child who aspired to be a soldier.

    ¡°Why, why are you ring at me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I said hello¡­¡±

    Crossing her arms, Clone 1 stared at the pouting boy.

    How could she turn this into something useful?

    That was the assignment given to the first clone.

    ***

    The cold snap had ended a long time ago, and even the cherry trees had lost their colour. The asphalt was now warm to the touch as the second quarter of the Campus Competition came to a close.

    Yeorum came first again in the second quarter.

    ¡°Unni. Congrats!¡±

    ¡°Uh? Ah, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Aren¡¯t you happy?¡±

    ¡°No, no. I am happy.¡±

    On the outside, she lookedposed. She didn¡¯t openly boast about it to Bom or Kaeul, and sheepishly smiled over it when someoneplimented her.

    ¡°Good work.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Even when Yu Jitaeplimented her, she was seemingly controlling her own excitement.

    However, her attitude flipped the moment she left Unit 301. Whenever she came across someone that others referred to as her rival at Colosseo, she called them with a shout, ¡°Oi! Rank ¡õ¡õ!¡± It was so loud that Sophia even ran away without listening to her.

    ¡°Where you going! Come here you Rank 7!¡±

    ¡°What you gonna do about it, you crazy bi*ch! Let¡¯s just see if youe first in the third quarter as well or not!¡±

    ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯te 7th though?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom finished writing her novel till the end and took it down straight after it ended. Her novel wasn¡¯t that bad in fact, and she even received a call from a small publishingpany.

    However, she refused the offer.

    ¡°It was good. Why did you turn them down.¡±

    ¡°Apparently they¡¯re a bad publisher.¡±

    ¡°A bad publisher?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They take a huge ratio off of a novel that¡¯s not popr and publish it. Actually, my novel wasn¡¯t even that good. It would¡¯ve failed in an open contest.¡±

    He just thought to himself, ¡®Is that so¡¯, while Bom started a remake of her own work.

    Kaeul, who was now in a better mental state, diligently took her lessons and started ying with her friends again. She also startedughing a lot like before.

    The baby chicken and Gyeoul diligently yed around and ate a lot. Although they still left the house asionally, Yu Jitae did not stop them.

    No-one inside Unit 301 knew about it, but the baby chicken had its own clear objective and a goal. Despite being a mere furry ball on the outside, it was quite hard-boiled on the inside.

    The Regressor decided to watch on for now.

    While they were buried in their busy daily lives, he received a call from Myung Yongha.

    ¨C Let¡¯s go on the trip. Mister Jitae!

    Near the end of the second quarter of the Competition, Yu Jitae requested for a ¡®Household Field Trip¡¯ to the education department.

    It was a 1-week vacation.

    ***

    Southwestern United States, Nevada.

    Las Vegas ¨C the city that was known for gambling and entertainment from days before the New Era.

    In the desert north of Las Vegas, which had been a barren wastnd for thest few years, there was now arge man-madeke. And in the middle of theke was a man-made ind called ¡®Peace City¡¯, which was recently being highlighted as the best recreation area for soldiers worldwide.

    Inside the airne heading to Peace City, Myung Yongha exined why.

    ¡°After the end of the Great War, the military is now at the top of the Establishment, right.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t wearing his usual fake mask anymore, and was wearing a fancy pair of sunsses. As if it waspletely unrted to him, he continued.

    ¡°But after being buried in field war for more than 10 years, these soldiers have lives that are way too different from their families and friends. As you probably know yourself, Mister Jitae, there are more than a few around me who have PTSD.¡±

    A story about the soldier who was frightened from the sound of a book falling from the desk and killed his entire family was very well-known. There weren¡¯t that many superhumans who had superhuman-like mindsets.

    ¡°Looking around, it¡¯s really sad. I was at least better off because I¡¯m a druid but¡­ In any case. Soldiers who fought hard and protected their families and have money, but are too far from daily lives to spend great time with normal people ¨C that vacation ce is built for those people.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What have we learned? It¡¯s all about killing and surviving. The ind¡¯s purpose is for us to use that and show our families what we got.¡±

    That was the reason Myung Yongha asked Yu Jitae about his field warfare experience.

    For a week, Yu Jitae had to survive with the kids in the deserted ind. He had to find food to feed them, and had to build a house.

    ¡°Is that ce barren? Do you have to cut trees and build houses?¡±

    ¡°Uhahaha! Surely not, right. It costs hundreds of thousands of dors for just one person.¡±

    He then suddenly stopped his words.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ actually, what <i>is</i> in there? I just heard there was something good.¡±

    Myung Yongha searched for something with his watch.

    ¡°Ahh. It¡¯s here. They imitated the interesting environment of a dungeon by bringing interesting insects, nts and animals apparently¡­ It doesn¡¯t include everything they have but it¡¯s already interesting enough that they have a KM-13 tree, right?¡±

    KM-13 was a tree that appeared in S ranked ruin-type dungeons and above. It could survive on any liquid including water, and gave different fruits depending on the liquid.

    Yu Jitae gave a nod. He didn¡¯t really understand what would be fun about it, but a new environment and a new life should be able to make the children happy.

    They returned to the VVIP waiting room of the airne.

    Myung Yongha¡¯s family was ying with the dragons. Gyeoul was chatting with the first son, Myung Jun-il, while Kaeul was hugging the second son with a sparkling gaze. Meanwhile, Yeorum was lying down on the sofa, scratching her stomach and staring at her watch.

    There was also an unfamiliar yet acquainted person. Bom was with Jung Hawon, Myung Yongha¡¯s wife, but there was also an olddy having a chat with them with a smile.

    She was Li Hwa, whom Myung Yongha had brought from the Grand Natural Society.

    When Yu Jitae came back, Bom¡¯s eyes naturally turned towards him and she waved her hand. Li Hwa also gave a wrinkled smile at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Would you like a ss? Hahat.¡±

    Myung Yongha took out a bottle of champagne, and they clinked their sses. Yu Jitae then looked at the dragons.

    Gyeoul was having her gummies, while Myung Jun-il was sitting right next to her, throwing nces. The child carefully moved his bum and approached her.

    Soon, Gyeoul turned towards Myung Jun-il.

    ¡°H, hello. Noona¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Unlike before where she would¡¯ve stared nkly instead of greeting back, Gyeoul nodded with a faint smile. It was thanks to the etiquette taught by Bom.

    ¡°What are you eating?¡±

    ¡°¡­Gummies.¡±

    ¡°They look tasty.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t have a lot of gummies these days, because she had long finished the one bought by ahjussi. But today, Bom bought her some tomemorate the vacation and Gyeoul was having the gummies to her heart¡¯s content.

    Myung Jun-il, who usually didn¡¯t like sweet stuff, pondered before opening his mouth.

    ¡°Umm, noona.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that yellow one like?¡±

    ¡°¡­Orange?¡±

    ¡°That red one?¡±

    ¡°¡­Strawberry?¡±

    ¡°The white one?¡±

    Stopping her hand that was carrying another gummy to her mouth, Gyeoul looked at Myung Jun-il.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°Uh? No it¡¯s j, just, it looked tasty¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Mhmm.¡±

    ¡°Noona. Can¡¯t you give me that white one?¡±

    Gyeoul smiled.

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Uh? R, really?¡±

    He reached out with a bright smile but Gyeoul stared at the child¡¯s hand before tilting her head.

    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Uh? Weren¡¯t you giving me one?¡±

    ¡°¡­No?¡±

    That was when Myung Jun-il realised. Just then, he asked, ¡®Can¡¯t you¡¯ and Gyeoul replied ¡®Nn¡¯, saying that he couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Myung Jun-il became sulky.

 Chapter 146: Resting Place of Rusted Swords (2)

    <h4>Chapter 146: Resting ce of Rusted Swords (2)</h4>

    ¡°For the next seven days, you can build your house, find food and y to your heart¡¯s content!¡±

    The guide gave a wristband to each of them.

    ¡°This is a Level 1 bracelet artifact, ¡®Tongue of an Arrogant Mage¡¯. It rings an rm as soon as you use mana, and it records it down as well!¡±

    After ncing at Myung Yongha, the guide gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°Of course, some of you might be able to trick it, but please refrain from using blessings, skills and abilities like an actual field battle experience!¡±

    They also received a field operation kit on top, but it did not contain a tent.

    ¡°Now then, Mister Jitae. We will head to the east.¡±

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll go south then.¡±

    ¡°By the way, this will be boring if we just do it like this right? Let¡¯s trypeting while we¡¯re at it.¡±

    ¡°Compete at what.¡±

    ¡°We visit each other¡¯s residence after three days and let¡¯s see who¡¯s living a better life!¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. But how do wepare them.¡±

    ¡°Mister Guide?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±

    ¡°Please give a fairparison as the judge.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes sir.¡±

    Myung Yongha looked confident.

    ¡°If I lose, I¡¯ll give you some very precious alcohol.¡±

    ¡°Alcohol. Sounds good.¡±

    The deal was made.

    *

    At the front was a beautiful mountain with a thick forest, and behind was a wonderful beach with white sand. Although it was in fact a man-madeke, it was enormous enough to make it look like the ocean.

    ¡°Uwahh¨C! It¡¯s so pretty!¡±

    Holding onto Gyeoul¡¯s hand, Kaeul dashed into the ocean and sshed around. ¡°Kyahaha!¡± they chuckled. The water was clear, warm and there was a high density of mana nearby.

    Yeorum didn¡¯t go inside, and instead sat on the sand. The fine sand soaked by the ocean waves tickled the gaps between her toes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was a ticklish feeling that she had never felt before. Right when she was fidgeting with her toes to dig deeper into the sand, arge blob of water flew across and covered her face. ¡°Ah, what the fu*k!¡± shouted Yeorum before wiping her face. The ball of water was so big that her t-shirt and everything became wet. Raising her head up, she found Kaeul and Gyeoul giggling.

    Seeing how Gyeoul was pointing her tongue out, it was clear that she was the perpetrator. She wasn¡¯t wearing a bracelet either.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum repeatedly swept her wet hair up.

    ¡°These kids don¡¯t know how scary their unni is; trying to climb up my toes¡­¡±

    She took a hair band out from her pocket and tied her hair like an apple.

    ¡°My little babies. You¡¯re the ones that started it, okay?¡±

    Without caring about the sand any more, Yeorum ran into theke. She then started dashing across the surface of the water.

    ¡°Mommy! A, a red boar ising!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Uh? Uh! Gyeoul. When did you learn how to swim? Take me with you!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me behind¡­!¡±

    Her giggles soon turned into screams.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was sitting at the back of the beach away from the water, nkly watching the kids. It was just an addition of water and yet they were so happy, and were enjoying their time together.

    ¡°Uh, unni! Uhp, uhp¡­ help me! Uhp, uhhpp¡­¡±

    Or were they?

    While they were ying, he was ncing around the surroundings. He could agree to what Myung Yongha had said. This ind was for soldiers that had lived in the field, and severalndscapes were exactly the same as a dungeon.

    Since they would get hungry after ying a lot, it was about time to start preparing for food.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going inside?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why. Go y with them.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Bom shook her head without saying anything back. Her grass-coloured hair appeared like leaves receiving sunlight.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go find food together.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yu Jitae entered the forest with Bom. Resembling the dungeon itself, the thick and messy forest weed its two visitors.

    ¡°What are we looking for now?¡±

    ¡°Water.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just boil theke water?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s salt water.¡±

    It was fine for both Yu Jitae and the dragons to consume salt water and in fact, they didn¡¯t have to eat anything for a week. But if they were going to eat and drink, it was better to have clear water.

    ¡°What do we do then? Is there like a pool of water nearby?¡±

    Yu Jitae looked around. The environment was simr to a tropical rainforest-type dungeon.

    ¡°The temperature is slightly high.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like midsummer. Maybe it¡¯s because of that thing above us,¡± said Bom while staring at the artificial sun.

    ¡°And it¡¯s quite humid as well. nts in these ces tend to be poisonous. Once dead, the nts go back into the ground, and the moisture flows down and gradually heads to a lower area.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean theke is poisonous as well?¡±

    ¡°Normally, it would be.¡±

    But since it was an artificial ind, they didn¡¯t copy all that. Besides, theke was supposed to be an ocean as well.

    ¡°How about this?¡±

    Bom ced her hand on a nameless conifer tree. When the owner of mother nature requested the tree of its resin, the vines of the tree opened up as tree saps flowed out.

    ¡°nts that adapt to the environment are generally poisonous,¡± said Yu Jitae.

    After touching the resin for some time, Bom closed the vine for the tree. ¡°I see¡­¡± It was because there was poison in the mix.

    ¡°Then how about this here?¡±

    At a slightly deeper area of the forest, Bom pointed at a little pond between the rocks. It looked quite clear, but Yu Jitae shook his head.

    It was amon mistake made by inexperienced superhumans when they were isted by ident.

    ¡°You can¡¯t since it has microorganisms inside.¡±

    ¡°Microorganisms?¡±

    ¡°There are some bacterias that even a superhuman body cannot absorb.¡±

    Yu Jitae opened his mouth, while reminiscing on the distant past.

    ¡°There was this young superhuman. He graduated as the second best performer of a small nurturing facility of the town and was full of confidence, but he ended up straying away from the party at a B- tropical rainforest dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°He was saved after four days, but was only skin and bones.¡±

    ¡°Because of this water?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He drank it after judging that there was no poison inside. Apparently, he had a diarrhoea for four days straight.¡±

    ¡°How sad.¡±

    Bom giggled.

    Actually, the man in question was Yu Jitae of the first iteration.

    He didn¡¯t remember it directly but it was such a shocking incident back then, and the fact that something like that had happened was still inside his head.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Ah, then how about we find nts that don¡¯t have poison and gather their resins?¡±

    Bom pointed at several ntations that were soaring above the puddle of water. They were as small as straws but were chubby like aloes.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine too.¡±

    But if this was a real field operation, the leader of the 8-man squad had to secure enough drinking water for 8 people.

    Yu Jitae walked on. He saw various nts and insects, and heard the growls of spirit beasts, birds and small monsters.

    Suddenly, his feet came to a stop.

    There was arge tree that seemed to have been broken from a lightning strike. Yu Jitae hid his body under the tree, and Bom tactfully followed suit and whispered.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Look closely. What do you see.¡±

    At a distance, there was a fist-sized bird with two heads, flying above a wend. It¡¯s beak wasrge and colourful, and another unique feature of the bird was the horn on its head.

    ¡°Is it a bird? It¡¯s my first time seeing it¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a spirit beast, called the Horned Raptor. Even in poisonous environments, bugs find leaves to eat and birds food. Among them are ones that don¡¯t have tolerance against poison. Those are the picky kind.¡±

    Yu Jitae further lowered his body.

    ¡°Those guys are always sensitive because of theck of food. Unlike those that eat everything, they value their territories more but even spirit beasts think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. What do you think happens then.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll probably invade others¡¯ territory.¡±

    ¡°What if others think the same?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom widened her eyes.

    ¡°Do they gather and hide food?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Since spirit beasts are as smart as humans, they know how to secure and stock food.¡±

    Soon, the horned raptor was attacked by another horned raptor. Their beaks shed in mid-air and one of them was trying to fly to the trunk of a certain tree while another desperately protected it.

    When Yu Jitae walked closer, they immediately distanced themselves in fright. He forced the trunk open and found dozens of roots the size of a ser ball, and several fresh fruits. These roots were hard to find in rainforests, and contained plenty of water inside like a sponge.

    ¡°Uwah, it¡¯s really there.¡±

    Fascinated, Bom smiled.

    ¡°But are you taking everything?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I feel a bit sorry for them¡­¡± murmured Bom.

    It was a new perspective for him. So what if birds starved.

    However, there was no reason to take everything when they were here to y. Yu Jitae only took four roots from there and headed deeper into the forest with Bom.

    Fitting her race as the dragon of mother nature, she appeared satisfied from just staying inside the forest. It was clear from how she would randomly stop and stare at wild flowers.

    On the way inside, a snake jumped and tried to bite her on the arm, but when its eyes met with Bom¡¯s, the venomous snake stopped its chin right before its mouth came to a close.

    It¡¯s face turned rigid and after ncing at her, it slowly backed out.

    ¡°That surprised me¡­¡±

    The snake was nodding its head like it was asking for an apology. Thus, it lived.

    Soon, a bigger venomous snake dashed forth towards Yu Jitae and he snapped its neck. The snake immediately died.

    Bom asked in surprise.

    ¡°Uh? What was that?¡±

    ¡°A delicious snake.¡±

    ¡°No, not that. Why did that snake try to bite you, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Because I killed my presence.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    He raised the snake.

    ¡°Because theye on their own.¡±

    The grass-coloured eyes blinked.

    While walking deeper inside, Yu Jitae took a fragment of rock salt and gathered twigs and moss. He also ripped a dead tree apart and gathered its inside, which resembled sawdust. It was dry and was a good source to start a fire with.

    What else should he take. After having a meal, they had to build a house. He could break nearby trees and build a decent house so¡­

    It was when Yu Jitae was thinking of his next n.

    ¡°Aya¡­¡±

    Bom let out a small groan and fell.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sitting on the grass, Bom touched her legs. When she lifted her fingers up, there was red blood on them.

    ¡°A bug bit me.¡±

    Her eyes were slightly nted down.

    Bitten by a bug? He couldn¡¯t really understand the situation. How could a dragon be bitten by a bug?

    Even then, he decided to still take a look at her thigh.

    ¡°Uh? What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°You said you were bitten. Let¡¯s see.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit, that.¡±

    ¡°Bit what.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a bit embarrassing¡­¡±

    What was there to be embarrassed about. Since she was trying to hide it, he got closer and checked it. There was blood smudged on the inner side of her thigh and there was a trace of a small bite. It wasn¡¯t something worthy of being called an injury, and it would be fine once it was healed with magic.

    That was when two arms came closer and grabbed Yu Jitae¡¯s head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom looked into his eyes. Wondering what this was about, he slightly pulled his body away. Soon, a nonchnt smile reced the mncholic look on her face and she murmured with a hum.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°What is,¡± he asked, but Bom remained silent.

    ***

    Aftering back, Yu Jitae prepared the meat. He got rid of the blood and the internal organs and used the detoxicant inside the field operation kit to remove the parasites and poisons of the meat.

    There was also arge, foldable mess tin inside the operation kit. He squeezed the water out from the root, finely ground the rock salt fragment and boiled a stew with the meat, roots, leaves and fruits.

    Since the snake was quite big, there was a lot to eat.

    ¡°Uwah, I, I, I know this! This is ¡®delicacy¡¯¡­!?¡±

    Kaeul blew on the meat and threw it into her mouth. The clean taste of protein and the quality of meat was quite good. Her golden eyes turned into circles.

    Both Yeorum and Gyeoul were apparently also hungry after ying around. They gorged themselves without being picky on the roots and vegetables.

    ¡°You know. I saw this little turtle inside theke.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I followed it, and there was this interesting thing under this ind, you know?¡±

    Yeorum went on and on about the turtle she met while ying in the water. She then suggested that they go together so he nodded.

    ¡°Get up once you¡¯re done with the food. Let¡¯s build a house together.¡±

 Chapter 147: Resting Place of Rusted Swords (3)

    <h4>Chapter 147: Resting ce of Rusted Swords (3)</h4>

    If they were to follow the regtions of this ce and not use mana, it would take some time to build a house. Thus, they had to divide up the task.

    It wasn¡¯t a simple one-night tent for one person. Since they had to build a tent for five people that would be used for several days, there had to be enough space to restfortably after ying outside, even if there weren¡¯t individual rooms for everyone.

    ¡°While I go and gather wood, Yeorum and Kaeul, go and look for broad leaves that look like this.¡±

    He showed a leaf from a broad-leaved tree that he had picked up on the way back.

    ¡°It like, looks like a big fan right, unni?¡±

    ¡°It does.

    ¡°Scissors paper rock,¡± Yeorum suddenly blurted that out and showed a rock while Kaeul, in a fluster, made her fingers into scissors on reflex.

    So Kaeul was suddenly made to fan Yeorum. Her pouting mouth suggested that she was rather dissatisfied with the situation and thus, her arms also ended up moving unenthusiastically.

    ¡°What are you doing. Fan it up properly.¡±

    ¡°What. Why. I¡¯m doing it right now¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you think that will dry my armpits?¡±

    Yeorum threw her arms into the air.

    ¡°Uuuh. So disgusting. Seriously¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t do it properly, you¡¯re kissing my armpits.¡±

    Left with no other choice, Kaeul had to bite the bullet and wave the fan properly. Lying on the ground, Yeorum twitched her toes and giggled. Her arrogant posture made her look like the queen of a country and made Bom and Gyeoulugh as well.

    ¡°But why this? Is it a special leaf or something?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s waterproof and bugs don¡¯t really like it. It¡¯s tough and even after the leaves are plucked, they don¡¯t dry easily because they have a lot of moisture in them.¡±

    They were perfect for the roof.

    ¡°Bom and Gyeoul cane with me. You can look for thickets in the area while I do the trees.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    He told them more things that had to be gathered on top of that. Building a decent house required quite a lot of things.

    ¡°Uwang. Why do we need so many things?¡±

    ¡°Wait, so how are you going to make a house with these things? You can¡¯t use magic here ording to the rules right?¡±

    ¡°What are the thickets going to be for?¡±

    They asked endlessly. Dragons spent most of their lives inside theirirs, and because of that, it seemed that they were very interested in housings. He used a stick to draw a rough blueprint on the ground.

    A fire pit, a cooking facility, windows, an opening roof, light source, individual beds and cupboards, as well as a makeshift sewage system were included inside the house.

    It was an effective use of space and the perfectly matching structure surprised them.

    ¡°Uwah, that¡¯s crazy. It¡¯s amazing¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­How do you know all this?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t anything great, because anyone would be able to do this after living for over 10 years in the field.

    ¡°You know, can I just ask you something. Was there a time where you needed all this? Like, building houses? And making food? Lying down on thickets to avoid moisture and chill on the ground?¡±

    ¡°There was.¡±

    ¡°When you were young?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Also ahjussi, were you a baby when you were born?¡± interjected Kaeul.

    Her question was a little bit weird but it was apparently so for just him. Yeorum nodded her head in agreement while Gyeoul was surprised.

    Bom was also wearing a look of intrigue.

    ¡°There is no human who¡¯s an adult from birth.¡±

    ¡°Hul. That¡¯s super crazy¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Kaeul and Gyeoul¡¯s eyes flickered.

    ¡°Then, then, were you cute as well, ahjussi!?¡±

    ¡°Probably not.¡±

    ¡°¡­Were you small, like me?¡± asked Gyeoul.

    ¡°Probably. And probably was even smaller than you.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Was your dic* small as well?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Did you have a mum as well, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°What is that question meant to be.¡±

    ¡°Aht¡­! That was a weird question. Sorry¡­!¡±

    ¡°I probably did.¡±

    ¡°Did you want to be an adult?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°Think about it.¡±

    ¡°I would assume so.¡±

    ¡°¡­Did you, like gummies?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you cry when you were scolded at school, ahjussi!?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I was quite prideful.¡±

    ¡°Then were you annoyed and jealous when someone was better than you, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°I would¡¯ve. Probably.¡±

    ¡°Uwahh¡­ Then did you have a first love that you flirted with?¡±

    ¡°¡­First love?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m curious.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I can¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hing.¡±

    ¡°So how was your dic*?¡±

    Why the hell are you asking that in the first ce.

    That was when Gyeoul tilted her head.

    ¡°¡­Di*k?¡±

    ¡°Hukk¡­ unni! Please don¡¯t say weird things in front of Gyeoul!¡±

    He wondered what was wrong with them today. When Yu Jitae was struggling to defend against the onught of questions, Bom giggled.

    ¡°Guys, how about we ask after we build the house first? The sun¡¯s going to set soon and it¡¯s going to be night at this rate.¡±

    Her words contained a mysterious power. ¡°Uh, you¡¯re right!¡± Kaeul immediately threw the fan away and stood up.

    And after around 2 hours, Yu Jitae started building the house with the materials gathered by the kids. He ttened the ground and set the groundwork by setting the frames and the pirs, and started wrapping the long vines around as the wall.

    ¡°Is this how you do it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Make it tight. But don¡¯t stress it too much either.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Yeorum helped him build. These vines, which were fibre itself, were in fact the insides of a tree that contained air inside. So they were light yet tough and were great instors.

    After that, he wetted some y and applied it to the wall and since it was hot and humid, he had to set fire at an appropriate distance and dry them. There were dry leaf crumbs in the y mix, in order to stop them from cracking.

    ¡°Make the ends of the leaves into circles and hang them.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    While the wall was drying up, he covered the roof with the broad leaves brought by the kids and created a sewage system so that water would flow to a lower area even if it rained. Meanwhile, Bom and Yeorum attached the door and windows to the frames albeit awkwardly.

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    Kaeul stopped her hands and heaved a deep sigh. She appeared mentally exhausted. Well, it was understandable because she probably never worked like this before.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul didn¡¯t receive any particr task so after pondering on what to do, she took charge of pping from the side. And by the time they finally covered the floor inside the house with thickets and clean moss, it was nighttime.

    p p p. A small pair of hands gave an apuse.

    Right before the sun setpletely, the house was finally finished.

    ¡°Uwaaaahh-! Unni!¡±

    ¡°Good work. Kaeul.¡±

    Cheerful voices and proud faces. For a house made in a rush, it was quite wide inside and was quite well constructed.

    ¡°It¡¯s crazy. Crazy! It¡¯s super soft!¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good.¡±

    He covered the thick thickets with a nket and unexpectedly, Yeorum appeared quite content with the snug bed.

    ¡°Thanks for your hard work.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard workk!¡±

    He shook his hand.

    Perhaps exhausted, they no longer dwelled on the topic they had been bbering about a few hours ago. Instead, theyid down on the long bed and yed with their watches.

    He was lying down on the far side and lying next to him was Gyeoul. It was rare for him to lie down on the bed with the child.

    When it was about time to sleep, Gyeoul naturally rested her head on Yu Jitae¡¯s arm and fell asleep.

    ¡°It was hard while working, but now I feel really proud, you know?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel the same, unni? It¡¯s my first time feeling like this¡­¡±

    Kaeul moured until Yeorum turned her back to her. After that, Kaeul started taking a video with her watch and talked about the things that happened that day like a diary entry. It was probably a video meant to be sent to the undergroundbyrinth.

    Outside the window was arge moon. Distant growls of animals and bugs continued but as the night was nheless silent, the Regressor could tell that the small child¡¯s breath was at quite the regr pace.

    Like that,

    The first day at the deserted ind, Peace City, came to an end.

    ***

    Fruits would be good for breakfast. Getting out of the bed before others, Yu Jitae left the house.

    Meanwhile, Bom slowly woke up and gave a stretch before ncing around. She could see kids that were still sleeping. Gyeoul turned to the other side after Yu Jitae disappeared and was buried inside Kaeul¡¯s hug in her sleep.

    Soon, her eyes met with Yeorum¡¯s. She waved gently and Yeorum returned a nod.

    Bom carefully opened the window.

    The morning sun was warm.

    Yu Jitae came back with his arms full of fruit. They were either poison-free or edible once the seeds were gone. The sweet and refreshing taste of fruit bloomed a bright smile on Gyeoul¡¯s face.

    While he was out looking for fruits, Yu Jitae had found something the kids would like.

    ¡°There was something interesting.¡±

    ¡°Ohh! Something interesting?¡±

    There was a unique nt on the mountain ridge.

    After having breakfast, he took the kids and headed to the mountain. Yu Jitae embedded killing intent into the jungle knife and led the way. Weing the warm spring breeze, the kids chattered noisily.

    ¡°It¡¯s there.¡±

    There was an open area, a rare sight in the middle of a thick forest. As if other trees and ntations had avoided that area, there was an opennd with a diameter of around 5 metres.

    The kids peeked with their heads above the thick bushes and since Gyeoul was too short, Yu Jitae carried her up with one hand and ced her down on his shoulders.

    In the middle of the open area was a blue tree. It was so small that it would barely reach a person¡¯s waist level.

    Identification Number. EE-50888.

    Field operation soldiers referred to this as the ¡®Spirit Tree¡¯.

    ¡°Unni. What is that?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm. It¡¯s my first time seeing it as well¡­ it¡¯s a good tree though.¡±

    A tree even Bom did not know of ¨C probably because it didn¡¯t exist in her world.

    ¡°Lower your heads guys, and try to kill your presence as much as possible.¡±

    In response to his words, the dragons closed their eyes and hid their ss. Gyeoul held onto Bom¡¯s hand and awkwardly imitated her.

    That was when something incredible happened.

    Thinking that there weren¡¯t any humans, the tree started moving.

    ¡®Ohh, what is that? It¡¯s moving¡­!¡¯

    ¡®¡­!¡¯

    Kaeul whispered her admiration. Its movement followed a certain rhythm. 1 2 3 1 2 3.

    ¡®Hul. Is it dancing? That¡¯s so cute.¡¯

    ¡®Cute? More like retarded¡­¡¯

    Their opinions criss-crossed.

    In any case, the spirit tree was famous for dancing but was even more famous for something different.

    When Yu Jitae stood up from the bush, the iling branches of the dancing tree suddenly stopped. It was a very awkward position if those branches were to be considered as human arms.

    ¡°This guy pretends like a tree when someone¡¯s nearby but it actually has ears. Go to a branch and say something good. After a few days, there will be a fruit matching those words.¡±

    But since sound would get transferred to the sides, they had to whisper it and keep them apart. Intrigued, they walked to the tree and each whispered something to a branch.

    They decided to share what they said once it actually bore fruit.

    ***

    In the evening, they headed to the beach.

    It was because of Yeorum who seemed to have found a strange light source at the depths of the ocean after following a sea turtle. Bom and Kaeul didn¡¯t look too intrigued, so he headed to the beach with Yeorum and Gyeoul.

    ¡°Oi, it¡¯s probably better off for you to stay back you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°I said there was a light source but it¡¯s really dark. It¡¯s pitch-dark in there.¡±

    ¡°¡­And?¡±

    ¡°Kids like you will be too scared to go there, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­No?¡±

    ¡°What ¡®no¡¯. You little kid.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why, are you picking a fight.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t whinge and say you¡¯re too scared. I hate someone whinging next to me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Whatever, you red boar.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? You little pig?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡±

    He sometimes forgot but Yeorum and Gyeoul were in fairly bad terms when it was just the two of them. It followed the historic strife between the red and the blue race.

    Yeorum was really unbiased when it came to things like that. Whether the opponent was an adult or a kid, she didn¡¯t care and treated them equally.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul whined after being hugged by Yu Jitae. She. Called me. A pig. That bitc¡­ She was saying something along the lines of that but it was a whimpering voice so he couldn¡¯t really tell what she was saying.

    In any case, Yu Jitae entered the ocean with the two of them.

    Despite being a man-made ind, the sea was quite deep. It was at least 150 metres deep.

    Corals and tropical fish beautifully decorated the ocean teau but it soon created a deep slope and soon became almost impossible to walk.

    As if there was a microorganism devouring light, it suddenly became dark when they were just 20 metres below the surface level. That seemed to be the end of the man-made environment ¨C the waters were silent and he couldn¡¯t spot any organisms.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum gestured, saying it was this way. Yu Jitae also felt something with his senses.

    He followed that feeling and travelled deeper down. Bubble bubble~. Bubbles of air wereing from somewhere and they could also see the faint light source that Yeorum had mentioned. Yu Jitae inspected it closely.

    Beneath the cliff of sedimentary rocks that were in a deep slope,

    There was a small cave.

 Chapter 148: Resting Place of Rusted Swords (4)

    <h4>Chapter 148: Resting ce of Rusted Swords (4)</h4>

    Beneath the rocky cliff was a deep cave. An entrance that seemed to have been coarsely formed by sticky sedimentary liquid weed them.

    Judging from the shape of the entrance, it didn¡¯t appear like a cave artificially made by those affiliated with the Peace City. Besides, there weren¡¯t that many superhumans who could dive into such a deep level by purely relying on their body, without using mana or equipment.

    Seemingly realising that, Yeorum¡¯s eyes showed a trace of intrigue.

    When they entered the cave, Yu Jitae¡¯s face turned into a frown.

    There was a staircase barely holding its ce heading above, and the inside was filled with water. It was when he stopped his feet temporarily that Yeorum was about to ce her foot on the stairs before him.

    Yu Jitae held her by the arm.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    She shrugged her shoulders. Why?

    He pointed behind with his thumb. Let¡¯s go back.

    She pointed at the stairs. Why aren¡¯t we going?

    He shook his head, and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Don¡¯t take interest in this ce.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s voice was vividly conveyed underwater.

    Yeorum was dissatisfied with him blocking the path without even sharing the reason. However, she felt the strength in his grip. It was rare for him to physically stop her like this.

    ¡°That¡¯s not fun¡­¡±

    Having no other choice, she stopped being stubborn.

    Gyeoul looked back and forth between Yu Jitae and Yeorum, not understanding what was going on. When her eyes met with Yeorum, who was in a bad mood, Yeorum flicked her finger lightly on Gyeoul¡¯s forehead.

    It was painful. Immediately giving a frown, Gyeoul looked up at her.

    ¡°¡­Why you hitting me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you fatty.¡±

    It was dumbfounding.

    Gyeoul rubbed her forehead with her two hands. It was still painful. Turning around, she murmured something to herself.

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Gyeoul stuck her tongue out without replying back.

    *

    There were several interesting events at Peace City. One example was the message inside the ss bottle Gyeoul found at the beach the next morning. It read like this.

    [Save me plzzz! I have been captured by monsterrrs!]

    Beneath was a sloppy map.

    Yu Jitae headed to the other side of the ind with Gyeoul. There, he found well-trained gori spirit beasts dressed up as monsters, protecting a person that was hanging on the tree wearing an animal costume.

    Gaze: What do we do?

    It was clearly an act prepared by thepany but Gyeoul worried for the animal costume with a serious look on her face.

    He carried out a strategy meeting with Gyeoul. If he gathered the attention of the goris by making a loud noise, she was to save the animal costume by cutting the rope with a field knife.

    The strategy was simr to the gummy saving n that had been carried out some time ago. After immediately understanding it, she nodded with a bright smile.

    Like that, Yu Jitae and Gyeoul sessfully saved the Peace City staff member that was wearing a deer costume.

    ¡°Ahht! Thank youu¡­! I almost became food for the monsterrrs!¡±

    While saying that, the deer costume lowered its head towards Gyeoul. Then, it rummaged through its bag before taking a stylish antler out.

    ¡°This is in return for you saving meee¡­!¡±

    It then hopped its way across.

    After returning home, Gyeoul cut wood into the shape of a deer¡¯s head with the help of Yu Jitae, and attached the antler to it. The realistic animal head was hung on the main entrance of the wooden house.

    ¡°¡­Wah.¡±

    Gyeoul¡¯s eyes sparkled. It was cool.

    There were all sorts of events around Peace City and new experiences and interesting events happened one after another each day.

    The kids were met with staff members wherever they went andpleted quests. They then received ornaments as a reward which they showed to Yu Jitae.

    Sculptures, paintings, a fry pan and a post box¡­ They were all great for decorating the house and thanks to them, the shabby wooden shack became better and better.

    On the third day, he went fishing with the kids.

    It wasn¡¯t that easy so they chatted most of the time but at least Bom, Kaeul and Gyeoul each caught a fish in the first hour or two.

    The problem was Yeorum and she couldn¡¯t catch a single fish. Because of her hasty personality, she pulled the rod before the fish even bit the bait.

    ¡°Ah, why can¡¯t you just do it slower, unni?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. You shouldn¡¯t pull it until they bite it.¡±

    Kaeul and Bom repeatedly gave advice for a few hours but Yeorum was still able to put up with it. It felt dogshit, but they were right.

    ¡°¡­lol.¡±

    But,

    Gyeoul giving a silly smile while swinging the fish in front of her eyes was hard to endure.

    ¡°¡­One fish.

    ¡°¡­Two fish.¡±

    ¡°Go away you pig.¡±

    ¡°¡­Three fish.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really gonna get mad, okay?¡±

    Gyeoul quickly ran away with a bright smile.

    But somehow, the fourth fish bit onto Gyeoul¡¯s rod in an instant. By the time she was swinging the fourth fish in front of her, Yeorum exploded.

    ¡°F*ck this! Not doing this shi*. These freakin¡¯ stupid fish bastards! Why aren¡¯t they biting mine! Huh!?¡±

    Unable to hold herself back, Yeorum picked up arge rock and chucked it into the water. There was mana embedded into her throw.

    A great shockwave caused the waters toe sshing towards the kids.

    ¡°Uang! What! Have you gone mad unnii!?¡±

    Kaeul was drenched in water and Bom was also wet. Since Bom covered for her, Gyeoul was the only one dry.

    That was when Yeorum¡¯s bracelet rang, Uiiing Uiiing! It had sensed the use of mana.

    She was already mad. What the heck is this thing to tell me what to do? Thinking that, Yeorum was about to break the bracelet.

    ¡°Uh!? Uwahh!¡±

    She heard Kaeul¡¯s voice and after turning her head following Kaeul¡¯s gaze, Yeorum¡¯s eyes also widened into circles.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s crazy¡­¡±

    Soon,

    Yu Jitae faced Yeorum with his hazy gaze after returning from the mountain with a small boar. She showed off dozens of fish that were tied up with a rope.

    He was wondering what it was after sensing a shockwave from the beach but¡­ it seemed that she had knocked the fish out with a shockwave.

    Thus, the dinner that day was a fish party.

    Gyeoul especially loved deep-fried fish and the child shoved them into her mouth until her stomach became rounded.

    *

    Morning arrived on the fourth day, the decisive day. He headed to the guide¡¯s tent with the kids and found Myung Yongha, his wife and two sons as well as Li Hwa standing on the other side.

    ¡°You look like you just came out on a vacation, no? Uhahahat!¡± Myung Yonghaughed, saying it was mysterious.

    It was because Yu Jitae and the dragons did not look like they had spent three days on the deserted ind.

    ¡°Have you decorated your house well?¡±

    ¡°Ah of course! You¡¯ll be surprised.¡±

    Before long, the result of the bet was announced. While throwing a nce to the side, the guide carefully opened his mouth.

    ¡°Firstly, I believe Guardian Yu Jitae¡¯s residency was morepleted.¡±

    Myung Yongha¡¯s house was fairly decent for a field operation base as well. The house made on the cliffside portrayed his creativity.

    But Yu Jitae had reinforced the house whenever he had time during the past three days. He created a simple basement to store food and a garden on the outside.

    Because of the difference in ornaments, the guide stood on the side of Yu household.

    ¡°But¡­ we have sensed the use of mana from the bracelet on the side of Yu household. So, uhh¡­¡±

    In other words, it was a tie.

    When Bom, Kaeul and Gyeoul looked at her, Yeorum gave a pout.

    ¡°Aye! Even then, a tie is not that exciting, is it. Haha!¡±

    ¡°Umm, but. Both of your houses were the greatest that I have seen so far! Hahaha¡­ It¡¯s embarrassing for me to dare evaluate them. I have no idea how you could ever build such amazing houses in the field¡­¡±

    In response to Myung Yongha¡¯s statement, the guide tried zealously to please him.

    Although they didn¡¯t know, the guide was in fact feeling dead inside.

    Myung Yongha was a VVIP who had authority, wealth and fame and Yu Jitae was a guest personally brought by him. He wouldn¡¯t be anyone normal no matter who he was.

    It was a contest between those two. Superhumans were mostly stuck in their own world and throughout his long time serving people, the guide saw numerous superhumans who took offence in such meagre bets.

    The moment they gave aint, the guide would receive a mouthful of violent words from his superior.

    So Yeorum¡¯s action had been a great way out for him.

    ¡°Ayish. We can¡¯t do anything about that then. But since it¡¯s boring to just call it off, I¡¯ll hand it over anyway.¡±

    Myung Yongha handed a bottle of red alcohol to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°It¡¯s a precious fermented wine. Red Shoes. Have you heard of it?¡±

    ¡°Red Shoes. Of course.¡±

    It was a type of mandrake, but since it didn¡¯t grow on Earth, trying to find a root was like asking for the moon.

    The fermented wine was that sweet and fragrant, and had aponent that made people feel good.

    However, the important procedure of the wine-making process was the removal of mandrake¡¯s scream because a wine with a remnant of the scream was an illicit drug. Thus, Yu Jitae utilised mana to confirm theponents of the alcohol and confirmed that the scream had indeed been removed.

    It was an extremely precious alcohol.

    Yu Jitae also entered his alternate dimension inside and took out a precious alcohol.

    ¡°Ohh. What wine is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s snake wine.¡±

    Yu Jitae stopped there.

    He didn¡¯t state the fact that it was made with the tail of an SSS ranked great monster from an alternate dimension, [Imoogi*], but Myung Yongha would be able to tell that it was a good wine after having a shot.

    And after sharing the presents, Myung Yongha suggested with a bright expression.

    ¡°Mister Jitae. How about we have a campfire?¡±

    ¡°A campfire.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. If you¡¯re okay with it, should we gather up on thest day and light a fire before we leave?¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything,

    ¡°Uwah! A campfire? That¡¯s so romantic¡­!¡±

    ¡°Ohh. I¡¯m fine with that too.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    But it was decided nheless.

    *

    It was on the afternoon of the fourth day.

    Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul all prepared themselves to go mountain climbing. It was because Yeorum found a treasure map in the morning.

    She looked unenthusiastic for other events but was intrigued by the treasure map and the word ¡®treasure¡¯ incited Kaeul and Gyeoul as well.

    Yu Jitae decided to stay behind alone toplete the ¡®Household Field Trip Record¡¯ which had to be submitted to Lair. There was a lot to write because there were three cadets in the household.

    And Bom stayed back as well.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going, unni?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a treasure. A treasure! Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±

    ¡°You guys are my treasures.¡±

    Kaeul rubbed her arms, saying, ¡°Uuhhh¡­ I got goosebumps,¡± and Bom smiled back. Everyone knew how Bom wasn¡¯t an active type so they quickly gave up on persuading her.

    Bom gently waved at the kids.

    ¡°Take a look at the spirit tree on the way for me please.¡±

    ¡°Ah right! It almost bloomed yesterday as well¡­!¡±

    After sending the kids off, it was just Yu Jitae and Bom left inside the small house. Sheid down on the bed.

    Sitting down on a simple chair, Yu Jitae relied on the in table and used the pen he received from the guide to write the record. Bom stood up from the bed and approached his back.

    She watched him from behind.

    Without sparing her a nce, Yu Jitae continued with the record as Bom sneakily sat next to him and watched him write for a long time.

    Yu Jitae quite unexpectedly had bad handwriting, but his bad handwriting was uniform as if they were printed by aputer. Bom quietly stared at those written words, but her gaze slowly travelled up. She looked at his hand, and soon stared at his arm that had protruding veins.

    Seeing that Yu Jitae was still focused on writing the record down, Bom pushed her head in even further. Blinking her grass-coloured eyes, she stared at his face.

    When he still didn¡¯t look back, Bom ced her two arms on the tabletop and rested her head on her hands. Her two eyes were still fixated on Yu Jitae.

    Only then did Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze turn towards Bom. The green hair strands were all over the table.

    With a gentle smile, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    He, who silently looked into her eyes, turned back to the paper without saying anything back and started moving the pen again. Bom still had the same faint smile as she stared at him.

    Mischievousness gently surfaced beneath the rxed smile.

    Bom lifted her hand and waved it in front of his face, but he didn¡¯t react in any way.

    Bom slowly moved her hand and meekly tapped his shoulder, but he didn¡¯t react.

    Soon, mischievousness covered her expression as she reached her hand out towards his ears. She then once again softly touched his ears, but he still didn¡¯t react.

    There were five pages on the table. He looked busy and that must be why he was ignoring her.

    So Bom slowly leaned on his body and rested her chin on his shoulder. And when he still didn¡¯t react, Bom brought her lips to his ears and whispered.

    ¡®What about now?¡¯

    This was hard to ignore and Yu Jitae finally turned his head. After pulling herself back, Bom giggled under her breath.

    ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Go there and rest.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    She didn¡¯t interrupt him any longer and Yu Jitae continued with the daily records. But at some point in time, it became harder for him to write.

    The green pair of eyes had been staring at him for almost 30 minutes straight.

    He turned around.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Continue with your writing please.¡±

    ¡°How about you go there and rest.¡±

    ¡°But I want to rest here¡­¡±

    She was right next to him, and the small gap between them was slightly troubling.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°When you¡¯re done with that, please teach me this.¡±

    Bom lifted her left hand. It was unknown when she had taken it out from the storage, but the bottle of alcohol Myung Yongha gave was in her hand.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Alcohol¡¯s not for kids.¡±

    ¡°Yeorum smokes though¡­¡±

    She was right.

    When he closed his mouth, Bom giggled as if it was an extremely funny statement. ¡°Calling me a kid¡­¡± she murmured before pointing at the document he was writing.

    [Yu Bom (Female) Age: 21]

    ¡°I¡¯m twenty-one¡­¡±

 Chapter 149: Resting Place of Rusted Swords (5)

    <h4>Chapter 149: Resting ce of Rusted Swords (5)</h4>

    Huu. Huuuk¡­

    A boy gasped for breath. Theck of air made him dizzy and caused his chin to drop. Kneeling down, the boy drooled as is.

    He was Yu Jitae¡¯s second [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)].

    ¡°How pathetic¡­ are you that tired already?¡±

    Clone 1 was displeased with Clone 2.

    The boy (Clone 2) was weak and couldn¡¯t use all the authorities of his lord that wereying dormant inside his body. He could barely use 1% of it.

    At least that was understandable. He was just born and the ingredient used for his creation was a low quality item for a Level 5 artifact.

    His lord had 2 spare Level 5 artifacts previously, and because herself (Clone 1) had eaten the better one of the two, it was inevitable for the second to be born like this.

    ¡°I¡¯m not that tired¡­¡±

    He was all talk.

    ¡°Are you even trying?¡±

    ¡°I am. Why are you asking that every time¡­¡±

    His loyalty was decent, but that was something unconditionally held by a [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)] regardless of the clone¡¯s individuality. Thus, in order to distinguish if the clone was outstanding or not, he had to be graded ording to his ability and willpower.

    Ability-wise? As mentioned above, he was close to trash to the point that it was hard to believe that he was a clone of their lord.

    And the same was for his willpower.

    ¡°Stand up then.¡±

    ¡°Just one second¡­¡±

    ¡°Get up.¡±

    ¡°Let me take a breather okay?¡±

    Clone 1 walked up with a serious look on her face and kicked the young boy on his chest.

    They were in the junkyard of a fallen country without anyone nearby. It was a light kick but it resulted in a great jolt as if he had been bashed by a truck going full speed. With a thud, the boy flew all the way across and bounced several times before being buried in the pile of car scraps.

    Dust covered the area.

    With rxed steps, Clone 1 approached the boy.

    ¡°I gave you enough time to breathe. Get up.¡±

    ¡°Haa, haa¡­¡±

    Whilst staggering and stumbling, the boy barely raised his body. His body tilted forward heavily like he was about to vomit. The boy swayed several times before finally throwing up a mouthful of blood that stained the ground in red.

    ¡°If you¡¯re having trouble with a simple training session, how will you work for the Great n? If you were our lord, would you even think about using you?¡±

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    ¡°Make your back straight. Before I break it.¡±

    A brutal voice struck his eardrums and the boy finally stood up straight as his hand wiped the blood off his lips. One of his eyes was swollen and his ripped cheeks were bleeding.

    ¡°Use your authorities properly.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I will. I¡¯m doing it right now¡­¡±

    He grumbled and closed his eyes as the wounds started to close.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it one more time. You,¡±

    ¡°Have to be strong. Have to be loyal to the lord. The happiness of the dragons is the top priority and we have to protect it. I know. I remember everything already.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The boy was about to wipe the blood with his fingers but had to stop. His thumb and index finger had disappeared and the rest of his fingers were folded into strange angles. They had been broken from something just then.

    ¡°Ahhkk¡­¡±

    As the pain slowly caught up to his sight, the boy clenched his teeth and used his blessings.

    It was a blessing rted to ¡®Body Recovery¡¯ that his lord possessed. When the twisted fingers returned to normal, the boy gave yet another scream and when new fingers sprouted out, tears dropped from the eyes of the boy who couldn¡¯t even breathe properly.

    ¡°Are you done.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Raise your weapon then.¡±

    But the woman was heartless, and the boy raised his sword without talking back.

    .

    .

    .

    By the time they were done with the training, Clone 2 was in a mess, and Clone 1 applied medicine on the boy who was lying down. Because of several restrictions, her lord had been unable to learn an ability that healed others, so this was all Clone 1 could do.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clone 2 lifted his arm and covered his eyes.

    As a clone, they both had no personal feelings. But just like how she asionally held doubts about her lord¡¯s thoughts, Clone 2 appeared to have felt doubtful about her actions.

    ¡°Training is fine. It¡¯s good, but does it have to be to this degree?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°No umm¡­ that ¡®why¡¯ isn¡¯t asking about why I¡¯m needed when our lord is protecting the dragons already.¡±

    ¡°Then what.¡±

    ¡°Like, isn¡¯t it fine to get stronger slowly?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t do that.¡±

    Clone 1 was clear-cut with her words.

    ¡°When, where, what and how. We can foresee but we can¡¯t be certain. That is the case for any thinking mortal and our lord is not an exception.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you and I must be prepared at all times. We must be ready as soon as possible and that¡¯s why this is also necessary.¡±

    The boy remained silent.

    ¡°You are an existence our lord wished to create. That is the same as saying that your non-existence will affect the happiness of the dragons. So all the blood and tears you shed will add to the safety and joy of the dragons.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t shed tears though.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s say blood and sweat.¡±

    ¡°So blood will be shed no matter what, I see.¡±

    ¡°What. Do you think this is cruel? That you have to shed blood because of someone else¡¯s happiness? And the fact that you had to be the one?¡±

    ¡°No? You¡¯re great, ahjumma, but you have this tendency to look down on me too much. I¡¯m a Shadow of an Archduke myself.¡±

    ¡°You mean someone like you is still a small phoenix?¡±

    ¡°The same as ahjumma, I guess. So why would I think about things like that when that¡¯s my reason of existence?¡±

    Despite that, he couldn¡¯t hide the mncholy behind his voice. Clone 1 inwardly heaved a sigh as she was suddenly made to look after a kid somehow.

    But there were times when he was cute.

    ¡°We¡¯ll start it againter. Rest for an hour.¡±

    ¡°30 minutes is more than enough.¡±

    He acted big. But after saying that, the boy apparently thought it was too short and opened his mouth yet again.

    ¡°No wait, maybe 35 minutes¡­¡±

    She scoffed.

    Was her lord also this daring in his first iteration?

    After having an insolent thought for a second, Clone 1 shook her head.

    ***

    Bom quietly waited until Yu Jitae finished writing the record.

    She would one day drink by herself even if they didn¡¯t drink today, so he decided to teach her how to drink. If she felt happy from drinking, then alcohol might be a good friend for her as well.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    There was a seed that resembled the shape of a cup.

    ¡°Cheers~¡±

    Tap- Yu Jitae and Bom bumped their seeds. As the strong crimson wine with 80% alcohol travelled down their throats, a flowery scent struck their noses like a bomb.

    ¡°¡­Cough.¡±

    After drinking it in one go, she coughed. Her eyes turned into circles.

    ¡°This, it¡¯s really hot¡­¡±

    ¡°Hot?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I can feel the alcohol moving down.¡±

    She then carried her finger down from her neck, to her chest and her stomach.

    Bom prepared some dungeon fruits that were simr to mango as a side dish. While having those, they emptied several shots in silence.

    With a slight pout, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m tipsy.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    ¡°I turn around and the world moves slowly. This is what tipsy is, right?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°But this is unfair.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Why am I the only one getting drunk.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi¡¯s not drunk, right?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    The Regressor had already lowered his body¡¯s metabolism rate to that of a human¡¯s. That was in respect of how precious this alcohol was.

    ¡°Then why do you look so normal?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m heavyweight.¡±

    ¡°Can I feel your feelings for a bit?¡±

    Dragons can synchronise their emotions and thoughts to the person they touch. She apparently thought he was lying. The Regressor could obviously hide it if he wanted to but still allowed her to do what she wanted to do.

    Bom ced her index finger on the back of his hand.

    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡±

    Her pouty eyes turned into a strange curve.

    It must be because he was drunk. Her finger, and the touch on the back of his hand felt more vivid than usual.

    The Regressor wasn¡¯t that satisfied with the current situation. He found it slightly troubling for his hand to touch her¡¯s.

    He thus tried to pull it away but she somehow knew what he was up to, and suddenly grabbed his finger.

    ¡°Where are you running.¡±

    She giggled.

    Therefore, he closed his senses as well.

    At this point, his body felt quite awkward. In order to get drunk, he lowered his metabolism rate, closed his senses to decrease the vividness of the hand touching his skin, and killed his false presence since she wanted honesty.

    The Regressor became the same as a normal person for the first time ever since the start of the seventh iteration.

    ¡°But why did you suddenly want to drink.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I actually wanted to drink from a while back.¡±

    ¡°From a while back?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t remember it properly, but I think my mother used to drink a lot. Something red like blood¡­¡±

    Bom stared at the mandrake wine and reminisced in her memories, as if the red colour was simr to the past.

    ¡°I wanted to drink by myselfter, but I didn¡¯t have the chance to¡­¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re saying right now is the chance?¡±

    ¡°It is. I¡¯m also curious about how you are when you¡¯re drunk, ahjussi.¡±

    She thenughed, ¡®Huhu¡­¡¯, and seemed drunk indeed. It was his first time seeing the nted eyes and the nk smile on her face.

    ¡°Do you do something special when you¡¯re drunk?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Bing calm.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so like you, ahjussi¡­¡±

    Tap- The seed cups clinked.

    ¡°Huu¡­ Why do you be calm?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember why. Probably because I made a mistake when I was drunk before. I think it¡¯s ever since that happened.¡±

    ¡°Do people make mistakes when drunk?¡±

    ¡°They do.¡±

    Tap-

    ¡°Ah. I spilled some¡­¡±

    ¡°What a waste.¡±

    Bom ced her lips near the alcohol spilled on top of the wooden table. She then slurped it.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was a waste¡­?¡±

    ¡°But even then.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Now that I think about it, it is a bit dirty¡­ Why did I do that¡­?¡±

    She gave another foolish smile.

    Tap¨C

    ¡°Uuhh¡­ this is a really strong alcohol right¡­?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°I think I know what getting drunk means¡­ it feels good.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much, and get rid of the intoxication before the kidse back.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Tap¨C

    ¡°Huuh¡­ Oh right. Let me give you the sides. Here. Ahh¨C¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Good boy.¡±

    After pouring strong alcohol down his throat over and over again, it seemed that he had also be quite drunk. While eating the fruit Bom gave him, he asked something which he usually wouldn¡¯t have asked.

    ¡°Why are you trying to make me eat every time.¡±

    ¡°But if I don¡¯t, you don¡¯t eat¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to eat.¡±

    ¡°That makes me want to feed you even more, you know¡­?¡±

    Tap-

    Tap-

    Tap-

    ¡°Look. You¡¯re not eating them now¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hnn hnn hnn. Sheughed like a fool.

    The alcohol was close to being emptied and he was quite drunk himself as well. Bom¡¯s face and her eyes that had be normal ever since it had be a part of his daily life, stayed in his vision longer than usual.

    And Bom found out about it.

    ¡°Am I pretty¡­?¡±

    The green-haired girl who knew she was pretty, pouted her lips out when his gaze remained on her face for a long time. She soon gave an awkward smile, before smiling like a fox again while poking her cheeks with her fingers. She was acting cute.

    As if he was watching TV, he nkly stared at her face. He gradually started feeling more perplexed as Bom was still holding his finger.

    He could see her fingers and her nails. The veins contrasting against her white skin entered his sight.

    He decided that he had to stop the drinking session here.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make this thest cup.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    But there was a problem. Bom, who was heavily drunk, had trouble holding the cup properly. It was slightly different from how a human got drunk, and it was her synchronisation with the polymorphed body that was being affected.

    She thought she grabbed it but it was just her hand that came up. After missing the cup several times on repeat, she frowned and red at the innocent cup.

    ¡°Whhy, can¡¯t I grab it¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    So Yu Jitae grabbed the cup for her and poured alcohol into it, and she somehow received it with both hands.

    Thest drop of alcohol went down her throat. Gulp, gulp. After slowly finishing it, she heaved a powerless sigh, which spread the flowery scent of the alcohol across.

    nkly, Bom stared at the remainingst piece of fruit, before opening her mouth.

    ¡°This. I want to eat this¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t grab it¡­¡±

    The Regressor pondered for a second, thinking that it might be her asking him to feed her.

    ¡°I want to eat it¡­ but I can¡¯t pick it up¡­¡±

    Reaching her hand forward, she seemingly grabbed the fruit, but it remained on the spot when she lifted her hand back up. She became even more depressed.

    ¡°I want to eat it¡­ I want to but¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her loosened gaze nkly turned towards Yu Jitae, so he gave a sigh before grabbing the fruit and handing it over to her. Bom gazed up at him with the same gloomy expression and soon opened her mouth.

    The fruit entered her mouth.

    But because she was drunk, she couldn¡¯t control her mouth and chin.

    So,

    She ended up biting on Yu Jitae¡¯s fingers along with the fruit.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Her vacant gaze slowly went back and forth between his eyes and hand.

    After feeling the warmth inside her mouth, he pulled his finger out. His hazy senses ignored hismand and vividly returned to him.

    For an instant, an extremelyrge sense of perplexity rose up from a corner of his heart.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    That was when Bom bursted intoughter ever so slowly. Ahaha, sheughed as she waved her hand.

    ¡°No¡­ I wasn¡¯t trying to do that¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It was an ident. An ident¡­¡±

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul nkly stared through the window.

    She had found a beautiful baby chicken in the middle of the mountain. She had to take a picture to show Chirpy, but realised that she had left the watch behind.

    That was why she hade back for a bit.

    But when she came near the house, there was a strong scent of flowers surrounding the area. Curious about the source of the smell, she sneaked to the window and stole a nce inside.

    Her unni and ahjussi were drinking inside.

    Uwah, they¡¯re drinking¡­! She thought.

    That¡¯s what she thought, until she saw Bom¡¯s expression.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae had his back towards the window, and she couldn¡¯t see his face. Bom suddenlyughed out loud, saying it was an ident, but Kaeul couldn¡¯t see what the ident was either.

    But what she did see clearly, were Bom¡¯s eyes that were staring at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    From the expression and gaze of the drunk Bom, Kaeul felt something mysterious and wondrous that made her feel dizzy.

    Her heart started racing.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Unlike usual where she had trouble focusing on something for a long time, Kaeul couldn¡¯t look away from the two for a long period of time.

    Around the time they started packing up, she came back to her senses and quickly escaped but even after she went back to the mountain, her heart didn¡¯t stop racing.

    Thump thump¡­

    Kaeul finally asked herself.

    What did I just see¡­?

 Chapter 150: Resting Place of Rusted Swords (6)

    <h4>Chapter 150: Resting ce of Rusted Swords (6)</h4>

    Kaeul suddenly became weird.

    She tended to smile brightly whenever their eyes met, but now she looked away and avoided eye contact.

    Throughout their remaining time on the deserted ind, she had trouble looking straight into his eyes. Bom and Gyeoul acted strange sometimes but it was the first time Kaeul was being like this.

    Since there was a need to be cautious about everything rted to Kaeul, Yu Jitae decided to ask her.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Hukk¡­!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Did you do something bad?¡±

    ¡°N, n, n, no I didn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Or did you do something that I told you not to?¡±

    ¡°No? I didn¡¯t¡­?¡±

    The authenticity hanging on the Eyes of Equilibrium was ¡®true¡¯. It seemed that she hadn¡¯t done anything ¡®wrong¡¯, and that puzzled him even more.

    ¡°Then why are you covering your face. Did you get hurt?¡±

    She had her hands t above her eyes, as if she was blocking sunlight. The difference in height between the two was considerable, and thus he couldn¡¯t see her small face. So Yu Jitae bent his back and tried to look into the child¡¯s face.

    ¡°Mommy¡­!¡±

    Kaeul became startled and immediately ran away. Her fast-beating heart was loud and clear, and her pupils dted whenever their eyes met.

    Those signs were usually revealed when someone was scared. So what made her so scared all of a sudden? He couldn¡¯t figure it out no matter how much he pondered so he decided to observe her for the time being.

    On the other hand, she was only like that towards himself, and her attitude towards Bom, Yeorum and Gyeoul were no different than usual.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit sad.¡±

    During breakfast, Bom quietly opened her mouth.

    ¡°Nn? What do you mean, unni?¡±

    ¡°It feels like time always flies when you¡¯re having fun¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh wow¡­ You¡¯re right. You¡¯re right¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    They agreed to her words.

    It was already theirst day in Peace City.

    ***

    In the middle of a dark mountain, the kids gathered around and focused. Their eyes were sparkling gently from the darkness.

    Sitting next to them were Li Hwa and Myung Yongha¡¯s family, and in front of them was a tower made of chunks of wood that formed the shape of the character ¾®.

    The singing voices of bugs reached their ears, while the sky was densely filled with unusually bright stars that lit up the area in the stead of the moon that had hidden itself.

    Myung Yongha climbed the wooden tower, and gave a deep bow like a gentleman.

    ¡°Thank you everyone for illuminating this ce with your presence.¡±

    His wife, Jung Hawon, quietly grumbled, ¡°What is he saying with those caveman clothes¡­¡±

    ¡°Cutting straight to the chase, we will start the lighting ceremony. Honour to the Yu household and the Myung¡­¡±

    Bam!

    It was then. Firecrackers went off before his words even ended. When everyone turned towards her, Kaeul blushed in surprise.

    ¡°Uh, urh. Was that too fast¡­!?¡±

    Myung Yonghaughed heartily.

    ¡°I thought you said we were starting¡­¡± said Kaeul with an awkward smile.

    They seemed to have gotten the order wrong, but Gyeoul, who was sitting on Yu Jitae¡¯sp, suddenly pped out loud and Bom had to hold her back.

    ¡°Ehew, that braindead monkey.¡±

    Yeorum murmured and Kaeul pouted. Soon, Myung Yongha gave another big shout.

    ¡°Uahhh! Anyway! In hopes of the harmony between the Yu household and the Myung household¡­!¡±

    ¡°Honey. You sound like an old man.¡±

    ¡°Do I¡­? Aye whatever. Uhahaha! Fire up!¡±

    Despite his wife dissuading him, Myung Yongha jumped off the wooden tower and used a spell.

    Hwaaak¡­!

    Fire soared into the air on the massive campfire.

    p p!

    Having been freed from the restriction, Gyeoul pped with a bright expression, followed by the other dragons, the Myung family and Li Hwa.

    The process had been a mess but therge tower of me chasing away the darkness was quite a decent sight. Slowly, the chilliness of the night that had covered the forest dissipated.

    Gyeoul pped her hands and pped him on his thigh. When he looked down, the child lifted her head and gave a wide smile while her water-coloured eyes reflected the red me.

    Judging from the fact that Bom, Gyeoul, Kaeul and even Yeorum were etching the sight into their eyes, this must be a beautiful scene.

    ¡°Mister Jitae! Please lend me a hand!¡±

    Yu Jitae went and helped Myung Yongha with the barbeque. Meanwhile, Bom approached Li Hwa and gave a suggestive smile, which also bloomed a smile on Li Hwa¡¯s wrinkled lips.

    ¡°Right. Right¡­ From that, foxxxyyy smile on your face, I see¡­ You must have seeded, right?¡±

    She nodded.

    Bom first came across Li Hwa at Melissia Masquerade, but they met several times while she was walking around the ind, and they became quite close.

    Due to several reasons, Bom had started sharing her personal story with Li Hwa and Li Hwa loved it. Even now, when Bom slowly and carefully shared what had happened with Yu Jitae, a full smile appeared on her wrinkled face.

    ¡°Haigo¡­ you little girl¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re truly a fox. A fox indeed. Hnn? You¡¯re making my heart flip as well¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand. Is that man a eunuch?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Bom tilted her head with a smile.

    ¡°No, so, so, how was it? Your first alcohol.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. You see¡­¡±

    While Bom was talking about her first impression with alcohol, Myung Jun-il threw furtive nces at Gyeoul. The boy remembered the advice his dad gave him.

    ¡®Son. Love is all about timing!¡¯

    Last day of an enjoyable stay on the deserted ind, plus a beautiful campfire and them being the only ones nearby.

    Was there better timing than this?

    Hiding a flower behind his back, Myung Jun-il walked up to Gyeoul. But, he suddenly stopped.

    ¡®How is it timing? Love is all about destiny.¡¯

    It was because his mum¡¯s rebuttal suddenly shed past his head.

    However, the word ¡®destiny¡¯ was too difficult and was hard to understand for the young boy. So it must be timing. Plus, since it was the words of his dad, the strongest hero of the universe, it had to be true.

    And right now was the best timing ever.

    ¡°Umm, noona.¡±

    Gyeoul turned towards him.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°I have something to say.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°This. Here¡­¡±

    Myung Jun-il revealed the flower from behind.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s, this?¡±

    ¡°A, a gift.¡±

    Gyeoul stared at the boy¡¯s gift, the red tulip, before looking back at the boy¡¯s face. She could see Myung Jun-il looking at the ground with a face that turned bright red after holding the flower forward.

    She grinned.

    ¡°¡­Cute.¡±

    ¡°Huh, huh? Were you saying that to me?¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head.

    ¡°¡­You know. One second.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uhhh.¡±

    ¡°¡­Your ear.¡±

    Ear? She wants to talk into my ear? Is it okay to be that close? When Myung Jun-il ced his ear towards her while struggling to calm down his racing heart, she whispered something into his ears.

    Her words gave a great shock to Myung Jun-il.

    ¡°¡­Do you get it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah¡­ Nn.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thanks for the flower but.¡±

    Gyeoul waved her hand. Myung Jun-il waved back with a smile but after turning around, the boy had a teary look on his face.

    His mum was right.

    Love wasn¡¯t about timing and was all about destiny.

    *

    ¡°We got some fruitsst night, you know?¡±

    Myung Yongha¡¯s wife, Jung Hawon, showed interest in Kaeul¡¯s words. It was a story about the fruits that had bloomed on the spirit tree.

    ¡°You sisters all have unique personalities right. Your fruits would have been quite diverse as well then.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Mine was very sweet, squishy and juicy inside, and Gyeoul¡¯s was sweet, sour and slightly bitter.¡±

    ¡°What about Yeorum¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum-unni¡¯s was a spicy fruit¡­! It looked like a green chilli pepper, you know? But after touching it with her bare hands, unni identally wiped her eyes and¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Jung Hawon and Kaeul giggled.

    ¡°Huh? Where did Yeorum go though?¡±

    ¡°Nn? You¡¯re right. Where is she?¡±

    They couldn¡¯t find Yeorum all of a sudden.

    Walking around, she looked for Yeorum. She peeked at the forest; peeked next to Yu Jitae and the beach but couldn¡¯t find Yeorum till the end and instead found Bom, who was sitting down alone on the beach.

    ¡°Uh? What are you doing, unni?¡±

    ¡°I was looking at the stars.¡±

    That suited Bom quite a lot.

    It seemed that the opportunity hade. Kaeul hopped forward in short strides and sat next to her, before ncing at her face. It was a really pretty face even in the eyes of a dragon. Her calm, quiet, innocent yet somewhat cold gaze¡­

    But the expression she saw yesterday was nowhere to be seen on her face.

    What was that expression?

    How was Bom-unni feeling, and what was she thinking about? Did Yeorum-unni and Gyeoul know already?

    ¡­What about ahjussi?

    Doubt created another doubt without an end. So Kaeul carefully opened her mouth.

    ¡°Unni¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm. Uhh¡­ umm¡­¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She wanted to ask something, but after opening her mouth, she didn¡¯t know what to say. Thus, Kaeul wasn¡¯t able to ask anything.

    ¡°My little sister. Is there something you want to say?¡±

    Bom looked at her with an implicit gaze.

    ¡°Nn? No? It¡¯s just that, it¡¯s really fun here.¡±

    ¡°Ahh.¡±

    After showing a smile, Bom¡¯s eyes returned to the sky.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°¡­Did you have fun too?¡±

    ¡°Nn. It was fun for me as well.¡±

    Silence covered the two for a bit before Bom opened her mouth again.

    ¡°What did you enjoy the most, Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Me? I¡­ I liked how we got to experience things that we couldn¡¯t at Lair and the dormitory. The spirit tree was cute, and the ind itself is just full of fun¡­¡±

    Kaeul hesitated slightly, before adding more words.

    ¡°W, what about you, unni?¡±

    ¡°Me? I¡¯m¡­ hmm¡­¡±

    Bom gazed at the sky without saying anything in response. Her grass-coloured gaze and her eyshes appeared ever so sorrowful for some reason, that Kaeul couldn¡¯t ask anything else.

    ¡°It just, feels like a dream.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°You remember how the dimensions got disjointed when we first left, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Un un. Of course. It was really scary. Like how everything suddenly got crushed around us, and those weird sounds as well¡­¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Nn. But we fortunately came to a world with people, so that was lucky for us¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And we were worrying about how to fill up the Amusement time, right.¡±

    ¡°Un un. We knew nothing about this ce and it was really scary. I wanted to see my mum, and¡­¡±

    ¡°Me too. But, now we¡¯re living happily like this. And it just felt strange.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    In fact, it was the same for Kaeul.

    She was happy, to a level that she had never expected back when she was trembling from anxiety and fear.

    ¡°Right. I was always curious.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°How could I be this happy in such a foreign world? You know¡­ aftering here, I also had this small question. How could there be such a fun ind? So¡­¡±

    Kaeul followed Bom¡¯s gaze and looked at the same ce she was staring at. There was a slightly bigger star than the surrounding stars, that showed off its brightness.

    While tucking her hair behind her ear, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°I was thinking about that while looking at the stars, but I realised that we can¡¯t just smile and do nothing.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°Since happiness isn¡¯t just created from nothing.¡±

    Kaeul widened her eyes into circles.

    It was something she had never thought about before.

    How was happiness created?

    ¡°Right¡­ do you know, unni? How we became this happy? And how there could be an ind this happy and entertaining¡­?¡±

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum, who sneaked a shot of Myung Yongha¡¯s alcohol during the campfire, suddenly wanted to smoke.

    She went to the forest and was smoking a cigarette when she came up with something interesting. It was about the underground cave that she had found with Yu Jitae.

    Thus, Yeorum sneakily went into the ocean and headed to the underground cave by herself.

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    After climbing the stairs and walking through a long corridor, there was another set of countless stairs. When she finished climbing that as well, she finally came across air that had been locked inside the underground cave, above the water level.

    What she found on top of that, was an extremely horrendous odour. The ominous atmosphere, the creepy odour and the ck stains that had flowed to the ground irritated her sight.

    At the end of the stairs, she stood in front of a rusted metal door.

    Her sixth sense as a dragon told her that there was something inside this ce.

    ¡°Wah, fu*k¡­ this doesn¡¯t feel good¡­¡±

    She gave a deep frown, but stopping here aftering this far wasn¡¯t an option.

    So, Yeorum carefully pushed the door open. The door was stiff and created a creaking noise when she pushed it, but regardless, she pushed it till the end.

    And there¨C

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was an unbelievable scene in front of her. Having crumpled her face into a frown, Yeorum covered her mouth and nose.

    Inside was a mountain of corpses.

    They had all been disfigured, and weren¡¯t even allowed to rot.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    That was when a familiar voice reached her ears. When she turned around with a flinch, she found Yu Jitae standing behind her.

    ¡°Ah, fuc*¡¯s sake¡­ you surprised the shi* out of me¡­¡±

    ¡°I told you to not care about this ce.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s up to me. Am I your little dog or something¡­? Just doing what you tell me to¡­?¡±

    Despite saying that, Yeorum stopped her breath and forcibly controlled herself from vomiting. And she slowly walked and hid behind him.

    ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s go back if you¡¯ve seen enough.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°¡­That thing, what is it?¡±

    ¡°What do you think. It¡¯s a corpse. Mummies.¡±

    ¡°I mean, why are there so many. And why are they all damaged¡­?¡±

    Unable to look at the horrendous mountain of corpses, she pointed with her finger. Yu Jitae nkly looked at the corpse mountain before opening his mouth.

    He knew what this was.

    ¡°This is one of the customs of another dimension, [Charia].¡±

    ¡°Charia?¡±

    ¡°People in that dimension make soldiers that died during the war into mummies and bury them under thend they live in. They then create an underground path for them to honour the corpsester on.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s to remember that they¡¯re living thanks to the remains of their dead heroes. That¡¯s how they honour their victims of war.¡±

    After hearing that much, Yeorum came up with a hypothesis.

    ¡°Then this ind¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Those corpses over there with broken necks, cut-off legs with spears in their bodies had probably been protecting this ind against their enemies when they were alive.¡±

    And the entire ind must have been carried by a dimensional disjoint, that waster discovered somewhere on Earth in the name of a ¡®dungeon¡¯.

    Yeorum swore afterprehending all that.

    ¡°Fu*k. How is that ¡®Peace City¡¯¡­¡±

    But that¡¯s how things were.

    These things called happiness and peace were all built on top of another¡¯s blood and even in this moment, someone was shedding blood and sweat for the happiness of others.

    And those broken and rusted swords must have found their rest here after their death.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back now.¡±

    Yu Jitae pulled her by the shoulder and headed back to the door. Leaving the gruesome scene behind her back, Yeorum murmured.

    ¡°It feels dogshit. I shouldn¡¯t havee here¡­¡±

    ¡°Please, just listen.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    And the door was closed shut.

 Chapter 151: Discussion Topic: Stockholm Syndrome

    <h4>Chapter 151: Discussion Topic: Stockholm Syndrome</h4>

    Close to a month passed after the end of the enjoyable trip.

    The kids were sitting right next to each other on the sofa, watching TV. They prepared popcorn and drinks in preparation for the movie they were to watch, but it was none other than Yeorum who chose the movie.

    Filling up the screen was a sign that read, ¡®R 18+¡¯. Fortunately, the movie was more focused on art instead of being provocative but even then, it wasn¡¯t for teenagers to watch.

    The title of the movie was, ¡®Beauty and the Beast in Chicago¡¯, a modernised version of the animation.

    ¡°Turn it on?¡±

    ¡°Are we really watching it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m turning it on.¡±

    ¡°Uah. I don¡¯t want to¡­! Don¡¯t¡­!¡±

    Kaeul suddenly snatched the remote controller from Yeorum and hid it between herself and the baby chicken.

    ¡°What are you doing. You said you were curious.¡±

    ¡°I am curious but¡­! But¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yu Kaeul. Think about it. When would we watch it if we don¡¯t do it now?¡±

    Yeorum had her reasons. Ahjussi had left and since it was very rare for him to leave the house alone with the kids staying back, this was a rare opportunity.

    ¡°Uuhh. Even the cover is weird. Why is the man sticking his tongue out¡­?¡±

    Hearing that, Yeorum sneered but is was soon reced by mischievousness as she opened her mouth with a coquettish voice.

    ¡°My dear sister. What do people do with their tongue?¡±

    ¡°Nn? They eat delicious stuff¡­?¡±

    ¡°Then why do you think the man has his tongue out?¡±

    ¡°Uh, uhh¡­ to eat¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right ?¡±

    She licked her lips with a decadent smile. Startled, Kaeul immediately clung to Bom, while the baby chicken also clung to Kaeul in surprise.

    ¡°W, w, w, wh what is he eating? No! Don¡¯t say it¡­! I don¡¯t want to know¡­! I don¡¯t know¡­!¡±

    ¡°The heck.¡±

    Yeorum clicked her tongue, seemingly finding that pathetic. They continued quarreling on whether they should watch the movie or not, while Bom suggested Gyeoul go inside her room.

    Shake shake. Gyeoul shook her head, and she in fact appeared calmer than Kaeul.

    ¡°Will you be fine? The movie might be a bit weird.¡±

    ¡°¡­How is it, weird?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Bom caressed her blue hair in contemtion. It was hard to exin what was weird and she had to choose the right words that were suitable for a child.

    ¡°¡­Do they do bad things?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not bad things. They¡¯re natural, necessary and could be beautiful. At the same time, it could be dirty and some might hate it or like it.¡±

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. So it¡¯s-¡±

    Bom whispered into her ears but Gyeoul tilted her head as if she didn¡¯t really understand.

    ¡°¡­I shouldn¡¯t know about it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know about itter on, and you would need to know it in order to have the right mindset about it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Too difficult.¡±

    ¡°Then do you want to watch it while holding my hand? So that we can share some emotions to an appropriate level and if I think it¡¯s too much, I will cover your eyes for you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. Thanks.¡±

    Meanwhile, the protector who was standing in a corner of the living room opened his eyes with a suggestive gaze. He seemed to be remembering the ¡®days¡¯ where he was popr and thinking about watching an R rated movie was about to cause his crimson eyes to bend into crescents.

    ¡°Oi. Cleaner.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Second youngdy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you a little area outside, so go there and see if that human ising or not.¡±

    ¡°See if he ising or not? What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to be on the lookout.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    The protector had to stay outside.

    The movie began with Bom and Yeorum focusing on it. Hugging the baby chicken, Kaeul covered her face with her hands and nced through her fingers to watch the movie. And whenever someone¡¯s skin showed up, she immediately closed the gap between her fingers.

    And when that happened, Bom also covered Gyeoul¡¯s eyes and lowered the volume with the remote controller.

    ¡°Why are you lowering it?¡±

    ¡°Because the sound is too explicit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s boring. Give it here.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    When Bom remained firm, Yeorum tilted her head.

    ¡°Give it.¡±

    ¡°No, Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Ah, for real.¡±

    Yeorum pondered before suddenly floating a cunning smile as if she thought of something. It was when Bom was starting to feel slightly nervous, about what Yeorum was trying to do.

    ¡°Hnn¡­ <strong>?</strong>¡±

    A heated orgasm left Yeorum¡¯s mouth.

    Kaeul was freaked out.

    ¡°Unni, are you crazy? What are you doing¡­!?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ ? Hang¡­ ?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it! You lunatic!¡±

    Yeorum flipped her eyes up in response to Kaeul¡¯s words.

    ¡°Ahh ??¡±

    ¡°Uahh! Dirty! Crazy¡­! You have a screw loose or something seriously¡­!¡±

    When Kaeul tried to run away from the sofa with a serious look, Yeorum grabbed her andughed like a witch. Because of all that fuss, the movie didn¡¯t feel erotic at all.

    With all things considered, the movie was quite fun except for the obscene moments. It was the story of a tyrannic rich guy and a poor female secretary.

    The rich was a bad person who looked down on others and the secretary tried to run away after being sick of it but was locked up in the office. At the start after being locked up, the female secretary hated the rich but opened her heart towards himter on for some reason, and dated him before changing him near the end.

    ¡­It was a romantic cliche.

    After the movie came to an end, the kids started chatting about their impressions of the movie.

    ¡°But, but, there¡¯s this thing I don¡¯t really understand.¡±

    ¡°Maybe because you didn¡¯t watch half the movie.¡±

    ¡°No? I watched everything except for the erotic scenes¡­!¡±

    Kaeul thought for a bit before opening her mouth.

    ¡°Around the middle part, why did the locked-up female open her heart to the man? I didn¡¯t really get that part.¡±

    ¡°What don¡¯t you get?¡±

    ¡°Look, unni. The man wasn¡¯t even that nice to her. He was bad; swore at her, hit her and locked her up, right? Inside the office.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s handsome though.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­? No, but even then!¡±

    ¡°He has a good body, and his butt is like, damnn~¡±

    ¡°Uhh, so dirty¡­ even then! He was being such a bad person!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s rich though?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­! But it¡¯s still strange. No matter how handsome and rich he is, I wouldn¡¯t like him if he¡¯s that bad.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s called Stockholm Syndrome,¡± exined Bom.

    ¡°Stockholm Syndrome?¡±

    ¡°Nn. If the perpetrator asionally shows a gentle side to the victim, apparently there are some victims who open their heart up and sync with the perpetrator.¡±

    Gyeoul interjected with a question.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s perpetrator?¡±

    ¡°Someone that does bad things.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s sync?¡±

    ¡°It means sympathising and empathising with other people.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    ¡°A long time ago, apparently there were some armed robbers that attacked a bank in Stockholm and took the staff hostage for several days. It seems that they were asionally nice to the hostages and after being rescued by the police, they stood on the side of the robbers.¡±

    ¡°Ehhng? Really?¡±

    ¡°Nn. They apparently refused to give testimony and stuff.¡±

    ¡°Uwahh¡­ that¡¯s so strange. So humans are like that¡­¡±

    The kids all entered their own world and each pondered about various things.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ are we kind of simr?¡±

    ¡°Nn, nn?¡±

    ¡°Since we were suddenly kidnapped and locked inside Unit 301.¡±

    Bom said that in a half-joking manner, but Kaeul, who had been immersed in the movie, shook her head with a serious expression.

    ¡°No? That¡¯s definitely not the case.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not like that foolish woman¡­! Nothing bad was done to me so I¡¯m not that, whatever syndrome either!¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°Then¡­? It¡¯s just that, the macaron and the sausage bread were delicious¡­ not! I mean, I just, came here on my own feet, right?¡±

    She was saying that it wasn¡¯t Stockholm syndrome because nothing bad was done to her.

    Yeorum also shook her head.

    ¡°Not me either.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t like that human that much.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you follow him quite a lot?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Well, he¡¯s at least better than other humans.¡±

    She meant that it wasn¡¯t Stockholm Syndrome because she didn¡¯t like him.

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Gyeoul didn¡¯t really understand what her unnis were talking about. But since they all said no, that must be the correct answer.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think so?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Bom patted the child¡¯s small head¨C

    ¡°Then it¡¯s just me, I guess¡­¡±

    And she whispered that under her breath.

    In that instant, Kaeul¡¯s eyes turned into circles.

    ¡®It¡¯s just me, I guess¡¯?

    ¡°Let¡¯s pack things up. It¡¯s about time for ahjussi toe back.¡±

    It seemed that Yeorum and Gyeoul didn¡¯t take what she said to heart, judging from how they stood up and began cleaning all the rubbish. But Kaeul was different. Despite hearing the same words as the other dragons, she was feeling something different from them.

    With a deeply flushed face, Kaeul started picking up the rubbish. Her mind became muddled.

    Bom-unni most likely wasn¡¯t saying that for no reason, and it probably had a connection with the expression she showed before. There most certainly was a connection.

    For a month, ever since Peace City, Kaeul had been feeling greatly curious about it, since Bom had never shown such an expression when she was with others.

    However, fear got the best of her and stopped her from fully empathising with Bom. Didn¡¯t Bom-unni, who was indifferent and straight like a pine tree, be weird? Thus, it must be a tremendous and violent emotion¡­!

    So Kaeul had decided to set it aside.

    The deep empathising ability (immersion) unique to the gold race was done automatically, but could be handled proactively by hardening one¡¯s mind beforehand.

    Ever since she returned from the trip, Kaeul had been avoiding Yu Jitae and these days, she was able to look at his face again without feeling confused.

    But hearing what Bom said just then caused curiosity to lift its head again. The moment she saw Yu Jitae¡¯s face after he came back to the house, her emotions started ovepping with Bom¡¯s.

    ¡®What is it. What is this¡­¡¯

    In any case, this wasn¡¯t good.

    Kaeul decided to set her curiosity aside once again. It was dangerous, scary and whatever it was, she couldn¡¯t do it.

    In other words, she had to make sure that it was never just the two of them.

    Never¡­!

    ¡°There will be a guardian consultation today.¡±

    Oh no¡­!

    That was what Yu Jitae said during the meal.

    Kaeul turned pale. A 1 on 1 consultation at a time like this? Simply imagining it made her sink through the floor and she couldn¡¯t even feel the food going down her throat.

    ¡°Come to my room one by one after the meal.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After the meal started the consultations for Bom and Yeorum and meanwhile, Kaeul desperately looked for ways to escape.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul. Come in.¡±

    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±

    In the end, she couldn¡¯te up with any.

    Cold beads of sweat travelled down her spine. Like a pig being taken to the ughter house, Kaeul entered his room and intentionally left the door open.

    ¡°Right, Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes¡­!¡±

    She couldn¡¯t stare at his face so instead, she gazed down and stared at her hands.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Yes? What do you mean¡­!?¡±

    ¡°Are you ufortable somewhere? Why are you like that.¡±

    ¡°N, no? I¡¯m not¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae stared at her.

    ¡°How are you these days.¡±

    ¡°J, just normal?¡±

    ¡°Anything you need.¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Nothing¡­!¡±

    *

    Kaeul became weird again. Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    She slowly became better aftering back from the trip but was suddenly like this again. The way her heart raced and the way she couldn¡¯t look into eyes seemed to be suggesting that she was scared of him for some reason.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t need anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­! I don¡¯t! So can I please go out now?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. Are you ufortable with anything.¡±

    ¡°No¡­!¡±

    There was nothing she was ufortable with, apparently. Was she speaking the truth?

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    Yu Jitae tried to look into her eyes again and bent his back but she lowered her head ever further and avoided eye contact. So he got out from the seat and lowered his body even further to see the child¡¯s face but when he did that, Kaeul immediately covered her face in fright.

    ¡°Let me see your face.¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah¡­ please don¡¯t¡­¡±

    She was stubborn and stood on firm ground, desperately stopping him from seeing her face. The guardian felt slightly frustrated but didn¡¯t want to forcefully look at her face when she was so against it.

    ¡°Okay¡­ I got it. And anything you want?¡±

    ¡°Uh, uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°P, please end the consultation¡­¡±

    He seriously had no idea.

    *

    After escaping Yu Jitae¡¯s room, Kaeul stayed holed up inside her room by herself for a very long time. She even chased the baby chicken outside.

    She was seriously this close to being doomed¡­!

    Yu Jitae¡¯s adam¡¯s apple, the veins on his arms and his wide shoulders were still hovering before her eyes. At this point, she was scared, imagining what Bom thought of whenever she was looking at Yu Jitae.

    Kaeul still didn¡¯t know what this emotion was.

    But what she certainly did know is that¨C

    ¡®My heart¡¯s not normal¡­¡¯

    It felt like she was going crazy.

    At this rate, she might get ufortable simply staying inside Unit 301, so Kaeul decided to stay away from Yu Jitae again for the time being.

    That was when a question appeared inside her head. If these tremendous thoughts and emotions were normal for Bom-unni,

    ¡®Nn¡­?¡¯

    How was she able to treat ahjussi normally?

 Chapter 152: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (1)

    <h4>Chapter 152: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (1)</h4>

    It was time for another Campus Community Service but today, it was just a 2 hour service.

    ¡°There¡¯s the finals for the 5th grade campus tournament today. We¡¯ve seen it happenst year as well but, the kids are very hot-tempered, and they fight outside the stage as well. I wish they would listen a bit more¡­¡±

    The sentry staff member whispered as he asked him to be a safety guard.

    ¡°But we¡¯ll ce you near the outskirts. Please rest therefortably for just 2 hours.¡±

    Because of that, he had to stand at the tournament room on the fifth floor of Colosseo in security uniforms for 2 hours.

    What the staff member said was right.

    A tournament had many things on the line. Points, money, honour, experience, pride, etc. To be acknowledged by their households andter be world-famous superhumans or to be above cadets their age, the kids were a lot more serious and sharper than usual today.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°A big mouth for someone that got shit on.¡±

    ¡°You better shut that mouth before I dig your eyes out.¡±

    ¡°Try it then.¡±

    Ones that were in a bad rtionship either brought each other down on the corridor, or refused to acknowledge the results even after the fight. In-campuspetition for ranks was like that.

    ¡°Come here, you son of a bitc*!¡±

    Yu Jitae, who was watching with crossed arms, saw someone itching to fight so he grabbed him by the nape and threw him onto the floor.

    ¡°Kuhk!¡±

    And other superhumans from the sentries took him outside. There was in fact quite a lot of things to do, so the 2 hours at Colosseo flew by.

    [Campus Community Service 5/10]

    But there were still 5 hours remaining.

    ***

    A superhuman party had to consist of more than 3 people, and most of them had 3 to 4 in a group. That was why Yeorum had to group up with Soujiro, Kim Ji-in and Sophia in preparation for an assignment.

    ¡°Do I have to group up with these junks?¡±

    ¡°You have to be grateful. Who else would be in a team with a b*tch like you?¡±

    ¡°What the f*ck did you say.¡±

    There were some offers from Noblesse School and the Yong household to form a group together but Yeorum turned all of them down. It seemed that she had be attached to the group despite her words.

    As they started working outside school, the name ¡®Yeorum and the Losties¡¯ couldn¡¯t be used any more as Mihailov requested for a name change.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just call it Losties then.¡±

    But because ¡®Losties¡¯ wasn¡¯t a suitable name for a group undertaking external activities, they each gave out ideas until they settled with the name, ¡®Mochi¡¯, proposed by Soujiro.

    It was the name of a soft rice cake but the reason Yeorum agreed to the name was because ¡®Kimochii¡¯ sounded like a cute name to her.

    ¡°See ya.¡±

    ¡°Going by yourself again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t follow me. I can do everything myself.¡±

    After entering the third quarter, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t apany Yeorum as often, because she herself did not want it.

    He didn¡¯t do anything about it because she was indeed doing fine alone. Whatever the case, Yeorum was different from before and started taking care of herself and Team Mochi was also doing decently.

    Not everything went the way she wanted to, so on some days, she would shut the door with a bang after a lesson or a sparring session.

    When asked, ¡®Did something happen¡¯, she would simply say, ¡°Just a little bit annoyed,¡± in return and Yeorum being annoyed was nothing new.

    ¡°Unni must be having her period¡­!¡±

    Kaeul joked around needlessly and got kicked.

    So these days, Yu Jitae either went with Bom, or yed with Gyeoul when he was free.

    That day was the same.

    Holding Gyeoul by her hand, he was walking down the streets of the residential area. It seemed that the fountain on the central za was working again after the weather eased up a bit. Gyeoul had been pestering him to go there for a few days already so it would be good to visit that ce today.

    That had been his original n before receiving a sudden call.

    ¨C Is this the guardian, Mister Yu Jitae?

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It was a call from the sentries.

    An extremely polite voice carefully posed a question.

    ¨C Is it possible for you to urgentlye here, by any chance?

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¨C Cadet Yeorum was involved in a fight.

    Yu Jitae stopped his feet. It seemed that the fountain trip had to be postponed.

    ¡°¡­Why stopping?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a ce I have to go to.¡±

    Gyeoul, who had been waiting for a few days, meekly nodded her head despite being visibly disappointed.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    After taking the child home, he went to where the incident ured. At the underground sparring room of Colosseo Lair, there was a broken room. Several people were throwing nces from the surroundings while Yeorum was crouching in the middle of the sentries.

    Now what was this about.

    One of them greeted when Yu Jitae walked up, and Yeorum reacted to that sound by lifting her head. She had a sullen look on her face. After their eyes met, she lowered her head.

    He broke through the crowd and approached the centre.

    ¡°I¡¯m the guardian, Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. Yes sir. Uhh, sorry for interrupting your rest. I¡¯m the manager of the 3rd investigation team of sentries, Jose.¡±

    The sentry started off with an apology despite having done nothing wrong. That was the result of the Yu household¡¯s name value.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing crazy, but Cadet Yeorum punched her opponent after the spar ended.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s the cadet that got hit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Zhou Luxun.¡±

    Zhou Luxun was the highest achieving cadet from Erfan Guild, which was one of the 3 powerhouses right now. He was in Professor Ha Yoon¡¯s Moonlight study group, and was one of the top members of a Level 5 society.

    At the same time, he was on very bad terms with Yeorum.

    ¡°Is the child seriously injured?¡±

    ¡°No. Umm, he¡¯s not that hurt and the cadet is being healed at a hospital. But as you can see, the building was a little¡­ damaged as a result.¡±

    Yu Jitae went to Yeorum after nodding his head. She was crouching down, looking at the floor and he could see her red eyes through the gaps between her red hair.

    He didn¡¯t speak to her yet, because she probably wouldn¡¯t reply back.

    ¡°So umm, we would appreciate your assistance with the investigation.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    After the incident, Yu Jitae took her and returned to the dormitory. She didn¡¯t say a word until then and didn¡¯t leave the room aftering back.

    That night, a person came looking for Yu Jitae from the sentries and talked about things rted to Yeorum¡¯s punishment. Fights between cadets weremonce but this time, there were unfortunately lots of witnesses and the damage done to property was also considerable.

    ¡°If wepletely ignore the punishment, we can¡¯t expect China to sit silent either, so¡­¡±

    Funnily enough, the sentries were on the side of Yu household, and they were still trying to please Yu Jitae.

    However, he shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Please punish her as you see fit.¡±

    Even a dragon must get punished after doing something wrong. The reason he had such a thought wasn¡¯t because he was a righteous person. It simply stemmed from the thought that daily lives shouldn¡¯t always be full of enjoyable and likeable things.

    If a child did something wrong, they had to know that it was a bad thing.

    That was different from making her change habits. Yeorum might still punch someone after this and he still wouldn¡¯t care. It was just that daily lives could only revolve after realising that hitting someone was a bad thing to do.

    So as long as the lives and the Amusements of the kids weren¡¯t in danger, it was correct for them to get punished for wrongdoings.

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, I understand¡­¡±

    Despite his doubt, the sentry staff appeared relieved. The next day, Yu Jitae was summoned by the education department and they went through several talks about the punishment during the conference.

    Lyun, the guardian from Erfan Guild, acted pretentiously with a big frown, but didn¡¯t say much. He was a short man, around 170 centimetres tall, but gave off an extremely ferocious aura that was usually felt from the storm troops.

    Something simr had happened before when Yeorum insulted Zhang Xueyan by kissing her but unlike now, he was on a mad rampage back then.

    ¡°What a rude child.¡±

    That was the onlyint he gave because he was also reading Yu Jitae¡¯s mood, consciously or not.

    The conference was done quietly and swiftly.

    Due to wrongdoings, she was restricted from individual spars for 3 days and received a deduction of 20 points.

    After returning to the dormitory, Yu Jitae turned thepetition application on and checked her rank.

    +++RANK+++

    1. Yong Taeha: 2513 (+51)

    2. Yu Yeorum: 2512 (-28)

    3. Zhou Luxun: 2501 (+54)

    4. Bera Blueday: 2489 (+49)

    ++++++++++

    The first number were their total umtion of points from the first 3 quarters and the numbers inside the brackets were the fluctuations of their points over thest 3 days.

    From the 2nd to 10th ces, they only had 5 to 10 points of difference separating them but Yeorum had been maintaining a 70 point lead above Yong Taeha.

    She had been in a massive lead but¡­

    2. Yu Yeorum: 2512 (-28)

    Her points had decreased by a lot, which was obvious considering that others gained points while she lost hers. She even gave the first ce over to Yong Taeha.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. Three days of restriction on spars meant that she couldn¡¯t participate in the individual spars that gave 10 points a day. That meant she would be missing out on another 30 points.

    All the cadets in the top ranks were desperate and talented. Due to the small gaps in-between, a drop in 30 points was massive and if nothing unusual happened during the next three days, she would drop out of the top 4 seats.

    She hadn¡¯t been gaining much points recently so he checked the recent match history, and found a tie with Zhou Luxun.

    Well, Zhou Luxun¡¯s blessing was suited for holding his ground and buying time, while Yeorum can¡¯t be winning every single time. He was about to ignore it but,

    +++Yu Yeorum Match History+++

    VS Zhou Luxun (DRAW) Point Fluctuation: -9p

    VS Zhou Luxun (DRAW) Point Fluctuation: -7p

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Meeting the same cadet twice in a row and getting a tie in both fights was a little fishy.

    The reason she lost points despite it being a tie was because of the ¡®underdog system¡¯ of the Ranking Competition. A cadet with a lower score would receive more points by defeating a cadet that had more points than them.

    Before the spars, Yeorum had more points than Zhou Luxun so she lost points despite the draw.

    It seemed that he needed to have a chat with Yeorum.

    However, she didn¡¯t leave the room even after a whole day. She was silent even after he knocked on the door several times. She was definitely inside the room, and because he heard her use the watch inside, she must have also seen the announcement regarding the punishment.

    What came before she opened her door, was in fact Team Mochi.

    Knock knock¨C

    He opened the door and found Sophia, Soujiro and Kim Ji-in wearing worried looks on their faces.

    ¡°Hi, is Yeorum inside?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Come in.¡±

    ¡°Is she, like, fine?¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head. Kim Ji-in and Soujiro asked about her condition and Sophia heaved a sigh after hearing his response.

    ¡°Ehew. That¡¯s why I told her to kill her temper a little¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your concerns. I¡¯ll tell her about it.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    The kids handed him a paper bag, saying it was a gift.

    ¡°It¡¯s a sandwich and a coffee. She doesn¡¯t eat anything when she¡¯s upset, right¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    After giving him the gift, the kids turned around. He was about to close the door after bidding them farewell, but Sophia, who was the only one that didn¡¯t turn around, opened her mouth with an irritated voice.

    ¡°But to be honest, I think I would¡¯ve been mad as well.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Zhou Luxun, that little bit*h¡­ that bastard was sniping Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Right. I heard that sniping became easier after the system changed.¡±

    Sniping. He heard Mihailov mention it in the past.

    In fact, he was about to go outside today and ask Mihailov, some professors and other guardians he knew of to ask various things. He decided to ask it now, so that he could learn more about it in advance.

    ¡°Can you tell me in more detail?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s sniping.¡±

    When Yu Jitae showed interest, Kim Ji-in who was looking into his eyes, unconsciously flinched a little. Sophia replied in her stead.

    ¡°Cadets with simr points get matched up in the sparring rooms right. And because there¡¯s a lot of difference in points now, someone with 2500 points won¡¯t get matched against a 1000.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°So for example, if I also had 2500 points and had a goodpatibility against Yeorum, I can start matchmaking when she does it herself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fighting Yeorum every time then.¡±

    ¡°Yes. There aren¡¯t many cadets in the top ranks in the first ce. Matchmaking also takes a lot of time so it makes it easier to snipe.¡±

    It was a way around the system of the individual spars.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s 100% the case. Does it make sense that Zhou Luxun never fought against Yeorum until the third quarter and fought her twice in a row all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    Since he had only been focused on Yeorum¡¯s ability, emotions and other things, he hadn¡¯t taken much interest in the matchmaking system and the likes.

    After thinking for a bit, Yu Jitae thought about the possible contrasting situation to sniping. They were both in the top ranks, so how was Zhou Luxun able to not fight Yeorum until the third quarter?

    ¡°¡­In other words, it¡¯s possible for the top cadets to group up and make sure their time slots don¡¯t ovep.¡±

    Sophia widened her eyes. Seeing from how Kim Ji-in and Soujiro were innocently rolling their eyes around, it seemed that Sophia alone knew some things.

    ¡°That¡¯s the case. Isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The white girl carefully nodded her head.

    ¡°Yes. Actually, there¡¯s a group chat¡­¡±

    Her words caused Kim Ji-in and Soujiro to widen their eyes as well.

 Chapter 153: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (2)

    <h4>Chapter 153: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (2)</h4>

    ¡°What? A group chat?¡±

    The shock caused her to yell aloud. After realising that her voice was too loud, Kim Ji-in hurriedly covered her mouth.

    ¡°¡­What do you mean a group chat?¡±

    Sophia nced at Kim Ji-in as if she wasn¡¯tfortable talking about the topic, and appeared to be finding it disgraceful. She bit her lips slightly, and messily scratched her hair in irritation.

    ¡°This is a secret, sir. And you guys as well.¡±

    ¡°Ah, un.¡±

    ¡°G, got it¡­!¡±

    When Yu Jitae also nodded back, Sophia opened her mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°There¡¯s a group chat of 10 people who are in the very top of the ranks, where they share their individual sparring times. As you¡¯ve mentioned sir, it¡¯s to avoid each other.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s in it.¡±

    Sophia made a frown from his question.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Because I actually don¡¯t know who¡¯s in it either.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°I only know it exists because someone offered me to join it before.¡±

    ¡°And who was that.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s question was like that of a criminal investigation. Feeling slightly pressured, Sophia nced to the side before answering him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit hard for me to say that. I didn¡¯t go in because it felt dirty. And I just hate things like that.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    He raised his head and stared at the distance: towards the academy district, at the epicentre of Lair where the education department resided. Seemingly in thought, he stayed silent for a long time.

    ¡°I think people are starting to see what¡¯s happening. And there¡¯s probably a few that are in doubt already, because the top students haven¡¯t been fighting each other for months.¡±

    ¡°N, no wonder¡­!¡±

    ¡°So avoiding each other can also be used to snipe¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, for fuc*¡¯s sake. And plus he shamefully set all his monuments to anti-melee. Did you see this, sir?¡±

    In a huff, Sophia turned on the recording of the fight between Yeorum and Zhou Luxun.

    He had obviously seen it, but still quietly watched it again.

    As soon as the fight began, four monuments floated on all sides of Zhou Luxun. The most important one of the four was the one located behind his back. That particr monument was slightly bigger than the other 3, and it could only be ignited after being supplied with mana for around 30 seconds.

    ¡°Uhh, that revolver monument. I hate that thing.¡±

    Once ignited, the [Revolver Monument] would shoot magic bullets that could hit anything that was within the shooting distance of around 100 metres. The other monuments were just supportive devices that protected Zhou Luxun and the revolver monument.

    Yeorum was nning to defeat Zhou Luxun before the revolver monument operated in full. However, the remaining three monuments each gave off chilling, psychokic and hallucinating spells.

    While moving his body, Zhou Luxun used four different spells to hold her back. Put it another way, it was like ying ser with his lower body, while doing table tennis, ying games and singing with his upper body.

    ¡°¡­Feels dogshit but I do give him that.¡±

    That was the reason he was being called the greatest genius of Erfan Guild.

    Even then, Yeorum remained calm. She forced through the cold current trying to freeze her fingers and deftly dealt with the telekinesis that either tried to control her body or threw objects at her.

    But when she was right before him, he suddenly reappeared at a different ce. Like an illusion, his body vanished.

    It was due to his hallucinating spells.

    ¡°Kuah, that was close!¡±

    ¡°¡­Huu. What a dirty way to fight.¡±

    Even if she did manage to shorten the gap, Zhou Luxun was carrying 2 shields. It was different from how he usually used a sword, but it was effective against Yeorum who usually swung her weapons.

    When the same thing continued several times and he slipped by right between her fingers every single time, Soujiro and Kim Ji-in also frowned. Their frowns were also because of Zhou Luxun¡¯s attitude as he giggled and stuck his tongue out during the fight.

    ¡°He¡¯s ying mind games. She has to be calm to get to him, and it would be impossible if she bes angry.¡±

    Yeorum suppressed him by relying on her footwork and strength but still failed to defeat Zhou Luxun. When the revolver monument was finally activated, she had no chance of defeating him.

    That was why Zhou Luxun was called the Territory Master. Something to note here was that Zhou Luxun couldn¡¯t defeat Yeorum either.

    ¡°Do you get it? What that son of a bit*h is trying to do?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded in response to Sophia¡¯s words.

    He didn¡¯t use the finished monument to attack Yeorum. It was solely to stop her froming closer, and during the 5 minutes of the spar, Zhou Luxun solely focused on stopping her approach.

    The equipment and blessings that Zhou Luxun had prepared were all targeted ating to a draw against Yeorum. This was why he was thought to be ¡®sniping¡¯.

    Five minutes passed and the spar came to an end, as the points were allocated.

    ¨C Oi you damned piece of ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö! What the ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö is this ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö!

    Perhaps upset after losing her precious points, she threw the sword down and stepped on it several times which marked the end of the video.

    This was what happened during their first spar. She had exploded because that had been repeated on the second day.

    ¡°¡­Right. Thanks for letting me know.¡±

    ***

    For the next 3 days, Yeorum did not leave her room. She skipped her lessons and stayed holed up inside her room, without replying even when Bom and Kaeul asionally knocked on her door.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae gave several calls and met people to look into the matchmaking system, and rules on individual spars. After the fake name of the Yu household was spread all over Lair, he was able to contact directors of any department with one call. The fact that he could do that despite having no real power, was probably because of Principal Ha Sukmoo telling them to be mindful.

    ¨C Yes. So the way around the system itself isn¡¯t something we can get ourselves involved in anymore, as per the regtions.

    That was the standpoint of one of the rted personnel of thepetition.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    The Regressor was ignorant when it came to regtions, the sparring system and the likes. However, he was knowledgeable about how human greed tended to work and he had the ability to analyse the cause.

    Zhou Luxun¡¯s snipe was effectively done in a clever manner. The one on the receiving end might be disgusted but there weren¡¯t any ways to overturn the matter. Besides, understanding the system well and manipting it was a clever thing to do.

    ¨C Erfan. These cunning trash bastards. They timed it disgustingly well.

    Mihailov clicked his tongue while Yu Jitae didn¡¯t say anything in response. Just like what Mihailov said, the results of the third quarter will be shared after 3 days so Yeoruming 4th in rank was almost certain.

    Yeorum hadpletely fallen into their trap.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sitting in the living room, the Regressor stared at Yeorum¡¯s room and pondered.

    Let¡¯s say they were sniping. But in that case, there was something that didn¡¯t make sense. The top ranking cadets sharing their sparring times alone wasn¡¯t enough to know Yeorum¡¯s sparring time.

    And for Zhou Luxun to perfectly snipe Yeorum, he needed a different way to know her sparring time. How did he know the exact time that Yeorum would press the button after entering the underground sparring room of Colosseo Lair?

    Did someone tail Yeorum?

    Tail, tailing huh¡­

    That rather unlikeable word remained in a corner of his head. Even if someone were to tail her, it was impossible for a cadet to do so. Yeorum was a dragon and her ability to sense mana exceeded the normal cadet level by several margins.

    In that case, the person in question was quite obvious.

    1. They were inside Lair,

    2. They have the ability to tail Yeorum,

    3. At the same time, they should be rted to Zhou Luxun and have matching interests.

    After finishing his line of thought, Yu Jitae called Lyun, Zhou Luxun¡¯s guardian, who at the same time was the highest guardian associated with Erfan Guild.

    ¨C Ring¡­

    The call went through.

    -¡­The person you have called is unavable. Please call backter.

    Lyun didn¡¯t pick it up.

    The Regressor asked Mihailov if he could give Lyun a call, but he didn¡¯t pick that up either. That wasn¡¯t the end. They couldn¡¯t connect the call with any of the Erfan Guild guardians.

    ¨C The person you have called is unavable. Please call backter.

    They weren¡¯t picking it up.

    As a guardian, one had to be always avable whenever they were inside Lair at least. All of them forgetting to bring their phone along or losing them was as unlikely as Yeorum wearing a wedding dress.

    In other words,

    Lyun not picking up his call meant this.

    ¡®These guys.¡¯

    The Erfan Guild was avoiding Yu Jitae.

    Creak¡­

    That was when a door creaked open. Since he had been staring at Yeorum¡¯s room the whole time, his eyes met with the red pair of eyes gazing from the small gap behind the door as soon as it was opened.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum slowly gave a nod, with a seemingly discontent expression. It was unknown when the door would open back up once it was closed, so Yu Jitae walked to her room while it was open.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her eyes looking up at him were still full of irritation but nheless, she didn¡¯t stop him. She pulled her body in slightly, so Yu Jitae was able to enter the room.

    Sitting down on the bed, she gazed up at him.

    ¡°What were you doing?¡±

    ¡°Just looking into some stuff. Are you fine now?¡±

    ¡°Would you be fine if you were in my shoes?¡±

    Her words that abruptly escaped her lips were thorny. After saying that, she slightly looked away.

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you need more time alone?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Then rest a bit more.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s someone I have to see.¡±

    Yu Jitae stood up and was about to leave the room when her voice pulled his feet back.

    ¡°But, I do feel slightly better now.¡±

    Hearing that, he turned around. Yeorum stared at his feet and continued with an energyless voice.

    ¡°¡­I feel better after a fap.¡±

    It seemed that she was forcing herself to make a joke, judging from the dark look on her face.

    The Regressor didn¡¯t know what her words, and her gaze that were on his feet meant. However, guessing that her stopping him from leaving the room meant that there was something she wanted to say, he walked back to her side and sat down.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing that big. You don¡¯t have to feel down.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not feeling down.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°Just say what¡¯s on your mind.¡±

    Yeorum heaved a deep sigh with her nose.

    ¡°You know, like¡­ I look a bit retarded don¡¯t I?¡±

    It was an unexpected question.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Well, me getting smashed by Zhou Luxun is one thing, but the 20-point deduction and 3 days of spar restriction is because I did something retarded. Right?¡±

    The Regressor replied.

    ¡°Not wrong.¡±

    Yeorum threw him a re before giving another deep sigh.

    ¡°Right¡­ I actually knew it was a very stupid thing to do.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°That b*tch was shaking his ass after the fight and that freakin¡¯ made me angry. But I still tried to hold it in this time. It¡¯s true that I lost so being temperamental after that is unsightly, right. Besides, I also insult people daily after beating them.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°But, but¡­ I just couldn¡¯t hold it in¡­¡±

    He reflected on the reason Yeorum was saying this.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit retarded, right. To rush in every time and being unable to hold your anger in.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Since she had always been like that in the past iterations and because he had spent dozens of years watching that, the Regressor needed time to process and understand whatid behind her worry.

    ¡°This time, it finished with me just bashing up someone I don¡¯t even know, but sometimes when I get in a quarrel with Bom-unni, I almost swear without even realising it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alsomon for me to almost mess everything up in a dungeon raid because of my temper¡­¡±

    He merely listened to the child talk.

    ¡°I just, want to hold my temper in as well¡­¡±

    And the answer came to him automatically.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After saying that much, Yeorum hugged her own knees. Like always, she appeared embarrassed after speaking her mind.

    He returned a casual nod and stood up.

    If it was about her having trouble controlling her temper, he knew the way to fix it.

    But¡­ breaking and reforming the disposition of a higher-ranked spirit beast like a dragon, was by no means an easy or a simple task, so he had to dy this topic tillter.

    ¡°Got it. Rest for now.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ***

    Leaving the house, he contacted the education department and asked for the address of Erfan Guild¡¯s dormitory. He was nning to meet Lyun in person but the education department remained firm, saying that they couldn¡¯t do that at all cost.

    Having no other choice, Yu Jitae sharpened his senses and looked for a familiar presence. Since he had seen the guardian, Lyun, more than 3 times already, he could somewhat remember the quality and texture of his mana.

    He closed his eyes and focused.

    The tall walls and buildings of therge academy city dissipated in his head, as he started to feel the characteristics and textures of mana that resided in every organism.

    Looking for a specific person from a crowd of people that went over 100,000 was an impossible task. Due to the sheer number of people, he had to eliminate several ces and go one by one.

    Even that took a few hours and the Regressor opened his eyes only after confirming the target.

    On the other side of the academy district, in the 5th residential area.

    Yu Jitae knocked on the door of a unit.

    ¡°Who is it? Ah¡­!¡±

    The male cadet that opened the door was Zhou Luxun.

    Startled, he left the door open and took a few steps back while Yu Jitae immediately entered the dormitory. Inside were cadets and guardians of the Erfan Guild having a house party with a bunch of fried chicken and beer.

    Their eyes reflected their confusion regarding the sudden uninvited guest. While they were all holding their breath and staring at him in this iprehensible situation, Yu Jitae nced across their faces one by one in silence.

    His gaze stopped once it reached Lyun.

 Chapter 154: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (3)

    <h4>Chapter 154: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (3)</h4>

    ¡°What are you doing right now?! Entering someone else¡¯s house without permission!¡±

    The man walked forward inrge strides. A ferocious aura was given off from his small body.

    Yu Jitae looked into the pair of long eyes beneath his bald head, that were full of vitality. Lyun¡¯s eyes, however, were on Yu Jitae¡¯s nose, and this tended to be the case when the frightened ones instinctively avoided eye contact.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to intrude on someone¡¯s party either.¡±

    ¡°What kind of nonsense¡­!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why, you should¡¯ve picked up your phone.¡±

    His dry voice had a condescending tone. All the superhumans present that were listening through the voice interpretation artifact felt it.

    ¡°Why on earth should I pick up your call? I don¡¯t know what this is about, but it is very unpleasant. Step outside right now, thanks!¡±

    Lyun red daggers at him with a growl. Meanwhile, the cadets on the side of Erfan Guild were stealing nces left and right.

    ¡°Let me ask one thing. How did you do it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°How did you snipe her. Did you tail her? Or did someone tell you the time?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what nonsense this is about. Here I was wondering what made you barge into our house. Was it for some meaningless talk like this?¡±

    He took out a cigarette and ced it on his mouth. It seemed that it was a habit of his, as there was a bunch of cigarette buds on the ashtray.

    Lyun increased his volume with a gush of smoke.

    ¡°Look here, Mister Yu Jitae. I know your household¡¯s great and all. Let¡¯s talk outside then.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go outside. So, what¡¯s your answer?¡±

    ¡°You mean sniping? I don¡¯t know anything about that.¡±

    False.

    ¡°Tail her? I have four kids to look after. You have three cadets yourself, so you should know better right? Who would be free enough to do things like that?¡±

    True.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that your kid got her points sucked dry by one of our kids. But didn¡¯t Cadet Yu Yeorumy a hand on our Zhou Luxun instead for no reason? And instead of saying sorry about that, you¡¯re making us into snipers as if we were in the wrong. Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tail, but you did snipe, it seems.¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. And what if we did snipe? Does that go against the rules? Or is it illegal perhaps?¡±

    He seemingly became more prideful after stating his justification, andughed like a hyena. For a split second, Yu Jitae imagined ripping the lips of this proud one all the way to his ears, but scattered the thought.

    ¡°Right. Got it.¡±

    At the start of every iteration, he would choose a ¡®principle¡¯ for himself. It was a device to ensure a coherent and systematic approach to the entire iteration, and although it might not be followed at all times, he tried to adhere to it as much as possible.

    In the 3rd iteration, his principle was to ¡®spend at least 10 months every year inside a dungeon¡¯.

    In the 4th iteration, ¡®physically protecting the Gold Dragon from all sources of danger¡¯ had been his principle.

    And now;

    In the 7th iteration, he had set ¡®following daily lives and not deviating from it¡¯ as his principle.

    This principle was made especially evident whenever the Regressor was dealing with other people. Interpersonal rtionships were an essential element of daily lives. Rtionships extended forth all the way to the society, and society regted a line of rules and the norms to individuals.

    Due to that, he had to protect daily lives in order to melt into one. Killing nameless scoundrels in the back streets had a different meaning to killing ones that were rted to Yeorum¡¯s daily life.

    Simply put, he wanted to kill them but held it in.

    Yu Jitae precisely remembered each of their faces and the characteristics of their mana. To do so, he nced across the cadets for a while and they, who had all been gathered in the room, had to avoid his eyes in silence.

    Before long, he left the house without making a fuss.

    After the storm passed,

    ¡°ËûÂèµÄ¡­ (Damn it)¡±

    Lyun clicked his tongue with the cigarette still in his mouth.

    ¡°What a pathetic guardian¡­¡±

    As a guardian, being pushed around in front of the cadets would hurt his pride as a soldier. So he had acted tough on purpose but looking back now, it seemed that he had needlessly bbered just as the opponent had wished.

    That in fact hurt his pride even more.

    As if to hide that, Lyun raised his voice.

    ¡°Who f*cking goes to someone else¡¯s house without saying anything? He¡¯s just relying on his backing! Should I just reveal everything and make it public?¡±

    The cadets dissuaded him in surprise.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just bear with it, sir. We can just avoid what¡¯s dirty.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ nothing really happened, right.¡±

    Zhou Luxun and Zhang Xueyan held him back as Lyun clicked his tongue. He openly showed how he was forcing his anger down.

    That would make him appear like an open guardian who listened to the opinions of the cadets. He screamed with another mouthful of smoke.

    ¡°Zhou Luxun!¡±

    Surprised, Zhou Luxun made his body into a rigid, straight line.

    Did he do something wrong?

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    Lyun chortled and after understanding what he was saying, Zhou Luxun also giggled. The smile spread like an infection and reached all the guardians and cadets of Erfan Guild inside the room. They became less nervous, and especially Zhang Xueyan and Ling Ling, who had both been bashed up by Yeorum giggled out loud.

    ¡°In any case, what I¡¯ve realised after raising kids here for a few years, is that it¡¯s true that cadets take after their guardians.¡±

    ¡°Is that really the case?¡±

    ¡°Look. Who do you think that red-headed idiot learned from?¡±

    ¡°Kuhahaha!¡±

    ¡°Well done. You did a great job. Zhou Luxun. If youe second here, can you even imagine how much the headquarters will support us! Huh?¡±

    Thinking about the rewards brought excitement back to the table.

    ***

    Conclusion: They sniped but didn¡¯t tail.

    In other words, there was a way to snipe without tailing her.

    Yu Jitae headed to Colosseo Lair in search of that method. Therge cylindrical building had 8 entrances all around the building, with a revolving door on each of them. Cadets, guardians and staff members were all carrying their busy steps across.

    There were eyes here that could tell what¡¯s happening in real time, that surpassed tailing in terms of efficiency. Almost 50 security cameras were installed on each floor.

    After checking that, Yu Jitae headed to the eighth floor of the building where the control room that managed all the sparring rooms was located. He walked inrge strides towards the control room, but security guards wearing suits ran up and stopped him.

    ¡°Ah, you there! Outsiders are prohibited from entering this¡­¡±

    One of the guards seemed surprised after realising that he was talking to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Umm¡­ are you Guardian Yu Jitae?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°Aha. Nice to meet you. C, can I ask what brings you here¡­¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if I could have a look inside.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah¡­ so, if you could tell us the reason¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit curious about how the control room is being operated.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ I see. Uhh, can I just see if I can receive permission from my superiors?¡±

    There wouldn¡¯t be an issue because Yu Jitae had already contacted the sentries regarding it. Despite that, the security guard who didn¡¯t want to take the responsibility, called someone and received permission despite some limitations.

    ¡°Yes. So, as long as we can go with you, it is fine for you to enter.¡±

    Yu Jitae took the guards around and entered the control room. Theplex room had hundreds of security cameras that were being constantly monitored and a dozen or so of staff members were busily taking care of their own task.

    ¡°Hello sir. I¡¯m Director Li An of the control room¡¯s Integrated Control Team.¡±

    A middle-aged female staff member approached him and asked with a cautious tone.

    ¡°What brings you here?¡±

    He looked around the control room. If someone sent information gathered from the security cameras, it was possible to snipe.

    ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of monitoring.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ a Chinese man called Wang Gyu.¡±

    A Chinese?

    ¡°Can I talk to him for a bit.¡±

    Soon, a seemingly upright man came to Yu Jitae and he asked him, if he had a rtionship with the Erfan Guild by any chance. The man appeared like he was being falsely used and imed that there was no such thing.

    And his words were true.

    In other words, it wasn¡¯t this ce either.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    *

    Over the next three days, Yu Jitae went around Colosseo as well as the control room. Of course, he did everything in secret as he watched how the staff acted and checked the cadets that were entering and leaving the building.

    Even then, he didn¡¯t find anyone that were observing all the sparring rooms and that was definitely strange.

    As a being who could identify an ant that had hidden itself on the other side of the globe as long as he had time, not being able to find an observer in a small building like this made no sense.

    And that instead acted as a hint for Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Ah. You¡¯re here already. We were expecting you¡­¡±

    The director, who had be a lot more careful than the first day, vigntly asked him.

    ¡°What can I help you with today¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae nced at the ceiling above the cab that was on the other side of the monitors. On that dark part of the ceiling which was far from any light source was another camera that was overlooking the entire control room, as well as the monitors.

    ¡°Please have a look at the circuits for that thing.¡±

    ¡°Can I ask what the¡­¡±

    ¡°Just do it without asking, please.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, yes¡­ Of course.¡±

    Despite being rather dumbfounded, she listened to hismand and called a handyman to check the circuits for that specific security camera.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡±

    And Yu Jitae¡¯s prediction had been on the mark.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ I found a trace of this connecting to the outside. There¡¯s a radio signal device as well. It must¡¯ve been here for quite a long time¡­¡±

    The handyman stated that the video could¡¯ve leaked outside but he had no way of knowing the destination.

    ¡°Oh my. Does that mean someone could¡¯ve been watching it all along?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure but¡­ I think it¡¯s definitely possible.¡±

    During the chat with the handyman, the director nced at Yu Jitae with a confused look on her face.

    ¡°Who would do such a¡­¡±

    Who else would it be.

    If it was there for a long time, it probably had been done by Erfan a few years ago.

    But in the end, Yu Jitae did not publicise the matter.

    ***

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    Once he returned to Unit 301, Kaeul talked to him with a worried voice.

    ¡°Unni isn¡¯t eating anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I know.¡±

    ¡°No, but, it¡¯s already been 3 days. I almost never saw unni skip a meal before¡­!¡±

    That was true because having a meal was a part of growth for Yeorum. Although she didn¡¯t crave food, she never starved herself for no reason.

    ¡°Do you think Yeorum is okay?¡±

    Bom also asked worriedly.

    ¡°Yeah. Should be fine now.¡±

    Yu Jitae knocked on the door of Yeorum¡¯s room and heard her reply. Entering the room, he sat face-to-face with the red-haired girl, who was still sitting dejectedly in the corner of her bed.

    ¡°How you feeling.¡±

    ¡°So-so¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to tell you something interesting.¡±

    Since it was the first time Yu Jitae had said something in that manner, she stared at him.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    He told her everything that had happened during thest three days. Yeorum pouted at the start, as if she was irritated and soon bursted in anger after hearing what he found inside the control room.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they crazy? Does that mean they¡¯ve been doing that all along?¡±

    ¡°It seems like it. Why. Do you think it¡¯s unfair?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is. F*ck. Even I waspeting fairly. That¡¯s driving me nuts for real.¡±

    Perhaps because she was feeling depressed, she was quieter than usual even though she was angry. With an irritated voice, she spoke.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you publicise it? Just reveal everything for those disgusting bastards.¡±

    ¡°I was going to do that at the start.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do it then?¡±

    But after thinking for a few days, Yu Jitae discovered a method that was even better than publicising the issue. It was a method that Yeorum would enjoy, more than anything.

    ¡°We need to have our revenge.¡±

    ¡°You and me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s make them eat shi*.¡±

    ¡°How do we make them eat sh*t? I¡¯ve eaten it all already. I messed up my third quarter results¡­¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t really matter, does it. Since the fourth quarter decides the final ranks for thepetition.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae simply stated the result first. In any case, the results for the third quarter right now didn¡¯t even really matter. And now,

    ¡°Erfan can¡¯t see you anymore.¡±

    He had ripped their eyes out.

    ¡°But I can see them.¡±

    It was time for him to gaze down at them. After realising what the revenge was going to be about, she widened her eyes into circles.

    ¡°You want us to snipe them?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­How?¡±

    There was a simple yet very effective method.

    It was time for a strategy meeting. Hearing his story made her eyes turn slightly brighter.

    The fundamental reason for her anger was the mistake that had been caused by her failure to control her own temper. She still did appear bitter because of that, but the sweet sound behind the word ¡®revenge¡¯ seemed to have brightened up her mood a little.

    ¡°So, do you like it?¡±

    ¡°Do I like it?¡±

    Her eyes as well as her lips curled up. Lowering her head, she gave a faint smile.

    ¡°¡­Is there something to eat outside?¡±

    ***

    On thest day of the 3-day restriction on individual spars, the third quarter ranks were decided and were announced.

    Yong Taeha was first and Zhou Luxun was second. Bera Blueday from Noblesse School came third, and Yeorum came fourth.

    That day, reporters gathered at the academy district at the end of the day and asked the top ranking cadets for their feelings.

    The ranks that had been fixed till now had finally moved, so many reporters asked how Yong Taeha, Zhou Luxun and Bera Blueday were feeling.

    But there was someone who gathered more reporters than them.

    ¡°Cadet Yu Yeorum¡­!¡±

    ¡°A word please if there¡¯s any discontentment with your rank¡­!¡±

    Yeorum appeared irritated and gave a frown, but the reporters were unable to close in on her. After receiving a call from Yu Jitae, the sentries had sent people to surround Yeorum in a circle.

    ¡°Cadet Yu Yeorum! This is from KSB! Unfortunately, you have lost to Cadet Yong Taeha and Zhou Luxun! Please share with us how you¡¯re feeling right now!¡±

    When she found a Korean broadcasting reporter, Yeorum sneakily went to his side. It was the same reporter who had been shouting out loud that it was ¡®Korea¡¯s victory¡¯ whenever Yeorum won.

    Wearing a rare stiff look on her face, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°This is not the defeat of me, Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°This is Korea¡¯s defeat.¡±

    She then smiled at the camera.

    *

    The inte was in an uproar.

    But that day, Petrovic¡¯s SNS was quiet for some reason.

 Chapter 155: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (4)

    <h4>Chapter 155: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (4)</h4>

    Yu Jitae grabbed Yeorum by the nape and stopped her from inappropriately teasing the camera with her tongue out.

    ¡°Stop there. Let¡¯s go home now.¡±

    During the announcement ceremony of the 3rd quarter ranks, the academy district and Colosseo Lair were jam packed with people. 20% of them were reporters while the rest of them were cadets who hade to see the celebrities of their grade.

    He could see overly excited guardians on the other side, including Yong Chuljun from Yong household and Lyun from Erfan Guild.

    When they found Yu Jitae, Yong Chuljun furtively avoided eye contact while Lyun gave a sneer.

    ¡°What¡¯s for dinner tod¡­¡±

    Yeorum followed his gaze and stared at where he was looking. After seeing Lyun and the cadets of Erfan Guild who were chatting in front of reporters, she frowned.

    ¡°Did they get shot on their faces or something. Look at those freakin¡¯ annoying smiles¡­¡±

    She put her hand into her pocket and touched the pack of cigarettes that were inside.

    Before seeing them, she wasn¡¯t in that bad of a mood, but it was just that she had forced herself to feel better by thinking of the things that would happen henceforth. There was no way she was actually happy after being pushed below them in ranks and getting insulted face-to-face.

    ¡°Look at that. Look, look at them. They look like they¡¯re about to die from overexcitement. They think they¡¯re the king of the world or something aftering second~. Maybe they¡¯ll tap dance naked if they doe first ey? Retards.¡±

    That was when Yeorum¡¯s eyes met with Zhou Luxun¡¯s.

    ¡°Hoh? Look. There¡¯s Yu Yeorum.¡±

    Zhou Luxun giggled after saying that and turned around. Soon, the eyes of the Erfan Guild cadets were seen ncing across her face.

    Before long, all their lips curled up into smirks. It wasn¡¯t hard to assume that Zhou Luxun had said something to them, whatever it was.

    And that seemed to have irritated Yeorum.

    ¡°Huh? Those retards are doing some shi*.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get angry every single time they do something.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not angry though? Tch. If I had a hammer, I¡¯d nail their heads together into a chain. Who the fuc* do they think they are tough, huh?¡±

    It looked like she was obediently following Yu Jitae back to the house, but when she heard someoneugh from behind, she suddenly turned her body around and shouted.

    ¡°Oi¨C! Funny?¡±

    Her yell was loud and gathered the eyes of the crowd.

    ¡°You fuckin* dog retards! Am I funny?¡±

    Yu Jitae held her shoulders and pulled.

    ¡°Calm down.¡±

    ¡°No. No. Let go. Fu*k. Those bitc*es justughed at me! Did you see that? You saw that, right?¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    His rather stern voice caused Yeorum to widen her eyes by a bit and he clenched his hands that were on her arms, so she bit her lips.

    ¡°Huu¡­¡±

    Throughout their trip back home, she panted heavily. Her heart raced like crazy and Yu Jitae could feel her shoulder trembling from his hand.

    ¡°You know. Our n. It¡¯s really going to work out, right?¡±

    She asked on the way home.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t,¡±

    After her anger dissipated, it seemed that sorrow had reced it in her heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually going to cry¡­¡±

    But such a thing won¡¯t happen.

    ***

    The guardian, Lyun of Erfan Guild, received an unbelievable call from someone.

    ¡°Hello, sir! Sorry? Ah, yes yes! I¡¯m Lyun¡­!¡±

    His voice was so respectful that even the cadets around became surprised. Despite it being a normal voice call, he still bowed several times.

    It was a call from China¡¯s strongestbat force, [Heavenly Gods], which was a small troop of the best elites, the dream of every superhuman of China. Wearing an excited look on his face, Lyun gestured ¡®Heavenly Gods, Heavenly Gods¡¯ with his mouth and the cadets covered their mouths in shock.

    ¡°Yes, yes. Ah, of course, yes¡­ that¡¯s right. Sorry? Ah¡­! Is that true sir?¡±

    Lyun¡¯s reaction caused the cadets to watch him in silence.

    ¨C Yeah. It looked marvelous how you dealt with Yu Yeorum.

    Crazy.

    Lyun thought to himself. This is crazy.

    Just then, Heavenly Gods had mentioned scouting Zhou Luxun. As long as he entered the group, Zhou Luxun would receive an explosive amount of support from the government itself and rise to be a 2-digit superhuman worldwide within 10 years.

    And as a guardian of a ranker like that, Lyun himself would have an opportunity that might note back ever again.

    ¨C In fact, if you could take down Yong Taeha as well, our elders would love it, but he¡¯s a different kind, isn¡¯t he?

    This sounded bitter to his ears but it was true. The world was considering Yong Taeha as the greatest genius of history alongside Tyr Brzenk.

    ¨C What else can we do. Just look far ahead. Besides, the best rankers are created aren¡¯t they?

    ¡°Yes yes. Of course, sir.¡±

    ¨C But we¡¯ll have to see his talents. Second ce¡­ shouldn¡¯t be hard to keep.

    ¡°Of course! Erfan won¡¯t betray your expectations ever, sir!¡±

    ¨C I¡¯m expecting a lot from you in the 4th quarter.

    After the call disconnected, Lyun hugged Zhou Luxun and yelled.

    Other cadets appeared regretful after realising that there hadn¡¯t been any talks about themselves, but nheless congratted theirrade for his great sess ¨C expecting some benefits toe to them if Zhou Luxun seeded.

    Thus, Erfan Guild was in a festival mood for a few days after the start of the 4th quarter.

    The guardians encouraged their cadets and the cadets trusted Zhou Luxun and worked even harder for their own points. There was always the sound ofughter in their dormitory.

    ¡°¡­Hukk.¡±

    So on the day the individual spars were reopened, when Rank 51 Wei Jin Mei returned to the dormitory in tears, they were curious.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Mei? What happened?¡±

    ¡°I lost the duel¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Cadets ranked in the 50¡¯s tended to lose sometimes. Even if they avoided others in matchmaking, there wasn¡¯t anything they could do if they met cadets that weren¡¯t inside the group chat like Tyr Brzenk and Sophia Vorkova.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. So who were you against?¡±

    ¡°¡­It was Yu Yeorum.¡±

    It was clear how the spar would¡¯ve gone. She was probably insulted after getting smashed but Wei Jin Mei¡¯s guardian consoled the cadet.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You didn¡¯t lose that many points thanks to the underdog system, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    The next day, Yang Wei who had been ranked 27th in the third quarter, returned after being defeated by Yu Yeorum.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to do anything¡­ Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Dude. There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. Everyone knows how Yu Yeorum is strong.¡±

    ¡°My rank¡¯s gonna drop¡­¡±

    Until then, the Erfan guardians were thinking that it was just a coincidence. But on the third day of the 4th quarter, when Rank 33 Gai Yu lost to Yu Yeorum, followed by Rank 15 Zhang Xueyan losing to Yu Yeorum on the fourth day, Erfan¡¯s atmosphere took a hit.

    ¡°¡­Damn it. What in the world is happening?¡±

    Zhang Xueyan lowered her head and bit her lips.

    The nurturing organisations of Communist China weren¡¯t harmonious by nature. Everyone had been feeling happy thanks to Zhou Luxun these days but after having someone lose for four days straight, the guardians raised their voices.

    ¡°Oi. You guys. How are you all getting smashed by Yu Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you check her entry time?¡±

    ¡°A, actually, the thing is¡­¡±

    Lyun had been too busy at the start of the 4th quarter, so he had been clueless.

    ¡°What? The helper ran away?¡±

    The helper was from Erfan¡¯s headquarters, who assisted in setting the spar schedule for the cadets.

    Lyun called the helper straight after that, but they didn¡¯t pick up. In doubt, he tried calling the guild headquarters but received a reply saying that all the helpers had vanished along with their tent.

    ¡°What kind of nonsense is that? Why would the helpers vanish!¡±

    8 years ago, before Lair finished settling down and perfected their system, Erfan Guild had installed various devices all around the academy that would allow them to have ess to grades and information.

    As time passed, several of those links had been discovered and blocked by the education department but the individual spar control room had been intact. And yet it had suddenly been blocked.

    ¡°What the hell are you guys doing in your damn office?! Huh? Out of all things, it had to be¡­!¡±

    After shouting out loud, Lyun ced a cigarette in his lips. A bell was going off in his head saying that something was wrong. It felt like he had been swept into a great current.

    ¡°It, it must be a coincidence¡­¡± said Zhou Luxun.

    Lyun, however, remained silent. He couldn¡¯t agree. To ensure that their cadets didn¡¯t go against each other, Erfan Guild set times for each of their cadets. However, the 4 cadets who had lost to Yu Yeorum were all those who were starting the day off for the team.

    It seemed clear and obvious that things weren¡¯t a coincidence.

    He had to move with the cadets. If there was something, he had to find it.

    ¡°Ah fu*k. My points!¡±

    But he couldn¡¯t find anything on the fifth day.

    And on the sixth day, Zhang Xueyan whom he apanied, lost points to Yu Yeorum again before his eyes.

    Due to a number of defeats in a short period of time, Zhang Xueyan¡¯s rank dropped from 15 to 19.

    Those were points she had gathered from the first quarter. If she lost any more than this, she wouldn¡¯t have enough time to make it back by the end of the year.

    ¡°Sir. What do I do! I worked so hard for those points¡­!¡±

    After returning to the room from the alternate dimension, Zhang Xueyan buried her face into her hands and began crying.

    ¡°Ha, fuc*. Shi*. This is¡­ driving me crazy.¡±

    Shock troops were those that created the flow. They led the flow, instead of being swept around by the flow.

    And those shock troop superhumans did not despair when the flow of the battlefield was in the hands of the opponent. It was only when they were being swept around in the flow of the battlefield without knowing what was causing it, that they despaired.

    Lyun felt something that he did not want to admit, rising up like a vomit. Right now, Yu Yeorum was sniping the entirety of Erfan Guild. They might avoid her if they understood the theory behind it, but no matter how much he pondered, he couldn¡¯t understand the principle behind her snipes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    How in the world was she sniping them?

    ***

    On the ground floor, on the emergency stairs.

    There was not a hint of light despite it being mid-day. The ce did not have any windows, and the sensors for lighting up the area did not sense anything.

    Standing there was a man, staring at the ground.

    Due to the structure of Colosseo, it was the best ce to look at all the individual sparring rooms from the floors, B1 to B5.

    In the past, he had used skills, authorities and whatnot, in order to see things.

    But now, such things weren¡¯t necessary.

    The Regressor merely opened his eyes.

    His hazy and far-reaching gaze went through the concrete and allowed him to observe the entire basement.

    The principle behind sniping was simple.

    When Yu Jitae broke into Erfan Guild¡¯s party, he had remembered the mana and faces of all the cadets present. If one of them entered a sparring room, he would wait and signal Yeorum when they pressed on the button.

    And Yeorum, waiting below, would receive his signal and press the [Spar] button. It was a simple method, but no-one apart from Yu Jitae would be able to do it.

    That was when a message appeared on his watch.

    [Yu Yeorum: Dear]

    It was from Yeorum.

    [Yu Yeorum: Not yet?]

    [Me: Ye]

    [Yu Yeorum: Lmao?]

    [Yu Yeorum: Why aren¡¯t these idiotsing lol]

    [Yu Yeorum: They scared lololol]

    [Yu Yeorum: Lol. Idiots. They¡¯re sooo scared~~~]

    These days, Yeorum was spending the best time of her life, making him realise for the first time that the Red Dragon was able to make such a bright expression.

    [Me: Wait]

    [Yu Yeorum: But until when? Are they really not here yet?¡±

    [Me: Ye]

    [Yu Yeorum: -.-]

    [Yu Yeorum: Sex]

    Usually, Erfan Guild sent someone from 6 pm every 10 minutes for the spar. But today was different and no-one came even though they were already 30 minuteste.

    Were they preparing for something?

    Soon, the reason showed itself.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Familiar people entered from the north gate of Colosseo. One of them was Lyun and the other was Zhou Luxun.

    ncing around, Lyun carefully took the cadet in secret and headed to a sparring room. Inside the room, they prepared the equipment for the spars and during the final check, they removed the spear and added another shield.

    He was thus carrying 2 shields.

    Yu Jitae sent a message.

    [Me: Yu Yeorum]

    [Yu Yeorum: Wassup? Did someonee?]

    [Me: Zhou Luxun]

    [Me: Take the spike war hammer]

    [Yu Yeorum: K K]

    Erfan seemed to have realised that the first sparring cadet was always being sniped. Because of that, they were trying to have Zhou Luxun be the first one and fight Yeorum by giving him shields. Their n was to take the sparring opportunity away from Yeorum with a tie, and make the Erfan cadets livelier.

    But that won¡¯t work.

    Yeorum took a two-handed hammer with spikes, that could break through armour, as her weapon of choice for the spar.

    [Me: Now]

    As soon as Yu Jitae gave permission, Yeorum pressed on the [Spar] button and soon began the fight between high-ranked cadets. Yu Jitae logged into the guardian application and checked the spar with his watch.

    Yeorum and Zhou Luxun were summoned to an alternate dimension. A look of fluster appeared in Zhou Luxun¡¯s face after seeing the weapon in her hands.

    At the same time, Yu Jitae saw Lyun having a fit by smacking one of the chairs that were inside the sparring room on the third basement floor. He seemed to have realised that the weapons had been sniped as well.

    It seemed that that wasn¡¯t enough topletely get rid of his steam, and Lyun threw the broken chair towards the machine.

    [( ??¦Ø??) x 382]

    Onlookers gathered in an instant and thus began the duel.

    A few days ago, Zhou Luxun had barely managed to hold his ground despite being theplete counter to Yeorum¡¯s fighting style and equipment. So when the weaponpatibility was flippedpletely, Zhou Luxun was no longer her opponent.

    Kaang¨C!

    One strike from the spiky hammer created a hole in his shield.

    Kaaang¨C!

    The second strike destroyed his other shield,

    Baaam¨C!

    And the third strike exploded Zhou Luxun¡¯s head.

    Of course, thanks to the Statue of Competition, it stopped with him bleeding, but the fight ended in an extremely nd manner.

    [Victor: Yu Yeorum]

    [Combat time: 00 minutes, 15 seconds]

    [Acquired Points: 12]

    It was aplete victory on Yeorum¡¯s part. After returning to the sparring room from the alternate dimension, Yeorum jumped up and down towards where Yu Jitae was at. She then started ying with her watch.

    [Yu Yeorum: Did you see that? Lolololol]

    [Yu Yeorum: I smacked his damn head!!! Lolololol]

    [Yu Yeorum: Lmao. This retard with his death wish hahaha]

    Since it had happened in her daily life, they avenged in a way that didn¡¯t deviate from daily lives. Seeing Yeorum in great joy from such a small revenge, the Regressor also felt slightly satisfied.

    An everyday revenge.

    He thought for a little bit and there was something that caught his attention. Yu Jitae stared at Lyun, at the chair he broke, before giving a call to the sentires of Colosseo.

    ¨C Hello?

    ¡°I¡¯d like to report vandalism.¡±

 Chapter 156: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (5)

    <h4>Chapter 156: Darkness: Eyes Gazing Down (5)</h4>

    They walked for a long time.

    After walking for a while, Zhou Luxun was unable to deal with the silence any longer and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ sir.¡±

    Lyun didn¡¯t reply.

    The sunlight scorching his eyes from the front irritated him as they walked back to the dormitory. It was because the sun rose and sette at Lairpared to the ground due to being high in altitude.

    Since his guardian didn¡¯t open his mouth a single time, Zhou Luxun had to repeatedly steal nces at his face.

    It was the same after arriving at the dormitory. Lyun was smoking a cigarette after another in the living room but remainedpletely silent. His gaze resembled the eyes of a crocodile and appeared vicious.

    ¡°Sir¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply to the hesitant voice,

    ¡°Sir.¡±

    And didn¡¯t reply to the clear voice either.

    What the fuc* is wrong with him. Thinking that, Zhou Luxun waved the smoke away with his hand.

    Lyun seriously pondered and rubbed the cigarette bud off at the ashtray before finally opening his mouth.

    ¡°Luxun.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Losing¡¯s fine, but how can you lose in 15 seconds, huh?¡±

    ¡°Sorry sir¡­¡±

    ¡°The moment you saw the weapon, you should¡¯ve realised fighting evenly wasn¡¯t an option and should¡¯ve tried finding a way out. Two-handed weapons are slow, which means you should¡¯ve been easily able to deal with it without getting stuck in her tempo.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you forget your role after bing a cadet just because everyone¡¯s being nice to you and giggling around?¡±

    It sounded like his bottled-up anger was finally exploding. Lyun was about to ce the cigarette back into his mouth, but suddenly yelled out loud.

    ¡°You¡¯re a hunting dog! You must remain firm even if you¡¯re bit by a wolf!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°A video of this is going to be uploaded tomorrow for others to see. What are the elders gonna think if they see you crawling around and getting smacked on your head?!¡±

    He started preaching in anger as Zhou Luxun sealed his mouth shut and lowered his head. Was it because he was feeling embarrassed or regretful?

    It wasn¡¯t.

    ¡®Fuck. You¡¯re the one that told me to take the shield. Damn idiot¡­¡¯

    Zhou Luxun said back then, that he wanted to fight head-on without taking two shields.

    But Lyun, who had been in the 2000¡¯s worldwide in terms of ranks before, was an acknowledged superhuman and had a clear idea of how strong Yu Yeorum was. ¡°It¡¯s not all about winning,¡± was his response but that had hurt Zhou Luxun¡¯s pride a little.

    He had still taken the shields because that was the suggestion of his guardian, but Yeorum showed up holding a weapon thatpletely countered his shields. His mentality had been shaken from the start already and he cursed Lyun in his head multiple times.

    The 15-second-defeat was due to those factors adding up.

    ¡°Damn it. You should¡¯ve endured it somehow! Take the rhythm back! If you¡¯re going to crawl, at least bite that bitch¡¯s legs off or something! You should¡¯ve shown diligence even if you were behind in strength! Am I wrong? Huh¨C?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a bunch of yells, smoke filled the living room again. By the time the second cigarette had be shorter, Lyun calmed himself down and heaved a sigh.

    ¡°Well, what can we do. It¡¯s all in the past.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    His voice suddenly turned gentler and caused Zhou Luxun¡¯s eyes to widen.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have brought you first if I knew this would happen.¡±

    ¡°N, no sir¡­ it was my turn to start anyway. It would be unfair if I suddenly decided not to go first.¡±

    ¡°Tch. I fucking hated the word ¡®unfair¡¯ for a long time. Who cares about fairness?¡±

    He then whispered, ¡®The CPC members lost their edge¡­¡¯ and grumbled.

    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry too much and set your mind straight.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the future of Erfan.¡±

    Zhou Luxun bit his lips and lowered his head.

    The future of Erfan ¨C but hearing those words did not make his shoulders suffer from immense responsibility.

    ¡®Eat shit. Fucking idiot¡­¡¯

    He didn¡¯t feel moved at all. He already knew how Lyun always talked one-sidedly and used a carrot after a stick.

    ¡®I already had my points sucked dry because of him. What¡¯s he gonna do about it. Ha, fuck¡­ other guys are going to realise it soon¡­¡¯

    The problem was that the other cadets had started thinking on their own to solve the current issue. Their own points were more important to them than the team. After all, Erfan Guild was just an education institution and they could choose to leave or stay post-graduation.

    What Zhou Luxun feared the most soon became reality after a few days.

    ¡°Today¡¯s your turn O Wong. Aren¡¯t you going?¡± said Zhang Xueyan with an ufortable look on her face.

    Rank 23 O Wong; he was the good-looking mascot of Erfan Guild and was one of the top 4 juniors. At the same time, he was the one who was scheduled to be the first one to go to the spar today.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    O Wong irritatedly stared back at her face.

    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna go.¡±

    ¡°What?¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯m having a day off today.¡±

    ¡°By whose permission?¡±

    ¡°My permission.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you okay in the head?¡±

    ¡°Who are you calling a retard? You can go yourself if you¡¯re so desperate.¡±

    ¡°Oi. O Wong.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. Stop telling me to go when you don¡¯t even wanna go yourself.¡±

    ¡°I wentst week!¡±

    ¡°Go again then.¡±

    ¡°This fucking¡­¡±

    Zhang Xueyan clenched her jaws. She, who was ranked 19th, would go to the 20¡¯s after another loss to Yeorum.

    That day, the lower-ranked cadets of the dormitory threw nces at O Wong¡¯s face and even guardians tried to persuade him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, sirs. Why should I go? I¡¯m 23rd right now. 23rd from 3000 participating cadets. Isn¡¯t it a loss to the entire Erfan for me to lose points here?¡±

    ¡°O Wong. Are you asking to get bashed right now?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get bashed. If you hit me, I¡¯ll do so, sir. But, I don¡¯t wanna lose points. To be honest¡­¡±

    O Wong turned his handsome eyes and stared at the other cadets, as a smirk appeared in his lips.

    ¡°Don¡¯t we have guys that won¡¯t mind losing a few points?¡±

    Points were precious to everyone. They cut their sleep over thest three months and endured the pain to fight for those precious points.

    But the lower-ranked cadets who had no right to speak in a situation like this, had to wait for the decision of the guardians despite feeling disgusted from the turn of events. From the mix, Rank 181 Wang Yusong who was ranked lowest out of the entire first division of Erfan, could almost feel her teeth trembling.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After deep contemtion, Lyun vomited his words out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Wang Yusong.¡±

    ¡°¡­But sir!¡±

    ¡°We need you to go.¡±

    ¡°N, no. Please. If I lose more points from here, I¡¯ll be ineligible for the support funds. I, I might drop to the second division as well¡­!¡±

    Tch tch. Lyun clicked his tongue.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve done better then.¡±

    Wang Yusong felt the world crumbling before her eyes. The feeble cadet was made to be their shield and went off to be the first one to spar.

    And, unexpectedly, she met an opponent who was around her rank and won.

    She was happy but couldn¡¯t show it on the outside, and the cadets congratted her but felt ufortable on the inside.

    Lyun had to open another box of cigarettes.

    Things must have turned out great for them. Rank 181 wasn¡¯t easy to snipe and there were a few cadets that were always in the queue. Maybe that¡¯s why she failed to snipe them.

    That¡¯s how Erfan analysed the situation that deviated from the norm.

    And they decided to be at ease.

    But¡­ even after a while, the campuspetition application did not update Yu Yeorum¡¯s match history.

    It meant that the sniping schedule had changed.

    *

    Erfan Guild became a mess after that.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going. I don¡¯t want to go until someone uses up Yu Yeorum¡¯s participation chance.¡±

    ¡°Zhang Xueyan!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go eitherr¡­¡±

    ¡°Ling Ling. You¡¯re doing this as well?¡±

    ¡°Sir. Are you telling us to go into a tiger¡¯s mouth?¡±

    ¡°Then what are you going to do! You have to earn points! Your ranks are dropping already!¡±

    ¡°Why are you getting angry at us! Do you think I like seeing my rank drop? Huk¡­¡±

    Zhang Xueyan cried and the guardian shouted. Lyun, the head guardian, vacantly watched them from the side and felt anxiety crawling up his stomach.

    This had most definitely been shared outside, but the call that should being was still yet toe.

    His anxiety doubled in size, but ironically, that was when his phone rang.

    ¨C Ring ring.

    [Peng Zhongtian, Elder of Heavenly Gods]

    Seeing the name of the caller, Lyun clenched his fist and carefully picked it up.

    ¡°Hello¡­¡±

    ¨C What a disgrace.

    The voice on the other side of the call sounded calm.

    ¨C How disappointing. There is no-one usable since the 6th year. Every one of them are half-useless. One-armed and one-eyed. A crowd that alwayscks something.

    But the words weren¡¯t peaceful at all. The rxed lecture continued for a long time and Lyun had to swallow his tears and listen to him speak but after a while, he couldn¡¯t endure it anymore and asked.

    ¡°T, then, the story about scouting Zhou Luxun is¡­¡±

    ¨C Oi, young man.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¨C Do you hear yourself? What scout?

    The humiliation and despair caused his hands to tremble.

    Right when he was about to ept what sounded like a death sentence, a different voice was heard from the other side of the phone. Lyun immediately knew who it was because it was a famous voice ¨C it was the voice of ¡®Ling¡¯, the boss of Heavenly Gods.

    Soon, he received an unbelievable message.

    ¨C You got lucky.

    Lyun thought his heart was about to explode.

    ¨C Our boss is willing to give you another opportunity. 3rd in the final ranks. Can you do it?

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, yes! Of course, sir!¡±

    ¨C It¡¯s yourst chance. Try your best.

    ¡°T, thank you!¡±

    Zhou Luxun, who was listening from the side, couldn¡¯t control his racing heart even after the end of the call. The boss of Heavenly Gods had given him the final chance! Is this the saving grace from the pitfall?

    As long as he came 3rd and finished 3rd at the end of thepetition, there would be a chance toe back.

    It was clear what they needed to do.

    They had to stop Yeorum from sniping no matter the method.

    ¡­But how?

    It was when he was lost as to what to do. A rtively new guardian who had received the news from Lyun, bit his lips and hurriedly logged into the Lair application to search through the guardian profiles. He then found the name he was looking for.

    ¡°Oi. Oi!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Kan. What are you doing, dude!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to call their guardian Yu Jitae!¡±

    The junior guardian lifted his head with a teary expression and Lyun immediately shouted back.

    ¡°Why are you calling that bastard!¡±

    ¡°We have to beg, and apologise!¡±

    ¡°Beg for what, you fucking idiot! Do you even have any sense of pride?¡±

    ¡°Does pride give us food?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not gonna work even if you throw your pride. If you were that bastard, do you think you¡¯d stop at a time like this? That ¡®BM¡¯ is backing their family up so why would they!¡±

    ¡°Then what are you going to do sir? What can you do! How do we stop them from sniping when we don¡¯t even know how they¡¯re doing it?¡±

    ¡°You little. Close that mouth of yours¨C!¡±

    Lyun chucked the ashtray. It flew past his junior guardian and shattered after colliding with the cupboard behind him. ss fragments scattered everywhere.

    ¡°Please wake up, sir! Is now the time for this?!¡±

    But the junior who already had enough shouted back. He wrote the number down on the watch before suddenly taking it off and giving it over to Lyun.

    ¡°Put this away right now!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you who had a quarrel with him, sir, so you have to get rid of it for us as the senior! Put everything down and think about it. Is it time for us to think about pride and stuff?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck¡­

    The dormitory had be devastated for thest 2 weeks due to the snipes and the cadets who understood the situation were ring daggers at Lyun.

    Right. Now wasn¡¯t the time for this.

    Swallowing a myriad of emotions, Lyun received the watch.

    He then gave a call.

    *

    Bom and Kaeul were at their lectures.

    Yeorum was lying down on the sofa while Yu Jitae was sitting around where her feet were.

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul was sitting down on hisp, reading a book. It was a novel bought by Bom after aint that the fairy tales were boring. The book was filled with words and it was doubtful whether she could read it but Gyeoul was unexpectedly quite focused.

    However, she started dozing off after going past three pages.

    ¡°Hnng~¡±

    Yeorum gave a big yawn and smiled brightly. Thanks to sniping others over thest 2 weeks, Yeorum wasing second ce again and the score difference between herself and the first ce, Yong Taeha, were near negligible.

    Zhou Luxun dropped to the fifth ce after being sniped three times by Yeorum and the third and fourth ces had been reced by students from Noblesse School.

    Unlike the expectations of others, Tyr Brzenk, the son of the official Rank 1 Oscar Brzenk, had a low rank. That young boy seemed uninterested in thepetition itself.

    In any case, it was about time to go now.

    ¡°Go to your room and get ready. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Okayy~¡±

    These days, Yeorum looked like she was in a good mood. In fact, it was more correct to say that she was about to fly from the joy.

    When Gyeoul woke up from the noise and gazed up, Yeorum said, ¡°Aigoo, aigoo, my sister, were you thleeepyy¡­?¡± and kissed on her forehead. Gyeoul was shocked with a ¡®o.O¡¯ look on her face and immediately started wiping her forehead with a frown.

    That was when Yu Jitae¡¯s phone started to ring.

    ¡°Uh? Who¡¯s calling?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was an unknown number.

    ¡°Go on your application and look for this number.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s see.. Kan Wu. He¡¯s half-Chinese and half-American. He¡¯s under¡­ huh?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    A smile bloomed on her face. The smile gradually increased in size as she soon startedughing out loud like a witch.

    ¡°What¡¯s up.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a guardian from Erfan apparently.¡±

    ¡°Is he?¡±

    The phone was still ringing.

    ¡°Ahhh! That¡¯s so funny. I¡¯m freakin¡¯ curious. Why do you think he called? Is he going to say sorry? Maybe he¡¯s gonna beg in tears?¡±

    Yeorum giggled and added.

    ¡°What are you doing? Hurry and pick up the phone. I wanna show them who¡¯s the boss! Or is it better to insult them? Have their guardians dance naked in the school field?¡±

    She excitedly continued with her fun imaginations. However, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t say anything in response and was wearing the same old indifferent look on his face.

    Yeorum stoppedughing. She meekly observed his face for a bit and finally realised what the ¡®god move¡¯ that transcended both insulting and bossing around were.

    ¡°Dear.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re going to ignore them?¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a nod.

    ¡°Kyahahahaha¨C!¡± and Yeorumughed till she choked on her breath.

 Chapter 157: Forgiveness

    <h4>Chapter 157: Forgiveness</h4>

    The third week of the fourth quarter began.

    It was about time for the finals toe.

    Team Mochi showed a good result at a performance assignment. They had to give up on the tournament once for an assignment with a high number of points, but by getting a full mark in arge assignment that had 70 participating teams, Yeorum was able to get slightly more points than Yong Taeha.

    During those times, Lyun tried looking for Yu Jitae time after time but he avoided him.

    They hadn¡¯t been sniping Erfan Guild anymore these days. They had enough of a revenge and because Erfan had a low number of points on average, the underdog system started protecting them.

    It was now a loss for Yeorum to snipe them.

    ¡°If Zhou Luxun¡¯s rank goes up, can I snipe him again?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Gud.¡±

    Yeorum smiled and seeing that, Yu Jitae asked her about what happened with Professor Ha Yoon even before the start of thepetition. She was weak back then and came to a draw after fighting against Zhou Luxun, but something seemed to have happened during that time.

    ¡°Huh? Well, it¡¯s nothing important.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Nothing really, but after the end he said I was lucky. That put me in a mood back then.¡±

    The moment he heard that, he understood why she was upset back then.

    ¡°But it¡¯s fine now. I don¡¯t care anymore.¡±

    ¡°Because you had your revenge?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    She giggled.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be lucky. It¡¯s not like I was unlucky and had bad things happen to me, right. And if I¡¯m lucky, I can just ept things with a smile.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s my victory as a whole right?¡±

    She was right. At least in this small quarter, Yeorum was getting closer to being the final victor.

    [37 Missed Calls]

    Meanwhile, Lyun tried to look for him after realising that Yu Jitae could snipe them again whenever he so desired. Since he couldn¡¯t find Yu Jitae¡¯s home address, he either went around with his cadets or asked others for witnesses.

    Everytime that happened, Yu Jitae would foresee his visit and avoid him. It was because there was no reason to meet Lyun.

    But he wasn¡¯t that concerned about others approaching him.

    When he was apanying Yeorum, going back to the dormitory after the end of the day, a small girl walked up and stood in front of them. Her dark red hair was unique and immediately revealed her identity.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Yeorum opened her mouth first.

    The girl was Ling Ling from Erfan Guild, whom Yeorum had fought against in the past. Ling Ling carefully nced back and forth between Yu Jitae and Yeorum before holding her fists together and giving a bow.

    ¡°Helloo¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re close enough to greet. What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Unn. Sorry¡­ but, actually¡­¡±

    The extremely small girl asked with a soft and worried voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to say this buut¡­ I was wondering if you could please meet with our guardiann¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop talking crap. Can you just fuck off?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ling Ling couldn¡¯t say anything back to her profanities and anxiously rolled her eyes.

    However, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t chase her away so Ling Ling carefully took a business card out and handed it over to Yu Jitae. Yeorum appeared extremely irritated but stopped her tongue after ncing at him. From here, it was the guardian¡¯s job.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a business card. Sowwy. It¡¯s our faultt¡­¡±

    ¡°Did your guardian make you do this?¡±

    ¡°N, no no. That¡¯s not itt¡­¡±

    The child who was smaller than Kaeul hurriedly shook her hands in fright. The authenticity reflected on the [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)] was ¡®true¡¯.

    ¡°Our guardian doesn¡¯t even know I¡¯m doing dis¡­ it¡¯s just, our atmosphere is not good, our guardian is very pitiful, and I¡¯m very anxious too¡­¡±

    He walked up and took Lyun¡¯s business card from the child. When he did that, Ling Ling widened her eyes into circles and gazed up at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Ah. I gave you my guardian¡¯s business card because our guardian wanted to apologise in person as well¡­¡±

    She was going off on a tangent. Well, he did hear in the past how she was a bad talker.

    ¡°I get it. You can go.¡±

    Still in surprise, Ling Ling held her fists together and bowed several more times before turning around.

    ¡°What. Are you really gonna see them?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±

    Yeorum looked slightly discontent but nodded regardless.

    ¡°Do what you want.¡±

    ***

    It was a bright Wednesday night. Yu Jitae was sitting down on the sofa, spending a rare rxed afternoon while Bom was reading next to him.

    Before he even realised it, the Green Dragon started giving off a gentle fragrance from her body. It cleared up one¡¯s mind and was like a refreshing breeze. It made the Regressor, who always lived with hazy senses, feel like he was alone inside a bright, thick forest.

    Thinking what this smell was about, he turned his head to Bom and she, who was reading a book, lifted her eyes and stared back at him.

    ¡°??¡±

    He shook his head.

    The protector had been ying with the baby chicken all day, but it was about time for him to start doing housework. He wrapped an apron around his body and started cleaning.

    ¡°First youngdy. Can I clean your room?¡±

    ¡°Ah, thank you. But I cleaned it already.¡±

    ¡°I see. It is very warm and bright even though it¡¯s evening already.¡±

    ¡°It must be summer already. It¡¯s hot¡­¡±

    Bom grabbed her own t-shirt by the chest and fluttered it. The scent became slightly thicker.

    ¡°Guruk. Gururuk ?¡±

    The metal armour was humming when he discovered a y doll with a broken neck in the corner of the living room. It was a pretty big piece of an ugly rock which Gyeoul had made when she was ying with Kaeul a few days ago.

    Until now it was inside Bom¡¯s room and it had been a while since the protector had seen it. Judging from the broken neck and how it was out on the living room, it appeared like rubbish.

    The doll had protruding arms and legs which might make a hole on the stic bag, so the protector broke those limbs and threw it all away into the bin.

    Soon, that was proven to be a mistake.

    ¡°We¡¯re backk!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Gyeoul looked for the y doll aftering back from the supermarket. She was carrying superglue in her hand, and it seemed that she had gone to the market to buy something that could connect the broken head.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    But the broken doll wasn¡¯t there anymore.

    Gyeoul crouched down at the spot where the doll was previously at and looked around. She looked beneath the sofa before closing her eyes and revisiting her unforgetting memories. Then, she opened her eyes again and checked the ce shest put it.

    It wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    She turned around and looked at Yu Jitae, so he pointed at the protector.

    ¡°¡­Excuse me.¡±

    Red eyes appeared inside the dark helmet.

    ¡°Yes? Youngdy.¡±

    Gyeoul investigated the truth behind the y doll¡¯s disappearance and discovered what happened from the shocking words of the protector.

    But what can they do? The protector tended to throw the entire bag away straight after cleaning the house. He headed to where therge garbage bins were located but it seemed that the garbage truck had already gone past.

    ¡°¡­Impossible.¡±

    She looked up at the protector with a displeased expression. When her eyes went down to the superglue in her hand, sorrow filled her gaze.

    ¡°Uhh, youngdy. I am very sorry.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her hand lost its grip and the superglow rolled on the floor. Her downhearted blue eyes were still on him.

    She was angry and even the protector realised it. Gyeoul was clearly angry on top of being upset.

    The protector startedying out excuses in a fluster.

    ¡°Mydy. I really thought it was just rubbish.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If I knew you yed around with it daily, I wouldn¡¯t have thrown it away¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry. The garbage truck guys also left already for some reas¨C¡±

    Right before the protector started going on and on, Gyeoul raised her palm and stopped him, and soon pointed at the corner of the living room with her finger.

    The protector was put on exile.

    Gyeoul dejectedly ran to Yu Jitae and reached her arms out. After being hugged, she buried her head into his chest and heaved a deep sigh.

    He tapped the small child on her back.

    ¡°Sorry I should have stopped him,¡± said Bom while patting her head. Yu Jitae also thought it was meant to be thrown away because of the broken neck.

    That seemed to be the end of that small event, but Bom went to the protector after staring at the back of Gyeoul¡¯s head.

    ¡°Cleaner ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. First youngdy.¡±

    ¡°Just one minute¡­¡±

    She took the protector and headed into a room. Curious about what she was trying to do, he listened to them speak and heard Bom exin how to apologise to the protector.

    ¨C When you¡¯re apologising to someone, I think it¡¯s right to seek forgiveness solely for the other person.

    ¨C The apology you gave just then was to avoid the troublesome situation right?

    ¨C So if you apologise to her again¡­

    It was a consulting session on how to apologise.

    ¨C Ahhh, I see¡­!

    When would a living armour even have the opportunity to apologise.

    Aftering to a realisation from the consultation, the protector approached Gyeoul. Gyeoul looked back with grudge hanging in her eyes, as the protector bowed respectfully.

    ¡°I sincerely apologise to youngdy for forgiveness.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I am fully aware that it has been broken and lost already and that we cannot bring it back.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But if you are willing to give me the opportunity, I would like to look for y and try making it one more time. Would that be okay?¡±

    Fortunately, it seemed that the protector¡¯s apology had gone through. Gyeoul had a pout on her face but still returned a nod.

    She had forgiven the protector.

    Soon, she left Yu Jitae¡¯s arms and the two of them went outside despite it beingte already. They found y from somewhere and started making a doll out in the terrace.

    The Regressor didn¡¯t look away from the two of them for a long time.

    Apology and forgiveness¡­

    A foreign thought popped up in his head while he was watching Gyeoul and the protector. That thought stemmed from the doubt, ¡®Is that a part of daily life?¡¯

    Apology was a foreign word. He had never done anything regretful to someone ever since the third iteration.

    Forgiveness sounded even more unfamiliar. He wasn¡¯t a forgiving person.

    Maybe that was why.

    The protector had broken Gyeoul¡¯s y doll and was making a new doll together as a part of his apology. That situation felt extremely awkward and strange for Yu Jitae.

    Turning his head, the Regressor stared at Bom¡¯s face.

    He had locked the kids up in the undergroundbyrinth for dozens of years. He hit them, mistreated them, left them and made them despair with violence.

    The amount of time he did that for was longer than the lives of the dragons and it was too cruel for kids who had to shoulder the ¡®unfamiliar experiences¡¯ of their young days vividly for the rest of their lives. One of them went crazy and strangled another, while one of them stopped their own heart. This was a lot worse than what the protector did by breaking the y doll.

    Of course, he had his reasons and excuses ¨C it was the dragons that brought it upon themselves. There was a time when he moved along by giving such excuses to himself.

    But now that he looked back at it, it was just an unfortunate situation.

    Were my words within that unfortunate situation suited for an apology? He couldn¡¯t stop such doubts appearing in his mind.

    For a killing machine who had failed to be a wise hermit despite living for a long time, it was a fairly difficult topic.

    ¡°??¡±

    Perhaps feeling his gaze, the grass-coloured eyes once again turned towards him.

    The Regressor thought to himself.

    Do I have to apologise then?

    If I were to ask for forgiveness for a sin that couldn¡¯t even bepared to the destruction of a y doll, what do I have to give this child with the apology?

    Or was there even a reason to apologise for a previous, past iteration?

    It seemed like a topic that he couldn¡¯t find the answer to, so the Regressor stopped lingering on that thought.

    ¡°Why? Anything on my face?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s boring.¡±

    But Bom was smiling at him.

    ***

    The next day, Yu Jitae called Lyun. After receiving his call in fright, Lyun brought him respectfully to a bar inside Haytling, saying that he will sincerely ask for his forgiveness.

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    Now that he had vowed to live a daily life, he decided to do something that really didn¡¯t suit him ¨C something that he had never even imagined before.

    He decided to forgive him if Lyun sincerely apologised.

    Even if it failed to ring his heart.

    ¡°Thank you foring, Guardian Yu Jitae.¡±

    But the moment he saw Lyun dressed up neatly outside Haytling, Yu Jitae started changing his mind.

    He entered the bar.

    Women wearing qipaos that exposed a lot of their skin with a nt that went all the way to the waist weed him. They were wearing thick makeup, and clothes that revealed half of their breasts.

    ¡°Hello, boss?¡±

    ¡°Can I call you oppa?¡±

    Two women came to him and naturally wrapped their arms around his with coquettish greetings. Because he had recently been controlling his killing intent, he always had a hazy and nk expression on his face. That was why unfamiliar people were able to approach him this easily.

    ¡°Please sit down.¡±

    There was no need to stay here for a long time.

    Yu Jitae abruptly spoke to the two women.

    ¡°You guys go outside.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Perhaps you don¡¯t find us to your liking?¡±

    ¡°If you could tell us your preference¡­¡±

    ¡°Get out.¡±

    A seemingly feeble voice resonated across the quiet room. Feeling spooky for some reason, the women threw nces at each other before carefully leaving the room.

    Lyun¡¯s eyes twitched when he saw how things went south from the get go.

    Yu Jitae asked directly.

    ¡°Why do something unnecessary. Just say what you have to say.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, yes. It seems that it wasn¡¯t to your tastes. I would like to apologise.¡±

    His eyes were hollow from ack of sleep.

    ¡°Apologise for what.¡±

    ¡°Being involved in the schedule and intentionally organising a duel against Cadet Yeorum. And, this as well. Whatever it was, I would like to apologise for anything that made you displeased. I sincerely apologise for what I¡¯ve done.¡±

    Lyun lowered his head all the way down to the table.

    ¡°Look into my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°Is the apology you¡¯re giving right now sincerely for Yu Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°Do you sincerely feel sorry?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    False.

    All his words were lies.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know their circumstances but it seemed that this guardian had many things on the line for thispetition. In order to get them, he had no choice but to lower his head no matter how disgusted he was ¨C that was the gist of things.

    That was when Lyun took a small dagger out from his clothes. He then stabbed the table with it.

    ¡°If you want me to cut a finger here, I will do so. Please, consider this my sincerity.¡±

    Funnily enough, this was true.

    However, Yu Jitae had long lost his interest. He stood up from his seat.

    ¡°Whatever. Forget this. Don¡¯t call me anymore.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    Lyun shot out of his seat in shock.

    ¡°Please wait for a second! Can you please tell me what wasn¡¯t to your liking, sir?¡±

    Yu Jitae started walking outside without saying a word.

    ¡°Sir, sir! Guardian Yu Jitae! Please wait for a second! Just tell me if there¡¯s anything you need!¡±

    Lyun became impatient.

    ¡°Do you really hate ces like this that much? Just tell me your preference at least! If not, then please just listen to what I have to say. I am desperate and can give you a lot of things!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you here for a conversation? You took the business card for us! Ah¡­! Ahhh! I get it now. Is it that?¡±

    As if he suddenly understood it all, Lyun hurriedly added more words.

    ¡°Perhaps you like kids like Ling Ling? Younger, and, smaller children?¡±

    Hearing that, Yu Jitae stopped his feet and looked back. Taking that as a positive sign, Lyun raised his voice.

    ¡°That girl is quite cute indeed. Actually, aren¡¯t we both guardians? Staying right next to young and pretty girls, I understand everything. We¡¯re both men after all!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ling Ling, that girl is small but strong! If you would like it sir, I can get you to have a private chat with her. Okay? Sounds good right? She¡¯s a bit stupid and she touches drugs sometimes, you know? As long as you say a few things, she¡¯ll spread her legs for you by herself. You can just tell¡­¡±

    In that moment,

    A fist flew towards his face.

    Along with a shattering noise, Lyun broke the table and flew towards the wall on the side. His jaws were crushed and all his teeth were shattered as blood gushed out onto the ground. The shock caused one of his eyes to explode on top of that.

    The reason Yu Jitae hit him was quite simple. It was because he was still walking behind him despite him being done with the talk.

    ¡°Huk, ku¡­ kuhuk¡­¡±

    That must be the case. Thinking that, the Regressor turned around.

 Chapter 158: Button

    <h4>Chapter 158: Button</h4>

    Inside the screen, the golden hair fluttered and a pair of golden eyes blinked as it stared at the screen. The gaze soon turned into a nk expression with the white skin blushing around the cheeks.

    ¨C This is embarrassing¡­ Do I look fine?

    The girl organised her hair with her hands and looked up while touching her eyebrows. She then opened her mouth wide and rxed her jaws before blinking her eyes again.

    Kuhum, hum¡­! She warmed up her throat.

    ¨C Dear everyone inside the hospital. How are you guys doing?

    She started off with a trembling voice.

    ¨C I¡¯m, doing fine. This is my dormitory and¡­ uhh¡­

    ¨C Ah, thank you very much for enjoying the video I took during the vacation. I also enjoyed your response video!

    ¨C It¡¯s already summer holidays now.

    ¨C I want to see everyone in person, but our ahjussi said I can¡¯t do that.

    ¨C I don¡¯t know why but¡­

    ¨C But I still like sharing stories even though it¡¯s through a video.

    ¨C It like, makes my heart race¡­

    Blink, blink. The golden pair of eyes blinked.

    Woosh.

    The head of a baby chicken suddenly rose up from beneath the screen and therge headpletely blocked the person behind it.

    ¨C Oh, right right. Say hi Chirpy~

    White strands of fur could now be spotted in between the chicken¡¯s yellow fur. The baby chicken tapped on the screen with itsrge beak a few times, before walking off.

    ¨C Hehe. It¡¯s actually time for his nap so¡­

    ¨C Anyway, I don¡¯t think I can show this video to everyone right now.

    ¨C Ahjussi always checks them before I give the videos over.

    ¨C But, today¡­

    ¨C Hmm¡­

    ¨C Uhh, umm, uhh¡­

    ¨C I¡¯m thinking of talking about ahjussi¡­

    ¨C I can tell him everything else, but I can¡¯t talk about ahjussi to ahjussi right.

    She turned her head and looked at the door. While she was throwing a nce at the door, her hair flowed down from her shoulder.

    ¨C Ah¡­! Before that, let me talk about things that have happened so far.

    ¨C The spring semester came to an end!

    She lowered a finger one by one.

    ¨C Hmm, I finished the test? Did my assessments? And yed with my friends. It was very hectic.

    ¨C These days, Gyeoul tells me that her heart is ticklish.

    ¨C I think it must be¡­ hmm, how do I say this? Sudden growth period?

    ¨C I wonder what Gyeoul will grow to be like. Hopefully she stays cute like now.

    Then, she suddenly pped.

    ¨C Ah, do you know what¡¯s even crazier? Yeorum-unni came first at thepetition!

    ¨C Like, there was like, a card of her face near our dormitory¡­! Everyone was happy for her¡­! And she had a lot of interviews¡­!

    ¨C It was very cool and enviable.

    ¨C Doing what she wants to do,

    ¨C Doing better than others, and being loved¡­

    Her words suddenly came to a stop and her eyes turned vacant. Soon, she went ¡®oops¡¯ and gave a bright smile.

    ¨C Anyway, back then, there was this small problem.

    ¨C This is, just for you guys okay¡­?

    ¨C Super serious.

    ¨C I haven¡¯t told anyone yet.

    ¨C This is a secret just between us, nn?

    She said while pushing her pinky forward.

    ¨C Maybe Yeorum-unni was in a good mood aftering first in thepetition.

    ¨C She was so happy that she hugged ahjussi and kissed him on like, his cheek, you know.

    ¨C Uhh¡­ she must be crazy.

    ¨C Hmm, but if I think about it now, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s understandable, and she kissed me as well.

    ¨C But you know, back then, there was me and Bom-unni as well.

    ¨C And when, Yeorum-unni, uhh, kissed¡­

    ¨C It was like,

    ¨C Like¡­

    ¨C Ah, sorry for saying gibberish.

    Her expression turned awkward.

    ¨C It like, suddenly made my heart feel like it was crashing down. It made my head muddled and my hands and legs like, became powerless like a rubber band snapping off. I was holding an icecream but I dropped the whole thing¡­

    ¨C It was my first time feeling something like that in my life. Feeling like, I¡¯d go crazy? Like an impulse? Like my fingers trembling and my head turning nk¡­?

    ¨C And I unconsciously pushed Yeorum-unni away¡­

    ¨C But I¡¯m too weak and she didn¡¯t get pushed¡­ anyway, after that I was scolded by unni calling me crazy but¡­

    ¨C Ah.

    ¨C But, Bom-unni lookedpletely fine.

    Her head tilted, and a strand of hair that was sticking out above her head bent into a question mark.

    ¨C It was like, nn? Hnn?

    ¨C Actually, you might not know but that was me empathising with Bom-unni¡¯s feelings you know?

    ¨C Hmm¡­ I actually don¡¯t really know why my head turned nk either.

    ¨C I also don¡¯t know why unni looked normal, unlike me.

    ¨C Well, that was already 3 months ago though.

    ¨C These days, I feel fine even when Yeorum-unni gets touchy with ahjussi without thinking. It¡¯s still slightly burdensome though when ahjussi walks closer¡­

    ¨C Maybe it was just me thinking things.

    ¨C I¡¯m a bit of a strange kid, you see.

    ¨C Hehe.

    ¡®Of course¡¯ she repeatedly said with a nod. Raising her head, she tucked her golden hair behind her ear and once it stopped flowing down, her white ears were in full disy.

    ¨C Hmm¡­

    ¨C ¡­

    ¨C Should I get an earring like Bom-unni¡­?

    ¨C Her flower earring was pretty.

    She smiled bashfully.

    ¨C Anyways, that¡¯s it for today.

    ¨C Phew~ I think I feel slightly better now.

    ¨C I can¡¯t talk about such an enormous thing to ahjussi, right? Naturally, I can¡¯t speak to Yeorum-unni and Bom-unni either and Gyeoul is, well¡­

    ¨C Even if someone told me to do this again, I don¡¯t think I can do it. It took a lot of courage you know.

    ¨C Anyway, thank you for listening. Phew, I won¡¯t get any reply back but I¡¯ll be assuming that you¡¯re all happy still. Then, let me just stop the recording¡­

    Her eyes that were bent into crescents slowly widened. After spotting something, her eyes became circles before turning into a frown.

    ¨C Nn? Nn?

    ¨C No¡­

    Her eyes turned sorrowful.

    ¨C I didn¡¯t click on the record button¡­

    ***

    Zhou Luxun came fourth.

    The name of Yu household came in handy once again. Despite Lyun being heavily injured, Erfan Guild didn¡¯t react in any way ¨C they weren¡¯t able to do anything in fact. Since the Communist Party of China had a bad rtionship with the Association, they couldn¡¯t be too sensitive over such a trivial matter.

    As for themunity service, he was too bothered to do it and dyed it.

    Meanwhile, BM was quiet. ording to the clone, it seemed that he had disappeared from the undergroundbyrinth.

    ¡®Wish you a great day today as well, my lord.¡¯

    Alright.

    Clone 2 was diligently being educated by Clone 1. He would grow to a decent level by the time the n came into fruition.

    In the midst of all such things, summer vacation for Unit 301 began.

    ¡°Ahh, I¡¯m gonna die¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae resumed training Yeorum. The spartan training session started yet again just like the winter vacation training they had.

    Yeorum still hadn¡¯t fought Yong Taeha or Tyr Brzenk yet. Tyr Brzenk wasn¡¯t interested in thepetition itself while Yong Taeha avoided her with the help of the group chat.

    There wasn¡¯t any reason to snipe them either, so there hadn¡¯t been any chance for them to fight as of yet.

    Yu Jitae predicted that Yeorum had already exceeded the level of a cadet, but he was nning to put her at least in the 100¡¯s worldwide by graduation, so that she could fight against and beat Javier Karma from SAN before the end of her Amusement.

    And that would also allow her to survive after she returned.

    ¡°Ah¡­ my fucking entire body hurts, seriously¡­¡±

    Aftering back to the dormitory, Yeorum copsed onto the sofa without even washing herself.

    Pulsation, breathing and walking. What Yeorum was learning after all those was ¡®standing up¡¯. To stand firmly on the ground on two feet.

    It might sound absurd but Yeorum didn¡¯tin and besides, the ¡®standing up¡¯ that Yu Jitae demanded was to stand straight even in the most extreme situations without ever falling down.

    And after the training session, her veins had been broken and she had bruises on her waist, thighs, calves and feet. Yu Jitae carefully manipted the mana and massaged her legs while she was lying down on the sofa, so that she could heal them back up.

    Since he had been repeating this procedure recently, Yeorumid down obediently with her head buried into the sofa.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was when he felt a gaze from somewhere. Turning around, he found Bom who was writing a novel on the living room table, staring at him. These days, she didn¡¯t stay in her room and instead wrote in the living room.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    She had a weird yet indifferent look on her face and remained silent. She merely stared at Yu Jitae for a while, before looking away and focusing back on her novel.

    ¡°Ah, thanks. Ima go rest for a bit.¡±

    After the massage, Yeorum gave a long stretch and walked into her own room when Bom¡¯s gaze headed towards her. It stayed on her for longer than usual and remained on the door of the room for a while even after it closed.

    Yu Jitae felt a simr gaze again at night.

    Kaeul, Gyeoul and the baby chicken were ying with a small stic ball after dinner, when the Doonga Doonga time suddenly began. Gyeoul struggled to lift therge baby chicken up. If the chicken got slightly bigger, it would make them look like Sisyphus and his rock.

    In any case, Kaeul lifted Gyeoul up and then shook them left and right. The Regressor still had no idea about the reason behind this conduct, which tended to ur regardless of the time.

    ¡°¡­Please do, Doonga Doonga.¡±

    Gyeoul suddenly requested that while being hugged by Kaeul. Yu Jitae, who had been vacantly watching them from the sofa, replied half a secondte.

    ¡°You mean me?¡±

    Nod nod.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°¡­We need 4 floors, to make Doonga Doonga.¡±

    The baby chicken was the first floor, while Gyeoul was the second and Kaeul the third. It seemed that they had set an actual principle for themselves.

    It was meant to be Bom¡¯s turn to participate, but she seemed to be outside and was nowhere to be seen right now. Left with no other choice, Yu Jitae stood up and approached them, when Kaeul suddenly spoke in fright.

    ¡°Uhhh, Gyeoul!¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Can we just have 3 floors today?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn? No.¡±

    ¡°Why why? Don¡¯t you think 3 is enough?¡±

    ¡°¡­We can¡¯t, do that.¡±

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae went behind Kaeul. He just had to grab her on the waist and lift her up.

    ¡°M, mommy¡­¡±

    Kaeul was shocked and buried her face on Gyeoul¡¯s back.

    He didn¡¯t know what had made her this flustered but regardless, Doonga Doonga itself wasn¡¯t that difficult. Yu Jitae lifted Kaeul up into the air.

    Seemingly enjoying the Doonga Doonga that suddenly increased in height, the baby chicken chirped out loud and Gyeoul screamed out in joy.

    But it seemed that Kaeul was scared.

    ¡°Ah, ahjussi. Let me down please¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Hurry¡­¡±

    She asked with her head lowered, so Yu Jitae let the kids down.

    That short Doonga Doonga was apparently enough for them and Gyeoul and the baby chicken chuckled excitedly as they ran around the living room, while Kaeul hurriedly escaped into her room.

    That was when he felt that same gaze again.

    It was unknown when she hade back, but Bom was standing in the entrance staring at the living room. When her eyes met with Yu Jitae¡¯s, she gave a faint smile before lowering her back and picking up the ck stic bag that was on the ground.

    ¡°Guys. I bought some snacks for us.¡±

    After that, they ate the snacks and watched a movie.

    It was another normal day of the summer holiday that wasn¡¯t particrly out of the norm.

    ***

    The next morning, Bom showed him a paper and asked.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Can I go on a short dispatch?¡±

    There were two types of dispatchments in Lair. One was short-term and the other was long-term. The short-term dispatch was around 3-4 days long and they wouldplete a task outside of Lair while long-term dispatch was quite literally a long counterpart that continued for months.

    Yu Jitae checked the paper Bom showed him.

    It was a list of short-term missions and locations that had been confirmed by Lair.

    ¡°What made you want to do it?¡±

    ¡°To study for my novel and¡­ I also wanted some fresh air.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°You already know how I enjoy going on trips, right.¡±

    Right. Yu Jitae nodded in response. While going through the list, he found a decent one.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go with this.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ the snowy mountains in North America?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Bom nodded with a slightly brighter expression.

    That was when Yu Jitae added.

    ¡°It would be a great ce to take Gyeoul along.¡±

    These days, Yu Jitae was focusing on Gyeoul. The child started feeling ticklish around her heart, which meant that it was about time for her to shed skin.

    A ¡®short-term dispatch¡¯ had to be apanied by the guardian. And if he were to bring Gyeoul along, the best ce would be somewhere that was next to water.

    But after hearing that, Bom closed her mouth and looked into his eyes. Although her gaze was still indifferent, it had a slightly different light to it than before and he had been seeing that gaze a few times recently.

    He was slightly curious, but that was when Bom hesitantly opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Hmm, in that case, I¡¯ll go ask the education department if there is room or not.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right. There¡¯s a lot of demand for dispatch locations so go ask them now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    When she returned after going to the academy district, there was a disheartened look on her face.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s full, apparently.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±

    ¡°That paper was from a week ago. It¡¯s my fault for being toote.¡±

    It was understandable. Short-term dispatchments were considered in the final grades and were very popr with cadets.

    ¡°Apparently this is the only thing remaining now¡­¡±

    Bom showed the list again.

    There was only one location that didn¡¯t have a line going through.

    [North of Africa Ancient Beast Epidemic Ef-014 Virus Outbreak in the Area]

    Ancient beast epidemics were very infectious and were rampant in North African regions that weren¡¯t hygienic.

    ording to the contents of the mission, they had to scout out the source of the epidemic and had to retake any ce that had been filled by monsters. But ¡®Ef-014¡¯ was a virus that could infect even a superhuman so these missions tended to be avoided the most.

    Cadets were soldiers and everyone understood how some could die during the education, assignments or dispatchments.

    There was a reason no-one took it till the end.

    ¡°Do you think, we can still do this?¡±

    Dragons and the Regressor were immune to the likes of epidemics. However, dragons became extremely fragile and sensitive both before and after shedding their skin and it wasn¡¯t a suitable ce for Gyeoul to be at.

    Leaving the child behind weighed on his mind.

    He pondered for a bit. Thinking back, Bom hadn¡¯t requested him for anything recently and the trip was only two days or a week long at max.

    ¡°Do you really want to go?¡±

    Bom gave a nod.

    Thus, Yu Jitae decided to go on a short-term dispatch with just Bom.

 Chapter 159: Just an Unfortunate Event (1)

    <h4>Chapter 159: Just an Unfortunate Event (1)</h4>

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Jumping out of the nket, Bom lifted her hands and touched her cheeks. She touched her eyes and touched her ears.

    Everything was vivid.

    The tiny and soft hair surrounding the body that mimicked a human as well as the eyebrows and the soft earlobes. But since everything was strangely realistic, it added to the awkwardness of her unrealistic senses.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It¡¯s been a few days already.

    Bom couldn¡¯t see Providence.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t see anything no matter how much she tried, and the things that were shown against her will were also no longer visible.

    The ¡®Eye of Providence¡¯ became hazy.

    As if something big and dark was covering the lens of a telescope, something was blocking the third eye of a green dragon that could gaze into the distance, even when she was meant to be seeing Providence.

    Bom bit her lips.

    It was the first time that she was unable to see Providence like this ever since the dimensions got distorted.

    Worries got the best of her before anything.

    Was something dangerousing right now? Something that detested Yu Jitae like before? But as that continued for more than 2 days, Bom started to realise that she was not in the position to worry about others.

    She opened the [Ahjussi Observation Diary].

    [?. Doubt: Maybe I¡¯m trying to make ahjussi into something different?]

    ?[53. I think this is a correct assumption.]

    It was the doubt she wrote before and after Yu Jitae¡¯s birthday party. She found her answer to this back when Yu Jitae was trying to find her dream for her. Thanks to that, she was able to find her goal.

    Bom.

    She was trying to make Yu Jitae into something.

    To her, Yu Jitae was a piece of artwork. A type of artwork that was to be filled with Bom (Spring) colours.

    He was a human whose heart had been crushed and locked. Like a child who was starting to learn emotions, he had an innocent and naive side to him.

    Easier put, he was like a ck canvas. Since he was pure ck without any marks, it could in fact turn into a starry night with white stars here and there.

    ¡®Maybe filling that up is what my Amusement is for?¡¯ That was the thought she had while she was lying down on his favourite sofa on a bright spring day.

    Something interfering in her process of creating a precious artwork and adding different colours to it could perhaps be an ufortable experience. However, Bom didn¡¯t feel bad even when someone intervened with her artwork. No, to bepletely true to her feelings,

    She was able to endure it, and stop herself from feeling bad.

    Whatever the case, she was the only existence that could perfect Yu Jitae into ¡®something¡¯ within the great flow and that was within this world line¡¯s Providence which could never be interfered with. In other words, the result was clearly set no matter the process.

    So even when Yeorum hugged Yu Jitae in excitement or he patted Kaeul¡¯s head in her sleep, and even when Bom saw Gyeoul rub her head on his chest regardless of the time, she could suppress the bad feelings.

    Even when he cold-heartedly stated that he was thinking about ¡®someone like you¡¯ in the cafe, Bom was able to withstand it.

    After all, the result was already there.

    The only thing she was curious about was the process that led up to the predetermined result. To green dragons, ¡®rtionships¡¯ were always that superficial.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom knew herself that she was a young and immature dragon thatcked experience. The fact that she was able to pretend to be normal in front of Yu Jitae, and the fact that she was still able to induce him into doing what she wanted him to do, were all possible only because she had seen the future through Providence.

    Not just one or two, but dozens and hundreds of the future.

    And because she was so ¡®mentally prepared¡¯, Bom was able to paint the dried values and thoughts of the man with her own colours, and could shake him without being shaken herself.

    In other words, because everything had originated from Providence,

    Now that she couldn¡¯t see Providence,

    Bom wasn¡¯t able to do anything.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Still, she thought it would be fine at the start.

    In her opinion, rtionships could be in a lot of different shapes and forms, and the rtionship between Yeorum, Kaeul, Gyeoul and Yu Jitae had a different shape to the one she had with Yu Jitae.

    So it should be fine right? I¡¯ve been doing it well till now. Since the result is already out, even if the answer sheet were to be dumpstered in ink, I¡¯ve already seen the answers so isn¡¯t it fine to do what I¡¯ve been doing so far?

    She was somehow able to deal with things while thinking that.

    But yesterday, she happened to see Yu Jitae who was hugging Kaeul from behind. She hadn¡¯t been mentally prepared for it at all, because she wasn¡¯t able to see Providence.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The dark sky which had been embroidered by her stars until now, could only have her stars and stars that she had predicted and allowed.

    That was because the sky wasn¡¯t for her, but for Yu Jitae.

    But yesterday, Bom had an abrupt thought that a star she hadn¡¯t predicted could be sparkling somewhere in the sky.

    And thinking about that moment vividly with her unforgetting memories¡­

    ¡­It made her slightly afraid.

    Heaving out a deep sigh, she buried her head into her hands. As an existence that always mentally prepared itself, the fear she felt towards the unknown was slightly bigger than others.

    She was like a nt in a greenhouse but the greenhouse that had been protecting her was no longer there. With trembling fingers, she picked up a pen.

    [61. I messed up]

    Her hand was saggy and the words appeared depressed.

    [61. I messed up. I wasn¡¯t trying to force us to be alone.]

    She was too emotional, rash, impulsive.

    [¡­Now is the time to look after Gyeoul. Something like this is not what I wanted.]

    Turning her head, Bom stared at the blue-haired child lying down next to her. The pulsing dragon heart that should be calm when sleeping was fluttering unstably in front of a turning point. Due to that, the child was unable to sleep with ease and was dropping cold beads of sweat.

    Bom was trying to make him into something, and in order to make him into something, she needed ¡®his daily life¡¯. And for his daily life, Gyeoul had to shed skin without a problem.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    And yet due her fearful heart, she had identally caused a not-so-positive influence to his daily life.

    It was clearly a mistake.

    ¡°Sorry Gyeoul¡­¡±

    Bom wiped the sweat off for the child and kissed her on the forehead.

    Nothing would happen and it should be fine.

    It should be fine¡­

    It was time to go back to sleep. Bom closed the diary but soon realised that this was Ahjussi Observation Diary instead of her own diary, and drew a scribble over number 61.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When sheid back down and covered herself with a nket, she became disturbed once again.

    Is it fine to go on a dispatch with just him in a situation like this? Despite wanting to do so, Bom wasn¡¯t confident.

    ***

    Day broke on the day of the dispatch.

    That morning, she checked the items she packed for the dispatch over and over again. She looked slightly distracted and it reminded him of how the children got excited before going on a camp.

    But they weren¡¯t going on a camp right now. The guardian decided to set that straight with the child.

    ¡°Bom. Are you really doing this because you want to?¡±

    ¡°Yes? Of course.¡±

    ¡°There will be monsters and infected people. Even if we aren¡¯t in danger ourselves, we might have to kill something to remove the source of the epidemic. And that might not be a monster.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a dragon you know. I eat humans when I¡¯m hungry¡­¡±

    She made a joke but Yu Jitae had to nail it in.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you if you really want to go.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I already said.¡±

    ¡°You did. But I¡¯m just wondering. A dispatch is usually in the process of trying to be a soldier, but you weren¡¯t interested in that before.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ But I am going because I want to.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    She nodded with an expression that was hard to read. At this point, Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t stop her and the two of them headed to the warp station of Haytling.

    *

    North of Africa, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

    Inside the desert that could spot the ocean on the horizon was a small warp station that was being operated 24/7.

    Previously, there was a country in this ce called People¡¯s Democratic Republic of Algeria. After hearing of Africa, some might often think of desert and sand but there was a time when the coastline had been filled with beautiful, well-designed cities built with cutting-edge technology.

    However, now it was the very depiction of what those people thought of.

    There was no longer a country, nor citizens. But, there were people and this ce was therefore being referred to as awless area.

    The two of them headed to the nearby office from the warp station. Inside therge tent was a fat superhuman sitting in front of a small desk. He was a soldier from North African Nations United (NAN).

    Just like any other, the superhuman became surprised after seeing Bom but quickly and intentionally turned his gaze towards Yu Jitae.

    Superhumans in the battlefield were no different to scoundrels and bandits, and that was especially so inwless areas. Those without connection were subjected to plunder.

    However, when the opponent wasn¡¯t a random person and was instead a cadet from Lair with unknown level of connections, the best course of action was to avoid them altogether.

    Bom and Yu Jitae were like bombs to them.

    ¡°These are the record, mission content and map.¡±

    Thus, the soldier treated them apathetically and didn¡¯t say anything after giving them the documents.

    Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°What¡¯s with the attitude. At least tell us what to do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all written in the mission content. You just have to follow that through.¡±

    After ncing at the insolent soldier, Yu Jitae gave the papers over to Bom.

    ¡°Do what you want, apparently.¡±

    The dispatch was an individual mission and Yu Jitae was just there to support her. He was but an aide that protected Bom, that was to help herplete the task. That was the nature of a dispatch and she clearly stated it out herself that she wanted to volunteer for the task.

    Therefore, she had to be the one in charge of the mission from here.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Bom examined the mission content in detail and referred to the map.

    ¡®Warp stations¡¯ were under the Warp Station corporation. In the era where humanists had disappeared, they were a monopolising international business under the Association. Despite the country having vanished, there were a lot of people who couldn¡¯t leave the area because of ack of money.

    Those people grouped up and lived together as a tribe in the sandstorm.

    The contents of the mission was simple.

    Once a month, the tribes had to report to NAN about their survival.

    The reports had to be in person. Ever since the Great War, the North African areas were filled with filthy mana and those seeped into the sand itself. Due to that, there was now difficulty with long-range transmissions in this area and there weren¡¯t any base stations to send or receive radio transmissions either.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough manpower. We can¡¯t send someone there ourselves.¡±

    And there hadn¡¯t been any contact from the Kahoom Tribe that was in the southwest area despite 2 weeks having passed from the deadline, and they wanted an investigation of that ce about the problem.

    ¡°Well, I think they¡¯re all dead but¡­¡±

    The soldier said as if it had nothing to do with him.

    ¡°If they weren¡¯t killed by a monster and were instead killed by the epidemic, we need to prevent it from spreading.¡±

    ¡°How do you prevent it from spreading?¡± asked Bom and the superhuman shrugged his shoulders. The method used to prevent Ancient Beast Epidemic Ef-014 from spreading was simple.

    ¡°We have to burn them. The tribe, the infected and the corpse. All of them.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why there¡¯s a lot of fire-type superhumans here. It¡¯s troublesome though, that we are not allowed to deal with it before it happens.¡±

    The soldierid out a miraculous theory that there won¡¯t be any epidemic if the people were killed beforehand. Bom went through the paper once again without saying anything in response.

    Until then, Yu Jitae was indifferent.

    Bom could look ahead without seeing anything, and could find out secrets. She was smart and was the type that he could entrust things to.

    Besides, she was a dragon. Although it was the worst environment for a dragon that empathised with other organisms with mana¡­

    Even then, she was a dragon.

    She should be fine even when she¡¯s left to her own devices.

    That¡¯s what he had been thinking but as soon as they started with the mission, he heard something he had never expected. ¡°I have no idea,¡± murmured Bom while staring at the map.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°No. What did you say?¡±

    Bom stared at him before giving an awkward smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where to go¡­¡±

 Chapter 160: Just an Unfortunate Event (2)

    <h4>Chapter 160: Just an Unfortunate Event (2)</h4>

    Green dragons see the world¡¯s providence from birth. Providence was another world visible to green dragons, and by seeing the flow of cause and effect, they understood the universe.

    The Eye of Providence of such a green dragon having closed, was no different from humans losing their two eyes.

    It was practically waking up in the morning to find out that she had be blind.

    Bom had never been this confused ever since she was born into the world.

    Should she go back? Or stay here? She couldn¡¯t decide what was right.

    What should she say? Or should she even say anything? It was hard to be certain of anything.

    But it wasn¡¯t easy to share with others that she couldn¡¯t see Providence. It was the identity of a green race and their pride, just like how the red race would rather die than admit that they were weak.

    The anxiety caused ripples in her mind and emotions. The heart of the immature hatchling shook and mana jumped as her ss as a dragon dissipated.

    Seeing her toe bitten by a mosquito, she thought to herself.

    ¡®I must be broken¡­¡¯

    In a situation like that, Bom ended up digging her own grave. Before she realised it, she was standing at an unfamiliar ce with Yu Jitae, who had to be treated with the most care and delicacy possible.

    How did this happen?

    Looking back, she wasn¡¯t in her right mind the past few days. As if someone was pulling her by the hair, she found herself standing in front of a cliff by the time she came to herself.

    She thought.

    ¡®I¡¯m going crazy¡­¡¯

    Like an insect with no antennae, bumping into everything around them.

    This was a very dangerous situation for Bom.

    Everything that was influencing Yu Jitae had been allowed by Providence. Without Providence, she shouldn¡¯t put any colours on Yu Jitae. Without seeing the answer sheet, she couldn¡¯t be 100% sure whether that colour was correct or not.

    So, the logical and correct decision here was to go back home and stay holed up in the corner of her room and stay put.

    However, Bom did not want to go back.

    ¡®It¡¯s finally just the two of us.¡¯

    Because of that, she thought and came to apromise.

    Let¡¯s be normal.

    Be normal, but leave some gap and hold back even when there was a chance to tease him. As long as she could do that, the fun times would go on while the canvas called Yu Jitae wouldn¡¯t be smeared with the wrong colour.

    ***

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where to go¡­ I don¡¯t.¡±

    Bom pondered for a bit, before adding more words.

    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I have to confess.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling slightly under the weather these days.¡±

    ¡°Under the weather? How could that be.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not even human. There¡¯s no such thing for dragons.¡±

    ¡°Well, have you been a dragon before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t say anything.¡±

    After saying that, she powerlessly added, ¡°There is such a thing¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae looked into her eyes for a bit. He rarely checked the authenticity of the dragons¡¯ words during a conversation because he respected them as an intellectual and emotional being.

    But it was none other than Bom, whose words and actions were always serene, who was saying that she was in a bad mood. He had to analyse and clearly discern whether this was a trivial matter or not.

    The authenticity hanging on the Eyes of Equilibrium was ¡®true¡¯.

    She really was feeling under the weather.

    ¡°¡­Right. Got it. And it¡¯s nothing serious?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Not at all, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Anyway, I might have some trouble going there because of that. My brain feels kind of fuzzy and my mana isn¡¯t stable either.¡±

    ¡°You wanna go back then?¡±

    ¡°No. Like I said, it¡¯s nothing serious.¡±

    ¡°Tell me if it gets worse. So that we can cancel it and go back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s seriously not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Bom and Yu Jitae dived straight into the mission in full-swing. And after they entered the desert, he felt in his bones what it meant for her to be feeling under the weather.

    Despite having a map and some data, Bom couldn¡¯t focus and despite being a dragon, she couldn¡¯t find the road with mana.

    Even then, Yu Jitae decided to watch on.

    Including the past iterations, this green hatchling¡¯s decisions had never been wrong. Even a sudden dispatch like this should have a fitting reason, considering the fact that Bom had wished for it.

    Thus, he wanted to stay a bystander. This was her dispatch and earning something through her own efforts would be more meaningful than getting it the easier way. He would simply throw in a hint if she was way off the mark.

    Due to that, they were often headed the wrong way.

    Therge northern desert covered the previousnds of Algeria, Tunisia and Libya and had half the surface area of maind China. It was extremely big. Walking in a slightly different direction would make them end up in apletely different location.

    But he didn¡¯t urge nor reproach her.

    After several tries and after spending around half the day, the two of them were finally able to reach a part of the desert that was close to the Kahum tribe.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s somewhere around here¡­¡±

    Hwiiiikk¨C

    It was then that an intense sandstorm suddenly threatened them. It was amon urrence in the desert and particles of sand scattered across with mana embedded within. Covering herself with the alternate dimensional magic, [Laws of Nature (S)], Bom lowered her body.

    The wind was so intense that they had trouble seeing past the 10-metre mark but that was when silhouettes appeared from the other side of the sandstorm.

    They were people. It was a crowd of them.

    After realising that, Bom immediately hid behind a hill and Yu Jitae copied her movement. He stared at the ck silhouettes closing in. It was an interesting situation.

    He decided to test Bom a bit.

    ¡°Have you studied this as well? On how to deal with others inwless areas.¡±

    ¡°No. It was quite sudden so not really¡­¡±

    ¡°Then why did you hide yourself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s awless area, right. I thought we had to either attack or hide.¡±

    ¡°And the reason you chose to hide?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, because I was scared¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded in response to her words.

    ¡°Look at them.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re wearing ck bandanas, with daggers and guns. That one guy at the front is a superhuman and the guys at the back have heavy weapons. Now, what kind of group are they.¡±

    When it was this close, it was possible to read their mana. Their mana were very sharp, as if they would attack anything that they came across. As if they were a group of bandits.

    ¡°¡­Maybe a group of merchants from a tribe?¡±

    But Bom believed otherwise.

    ¡°What made you think that.¡±

    ¡°There are more goods than weapons on their camels. They¡¯re not headed towards the warp station and that one superhuman at the front is on a camel.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°Inwless areas, you must attack or avoid before the opponent does anything. Unless they belong to a big group, money and authority are less important so the strong person must be the leader. But there¡¯s no reason for the leader to stay at the front, which is the most dangerous.¡±

    And right now, the strongest guy was at the front.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying he¡¯s a bodyguard?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And they¡¯re from a tribe with some sort of currency. Judging from how the two at the back are carrying their weapons, those two and the one at the front should be bodyguards.¡±

    She was feeling under the weather and didn¡¯t even know how to read the map, but her eyes were still sharp.

    But is she actually correct? Yu Jitae continued with the test.

    ¡°What if the one at the front is paying off a debt?¡±

    ¡°A debt?¡±

    ¡°They could be a group of bandits while the one at the front is a loyal guy that wants to protect his buddies.¡±

    ¡°For that to be the case, their clothes are all generally clean, and the camels in the middle are in a good state. They¡¯re fat and their humps that store fat are also tall.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that¡¯s why they¡¯re not vagabonds?¡±

    ¡°They must be merchants with a base.¡±

    Bom gazed up at him, asking with her eyes whether she was right or not.

    ¡°Got it. What would you do then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll carefully follow them from behind.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°There are lots of territorial battles here so the tribes are fairly far apart right. And the direction they are headed in is close to where the Kahum tribe is on the map so¡­ Won¡¯t they be better at finding it than me?¡±

    It was her first timeing here and she had insufficient background information. In a situation like that, she used her knowledge on how humans acted and visual cues to make a fairly reasonable decision.

    ¡°You have good eyes indeed.¡±

    An honestpliment.

    Her eyes slightly widened right before he looked away. Bom twitched her lips before opening her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Then should we follow them in secret?¡±

    ¡°No. There¡¯s no need to.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    Yu Jitae stood up.

    There was a rock in his hand. After straightening his back, he rotated his body into a picturesque angle. Soon, his shoulder and arm turned hazy as the rock was shot from his fingertips.

    Bamm¨C

    The rock travelled faster than the speed of sound and exploded the head of the superhuman standing at the front. His head literally exploded and the merchants were surprised while Bom covered her mouth.

    ¡°Why? Why did you kill him?¡±

    ¡°Watch.¡±

    Something strange started to happen. The merchants started fighting between each other. To be exact, they surrounded two people as a group and ran in. The sound of silenced gunshots echoed across the desert as one of the two were pulled by the hair and broke his back after dropping from the camel.

    ¡°You got everything correct. You got them correct but even if there are bodyguards, it¡¯s weird for the bodyguards to be the only ones carrying weapons. Inwless areas, it¡¯s up to them to protect themselves.

    They were merchants ¨C merchants who had been held hostage by a group of bandits led by the superhuman at the front. With a rock, Yu Jitae killed the superhuman, the boss of those bandits.

    ¡°So, the merchants had their weapons confiscated by the bandits?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I thought you obviously knew that as well.¡±

    Bom, who gazed at the essence of any existence, knew Yu Jitae was dangerous the moment she met him.

    But she couldn¡¯t do that right now.

    ¡°So this is what you meant by feeling under the weather.¡±

    ¡°I told you¡­¡±

    ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s go there first.¡±

    Yu Jitae found the right opportunity to interrupt them. He mentioned how he was the one who threw the rock and requested to apany them to a nearby vige.

    No-one turned him down. Perhaps because there was another rock in his hand.

    Like that, Yu Jitae and Bom travelled to the Kahum tribe along with the merchants.

    *

    A small vige for around 200 people, awkwardly built with pieces of wood.

    ¡°N, no wait. This smell¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh no. God¡­¡±

    The merchants smelled the odour that immediately weed their arrival and quickly ran away in fright.

    Epidemic Type: Ef-014

    Another name for it was ¡®Ancient Aycota Spore-Reproduction Epidemic¡¯.

    These viruses that originate from an ancient beast travel through the air and dig into a human¡¯s respiratory system before taking their lives. With the energy they steal, they bloom a flower of fungus and spread the virus through the air once again after the death of the human.

    The hyphae of the fungus had a unique scent to it and currently, the Kahum tribe had a dense smell of that Ef-014 virus.

    ¡°Do you want to go in or go back.¡±

    Since he knew how devastating Ef-014 was, Yu Jitae asked her once again.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go in.¡±

    Bom nodded with a stiff expression.

    The vige looked just as he expected it to look.

    The tents and huts built with logs and leaves were all half-dposed. What filled the streets were humans who no longer looked like humans, that were disturbingly flesh-like for them to be considered flowers. A fittingparison would be how Cordyceps militaris bloomed on the dead bodies of insects.

    People turned into something non-human the moment the virus seeped into their systems. At that point, even Bom would be unable to heal them unless she knew how to rewind the time.

    Yu Jitae moved his feet and Bom btedly followed from behind.

    Half the infected were already dead and even though the remaining half were alive, they were no different from being dead. ncing around, they could see people whose upper bodies were normal, as well as those whose body waspletely fine except for their heads.

    After sucking all the energy out from its host, the virus bloomed what resembled the seeds of a dandelion on the head of the human in search for new sources of food.

    A lot of seeds were fluttering in the sandstorm and the seeds rode the wind away from them and scattered like snow.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In the mix, there was also arge piece of flesh covering a small piece of flesh. Therge flesh still twitched and had its two arms wrapped around the small thing to keep it warm.

    It was a horrendous scene that was too appalling for eyes to see.

    However, Bomposedly confronted that scene.

    ¡°So the mission is over with this¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The reason for the Kahum tribe being out of contact was indeed because of Ef-014.¡±

    ¡°And they all either died or were infected¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae looked somewhere nearby.

    There was one person. One survivor. There was a half-broken tent but unlike other tents, it was covered with cotton all around that was extremely finely crafted.

    Inside that tent, Yu Jitae found the only survivor. It was a middle-aged ck woman who was fairly chubby, who had seemingly been eating quite well despite being in the middle of a desert.

    ¡°W, who are you¡­?¡±

    She was the one and only survivor.

    Because of the good tent, it had taken some time for the virus to seep in.

 Chapter 161: Just an Unfortunate Event (3)

    <h4>Chapter 161: Just an Unfortunate Event (3)</h4>

    Ancient species referred to monsters from another world that sustained their lives for an extremely long period of time. These monsters generally knew how to survive in the most extreme situations and tended to hide themselves when the environment wasn¡¯t suited for them. But when the right opportunity came to them, they flourished and could even swallow up a country in full.

    Their desires to live were disgustingly potent just like, for example, a catastrophe-ranked demon.

    This virus was also a type of ancient species. Thus the infected people quickly turned into something non-human, and even a dragon couldn¡¯t heal them since they were no longer human.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    But the infected person in front of them was different. Her symptoms weren¡¯t as severe and could be healed unlike others.

    Aftering to that conclusion, Bom hurriedly ran up and kneeled next to her. She then used the mana of mother nature to heal thedy.

    ¡°You have to stay still.¡±

    ¡°¡­Who are you?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re on a mission.¡±

    Green mana snugly embraced her body.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s strangely¡­fortable.¡±

    The woman closed her eyes for a bit. By the time she opened her eyes again, she was already fully healed.

    ¡°Ahjussi. I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°But she used a lot of energy¡­ I think she needs to eat something.¡±

    The Regressor wasn¡¯t really interested whether this nameless woman in this foreignnd died or not.

    But Bom was trying to help with her recovery. Therefore, he enforced the protection around the tent by surrounding it with a hint of his status and cooked a simple soup with the field kit.

    ¡°Thank you. Thank you¡­¡±

    The middle-aged woman slowly swallowed the warm soup.

    Her nature of good and evil leaned towards ¡®good¡¯ which was a rare sight in a barrenwless area, but her favourability towards Yu Jitae and Bom was neutral. Although they had saved her life, she appeared slightly scared instead of simply liking them.

    She stopped eating with half the soup left and opened her mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m, Assiana and I¡¯ve been living in this tribe for 40 years. And around a week ago, people started turning strange¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom nodded.

    ¡°How is it outside the tent?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±

    When Bom ambiguously slurred over it, the woman gave a nod back.

    ¡°Ahh¡­ so it¡¯s still like that.¡±

    Her calm voice was filled with remorse.

    ¡°They¡¯ve all been¡­ infected right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The virus is still spreading. If you stay here, you¡¯ll be infected again.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ I don¡¯t have a family and I don¡¯t mind leaving the tribe either.¡±

    ¡°Then would you like to go out together?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But before that, I know this might be very disrespectful, but may I please ask something?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Please do.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a young man in the vige who makes tents. He¡¯s a really good person¡­ I¡¯m not worried about anyone else but I¡¯d like to look for him at least.¡±

    Bom turned towards Yu Jitae, and remembering the fact that Bom wasn¡¯t feeling good, he decided to help her with this.

    ¡°What does he look like.¡±

    ¡°He¡­ should be wearing blue clothes. He¡¯s a soldier protecting the tribe so he should be carrying a weapon as well.¡±

    Yu Jitae immediately found him. In the front entrance of the tribe was a group of young men, but none of them were savable at this point.

    He looked at the middle-aged woman. From that alone, she understood it and nodded with a sorrowful gaze.

    She couldn¡¯t go near him because there was a chance that she got infected again.

    Death inwless areas wasmon. Thinking that, Bom turned her feet.

    That was the end of the mission.

    ***

    The mission ended just like that.

    If there was another cause, Bom would¡¯ve had to go around investigating into what caused the incident but the reason itself was simple despite its result. An epidemic had annihted the tribe.

    After giving photos to the office, Yu Jitae reported the end of the mission.

    ¡°Hmm. I see. Thanks for your work.¡±

    ¡°What will you do to the tribe.¡±

    ¡°What else can we do? Have to disinfect it.¡±

    Meaning that they were going to burn it.

    The soldier in the office gave a call to NAN headquarters and after reporting the end of the mission, Yu Jitae returned to the Kahum tribe.

    ¡°Can we take responsibility for her a little bit?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    He listened to Bom¡¯s request and brought the woman, ¡®Assiana¡¯ to a nearby tribe. It was a sister tribe of the Kahum tribe and after listening to Bom¡¯s exnation, they decided to move further away tomorrow to a ce where the virus would not reach.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    The pale-faced woman bowed down in front of Bom.

    *

    Only after reaching the other tribe did Assiana cry out loud. People avoided her since she hade from an infected area but since she was healthy, that misunderstanding was bound to dissipate sooner orter.

    Now that their task was over, it was time for them to go back.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He was about to suggest they go back, but Bom was nkly staring at where the Kahum tribe was.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s just that I feel slightlyplicated.¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°I wonder¡­¡±

    Bom remained silent for a long time. Later, when she turned her head away from the tribe, her face looked slightly less gloomy.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay now.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Besides, there are things that are a lot worse from what I see everyday.¡±

    What she saw everyday probably referred to the events that she was forced to see through Providence against her will. She had mentioned it in the past.

    ¡°Do you think we can stay here for a day?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Next to the oasis of the tribe they took Assiana to, Yu Jitae and Bom decided to stay the night. Inwless areas, a magic stone was a great currency and Yu Jitae cut the medium-grade magic stone he had and gave it to them.

    ¡°T, this¡­¡±

    It was a lot more than what was required for a one-night sleep. The chief¡¯s eyes twitched for a bit and his gaze headed to Yu Jitae¡¯s waist, at where the bag was.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Y, yes?¡±

    ¡°You want it?¡±

    ¡°N, no sir.¡±

    But he shrunk back.

    The chief didn¡¯t behave rashly. A superhuman that received a mission from NAN wasn¡¯t someone to be messed with in awless area like this.

    ¡°No need for food. Just going to sleep for one night.¡±

    ¡°I see. I see. Haha¡­¡±

    They were allocated to the chief¡¯s daughter¡¯s tent, which was the most decent one from the tribe.

    Bom, who had been following Yu Jitae like someone possessed by a ghost, heaved a sigh after entering the tent and sat down on the bed. The bed was covered with a cloth and was a decent ce toy down on.

    Sitting down on the ground, Yu Jitae leaned onto one of the stakes of the tent.

    Insects buzzed from outside as the starry night sky of the desert shone from outside the window.

    ¡°It¡¯ste already. Lie down and rest.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Taking off the jacket, sheid down on the bed. Wearing a tight-fitting, short-sleeved shirt and a pair of military pants, she nkly stared at the ceiling of the tent.

    After some time, she opened her mouth with her vacant gaze still on the ceiling.

    ¡°Why do these things happen.¡±

    He replied.

    ¡°These things?¡±

    ¡°Yes. People suffering, dying and being sad.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It would be great if everyone was happy.¡±

    ¡°It would.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think these things happen, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    Bom deeply pondered before opening her mouth again.

    ¡°Every result has a cause, right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know. What about it.¡±

    ¡°Then, maybe there¡¯s something that caused someone to be this sad.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If the one that caused such things to happen regretted their actions, would things turn out to be better?¡±

    Bom waited for a response but her guardian didn¡¯t reply for a long time.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you to ask such things,¡± he replied after a long silence.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m feeling under the weather¡­¡±

    Bom lifted her body up on the bed and stared at him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the answer is either. Maybe there isn¡¯t an answer in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, unexpected¡­ I thought ahjussi would like, know everything.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much.¡±

    Yu Jitae gazed up at her with a dim gaze.

    ¡°But from what I¡¯ve seen, things don¡¯t always happen the way you¡¯ve put it.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s one obvious person that caused a miserable thing to happen, it would be over with just killing that one person. But things don¡¯t always go that way.¡±

    Yu Jitae reflected on something.

    Since nothing could be changed even if he med and detested it, he could do nothing but just live.

    ¡°Sometimes there are just, unfortunate events.¡±

    Bom understood the words of her guardian, but couldn¡¯t understand his thought process and his experiences that led to the formation of such words.

    But after applying that to herself who couldn¡¯t see Providence anymore, she felt like she was being consoled somewhat.

    Without even knowing why. It would just suddenly approach you. Although slightly scary, such things do happen, and because it is just an unfortunate event, those who live on must endure it moment by moment and defeat it. Whether you like it or not.

    Perhaps it might just be a long process of epting one¡¯s suffering. Despite that being a story with not a single bit of hope, Bom felt her muddled thoughts bing clearer and felt morefortable.

    ¡°¡­Are you going to stay there?¡±

    Bom nkly stared at him and asked.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it ufortable sitting there?¡±

    ¡°Then what.¡±

    She tapped the bed with her hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s wide?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t sleep anyway.¡±

    ¡°Then you can stay awake. Lying down.¡±

    Seeing that he was still stubborn, Bom came down and sat next to him.

    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be the only one in a good ce, can I.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that. Just lie down.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°What about me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like this will be the first time we¡¯re on a bed together.¡±

    Did something simr happen before?

    ¡°Of course Gyeoul was with us back then¡­ or are you perhaps worried?¡±

    ¡°About what. You teasing?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I don¡¯t feel good anyway and I¡¯m not thinking of teasing at all.¡±

    The Regressor thought about something before standing up from the ground. Bom smiled before heading to the bed with him.

    He sat down and so did she.

    It was strange. It seemed that Bom being in a ¡®bad mood¡¯ seemed like a really serious problem. As if to prove that, an insect that would never be able to even approach her due to the difference in status was resting on her shoulder and yet she didn¡¯t even notice it.

    He reached out with his hand and aimed at her shoulder.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Seeing the hand suddenly approaching herself, Bom widened her eyes.

    Right before his handnded on her shoulder,

    ¡°¡­?!¡±

    Bom flinched and fell back. She fell from the bed andnded on the ground with her bum while her head bumped into a box.

    ¡°Ouch¡­ what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Yu Jitae wondered what was wrong with her.

    Despite that, his gaze was still on her shoulder because the insect was still grabbing onto her shoulder. It was an ¡®odourful spider¡¯ whose liquid would cause a big room to stink.

    When he approached her and again reached his hand out, she shrunk her body.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Stay there. I have to grab something.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Grab which?¡±

    ¡°Just stay there. Don¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°No, but why? I¡¯m feeling under the weather right now. You can¡¯te closer to me.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯reing closer right now¡­¡±

    ¡°Just stay still and don¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    He picked up the insect from her shoulder and threw it outside. Then, he revealed a little bit of his status which had previously been hidden, so that things like insects wouldn¡¯t show up.

    Bom heaved a sigh after that.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what it was¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, the Regressor felt her dragon heart trembling like crazy and found it strange. Was she scared like before?

    ¡°Anyway, please go back a bit. There¡¯s not enough space for me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡±

    While moving to the other side of the bed, he thought to himself. It suddenly hit him but for some reason, he felt amused.

    Like that one time in the past, seeing Bom not knowing what to do despite always being calm and poised was slightly enjoyable. It wasn¡¯t amon feeling for him.

    He thought to himself. The mission had ended already and they had to go back tomorrow after spending the night today. Bom said she wasn¡¯t feeling good but lookedpletely normal on the outside.

    Feeling amused for some reason, he stared at her face.

    ¡°You said you weren¡¯t thinking about teasing, right.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you said?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes. Today¡¯s a day off.¡±

    Her being uninterested in teasing him instead made him feel intrigued.

    He leaned forward with his upper body.

    Now, he would try teasing her a little.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Unlike usual, her eyes twitched as Yu Jitae raised his hand.

    He didn¡¯t know how to make others perplexed. All he knew was that he had to be close, with careful and subtle movements.

    Because that¡¯s what Bom had always done.

    ¡°Why are youing closer again? What could you be trying to do¡­?¡±

    At times like this, how would Bom reply.

    She would probably act like she didn¡¯t hear it.

    ¡°Your hairstyle¡¯s always the same.¡±

    ¡°Well, obviously? Because my hair doesn¡¯t grow¡­¡±

    He mimicked what she would do in a situation like this, and carried his hand over to her forehead. Then, he gently pushed the green bangs away.

    A white forehead. Beneath which her green pair of eyes widened in a fluster.

    Bom looked away and stealthily pulled her head back. Realising that she was clearly feeling troubled, he again felt some amusement. It was simr to a child being amused from ying with a toy.

    Thinking that he could make her more perplexed, he went closer as Bom crossed her arms in front of her body and protected herself in surprise.

    ¡°Why? You, already saw my forehead just then?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°Then why are youing closer again? Why¡­?¡±

    It would be difficult to tease her again once she was back to normal. Aftering to that conclusion, he approached like a bulldozer. Bom pulled her body back with her bum on the bed but before long, a stake of the tent blocked her back.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t run away anymore and the anxiety that covered her face soon spread to her eyes. Yu Jitae was approaching her selfishly. He was like a carnivorous beast and looked different to how Bom usually closed the distance between them.

    Startled, Bom reached her arms out and stopped Yu Jitae by the chest. The meagre arm strength wasn¡¯t enough but he stopped nheless.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with <i>you</i>, ahjussi¡­?¡±

    ¡°What about me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I get it¡­ You¡¯re doing this to tease me right? Because I¡¯m not feeling well? I¡¯m good at guessing things like this, you know.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to be closer.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s too close.¡±

    ¡°So, you want to go further away?¡±

    Her own words of the past acted like shackles that bound her feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Not knowing what to do from the perplexity, her eyes turned teary.

    ¡°¡­Please let me live.¡±

 Chapter 162: Just an Unfortunate Event (4)

    <h4>Chapter 162: Just an Unfortunate Event (4)</h4>

    For dozens, or perhaps for hundreds of years, there had been nothing amusing for the Regressor.

    He was in pain and what remained once pain dissipated was irritation. The only source of rare joy was the bizarre pleasure that came whenever he killed demons. It felt simr to the pleasure given by drugs paralysing the tongue with poison.

    It was so disgustingly addictive that in some numberless iterations, he wouldpletely forget about the dragons and seek pleasure alone.

    Because of that, the Regressor liked this pure sense of amusement. That might perhaps be the reason he was overly excited.

    Like a child enjoying a new toy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The plea for her life stopped him for a bit.

    They were indeed close. Her arms that were stopping Yu Jitae¡¯s approach were half-bent already, and his chin was two palms away from her forehead.

    When he stopped, Bom crawled on top of the bed on all fours and distanced herself. She seemed to have regained herposure after doing so, and heaved an extremely deep sigh.

    ¡°Firstly, please calm down.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that should calm down. ¡®Let me live¡¯. Is someone trying to kill you?¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi is.¡±

    ¡°So what did you do wrong?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°You did do something wrong, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s upper body closed in yet again.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Despite the slight stop due to the fluster, she quickly came to herself. Perhaps realising that she couldn¡¯t do this anymore, she covered her eyes with one hand and pushed her other hand in front of his face and opened it into a palm.

    It was a small hand.

    ¡°Please wait. Pause¡­!¡±

    Bom was trying to take things under control even in a situation like this.

    Yu Jitae wanted to tease and see her being perplexed, but didn¡¯t want to force anything onto her so he obediently paused.

    When nothing happened for some time, Bom was about to pull down the hand that was covering her eyes but that was when something strange touched her outstretched hand.

    Yu Jitae had ced his cheek onto her palm.

    In a fright, she pulled her hand back.

    The feeling of his coarse yet soft, human-like cheeks remained vividly on her palm. Covering that hand with her other hand, she asked.

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    ¡ª She tried to ask but words didn¡¯te out and she could only close her mouth after opening it. Lowering her chin, she grudgingly red at him.

    ¡°I gave you the signal to stop¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You did give me the pause signal.¡±

    ¡°But there was a small crash.¡±

    ¡°I still stopped though.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°You know, ahjussi¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a bit different today.¡±

    ¡°How.¡±

    ¡°So cheeky¡­¡±

    He was dumbfounded.

    Yu Jitae thought for a bit. In order to do what he just did to Bom despite the sloppiness, he had to copy what she herself had said and done in the past. By thinking about how and what she had done, and by looking into her eyes, he used appropriate words to close the distance.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious about how you¡¯re feeling.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to check your body for you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just today is it. You said it¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    ¡°It should be better by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°See. Your words are strange already.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you be certain of anything today. Don¡¯t you know when you will get better? That goes beyond feeling bad and it¡¯s not something a green dragon would say.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Come here. Let me touch your head for a bit.¡±

    Confusion appeared in her ring eyes and she turned stiff like a statue with her knees on the bed. He slowly moved his hand forward, but Bom pulled her body back whenever his hand approached her head.

    Hesitation wasn¡¯t fun. The extremely rare sense of amusement made him itching for more.

    Hurriedly and suddenly he closed in. An astonished pair of eyes gazed up at him. Right before he ced his hand on top of her head, she pushed her own arms forward and grabbed it.

    ¡°Why are you stopping me.¡±

    ¡°Do you, really have to do it¡­?¡±¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m nning to.¡±

    Her right hand touching his thumb, and her left hand touching his ring finger trembled from nervousness.

    ¡°What if, I would rather die¡­?¡±

    Bom, who was in an unusually bad mood, asked with a quivering voice. Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t delicate enough to consider the reason behind her question but still replied honestly.

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it then.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be honest. Ahjussi. I¡¯m about to die right now¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright then. I wasn¡¯t trying to push you that hard.¡±

    But he couldn¡¯t pull his hand away. Her trembling hands were in fact stopping him for some reason.

    What was this about.

    The Regressor wondered what was wrong with her, but after revisiting the possible meanings behind ¡®I¡¯m about to die¡¯, he came to an absurd proposition ¨C an assumption that he hadn¡¯t even imagined until then.

    It was then.

    Confusion and perplexity suddenly disappeared from her expression. Leisure soon returned to her eyes and she gently smiled like always.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    This sudden turn of events caused Yu Jitae to stop his hands. It was an extremely familiar turn of events.

    ¡°Why do you have to touch my head?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easier to tell what the problem is if I¡¯m closer to the mana.¡±

    It was but an excuse. An excuse to make her more perplexed.

    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t it be better if it was closer to the dragon heart?¡±

    ¡°It would be.¡±

    ¡°So the ce you should touch won¡¯t be my head, then¡­?¡±

    Bom looked up at him with an anxious expression and bit her lower lips as if she was scared. Then, she slowly pulled his hand down. From the head to the chin, to the corbone. And from there¡­ to the especially bulging part of her body revealed by her tight-fitting shirt.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡±

    A smile appeared in the midst of her anxiety.

    It was that same smile.

    The one that was full of leisure and yfulness ¨C the smile that caused others to feel perplexed was hanging on her lips, as if everything so far had been a part of her n.

    But Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t perplexed.

    He stopped his hand.

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    Even the whispers tickling his ears didn¡¯t make him perplexed. The current Bom was somewhat sloppy. It was an instinctive feeling that couldn¡¯t be expressed in words.

    ¡°Bom. What are you doing?¡±

    When he drew the line, a crack appeared in her rxed expression. She slowly let go of his hand and while sitting face-to-face with him, her eyes turned teary.

    Seeing that, Yu Jitae felt a slightly bigger sense of amusement than beforee crashing in.

    Just then, she was acting like she was normal.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you do just then.¡±

    ¡°N, no.¡±

    ¡°You did something. Right?¡±

    ¡°No¡­! I didn¡¯t do anything, okay¡­? Ahhh¡­!¡±

    With her ears flushed red, she hurriedly dived into the nket and buried her body inside. ¡°Please don¡¯t talk to me. I want to die¡­¡± she murmured before pressing the pillow down over her head.

    Even then, Yu Jitae talked to her amusedly.

    ¡°Were you acting just then? Acting how you¡¯re normally like?¡±

    ¨C ¡­¡­

    ¡°Are my senses telling me the truth right now?¡±

    ¨C ¡­¡­

    Twitch twitch. The pillow wriggled as she protested with her whole body. When he tried to lift both the pillow and the nket, Bom resisted with all her power. Even then, the nket was about to be lifted up, so she even pped her legs in resistance.

    ¨C Please don¡¯t tease me¡­

    She sounded like she would cry any time soon and was desperate, so he had no choice but to stop.

    He turned the light off.

    *

    He spent the night with open eyes. At night, he would merely wait for time to pass by without doing or thinking about anything, but a strand of thought barged in through the gap today.

    What was causing Bom to feel perplexed. Yu Jitae continued dwelling on that sudden topic.

    ¨C Ahjussi.

    Bom opened her mouth again after a long time. She was still buried inside the nket and the pillow, and he looked at the bulge under the nket.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¨C There¡¯s a problem.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¨C I can¡¯t see Providence.

    Yu Jitae, who was nkly staring at the ceiling of the tent, raised his body.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¨C The Eye of Providence was blocked. I can¡¯t see Providence right now.

    Only then did he realise what Bom meant by feeling under the weather. This definitely wasn¡¯t a trivial problem.

    ¡°Why are you saying that now.¡±

    ¨C ¡­

    ¡°Since when was it. And what¡¯s the reason.¡±

    ¨C It¡¯s been a few days. I don¡¯t know the reason either.

    ¡°What about your family? Has there been any green dragon like that in your family?¡±

    The pillow twitched. She shook her head.

    This was an element that could deviate from daily lives and was something he had never seen before in the previous iterations. After contemting the situation, Yu Jitae frowned.

    He opened his mouth with a lower voice.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¨C Yes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really understand. If it¡¯s already been a few days since you weren¡¯t able to see Providence, that¡¯s before you even mentioned the dispatch.¡±

    ¨C Yes.

    He scolded her.

    ¡°Why would you insist on a dispatch when you¡¯re in that kind of situation. Even if I suggested it, you should¡¯ve stopped me.¡±

    ¨C Yes¡­

    ¡°You should know how to choose the time and ce. What in the world were you thinking.¡±

    ¨C ¡­

    Her voice became smaller and smaller and soon she turned silent.

    More and more words muddled with irritation and worry reared their heads. The Regressor found his own words to be strange, and it took some time for him to realise that he was preaching to someone.

    However, his words weren¡¯t over the top considering the things that were on the line.

    ¨C Are you angry?

    ¡°No. Whatever.¡±

    ¨C You are not angry?

    ¡°I¡¯m not. Stop talking nonsense and sleep. We¡¯ll go back as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.¡±

    ¨C Yes.

    ¡°And if something like that happens again, you have to tell me straight away. Got it?¡±

    Bom stayed silent for a bit before opening her mouth.

    ¨C ¡­The reason I stayed silent.

    ¨C Is because I was embarrassed.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¨C Without the Eye of Providence, I¡¯m not a green dragon ¨C I¡¯m just a lizard. We have the same colour as well¡­

    ¨C It was too embarrassing to say that to someone else¡­

    ¨C The other kids don¡¯t know either.

    Bom calmly began talking about her inner thoughts. Perhaps it was because she was hiding under the nket, that her hidden thoughts were being revealed.

    ¨C And besides, nothing would have changed even if I told you. The Eye of Providence is unique to our green race and it¡¯s not something others can help with or anything¡­

    She concluded with a powerless voice.

    ¨C That¡¯s, just how it is¡­

    His eyes twitched.

    ¡°Who said that.¡±

    ¨C Sorry?

    ¡°Who said the power to look at Providence was unique to the green dragons.¡±

    ¨C ¡­My father.

    To dragons, it wasmon sense. Bom knew that Yu Jitae was a dangerous being with a high level of status as an existence, but she also knew that being a high-level existence had nothing to do with seeing Providence.

    So when she heard Yu Jitae mumble something, she was extremely surprised.

    ¡°That must be how it is in your world then.¡±

    In surprise, she stealthily lowered the pillow and lifted her head above the nket. Her hidden head popped out from the nket mountain.

    ¡°What did you say just then?¡±

    The Regressor refrained from giving exnations. In order to exin it, he had to exin his past and everything he tried for in the previous iterations in search of strength. Such things weren¡¯t the greatest stories to share with Bom.

    ¡°Come here. Get up.¡±

    Bom hesitated before standing up from the bed.

    Yu Jitae reached out.

    ¡°Hold my hand.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find out together what blocked the Eye of Providence.¡±

    Bom blinked her eyes before carefully holding his pinky by the end.

    ¡°How? What¡¯s the principle behind it?¡±

    Dragons synchronised themselves with others¡¯ memories and emotions. The closer the medium to their mana, the faster and deeper will be that connection.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to know too much, and the things that will happen from now on could be a little bit dangerous. Even if you¡¯re scared, trust me and don¡¯t ever let go of my hand.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t say anything to the kids either. Got that?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright. I trust you.¡±

    Yu Jitae delicately controlled the mana and made them into walls that surrounded all six sides like a cubical alternate dimension.

    Mana started blooming with the beating of his heart. It was extremely immense. Feeling as if an unrealistically enormous statue was closing in, Bom felt her senses being suppressed. Her body flinched unconsciously but she didn¡¯t let go of his hand.

    He started using the authority which he had never usedpletely ever since the start of the 7th iteration.

    It was the power to interfere with the world¡¯s Providence. The one which had countlessly flipped the flow of the world that was following the given Providence into the apocalypse.

    The one and only authority that allowed his memories and existence to continue.

    [Vintage Clock (EX)]

    The world started turning upside down with Yu Jitae at the centre.

 Chapter 163: Great Hostility (1)

    <h4>Chapter 163: Great Hostility (1)</h4>

    In the upturned world, Bom was standing in a foreign ce with Yu Jitae by the time she realised it. It was extremely dark, and mysteriously quiet.

    She had never been to such a ce before.

    ¡°Where is this¡­?¡±

    This was the [Workshop of Vintage Clock]. The world where ¡®Vintage Clock¡¯, a transcendent authority with a persona, lived.

    ¡°It¡¯s like the head part of aplex machine,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Aplex machine?¡±

    ¡°Do you feel okay staying in this ce?¡±

    ¡°No. For some reason, it feels unpleasant¡­¡±

    Bom felt like she was in the middle of a bad dream. It was an instinctive feeling.

    It felt like everything would disappear the moment she let go of his hand, so her grip became tighter.

    ¡°We won¡¯t be staying here for long. So bear with it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°A few warnings before we go in. Do not behave rashly, and don¡¯t ever let go of my hand. Do not even think about letting it go. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Why¡­? What happens if I let go?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask that either.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if you be curious about something, don¡¯t try to know more about it and don¡¯t ask questions. You have to vow to me on this one.¡±

    Ever since Bom met him the first time, she had never seen him draw the line in such a firm manner. He appeared so serious that it was slightly scary.

    ¡°¡­I will.¡±

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Only then did his serious gaze vanish. His body soon floated up towards outer space as her body followed him above.

    The ce resembled the wide universe but there was a clear direction to head in, and there appeared to be invisible obstacles blocking the road. It felt simr to walking through a building blind.

    After rising above in outer space, something started appearing from the distance.

    ¡°Let me tell you this again. Do not ever let go of my hand from here.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    Small circles started appearing one by one. They looked like clocks and upon closer inspection, she could spot the three hands of the clock that told the hour, the minute and the second.

    Those objects flowed towards them as if they were riding an ocean wave and went past them.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She stared at the clocks. The clocks all appeared different but it seemed that none of their hands were in motion.

    What in the world could these things be? Bom swallowed the curiosity and kept it to herself.

    That was when the small clocks started being pushed away, like how small schools of fish escaped its predator.

    Soon, an enormous vintage clock iparably bigger than the previous small clocks appeared from the darkness like a whale. Its hands too weren¡¯t in motion. The unmoving hands of the vintage clock were elegantly crafted like a sculpture.

    In that moment, she felt something great oppress her and stiffened her body.

    Bom wanted to escape from that ce but Yu Jitae¡¯s grip tightened around her hand and she soon came to herself.

    Therge vintage clock went past them.

    She stared at Yu Jitae¡¯s back but he didn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Before long, small stars appeared in between the clocks.

    Those increased in number one by one and eventually there were more stars than clocks. The countlessly abundant stars filled the universe.

    As she stared at those stars, she realised that each star gave off a different feeling despite them being mere bright dots in the ck sky.

    She suddenly felt strange. One of the stars gave off a familiar feeling so Bom immediately turned towards that star, questioning why Yeorum was next to her but she could only find a red star there.

    Bom felt an extremely strong sense of doubt.

    ¡®What was that?¡¯

    The red star was giving off the aura of Yu Yeorum.

    She stared at that star before turning towards other stars in search of a star that resembled herself. However, she couldn¡¯t find any stars that resembled herself, Kaeul or Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Since she wasn¡¯t allowed to ask, she had to bear with the curiosity. She couldn¡¯t look away from the star that resembled Yeorum for a long time.

    Soon, the stars were shoved away as anotherrge vintage clock flew by.

    The second vintage clock had a strange shape. As if it had been dumpstered in acid, it was half melted.

    The third vintage clock was half broken and wasn¡¯t in a good shape either, and looked like insects had eaten arge portion of it.

    And so was the fourth vintage clock. They were all broken and revealed the cogwheels that were inside.

    From the fifth vintage clock onwards, they were so enormous that therge clocks so far appeared like those ¡®small clocks¡¯ inparison.

    Andstly, the sixth vintage clock was several times bigger than the fifth vintage clock. It was unrealistically enormous and it took a long time for the clock to pass by.

    After going through six vintage clocks, a small orb of light started flying towards them from the darkness.

    It looked like a bird.

    Outer space was a lonely ce to be in. There was not a single living being all around so when the bird came flying towards her, Bom felt a strange sense of longingness.

    As if he was used to it already, Yu Jitae reached out towards the bird of light, and it flew carefully beforending on his hand.

    *

    The small bird of light gazed up at Yu Jitae.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wees you.>

    Been a while.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wees you.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wees you.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wees you.>

    I get it. I get it.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (????? ??)? >

    Ever since it absorbed and understood the [Hostility] from Ha Saetbyul, Wei Yan and the 30-man special force squad a few months ago, the Vintage Clock had been very busy. There was also the additional information about the ¡®Horizon of Providence¡¯ from Armata the protector of the Green Dragon, so it had been away from him for some time.

    It seemed to be currently having a rest after a long dispatch.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wishes to ask the reason you havee here.>

    I know you just finished working and that you¡¯re tired, but this might be very important.

    Please check the ¡®Providence¡¯ of the seventh iteration of Earth for me.

    But the white bird shook its head in response.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)]ins of its exhaustion.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] alerts you that it is on a vacation.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (|3X[ ??? ])

    Yu Jitae also shook his head.

    He wasn¡¯t here to y around.

    Once he got the meaning across, the white bird understood the seriousness of the situation and fluttered its wings into the air before vanishing into the darkness.

    Soon, messages appeared inside his head.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] observes in detail the [Providential World] with its [Omnipotent Eyes].>

    What is Providence.

    Providence was often known as the destined flow of the world¡¯s timeline. If that were the case, Providence would be the same as the timeline of a fatalistic world.

    But in fact, that wasn¡¯t Providence.

    <Observing¡­>

    Providence was the principle and regtions that gave the world a direction. [Providential World] was the world where such regtions and principles were applied uniformly throughout whereas time was but one of those principles.

    And right now, the Vintage Clock was staring off in the distance of that [Providential World].

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ???>

    Soon, a confused message was given by the Vintage Clock.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] confirmed [Great Hostility] which has infiltrated from the other side of the Horizon of Providence, the [Non-providential World].>

    Before long, the Vintage Clock started pouring out messages filled with disgust and hatred.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] warns you!>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has confirmed a Great Hostility which surpasses everything that has been done so far!>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] expresses extreme resistance to the elements that deviate from the world¡¯s timeline!>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has confirmed that there is a connection with the origin of [Hostility]!><The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] foresees theing of the ¡®Long Night¡¯.>

    After going through the list, Yu Jitae understood Bom¡¯s situation.

    She didn¡¯t lose Providence.

    ording to her, it was as if ¡®something had blocked the Eye¡¯ and that was the right way to express it. If something went against Providence, it would usually appear like a small ck hole, but right now, the hole was so big that it hadpletely blocked the Eye of Providence.

    It was huge.

    Something overwhelminglyrge wasing.

    The Regressor twitched his eyes. He was wondering why things were so silent but it seemed that it had been garnering power till now.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] confirms the colony of [Great Hostility]!>

    Several images appeared in his head.

    ck and irregr shapes were falling from the sky. It was hard to even fathom their numbers. But upon closer inspection of those figures, it was clear that they were wrapped into spheres as if they were protecting something.

    What were they?

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] examines the specific shape of [Great Hostility]!>

    Soon, the things that were hidden within those shapes started being drawn in his head.

    ck spheres.

    There were cracks here and there, with a ck bump protruding out from one of those cracks. It appeared to have the texture of arge rock at a nce, but also looked like metal or a shell.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] decides to define them as [Great Hostility] from now on!>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] will analyse [Great Hostility] and identify the identity and nature of Hostility!>

    ***

    The two of them left the Vintage Clock¡¯s workshop. Yu Jitae and Bom opened their eyes and were back in the tent.

 Chapter 164: Great Hostility (2)

    <h4>Chapter 164: Great Hostility (2)</h4>

    Nothing much was revealed from 2% of analysis.

    Yu Jitae had to guess with just the messages, images and the memories of the past that had been given by Vintage Clock.

    Who. How. Why.

    Aside from ¡®why¡¯, there was also a lot to think about in regards to ¡®who¡¯ and ¡®how¡¯, because even Yu Jitae of the 7th iteration was unfamiliar with the other side of the Horizon of Providence or the [Non-providential World].

    His current situation was like this.

    Yu Jitae is from Korea (Earth), and the dragons are from America (Askalifa). While they were riding a small boat, the dragons met a storm that came from space (Non-providential World) and somehow ended up in Korea. However, Yu Jitae also had nothing but small boats and couldn¡¯t take them back to America. And yet added on top of that were the presidents of Japan (A nearby dimension) and China (A nearby dimension) whom he had killed, evacuating to outer space and shooting missiles from there.

    The animosities held by the dead ones could in fact do that. Mana was the manifestation of will, and one¡¯s will remained and went on even after their death.

    What didn¡¯t make sense was what came after that. How did someone¡¯s hostility end up in the Non-providential World? Or in other words, how were those guys that died in China and Japan shooting missiles from outer space?

    It would be impossible for the current Yu Jitae even if he used everything in his arsenal.

    Yu Jitae was a human who had followed the regtions of a Providential World to hit the limit of an existence in terms of strength. Existences that are originally from the Non-providential World should have nothing to do with him so they shouldn¡¯t hold any dissatisfaction against him.

    And it was impossible for an existence that originated from the Providential World to do what Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t do.

    Thus, he had to think about all sorts of possibilities in order to understand this paradoxical situation and it took some time for the Regressor to focus back on Bom.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom was looking at Yu Jitae with a vacant gaze.

    Raising his hand, he shook it in front of her eyes. Her eyes remained unfocused as if her soul had left her body.

    Was she looking at Providence? She should be, ording to his prediction.

    By holding his hand, Bom synchronised with his thoughts and emotions. In his head, the Vintage Clock gazed off into the distance of the Providential World and found the Great Hostility there before naming it and regting it.

    The Vintage Clock was able to interfere with Providence. The moment it was regted by the Vintage Clock, the Hostility was included within Providence so theoretically, Bom should immediately be able to see Providence again since she received the emotions and memories from Yu Jitae.

    And his prediction seemed to have been on the mark.

    Her eyes slowly regained its focus and her expression simultaneously turned brighter.

    ¡°Bom. Are you okay?¡±

    She nodded her head. Her smile also turned brighter.

    ¡°So you can see Providence again?¡± he asked.

    This time, she gave a slightly bigger nod. On her lips, there was a lively smile full of joy that was different from the usual, gentle smile.

    ¡°Right. That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    He felt like heaving a sigh of relief. It seemed that everything was back to normal for Bom.

    It waste at night.

    Bom hesitantly opened and closed her mouth several times without saying anything, and fidgeted with the ends of her hair in contemtion.

    She opened her mouth again when the sun started to rise.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°All the things you say and give to me are good, right?¡± Her voice was unusually serious.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Then, even if there are things you don¡¯t tell me, I don¡¯t have to be curious at all, right? Things like why you¡¯re trying to protect us, and why you¡¯re trying hard to make us happy. Because everything is for us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You don¡¯t need to know.¡±

    ¡°Then even if you give us something that looks bad on the outside, there must be a reason behind that right? Like how you suddenly kidnapped me while I was living just fine?¡±

    He had to think for a little before replying to that question.

    ¡°I¡¯ll only be giving you good things, but you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°I thought so.¡± Lowering her head, she murmured to herself, ¡°But I think you can give bad things now¡­¡±

    It was hard to catch the meaning behind her whisper. Bom fidgeted with her fingers and he replied without thinking deeply about it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to think too much about it. During your Amusement, you can be asfortable as you want.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But, ahjussi, I think I also want to lie down now that I¡¯m full.¡±

    When she gazed back up into his eyes, her eyes were slightly nted.

    ¡°You know, if there are only 4 pieces of a very sweet and tasty cake.¡±

    With a rather sorrowful gaze and a low voice, she whispered.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t eat everything, right. There are only 4 pieces and other people need to have some too.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Eating everything is being greedy. A childish greed,¡± she whispered.

    The Regressor felt something strange from her words.

    He didn¡¯t know the shape taken by emotions, but knew how human greed worked and understood what she was trying to express.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know but, I must be a greedy person.¡±

    Perplexity soared within. Despite being far apart, it was more so than when they were close.

    ¡°¡­¡­I want to eat everything by myself.¡±

    Bom wasn¡¯t smiling.

    ***

    ¡®But how can people do everything they want to do? Adults have to hold it in somehow,¡¯ she said before lying back down and he didn¡¯t say anything in response.

    That was the end of their dispatch and the next day, they returned to the dormitory. There was a lot to think about. Both the thing about Great Hostility and Bom¡¯s words weighed on his mind.

    From time to time, he did get that feeling.

    Does she, by any chance, hold a goodwill towards me. An emotion that exceeds the general goodwill between two personas?

    The time they spent together wasn¡¯t short by any means. Even Yu Jitae who was still insensitive to daily lives felt a slight difference between the way Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul treated him and the way Bom treated him.

    But when they returned to the dormitory, Bom was back to beingpletely normal.

    ¡°Hello. Good morning.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Did you sleep well?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Being on his side and taking care of the kids. Keeping the boundary between him and suggesting new things everytime. Sometimes teasing andughing after gaining Providence back. She was the same as always.

    So as time passed, he was able to let go of some of theplex worries he had regarding Bom. He already had a lot of things to do aside from that.

 Chapter 165: Socks and a Cap (1)

    <h4>Chapter 165: Socks and a Cap (1)</h4>

    ¡°Uwah. Shedding. Shedding skin!¡±

    ¡°Oi, Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Unni! Our Gyeoul is going to shed skin! Uaaaah¡­!¡±

    ¡°Everyone knows that. Just shut your mouth for a bit. Her ears are really sensitive right now!¡±

    ¡°Hupp¡­!¡±

    Kaeul blocked her own mouth in surprise. Soon, Gyeoul opened her eyes with the frown still on her face and turned towards Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­Yeorum-unni.¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Shh.¡±

    It was a joke. Gyeoul giggled and Yeorum looked like she was about to burst out in anger while Kaeulughed silently under her breath.

    ¡°Are you okay, Gyeoul?¡± asked Bom as she carefully caressed Gyeoul¡¯s hair.

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    Gyeoul meekly returned a nod but her forehead drenched in sweat seemed to be saying otherwise.

    Hatchlings became true dragons as they turned into an adult.

    ording to Bom, the third and fourth skin-shedding processes that were held when they were around 100 years old wouldn¡¯t hurt or make them sensitive. However, Gyeoul was a baby who was just turning 1 and it required a lot of caution when hatchlings of her age were shedding skin.

    ¡°First, you guys get away from Gyeoul.¡±

    Yu Jitae pushed the kids away with his body. ¡°Ohh right!¡± Kaeul hurriedly distanced herself after realising something.

    In the end, they belonged to a different race.

    The mana given off by other races wouldn¡¯t lead to a positive influence to hatchlings that were sensitive before shedding their skin. And simrly, Lair with its high altitude and a possible influence from all sorts of mana was not a suitable ce to shed skin.

    Once the actual process began, Yu Jitae had to travel to a very distant ce with Gyeoul. Environment-wise, something that resembled a blue dragon¡¯s nest would be the best, like for example, near the icebergs of Greend.

    So as soon as he heard Gyeoul mention that her heart was tingly, he had ordered his clone to prepare a location near that ce that was suitable for Gyeoul.

    ¡°Gyeoul. It¡¯s nothing scary! Nn? Okay?¡±

    Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul who were a few steps away from her started rambling about her situation.

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Even if your body hurts slightly and your heart bes hot, do not be scared! It¡¯s all for your growth! It¡¯s nothing dangerous!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. It doesn¡¯t hurt that much,¡± said Yeorum.

    ¡°What are you saying! It does hurt right? Maybe you don¡¯t know pain, unni, but I almost cried myself to deat¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Ahht, ooops¡­¡±

    As soon as Yeorum gave a sideway re at Kaeul, the babbling baby chicken shut her own mouth. Gyeoul appeared calm despite hearing all that.

    ¡°Yu Gyeoul. At least you¡¯re better off. Your guardian¡¯s taking care of everything. He got the location covered. He¡¯s protecting and worrying for you. That¡¯s more than enough, you know that?¡±

    Yeorum crossed her arms and grumbled.

    ¡°When I was your age, when I was trembling naked to shed skin, I had to watch the bi*ch from my race that was born first drooling, saying that it would be the best chance to eat me then.¡±

    ¡°Ehhng? Really? That¡¯s too much!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s only that b*tch that gets all the love and none of the adults care about it anyway. It¡¯s one thing for my body to be in pain but my mood? It was fuc*inn~ amazing. But look at me now?¡±

    She poked her cheeks with her fingers and gathered her breasts with her two hands, before cing her hands on her waist.

    ¡°How beautiful am I? A bi*ch like me did it, so it should be easier for a ck-hearted baby like you. In other words, shedding skin is nothing. Everyone does it, so just get it over and done with.¡±

    It was hard to tell whether she was swearing or encouraging her. After slightly pondering on the meaning behind those words, Gyeoul determined that she was swearing and scoffed.

    ¡°Aoo~ This little b*tch is not cute at all.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡±

    Kaeul appeared discontent with Yeorum¡¯s encouragement.

    ¡°No unni¡­! You can¡¯t make it sound so easy¡­!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You have to be more realistic about it or she would be surprised when it actually happens right? Gyeoul. Listen carefully. There are several stages when you¡¯re shedding skin! Firstly, your polymorph will be undone by itself, and next, your heart will slowly stop beating. And then scales appear above your skin and separates the previous ones and, uwahh¡­ this part really, really hurts like crazy okay?!¡±

    Her eyes slowly began to widen.

    ¡°After that is really really painful! When your new skin hits the air, it feels like you¡¯re getting pricked by needles! Your heart will also feel as if there¡¯s a needle moving inside it¡­! It feels like it¡¯s getting shed into pieces. Haa¡­! So it might feel like you¡¯re dying but if you bear with it¡­!¡±

    m!

    Kaeul was pped on the back of her head, and red at Yeorum.

    ¡°Stop there you retard.¡±

    She was immersed in her exnation to the point that her eyes were teary.

    ¡°Huhh! Whyy! We need to tell her everything honestly so that she can prepare herself!¡±

    ¡°How is that honest? You¡¯re just scaring her!¡±

    ¡°No!?¡±

    The two quarrelled as Gyeoul shook her head as if they were too childish. Meanwhile, Bom crouched down and looked into the eyes of the child.

    ¡°Little Gyeoul.¡±

    The blue pair of eyes turned and reached Bom.

    The time she spent ying in the human world. Here, Gyeoul woke up in the morning and saw Bom, and also slept at night with Bom.

    ¡°My baby.¡±

    Despite both of them being babies from a dragon¡¯s perspective, Bom said that in a joking manner and Gyeoul returned a natural smile.

    ¡°Our little Gyeoul will no longer be a baby then?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be more of an adult.¡±

    ¡°¡­Adult?¡­Me?¡±

    Gyeoul imagined something after hearing her words and widened her eyes with intrigue. ¡°Rather than an adult, probably around 10¡±, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want to be an adult, she might stay a child!¡± added Yeorum and Kaeul.

    ¡°Then you will be able to do everything you¡¯ve ever wanted, including things you couldn¡¯t do because you were too young.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Nn. So try to bear with it for a bit, and let¡¯s ovee it. Okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    ¡°When it¡¯s all done, your unni will give you a gift.¡±

    ¡°¡­A gift?¡±

    Bom stealthily approached her and whispered into her ears. After hearing that, Gyeoul turned towards Yu Jitae with a foolish, wide smile on her face.

    What were they talking about?

    ¡°Gyeoul! Aren¡¯t you scared!?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Wahh. I was super scared though¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s better than you, you monkey,¡± added Yeorum.

    ¡°What? So you¡¯re saying you weren¡¯t scared unni?¡±

    ¡°Of course I wasn¡¯t.¡±

    After saying that, Yeorum tucked her hair behind her ear.

    ¡°But well, my hands did shake a little.¡±

    Gyeoul, on the other hand, looked strangely mature. She threw her two hands into the air and showed them to Yeorum. Her hands were normal without any signs of quivering.

    ¡°¡­Coward,¡± said Gyeoul before giggling out loud. Yeorum frowned and Kaeul giggled, but received a re and turned around.

    Bom hugged the child. Her hair drenched in sweat was sticking to her cheeks.

    ¡°Umm, well, is there anything you need by any chance?¡±

    ¡°Chirp!¡±

    Meanwhile, the protector who was put in quarantine at the storage with Chirpy for having an aura that was even more disparate than the dragons, spoke through the gap between the door. Gyeoul shook her head so Bom replied in her stead.

    ¡°Can you please close the door?¡±

    Cre¡­ ee¡­ ea.. aak¡­

    The closing door sounded full of regret.

    *

    Then, Bom called Yu Jitae to the terrace.

    ¡°Please bring a cap along as well.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± he asked.

    ¡°She might need it after shedding her skin.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ okay.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll also need a weapon. Something that¡¯s not too loud which also doesn¡¯t affect her mana.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The smell of a weakened dragon¡¯s mana is sweet. Monsters might be attracted to it.¡±

    ¡°Is that because she¡¯s not shedding skin at a dragon¡¯sir?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Thanks.¡±

    That evening, Yu Jitae went to the market and bought a light-blue cap as it would be a great fit for Gyeoul. He also thought about the cold weapon he should bring and decided on a sword.

    Unit 301 waited in harmony for the change to arrive to the child.

    ¡°¡­Uhh.¡±

    As days passed by, her groanssted longer and longer. Her original body tried to grow quickly while the young heart tried to get bigger into its new form.

    Sometimes, growth had to be apanied by pain and that was the state Gyeoul was in right now.

    The Regressor could vividly remember his own self thinking that it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal in the previous iterations. Wiping the beads of sweat travelling down the child¡¯s forehead, he daftly asked.

    ¡°Does it hurt a lot.¡±

    Shake shake.

    ¡°Do you want to go now? Where there¡¯s a lot of ice and water?¡±

    Shake shake.

    ¡°We can go now if it hurts.¡±

    Gyeoul looked into his eyes for a long time before slowly shaking her head.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    In order to minimise whatever that could negatively impact the child, the Regressor kept all his authorities, blessings, status and the likes inside his body. That was why he was able to stay by her side and look after her.

    And Gyeoul, who was smart, knew all that.

    ¡°¡­If we go there, ahjussi will be cold.¡±

    Since he had hidden all the authorities and blessings inside himself, Yu Jitae¡¯s body was no different from a normal person¡¯s as long as he wasn¡¯t attacked.

    ¡°Do you have time to worry about someone else?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get cold.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnn.¡±

    But Gyeoul remained stubborn so the two of them could only leave the house after 3 days. Wearing a thick coat and a vest, Yu Jitae helped Gyeoul wear somethingfortable that could cool down her boiling body.

    Meanwhile, a memory of the past resurfaced.

    The time when the child stopped her own heart and closed her water-coloured pair of eyes.

    When the ceiling broke down in the undergroundbyrinth and revealed the sky.

    ***

    After the end of the 5th iteration, until the start of the 6th iteration.

    Yu Jitae repeatedly went to other dimensions to kill their sovereigns, and killed himself. Dozens of iterations were thrown away like that and in the sixth iteration, it was time to set foot on the [Demon World] which was the most dangerous world from those that were being ruled by sovereigns.

    ¨C From now on, you guys must stay here.

    Since he didn¡¯t want to dy it any longer, he kidnapped all the dragons and locked them up in the undergroundbyrinth.

    ¨C One day, you¡¯ll gain freedom.

    ¨C So until the future I¡¯ve preparedes,

    ¨C You can¡¯t leave this ce,

    ¨C And you must behave.

    The hatchlings trembled with fear.

    ¨C Don¡¯t you dare try to negotiate with me.

    ¨C You¡¯ll get hurt if you¡¯re cocky.

    Back then, he was violent and oppressive. Looking back at his life, his existence was no different from cmity itself to others.

    It didn¡¯t matter even if a war broke out, since there wasn¡¯t any daily life that had to be protected and so the Regressor killed the demons non-stop. Even when wars broke out because of that and 30% of humanity died, he didn¡¯t stop.

    Unprecedented power and fear shall change the world.

    And that will surely end the curse of regression.

    The end of that firm belief was waiting for him. He thus had to make himself even busier and radically build more strength.

    That was what he thought back then and thus, he didn¡¯t visit the undergroundbyrinth that often.

    ¨C ¡­¡­

    When he did go to the undergroundbyrinth to observe the baby dragons, it was always the Blue Dragon who changed the most.

    The Blue Dragon whom he first saw as an egg looked like a 3-year-old child when he realised it and the next time he saw it, it had shed its skin and had be an adult.

    Since dragons grow as much as they wish for, it seemed that the Blue Dragon back then had sincerely desired to be an adult. He didn¡¯t know why because the Blue Dragon never exined it, but it was probably because of the [Revtion].

    Was it also because of the revtion?

    While the Green Dragon requested something from him, the Blue Dragon requested to apany him. But there was no reason for him to listen to that request.

    ¨C ¡­Please let me go out.

    ¨C ¡­You¡¯ll need me.

    He refused over and over again.

    ¨C ¡­Do you think I¡¯m doing this because I like you?

    ¨C ¡­But, you can¡¯t live like that.

    Crying quietly, the Blue Dragon blocked the door until he left every time. He was already angry because of the Green Dragon which requested repeatedly for this and that.

    And on the day before he went over to the Demon World, the Blue Dragon somehow guessed it or something, and vehemently stopped him from leaving.

    By blocking and pushing him even.

    ¨C Oi.

    ¨C Who do you think you are.

    After being held by the neck, the Blue Dragon was unable to fight back and crashed into the wall. Staring at the blue eyes, Yu Jitae gave a firm warning.

    ¨C Don¡¯t you dare act up.

    ¨C Unless you want to die.

    Since then, the Blue Dragon did not cry. With neither resentment, sorrow nor fear, the Blue Dragon watched the man leave thebyrinth with a hazy gaze.

    It probably waited for him toe back.

    After waiting for a day, it would have thought something.

    After waiting for a month, it probably tried something judging from the bloodstains that filled thebyrinth.

    After waiting for 1 year, 5 years and 10 years.

    When the fake sense of happiness injected by the paradise was starting to be pushed away from her head.

    The long, long wait would¡¯ve met its end.

    The Blue Dragon stopped its own heart and died. That was just 1 year ago, at the end of the sixth iteration.

    *

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Inside a dark cave of ice.

    Gyeoul, who was lying down, was unable to bear with the pain anymore and started crying. The mature look on her face was long gone and the eyes dropping teardrops were full of anxiety.

    The child was extremely scared of the change that was toe.

    ¡°¡­Please, hug me.¡±

    He hugged the child and felt the trembling of the small body.

    Then, for a split second, the memories of a not-so-distant past shed across his head. He himself couldn¡¯t believe it, but he was slightly regretting it.

    What wrong did the child ever do. She was so uneasy. Why couldn¡¯t I treat her a bit better. Why couldn¡¯t I be a bit nicer to her.

    ¡°¡­Will you, stay here, forever?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±

    Why couldn¡¯t I stay with her a bit more.

 Chapter 166: Socks and a Cap (2)

    <h4>Chapter 166: Socks and a Cap (2)</h4>

    But the Regressor quickly dropped the line of thought. What was the damn regret for. The memory of the previous iteration had already passed, and what had already gone past couldn¡¯t be changed. Lingering on something that couldn¡¯t be changed was a foolish thing to do.

    Perhaps he was just dissatisfied with the emotion called regret since regret was something that went against his life.

    He was a human that should never regret.

    Was there meaning in apologising to a person after killing their family member? Was it justifiable by calling it a revenge? Does regretting murdering someone bring the dead back to life? To such questions, the Regressor could give a firm no as the answer.

    Sin was in itself a sin in full. Anything that started with, ¡®It¡¯s because I¡­¡¯ were all prefixes that tried to justify and decorate sin.

    At least that was what he thought. There was no need to justify himself so he didn¡¯t need to linger on the topic either.

    And yet after everything he¡¯s done, some meagre emotion was daring to rear its damn head and shake the history he built up from its core.

    Regret was an iplete emotion.

    If he were to regret and linger on something, he shouldn¡¯t have done such things from the start. And after doing it, regretting and asking for forgiveness were underhanded and pathetic.

    The moment destiny called him and made him let go of the thought that it was unfair, he had be a sinner. He had to admit that sin was ugly and had to remain a sinner until the day his life came to an end.

    Therefore, he stopped thinking about what couldn¡¯t be changed and focused on what could be changed.

    In front of him was Gyeoul in his arms.

    And she was trying to calm down her tears in his arms.

    Even if it was just a gesture originating from some hypocrisy, he wished for the child to not cry and to not be in pain. Remembering what he learned from Bom, he tapped Gyeoul on the back at a low and soft pace.

    Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­

    Then slowly, the unstable heart of the child began settling itself. Although it wasn¡¯t because of him tapping on her back, he somehow timed it perfectly.

    Gyeoul lifted her head away from his shoulder and vacantly stared at his face like a child who saw magic for the first time in her life.

    ¡°Are you okay now?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After giving a nod, the child suddenly spotted flushes on Yu Jitae¡¯s face. Reddened cheeks were things that were normally impossible to see from him.

    Only then did she realise that they were inside a cave of ice. Like a house built up from scraped frost, cold wind blew from all sides.

    Despite dropping beads of sweat, Gyeoul ced her tiny hand on his cheek. His cheek which always stayed at room temperature was unfamiliarly cold, while the red areas were strangely warm.

    Worry reced the sorrow on the child¡¯s face.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But his breath created a white mist visible to her eyes. Worried, Gyeoul carefully lifted her head and matched her cheek with his.

    For him, the child¡¯s cheek felt strange today.

    The warmth being sent directly from the skin, felt strange.

    *

    He checked the time with the pocket watch. Around 2 hours after she stopped crying, the child appeared to have calmed down and was breathing stably.

    ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t hurt,¡± she said with a smile on her face. However, her eyes were in a frown and thus there was no persuasiveness behind her words.

    Yu Jitae quietly sat down and waited for the time toe. The two of them remained silent for some time.

    ¡°¡­Uhh.¡±

    Before long, the pain started again from the heart as she gave a frown.

    Yu Jitae knew a lot about shedding skin after hearing the details from Bom. The pain Gyeoul was feeling right now was due to the dragon heart forcibly turning itself to increase in size.

    This had to finish sessfully, in order for her to finally start actually shedding skin.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Tears like marbles appeared in her eyes and continued dropping one by one.

    He couldn¡¯t empathise with her pain as he himself had never experienced such a thing, so although the head resting on his arm was trembling, he had no idea what to do.

    That in turn created a strange sense of urgentness in his emotions. Something simr to irritation alongside a mysterious emotion suffocated him in a corner of his heart.

    ¡°¡­Uh.¡±

    Her small hand twitched without a ce to go. She seemed to be asking for something to grip so he gave her his finger and she grabbed it.

    From time to time, her tiny hand tightened its grip and drops of tear dropped from her eyes every time that happened. With that, Yu Jitae was able to clearly know when the child was in pain.

    The urgent and suffocating feeling slightly increased in magnitude.

    The child was in more and more pain. At the start, she simply cried butter couldn¡¯t stop herself from letting out groans. She vomited out half-groans that couldn¡¯t even finish itself, and sometimes wept softly.

    10 hours passed in pain.

    Yu Jitae felt his fingers and toes freezing from the cold but those weren¡¯t the things that were ringing his heart.

    It would be better if he could do something but there was nothing he knew that could make a child feel less pain. The Regressorcked wisdom that could help him look after someone.

    Even then, he pondered and finally remembered Yeorum¡¯s voice that forced out a joke whenever she was in pain.

    But he didn¡¯t know any jokes.

    He didn¡¯t know how to expand on enjoyable topics.

    He felt more stifled at heart.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    It was an impulse that caused him to open his mouth.

    A teary pair of eyes gazed up at him.

    ¡°If, say, there is a joke you¡¯d like, so, what I¡¯m trying to say is¡­¡±

    He had to say something without knowing what to say and his words were thus jumbled.

    The joke was a failure. Right when he was about to stop his mouth from saying the rest of the words, he was met with an unexpected response.

    She seemed to have enjoyed seeing Yu Jitae mumbling for words and smiled.

    Her hand that was grabbing his finger loosened slightly. It might just be a coincidence but taking it in as a positive signal, Yu Jitae decided to speak to her a bit more.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say you and I had to be far apart.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    The hypothesis alone caused the child to feel uneasy.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a what-if story. A what-if.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll try to follow me, won¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°¡­What about, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to go together as well. But if we do have to be far apart, why do you think you would try to follow me.¡±

    What was the 6th iteration¡¯s Gyeoul thinking when she wanted to follow him. Back then, his rtionship with her wasn¡¯t as good as now.

    She shook her head. It was hard to tell whether she didn¡¯t know or didn¡¯t want to reply.

    ¡°¡­Is ahjussi, a good person?¡± She suddenly asked and he shook his head. ¡°¡­That¡¯s, not good,¡± she added.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­It would be good, if you were a good person.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    When he stopped his words, she asked.

    ¡°¡­Can you be, a good person?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°¡­Even if, I ask you to?¡±

    ¡°What kind of person is a good person,¡± he asked.

    ¡°¡­Someone, that picks up rubbish?¡±

    ¡°I could do that much then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Someone that feeds cats?¡±

    ¡°I can do that too. And what else.¡±

    ¡°¡­Someone, that doesn¡¯t get angry?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. You have to get angry when you¡¯re upset.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Or else, people won¡¯t know that you¡¯re angry.¡±

    ¡°¡­Still.¡±

    ¡°Still?¡±

    ¡°¡­Someone, that gets less angry.¡±

    For some reason, her eyes turned into a slight re after saying that. The Regressor didn¡¯t know why she was saying this, but it felt like he had to say yes in return.

    ¡°Alright. I got it.¡±

    ¡°¡­And,¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more?¡±

    ¡°¡­Someone, that ys with me.¡±

    He understood what this was. She was stealthily adding her own wants.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that already make me a good person then?¡± he asked.

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°I y with you already.¡±

    ¡°¡­A lot¡­ Someone that ys with me a lot.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Got it.¡±

    Gyeoul¡¯s hand was quite loose now and fortunately, it seemed that the conversation did make her a lot better. In that case, he had to say something again to sustain the conversation.

    ¡°Did you.¡±

    Random words left his mouth.

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Did you want to be an adult?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnnn.¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Because, I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡°Why. Do you think it¡¯s tiring for your unnis to go to school in the morning?¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head in response, saying that that wasn¡¯t what she was concerned about. A different concern and worry irrelevant to the pain was hanging in her eyes.

    What was she scared of then. Yu Jitae stopped his words and waited for the child to continue.

    ¡°¡­If, I change,¡±

    She opened her mouth after deep contemtion.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi,¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­You won¡¯t, hate me, right.¡±

    The blue gaze that was staring at only him until then, slowly avoided his eyes.

    ¡°¡­If you, hate me because I¡¯m bigger¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That won¡¯t happen.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You just have to be healthy.¡±

    The uneasiness finally disappeared from her eyes.

    ¡°So stop worrying about something unnecessary and focus on yourself now.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡±

    After saying that, he realised that his sentence was something that put a stop to a conversation. But since that was how he always conversed, he wasn¡¯t good at having long conversations with the kids.

    ¡°¡­Good girl.¡±

    So when Gyeoul copied his words for no reason, he thought about how he could sustain the conversation and came up with a solution.

    ¡°Ladybug*.¡±

    Her eyes that were about to close themselves, opened back up.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Good girl. Ends with L¡­ so, Ladybug.¡±

    Gyeoul finally understood what Yu Jitae was saying and smiled exhaustedly.

    ¡°¡­Gori.¡±

    ¡°Anaconda.¡±

    ¡°¡­Anaconda.¡±

    ¡°I already did it. Anaconda.¡±

    ¡°¡­Anaconda.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Hihi.¡±

    ¡°Asteroid.¡±

    ¡°¡­Doonga Doonga.¡±

    ¡°Antelope.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s, dat?¡±

    ¡°Animals. They¡¯re like deer.¡±

    ¡°¡­What sound, do they make?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Probably like, bleat bleat.¡±

    Gyeoul giggled.

    ¡°¡­Echidna.¡±

    ¡°What? Ah, aerosol.¡±

    ¡°¡­.What¡¯s, dat?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ladybug.¡±

    ¡°Gori.¡±

    They once again returned to anaconda, doonga doonga and the likes. While Gyeoul was thinking of a word that started with ¡®g¡¯, she suddenly gave a bright smile.

    ¡°¡­Gummies.¡±

    And just like that, Yu Jitae and the child¡¯s purposeless ¡®shiritori¡¯ continued without an end, and Gyeoul often giggled andughed for no reason.

    It seemed quite decent. Although she often felt the pain flooding in again, Gyeoul would be thinking of the word to say and didn¡¯t cry any longer.

    The thought that it would¡¯ve been better if he knew this beforehand sparked in his head before quickly vanishing again.

    Finally, the heart slowly stopped its expansion and the dragon heart slowly entered a hibernation state.

    Soon, Gyeoul lost consciousness as blue mana wrapped around her body and made it increase in size.

    The polymorph was undone.

    In therge underground cave that reached 10 metres in height, the blue hatchling revealed itself. A small horn. A reptile¡¯s head. Blue scales and aparatively white stomach. Large wings and a tail.

    It was Gyeoul¡¯s true form, which he was seeing for the first time.

    Before long, mana started flourishing out in all four directions and created moisture around her body before freezing itself into a solid state.

    She looked like arge crystal.

    The blue dragon that was 6-metres tall was put inside the transparent crystal of ice. And inside, the dragon¡¯s scales started being lifted up. The skin was slightly uplifted, as a faint bit of blood oozed out and painted a small portion of the water inside the ice in red. The uplifted scales scattered into pieces and turned into mana.

    It was finally time for her to truly shed her skin.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He nkly went and stood in front of the ice crystal.

    Dragons never died or became crippled while shedding skin, so Bom mentioned that everything would be fine as long as she entered this process.

    However, he was still sensitive.

    Gyeoul crying in pain was still vivid before his eyes. Forgetting the fact that his fingertips were freezing and turning ck due to a severe frostbite, he sat down in front of therge crystal and watched the process.

    Seeing the blood leave her body made him even more sensitive.

    It would never happen but if something went wrong in the slightest during the process of her shedding skin,

    He felt like he would be extremely irritated.

    *

    The unregted mana of a blue dragon travelled on its own ord and scattered above the icy mountains.

    Mana was a manifestation of will. Like the scent of a toothless tiger¡¯s blood, Gyeoul¡¯s mana stimted the predators nearby.

    Something wriggled beneath the surface of the water as several heads soon popped out from underwater.

    Towards the sweet scent which they had never smelled before in their lives, they began moving their feet.

 Chapter 167: Socks and a Cap (3)

    <h4>Chapter 167: Socks and a Cap (3)</h4>

    Greend.

    In the snowy icy mountains. In the depths where humans did not visit,

    Inside therge, transparent crystal of ice.

    A dominant monster wriggled its body.

    The hatchling¡¯s arm, as big as Yu Jitae¡¯s upper body, twitched in an attempt to shake its old scales away.

    The small cornea covering its eyeballs lifted itself as the hatchling powerlessly opened and rolled its eyes across. Matching its movement, a portion of the outer film dropped, and dropped, before revealing the new cover formed behind it.

    It¡¯s horn and scales that should be rock solid weren¡¯t tough in the slightest and were instead feeble and fragile. The water flowing inside the crystal of ice caused the scales to flutter like leaves.

    Watching this made it all the more evident that therge dominant beast in front of his eyes was nothing but a weak organism less than a year old. The films covering the body refusing to let go despite the zealous wriggles, and made the onlooker pity the young animal.

    Only if he could run up and remove them himself, it would put him at ease, but she had to ovee this herself. Not all growth required pain at its basis but some growth had to be apanied by pain.

    By getting rid of the previous scales, Gyeoul would inspect her new physical body, joints and the soft scales herself. The process wasn¡¯t something he could involve himself in.

    Various thoughts resurfaced in his head.

    What was leading the Blue Dragon¡¯s life forward.

    Why did the blue-haired girl block his way.

    What caused the girl to die.

    Breathing out a white mist inside the cold cave, Yu Jitae continued his line of thought.

    ¨C ¡­You¡¯ll need me.

    The Blue Dragon requested to apany him.

    ¨C ¡­Do you think I¡¯m doing this because I like you?

    That request of hers, was made despite hating him.

    ¨C ¡­But, you can¡¯t live like that.

    What was there to gain by bothering to interfere with the life of someone she hated. That Blue Dragon was no longer in this world, so he had no-one that could answer his query.

    Suddenly, the Regressor remembered what the child said just then.

    ¨C ¡­Is ahjussi, a good person?

    When he said no, the child became sad.

    ¨C ¡­That¡¯s, not good

    ¨C ¡­It would be good, if you were a good person.

    Then who would be a good person.

    To that question, Gyeoul replied as such. Someone that picks up rubbish; someone that feeds cats; someone that ys with her and¡­

    Kung¡ª

    His thoughts were forced to a stop.

    Something shook the ground. It wasn¡¯t a weak vibration by all means and the aftershock caused the icy frost hanging on the walls of the cave to scatter.

    Kung¡ª

    When something heavy struck the icy mountains once again, Yu Jitae expanded the senses he had hidden for a split second and checked what was outside.

    A humanoid monster reaching 3 metres in height jumped up and down with its two hands resembling iron hammers and struck the mountain as itnded.

    Kung¡ª

    At that moment, the entrance of the ice cave which he had sealed trembled as fragments of ice rolled down. Small cracks appeared on the cave walls and as soon as a dirty handful of mana sneaked past the entrance he sealed,

    The man, who was as sensitive as a human could be due to watching Gyeoul shed skin for over 30 hours, flipped.

    Next to him was the longsword he brought following Bom¡¯s advice. Taking the sword, he immediately turned around.

    After entering the ice crystal, the Blue Dragon should be almostpletely safe from physical threats. So all he had to do, was remove the source of that dirty mana.

    For a second, a doubt appeared in his mind.

    By nature, monsters living in the ocean were more dangerous than those living in thend. Fissures that appeared underwater were outside the observable range of humans while a fair bit of monsters died in pain straight after leaving the fissure.

    Those that could survive had to deal with the underwater pressure and be able to breathe underwater. At the same time, they must be able to survive against other strong monsters who could simrly leave the fissure alive.

    And there was no way that Yu Jitae, who clearly knew all that, didn¡¯t do anything in preparation.

    The moment he heard from Gyeoul that her heart was tingly, he sent the clone to annihte all the monsters in the nearby territories. So why was it, that two underwater devils were rampaging about outside?

    His thoughts ended there.

    After leaving the cave, Yu Jitae ran above the snowy mountains. His limbs cried out in pain.

    The skin on his hand holding the sword cracked from a long frostbite and bled. Reddish-ck blood dripped down as a stinging pain ripped his hand but he didn¡¯t care.

    Even with the authorities and blessings turned off, bashing a few monsters to death couldn¡¯t even be considered a task and besides, he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. Whatever they were, he wasn¡¯t going to let them die easily.

    Soon, he saw monsters approaching in the distance.

    [Underwater Devils]

    Each was around 3 metres tall. They were suited for active movements underwater and short, white furs were covering their bluish-ck skin.

    The bodies of underwater devils changed ording to their environment. Since this ce was cold, they looked like yetis and their fat had developed in order to deal with the cold.

    One of them was male while the other was a female. Both of their bodies were thick like spheres and their stomachs were protruding out like mountains while their fists were as big as hammers.

    He had killed his presence to the limit so the two underwater devils in fact didn¡¯t spot Yu Jitae although he was near them.

    Before long, one of them jumped high. It was trying to shake the ground and destroy any underground caves in order to hunt easily.

    Their objective was probably to devour the target that was giving off this sweet scent. However, the male monster that jumped high couldn¡¯t swing its fists down because Yu Jitae dashed forward and stabbed the female monster¡¯s throat with his sword.

    A cold de pushed through the stiff muscles. Blue blood shot up like a fountain.

    ¡°Guuuoook!¡±

    The female underwater devil screamed.

    The sword without neither mana, ability nor killing intent wasn¡¯t deep enough. He kicked off the chest and took out his sword.

    The male monster quickly came back and swung itsrge hammer-like fists left and right. The sound of its fists crashing through the air proved the weight behind them.

    Since the male monster had already smacked the ground a few times, the mountain had already sunk a little. The area they were in was like a hole with cial walls covering the sides in a nted angle, resembling an antlion trap. Whenever the male monster swung its fists, the walls exploded like tofu.

    But it served no threat since it couldn¡¯t hit him. Yu Jitae dodged the attacks easily and attacked its eyes which weren¡¯t as tough as its body.

    Stab.

    One stab caused the left eye to explode.

    Stab.

    And another stab exploded the right eye.

    Meanwhile, the female monster spread its arms wide and tried to grab him but Yu Jitae dodged it by lowering his body. His frozen limbs screamed but he knew that his movements weren¡¯t affected and thus didn¡¯t care about the frightening pain.

    After missing him, the female monster re-stabilised itself and ran in yet again. He waited for the right timing and shed through its body as hard as he could. From the corbone all the way to the chest and the wide stomach. As the de ripped through its skin, the fat opened up like a busted balloon.

    The blue blood of the monster gushed out and wet his body.

    He cursorily wiped his eyes and approached the frantically struggling female monster and pushed the de through its neck.

    ¡°Guuwoak! Gwoaak!!¡±

    The female monster opened its mouth. Saying, ¡®Help me, help me.¡¯

    He could understand the monster¡¯s words with [Fallen Babel (S)], but he didn¡¯t stop.

    Then, the male monster who was floundering its arms around after losing its vision heard the female¡¯s scream and discovered where he was. It screamed. The scream enlivened its own courage and anger.

    ¡°Gururarararara¡ª¡­!¡±

    But the roar couldn¡¯t continue for long as Yu Jitae¡¯s longsword was in its throat.

    Therge body fell and it¡¯s head crashed into the sloped cial walls. The wall broke while blue blood sttered.

    He stabbed the male monster¡¯s eye sockets.

    He stabbed over and over again.

    Without a word nor thought, simply wondering when this animal¡¯s life was going to end. No matter how strong its physical body was, it didn¡¯t take long for the de to enter through the eye socket and rip the brain into pieces. Something dirty oozed out from the underwater devil¡¯s eyes.

    While that was happening, the female underwater devil hurriedly started to escape while struggling on all fours. It seemed to think that it could survive after going into the water.

    Yu Jitae jumped in one step and shed at the ankle of the escaping monster. It¡¯s muscr and skeletal structures were simr to a human¡¯s, and so one of the feet of the female monster separated from its body alongside the achilles¡¯ tendon.

    He was about to strike the other foot as well but the female monster quickly turned its body and blocked the strike with its calves. Its muscles and bones were tough and the de had a hard time going through.

    Thus, Yu Jitae pierced the sword in between the legs of the female monster. The stab that attacked its vital spot caused the monster to have a fit in fright.

    It couldn¡¯t turn around anymore so he ripped the remaining achilles¡¯ tendon on top. And in order to end the life of the monster that wouldn¡¯t survive for much, he headed towards its head.

    ¡°Gururak! Gurararakk¡ª¨C!!¡±

    The female monster let out a scream and Yu Jitae understood what it meant.

    He looked away from the female monster. His movements that were like that of a beast until then regained itsposure. With a rxed gaze, he observed the surroundings and looked for something.

    He did find it strange for a bit.

    Why was there another predator inside the territory that had beenpletely tidied up? They were probably predators that were chased away from a nearby area, and would have been starving.

    And with all that considered, the female monster said:

    ¡®Run.¡¯

    His apathetic gaze followed the direction of the voice and observed the other side of the snowy hill in detail. It was hard to see due to their protective colouration so he used a little bit of mana to support his vision for a bit.

    Since there was a male and a female.

    There would naturally be a cub as well.

    But he wasn¡¯t going to let it off just because it was a cub.

    There it is.

    Leaving behind the female monster who couldn¡¯t run after losing its legs, Yu Jitae moved his feet.

    That was when the monster grabbed his legs. Despite losing a whole heap of blood and having close to no power left, it was desperate. Thus, Yu Jitae stepped on its head near the eyes until they exploded.

    Turning around, he started running towards the cub. The female monster twitched and crawled with its two arms but Yu Jitae crossed fifty metres with one step and was already far from it.

    He closed in towards the cub, frozen stiff with only its head popping out from underwater. This young humanoid monster was stiffened after seeing its parents die in front of its eyes and was therefore slow.

    When it finally came to its senses and tried to go underwater, it was already toote. Yu Jitae grabbed it by the head with a tight grip. It was hard to grip because of its short fur, so he raised his sharp nails and grabbed the skin behind its head. The skin ripped and formed a great handle.

    He lifted it up with sheer force. The small underwater devil that didn¡¯t even reach a metre in height was revealed above the snow.

    As long as he killed this, there would no longer be any dirty mana affecting her. Assuring himself, he pushed the sword forward in front of the cub¡¯s eyes. In fright, the baby forgot how to fight back and lowered its head and closed its eyes.

    Right before the de stabbed above its eyebrows,

    From within the business shirt which opened up after losing its top three buttons due to the heated fight, a blue ne snapped and fell above the baby underwater devil¡¯s head.

    He stopped.

    The reddish-ck blood oozing out from his dry and cracked skin travelled down the ck, dead tissues of his hand and dripped.

    After stopping his body, his brain started to move.

    The ne was made by weaving Gyeoul¡¯s hair and scales and was something he received for his birthday. Thinking about it now, since the excess scales and hair that belonged to her body before shedding skin were turning back to mana, it was rather obvious for the ne to snap any time soon. That wasn¡¯t the reason Yu Jitae stopped his hand.

    It was just that, right before his irritation and sensitivity made him kill the cub after its parents, Yu Jitae suddenly found the conversation he had with Gyeoul revisiting his head.

    What kind of person is a good person?

    To his question, Gyeoul replied. Someone that picks up rubbish, someone that feeds cats, someone that ys with her.

    And,

    ¨C ¡­Someone, that doesn¡¯t get angry?

    Dunno. You have to get angry when you¡¯re upset. Or else, people won¡¯t know that you¡¯re angry.

    Gyeoul shook her head.

    ¨C ¡­Still,

    ¨C ¡­Someone, that gets less angry.

    The Regressor lowered his sword.

 Chapter 168: Socks and a Cap (4)

    <h4>Chapter 168: Socks and a Cap (4)</h4>

    He always followed his mood or swung the sword when necessary. Now that he lowered it, a concern that he never had before appeared in his mind.

    Yu Jitae stared at the young underwater devil looking at him whilst trembling.

    ¨C ¡­It would be good, if you were a good person.

    Gyeoul¡¯s voice touched his ears. If there was a guy who followed Gyeoul¡¯s standard of being a ¡®good person¡¯, what would that guy do in a situation like this.

    Would he let it go?

    No. If ¡®that guy¡¯ was a superhuman, he wouldn¡¯t. In the end, monsters were the enemies of humanity and would decapitate humans after their growth.

    Would he cripple it and let it go?

    That was a half-assed thought. Humanoid monsters were all weak when young and depended a lot on their parents. Since its parents were already dead, it would soon die no matter what. Unless one was to simply lessen their own sense of guilt by making someone else the killer, there was no reason to cripple it so a guy that made a decision like that shouldn¡¯t be a ¡®good person¡¯.

    The baby monster trembled with fear and looked at him.

    ¡°Guruk¡­ gururuk¡­¡±

    It was saying, ¡®Mommy, mommy¡­¡¯

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He remained silent.

    It was snowing from quite some time ago, and even his arm that was holding the monster was starting to build up snow.

    What would a ¡®good person¡¯ do.

    What would have been a ¡®good method¡¯¡­

    If it was simply picking up rubbish and feeding cats, it would have been easy but this was different.

    Yu Jitae, who couldn¡¯t be a good person, didn¡¯t know what a good person¡¯s method was no matter how much he contemted.

    He pondered.

    And pondered.

    Before finally letting go of the monster¡¯s neck.

    He couldn¡¯t find the answer so he had no choice but to do whatever method he could use. Yu Jitae heaved a sigh.

    With his right hand, he raised the sword again and with his left, he covered the monster¡¯s eyes.

    The frightened baby monster remained still while he pointed the sword at its throat.

    Since its eyes were closed, the baby monster with its limited intelligence wouldn¡¯t be able to tell what was happening.

    After everything was over, the baby monster closed its eyes.

    And didn¡¯t move again.

    Gyeoul almost finished shedding her skin. All the old shells like the scales, horn, nails and the cornea turned into mana. So far it was the same as what he saw before leaving the cave.

    But now, there was something else that caught his attention.

    As the old skin near the chest of the dragon was opening up, something white was emanating light from behind the scales that were especially thick and tough.

    There were two sources of light.

    Therge one was the dragon heart that sustained Gyeoul¡¯s life and the smaller one sticking right next to therge light source was ¡®Fragment of the Ancient One¡¯, also called the ¡®Origin Fragment¡¯.

    [Ancient One]

    It was the trantion of Askalifa¡¯s word for ¡®Existence of Origin¡¯, and referred to a green dragon in the distant past who was also the first dragon to ever exist.

    It must have been great, and powerful, more so than the current Yu Jitae. Since they were from different species, it would have had more ess to authorities unlike the Regressor who was stuck in the boundaries of a human being.

    Because it was so great, despite eons having passed ever since the death of the Ancient One, its fragments remained and passed down in the hearts of the dragons.

    If the hatchlings died or their Amusement came to an end, that fragment would jump over the boundaries of dimension and send data rted to the hatchlings to Askalifa.

    The Regressor remembered the distant past.

    At one point in time, he thought that was the cause of everything.

    After the end of the 4th iteration, the Regressor went through countless, numberless iterations. There was a time when he tried to forcibly remove that from a dragon¡¯s heart and there was also a time when he tried to open a tunnel going through dimensions with the fragment.

    In the end, it all failed.

    After trying dozens of times, he realised that the Origin Fragment inside the body of the hatchlings wasn¡¯t something he could do anything with.

    ¨C It hurts. I¡¯m dying¡­

    He could still remember someone¡¯s aggrieved scream.

    In the 4th iteration, after watching the Gold Dragon die in front of his own eyes, he squeezed the heart in an attempt to revive the dead heart and discovered the Origin Fragment at work.

    When the Earth entered Apocalypse and everything he worked for vanished in front of him, the Regressor felt something shattering inside his head in real time.

    In the next iteration, he started learning how to make chimeras, and for a period of time which he couldn¡¯t even remember at this point, he indulged in researching the organism called dragons.

    As if they had been censored, the memories from back then were hazy. It was just the technical skills that remained in a corner of his instincts.

    ¨C Please, stop¡­

    ¨C I¡¯ll do whatever you say¡­

    ¨C Please don¡¯t kill me. It hurts too much¡­

    ¨C Please¡­

    ¡­How did everything happen again?

    Unlike the results that clearly remained, the process itself was hazy.

    However, he could remember the shredding screams and the dragon fear and how he cut their vocal cords to reduce the noise. Since there was no reason to wait for the Apocalypse to arrive after a failure, he killed himself multiple times.

    They were short ¨C very short iterations.

    In the 4th iteration, he met BY whoter died.

    In the 4th+ iterations, he researched chimeras in order to make use of the Origin Fragment.

    In the 5th iteration, he locked the dragons up.

    And in the 5th+ iterations, he got killed 1100 times.

    Like how the memories of 5th+ iterations where he got repeatedly killed to enhance the Shapeless Sword were hazy in his memories, the 4th+ iterations where he dissected the dragons to use the Origin Fragment were simrly hazy in his memories.

    ¡­Looking back, it felt like his memories were stained with ink.

    It didn¡¯t feel that good.

    Pakang¨C!

    That was when his line of thought shattered.

    Therge ice crystal crumbled and the Blue Dragon lying inside it slowly hovered down beforending on the ground.

    Kugugung¡­

    As the heavy bodynded, the hatchling blinked its eyes and appeared to be having troubleing to its senses.

    She didn¡¯t fully shed her skin. The dragon heart only just started beating again and was starting to repump mana throughout her body.

    Although the head, arms, stomach, legs and wings that were close to the heart were allpletely clean now, old and dead scales were still on her feet which were the furthest away from the heart.

    Bom had asked him to remove these for her.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae went to the feet of therge hatchling. With sharp nails and tender skin, the feet were almost as big as his upper body.

    He carefully used his hands to remove the old scales. Though they were softer now, they still belonged to a dragon and were stubborn so he needed to use a lot of force to remove them.

    It was usually what the mother and father of the hatchling would do. Powerlessly, the blue hatchling gazed down at him.

    Yu Jitae remembered the socks Yeorum gave him as a gift on his birthday. He heard this recently from Bom, but a dragon giving ¡®thin coverings of the feet¡¯ to someone meant that they acknowledged them as their guardian.

    That was why Bom and Kaeul were surprised back then, and it also meant that Yeorum had acknowledged him despite her actions.

    However, forcibly removing the old scales from her feeble skin appeared to have been painful for Gyeoul. The hatchling twitched its feet and whenever that happened, Yu Jitae would get kicked a few steps back.

    ¡°Oi oi. Stay still, would you.¡±

    He pped her nails and the foot twitched even harder. However, it was easier after that. Gyeoul stopped twitching and he seeded in removing all the dead scales from her feet.

    Suddenly, the hatchling pushed its head forward towards him. The head was as enormous as his body.

    Trying to eat me for putting you through something painful? The Regressor thought to himself.

    Aftering right up to his nose, therge lizard lowered its head and closed its eyes. When he nkly stood still, the hatchling growled, ¡®¡­gururuk.¡¯

    Even the growl wasn¡¯t clear and was careful like how Yu Gyeoul usually was.

    But he still couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying and had to ask.

    ¡°What.¡±

    Seemingly dissatisfied with something, therge head shook left and right.

    What. What do you want.

    Seeing that he was still standing there, the hatchling opened its mouth wide and bit his entire body,

    Ever so softly.

    *

    When the snow was about to stop outside the ice cave, Gyeoul recovered her body enough to polymorph back.

    Until then, Yu Jitae was inwardly curious about how much the child would¡¯ve grown. It didn¡¯t really matter how much she grew, but the question was whether she would be the same as the previous iteration.

    In the previous iteration, Gyeoul became an adult that looked like Bom after shedding her skin once. Would it be the same again?

    In fact, he wished for it to be different, since the Blue Dragon probably hadn¡¯t been happy in the previous iteration.

    Before long, therge body was covered in light and soon revealed a human who possessed the unique identity of a dragon.

    There, a blue-haired girl was sitting on the ground.

    Covering her body with her two hands, she gazed up at him.

    She was still short. Perhaps around 130 centimetres or so. Her chubby cheeks that were made after eating a lot in preparation for this moment vanished.

    [Polymorph (S)] was a magic created in order to imitate humans and so the growth rate also followed a human¡¯s speed. So after shedding skin, Gyeoul looked like she was 9 years old, and 11 at most.

    It was explicitly different from the previous iteration. This should be a good sign.

    It was then.

    He suddenly remembered the back he saw in the living room when he first saw her.

    The time a life was born.

    Small back.

    Fluttering hair.

    Smile blooming on her face.

    Fatigue hanging on her eyes.

    Hands fidgeting with the shirt she was wearing for the first time.

    Mouth that mumbled but couldn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    But now, she was good at speaking and with a worried voice, she greeted.

    ¡°Right. Hello.¡±

    ¡°¡­Please give me clothes.¡±

    He took off his coat and gave it to her. Watching her push her arms into the coat; watching her wear the coat that was several times bigger than her body and doing the buttons, he remembered something yet again.

    Slums near the warzone, Dyrrel.

    When the pale and thin pregnant woman wept out loud.

    The namelessdy died even after getting helped by a midwife and gave birth to a dead baby. It felt like he had felt grief for the first time in a very long time back then as he saw the end of a life.

    With just her existence alone, Gyeoul was teaching him something that had be foreign. Different from what Bom was teaching him every time.

    It happened while he was indulged in his thoughts.

    The moment she finished putting the coat on, her hair started falling out.

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    Startled, the child tried to stop the falling hair but they fell regardless of her effort so sheter raised her hands and covered her head. After shedding the skin, even the human body had to change. Her hair had to regrow as well.

    ¡°¡­Ah, ah. Stop¡­¡±

    Whether she knew that or not, Gyeoul was unable to stop the falling hair and covered the head with her hands before opting to put the coat above her head as well as her face.

    Seeing that, he gave a faint smile. It was because he remembered how she covered her face with a frying pan in front of the tent.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Your hair will grow back at night.¡±

    Gyeoul didn¡¯t say anything with the coat covering her face. Thus, Yu Jitae took out the cap he had prepared and tapped the child.

    ¡°¡­Nnnn.¡±

    With her face still covered, she shook her head.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­I have no hair.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnnn.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not fine.¡±

    ¡°Can you just look at me.¡±

    Finally the coat was raised slightly and the blue pair of eyes stared at him. In his hand was a light blue cap.

    ¡°A gift for shedding your skin.¡±

    The coat was finally lowered. He ced the cap above the child¡¯s bare head and it looked a lot better.

    Even then, Gyeoul appeared worried and didn¡¯t know what to do. Yu Jitae, who couldn¡¯t understand her from the day of her birth, still didn¡¯t know the emotion that was causing the child to worry.

    However, he did know one thing ¨C the reason the dragon pushed its head forward at him just then.

    The Regressor walked up towards the child and grabbed the visor of the cap and rotated it to the back. As soon as he grabbed the visor, Gyeoul thought he was taking the cap off and flinched.

    However, he used his wide arms to hug the child and slowly pulled her head towards him to match her forehead with his.

    ¡°Good work. Yu Gyeoul.¡±

    With their foreheads aligned, Gyeoul opened her eyes that were closed tight and stared at him. When she saw how their foreheads were touching, the worry disappeared from her face and was reced with a blooming smile.

    ¡°You did a great job.¡±

    Gyeoul slowly returned a nod. She reached out with her arms and wrapped them around his neck.

    The child¡¯s body was still small,

    But she was no longer shivering.

 Chapter 169 + Yu Gyeoul Illustration: 7th Iteration: Interim Review (1) + Yu Gyeoul Illustration

    <h4>Chapter 169 + Yu Gyeoul Illustration: 7th Iteration: Interim Review (1) + Yu Gyeoul Illustration</h4>

    The next day, Gyeoul recovered her mana and regrew her hair.

    That day was precisely the 365th day ever since the start of the 7th iteration.

    One year of the 7th iteration had passed already. Sitting in the study, Yu Jitae wrote several words down on the notepad with a pen.

    +++

    [Iteration Interim Review]

    Life: / Happiness Level:

    Bom:

    Yeorum:

    Kaeul:

    Gyeoul:

    +++

    The Regressor decided topare this iteration with the previous iterations in detail since that would allow him to discern whether this iteration was so far sessful or not.

    Firstly, what he had to measure was¡­

    Knock knock-¡­ Someone knocked on his door.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¨C Ahjussi! Are you not having lunch today!?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine for today. You guys eat.¡±

    ¨C Why? What are you doing by yourself inside the room!

    ¡°Nothing much.¡±

    ¨C Ah I get it! You eating something tasty by yourself?!

    Kaeul¡¯s voice was followed by other questions, ¡°Isn¡¯t he watching porn?¡± and ¡°Porn? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°¡­No. I¡¯m not. You guys eat by yourselves.¡±

    ¨C Ah, okayy!

    After sending Kaeul away, he thought to himself.

    The first element that had to be evaluated was the ¡®lives of the baby dragons¡¯. He listed the previous iterations in his memories andpared them with the current iteration in his head.

    Judging from the fact that none of the four dragons were hurt, the first element could be evaluated very positiv¨C

    Kwakwang¨C!! Something exploded behind the door.

    He opened the door and went outside. Yeorum¡¯s door was broken and the kitchen that was right next to her room was also in aplete mess. Surprised, the protector, Bom, Kaeul, the baby chicken and Gyeoul had gone to her room and were assessing the situation.

    Yu Jitae asked Yeorum who was lying down on the floor.

    ¡°What happened.¡±

    ¡°Like, why would they make an artifact so fragile,¡± she grumbled.

    He wondered what she was on about but it seemed that she had dismantled the sword artifact due to curiosity and had identally touched something she shouldn¡¯t. It was that same sword she bought when she went shopping with Bom.

    Yu Jitae checked the sword artifact. The magic stone was severely damaged.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. Aren¡¯t you being too rough with your belongings?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°It would be in a better state even if an elephant stepped on it. What were you even trying to do.¡±

    ¡°No, I just touched it lightly because I was curious what was inside it.¡±

    ¡°Whatever, just be gentler with your belongings.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I was gentle.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Gentler¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Seriously¡­¡±

    The room was in a mess. With cleansing magic, the burnt marks and traces of the explosion would be easily removed, but that wasn¡¯t the case for rubbish so the kids were assigned to clean her room while Yu Jitae and the protector were to clean the kitchen.

    ¡°Oing?¡±

    Kaeul rummaged through a broken drawer and took out something strange.

    ¡°Unni, what¡¯s this?¡±

    It was a strange-looking string. It resembled a or a spiderweb but looked like a rope when it was folded.

    ¡°What else would it be? It¡¯s something fun.¡±

    ¡°Fun? This?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t tried it yet either.¡±

    Yeorum gave an unsightly smile.

    ¡°Wanna try it?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t know what it is but don¡¯t want to¡­ feels weird.¡±

    ¡°Hnng~¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s all this?¡±

    This time, she pointed at a handcuff, a whip and some bizarre (?) unidentifiable items. They just all happened to be inside that drawer.

    ¡°Ahh, you mean that? The long and ck heart-shaped thing in front of you is¡ª¡±

    Her expression turned brighter as she went on so Kaeul shook her hands in fright.

    ¡°No, no! Stop! Don¡¯t say it!¡±

    ¡°What? It¡¯s nothing crazy.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know anymore¡­! Why in the world are you buying these things?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why? It¡¯s because I¡¯m interested.¡±

    ¡°Did you even use these after buying them?¡± asked Kaeul.

    Yeorum indifferently looked into her eyes.

    ¡°You asked if I used them?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Yu Kaeul. So you already knew that these were meant to be ¡®used¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Huh? No, no? Have you gone crazy? I don¡¯t?!¡±

    Kaeul really didn¡¯t know and wanted to remain ignorant of it. ¡°Is that so?¡± sneered Yeorum.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t used them yet,¡± she added.

    ¡°Ehng? You haven¡¯t used them?¡±

    ¡°Dude, do I even have time to y with this? I¡¯m busy training everyday already. Don¡¯t you know how I sleep like a log in my room after training?¡±

    ¡°Then why are you buying them? When you¡¯re not even using them!?¡±

    ¡°Do you even know what collecting is?¡±

    ¡°Collecting¡­? No, whatever. I¡¯m the fool for talking about it¡­! I don¡¯t want to know. I don¡¯t want to hear anything!¡±

    She felt like she was being drawn into Yeorum¡¯s conversation topic, so Kaeul quickly stopped her words in a fluster. However, Yeorum chuckled at the enjoyment of putting footsteps on ayer of pure, white snow.

    ¡°Ah, you know what? I did use some of them. I used¡­¡±

    ¡°Uaaaahhh¡­!¡±

    All sorts of strange, unidentifiable things appeared as they searched through her broken room.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Staring at a blindfold withces, Gyeoul gave a frown but soon saw an even stranger corset. Although she didn¡¯t know what it was, it put her in a bad mood for some reason so she stealthily threw it into the rubbish bin.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    That was when Yeorum¡¯s voice reached her ears. Startled, Gyeoul carefully turned around but discovered that she wasn¡¯t looking at her.

    Yeorum and Kaeul were staring at Bom, so Gyeoul also stared at her.

    Bom was wearing a ck ne.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    When the three of them stared at her, Bom asked as if she didn¡¯t know what the problem was.

    ¡°What are you doing. That¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°Ah, nn. I¡¯m just trying it on. How does it look?¡±

    The dark, leather ne was sticking to her neck. Without knowing what it was, Kaeul replied with a bright smile.

    ¡°Uwah. It somehow looks super great on you, Bom-uuni! Is it a choker?¡±

    But for some reason, it looked slightly different from a normal choker. There was a little chain attached to the end of the choker.

    ¡°How is it? Does it suit me?¡±

    Despite that, when Bom ced her two hands beneath her chin like the leaves of a flower, the ck choker decorating the exact middle point of her pretty neck above her white shirt did suit her quite a lot.

    Without even knowing what it was, Kaeul and Gyeoulplimented her by saying it was pretty and Bom returned a faint smile.

    ¡°Looks good on you. You seem to be liking it a fair bit?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I do like things like this.¡±

    Yeorum, the only one that knew what it was, gave a knowing smile.

    ¡°Crazy¡­¡­ then what, you want me to pull it for you?¡±

    Bom shook her head with the same indifferent pout.

    ¡°Nn? No.¡±

    ¡°What ¡®no¡¯. Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re into?¡±

    ¡°What am I into?¡±

    ¡°¡­What? What are you on about? Did you wear that on your neck without even knowing what it was?¡±

    ¡°Nn. What is this?¡± Bom asked.

    What is it? It¡¯s a damn dog leash.

    Yeorum red at the green race. She couldn¡¯t tell whether she was being serious or not and in the first ce, it was impossible to read the inner thoughts of this cucumber-coloured race.

    ¡°Ouuuw¡­ It feels like, it feels like I get itt¡­ Don¡¯t know what it is though¡­!¡± interjected Kaeul.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Unni, unni. I want to try it on too.¡±

    That was when Kaeul suddenly started doing something strange. With a rather vacant expression, she searched the ground and picked up a simr dog leash.

    Yeorum shook her head.

    ¡°Do what, you idiot. Give it.¡±

    When Yeorum pushed her hand forward to take it from her, Gyeoul suddenly opened a different drawer and took out a book.

    ¡°Uhh? Oi, let go of that right now!¡± Yeorum shouted in a hurry.

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    Startled, Yeorum snatched the book away from Gyeoul¡¯s hands and pushed it into the drawer.

    ¡°Are you crazy? Why are you touching a drawer that¡¯s not even broken?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°What ¡®why¡¯! Go away right now!¡±

    Gyeoul carefully ran away and avoided her.

    And soon, after they were done cleaning, Kaeul asked furtively.

    ¡°Gyeoul. Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°What was that thing just then? Why did Yeorum-unni get angry all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    ¡°It was like a book right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn, wait.¡±

    Kaeul was curious. Yeorum wasn¡¯t nervous even when she was put in front of those dirty (?) and shameful (?) objects, so what was the book Gyeoul picked up that made her so nervous?

    Closing her eyes, Gyeoul reyed her memories.

    She wasn¡¯t even that concerned about the book in the first ce and Yeorum was too fast at snatching it away from her. Thus, she didn¡¯t even see it properly but the few words she did see remained in her head.

    Gyeoul smiled.

    ¡°Do you remember¡­!?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°What is it, what is it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Shou.¡±

    ¡°Shou?¡±

    ¡°¡­Shou, jo man¡±

    ¡°Shoujo man? Is that all?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    What Gyeoul didn¡¯t know, was that thest two letters had been blocked by her fingers.

    ¡°Shoujo man. Shoujo man¡­ is it a new superhero? One of the descendents of superman¡­? Hhum¡­¡±

    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t tell what shoujo man was. It could¡¯ve been something that could finally help her tease Yeorum-unni¡­

    Kaeul was slightly disheartened.

    ***

    That evening, after cleaning the house.

    Yu Jitae decided to go outside Unit 301. Bom and Gyeoul went out to y together somewhere so he asked just Yeorum and Kaeul if they wanted to go shopping together and they followed him without giving anyint.

    On the way to the bakery, he once again carried out an interim review of the 7th iteration.

    The second evaluation element was the happiness of the hatchlings. This was also undoubtedly more positive than the previous iterations judging from how Kaeul was humming joyfully and how Yeorum didn¡¯t look like she was in a bad mood.

    Today was an especially hectic day but Unit 301 was usually quiet and the kids did feel joy despite whatever their inner thoughts may be.

    So to conclude, the evaluation of this iteration is¡­

    ¡°By the way ahjussi, why are we going to the bakery?¡±

    Kaeul stopped his line of thought.

    ¡°To buy a cake,¡± he replied.

    ¡°A cake?¡±

    Her eyes sparkled.

    ¡°Why are we buying a cake?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s been exactly 1 year since I met you guys.¡±

    ¡°Ohh, really?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a substitute for your birthdays.¡±

    ¡°Uwah. Sounds amazing!¡±

    Her steps became increasingly livelier. When they arrived at the bakery and were choosing the cake, Yu Jitae looked at Yeorum.

    ¡°What. Why.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to throw it?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    She appeared dumbfounded.

    ¡°What, what is that question? Seriously¡­ What a joke. Do you think I¡¯m someone that throws cakes left and right?¡±

    ¡°But unni, you threw it on ahjussi¡¯s birthday!¡±

    ¡°Back then, I did.¡±

    ¡°So what about now?¡±

    Yeorum red at Kaeul before heaving a sigh.

    ¡°Ehew¡­ it¡¯s all my fault, ey. My fault.¡±

    On the way back after buying a cake, Yu Jitae gave a call to Bom and asked where she was. She said she was with Gyeoul at a nearby park so he decided to take them back on the way home.

    ¡°Ah, you know, by the way ahjussi. There¡¯s a firework festival next next week, right.¡±

    He did hear about it.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°But you know, something happened to me a few days ago. Uhh, you know how I¡¯m in a travel society?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re actually not that interested in travelling and we just y around. These days, we go to a karaoke everyday.¡±

    ¡°A karaoke.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. I don¡¯t know how to really sing and haven¡¯t really sung much, so I just listen but Yuran suddenly told me to try singing because I had a good voice.¡±

    Yu Jitae stopped his words for a bit.

    ¡°¡­And?¡±

    ¡°Ehew, how do I even sing. I never did it before but¡­ that day I tried it a little bit you know¡­?¡±

    Yeorum interjected by saying, ¡°Oi. You singing? You don¡¯t even listen to music do you?¡±

    ¡°Nn! I know right! But I just tried it because she told me to¡­? I definitely didn¡¯t do it well? But they said my voice was pretty and suggested that I try singing in the uing firework festival.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°So of course I told them, ¡®Ahh, I can¡¯t do that. Ahjussi doesn¡¯t like itt!¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone already know how you can¡¯t stand in front of a camera?¡± Yu Jitae remained silent, so Yeorum asked in his stead.

    ¡°Yeah. But what they said, was that we would be wearing a mask and that it wouldn¡¯t matter¡­¡±

    ¡°What? A mask?¡±

    ¡°Un un¡­!¡±

    While saying that, Kaeul threw a nce at him.

    A mask?

    He thought to himself.

    Kaeul was good at singing.

    She wasn¡¯t just simply good at it. She had the ability to shake the world market with her singing alone, without relying on external factors. Of course, it didn¡¯t happen overnight and required hours and years of hard work.

    But in the two iterations where she did hold a mic, she made the world tremble with her songs. From that, it was safe to say that Kaeul¡¯s talent when it came to singing was unprecedented.

    ¡°Hmm, uhh, umm. It¡¯s no good right? I knew it wasn¡¯t a good idea!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So please don¡¯t worry too much about it. Uhh, I was just saying things¡­!¡±

    The Regressor pondered.

    The conditions actually weren¡¯t that bad.

    For a very short time in a festival with her face covered. If the identity of the participant wasn¡¯t specified to the audience and the cadets, it might be an enjoyable experience for Kaeul.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I think it sounds fine. Aren¡¯t you a freakin¡¯ attention seeker?¡±

    ¡°Nn? How do you know that unni?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I won¡¯t know when we¡¯re in the same ss for superhuman studies? You always throw your hand up when you¡¯re saying something¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try?¡±

    ¡°Ey¡­ But me, singing?¡±

    ¡°Why. Do they say something if you¡¯re bad at it?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t they? Since it¡¯s a festival? Eyyy. No no no! Our ahjussi will be like suuuper mad. And like you said unni, I don¡¯t listen to music either.¡±

    Yu Jitae kept his mouth closed.

    It wouldn¡¯t be good to make her depressed so he dyed the reply for the time being. It would be better to tell her after looking into it himself.

    *

    When they arrived at the park, they found Gyeoul ying with Bom.

    Yu Jitae called Bom, and she waved her hand after seeing them. Due to a sudden breeze, Gyeoul grabbed the cap that was about to fly off and turned around. When she found Yu Jitae, a bright smile bloomed on her indifferent expression.

    She threw her hand into the air and waved it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    On the way back to Unit 301 with the kids, he finally had some time and thus thought back on the interim review with the quiet whispers of the kids in the background. This ¡®7th¡¯ iteration was the closest to the correct solution, more so than any other iteration.

    As the sun slowly started to set, Yu Jitae could finally finish the two evaluation elements of the interim review he had been thinking of since morning on the way back home.

    +++

    Life: Good / Happiness Level: Good

    +++

 Chapter 170:

    <h4>Chapter 170:</h4>

    <strong>Episode 56: 7th Iteration: Interim Review (2) </strong>

    North America, at a certain underground fight club.

    Artificialsers traversed the darkness.

    Intoxicated by the loud music and excitement, people screamed with an unpleasant smell of tobo and marijuana covering the building.

    People drunk in alcohol and drugs danced indecently and in slightly darker corners, men and women of all races gushed out heated breaths as they embraced each other.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s clone 1 stepped into that vulgar world after changing its appearance.

    ¨C On the greeeeen coorrnerr! Explosive fists! Strong quads! He achieved three consecutive wins at a fearsome speed!! The shiniest head, listed by the Times as the best head to lickkk~~~ Baldman!!

    When the host raised his voice, cheers echoed from all four sides and weed the bald man entering the ring. The scar going down from his head to the chin made him appear all the more ferocious.

    He was most likely a superhuman; and a criminal, who suddenly needed some extra cash. Most of the ones that swung their fists at a ce like this were like that.

    However, Clone 1 was interested in someone else.

    ¨C On the reed cooorrnerr!

    The host¡¯s words were met with an explosive reaction.

    ¡°¡°Uwaaaaahhh¡ª!¡±¡±

    In that moment, the bustling crowd looked towards the ring.

    ¨C The mysterious powerhouse of the abyss! Master of fighting! The greatest star of our club and the protagonist! The champion with 12 victories!! Misterrrrr~~~~ Cthulhuuuuu!!

    Screeching cheers left the crowd. Among them were some men who frowned when the women near them cheered their guts out.

    The squid-masked man who soon walked up the stage had an overwhelming build. Enormous shoulders, perfectly symmetrical abs and twitching biceps and triceps.

    Standing in front of each other, the two of them raised their fists and Clone 1 leaned on a chair as he watched them fight.

    Deng¨C! The bell rang.

    The bald ran in with tight fists.

    Kwaang¨C!

    But the bald head disappeared with one strike. Blood sttered and a drop of blood also entered the single malt whiskey ordered by Clone 1.

    Without understanding what was happening, the crowd rolled their eyes. Upon closer inspection, they found something smooth in between the shoulders.

    It seemed that the downward smack was so strong that the head of the bald man crushed the inner muscles and bones and entered the body. After finally understanding the situation, more thunderous screams of cheers left the crowd.

    ¡°Waaaahhh!¡±

    ¡°Cthulhu punch! Cthulhu punch!¡±

    ¡°Unbelievable! That¡¯s a crazy amount of power-!!¡±

    The protagonist of 13 consecutive wins threw his hand up into the air and marked the end of the fight.

    No-one cared for the dead.

    The champion, Mister Cthulhu, bathed in the cheers of the crowd as he stepped down from the ring with others that were as big as him. He showed off his showmanship by lifting his fist into the air. When several drunk women ran up to him, ¡®Mister Cthulhu¡¯ lifted them up and ced them on his shoulders as an extra performance.

    Mister Cthulhu.

    His name was Jefferson Antonio.

    He was the chief aide of the International Superhuman Association¡¯s leader but he wasn¡¯t wearing his usual suit.

    As a youth who wanted to be acknowledged on the battlefield as a soldier, he went through several wars and got acknowledged for his loyalty alone.

    In other words, his individual strength had never been acknowledged. The ce he belonged to was the International Superhuman Association where all sorts of monsters gathered worldwide. A Rank 781 like him in a ce like that wasmonce.

    When he graduated at the top of a state academy as the youngest to do so in history, he thought he was the strongest in the world.

    In the new environment, he realised that there was a sky above a sky and felt a severe inferiorityplex. And therefore, he would enter the underground fight club in secret and swing his fists to fill his ego on weekends.

    No-one cared on his 1st win but everyone watched him after 3 wins.

    They looked up to him after defeating the champion, and after defending the ce 5 times in a row, people started expecting a lot from him.

    He was a clown. A clown that made the opponent into an increasingly more bizarre corpse.

    Cheap and vulgar respects like this felt better than being respected by those that wore suits all day.

    Even now, that was the case.

    ¡°Hey, sexydy.¡±

    He spoke to the one he liked the most from those that ran up to him.

    ¡°Ouh, me?¡±

    ¡°Yes you. Who else there is sexy apart from you.¡±

    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±

    ¡°Would you like to go on a drive tonight?¡±

    He was met with a vulgar gaze.

    ¡°Hahh¡­ how far can you take me?¡±

    ¡°My car always goes down the Autobahn.¡±

    It was clear what her reaction would be and that undoubtable feeling was what made him satisfied the most.

    Like Cindere chosen by the prince, the female smiled brightly and showed off to other women nearby. The jealous eyes of other women were a delight to watch, and the ring eyes of men ¨C losers ¨C from behind made him incredibly joyous.

    This is my life.

    I¡¯m this great of a man.

    ¡°Kuhahaha!¡±

    But Mister Cthulhu¡¯s joy didn¡¯tst for long.

    A strange man stood in front of him and blocked the way. He was tall and had an ideal physique but his eyes were somehow hazy like a corpse.

    ¡°What ya doing here you bastard! Get the f*ck away from here right now!¡±

    Mister Cthulhu¡¯s ¡®brothers¡¯ went out and cursed at him but the guy remained silent even when the brothers approached him.

    But Mister Cthulhu stopped them.

    The man was looking down at him as if he was pathetic and it was a gaze he was seeing for the first time in this ce. Cthulhu was therefore intrigued.

    ¡°Bro. You got something to say?¡±

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re having fun. Is this seriously what you wanted?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a soldier, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Right. Don¡¯t I look like one?¡±

    ¡°How pathetic. Acting cocky in front of anchovies and struggling when with sharks and whales. Watching that does make one sympathise.¡±

    ¡°Hoho¡­¡±

    Mister Cthulhu couldn¡¯t stop himself from sneering.

    ¡°A little friend with a death wish or something¡­ you¡¯re saying I¡¯m pathetic?¡±

    Cthulhu¡¯s muscles twitched.

    There was nothing else to say. A sudden gust of wind was followed by arge thud and before anyone could even realise it, Cthulhu¡¯s fist smacked the man¡¯s head. It was a fist that could create a dent in steel-armoured cars, but was grabbed by the man¡¯s hand.

    Inside the squid mask, Jefferson Antonio¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    The ¡®guy¡¯ gave a hazy smile.

    ¡°Even this¡­¡±

    Soon, he turned around and disappeared while the brothers were flustered. Mister Cthulhu, or rather, Jefferson Antonio was even more dumbfounded. Grabbing his fist in mid-air? Who in the world is that person?

    Despite being flustered, he tried to forget it since the person disappeared.

    However, even when he was drinking with his brothers and spending vulgar times with women he didn¡¯t know, his head was muddled with difort.

    And on the 14th defence round that was suddenly added at dawn, Mister Cthulhu¡¯s difort hit its limit.

    ¨C On the greeeenn sidee!! A first timer that grabbed the hearts! Of all the judges~~ The mysterious man who quickly rose to fight the champion!!

    The man was wearing gloves instead of bare fists, and a yellow mask of a baby chicken on the head. The crowd wasn¡¯t that interested by his appearance.

    Gloves? And what¡¯s with that chicken mask? Is he here to y around?

    Some of them even booed and jeered.

    ¡°Fuc* off!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll deep fry you!¡±

    But the crowd changed their attitude when the man took his shirt off. He had the idealistic muscles and a bnced structure that even normal people were baffled with, let alone superhumans.

    ¡°Kyaaa¨C!¡±

    ¡°Good nipps¨C!¡±

    The men were unenthusiastic but the women screamed out loud in joy from the spectacle. Or perhaps, it was just himself that felt like the women were screaming out more.

    Jefferson gritted his teeth.

    ¨C Misterrrrrr~~ Baby chicken!!

    The ¡®guy¡¯ was his next opponent.

    ***

    ¡°Hukk! Wait, no!¡±

    Kaeul pped.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°Unni unni. If we go in like this, it¡¯ll definitely be boring!¡±

    In front of the elevator, Kaeul suddenly stopped them from taking a step forward.

    ¡°Ahjussi. We¡¯re doing a birthday party right now. Right? Right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We are.¡±

    ¡°A birthday party has to be a surprise party. That¡¯s the rule!¡±

    A surprise party?

    Thinking back, the kids did carry out a surprise party on his birthday.

    He replied.

    ¡°¡­But today is tomemorate you guys.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, yes I guess?¡±

    ¡°You all know already, so what surprise party.¡±

    ¡°Eyy. C¡¯mon ahjussi? We¡¯re not the only ones inside the house¡­!¡±

    Kaeul smiled as if his words didn¡¯t make any sense. Right now, Chirpy the baby chicken and the protector were inside the house.

    ¡°The two of them probably don¡¯t know anything, right?¡±

    She giggled, ¡®Kuhihi¡¯, with the face of a mischievous child.

    However, Yeorum looked dissatisfied. Wearing a frown, she was about to press the elevator¡¯s button but was again blocked by Kaeul.

    ¡°Whyyy!¡±

    ¡°Ehew. What a freakin¡¯ kid. You really think that¡¯s gonna be fun?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯ll be fun!¡±

    ¡°The cleaner cleans without saying anything and the damn chicken eats all day and goes outside. You think it¡¯ll be fun teasing them?¡±

    ¡°What? Chirpy is so cute! And cleaner ahjussi is also slightly cute in some areas! Don¡¯t you think so too, Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul red while waiting for a reply but Gyeoul merely smiled faintly without saying anything in response.

    ¡°Look. Even damn Gyeoul is saying no.¡±

    ¡°No. No, no no. Unni, ahjussi. Listen.¡±

    ¡®Hmm¡¯, she pondered with her tongue sticking out, before opening her mouth.

    ¡°Listen carefully. Firstly, Chirpy likes me, Kaeul, the most. So if I don¡¯t give him any attention, he would be very disappointed right?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah. ¡®Cuz it always sticks to you like a gum.¡±

    ¡°Nn nn. And I think cleaner ahjussi actually likes Gyeoul a bit more. Right?¡±

    Does he? Gyeoul tilted her head.

    ¡°So, we¡¯ll do this. I¡¯ll ignore Chirpy even when hees up and I¡¯ll look away. And we¡¯ll all ignore cleaner ahjussi, but Gyeoul, you¡¯ll be slightly good to him.¡±

    ¡°¡­And then?¡±

    ¡°And then you suddenly ignore him and treat him coldly¡­! What will cleaner ahjussi be like then?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sad?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. Like, they¡¯ll both be sad and like¡­ when they don¡¯t know what to do, we¡¯ll suddenly give them the cake!¡±

    For some reason, a party that was meant tomemorate the 7th iteration was starting to be like a birthday party for the protector and the baby chicken.

    However, after thinking about it, Gyeoul seemed quite interested in Kaeul¡¯s strategy.

    ¡°¡­Sounds fun.¡±

    ¡°Right!? When the protector ahjussi is looking sorrowfully at the wall, you suddenly give him the cake. How happy will he be?¡±

    ¡°¡­Do I, give?¡±

    ¡°Of course you do!¡±

    While sharing their imaginations, Kaeul and Gyeoul giggled. Meanwhile, Yeorum seemed to have mastered how to say ¡®retards¡¯ with her expression alone.

    ¡°What! What¡¯s with that expression?! After hearing this much, don¡¯t you also think it¡¯ll be fun, unni?¡±

    ¡°Shut it you kids.¡±

    Crossing her arms, Yeorum clicked her tongue but suddenly remembered how a few days ago, the protector had opened the door of her room without even knocking on it, saying it was cleaning time.

    Because of that, Yeorum, who had killed her presence to enjoy the ¡®reading time¡¯ in secret just for herself, was quite mad.

    She did chase it away in fury but that definitely wasn¡¯t enough.

    Listening to them speak, it did sound slightly interesting as well¡­

    ¡°¡­Hmm. So you¡¯re the only ones doing it?¡±

    When she asked while hiding her inner thoughts, Kaeul gave a bright smile.

    ¡°No no! Let¡¯s do it together unni!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like it¡­¡±

    Clueless, Kaeul persuaded her again but Gyeoul looked into her eyes before sneering.

    ¡°Oi, did you justugh?¡± asked Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­What.¡±

    ¡°You wanna die?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Nn? Why are you suddenly fighting? Anyway, there¡¯s something for you to do as well Yeorum-unni¡­!¡±

    Before long, Yeorum was also immersed in thinking of the strategy and the three of them started adding more and more depth to their n whilstughing out loud. At the start, it was just to tease the two of them, but soon they decided to upgrade the seriousness of the situation by having Gyeoul and Yeorum fight, or by having Kaeul cry after getting hit by Yeorum.

    Bom, who was quietly standing next to Yu Jitae, chimed in when their strategy started bing excessive.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too excessive,¡± said Bom.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°The cleaner ahjussi and Chirpy will feel hurt.¡±

    ¡°Hukk, really¡­? Maybe it¡¯s too much to put the cake into the armour?¡±

    ¡°If someone were to put a cake inside your clothes, that wouldn¡¯t feel good right?¡±

    ¡°Hing, you¡¯re right¡­¡±

    The atmosphere started cooling down a little. Bom tapped her lower lips with her fingers before turning around and staring at Yu Jitae. She then widened her eyes.

    What.

    ¡°Guys. So it will be more fun if someone ys the bad role right?¡± asked Bom.

    ¡°Nn nn!¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we think of this before?¡±

    ¡°Nn? What is it, unni?¡±

    ¡°We have the master of awkwardness creation next to us.¡±

    The master of creating awkward situations. Hearing that phrase, red, blue, green and yellow ¨C four pairs of eyes naturally turned around and reached Yu Jitae.

    Soon, they suddenly realised something.

    ¡°Uaahh! Right, right!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Kaeul and Gyeoul pped their hands together and created a fuss. ¡°Ahh, that¡¯d be freakin¡¯ perfect¡­!¡± said Yeorum after seemingly thinking of something and alsoughed out loud.

    What is it.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­! Help us out a little, please!¡±

    ¡°With what.¡±

    ¡°Please get angry! Not much and just a little! Just a tiny little bit¡­! Enough to make people nervous!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything.

    It was a clear demonstration of his unwillingness.

    ¡°Ahhhng! Why nottt!¡±

    Kaeul stuck right next to him while Gyeoul¡¯s eyes also turned into circles.

    ¡°¡­Please.¡±

    ¡°I, haven¡¯t done anything like this before.¡±

    ¡°Ahh! It¡¯s not hard¡­!¡±

    With a wide smile on her face, Kaeul started sharing the new n she had in mind.

    ¡°¡­So,¡±

    And after listening to her n, he pressed on his temples.

    ¡°You want me to scold you?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes! Chirpy and the cleaner ahjussi does something wrong, but ahjussi misunderstands that and scolds us! Something like that has never happened before, right? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll both be super surprised!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please scold us! Be just, a little bit scary¡­!¡±

    The Regressor wasn¡¯t really fond of the current situation. He just bought a cake so why did things turn out like this.

    But at this point, even Bom was staring at him with eyes full of intrigue and it was rare for the kids to be expecting something together, so he couldn¡¯t turn them down.

    ¡°¡­Got it.¡±

    They shouted, ¡®Wahh!¡¯ in joy.

    And soon started the n.

 Chapter 171: 7th Iteration: Interim Review (3)

    <h4>Chapter 171: 7th Iteration: Interim Review (3)</h4>

    ¡°¡­Got it?¡±

    Before going into Unit 301, Bom organised the n onest time with the kids. Kaeul and Gyeoul suppressed their excitement and nodded, while Yeorum and Yu Jitae appeared apathetic.

    ¡°You guys need to control your expression. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn nn.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your expressions, you two? Did you bite on a rock or something?¡± asked Bom towards Yeorum and Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ nothing.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What about you ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t really content with the situation.

    ¡°Nn? Ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Got it¡­¡±

    Bom could see how he was in an awkward spot and had to make sure she didn¡¯tugh.

    ¡°I¡¯m opening the door¡­!¡±

    The n hence began.

    The kids started each making their rooms into a mess. Throwing books everywhere, creating rubbish and chucking tissues on the ground¡­

    Gyeoul looked especially more excited than others. Bom¡¯s room was always clean unlike other rooms so she appeared to be enjoying the process of making it messy. She scooped up dirt from a flowerpot and scattered it on the floor.

    Isn¡¯t that slightly unnatural, he thought to himself, but that didn¡¯t really matter. Whether it was unnatural or not had nothing to do with him, since he wasn¡¯t even content with the current turn of events.

    As the strategy meeting went on and on, the details slowly started to change and that was where the problem was. The birthday party became a surprise party, and the surprise party had be a prank before even realising it.

    He now had to strictly scold the kids in front of the protector, telling them to clean the house. He was just trying to feed them a cake so why was this even happening?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In any case, how should he even pretend like he was scolding them?

    Yu Jitae dwelled on the question. He had to act something out following someone else¡¯s intention. Something simr had happened before when Bom asked him to act like a ghost. When he obediently did as such, Bom almost fainted so it seemed that there was a need to draw an adequate line that shouldn¡¯t be crossed even when pretending to scold them.

    That brought him back to the starting question. How should he do it?

    While the Regressor had a chaotic mind, time flew by and soon came night time, the time for their strategy to begin.

    The kids carefully opened their doors and signalled to Yu Jitae.

    At this point in time, the protector would hum, ¡®Kwarurung~?¡¯, to himself while giving dinner to Chirpy. Today was the same, and so therge baby chicken was munching on its food.

    Since Yu Jitae was still doing nothing, Kaeul opened the door and gestured with her mouth before pointing at the protector. Looking around, he realised that Yeorum was also waiting while Bom and Gyeoul were pestering him with their eyes.

    Kudangtang¡­!

    That was when some objects came crashing down inside Kaeul¡¯s room. She screamed, ¡°Ahh! What should I do!¡± at the same time.

    It was the signal. The signal that marked the start of the operation.

    ¡°Hmm? Lady Kaeul. Is something the matter?¡±

    The protector started moving when he didn¡¯t do anything. Left with no other choice, Yu Jitae gestured with his hands at the protector and opened the door of Kaeul¡¯s room himself.

    Revealed inside was a dirty room and a messy desk.

    Everything was already set.

    Kaeul flinched and looked up at Yu Jitae as if she was startled.

    ¡°Uh, uhh? Ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°What was that.¡±

    ¡°It, it¡¯s nothing! I just dropped something by ident¡­!¡±

    He had to make sure not to make a mistake here.

    ¡°You. What the hell is wrong with this room.¡±

    He made a mistake,

    Judging from how Kaeul widened her eyes into circles.

    Yu Jitae instinctively knew the power behind his gaze. Thus, he judged that it would be better to look away from Kaeul.

    He turned to the side and the messy room entered his sight. Kaeul, who was throwing nces at him, became even more nervous.

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been that long since youst cleaned. What¡¯s all this stupid mess.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, umm, umm¡­ It¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Is this what you always do?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡­¡±

    ording to the script, Kaeul had to talk back here, but she didn¡¯t.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Yu Kaeul.¡±

    What¡¯s wrong.

    ¡°Try saying something.¡±

    Follow the script and say something.

    ¡°Why did you shut your noisy mouth.¡±

    You practised.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul¡­¡±

    Damn¡­

    Frozen stiff, Kaeul looked like she was about to cry. It wasn¡¯t going well from the start.

    He could feel cautious gazes from behind. The protector and the baby chicken were staring at his back.

    It seemed that he had to skip this part. With a voice stiffened by awkwardness, he spoke.

    ¡°After, not checking, for some time¡­¡±

    His voice had always been stiff so it didn¡¯t sound much different.

    ¡°You guys¡­ just became¡­ an absolute mess.¡±

    In any case, he decided to follow the script they came up with in the strategy meeting. Turning around, he walked forward inrge strides as if he was angry and headed to Yeorum¡¯s room.

    The protector rolled its eyes. He was cleaning the rooms every weekend, so how did it be like this in just a few days?

    The Chirpy was also nervous. The room had been looking okay in the morning, but his own little bed stood out the most within the pile of rubbish.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae pushed Yeorum¡¯s door wide open and walked in.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    She was lying on the bed and red at him after seemingly being surprised.

    Her room was also in a mess.

    ¡°What! Are you crazy? Why are you opening someone else¡¯s door like that?¡±

    ¡°What in the world, is wrong with your room.¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with you? Get out!¡±

    Unexpectedly, Yeorum was quite good and covered for Yu Jitae¡¯s poor acting skills. She appeared normal when talking back to him.

    ¡°Do you even clean?¡±

    ¡°Who cares if I do or not? And you, don¡¯t open someone¡¯s door like that. I¡¯m a girl as well you know? This is a girl¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know privacy? Don¡¯t you know how to knock? Or are you a pervert? What if I was changing my clothes? Try opening the door again without my permission. I¡¯ll take a massive shi* in the living room.¡±

    She then spat at the ground in front of him and closed the door with a thud.

    The protector and Chirpy were even more surprised since it was rare for Yeorum to challenge Yu Jitae like that.

    Bom and Gyeoul, who were stealthily watching from behind, had to hold in their smiles. After finally escaping her nervousness, Kaeul also realised her mistake and hit her own head with her knuckles before watching the situation unfold with intrigue.

    It was only just the beginning.

    Yu Jitae opened the door once again.

    ¡°What now!¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. It seems that you and I need to have a chat.¡±

    ¡°Whyy! First, I told you to knock! And second, I¡¯m gonna make the cleaner clean on the weekend!¡±

    ¡°Why are you making the cleaner clean your room.¡±

    ¡°What? A cleaner¡¯s a cleaner because he cleans! I¡¯m already pissed because that guy opens my door without knocking. Why are you doing this to me as well?¡±

    ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡±

    Although sloppy, they were doing fine.

    ¡°Yeah! So what! Just leave me alone! Why do you always do this to just me? Am I a punching bag? Oi! You cleaner! Do you know how to read the mood? What are you doing! Come here and clean!¡±

    The hot potato was suddenly thrown at him. In a fluster, the protector flinched with a clink but Yu Jitae threw his hand out and stopped the protector.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum¡­ you¡¯re still ming the cleaner at a time like this.¡±

    ¡°What! What about it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough.¡±

    Yu Jitae pushed Yeorum and went into the room.

    ¡°Huh? Huh? Why are youing in? What?¡±

    ¡°You need to be scolded.¡±

    And the door closed behind his back.

    Startled, the protector and Chirpy hurriedly ran up to the door. Soon, screams going ¡°Aht!¡± and ¡°Ouch!¡± were heard from the room with several pping sounds.

    The protector was frightened and the baby chicken was even more frightened as he gazed at the protector. The red pair of eyes also stared at the baby chicken and they shared the same sentiment. They were f*cked.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In fact, inside the room, Yeorum was biting on the back of her hand to hold back theughter, while pping her own thigh with her hand.

    p!

    ¡°Ahh¡­! Sorry, sorry! It¡¯s my fault¡­!¡±

    p!

    ¡°Aukk! I¡¯ll clean properly! Please forgive meh¡­!¡±

    After sensing the presence outside the door, she was even more excited.

    Yeorum was the type to hold her grudges for a long time. ¡®Reading time¡¯ was the only enjoyment in her recently boring life, and she was still angry for being interrupted by the protector. It was even more so, because it was a ¡®secret hobby¡¯ which she didn¡¯t want anyone to know about.

    You dare to open the door of ady¡¯s room? You deserve more.

    Thinking that, she pped her thigh until it reddened.

    ¡°Ahak! Kik¡­ aht.¡±

    But she soon bursted out into a strange giggle and hurriedly covered her mouth.

    ¡®Oi, that was weird,¡¯ ¡®F*ck, was that obvious?¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t push it too far,¡¯ ¡®Okay¡¯.

    The two of them shared a quiet conversation.

    By the time the door was opened back up, Yeorum was on her knees gathering rubbish.

    Yeorum.

    Was.

    Cleaning.

    The protector was even more shocked

    However, there was still one more. Yu Jitea quickly headed to Bom¡¯s room ¨C the room of the protector¡¯s previous owner, the Green Dragon, and the Blue Dragon whom the protector followed the most.

    Not knowing what to do, the protector carefully walked up to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Umm, my lord¡­¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s a problem with cleaning¡­ Let me do a big clean up today.¡±

    ¡°Just go there and stay quiet.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Its eyes staring at the ground flickered. The baby chicken hid its head behind the leg armours of the protector, but its obese body couldn¡¯t be hidden.

    As if they were being scolded themselves, the protector and baby chicken stood in thend of exile in the living room corner and nkly watched the situation unfold.

    Yu Jitae opened the door wide.

    It couldn¡¯t really see the room because of the angle of the door. The protector tried to stealthily move aside to steal a nce but the baby chicken tangled up its feet. It red at the baby chicken, but Chirpy too red back before slowly taking a few steps to the side.

    The metal armour¡¯s waist and the baby chicken¡¯s head twisted slightly to the side.

    After Gyeoul decided to make it into a mess, Bom¡¯s room was iparably messier than the other rooms. Yu Jitae heaved a clumsy sigh after seeing her room.

    What was written on Kaeul¡¯s script again? It was something like¡­

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Come outside for a bit.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul started walking outside with a disheartened expression. The protector tried reaching out to her but she raised her hand and flicked the protector¡¯s arm away. And when the protector¡¯s gaze left her body, she brightly smiled before heading to the storage room for the cake.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to do this as well.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°You look less and less responsible recently. You¡¯re the oldest sister of these kids. Even if they thoughtlessly mess everything up, you can¡¯t do the same thing as them. Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The protector was even more nervous.

    Bom¡¯s eyes gazing up at Yu Jitae were indifferent as always but her lips could be seen shivering as he continued scolding her. Her lips that were slightly open came to a tight close, and the eyes gazing up were nted downward.

    Isn¡¯t this taking things too far? Right when the protector was starting to feel a little bit upset at Yu Jitae, Bom lowered her head and covered her eyes.

    ¡°What are you doing. I¡¯m talking to you.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Raise your head.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Lift your head up. And stop crying. You think you have the right to cry.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    Soon, a sorrowfully weeping voice was heard, and her breaths were interrupted by her sniffs.

    She was crying and her small shoulders trembled. The atmosphere turned heavy.

    Something was strange, thought Yu Jitae but still went with it.

    ¡°How can I trust you if you¡¯re like this?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed.¡±

    But¡­

    No matter how much he spoke, Bom didn¡¯t return the scripted lines.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Bom. Any words to say?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    With her mouth shut tight, tears started travelling down her cheeks. Without saying a word, Bom started wiping the tears with her palms.

    At this point, Yu Jitae was the one put in a difficult spot. Her heart, breaths, gestures and the beads hanging on her eyes ¨C everything seemed to be suggesting that she was actually crying.

    What in the world¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The original n was to tell Armata to bring a cane from the storage and Gyeoul would jump out of her hiding spot with the cake in hand.

    But if he continued with this, it felt like he might make the same mistake he made before. Therefore, he stopped there but Bom still didn¡¯t stop crying.

    From behind the door, Yeorum stared at them with her eyes questioning what was wrong with her and Kaeul was also flustered.

    Bom cried for real, and the surprise party therefore ended up being a failure.

    Yu Jitae suddenly became the bad one.

    *

    Kaeul and Gyeoul pushed the cake forward and somehow sorted the situation out. Bom also stopped crying and apologised to everyone. When Yeorum asked why she cried, she gave an effective excuse, ¡°I saw a sad Providence just then¡­¡±.

    However, since it was the first time Bom teared up, Yu Jitae called her over to the terrace.

    Late at night under the dark sky, with the only source of ambient light being the room behind the half-closed curtains, Bom gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m really sorry. I really wasn¡¯t trying to cry.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You were really surprised because of me, right. I¡¯m really sorry. Even I was surprised because of my tears, you know?¡±

    When he stared at her with his hazy eyes, Bom had an apologetic look but soon bursted out intoughter after remembering his lost expression.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Noo~ Ah, I shouldn¡¯t beughing right now. But seriously, I was also startled so¡­ please don¡¯t be mad.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? Please. Hnn? Let me apologise. Sincerely.¡±

    Bom, who sincerely felt apologetic about the situation, showed a rare side ¨C she acted cute and clung to him. Pressing on his temples, he asked.

    ¡°Why did you cry then.¡±

    ¡°You know¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting it myself, but hearing that made me really depressed.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be depressed about. It¡¯s just a script.¡±

    ¡°I know right. Usually I¡¯m not like this, but I think my emotions suddenly turned chaotic after hearing those words.¡±

    ¡°What. How I was disappointed?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Just, everything including that¡­¡±

    As if she was shy, Bom gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°I know ahjussi didn¡¯t really mean it, and I was mentally prepared for it as well. It was just, nothing but a script and yet¡­¡±

    She slurred her words before adding more.

    ¡°¡­Why does my heart ache so much.¡±

    The atmosphere rapidly changed.

    Emotions appeared in the pair of green eyes gazing at him from below.

    Bom¡¯s usual eyes were difficult to analyse but her current gaze appeared familiar. The eyes of a human staring at treasure aligned with her current gaze. Lying within was greed.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. You were surprised right¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Whatever.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not mad anymore?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t mad. Are you fine.¡±

    Right when he was starting to realise that something was strange,

    Bom suddenly came up and carefully hugged him. She then ced her forehead on his chest.

    ¡°Of course. I usually don¡¯t even cry.¡±

    The light weight behind her forehead could be felt by his chest. In that moment, perplexity started flooding in like a tidal wave.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    He tried to push the child¡¯s shoulders away but a hurried voice stopped his hands.

    ¡°Just a little bit,¡± she said.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please just, let me stay like this for a bit.¡±

    More water was added to a cup already full. Perplexity overflowed out of his emotions.

    Not knowing what to do in a situation like this, the Regressor stood still doing nothing.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Can I please ask for a favour?¡±

    ¡°A favour?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Can you please just tell me one thing?¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    He thought to himself.

    There were several times when it struck him, that Bom might be thinking more about the rtionship between herself and him. That doubt tended to increase itself in size like a balloon from her words and actions whenever they were alone.

    ¡°I¡¯m a dragon so¡­ one good memory can rece most of my painful memories. So¡­¡±

    Whenever that happened, he thought Bom was simply the type that enjoyed teasing others and tried to stop himself from having such a doubt.

    However, the green pair of eyes staring up at him were dead serious.

    His doubt slowly started expanding,

    ¡°¡­Can you please call me pretty?¡±

    And exploded atst.

 Chapter 172: 7th Iteration: Interim Review (4)

    <h4>Chapter 172: 7th Iteration: Interim Review (4)</h4>

    After finishing her words,

    Her eyes trembled. The olive-coloured eyes that appeared like the collection of bitterness avoided his eyes. Wearing a troubled expression on her face, the child soon lowered and buried her head back into his chest.

    Bom silently stayed like that for a long time, as if waiting for a reply.

    After regaining the Eye of Providence, she had never shown such a reaction even when she was teasing him. That in turn meant that she was unable to control herself and the situation despite having seen Providence.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He found it difficult to reply.

    It was aplicated situation.

    If there were fences separating people, it might be that Bom was trying to cross the fence over to his side. Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, she was sending paper airnes with a message saying that she was curious about the other side.

    Her temperature that could be felt above the clothes turned his perplexity into confusion.

    He took the hatchlings in and called himself their guardian in hopes of having them safely live a happy life. That was his 7th iteration ¨C the life he found to be the closest to the correct answer.

    And he had never even imagined that the hatchlings could feel an emotion exceeding that of a guardian and a ward during the process. It was natural because he had been seeing the hatchlings curse him for over dozens of years already.

    Dozens of years was by no means a short period of time. It was almost the same as the amount of time spent by two intimate people until death separates them.

    And yet what was happening now?

    The Regressor had met the Green Dragon dozens of times, but Bom was seeing Yu Jitae for the first time.

    He had never pondered deeply about the emotion that could be created due to that difference in perspective.

    When he remained silent for a long time, Bom rubbed her forehead left and right. The small head twitched and the sound of hair rubbing on his clothes reached his ears.

    She became impatient from waiting and was urging him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, he didn¡¯t say anything.

    He couldn¡¯t say anything.

    He shouldn¡¯t get any closer with Bom and there was a clear reason behind that.

    He wouldn¡¯t be staying with them forever. It was a rtionship that started with him longing for the farewell, and there would definitelye a time where they had to separate.

    If he wanted them to return with nothing but good memories, Yu Jitae had to remain a good memory.

    Thus, he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Seeing that Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t reacting in any way, Bom raised her head again. Wearing the same old expression with not a sliver of perplexity or sorrow, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°Are you not going to do it for me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Then should I do it for you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi has, hmm, hmm¡­ pretty lips. It would be even prettier if you smiled.¡±

    Bom slowly raised her hands and ced her fingers on the ends of his lips. Ignoring his feelings, she carefully pushed his cheeks up and lifted his lips to a smile as if he was a child. She then murmured, ¡°So pretty¡­¡± to herself.

    Even then, he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Around when the perplexity was about to change to confusion yet again,

    ¡°Are you still not going to do it for me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m suffering a loss here¡­¡±

    Bom giggled and separated herself from his body. She then wore the usual strange yet indifferent expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m always making a loss. So from today, my name will no longer be Bom.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a pushover. Yu Pushover.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Pushover. I¡¯m crying¡­¡±

    After slurring her words, she smiled mischievously before going into the house.

    The Regressor dyed it with silence, but the paper airne had already entered hisnd. Maybe it was slightly crumpled just then, but he was clearly aware that it had to be opened one day or another.

    It was still too early for him to evaluate Bom¡¯s 7th iteration.

    ***

    Ever since that happened, Bom became weird.

    ¡­or so he thought but she was in fact so normal that he found it strange.

    Regardless, he decided to finish with what he was doing. Things were rolling out of hand so he had yet toplete the interim assessment.

    First off was Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­Really? Can I?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Do it.¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s biggest objective was survival.

    Surviving against the firstborn unni after the end of the Amusement, and avenging her youngest unni who had done her best to protect her.

    And in order to do so, she had to be at least as strong as Javier from South Africa in a short period of time.

    ¡°¡­Really? I¡¯m, going to, do it.¡±

    ¡°Ah, just do it you idiot. How many times are you saying that?¡±

    ¡°¡­Annoying.¡±

    ¡®Short period of time¡¯ here was referring to 20 years of time, and it would naturally be better if it was even faster than that.

    Currently, Yeorum was simr or perhaps slightly stronger than Yong Taeha, who was recently being praised as the greatest genius in history worldwide.

    The greatest concern she had to ovee was her uncontroble anger. It was the element that had been detrimental to her for numerous iterations and at the same time was thergest threat to her growth and fighting potential.

    She had seemingly realised that herself and it seemed that Yeorum was also trying her hardest. Even now, she was urging Gyeoul to hit her.

    ¡°¡­Toote, to regret.¡±

    After a slight hesitation, Gyeoul powerfully pped her cheek.

    p¨C!

    Her hand was small and appeared feeble but Gyeoul was also a dragon and thus the p caused Yeorum¡¯s head to turn.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    After smacking her cheek, Gyeoul nced at Yeorum. With a reddened cheek, Yeorum slowly faced the front again like a broken doll.

    ¡°¡­How is it?¡¯

    ¡°Hmm. Not bad.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do more then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    p¨C!

    Yeorum faced the front every time as if it was okay while Gyeoul started to enjoy it. She grinned, and rotated her arms around before pping her.

    Meanwhile, Kaeul who was standing next to Yu Jitae, opened her mouth with a whisper while watching the two of them.

    ¡°She¡¯s angry. She¡¯s angry¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Yes. After getting hit by Yeorum-unni everyday, I have this thing called Yu Yeorum radar, you know?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°¡­Unni is really mad right now.¡±

    p¨C!

    Her head turned to the side. When Gyeoul asked if she was okay, Yeorum replied with a smile.

    ¡°Of course I am.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then, do some more?¡±

    ¡°No. Let¡¯s stop there.¡±

    Only then did Gyeoul realise that Yeorum¡¯s smile wasn¡¯t actually a smile. She carefully sneaked away.

    Yeorum¡¯s 7th iteration was better than any other iterations of the past.

    ***

    Next up was Kaeul.

    Unlike Bom and Yeorum, she didn¡¯t do anything despite being a cadet and simply enjoyed her time at the school. But this was what Yu Jitae considered the best and the most suitable Amusement for Kaeul.

    Although she was sometimes sad, she appeared to be enjoying her life. However, wouldn¡¯t it be fine for there to be a small event that she would be excited about?

    One morning, Yu Jitae headed to the academy district with just Kaeul.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    The blonde girl rambling on and on without taking a rest appeared slightly surprised after realising that Yu Jitae was taking her to the education department.

    Lair was bustling due to the approaching festival and cadets and staff members were all busy with their own task. Yu Jitae headed to the PR team with Kaeul and told the reception desk that they were here to ask about the ¡®Masked Singing Contest¡¯.

    Soon, Team Leader Yong Dohee left her office to meet the two of them.

    ¡°No-one will find out about who you are both before and after the performance. We also get rid of the documents immediately after the performance.

    ¡°So¡­ There¡¯s no prize pool for the contest and it¡¯s just to enjoy the festival.

    ¡°The masks need to be brought by yourself and you can simply cover your face with it. In fact, there are lots of cadets whoe to the audition already wearing masks. A few years ago, a guardian from Noblesse School took the audition while pretending to be a cadet and that waster revealed from an interview.¡±

    Team Leader Yongughed, ¡®uhahat¡¯ after sharing that little incident. The performance was there to simply enliven the festival and there was nothing that would restrain Kaeul.

    ¡°Umm¡­ in that case¡­ can I do it as well?¡±

    But Team Leader Yong¡¯s expression turned darker after hearing her question.

    ¡°Did you want to apply for it, Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, ah no? I was just curious¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but, the application window has already ended.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    ¡°I should have let you know earlier but I didn¡¯t know you were interested in something like this.¡±

    ¡°N, no! It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to sneak you in?¡±

    Kaeul frantically waved her hands.

    ¡°I can¡¯t even sing¡­!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Team Leader Yong Dohee rested her chin on her hands and tilted her head. ¡°Your voice is clean and pretty so I think you¡¯ll do well¡­¡± she muttered but Kaeul waved her hands again from embarrassment.

    Looking back, there hadn¡¯t been any opportunity ever since the freshmen deration. However, her feet were cheerful and nimble on the way back so he asked her if she was okay.

    ¡°Ehew, I can¡¯t even sing in the first ce¡­ I¡¯ll obviously just embarrass myself right?¡±

    ¡°You might be good at it.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, umm. It¡¯s already gone so I won¡¯t even think about it¡­!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. There will be another chanceter on.¡±

    ¡°Yess.¡±

    Kaeul suddenly scratched her head.

    ¡°Uhuum¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Now that I think about it, ahjussi, why am I not good at anything?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, right. Bom-unni is pretty and smart. Yeorum-unni is good at sports. She¡¯s tall and has a strong mentality. And Gyeoul is just cute right.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°But me. I just eat and y around. Besides, I don¡¯t even take a dump after eating food. I¡¯m worse than a dumping machine?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ the more I think about it, I think I¡¯m a useless dragon. If I embarrassed myself with singing on top of this, I might rather die you know?¡±

    Kaeulughed ¡®hehe¡¯, but it didn¡¯t sound like a joke to him.

    However, her casual and lighthearted mood was not a facade.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You just have to eat well and y around.¡±

    ¡°Okayy~ Ahh, I feel like having something sweet today¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want to buy some macarons? It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    She nodded with a bright smile and on the way back home after buying the macarons, her steps were even lighter.

    Aftering back home, Yu Jitae nced at the baby chicken, Chirpy. It seemed to have gone out somewhere in that short period of time and there was a leaf stuck on its fur.

    The baby chicken was slowly starting to be a rooster.

    In his opinion, it would be best if Kaeul didn¡¯t do anything but she would be forced to do something in the near future.

    This baby chicken will lead her forward.

    Kaeul¡¯s 7th iteration was hard to evaluate. He had to watch a little bit more until the end of the Amusement.

    ***

    Last up was Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was night time.

    He took Gyeoul outside for a little walk. She was good at walking now and could walk straight without a problem.

    He thought that perhaps it was about time to send her to school. There was a primary school at Lair for the guardian¡¯s children and he had prepared 3 identities for Gyeoul even before she shed her skin, so there was nothing to worry about.

    Although she was just over a year old now, it might be good for her to study while also spending some time alone. While Yu Jitae was thinking that, he felt a gaze.

    Gyeoul was staring nkly at his arms. He looked at her but when their eyes met, she turned and faced the front.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She stayed silent.

    Thinking that it wasn¡¯t anything serious, he started walking down the park again but felt her gaze again after a few minutes. She was ring daggers at his arms once again.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Is there anything you want to say?¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head.

    However, a sad voice soon escaped her lips.

    ¡°¡­Am I heavy?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­Am I, too heavy now?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t understand what Gyeoul was trying to say.

    ¡°Well, you got taller so you must have be heavier.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul nodded with a disheartened look on her face. He had no idea why she was like this.

    Soon they headed back home. On the way, one of the straps of the slipper she was wearing snapped.

    ¡°¡­I got this recently.¡±

    Suddenly, she had to walk barefoot and was startled but Yu Jitae reached out to her.

    ¡°Come here,¡± he said.

    Gyeoul shook her head in a fluster.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­I can walk by myself.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll just walk by myself.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Stubbornly she started walking barefoot. However, there was a dirty puddle of water in the middle of the road so he had to lift the child up and hug her. Gyeoul twitched her legs around in surprise.

    ¡°¡­Sorry,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Why¡±

    ¡°¡­For being heavy.¡±

    Yu Jitae finally remembered Yeorum teasing Gyeoul for being a pig. And also how Kaeul replied, ¡°Oing? You can walk by yourself right?¡± when Gyeoul asked for a hug after shedding her skin.

    That must be the reason she insisted on walking by herself even after her shoes were broken, although she was ring at his arms all evening.

    ¡°You¡¯re not heavy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Just stay still.¡±

    He didn¡¯t let her down until they went back home. Despite twitching her toes at the start, Gyeoul also soon naturally leaned on his shoulders like usual.

    Aftering back to the unit, she asked carefully before going down from his hug.

    ¡°¡­Are we, going on a walk tomorrow as well?¡±

    ¡°If you want to.¡±

    ¡°¡­What if, my shoes snap again tomorrow?¡±

    Her desire reflected transparently. He gave a faint smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to hug you then.¡±

    Only then did Gyeoul nod in satisfaction. As such, Gyeoul of the 7th iteration was living a better lifepared to the previous iterations.

    *

    Like that, he finished the interim review for the 7th iteration.

    The 7th iteration was overall a sess.

    ¡°Wahh! A pizza! The big one is mine!¡±

    ¡°¡­The small one, is mine.¡±

    Watching them chat while having pizza as a midnight snack, he thought to himself.

    May this momentst as is.

 Chapter 173: When the cowering one blossoms (1)

    <h4>Chapter 173: When the cowering one blossoms (1)</h4>

    ¨C Misterrr~~~~~~ Cthulhuuu~!!

    Under the overwhelming apuse of the crowd, a man wearing a squid mask ¨C Mister Cthulhu ¨C took a step on the octagon.

    Having experienced the Great War, he knew how humans could be deformed corpses.

    For example, a superhuman that died to a subus would have all their bones melted and be mushy. Subuses with a refined sense of taste sometimes tied a knot with the arms of the mushy corpse.

    And now, he was going to do the same to the baby-chicken mask that was standing before him. If he destroyed all the bones of the opponents¡¯ arms and tied a knot with them behind thatughable mask, people would definitely love it.

    But a minute passed after the bell rang.

    He didn¡¯t even know what happened and was lying t on the ground.

    ¡®¡­?¡¯

    His chest was being stepped on by the man.

    An outrageous force and pressure suffocated him. When he turned to the side, he could see the astonished gazes of the crowd and soon, the drunk referee checked whether he was dead or not with his arms crossed behind his back.

    ¡°You dead? Cthulhu?¡±

    Dead my ass, you stupid dotard.

    Mister Cthulhu thought to himself.

    What happened just then? He had run in, in order to get in a grappling position and had sessfully struck the opponent¡¯s stomach with his shoulder.

    Being struck by a 3-digit world ranker like him running in at full speed after strengthening the body and supporting it with mana, was more devastating than crashing into a dump truck.

    And yet the man nonchntly stopped and pushed him back.

    Because of that he got fairly angry. He used mana to manipte his blessings and closed the gap in the blink of an eye but¡­

    What happened then?

    He couldn¡¯t remember anything after that.

    By the time he realised it, he was rolling on the ground.

    ¡°Do you ept your loss? Cthulhu?¡±

    The drunk referee giggled. Enraged, Cthulhu grabbed the referee by the neck and threw him while still lying down on the ground. The old ref flew up, crashed into the ceiling and died immediately.

    The cheers of the crowd distracted his ears.

    Mister Cthulhu admitted his loss and the man wearing the baby chicken mask immediately lifted his foot.

    On the way outside, he bashed another staff member of the fight club and killed him. Unable to control his anger, he picked up a running car and threw it. He then killed a ruffian walking by.

    The longer his thoughts continued, the more it touched his emotions.

    He remembered how it was when he exited the building. The cheers that had been for him had changed its target to the chicken mask. The envy of males and desires of females had all been reced by sneers.

    Normally, he wouldn¡¯t even have the time to worry about stuff like that. However, he was currently Mister Cthulhu ¨C one middle-aged man who dedicated his life to his hobby.

    In the back alleyway, he couldn¡¯t control himself and called someone.

    ¡°Hey. It¡¯s me.¡±

    There weren¡¯t many inside the Association who knew of Mister Cthulhu¡¯s secretive hobby life. He called the strongest junior who knew of his hobby.

    ¡°Can you deal with this one guy for me? Yeah. Yeah. That¡¯s right. Yeah. I lost at the 14th defense match.¡±

    When he roughly exined the situation, a pitying voice escaped with a sigh from the other side of the phone.

    ¨C Bro. Isn¡¯t it about time you stopped doing this? You¡¯ll be 50 in a day or two, bro.

    The tone of that voice was eating at his pride. However, Mister Cthulhu was fine with losing a little bit of pride here, as long as the baby chicken mask that was looking down at him could get smashed to death.

    ¡°Fu*k. What if I¡¯m 50? You want me to swing a golf putter like all those boring guys out there?¡±

    ¨C Haigo. That¡¯s at least better. What¡¯s gotten into you right before hitting 50 after spending your whole life swinging pens? Why are you swinging a burning bat now?

    ¡°Oi, just help me out with this, dude.¡±

    ¨C If the Association hears anything about this, you¡¯ll be absolutely destroyed bro. I¡¯m sure you know that yourself?

    The one on the other side of the phone was from the International Superhuman Association¡¯s vanguard secret ops. Themander of Vanguard: Fill the Gray ¨C a top world ranker with the rank 271.

    Shadow Human, ¡®Ohn Sung-o¡¯.

    ¨C Tch. So about what rank do you need. Considering how you¡¯re a goner bro, maybe someone in the 2000¡¯s? Like n, Pyo or Hezekiah?

    ¡°A goner my ass. I¡¯m stronger than all of them.¡±

    ¨C Aigo. Of course yes.

    Mister Cthulhu thought to himself. He still considered himself an active veteran. Although he hadn¡¯t used everything in his arsenal, the opponent overpowered him in the blink of an eye and thus a random ranker won¡¯t be able to do much.

    ¡°Sung-o, my brother¡­¡±

    ¨C Ah bro. Stop there.

    Ohn Sung-o tried to stop him after realising what he was trying to say.

    ¡°Come on bro. I know all your schedules. There¡¯s no-one to kill these days. It¡¯s been very quiet recently and your life has been boring right?¡±

    ¨C Ahh, you¡¯re telling me toe just for this random bloke?

    ¡°Even a knife gets blunt after not using it for a while. Come and sharpen it or something.¡±

    ¨C What do you know¡­

    The voice suggested that he was looking down at him even till the end. He had the sudden urge to scrap everything but held it in.

    Whatever the case, Ohn Sung-o was a strong superhuman and he should have no trouble smacking the baby chicken mask to death.

    Thinking that, Mister Cthulhu soothed the rage he got from his hobby.

    ¨C So, who was it again?

    ***

    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant,¡± said Bom.

    Yu Jitae looked into her eyes as she looked back at him while wearing the circr-framed sses. There was a word in her sentence that required some time for him to wrap his head around.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a way to make that sound smoother?¡±

    Bom, who had seen Yu Jitae¡¯s expression change for a moment, said while holding back herughter. She was currently writing a novel.

    ¡°Surprised?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Who knows. But why would you try to make that sound smoother.¡±

    ¡°Saying ¡®I¡¯m pregnant¡¯, is too straightforward right.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t it be straightforward?¡±

    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t sound good.¡±

    ¡°How do you make it sound good.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know? That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking of right now.¡±

    She touched her lips in contemtion, ¡°Hmm~¡±. Meanwhile, Yu Jitae thought for a bit before sharing other expressions for pregnancy.

    ¡°I conceived a kid.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think it sounds good.¡±

    ¡°There is a new child.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think it sounds good either.¡±

    ¡°¡®I¡¯ am not singr.¡±

    ¡°??¡±

    ¡°My stomach has expanded.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know then.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    That was when Yeorum, who was sitting next to Yu Jitae, chimed in.

    ¡°Told you not to do it inside.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it bad? Hmm¡­ our love has bore its fruit?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Bom widened her eyes and soon chuckled.

    ¡°What was that? Did I hear it wrong?¡±

    Yeorum silently stared off into the distance, before changing the topic.

    ¡°Hmm. By the way unni, are you still writing a horror novel?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t write in other genres?¡±

    ¡°Like?¡±

    ¡°You know, like mystery, or romance. Things like that.¡±

    ¡°Nn. I don¡¯t.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°You know. How about you try writing one.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Bom tilted her head, while Gyeoul, who was quietly sitting next to Yu Jitae, also had a look of doubt in her eyes.

    It was a strange thing for Yeorum to say.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try if I have time,¡± replied Bom.

    ¡°Yeah. If you have to choose, maybe try romance¡­ or something like that.¡±

    She seemed somewhat embarrassed after saying that as she scratched the back of her neck. Bom stared at her with a knowing gaze before reluctantly giving a nod.

    That day was a normal day. A day no different from other normal days.

    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡±

    In the afternoon, Kaeul returned to the dormitory after her lecture. Yu Jitae called her to the study because there was something he needed to tell her.

    ¡°Oing? Why?¡±

    Fortunately, it appeared that she no longer felt repulsive against being with him alone and casually sat next to him on the bed.

    ¡°There¡¯s something to give you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Yu Jitae handed her a small ticket. The ticket had ¡®Superhuman Academy Lair PR Team¡¯ printed in bold at the front, with ¡®For Baby Chicken Mask¡¯ written at the back.

    After quietly twisting and ying around with the ticket, Kaeul widened her golden eyes.

    ¡°Nnn? Uhhh¡­?! Is this¡­?¡±

    In fact, even before heading to the PR team yesterday, he had already consulted Team Leader Yong Dohee about the Masked Singing Contest.

    She asked if Kaeul was good at singing and he replied, yes. After that, Team Leader Yong Dohee used her authority in joy to give her a position. It showed how much she liked Kaeul.

    However, Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t thoughtlessly continue with this n. Yu Kaeul was the most sensitive child who had to be treated the most delicately.

    Kaeul had to take this lightly.

    She couldn¡¯t be overly excited even if it worked out well, and she must not be depressed even if things didn¡¯t turn out well. Therefore, he decided to do a little test with Kaeul.

    ¡®You want me to act? Like she didn¡¯t make it? Ah, you¡¯re trying to surprise Kaeul right?¡¯

    Team Leader Yong Dohee dly listened to his request.

    After she seemingly didn¡¯t make it into the contest, Kaeul was only slightly sad on the way back.

    She passed Yu Jitae¡¯s test.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try it. Let¡¯s try singing.¡±

    When Yu Jitae mentioned something which she had considered to be over, her eyes turned nk for a second before bing lively again.

    ¡°Uwaahh¨C! You¡¯re the best. Ahjussi!¡±

    She tried to hug Yu Jitae, but suddenly stopped.

    ¡°Aht¡­ Ah! Anyway, I like you so much! Uwahh!¡±

    Soon, Kaeul hopped out to the living room with the ticket in hand and showed off to her unnis and Gyeoul. ¡°Amazing. Amazing right!¡± she shouted in joy, and the other kids also congratted her in surprise.

    Yu Jitae went outside and soothed her.

    ¡°Kaeul. Sit down first. There¡¯s something I need to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yes yes!¡±

    There was something strange while he was proceeding with the event. It was that the application window had already ended by the time Kaeul told him about the Masked Singing Contest.

    It might be something insignificant, but he decided to address it just in case.

    ¡°Ehng? Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You didn¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. That¡¯s weird? Yuran told me they were receiving applications for it? I told you straight after I heard that.¡±

    ¡®Jung Yuran¡¯ was the name of her friend whom Kaeul often mentioned.

    ¡°Ah¡­! But, Yuran is a little bit weird these days.¡±

    ¡°Weird?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. It feels like, there¡¯s something¡­ Sometimes she speaks to me like we¡¯re close but when there¡¯s a lot of people, she doesn¡¯t reply¡­ I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s like that.¡±

    Hearing that, Bom asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird. Is it very obvious?¡±

    ¡°Nn nn. When it¡¯s just the two of us, I think she¡¯s nice¡­¡±

    ¡°Have you talked to someone else regarding that?¡±

    ¡°No. Well, I tried asking one other friend? But she said she couldn¡¯t really tell.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°What, is she a bit of a retarded bi*ch?¡± interjected Yeorum.

    ¡°No¡­! She always asks me to go karaoke together! She¡¯s a good friend.¡± Kaeul scratched her head before adding, ¡°¡­She¡¯s just a bit weird sometimes.¡±

    There seemed to be something bizarre happening between the girls, which Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know much of. Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul talked about the rtionship for a long time. Yeorum criticised the friend while Kaeul shielded her but after listening for a while, Bom also shook her head.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel good. I think she¡¯s being jealous.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Jealous? Why?¡±

    ¡°Only she knows why, I assume.¡±

    ¡°I think she¡¯s definitely a crazy b*tch.¡±

    Kaeul made a straight face after hearing Yeorum¡¯s blunt words.

    ¡°Unni! She¡¯s my friend!¡±

    However, Yeorum also crumpled her expression irritatedly.

    ¡°Friend or whatever. Listen, you idiot. She¡¯s learning how to sing, and yet she makes you sing when all your other mates are there as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true but¡­!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fuc*in¡¯ obviously making otherspare you with her. And she fills up her ego by trampling on you like a shoe. She¡¯s just a crazy b*tch. What else.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how it is¡­!¡±

    ¡°What the fk. What¡¯s wrong with you? Stop just saying no.¡±

    The situation was clearer after listening to Yeorum. It seemed that the cadet called Jung Yuran, inside Kaeul¡¯s travel society, was trying to sneakily make her a target forparison.

    After hearing their conversation for a while, a doubt appeared in Yu Jitae¡¯s mind.

    ¡°You said she¡¯s learning how to sing?¡±

    Kaeul nodded with a slightly disheartened look on her face.

    ¡°Yes yes. Apparently she was aspiring to be a celebrity in Korea.¡±

    ¡°Since when did she offer you to sing.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ it¡¯s been a while already.¡±

    A few days ago, Yong Dohee said the following:

    ¡®But are you really going to make her anonymous? Although there¡¯s no prize pool and scores, it¡¯s one of the popr events from the firework festival. So 7 out of 10 people usually try to make themselves known by taking their masks off.¡¯

    In this era, superhumans were both soldiers and heroes.

    If the sess of a superhuman was decided by money and fame, name value was significantly more important than individual power.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ is that so.¡±

    He thought to himself.

    Kids being jealous of each other didn¡¯t need a special reason or anything for that matter. This was Kaeul¡¯s school life and her daily life but as her guardian, hearing all that didn¡¯t necessarily put him in a good mood.

    ¡°Got it. In that case, how you sing will be the most important factor.¡±

    In response to his words, Gyeoul who was quietly listening to them speak, pped out loud. An exmation mark appeared above Kaeul¡¯s head.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. We need to send a video of the song to Team Leader Yong as well, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. She wanted a video.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll record it when Kaeul starts singing,¡± said Bom while fidgeting with the watch.

    Yeorum asked.

    ¡°But do you even have a song you wanna sing?¡±

    At the centre of the attention, Kaeul was slowly turning stiff.

    ¡°Nn? Uhh, unn¡­¡±

    She appeared to be getting nervous once it was about time to actually start, and nkly rolled her eyes.

    That was when Yeorum suddenly thought of something and gave a wicked smile.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s her favourite song.¡±

    ¡°Who? Yuran? Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a song she sings everyday at the karaoke right.¡±

    ¡°Ah, nn. There is¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®Some time or other¡¯¡­ it¡¯s a pretty sad song and Yuran sings it every time we go there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Try that. You remember it right?¡±

    Seeing her suggestive smile, Kaeul felt slightly ufortable but it was toote to fight back. Bom had already started filming Kaeul with her watch and the protector, watching from the side, turned the light off.

    ¡°Uahh¡­ I¡¯m actually going to do it okay? I¡¯m starting now¡­¡±

    A lot of eyes were on her, but none of them replied to her voice. Not knowing what to do, Kaeul closed her eyes and slowly started to remember the voice and melody she heard at the karaoke.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was curious.

    Luna, the empress of pop songs in the 1st iteration.

    And Baby Yellow, the goddess of billboard in the 4th iteration.

    Those two were a few of the destined futures of Kaeul. Her voice had echoed worldwide and had shook the hearts of countless people.

    Does such unprecedented talent show itself even without going through practices and hard work? That was what the Regressor was curious about.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Soon, Kaeul slightly opened her lips with her cheeks flushed in deep red from the embarrassment.

    Finally, the song began.

 Chapter 174: When the cowering one blossoms (2)

    <h4>Chapter 174: When the cowering one blossoms (2)</h4>

    At the start, it resembled the tone of a music box.

    A feeble, somewhat trembling voice.

    And yet a timbre so clear and bright that it made people wonder how a human could have such a clear voice.

    Perhaps that was because she wasn¡¯t a human. Or perhaps because it was the voice of a child that was destined to be immersed in receiving love from a crowd of people.

    However, the clear voice was filled with concern. She was noticeably nervous as she carefully let out word by word and tone by tone, that it concerned the onlookers. Gyeoul simrly turned nervous and clenched her hands.

    It was like an extremely clear and beautifulke but ripples could be felt from the voice. When the kids were starting to feel slightly doubtful,

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul stopped singing. Even that appeared like a part of the performance so the kids waited for a bit, but the song didn¡¯t continue.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°What is that. Why did you stop?¡±

    ¡°N, nn? Why!?¡±

    ¡°Why are you stopping in the middle of a song.¡±

    Kaeul returned an awkward smile to Yeorum¡¯s question.

    ¡°But I haven¡¯t sung past that before¡­?¡±

    ¡°What? So you stopped there every single time?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Even at the karaoke?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°Ayish. You joking? Isn¡¯t that why that bi*ch called Yuran or whatever looked down on you? You need to finish a song after starting it.¡±

    ¡°Is that how it is¡­? Uhh¡­ but¡­¡±

    ¡°What ¡®but¡¯. Do it again. From the start.¡±

    ¡°Uaaahh¡­ I, I¡­!¡±

    Kaeul covered her face with her hands and crouched.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it. I want to hide¡­¡±

    Yeorum clicked her tongue in response while Bom found her cute and smiled.

    ¡°Go on Kaeul. That was quite good,¡± said Bom.

    ¡°Uh? Really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nn. It was a shame that you stopped right when it was about to get even better. You should¡¯ve sung a bit more. Why did you stop there?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where I always stopped¡­¡±

    ¡°Always? Even when you first sang it?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°Why did you stop there when you were first singing it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing but¡­ Yuran said I was trembling too much, and said I should do it againter¡­¡±

    Kaeul¡¯s words caused everyone to go silent. When Yeorum opened her mouth, she gathered the eyes of everyone else. She tried to pick the right words but the only words that appeared in her mind were bad ones so she closed her mouth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try again,¡± Yu Jitae suggested.

    After gloomily giving a nod, Kaeul readied herself once again. And then, after a sigh, she slowly started singing again.

    It was a clear and bright voice, but the nervousness was slightly greater than before. She was like a de dancer dancing on a detop. Beautiful but unstable; tranquil but not calm.

    Her voice quivered, concerned about making a mistake. Watching that, Gyeoul also became more nervous and with a pair of uneasy eyes she grabbed onto Yu Jitae¡¯s sleeves.

    Kaeul¡¯s eyes distractedly ncing at the ground caused the audience to be even more nervous. Once she neared the part where she had stopped before, she closed her eyes, no longer able to endure the nervousness.

    In that instant, the essence of the song flipped. The voice resembling a music box soon turned into the clear timbre of a string instrument. It sounded rather raw because it wasn¡¯t polished, but her voice started drawing a picture inside the heads of the listeners.

    The lyrics continued

    Even if the road is rugged and steep,

    Even if only the cliff awaits you,

    Go on.

    If you go on,

    ¡°Some time or other¡­¡±

    In the distant future, some time or other¡­

    Gyeoul¡¯s hand clenching on Yu Jitae¡¯s sleeves slowly rxed, but the Regressor found it to be a shame.

    The naturally rising timbre went high and clear but didn¡¯t give the feeling of a hail like BY. Her voice exploding forth at a high note was powerful but didn¡¯t give off the feeling of a cannonball like BY.

    Her gentle whisper after a rupture of emotions was enough to shake the fingertips of some listeners but didn¡¯t have the power to make 44,000 visitors shed tears at a stadium.

    However, it seemed that the Regressor was the only one who thought like that.

    After the song came to an end, Bom, Yeorum and Gyeoul all pped. Compliments like ¡®Not bad,¡¯ and ¡®That was good,¡¯ were shared.

    Kaeul opened her eyes that had been closed shut and asked carefully.

    ¡°W, w, was that okay?¡±

    Yu Jitae replied while touching the back of his neck.

    ¡°It was good. Nice job.¡±

    ¡°¡­I also, think it was good. Very good.¡±

    After Yu Jitae replied, Gyeoul gave a p.

    ¡°W, what about you unni? Why, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    ¡°Say what.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­? You¡¯re not swearing?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? I said you did well.¡±

    ¡°Nnn?¡±

    She couldn¡¯t understand the situation after hearing Yeorum¡¯s acknowledgement.

    Kaeul had never considered herself a good singer till now. Because of that, she was rather befuddled by the reaction and in fact couldn¡¯t believe them.

    Maybe I¡¯m not good? Ahjussi and Gyeoul always treat me well, and Yeorum-unni is a bit strange in the head right?

    The most honest one has always been Bom-unni.

    Bom was silent, but when Kaeul looked at her with a worried gaze, she touched her lips and replied with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Kaeul. Did you ever have an unrequited love for someone when you were in Askalifa? Or did your loved one die?¡±

    ¡°Nn? No? Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t? That¡¯s weird. Because you were nervous, your singing was just so-so.¡±

    ¡°Un, un.¡±

    ¡°But when you were singing, you¡­¡±

    After carefully choosing her words, Bom awkwardly opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­You sounded like a wife that lost her husband.¡±

    *

    Was it that good?

    The Regressor didn¡¯t have a discerning ear and thus couldn¡¯t really tell. The only feeling he got was that it wascking inparison to BY.

    He showed the video to Team Leader Yong Dohee and she also gave a fairly positive reaction.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After the song, Team Leader Yong gave a bright smile.

    ¡°Is it okay?¡±

    ¡°Wah, it¡¯s great. So she did know how to sing.¡±

    Kaeul was shaking so much and the video made that even more apparent so Yu Jitae was slightly worried but fortunately, it was met with a good reception.

    ¡°Her voice is really pretty. I knew she would be good.¡±

    ¡°Is that enough for her to get on stage?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I need confirmation from the director but this should be enough in my opinion.¡±

    After saying that, Team Leader Yong added.

    ¡°But while her voice and tone are all great, it¡¯s a little bit unstable and that¡¯s a bit of a shame.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°Well, I think it was fine even if we take that into ount. She will be fine 100%. I¡¯ll give you another call after getting the approval of the director.¡±

    Yu Jitae returned to the dormitory and ryed her words to the kids ¨C that it wasn¡¯t certain but would most likely be fine.

    ¡°R, really!?¡±

    Relying on the certainty of the team leader, they started creating the baby chicken mask as well. This one lookedpletely different from the one that Clone 1 was using in America.

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome, Kaeul. Really great.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t gonna go to the festival, but I guess I have to go.¡±

    Bom and Yeorum congratted her and they ordered fried chicken that night for a celebration. However, even with her favourite fried chicken in front, Kaeul was stupefied and couldn¡¯t really taste the chicken.

    A few days passed by.

    Kaeul hummed by herself in her room and practised singing.

    It was a holiday and the kids were always at home so they listened to her sing from the side and helped her with the practice. While having dinner and enjoying a delicious snack, the conversation topic always shifted to the firework festival.

    These days, they always chatted about Kaeul at night.

    At noon, Kaeul had gone to the society meeting for a bit and seemed to have chatted with Jung Yuran there. Apparently, things didn¡¯t go the way she wanted it to and sheined to her unnis. Hearing that, Yeorum made a serious expression and told Kaeul to rey that situation.

    ¡°Do I have to¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course you do. Or else how do we know exactly what¡¯s happening?¡±

    Bom showed her agreement with a nod.

    Kaeul rolled her eyes around and unwillingly closed her eyes. Then, she recalled her vivid memories of the past.

    By the time she opened her eyes again, there was a somewhat fierce look on her eyes.

    ¡°¡­Oh my, did I? I must have mistaken the date.¡±

    Kaeulposedly smiled and imitated someone.

    ¡°But the way you¡¯re putting it makes it sound weird.¡±

    She threw a nce to the side.

    ¡°It sounds as if, I told you the wrong date on purpose to make you eat shi*.¡±

    Then, she gave a radiant smile.

    That was the end and Yeorum was the first one to react. She seemed to have recalled someone from that smile and suddenly grabbed Kaeul by the cor.

    ¡°Aoh, this little bi*ch. You smiling?¡±

    ¡°Uwahh¡­! It¡¯s me! Kaeul¡­!¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Why? Why are you mad? What did Yuran¡¯s words sound like?¡±

    Wearing a scowl on her face, Yeorum ced a salt shaker and a pepper shaker on the table.

    ¡°Look. You¡¯re salt, and that b*tch is pepper.¡±

    ¡°O, okay.¡±

    ¡°Pepper said that to salt when there were people around, yeah.¡±

    ¡°I guess?¡±

    ¡°So she said that on the outside while being conscious of other people, while implying that you¡¯re tactless and rude.¡±

    Yeorum picked the pepper shaker up and pushed salt with it. The salt shaker soon fell.

    Astonished, Kaeul turned towards Bom but Bom also returned a nod.

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    She became disheartened.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t know that¡­ I thought we were friends¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae, who was sitting next to them, touched the back of his neck. At their school, Bom was uninterested in forming rtionships with other people while Yeorum only knew how to go forward. Therefore, the two of them rarely ever got in a strife with others.

    However, Kaeul who formed several friendships was in a way destined to have non-violent conflicts like other cadets. In situations like this, the other kids would be better at giving her advice than Yu Jitae.

    ¡°You know what.¡±

    Yeorum opened her mouth with a fairly serious look on her face.

    ¡°You need to know how to get angry.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°You said that you were put in a bad mood when she said something strange.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Then freakin¡¯ ask them what the fuc* is wrong with them. Otherwise, those human guys and bi*ches will all look down on you even more. If something is weird, you need to address it and you need to get angry when you must. Being depressed by yourself is a damn wasteful thing to do. Isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°But getting angry is bad, right¡­? I don¡¯t like emotional fights.¡±

    ¡°She hurt you first.¡±

    ¡°Even then¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi. Yu Kaeul, you retard.¡±

    Yeorum said with a frown.

    ¡°You. Listen to me.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°If one person definitely has to get hurt, then don¡¯t be the victim. Be the assant instead.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t stand you bing a victim somewhere.¡±

    Her words caused Kaeul to close her mouth. Kaeul had aplicated look on her face.

    ¡°I thought, we were friends¡­¡± she murmured.

    That was when Yu Jitae¡¯s phone rang.

    ¡°Guys. The PR team,¡± he said and the kids turned silent in response. Yu Jitae changed the call to speaker mode as they listened to Team Leader Yong¡¯s voice leave the phone.

    ¨C We got the confirmation! The Director liked it a lot!

    ¡°Ohh. That¡¯s good, Kaeul¡­!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Bom and Yeorum praised her left and right. Kaeul¡¯s disheartened look slowly dissipated and she blinked her eyes with a brighter expression.

    ¨C Ah but you see, Mister Jitae. There¡¯s actually a problem.

    ¡°A problem?¡±

    ¨C Yes yes¡­ Cadet Kaeul sang ¡®Some time or other¡¯, right? And that was also what you applied to the song contest with.

    ¡°It was.¡±

    ¨C That song happened to ovep with another participant¡¯s song.

    Hearing that, Yu Jitae turned to Kaeul.

    After going, ¡®Uhh?¡¯ for a second, Kaeul turned to Yeorum.

    Yeorum was the one that told her to go with this song, and the reason she suggested this particr piece was because it was Jung Yuran¡¯s favourite song.

    And Jung Yuran, who was aspiring to be a singer, had also applied to the Masked Singing Contest.

    ¨C Because the performance is all in all, a contest, we can¡¯t have ovepping songs. Since that¡¯s how it is, can Cadet Kaeul change to a different song by any chance?

    ¡°Have you talked to the other participant already?¡±

    ¨C Yes yes. I actually contacted them first, and they said they can¡¯t change it.

    ¡°I understand. Please wait a little bit.¡±

    After turning the watch over to silent mode, he asked Kaeul.

    ¡°What do you want to do. Do you want to change to a different song?¡±

    The disheartened Kaeul widened her eyes.

    ¡°Umm, I¡­ uhh¡­¡±

    Suddenly, she turned to Yeorum as if she remembered something and soon bit her lips.

    The whole room was silent for some time and Kaeul¡¯s regr breaths were the only source of sound. It was unclear what she was thinking of, but a small flicker of anger shed across her expression that had always been bright.

    She appeared to have decided on something as her indecisiveness vanished.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to change¡­¡±

    Her aura changed. ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡± said Yeorum with a bright smile on her face.

    Yu Jitae cancelled the silent mode and ryed her decision. He said, ¡®Sorry, but we don¡¯t want to change¡¯, and hearing that, Yong Dohee sounded slightly flustered as she then talked to someone else for quite some time. The word, ¡®Director¡¯ was heard in the background.

    ¨C Ah, sorry about that. That took longer than I thought.

    ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¨C We will do a rehearsal and the director will listen to both songs in person before choosing the better singer for the performance. Would that be okay?

    There was around a week left until the festival.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t the rehearsal next week? If someone has to change the song, they won¡¯t have enough time to prepare for the next song.¡±

    ¨C Ah yes. So because of that, we wanted to do another rehearsal.

    ¡°Another one.¡±

    ¨C Yes yes. There¡¯s actually two more participants with ovepping songs. We¡¯re calling them over right now, because we wanted to decide by today.

    In other words¡­

    ¨C Can you take the mask ande right now?

 Chapter 175: When the cowering one blossoms (3)

    <h4>Chapter 175: When the cowering one blossoms (3)</h4>

    On the way to the PR department, Kaeul murmured.

    ¡°Huu. Why am I shaking so much¡­¡±

    Yeorum replied.

    ¡°You scared?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m scared of being judged by someone.¡±

    ¡°Then you judge them back.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°You can give scores to the judges. That guy doesn¡¯t know anything about singing and dares to judge? 4 out of 10. Wait, that other guy is bald? 2 out of 10.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. What¡¯s that.¡±

    Kaeul found that absurd andughed. However, her uneasiness remained and she murmured yet again after a few more steps.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ ahjussi. What if I make a mistake and sing out of tune by ident?¡±

    ¡°Have you made that mistake before?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ but I might go off-key by ident right.¡±

    ¡°If that happens, I¡¯ll break the speaker.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Kaeul faintly smiled and with a slightly brighter expression, she continued.

    ¡°Then, in that case, if the opponent is better than me, knock them out please¡­!¡±

    ¡°If the judge gives you a bad score, I¡¯ll kill them as well.¡±

    ¡°Uhihi¡­! Oh, right! What if there¡¯s a camera?¡±

    ¡°Should I bring a hammer?¡±

    ¡°Kyaa~ ahahaha! You¡¯re not going to actually do it right? If you say that, ahjussi, it feels like you will actually do it¡­!¡±

    Nonsense erased a little bit of tension. Kaeul started chatting to the kids with a better voice.

    ¡°Actually, the bigger problem is that I can¡¯t really understand the song.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t understand the song?¡± asked Bom.

    ¡°Nn. This song is about waiting on and on even if it¡¯s tiring, and being happy some time in the future, right?¡±

    ¡°I guess?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m happy right now? But I can¡¯t, like, empathise with the song.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t really know how to say it but when I¡¯m singing, it feels like I can somewhat understand and I can express it to some extent right? I can feel it now that I¡¯ve practised a little, but I don¡¯t understand what emotion that is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not something we can do right now.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ Pretty sure I can do better if I know what that is.¡±

    They were immersed in their conversation as they arrived at the PR department. The Yu household entered through the rear door and were allocated a waiting room.

    The quick rehearsal was to be carried out at a theatre stage. As they had guessed, cameras and lights were already prepared and were facing the theatre stage, while a few staff members from the PR team were also nearby.

    Since it was meant to be a quick rehearsal, they didn¡¯t have to wait for long and soon, there was a loud announcement for participants of the singing contest toe up to the stage. Kaeul wore the baby chicken mask and followed one of the staff to the stage, while Yu Jitae and the kids remained and watched from the waiting room.

    Team Leader Yong Dohee recognised Kaeul but didn¡¯t show it on the outside.

    On the other side stood a cadet wearing a rabbit mask but to everyone¡¯s surprise, she was wearing some shocking clothes.

    ¡°Wat da heck?¡± Yeorum frowned, staring at the cadet wearing a dress that revealed both the shoulders and the chest.

    ¡°That damn girl. Why did she open up a whole load of her titties when she¡¯s here to sing?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t even a real rehearsal and yet she was wearing her costume. Added on top of that were high heels that looked like she would fall once in two steps. She looked ready to fight.

    On the other hand, Kaeul was wearing a loose sweatshirt and a pair of short pants in order to hide her identity further.

    ¡°She¡¯s not even as good as a quarter of Yu Kaeul¡­¡±

    Yeorum grumbled at their contrasting starting points.

    ¡°That¡¯s her right?¡± asked Bom and Yu Jitae returned a nod.

    He had seen her a few times when he was apanying Kaeul so he knew the quality of her mana. Closing his eyes, he tried feeling her mana with his senses and it appeared that the rabbit mask was indeed Jung Yuran.

    Gyeoul crumpled the cushion in her hands, seemingly discontent.

    Soon began the quick rehearsal. Four people were sitting in the judge¡¯s seat, including the director of the PR department, Yong Dohee and two other team leaders.

    ¨C We¡¯ll only be ying the instrumental

    One of the team leaders opened their mouth.

    ¨C And for the songs, we will just be listening to the one song that you have applied with, and depending on the result, one of you would have to change your song.

    ¨C There¡¯s no script either, so we have to start off by choosing the order. Do you guys have any experience on the stage by any chance?¡±

    The rabbit mask shot her hand up.

    ¡°I have been to several concerts in my home country.¡±

    Her voice sounded like she had taken a dose of helium. It was because the voices were disguised before and after the performance.

    ¨C Can you tell me how many times?

    ¡°So I have been to 3 singing contests and around 10 concerts. And I¡¯ve busked countless times.¡±

    ¨C Have you gotten any awards at the singing contests?

    ¡°Yes yes. I can hand the documents over if you would like to see them.¡±

    ¨C Sounds to me like you have brought them here?

    ¡°I have!¡±

    ¨C Haha. Very energetic I see. It¡¯s fine.

    Meanwhile, Kaeul was simply holding the mic, without saying anything in particr.

    ¨C So Miss Rabbit mask has a fair bit of experience and, what about you, Miss Baby Chicken mask?

    ¡°Uhh. I don¡¯t have any.¡±

    ¨C Is it your first time ever standing on stage?

    ¡°No. Just once¡­¡±

    Her voice wascking in confidence. The team leader turned away from the microphone and exined something to the director while the director returned a nod.

    ¨C Which one of you two would like to go first?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with offering her to go first, but well, if it is¡­ burdensome for her since she doesn¡¯t have enough experience on the stage, I can go first.¡±

    Despite saying that, she slowly moved to the centre of the stage and appeared like she was fully keen to go first. ¡°Uhh, I¡¯ll go second then¡­¡± said Kaeul with a disguised voice that couldn¡¯t actually disguise her nervousness. When Kaeul slowly took a few steps back, the stage darkened and the spotlights were turned on.

    Along with the signal began the instrumental of the song.

    The rabbit mask started the song by humming which wasn¡¯t a part of the original song. She definitely had something to prove her experience with concerts and she started taking over the stage with natural gestures.

    She was natural and impressive. The judges were in admiration and they started being immersed in the song as it went on.

    ¡°Thinks she¡¯s an actual singer or something,¡± grumbled Yeorum in the waiting room while irritatedly drinking a mouthful of water. Gyeoul appeared like she was also in a bad mood and chugged the water after snatching the bottle away from Yeorum.

    ¨C Hiya. Thanks for that. I thought we were having a guest singer for a second.

    A team leader started it off after the end of the song, and others returned nods in agreement. They started praising the singer.

    ¡°Bullcrap.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that person, also a cadet?¡±

    ¡°How is that a superhuman cadet? Just a lil¡¯ entertainer b*tch.¡±

    When Yeorum scoffed, Gyeoul also nodded with a re. It didn¡¯t matter whether she was good or bad at singing: they just didn¡¯t like her.

    In fact, even the judges suggested that she became a singer instead of staying a cadet. The rabbit mask embarrassedly covered her chest with her hand and gave a bow. The judges were wearing bright smiles on their faces and the atmosphere had already gone to their side.

    She walked away from the centre and left the stage empty. Only after a team leader¡¯s reminder did Kaeul hurriedly stand in the centre of the stage.

    ¡°Tch. Oi stupid Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Even if things don¡¯t turn out well, don¡¯t do something useless like consoling her.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the type to keep things to herself. If others say ¡®It¡¯s fine¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s fine¡¯ from nearby, she¡¯ll whimper even harder by herself.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn¡­ But, she¡¯ll do well.¡±

    It would be great if that were the case ¨C right when they were all thinking somewhere along the lines of that, the music began and the camera focused on the baby chicken mask.

    The child who was awkwardly holding the microphone at the bottom, stayed quiet like a nice kid despite the instrumental having begun. She didn¡¯t try to grasp the atmosphere or gather the eyes of others with her gestures. Because of that, the 30-second-long instrumental part at the start felt even longer than normal and the judges found it boring staring at the standing girl.

    In half doubt, the Regressor paid attention to the situation. He remembered the arc stadium where 80,000 had gathered, and how BY¡¯s single exhale that marked the start of the song caused the listeners to shiver.

    Soon, the instrumental ended and Kaeul started singing.

    [When¡­]

    She closed her eyes.

    Her vision was already limited inside the mask and after closing her eyes, everything nearby disappeared and she felt like she was alone in space all by herself.

    At the start, she tried to follow the tone, or the word, and mimicked the expressions of Jung Yuran in her memories, but none of those remained in her head after a certain point.

    Something that blossomed in a tough situation. What was an example? The first and only one that came to her mind was Yu Jitae.

    Kaeul didn¡¯t know why Yu Jitae hade across her mind but after thinking about him, this difficult feeling became slightly easier to understand. Some time or other, the hard times will end and it will bear some kind of fruit ¨C some type of happiness. Delving deeper into that thought, she suddenly started feeling strangely mncholic.

    As the song began to hit the high notes, such feelings became even stronger and Kaeul therefore had to stop immersing herself into the song at a certain point.

    When she did that, the song stopped.

    ¡°What? Why are you stopping there?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    ¡°Oi! Why did you stop!¡±

    Yeorum shouted at the waiting room.

    ***

    The director of the PR department couldn¡¯t believe his ears.

    Right when the song began, a voice clearer than anything started gently echoing across the stage. Mid-day after a downpour; like a cluster of myosotis blossoming in blue, the pure and clean sound tickled the ears of the listeners.

    That was when surprise spread across the faces of the judges who had previously been bored. The director quickly took off the spectacles he had put on to read the documents, and stared at the cadet, wondering how a human voice could possibly be like that.

    There was not a single exaggerated motion in her gesture or tone. With nothing but voice and song, she made the background and the surroundings vanish from the eyes of the audience.

    Eyes that were trying to weigh the two of them on a scale for aparison vanished like melting butter. Without even thinking about judging her, they became immersed in appreciating the song.

    However, the song suddenly stopped. The music was still there but her voice wasn¡¯t.

    A team leader urgently raised his hand and gave a sign. When the instrumental stopped, he shouted.

    ¨C Cadet Baby Chicken. Is your mic working now?

    ¡°Ah, yes, yes¡­¡±

    ¨C Audio team! Can you please properly check it next time?

    He mistook that as a mic problem and got upset. Meanwhile, the director ced his sses back on and went through the list of participant profiles. The baby chicken mask was a 2nd grade cadet but neither her name nor association were written down. He thought he had heard the voice somewhere¡­ but after reflecting on the purpose of the Masked Singing Contest, he decided to stop his trail of thought.

    In any case, the people were rowdy. Team leaders turned their mics off and chatted among themselves.

    Let¡¯s make her do it again. That was way too shocking. Are you sure it was a mic problem just then. Didn¡¯t she stop in the middle.

    While they were sharing such thoughts, the director turned his mic on and gathered the eyes of everyone nearby.

    ¨C Cadet Baby Chicken. Please repeat the refrain part.

    ¡°Refrain?¡±

    ¨C I mean thest part of the chorus. We¡¯ll give the instrumental soon.

    Since the team leaders all wanted to listen to the final part of the song, they were d to hear the director¡¯s request.

    Instead of being a gentle song, ¡®Some time or other¡¯ was one where the singer had to retch out their sorrowful emotions. Even if the first part of the song sounded decent, thetter part of the song required more. The singer had to go on for a long time with such emotions and high notes

    The rabbit mask managed to handle it with her soft and high voice. However, the baby chicken mask seemed to be the type that increased in volume alongside the pitch like one of the famous virtuosos. If the tone reached higher, her voice also needed to be louder, but can she express that with such a small body?

    When the song started again, theypletely forgot about evaluating her once again and fully immersed themselves in the performance.

    The voice that sounded clear started bing tenser as it increased in pitch. As the resonance became louder, she started giving off unpolished and coarse sounds but even the somewhat husky voice was pleasing to the ears.

    The tone went higher and higher, and when it reached the highest pitch, the baby chicken mask slightly bent her body forward. Her husky shout sttered across and her high-pitched wail gushed over them like a ray of light.

    ¡°Wahh¡­!¡±

    Yong Dohee felt goosebumps crawling up her skin from her arms. Her mind shivered at the song.

    One of them unconsciously stood up from the seat and embarrassedly nced around after realising that he was standing up, but no-one was even staring at him.

    It was literally overwhelming. The depth of her expressions was on a different level, but none of them could even guess that the baby chicken mask was in fact containing and controlling her emotions and expressions.

    The high notes came to an end and a feeble sobbing voice decorated the end of the song. The director felt his hands sweating and dumbfoundedly, he gave an emptyugh. He had forgotten for a second that this was a rehearsal for the cadet¡¯s festival singing contest.

    While the music was also slowlying to a close, Kaeul urgently removed her immersion and unconsciously turned around to stare at someone that was standing behind the curtains of the stage.

    The rabbit mask was staring at her. Although her face was being covered with a mask, her two hands were clenched tight and it was apparent that she was very surprised.

    Feelingpetitive for some reason, Kaeul covered the chest part of her sweatshirt which wasn¡¯t even open, and gave a bow by bending her back in a straight angle.

    The rabbit mask¡¯s fists started trembling and seeing that, Kaeul was strangely put in a good mood.

    Uh? Why am I in a good mood? I¡¯m usually not like this¡­

    However, their ring contest was forced to a stop.

    Click¨C

    The director turned his mic on.

 Chapter 176: When the cowering one blossoms (4)

    <h4>Chapter 176: When the cowering one blossoms (4)</h4>

    ¨C Did you say you had no experience with concerts, Miss Baby Chicken?

    A benevolent yet powerful voice echoed through the mic. Kaeul carefully nodded and btedly lifted the mic to reply, ¡°Ye, yes¡­¡±. She identally ced it at where the beak of her mask was instead of her actual mouth, so her voice started off soft.

    ¨C And you¡¯re not interested in delving deeper into music, or standing in front of a crowd?

    ¡°Yes yes. Not really¡­!¡±

    ¨C Dear me¡­

    It was hard to discern the intention behind his voice which escaped his mouth like a sigh.

    ¨C Thanks for that.

    The mic was quickly turned off and the judges started chatting to themselves.

    Meanwhile, Kaeul was almost out of her mind. Her dragon heart could be felt pulsing restlessly. Immersing herself into the song left her feeling dizzy and the immersion was deeper than expected, to a dangerous degree. She had her hands full trying to restrain her emotions and by the time she came to herself, the song had already ended.

    She asked herself ¨C what kind of feeling was that? If immersion was like submersion, Kaeul was practically steps away from the deep waters just then. Hidden deep inside that dark ce was something she shouldn¡¯t dare try to feel. It was unfamiliar and frightening, yet it made her curious¡­

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    A sharp voice shattered her line of thought. The voice didn¡¯t go through a mic and her normal voice was therefore revealed. It was the voice of Jung Yuran.

    With a flinch, Kaeul turned towards the back of the stage.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why did you cover your chest when you were bowing? Did you do that on purpose?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hello, can you hear me? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    Kaeul didn¡¯t reply. The slight enjoyment felt while teasing her just then didn¡¯tst for long. They were friends until recently and it had only been a few days that they became distant. Simple conversations would be awkward already and yet the voice of the other party already sounded like a de.

    The young 11-year old child felt repulsed by it.

    ¡°I think I heard your voice somewhere.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, whatever. You were good at singing. So I was wondering, but can you just choose a different song?¡±

    What was this about?

    ¡°This is a very special song to me. It¡¯s what my mother liked the most before passing awayst year¡­¡±

    Kaeul frowned inside the mask. She had spent half a year with her in the same society.

    Jung Yuran¡¯s mother, who apparently passed awayst year ording to her, hade to the club room several times to give them food. In other words, she was without a doubt, alive and kicking.

    The reason Jung Yuran chose this song was because she had debuted on TV by singing a cover for this song in an open audition, while she was living in Korea. Kaeul guessed that she was simply trying to use the same strategy again, since it had worked before.

    ¡°Please. It¡¯s a very precious song for me. You have a family as well right?¡±

    So Jung Yuran continuing with her words put Kaeul in an increasingly weirder mood.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡­ My mother used to y that song everyday when we were in the car. Back then, I didn¡¯t like the song and said it was too noisy. But after she passed away, the song started sounding prettier for some reason. I liked it, so, so much, that I cried everyday listening to it.¡±

    She wanted her to stop.

    What in the world was in her mind that she could give such a detailed lie? Listening to her speak, Kaeul felt like she could see the bottom of her friend whom she had known for quite a long time, and was slightly scared.

    ¡°So please let me sing it. Please.¡±

    But Jung Yuran didn¡¯t give up that easily and her voice was polite and desperate. It made Kaeul think about a different hypothesis. Maybe the olddy that came to the club room was her step-mother?

    ¡°Hey, can you please answer me. Please. Nn? Nn¡­?¡± When Kaeul started fidgeting with her fingers, the voice turned ever so desperate. ¡°Please. Can you hear me¡­? You might not know me, but I¡¯m really begging you. I¡¯m seriously desperate¡­¡±

    Her heart wavered. Maybe it¡¯s fine to have a chat at least? Thinking that, Kaeul was about to slowly turn towards her again.

    ¡°F*cking bitch. As if you can¡¯t fu*cking hear it. Are your ears clogged or what¡­¡±

    Kaeul was startled and doubted her ears.

    And after taking in those swear words, she felt offended. The two of them had been smiling and chatting when they were together, and she had no idea that her friend was the type to say such things.

    ¡°You. You¡¯re a really bad person, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    Unable to withstand the repulsive feeling, Kaeul voiced it out loud. In that instant, perhaps after hearing a familiar voice, Jung Yuran twitched her eyes.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was in the waiting room watching the two of them not through the screen but through the walls with his own eyes. He also heard Kaeul¡¯s conversation with Jung Yuran.

    The question that popped up in his mind was, ¡®How about I kill that child.¡¯ It was based on a habit that still slightly remained in him, like how people stepped and killed insects that irritated them.

    It was then.

    Tukk- A sound from the mic cut their conversation. It was a timely interjection and caused the eyes of the two participants to turn back towards the judges.

    ¨C Ah, sorry for making you wait.

    ¨C Everyone had a simr opinion but I was thinking for a bit and only just made the decision.

    The director leaned towards the mic and his voice thus became slightly louder.

    ¨C Cadet Baby Chicken. I¡¯m sorry to say this to you.

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    ¨C How about you give the song to Cadet Rabbit?

    Surprised, Kaeul stared at the director before turning her gaze over towards the team leaders. Those team leaders also appeared surprised as they turned towards the director. ¡°Sir, what do you mean?¡± said Yong Dohee openly, and her voice resonated through the mic.

    Even the waiting room was in a fuss. ¡°No, wait, what the fuc*ing dogshit is he saying?¡± Yeorum shouted while watching the rehearsal stage with a screen.

    ¡°Wait for now. Others aren¡¯t agreeing with him either,¡± said Bom to calm her down, but there was also a rare look of annoyance in her expression.

    ¡°Sorry? Uh, uhh¡­¡±

    Kaeul didn¡¯t know what to say. At the same time, ¡°Huh? What was that¡­?!¡±, a joyful scream escaped Jung Yuran¡¯s lips.

    *

    Hailey Larrett, the director of the PR team, was originally a Hollywood actor. The middle-aged white man spent dozens of years in the industry even after his retirement as an actor, as he continued his career as a representative of an agency.

    He met countless actors and singers that had reached the pinnacle. Although their appearance, gender, personality and talent all differed, the top celebrities all had one thing inmon. It was that the depth of their immersion was iparably deeper than normal people.

    For example, there were singers who couldn¡¯t sing at a very high pitch. There were those who had murky voices, as well as people who couldn¡¯t sing powerfully at concerts. Despite such limitations to their singing abilities, they were on a different league when it came to immersing themselves in their songs and tended to frighten the listeners with their songs.

    A deep immersion brought with it a story.

    What happened just then was the same. Forgetting to evaluate her was only the beginning. It was followed by the stage feeling distant. The floor, spotlights, darkness, curtains ¨C they all turned fuzzy, leaving behind nothing but a singing girl and a midnight cliff formed by the girl¡¯s voice. She appeared to be in such a perilous situation, where she could fall with one misstep.

    He repeatedly closed and opened his fist. It made him dizzy and made his palms sweaty.

    Even her movement which he had found awkward at the start, began bringing out a story. Her stiff and rigid movements and the awkward gestures appeared to be representing something.

    What in the world had happened to her that she could sing such a song?

    The director felt doubtful and when the song came to an end, he was pulled back to reality.

    After turning the mic off, he sneaked a question about the identity of the baby chicken mask to Team Leader Yong Dohee. However, she shook her head in response and after reflecting on the main theme of the singing contest, he had no choice but to heave yet another sigh.

    In any case, with this kind of vocalist around, it should be fine for him to increase the scale on his own ord as the director of the PR team.

    ¨C How about you give the song to Cadet Rabbit?

    He threw in a hint but it seemed that he was in too much of a hurry that it wasn¡¯t clear enough. The team leaders were staring at him with expressions that were asking, ¡®Has he gone mad¡­?¡¯.

    ¨C Instead, I would like to ask you to sing the school song.

    In response to his next words, they were even more startled and eximed, ¡®He¡¯s really gone mad.¡¯ One of the team leaders dissuaded him from the side.

    Lair¡¯s school song was special.

    It was the song written by the former Rank 3, ¡®Dragonian¡¯, the day before she died in the Great War, and was a song that screamed for hope and the will to fight back.

    After editing the song which remained in her watch, Lair decided to use it as their school song. Unlike normal school songs that were cheerful and old, it was lyrical and modern.

    The education department wasn¡¯t keen on overusing the song. It was in hopes of keeping the loftiness of Dragonaian who had sacrificed herself to protect numerous superhumans.

    Because of that, the number of times this song had been sung publicly after the foundation of Lair could be counted with one¡¯s fingers.

    This was the greatest opportunity to make their name known, since all sorts of events at Lair were broadcasted worldwide.

    However, Kaeul wasn¡¯t that interested. The child always kept her guardian¡¯s warning to heart, and recently she had begun understanding what Bom meant when she said that it was possible to be happy without bing famous.

    Besides, she liked the current song and became more fond of it after practising it.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ but can I just sing what I prepared then¡­?¡±

    When Kaeul rejected the offer, the team leaders and other staff members needed some time to process her words. She¡¯s turning that down? Their expressions appeared to be asking that.

    Yong Dohee respected her opinion, but still fidgeted with the mic with regret.

    ¨C Of course.

    ¡°Ah, really?¡±

    ¨C Let me ask you this just in case. Cadet Baby Chicken mask. Do you know what kind of opportunity this is?

    ¡°Yes yes. I do, but I¡¯m fine¡­!¡±

    ¨C I see.

    The opportunity was now gone. The director was a decisive person and wouldn¡¯t listen to her even if Kaeul started begging him in the future.

    While the team leaders were still astonished by the shocking deal that could have been made just then, the rabbit mask suddenly shot her hand up from the back.

    ¡°In that case, can I please try singing the school song?¡±

    Was she not aware that it was an absurd question, or was the deal too attractive that she had to try poking it at least? The rabbit mask desperately raised her voice.

    ¡°I, can do it¡­!¡±

    The judges turned silent. The rabbit mask, who had emotionally lifted her hand up, reflected back and wondered if she had made a mistake just then.

    No. They¡¯ll simply find her enthusiastic.

    That¡¯s what she thought, but the silence continued for longer than usual.

    Haha¡­ Soon, the director¡¯s emptyugh broke the silence as he opened his mouth.

    ¨C It¡¯s great that you¡¯re enthusiastic. It is, but rather than the school song, how about you try a different song?

    ¡°So, sorry¡­? What song¡­?¡±

    ¨C That¡¯s what you need to figure out yourself, since the song you applied for was given to the cadet wearing the baby chicken mask.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His words signalled her defeat.

    The rabbit mask was silent. She hesitated and her hands started trembling. Soon, she lowered her head and a sobbing voice started leaving the speaker.

    Jung Yuran was weeping.

    What¡¯s wrong with her? Kaeul was flustered.

    However, the staff members of the Public Rtions Team were all masters at dealing with other people. The dark greed of the child was unable to be decorated by simply calling it an excessive enthusiasm.

    The faces of the team leaders turned rigid. They knew how those were fake tears.

    Hiding the bitter feeling on her tongue, Yong Dohee spoke through the mic.

    ¨C Please calm down. You¡¯re good at singing, so you should have no problem participating in the contest.

    ¡°Ah, huuk¡­ yes¡­¡±

    ¨C Ah, Cadet.

    This time, the director opened his mouth. He was a fairly high-level superhuman, and had identally heard the conversation between Jung Yuran and Kaeul.

    ¨C I have a question.

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    The director scoffed and asked the crying child.

    ¨C I assume your mother must have loved the school song even more?

    Hearing that, the rabbit mask flinched. Her weeping voice also stopped for a second in an unnatural manner so one of the judges clicked their tongue.

    ¨C Didn¡¯t she?

    ¡°N, no. I mean, yes. She liked the school song more¡­¡±

    ¡®Hahaha¡¯, sheughed through the mic.

    Soon, a small yet clear whisper escaped someone¡¯s mouth.

    ¨C She¡¯s still going on?

 Chapter 177: The Art of not getting hurt in a Conversation

    <h4>Chapter 177: The Art of not getting hurt in a Conversation</h4>

    The humiliation stopped her sobbing voice. Afterwards, the rabbit mask didn¡¯t say anything and the rehearsal thus came to an end.

    ¡®Some time or other¡¯ became Kaeul¡¯s song.

    On the way home, the kids congratted Kaeul and noisily praised her, or cursed the rabbit mask. Whenever Yeorum disyed her discontentment, Gyeoul showed her agreement while Kaeul smiled like a puppy.

    However, she sometimes turned nk, seemingly worrying about something. It was probably rted to Jung Yuran.

    The Regressor pondered whether he should have a 1-on-1 chat with her or not. If he were to have a chat, it would be in a way that would change her life a little, so he had to be prudent.

    In the dormitory, he continued thinking on the sofa when Bom walked up and sat next to him.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°About Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Bom. Can I ask you something.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Should I say it or not.¡±

    Bom widened her eyes.

    The question was way too out of context. It might be that Bom felt like an answer sheet for the Regressor.

    ¡°What kind of question is that?¡±

    ¡°What would you choose if you had to choose one.¡±

    ¡°You have to say it.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Because no-one will know if you don¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°It might be better for me to not say it though.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lifting her face up, she stared at the ceiling. It was unclear whether she was thinking about something or looking into Providence, but she remained silent for some time.

    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Breaking through the silence, she asked.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Can you trust us?¡±

    He needed to think about this question a bit, but after thinking about it, he realised that now he could.

    ¡°I can.¡±

    ¡°What if I¡¯m wrong? I can¡¯t always be correct either.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re wrong. I won¡¯t be ming anything on you.¡±

    ¡°So everything will be your responsibility, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom looked at him with a slight pout before opening her mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°I think, it¡¯s better for you to say it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ if you¡¯re worried, please console her. If she has to change, please help her and if you treasure her, please give her a quiet hug. That will be the best thing to do. I think.¡±

    Apparently, some green dragons tended to live like a soothsayer in Askalifa. Perhaps that was why, but although the words were like a riddle, the Regressor felt slightly more certain.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Hehe. Chirp chirp~¡±

    Chirp chirp!

    An afternoon walk with the baby chicken. When Kaeul and the baby chicken were leaving the house for a walk, he followed them outside.

    Sitting on a bench, they stared at the setting sun painting the world in orange.

    ¡°Did something happen? Why did you want toe with us?¡±

    When it was time to rest after walking for a long time, the blonde pair of eyes turned towards him.

    ¡°Because there was something I needed to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Nn? What is it?¡±

    Looking back,

    The Gold Dragon of the 4th iteration was also a child. A child that didn¡¯t know anything, that debuted at the age of 18.

    The show business in the US was rather rough. Interpersonal rtionships there couldn¡¯t even bepared to Lair. Before her name value increased in size, there were questions about a casting couch and after she became famous, people tried to bring her down.

    Unlike hostilements that were always shared through the media, interpersonal strifes tended to happen near her for a set period of time and the young 18-year old BY used to cry very often.

    He could remember her sobbing, ¡®I don¡¯t understand why everyone is doing this to me,¡¯ to the counsellor.

    However, BY continued contemting interpersonal rtionships by herself. She pondered it andter fixed her words and her attitude. By the time she reached 25, she wasn¡¯t easily hurt by others when dealing with other people.

    She had grown after countless wounds, events and contemtions.

    ¡°Can you hold my hand.¡±

    Yu Jitae reached out to the child. Holding hands was something a little bit more special to the dragons so a question mark appeared in her eyes.

    ¡°Your skin is too rough though¡­¡±

    ¡°Just hold it for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Okayy¡­!¡±

    While carrying the baby chicken in one hand, she held his hand with the other hand. Slowly and naturally, the dragon¡¯s mana started seeping into his body and he didn¡¯t stop it.

    ¡°Are you worried?¡± he asked.

    ¡°About wat?¡±

    ¡°Her. Jung Yuran.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Yes¡­ a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Because of what she might say?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­ but¡­ I, did trust her.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Even though now I know that she¡¯s not my friend, there¡¯s still the feeling of betrayal¡­ instead of getting mad, I want to run away if possible.¡±

    The ground hardens after the rain. Only after epting countless roots that try to pierce into them can people turn strong enough and learn the art of not getting hurt in a conversation.

    If she wanted to live on, she had to learn it. Without a doubt, she would cry a lot and feel very hurt like BY.

    However, the Regressor didn¡¯t want her to feel such things again. Therefore, he was nning on cheating a little.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a story about a girl I know.¡±

    ¡°A girl? Who is it?¡±

    ¡°No need to know. Anyway, she was a softhearted girl. She cried while talking to other people and couldn¡¯t sleep at night after getting swore at.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. She had a weak mentality I guess.¡±

    ¡°She did.¡±

    Yu Jitae brought back the memories of that time. Her conflict with the manager and the conflict with thepany. Conflicts with fans that crossed the line and male singers that had vulgar thoughts. Conflicts with jealous older singers; conflicts with the song writer, choreographer, the vocal coach.

    ¨C Sit. I¡¯m telling you to sit.

    ¨C Don¡¯t you understand? What I, your employer, is saying?

    ¨C Or are you looking down on me as well?

    As well as the conflict with him.

    Although she did go astray a little in the end, BY was very good at forming rtionships both on the stage and behind the curtains. Not a single blemish was found from her until her parrot made a mistake.

    But that also meant that the media created false rumours and spread them to push a normal person down the drain.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With a vacant look on her face, Kaeul immersed herself into his story. Since she got absorbed in his memories and emotions, Kaeul was able to ept the story despite the Regressor¡¯s words being all over the ce.

    When the story finally ended, Kaeul asked him with a nk-minded look on her face.

    ¡°Who is, that girl¡­?¡±

    He let go of the child¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Just someone I know. Why?¡±

    ¡°I feel so sorry for her¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s pitiful and¡­ it must have been rough¡­¡±

    She patted the baby chicken that was dozing off. Her immersion was revealed behind her bright expression and Yu Jitae could see a reflection of the child from back then, which he had long forgotten.

    In any case, he had to tie a firm knot right now.

    ¡°Can you promise me something?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re feeling right now. Don¡¯t bring it back lightheartedly.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ this is a very burdensome emotion so I don¡¯t think I can do that anyway but¡­ then when should I bring it back?¡±

    ¡°When someone is trying to hurt you, or when you have to sincerely say something to someone else. Otherwise, you shouldn¡¯t reflect on what you¡¯re feeling right now. Okay?¡±

    In response to his words, Kaeul stared at him with a nk expression. She then slightly lowered her head diagonally.

    A condescending gaze and a decadent smile appeared on her face.

    Soon, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Why should I?¡±

    ***

    ¡°Ayat!¡±

    After receiving a flick to her forehead, she chuckled out loud. ¡°Was that obvious? It was a joke, a joke¡­! I¡¯ll promise!¡± She said while lifting her pinky finger. Although he found such things meaningless, Yu Jitae still wrapped his little finger around her pinky.

    Yu Jitae started paying more attention to Kauel after that, but she was the same as always and also regained her bright smile like before.

    But that didn¡¯t mean that she could avoid the inevitable event.

    One day, there was a message from the society that wanted everyone to gather. Kaeul had to go to the club room and Yu Jitae decided to follow from a distance.

    What was toe hade and Kaeul looked slightly anxious on the way there. After arriving at the club room, she was met with Jung Yuran who was chatting with other cadets.

    He stood far off in the corridor and stared at the two of them.

    He was slightly worried. The pressure felt from a conflict with another person. Being betrayed by a trusted friend, and being put in a situation where she might get hurt even more. Even if she immersed herself in BY, would she be able to properly deal with it?

    Yu Jitae watched with the mindset that he would immediately leave with her if anything went wrong.

    ¡®You¡¯re right. It was me.¡¯

    However, the moment Kaeul opened her mouth and the confident expression from the past appeared on her face, his worry disappeared.

    Jung Yuran¡¯s expression turned sharp like a de.

    ¡®You¡­ I didn¡¯t know you were like that. I¡¯m really disappointed, Yu Kaeul.¡¯

    She must have said something already to the other friends, and the other cadets also didn¡¯t look veryfortable.

    ¡®Then you must have been looking down on me a lot whenever I made you sing? Is that what you like doing? Making other people a fool?¡¯

    ¡®What are you saying. When did I do that?¡¯

    Perhaps because Kaeul¡¯s expression was unusual and different, people watched with a questioning gaze.

    ¡®I didn¡¯t like you from the start. You should stop acting pretty and foolish. Did you think no-one knew how you were swinging your tail to the boys?¡¯

    Jung Yuran seemed to be thinking that it was the time to say everything and revealed everything that was on her mind. However, Kaeul was smiling ¨C it was a scoff as if she knew it all along.

    ¡®I knew it. I just found out how your mind was dirty, but I was a little bit surprised,¡¯ said Kaeul.

    ¡®What?¡¯

    It was very obvious now but Kaeul was strange. The cadets that were watching from the side with nervousness also widened their eyes. Her bright tone of voice was still there but that instead made it feel even more bizarre.

    ¡®You didn¡¯t like me from the start? Don¡¯t you think it was you who had the victim mindset instead of me swinging my tail?¡¯

    ¡®Yu Kaeul. Stop saying nonsense. What do you even know?¡¯

    ¡®Ahh, I see, so that was why. You made me sing because you wanted to force me into something you were good at and look down on me? How sad¡­¡¯

    ¡®You.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s because I¡¯m not good at reading the mood. If I was, I would have kept on pretending to be a bad singer for you.¡¯

    ¡®You¨C! Can you shut your mouth?¡¯

    ¡®Stop shouting. Or your mother in heaven might hear it.¡¯

    Kaeul¡¯s sudden words that even cursed Jung Yuran¡¯s mother caused the friends to cover their mouths in shock. ¡®I think that¡¯s going too far, Kaeul¡­¡¯ said one of them.

    ¡®Oh so you guys don¡¯t know anything? About what happened between me and her at the PR department?¡¯

    ¡®Shut up. I told you to shut up!¡¯

    She shouted.

    ¡®Listen guys. So what happened two days ago is¡­¡¯

    ¡®Yu Kaeul! Why are you doing this to me¡­! What, what did I do wrong!!¡¯

    It was unclear whether she was out of her mind or embarrassed, but Jung Yuran crouched and started weeping out loud.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know why she was suddenly like that, but Kaeul knew instinctively after immersing herself deeply into someone else, that Jung Yuran was crying intentionally.

    ¡®Kaeul. What happened to you today.¡¯

    ¡®Calm down first¡­ Yuran¡¯s crying¡­¡¯

    ¡®I think you are both getting too emotional.¡¯

    Suddenly, the atmosphere started making Kaeul the bad one. However, it was nothing more than a child¡¯s y to BY who had to survive between the cracks of strong-willed women in the past.

    Drop¨C!

    Kaeul threw her drink over the crying girl¡¯s head.

    ¡®Can you guys please step aside? Unless you want to see me go crazy.¡¯

    The stic bottle crumpled and the drink sttered. Six other girls that were inside the club room were flustered and didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Before they came to themselves, Kaeul approached the crying child and crouched near her. She then whispered into her ears.

    ¡®Yuran. Should I tell you a secret?¡¯

    ¡®Back then, I was actually recording everything with my watch.¡¯

    ¡®Do you see my left wrist?¡¯

    A startled gaze suddenly turned towards Kaeul¡¯s wrist through the gaps between the fingers that were covering her face. Her sobbing voice also came to a stop. The screen was dark but upon closer inspection, she realised that everything was being recorded even now.

    The dumbfounded gaze looked up and met the gold pair of condescending eyes.

    Kaeul stared at her with an indifferent expression before whispering into her ears yet again.

    ¡®Half a year is not a short time right?¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t you have a lot of friends that love to bber. Like you.¡¯

    ¡®Then who do you think I should give the recording to?¡¯

    When Jung Yuran raised her head again, she found a pair of pitying eyes looking down at her.

    ¡®Leave the club.¡¯

    ¡®And give up on the singing contest.¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯te ever again, unless you want to be miserable.¡¯

    Jung Yuran lowered her hands and there was a look of stupefaction on her face. With an indecent smile, Kaeul ced her lips near her ears and gave her a kiss.

    ¡®It was fun.¡¯

    *

    ¡°Uhh¡­ I must have been crazy¡­ Like, like¡­! I wasn¡¯t thinking of saying such shocking things, you know?!¡±

    On the way back, Kaeul jumped up and down.

    ¡°What should I do? Ahjussi, don¡¯t you also think I was being too harsh¡­?!¡±

    ¡°No. You did well.¡±

    ¡°Whaat? I did well? I said super harsh things to her¡­!¡±

    The Regressor patted her gold hair. Meanwhile, the baby chicken kept babbling on and on and repeatedly asked if it was okay or not, and he kept telling her that it was fine.

    He waspletely uninterested in whether others got hurt or not.

    He wanted Kaeul to be unhurt,

    And today, she didn¡¯t get hurt.

    ¡°Next time, give them a p as well.¡±

    The Regressor was therefore satisfied.

 Chapter 178 + Yu Yeorum Illustration: Fireworks (1) + Yu Yeorum Illustration

    <h4>Chapter 178 + Yu Yeorum Illustration: Fireworks (1) + Yu Yeorum Illustration</h4>

    Minneapolis Saint Paul International Warp Station.

    North America. Early in the morning, an Asian man appeared with fragments of light in a crowded warp bureau. He was wearing a ck suit, a mask, a ck beanie and a ck pair of sunsses.

    The captain of Vanguard: Fill the Gray ¨C the Association¡¯s secret ops.

    Rank 271, the Shadow Human,

    Ohn Sung-o.

    One of the staff that checked his identity made way in shock after confirming that he was a high-ranked official of the Association. Soon, a few men ran up and weed him.

    ¡°Wee sir.¡±

    ¡°Good morning sir!¡±

    They were from the North American branch of the Association.

    ¡°Morning. How¡¯s it like in North America?¡±

    ¡°No problems sir.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Great to see you guys.¡±

    The man walked with a stern look on his face as the men followed from behind. Since they were next to a bigshot from the Association, they matched his speed from behind with stiff expressions.

    Before long, a Rolls Royce sedan came towards them and the door opened by itself. The North American branch seemed to have assumed that the man was sent here for an extremely important mission.

    ¡®It¡¯s nothing big though¡­¡¯

    Ohn Sung-o heaved a deep sigh.

    Probably no-one would even guess that the 40-year old captain of the Association¡¯s vanguard was here to wipe the butt of one of his brothers.

    The sedan slithered outside the building and soon, he began the operation in secret.

    Antonio Jefferson returned to the Association for work so he had to search for ¡®that guy¡¯ by himself ording to the data he received from Jefferson.

    By referencing the man¡¯s area of activity, the quality and size of his mana and his appearance, Ohn Sung-o started searching for him and found him in no more than 3 days.

    ¡®So it¡¯s that guy¡­¡¯

    Antonio Jefferson guessed that he was most likely a retired soldier from the Great War. After the war, there were lots of soldiers who felt disillusioned by fighting and left the post to lead quiet lives by themselves.

    Although the world might not remember them, those guys led normal lives at a quiet ce with significant power.

    It seemed that his target was one of them.

    [irvoyance (A)]

    A blue insignia appeared above Ohn Sung-o¡¯s eyes. It was an ability that allowed him to view past 100 km if he so desired.

    A somewhat gloomy-looking man was sitting on a bench, giving pieces of bread to doves. It was such a normal event and a faint scene.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Buzz¨C

    The dimensions cracked near Ohn Sung-o¡¯s hands. He held onto something, and a modern weapon soon appeared from the crack. PMM-307. It was a whooping Level 3 sniper artifact.

    On the rooftop of Saint Paul Commercial Building, heid down in a picturesque pose with his gun and his gaze pointing at the target.

    He didn¡¯t need a scope, because his eyes were the same as scopes.

    ¡®That guy¡¯ was strong. His instincts as a hitman told him that. It was clear that the target was an old veteran that experienced the Great War.

    At this distance, even those self-centred two-digit rankers wouldn¡¯t be able to sense him immediately. However, they would immediately find out if he missed the first shot and things would be rough so he had to end things with the first shot.

    The hitman calcted in his head.

    The distance from the target was roughly 72.43 km, and the observation error ¡À0.15 m.

    He checked the environment with a kestrel artifact. The wind was quite strong ¨C 4.12 m/s to the southeast.

    Both the air pressure and humidity were quite high. 1255.2 hPA and 52.5% respectively.

    Latitude 47¡ã. It was quite close to the pole and the Earth¡¯s rotational speed was slower. 265.5 km/s.

    A TDS artifact suggested the suitable click adjustment.

    .312WH MTT183 appeared the best.

    He adjusted the vertical click by 27.1, and the horizontal one 5.9.

    The hitman supplied mana to therge sniper rifle. As if it was alive, the weapon wriggled and devoured his arm up to his shoulder.

    Soon, his body started turning still.

    His breath stopped and so did his heart. Every organ inside the body that caused a vibration came to a stop.

    Three.

    Two.

    One¡­

    He pulled the trigger.

    Tuung¨C

    The projectile bearing mana inside escaped through the muzzle. It crossed the dimension and drew an arc as it covered dozens of kilometres in a split second.

    He drew all the mana into his eyes and focused on the bullet. After 2, 3, and 4 seconds, as the bullet was approaching the man¡­

    The man grabbed the bullet with his index and middle finger.

    ¡®¡­?¡¯

    What in the world happened?

    At that moment, the man that was 72 kilometres away from him, slowly turned his head,

    And their eyes met.

    ¡­The moment he realised that, the veteran hitman immediately moved his body and jumped off themercial building. He hurriedly started escaping while a bell went off in his head.

    He quickly called someone.

    ¡°Hello, yes bro, it¡¯s me. Are you seriously crazy? Who in the world did you mess with?¡±

    A puzzled voice left from the other side of the phone but Ohn Sung-o replied with a shout.

    ¡°What? Around rank 200 you think? Please stop saying bullcrap! That guy¡¯s at least a single digit!

    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m out! It¡¯ll be good for you to stop messing around either, bro. If you¡¯re like this all the time, the Association will be in an uproar in no time¡­¡±

    His words were forced to a stop.

    He was on a long detour to the branch of the Association but from an alleyway, ¡®that guy¡¯ came out.

    With slow steps, he stood in front of Ohn Sung-o.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A shout was heard from the phone but he turned it off.

    He then murmured to himself.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯m fu*ked¡­¡±

    ***

    Time flew and it was already thest day of the school holiday.

    At the same time, it was the day of the firework festival.

    The morning at Lair he saw on the way back after buying breakfast with Bom was bustling already. Cadets wearing fancy clothes were walking around the academy district while several traditional clothes could also be spotted here and there.

    While watching them, Bom asked him.

    ¡°What country are those clothes from?¡±

    ¡°That china dress? Probably China.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty. What about that one?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Maybe somewhere European?¡±

    ¡°My nationality is Korean, right? What do Koreans wear?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae nced around before pointing at a cadet that was wearing hanbok.

    ¡°That one.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s pretty. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    Under the small, white coat, a long and pink skirt started from the chest all the way down to the knees.

    ¡°It is pretty.¡±

    Despite saying that, he wasn¡¯t thinking much about the topic. For him, going back home earlier was more important because today¡¯s breakfast would be less tasty if it turned soggy.

    ***

    ¡°Uwah. It smells amazing. What is it?¡±

    Today¡¯s breakfast was a handmade tonkatsu.

    Covering the thick scotch fillet was a thinyer of breadcrumbs. They couldn¡¯t buy it before because the line was too long, so he and Bom had to wait from 5 in the morning to buy them today.

    ¡°¡­Thanks, for the food.¡±

    Gyeoul carried the thick tonkatsu with her chopsticks and carefully bit into it.

    With a bite, the thinyer of breadcrumbs got crunched and revealed the juicy meat inside. The thick meat with a harmonious bnce of oil and fat was tender.

    Munch munch¡­ Gyeoul¡¯s expression turned brighter while munching on the meat. It was extremely delicious.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Meanwhile, Bom ced something green on Yu Jitae¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°What is this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s wasabi.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Try putting some on. It¡¯s really nice with oily things.¡±

    Yu Jitae still persisted to have the tonkatsu by itself so Bom ced the wasabi on top of the meat for him.

    The Regressor stopped for a bit, before biting on the meat and eating it.

    Bom stared deeply at him before asking,

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything back, but started having wasabi alongside the tonkatsu after that.

    ¡°Hmm, oi, Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°You wanna go out somewhere with me today?¡±

    During the meal, Yeorum asked with a subtle voice.

    ¡°Why?? I have to go to the PR department by 3 pm though?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping and stuff together before that.¡±

    ¡°Oing? Shopping?¡±

    She wondered what was wrong with Yeorum, but nodded in any case and after having breakfast, the two of them left the house.

    Actually¡­

    Today was about to be a slightly boring day for Yeorum. Because of the firework festival, all the training facilities were closed for maintenance and the likes.

    Yeorum was wondering what to do in her free time and suddenly came up with a great idea. These days, her ¡®reading time¡¯ was bing rather boring, because after re-reading the series five times, it was getting less and less exciting.

    She had to buy a new book and today would be the best day, since any other day would affect her training schedule.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    Going around the entertainment district, they entered several stores and bought clothes, makeup tools and weapons. And after some time, Yeorum naturally guided Kaeul to the general department store.

    The first floor had toys for kids and the second floor had board games.

    And on the third floor¡­

    ¡°Hmm, is there like, anything to do here?¡±

    There were all sorts ofics and novels being disyed.

    ¡°Nn? There are lots of books here. Oh right¡­!¡±

    Kaeul abruptly asked as if it had suddenly struck her.

    ¡°Right right. Unni, are you reading a book these days?¡±

    ¡°What? Why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It felt like I could just smell books from your hands.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Kinda¡­¡±

    After saying that, Yeorum red at her.

    Why is she ring at me? Thinking that, Kaeul tilted her head.

    ¡°Oi. By the way.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Is there like a fun manga or anything like that?¡±

    ¡°A manga?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What kind of manga do you like?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm, dunno. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s good either. Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve read those things before either.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t you used to read a lot ofics before?¡±

    Kaeul remembered how Yeorum used to readics in her free time when they first startedmuting to Lair. Most of thoseics were suited for Yeorum¡¯s tastes and were gory.

    ¡°No. Not those, you idiot.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    Yeorum frowned. After thinking for a while, something seemed to have popped up in her mind and she asked.

    ¡°Right, yeah. If you were to buy a manga, what would you buy?¡±

    Was she curious about my tastes? Kaeul still couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to do, but started going here and there, picking whatever that appealed to her. A manga about showbiz, aedy manga, a healing manga with animals and¡­

    ¡°Oh. What do you look for when you pick that kind of stuff?¡± asked Yeorum. Kaeul was holding a shoujo manga that was coloured in pink.

    ¡°What do I look for? Hmm¡­ first is I guess, the art style?¡±

    ¡°The art style?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Because I like pretty pictures. And I like the ones where the male lead is a little bit like a beast while the female lead is smart and pretty. Ah, but I don¡¯t like tragedies¡­!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, tragedies?¡±

    ¡°You know, like how things turn bad in the middle. Like the male lead dying in a battle¡­! Or the female lead turning into a ve¡­!¡±

    ¡°Turning into a ve? That doesn¡¯t sound too bad.¡±

    ¡°No¡­! Are you crazy? If you¡¯re into that, you shouldn¡¯t even be reading this kind of manga!¡±

    ¡°Is that how it is?¡±

    ¡°Anyway, I heard from my friends but apparently this is good.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    After staring at the manga that was in Kaeul¡¯s hands, she nodded as if she wasn¡¯t that interested.

    ¡°¡­I see, huh?¡±

    Soon, Yeorum walked with Kaeul to the PR department.

    And in the afternoon, she headed to the general department store by herself.

    ¡°Hmm, hmm¡­¡±

    With a nervous look on her voice, she nced around more than necessary and fortunately didn¡¯te across any of her acquaintances. Usually, she wouldn¡¯t even daree to ces like this in fear of meeting someone she knew. She would feel like killing herself if someone found out about this.

    So let¡¯s hurry and quickly buy this. Thinking that, Yeorum dashed forward and snatched the book at a speed that eyes could not follow.

    That was when her watch rang.

    ¡°What the fuc¡­¡±

    It was from Yu Jitae. Yeorum picked up the phone.

    ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s up. Huh?¡±

    A reluctant look appeared on her face.

    ¡°You¡¯reing to pick me up? I can go by mysel¡­ huh? You¡¯re already here? On the first floor? Why?¡±

    -¡­ ¡®Why¡¯? What do you mean. You doing something there?

    ¡°What am I doing¡­? Actually, why do you care whether I do it or not?¡±

    ¨C What do you even mean. Juste down when you¡¯re done.

    Can I hide it in the alternate dimension? No, it wouldn¡¯t work.

    Yeorum wasn¡¯t good at using the alternate dimensional magic and it would thus cause a lot of fluctuation in mana. It also required a lot of time for her to use it.

    Then what should I do? She rolled her eyes in thought. On the side, she could see sports mangas, and next to those books were tools that were rted to sports. From them, her eyes were glued to the baseball equipment.

    ¡°So uh¡­! Don¡¯te up and just stay there! I¡¯ll go down after buying something¡­!¡±

    ***

    Yu Jitae weed Yeorum on the first floor with Bom and Gyeoul. She came down carrying an aluminium bat.

    ¡°What. Are you trying to hit someone with that?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well yeah¡­¡±

    It was unknown what she was discontent with, but her sulky face was filled with dissatisfaction. She appeared spiteful like an animal who had its food snatched away. Wondering what was wrong with her, he looked at the baseball bat but Yeorum suddenly had a fit.

    ¡°What, huh! You wanna get smacked for real?¡±

    She became gloomy after saying that.

    What was wrong with her?

 Chapter 179: Fireworks (2)

    <h4>Chapter 179: Fireworks (2)</h4>

    Maybe I can just buy it and let the store hold onto it until Ie againter?

    ¡­Yeorum thought that, but itsted no more than 5 seconds.

    Btedly, she remembered that the purchase records that were done through the credit card were all sent to Yu Jitae¡¯s watch. If he happened to see how she bought [Tankoubon: The Prince¡¯s first love is me?], Yeorum seriously had to ponder between leaving the house and killing herself.

    Her brain froze after realising that, and not knowing what to do, she somehow ended up holding a baseball bat which she didn¡¯t even need.

    ¡°You know what. I seriously hate you.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I seriously, seriously hate you so much. You¡¯re annoying. I¡¯d love to bash the hell out of you if I could.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you now.¡±

    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong with me? You want me to tell you how I¡¯m feeling right now? Let¡¯s say you were dying to drink a can of sprite.¡±

    A sprite?

    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to¡­¡­ Anyway, and what.¡±

    ¡°Be honest. Even if you didn¡¯t drink a single drop of water for 3 days? Even if you ate three sweet potatoes in a row?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah. I would like to drink one.¡±

    ¡°Right? But if you drink sprite, you have to burp. Which you can¡¯t do in front of others. Suddenly you have the chance to drink sprite by yourself. But it¡¯s all doomed! It¡¯s all doomed because of you!¡±

    What could this be about. Yu Jitae contemted before asking her.

    ¡°You want sprite?¡±

    An extremely serious expression appeared on her face.

    ¡°No! Ahh! So annoying!¡±

    She swung the baseball bat around in an intimidating manner. With a frown, Gyeoul walked away from her and when the nearby cadets nced at them, Gyeoul exined herself.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t, know this person.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know you either okay?¡± shouted Yeorum. Her temper was worse than usual, but looking back, Yeorum was somewhat simr to a cat and often exploded in anger by herself for no reason.

    In any case, she needed something other than sprite. Yu Jitae asked after some thought.

    ¡°Anyway, you need something. Right? What do you need.¡±

    ¡°Nothi¡­!¡±

    In the middle of her shout, she suddenly turned quiet. She pondered for a second before asking with a calm voice.

    ¡°Allowance.¡±

    ¡°Allowance? Don¡¯t you have a card.¡±

    ¡°Not that. Just, something separate. Give me an allowance.¡±

    ¡°You mean cash?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    She turned docile when he took his wallet out like a bulldog waiting for a treat. In that moment, the Regressor realised once again that he had gotten closer to daily life than before.

    Now that she was being meek, he didn¡¯t want to give it.

    ¡°Why should I.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything well so why should I give you money.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying. Give me money.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°You serious?¡±

    Gyeoul, who was listening to the two of them speak, gestured to Yu Jitae after realising something. When he turned around, the child ced her fists on her cheeks and blinked her eyes, acting cute.

    She was giving him a signal. Although he didn¡¯t know that much, he took out a 1 dor note and gave it to Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­Hihih.¡±

    After receiving it, she waved the note in front of Yeorum with an excited look on her face. Yeorum red at her dumbfoundedly before turning her gaze to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What is this about?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Why are you being so childish? Do I have to act cute in front of a little kid at my age? Why don¡¯t you tell me to lick your toes instead?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, whatever. I don¡¯t need it. Farrking hell~.¡±

    That was when Gyeoul moved once again after a nce. She wrapped her arms around Yu Jitae¡¯s waist and buried her forehead into his stomach. When he gazed down, she slowly lifted her head and looked into his eyes with a desperate gaze of cuteness.

    He gave her another 1 dor note. Gyeoul took the money and waved the two notes in front of Yeorum¡¯s eyes.

    Seeing how Gyeoul was suppressing the urge to raise the corners of her lips, Yeorum had to reflect on her rage control training.

    Finding it funny, Bom giggled before asking her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you usually do the same thing yourself?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the same thing, is it?¡±

    ¡°How is it different?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. Ahh, this is annoying¡­¡±

    On the way to a restaurant, Yeorum nced around before cing her fists next to her cheeks. She was usually good at doing this, but it was hard to make herself do it consciously.

    That was when her eyes met with stupid Gyeoul¡¯s, who then sneered after seeing that. Yeorum moved her lips silently and swore at her, ¡®Stop acting up, you little rat.¡¯ In response, Gyeoul mumbled, ¡®¡­Two, dors,¡¯ and giggled out loud.

    If Bom didn¡¯t break the mood by bringing up a different topic, stupid Gyeoul would have been dead for sure.

    ¡°Oh, right. Ahjussi. I have to go somewhere for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Go where.¡±

    ¡°The magic studies professors were looking for someone to help with the firework preparation and I applied for it.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I asked them if they could turn a blind eye to all the sses I skipped at the start of the winter semester.¡±

    ¡°Did they agree to it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Only because it¡¯s me.¡±

    The start of the winter semester was probably when Yu Jitae was making her draw and sculpt in search of her dream. During that time, she hadn¡¯t been going to school.

    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t interested in grades.¡±

    ¡°Well? I¡¯m not that interested in getting good grades but attendance is a slightly different issue. I¡¯m an earnest dragon after all¡­¡±

    ¡°Got it. See youter then.¡±

    ¡°Ah, and also, can you pleasee pick me upter when it¡¯s time?¡±

    ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°When the fireworks are about to start. I should be near the rear entrance of Hilton Clocktower.¡±

    ¡°Right before the start?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Maybe that¡¯s not the best time? Anyway, you don¡¯t have to worry about it if you can¡¯t, so please don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡±

    Bom waved her hand after nonchntly saying that, so he waved back.

    After that, Yu Jitae took Yeorum and Gyeoul along to enjoy the festival. There were more people in the afternoon and consequently, there were more stores and attractions avable. In the world where magic existed, there were plenty of elements in a festival that was a delight to look at.

    A palm-sized cat wearing socks jumped for afar andnded on Gyeoul¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Aht¡­! The pretty blue-haired little friend over there! You were chosen!¡±

    A superhuman magician walked up with a bright smile.

    ¡°¡­Chosen?¡±

    Gyeoul asked while rolling her blue pair of eyes. A cat made from chocte was dancing on top of her hand.

    ¡°Yes. Since you were chosen as the butler, you must take it with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ohh.¡±

    ¡°Hahat. Do you like it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°That will be 10 dors please!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­? ¡­You were after, money?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    With a darker expression, Gyeoul returned the chocte, causing the magician to be flustered.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae paid for the money, and only then did Gyeoul shove the cat¡¯s head into her mouth with a bright expression.

    Attached to the tail of the chocte cat was a heart-shaped red jelly, and her eyes sparkled whenever she stared at it. Gyeoul slowly ate from the body and kept the best forst but Yeorum suddenly came up and broke the tail before throwing it into her own mouth.

    ¡°¡­Uh? ¡­That¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°Oh was it? Sorry?¡±

    Yeorum chortled while Gyeoul bit her lips.

    The two of them fought regardless of the time and ce.

    Time flew by in an instant. Yu Jitae took Yeorum and Gyeoul for lunch and enjoyed watching a musician busking in the streets. Since Yeorum always spent her time in either a training room or her own room, she appeared to be enjoying herself and Gyeoul was also happy after receiving the plushie he won at one of the attractions.

    The sun was starting to set when Gyeoul grabbed Yu Jitae by the pants.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Look at that.¡±

    What was it.

    Turning his head, he found a male and female behind the bush of the park, hugging each other with touching lips. There were lots of people nearby but they were in a different world by themselves.

    ¡°¡­What are they doing? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re in a rtionship.¡±

    ¡°¡­Weird.¡±

    Without a real reason, Gyeoul looked at Yeorum. She was fidgeting with her watch but after noticing the couple, she raised her head with a surprised look on her face.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Is she going to swear at them? While Gyeoul was in doubt, Yeorum stealthily looked away from the couple but proceeded to nce at them in secret.

    What was wrong with her? Gyeoul had no idea.

    But suddenly, Yeorum started whining about the allowance again.

    ¡°Ahh, just give me some money. It¡¯s about to be night time already. Come on.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, you haven¡¯t done anything well so why should I.¡±

    ¡°Wait, did you actually mean that?¡±

    After some hesitation, Yeorum tapped her hair.

    ¡°Well, I was born well. He pretty even if I don¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What. What the fuc* is with that silence.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡®Yeah¡¯? ¡®Yeahh¡¯?? Maybe you don¡¯t know how to appreciate my beauty ¡®cuz you see me everyday, but back in Askalifa, if the red dragondy appeared in the streets, everyone from the king down to little stray dogs all came out to watch, you know that?¡±

    ¡°¡­Puph.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fuc*ingugh. I¡¯ll smash your head.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hing.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, just give me some money!¡±

    When Yu Jitae firmly ignored her, she scowled before standing in front of him. Like a burr, she pointed the bat towards him but this discouraged him from giving her money even more.

    The two stood still and stared at each other.

    But soon, her bat slowly came down.

    Dropping her head, she gazed at the ground. After scratching herself on the back of her neck, Yeorum heaved out a deep sigh.

    Right when he was starting to wonder what she was trying to do, Yeorum looked up and bluntly opened her mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna do it then. Okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you my cutest killer move. I don¡¯t take responsibility for your eyes, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°F*ck¡­¡±

    She pushed her lips out.

    Yu Jitae stood still nonchntly like always, but Gyeoul on the side was excited about teasing her. It was time to watch Yeorum embarrassedly act cute.

    However, Yeorum suddenly grabbed Gyeoul¡¯s hat and pulled it down to cover her eyes.

    In a fluster, Gyeoul hurriedly lifted her hat back up and stared at Yeorum, but everything was already over at that point. Yu Jitae was taking his wallet out with a disapproving look on his face.

    ¡°¡­Wat.¡±

    Gyeoul grumbled from the boring turn of events.

    It was then. Yeorum suddenly reached out and snatched the wallet from his hands.

    ¡°This is my wallet now.¡±

    When Yu Jitae tried to take it back, she pped his hand away. Then, she opened her jacket before cing the wallet inside her sports bra.

    She then pushed her chest forward.

    ¡°Now. Try taking it if you can.¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s a crime if you touch me there, you know that?¡±

    ¡°Give me back my wallet.¡±

    ¡°You. Just because you have a little bit of cash, huh? A human dares to make a dragon act cute? Are you out of your mind?¡±

    ¡°Like I said. Give it back.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you have to do something yourself then?¡±

    After saying that, Yeorum turned towards Gyeoul and after understanding what she was trying to do, the child gave a bright smile.

    ¡­They were going to make Yu Jitae act cute!

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, Yu Jitae started walking away with a hazier gaze, and didn¡¯t say anything even when Yeorum teased him from the side.

    ¡°What are you doing. Are you trying to be cool?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to give you the wallet back then.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, so fu*king boring.¡±

    Then, after saying that there was a ce she had to go to, Yeorum turned around with a 10 dor note. She sneakily handed the wallet over to Gyeoul before walking away.

    ¡°Where are you going.¡±

    ¡°Who cares~ I¡¯ll be back in one hour.¡±

    She soon disappeared into the crowd.

    Yu Jitae looked at Gyeoul. It was just the two of them now. She was holding the wallet preciously with her two hands but when Yu Jitae turned towards her, she immediately threw the wallet into her singlet in a fluster.

    As always, she was quick at learning these strange things. Shaking his head, the Regressor reached out.

    ¡°Give me my wallet back.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnnn.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to give it back? It¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cuter.¡±

    Crouching down, the Regressor matched his line of sight with the child. Hugging the wallet around her chest, she looked at him with expectation.

    ¡°Why do I have to act cute.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cuter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you something nice. Give it back.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cuter.¡±

    ¡°Yu Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He stared directly into her eyes and although she flinched a little, she didn¡¯t avoid his eyes. She was stubborn and wouldn¡¯t relent without seeing it.

    Do I do this, or not.

    He could do it, if he were to simply copy the movement.

    ¡°¡­Have you, acted cute before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°¡­Never?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then, is today, the first time?¡±

    After saying that, her expression turned even brighter.

    Put in an awkward spot, he contemted a bit more.

    Something simr happened before but he was always put in an awkward spot whenever the kids made such requests. Why did he have to do this? However, Gyeoul was staring at him with expectant eyes, and it wasn¡¯t like he could snatch the wallet or scold the child.

    With a sigh, he carefully ced his fists around his cheeks. If someone else saw it, they would think he was about to go on a boxing ring instead of acting cute, but a smile bloomed on Gyeoul¡¯s face.

    Was it because he said that it was his first time doing this? Seemingly happy from the bottom of her heart, her smile was the brightest he had ever seen.

    It was then.

    Something spread like the ocean waves in front of his eyes.

    Since his eyes were always hazy, he was starting to forget it but Gyeoul¡¯s hazy face appeared clearer. The blue eyshes, the blue irises and pupils that formed the bright smile became vivid.

    With the smiling Gyeoul at the centre, a filter that made everything hazy seemed to have disappeared and the festival at the background regained its colour. The ground, people, the sky turning darker and the magic kites flying in the darkened sky.

    This was ¡®that phenomenon¡¯.

    It always happened when the dragons felt extremely happy because of something ¨C the authentic feeling of life that neared him as if to prove that the iteration was heading towards a positive direction.

    He had felt it from Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul, and now he was feeling it from Gyeoul.

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul lifted her singlet and took the wallet out from around her stomach. Frozen stiff, he received the wallet when she walked up and embraced his head.

    The vividness was not simply limited to his sight. Her small hands that touched his cheeks and the tender skin was felt vividly with his sense of touch.

    While he was taking in the purely innocent sensation that didn¡¯t allow a single dirty feeling to seep in, something else urred.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is flustered.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] observes the creation of a new [Room] inside [Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop]!>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] confirms the possibility of a new growth!>

    A message he had never seen in the previous six iterations appeared in front of him. His hazy eyes opened wide.

    A room?

    A possibility of new growth?

    What in the world did these things mean.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]:( ?§¥?)??>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ??(?§¥? )>

    And why are <i>you</i> surprised.

 Chapter 180:

    <h4>Chapter 180:</h4>

    ¡°That will be 49 dors in total please.¡±

    Stopping her hands that were about to take the money out, Yeorum asked.

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Yes? Ahh, 49 dors please. Would you like to pay with cash?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    The employee was nervous.

    In front was an extremely pretty woman. She was pretty but her eyes were crimson red unlike normal people, and her gaze caused him to shrink. The piercings and the sharp look on her face made her look like someone that harassed weaker people.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Why was she asking, ¡®why¡¯? Although he wasn¡¯t sure, the employee still calmly exined it.

    ¡°Each of the tankoubon novels are $4.90, and you wanted 10 of them, yes? So that brings it up to 49 dors.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Since she had only been using a credit card till now, she hadn¡¯t been that interested in the actual prices.

    Yeorum nkly looked at the note in her hand.

    [$10]

    <strong>Episode 59: Fireworks (3)</strong>

    Yu Jitae went to a nearby cafe with Gyeoul and while the child was indulging in her favourite bingsu, he pondered. Vintage Clock alerted him of the creation of a new ¡®room¡¯ in its workshop, and also alerted him of some new ¡®possibility of growth¡¯.

    This was an extremely bizarre turn of events. Through the repetitive iterations, he had spent a very long time with Vintage Clock, and it was the first time he was seeing such a message. To be honest, he didn¡¯t even know that a new room could appear inside the workshop until now.

    A new room? It¡¯s not like the workshop was an apartment or anything.

    Another strange thing was that he had already gained all the power an existence had ess to. If he could be stronger ¨C if there was a sliver of chance that he could, he instead would have decided to fight the dragons on the day of the Apocalypse. He simply had to fight dozens of dragons that escaped therge fissure that went on for hundreds of kilometres right?

    However, his growth stopped at a certain point in time and the Vintage Clock reaffirmed it.

    What did you say back then?

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] alerts you that the number of blessings that are on your body have reached the [Limit] of an [Existence]!>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ¡­was the announcement.>

    Right.

    Providence was not the destined flow of the world. It was the principle and regtions that allowed the world to flow. Therefore, under the given principles and fundamental rules, there was definitely a limit to the amount of power an existence could gain.

    Isn¡¯t that what you said? That I couldn¡¯t be stronger? Then what did the new possibility of growth mean.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?§¥? )¡­?>

    What a mess.

    Here, Yu Jitae decided to reflect on what Vintage Clock was. Vintage Clock¡¯s ability could be categorised into 3 main elements.

    Regression. Copy. Analysis.

    1. When the Earth was destroyed, or when Yu Jitae died, the time regressed back to when he was 27.

    2. A death that was linked to Yu Jitae (A deviation from Providence) allowed the clock to copy and gather both the data and power.

    3. Identify elements that are not included in Providence, and analyse them.

    Number 1 was the reason Yu Jitae was the Regressor.

    Number 2 was the reason Yu Jitae could be stronger by repeating the iterations.

    And although it was used differently in previous iterations, Number 3 helped them identify and analyse the Hostilitying from the other side of Providence.

    How was the analysis looking like currently?

    <[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 37.2%¡­>

    The fragments gathered from Ha Saetbyul, Wei Yan and the 30-man special force team had stopped for a long time at 37.2%. It was because there weren¡¯t any objects or people that had been affected by the Hostility.

    But thanks to the 37.2% of information, Vintage Clock was able toy the foundation for the analysis into the other side of the Horizon and the Hostility. These days, it was using that information as the basis for the following investigation.

    <Identifying [Great Hostility]: 9%¡­>

    It had gone up from 5% to 9%.

    These days, the Vintage Clock had its hands full because of this. An army of Hostility flying in from a distant dimension with the objective of pushing the Earth into chaos. Vintage Clock referred to it as the [Long Night].

    The clones were also busy because of that. They needed more manpower to the point that he had to move himself before long.

    In any case, a possibility of new growth should be rted to one of these 3 elements.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]:( ?§¥?)¡­?>

    Are you serious?

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]:¡­>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is confused.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] alerts that it has no idea what this phenomenon is rted to.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] alerts that such a situation should not exist in Providence.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is slightly ufortable with the uncertain element that does not exist in Providence.>

    So what if you¡¯re ufortable. Go look for something if you have the time to sulk.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?????¦Ø?????) >

    Go.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is on the way¡­ >

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?????¦Ø?????) >

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?????¦Ø?????) >

    Then, putting aside what that thing was, he decided to think about why such a thing happened.

    What happened just then? Gyeoul was happy, and that was it.

    He looked back on the previous ¡®authentic feelings of life¡¯.

    The first one was from Bom. When she was cooking the nutritious soup for Yeorum, she fed him the soup for a taste check and he didn¡¯t turn her down. After sitting on hisp, sheid out bizarrepliments, about how he looked cute when he was eating and the likes.

    The second one was from Yeorum. When they were on the way back after an easy victory in her first fight of the rankedpetition, she smoked in the alleyway and demanded him for apliment. He diligentlyplimented her and she chuckled after whispering, ¡®That¡¯s good¡¯.

    Third one was with Kaeul. Back when she first started sharing the video messages with the special force squad. After listening to them praise her like a goddess and share their stories for 20 minutes, she emotionally hugged his waist in tears.

    And now, he had felt the fourth one.

    As for the simrities? It was that he was always alone with the kids and that they felt joy.

    Yu Jitae lifted his head and stared at Gyeoul.

    Zealously, she consumed the bingsu and whenever it was too cold, she frowned and squinted her eyes. She shivered as if the world was rotating and soon looked at Yu Jitae with one of her eyes half-closed as a smile appeared on her lips.

    He didn¡¯t know why she was so happy, but the child always smiled when looking at him.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°When I was doing that thing just then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ohh.¡±

    ¡°How was it.¡±

    ¡°¡­It was funny.¡±

    ¡°Funny?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. Because it was weird.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°¡­And, I liked it.¡±

    ¡°You liked it? Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­It was, your first time, right?¡±

    ¡°It was.¡±

    ¡°¡­I was, the only one, that saw it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing special though.¡±

    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t, tell anyone.¡±

    He wished for the hatchlings to be happy without getting hurt, but also knew that happiness wasn¡¯t something that could be turned on and off with a gesture like a button. That was also why he wanted the daily lives to continue.

    However, after hearing of the new possibility of growth, he started feeling slightly greedy for it. What should he do to make the child happier.

    Did he have to do the same thing again?

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°Is there something you perhaps want to see.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s something, tell me. Ask me for anything you need.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nothing.¡±

    ¡°You have nothing? Even little things are fine.¡±

    Shake, shake. She shook her head.

    Well, looking back, this wasn¡¯t the only time she felt sincerely happy and it¡¯s not like he felt the authentic feeling every single time so¡­ it was unclear how it would be beneficial even if he were to forcibly make her happy.

    Even then, he continued his contemtion, until Gyeoul finished the bingsu by herself ¨C until Yeorum appeared with a disheartened look on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your face.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum reached forward a fist without saying a word. When he ced his hand below hers, she dropped a 20 cent coin onto his hand.

    ¡°That¡¯s the change¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you buy.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t buy it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t buy it. So give me more money.¡±

    ¡°How much.¡±

    ¡°40 bucks¡­¡±

    She appeared extremely crestfallen, so he didn¡¯t feel like teasing her. He took a 50 dor note and gave it to her.

    ¡°Ehng? You¡¯re just giving it to me?

    ¡°Thought you wanted it.¡±

    ¡°Give me 100 dors then. No, a 1000.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Tch. As always, doing whatever you want.¡±

    Despite theint, she stealthily took the 50 dor note.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go again then.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Yeorum left the cafe and by the time she came back, it was already night time and she had an extremely satisfied look on her face. She probably bought another sword or adult toys but he couldn¡¯t care less about it.

    The sky was dark and it was about time for the fireworks to start. At the same time, the highlight of the festival ¨C the Masked Singing Contest will begin alongside the fireworks.

    ¡°Oh. Mister Jitae. Been a while.¡±

    On the way to the venue, Yu Jitae met Mihailov and next to him were cadets from RIL who were wearing animal makeups, including Sophia with her cat makeup.

    Yeorum giggled as she walked towards Sophia.

    ¡°What¡¯s with those ears?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they nice?¡±

    ¡°Looks nice. Unlike you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it. It¡¯s a headband.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that tail under your jacket? How did you put it on? That¡¯s super interesting.¡±

    ¡°Dude. Dude! Ah, just stop touching it.¡±

    ¡°Did you stick it in your asshole?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a belt you crazy retard. Oh my¡­¡±

    During her speech, Sophia found Gyeoul and widened her eyes. She had seen her a few times before on the weekends.

    ¡°When did she grow up so much? I heard that kids grow up in the blink of an eye but¡­ she¡¯s so pretty now. Hello?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    ¡°What the hell. She¡¯s a damn angel¡­ She¡¯s so cute, and adorable.¡±

    Yeorum clicked her tongue.

    ¡°Come here girlie. Let me hug you.¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head with a gentle smile.

    ¡°Ohe on. I¡¯ll hug you.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to try touching my ears?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a, headband.¡±

    Gyeoul avoided the outstretched hand.

    Meanwhile, the other cadets of RIL were throwing nces at Yu Yeorum, which was amon urrence thanks to her conspicuous appearance and her rank at thepetition. From them, Gyeoul looked the most intrigued by the cadet wearing a bear costume, and tilted her head with interest.

    In the meantime, Mihailov asked Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Are you headed somewhere?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking of watching the singing contest.¡±

    ¡°Ah, is someone from your household going on? Cadet Yu Bom? Or is it Cadet Yu Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°No. Just to have a look.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see. In that case, it would be better for you to go early. I saw it on the way here but it was already starting to get crowded.¡±

    That was the end of the small encounter with RIL.

    Mihailov was right. Despite there being over 1000 avable seats, the good spots were already taken. Yu Jitae found 4 seats including Bom¡¯s but at this rate, it would be hard for him to go pick her up so he sent her a message.

    [Me: Bom]

    [Yu Bom: Yes]

    [Me: There¡¯s a lot of people here so I¡¯ll save you a seat]

    [Yu Bom: Ahh]

    [Yu Bom: Are there a lot of people? Haha]

    [Me: Ye]

    [Yu Bom: I see¡­]

    [Yu Bom: In that case, I¡¯ll go there. Don¡¯t let anyone take my seat haha]

    [Me: Ye]

    He sat there waiting and soon, the surroundings started turning darker. When it was pitch dark, an announcement marked the beginning of the fireworks which was scheduled to start right before the start of the singing contest.

    [Please count down together with me!]

    ¡°¡°10!¡±¡±

    A loud cluster of voices was heard from the entirety of the grandiose academy district. There were people throughout therge area since they had spreaded in search of a good ce to watch the fireworks from.

    This ce was the same. The crowd that had gathered to watch the singing contest all raised their voices and counted down from 10.

    ¡°¡°8!¡±¡±

    From now onwards, fireworks should be colouring the sky for about an hour.

    ¡°¡°6!¡±¡±

    Soothing her thumping heart, Gyeoul fidgeted with her hands before eventually making them into fists. However, someone suddenly stood up in front of her. He was a tall man and blocked half of the sky, so Gyeoul couldn¡¯t see the sky even after standing up from her chair.

    ¡°¡°5!¡±¡±

    That was when someone raised her up.

    Thinking it was Yu Jitae, she looked back and found out that it was Yeorum instead. ¡°You can¡¯t see ¡®cuz you¡¯re tiny as heck, right?¡± she said.

    ¡°¡­Let me down.¡± Gyeoul struggled in the air with a frown so Yeorum ced her on her shoulders.

    ¡°¡°3!¡±¡±

    She then whispered something to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡°2!¡±¡±

    Yu Jitae lowered his body and Yeorum immediately jumped up, sitting down on his shoulders. As a result, Gyeoul was sitting on Yeorum¡¯s shoulders, while Yeorum was on Yu Jitae¡¯s shoulders.

    Everyone was under her. Finding herself at an unfamiliar height, Gyeoul brightly smiled while looking at the sky. Her cap was about to fall so she tightly held onto it with one of her hands.

    ¡°¡°1!¡±¡±

    [Fire¨C!]

    Finally, dozens of balls of me wriggled their tails and soared into the sky, leaving behind a sharp trail of sound. They then exploded in the air and blossomed into beautiful flowers.

    The Regressor, who was at the bottom, listened to the kids going ¡°Ohh,¡± and ¡°¡­Uwah,¡± above his head.

    Flowers of fire filled the ck canvas.

    Beneath that wondrous sky,

    The Masked Singing Contest finally began.

 Chapter 181: Fireworks (4)

    <h4>Chapter 181: Fireworks (4)</h4>

    The Singing Contest was met with an extremely positive reception.

    Fireworks were still embroidering the sky, but as expected of an event that was personally nned by the director of the PR department, the venue was crowded beyond what eyes could see. The seats were all filled up but more people around 1000 or so were standing without anything to sit on.

    As if there was fire being added to the festival mood, cadets sang along whenever a famous song popped up, causing the area to be very noisy.

    Various masked singers had their turns. An iron tin, a lion, a tiger, a snowman¡­ 30 minutes soon passed and the sixth masked singer came up the stage but Kaeul was still nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°When¡¯s sheing out?¡± asked Yeorum.

    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±

    The singing order was determined by the PR department. It might be that she was allocated near the back because of the good impression she left during the rehearsal.

    [Kaeuli ?: adfasld;fkal T.T;]

    That was when his messenger rang.

    [Kaeuli ?: snfdfnkijfnkiwd;]

    [Kaeuli ?: dsf23dsfnk]

    Kaeul sent him an undecipherable array of letters.

    [Me: ?]

    [Kaeuli ?: T.T T.T]

    [Kaeuli ?: T.T T.TT.TT.TT.T]

    [Kaeuli ?: I¡¯m nervous ahjussi T.T]

    [Me: You¡¯re fine]

    [Kaeuli ?: How am I fine T.T]

    [Kaeuli ?: I¡¯m not fineeee Q.QQ.Q¡­]

    He could imagine her trembling from the words.

    [Me: Where are you]

    [Kaeuli ?: Waiting room TT]

    [Kaeuli ?: Ah it¡¯s seriously doomed¨C]

    [Me: Why]

    [Kaeuli ?: I haven¡¯t even understood the song yettt]

    [Kaeuli ?: Ahh T.T]

    [Kaeuli ?: Haha]

    [Kaeuli ?: Lolll]

    [Kaeuli ?: Lololololol]

    [Kaeuli ?: T.T T.T T.T T.T]

    [Kaeuli ?: Tqgejp jdffoslk]

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know how to reply so he instead showed the messages to Yeorum and Gyeoul. After reading the messages, Yeorum immediately tried a video call but Kaeul didn¡¯t pick it up.

    [Kaeuli ?: I¡¯m in the waiting roommm T.T]

    [Kaeuli ?: If by any chance, I go off-tone]

    [Kaeuli ?: Please buy me a loaf of bread. Haha]

    [Kaeuli ?: Hehe. I ¡®love¡¯ it¡­ hehe]

    [Kaeuli ?: Hehehehe;;;;;]

    [Me: I will.]

    [Kaeuli ?: T.T Nononono]

    [Kaeuli ?: I don¡¯t need itttt Q.Q]

    [Kaeuli ?: Ehe T.T.T.T.T.T]

    [Kaeuli ?: Ah, they¡¯re telling me toe up T.T]

    Was it her turn to go? He quickly typed a message into the watch.

    [Me: Don¡¯t wrorry you¡¯l;l do fine]

    She didn¡¯t read the message till the end.

    However, after standing on the stage, Kaeul started singing a great song despite her worries. The singing conteststed for about an hour and Kaeul happened to be thest one to sing, right when the cadets were starting to lose their focus.

    But when Kaeul¡¯s voice started flowing out with the music, the crowd immediately turned silent.

    ¡°Ohh,¡± ¡°Wahh,¡± ¡°Uwah¡­¡± Gasps of admiration were heard from here and there.

    Like a ss marble rolling down a silver te, Kaeul sang with a sorrowful voice that sounded like it could shatter with one mistake.

    Soon, the general pitch of the song jumped and lyrics that pledged for the future began flowing out.

    One day, I¡¯ll climb the mountain with you, hand-in-hand.

    One day, I¡¯ll dance with you, feet-to-feet.

    One day, I¡¯ll be right next to you.

    [Some time or other¡ª¡­]

    Her emotions dramatically exploded as her high and deep timbre resonated across the sky. The voice shook the ears of the listeners and caused a ripple to travel across their blood streams. It could be considered a thriller at this point, and enveloped every listener with shock.

    For an instant, Yu Jitae felt like he was listening to BY of the 4th iteration.

    She had always beencking somethingpared to BY when singing but now it was different.

    Did Kaeul perhaps realise something?

    ***

    Closing her eyes and immersing herself into the song, Kaeul¡¯s mind was solely dedicated to the song before realising it. The surroundings were dark but when she looked down, the ground beneath was even darker. In order to express the song in more depth, she had to go into that murky darkness.

    The surroundings turned darker and darker the deeper she went, so Kaeul had always been hesitant of going deeper in. That had happened multiple times and in the end, she always gave up and climbed back up to the surface.

    However, she decided to try going down just for today. After all, it was thest day and everything she had prepared for was for today. Shouldn¡¯t she at least try fully immersing herself? While saying that to herself, she decided to go into the unknown depths.

    It turned darker and darker.

    There was something waiting at the bottom of this pit. A mysterious fear struck her when thinking about confronting the thing waiting at the depths. She was scared ¨C so scared that she really wanted to run away from time to time.

    But Kaeul still immersed herself deeper and atst came across the thing that was buried inside the murky swamp of darkness.

    Who are you?

    Why are you in such pain?

    What¡¯s making you so desperate?

    The doubts that continued one after another became a realisation the moment she was confronted by the identity of the bizarre existence. In that instant, Kaeul almost fainted from astonishment.

    Inside the very depths of her immersion,

    A green hatchling was gazing up into her eyes.

    It was Bom.

    Right when the song came to an end, her mind returned to reality like the shattering of a window. Kaeul had definitely sung a good song and the crowd loved it, but she nkly returned to the waiting room without even realising it.

    Immediately after returning to the waiting room, she threw the mask away and looked for Yu Jitae. In the midst of the audience, she found him sitting on a chair and he turned his head towards her with a doubtful gaze.

    Kaeul didn¡¯t know how to word it properly, but she had to sincerely convey the emotions that were trying to force themselves out of her mouth.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Where¡¯s Bom-unni?¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯re you already here. Don¡¯t you need to wait for the awards? The other kids went to get ice cream for you.¡±

    ¡°No. That doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is Bom-unni. Where is Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°Why are you looking for Bom.¡±

    ¡°Where is she. Just tell me.¡±

    His eyes turned sharper from her strange attitude.

    ¡°Who knows. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s here yet.¡±

    Kaeul felt like her head was about to flip.

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t she here yet? We¡¯re in the middle of a festival.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­ do you really not know anything?¡±

    Only now did Kaeul understand Bom¡¯s words in full.

    ¨C ¡­You sounded like a wife that lost her husband.

    That was her evaluation after listening to her song. It was in fact no different from Bom saying that to herself, since the emotions that Kaeul immersed herself into were originally from Bom.

    What were these emotions that Bom-unni was bottling up inside her? The moment she realised how deep it was, Kaeul felt something extremely simr to fear.

    She grabbed onto her chest. Reflecting on those emotions again caused her heart to clog and her head to turn.

    Right now, Bom wanted something desperately. It was a fierce greed that could scare off any other.

    Wow, this is seriously no joke¡­

    Isn¡¯t Bom-uni crazy¡­?

    But why?

    And what did she want so badly?

    Her doubts didn¡¯tst very long. She soon remembered what she herself wanted.

    When immersing herself in this feeling, Kaeul wanted to be with Yu Jitae no matter how short it may be. With just the two of them.

    Naturally, this wasn¡¯t her own feelings.

    Maybe Bom was suppressing her greed and urge thanks to the strong willpower of the green race. If greed was water and perseverance a dam, Bom was practically holding onto herself thanks to a mountain blocking the ocean of greed.

    From what Kaeul felt, this emotion was also simr to a tyre that was constantly being pumped with air. Arge and serious greed that will one day explode for sure, if the air wasn¡¯t let out from time to time.

    ¡°Listen to me carefully. Ahjussi. Bom-unni¡­¡±

    Kaeul exined her feelings from Bom¡¯s standpoint.

    The Regressor¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ***

    Using very extreme words, Kaeul exined Bom¡¯s condition. Those words didn¡¯t fit Bom, who always appeared calm including the previous iterations where she had independently grown like wild weeds.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t ask how she discovered those things because he also knew about the traits of the gold race. There were times when he found Kaeul acting weird but those were most likely because she had immersed herself in Bom¡¯s emotions.

    If that was how extreme Bom¡¯s thought process was, it might be that he had made a great mistake when Bom was asking him to call her pretty on the terrace. Should he have said that at the very least? As a person who was inexperienced with rtionships, the Regressor found it difficult to understand.

    In turn, that caused him to hurry his steps.

    Near the back entrance of Hilton Clocktower, located at the entertainment district.

    When Yu Jitae arrived there while relying on Bom¡¯s presence, he found a girl with grass-coloured hair off in the distance. Walking a bit closer, he could see the clothes of the child sitting down on the field of grass.

    A short, white jacket and a long, light-pink skirt.

    Bom was wearing hanbok, the traditional clothes of Korea.

    While hugging her knees, she was vacantly staring at the fireworks colouring the night sky and didn¡¯t even notice him until he was near her. It was only when he was right next to her, that her vacant gaze finally regained its focus.

    ¡°Nn? Ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    ¡°Hi¡­ When did you get here?¡±

    Unlike Kaeul¡¯s words, Bom lookedpletely normal on the outside.

    ¡°I was about to leave soon.¡± With a smile on her lips, she added.

    ording to Kaeul, it didn¡¯t make sense for the unstable Bom to give such a normal smile.

    However, he felt strange. He had a doubt that she might in fact be inches away from exploding, despite resembling a still surface of water on the outside.

    For the benefit of the doubt, he decided to calmly have a conversation with her.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe. We had your seat ready for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just, wanted to be alone for a bit¡­¡±

    He sat down next to her while she pulled in the long hems of her skirt so that he wouldn¡¯t sit on it.

    ¡°Did you finish what you had to do?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Did Kaeul do well?¡±

    ¡°She did. It would¡¯ve been better if you saw it with us.¡±:

    ¡°There were too many people nearby. So I thought it would be hard to squeeze through them.¡±

    In any case, why was she suddenly wearing a hanbok?

    He thought for a bit, before abruptly remembering that in the morning, he had called the clothes pretty on a whim.

    Is that why Bom was wearing hanbok?

    Linking the points like that made Yu Jitae feel slightly perplexed.

    ¡°Ah, by the way, does this look nice?¡±

    Bom asked while throwing her arms out and touched the small jacket.

    ¡°It does. But why are you wearing them.¡±

    ¡°I tried borrowing it since it was a festival. Is it pretty?¡±

    Perhaps because of what he was thinking on the way here, Yu Jitae replied half-instinctively.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty.¡±

    Wearing a strange smile, she nodded. Mischievousness was soon added to her smile, and she asked.

    ¡°Which part do you think is pretty?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Here?¡±

    She threw her arms wide and showed off the jacket.

    ¡°Or here?¡±

    This time, she carefully picked up the hems of her skirt and elegantly bent her back.

    The question, ¡®Which part do you think is pretty¡¯ was a difficult one to answer for the Regressor. While he was zealously pondering for the correct answer, Bom realised his thought process and the mischievousness hanging on her lips turned a level deeper.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Didn¡¯t you say it was pretty? Or were you just saying it?¡±

    ¡°No. It is pretty. Both top and bottom¡­ overall it¡¯s nice.¡±

    The response that he somehow forced out was sloppy to the point that even he could see how sloppy it was. Bom naturally thought the same and giggled under her breath.

    ¡°Thank you. Ahjussi, you look slightly cuter than normal as well.¡±

    Looking back, Bom tended topliment him very often. Was she always detailed with herpliments though? Trying to find out what was different from her response and his, Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°Which part do you think is cute.¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re doing right now.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°This thing. How you¡¯re copying me.¡±

    She immediately saw through it.

    Yu Jitae shook his head. As usual, it felt like he was being caught up in her pace whenever he was talking to her. He didn¡¯te here to have a chat like this and yet she had taken control of the conversation before he could even notice it.

    ¡°Should we go then? The fireworks are almost done as well.¡±

    Normally, Yu Jitae would have agreed to her. But not today.

    If Kaeul was right, Bom wouldn¡¯t want to give up the time she was spending with him right now.

    ¡°No. Let¡¯s stay here a little bit longer.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Why?¡±

    With an awkward tone, he spelled each word one by one.

    ¡°I think, we need to have a chat.¡±

 Chapter 182: Fireworks (5)

    <h4>Chapter 182: Fireworks (5)</h4>

    ¡°But I want to go.¡±

    A green pair of indifferent eyes looked into his eyes. The resolute tone of her voice disyed her unwillingness.

    Kaeul told him that he needed to spend one hour a week with Bom at the very least. After the immersion into BY was undone, she rambled on about letting the air out of a tyre but¡­ he didn¡¯t understand what that was about.

    Looking back, he realised that thest time he was alone with Bom was more than 3 weeks ago. He should¡¯ve been alone with Bom three more times in that time period ording to Kaeul.

    ¡°Stay here for a bit.¡±

    ¡°I want to go though¡­¡±

    ¡°Just a bit.¡±

    ¡°Like 10 seconds?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s way too little.¡±

    ¡°But why? I really want to go.¡±

    However, Bom was trying to avoid being alone with him.

    Why?

    If she wanted to be together, then why was she refusing to be together?

    Thinking about the disparity between those two points led the Regressor to think about how he hadn¡¯t replied to Bom¡¯s question. One good event can erase all the bad thoughts in her mind ¨C despite saying that and asking him to call her pretty, Bom didn¡¯t get any response out from him.

    In the countless repetitions of life, he had never spared any time for interpersonal interchanges with the dragons, so this iteration was the first of its kind to the Regressor. He was confused and inexperienced, and thus needed time until he could find the right solution.

    And now, he had finallye up with a small solution.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I want to stay here for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Just us two?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Just stay here.¡±

    He said with a stiff look on his face as Bom asked while tilting her head.

    ¡°Sorry? Why?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Just listen to me.¡±

    Bom looked at him as if he was acting weird, but obediently returned to his side and sat down. Sitting side by side, the two of them stared at the night sky.

    Thest batch of fireworks of the festival soon departed into the sky. Whenever those exploded, they caused Bom¡¯s white skin to be coloured in all sorts of different colours.

    Time passed meaninglessly without any conversation.

    Bom vacantly opened her mouth.

    ¡°I want to go.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting hungry and I also want to see Kaeul right now. I want to ask how she went with her song.¡±

    ¡°You should¡¯vee earlier then.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, it was too crowded. I want to see Yeorum and Gyeoul as well, so let¡¯s go back now.¡±

    ¡°We can see themter.¡±

    ¡°No. Also, it should be about time for Kaeul to get her award, so we should go.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I want to go to the toilet as well.¡±

    ¡°Why would dragons need to go to toilets,¡± he asked.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t we go to the toilet?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go.¡±

    ¡°But what if we want to go.¡±

    ¡°Why would you want to go.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to know why?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Should I tell you? What we do in a toilet?¡±

    ¡°No. No need to.¡±

    In response to his words, Bom turned towards him with an indifferent look on her face. After staying quiet for a bit, she opened her mouth and said bluntly.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­ do you think of me as a puppy or something?¡±

    ¡°What? Where did thate from.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you? I think you do. You say e here¡¯ and ¡®go there¡¯. I eat whatever you give, and only do what the owner wants me to do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡±

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t, then please let me go. I want to go now.¡±

    ¡°Do you seriously want to go?¡± he asked again.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Even when I want us to be alone?¡±

    ¡°Just like how I¡¯m not your puppy, ahjussi is not my owner.¡±

    Bom said that with an extremely calm expression on her face. Although he usually tended to refrain from using the Eyes of Equilibrium on the dragons, he felt the need to know what the truth was at least for now.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    ¡°I want to go now.¡±

    The authenticity hanging on the eyes was a strong ¡®false¡¯ ¨C a lie thatpletely contradicted her will.

    Bom was lying.

    ¡°Actually, can I be honest?¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°When we first met, ahjussi told us to stay inside your fences right. I did what you told me to, and was obedient so I want you to stop restricting me now.¡±

    False. She was lying.

    ¡°Ahjussi didn¡¯t like being alone with me right? I¡¯m also slightly ufortable with it being just us two.¡±

    False. She was lying.

    ¡°If you¡¯re misunderstanding me because of my clothes, let me tell you again that I wore it just because it was a festival. I simply wanted to do something different.¡±

    False. She was lying.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Because of you, ahjussi, thest fireworks have already started. I wanted to see it with the other kids.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I hate you.¡±

    False. She was again lying. Not a single trace of honesty existed in her words.

    After seemingly pouring out everything that was on her mind, she heaved a sigh before standing up from the ground. Without even turning back, she started walking forward.

    Why was she lying? It was to create a gap between him and herself; in order to avoid being alone with him. Perhaps she was afraid of another rejection.

    In other words, trying to distance away from him was a false act and he had to grab her.

    Standing up from the ground, he grabbed Bom by the wrist. He was unskilled with interpersonal rtionships andcked thoughtfulness so he didn¡¯t know how to peacefully stop someone from running away.

    Therefore, he physically stopped her from leaving.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    His grip might have been too strong. Bom faintly groaned from pain.

    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±

    ¡°Just stay here. Before I get mad.¡±

    Due to his limited conversational skills, the only words that left his mouth when stopping someone were threats.

    ¡°Please, let go of my wrist.¡±

    ¡°Stay here. I¡¯m telling you to.¡±

    ¡°I told you I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Bom. Are you trying to make me tell you off.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Listen to me. Stop trying to make me mad.¡±

    The words that urgently left his mouth were somewhat sharp, and Bom turned uneasy when her guardian made a straight face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Before long, she whispered softly.

    ¡°It hurts¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go anywhere. So please let me go¡­¡±

    He let go of her wrist.

    She was still wearing an anxious look on her face, while he silently looked back into her green pair of eyes. For a long time, the two of them awkwardly stood face-to-face.

    ¡°Sorry for grabbing you tight.¡±

    Soon, he apologised and Bom returned a nod.

    ¡°You kidnapper¡­¡± she murmured with slight mischief.

    She appeared to be preparing for something. He looked at her, trying to read what she was doing and Bom also tried to find the right opportunity and stared back at him.

    Bom broke the silence and opened her mouth.

    ¡°By the way, did you know that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You know, that¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Close your eyes for a bit.¡±

    He closed his eyes and in that moment, Bom raised the hems of her skirt and quickly ran towards the bush.

    Why was she running away now? For what reason?

    In any case, she couldn¡¯t go far. She was but a lizard no matter how hard she ran. Before long, Yu Jitae caught her by wrapping his arm around her waist and left her hanging in mid-air.

    Seemingly finding the situation funny, Bom chuckled out loud while he threw the child onto the grass. She tried to lift her body up from the ground but bursted out into anotherughter and gave up on trying to stand up.

    Afterughing for a long time, her nervousness seemed to have dissipated. Bom obediently sat on the grass and Yu Jitae sat next to her.

    ¡°You know¡­ I know what you¡¯re worried about, ahjussi.¡±

    Bom continued with a calm voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking that we shouldn¡¯t be too close.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Our Amusements will end one day and¡­ when that dayes, we will need to go our own ways. If we cross the line and get too close, it will hurt us more when we separate. Right?¡±

    The Regressor didn¡¯t say anything in response so Bom continued with an even clearer tone of voice.

    ¡°But you know, I think your assumption is a bit wrong. I¡¯m not trying to, be like that, with ahjussi¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but you¡¯re wrong.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re the one that¡¯s assuming things.¡±

    ¡°Then I guess we were both over-assuming things.¡±

    She giggled before lowering her head.

    ¡°I just, like ying with ahjussi and that¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to get closer. You know how I¡¯m a very boring girl, right?¡±

    Yu Jitae wanted to check the authenticity of her words with his Eyes of Equilibrium but couldn¡¯t do so because he couldn¡¯t look into her eyes.

    ¡°Hmm, so, don¡¯t feel too burdened about getting too close with me. And also, please don¡¯t misunderstand. I just find ahjussi funny so¡­¡±

    Even now, Bom was thinking for his sake and was trying to make him feel less burdened.

    However, he didn¡¯t believe what she was saying.

    ¡°Right. I get it. But by the way.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Can you look at me?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Why?¡±

    ¡°Just turn around for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just don¡¯t think I should look at your eyes.¡±

    At this rate, he couldn¡¯t use the Eyes of Equilibrium.

    However, Yu Jitae remembered Kaeul¡¯s words. If he could spend at least an hour alone with her every week, Bom¡¯s state of mind which Kaeul described with very extreme words should settle quite a bit.

    ording to Kaeul, despite feeling like the world was crumbling down in front of her, Bom was being considerate of him. She was acting like a mature adult, but she couldn¡¯t be fullyposed because she was still but a child who lived a little more than 20 years.

    ¡°So, ahjussi. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    Quietly, the Regressor thought to himself.

    He knew that he had to treat Bom differently to how he was treating other kids, perhaps because she herself wanted a different treatment.

    However, all the interpersonal skills that could be used on Bom were things she had taught him herself. Even now, he was trying to find the most suitable course of action from the list of actions shared by Bom.

    ¡°Right. I got it.¡±

    What did she say back then?

    If you¡¯re worried, please console them. If they have to change, please help them and if you treasure them¡­

    That was when Bom stood up and started walking.

    ¡°Should we go then?¡±

    If you treasure them, give them a quiet hug ¨C that was what Bom said to him.

    The Regressor walked towards her back while she was walking, and carefully reached his arms forward.

    Thest firework soared into the sky and created the biggest explosion today.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    By the time she realised it, Yu Jitae was hugging her from behind.

    Shocked, her body shrunk and turned stiff from nervousness. He didn¡¯t know how to hug and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her stomach. Resembling a statue, Bom rigidly moved her trembling hands and ced them over Yu Jitae¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Sorry for getting mad at you just then,¡± he said.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I never found you weird or annoying.¡±

    ¡°But I said bad things to you.¡±

    ¡°I know it wasn¡¯t true. And I don¡¯t even remember them. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    In fact, Bom had gotten one thing wrong.

    He wasn¡¯t worried about parting.

    It was simply that he knew how he had no right to be happy alongside the child whom he had hurt the most, and was concerned about getting too close with her.

    However, if Bom wanted to be happy together with him, what should he do then?

    ¡°Let¡¯s think together. We still have a lot of time to go.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s slowly, talk it out.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae tried to pull his hands away, but couldn¡¯t because her hands that were closed over his hands were pressing down hard. She was pushing his hands into her stomach and he soon realised that his hands were too deep inside her stomach, to the point that he could feel the belly button with his fingers.

    For him, this sense of distance and the touch of their hands were troubling.

    ¡°Time to finish the hug of reconciliation,¡± he suggested.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But Bom was silent.

    When he tried to stealthily pull his hands away, she stopped them again by force and this happened several times. When he called her, ¡®Bom,¡¯ she replied with a whine, ¡®Nnng¡¯.

    With a softer voice, she slowly whispered.

    ¡°One more minute¡­¡±

    Until the lightpletely disappeared from the night sky, he didn¡¯t unwrap his arms.

    Her stomach was warm.

    *

    [381. It felt like a dream.]

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï]

 Chapter 183: Campus Community Service 10/10 (1)

    <h4>Chapter 183: Campus Community Service 10/10 (1)</h4>

    After deciding to slowly talk it out over time, her emotions seemed to have settled.

    Bom changed after that. Although it was hard to specify how she changed, she definitely did. It was based on the same logic as how he could sometimes differentiate Bom¡¯s indifferent expression without being able to exin why.

    It wasn¡¯t difficult to make time for him to spend regrly with her. From the three ¡®Yu Jitaes¡¯, he was in charge of daily lives and thus had a lot of free time.

    He could be alone with her especially when they were out to buy food.

    Today, they were out to buy dinner.

    ¡°That looks delicious.¡±

    He came to arge supermarket with Bom. There were several free samples avable as always, but for some reason, she was more interested in them than usual and zealously tried each sample.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°A dumpling. Do you like dumplings?¡±

    ¡°Just whatever.¡±

    ¡°Try it.¡±

    She picked up a dumpling with a toothpick and tried it, before choosing another dumpling for Yu Jitae. He had gotten used to it now and ate it without using his own hands.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡±

    ¡°Can you be more specific?¡±

    ¡°¡­Well. It¡¯s well seasoned. Slightly spicy so Yeorum would like it.¡±

    Bom nodded and took a pack of dumplings.

    Next up was a long biscuit in the shape of a stick. Bom ate half of it before giving the rest to Yu Jitae, and he ate it without thinking too much about it.

    ¡°How is this one?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. This should be for Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    She took the biscuits as well.

    The next one she found was yoghurt in a paper cup. She dipped her spoon inside, scooped it up and ced it into her mouth. Then, she looked at other vours for a bit before scooping another spoonful for Yu Jitae.

    Didn¡¯t she use the spoon just then? Thinking that, he refused to eat the yoghurt.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    When he pulled his head back, Bom came even closer. He still pulled his head away, so Bom stood on her toes and brought the spoon to his mouth.

    That was when something blocked Yu Jitae from the back ¨C he happened to be near a pir. Although he indifferently stood still on the spot, the yoghurt came and touched his lips so he had no choice but to eat it.

    ¡°Nn? Why did you do that just then?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Is it because you thought it was the one I used?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seeing that he was silent, Bom seemingly found his reaction cute and giggled quietly with a brighter look on her face.

    She then pointed at the sample section.

    ¡°I threw it away after using it. This is a new one for ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°¡­I wasn¡¯t even thinking about that.¡±

    ¡°Ohh, really?¡±

    Squinting her eyes, she gave a faint smile without saying anything else. Feeling like he was being yed, Yu Jitae ate the entire yoghurt that was ced on the shopping trolley while Bom was at the sample section again. She returned carrying another yoghurt and soon widened her eyes.

    ¡°Huh? Did you finish it?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was mine.¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    But seeing her smile left him with an ufortable feeling.

    Regardless, they continued shopping.

    Thousands of cadets were again admitted into Lair this year.

    There was a grandiose graduation ceremony, and there was a small incident where this year¡¯s deration speaker waspared tost year¡¯s speaker, Kaeul. Since the entrance ceremony was held at the same time, thousands of cadets were both leaving and entering Lair, and the academy district was thus crowded for a very long time.

    And today finally marked the start of a new semester.

    That was why the kids were wearing their cadet uniforms.

    ¡°Ahh, this feels like shit.¡±

    Yeorumined while lifting her skirt.

    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±

    ¡°Like, why the heck did I grow taller?¡±

    Her original height was 170 centimetres, but after the ¡®standing practice¡¯ she did throughout the holiday with Yu Jitae, she understood a very important concept which came at the cost of her height growing significantly. She grew taller by 6 centimetres.

    Because of that, her skirt which was already short was now way too short. She had to be concerned about it even when she was walking.

    ¡°Oi, Yu Kaeul. Look at me.¡±

    ¡°Gosh¡­ why are you pointing your butt out?¡±

    ¡°How is it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, how is it? Of course, it¡¯s disgusting¡­!¡±

    After being put in a headlock, she cried ¡°Uhh, uaaang¡­!¡± Wondering what it was about, Gyeoul sneakily peeked out from Bom¡¯s room.

    ¡°Look again. Can you see my asshole?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ no? But I do think it¡¯s a bit too short¡­! Do you want me to lend you my safety shorts?¡±

    After saying that, Kaeul asked curiously.

    ¡°But what¡¯s wrong with your height? Can¡¯t you just reduce it back to before?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you tried it yet? Changing your body with polymorph?¡± Yeorum asked back.

    ¡°Nn! I haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Try it. It¡¯s the fuc*ing worst thing to do.¡±

    ¡°I heard it was ufortable.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. It¡¯s seriously he ufortable. Until you get used to the new connection between your mind and the body, your body moves on its own and stuff.¡±

    Kaeul widened her eyes.

    ¡°Really? But you suddenly got so tall that it¡¯s weird¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Hmm¡­¡±

    The skirt wasn¡¯t a problem if she wore safety shorts underneath but there was a bigger problem. Her shirt which was a perfect fit for her body was now too small.

    Yeorum did all the buttons, stood up and looked at the mirror and found her belly button showing under her shirt.

    ¡°How is it. Does it look like a crop top?¡±

    ¡°Can I be honest?¡±

    ¡°Is it super sexy?¡±

    ¡°Looks super retarded. Who wears a uniform like that?¡±

    Gyeoul nodded while listening from the side.

    Soon, Kaeul shouted ¡°Kuaanng¡­ It¡¯s sexy¡­! Super sexy¡­!¡± while her arm was bent behind her back. She was on the ground but Gyeoul had escaped already.

    The next morning, Yeorum changed her polymorph with a grumble and returned to her original height and body. On the way back after the lecture, she found a ball in the middle of the road and kicked it, but her unmatching leg length caused an error in the magic pulses and her leg ended up kicking way too far. Her legnded on the car that was parked next to her and one of the doors was crushed along with a thud.

    ¡°Ah, shit. I fu*ked it¡­¡±

    After looking around, she sneaked away in secret but it was all recorded by the car¡¯s ck box. She was caught before long and had to pay the reparation. The sentries also gave her detention in the form of 3 hours of campusmunity service.

    On the way out from the sentries building, Yeorumughed awkwardly.

    ¡°Dear. It was an ident¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°Dear? It was an ident, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ungg? I¡¯m sorry, oppa ?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything honey ??¡±

    ¡°Stop¨C. I know it was an ident, so just do themunity service properly withoutining about it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    He didn¡¯t tell her off for running away after breaking something. That was the kind of child she was, and he didn¡¯t n on bothering to change her.

    However, he did find it slightly annoying because the guardian had to apany the cadet during theirmunity service. But that was when he remembered that he himself had 3 more hours of campusmunity service to finish. He was dying it on and on and it was already a different year, while the sentries were probably disinclined from reminding him about it.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae decided to finish his ownmunity service together with Yeorum.

    ¡°Ah! Guardian Yu Jitae! Wee¡­!¡±

    The hard-stuck manager of themunity service department of the sentries, Ichimon, weed the two of them while rubbing his hands. Yu Jitae felt the same thing whenever he was seeing this Asian person, but he really knew how to smile serviently.

    ¡°Haigo. You didn¡¯t have to do it straight away. We could give you more leeway sir.¡±

    ¡°We need to finish what we have to do, right. What are the services avable?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ the things is, I actually looked for some long services when I heard you were on your way but¡­¡±

    ¨C Volunteer for Environmental Sanitation (Cleaning, 3 hours)

    ¨C Helping Cadets with a Disability (3 hours)

    ¨C Cleaning the feces of the 4th cage (Must wait till the Afternoon Checkup, 3 hours)

    ¡°Since it¡¯s still the start of the semester, there aren¡¯t that many 3-hour services you see¡­¡±

    ¡°Is this all of them?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Those are all the doable ones for the time being¡­¡±

    They all required a full 3 hours of work. Although he didn¡¯t mind doing any of them, he didn¡¯t want to spend too much time on something like this.

    ¡°What is this.¡±

    Yu Jitae looked at a different service that was located at the bottom of the list.

    ¨C Catching mice at the 8th Warehouse (3 hours)

    ¡°Ahh, I think it would be better for you to ignore this one.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been like 3 months but¡­ there are some random mice there that break wires and steal stuff at night. It was very annoying for us. Theye out quite often but the warehouse is too big and it¡¯s thus not easy for us, sentries, to catch them.¡±

    ¡°If the sentries can¡¯t catch them, isn¡¯t it something that should be assigned to anotherpany? Why is it on the list ofmunity services.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Uhh, the thing is, there were several reasons that made ite to us¡­ In fact, the damage done is very little and it¡¯s a bit doubtful whether we should even hire apany or not¡­ We are nning to take it down from the list very shortly though.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the 8th Warehouse a storehouse for munitions?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it, it is.¡±

    A storage for munitions and yet they were leaving it because of the cost?

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it, hahat¡­!¡± said Ichimon with a smile that showed off his white teeth.

    All across society, there were those that worked just for the sake of working, and Yu Jitae realised that Ichimon was one of those people.

    ¡°Will it count as 3 hours if we catch the mice?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Uhh, yes but¡­ if you don¡¯t catch them, we can¡¯t count the hours no matter how long you stay there so¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go with this then.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, if you choose the environment cleaning one instead, you don¡¯t have to do anything sir, and we¡¯ll count the hours for you.¡±

    It was a good offer but it meant that he still had to stand up for 3 hours, which was a waste of time.

    Yu Jitae first requested some information about the 8th Warehouse and checked the inner structure, as well as the supplies that were inside it. After looking through them, he decided.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go with this one.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Are we really just going to catch some little rats?¡±

    In the southernmost region of the academy district, there was arge warehouse that was the same size as four football fields ced together. Although she was obediently walking behind him, Yeorum didn¡¯t look too keen.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why? Is it because you can catch them easily?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But the sentries didn¡¯t catch them for months right?¡±

    The Regressor thought for a bit before asking her.

    ¡°You¡¯re learning military science right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Have you heard about the worldwide standards for munitions?¡±

    Yeorum apathetically picked her ears before closing her eyes, and revisited her memories of the past.

    ¡°Yeah. I did. There was a standard set by the Association¡­¡±

    ¡°And do you know the structure of a warehouse that¡¯s made following the standards?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, not sure about the warehouse. I only saw a gist of it but it did look veryplicated¡­¡±

    Only then did Yeorum realise that something was off. She stared at the distant warehouse with her head tilted.

    ¡°Public munition warehouses for organisations under the Association are all monopolised and can only be built by apany that belongs to the Association.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Okay.¡±

    ¡°And the building standards are extremely strict. Small beasts and even rats can¡¯t enter it from outside.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Then, isn¡¯t thismunity service pretty strange?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°What the heck. Besides, if the standards are so strict, then why didn¡¯t the sentries know about it?¡±

    Normally, problems like this urred when there was ack of clearmunication between the manufacturer and the manager. Since Lair was aplex organisation with a myriad of connections to all sorts of organisations and countries worldwide, conflicts were alsomon and so were such problems.

    When the Regressor finished his exnation, Yeorum closed her mouth and thought deeply to herself. There was a different element that she soon became doubtful of.

    ¡°But it¡¯s true that there are rats inside right? We also have a picture here.¡±

    ¡°Right. But did you have a look at the items they stole?¡±

    Yeorum opened the document and read through it.

    The stolen items ranged from horns of monsters and soft clots of milk to powders, nt roots, medical solutions and the likes. Some of them were strange for a rat to steal, while some looked normal.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ they¡¯re small? And there¡¯s a lot of organic stuff? But apart from that¡­ I can¡¯t see any simrities.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a nod. That was probably what the sentry investigators thought as well, which dyed the investigation, ultimately making it amunity service which no-one even looked at.

    ¡°When you say that, do you mean that there is a simrity between these stolen items?¡±

    ¡°There is.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that they¡¯re all ingredients for a chimera.¡±

    Yeorum widened her eyes.

    ¡°Ehng?!¡±

    Chimera.

    Last time when she saw BM making them, Yeorum didn¡¯t think much about his skills.

    However, her thoughts changed as she continued learning at Lair. Chimera was one of the [3 Taboos of Magic Engineering] outlined by the International Superhuman Association. Publicly, it was hard to find any information about it and even the sentries wouldn¡¯t know about it, except for the top officers of the department.

    ¡°A chimera?¡±

 Chapter 184: Campus Community Service 10/10 (2)

    <h4>Chapter 184: Campus Community Service 10/10 (2)</h4>

    One of the 3 Taboos of Magic Engineering.

    After the New Era, it was the most actively researched study with East Asia leading the research but after a critical issue was revealed, it was quickly deemed a taboo by the International Superhuman Association and soon vanished behind the curtains of history.

    Creation of Artificial Organisms.

    In other words, making chimeras.

    On the way inside, he talked to the rted personnel that were standing in front of the 8th Warehouse and told them that they weremunity service workers. They must have gotten a message from Ichimon, and they quickly made way after realising who he was.

    ¡°You know what. I have a question to ask,¡± said Yeorum. She had been ring at the documents about themunity service the entire time.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°I know making a chimera is a taboo, but the textbook didn¡¯t say when it became a taboo and why.¡±

    ¡°What did the textbook say.¡±

    ¡°I tried going through it again in my head, but there¡¯s nothing written about chimeras and it¡¯s just full of warnings. This is a freakin¡¯ taboo so don¡¯t even pay attention to it. You¡¯ll get killed if you¡¯re too interested in it. Things like that.¡±

    He nodded in response because it was understandable.

    ¡°Why¡¯s that the case?¡± she asked again.

    ¡°What is the origin of magic and artifacts.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What was that?¡±

    ¡°Where do skills and abilities that make superhumanse from.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s¡­ from fissures? And dungeons?¡±

    ¡°Right. Every magic, engineered and supernatural ingredient and tool that people use on Earth were all sent via a fissure.¡±

    ¡°Nn. What about it?¡±

    ¡°Where do dungeons appear?¡±

    ¡°Where do they appear? They¡­¡±

    Yeorum, who was quite good at reading between the lines, seemed to have realised something in the middle of her speech.

    ¡°¡­appear anywhere.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°So that means anyone can get ess to supernatural tools and equipment?¡±

    That was true. Monsters always came out of fissures but fissures didn¡¯t always have monsters inside them.

    A small fissure that appeared in the middle of a room could happen to be connected to a sanctuary that kept the royal sword of another dimension, and the girl that finds it could be a poor, young girl who was simply living with her grandmother in one of the mountains of Kyoto.

    This was what happened to Minamoto Ai, ranked 13th worldwide, who was in charge of protecting the royal family of Japan as the captain of the task force. Her alias, ¡®Sword of the Royal Family¡¯ had two meanings in that sense.

    ¡°And so are chimeras,¡± he added.

    There were quite a few worlds in the outer dimension that included human experiments in their scope of magic engineering, and it wasn¡¯t rare for objects from those ces toe over through a fissure.

    ¡°But is it that dangerous?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°I assume it didn¡¯t exist in Askalifa?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I think it might have¡­ but I actually don¡¯t know too much about things like that.¡±

    ¡°Normally, it wouldn¡¯t even be that dangerous.¡±

    Mana was the manifestation of will. All the worlds he had been to had arge amount of mana in the atmosphere and in such ces, mana helped Providence function properly. It made existences stay an existence, and made mortals mortal. Mana ensured that everything flowed ordingly with Providence and when this was applied to magic engineering, it was like an extremely potent vine.

    ¡°It¡¯s normal for the dead to stay dead, right,¡± he added.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°But in magic engineering, there are all sorts of methods to make the dead turn into an undying existence.¡±

    ¡°For example?¡­ A chimera?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s one of the many ways because the organs that have deteriorated from old age can constantly be changed with a new one. But in other worlds, the atmosphere holds a lot of mana that interfere with that process. They help Providence and stop an existence from living an eternal life.¡±

    After listening up to that point, Yeorum thought about the thing he would say next. By remembering the boring lectures that were on New Era, she soon came to an eerie realisation.

    Mana was extremely sparse on Earth¡¯s atmosphere¡­

    The small amount of mana on Earth were all in fact residues that seeped out from dungeons and fissures. Earth had an extremely small amount of mana in the atmosphere even whenpared to the amount of mana inside dungeons, let alone other dimensions.

    ¡°Then are chimeras dangerous because they don¡¯t die from old age?¡±

    If an existence gained ess to eternal life, however it may be, it might create a lot of problems. But Yeorum couldn¡¯t easily think of the extent of that hazard no matter how hard she pondered.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ is it a big problem for someone to live for a long time?¡±

    ¡°Do you know the Deputy Principal, Ma Namjoon?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Huh? Yeah I do. The guy that looks like a dic*head.¡±

    Yeorum recalled the middle-aged man who had the eyes of a viper. Although she shouldn¡¯t know how he was a catastrophe-ranked demon, she might be instinctively feeling repulsed as a dragon.

    Yu Jitae decided to exin it to her without sharing too many details.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Okay. But what¡¯s this about.¡±

    ¡°Ma Namjoon of the education department is a fake.¡±

    ¡°Ehng?¡±

    ¡°And there are about 30 fakes of Ma Namjoon all across the world.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Yeorum widened her eyes and stopped on the spot.

    ¡°What about the real one then?¡±

    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t need to know about that. In any case, there is one mind but there are several bodies. Although they can¡¯tmunicate directly,munication and technology are abnormally developed on Earth and they can share information by moving their fingers a few times.¡±

    Hearing that, she imagined a Ma Namjoon group chat.

    Ma Namjoon 1, Ma Namjoon 2, Ma Namjoon 3¡­ do they send messages to each other in a group chat? Thinking about those disgusting-looking bastards sharing messages to each other made her crack a smile.

    ¡°Is that funny?¡± he asked.

    ¡°W, who cares if Iugh or not?¡­ No, I won¡¯t act up today. Anyway, and then?¡±

    ¡°Think about it. How dangerous can a chimera get in the unique environment called Earth.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    However, she seemed to have trouble connecting more dots.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Seemingly frustrated by the fact that she couldn¡¯t imagine it, her lips were in a pout.

    ¡°Ah, but that guy, BM, was good with chimeras right.¡±

    BM?

    It was a name he wasn¡¯t concerned about for a long time.

    Looking back, BM had disappeared from the undergroundbyrinth a few months ago and ording to Clone 1, he had never returned after that. What was he doing these days. Probably going through S-ranked dungeons scavenging for ingredients.

    ¡°Is there no problem for BM to use chimeras? Didn¡¯t he be Rank 2 because he was good at it?¡±

    ¡°There is no problem at all. BM is one of the top experts worldwide regarding chimeras and the Association cut off everything that could be a problem.¡±

    ¡°Ah right. He also belongs to the Association, right. Doesn¡¯t that ultimately mean that it can be controlled though? How is it so dangerous if it can be controlled?¡±

    How is it dangerous?

    ¡°What we see now should answer your question.¡±

    The Regressor said that instead of giving her the answer straight away.

    The two of them were already in the 42nd section of the 8th Warehouse. stic, metal and wooden boxes were categorised depending on the items inside them and were all reaching the ceiling that was more than 10 metres tall.

    Within that section of the warehouse was an area taped off by the sentries and the boxes inside were mostly broken. One of the managers of the warehouse was waiting there for them.

    ¡°You know, can I look for the rat myself?¡± asked Yeorum.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Yu Jitae stood still with his arms crossed while Yeorum walked towards the taped off area.

    ¡°You can¡¯t get too close to them,¡± said the manager of the warehouse. Yeorum returned a casual nod before observing the broken boxes. There were teeth marks here and there as well as ck bloodstains.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ but I only know how to punch things, and it¡¯s my first time looking for something¡­¡±

    She was talking to herself but she nced towards Yu Jitae after saying that.

    He thought to himself. It seemed that she was indirectly asking for a hint because as a red dragon, she hated receiving help.

    ¡°Hurry up. It¡¯s so dirty that I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer.¡±

    Yu Jitae simrly talked to himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s not even that dirty. Ah¡­¡±

    Yeorum soon realised that it was a clue. There was nothing dirty from what her eyes could see, so didn¡¯t that mean that there was something dirty that was invisible to the eyes?

    Coming to that judgment, she closed her eyes. The nose of the red race, which was more developed than other races, became even more sensitive after holding mana within.

    ¡°¡­Uhk. Fu*k.¡±

    She quickly blocked her nose in fright.

    ¡°There is a fuc*ing disgusting smell.¡±

    ¡°What smell.¡±

    ¡°Literally smells like shi*. Fuc*¡­ those rats must have taken a dump here.¡±

    The smell contained mana inside, and was probably intentionally left behind by the rats to interfere with the noses of spirit beasts.

    It seemed to be working against the inexperienced hatchling as well. While Yeorum was again turning left and right looking for a clue, he gave a seemingly normal question.

    ¡°What do you think about sashimi for lunch.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about lunch when there¡¯s a shitty smell? Damn I would love to eat it.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how to eat sashimi?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we eat it togetherst time? But I don¡¯t like it. I need a lot of sauce.¡±

    ¡°What if the sauce disappears?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that good then. Because there¡¯s the fishy smell¡­ huh¡­?¡±

    Yeorum widened her eyes with realisation.

    Normally, spirit beasts hated strong odours like this and tended to quickly run away from it because their noses would get numbed from that smell.

    But dragons were different. Yeorum fiercely endured the disgusting smell and by the time she started getting used to it, she was able to smell a ¡®rat¡¯ that was hidden behind the odour.

    She began walking towards one of the walls of the storage inrge strides. She climbed up the metal stairs to the second floor and pointed at the thin steel frames that were horizontally supporting the ceiling.

    ¡°They must havee using this. Hello!¡± Yeorum called the manager that was still on the first floor. There was arge rectangr hole in the middle of the second floor, which allowed Yeorum to talk to the manager.

    ¡°Yes?¡± he replied.

    ¡°Can I go up this thing?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, that¡¯s¡­ Please give me a second.¡±

    The manager turned around and tried to call someone but Yeorum climbed up onto the steel frames without waiting for him, and started walking along the thin metal frames.

    She was long gone by the time the manager turned around after getting the confirmation.

    Before long, the two of them were standing on the roof of the warehouse.

    ¡°This part¡¯s connected to the inside.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no longer a trace though.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ there¡¯s nothing now, but it¡¯s that way. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    ¡°Based on what?¡±

    ¡°Based on nothing but my instincts. But I can tell you that I¡¯m certain.¡±

    Yu Jitae looked into her eyes with his hazy gaze.

    It was a half-assed method.

    Relying on instincts was an inefficient method and it was highly likely that she would go the wrong way. It would be an even bigger problem if it settled in as a habit.

    Therefore, he decided to fix the child¡¯s bad habit before it was toote.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be certain.¡±

    ¡°Why not? My instincts are correct for sure. Maybe it¡¯s not as good as Yu Bom¡¯s, but mine¡¯s pretty good too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that¡¯s the problem. Who in the world backtracks based on instinct.¡±

    ¡°What. Why not. Can¡¯t I do it that way?¡±

    ¡°Is that what they taught you in ss?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Then why are you trying to do something they didn¡¯t even teach.¡±

    ¡°What!? Do I always have to follow what they taught? I didn¡¯t learn it but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s this way okay?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re wrong, it would waste time and depending on the situation, other traces could disappear over time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not wrong though. It¡¯s that way. We can go there and check now!¡±

    ¡°It could be an extremely inefficient and foolish judgment.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not though?¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Just stop!¡±

    Perhaps she was upset or hurt, but Yeorum red at him after a shout.

    ¡°I get it, so stop pushing me into a corner¡­¡±

    Yeorum remained stubborn despite turning gloomy so Yu Jitae obediently followed since he wasn¡¯t trying to harass her.

    However, he was still discontent since it probably wouldn¡¯t be there. It didn¡¯t make any sense to find the next trace in a wide area like this based on instinct.

    However¡­ for some reason, she was on the right track. They were still on the roof of the warehouse but they could spot some small footsteps that were made on top of the umtion of dust. It was quite obviously a trace and Yeorum immediately looked at him with a ¡®See?¡¯ look on her face.

    The previously gloomy expression was no longer there.

    ¡°Oh my?! Mister Yu Jitae!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Look here¡­! There was something like this! Hnn? But what¡¯s this small, cute thing on top of the dusttt? Little Yeorum has nooo idea¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Those cute things go allll the way theree¡­? What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon. What is it.¡±

    ¡°Footsteps¡­¡±

    ¡°Ohhh¡­! I seeee! Then whose footsteps are thesee? What animal~?¡±

    ¡°¡­Probably a mouse.¡±

    ¡°Mouth? Mouth? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°¡­A mouse.¡±

    ¡°Ohh! A mouse! Squeak~! Ahng~ Squeak squeak~¡±

    Yeorum cuddled up close and humiliated him by mimicking a mouse. Since he didn¡¯t want to see it anymore, the Regressor slowly turned his head away.

    ¡°Now. So was Yeorum right or wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­You were right.¡±

    ¡°Compliments?¡±

    ¡°¡­You did well.¡±

    ¡°More?¡±

    ¡°Your instincts were right.¡±

    ¡°More? More?¡±

    ¡°You might get it right once or twice if you¡¯re lucky, but if you get into a bad habit¡­¡±

    ¡°Peni*! Who asked for a lecture?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Compliment me! More!¡±

    In the end, Yu Jitae had to praise her for the next 30 seconds or so. After receiving so many praises, she had an ted look on her face.

    ¡°Hmph¡­ Try saying this and that to me again.¡±

    Despite scoffing, she seemed to be in a good mood.

    The two of them followed the footsteps and went into the small forest north of the warehouse. After rummaging through the forest for a long time, they finally came across a rectangrnd where the grass appeared different from the nearby area of grass.

    There would most likely be an underground passage from here, which was hidden from vision because of an artifact that hid one¡¯s traces.

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re finally here.¡±

    It was what she achieved after an hour of hard work.

    The rats must be going to and from this ce to the warehouse. The stolen items should be here and if the rats had an owner, that guy should be here as well.

    ¡°What kind of fuc*ing bitch would it be.¡±

    Right when Yeorum was about to reach for the door of the basement,

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. Stop there.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    A serious expression was on his face¡­

    Which waspletely normal.

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s right here though?¡±

    So she nonchntly reached for the basement door and held it. In that moment, Yu Jitae flew forward and grabbed her by the waist before distancing themselves with a jump.

    Kwaaaangg¡ª!

    There was arge explosion from the basement as fire surged up into the air. Yeorum, who was rolling on the ground after being thrown by him, widened her eyes in shock while Yu Jitae forced his killing intent into the basement.

    The explosion was a mechanical one and that was why Yeorum hadn¡¯t noticed it. However, the following fire was fueled with mana in order to burn something that was inside it.

    Rapidly, the fire disappeared. Mana was the manifestation of will and Yu Jitae¡¯s killing intent had the power to oppress that will.

    ¡°What was that? What¡¯s happening!?¡±

    There was nothing but ck smoke for a long time. Yeorum came running in so Yu Jitae gave the rebellious child a flick to the head. ¡°I told you not to open it,¡± he said and she jokingly shouted, ¡°Ayat!¡± in pain.

    But that didn¡¯tst for long.

    After seeing what was in the basement, the smile disappeared from her face. Throughout her entire life, she had never seen anything so disgusting.

    With a deeply sunken voice, she asked.

    ¡°¡­¡­What is that?¡±

 Chapter 185: Vitality (1)

    <h4>Chapter 185: Vitality (1)</h4>

    In an environment abundant with food without a predator, rats can give birth when they¡¯re six months old and one rat can give birth to a maximum of 40 rats a month. That overwhelmingly tenacious vitality and breeding speed reached its height in the 14th century when hygiene was at its bottom and when cats were referred to as devilish animals.

    Rats carried over germs by breeding and close to a 100 million people in Europe got infected and died ¨C ck Death.

    Why was that specific part of the textbook that she heardst semestering back to her now?

    Yeorum felt like throwing up.

    There was a cluster of ck fur, with deep-red flesh embedded within. The ck ones were adult rats while the red ones were baby rats that had yet to grow their furs. Their bodies were intertwined and stuck together, sharing a bluish-ck vein as one while still resembling a cluster of many individual animals.

    Rats were connected to other rats.

    It was a horrendous sight that made one wonder how such an existence could even exist. What frightened Yeorum even more, was how hundreds and thousands of heads that were attached to the lump simultaneously turned towards her, and looked into her eyes.

    ¡°¡­Like, what is this.¡±

    The Regressor replied with a sluggish voice.

    ¡°Artificial Shaped Colony. Someone was experimenting with rats.¡±

    ¡°What kind of experiment?¡±

    Artificial shaped colonies, also called Chimeracias. It was one of the most dangerous forms of chimeras found on Earth.

    ¡°An experiment to create an undying organism.¡±

    The chimera that either had a spell that made it wish to live eternally or a simr artifact, would continue its pregnancy and give birth to increase its size over time.

    That was what the bizarre creature in front of them was.

    ¡°Judging from the size, it should¡¯ve been here for around 2 years.¡±

    On the way here, Yu Jitae hadn¡¯t felt the presence of other animals in the forest and had a hunch that things would be like this.

    ¡°This. You¡¯re going to tell the sentries, right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then what will happen to that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be disposed of.¡±

    ¡°Disposed? Ah¡­¡±

    Yeorum clenched her fists. What was in front wasn¡¯t a rat and was instead an existence made by merging them together, but seeing it from another perspective, they were still rats. Seeing that ridiculously cruel and wicked appearance they were forced to look like created a frown on her face.

    At that moment, she suddenly exploded in rage.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­ This, fuck, fuck¡­ Does this even make sense?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Who is it? Who¡¯s the fucking trash that did this? Can you find them?¡±

    ¡°What if I find them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill them. Twist their heads and crush them, or break their back into two. I¡¯ll dig their eyes out.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please. Tell me! Huh? You can find them right? You can tell me who the fucking human trash that did this is, right? I¡¯ll go and kill that inhuman bitch.¡±

    Did the eyes of the baby rats staring at her shake her heart? Her anger was very abrupt.

    He shook his head.

    But after thinking about it, he could somehow guess the reason ¨C the weight behind the word ¡®Life¡¯ to Yeorum, and how she felt about an existence that was destined to lead an unfortunate life from birth.

    He could understand why the child was angry but he also knew that it was but a momentary emotion. Even if she emotionally approached this incident, she would only be feeling empty once it all came to an end, so he remained quiet.

    After giving the case over to the sentries, he let them in on the clues he found about the identity of the culprit. From what he heardter on, the culprit was a cadet ¨C an unlucky cadet from the Tower of Mages whose curiosity got the best of him.

    The sentries caught the said cadet and handed him over to the Association. The Association would ask for the price of going against one of the 3 Taboos which was considered a bigger issue than drugs, assault and murder with his life.

    This was the end of his 10 hours of campusmunity service.

    Throughout the way back to the dormitory, Yeorum didn¡¯t say a word.

    ***

    Time flew by since the start of the new semester.

    Bom¡¯s writing contest was only a month away. She had finished writing an entire book already and it was ready to send, but she didn¡¯t stop writing even after that and finished about 4 books worth of different stories.

    All of them were horror stories and he realised that even the contents were simr after reading through them all. It was the story of a female criminal running away to a cabin in a mountain, meeting a ghost and paying for her sins.

    ¡°Why are you writing the same thing multiple times?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I like the story but I don¡¯t know what would work for the readers.¡±

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t understand the Green Dragon¡¯s way of writing.

    ¡°So I¡¯m going to try writing it onest time.¡±

    Although he couldn¡¯t understand it, he could cheer her on.

    ¡°Call me whenever you need me.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    On the other hand, Kaeul had finally found a new hobby.

    ¡°You know! I think, magic is pretty fun!¡±

    It was none other than magic.

    ¡°What type of magic?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, umm, actually, Bom-unni started teaching me recently.¡±

    ¡°Bom¡¯s teaching you?¡±

    Bom nodded from the side and added, ¡°Yes. I thought she might need it, but Kaeul liked it more than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s fun!¡±

    ¡°What are you learning these days,¡± he asked.

    ¡°These days, healing spells¡­?¡±

    She brought her hands together as a gentle and soothing mana gathered on her hands. The mana contained a golden lustre that resembled her hair colour.

    ¡°But, you know. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that good to practise with.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°We can only use healing magic when someone¡¯s hurt right? But we are all too healthy!¡±

    What he thought for a second was that he could help her with the healing magic himself. It wasn¡¯t that difficult ¨C he could simply create a wound on his arm with a knife and tell her to heal it.

    However, the Regressor now knew that things like that slightly deviated from the general framework of normal lives. Kaeul would be shocked and wouldn¡¯t be happy about it.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I get it. Try your best for now.¡±

    Even now, there were lots of people getting hurt. If she stayed interested in healing magic, it would definitely be useful in the future.

    ¡°Okayy!¡±

    Meanwhile, Yu Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She was carrying a bag.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With an extremely displeased look on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t, want to go to school.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°¡­I like, staying at home.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was no real reason to send her to school. However, Gyeoul¡¯s interpersonal rtionship was way too limited and these days she spent more time lying down at home.

    Judging from how she asionally quarrelled with Yeorum, the Regressor could tell that she was very skilled at forming rtionships despite being a young child. Even after going to a school, she would definitely find enjoyment and do well at it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try going for now, and if you really don¡¯t want to, can you talk to me again?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    That morning, Gyeoul held onto his hand and went to Lair¡¯s public elementary school for guardian¡¯s children. Since he had applied for her beforehand, Gyeoul simply headed to the ssroom and after entering the ssroom, she stared at Yu Jitae through the window for a very long time until he eventually disappeared from her sight.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    While other kids were rustling next to her, Gyeoul rested her chin on her hands with a discontent look on her face. From the surroundings, she could feel gazes ncing her way.

    Gyeoul reflected on the words Bom told herst night.

    ¡®Gyeoul. You¡¯re a dragon and most of the people at school will be humans.¡¯

    ¡®Us dragons are using polymorph to pretend like humans.¡¯

    ¡®Because of that, we could look beautiful on the outside. People will like you a lot, and try to stare at your face because you¡¯re a really pretty child.¡¯

    ¡®But don¡¯t care too much about their gazes. Don¡¯t doubt them and observe who the good people are by slowly chatting with them. Get closer to them and there will definitely be a lot of interesting things happening.¡¯

    Gyeoul was now aware that she was special from an objective standpoint. But she also knew that because she was special, she had to try to be normal in order to lead a normal life.

    Someone who called herself a teacher came and introduced herself to the kids and the ss soon started. Although she wasn¡¯t particrly interested, Gyeoul obediently focused on the lesson.

    When it was finally a recess break, a group of girls carefully came towards her and started a conversation.

    ¡°H, hello¡­?¡±

    Gyeoul turned towards them and gave a nod.

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really pretty¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhh, you look like a doll.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±

    On the first day of school, the kids wore their favourite hair pins, clothes and nes to ss. Gyeoul immediately realised that.

    ¡°¡­Your ne, looks pretty.¡±

    ¡°Ah, really?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. And your clothes look cool.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, thank you¡­¡±

    After sharing friendly greetings, the nervous girls hesitantly asked Gyeoul.

    ¡°Do you want to go to the canteen with us?¡±

    ***

    ¡°¡­This, to daddy.¡±

    Yu Jitae thought he was hearing things.

    Sitting in the study, he turned around and found Gyeoul holding something in her hands.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, this. They said to give it to daddy¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    While saying that, Gyeoul threw nces at him, trying to read his mood. When he nonchntly received the paper, she widened her eyes.

    ¡°Right. How was school.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The child ced her two hands on hisp. For the first time in a long time, he lifted her up and sat her horizontally on hisp and supported her back so that she wouldn¡¯t fall.

    ¡°How was school.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, nothing much.¡±

    ¡°Was it fun? How was the teacher and other friends.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just so-so.¡±

    It was a positive sign that she wasn¡¯t saying that she hated it, since she did look sincerely ufortable in the morning. Maybe something fun happened at school. Curious, he asked.

    ¡°Did something fun happen?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But Gyeoul simply shook her head without saying anything. Something like this felt very refreshing because until now, he had known everything she was doing wherever she was.

    In other words, she now had something which he didn¡¯t know about.

    It didn¡¯t feel all that bad.

    ¡°¡­Please,e pick me up tomorrow.¡±

    Bom had gone today, but in any case, he nodded back.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Only then did she give a satisfied nod.

    *

    That night, the kids boisterously chatted about watching a midnight movie.

    ¡°It has to be horror movies in Summer!¡± Kaeul¡¯s shout intrigued Gyeoul and Bom also left with them after judging that it would be a good study material. On the way out, they mentioned that they would be ying till it waste.

    However, Yeorum didn¡¯t go with them. It had already been several days since themunity service but she was always staying holed up in her room unless she was training outside.

    Today was the same. She stayed in her room the whole day but came out andid down on the sofa of the living room after feeling stuffy inside.

    Soon, Yu Jitae stole her seat so she had to awkwardly sit next to him on the sofa.

    For a long time, they sat there together without saying anything. From time to time, she nced at him seemingly trying to say something but hesitated, and he waited for her to open her mouth so that her thinking time wouldn¡¯t be interrupted.

    Ding¨C dong¨C

    That was when the doorbell rang.

    ¡°Are they here already?¡±

    Finding it awkward, Yeorum stood up and headed to the front entrance but on the way, she suddenly realised that both Bom and Kaeul had keys.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Who was it then.

    It was then. Yu Jitae was behind her by the time she realised it, and he ced his hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°Go to your room.¡±

    Yeorum, who had a bad experience a few days ago for not listening to his words, obediently went into her room with a nod. However, she didn¡¯t close the door and looked outside. What she found strange was that the cleaner standing in the living room, Armata, had unsheathed its sword.

    Yu Jitae opened the door.

    Something resembling a human was standing outside.

    Unkempt hair. A tall and thin body. A long monochromic business shirt and a long pair of pants. The clothes, however, were all ripped and were stained with filth and blood.

    A half-broken pair of sunsses was on his face.

    The person that looked like a wasted man, was none other than BM.

    ¡°What brings you here at this time of the day looking like that.¡±

    Yu Jitae asked and BM replied.

    ¡°Sir. Mister Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just gods like you that can pull it off.¡±

    A calm yet gloomy voice. It sounded half like a human while the remaining half sounded like it wasing from the other side of a thick fog.

    But Yu Jitae sensed pride from his voice.

    ¡°You must have made something.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did. And I came here to let you know before anyone. Come, say hello.¡±

    As soon as he said that, a small child peeked from behind BM.

    Yeorum looked at the child with a frown. The child appeared to be around 10 years of age and had slightly dark-red hair along with red eyes. Rather than a girl, the child looked like a girlish boy.

    The child nced across the dormitory with a vacant gaze which eventually stopped after reaching Yeorum¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Right. Come in. Let¡¯s have a chat.¡±

    Yu Jitae brought them into the house.

 Chapter 186: Vitality (2)

    <h4>Chapter 186: Vitality (2)</h4>

    As they sat facing each other on the sofas, the protector prepared coffee after unsheathing its sword.

    He didn¡¯t catch it when they were at the front entrance, but BM¡¯s body was trembling endlessly. All the way from his head to his toes, as well as his hands that were holding onto his coffee.

    Yu Jitae looked at his arm. Despite the hot climate of midsummer, he was wearing long sleeves and long pants.

    BM didn¡¯t look too healthy and appeared fairly exhausted. Yu Jitae focused on the beating sound of BM¡¯s heart and realised that three to four hearts had disappeared from 13 or so of his hearts.

    He seemed to have lost something in order to gain something else.

    Turning his gaze, Yu Jitae looked to the side. After sneaking out of her room, Yeorum was sitting on the sofa in front of the TV and the young chimera carefully approached her.

    ¡°H, he, llo¡­¡± said the chimera. It was the voice of a young boy that had yet to pass his puberty and Yeorum silently looked back into his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum ¨C she was empathetic of a colony of dying rats. Despite its horrendous appearance, she pitied them. Perhaps she found an image of her own self while looking at the poor existence who was born wrong, with predetermined death.

    And now, another chimera was approaching her without being afraid.

    ¡°Da, ddy¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m, not¡­?¡±

    The white-skinned boy went even closer with a bright smile on his face. Yeorum frowned as if she would punch him if he got any closer, and the boy stopped immediately before she got ufortable.

    He then slowlyughed.

    ¡°He, hehe¡­¡±

    Yeorum turned towards Yu Jitae, asking whether this kid was okay in his head or not, and Yu Jitae returned a nod.

    ¡°You. What¡¯s your name.¡± She asked.

    ¡°Na, me?¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s your hair red.¡±

    ¡°Re, d?¡±

    ¡°Do you know how to speak?¡±

    ¡°Da, ddy?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When she frowned, the boy widened his eyes and tilted his head.

    That was when BM turned towards the two of them after taking a sip of his coffee. He then stared at the child he made with a warm gaze.

    ¡°Hey, BM. Does he know how to speak?¡± This time, Yeorum asked BM.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he doing it right now?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s only saying words and can¡¯t hold a proper conversation though?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s still a baby. He was just born.¡±

    ¡°When was he born?¡±

    ¡°A week ago.¡±

    Yeorum apathetically red at the boy, and the smiling child carefully approached her.

    ¡°Oi. Stop there.¡±

    ¡°Nn, nn¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    He toddled his way and naturally cuddled next to Yeorum.

    ¡°Hello? Do you not have ears or what¡­ Oi, get off.¡±

    ¡°Da, ddy¡­¡±

    She felt annoyed. Pushing the boy with her two arms, she sat him next to her. After being instantaneously pushed away by a powerful force, the boy slowly smiled, ¡®Hehehe¡¯ yet again.

    ¡°Why am I your dad, you¡­ idiot.¡±

    ¡°You, are, not?¡±

    ¡°Do you not have a dad?¡±

    The boy slightly pondered after hearing her question, before again pointing at her.

    ¡°Here¡­?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not. You fu¡­ Ahh, this is driving me nuts.¡±

    Finding it ufortable to stay here, she stood up and the boy followed her. However, he seemed to be having trouble standing ¨C he stumbled and fell from the sofa so Yeorum urgently grabbed him by his clothes.

    When she held him by the nape upside down, his clothes rolled up and revealed his upper body. Yeorum frowned when she saw the child¡¯s heart that was covered by a strange purple flesh.

    ¡°Where, are, you going¡­¡±

    The child asked after being put down on the sofa.

    ¡°You know what. I¡¯m gonna go back to my room. He¡¯s too much of a kid.¡±

    ¡°Do what you want.¡±

    Ignoring the child, Yeorum started walking but a weird feeling stopped her on the spot.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, go¡­¡±

    Looking back, she found the red-haired and red-eyed boy earnestly looking for her. What was wrong with this kid? They just met and they weren¡¯t even that close¡­

    That was when she felt a seemingly useless memory resurface.

    ¨C Hey, where are you going!?

    ¨C I¡¯m going first. Because you¡¯re a bad younger sister.

    ¨C Don¡¯t go! Come here¡­!

    The memory of her youngest unni, the only one who had cherished her from the entire race, shed across her head.

    It was because that damned kid had red hair.

    If it was any other colour, she wouldn¡¯t have remembered such a thing.

    Thinking that, Yeorum turned back towards the living room. She sat next to the boy, and the boy came near her with a bright smile on his face.

    ¡°Oi. Don¡¯t copy me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t, co, py, me¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°Stopp¡­¡±

    Yeorum grumbled with a sigh.

    ¡°Is this kid like this because he has no family or what¡­¡±

    That was when BM opened his mouth.

    ¡°That child is my son.¡±

    Yeorum pretended to have missed it.

    After chugging the coffee, the middle-aged man continued with an extremely quiet tone of voice.

    ¡°To be exact, he¡¯s like my son. His name¡¯s Jung Taebaek, and I gave him the name. Both his father and I were from Taebaek in Kangwon-do.¡±

    ¡°Was the baby¡¯s real body born in Arandot?¡±

    ¡°Yes. His father was a human who was transferred to a different universe due to the Babylon Incident with me, and his mother was a wingless Fire Demon ¨C from the demon race.¡±

    His eyes staring at the empty cup from behind the broken pair of sunsses, were hazily looking at the distant past.

    ¡°Right. Tell me your story.¡±

    ¡°I hadrades.¡±

    ¡°Comrades?¡±

    ¡°Quite a lot of them. And that child¡¯s father was my friend. My best friend who I lived with for almost 30 years.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°One day, while the entire world was in a war, he brought a demon from somewhere. He wanted to bring it back alive without killing it and I thought he had gone insane.¡±

    ¡°An idealist, I see.¡±

    ¡°He was too much of an idealist. Later, I discovered him dating that fire demon. He was trying to persuade me that she wasn¡¯t a bad woman and I thought he was possessed. We had a massive fight and I bashed the hell out of him.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t like it at all. Dating a demon¡­ He liked her though so I let them be and they even had a childter on. That all happened in the middle of a war. They gave birth to a child while there were countless 15-metre long monsters flying in the air and I took the boy with my arms. And I named him, Taebaek, as a wish to go home. His red hair and red eyes were a spitting image of his mother.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Until then, I didn¡¯t like that fire demon. She lost her wings and horns but I still thought of her as a demon. One of my other friends cursed her saying that herrge butt was the only thing she had. In fact, my friend boasted about it¡­ and the demondy was proud of that as well.

    ¡°Since I didn¡¯t like her, I was always on guard even when she was fighting on our side. Just like normal demons, she burned things and didn¡¯t smile much. But when she gave birth in the middle of a war and looked at her own child¡­¡±

    BM hesitated, before pushing his sunsses up.

    ¡°She cried¡­

    ¡°She was crying her eyes out. That was when my values slightly changed. Until then, I thought people never changed but I started thinking that existences could change. Perhaps it was because of my change in values or perhaps humans are just like that, but our rtionship changed a lot after that and we all became good friends.

    ¡°I had to apologise for harassing her. In Arandot, there is the culture of giving alcohol when asking for an apology, so I found some good alcohol and gave it to the demondy.

    ¡°I was so harsh on her¡­ and yet thatdy drank it all too easily. At that point, I couldn¡¯t even tell which of us was more of a demon.¡±

    BM powerlessly let out augh as Yu Jitae quietly listened to him speak.

    In the previous iterations, he had been BM¡¯s ally and had sometimes been his enemy but he had never heard of such stories in any of those previous iterations.

    ¡°Arandot was hell itself. Some ¡®lunatic¡¯ was breaking everything in the world. Many of my acquaintances died, including my teacher who taught me everything on chimeras. It was literally hell.¡±

    ¡°Did you miss your home?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We vowed to definitely return. We¡¯ll go back and let this young baby lead a normal life at the very least. End this stupid hell on our generation so that he didn¡¯t have to go through it¡­¡±

    ¡°I assume it didn¡¯t go well.¡±

    ¡°Yes. They all died to that ¡®lunatic¡¯. The fire demondy was the first to die. She threw her body to save my friend and got torn apart by a de. I tried to bring her back to the camp while she was still breathing and she asked, whether her butt was still there or not. It was probably a joke. But her butt wasn¡¯t there¡­ Her lower body just¡­¡±

    BM stopped his words for a long time.

    ¡°¡­They both died in that fight. All myrades just died there. So I wanted to die as well. What would I do. I was ready to put everything down and just die¡­ but that baby suddenly started crying. I had to survive.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re such an omnipotent human, do you know? What it feels to be the only one running away when all my friends are dying next to me?¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°I hated everything in the world¡­ At the start, I cursed the enemy. Then, I cursed the two of them for being stupid enough to bear a baby and after that, I cursed myself. I was mindlessly wandering like that¡­

    ¡°And that¡¯s when the baby died.¡±

    BM gave a self-deprecating smile.

    ¡°The baby, he died. He didn¡¯t die because of something great either. Some random monster shot its sting while passing by and it hit the baby. He died because of my stupidity. It woke me up straight away.

    ¡°Fate is such a gross thing. Straight after that, a fissure appeared in the dimensions and I somehow found a way to go back. I killed a monster called Abraxas and returned using its power.¡±

    BM killed himself in the 3rd and 4th iterations ¨C that was what the world heard.

    ¡°I went through everything I had over and over again. And I found it. A strand of hair of the dead baby was on my shirt¡­ that red hair he got from his mother.¡±

    The truth however was different. After making a chimera with hundreds of human hearts, BM came to a conclusion that a normal superhuman heartcked in power.

    And the mad chimera engineer sacrificed his own heart in an attempt to create a chimera.

    The result was a failure.

    ¡°Now I no longer have a friend to drink with. I couldn¡¯t ask for anyone¡¯s forgiveness. In order to live, at least I had to forgive myself. But, hundreds of times a day ¨C I just couldn¡¯t forgive myself.¡±

    Right now, he wasn¡¯t drinking anything.

    ¡°That¡¯s the type of person I am. That¡¯s how much a human-type chimera means to me.¡±

    The engineer who had been seeking for a miracle soon died. Back then, there was no miracle.

    ¡°That¡¯s what happened till now. Taebaek.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    The red pair of eyes looked back at him. The moment his eyes met with BM¡¯s, the child happily gave a wide smile.

    It should have been an unchangeable future and yet it seemed to have changed.

    The Regressor, who had been silently listening to the story, looked back and forth between the boy and BM. He looked at BM¡¯s eyes that were staring at the child, and the child¡¯s eyes that were staring at BM.

    Only then did the Regressor open his mouth.

    ¡°So that¡¯s your story. Must¡¯ve been rough.¡±

    ¡°Apologies for rambling on.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s the reason you came here. Did you want an apology and acknowledgement out from me, who condemned you?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t have anything against you. At the start, I was irritated and waster frustrated but after going over it without even sleeping at night, I was embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°The fact that you know more about chimeras than me, sir, means that you researched about it more than I did.¡±

    The Regressor nodded his head. In the midst of his hazy memories after the end of the 4th iteration, he had researched chimeras for dozens of years by repeating his iterations.

    ¡°I had the chance to get taught on what you earned with difficulty, and yet I waszy. I could give excuses, that I had repeated too many failures. But, I shouldn¡¯t. Others could, and maybe for something else, but when it came to this, at least I shouldn¡¯t have been like that¡­¡±

    He again smiled self-mockingly.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t even ask for more help because I was too embarrassed to do so. So I decided to try doing it myself and using the hints you gave me, I was able to revive the child.

    ¡°He¡¯s still young and it¡¯s a precarious time period but I¡¯ll try nurturing him to my best ability. I came here to say that. Sorry about my appearance ¨C I was in a rush. Now that you know everything, let me say one more thing before I leave.¡±

    BM took out a white alcohol from his dimensional pocket. It was a fermented wine from Arandot, which Yu Jitae had previously given to BM.

    ¡°I have shown you an extremely silly side. But thanks to you, I was able to seed like this. So if you could please, sir¡­¡±

    After opening the bottle, he poured alcohol into the cup-shaped lid.

    He then gave it to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Please forgive myziness.¡±

 Chapter 187: Vitality (3)

    <h4>Chapter 187: Vitality (3)</h4>

    Forgive.

    Forgive, huh¡­

    A foreign word travelled past his tongue with a breeze.

    When he punched Lyun from Erfan Guild on his face, he didn¡¯t forgive him. In other words, he could have forgiven him because Lyun had done something wrong to him.

    But this one was different.

    The Regressor was simply irritated by the unearnest and loose attitude of someone who should be more earnest than anyone else. BM didn¡¯t necessarily do anything wrong to him, so he wasn¡¯t in the position to forgive him nor did he have the right to do so.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste such a precious wine.¡±

    The Regressor poured the alcohol back into the bottle and sealed it.

    ¡°I¡¯m in fact being quite serious. I have never bbered to anyone about my circumstances,¡± said BM.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to joke around either.¡±

    ¡°Then,¡±

    ¡°If the child grows up well and starts going to school, we¡¯ll drink then.¡±

    BM remained silent in response. His eyes behind the broken sunsses were closed. After thinking for a long time, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Is there some kind of meaning behind the child going to a school?¡±

    He replied to the words randomly thrown out. Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t really exin the vague thoughts in his mind, so he gave an uncertain response.

    ¡°It seems like it.¡±

    He felt something when seeing Gyeoule back from school, but had trouble exining what that exactly was.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    But BM seemed to have understood it.

    ¡°Please take the alcohol for yourself. I just couldn¡¯t drink because it brings back memories of old days.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any attachment to it now.¡±

    Yu Jitae took the bottle and ced it in his storage. Arandot¡¯s alcohol thus returned to the arms of the one who gave it.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum, who had been nkly listening to the story, was seemingly thinking about something. If she stayed still, the child would constantly try to cuddle, so she had turned him around and had sat him on herp.

    When the room awkwardly turned silent for a long time, Yeourm ced him down in front of her and started teaching him words.

    ¡°Oi. Say it after me. Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Yu, Yeo, rum.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s my name. What was it again?¡±

    ¡°Yu, Yeo, rum¡­¡±

    ¡°Good. You¡¯re doing well. But you have to add noonim at the end. Noonim.¡±

    ¡°Noo, nim¡­¡±

    ¡°So what happens when you add them together?¡±

    ¡°Toge, ther¡­?¡±

    ¡°No you idiot. Yu Yeo rum noo nim.¡±

    Taebaek vacantly looked into her eyes. Since Yeorum had hidden her different status as a dragon, the child stared nkly at her eyes for a long time before opening his mouth.

    ¡°Yu, Yeo, rum, noo, nim.¡±

    Yeorum finally returned a nod in satisfaction.

    That was when BM raised his body. It seemed that the child still knew that BM was his guardian. Taebaek blinked his red eyes before hurrying over to BM, and cuddling his arm.

    ¡°Not now.¡±

    ¡°Not, now¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Hold my hand. First let¡¯s go back.¡±

    After sharing a conversation that was hard to decipher, BM gave a small bow to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Thanks for your tea.¡±

    BM went out with the child with unsteady steps.

    Around 2 hours after they left, the kids came back.

    ¡°We¡¯re back!¡±

    They chatted about the movie for a while and soon it waste into the night, and it was time to sleep. But that was when Yeorum knocked on the door of his study.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°You know,¡±

    She entered the room with a slight pout and couldn¡¯t look into his eyes. Even her voice was slightly sunken.

    ¡°Is he, alright?¡±

    He understood what she was trying to ask.

    Although it acted like a human and was cute, it was still a chimera. Like the colony of chimeras they had seen a few days ago, a strange purplish flesh was attached to the child¡¯s heart.

    Yeorum waited until Yu Jitae told her that it was fine.

    Despite the short interaction, she had already be affectionate of the child. It must be because of those stupid red eyes and red hair. Yeorum persuaded herself like that.

    However, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply.

    The silence continued for a long time.

    When it went on for too long.

    Yeorum widened her eyes and asked.

    ¡°Why, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is he alright or what?¡±

    ¡°For now.¡±

    ¡°For now?¡±

    ¡°To be exact, I don¡¯t know either.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that. Don¡¯t you know everything?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know everything. I only know of one way to make the heart of a human-type chimera and BM didn¡¯t make it the way I know it.¡±

    It was the achievement of an engineer who dedicated his whole life to chimera, who even sacrificed his precious things. It was natural for even Yu Jitae to be uncertain.

    ¡°Is that important?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It is. The heart is what decides the identity of a human-type chimera and human-type chimeras¡­ are especially dangerous.¡±

    The one that pushed the alternate dimension Arandot into the apocalypse, was none other than that human-type chimera.

    ¡°Then what? Was that heart wrong?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the part I do not know.¡±

    BM seemed to have used his words as a hint.

    The base ingredients were all perfect. All the ingredients he said including 425mL of ATTN essence, 45.3g of glyacen carbon and other ingredients were also correct. It could be seen from how the child¡¯s body was almost entirely the same as a human¡¯s.

    However, there was onest element.

    The heart of a chimera.

    This was what weighed on his mind. The ingredient that should have been here was the ¡®seed that allowed the dead to breathe¡¯.

    However, BM seemed to have used the ¡®ingredient that allowed a human to not die¡¯ for the heart of the child. Even Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know about it and he needed to observe them for the time being.

    ¡°Then, why, why¡­¡±

    Yeorum stopped her question and bit her lips.

    ¡°Then what are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°I need to go there often and check whether he¡¯s normally growing up or not.¡±

    What if he wasn¡¯t normal?

    Yeorum also knew that it was a very naive question. She knew what type of human he was. Yu Jitae was only exceptionally generous to the dragons.

    What should she do in a situation like this? Yeorum pondered before opening her mouth.

    ¡°Then, I want to go as well.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just want to go. Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t stop you. But you might have to see something you don¡¯t like.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Please just take me along.¡±

    The Regressor thought to himself. Although Yeorum had always been stubborn, she was all the more stubborn today.

    Whatever it was that the future had in n for them, it would be okay as long as she was mentally prepared for it.

    Life wasn¡¯t a greenhouse and pain made existences more mature.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    However, it seemed that she wasn¡¯t fond of his response. Yeorum opened her mouth with a slightly gloomy look on her face.

    ¡°Why are you doing that?¡±

    ¡°Doing what.¡±

    ¡°Why are you being so serious by yourself. You¡¯re worrying me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you be brighter.¡±

    The Regressor gave an emptyugh.

    What continued from his mouth was slightly brighter than before.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Only then did Yeorum nod and leave his study.

    ***

    From that point on, Yu Jitae headed to the undergroundbyrinth once or twice a week, through his internal alternate dimension, [Shallows of the Abyss (S)].

    While translucent and pale hands weed him, Yeorum quietly followed from behind.

    The undergroundbyrinth developed even more. Previously, there were only containers inside the inner room but now the special force agents each had built a proper house using some material.

    ¡°Ahh, mister doctor! Wee¡­!¡±

    He greeted them for a bit. Among them were also Ha Saetbyul, who brightly smiled with her usual loosened gaze, as she waved her hand towards him. He thus waved back.

    Yeorum was wearing the Level 2 ne artifact, [Unsightly Truth], and the w-shaped ne protected her from the Light of Paradise.

    The workshop no longer had any incubators or ss containers and surprisingly, those had been reced by a bunch of toys that were for kids. Bright colours filled the room, with a small slide for a kid, lego blocks and picture books on the floor.

    There, BM was ying with the child. His filthy appearance was long gone and a smile was blooming on his face.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here already?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded while Yeorum walked up and talked to the child.

    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°Noo, na¡­¡±

    The child learned a lot during that small time span and was able to hold a conversation. It gave insight into how earnest BM was with educating the boy.

    ¡°What¡¯s this ugly looking building?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s, a, dino, saur¡­¡±

    ¡°How is this a dinosaur. Make it again.¡±

    Seeing it crumble down caused the child to widen his eyes, but when Yeorum helped him build it again from scratch, a smile slowly appeared on his face.

    Recently, Jung Taebaek was brightening up the mood of the entire undergroundbyrinth.

    ¡°Huhut¡­ Taebaek is cute as always¡­¡±

    ¡°He really is¡­ he reminds me of my son who¡¯s back at home¡­¡±

    ¡°Huhu¡­¡±

    The 30-man special force agents who only trained orid down, came to take a nce at the workshop from time to time to look at the cute boy. When Jung Taebaek sometimes cried for some reason and mumbled for words, Ha Saetbyul voluntarily took care of the child.

    ¡°Oguogu. It¡¯s okay¡­ Hihi¡­ Do you want to do it together¡­?¡±

    The youngdy who had worked as a teacher at an orphanage for a long time, instinctively knew what the child wanted despite acting like a drunkard. Whenever she took charge, the child would immediately stop crying and sing a song with her.

    Time passed just like that.

    Yeorum observed the child and BM.

    ¡°Hello, noona?¡±

    The boy got increasingly smarter as time passed and after around 2 weeks, he was able to speak like a normal 10-year old child. Therefore, Yeorum took him along and started exercising with him.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­¡±

    ¡°Come up. How dare you try to lie down already?¡±

    ¡°Knnngg¡­! Do I have to do this¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course! You need to exercise to grow properly!¡±

    After that, the boy started avoiding Yeorum a little bit.

    Meanwhile, BM was busy both day and night.

    He was already a thin person who appeared like a chopstick because of his uselessly tall height, but he was visibly getting increasingly thinner over time.

    ¡°These days, I¡¯m so busy that I might die.¡±

    In the third week, BM muttered that along with a sigh.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°There was a big incident that happened at the Association.¡±

    ¡°What incident?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the details but¡­ there¡¯s a person we need to track.¡±

    He seemed to have his hands full due to taking care of both work and the child. Sometimes, he wobbled but imed that he was fine since he wasn¡¯t having any alcohol these days.

    ¡°Must be tough.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what life has always been like. But at least these days, I feel alive.¡±

    BM smiled thinly while staring at Jung Taebaek.

    ¡°This is life¡­¡±

    It resembled the smile of an exhausted man going into an eternal sleep.

    ¡°Do you like it that much?¡± asked Yeorum.

    ¡°I do. It feels like the entire world is in my hands. You¡¯ll understand if you get yourself a kidter on¡­¡± and BM gave a profound reply.

    *

    One day, she prepared a bunch of gummies to give to the child.

    ¡°Why gummies.¡±

    ¡°Stupid Gyeoul liked it, right. Kids are all the same.¡±

    Taebaek ate a lot of gummies but he was made to exercise twice as much to burn off all that energy.

    After that, Taebaek started avoiding gummies.

    *

    One day, Yeorum prepared a plushie for him. It was bought for Gyeoul but was now sitting in the storage without seeing light. Early in the morning, she looked for the plushie and dusted it.

    ¡°Why a plushie.¡±

    ¡°You know, when he takes a nap, he always tries to hug a block of wood. It should be better if he has a plushie.¡±

    However, Taebaek seemed to have disliked the plushie. Even when he was forced to hold it, he threw it down and ran away.

    ¡°Oi. You dare treat my gift like that? You wanna die?¡±

    ¡°Hueeeng¡­¡±

    The next time they went there, the plushie was no longer there. BM threw it away.

    *

    One day, Yeorum prepared a book to give to the child.

    ¡°What now.¡±

    ¡°The kid¡¯s like 10 years old so he needs to go to school right.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°At least he needs to know how to read, or others are gonna look down on him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re taking care of him a lot, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°For some reason, I just hate people I know getting treated like retards.¡±

    Taebaek showed interest in the book and started learning letters from Ha Saetbyul. The first word he wrote was ¡®Jung Bongman¡¯.

    ¡°Ouhh¡­ What¡¯s Jung Bongman¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hehe¡­ is it a Korean name¡­? What an old name¡­¡±

    BM coughed.

    *

    Time passed.

    Yeorum sometimes observed Yu Jitae as well. He didn¡¯t say anything strange and his eyes that gazed at both BM and the child were also normal.

    Because of that, she was slightly relieved at heart.

    In the end, the dangerousness of a chimeraid in its vitality. Like that one chimera that added life onto life and increased its size while discarding its dead bodies.

    However, the red-haired boy, Jung Taebaek didn¡¯t show any strange signs. Whenever BM helped the boy change his drenched clothes after an exercise, Yeorum found the wound on his heart slowly closing up.

    The boy was growing nicely with a bright smile.

    *

    ¡°You know what.¡±

    On one of the days of the third week, on the way back from the undergroundbyrinth, Yeorum opened her mouth while going back to the dormitory with Yu Jitae via the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)].

    ¡°Even if someone has an unfortunate birth, I think they can be happy depending on the way they live.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°You know, people aren¡¯t always born in the best household right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Even if they were born in a retarded gutter, maybe they can bloom into flowers as long as there¡¯s sunlight?¡±

    Yu Jitae stopped his feet while walking down the dark alternate dimension, and turned towards Yeorum.

    ¡°What¡¯s up,¡± she asked.

    ¡°Where did you learn words like that?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    She appeared to be in a bit of a fluster.

    ¡°What, do you think of me as a bitc* that always swears or something?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I can also get quite emotional, okay?¡±

    Yu Jitae turned back to the front. The Regressor couldn¡¯t understand what Yeorum was trying to express with her analogy and thus continued walking forward.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum thought a bit more and opened her mouth once again.

    ¡°But well, I think we¡¯ve seen enough?¡±

    ¡°Of what.¡±

    ¡°You know, the kid. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a reason for us toe here again.¡±

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine no¡­¡±

    In the middle of her speech, Yeorum stopped her feet.

    For a moment, she thought she heard it wrong. She felt increasingly ominous. It was just an instinctive feeling, but Yeorum reflected back on the conversation she just had with Yu Jitae.

    Just then, she said, ¡®There¡¯s no reason toe here again¡¯, and he replied, ¡®There shouldn¡¯t be¡¯.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    Yeorum asked with a calm voice.

    ¡°You can¡¯te here again.¡±

    But Yu Jitae¡¯s voice was even more bizarre. The ominous feeling rose up and enveloped her emotions like a thick liquid, making her feel as if she was being drawn into a thick quagmire.

    ¡°What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure, but now I am certain.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, what are you trying to say.¡±

    ¡°That chimera is a failure.¡±

    Chimera?

    She thought she was hearing things. Or maybe he chose the wrong word. However, the moment she looked into his eyes, she realised that it was by no means a mistake.

    ¡°A failure? You mean he was made wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°It needs to be disposed of.¡±

    Yeorum felt goosebumps travelling all the way down her spine.

    During thest three weeks, Yu Jitae had never considered Jung Taebaek a human.

 Chapter 188: Vitality (4)

    <h4>Chapter 188: Vitality (4)</h4>

    Daddy ¨C Food.

    The child whom his heart had given birth to, called him. He was asking for food. Until recently, he had been cuddling and asking for food regardless of time and space so he had to teach the child to be patient.

    BM pulled the long sleeves that were covering his wrist. The arm which had been bitten three to four times a day for thest three weeks, had several reddish ck scars that had yet to close up.

    The child rolled his clothes up. The skin near his heart started to open vertically and revealed a purple ¡®mouth¡¯. Since he was still young, he had to take in a lot of nutrition and nothing was better than the flesh and mana of BM who had the heart of the S+ ranked monster, ¡®Seven-headed Troll¡¯.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Does he really have to be disposed of?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I told you it¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s the problem?¡±

    ¡°Just wait at home. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just a little kid.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just a kid that doesn¡¯t know shit. Why do you have to kill him.¡±

    ¡°Was my exnation not enough?¡±

    ¡°No, I, just¡­ can¡¯t understand.¡±

    Hmm¡­

    BM groaned. The teeth dug very deep. 4 rows of sharp teeth like that of a shark¡¯s shredded through BM¡¯s skin, muscle and bones and erupted every vein on his arm. After that, the purple chunk of flesh throbbed as it started absorbing his blood. It wasn¡¯t a big deal since it was what they had been doing the whole time. Although it was slightly burdensome, it wasn¡¯t a problem as long as BM replenished enough nutrition and there was nothing more important than the child growing up without a problem.

    ¡°He¡¯s different from those chimera rats right¡­? Since his vitality didn¡¯t show up in a weird way?¡±

    ¡°Right. And that¡¯s why I had to observe it for a while.¡±

    ¡°What exactly were you observing¡­?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to know? Why human-type chimeras are dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ nn.¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you then¡­ Mana is the manifestation of will. Every living and breathing thing has its own ¡®will¡¯. However, every creature resembling humans including primates, beastpeople, and other races have a ¡®special power¡¯. It is very special, and at the same time is very dangerous. Do you know what that is?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°These species can see what they cannot see, and hear what they haven¡¯t heard before. They can feel what they haven¡¯t felt before and fantasise about nonexistent things as if they existed. To understand iprehensible things like the sun, day and night, they can give it meaning. Like a Sun God; a chariot pulling the Sun behind its back to light the day, or the Queen of Night. Such things don¡¯t actually exist but a human will can present such things as if they truly exist.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know what that is?¡±

    Is it nice? He asked. Nn. The child replied with a bright smile. But for some reason, it felt like the child was absorbing a little bit more blood than usual. Well, it was understandable since he was growing taller and getting bigger. He should be eating more. BM stopped worrying and decided to throw away all the calctive thoughts that were on his mind. He¡¯s the son of his two best friends, and he¡¯s now my son, right?

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°They can write novels, draw pictures and make music. Do you still not understand what this ¡®special power¡¯ is?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It is also the power that creates religions and nations. Do you get it now?¡±

    ¡°Creativity¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That stupid creativity is what makes a human-type chimera dangerous.¡±

    Taebaek, my son. When BM called him, the child returned a bright smile that washed away all his fatigue. For around 3 months, he had gone around dozens of locked S ranked dungeons and above. Sometimes, his limbs were cut off and there was also a time when he had been bitten by a monster from his ear to his nose. He also despaired at losing some chimeras that were unable to be retrieved but BM was okay with all that.

    As long as he could see this child smile¡ª

    ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with creativity¡­?¡±

    ¡°When creativity meets the unique vitality of a chimera, unimaginable things happen from then.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Can youe up with any examples.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    ¡°Think about what I told you.¡±

    ¡°See what they cannot see, and hear what they can¡¯t? Ah¡­ fuck¡­¡±

    But on second thought, he really was absorbing an unusuallyrge amount, so BM asked if he was very hungry. The child replied yes and vacantly muttered, ¡®I can remember my mum¡­¡¯. BM widened his eyes under his sunsses. Taebaek had been saying it from a few days ago, that he could remember his father and mother. He described how his mother had red hair¡­

    After Arandot met its apocalypse and BM returned to Earth, there was a subconscious side of him that missed that world. Although he had desperately wanted to escape it back then, he was reminiscing about those old memories. So when he realised that the child was sharing the same memories as himself, BM unknowingly felt like he was about to burst into tears.

    Right. Who cares if he eats a bit more than usual. It¡¯s better for me to die than you suffering from hunger. Discarding the thought that it was excessive, BM patted the child on his head and weed it.

    ¡°Do you get it now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That, is not Taebaek.¡±

    Taebaek. Do you remember your daddy as well? BM asked and the child soon replied. Nn.

    ¡°That¡¯s just a different human-type chimera.¡±

    ¡°What makes you so certain¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been observing it for thest three weeks. The entity had a disgustingly intense will and vitality. It collected data from the surroundings. It heard of the concept of a mother and father from BM, and realised that it also had parents after digging deeper into the existences. By hearing more about parents from Ha Saetbyul, it gathered knowledge on gics¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy¡­? Are you telling me to believe that¡­? He, he just¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you still think that¡¯s a young human?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. Wake up. It¡¯s not a human, and it¡¯s not young either.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You were deceived. No, it would be correct to say that it even deceived you.¡±

    Daddy must have been handsome like me. BMughed hearing the response. In fact, his friend was indeed the best-looking guy in Taebaek¡¯s private superhuman school. It was almost 50 years ago now. How jealous was he back then, seeing his friend being popr with girls?

    ¡°Whether you believe it or not, that¡¯s the reality. That human-type chimera started acting like the real child of BM¡¯s two friends that died in Arandot. And BM¡­ that smart and collected friend was buried in his own emotions.¡±

    ¡°Stop. Please stop.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel good¡­¡±

    But, I have daddy now, so I won¡¯t think about that daddy. The child said. Despite feeling an extremelyrge sense of guilt, BM nodded. Right, I¡¯ll try my best to be your real dad as well.

    Nn. Can I please ask for one favour then? The child asked.

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long. So wait at home.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­What are you going to do. Dispose? You mean you¡¯ll be killing him right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why. Anything to say?¡±

    ¡°I was just¡­ wondering if you could let him live.¡±

    ¡°Why are you being empathetic of that entity.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not¡­ I just, just¡­¡­¡±

    Right. What sort of favour is it? BM asked and the child replied with a smile. I¡¯m super hungry today, can I eat a bit more? In that instant, BM heard the chimeras inside his body screaming out, that they will also be devoured if he continued absorbing more. However, BM cut off their noise.

    My child is saying that he¡¯s hungry¡­

    At this point, BM was half out of his mind but he himself did not realise it. Feeling slightly fatigued, he lowered his head and scratched the back of his head. A ring smirk shed passed the child¡¯s lips, but BM did not catch that either.

    ***

    Yeorum was silent for a long time. She hesitated and muttered for words. Her eyes were fixated on the ground without even daring to look into his eyes. She pondered, looked for the right words, and pondered again before finally opening her mouth.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dispose of him straight away? Were you going to do it after taking me back home?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°By disposing, you mean killing that child right?¡±

    ¡°Killing that entity, yes.¡±

    ¡°What about the child? What about the rest of the body that¡¯s not the heart, that was made by the remaining strand of hair?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll die.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words were like the deration of an executioner. If he so wished, that would definitely be the case. Knowing that, Yeorum became even more depressed.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m sorry for being stubborn all the time.¡±

    He quietly listened to her words.

    ¡°Not listening to your words. Annoying you and getting angry¡­ I¡¯m sorry for all that.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say.¡±

    ¡°But, since I¡¯m always stubborn anyway, I want to do it onest time. Can you please save his body?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    No ¨C Yu Jitae was saying that he didn¡¯t want to do it.

    ¡°Why? If it¡¯s you, you, you can do it right?¡±

    ¡°No. It wastes too much time for no reason.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°If I were to focus on it in full, at least a month.¡±

    ¡°A month? Only a month? BM did a lot of things for us. If it¡¯s just one month, can¡¯t you help him out¡­ once¡­?¡±

    Yeorum slurred her words. Yu Jitae¡¯s expression was turning into a frightening look in real time.

    However, she didn¡¯t want to give up. She didn¡¯t want to be the same person as her resentful parents who half gave up on her for being useless.

    She clenched her teeth and took a step forward.

    ¡°Please help. I¡¯m begging you.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Even if you stayed with us for a month, you only waste time lying down on a sofa and eating meals¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why? Like, why? How can you be like that? It¡¯s only a month? BM, he helped us out a lot! How can you be so cruel. How!¡±

    The Regressor tilted his head and crookedly gazed down at the child who didn¡¯t even reach his chin. Since she was ignorant of everything, the child was saying it all as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±

    Yu Jitae abruptly took a step forward. Startled, she took a step back, but the walls of the dark shallows of the abyss touched her back. When he was right in front of her, Yu Jitae bent his back towards the child.

    After closing in until their noses could touch, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m only living for the sake of you all.¡±

    The Regressor found the need to draw a clear line.

    ¡°To protect the daily life of you guys, I am here alive and breathing. Nothing matters apart from that. Someone dying? Someone that has to live? I should save them because I have the power to do so? Nonsense.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°As long as you guys are living fine, I will not move even if half of humanity dies out.¡±

    Seeing a side of Yu Jitae she had never seen before, Yeorum felt fear crawling up.

    ¡°That¡¯s the kind of human I am. And that¡¯s what you guys are to me.¡±

    ¡°B, but¡­ it¡¯s just a month¡­¡±

    ¡°Focusing entirely for a month means one full month of 24 hours a day. If I were to match this to your daily lives, it would be once a week and would take at least one year. In that time, I won¡¯t be able to protect you guys.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you get it, go back. It¡¯ll be done soon. After we¡¯re back we¡¯ll have dinner¨C¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to¡­¡±

    It was then. Yeorum interjected with her head lowered and walked up. She pushed her forehead into his chest.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to¡­ I, I, don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Was my exnation not enough?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s enough so stop with that stupid exnation. Fuck¡­ You¡¯re going to scare me again with your exnation crap¡­¡±

    Scare her? Only then did the Regressor¡¯s head which had been muddled with irritation, be clear again.

    She was gasping for breath. After a sigh, she mncholically whispered with a soft voice as if she was throwing out everything that was on her mind.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you, just, help them out once¡­?¡±

 Chapter 189: Vitality (5)

    <h4>Chapter 189: Vitality (5)</h4>

    He knew that Yeorum¡¯s empathy stemmed from a trivial emotion.

    He knew that Yeorum¡¯s emotions were extremely narrowly scoped and simple.

    He also knew that she would show a different reaction to other incidents that would happenter down the track.

    But he was a human who lived for her sake. Although that may appear selfless at a nce, it was in fact an attitude which started off from extreme selfishness. 7th iteration ¨C thousands of iterations hidden behind that all failed and the Regressor thus became a selfish person.

    Despite that, Yeorum was wishing for him to be purely selfless.

    In the end, wasn¡¯t selflessness a selfish emotion in itself? Isn¡¯t it the act of finding satisfaction for oneself by helping others?

    However, no matter what the hidden agenda may be, the traces it left behind for the world to see would appear selfless, and Yeorum was asking that from him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    At this moment, the Regressor perceived that he had to change his thoughts.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    When he said that, Yeorum gazed up at him in shock. Her anxious gaze appeared to be trying to confirm whether he was telling the truth or not.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡±

    ¡°Really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    She dropped her head. After heaving a sigh of relief, she whispered with a slightly brighter voice.

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±

    Before turning around, Yu Jitae decided to ask something which had been on his mind.

    ¡°Did you grow attached to the kid or something?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ I only saw him for a bit. How would I get attached that quickly.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you want me to save him.¡±

    ¡°You said it was hard for him to live because he was born unfortunately right, but someone else is desperately wishing for him to live. I want kids like that to live at least¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why.¡±

    He was expecting a response along the lines of sympathy. However, her returning speech contained an extremely foreign word.

    ¡°That¡¯s just fuc*ing way too sad¡­¡±

    ***

    BM quietly waited for the purple mouth to head towards his heart. Even if he lost one heart, he wouldn¡¯t die and would simply end with losing arge portion of his strength. Even then, it was fine. It would enter the body of the precious child and stay with him eternally as one.

    When the purple mouth opened itself, four dense rows of teeth revealed a sharp lustre. Taebaek threw his arms wide open, making him hazily remember the baby that used to call him, ¡®Uncleee¡¯ in the distant past.

    He hugged the child and soon, teeth like spears ripped through his skin and dug in deep. Although he felt the shredding pain, he hugged the child with a smile and gazed at the red hair of the boy. The smile of a father happily watching his boy eat, appeared on his lips.

    That was when it all changed.

    Something flew towards them, bringing with it an extremely rapid and assertive force. Astonished, BM pulled the boy in with one arm and blocked the attack by swinging his other arm.

    Reddish-ck mana surged from his chest and shoulder des. The arm of Demon Baron Ahillia appeared above his skin.

    With the reddish ck arm that was twice as long and thick than his original arm, BM pushed the opponent away.

    The moment they shed, he realised who the opponent was. However, the opponent who he thought was impossible to push back, got pushed back all too easily.

    A hazy gaze and a hazy expression. The weapon in the man¡¯s hand was vicious yet invisible to the eyes. At that moment, BM realised that the weapon did not have a fixed shape and gazed down at the child.

    The back of the child¡¯s neck ¨C his spine was cut in two.

    His sense of reality,

    Faded,

    Into the distance.

    Immediately, a fierce aura started bursting forth from his entire body.

    ¡°WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, YU JITAE¡ª¡ª!!¡±

    The shout echoed through the entire inner room.

    What stopped his urge to immediately dash forth was the remembering of the fact that the child had absorbed the blood of a seven-headed troll. He would soon recover, and wouldn¡¯t die from just this much.

    ¡°Did you doubt me, and this child?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Jitae, you damned devil!¡±

    Yu Jitae had been visiting them very frequently.

    At the start, BM was displeased and waster worried. Yu Jitae was a being who knew a lot about chimeras. The reason that he frequented the undergroundbyrinth which he usually didn¡¯t even consider was naturally because of the human-type chimera. BM was obviously aware of that fact.

    He was monitoring himself and Taebaek.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything! I¡¯m asking you what you¡¯re trying to do¨C!¡±

    The transcendent being in front of him was looking at him. What did he discover during his time monitoring them? He wasn¡¯t naive enough to believe that Yu Jitae would never discover the feeding process.

    However, that alone wasn¡¯t enough for this wicked and assertive act.

    What BM realised after watching him from the side, was that he was always a calcting person.

    What did he see?

    What in the world did he see?

    After thinking up to that point, BM denied his thoughts.

    No.

    Calcte what.

    That bastard is a lunatic.

    Trying to understand the ways of a lunatic was foolish.

    He didn¡¯t see anything. He¡¯s doing this despite not knowing anything.

    BM¡¯s evaluation of Yu Jitae started plummeting down in real time.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    So when Yu Jitae opened his mouth, BM¡¯s sensitive perception made the world flow extremely slow. He considered dozens of possible sentences that Yu Jitae could say, and thought of suitable rebuttals.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words were always short and oppressive. BM was already used to him treating him like a child.

    Right.

    Say whatever you want, you damn lunatic. You human who have nothing but power to push others down with. Will you say the heart¡¯s wrong because it¡¯s made from an ingredient different from the one you said? Will you say this child that I made for over 20 years is a failed human-type chimera?

    Say whatever you want to confuse me.

    You¡¯re nothing but a lunatic. I will not be shaken. Never, will I be shaken¡­

    However, the words that left his mouth shook BM¡¯s entire brain.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    He felt a hammer striking down on his head.

    All his thoughts and assumptions started crumbling down. The transcendent being that existed outside the realms of hisprehension was apologising to him.

    In this inconceivably unrealistic situation, BM unconsciously let out a shrill voice.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    ¡°If I knew things would turn out like this, I would have simply helped you without being foolish.¡±

    What in the world was happening.

    ¡°I am, very inexperienced at dealing with people.¡±

    He started apologising to him.

    ¡°Please forgive me if you may.¡±

    BM felt the approach of the most unwanted result. His chin dropped low, ripping through his cheeks. The jaw of a chimera revealed itself and soon let out arge bellow with mana.

    ¡°Shut your damn mouth¨C!!¡±

    The outburst of killing intent shook the yground area of the inner room. The floor, ceiling, toys. Everything crumbled and got torn but it failed to have any effect on Yu Jitae.

    Yu Jitae walked forward. Seeing him walking towards them, BM pulled the child deeper into his embrace and curled his body, despite knowing that it was futile.

    After stopping in front of him, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°You need to wake up now. Jung Bongman. Don¡¯t you know it yourself¡­¡±

    No. I don¡¯t know.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you also know, that it¡¯s a fake.¡±

    I don¡¯t. I¡¯ve never even considered such a thing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how the child started imitating your smile after seeing you smile.¡±

    It was normal for kids to smile.

    ¡°The kid started treating you like a father after you spoke about it. You know that yourself.¡±

    Kids all had fathers by nature.

    ¡°The kid that used to smile when hungry, crying after realising that it could get more by crying;

    ¡°How it started distancing away from you after realising that it could easily get what it wants that way;

    ¡°How it always nced at the exit;

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know better than anyone yourself what that means?

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also think to yourself that the heart of the human-type chimera was trying its hardest to survive?¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words caused something inside BM¡¯s head toe crashing down. He remembered the first time the unsmiling baby started smiling. He remembered the time the child who always asked for a hug started distancing away from him. He remembered how the child constantly made up imaginary parents after hearing something from Ha Saetbyul.

    BM put the child down. Around the purple heart, blood was gushing forth like crazy.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    It was an empty mumble. The constant doubts that appeared from time to time crawled up from the depths of his emotions.

    He wanted to believe that this child was Jung Taebaek.

    He believed it because he wanted to, and because he believed it, he had only been seeing what was good in his eyes.

    BM didn¡¯t want to admit that fact.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for an apology with words alone.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae spoke towards BM¡¯s shattered mind.

    ¡°I¡¯ll share a portion of the responsibility. I promise you. I¡¯ll help you so that the body of the child doesn¡¯t die and will help you make the true heart. I will definitely allow you to meet the ¡®real¡¯ one again.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So give me the fake. Let me end it.¡±

    He took another step forward.

    Raising his head, BM looked at Yu Jitae. Behind his sunsses, the sparkling blue eyes of Abraxas met with the hazy eyes of the man.

    The voice of the man who made the biggest decision in the world powerlessly left his lips.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    ***

    The broken spine was recovered thanks to the blood of the seven-headed troll and the child soon regained his consciousness.

    As if whinging about the pain, the child touched the back of his neck with a frown and soon realised that BM was next to him.

    Thus, he turned to BM with a smile.

    ¡°Daddy. What happened?¡±

    The child called him.

    ¡°My neck suddenly hurts¡­ It hurts.¡±

    BM was nkly staring at the ground. Seeing that he was still ignoring him, the child tilted his head for a bit before sobbing.

    ¡°Daddy¡­ it hurts¡­ it hurts¡­ my neck¡­¡±

    Even then, BM was staring at the floor without moving at all. Taebaek soon started crying ¨C he started weeping out loud. Despite that, BM still didn¡¯t move. Like a statue, he was staring at the ground on his knees, so the child immediately stopped crying.

    ¡°Daddy¡­?¡±

    He then carefully came up to him.

    ¡°I¡¯m, hungry¡­ can I finish eating¡­?¡±

    He still didn¡¯t move.

    After carefully approaching him, the child opened his chest wide. His chest divided into two and revealed a purple flesh from within. The mouth as always had countless teeth and it headed towards BM¡¯s chest which was drenched with blood.

    It was then. BM punched forward and with the shattering sound of sses, all the teeth inside the purple mouth shattered.

    Shocked, the child ¨C the chimera ¨C rigidly stopped itself.

    Soon, the purple flesh near its heart divided once again. The chimera opened its eyes from within.

    It realised that the situation wasn¡¯t normal.

    When the human who had been supporting its life betrayed it, the chimera realised that it was clearly an enemy rather than a machine that provided food for itself.

    That was when BM hugged the child.

    The child raised its nails and scratched BM¡¯s neck and crunched his shoulder with his teeth. He did it with a lot of force but it ended with his teeth and nails crumbling into pieces. While bleeding from his entire body, the child yelled. He screamed from the bottom of his guts.

    ¡°Mommy¡ª! Mommyyyy¨C!! This person¡¯s trying to kill me! He¡¯s trying to kill me!!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me¨C!!! I want to liveeee¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill meeee¡ª-!¡±

    The child cursed BM and desired to live.

    BM couldn¡¯t listen to it any longer. By pressing down on the child¡¯s head, he buried his head into his shoulders.

    If he were to listen to it any longer, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do the deed.

    It was the heart embedded with horrendous vitality. Although it might have been an imitation and nothing but an act;

    Although it might have been a wrong birth,

    This was a child I made,

    And for a short while, it had been my child.

    BM reached his arms forward and hugged the child. For a long time, he quietly shed tears.

    Then, he extracted the child¡¯s heart from his back.

 Chapter 190: Discussion Topic: Compliments (1)

    <h4>Chapter 190: Discussion Topic: Compliments (1)</h4>

    The extracted heart still had its vitality and wriggled, trying to escape from BM. But it couldn¡¯t go far and was soon stopped by Yu Jitae¡¯s foot. Despite being under his foot, the heart continued struggling but not for long.

    As is always the case, the life of a parasite after leaving its host was as precarious as a candlelight in the midst of a storm. Before long, the heart stoppedpletely.

    That day,

    BM buried his head into the small shoulders of the limp child and wept out loud. Without even moving an inch, he cried in that spot overnight so Yu Jitae left the inner room after dealing with the heart. Until BM came to himself, he stayed in thebyrinth.

    Since Yu Jitae was obviously not in a good mood either, the special force agents didn¡¯t disturb him. The next day, Yeorum came through the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)], which he had left open inside the study, and asked.

    ¡°Where¡¯s that person?¡±

    Yu Jitae gestured at the workshop with his chin.

    ¡°Is he still like that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She sat right next to him. Just like him, she remained silent for a long time butter opened her mouth as if she suddenly came up with something.

    ¡°You know what,¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°If BM thought of that chimera as his child, that means he¡¯s already given that child affection right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Do you think he can still give affection to the child that will be bornter?¡±

    ¡°That will depend on the person.¡±

    ¡°What if you were in his shoes? What do you think?¡±

    ¡°What about you,¡± he asked her back.

    ¡°But I asked you first?¡±

    ¡°So why don¡¯t you give the answer first as well then.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum gave him a slight re. Then, she tilted her head before clicking her tongue.

    ¡°Why,¡± he asked.

    ¡°I feel like the way you speak these days is he cheeky. I wonder why?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It was better when you were boring.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyways, for me¡­ hmm¡­ Fu*k, I don¡¯t know. How would I know. I didn¡¯t have a kid or have pets before.¡±

    She grumbled before ncing his way.

    ¡°So like, what do you think.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know either.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what the hell, for real¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    He never had a child before and he wasn¡¯t even interested in having a child in the first ce. After realising the world was repeating itself, he went almost mental and even though such opportunities dide across from time to time, he avoided them altogether.

    However, even he had farewells and new encounters.

    One example was these baby dragons. There were times when there was an affectionate connection between them, although it might have been extremely shallow. And although that connection was long gone,

    Even now, Yu Jitae was giving affection to the dragons.

    ¡­While he was thinking along the lines of that, he suddenly felt strange.

    Giving them affection?

    No.

    He had never given them affection.

    Then why was it that he found it so natural and rxing even when Yeorum was pping him on his arm and grumbling like a boar?

    It was strange.

    He had never nned to give anyone affection. This was the same for all 4 hatchlings. Never had he tried to be closer with one of the kids and his only wish was to spend normal lives with them. Was it normal for bonds and connections to be formed abruptly like this?

    Did I give them affection?

    ¡­After thinking endlessly, the Regressor realised that it was a wrong choice of words. Affection wasn¡¯t something that was given ¨C it was something that was formed and deepened by itself.

    To express it in clearer words; it seemed that the Regressor had be fond of the dragons without even realising it.

    ¡°Nn? What?¡±

    Yeorum looked at him but he remained silent.

    Back when Bom said that she could ¡®tell Yu Jitae¡¯s expressions apart¡¯, Yeorum thought to herself that Bom must be he talented to pull that off. But now, even Yeorum could tell that Yu Jitae¡¯s expression had changed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡¯

    His gaze, which was always hazy, appeared as if it was almost about to disperse.

    ¡°Hey. What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Creak¨C

    That was when BM opened the door of the workshop and walked out in tatters. He walked up to Yu Jitae with staggering steps before lowering his head a little.

    Standing up from the seat, Yu Jitae headed to the workshop. Yeorum tried to follow but he stopped her with his hands. Begrudgingly, she stayed behind on the spot.

    Lying down in the workshop was a child without a heart. His skin still looked healthy, and it would stay like that for a fairly long time because the body itself was also a chimera. However, unlike the heart, this chimera was the ¡®real¡¯ one which was formed with the ¡®hair¡¯, following Yu Jitae¡¯s recipe.

    Yu Jitae opened the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]. This particr alternate dimension was unique. It was extremely wide and contained a lot of special ces that can be used to serve various purposes.

    ¡°Take the child and stabilise him.¡±

    Following hismand, white translucent hands reached forth and embraced Jung Taebaek¡¯s body, before pulling it inside the dark alternate dimension. In the slightly deeper areas of that dimension, there was a ce where time flowed extremely slowly. It was a ce he often treated like a fridge and the child would be kept in that area.

    However, more things had to be done instead of simply keeping the child in that area. To ce a new heart inside the body that lost its perfectly fitting heart, he needed to remove all the mana attributes that had already spread to all corners of the body.

    Flipping the ¡®will¡¯ of an existence was different from changing that of an object. Easier put, it was the same as the process of changing a person to apletely different person. Since it was an extremely inefficient and unnecessary task, no-one even gave it a try in the past.

    Even if they did give it a try, they probably wouldn¡¯t have seeded.

    However, for some reason, Yu Jitae had undergone such experiments before. Although his memories of the 4th+ iterations were hazy, the data gained from those researches and experiments were still vivid in his head.

    As long as BM wished for it, he was ready to start anytime.

    ¡°I need some time,¡±

    After the silence, BM opened his mouth while sitting powerlessly on the chair of the workshop.

    ¡°I need a little bit of rest¡­ Let me contact you againter.¡±

    Crumbled and exhausted, the wasted man powerlessly smiled. Yu Jitae looked into his eyes, before throwing him a question.

    ¡°Do you have any intention of making an extreme decision like suicide or concealing yourself?¡±

    ¡°No. I do not.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t reply to the Association during your rest then.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to catch him anyway.¡±

    ¡°¡­ ¡­I see.¡±

    Yu Jitae stood up from his seat. He then disappeared from the undergroundbyrinth without bidding him farewell.

    Time was the best medicine ¨C to anyone, so long as they were a human.

    ***

    Weekend,

    After the rain, the paved roads were still somewhat dark.

    Haytling was flying above the Pacific ocean. Therge floating ind was flying into the thick wet fog covering the high altitudes above the ocean. As if the sky was sprinkled with a bunch of mist, the soothing breeze chased the summer heat away.

    It was a very refreshing weekend.

    ¨C Clone 1 here. I have seeded in bringing 3 people in.

    Right. Good work.

    ¨C Uhh, Clone 2 here! I¡¯ve also found the whereabouts of the witch!

    How long did it take?

    ¨C 2 months.

    ¨C My apologies¡­! It was such a deep andplicated dungeon that I had trouble finding the entrance.

    Got it.

    The witch is a very self-centred woman but there¡¯s no-one better than her when ites to magic. Listen to her as much as you can and give her whatever she wants as long as you can.

    ¨C Yes sir!

    But, don¡¯t give her your body.

    ¨C Sorry? The body?

    ¨C Ah, I have just received some memories.

    ¨C Uhh¡­ aht¡­

    It was when he was having a conversation and sharing ideas about the current state of the operation with his clones. His watch rang with a notice from the education department.

    ¨C Weekend of Compliments.

    He read through the document. It seemed that the guardian consultation session this time around would be reced with this one instead. ording to the document, he had topliment a cadet for something they did well and had to submit the record of thepliment.

    asionally, Lair would make guardians do iprehensible things such as this. Why did he have to givepliments and record it down?

    However, Yu Jitae was fairly earnest as a guardian and didn¡¯t skip such things.

    That day, the kids were all ying a board game in the living room. Going across the world, they had to buynds and build buildings to take money off of others. It was a game simr to monopoly, called Blue Marble.

    Yu Jitae sneaked his way to the kids and sat where there was the biggest gap. It was between Yeorum and Gyeoul.

    ¡°Ah, go somewhere else. It¡¯s too crowded here.¡±

    Yeorum pushed him away with her butt so he had to stand up again.

    When that happened, Bom gazed up at him and raised a finger. She slowly lowered it and tapped the floor next to her and when he walked towards her, she naturally created some space for him.

    She ended up being put further away from the board, but Bom didn¡¯t seem to mind it.

    ¡°Uah, I walked into it again!¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. Give me your money you monkey.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s so annoying. Why did it have to be Yeorum-unni¡¯snd?! I should have gotten Seoul for myself¡­!¡±

    Seemingly in a good mood, Yeorum chortled. She was in a good mood until she went to Tokyo and got thousands of dors ripped off by Kaeul.

    ¡°Aoh fu*k.¡±

    ¡°Uwahh! I knew it! That¡¯s why I built motels and apartments there! Eheheh~~¡±

    ¡°You Soujiro¡¯s girlfriend-looking bastard.¡±

    ¡°What? That¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    Yeorum bursted intoughter after seeing her reaction.

    Next up was Gyeoul. She nervously gazed at the board. She only had 100 dors left for herself. However, in front was the ¡®Devil¡¯s nest¡¯ where the entire section was bought off by Yeorum and Kaeul. If shended in any of thosends, she would go bankrupt in one go.

    ¡°That blue idiot should be gone now.¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul¡­! You don¡¯t want tond in Yeorum-unni¡¯snd right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Then pleasee to mine instead!¡±

    ¡°¡­What.¡±

    ¡°Oi. Stupid Blue. Just throw it quick and go sit next to Cucumber.¡±

    Cucumber?

    Now that he thought about it, Bom wasn¡¯t doing anything.

    Yu Jitae turned to the side and looked at Bom. She was quieter than usual with a pout on her face, but it seemed that she had gone bankrupt already.

    He asked,

    ¡°What happened.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Thought you would be good at games like this.¡±

    ¡°Ah, because it¡¯s a game, I tried to y fair and square¡­¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°For some reason, it just didn¡¯t work out. From the beginning¡­¡±

    That was when Yeorum and Kaeul interjected with a chuckle and teased her. ¡°I took 3000 dors from her in total! Bom-unni is so bad!¡±, ¡°Stupid Cucumber lol!¡±

    Bom heaved a sigh with a pout on her face and leaned onto his arm. His arm felt the weight behind her head as the grass-coloured hair came flowing down. He could smell the gentle fragrance of the forest.

    ¡°¡­Umm.¡±

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul was serious. She had to roll 2 dice and if she got any number between 2 to 10, she would be caught for sure. There were only 2 possible ways out for her ¨C 11 and 12.

    So one die definitely had to be 6 while the other had to be at least 5. As long as she could get away from this ¡®Devil¡¯s nest¡¯¡­ she could get a sry! She would be able to survive¡­!

    ¡°¡­Huuh.¡±

    After a sigh, she rolled the dice.

    The first one that fell¡­!

    Was a 1.

    Gyeoul went and sat next to Bom.

    Yeorum, who received all of her assets, chuckled andughed like a witch. When Gyeoul gave a frown, Kaeul spoke from the side.

    ¡°Please shake the carrot if you¡¯re angry!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a carrot-shaped gaming equipment next to her. Gyeoul carried the carrot with two hands and shook it. She shook it over and over again, before abruptly throwing it at Yeorum, who continued giggling without an end.

    However, Yeorum dodged it with ease and teased her again. ¡°I thought you were just bad at throwing dice but you can¡¯t even throw carrots.¡±

    Her hands trembled. Gyeoul, who tried to endure her anger with two hardened fists, suddenly stood up and whinged after sitting on Yu Jitae¡¯sp. She cursed Yeorum through her mumbles so he hugged the child.

    After Gyeoul¡¯s anger dissipated a little, Bom naturally carried her over and ced her on herp to watch the final showdown of the remaining two.

    ¡°Ah, fuc*¡­¡±

    The final winner was Kaeul.

    ¡°Uhehehe!¡±

    Yeorum pressed down on her forehead and earnestly suppressed her anger with a reddened face, while Kaeul bragged abouting first to the baby chicken, the protector and Yu Jitae as if she had won the entire world.

    There wasn¡¯t even anything on the line, and yet they were ying the game with zeal.

    In any case, the board game was over and he realised that it was about time to givepliments.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yess?¡±

    The first target forpliments was Kaeul.

 Chapter 191: Discussion Topic: Compliments (2)

    <h4>Chapter 191: Discussion Topic: Compliments (2)</h4>

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    ¡°Right, right! I nailed it, right!¡±

    Kaeul jumped up and down with the baby chicken in her arms.

    Right.

    He gave her apliment, but was that it? For some reason, it felt like it was too short. Yu Jitae tried to think of the followingpliments, but now that he was actually trying to givepliments, he realised that this wasn¡¯t an easy task either.

    ¡°Well done my ass. You just got lucky there.¡±

    ¡°So what! I got lucky, which means I did well!¡±

    ¡°What did you even do?¡±

    ¡°More than you at least! Luck is also a part of skills, you know? Who told you to buy Seoul?! If you bought Tokyo, maybe I would have lost!¡±

    ¡°Hoh? Yo guys, you hear what this Japanophile is saying?¡±

    ¡°Huheh¡­ heheh! Unni, you bought China so that means you must be a spy from Erfan! Aht¡­!¡±

    In the end, Yeorum trampled on Kaeul and folded her legs in fury. In order to protect its owner who cried out, ¡°Uanng!¡±, the baby chicken ferociously attacked Yeorum, while shouting ¡°Chirp!¡±.

    However, after Kaeul it was the baby chicken¡¯s turn. ¡°Chirrppp¡­!¡± screamed the baby chicken as its small legs were folded a little.

    ¡°Huuh¡­ Are you alright¡­?¡±

    ¡°Chi¡­¡±

    The yellow victims consoled each other in tatters.

    ¡°Try acting up again.¡±

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was still deep in thought. She had bought a good building. Was that something worth apliment?

    ¡°Kaeul.¡± He opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very talented at buyingnds.¡±

    ¡°What? Uhihi, what¡¯s that haha!¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s super weird¡­! Then, should I start a real estate or something?¡±

    Yeorum interjected into Yu Jitae and Kaeul¡¯s conversation.

    ¡°Yeah. Hope you get a dungeon in your property~¡±

    ¡°Wahh, that would be epic right?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Un? Why? That means there will be a basement under the house so that¡¯s double the space¡­¡±

    In any case, Kaeul appeared to be enjoying thepliment. After sneaking his way back to the study, Yu Jitae wrote down thepliment he gave for Kaeul as well as the result on the provided document.

    Even after that, the board game continued. They soon decided to go full on, so Bom walked outside with Gyeoul to buy snacks and drinks. They spent the whole day ying and instead of ying with the kids, Yu Jitae observed them looking for the right opportunity topliment them.

    The strangest game in his opinion was jenga. Since the kids were all dragons, their delicate controls were leagues above normal humans when focusing on the game.

    After the 30th turn, the wooden pir began looking more like a bizarre stunt.

    Next up was Bom¡¯s turn.

    The strange-looking wooden pir was in a critical state where one mistouch could make it crumble.

    When Bom tried to pull a piece out, Yeorum sneaked her way next to her. Yu Jitae was sitting behind Yeorum so he couldn¡¯t see her face but Kaeul and Gyeoul immediately bursted out intoughter.

    ¡°Uhihihi!¡±

    ¡°¡­Hihi.¡±

    It seemed that Yeorum was making a funny expression or something. Bom stole a nce towards her, before turning back to the front.

    What face was she making? Soon, even Bom seemed to be finding it funny and her breathing turned irregr. People tended to breathe like her when trying to hold back theirughter.

    Her hands trembled.

    Right before grabbing a piece of wood, she hesitated and suddenly she turned towards Yeorum with a flick.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, hurry up.¡±

    ¡°You. That¡¯s cheating.¡±

    ¡°What did I do. Ah, just hurry up you broli! We don¡¯t have all day!¡±

    ¡°You. You¡­¡±

    When Bom reached for the wooden piece again, Yeorum once again pushed her face forward. Bom¡¯s indifferent pout soon cracked with a snort and the jenga thus fell after shaking a little.

    He wondered what face Yeorum was making.

    After losing the game, Bom was in for the punishment. While she bent down, the kids drummed on her back*. There were two pairs of hands gently tapping her back but one of the kids used their elbow. Along with a loud thud, Bom raised her head in surprise and found Kaeul, Gyeoul and the baby chicken throwing meaningful nces at Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In any case, the loser had to prepare for the next game. Bom gathered the blocks together indifferently and built a tower with them while Yeorum giggled and chortled from the side.

    Only then did Yu Jitae realise why the kids were all so focused in the game. It seemed that Yeorum was making everyone else serious.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Hung?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very good at ying.¡±

    ¡°Dafuq¡­¡±

    She ignored him with little regard and asked a different question.

    ¡°By the way, why are you just there doing nothing?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Go there and join.¡±

    While saying that, Yeorum pointed at the space next to Bom, but he didn¡¯t go there.

    ¡°You¡¯re unexpectedly very kind. That¡¯s great,¡± he added.

    ¡°Ah, what the heck are you saying. You crazy or what.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What are you even doing right now? You sound like an old man.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    While the kids were ying another round, Yu Jitae wrote down the review of Yeorum¡¯spliment on the paper¡­

    After the game, it was time to clean up. Bom and Gyeoul, who lost the most, were assigned to clean the empty packets, cans and bottles. Although they could simply make the protector do it, it seemed that cleaning up was what they had on the line for their games. Yu Jitae quietly watched them for a bit, before speaking to Gyeoul, who was diligently gathering the rubbish.

    ¡°You¡¯re good at cleaning rubbish.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Gyeoul gazed up at Yu Jitae and tilted her head.

    ¡°Even though you can make others do it, you¡¯re doing it yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡±

    She smiled and nodded. After that, she was more enthusiastic at cleaning the rubbish. It seemed that she was content with thepliment.

    He wrote down the review of Gyeoul¡¯spliment on the provided document.

    Finally, it was Bom¡¯s turn.

    However, he couldn¡¯t see anything to reallypliment her for. She was normal throughout the games; she wasn¡¯t overly enthusiastic nor did she do anything eye-catching.

    Yu Jitae contemted endlessly about what he had topliment her for, and in the end, he couldn¡¯t give her anypliments until the end of the gaming session.

    ***

    At night, Yu Jitae decided to cook for the first time in a very long time.

    He bought four handfuls of medium-sized mackerels from a nearby supermarket for some fried fish.

    The only meals he could make were coarse and simple ones that he was forced to make during the long field operations he had. Due to that, he always preferred buying meals but for some reason, he felt like cooking today.

    After removing the head, he removed the guts and the gills, as well as the scales. After wiping the moisture off of the fish, he removed the long spine and cut off the rib cages that protected the guts. He went through the same process eight times.

    Then, he simply dipped them inside soju. This should erase most of the fish smell, or so he heard. Reflecting on the meals made by his pastrades, he could remember that they fermented the fish, but he didn¡¯t know how to do that.

    He tried to look for flour but could only find pancake powder, which was most likely bought by Bom. Cursorily he threw the fish over the powder and cursorily seasoned it with salt and pepper. Then, he fried crushed garlic with spring onions to add vour to the oil.

    Chii¡­

    The mackerels went on top of the frying pan, absorbing the fragrant oil. Vacantly frying the fish, doubts popped up in his tranquil mind.

    Why wasn¡¯t he able topliment Bom? Of course, his so-calledpliments might have been inefficient and awkward, but that was beside the point.

    When and how shouldpliments be given.

    Was it correct to only praise them for doing something well?

    Chiiik¡­ It was when he was staring at the mackerels, with an unfamiliar trail of thought going through his brain.

    ¡°¡­Oh.¡±

    Gyeoul came next to him and nced at what he was doing. Since she had trouble seeing what was inside the frying pan, she had to stand on her toes.

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡±

    ¡°Fried mackerels.¡±

    ¡°¡­Smells, good.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s good.¡±

    He casually flipped the mackerels. The pancake powder had been fried and had turned darker. Although he had to rely on distant and hazy memories, it appeared simr to the one in his memories.

    Looking from the side, she gave a remark, ¡®Wow¡¯. Judging from her reaction, it seemed that the fish looked nice.

    While he was continuing to cook the fish, a nonchntment from Gyeoul struck his ears.

    ¡°¡­You look cool.¡±

    In the midst of flipping the mackerels, he turned to the child.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Can you say that again?¡¯

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi cooking.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­Looks cool.¡±

    After saying that, she went to the living room and called the other kids for dinner.

    Left alone, he thought to himself.

    ¡®You look cool¡¯.

    Was that apliment? It seemed like it, since the adjective ¡®cool¡¯ was something that brightened up others¡¯ mood.

    However, he didn¡¯t do anything well there. He didn¡¯t make the best fried mackerels nor did he give it a lot of effort.

    Just like how Bom simply yed games.

    Yu Jitae likewise simply cooked.

    And yet was the childplimenting him for that?

    ¡°Wow. Looks nice. Did you make them yourself?¡±

    ¡°Wahh. Thanks for the food!¡±

    Even when the kids were eating the fried mackerels with some side dish, soup and rice, Yu Jitae contemted the meaning behind Gyeoul¡¯spliment. He had dwelled on this topic before but wasn¡¯t able toe up with the answer.

    If he had a child.

    Did he have topliment them for doing something well,

    Or should hepliment them for the action itself.

    Compliment them for diligently cleaning up the rubbish,

    Orplement them for simply enjoying a fun game?

    The former option was a reward for an achievement, while thetter sounded like an encouragement for the person itself.

    At the time, he was okay with not finding the answer but now he had to, and usually, it was Bom who knew these things the best.

    ¡°Nn? Compliments?¡±

    After having dinner, Yu Jitae called Bom over to the terrace. Darkness already covered the night sky, and with only the light bulb of the terrace lighting up the area, Bom asked back.

    ¡°What aboutpliments?¡±

    ¡°When¡¯s the right time forpliments.¡±

    ¡°¡¯When¡¯?¡±

    Yu Jitae exined the gist aboutplimenting the achievement and the process. Bom vacantly looked into his eyes before giving a nod.

    ¡°What do you think.¡±

    She touched her lower lips and contemted after listening to his story.

    ¡°That¡¯s hard¡­ if you justpliment them for doing well, it coulde across as a controlled reward of some sort.¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul became more enthusiastic with cleaning as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, but that¡¯s too oue-focused. If she didn¡¯t clean diligently, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten apliment, right? In that case, instead of being apliment for Gyeoul, it¡¯s more like apliment for cleaning up something dirty¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°But it feels likeplimenting them for simply cleaning, even when they¡¯re not doing it properly, isn¡¯t that good either.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°If you givepliments for everything, what meaning would it have?¡±

    ¡°Would it be meaningless?¡±

    ¡°Themon ones be less expensive right? No-one wants things that anyone else could have.¡±

    It sometimes struck him, but it felt like her mind was like a desert even though she liked taking care of flowers.

    In any case, it ultimately meant that both types ofpliments were bad because they were too heavily nted to one side.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Her eyes staring off into the distance turned vacant. The green indifferent pair of eyes appeared as if they were staring through a mountain. After nkly staying like that for a while, she turned towards him with a brighter look on her face.

    ¡°Ah. What about this then?¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Firstly, you praise them for their achievements. That will increase the value of thepliment. And¡­¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°You lower the standards significantly.¡±

    ¡°For example?¡±

    ¡°Just then, Gyeoul and I cleaned our room but that was something we decided to do.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Since that was something we did voluntarily, it¡¯s something worth receiving apliment.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Tell me more.¡±

    ¡°If Gyeoul draws something, for example, and you were only givingpliments for great achievements, then she can only be praised for drawing something very nice right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°But, let¡¯s say she was simply trying to draw a pretty circle. At the start, it won¡¯t be pretty but after working on it, it will be more round in the end. If she creates a nice, round circle¡­ although that¡¯s great and all, it¡¯s nothing amazing right?¡±

    After imagining Gyeoul drawing a circle in his head, he gave a nod.

    ¡°But Gyeoul did what she wished to do and achieved it. So, can¡¯t you give herpliments for things like that even if they¡¯re not amazing?¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    He nodded once again. In other words, he couldpliment them for an ¡®oue¡¯ no matter how small it may be. Instead of looking down on a circle for being a small achievement, he could praise her for it since it was what the child had wished to do.

    In that case, it won¡¯t be simply oue-focused and would contain care and feelings for that person. At the same time, it¡¯s still apliment for achievement so there was no need to worry about the worth ofpliments going down.

    It sounded pretty good to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Thanks. I learned something.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re teaching me something new every time.¡±

    The Regressor realised that this was an opportunity for apliment.

    ¡°You¡¯re very smart.¡±

    After saying that, he turned towards the darkened sky. Thus, he couldn¡¯t spot her expression turning brighter in real time. Widening her eyes into circles, Bom pondered before opening her mouth with a whisper.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°I, think I said something wrong.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s actually a goodpliment that can be given, even if they don¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    Still in her pyjamas, Bom sneaked her way towards him. The Regressor slightly pulled his body back, but she now gave little regard to that and approached him again. When he took another step back, she walked even closer with a pout.

    ¡°What are you trying to do.¡±

    The terrace wasn¡¯t that spacious and Yu Jitae soon realised that there was no point in repeating the process.

    ¡°Compliment. Come on. Compliment.¡±

    After stopping right in front of him, Bom tucked her green hair behind her ear.

    ¡°You still don¡¯t know what it is?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gazing up at his face from under his chin, she muttered. When she pushed her face towards him, the green pair of eyes appeared even bigger. Although they weren¡¯t touching each other, looking into her eyes made perplexity bloom in full.

    ¡°How do I look?¡±

    What do you mean, how. He had to look for the right answer.

    As expected, she was simply being mischievous again. Despite knowing that he wasn¡¯t aware of what he had to say, she was approaching him like this and if he mumbled for words here, he would definitely be aughing stock.

    His brain started to think rapidly in the moment of perplexity.

    What suddenly popped up in his head, was a memory of what happened previously at the same spot.

    The distance between them,

    This ce where they were at,

    The dark sky in the background,

    All these elements were the same as before. While being so perplexed that he had to look away, he put to words what he couldn¡¯t say before, as if running away.

    ¡°Pretty, of course.¡±

    That was when Bom stopped her march. The pressure she was giving off likewise disappeared so he turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯m going back in.¡± This time, he managed to not be aughing stock of the child.

    Bom spent a lot of time outside on the terrace before finally opening the door anding back into the house.

    *

    ¡°Unni.¡±

    Yeorum knocked on Bom¡¯s door. She didn¡¯t get a response but Bom was definitely inside her room.

    ¡°Hello? Oi. Yu Bom.¡±

    Since she still didn¡¯t get any reply back, Yeorum pushed the door wide open and stepped inside, and found Bom lying down on the bed with her face buried into the pillow.

    ¡°What are ya doing? Staying like that and not saying anything?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­What.¡±

    ¡°You know, like, let me borrow that book you boughtst time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Nn.¡±

    She was giving it away rather easily. While thinking that, Yeorum nervously took the paranormal romance book into her hands. However, Bom stayed lying down without moving an inch until she left the room.

    What was she doing?

    Upon closer inspection, Yeorum realised that her white toes were twitching up and down.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her¡­?¡±

 Chapter 192: Happy Happy Funeral

    <h4>Chapter 192: Happy Happy Funeral</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯ll be staying inside the workshop for a while,¡± said BM.

    With a loosened gaze, Ha Saetbyul looked at him and giggled.

    ¡°Hihi, why¡­?¡±

    ¡°Taebaek died.¡±

    ¡°Euungg¡­?¡±

    She asked, wondering what this was about.

    ¡°That¡¯s all you need to know for now. Don¡¯t look for me and let Bell know as well.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ umm¡­¡±

    Before Ha Saetbyul could say anything, the workshop¡¯s door came to a close. Limply swaying her dull body, Ha Saetbyul peeked through the window of the workshop so BM closed the blinds.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    Left alone, she scratched her hair.

    The workshop of the undergroundbyrinth was pitch dark when the light was turned off. It was different when the area was filled with incubators and test tubes. Back then, the fluids had been generating light so it was never dark even when the lights were off and BM¡¯s sleeping ce had never been truly dark.

    After making Jung Taebaek, he got rid of all the incubators and other apparatus which no longer served any purpose.

    Even then, it was fine. Jung Taebaek was a child whose mere existence emitted light and it had never urred to him that the workshop was dark.

    And yet now that Jung Taebaek was no longer here.

    The workshop with its light turned off, felt ever so dark.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Though he couldn¡¯t see anything, BM could see it ¨C the workshop decorated like a yground area still had toys although the child had disappeared.

    In any case, he wasn¡¯t my own child. He wasn¡¯t the child of my two friends either.

    Thus, BM should¡¯ve been able to get rid of all the toys, books and lego blocks that the child was ying with, as soon as he recovered his feelings.

    So why was it that he still couldn¡¯t get rid of them?

    BM reached forth and grasped the alphabet book which Jung Taebaek used to y with the most. Flipping past the first page, he found a name written with a scribble.

    Jung Bongman

    It was the first set of words Taebaek learned when he started learning the alphabet with Yu Yeorum.

    ¡®I¡¯m your father.¡¯

    ¡®My name is Jung Bongman.¡¯

    Those were BM¡¯s words, facing the child who flowed out from the incubator with ambient fluids inside the boss room of an S ranked dungeon. Unable to even open his eyes, the child tilted his head and copied his words.

    ¡®Ju Bo Man?¡¯

    Although it was but a chimera,

    And the chimera was long dead,

    The child, who was to him, none other than Jung Taebaek,

    Wrote BM¡¯s name, saying that it was his father¡¯s name.

    Though the child was dead, the ¡®moments¡¯ of the child thinking about him remained here as evidence. That¡¯s why BM couldn¡¯t discard these things.

    If he were to meet the real Taebaek in the future, he had to get rid of these things for sure and yet the fact that he couldn¡¯t do it, suggested that the left-behind objects were the proof of the lingering feelings hiding deep inside his heart.

    Suddenly, the wooden block that the child used to cuddle in his sleep, was caught in his sight.

    Reaching forth, he carried the block and touched the traces of the sharp teeth.

    ¨C Crazy.

    That was when something spoke to him in his mind. It was the monster of Arandot, Kalyavan, a chimera attached to BM¡¯s head.

    ¨C Why didn¡¯t you just let it be if you were going to be this stupid?

    ¨C Oi human. Why can¡¯t you be rational?

    ¨C You were this close to being f*cked.

    ¨C The thing was acting cute and all, pretending to be a kid asking for food, but if it umted more power, it would¡¯ve escaped for sure, no?

    ¨C What would it do after escaping? Do whatever it wants to by mingling with other people.

    ¨C Eat by stealing from others, and absorbing their power after killing them.

    ¨C Who would ever catch that thing, when it can pretend to be the person it eats? If it creates 200 fake identities and changes its gender and appearance every time, how the heck would anyone catch it?

    ¨C Then it would make new chimeras with the engineering data left behind on its own body, create an army and act like a boss and go, ¡®Ahem ahem, I¡¯m your god~¡¯ or some crap lol.

    ¨C What would that be in the end? Huh?

    ¡­

    ¨C Look at this idiot ignoring us¡­

    ¨C Wouldn¡¯t it be the 2nding of Gnosis!!

    Gnosis.

    It was the crazy human-type chimera that pushed the alternate dimension Arandot into destruction. At the same time, it was the previous owner of [Eyes of Abraxas (S-)], which BM currently owned.

    ¨C Oi you stupid eyes.

    ¨C Mate, try say something you stupid bastard.

    ¨C ¡­Hmm.

    ¨C What ¡®hmm¡­¡¯? Say something. Did your owner do that or what.

    ¨C He did¡­

    ¨C Is it dangerous or what.

    ¨C It¡¯s dangerous¡­

    ¨C Right. So you did great getting rid of it. Jung Bongman! You did great!

    ¨C Lol right. You did.

    ¨C Lolololol. Agreed.

    The chimeras bbered inside his head.

    BM remained quiet.

    He knew it himself. Everything in the world seemed to be supporting the death of the child.

    He knew it in his head. His head was clearly aware of it but¡­

    ¨C Oi, you heart!

    ¨C ?

    ¨C You stupid idiot. Damn retard. Aren¡¯t you upset? You almost got eaten by that stupid little kid.

    ¨C Ye¡­

    ¨C Say something andin to this bastard you retard.

    ¨C Dude. He¡¯s sick, leave him alone.

    ¨C Ye¡­

    It was a lot louder than usual, so BM turned their voices off.

    He wanted to stay quiet, without any interruption.

    But when he remained silently inside the darkness, a sense of emptiness reared its head. He had told Yu Jitae that he wasn¡¯t nning to take any extreme measures and it was true. However, at least for now, it was agonising for BM to breathe. It was so painful that he would prefer to die instead.

    Just for today, he wanted to die.

    BM thought to himself.

    A person with a wounded heart couldn¡¯t see their wound. The fact that they couldn¡¯t see the wound despite being in pain in turn made them more anxious. There was no reason for me to be in pain, so why?

    Only by creating a physical wound on their own body were they able to get a peace of mind. They consoled themselves saying that this is why they are in pain.

    That was the thought process of those that harmed themselves, and it was exactly the thing that was on BM¡¯s mind.

    If he was in so much pain, he wanted the proof of the thing that was causing him to be so distressed and confirm it with his own eyes.

    Would my own dead corpse be enough?

    It was when such extreme thoughts were going past his brain.

    Maybe it had been a few hours, or a few days.

    It started bustling outside.

    Kung Kwang Kung Kwang.

    The sound echoed regrly, as if they were bashing something. Even when he tried to ignore it by closing his eyes, the vibration was sent to him through the floor.

    That abnormal sensation shook the time he was trying to spend alone.

    He endured it,

    But after enduring it for so long,

    He finally couldn¡¯t help himself and irritatedly opened the door of the workshop to confirm what was happening in the inner room of the undergroundbyrinth.

    There, arge picture of Taebaek¡¯s face was hanging like a poster. The corners of therge image were taped off with ck tape, like a portrait of the deceased but the strange thing was that the special force agents were dancing in front of the portrait.

    Were they ying around?

    In that moment, his emotions furiously surged forth.

    ¡°Oi. You¡ª¡±

    BM bellowed.

    ¡°WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU¡¯RE DOING¡ª!¡±

    It was the shout of the second officially strongest person in the world. The yell resonated through the entire inner room and the dust that had umted on the Fragment of Paradise all scattered.

    ¡°Uhht¡­? You¡¯re here, Mister Nurse¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hahahat¡­¡±

    Despite being surprised, they gave murky smiles. The faces which he usually found bright and cheerful were kicking a few safety pins away from his head today.

    BM ran up, picked the portrait and threw it down on the floor. The frames that were awkwardly crafted by putting pieces of wood together crumbled and the windows of the houses inside the inner room shattered.

    nk!

    The dancing ones awkwardly stopped their bodies.

    As the music came to a stop, the energy of the ones that were dancing and drumming their instruments all sank. BM¡¯s force was strong enough to momentarily shatter the prevailing happiness caused by the Light of Paradise.

    ¡°Bell Baryon¨C!¡±

    BM shouted. Soon, the captain of the special force squad, arge woman, carefully walked up to him.

    ¡°What is this about, Bell.¡±

    ¡°Mister Nurse¡­ could you tell me why you¡¯re so upset¡­¡±

    ¡°My child died, and yet you¡¯re dnacing and ying in front of me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Exin this right now. Make me understand!¡±

    Unable to control his fury, BM¡¯s hands trembled.

    The calm nurse is angry¡­! Someone might die if he doesn¡¯t calm down¡­!

    The agents turned nervous and racked their slow brains.

    ¡°We were, paying respect to the deceased child¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you express dancing and ying as paying respect? You must have all gone seriously insane. If I kill all of you and dance on top of your corpses, is that paying respect for you too? Huh¨C!?¡±

    Nervously, Bell avoided his eyes.

    ¡°Get rid of this crap. Right now¡ª!¡±

    However, there was no-one who readily moved themselves. Right when BM was about to burst off into another shout, Bell Baryon opened her mouth with a tiny whisper.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying bizarre things, Mister Nurse¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Is staying holed up in darkness and crying the only way to pay respect¡­?¡±

    Behind the pair of sunsses, the gaze of the thin man turned sharp like a sword.

    ¡°Then are you telling me jumping and dancing are paying respect?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have already heard it from the doctor¡­¡±

    ¡°Heard what?¡±

    ¡°He said it was a meaningful death¡­ the child was a fake and had to die¡­ and had no choice but to die¡­¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°A life going to and from is in ordance with Providence¡­ Then the death of a child that should die, although sad, is the correct thing, is it not¡­?¡±

    BM¡¯s head started being muddled withplex thoughts.

    ¡°Although the child has already left us¡­ we were together for a while¡­ He was like my son¡­ It¡¯s not just me. That¡¯s what everyone here thought¡­ The red-haired boy; although he looked different on the outside, he was just like my son who¡¯s in a very distantnd¡­ so we were able to smile¡­ although it was only for a short 3 weeks¡­¡±

    BM clenched his lips.

    ¡°Look. Mister Nurse. That¡¯s the child¡¯s face¡­¡±

    Bell Baryon pointed at the portrait that BM threw onto the ground ¨C the face of the boy taken with the camera, that was intended to be used for sending a photo for Kaeul.

    ¡°And that, is the drum we made with the child¡­¡±

    BM turned to the clumsy drum, made unskillfully with leather.

    That was true. Once the anger that covered his eyes dissipated, he remembered that all the agents here that were from Africa, had made a traditional drum and yed with the child for three weeks.

    ¡°And, our dance, was the dance the child learned from Saetbyul¡­¡±

    Afterughing, ¡®Huhu¡¯, Bell Baryon twitched her muscles and started a strange dance.

    ¡°Although it was a short meeting¡­ and he¡¯s not here anymore¡­ we will remember the child till our death and we are paying respect for his final moments¡­¡±

    ¡°With such stupid baseless acts?¡±

    ¡°Is the method a problem¡­? It¡¯s ¡®our¡¯ method, what we did together with the child¡­¡±

    His surging fury gradually dissolved. His emotions that reached into the endless depths, slowly calmed themselves down.

    ¡°¡­¡­Got it.¡±

    With staggering steps, BM walked far off to the walls of the inner room and copsed on the ground.

    Taking that as an approval, the muscles started wriggling again as they began a bizarre dance.

    Kungtatak! Kungtatak! The drums echoed with a difficult rhythm which Taebaek had been unable to follow. However, the dance and the drums were off-beat.

    It was all over the ce.

    Staring at them, he couldn¡¯t help butugh bewilderedly.

    They¡¯re all mental.

    Why was I seriously listening to the words of some idiots¡­

    But as the mental patients continued dancing,

    Hearing the clumsy sound of the drums,

    And when the crumbled portrait was finally lifted albeit awkwardly,

    BM couldn¡¯t stop his tears from gushing out.

    ¡°Hehe¡­ Nurrse is cryingg¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you crying¡­? Hahat¡­¡±

    As if they had never been scared before, the agents walked up and teased him. BM was crying continuously without even having the power to tell them to go away, when Ha Saetbyul approached him with a smile and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Hehe¡­ Apparently you can die if you want to¡­¡±

    ¡°What? Are you telling me to die?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ Just die¡­¡±

    ¡°Go away,dy.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ if you don¡¯t want to die, he said to think of things that are worth expecting¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Expectation makes people live on¡­¡±

    It was unclear who she heard this from, but after finishing what she had to say, she started dancing by twitching her butt around.

    Those words were strangely consoling.

    Soon when he was left alone in the corner, he thought to himself.

    Instead of the boy who left after a short period of time, there was the child who had been the objective of his entire life ¨C the son of his two friends who cannot be substituted by anything in this world,

    If he expected the second meeting with that child¡­

    Maybe it was fine to live today.

    *

    The next day,

    BM got rid of all the belongings of the child that had once filled the workshop.

 Chapter 193: The Happenings of a Certain Night (1)

    <h4>Chapter 193: The Happenings of a Certain Night (1)</h4>

    As darkness enveloped the house, the man who couldn¡¯t fall asleep, changed his body to be like that of a sleeping person.

    Closing his eyes, he shut his ears. By dropping the blood pressure, he slowed down the heart, lowered his temperature and metabolism.

    As he got stronger, the inefficient aspects as a human were reformed. Since sleep was the most inefficient action, he was now unable to fall asleep.

    In the midst of the darkness,

    He opened his ears a little and listened to the sounds of Unit 301.

    The kids were all sleeping soundly.

    Their snoring and breathing sounds reached him through the wall. They were all sleeping well ¨C except for one. After listening to the rustling sounds for a bit, Yu Jitae closed his ears once again.

    The next time he opened his eyes, it should be morning.

    Knock knock.

    But that was when someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Slowly, the door was pushed open. Yeorum came in wearing baggy pyjamas, looking like she had bitten on a rock.

    ¡°¡­Were you sleepin¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She was the only one that wasn¡¯t sleeping. Wondering what was wrong with her, he increased his sense of hearing by a bit. It seemed that there was something she was discontent with, judging from the moody expression and her fast-beating heart.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°I just wanna stay here for a bit.¡±

    ¡°What happened.¡±

    ¡°Dunno, don¡¯t ask. I¡¯m so mad. For f*ck¡¯s sake¡­¡±

    With twitching lips, she went to his chair and rxed her body there. The backrest of the chair leaned back as shefortablyid herself down.

    He was about to ignore her and close his eyes when she opened her mouth again.

    ¡°You know, can you kill someone for me?¡±

    Now what was this about.

    ¡°Why. Who is it.¡±

    ¡°Some fuc*ed up b*tch.¡±

    ¡°Name.¡±

    ¡°Dunno.¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to kill them.¡±

    ¡°¡®Cuz I feel like shit¡­¡±

    Was she giving him a riddle or something? Yu Jitae opened his eyes and raised his body.

    ¡°What gender.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a woman.¡±

    ¡°And why don¡¯t you know their name.¡±

    ¡°Carrot girl¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°N, no. Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to kill them then.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seemingly discontent, she scratched her own hair until it was in a mess. The moonlight seeping through the window lit up her red hair.

    ¡°Look. Listen, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°For example, let¡¯s say there is butter chicken.¡±

    ¡°What butter chicken.¡±

    ¡°Ah, let¡¯s just say there is. Anyway, butter chicken means chicken melted in butter right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Am I right or wrong.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s butter made from chicken, that would be chicken butter instead. Right?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Then, paranormal romance should be romance with paranormal stuff, no?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae was thrown off after trying to seriously listen to her words. What was she trying to say?

    ¡°Why, like why. They¡¯re about to kiss, and, f*ck. Huh? Why is a ghost suddenly popping out? Why? It should be called romance paranormal then. Why is it called paranormal romance?¡±

    He finally understood a bit of what she was saying.

    Yeorum often read something at night by sacrificing 2 hours of her sleep. It was because she had no time during the day due to training and lessons.

    He thought she was just reading something erotic as always but it seemed that she was reading a horror novel these days.

    ¡°So what, you want me to kill the author?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°I know. I know it doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­ I just said it because I was mad¡­¡±

    Since there was no way that the Red Dragon was being afraid of ghosts, it seemed that she was startled from an unexpected turn of events.

    ¡°What book is it.¡± He asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the title.¡±

    ¡°Wh, why?¡±

    ¡°Just curious.¡±

    ¡°Uh, the house own¡­ No. You don¡¯t need to know.¡±

    After saying that, she shut her mouth. Then, she observed Yu Jitae with meaningful gazes ¨C she red at his face and slowly shifted her gaze down to his body and the feet, before staring at his face again.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°You know. Are you hiding something from me?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, just stay still for now.¡±

    She carefully approached the bed. When he remained still, she reached forth and tapped him on his face. Although he had no idea why, she appeared slightly nervous so he decided to follow her request and stay still.

    But when she tapped him on the nose and squeezed his earlobes as well as his cheeks, he became annoyed.

    He opened his mouth.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    His body, which had beenpletely still, suddenly started moving. That seemed to have surprised Yeorum and she eximed in fright.

    ¡°Ah, f*ck. That surprised me¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°I told you to stay still¡­!¡±

    Although she didn¡¯t shout because it was in the middle of the night, she instead disapprovingly pinched him as hard as she could on his cheek. However, it didn¡¯t hurt.

    She only returned to her own room once her heart rate slowed down significantly.

    He had absolutely no idea what was wrong with her.

    Meanwhile, after returning to her room, Yeorum carefully raised the book.

    [The House Owner¡¯s Dangerous Secret]

    [Author: Carrot Girl]

    Since it was a ¡®dangerous¡¯ secret, she was expecting this(?) and that(?) but¡­

    It was a ghost. An extremely scary one at that¡­

    She casually tossed the unpleasant book away and turned towards Yu Jitae¡¯s room.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a story about this house.

    ***

    Afterwards, he was about to close his eyes again when someone knocked on the door again at dusk.

    Knock knock.

    Wondering who it was this time, he looked beyond the door. Wearing a ck, loose t-shirt and a short pair of pants, her blonde hair reflected even the smallest light source above the ck shirt.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door slowly opened and Kaeul peeked from behind the door. Her golden eyes that were staring at him weren¡¯t as bright as always. When Yu Jitae raised his body, she greeted him.

    ¡°Hello¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Hi.¡±

    Even then, she was hesitant abouting inside.

    ¡°Why. Is there something you want to say.¡±

    ¡°Yess¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Chirpy left the house.¡±

    ¡°What? The baby chicken left?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. In secret¡­ through the window.¡±

    ¡°Today?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Around 3 minutes ago¡­ Ah, he started doing itst week¡­¡±

    Her head was still the only thing inside the room so he told the child toe in. After carefullying into his room, she closed the door.

    Last week huh¡­

    It seemed that the baby chicken spirit beast had been sessfully deceiving Kaeul for a very long time. It was almost half a year ago that it started leaving the house two or three times a weeks at night.

    Kaeul sat next to him on the bed.

    ¡°Actually,st week, I scolded him a little¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. How?¡±

    ¡°Like, like, if you want to go outside, you can do that when we go out on a walk¡­ you shouldn¡¯t leave the house in the middle of the night in secret¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°And, this guy, he left again¡­¡±

    Wearing a gloomy look on her face, she interlocked her fingers and wriggled her thumb. For Kaeul, the baby chicken Chirpy was a target of guidance and protection.

    Kaeul was its guardian.

    ¡°What should I do? Why is he leaving the house? I, told him not to leave¡­ He¡¯s always, always leaving the housee¡­ Should I scold him more¡­?¡±

    ¡°How would you scold him.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ If you do that, I¡¯ll get angry? I¡¯ll p p you!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll definitely scare him off.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, should I like, be serious¡­? Like¡­¡±

    Clenching her lips, she closed her eyes for a bit, seemingly reflecting and imagining something. By the time she reopened her eyes.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    A decadent gaze, unthinkable to be from the 7th iteration¡¯s Kaeul, was hanging on her eyes.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m ying jokes here?¡±

    If she did that, the baby chicken would faint.

    He shook his head.

    ¡°No. Not that.¡±

    ¡°Hukk¡­ Was that bad?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°Aht. Okay¡­¡±

    One day, Kaeul had to know. She had to know what the baby chicken was doing behind her back and what it¡¯s goal was.

    The Regressor had been constantly saying that to himself, but he realised that today was the day.

    ¡°Kaeul. Come here and sit down.¡±

    He hesitated a little.

    In the 4th iteration,

    Half out of her mind, Baby Yellow had strangled the parrot but treated it with utmost care afterwards due to a sense of guilt. But before long, the parrot flew out of the cage and didn¡¯t return.

    He, who had been an observer back then, watched every little action of Baby Yellow ¨C the gold hatchling who only knew how to be cared for and loved.

    The only target whom she loved first was that parrot and BY therefore greatly despaired when the parrot disappeared. It was to the point that she cancelled two days of schedule and stayed in her room crying all day.

    But after a week, and a month, something extremely bizarre happened.

    Baby Yellow became more mature in a short period of time from the separation. Reflecting on those days, all sorts of memories shed past his brain.

    However, the separation back then was way too sudden for Baby Yellow. Since she wasn¡¯t able to mentally prepare herself at all, a greater fissure was created in her emotions.

    Coincidentally, something simr was approaching her again. It might be natural since this was a part of living a daily life, and those who wished to live normal lives couldn¡¯t simply live in a greenhouse.

    If Kaeul had to be more mature in this iteration, he wished her to be in less pain than before.

    Coming to a conclusion, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°What if. It¡¯s just a what if.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°If the baby chicken wanted to leave us, how would you feel.¡±

    Kaeul widened her eyes.

    ¡°Sorry? W, why would he¡­?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too startled. It¡¯s nothing but a what if.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. Chirpy is our family right? Why? Why would he ever want to leave us?¡±

    ¡°If he has a house or a ce to return to, or a reason that he must go?¡±

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to send him¡­?¡±

    ¡°But what if he needs to leave?¡±

    ¡°What if, I, don¡¯t want to send him, so so much¡­?¡±

    ¡°What if he wants to?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t hide her confusion.

    ¡°¡­Do we have to send him away?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a what if.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She covered her mouth with her two hands and her disheartened gaze soon headed towards the ground.

    This child, ever so young, was not prepared in the slightest for a farewell.

    ¡°¡­¡­If Chirpy leaves, will he be happy?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°Is he not happy when he¡¯s with me¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it. He would be happy staying with you as well.¡±

    ¡°Then why would he leave¡­? I, I just don¡¯t, understand¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a what if.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    Her confused mind was evidently revealed from her voice. Staring at the ground with sunken gold eyes, she remained silent for a very long time. By the time she reopened her mouth, she was lying down next to him on the bed.

    ¡°I thought about it, but it¡¯s too hard¡­¡±

    ¡°What is.¡±

    ¡°I love Chirpy¡­ If Chirpy wants to leave, and if that¡¯s good for Chirpy, I have to send him away right¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to¡­¡±

    After thinking by herself, she realised that she had no choice but to make a decision.

    If there was an existence that had to be sent off,

    Should you let them go because you love them?

    What if you don¡¯t want to because you love them?

    Baby Yellow didn¡¯t even have the chance to choose and had to suddenly send it off, but because she still loved the parrot, she wrote a song cheering for the freedom of the bird.

    It was the background story of the unprecedentedly groundbreaking song [Parrot], which was at the same time one of the most famous songs of BY.

    ¡°I want to see mommy¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please pat me on the head¡­¡±

    Heid his hand on the child¡¯s head. Slowly, he caressed the golden hair the way the child liked the most.

    Seemingly in the midst of mncholic thoughts, she stayed there for a few hours andter fell asleep without even realising it. She breathed quietly and steadily in her sleep.

    Yu Jitae carefully picked the child up and took her back to her room.

    *

    For some reason, tonight felt longer than usual, but he should be able to rest for a bit now.¡­

    The moment he thought that, someone knocked on the door.

    Knock knock¨C

    The sound echoed from the lower part of the door.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    When he gave a reply, the door slowly opened and a blue pair of eyes gazed at him. Gyeoul was peeking from behind the door.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    Now why was she here.

 Chapter 194: The Happenings of a Certain Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 194: The Happenings of a Certain Night (2)</h4>

    The blue-eyed child was very vignt. Yet she seemed to have something on her mind that she had to say.

    What was she trying to say, that she visited him in the middle of the night in secret? Yu Jitae contemted, but soon realised that the child was still peeking at him from behind the door, so he told her toe in.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He raised his body.

    The tiny pyjama suited her quite well. It was a pyjama set bought by Bom a few days ago.

    After carefullying into the room, the child nced at him trying to read his expression.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there something you want to say?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°What is it. Do you have trouble sleeping?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    ¡°Then, what is it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Fish tank.¡±

    ¡°Fish tank?¡±

    ¡°¡­I want, a fish tank but,¡±

    ¡°But,¡±

    ¡°¡­The room.¡±

    After listening up to that point, he could somewhat guess what Gyeoul was trying to say.

    Gyeoul was a blue dragon ¨C the race of water and ice; rain and fog. Every inhale and exhale of hers carried with it a dense cluster of water-attribute mana. A while back, he heard that the blue race tended to create theirirs near the ocean or argeke. That was how close they wanted to be with water.

    Until now, she had been using Bom¡¯s room. In that room, there were some flowers and nts that Bom ced ording to her preference. She had flowers, cacti, as well as small grasses and trees.

    But recently, he also remembered seeing a fish tank near the flower pots.

    ¡°There¡¯s a fish tank, right. Where¡¯d you get that from?¡±

    ¡°¡­Bom-unni, bought it.¡±

    ¡°Then you already have a fish tank. What¡¯s the problem?¡±

    ¡°¡­Too small.¡±

    ¡°You need something bigger?¡±

    Gyeoul nced at his face, before carefully nodding her head.

    It seemed that this was not simply due to the presence of a fish tank. Although Bom tried to be as thoughtful as possible, it would be more correct to say that Gyeoul was starting to yearn for her own personal ce, after shedding her skin.

    Although she was only one year old, her body was that of a 10-year old¡¯s, and she sometimes appeared even more mature than that.

    ¡°Why did you have to get up at night to say that. You could¡¯ve said it during the day.¡±

    ¡°¡­Bom-unni, might feel sad.¡±

    Then isn¡¯t it fine to say it when Bom wasn¡¯t at home? He thought, but didn¡¯t bother saying it out loud since she probably had her reasons.

    He thought to himself.

    Right now, there weren¡¯t any empty rooms in Unit 301. However, there was a room that was being used as a storage which they in fact didn¡¯t really need.

    Although the storage was small and dirty, the messy things could be cleaned while the small space wouldn¡¯t be a problem if the area was expanded by adding a small alternate dimension to it.

    Right. I got it.

    Yu Jitae, who was about to say that, suddenly had an unnecessary thought popping up in his mind.

    Why was it that he didn¡¯t want to simply give it to her? It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to just listen to her request with no questions asked, like what he had been doing the whole time.

    Perhaps because of the memory of teasing Yeorum once in the past, he realised that ¡®giving everything to them for no reason¡¯, was a rather boring thing. Following this strange trail of thought, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to though.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Hearing that, she was befuddled.

    Dragons were territorial spirit beasts, so Gyeoul also started hoping to have her own area as she grew older. Even while sleeping in Bom¡¯s room with touching skins, there was a part of her that found it ufortable.

    And when she heard from school that the kids she got acquainted with already had their own rooms, she was fairly surprised on the inside.

    However, she did be slightly nervous when trying to ask for such a thing. Although Yu Jitae almost never turned her down whenever she wanted something, that was only for stuff like gummies. It was clear that creating a non-existent room wouldn¡¯t be an easy task.

    So even though she was shocked at being rejected, it was a possible turn of events ording to the child¡¯s arithmetic calction.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Nevertheless, it was true that she felt sad inside. She looked at him with her lips nted down.

    Gaze: Are you still not going to do it for me?

    But for some unknown reason, Yu Jitae unknowingly avoided her eyes and ignored her gaze.

    That was when Gyeoul reflected on something that had happened a while back. What should one do when things weren¡¯t going the way they wanted it to?

    This was how.

    ¡°¡­Wait.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­Wait.¡±

    After saying that, Gyeoul sneaked her way out of Yu Jitae¡¯s room. By the time she came back, there was a re in her eyes that demonstrated her determination.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She walked towards him, and suddenly threw her hand forward.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hand.¡±

    Yu Jitae ced his hand on top of the child¡¯s small hand.

    Gyeoul nced at the surroundings, before carefully cing something that was folded countless times on his palm. She then closed his fingers on top of it.

    When he opened his hand, he found a note inside.

    It was a 1 dor note.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She was still staring at him with big, sharp eyes and it made the Regressor float a hazy and empty smile.

    Was this a bribe or something?

    It would be okay to do it now that he had received a bribe, but he felt like being mean today for some reason.

    ¡°1 dor won¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°¡­?!¡±

    Astonishment appeared in her wide eyes. She tilted her head in a fluster, before scratching herself on the back of her neck.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too little.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    It seemed that she was still bad with money and finance, perhaps because she was used to using his card which never ran out.

    Startled, she touched the sleeves of her pyjama before ncing up at his face.

    ¡°¡­I only have, 1 dor.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s, all I have.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°¡­Still no?¡±

    ¡°Still no.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you, a greedy man?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Where was she learning these words from?

    In any case, it was about time to stop being mean, seeing how she was dejectedly lowering her head. Why was he even doing this with the child? Thinking that it might be something he learned from Bom, he was about to say yes.

    That was when she scavenged through her pocket before taking something else out.

    It was another 1 dor note.

    ¡°What. You said you only had 1 dor.¡±

    She smiled embarrassedly. It seemed that she was using her brain as much as she could for the negotiation.

    ¡°So you were trying to deceive me.¡±

    ¡°¡­This time, it¡¯s real.¡±

    ¡°Give me everything you have.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really. That¡¯s everything.¡±

    Once again, it made him realise how much the child had grown.

    ¡°But how unfortunate.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Her behaviour made him meaner.

    ¡°2 dors won¡¯t be enough either.¡±

    It seemed that 2 dors were indeed everything she had. She pestered him, and eventually despaired after realising that 2 dors won¡¯t be enough. When she was about to burst into tears, Yu Jitae finally promised that he would make a room for her.

    Only then did her expression turn bright. She gave him a hug before returning to her room.

    He had to make a room for her soon.

    In any case,

    Tonight was a strange night.

    Usually, the kids never looked for him at night. Even if they did, it was at most 1 person a month and yet they wereing nonstop today. 3 in total¡­

    ¡°Are you sleeping?¡±

    ¡­It was 4 now.

    Because of the fuss Gyeoul created by leaving and entering the room, the owner of the room must have woken up. Bom knocked on the door which was left open by Gyeoul, beforeing into his room.

    Resting was out of the question now. The Regressor had to raise his body again.

    ¡°Why are you here. In the middle of the night.¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just woke up.¡±

    ¡°For no reason?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Maybe I¡¯m too old now¡­¡±

    As always, she was expressionless, but now she was careless on top of that. Slowly, she walked towards him and naturally sat on the bed.

    The time and ce weren¡¯t the best for just the two of them to share a conversation. He was thinking that when Bom slowlyid herself down on the bed.

    ¡°Did Gyeoule here by any chance?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. How did you know.¡±

    ¡°I think I woke up from the sound of hering back to the room.¡±

    ¡°She came for a bit.¡±

    ¡°What did she say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. She just spoke about some of her worries.¡±

    ¡°Hnn¡­¡±

    Nonchntly, she replied, ¡°I see,¡± before twisting her body until she wasfortably lying down on the bed. Her movements were stunningly natural.

    After closing her eyes faintly, she appeared as if she was about to go back to sleep, but suddenly widened her eyes after sensing something.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Did Kaeule here as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. How did you know.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I could smell her here¡­¡±

    ¡°She also had her worries. So we had a chat.¡±

    Her hair messily flowing onto the bed moved a little, as she lifted her head and gazed at him with her grass-coloured eyes.

    The first impression she gave off was that she was angry, but upon closer inspection, he realised that it was the same indifferent look as always.

    ¡°Ahh. About the baby chicken right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a bit weird, isn¡¯t he. Going around everyday with a group of other spirit beasts¡­¡±

    ¡°Have you seen something with Providence?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What was it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ There were a lot of roosters and chickens. A lot of baby chickens¡­¡±

    Bom slurred the end of her words while her eyes turned vacant. That was the expression she usually made, when she felt that the Providence she saw shouldn¡¯t be shared anymore.

    ¡°Anyways, go back to your room if you have nothing. Let me rest a little. The kids came all throughout the night; I couldn¡¯t rest at all.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have to rest.¡±

    ¡°That is true.¡±

    ¡°And why can¡¯t you rest now?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Is it because I¡¯m next to you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    She got up from the bed and headed to the chair. When she sat on the chair and rxed her body, the backrest of the chair fell backward.

    ¡°¡­¡­Nn?¡±

    Suddenly, she raised her body and blinked her eyes. She asked.

    ¡°Did Yeorume as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why did shee?¡±

    ¡°She apparently read a wrong novel.¡±

    ¡°A novel? Ah, right. She did borrow mine.¡±

    ¡°What did you give her?¡±

    ¡°A horror novel. The author is the one who won all the contests for 5 years straight as a romance author.¡±

    ¡°She said it was a paranormal romance book though.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. The author is a great writer. Apparently, she¡¯s winning all the contests with both romance and horror novels.¡±

    ¡°Must be a great author. Aren¡¯t you participating in a contest soon? You¡¯ll be going against her then.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s already around that time. Time really flies¡­¡±

    She leaned on the backrest of the chair as her body slowly declined once again. The Regressor remembered how Bom was pressing down on the keyboard all day every day. What should he say in a situation like this, he pondered before opening his mouth.

    ¡°Have you finished writing?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. There¡¯s still the epilogue.¡±

    ¡°Have you chosen your name.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. No, not yet¡­¡±

    ¡°And is there anything you find hard when you¡¯re writing?¡±

    ¡°There is.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    Her silence put a pause to the conversation. She slowly raised her body and sat up straight on the chair. Then, she turned towards Yu Jitae, with an expression that hid what was going through her mind.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡± She opened her mouth.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°If I like my novel too much.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I think it bes really difficult to write.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°When I upload it for others to read, and the readers don¡¯t like a part of the story or a person so much, it has to be changed right.¡±

    Hmm¡­

    Was that the case? Although he wasn¡¯t sure, he returned a nod in any case.

    Soon, Bom stood up from the chair and approached his bed again. Her movements were slow yet unreserved. She abruptly tried toy down on the bed, so he pulled his body away towards the wall.

    After lying down on the bed, she ced both of her hands on her stomach.

    ¡°But, I can¡¯t do it.¡±

    Why? Yu Jitae asked.

    Staring at him, she continued with a faint voice.

    ¡°I like my piece so, so much¡­¡± she replied with a voice soft and fragile.

    Hearing that, the Regressor thought to himself that the child had finally found her calling. Although young, she was from the green race and writing a novel seemed to have been the road for the child who liked making new things.

    She might have failed in making a huge aplishment in other iterations, but even in those iterations, she probably enjoyed writing stories all by herself.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. It¡¯s just a novel. Is there a need to be so serious?¡±

    ¡°I know. At the start, it was just a piece of work.¡±

    Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and looked at him with a clear gaze. When she did that, something strange started to happen.

    ¡°I, just started it because it looked fun.¡±

    Although her eyes contained not a sliver of mischievousness, Yu Jitae felt increasingly more perplexed for a bizarre reason.

    ¡°So why does, my heart feel so strange now.¡±

    Something; something that greatly wobbled and trembled like a hail, came crashing in.

    While saying that, she was caressing her own stomach with her two hands and seeing that gesture doubled his perplexity.

    It was truly strange. Wasn¡¯t she talking about the novel? He must be overthinking things. Yu Jitae shook his head and pushed aside the perplexity surging inside his heart.

    ¡°What should I do,¡± she asked.

    ¡°What else could you do. You have to continue writing.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°Once you finish writing it, no-one can say anything about it.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°You can enjoy it as much as you want when that timees.¡±

    It seemed that the words he randomly tossed out of his mouth were helpful. The perplexity left like an ebb and Bom nodded.

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°You got it?¡±

    ¡°For now¡­¡±

    Things were all finished for the time being.

    He never knew that Bom was so into her writing, but in any case, he wanted to rest a little now.

    ¡°If you got it, go back to your room. Let me rest a bit.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Bom clicked her fingers. With a click¨C, the mana shifted and opened the curtains.

    Goodness gracious. The sun was up without him even realising it.

    He gazed outside the window with hazy eyes before turning back towards Bom. She giggled as if she found something funny, before standing up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go buy breakfast.¡±

    With hazy eyes, he followed her outside the house.

    Those were the happenings of a certain night.

 Chapter 195: Important Task

    <h4>Chapter 195: Important Task</h4>

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clone 2,

    The young Yu Jitae, around 15 years of age, was staring off into the distance.

    He was currently at the isted dungeon, [Southern Boreal Forest].

    An isted dungeon referred to a half-closed dungeon, which monsters weren¡¯t able to leave at all. Because of that, people ignored the dungeon and the Southern Boreal Forest did not get a rank for itself.

    However, if it were to receive a rank, this dense, deep and immenselyrge forest would be SS+ at the very least, rivalling the most dangerous dungeons found on Earth until now.

    The Southern Boreal Forest looked like arge tower, driven into the ground. Each level had all sorts of bizarre environments and the lowest floor was around 300 levels deep.

    For thest two months, this young Yu Jitae had to wander around therge forest, which was as big as the Asian continent, despite receiving a map from Yu Jitae in his head.

    He killed thousands of monsters and went the wrong way dozens of times already.

    And atst, he was in the 290th floor underground.

    He finally reached the Witch¡¯s forest.

    ¡®You there?¡¯

    A message from Clone 1 echoed through his brain.

    ¡°Ah, yes. I just arrived.¡±

    Clone 2 spoke to his senior while urgently bending his back in a right-angle, despite there being no-one to see it.

    ¡°She¡¯s that great of a sorceress. Is that correct?¡±

    Staring off into the distance ¨C at therge tulip that appeared enormous regardless of the distance, he opened his mouth.

    That ce was the dwelling ce of the witch.

    ¡®Yeah.¡¯

    Yu Jitae was a regressor.

    Once upon a time, he was a superhuman swordsman. Sometimes, he was themander of an army andter became a chimera engineer. However, he almost never spared any time throughout those countless iterations for magic.

    It was because he had no talent in magic.

    ¡®She¡¯s the only human that can interfere with the directional coordinates of a fissure.¡¯

    ¡°That does sound amazing¡­¡±

    ¡®That woman used to be the sovereign of Earth, after all.¡¯

    Sovereign.

    Only one existence that was allowed to exist in a Providential world, that received the blessings of Providence.

    In the demon world, it was the Demon Archduke and on Earth, the witch used to be such an existence.

    ¡®I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t forgotten the information you got from our lord?¡¯

    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±

    Greedy and easy to see through.

    A woman who¡¯s feeling lonely after living alone for a long time, that needs someone to talk to.

    And¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­Uhh, can I please ask one thing?¡±

    ¡®No. You can¡¯t. It¡¯s about time for me to meet someone as well.¡¯

    ¡°Aht, yes. Good luck.¡±

    Clone 2 bent his back towards the thin air.

    The moment hismunication was cut off inside his head, Clone 2 started moving. While going down the thick forest, a strange odour touched his nose ¨C an odour resembling the rotting smell of corpses. Clone 2 soon realised that the smell was slowly rising up from the bottom of the cliff.

    Walking towards the cliff, he stopped in front and gazed down.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Beneath were things resembling mummies, which were used to be humans. There were dozens of corpses that appeared as if they were squeezed dry by something, and after more observation, he realised that all of them were male.

    Clone 2 couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly scared after reflecting on the memories that had been sent by Yu Jitae.

    His difort doubled.

    ¡°Umm, sunbae*.¡±

    Clone 2 looked for Clone 1, but no-one replied.

    ¡°Sunbae. I¡¯m in a bit of a serious situation.¡±

    Even then, Clone 1 didn¡¯t reply. It wasn¡¯t like he could call Yu Jitae for something like this either. At least that was usually the case.

    ¡°Sunbae. This is way too scary. If you don¡¯t respond, I have to talk to our lord about it.¡±

    ¡®You wanna die?¡¯

    ¡°Sorry¡­ Can I please ask one thing?¡±

    A sigh was heard in his head.

    ¡°What does it mean to give body?¡±

    ¡®What?¡¯

    ¡°From the memories I got, it was like, something¡­ extremely¡­¡±

    ¡®In the inner part of the witch¡¯s house will be a bedroom.¡¯

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡®Don¡¯t go in there.¡¯

    ¡°Ahh, yes sir.¡±

    ¡®And avoid all sorts of physical contact with the witch.¡¯

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, yes.¡±

    That was the end of their conversation.

    180cm tall with wide shoulders and a muscr body. Funnily enough, the 15 year old Yu Jitae who was more maturepared to others in terms of appearance, was in fact a lot slower than others when it came to ¡®those¡¯ things.

    Since only the important pieces of information were sent to him one by one, knowledge on ¡®those¡¯ things that were deemed the most unnecessary weren¡¯t shared.

    What in the world did physical contact have to do with the bedroom?

    Inside the memories sent by Yu Jitae were strange sounds and strange gestures.

    ¡°Huu¡­¡±

    After heaving a sigh and mentally preparing himself, Clone 2 walked into the building through the gaps between the petals of therge tulip.

    The petals started opening up and revealed the inside of arge pce in front of Clone 2.

    Although the long corridor was high and wide, it was empty and since not a single person was inside the well-ornamented building, it gave off a surreal atmosphere.

    Before long, the air in front of Clone 2 got dissected and showed four things inside that were protecting the house. They wererge soldiers with gray, full-ted armours ¨C living armours with a dense demonic aura.

    The Death Knights flickered their red eyes.

    ¡°I havee to meet Miss Witch, Valentine,¡± said Clone 2.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been expecting you. Go in.¡±

    Letting go of his difort, Clone 2 pushed open the golden doors that were between the Death Knights.

    Inside, on the throne resembling a blossoming flower, a woman was sitting down. Therge breasts that were unthinkable to be that of a human¡¯s reached his eyes first, but he quickly realised it was rude and raised his eyes a bit more.

    Wearing a red dress, shing golden ornaments and a decadent pair of eyes.

    The room was filled with a stinky and dirty smell, as if animals had been mating inside it. Finding that unpleasant, Clone 2 had to manage his facial expression.

    Soon, the marble-like voice came flowing out of her mouth.

    ¡°Wee.¡±

    Clone 2 looked at her.

    The mage who had grasped the world¡¯s Number 1 sorceress spot for the entire time ever since the New Era. The former rank 1, who at the same time used to be the leader of the Association.

    The Witch, [Berry Valentine], opened her mouth with a coquettish voice.

    ¡°Little boy.¡±

    ***

    Antonio Jefferson was living through hell.

    The disappearance of his close brother, the Shadow Human Ohn Sung-o was the start of his hell.

    Ever since he disappeared, Jefferson endlessly looked for him and even applied for a vacation to do so. Usually, he would spend this time doing the intriguing hobby of his, but he had long washed his hands off it.

    However, he was nowhere to be found and Jefferson had to hire another person to look for him. It was his own younger sister, who knew Ohn Sung-o for a long time herself.

    She too was a world ranker in the hundreds, and if it was her who was a veteran at chasing others, he was certain that she would definitely be able to find a trace of Ohn Sung-o at the very least.

    At the same time, the Association started to move.

    Aside from Jefferson, they began looking for Ohn Sung-o with their own search party.

    The Association was more aggressive at the search.

    The boss of the secret ops that Ohn Sung-o belonged to ¨C the Abyss Human, Atvache, left on a search mission wearing the Level 3 artifact, WOTA-13 (Complete stealth-type Armour) and started finding clues upon clues.

    And yet just this morning, the two of them disappeared.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A long-time brother who sincerely cared for him.

    His sister who had cried at her engagement ceremonyst week.

    When the key personnel of the Association and an important artifact had disappeared on top of that,

    As the chief aide of the Association ¨C as the brother of a long-time colleague, and as the brother of his younger sister,

    Jefferson greatly despaired from the depths of his heart.

    The problem was that the Association was still not aware of how he was at the centre of this incident. He would love to go there and let them know immediately, but there was nothing he knew about the opponent. In other words, it would be meaningless even if he let them know about it.

    Sitting down, the man finished smoking through an entire pack of cigarettes and ced his hand on his forehead.

    Drop¨C

    That was when a paper airne flew across and tapped him by the leg.

    He opened it, and found a city name, a cafe and time.

    It was the message from ¡®that guy¡¯.

    At an old age, he was still unmarried and was still living with his family. Going back home, he found his mother sobbing while hugging his sister¡¯s photo, crying where she suddenly went off to.

    Looking away from his mother, and pushing the maid away, he entered the dressing room himself and took out a tuxedo.

    It was the suit he first bought when he started off at the Association. And when he ced the suicide-oriented necktie artifact around his neck.

    The old man who was drunk from attention by bashing people up every weekend ¨C that disgraceful old man was no longer there.

    He looked at the mirror.

    The man inside the mirror doing his necktie, was the soldier who rose to be the chief aide of the chairman with his ability alone.

    *

    Antonio Jefferson.

    There were 2 reasons why his lord ¨C Yu Jitae ¨C was looking for this pathetic and wasted soldier.

    This man who was forced to spend his life like a watchdog of the chairman, was unexpectedly extremely gifted at military tactics.

    Looking back in the previous iterations, in the uing Second Great War, Jefferson prepared the right people at the right time and led the regional wars against monsters and demons to victory.

    The biggest achievement worth having a big talk on, was how he was able to kill a catastrophe-ranked demon with just 7 rankers. Considering how it was highly likely to fail even when trying to kill a catastrophe-ranked demon with dozens of rankers, it was a superb achievement.

    That happened in every iteration, and remained a fairly surprising event even inside Yu Jitae¡¯s memories. In the closest iteration ¨C the 6th iteration, that incident was recorded in history as such.

    Operation [Blue Sunday]

    So when Clone 1 first met Antonio Jefferson, he was unable to hide his disappointment. The man was deplorable and pathetic. Could this immature old man be a genius of military tactics no matter how much time he was given? That was a doubt that appeared in his mind.

    However,

    ¡°I¡¯m Antonio Jefferson. The chief aide of the chairman.¡±

    The man who arrived at the cafe was slightly different. His calm and sunken gaze and an even deeper voice echoed with a sense of determination.

    ¡°Judging from how you¡¯ve done all this to call me here, it can¡¯t be without any reason.¡±

    His words that tried to be leading the negotiation forward seemed natural, and his voice had the power to control the flow.

    ¡°Please do speak. What¡¯s your objective.¡±

    ¡°Seeing your attitude, it seems you¡¯re still unaware of the situation.¡±

    ¡°No. I am fully aware of it. And there is no problem with my attitude.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what this ce could be?¡±

    ¡°I do not. But at worst, it would be a guillotine. I came here ready to die. Since I¡¯ve already killed my own self, you threatening my life serves no purpose in this negotiation table.¡±

    He showed a vigorous spirit that showed how he was unwilling to falter in front of the situation and his position. Thus, Clone 1 changed his evaluation of the man a little.

    ¡°I have no idea why an old-generation senior is doing this, but surely you¡¯re not doing this for money or people. What you need would be my position. So what political help would you like me to help with.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    But changing his evaluation was one thing.

    In an instant, an unspeakably fierce aura started oozing out of Clone 1¡¯s body.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky.¡±

    Jefferson widened his eyes.

    An unprecedented weight that he never felt from the chairman of the Association, or the captain of the Association¡¯sst suicide squad, BM, or even the god-like superhuman Oscar Brzenk, started oppressing his entire body.

    In the suffocating situation, the man started gasping for breath. He should be feeling as if he was 100 metres deep in the ocean, and yet the man stood straight and red back at Clone 1.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be straightforward. In a few years,rge fissures will be formed in this world. There will be at least a few hundred that open simultaneously. It will be dangerous. A rough estimate is that there will be at least 3 SSS+ ranked dungeons.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m trying to stop it.¡±

    SSS+ Rank.

    In the records of history, there was one incident when a dungeon of that size was opened. People referred to that incident and its consequences as the ¡®Great War¡¯.

    Thinking that this was gibberish, the man¡¯s face was filled with half doubt and half puzzlement. Without giving heed, Clone 1 continued his words.

    ¡°Arge cluster of dirty mana is heading towards Earth. It has already started affiliating itself with this dimension and there will be more and more superhumans that start to feel it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But that will be toote. After the war, the heads of the Association have be toocent, and it¡¯s time to reform it.¡±

    ¡°¡­And what.¡±

    ¡°I can steal a person¡¯s body and control it. I have the possessing ability which the Association considers a taboo. However, I won¡¯t kill you and steal your body here. If there are two bodies, won¡¯t it be more efficient for there to be two heads on top of that? If you and I can be ¡®friends¡¯, we¡¯ll continue this in more detail.¡±

    Soon, a new emotion appeared on Jefferson¡¯s face.

    It was displeasure.

    ¡°What will you say about killing three superhuman rankers, while knowing we¡¯re in such a desperate situation?¡± He asked.

    Clone 1 found it intriguing that he was talking not from the sadness of having lost his family, but from the perspective of a soldier contemting the loss in military power.

    Scornfully, Clone 1 gestured with his chin. After turning around, Jefferson¡¯s eyes were shot wide open.

    Two tables away from them, Ohn Sung-o, his sister and Atvache, whom he thought had all died, were staring at him. It seemed that the man in front of him had killed their presence with a delicate control of his mana.

    What in the world was happening. Did they talk about it beforehand?

    Seeing his sister waving her hand with a smile, his head turned cold.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He turned away from his sister and while pressing down on his forehead, he slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡°I assume there is a reason why you looked for me, instead of the Association¡­ Do you guys have a boss yourself?¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m curious about what he¡¯s trying to do. The whole picture he¡¯s trying to draw. Please let me see him once¡­¡±

    In fact, Yu Jitae had mentioned to bring Jefferson if he ever looked for him.

    This would be the starting point of an extremely important n. The immensely important n that would involve turning the Association upside down, cutting out its rotten roots and the dead leaves that were wasting the water and sunlight.

    Thus, Clone 1 conveyed its will to the true body.

    ¡®My lord. Jefferson is wishing to see you. Would now be okay?¡¯

    ¨C No. I¡¯m busy.

    However, he was met with an unexpected response.

    He was saying that he was busy in front of such an important task. What could he be in the middle of doing?

    ¨C I have to make Gyeoul¡¯s room.

    Clone 1 was convinced.

    That indeed was a little bit more important.

    ¡°Now¡¯s not a great time¡­ I¡¯ll tell you the timeter. See you then.¡±

 Chapter 196: Closing the Door (1)

    <h4>Chapter 196: Closing the Door (1)</h4>

    There was an excited look on her face the entire morning. Staring at the child with a smile, Bom asked.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Nn nn! Gyeoul nodded with tight fists.

    ¡°What were we going to do today again?¡±

    ¡°¡­Making, my room.¡±

    ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°¡­Good.¡±

    ¡°How good do you feel?¡±

    Gyeoul threw her arms wide open and expressed how happy she was.

    Bom mischievously asked.

    ¡°Ayy, only that much?¡±

    ¡°¡­No?¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°¡­Thissss much.¡±

    ¡°So only two arms wide?¡±

    ¡°¡­Thiss, thissssss much? This¡­¡±

    She repeated saying ¡°This, thissss,¡± until she had to gasp for breath. After running out of breath, she became dizzy and grumbled, ¡°¡­aigo,¡± like an old man. Bom giggled but when a man came into the room, both of them turned their heads towards him.

    Hi ¨C Bom waved her hand, and Yu Jitae waved back.

    ¡°When are you going to start?¡±

    ¡°After breakfast.¡±

    It was on a certain weekend morning.

    Today, he was going to make a room for Gyeoul.

    ***

    ¡°Uwahh! Are you going to have your own room now, Gyeoul?!¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnn!¡±

    ¡°Oh wow, our Gyeoul is already an adult now!¡±

    ¡°¡­Hehe.¡±

    ¡°Come here you little girl!¡±

    It was time for a Doonga Doonga.

    When the baby chicken naturally went into Gyeoul¡¯s arms, Kaeul immediately raised the child and bounced left and right. ¡°Kyahaat¨C!¡± Gyeoul, who usually didn¡¯t show off her happiness no matter how happy she was, was so excited today that she couldn¡¯t hide her smile.

    ¡°Oh. Count me in too.¡±

    Bom ran up to the bottom of the 3rd floor and lifted Kaeul up. She seemed to be having trouble either from the weight or the awkward position, but regardless, she bounced them left and right as Kaeul, Gyeoul and the baby chicken chuckled brightly like sunlight.

    ¡°You too, Cleaner ahjussi!¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, I¡¯m good thanks. Your head might reach the ceiling.¡±

    ¡°Then please do that thing. That thing¡­!¡±

    ¡°You mean, <i>that</i> thing?¡±

    ¡°Yes that!¡±

    There seemed to be something only Kaeul and the protector knew of.

    Soon, the protector got on the ground on all fours and rhythmically bounced its butt left and right as if twerking. Since it lookedughable, the kids chuckled out loud once again.

    It was apparently funny for them.

    ¡°Ehew¡­ How long are they going to do that retarded 4-floor thing.¡±

    Unable to understand them, Yeorum shook her head left and right.

    Meanwhile, the Regressor looked at the kids. As always, Kaeul was wearing a smile. But since she was extremely skilled at concealing her emotions, Yu Jitae had to observe the child with care.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go outside for a bit then!¡±

    ¡°Chirp!¡±

    After having breakfast, Kaeul went out on a walk with the baby chicken, who was slowly growing up to be a rooster. Usually, she would simply walk together for an hour or so, but she started spending an increasingly more time with the baby chicken.

    Although he mentioned the farewell as a possible case scenario, everyone in Unit 301 was aware that any propositions that left his mouth weren¡¯t simple estimates. It was because he wasn¡¯t the type to talk about uncertain possibilities.

    Since that was the case, it could be said that Kaeul was starting to prepare herself for the farewell. It was something she had to ovee herself, but Yu Jitae decided to watch over the child at the very least.

    ¡°I¡¯m out as well then.¡±

    Yeorum left for her personal training, leaving only Yu Jitae, Bom, Gyeoul and the protector in the living room.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start making the room.¡±

    Wahh! Gyeoul smiled brightly.

    ¡°Bom. Take her out and y.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please give me a call when you¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Come here, my girl. Let¡¯s y outside with your unni.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    After giving a nod, Bom left the house hand-in-hand with Gyeoul.

    ¡°Would you like me to help?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    Making a room was an extremely easy task as long as he was keen to do so.

    Firstly, he opened the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)] andmanded the hands to get rid of everything inside the storage. Soon, the hands left the alternate dimension and removed all the unnecessary luggages. Those were all plushies and dolls that Kaeul and Gyeoul no longer used, or things like fans that came with the dormitory so they were practically useless.

    The space inside the storage had already been expanded. Bom had a lot of mana for a mere hatchling, and it was possible for her to permanently increase the size of a room. In the morning, she had already created a bigger virtual space inside the storage with [Laws of Nature (S)] after his request.

    Although it would be possible for him to simply call a handyman for this, he decided to personally create the space Gyeoul would be spending her time in. It was because she herself seemed to be wanting that.

    That evening, he bought the material for the floor and the wallpaper and attached them to the room with glue. He knew how to do it, since he had done something simr a few times through his regressions.

    He had to receive permission from the residential department since it was a dormitory, but although the procedure wasplicated, the staff immediately gave permission after hearing that it was a request from Building 1705, Unit 301, as they knew that it was a request from Yu Jitae.

    Though he wasn¡¯t a professional, his skills were more delicate than a professional¡¯s, so it started looking decent after he invested a lot of time into it.

    In turn, it did take a lot of time because of that. During the process, Yu Jitae reflected on the conversation he had with Bom.

    ¡®For some dragons, their is the ce they live in for their entire life.¡¯

    By nature, dragons were spirit beasts born from eggs. There were some dragons who were born from viviparity but most were from eggs, and they tended to live in the sameir as their parents.

    Except for the time spent during their Amusement, dragons spent most of their time in theirirs and for them, air was no different from a small world.

    ¡®We can only leave our parents¡¯ir and earn our own when we be adults.¡¯

    ¡®Their of our parents is created ording to the preference of our parents, but hatchlings usually gain their own preferences after an Amusement.¡¯

    ¡®And we can fill ourir with that.¡¯

    ¡®Hmm, you could say it¡¯s like a small world just for our own.¡¯

    Back then, after hearing her words, he had looked at Gyeoul.

    Yu Jitae felt something mysteriously bizarre. ¡®A small world just for their own¡­¡¯ Bom¡¯s words remained vividly in his ears. Strangely enough, for him, such words didn¡¯t suit Gyeoul all that much.

    Why, he wondered.

    Why does the phrase ¡®a small world of their own¡¯ not suit Gyeoul?

    While having such thoughts, the Regressor continued working on the room. After cutting out one of the walls and filling it up with the window sill and ss he bought from the industrial district, he attached the curtains.

    For the time being, he finished creating an empty room.

    It was already night time and the kids starteding back to the dormitory one by one, and the same was for Bom and Gyeoul.

    Though it was an empty room, the size was almost the same as the rooms of her other unnis. The moment she saw the clean floor and the white wallpapers, Gyeoul widened her eyes into circles and froze stiff on the spot.

    ¡°How is it. Do you like it, Gyeoul?¡±

    Bom crouched down and asked from the eye level of the child.

    With nk eyes, Gyeoul slowly nodded. Then, she entered the room and bent her back to touch the floor, before walking to the walls and caressing the wallpapers. When opening and closing the window, she had to stand on her toes to reach it.

    Yu Jitae and Bom quietly watched the child observe her room. There was nothing in it and yet she gazed at the room wondrously. ¡°I think, she¡¯s not used to it,¡± whispered Bom, finding her cute.

    ¡°It is her first time having her own room,¡± replied Yu Jitae.

    Only after scanning through every corner of the small room did Gyeoul finally turn back towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The child gave a bright smile.

    ¡°¡­Is it my room?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t even that hard, and the child enjoying it so much made him feel content.

    ¡°Ohh. What. It was actually done in just one day!¡±

    ¡°Hoh.¡±

    Kaeul and Yeorum also walked into the room and nced around with intrigue. However, Gyeoul suddenly blocked Yeorum from the front.

    ¡°What you doing?¡±

    ¡°¡­Unni, is not allowed.¡±

    ¡°Hah, what the heck is that. Go away you blue idiot. Let me have a look too.¡±

    Yeorum charged in and although Gyeoul tried to stop her, she lost in strength and rolled on the ground. A red dragon had entered the personal space of a blue dragon. The opposite almost never happened ¨C Gyeoul almost never went into her room, so she was discontent with the situation.

    Crossing her arms, she red at Yeorum. However, Yeorumid down in the middle of the room without even sparing her a nce.

    ¡°What are you looking at, you appetite-stealing idiot.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmph. Chilli pepper dragon.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Get out, of my room.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to though? You mad?¡±

    ¡°¡­This, is mynd.¡±

    ¡°Is it? Ima pee on it. Then it would be mynd, yeah?¡±

    After saying that, Yeorum immediately began unzipping her pants. Frightened, Gyeoul hurriedly stopped her and Yeorumughed like a witch.

    That was when Yu Jitae called the child.

    ¡°Come here. Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah. Yes.¡±

    When he called her, she came toddling towards him.

    ¡°The room¡¯s empty, yeah.¡±

    Nod nod.

    ¡°From now, you and I will be filling this room up.¡±

    ¡°¡­Fill it up?¡±

    ¡°You see how there¡¯s nothing in it right now.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Your room also needs stuff like a bed, a wardrobe and drawers.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    She was overly intoxicated from the space alone. Btedly, she nodded with an astonished look on her face.

    It was only the beginning of the journey of making her own room¡­!

    ¡°What kind of bed do you want?¡±

    With the watch, he showed her the list of beds of a famous furniture store. Sticking her tongue out, the child touched her chin and contemted, before prudently choosing the bed of her dream.

    Seeing the bed she chose, Bom giggled.

    ¡°What¡¯s that, Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­A bed.¡±

    ¡°But why a bunk bed?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why not?¡±

    The child¡¯s argument was that it was better since it had two beds.

    Until then, it was still fine and Yu Jitae left it. That was until he saw the next furniture of her choice.

    ¡°Unng? Why do you want a makeup table?!¡±

    Kaeul asked. With a wide smile, Gyeoul tilted her head. She seemed to be asking why she couldn¡¯t have one, when Kaeul had one herself.

    ¡°Gyeoul. Are you going to wear makeup!?¡±

    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t have to!¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still a baby. You already look pretty without makeup¡­!¡±

    I see. Although reluctant, Gyeoul removed the makeup table from the shopping cart. However, the bunk bed and the makeup table were just the beginning. There was a lot of useless furniture among the ones she put into the shopping cart.

    ¡°Dude. Look how greedy this kid is.¡±

    ¡°¡­What.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Yeorum asked, pointing at a cat tower ¨C the framed structure that cats could climb and y around with.

    ¡°¡­A cat yground.¡±

    ¡°And why would you buy that.¡±

    ¡°¡­I saw it on TV.¡±

    ¡°You have a cat?¡±

    ¡°¡­No?¡±

    ¡°So then why are you buying it, you idiot.¡±

    Although she didn¡¯t like Yeorum-unni, her words rang true.

    I just wanted it though¡­ Gyeoul mumbled with a reluctant look on her face, as she powerlessly nodded and removed the cat tower from the shopping cart.

    Next, she also had to get rid of the air purifier and the fridge. There was also an elegantly crafted golden toilet which would serve absolutely no purpose in her room, so Yu Jitae removed that for her as well.

    It seemed that Gyeoul had some fantasy about decorating her own room. She appeared to be greedily trying to fill it up with things she liked.

    They had to be all removed.

    ¡°Gyeoul. You don¡¯t even y with toys though.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Atst, even her toy disy stand was removed, so with wide eyes, Gyeoul red at Yu Jitae, Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul one by one.

    ¡®Huu¨C.¡¯ She heaved a sigh before lifting the cap that was ced over her head. Then, she threw it on the ground.

    It was a protest on her part, that she didn¡¯t like what was happening. When she red at her unnis with a resentful gaze, the other kids instead bursted intoughter and chuckled.

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s just buy what you need and slowly add one by one when there¡¯s more things you want.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if you buy all this, you probably won¡¯t use them and you¡¯ll have no space in your own room either.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seemingly remorseful, she remained silent. However, the Regressor knew of one phrase that could immediately get rid of all the blue hatchling¡¯s sorrows.

    ¡°What if you have no space to put the fish tank in either.¡±

    Gyeoul widened her eyes.

    ¡°¡­Uh, uh.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Did you forget it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. Then, are we buying a fish tank now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Plus all the things that will go inside it.¡±

    Her murky expression brightened like a cloudless sky.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Yu Jitae. In response, the child picked the cap back up and ced it over her head.

 Chapter 197: Closing the Door (2)

    <h4>Chapter 197: Closing the Door (2)</h4>

    He was a little bit busier that night.

    Firstly, he took Gyeoul to the warp station and flew over to the United States to choose a fish tank from a special store that sold spirit beast fish tanks. They entered a store which was the size of a warehouse and seeing countless fish tanks on disy, her eyes flickered.

    ¡°¡­What are we, buying?¡±

    As always, she asked him about his opinion.

    It was a familiar question. Whenever they were eating, she asked what they were going to eat, and whenever they were about to y outside, she asked where they were going. And as always, Yu Jitae also returned the same response.

    He asked for her opinion instead.

    ¡°What do you think.¡±

    ¡°¡­Umm.¡±

    ¡°Something big or small.¡±

    ¡°¡­Big.¡±

    She toddled forward and pointed at the fish tank that was ced at the very centre of the warehouse. The fish tank was sorge that it was more like a ss sculpture than a fish tank at this point. Its height alone reached 5 metres.

    ¡°That¡¯s big.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is it, too big?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t do it if he expanded the room even more with the alternate dimension. Yu Jitae was about to give his approval when one of the staff smiled embarrassedly.

    ¡°Ahh, sorry miss. But this fish tank over here is an order-made one.¡±

    ¡°¡­Order, made?¡±

    ¡°It already has an owner.¡±

    Gyeoul turned towards Yu Jitae.

    Yu Jitae shook his head. Gyeoul, who only recently learned how to relent, begrudgingly returned a nod with her lips in the shape of an upside-down ¡®V¡¯.

    ¡°How¡¯s that one.¡±

    He then pointed at a cubical fish tank. It was big enough considering that it would be ced in a room, but the child shook her head.

    ¡°¡­Too small.¡±

    ¡°Is it small? I think it would be enough for hundreds of fish.¡±

    ¡°¡­Small.¡±

    She cautiously shared her thoughts, seemingly trying to read his mood. Why was she throwing nces at him? Although he had no idea why, he moved on and rmended another fish tank; a tall triangr-based fish tank.

    ¡°How¡¯s that.¡±

    But Gyeoul shook her head yet again.

    ¡°What about that cylinder.¡±

    Gyeoul deeply gazed at his eyes. Even though this time she didn¡¯t shake her head or anything, he realised that she had already turned his idea down.

    ¡°What do you think would be good then,¡± he asked. Hearing that, she started walking off somewhere.

    Thinking that he must have no eyes for picking fish tanks, he obediently followed her from behind.

    That specific store sold the biggest fish tanks and water tanks in the world. There were at least more than thousands of different fish tanks, including both the big and the small ones.

    Gyeoul was very careful. Whenever she found something to her liking, she measured its height byparing it with her own height, before taking a few steps back in order to grasp its overall shape.

    ¡°¡­What about, this?¡±

    When she wasn¡¯t sure, she asked for his opinion.

    ¡°Looks good.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°But, it does look a bit too tall. How are you going to feed the fish.¡±

    ¡°?¡± Tilting her head, Gyeoul slowly floated into the air so Yu Jitae had to pull the child down.

    ¡°No. I mean the fish tank will reach the ceiling.¡±

    ¡°¡­Aht.¡±

    I see. With a nod, Gyeoul departed searching for another fish tank. Seeing that, he felt that same bizarre feeling once again.

    Right now, Gyeoul was immactely considering something that suited herself the best, but for some reason, that whole process didn¡¯t suit Gyeoul in his opinion, and gave off the same feeling he got a few days back.

    He felt doubtful once again.

    What was this feeling?

    However, his thoughts couldn¡¯tst for long. Atst, Gyeoul found her ideal fish tank. The fish tank shaped like a rectangr-prism had a decent size and height, just enough to fill one whole side of her room.

    Yu Jitae paid for it on the spot and also bought additionalponents like rocks, seagrass, fish and more. As for the most important element, the ¡®water¡¯, he ordered for water that was drawn from an SS ranked underwater cave dungeon, which had the most amount of mana embedded within.

    The water would stay clean without the need to maintain it, and contained the most abundant amount of clear water-attribute mana. When she received a small ss sample of the water, Gyeoul smiled brightly and rubbed it on her cheeks in joy like a cat with a catnip.

    Seemingly surprised, the salesperson asked.

    ¡°Will you be entirely filling up thisrge fish tank?¡±

    Written on the bill was the same amount of money as the price of a building in Seoul.

    He paid for it on the spot.

    His bank ount was now quite empty, so he would soon need to scavenge through dungeons at night and sell whatever was in it. That¡¯s what he had been doing the whole time whenever he needed money, and money was not a problem since he could earn arge amount of money within a very short amount of time.

    Throughout the process, his mind was still on the faint scenery that didn¡¯t suit Gyeoul.

    ¡°Do you want to have a meal before we go back.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    Even when they were having a meal at a restaurant; even when the child was holding the burger of her choice preciously with her two hands.

    Even when Gyeoul asked him to buy a ne at a nearby jewelry store; even when she asked for a hug so that she could wrap the same ne around his neck; and even when she was disappointed after realising that the ne targeted at females didn¡¯t suit Yu Jitae,

    He continued pondering on the doubt but failed to find the right answer.

    In any case, the time he spent alone with the child was not too bad. She especially liked general stores a lot.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s, dis?¡±

    Pushing forth a small box, she asked. It was a toy / instrument that made a sound when wound up.

    ¡°Looks like a music box.¡±

    ¡°¡­Music box?¡±

    When Yu Jitae turned the handle, it soon gave off a gentle melody. Her chin slowly dropped.

    ¡°¡­Uwah.¡±

    ¡°You like it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Even though he bought it for her, she gave the music box to him as a gift.

    ¡°Why are you giving me this.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just, because.¡±

    Although he was still feeling strange from being unable to find the reason, he nheless received the gift.

    He then chose something else and gave it to the child as a gift. The general store happened to have a piggy bank with a red head. Remembering the 2 dors he received from Gyeoul, he bought the piggy bank and also gave the child four 50c coins.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s dis?¡±

    ¡°A money bank.¡±

    ¡°¡­Money bank?¡±

    ¡°You can save money inside it. If you want to save coins and notes from now on, you can put them in here. Like this.¡±

    While saying that, he threw a coin into it. Gyeoul giggled and also put in the coins she got from him one by one.

    Then, she shook the piggy bank in joy.

    However, she suddenly stopped and seemed discontent for some reason. She bought a permanent marker and coloured the red head of the piggy bank in blue.

    Seeing that, his strange feelings increased all the more in size.

    *

    The next day.

    Workers carried the fish tank and installed it inside Unit 301. Finally, Gyeoul was able to attain her long-desiredrge fish tank, water and several tropical fish. Although the water tank was still rtively empty, more could be added one by one so it was practically almost done.

    She herself was calm while the other kids created more fuss than her.

    ¡°Ohh, fuc*. That¡¯s pretty dope.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s my room. Amazing, right?¡±

    Even Yeorum acknowledged it.

    ¡°Uwaah! What¡¯s this what¡¯s this. Gyeoul¡¯s room is the best!¡±

    And Kaeul gave a loud round of apuse.

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to change rooms with me?!¡±

    ¡°¡­No?¡±

    Kaeul chuckled and so did Gyeoul.

    ¡°What about for just one day?¡±

    ¡°¡­No?¡±

    ¡°One hour?¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Wah, Bom-unni look! Just because she has her own room now, you know? She¡¯s like, being mean to me¡­!¡±

    When Kaeul jokingly talked about her disappointment, Gyeoul wrapped her arms around Kaeul¡¯s stomach and hugged her, saying sorry. Finding that cute, Kaeul hugged the child back by her head.

    ¡°¡­Come y, anytime.¡±

    But Gyeoul did not give her room away until the end.

    ¡°Can Ie to y as well?¡± asked Bom.

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    Bending her legs, Bom matched her line of sight and looked into Gyeoul¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Guess we can¡¯t sleep together anymore.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be lonely.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. Me too.¡±

    ¡°But you cane to unni¡¯s room whenever you¡¯re scared. Okay?¡±

    Gyeoul returned a nod.

    After looking around the room, the three of them left leaving only Yu Jitae and Gyeoul inside it.

    Sitting on the lower bed of the bunk bed, she stared nkly at him and he looked back at the child without avoiding her eyes. They were done decorating the room, and it was time for the child to take a rest now.

    ¡°Good job both yesterday and today. Take a rest now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The child remained silent while he turned around and was about to leave the room.

    The bizarre feeling he got a few days back when Gyeoul asked for a room in the middle of the night was now about to overflow like a ss of water filled up to the brim. Perhaps it was just a normal feeling for others, and him feeling strange might just be because he had been way too distant from daily lives.

    Thinking that, he was about to move his feet.

    Tap tap tap. He heard footsteps from behind. Soon, she hugged him by the waist and when he looked back, the child gazed up into his eyes with a slightly anxious look on her face.

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±

    He casually replied, ¡°Yeah,¡± and the child released him.

    However,

    Now that he was trying to close the door from a few steps away from the room, he was able to see the whole room in its entirety.

    The size of the room was simr to the rooms of other kids. However, perhaps because of the abnormally enormous fish tank behind her, Gyeoul standing all alone appeared conspicuously smaller inparison.

    When he looked into the eyes of the child,

    He could remember the baby with water-coloured hair sitting down on the living room floor, unable to even stand properly, looking into his eyes. Plus, he could also remember her mouth that was unable to speak, mumbling for words.

    Only then did the Regressor have a faint idea about the identity of the emotion he was feeling right now.

    Until now, Gyeoul had belonged to Yu Jitae.

    It was him that chose to make her wear Kaeul¡¯s t-shirt.

    It was him that bought her food to eat.

    The reason the child was quiet most of the time, was because he himself was a quiet person.

    However, that was now no longer the case.

    Gyeoul went shopping with Bom and chose the clothes she wanted to wear herself.

    Gyeoul ordered burgers because she wanted to have burgers,

    And she gave him, a quiet person, a music box as a gift.

    Turning his gaze, the Regressor looked at the living room. The music box ced on the table had never made a sound after returning home, but he now felt the need to wind it up at least once.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul waved her hand towards him.

    He too waved back.

    The emotions that had been faint even when she was shedding her skin, came flooding in like an ocean wave.

    This was, how much the child had grown.

    Closing the door,

    The Regressor felt something simr to bitterness.

    In just over one year, the child had grown immensely.

    She had her own room, and she began experiencing things he did not know of at ces he didn¡¯t know. Although there would obviously be a limit to how much he wouldn¡¯t know about her, the fact that an emotional border had appeared didn¡¯t feel that great for the Regressor unustomed to emotions.

    The door closed.

    He couldn¡¯t see Gyeoul. The child had her own personal space ¨C the child would be leading her own life now.

    Gyeoul would no longer y with a teddy bear.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Regressor let go of the door knob.

    However, an emotion he couldn¡¯t describe caused him to unknowingly move his hand. He again opened the door that he himself had closed.

    The water-coloured hair revealed itself once again. She was sitting down in the middle of her room, carrying something in her hands; a piggy bank.

    Gyeoul was observing the piggy bank after cing it in front of her, and turned towards him with reddened eyes when the door opened again. For some reason, there were tears in her eyes.

    Was she crying?

    Casually, she rubbed her eyes with her wrists, before rotating the piggy bank on the ground until it was facing Yu Jitae.

    He walked up to the child and crouched, looking into her eyes.

    ¡°Why are you crying. Why.¡±

    Gyeoul gave an awkward smile.

    ¡°¡­Feels like, everyone¡¯s gone.¡±

    He had gotten the feeling that Gyeoul had left. However, he didn¡¯t know that the child, who grew up in the blink of an eye, was also feeling disordered from the sudden separation.

    The child did not leave. She had only just begun her own life.

    ¡°You cane out whenever you feel lonely. Can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    But when Yu Jitae consoled her, the child turned teary-eyed again as drops of tears appeared beneath her eyes. As she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, he carefully hugged her and tapped her several times on her small back.

    He only left the child¡¯s room after she stopped crying. Closing the door, he regted the strange feeling that had been constantly on his mind.

    *

    Ever since she was born, she had always been a target of his protection.

    For him, Gyeoul had simply been a ¡®young child¡¯,

    But today,

    She grew up to be a ¡®person¡¯.

 Chapter 198 + Yu Kaeul Illustration: 90 years of Service (1) + Yu Kaeul Illustration

    <h4>Chapter 198 + Yu Kaeul Illustration: 90 years of Service (1) + Yu Kaeul Illustration</h4>

    Time passed.

    Gyeoul was living fine. She was no longer reluctant to go to school and appeared to be enjoying her school life a fair bit. Sometimes, she talked about how one of her friends had blonde hair like Kaeul-unni and how her other friend had ck hair like Yu Jitae.

    It seemed that the other kids at school were a little bit cautious about being too close to Gyeoul, probably due to an instinctive fear. Gyeoul was still unable to fully control her own presence which would probably give off the feeling of a ferocious beast to children.

    Even then, she appeared to have be fond of some of her friends, who were slowly able to be friends with her despite her being like arge tiger.

    These days, Gyeoul was greatly interested in money.

    She was interested in cash, instead of cards. Gyeoul appeared to be thinking of money as ¡®something mysterious that could be changed with anything¡¯.

    ¡°¡­Please, buy me a wallet.¡±

    ¡°A wallet?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    He wanted to give her something good. Thus, he bought a $12,000-worth branded wallet artifact, which set off an rm while simultaneously sending its location over to a personal watch when stolen.

    Not knowing the price of her wallet, Gyeoul seemed satisfied after putting a 50c coin into it.

    ¡°¡­Hehe.¡±

    She was probably slowly starting to understand more about currency, judging from how she was disappointed after hearing how 50 cents weren¡¯t enough to buy gummies, which she wanted to try after a long time.

    Like that, she was slowly understanding more about the world.

    ¡°Phew. It¡¯s finally done.¡±

    On the other hand, Bom wrote her novel up to the epilogue.

    The title of her horror novel was [Out of Sin of Daybreak]; a fairly lyrical title. Since the results of the writing contest will only be out after a few months, all they could do now was wait.

    ¡°Good work. You tried a lot over the past few months. Hope it goes well.¡±

    ¡°I know right¡­¡±

    Her response was a little bit unexpected.

    ¡°What. I guess you do want it to go well.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah¡­ hmm¡­¡±

    After tapping her lips several times with her finger, she widened her eyes and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Uh? You¡¯re right. Maybe I became attached to it while writing it. Before, I wasn¡¯t that interested in the results.¡±

    ¡°It would be good if it goes well after all the effort you put in.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes.¡±

    However, there was a problem. It was right before they applied for the writing contest, but while Bom was away from her seat for a little, Yeorum arbitrarily typed something on the keyboard.

    ¡°Uh? Nn? Nnn?¡±

    Aftering back to her seat, Bom checked the registered manuscript several times. Then, she called Yeorum while biting her lips.

    ¡°Oi. Yu Yeorum¨C¡±

    There was irritation mixed into her voice ¨C something which Yu Jitae almost never ever heard before.

    ¡°Huh? Wassup?¡± Yeorum replied.

    ¡°You. What¡¯s this? What have you done?¡±

    ¡°You said you haven¡¯t chosen your pen name yet right? So I made it for you.¡±

    ¡°I, I, already had one in mind.¡±

    ¡°Should have said that earlier then.¡±

    ¡°You, you¡­¡±

    ¡°So what was it?¡±

    ¡°¡®Bomi¡¯.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that a pen name? When did youe up with it?¡±

    ¡°Just then!¡± shouted Bom.

    Yu Jitae only found out today that Bom could let out a voice this loud. A little startled, Yeorum frowned before giving an awkward smile.

    ¡°Really? Then just register again.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it again. Don¡¯t carelessly touch my stuff ever again. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Nnn. Sorry~¡±

    ¡°You. Seriously, you¡­¡±

    Irritatedly, Bom breathed out from her nose. She appeared to be about to say something harsh, as she repeatedly opened her mouth and bit her lips. She was so mad that her white skin had reddened all the way from her neck to her cheeks.

    Meanwhile, he checked the pen name registered by Yeorum in secret.

    [Out of Sin of Daybreak]

    ¨C Author: Hair Colour Broli

    Oh no.

    Khm. A snort left on its own, and Bom immediately turned towards him with a flick. Her grass-coloured eyes appeared sorrowful and sad.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Why did youugh? Was it funny?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°If I get an award, they will call Miss Hair Colour Broli up to the stage, yes? And because my hair is actually broli-coloured, I¡¯ll be aughing stock, won¡¯t I¡­? Is this, funny¡­?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not¡­¡±

    Yeorum smirked behind when the hot potato was suddenly thrown at Yu Jitae.

    It seemed that Bom was more serious about her novel than he thought. He was slightly confused though, since he couldn¡¯t understand why she was more mad at him than Yeorum.

    In any case, Bom looked as if she was about to cry even from a joke, so he had to pretend like it wasn¡¯t funny as hard as he could.

    That day, it felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

    ¡°Hmm. Time to go to training~¡±

    Awkwardly mumbling that, Yeorum walked away and as always, she changed into her training clothes and headed towards the door carrying a bag.

    She was still training on how to control her own anger, but there was no improvement. Even just then, she had to endure her instinctive rage that had threatened to crawl up when Bom gave a shout.

    This might be partially due to the personality she was born with, as well as thepetitiveness of a red dragon. However, it was more correct to say that it was a mental illness than a problem with her personality.

    There was not an issue with her personality.

    It was an illness that had to be treated.

    The best Yeorum could do was find out how angry she would get in certain situations and avoid that situation altogether. In other words, she had no actual control over her anger.

    If being unable to control her own anger came to her as a great issue, he would have to put a ¡®safety pin¡¯ on Yeorum. He knew how to put it on ¨C it was something he coincidentally discovered towards the end of the 5th iteration.

    But if he were to put on the safety pin,

    He might have to push this red hatchling into extreme limits. It was an extremely violent and merciless method. Yeorum would be in pain and he would have to force through it no matter how much of a pain she was in.

    Back then, he didn¡¯t think much about it, but now that he was looking back at it, it was a method that left a bitter feeling on his tongue.

    He hoped that he would never have to do it ever again.

    ¡°What. What you looking at?¡±

    While tying her slightly longer hair into a ponytail, Yeorum asked.

    He shook his head, while hoping that a good result would repay her for her hard work.

    ¡°See youter,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    And Yu Kaeul.

    These days, she started consciously creating more distance between herself and the baby chicken. She left the house alone more often than before.

    This was simr to intentionally throwing herself out into an environment without the baby chicken. It might be because she had received a portion of BY¡¯s memories and emotions, but it was an extremely rational decision on her part.

    Andter when Bom was looking for Kaeul, she returned after buying a baguette by herself and waved her hand with a bright smile.

    ¡°Nn? Why are you filming me?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for the video to send to the undergroundbyrinth.¡±

    ¡°Ohh! It¡¯s already today!¡±

    ¡°Make a V with your hand.¡±

    ¡°V~~~~.¡±

    It was an intriguing thing in Yu Jitae¡¯s opinion, that even farewells could be practised. While it was left alone in the dormitory, the baby chicken chirped around looking for its owner before being carried by the protector into arge newly-bought pot.

    ¡°This is your new house.¡±

    The protector¡¯s red eyes turned into a (^^) shape, and cluelessly the baby chicken dozed off inside thefortable pot.

    That was their daily life.

    The Regressor wished for it to stay stable as is.

    And in order to do so, he had to now head off to a ce that deviated from daily lives.

    It waste at night, about time for the kids to stay holed up in their rooms. He was about to leave the house without rming anyone when Bom slowly opened the door of her room.

    Their eyes met, and she carefully walked up to him.

    ¡°Are you going?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Will you be back soon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I should be back before noon.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She then slowly walked into his room. He waited for her and she soon returned with a necktie in hand.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°¡­Appearance is power.¡±

    ¡°What power.¡±

    ¡°If you look a bit cleaner, people will open up their hearts with a little bit more ease.¡±

    It was unclear what she had foreseen, but she indifferently opened her mouth.

    Reaching her arms forward towards his neck, she wrapped the necktie around his neck and began tying it for him slowly. Added on top of the usual business shirt and cks was an unfamiliar necktie.

    Bom carefully opened her mouth.

    ¡°Sorry for getting angry in the morning.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You had the right to be angry.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    They were extremely close.

    Although he felt perplexed, he didn¡¯t look away and because he didn¡¯t look away, her face was very close. And because he was close, he could slightly understand why Bom always called herself pretty.

    Grass-coloured eyes, eyshes, lower eyshes and double eyelids. When she lowered her gaze that was on his hair, their eyes met so he stealthily looked away.

    ¡°Hmm. How about we do more. Can you sit down?¡±

    After finishing the necktie, Bom said that before taking something out of her pocket. It was either a wax or a pomade meant to be used on hair, but why was thating out of her pocket?

    In any case, Bom carefully touched his hair and neatly organised his usually unkempt hair. Her fingers caressed past his hair and touched his ears.

    When she was finally done, she stared at his face with vacant eyes. The distance between them was one for teasing so he mentally prepared himself.

    However, she didn¡¯t tease him. Instead, she looked as if she was half out of her mind, so he asked.

    ¡°Is it done?¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah, yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks. See youter. Stay home.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±

    For a mysterious reason, she didn¡¯t tease him until the end.

    How strange, he thought while walking out of the dormitory.

    ***

    Bom¡¯s nk eyes regained focus in an instant.

    Heaving a sigh, she shook her head and realised that she was way too nervous just then. To the point that she was toote at realising that a red pair of eyes was staring at her through the gap behind the door.

    Yeorum was looking at her.

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Bom.

    ¡°What were you doing, just then?¡±

    ¡°I was doing ahjussi¡¯s hair.¡±

    ¡°Hnn.¡±

    Yeorum nonchntly gave a nod, and Bom also nonchntly returned to her room.

    But when Bom went into her room, Yeorum sneaked out to the living room. She looked at the chair Yu Jitae was sitting on, before reflecting on Bom¡¯s expression.

    Surprise and intrigue appeared in her mind.

    ¡®Wah, f*ck. What was that¡­¡¯

    She had found it strange several times, since Bom sometimes leaned her head on Yu Jitae¡¯s shoulder or folded her arm around his.

    When she saw Bom wearing his clothes, she simply thought to herself, ¡®Ah, is this cucumber into that sort of thing?¡¯ but stopped there.

    She wasn¡¯t particrly worried about it.

    Because in the end, a dragon out on an Amusement was unable to have romantic feelings for someone else.

    [During the Amusement period, a dragon cannot fall in love with another.]

    It was one of the basic spells casted on the Fragment of the Ancient One, that was attached to the dragon heart so that dragons wouldn¡¯t be overly immersed in their Amusement. Naturally, Bom was also a dragon with a dragon heart, and also had a Fragment of the Ancient One herself. This was something that was personally confirmed by the Dragon Lord before she left on her Amusement.

    ¡®So what¡­?¡¯

    Then what did Bom¡¯s eyes just then mean? Her eyes were extremely simr to the drawings Yeorum often saw in shoujo mangas.

    If she were to express this in an extremely embarrassing manner¡­

    Those were the eyes of a woman in love.

    She couldn¡¯t simply ignore this paradox. Yeorum knocked on the door of Bom¡¯s room.

    ¡°Hey, Yu Bom. Open the door.¡±

    ¨C Why?

    ¡°I have something to ask.¡±

 Chapter 199: 90 years of Service (2)

    <h4>Chapter 199: 90 years of Service (2)</h4>

    ¨C What.

    ¡°Ah, just open the door.¡±

    ¨C Don¡¯t want to.

    ¡°What? I have something to ask though?¡±

    ¨C I have nothing to tell you.

    Bom¡¯s voice sounded slightly sharp. Remembering the mistake she made in the morning, Yeorum scratched herself on the ribs. Bom was always peaceful with her words and never had she been so sharp with her tongue. Was she that unhappy with what happened in the morning?

    However, Yeorum couldn¡¯t really understand. What was the big deal about a pen name?

    Hair Colour Broli. It was cute, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Oi. I¡¯m opening the door.¡±

    ¨C Don¡¯t.

    ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡±

    ¨C Don¡¯t open it.

    Yeorum arbitrarily opened the door herself.

    Bom was sitting in front of the table, writing something down in her diary with her pen. When Yeorum entered the room, she ced the pen down and closed the notebook before putting it inside the drawer.

    Closing the door, Yeorum carefully moved her feet.

    ¡°My dear unni. What¡¯s wrong. Why are you so freakin¡¯ mad.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? I¡¯m really fu*kin¡¯ sorry.¡±

    Bom turned towards her. Yeorum thought she would be angry but there was the same indifferent look on her face, which others would probably make when they were bored with their lectures.

    However, her voice was lower than usual.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°I told you not to open the door. So why did you open it?¡±

    ¡°I f*cking said I had a question.¡±

    ¡°If you have a question, do I have to answer it?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Even if you have a question, I might not want to answer it. I told you not to open the door and yet youe in, and tell me to answer what I don¡¯t want to answer? If I did that to you, would you be willing to answer yourself?¡±

    Her slow words were full of thorns.

    She was the type to hold grudges ¨C thinking that, Yeorum¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ¡°Like I said, f*ck, I¡¯m sorry¡­ Tch. Got it. I¡¯m leaving then. I¡¯m leaving okay?¡±

    But as soon as Yeorum turned around, a stern voice stopped her feet.

    ¡°My stuff.¡±

    Yeorum looked back at Bom.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch my stuff.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°You talking about that thing again? So f*cking obnoxious.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Ah, fuc*. I get it, I get it. Did you wrap yourptop with gold or what? Why don¡¯t you shove it inside your undies then? Since when were you so attached to your stuff¡­¡±

    Unfortunately, Yeorum couldn¡¯t return any good words herself. Habitually, she grumbled and btedly realised that her words weren¡¯t suitable, but couldn¡¯t swallow back the words that had already left her mouth.

    Soon, Bom¡¯s eyes trembled. The trembling was then spread to her eyebrows and itter even reached the muscles underneath her eyes. All the muscles around her eyes were shivering visibly.

    What.

    What¡¯s wrong with her?

    It was when Yeorum was starting to be filled with half irritation and half curiosity.

    Everything happened all too suddenly. Bom abruptly stood up from her seat and picked theptop up with her two hands. She then raised it as high as she could.

    Huh? Huh? Yeorum was still trying to understand the situation when Bom swung down theptop towards the table with all her might.

    Did she really go mad¡­? Immediately running up, Yeorum stopped her by the arm and snatched theptop away from her, right as it was about to strike the table. During that process, Bom was pushed away by Yeorum and therge difference in strength caused her to fall on the ground.

    ¡°What are you doing right now, you crazy bi*ch!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you trying to break this? It¡¯s just a normalptop!¡±

    Sitting on the ground, Bom heaved a deep sigh. Her dishevelled hair flowed down.

    Bom ced her hand on her forehead and gazed up at Yeorum ¨C no, she wasn¡¯t looking at Yeorum. She was staring at theptop in her hands.

    Flustered from the direction of her gaze, Yeorum hurriedly tossed theptop onto Bom¡¯s bed.

    ¡°What else can I do,¡±

    That was when Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°When I feel so bad.¡±

    Looking into her eyes, Yeorum felt goosebumps unknowingly crawling up her skin. It was the first time she was seeing such a side of Bom, despite living with her for a fairly long time.

    Was her attachment to her stuff this strong?

    ¡°Crazy¡­ Tch.¡±

    But Yeorum realised that if she continued throwing out bad words, the situation might really turn out for the worse. Even she was slowly feeling the irritation surging forth inside her head, as well as how Bom¡¯s eyes were starting to twitch again.

    It seemed that ¡®her stuff¡¯ was some sort of a [Reverse Scale*] for Bom. Something that shouldn¡¯t be touched, just like how violence and strife caused Yeorum herself to be mad.

    Perhaps Bom had never shown such a side, because no-one touched her belongings without asking first.

    ¡°Ah, I get it. I won¡¯t touch it you lunatic.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t break theptop after I leave, okay? Fu*k¡­ Why would you vent your anger on aptop? It didn¡¯t do anything, did it?¡±

    For now, there was the need to distance and calm themselves down. When Yeorum was about to leave the room, Bom¡¯s voice came flying in like an arrow and pierced through her ears.

    ¡°Can¡¯t do it to you, can I¡­¡±

    Hoh.

    So, she was trying to break theptop instead of me?

    ¡­What a bloody way to put it, that lunatic.

    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t hear theptop break after leaving the room, and Bom used the sameptop without a problem the next day. However, because of the way their conversation turned out, she couldn¡¯t ask what she really wanted to ask.

    An awkward atmosphere surrounded the two of them.

    ***

    At night, Yu Jitae flew across the Pacific and headed to the US. Clone 1, who was waiting there already, weed him.

    ¡°We have been waiting, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Clone 1 was wearing the appearance of a western man, who appeared to be half-ck and half-white. It seemed that he was wearing that look the whole time ever since he came to this ce.

    From now on, Yu Jitae would be acting with a new, virtual identity and because of that, he had to change his appearance. Yu Jitae changed his face so that it would be difficult to identify his race, and also altered his body size a little.

    That was when Clone 1 conveyed a doubt while looking at Yu Jitae¡¯s face.

    ¡°Did you do your hair yourself sir?¡±

    ¡°Why. How is it.¡±

    Clone 1 said, as if discontent.

    ¡°Looks scary.¡±

    Yu Jitae already had the gaze of a mental mass murderer, so now that his hair was tidy on top of that, he looked like a mental patient carrying a sharpened knife, ready to kill anytime. Someone who was seeing him for the first time would definitely feel repulsed.

    However, Clone 1 soon received his memories. Realising that it was the work of Bom, it carefully chose the next words to say.

    ¡°¡­I meant that it perfectly suited you to a scary degree.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything back.

    In any case, he had to decide on a virtual identity which required a virtual name.

    What name would be the best? As always, he wasn¡¯t great ating up with names and the only thing that appeared in his head was that the names of the kids were in a seasonal order.

    In that case, ¡®Season¡¯ might be a decent name for him.

    Soon, Jefferson walked towards them.

    With his eyes, he greeted Clone 1 and stood still waiting for permission. Only after receiving a nod back from Clone 1 did Jefferson walk in front of Yu Jitae and carefully sit down on the chair.

    He was sweating profusely.

    ¡°Nice to meet you sir. My name is Jefferson.¡±

    ¡°Good to see you. Call me Season.¡±

    Over hundreds and thousands of regressions,

    There was no-one Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know at least inside the Association, and the same was with Antonio Jefferson. Since he knew him already, he didn¡¯t need to ask questions, and because he didn¡¯t need to ask questions, there was no need for unnecessary conversations.

    ¡°First, you can take back all the guys listed as missing people.¡±

    Jefferson squinted his eyes.

    ¡°I assume you won¡¯t be giving them back just like that¡­ And how are you going to describe how you found them?¡±

    He was fast at understanding things, and made the conversation a lot easier. Yu Jitae pointed at Clone 1.

    ¡°This friend here is called ¡®One¡¯.¡±

    In that moment, Clone 2¡¯s name was also decided as ¡®Two¡¯.

    ¡°He¡¯s a nameless superhuman that had been running wild during the Great War, and his individual power level is above those guys with Unlimited Dungeon Raid Qualification Privilege.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words caused Jefferson to widen his eyes.

    There were only 30 superhumans worldwide with ess to an Unlimited Dungeon Raid Qualification Privilege ¨C the so-called Dungeon Free Pass, and most of them were in two digits or less.

    ¡°His main ability is in searching and backtracking. As long as he wants to, he can find the location of the witch, Valentine, who hid herself pretty deep. So¡­ he¡¯s a league above the sloppy search party of the Association.¡±

    Jefferson squinted his eyes.

    This was another nonsensical story.

    There was not a single superhuman who was unaware of the fact that the witch was living in secret. However, Rank 1 Oscar Brzenk was the only one who knew the exact location of the witch.

    It was already more than 10 years ago that the previous Rank 1 had decided to live in secret after her retirement. Who could dare be confident that they could find her?

    ¡°Why. Is it strange?¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°Sorry? Ah¡­ no.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the scenario you need to say to the Association.¡±

    Ah, no wonder. Jefferson thought to himself as Yu Jitae continued his words.

    ¡°You came across him by ident and requested him to look for the 3 missing people which he did. Using that as the reason, rmend him to the Association as a military advisor or something. They have it rough these days with soldiers retiring from their post endlessly, so the chairman should wee your proposition with open arms. Besides, the military advisor position is also vacant anyway.¡±

    How was he so knowledgeable about what was happening inside the Association?

    Jefferson touched his beard in thought.

    ¡°Please wait. How were the 3 of them able to smile at me? Did you perhaps brainwash them?¡±

    The ¡®hostages¡¯ hadn¡¯t been returned yet, and they were currently still under the supervision of Clone 1. Clone 1 replied.

    ¡°No. They haven¡¯t been brainwashed.¡±

    ¡°So then?¡±

    ¡°I exined it to them. They understood it very well and agreed with my lord¡¯s objective.¡±

    Exin?

    It was another nonsense.

    Jefferson frowned.

    If someone else had told him the same thing, he would immediately leave the seat after dismissing them as mental patients. However, since some fairly strong people were being serious about it, he found it hard to determine how believable it was.

    In the first ce, the story about 3 SSS+ dungeons appearing out of the blue was unbelievable in itself.

    A conversation without any trust was meaningless, since the listener wouldn¡¯t be able to understand it even after listening to it. Plus, the listener wouldn¡¯t listen to their suggestion even after hearing it.

    The only things stopping him from stepping away from this frustrating conversation were the undismissable power level of the opponents and the hostages in hand.

    Jefferson realised that this was beyond what he could control. It wasn¡¯t something he could dare chime in and refuse.

    He was like a child in front of an adult holding a gun.

    It was okay for him to die, but it wasn¡¯t okay for the Association to be ced in danger. Due to that, Jefferson decided to act like he was on their side for the time being.

    For everything to go without a problem, these ¡®strong people¡¯ living in a well had to know what kind of ce the Association was.

    ¡°¡­Hmm. I understand. However, I do not think that things would go that easily.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    The person called One asked in return.

    ¡°Even with the life of 3 missing people plus my rmendation, the Association will investigate the case and determine your exact identity before adding you into the military.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a military with all the soldiers leaving at this point. Is there still a need to be that sensitive?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ What you¡¯ve been saying for a while now is not the most pleasing thing to hear.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Please mind your words, sir!¡±

    Kwang!

    Jefferson powerfully struck the ss down on the table but not a single person looked their way inside the cafe as the sound had been cut off.

    ¡°We are the ¡®International Superhuman Association¡¯ ¨C we move military globally and we are the only organisation that can interfere with the soldiers of every nation ever since the New Era. I assume you are aware of that yourself?¡± Jefferson asked.

    Leaning back on the chair, One crossed his arms and waited.

    ¡°We have 72 troops and over 1400 rankers. They are our hands and feet. That¡¯s not the end. You should know them yourself ¨C the ¡®Returnee¡¯, the ¡®Druid of Regeneration¡¯, the ¡®Wings of the Wave¡¯ and the ¡®Sword of the Royal Family¡¯, as well as other countless superhumans serve the Association as its sword and shield.

    ¡°If there is something you wish for, you must tread more carefully. It will do you more harm if you look down on the Association! No matter what revtion you received ¨C no matter what prophesy you¡¯re following, if you recklessly try to push that forth, it will be nothing more than senile words of retired superhumans for the Association! You have to be more meticulous and borate!¡±

    Jefferson widened his shoulders like a frilled-neck lizard opening up its frill.

    Although he sounded impudent, he was advising them to be more careful when dealing with the Association.

    This was in fact the same as him trying to protect Yu Jitae, since the ¡®sublime Association¡¯ of his should be able to deal with everything as long as Jefferson listened to Yu Jitae on the outside. However, since there was no reason for Jefferson to protect Yu Jitae, it seemed that he was saying that to protect the hostages.

    Jefferson appeared to be thinking of Yu Jitae and Clone 1 as old seniors of the past generation ¨C like the entric men living secluded lives, who were unaware and ignorant of the Association, who believed in nothing but their individual strength which helped them survive through the harsh times of the Great War.

    Jefferson had no idea.

    In the 1st iteration, Yu Jitae was a soldier under the Association.

    In the 2nd iteration, Yu Jitae was the centurion of the Association¡¯s toon 107.

    In the 3rd iteration, for a short period of time, Yu Jitae was the brigademander of the 10th Brigade under the Association.

    In the 4th iteration, Yu Jitae was a member of the Grand Natural Society, while also being themander of the 2nd corps of the Association, although for a short period of time. After ranking 3rd, he took the role of the vice-captain of the Association¡¯s final suicide squad, and was chosen as one of the 5 Transcendents.

    And in the 5th iteration, he was the chairman of the Association for around 10 years.

    ¡°Antonio Jefferson.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°How long have you been of service for the Association?¡±

    ¡°Well, around 25 years. Why would you ask that?¡±

    In total, Yu Jitae had been working for the Association for around 90 years, and this was even longer than the history of the Association.

    As if talking to a pitiful person, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Nothing. Stop being cocky and just call them.¡±

 Chapter 200: Transcendent (1)

    <h4>Chapter 200: Transcendent (1)</h4>

    ¡°Call them? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to start the n you just mentioned just like this? No. You can¡¯t do that! That¡¯s absolutely way too unprepared. I might be able to say some stuff myself, since I can just sayter on that I was simply talking nonsense, but what you¡¯re trying to do sir, is on an entirely different scale. You might not even be able to be allowed into the Association!¡±

    However, Jefferson was made to call the Association.

    And that day, Yu Jitae managed to enter the Association straight away.

    ¡°So you did somehow make it¡­ But it¡¯s only just the beginning. When they start investigating with the search party, they will immediately try to identify the truth behind the way you¡¯ve saved the hostages. What will you do when they don¡¯t find any proof?¡±

    The superhumans belonging to the Association that were skilled at searching retraced how Clone 1 found the hostages, with reference to his testimony.

    And soon found proof.

    ¡°I see, so you have prepared evidence already¡­ But now you need to go through an interview with the HR department. Those guys are meticulous and their eyes are abnormally remarkable. They managed to find 4 demons from 2270 new superhuman recruits. Can you hide all the suspicious points from them?¡±

    Yu Jitae took the interview, and wasn¡¯t discovered.

    ¡°How in the world¡­ no, even then. Asking for the military advisor position straight away is pushing it too far even in this situation. Well, the position is indeed vacant and it¡¯s also true that there aren¡¯t many military authorities right now. But even then, how would you be a military advisor simply based on your ability to track other people?¡±

    Jefferson¡¯s opinion was that it might be too obvious that he was acting in collusion with Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Just do it,¡± said Yu Jitae.

    ¡°It might render all the effort thus far meaningless.¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    ¡°I cannot. Please be a little bit more prudent.¡±

    This time, Jefferson was stubborn.

    However, when the report about the investigation was sent up by the search party, the higher-ups thought very highly of Clone 1¡¯s tracking skills, and Jefferson soon received a call from the chairman of the Association.

    The next day, Clone 1 became the military advisor.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It shouldn¡¯t work.

    None of them should have worked.

    So why did they all work?

    At this point, Jefferson thought the world was being mischievously manipted by someone, with him being a clown in the centre. Right, how could these things ever make sense unless it was ¡®The Truman Show¡¯?

    ¡°Help me meet the head of the military strategy council tomorrow.¡±

    That would most definitely not work.

    The head military strategist wasn¡¯t a random bloke. She would definitely spot something strange from these people, and obstinately try to find the truth from them.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your reply.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You think it won¡¯t work?¡±

    But at this point, Jefferson couldn¡¯t even put such doubts into words.

    ¡°¡­I will try.¡±

    On the way back, Jefferson contemted. Things like their identities could have been approved because of the credibility behind his name ¨C because of the 25 years he stayed loyal to the Association.

    But even then, other elements must have been proven solely with their ability but this was unbelievable in itself. The search party was none other than the investigation authority of the Association.

    Even if there were 1,000 people that dedicated their lives to tracking skills alone, there would still be 10 legendary veterans and the leaders of the Association¡¯s search / investigation party were definitely those 10 veterans.

    They were already standing high above in the skies, with no-one above them.

    However, all the superhumans that saw the tracking skills of that guy called ¡®One¡¯, all said the same thing.

    ¡°Haha¡­ Mister Jefferson. The Laikharf Tracking Arts that I¡¯ve trusted in for 35 years ever since I started at 12 were shaken from its core in just 35 seconds. In just 35 seconds, that person flipped the theories I had faith in. And yet even now, I can only understand half of the skills he used.¡± They said with dejected voices.

    It wasn¡¯t just the tracking skills. ¡®One¡¯ was a superhuman who went againstmon sense even more, evident from how the high rankers who had been the interviewers of his interview were astonished.

    ¡°His understanding of military tactics are iparable¡­¡±

    ¡°His mana and killing intent were unimaginably high. I dare say that he is either a two-digit ranker or even higher.¡±

    ¡°He was extremely wise and experienced with wars. As you said, he must be our senior warrior, who had weathered through the Great War¡­¡±

    Jefferson was still half in doubt at this point. However, hearing the words of the head chief of the Association¡¯s military strategy council, Zhuge Haiyan, made him feel miserable inside.

    ¡°Old man. How did you bring these insane people?¡±

    Wearing circr-framed sses, and a tidy ponytail, her rather dry eyes appeared to have a gun breathing within.

    Zhuge Haiyan¡­ This Chinese woman, who was in herte 30¡¯s, in charge of the Association¡¯s military tactics, rarely everplimented other people. Because of that, Jefferson had to ask what she meant when referring to both ¡®One¡¯ and ¡®Season¡¯ as insane people.

    ¡°Did the two of them do something wrong?¡± he asked.

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it?¡±

    ¡°With the two of them taking the military advisor seats, the Association can expect an explosive growth in overall power. It¡¯s to an astonishing degree. You should have brought them earlier if you had that kind of connection.¡±

    ¡°Is it that much? How much more in numbers?¡±

    ¡°112%. In just one year.¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan was a superhuman with a uniqueputer inside her head. The calctions she made were never wrong.

    Jefferson was thus shocked. Two people increasing the military power by 12% in just one year¡­ he had never heard of anything as absurd as that in his entire life.

    ¡°Anything else you reckon won¡¯t work?¡±

    A few dayster, when Season, the boss of One, asked him that, Jefferson shook his head. What in the world was happening¡­ Cluelessly, Jefferson replied with a sigh.

    ¡°What, what do you want me to do now.¡±

    ¡°Help me meet the chairman.¡±

    But Season¡¯s next words caused Jefferson to make a fuss instinctively. They were practically being ignorant of how high the heavens were, and after somehow managing to reach a building-top and a mountaintop, he was trying to reach outer space now.

    ¡°That, that will definitely not work¡­!¡±

    Jefferson wanted to cry.

    *

    This time, it seemed that it really wouldn¡¯t work.

    Well, it was true that it was still premature to meet that busy old man.

    The time One needed to stabilise himself as a rtively important figure inside the Association was just 2 weeks. And while he was at it, Season (Yu Jitae) was also able to get a spot inside the Association as arade of One (Clone 1).

    The two of them were superhumans beyond the realms of standard regtions, and since the Association was currently having less and less personnel, they weed them with open arms.

    Of course, the Association won¡¯t be offering them any tasks that were significantly important for the next few years and some people could be spotted stealthily observing them from time to time.

    Thisrge living and breathing organisation was watching the two of them.

    For the time being, they needed to earn their trust.

    During the day, Yu Jitae spent time with the kids at Lair and entered the headquarters of the Association at night when it was time for the hatchlings to fall asleep.

    At the Association, he worked as a 4th grade agent and fulfilled his task as a military advisor.

    His role as a military advisor was simple. He had to have a meeting with the ones in charge of each corps and give them realistic and substantial advice on how to improve their military output.

    Over the next 2 weeks, without resting for a single day, he met the heads of bothrge and small squads of the Association and talked about their military prowess.

    ¡°How were you able to discover all those points in such a short period of time¡­?¡±

    There were no words he could say in return to one of the captains who asked with an astounded voice. After all, Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t tell him that it was something he found out after staying in their camp for 4 years and a half.

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t that wise when it came to military science. There was a limit to how much wisdom he could build up with experience alone.

    However, there was a history he built up over his life and 90 years of service. Countless solutions were revealed during that process.

    It was as simple as following the good examples of the past, and those were therefore effective.

    ¡°Just do as I tell you to. Don¡¯t ask anything.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡­!¡±

    But approaching something always required caution and sufficient time. This was the case in both organisations and interpersonal rtionships.

    Side effects were inevitable if one was in too much of a hurry.

    As if to prove that, in the following morning when Season, One and Jefferson were having breakfast together, a woman appeared in front of them.

    ¡°Hello? My name is Kang Ahjin, and I havee from the Association¡¯s Command Centre.¡±

    She was a Korean who looked like a puppy, just like her name*. She looked pretty just like other superhumans but her smiles appeared especially more innocent so Jefferson replied with a wide smile.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. Miss Ahjin. I¡¯m Antonio Jefferson. But Command Centre? I haven¡¯t heard anything regarding this.¡±

    ¡°Following the order from the 5th Command Room, I am here to assist you.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, the 5th Command Room huh¡­¡±

    There was a special title given by the Association to the five strongest living superhumans.

    [Five Transcendents of Kalyovan]

    This included BM, the current Rank 2, Rank 3 Heleon, and a veteran ranker from the past generation, Kristoff, as well as other powerhouses.

    The 5th Command Room was a unique department of the Command Centre dedicated for the Transcendents. It was a group that did not share information with anyone else apart from the chairman of the Association and the members of the 5th Command Room.

    ¡°We don¡¯t really need an assistant though,¡± replied Clone 1.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that we were dealing with venerable sirs. It would be much appreciated if you could see it as the thoughtfulness of the 5th Command Room!¡±

    While smiling from her eyes, she referred to herself as One and Yu Jitae¡¯s assistant.

    ¡°You might be taken aback since it¡¯s our first meeting, but please do rely on me. I can do several things.¡±

    ¡°For example which?¡±

    ¡°Simple errands. I can make good coffee as well.¡±

    She didn¡¯t receive a good reception, but smiled instead and added.

    ¡°Is that too simple? Then how about this. I belong to the 5th Command Room and I have my name value. When ites to tasks inside the Association, I can add some weight behind my words. Even things that require a fair amount of authority should mostly be done if I say it, so you can think of me as a decent human-drain-opener.¡±

    ¡°Very talkative as well, I see.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I am good at listening, and am also good at staying still. Would you like to have a look?¡±

    After saying that, Kang Ahjin naturally sat next to Yu Jitae with a wide smile and didn¡¯t say anything ever since.

    Some people might feel ufortable but her appearance and tone of voice were mysteriously friendly. How many people would despise a small puppy waving its tail? That was the atmosphere Kang Ahjin was giving off.

    Jefferson was therefore very positive about the idea and thought that the 5th Command Room must have taken a liking to Season and One a fair bit.

    However, One didn¡¯t have a good look on his face.

    ¡°Hello, Miss Soldier.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need an assistant. You can go back if you want to.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? I can¡¯t do that. A soldier must listen to their givenmand.¡±

    ¡°And we don¡¯t need people working just because of other¡¯smands either.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I volunteered for this myself.¡±

    ¡°Thought you said something about soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Yes! You see, my dream was to be a soldier from a young age. But when I actually became a soldier, I realised that it was scary to actually fight. Instead, I realised that my calling was to help the ones that fought!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, please. You can trust me on this. You won¡¯t find any assistant out there that¡¯s better than me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    One was still disinclined.

    ¡°Anyways, good luck today as well sirs. Let me leave now for my duty.¡± It was time for the chairman of the Association toe so Jefferson left the spot after saying that. He wouldn¡¯te back to them during the next six hours or so while the chairman was staying inside the headquarters.

    Clone 1 was also about to get up from the seat for his own work and Kang Ahjin stood up with him.

    ¡°Hey Miss.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°If you really want to be an assistant, don¡¯t follow me and follow him instead.¡±

    ¡°Uh, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk back and just listen. Weren¡¯t you an assistant?¡±

    Kang Ahjin was put in an awkward spot while the clone forced the baggage onto Yu Jitae. However, it was true that Clone 1 acting individually was more important right now, so it was correct for Yu Jitae to be the one bringing this woman around.

    Just like that, Yu Jitae had to stay alone with Kang Ahjin.

    He didn¡¯t necessarily talk to her. Without saying anything, he stood up and walked off, and Kang Ahjin also stood up and followed behind like a puppy.

    But in the end, taking her along wasn¡¯t the worst thing in the world.

    ¡°Ah, could you please wait for a little bit? We haven¡¯t gotten contact from our superior yet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten the message toe at noon. You still haven¡¯t gotten contact?¡±

    ¡°Well the thing is, there are actually some procedures that we need to undergo, sir.¡±

    In Yu Jitae¡¯s memories, he had never stepped into the headquarters of the Association with the position of a mere 4th grade agent. Because of that, he was about to get irritated from all the ¡®procedures¡¯ that were dragging him behind.

    ¡°Hello. Pass me the phone please.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the 5th Command Room¡¯s Kang Ahjin.¡±

    When the person in charge nodded with an astonished look on his face, Kang Ahjin showed her temper.

    ¡°Ah, just pass me the phone right now. Hurry up. Do you hear me?¡±

    The words of a person belonging to the 5th Command Room gave him a bit more power and the unnecessary procedures were minimised.

    That day, his task ended earlier than usual. After the work, he found Kang Ahjin wearing a proud and confident smile.

    ¡°How was that? I¡¯m really useful right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She reminded him of Yeorum and he almost gave herpliments unconsciously but remained quiet.

    In any case, it should be about time now.

    Soon, the long-awaited message arrived from the Vintage Clock.

    <Identifying the Identity of [Great Hostility]: 10%¡­>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] identifies new facts about the [Great Hostility]>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] formtes the data into a video and sends it!>

    An image sent by the Vintage Clock started appearing inside his head. The first form of the Hostility, which if not for him, would push the world into chaos ¨C

    It started clearly revealing itself inside his head.

 Chapter 201: Transcendent (2)

    <h4>Chapter 201: Transcendent (2)</h4>

    He closed his eyes.

    From far off in the distance of the Providential World, something was flying in like aet. A fast and enormous colony ofrge fragments. While protecting something at the epicentre, the fragments covered the sky but gradually, a difference in speed could be spotted.

    The ones at the forefront were slightly faster. Like scouting warnes, the fragments increasingly became faster as they rushed through the Providential World.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] warns theing of the [First Night].>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] ims from observation that it is approximately 1,000 monsters and a boss.>

    Soon, a detailed observation of the Vintage Clock was shared in numbers. ording to the data, it would be simr to a monster backflow of an SS+ dungeon, which would be enough to flip a country upside down if they weren¡¯t prepared for it.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] estimates the boss¡¯s characteristic to be [gue].>

    gue huh¡­

    As if to prove it, a murky aura of green appeared in his mind and drew a trail behind as it seeped its way across. Those moving molecules were extremely small and fine.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] assumes that there are 7 days left till its arrival.>

    7 days?

    Why is it so soon.

    You should¡¯ve told me at least a month ago.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] informs that it has only finished 10% of the analysis¡­>

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    To be honest, an SS+ dungeon was something he could get rid of by himself without letting anyone catch wind of it. However, anything more would be impossible for him topletely deal with no matter how strong he was as an individual.

    This was due to a problem with the difference in numbers. It was the same with humans and superhumans but anything in existence would amplify in strength when gathered in a cluster. It was also the exact reason why Catastrophe-ranked demons, who cannot be defeated even when the current Rank 2, 3 and 4 were to gather their strength, were growing their numbers in a corner, reluctant on going against the superhumans of the entire world that were 1,000 times more than them in numbers.

    1,000 against 10,000 might be possible,

    But 1,000 against 1,000,000 was not.

    It would instead be troubling for the demons themselves if they provoked the superhumans too much.

    The same was for Yu Jitae.

    Yu Jitae was strong, to the point that thousands of monsters wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    However, if dozens and hundreds of thousands of monsters ¨C or millions of monsters were to strike them, he would not be able to stop the horde of monsters without anyone shedding blood. It was exactly why Earth had been destroyed when dozens of adult dragons raided the Earth.

    He was just an individual. Although it would be easy for him to protect a few hatchlings, the fundamental cause of regressions was the destruction of humanity and that was why he was here right now, standing in the Association.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] says that the notice would be a lot, a lot earlier after 20% of analysis¡­!>

    Any new data about the new room?

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ¡­>

    Whatever.

    Forget it.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (¡ä??¦Ø??`)¡­>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states it is working without taking a single rest¡­>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is trying its best¡­>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] was unable to sleep at allst nigh¡­>

    Shaking his hand, he got rid of the messages full of excuses.

    In any case, it wasn¡¯t the worst timing.

    Although One was still just a staff member of the Association, it was about time to flip the board upside down. He sent his memories and after a few minutes, he received the sign from Clone 1 that he had finished receiving the memories.

    ¡°Umm, Season. Will you be going for the next schedule?¡±

    That was when Kang Ahjin voiced her question. Yu Jitae¡¯s hazy gaze travelled down and reached her eyes.

    ¡°The Association headquarter is veryplicated but you can call me a human navigation. I¡¯m ready to do anything you say!¡±

    ¡°Anything?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Anything. Well, if you tell me to make coffee, then my pride as a graduate of Seoul Superhuman University might be hurt a bit.¡±

    ¡°I want you to make some coffee.¡±

    ¡°Ohh¡­ You must be unpopr with women¡­!¡±

    Kang Ahjin giggled after saying that. It seemed that she wasfortable already after going around with him for a few days.

    Yu Jitae really wanted a coffee though¡­

    In any case, he shook his head after some thought.

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t mind it. Call the Strategy council right now.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Kang Ahjin asked, wondering what it was about.

    ¡°And tell them. An SS+ dungeon will appear in 7 days. Near the southern region of Amazon.¡±

    It would sound like absolute nonsense.

    The position of a 4th grade agent was 2 stages above the lowest official. Clone 1, the military advisor, was a 3rd grade agent while Yu Jitae was considered by the Association to be his subordinate.

    And yet Yu Jitae was currently saying that a war was about to break out in the south of Amazon.

    ¡°Uh, what do you mean all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Why. Can¡¯t do it?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just too sudden¡­ So you¡¯re saying that a fissure of an SS+ dungeon is going to appear? What makes you say that?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t wrong to ask such a question.

    The basis of any information was important.

    If he were to continue dealing with the Association in the future, and if he were to convey new facts to the Association, Yu Jitae was bound to be asked the same question dozens of times.

    The question of: ¡®How do you know such a thing?¡¯

    He was a regressor. In the previous iterations, he had once presented them with valid facts and revealed that he was a regressor. However, such actions didn¡¯t usually end on a positive note.

    No matter how reasonable his ims about an unknown event were, they were refuted and after his words gained credit, there were more and more people that sought profit from his words. Like Galileo who yelled that the Earth was revolving around the sun, and how the church was trying to kill him since he was against their interest.

    On the other hand, when he revealed that he was a regressor and proved it, he became the enemy of the entire world. He was trying to prove theing of an unknown event and yet had be an unknown existence himself. People tended to fear and distance themselves from the unknown.

    The answer he finally came up with in the 5th iteration was the existence of a ¡®unique person that could tell them about the future¡¯.

    Three conditions needed to be met for this to work.

    1. There had to be a superhuman that could see the future.

    2. That superhuman had to be protected by an existence with absolute strength and have trust for each other.

    3. At the same time, the superhuman with absolute strength cannot be seen as an unknown, threatful existence.

    The existence with absolute strength here was Yu Jitae himself. In other words, he only needed one person who could see the future and cooperate with him unconditionally and¡­

    There was one person who was the perfect fit for this.

    However, now wasn¡¯t the right time to reveal all his cards. For now, he had to give reasonable answers as to how he foresaw the event and in thest 2 weeks, he had been searching for decent puzzle pieces just for this.

    ¡°The data I confirmed when I went to advise the 11th Search Squad was the basis. 11th of August. Open the mana density graph on the southern dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    Although flustered, Kang Ahjin essed the data on her watch and put it on hologram disy mode. At the same time, she moved her fingers again and started recording his voice.

    Soon,plicated theories started leaving his mouth.

    ¡°You can see the mana density jumping rapidly in the PL section. This is usually the byproduct when a problem urs with the rotational axis or when a fissure above 500 rank closes. Prior signs for fissures like these often go against the Kendlock Fissure Analysis Method. The jump in the graph should approximately consist of 15 hours but in this graph¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae had served the Association for 90 years and had once served as its chairman.

    It was him talking based on his long years of experience. The exnation andparison of theory and phenomenon caused Kang Ahjin¡¯s eyes to roll as she had trouble understanding more than half of what he was saying.

    However, when shepared what she understood with the graph and the data, she realised that all of his words were true. It didn¡¯t sound like an absurd gibberish of information.

    There was a fact without anything to prove it, so he had to weave lies and facts to prove his words in a usible manner. It was a tedious task but the Regressor was used to it.

    ¡°Uh, please wait. So what you said just then¡­¡±

    ¡°We would need all day to have you understand, but this will happen in approximately one week.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    The puppy widened her eyes.

    ¡°What. I thought you were a human mobile phone.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never been a human phone though¡­¡±

    Despite the doubt on her face, Kang Ahjin obediently nodded. ¡°I understand. Let me convey it straight away,¡± she said since the headquarters will be the one making the judgment. She hurriedly called somewhere and sent the voice recording before exining whatever she could.

    Now, all he had to do was wait.

    Yu Jitae and Clone 1 were like hot potatoes of the Association already. People tended to stop after gazing at them like strange beasts inside a cage from a distance, but it was natural for the beast to gain more attention when it suddenly started talking.

    Just like what he expected, on the same day, a special guest came looking for Yu Jitae before it was time to get off work.

    Creak. Knock knock¨C

    The guest opened the door and btedly knocked on it.

    ¡°Do you have a bit of time.¡±

    He was an old ck man standing straight. With grizzled white hair and a face filled with wrinkles and white beard, he gave off a ferocious auraplemented by his tall height. The cross hanging on his neck and the rosary on his thick wrist didn¡¯t suit him that well.

    During his earlier days, during the Great War, the man used to be ranked 3rd. A soldier who participated in countless battlefields without a particr organisation.

    Now, he was a superhuman who was considered an elder veteran ¨C one of the 5 Transcendents of Chaliovan.

    His alias, [King of Mercenaries]

    Christoph Willibald Freeman*.

    The old man in front of him was one of the superhumans who had the biggest influence inside the Association.

    Yu Jitae was in the middle of taking care of Jung Taebaek in his inner dimension, on the sofa of the personal office that he got from Clone 1.

    He opened his eyes.

    Out of everyone possible, the guest had to be the most stubborn and the most self-centred person out there.

    ¡°Yes. Pleasee in.¡±

    In order to maintain the appropriate attitude for the conversation, he decided after some thought to imitate a person treating an elder veteran soldier. This was one of the basic wisdoms he recovered while living daily lives.

    ¡°Season, was it?¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. Christoph.¡±

    His eyes twitched.

    ¡°Right¡­ I received an extremely strange report. Looking at it made me very upset. 3 years ago was it? It was even more annoying than that one time when the olddy in my house was preaching from the side while I was working on myputer.¡±

    Although his words resembled a joke, his tone didn¡¯t. He appeared to be sincerely feeling ufortable.

    ¡°What could be the matter.¡±

    ¡°This. Is this what you found yourself?¡±

    Drop.

    After throwing down the report on the table in front of Yu Jitae, the old man sat on the sofa ced on the other side of the table. Then, he crossed his long legs.

    ¡°Yes. It was me.¡±

    ¡°Howughable. It looks decent. And it¡¯s a surprising perspective as well. The centralmand centre is in a mess right now.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, since it was an obvious result that he had been expecting.

    ¡°Then, what do you think is the problem?¡±

    ¡°In my eyes, you see¡­ it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°Based on which.¡±

    For at least 70 years, he had been seeing this man¡¯s face in the Association. Spending so much time with this old man, there was something Yu Jitae found extremely mysterious.

    ¡°My instincts.¡±

    It was none other than that instinct of his.

    It wasn¡¯t an ability, authority nor a blessing. It wasn¡¯t a look into Providence either. It was something that was impossible to understand for people like Yu Jitae who moved only based on concrete facts.

    The power of trying to instinctively understand the world.

    Those were the instincts of a genius, sharpened to an abnormal degree.

    ¡°It feels really strange. The chief aide, the counsellors, the strategists, themander. Everyone except for Zhuge Haiyan says it¡¯s usible and an amazing achievement. They are bbering gibberish, apparently wondering how someone could possibly find out such things. But not me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I think this is wrong. Reason? Nothing. Just my damn instincts.¡±

    Yu Jitae remained silent.

    The mercenary who avoided thousands of hazards across numerous battlefields based on his instincts became an old man with sharp eyes after building more wisdom.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you young friend know about it, but this old man has fairly good instincts.¡±

    But because of that,

    The old man was wrong.

    Yu Jitae skillfully weaved falsehood and presented the source of danger and the old man realised that it was fake from his instincts.

    However, the truth was in fact ced within that falsehood. The truth had already been proven by the principles governing the world- something that meagre instincts of a human cannot darepete against.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] shrugs its shoulders.>

    ¡°And what,¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°You must persuade me now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying it¡¯s wrong based on your instincts, and yet you want me to persuade you?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to. And that¡¯s why you¡¯re wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­Old man. Maybe it¡¯s time for you to drop your sword and retire.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. How arrogant.¡±

    Christoph sneered, causing the wrinkles near his mouth to lift up.

    ¡°Right now, you¡¯re trying to make the entirety of the fissure observation team of the Association into fools. And though you sound very usible, I am certain that it isn¡¯t and that¡¯s why it isn¡¯t. Most of the 5th Command Room¡¯s members will think the same as me.¡±

    ¡°It seems that the 5th Command Room ismanded by people like you who live based on their instinct.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Don¡¯t you understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡±

    It seemed that he was saying that he would persuade the Command Room to think like that.

    In the end, he was just here to say that he didn¡¯t like Yu Jitae.

    Why?

    Would there even be a reason for it? Probably nothing but his instincts.

    Christoph was always like that.

    There were perhaps a lot of other people in the Association like him that were against Yu Jitae and Clone 1. Some random guys that were acknowledged for their tracking skills and military knowledge just because of luck ¨C they might be thinking of them as lucky bastards appointed due to connection.

    The old man was simply the most hasty guy that came first.

    ¡°Then, are you saying that the Association will simply watch the appearance of an SS+ dungeon?¡±

    ¡°It would be better for you to not hope for any help from all the troops that I can influence, at least,¡± replied Christoph.

    Yu Jitae gave a faint smile.

    After a short silence, the Regressor opened his mouth.

    ¡°Christoph. I¡¯m not sure if you know.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Instinct is credit.¡±

    ¡°Hoh. So you¡¯re saying 70 years of credit is a fairly trustworthy power?¡±

    ¡°That might have been the case so far. But when it breaks once, 70 years of history that you¡¯ve built up with correct judgments will crumble all at once.¡±

    ¡°Really now? That¡¯s interesting. So when do you think that will be, hnn?¡±

    The old man gave a wide smile. He seemed amused from the sight of aughable young man.

    ¡°What do you mean when. Look.¡±

    Facing him, the Regressor returned a smile. He had seen Christoph¡¯s instincts crumbling countless times, as well as how he lost his credibility inside the Association.

    ¡°Your instincts have gone down the drain already.¡±

    The smile disappeared from the old man¡¯s face.

 Chapter 202: Transcendent (3)

    <h4>Chapter 202: Transcendent (3)</h4>

    ¡°Listen young man.¡±

    Christoph¡¯s words were curt. The old man who had beenughing by himself, suddenly started making a straight face by himself.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of random fe you are to say nonsense here.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But from what I see, I guess you have some sort of pride for yourself. Right? You must have killed a few monsters during the war, and that¡¯s why you have your neck straight in front of one of the 5 Transcendents of Chaliovan.¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply.

    There was an extremelyrge issue with the current Association.

    ¡°Maybe this is what you were thinking? That some bastards with nothing behind their name that were around your level in the past, suddenly began widening their shoulders after riding on back of the Association? Without the Association, they¡¯d be around your level again. Something like that?¡±

    The reason Earth waspletely destroyed in the uing Second Great War,

    ¡°Don¡¯t act up.¡±

    Was because they were living in the past.

    ¡°I, Christoph Freeman, am a hero of the Great War. One of the 5 Transcendents of Chaliovan.¡±

    They looked at the present with the eyes of the past, and were unable to have a different look at the present even after seeing the uing future.

    This was something that was prevalent throughout the Association ¨C an emotion being felt by everyone who had gone through the great hardships together. It wasn¡¯t just the old hero in front. Antonio Jefferson, the chairman and even BM was the same.

    It wouldn¡¯t even be considered a task to crush this old man to death right now.

    But that would render Yu Jitae an unknown threat and cause things to go in an inefficient manner. The Regressor contemted several possible measures before deciding to let him go for the time being.

    ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡± In response to Yu Jitae¡¯s words, Christophughed with a t voice.

    ¡°Youth is good indeed, hnn? Very good. Just like how you can bark without knowing how high the heavens are. I was the same when I was young.¡±

    ¡°Then let me bark a bit more. That great hero of the Great Wares all the way here and says, ¡®I don¡¯t like you. I¡¯m going to pick on you. I¡¯m the best.¡¯ Even my kid doesn¡¯t do that. You should feel ashamed.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s energyless voice caused the old man tough even more. It was a sincereughter and not a scornful one.

    But when the old man suddenly returned to his straight face, silence covered the office.

    ¡°If I was 10 years younger, I would have grabbed you by the cor right now. You little kid.¡±

    The Regressor numbly reflected on how it was 10 years ago, before giving his reply.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    An energyless voice put a full stop to the conversation.

    ¡°If it was 10 years ago, you would have been dead already.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Well then. Try your best.¡± After a long silence, Christoph left those words behind and left the room. The old man had trouble containing his killing intent, to the point that the air inside the office was trembling unstably.

    Perhaps the reason why the person, who depended on his pride as one of the 5 Transcendents to live his life, didn¡¯t strike the young junior on the neck; the reason he was able to restrain his killing intent might have been due to his instinct.

    Unconsciously, Christoph might have realised that it was better for him to not get involved with the young guy in front.

    In any case, that was the end of their conversation.

    The next day, a report given by ¡®One¡¯ caused the entiremand centre to be flipped upside down. It was about the high likelihood of the appearance of an SS+ dungeon in the south of Amazon.

    In fact, an SS+ dungeon alone wasn¡¯t enough to flip the Association upside down and have them stand on their toes, but the location was also a big reason for their agitation.

    Provisional troops were formed for further investigation.

    ¡°Should we head off to the Central Command Centre?¡±

    That day, Yu Jitae, Clone 1 and Kang Ahjin were all busy since they had to gather people from numerous troops. However, there weren¡¯t that many troops that were willing to lend a hand. They merely returned statements like:

    ¡°Not sure. We will think about it though.¡±

    ¡°We have set schedules till next year you see.¡±

    ¡°It is troubling.¡±

    Yu Jitae could force them if he wanted to, and there would be troops that would change their minds if he were to frighten them a little, but he didn¡¯t do so.

    ¡°The reception wasn¡¯t good on my side either¡­ Sorry sir.¡±

    Kang Ahjin lowered her head with a dejected expression but Yu Jitae cursorily shook his hand in response.

    Antonio Jefferson was the one who was able to gather the most number of troops thanks to his authority as a member of the Central Command Centre. That night, a person who was assigned to be the temporary advisor of the provisional ¡®South Amazon Guardian Forces¡¯ came looking for them.

    ¡°By the way, I¡¯m sure you know already but¡­ The report this time was way too sudden,¡± said the advisor.

    He continued with a hint of worry in his voice.

    ¡°If it all goes wrong, someone will have to take responsibility for moving the Association¡¯s forces. The more so since the troops were gathered because of circumstantial evidence. If Mister Jefferson wasn¡¯t so strong with his assertion, these forces wouldn¡¯t have been formed in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°Please do not worry about it. I will take all responsibility,¡± replied Clone 1.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s good. But even then, it might be difficult to get the amount of troops that you were after.¡±

    ¡°That did appear to be the case. Is there a reason?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Your years of service are unreasonably short so who would be willing to trust you and participate for the fight?¡±

    ¡°Is that the standpoint of the 5th Command Room?¡±

    ¡°What? Oii¨C! Look, that kind of attitude is not good. I¡¯ll turn a blind eye to it ¡®cuz I¡¯m not a rigid person myself but what you said just then was enough to earn you some trouble. There are lots of ears listening inside the Association. Don¡¯t say that somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°Let me apologise. However, we do not need an excessive addition of military forces if it is difficult.¡±

    The advisor gave a nod before asking.

    ¡°Even though it¡¯s an SS+ dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Yes. As much as you can afford will be enough.¡±

    ¡°Well, even if the dungeon really does appear like you said, I guess it wouldn¡¯t be a problem even if the number of superhumans aren¡¯t enough to suppress it. Superhumans should be able to escape with their lives with rtive ease and if it does appear, the Association will voluntarily add more soldiers. We must protect the lungs of the and that¡¯s the responsibility of the Association after all. But by the way¡­¡±

    The middle-aged man tilted his head and stared at them, before asking with intrigue.

    ¡°By the way, you and your two mates are really strange.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about the rewards you will get for taking responsibility?¡±

    ¡°Because we don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°Hoho. You don¡¯t need rewards huh¡­ Are you guys meant to be some sort of saviours or something?¡±

    ¡°If we were looking for materials or honour, do you think we would have lived in a corner after the end of the war? We won¡¯t turn down whatever is given, but we won¡¯t necessarily ask for anything either.¡±

    The words of Clone 1 caused the advisor¡¯s eyes to open wide.

    In fact, rewards didn¡¯t really matter because Yu Jitae could ess both materials and honour whenever, as long as he wanted to. Clone 1 was simply acting his part of the scenario but the advisor seemed to have be fond of that attitude.

    ¡°Interesting. Even though it¡¯s true that you were living a secluded life after the war, how can someone have no greed whatsoever¡­ How would people like that even have any aspirations to be stronger in the first ce?¡±

    He was asking in a roundabout manner about what his aspirations were.

    ¡°It will be fine as long as people don¡¯t die.¡±

    Clone 1 replied, meaning that it will be fine as long as they could stop the regressions.

    ¡°Hmm. You really do speak like a ¡®hero¡¯¡­¡±

    Misunderstanding his statement, the advisor was in awe.

    However, regardless of onemander having positive thoughts about them as an individual, the Association continued being in doubt of their im.

    Another day passed, leaving just 5 days until the event. While the troops were still in the middle of being formed, Jefferson came looking for Yu Jitae after finishing his work as a secretary.

    ¡°How many soldiers?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re still looking for them. The 10th Special Airforce. Lamia Anti-monster Unit. ¡®DAN¡¯ SS Sniper Squad. The 3rd Corps of the Central Command Centre¡­ Adding them all up, we somehow managed to gather up 120 people in total.¡±

    ¡°120 for an SS+ dungeon huh. They¡¯re really reluctant to use people, I see.¡±

    ¡°Even this was extremely difficult.¡±

    ¡°How about rankers.¡±

    ¡°Rank 37, 66, 91 and 181. Apart from them, Ohn Sung-o is participating as an individual. All of them excluding Sung-o were all discontent but they were all affiliated to the Command Centre, so I was somehow able to force them in.¡±

    After saying that, Jefferson asked Kang Ahjin, who was sitting next to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Anything from the 5th Command Room?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no. I¡¯m very sorry. I tried proposing it several times but it was ignored every single time.¡±

    ¡°Knng.¡±

    Jefferson rolled his eyes before facing Kang Ahjin with a slight frown.

    ¡°You. Step outside for a bit.¡±

    Kang Ahjin widened her eyes but nodded regardless.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    After she left the office, Jefferson opened his mouth with a slightly rigid look on his face.

    ¡°Season.¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°I would like to talk a bit about the future.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to know.¡±

    ¡°For now, to be honest, it doesn¡¯t really hit home even for me that an SS+ dungeon is about to appear.¡±

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°But if it does appear, what are you nning to do afterwards? The future you predicted was the consecutive appearances of three SSS+ fissures. Considering the interruptive and reciprocal nature of fissures, they won¡¯t be opening in the same ce. If those were to pop up all across the globe¡­¡±

    In the middle of his speech, Jefferson gave a frown. Yu Jitae looked at the door Kang Ahjin left from, before turning back towards Jefferson.

    ¡°The Association won¡¯t be able to stop it without any damage either.¡± Jefferson continued.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    The ¡®Great Hostility¡¯ was as great as the congregation of the power of three adult dragons, and the army led by that Great Hostility will be three times the size of the previous Eastern-Asian Great War.

    ¡°If all your words are true, the SSS+ dungeons will be all over the globe because of the dimensional interruptions, and it would be necessary to gather all of them into one ce to minimise the damage.¡±

    Jefferson was exactly on point.

    ¡°But who could do such a thing? Considering how those are SSS+ dungeons and not random fissures?¡±

    His sighs were therefore justified. But that was because he didn¡¯t know that the witch, ¡®Valentine¡¯ was able to change even the coordinates of SSS+ dungeons.

    ¡°There is a way. And the n has already begun for that side of things.¡± Yu Jitae said.

    ¡°What is it? What¡¯s the amazing n?¡±

    ¡°We can bring the witch.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? By witch¡­ don¡¯t tell me you mean Valentine, that senile old fox?¡±

    He was calling the owner of the past generation¡¯s Association an old fox, but there were reasons for that title.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it. Can that friend called ¡®One¡¯ really find the location of the witch?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh my¡­ But even if you do find her, the next step would be the problem. The witch¡­ Valentine is one scary woman.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There won¡¯t be a single problem.¡±

    It was right when Yu Jitae finished saying that.

    ¡®Uuhh? Uaangg?! Uuuuuhhkk¡­!¡¯

    A scream was delivered to Yu Jitae¡¯s brain. It was the scream of the young and immature Clone 2.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It seemed that there was a problem.

    ***

    3 minutes ago, Clone 2 was shedding beads of cold sweat.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, boy.¡±

    Smelling the deep scent of her skin that travelled through several metres caused his brain to turn white.

    Where was I up to?

    Clone 2 slowly retraced his memories.

    Firstly, he mentioned that he needed her help. Arge war was about to break out, and it would be great if you could distort the dimensional coordinates to change the locations of the fissures ¨C that was what he had said.

    After that?

    That queen-like womanughed.

    ¡®It has been 10 years since I was disqualified as a sovereign. Now I am but a powerless and feebledy, and yet you are making a harsh request of me.¡¯

    Sheined saying it was too hard.

    ¡®Are you telling me, to put my life on the line for you?¡¯

    She was saying it was a difficult task that required her to put her life on the line.

    However, her words were a bit weird. In Yu Jitae¡¯s memories of other iterations, she had distorted the dimensional coordinates with ease. Even though the witch was no longer a sovereign, she still had her strength as one of the powerhouses worldwide. The position of a previous Rank 1 wasn¡¯t for nothing.

    ¡°Uhuhu¡­¡±

    And that smile ¨C

    That smile was also weird.

    She had never given such a smile when facing Yu Jitae¡­

    What is the difference between me and my lord?

    Why didn¡¯t she smile in other iterations, and why is she smiling at me now?

    After deep thought, Clone 2 discovered two differences. Himself, who was created based on the 2nd iteration¡¯s Yu Jitae, didn¡¯t have the oppressive aura like his lord.

    And the other was¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough. ¡®Boy¡¯.¡±

    He was as young as a 15 year old Yu Jitae.

    ¡°But how strange.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean strange?¡±

    ¡°A negotiation muste with a reasonable price for both sides. One must give money to buy bread. What is your thought on this?¡±

    ¡°Yes? Ah, yes. Of course.¡±

    The witch¡¯s lips curled up while her eyes rxedly nced across Clone 2¡¯s body. For some reason, her gaze sent goosebumps down his body.

    ¡°And what you are asking for is my life. Right?¡±

    ¡°Life? Uhh, not reall¡­¡±

    ¡°If¨C¡±

    The witch stopped his mummer.

    ¡°¡­If you wish for my life, what can you give me instead for the appropriate price?¡±

    ¡°Uh, uhh¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s okay. Because you are still young.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°You can start learning what you don¡¯t know.¡±

    Her long white fingers reached forth and pointed at Clone 2. ¡®Uhu. Huhuhu¡­¡¯ She giggled looking at Clone 2, as if she found him cute.

    Then, she curved her fingers several times, before pointing at the emptyrge blooming flower next to her.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Come here. This noona will now teach you what you don¡¯t know.¡±

    Clone 2 felt his hearte crashing down.

    No.

    He must not go.

    The thought that a big problem might ur flooded his heart like an ocean wave.

    Meanwhile, the slow and gentle whisper continued.

    ¡°What are you doing? Boy.¡±

    Clone 2¡¯s face reddened.

    ¡°Hurry¡­¡±

 Chapter 203: Transcendent (4)

    <h4>Chapter 203: Transcendent (4)</h4>

    The witch had been alone for a very long time.

    This deep and quiet ce was a lot more boring than she initially thought.

    Actually, she wasn¡¯t alone from the start since there were a lot of toys she brought with her at the start. But although those were the best of the best she chose, she eventually became bored of ying with them and unconsciously became rougher.

    Because of that, the weaker ones were inevitably unable to handle it and were crumbled. It was very unfortunate but how many out there would be able to cope with the previous sovereign? From time to time, the witch was dissatisfied with her own strength ¨C to the point that filthy thoughts like cancelling her retirement often floated up.

    In the middle of such boring days, a man came to her.

    The witch was unable to hide her amazement.

    Look at this man in front.

    He looked manly with a good body. Decent height and wide shoulders.

    As a mage, she felt his mana and felt the dynamic depth and size of the pool of mana. This was already enough to be the best toy and the best cure for her boredom but there was something that amplified the sweetness of all those conditions by tenfold.

    It was the innocence of his face.

    The man was a boy.

    How can such a strong and remarkable human, giving off the scent of a male, be so young?

    He was different from others that were worn out beyond repair. He was different from those that were arrogant and impertinent just because of a bit of strength.

    After sharing a few words, she became all the more certain.

    Boy.

    You are really clear without any speck of dirt.

    What if I add a hint of red to that white canvas of your face¡­?

    Thinking that, the witch was unable to stop herself from being smeared with intrigue.

    *

    Yu Jitae opened the memories he received from Clone 2. The witch¡¯s smile and her voice. Fitting her name, the witch tempted children, but by crossing her legs, and having the clothes flow to reveal her skin.

    Slowly, Yu Jitae ran his fingers across his hair all the way from his forehead.

    What¡®s wrong with that old woman?

    That was his honest thought. She was different from when he had gone looking for her in the previous iterations.

    The witch had changed.

    On the outside, she appeared to be the same person ¨C her face that stopped aging after reaching mid-thirties, the enchanting and rxing expression, her arrogant gaze and her clothes with a lot of exposure.

    Since the witch was the same, he had to look for the change from the visitor.

    Young Yu Jitae. Ah¡­

    Realising something, Yu Jitae pressed on his temples before asking Clone 2.

    Were there any men nearby? Adults.

    ¡®Ah, my lord¡­! No! Uhh, there¡¯s none!¡¯

    She would be able to see through him even if the clone was to merely change his face. Using [Mimicry (AA)] which allowed someone to change their body and skin itself might do it, but,

    None?

    ¡®No¡­!¡¯

    Yu Jitae heaved a sigh.

    There was not a single person on Earth that could serve as the substitute of the witch and it would take years at the very least to find someone suitable from a different dimension. That was how precious the previous sovereign was as an existence.

    Besides, she had lived long enough already and threats didn¡¯t work on her. In one of his nameless iterations, she had immediately killed herself after being threatened.

    So she needs to be persuaded at all cost but¡­

    ¡®What should I do? Her, like, eyes are strange!¡¯

    What else can you do. Walk away if you¡¯re not ready. Make up a story and leave. Tell her you¡¯lle backter.

    ¡®Ah¡­! Yes sir!¡¯

    Clone 2 was sitting next to the witch right now. He had screamed inwardly just then because the witch¡¯s hand had gently touched his face.

    ¡°Something was on your eye.¡±

    She then touched yet again, before naturally caressing his cheek. Her hand was so warm that it heated up his face and Clone 2 could feel his heart beating rapidly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, what d, do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°Even though I may look young, I am a bit old. And my shoulders are always stiff because they are heavy.¡±

    As if to show what was causing her stiff shoulders, the witch bent her body forward causing something to gently shake.

    Nervous to the point he could almost die, Clone 2 had to maintain his gaze on her forehead and stop his eyes from travelling down, not realising that it was exactly that mindset of his that was increasingly stimting the witch.

    ¡°So, can you give me a massage?¡±

    ¡°A massage?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A massage.¡±

    Massage!

    That would go against one of the pieces of advice given by Clone 1 on how he shouldn¡¯t enter the inner room and avoid physical contact. Although he was already doomed in that regard because her hand had touched his face, it was possible to justify that as it was against his control.

    Him touching her on his own volition would be even more dangerous.

    Even then, Clone 2 wanted to settle this by himself. He wanted to earn the acknowledgment of his lord and Clone 1.

    ¡°Will you really listen to my request¡­ as long as I give you a massage?¡±

    ¡°That is not it. That won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Then¡­¡±

    ¡°That will be the start. Uhuhu.¡±

    The ¡®start¡¯¡­ The word gave him chills. Immediately, Clone 2 stood up from the seat.

    ¡°What are you doing? Where are you trying to go.¡±

    ¡°S, sorry. I will be back againter.¡±

    ¡°By whose permission?¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­!¡±

    Clone 2 started dashing forward.

    Wearing a frown, the witch reached forth. When she threw her hand into the air, a fissure was created near the back of Clone 2¡¯s neck as the witch¡¯s hand soon appeared from within.

    Right when her hand was about to grab Clone 2 by the neck, he turned around with a flinch and smacked the witch¡¯s wrist away as hard as he could. Along with a thud, the air was sucked in before letting out an explosion.

    Clone 2 desperately ran and disappeared from the witch¡¯s room.

    ¡°My lord!¡±

    The shockwave created by the Clone 2 wasn¡¯t small. Startled, the Death Knights ran towards her.

    ¡°Are you unhurt?¡±

    ¡°That impertinent human!¡±

    ¡°Please give us themand. We will immediately bring him back half-dead.¡±

    The witch shook her head.

    ¡°Leave him be. Did he not say he will be back?¡±

    She then touched her reddened, swollen wrist.

    How dare he make a wound on my body? That was the initial thought she had, but after some time, even that turned into a praise. Oh my, so he can create a wound on my body hmm¡­?

    Soon, the petals of the bed rose up and covered her body. Within the darkness, her crimson tongue travelled past her crimson lips.

    ¡°Boy. Aren¡¯t you energetic¡­¡±

    The witchughed like a witch.

    ***

    For the time being, Clone 2 hid himself in a corner of the underground dungeon and stayed there. That side wasn¡¯t in a rush in the first ce, and a more delicate approach was required even if it were to take more time.

    Meanwhile, time passed fast for the Association.

    In the span of 7 days, they had several strategy meetings and the troops were reorganised every single day. There was a lot of conflict from the sudden order for cooperation and the troops formed due to the Command Centre¡¯s arbitrarymands were very discontent and managed to waste the entirety of the 7 day period. Although they received hundreds of thousands of dors a week, they were veteran soldiers that could earn millions in that same period if they were to move privately, thus their dissatisfaction.

    War was history.

    Superhumans didn¡¯t fight against monsters.

    They fought for more profit.

    The 7 days of leeway alerted by the Vintage Clock vanished just like that.

    On the night before the predicted event, unlike Yu Jitae¡¯s assumptions, there were unfortunately no signs of the fissure rapidly approaching from the faroff dimension.

    The Command Centre turned rowdy.

    ¡°Is it evening?¡±

    ¡°Howe there aren¡¯t any signs a day before?¡±

    Soon, the dawn of D-Day arrived. Even then, there weren¡¯t any visible signs of the fissure and the Command Centre turned all the more rowdy.

    ¡°This does not make any sense! Can there be a fissure without any preceding signs even when it¡¯s this close!?¡±

    ¡°Antonio Jefferson. Weren¡¯t you the one that was so confident about this?¡±

    Jefferson couldn¡¯t reply. Even when the troops were set to depart, the Command Centre was still uncertain about the appearance of the SS+ dungeon.

    Jefferson slowly became anxious.

    In the Central Command & Control Room of the Association, advisors and executives had to hide their discontentment as they waited for the chairman to open his mouth. However, the chairman of the Association remained sitting on the chair with his legs crossed, watching the situation unfold.

    On the screen, the troops, the nearby terrain of South Amazon and graphs of mana fluctuations were being updated in real time.

    Why was he silent? Hiding their curiosity, the executives looked at the man.

    Unlike otherrge superhuman rankers of the room, the chairman was rtively short. He had a solid body but wasparatively small.

    However, his distinct deep gaze was clearly on the monitor. Everyone inside the room had to continue watching his gaze and gesture to read his mood.

    The small giant was sitting in the centre.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, that small giant was silent.

    The ones that were confident with their fast-working brains looked at each other. Among them was also someone that had to stay as an assistant adjutant under Jefferson for tens of years.

    Since Jefferson¡¯s secretive hobby life was confidential, Jefferson¡¯s position inside the Association was rtively solid. There were several conflicts between him and Jefferson but the assistant adjutant was always the oneing out with a loss. He had been dying for revenge but there weren¡¯t any opportunities to publicly create a dent in Jefferson¡¯s reputation.

    The assistant adjutant had been waiting for a day like this toe even in his dreams.

    ¡°Chief Aide.¡±

    In the awkwardly silent Command & Control Room, the assistant adjutant opened his mouth and gathered the eyes of the surroundings. Jefferson with a myriad of feelings remained silent.

    ¡°Chief Aide.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Answer me. Antonio Jefferson¨C¡±

    He raised his voice.

    The assistant adjutant didn¡¯t forget to nce at the chairman to read his mood but the chairman didn¡¯t even spare them a nce.

    In other words, it meant that it was okay for him to take a step further.

    That was when Jefferson looked at the assistant adjutant.

    ¡°What is it. Assistant Carlon. In such an important situation.¡±

    ¡°An important situation? Chief Aide. Do you really think this is an important situation?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that you are trying to make a fool out of all the executives gathered here, the chairman and the Association itself.¡±

    His words were full of thorns but he was speaking for everyone in the room. One of them let out a soft whistle.

    Since the chairman was still here, his words could be considered too rash. Because of that, no-one voiced out their agreement but nodded to show their agreement.

    ¡°Close your mouth, assistant. There are still minutes or hours left until the expected time of the fissure¡¯s appearance. You haven¡¯t changed at all in 10 years and still bber on before it¡¯s even over.¡±

    Jefferson talked back asposedly as he could, against what he was feeling on the inside.

    Why.

    Why are there still no signs¡­

    ¡°Do you not realise that that alone is already strange?¡±

    After seeing through the chief aide¡¯s anxiety, the assistant adjutant shot out of his seat. Now that the prey was bleeding, it was time to bite.

    ¡°Look, Chief Aide. 92% of fissures give off signs at least a week before and 99.9% at least a day before. The dimensions fluctuate and mana spark in the surroundings. The only exceptions would be tiny or empty fissures.¡±

    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that?¡±

    ¡°Yess! Of course you should know that too! Right? You should! Since you¡¯re so knowledgeable, please do tell me! What is happening right now? Why aren¡¯t there any omens of an SS+ dungeon?¡±

    ¡°¨C.¡±

    ¡°Do we still have a week left? No! Three days? No! Then one day? Nnn? Do we still have one day left or what!¡±

    Kwang!

    The assistant adjutant reached his hands out and smashed them down on the table.

    ¡°Repeat what you said just then. Chief Aide!¡±

    ¡°¡­Repeat what.¡±

    ¡°How much time did you say we have until the expected time of the appearance?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Say something. Antonio!¡±

    In response to the shout, Jefferson had to bite the bullet and open his mouth.

    ¡°A few minutes or hours¡­¡±

    ¡°And yet there are still no signs! Please tell me, Chief Aide. If this isn¡¯t someone trying to deceive us, then what is? Do you still want to say, that what you¡¯re trying to do now, isn¡¯t an insult to the Association?!¡±

    Jefferson couldn¡¯t reply. The assistant adjutant didn¡¯t say anything wrong and even he himself had trouble believing it at this point.

    At this rate, his position inside the Association would take a big hit from this one incident¡­ Although the years he had spent loyal to the Association were long, his critical mistake would follow him like a tail all the remaining days of his life.

    ¡°Right. Chief Antonio. You must take responsibility.¡±

    ¡°How unfortunate. What happened to you?¡±

    ¡°We had to move our troops for no reason. Tch.¡±

    As if to prove the fall of his position, people started grumbling from all around. His heart raced and even his hands sweated.

    Realising that now was the opportunity, the assistant adjutant immediately dashed towards Jefferson and grabbed him by the cor, before pushing him back and forth. Because of the atmosphere, no-one stopped his disrespectful conduct.

    ¡°Why are your lips sealed? Huh? What happened to that mouth of yours that loved bbering all day for thest 10 years? Did you see Sodom and Gomorrah? Why are you like a salt pir all of a sudden?¡±

    Powerlessly, Jefferson¡¯s body was shaken back and forth. During that, Jefferson stealthily nced behind. Although One was out in the field with the troops, Season (Yu Jitae) was inside the Command & Control Room. Despite the situation, he was staring at the same direction as the chairman with an expression way too calm.

    Damn it. Say something at least.

    ¡°Say something at least!¡±

    Season. Please!

    ¡°Antonio Jefferson!¡±

    It was then.

    ¡°Hoh.¡±

    A small gasp was heard.

    It was from the chairman.

    Although it was a soft mutter, his voice had the power to force people¡¯s ears and eyes towards him. The rowdy Command & Control Room immediately turned quiet.

    ¡®Hoh¡¯?

    What ¡®hoh¡¯?

    With circr eyes, the advisors all turned back to the screen with a hint of doubt. They then screamed out inment.

    ¡°Ahh!¡±

    ¡°No. Impossible¡­!¡±

    Inside the screen,

    The mana graph started rapidly fluctuating unstably. It crossed the 40 line mark, and soon reached the 100 line mark, before suddenly jumping over 2500.

    At the same time, the screen of thendscape suddenly contorted on its own. Around 200 metres in the air, a vertical dissection of approximately 40 metres was created in the sky. Like the mouth of a monster, it creaked open, revealing jet-ck darkness.

    For a short moment, silence covered the room and the atmosphere of doubt was lifted in an instant. With his head turned nk, the assistant adjutant forgot to even let go of the hand that was holding onto Jefferson¡¯s cor.

    It was then.

    Yu Jitae, who was sitting at the back, stood up and grabbed the assistant adjutant by his head.

    mm¨C!

    He then fiercely thrusted it down.

 Chapter 204: Transcendent (5)

    <h4>Chapter 204: Transcendent (5)</h4>

    A few seconds before Yu Jitae smacked the assistant¡¯s adjutant¡¯s head down,

    Right when the fissure opened,mands were immediately conveyed to each troop of the Association.

    [The force [Lycan] will now enter thebat formation. We¡¯re short on time. Hurry.]

    Hurry up and kill the monsters.

    [Urgent. Cruiser Medic Squad. To frontlines.]

    Hurry and heal the guys that get injured before others. So that we can boastter.

    [10th Superhuman Infantry toon. Extra aid will be there shortly. Demand for perfect management of spoils.]

    Watch for the time being but hurry and don¡¯t miss any spoils.

    [Central Scouts. We demand a swift discovery of the boss¡¯s location ¨C it¡¯s features and information.]

    How much money will the boss us?

    An SS+ dungeon had really appeared without any precedent signs.

    It was a surprising event.

    But this was this and that was that. Since it had begun in any case, the ones in charge had to think about the next step at all times.

    For the heads of the Association that did not even consider raid failures, the appearance of a dungeon was no different from the appearance of a new gold mine.

    They were ones who had survived through the warring period. They were ones who had their futures set by dedicating their life to catching monsters.

    They were, the Association.

    As soon as individual profit was on the line, the operation became queerily twisted. Since they were confident in dealing with it anyways, they had to consider ways to maximise profit.

    Even if they took 10 for themselves, if they managed to get 50 for the Association, the fines and punishments won¡¯t be thatrge.

    How could there ever be any problems?

    We¡¯re going to annihte them anyways.

    We are the [Association] after all.

    Because of that, on the south of the Amazon rainforests, when the troops were set to begin the raid, One (Clone 1) was prohibited from moving.

    ¡°Ah. Wait there for a second.¡±

    He was here as a free mercenary sent by the Command Centre, but themander stopped him from moving with an unfavourable gaze.

    ¡°What is this about?¡± asked One.

    ¡°You do not need to participate.¡±

    ¡°I am aware of all the strategies. I won¡¯t bother the operational movements of the¨C¡±

    ¡°No. No. Just don¡¯t move. Stay here.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Clone 1 turned around and looked directly into his eyes. When their eyes met, themander felt slightly ufortable but tried to ignore it. Therefore, Clone 1 walked towards him.

    ¡°What are you trying to do. I am here as a free mercenary and the request just then was to move within the scopes of the operation. This is a fair request. For what justified reasons are you stopping me from moving,mander?¡±

    In response, themander waved his hands in irritation.

    ¡°Please just stay still if I ask you to¡­ Hnn? Why are you like this? It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t experienced things like this before right? Or what. Did you really stay ignorant of what was happening around the world while you were on your retirement?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clone 1 felt slightly irritated for an instant but that was when the chief advisor supported Clone 1.

    ¡°Commander. But One was originally assigned from the start of the operation.¡±

    ¡°So what.¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be a detriment to the troops even if he were to fight together.¡±

    ¡°Haa¡­ What¡¯s wrong with you now?¡±

    Themander shook his head and remained stubborn.

    Tch. Clone 1 clicked his tongue. Although he could force his way if he wanted to, he decided to watch for the time being.

    Both Yu Jitae and Clone 1 had their given roles.

    Yu Jitae would now persuade the headquarters of the Association using the same method Clone 1 used to persuade the three hostages of the Association. By shaking the values of the organisation from its core, he would make them ready themselves for the uing future.

    It might sound ridiculous that a mere individual without any connections until recently would shake the operational values of the organisation that represented global military forces.

    But even then, Yu Jitae had to pull it off.

    While his lord was working hard, was Clone 1 going to do nothing?

    Definitely not.

    His job was to make them appear as friendly as possible for the Association. So that Yu Jitae and Clone 1 wouldn¡¯t be seen as mysterious threats, Clone 1 had to show overwhelming power while also demonstrating that his power would be used for the Association.

    In other words, Clone 1 had to be a ¡®hero¡¯ for the Association.

    That¡¯s why he was going to move straight after the fissure was created and yet these humans that were crazy for profit were stopping him. If he ignored them here and dashed out trying to kill monsters, that would deviate the direction of his strength away from the Association¡¯s direction.

    A human or two dying wasn¡¯t going to inconvenience Clone 1 in any way.

    He asked themander.

    ¡°Are those your direct subordinates?¡±

    With his chin, Clone 1 gestured at the ones on the vanguard that were about to confront the monsters.

    ¡°Nn? Well, yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­Do not regret it. Commander.¡±

    ¡°What? What misfortune are you trying to bring?! Go away right now!¡±

    Clone 1 took a few steps back. It would be correct to give up for the time being since he wouldn¡¯t listen no matter what advice he gave.

    Don¡¯t you think so too? O great overseer of the world¡¯s providence.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] does not reply¡­>

    Right now, what was flying from the far-off dimensions of the Providential World was Hostility, and only the Vintage Clock was able to gather its fragments.

    That was why the clone had borrowed the Vintage Clock from his lord just for this asion but¡­

    For some reason, the Vintage Clock was in a strange state.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that it is extremely discontent.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] signals that it is very unhappy with the situation.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] ims that itself is not an object.>

    What do you mean? Of course your esteemed self is not an object.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ¨C3¨C>

    I am not sure, but please let me apologise if I have made you feel ufortable.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] asks you to not talk to it.>

    I understand. Once again, I am deeply sorry.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ?(?`^¡ä?)?>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ?(?`^¡ä?)?>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wriggles its body.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ?(?`^¡ä ?)?>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ?(? `^¡ä?)?>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] signals that it wants to go home.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is dumbfounded by the fact that it was lent like an object.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] hates Yu Jitae.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?<strong>??</strong>¡õ???)>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] demands you to bring Yu Jitae right now.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?<strong>??</strong>¡õ???)>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?<strong>??</strong>¡õ???)>

    ¡­

    Now that Clone 1 was staying silent because he was told to, messages began appearing in his head without an end.

    He tried to bear with it at the start, but the Vintage Clock¡¯s messages were extremely burdensome on the mind. At some point, it started making him dizzy.

    Left with no choice, Clone 1 had to speak to the Vintage Clock again.

    Please calm down. O great overseer of the world¡¯s providence.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (¨p¨‘§Õ¨‘)>

    I cannot do anything even if you are angry.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (¨p¨Ž§Õ¨)>

    Even if you are very angry, I cannot do anything.

    My apologies. I have no words to say. However, aren¡¯t you aware of it as well? How important this ce is?

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] hates you.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (¡ä??¦Ø??`)>

    The clone¡¯s conversation with the Vintage Clock was cut short.

    The fissure trembled. Bulging and swelling, the sky wriggled as if about to vomit something out. Mana fluctuated and the air weighed down.

    A crumbling noise resonated but after concentrating on the sound, people realised that it was the sound of hundreds and thousands of fluttering wings.

    ¡°All troops¨C Ready yourselves¨C!¡±

    Straight after themander¡¯s bellow, like the aftermaths of a crumbled dam, filthy mana alongside the atmosphere and monsters of darkish green came flooding out all at once.

    Vuuun¡ª

    They each had a head, a thorax and an abdomen with shells of a crustacean. With body hair here and there and arge yet thin pair of wings, they resembled insects but were monsters with unprecedented appearance.

    Appearing with a jet-ck cloud, they covered the skies of the great forest.

    Shaped like a dense concentration of thick fog, they covered the sunlight and drew shadows all over the ground. Pure darkness beset the earth like theing of a night.

    The [First Night] had arrived.

    ¡°Charge in! Do not falter¨C!¡±

    Superhumans shed with the monsters head-on. Immediately after the first sh, themander widened his eyes and stuttered in grief.

    ¡°W, what is happening¡­!¡±

    Something was off.

    *

    At the frontlines.

    The scouting superhumans were the first to get swept by the deep green aura.

    ¡°Uaahhkk!¡±

    ¡°Hak! Huuk!¡±

    From just a simple contact with the mana, they grabbed their own throats and wriggled their bodies. As if in a seizure, they copsed on the ground as their bodies trembled.

    ¡°W, what in the world is that!¡±

    ¡°Poison! Has to be poison-attributed¡­!¡±

    ¡°Dodge it! Distance yourselves from that mirky aura of mana!¡±

    Since it was unprecedented, the information in their hands was too scarce. Btedly, themander ordered the troops to stand away from the fissure.

    ¡°Oi! You alright?!¡±

    ¡°Huk, huk¡­¡±

    ¡°Wake up mate!¡±

    One of the medics was finally able to get his hands on the scout who had been swept by the mana at the frontlines. He poured healing magic across the body of the superhuman scout but he repeatedly coughed out blood. Despite being under the influence of healing magic, his coughs did not stop.

    ¡°Hu, huuk¡­ Cough! Cough! Cough! Haa, hak!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with these coughs¡­¡±

    In that moment, the superhuman healer suddenly noticed something filthy prating through his respiratory system. Immediately, he stopped breathing and closed his eyes. Manipting his mana, he pushed ¡®that thing¡¯ away while analysing it at the same time.

    The aura was filled with [encroaching] and [infecting] elements.

    Startled, he hurriedly opened his eyes and shouted at themander.

    ¡°Boss! This isn¡¯t poison!¡±

    ¡°What? What are you saying! Then what is it!¡±

    ¡°This is¡­!¡±

    Right when he was about to speak, a cough stopped his words. The superhuman medic gripped onto his chest.

    ¡°Cough, cough! Ha, aaak¡­!¡±

    This was no ¡®poison¡¯. This wasn¡¯t such a simple mana attribute that merely affected the body.

    ¡°Do not go near the fallen superhumans! Control your breath and make sure you don¡¯t swallow the mana¨C! This, this is¡­!¡±

    ¡®Growth¡¯, ¡®division¡¯ and a repetition of ¡®infection¡¯ and ¡®encroachment¡¯. An ancient attribute of mana that was hard to find in the modern days,

    ¡°A [gue]¨C!¡±

    The medicmander¡¯s shout reverberated across the great forest.

    Their ns started off on the wrong foot.

    gue-attributed mana swept across the superhumans whose sense of smell and sight were obstructed. The unexpected turn of events caused 15% of their soldiers to be food for the monsters.

    That alone might have been fine. They were the strongest powerhouses of the world and were extremely rapid at adapting themselves to the situation.

    However, the 7th iteration being affected by Hostility created events against the expectations and knowledge of humans and the Providential World.

    A message of Vintage Clock floated up.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has acquired 100% of the information regarding the [First Night].>

    <7th Iteration¡¯s Throne of gue, Kyalkaophe: Rules of a fissure backflow were cancelled, allowing the boss type to appear from the very beginning of the backflow.>

    The boss, who usually should only appear by breaking the fissure after all the underlings leave ¨C it immediately began shooting out itsrge beak that resembled a straight spire from within the darkness of the fissure.

    ¡°What! Why is the bossing out already¨C!!¡±

    They weren¡¯t prepared at all and the battlefield waspletely in control of the monsters. The anti-boss weapon they brought wasn¡¯t even fully ignited yet.

    Above the despairs of several soldiers, a bluish ck bird with a bizarre appearance ¨C the boss Kyalkaophe, revealed itself like the arrival of a disaster.

    It had a body length of 25 metres. When it reached itsrge wings out afar, its unrealistically enormous size visible even under the dark skies oppressed the soldiers.

    It flew above the humans and green powders scattered from its wings.

    ¡°NOOOOOO¨C!!¡±

    His troops were going to be annihted ¨C themander wailed.

    The battlefield resembled a pandemonium. Out of their minds, the humans were simply in a hurry to escape and kicked off even theirrades if they happened to drag behind.

    ¡°That is why I told you.¡±

    One man took a step forward among the trees.

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret it¡­¡±

    Half out of his mind, themander gazed up at him.

    ¡°Oi! You run as well! You¡¯ll die if you stay here!¡±

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going then?¡±

    ¡°Where will themander go when all his soldiers are dead! How and where can I possibly go!¡±

    Clone 1 understood it. Commanders with ipetent results were better off dead, but not now.

    Thinking he would be a burden, the clone struck themander on the back of his neck. With a thud, he copsed. Since the clone didn¡¯t have [Knifehand Strike (D)] themander might have died there.

    Anyways,

    At this point, it should be fine to ignore the militarymands he received. Coming to that judgment, Clone 1 rxedly unsheathed the sword he borrowed from Yu Jitae from the alternate dimension.

    It appeared like a normal sword on the outside, but was in fact a Level 4 weapon artifact stolen after killing Noah.

    [Dream Eater]

    Average superhumans won¡¯t even be able to use it, and even if they could the wicked sword would eventually swallow even its owner. Normally it would be an unusable weapon.

    However, he was Yu Jitae¡¯s clone.

    Within the confusion of the pandemonium, Clone 1 held tightly onto the sword.

    As if reacting to his sublime mana, the dark and murky green mana of gue crashing in like a sandstorm started creating a tornado around him, unable to approach him. It was a strong reaction of mana, enough to cover the entire area.

    A tornado with a diameter of hundreds of metres trembled the great forest. Bugs were unable to fly properly due to that flow and the humans that had been in perilous situations crawled on the floor to resist the air current of the tornado.

    ¡°What is this¡­!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­, it¡¯s there!¡±

    Their eyes gathered to one person.

    Standing in the eye of the tornado was the existence responsible for this iprehensible and imposing feat. At that moment, they unknowingly shuddered. The mana covering the man started spattering with a sharper aura than the killing intent of the mysterious monsters.

    Even the flying boss monster was turned rigid and was made to stare at the small human, unable to move.

    In the centre of all those gazes, Yu Jitae, created based on the 6th iteration, opened his eyes.

    [Ignite]

    He then coloured the world in achroma.

 Chapter 205: Transcendent (6)

    <h4>Chapter 205: Transcendent (6)</h4>

    Inside the screen,

    While the green aura was covering the forest of the south of Amazon,

    Outside the screen,

    The situation inside the Central Command & Control Centre of the Association also changed rapidly.

    The face of the assistant adjutant that had been thrust onto the table was half broken, with blood covering the tabletop. Being a superhuman, he wouldn¡¯t die from just this much but this was the Association, and was the most important Command Centre of the Association.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. Christoph was there, as well as Zhuge Haiyan and the chairman. Yu Jitae¡¯s conduct exceeded the realms of eptable disrespect. Therefore, while the advisors were in a hurry to call for more reinforcements, other fairly powerful superhumans inside shouted with frowns.

    ¡°Must have really gone mad!¡±

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Let go of the adjutant right now!¡±

    ¡°What are you all doing! Take him outside right now!¡±

    Immediately, weapons were thrown towards Yu Jitae on all sides ¨C swords and spears. Two at the front and three at the back. They were all high rankers in their hundreds. Even more gazes were on his forehead and the chest, if including the snipers that were on stealth. There were three snipers but 31 weapons pointing at him in total.

    Dozens of weapons were currently being pointed at Yu Jitae. Although the weapons were right in front of him, he instead pressed harder on the head of the assistant adjutant.

    ¡°Kuuu, uhaaak¡­!¡±

    Even after hearing the groan of pain, the guards were unable to rashly attack him. That was when some of the executives raised their bodies including the King of Mercenaries, Christoph.

    He originally belonged to the 5th Command Room, and was unrted to the Central Command Centre but he attended here just because of Yu Jitae.

    ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Season. Let go right now.¡±

    When those executives were determined to raise their auras, tension was created inside the room.

    That was when an indifferent voice was heard.

    ¡°Hey. I get that you¡¯re mad, but can you keep that forter?¡±

    There was someone in the corner of the control room, staring at 32 hologram screens by herself. She was the head director of the Association¡¯s military strategy council, Zhuge Haiyan.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply. He had been waiting for the right opportunity.

    ¡°Huh? Can¡¯t you see what¡¯s happening right now? It¡¯s damn concerning enough already. Or you can go outside and do whatever you want there.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you all kids or what¡­ Huh?¡±

    She, who had been grumbling without any sense of tension, soon gazed directly at one of the screens. Like arge balloon of gray, there was a gray alternate dimension covering the south forests of the Amazon.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ why is that¡­ Nn?¡±

    As if realising something, Zhuge Haiyan frowned. Soon, the eyes of the superhumans that were gazing at Yu Jitae all turned towards the hologram.

    Inside the screen, just one superhuman was overwhelming the SS+ boss, which was arge flying type monster at that.

    ¡°What is happening?¡±

    ¡°Huhh? Who is that?¡±

    ¡°What in the¡­¡±

    They all observed the situation wearing frowns.

    Their eyes. The fluctuations of mana. The attribute of the embedded mana. All those sources and data were implying that the strength of the person responsible rivalled the 5 Transcendents.

    That bizarre looking sword artifact might even be stronger than that.

    Since the user of the weapon was different, the revealed shape of the ¡®dream¡¯ was alsopletely different. Not a single one of the onlookers could connect that to the [Dream Eater] they knew.

    Who was it though?

    They could sometimes take a nce at the man¡¯s face through the gray alternate dimension but it was too faint for them to identify him. It was right when their doubts were about to stack up like a mountain.

    ¨C It¡¯s ¡®One¡¯! The 3rd grade agent that participated as a free mercenary!

    A report was given.

    The ones that were aware of that name turned their gazes away from the screen. Half of them gazed at Yu Jitae while the other half gathered their eyes on Antonio Jefferson, who had been dumbfoundedly staring at Yu Jitae for a while now.

    ¡°¡­Case closed.¡±

    Although the fight was still going on, Zhuge Haiyan opened her mouth after finishing her calctions.

    That served as a signal of some sort. Along with sighs andmentations, a few of them were able to sit back straight but none were able to rx.

    The situation outside might have been settled, but the situation inside the Association was still in progress.

    ¡°Uhh, Season. How about you let go for now¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi¨C¡±

    Right when someone was about to soothe Yu Jitae by breaking the silence, Christoph cut his words off short.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let go of that hand.¡± He said.

    ¡°What. Should I kill him then.¡±

    ¡°No. You can¡¯t kill him either. You must hold onto it. Since that¡¯s your lifeline.¡±

    ¡°Old man. How is something like this my lifeline.¡±

    ¡°Haha. ¡®How¡¯? You¡¯ll die if you let go and you¡¯ll also die if it breaks. What is it if not a lifeline?¡±

    Christoph unsheathed his sword from his dimensional storage. It was a silver longsword with sharp tips travelling down the de. It was a Level 3 artifact. Ranked 9th from the top among Level 3 artifacts, it was an ancient relic-type weapon.

    [Fangs of a Hungry Wolf]

    A longsword that did not let go of anything it pierced.

    ¡°I have seen people like you many times.¡±

    The old man revealed his fangs with an even more threatening voice.

    ¡°There are a lot of them like you. They have ck blood running beneath their skin and yet wear white clothes and pretend like they¡¯re not devils.¡±

    ¡°You have no eyes.¡±

    ¡°Shut it. They¡¯re always like that. Somehow you trick people into thinking that you¡¯re able and smart in extremely clever ways. Mere parasites that try to put their own desires on the shoulders of the Association¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you have Alzheimer¡¯s? Must have forgotten who insulted my mate first.¡±

    ¡°Is that the only excuse you¡¯ve prepared? Hnn? Season.¡±

    Without saying anything in response, Yu Jitae let go of the head of the assistant adjutant that had been crushed beneath his hand. Unconscious, the man fell on the spot and crumbled down but none of them went to support him.

    The guards were those that were almost brainwashed to protect the executives of the Association even if their daughters were at stake.

    Even though there were so many of those guards there, none of them was able to move in an attempt to save the adjutant. The existence of the man standing still was oppressing and destroying their values.

    Right. Just like that guy in the forest, you¡¯re not average either ey¡­

    Thinking that, the King of Mercenaries felt his blood boil.

    ¡°Now. All of you Central Command Centre. Please take the chairman and step outside. Let me deal with this guy here!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±

    ¡°Then let us¡­¡±

    The chairman, executives and even Zhuge Haiyan were about to leave the room without trying to elerate the problem. The room turned noisy. Chairs creaked against the floor. People walked and coughed.

    ¡°No.¡±

    But when a dry voice left like a sigh, all sources of sound vanished from the room as if someone had turned the ce on mute.

    ¡°You will not leave.¡±

    Their legs stopped. After stopping, they pondered.

    Why did I stop?

    Most of the ones inside the room felt the same thing.

    Opening his eyes, Yu Jitae nced across the room from left to right. Meanwhile, he sincerely thought of wishing to kill everyone here by dissecting them into pieces.

    When he did that, something impossible to exin began oppressing everyone inside the room. Among the ones that looked into his eyes were also those that felt like their lungs were being contracted.

    Before entering the Association, Yu Jitae had already undone the [Chains of Hell].

    It was all for this moment.

    ¡°From now on, no one will move from their spot.¡±

    As if they were thousands of metres inside the depths of the ocean, oppressive energy covered them on all sides and pressed down like it was trying to force them into balls.

    Lower officials that were unable to deal with the unprecedented level of presence lost their consciousness. However, their stiffened bodies weren¡¯t even allowed to fall. Either sitting down or standing still, they lost their consciousness with their eyes open.

    ¡°I am not forcing or threatening you.

    ¡°You must listen to my words.

    ¡°But you can decide for yourselves.¡±

    The gazes of the oppressed ones headed towards Christoph.

    What was one of the 5 Transcendents doing?

    But all they realised was that the expression on his face was crumpled like a fiendish devil.

    ¡°You bastard¡­¡±

    The only difference would be that he was the only one able to speak.

    ¡°Are you a catastrophe rank demon? Or a new sovereign?¡±

    ¡°No. I am just another superhuman.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It doesn¡¯t matter who you are. But do you think you¡¯ll be fine after daring to do this at the centre of the Association? Huh¨C!?¡±

    Along with a shout, he tried to move his body. In order to force his unmoving body to move, the transcendent had to squeeze the muscles of his body and face to raise his body.

    Tududuk¡­

    Something snapped inside his body but he did not care.

    ¡°I am one of the five transcendents appointed by Chaliovan. And this is the Association! No matter who you are and what you do¡­!¡±

    He could no longer continue.

    Yu Jitae, who was standing right before him before he could even realise it, looked directly into his eyes.

    ¡°Old man. You really like saying weird things.¡±

    Kuuuuung¡ª

    An oppressive killing intent was added only for him.

    Christoph¡¯s mouth was sealed shut after a gasp. His teeth shattered when his mouth was forced to shut. The mysterious killing intent that had previously made him feel like he was in the centre of the depths of the ocean now felt like the entire outer space was trying to crush him, a mere human.

    Yu Jitae started oppressing him with all his killing intent.

    Suddenly, the old man¡¯s heart stopped beating.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    When the astronomical level of killing intent suffocated him, the old man bled from his mouth and nose. Tears of blood travelled down his cheeks and his wrinkled face before dripping on the ground. Btedly, even his ears started bleeding.

    ¡°From the first time we met, you¡¯ve been repeating the same thing. This is the Association¡­ I am the transcendent of Chaliovan¡­ As if the authority given by those concepts actually exist.

    ¡°Laughable is it not. What meaning is there with an ¡®Association¡¯ that simply gets oppressed by one superhuman?¡±

    The Regressor asked the old man but the old man could not dare reply. Seeing the abnormal state of Christoph in real time, the onlookers were shocked and befuddled.

    ¡°After the war, you managed to reach your spot thanks to a lot of hard work. There must have been a part of you asking to be rewarded.

    ¡°Presenting the glory of the distant past like a trophy, you merely reminisce in those memories. That¡¯s all you are right now.

    ¡°How dare you do it in front of the ¡®Association¡¯. This is the heart of the Assocation¡­ how funny.¡±

    Turning to the left, Yu Jitae stared at the superhumans.

    ¡°If I kill all of you there and fill it with people I know, is that still the ¡®Association¡¯? Well, maybe.¡±

    Kukh¡­ Blood oozed from the lips of one of the listeners. Turning to the right, Yu Jitae gazed at the superhumans on the other side.

    ¡°Then if I kill all of you here as well and fill them up with my people, is that still the ¡®Association¡¯? Will that still be the case?¡±

    One of their eyes exploded but they were unable to raise their hands and cover their eyes. They were being greatly overpowered.

    ¡°If everyone here dies and it¡¯s filled solely with my people, is that still the ¡®Association¡¯ you know of?

    ¡°Instead if I don¡¯t kill you and chase you out, will you gather outside and tell me that you are the Association?

    ¡°Then there will be two Associations under the sun. Right?

    ¡°Howughable.¡±

    Among the listeners, the ones that weren¡¯t aware of the story of Theseus¡¯s ship could not understand what Yu Jitae was trying to say.

    But even the ones that were aware of it were in distress. Afterparing the abstract concept of the Ancient Greek ship with their organisation, they had to feel their long-time belief and values shatter.

    ording to him¡­

    ¡°There is no such thing as the Association. It¡¯s but an illusion.

    ¡°The Association does not exist. Only you who assign great meanings to useless concepts and stay by your ims.

    ¡°Look at the reality. If the decent shell called Association doesn¡¯t exist, then what does that make you guys standing here.¡±

    Turning his head, Yu Jitae looked at the chairman. Although he was sitting rxedly with his legs crossed, he didn¡¯t say anything in response.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just a group of weak superhumans, being oppressed by one superhuman?¡±

    He once again turned towards Christoph. Bleeding from his entire body, the old man trembled like a leaf in an attempt to stand against Yu Jitae¡¯s pressure.

    ¡°And what about transcendents? If Chaliovan calls you a ¡®transcendent¡¯, do you suddenly transcend something then? Does your title alter your existence; do you transcend something and be a different being from others, enough to lead people forward with unprecedented power?

    ¡°Answer me. You sloppy old man. Are you truly a ¡®transcendent¡¯?¡±

    Christoph immediately felt the aura oppressing his body disappear in an instant. The man in front of him asked a question and was giving him a chance to reply.

    Even when trying to reply, Christoph could only do so within the given time of the opportunity. He couldn¡¯t dare call himself a transcendent in such a situation.

    When his belief in himself as a ¡®transcendent¡¯ that had followed him all the days of his life was shattered, the old soldier felt his own self bing endlessly contemptible. Even the ones watching the two of them felt simr to Christoph.

    There was an existence in front of them. No-one acknowledged him but without the acknowledgement of others, his existence alone proved his transcendence.

    The true [Transcendent] was before their eyes.

    ¡°Right. I see.¡±

    There was one person there, who was the only one able to reply without being oppressed by Yu Jitae¡¯s aura.

    Yu Jitae turned towards him.

    He was the owner of the International Superhuman Association. The greatest contributor to the establishment of the Association and had once been the owner of the witch. He was the one who rectified control over the world¡¯s disorder.

    The chairman of the International Superhuman Association ¨C Chaliovan Greenrain opened his mouth.

    ¡°You are truly a strong human.¡±

    Chaliovan continued with an indifferent look on his face.

    ¡°Perhaps the same as our sovereign¡­ or even stronger. It doesn¡¯t make sense how such an astonishing thing could happen, but that is how it feels and even catastrophe-ranked demons won¡¯t be your opponent. I haven¡¯t gotten this feeling even when I was against the god of monsters during the Eastern Asian Great War.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t trying to curry favour with Yu Jitae. With such strength, he should be able to do whatever he wants so why is he bothering to exert his influence here?

    ¡°There seems to be something even you can¡¯t handle alone. I can¡¯t even imagine it. What is it that is approaching us, that you had to reveal your existence to prove the danger of the uing disaster?¡±

    A transcendent being like him appearing here at a time like this implied something. The chairman, Chaliovan, was asking what that exactly was.

    ¡°What is the approaching future,

    ¡°And what do you wish from the Association.¡±

    Yu Jitae turned silent for a while. Soon the killing intent that had been oppressing the entirety of the Command & Control Room dissipated.

    Huk, huuk¡­ Able to breathe again, they gasped for breath while their suffocated hearts began beating again. However, the superhumans were still unable to look away from Yu Jitae.

    ¡°You must prepare for the future.¡±

    Chaliovan squinted his eyes.

    ¡°You will experience yet another war.¡±

    His assertion came to them like a fact.

    ¡°You will confront an army iparable to the likes of the Eastern Asian Great War.¡±

    Slowly, the gasps for breath ceased yet again.

    ¡°You will watch humanity crumble under that overwhelming violence.¡±

    He looked like a prophet.

    ¡°A long night wille. A night unending on its own. Like today, the night will be without its omens. Darkness will suddenly colour the world and the day won¡¯te no matter how you wait.¡±

    His words sounded like a revtion.

    ¡°You must wake up and prepare for a war. The worthless ceasefire you made with the demons just because they don¡¯t make money must be concluded at all costs.

    ¡°Force superhumans living under the virtual concept of transcendents and rankers topete and seek improvement and filter the soldiers resting under the shelter called the Association that will be useless in the times of distress. Even without that notion, are you not the mightiest strength protecting humanity?¡±

    In the 7th iteration, there was a power called ¡®Hostility¡¯ distorting the world. Since the Regressor always moved considering the worst possible case scenarios, he was here in an attempt to bring the best future possible.

    ¡°Thus, you must be able to protect the world.¡±

    Even without the illusion, they were the organisation of the strongest superhumans and the beginning of the establishment of their organisation was also to save and guide humanity.

    Before being the Association and transcendents, they were ¡®soldiers¡¯.

    Fighting to protect humanity.

    After their long-trusted belief shattered, what was left were the hearts of the soldiers who had lifted their weapons to simply save people. A lot of thoughts appeared in the minds of the listening soldiers.

    However, all the things he spoke of were what he was requesting from the Association. Although the authenticity was yet to be confirmed, those were simply what the Association had to do before the approaching era he mentioned.

    Wearing a frown, Chaliovan asked.

    ¡°Then what will you do?¡±

    The transcendent replied.

    ¡°I, shall be with you.¡±

 Chapter 206: Stay still Dick Jitae (1)

    <h4>Chapter 206: Stay still Dick Jitae (1)</h4>

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    It had already been 2 weeks since her rtionship with Bom turned awkward. They asionally encountered one another since they were still both living at Unit 301 but Yeorum didn¡¯t greet and nor did Bom.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Even just then was the same.

    She went to the kitchen to have supplements with milk and found Bom filling up a cup with water at the water purifier. While Yeorum was opening the fridge, Bom walked away after filling her cup with water despite their eyes having met for a split second.

    ¡°That bitc*, she holds grudges for so long¡­¡±

    In spite of her words, she felt slightly ufortable on the inside. Even after looking back at what she had done, Yeorum couldn¡¯t understand Bom and thus found it difficult to apologise wholeheartedly.

    What was the big deal about a stupid pen name?

    ¡°Hmm. Hmm¡­ F*ck.¡±

    After thinking for some time, she felt slightly annoyed.

    So what if that wasabi dragon hates me or not? Since when did I care about things like that?

    But thinking from another perspective, she did ruin her mood so it was correct for her to apologise if they weren¡¯t nning to go entirely separate ways.

    But wait? I did apologise. I apologised and yet she¡¯s just ignoring me right?

    Or did I? Am I the only one that thinks I apologised¡­? Well, I did go over it quite fast¡­

    No. Wait. Shouldn¡¯t that still count as an apology? I also had to force myself to say something I didn¡¯t want to! Isn¡¯t it better for both of us if she just epts it without making a big fuss about it?

    F*ck. This is stupid. What¡¯s the big deal with a stupid pen name that she¡¯s being so picky, huh?!

    Yeorum¡¯s concerns repeated on without an end. She irritatedly scratched her head.

    ¡°Ah, so annoying¡­¡±

    Like that, she agonised over it for 2 weeks and finally came to a decision today.

    Let¡¯s give it just one more shot. Onest shot. I¡¯ll apologise sincerely and if she¡¯s still like that, then f*ck it all.

    Thinking that, Yeorum walked towards Bom who was lying down on the sofa of the living room. nkly Bom was reading the book and lifted her face after sensing a presence in front.

    Their eyes met.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The two of them stayed silent for a bit.

    ¡°You look pretty even from up here, you bitc*¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°You still mad?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then what? Why¡¯re you walking past me every damn time? You ignoring me?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯re you ignoring people when you¡¯re not even mad then. Doesn¡¯t feel good.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    In the middle of her speech, Yeorum shook her head. This was the speaking style of the stupid grass race and it would simply lead to a vicious circle if she were to nitpick on it.

    Yeorum heaved out a deep sigh.

    Then, she thought of a target she could resent for this irritatingly annoying and cumbersome situation.

    Yu Jitae.

    Whatever the reason,

    Yu Jitae was just a son of a bi*ch.

    After resenting her guardian like that, she felt slightly more at ease. Soon, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°Oi. You know how I changed your pen name.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry if that made you upset.¡±

    In that instant, Bom¡¯s eyes widened a little bit.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Yeorum wanted to listen to her reply as well but after saying it out loud, her fingers started to distort from how cringe it was. Thus, she hurriedly turned around.

    Woah this feels like shi*.

    Yu Jitae you son of a b*tch. Son of a bi*ch¡­

    In any case, this time it seemed that she was able to give a decent apology.

    That evening when she was alone pressing barbells at a gym, Yeorum was lost in thought as usual.

    Now that the awkwardness dissipated something else rose up inside her head. Thinking back to her observations, Bom had been cuddling next to Yu Jitae for especially long periods of time during the past 2 weeks.

    Hmm¡­

    So. What was up with Yu Bom?

    ***

    All the situations came to an end at the Association.

    By the time the reinforcements of the Association btedly arrived, the battle was already close to over. In just over five minutes, Clone 1 had managed to defeat the flying boss type monster Kyalkaophe.

    The physical prowess demonstrated by One to the officials of the Association and the overwhelming might of the Level 4 artifact shocked everyone. He rivalled or exceeded the power level of the 5 Transcendents. Only then did the superhumans realise that One wasn¡¯t just a lucky guy who happened to have connections.

    ¡°The 3rd grade agent position is just ridiculous for a different reason now¡­¡±

    ¡°I know right. Who would put a transcendent-level ranker as a 3rd grade agent? So, did the chairman want to change it to 6 Transcendents?¡±

    ¡°Nah. That guy. Apparently he wanted to stay a 3rd grade agent.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    The Association attempted to give a better position to One but was rejected and did not alert the media about his identity either. The rewards all ended up going to Antonio Jefferson.

    On the outside, One and Jefferson wererades who had been acquainted for a long time ever since the Great War. Soon the Association realised that Jefferson was an extremely important personnel when dealing with One.

    ¡°Then, what about that guy called Season?¡±

    ¡°I heard he disappeared from the Association.¡±

    ¡°Disappeared?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He only talks to One and Jefferson and apparently mentioned he would onlye back when necessary.¡±

    ¡°Haa¡­ Seriously, what in the world happened inside the Control & Command Room that day I wonder¡­¡±

    That day¡¯s events of the Control & Command Room were extremely simplified. People simply talked of how a god-like transcendent prophesied about the uing future and shocked all the executives of the Association including Chaliovan.

    But as always, it was impossible topletely stop words from spreading.

    ¡°Dude. This is a secret but¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? What is it.¡±

    ¡°Apparently Season made Christoph tremble there without even moving his fingers.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    The superhuman listener burst intoughter.

    ¡°Mate. You¡¯re making things up again!¡±

    ¡°No dude. I heard this from a reliable informant.¡±

    ¡°Quiet! What kind of nonsense is that? You better cut ties with that informant!¡±

    There were too many unbelievable stories and rumours. Later there were only a handful of people that knew the truth.

    But surprisingly, the Association began to gradually change. It was slow that people couldn¡¯t sense the change but it was certainly enough to sweep across all the officials.

    The Association rode on the current of reformation.

    Meanwhile, Clone 1 observed the eye taken away from Kyalkaophe. It was a vivid yellow eye asrge as a human head. It was filled with an especially filthy aura.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has confirmed the presence of Hostility from the other side of the Horizon embedded inside [Kyalkaophe]>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock EX)] begins collecting the revealed traces of the [Hostility]>

    <[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragment gathered: 37.3%¡­>

    The fragments that had stopped at 37.2% once again started building up. Once this reached 100%, Yu Jitae would be able to know for certain what the ¡®Hostility¡¯ exactly was.

    However, the eye of Kyalkaophe bounced on its own or acted as if trying to explode. Despite not being alive, it was wriggling from the influence of Hostility. Therefore, Clone 1 headed to the undergroundbyrinth and created a spot at the top of the Fragment of Paradise for the eye and only then did the eye stop moving.

    Afterwards, Clone 1 headed to the Association once again. He would be even busier now since Yu Jitae would not be present most of the time.

    On the other hand, BM disappeared from the undergroundbyrinth once again in search of new ingredients,

    And after taking his hands off of the Association¡¯s affairs, Yu Jitae headed to the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)] and looked after Jung Taebaek¡¯s corpse when the dragons were sleeping at night. He started separating the leftover fragments of the chimera that were tangled with the body.

    In order to suppress the superhumans of the Association without relying on violence, even Yu Jitae had to reveal all his power. Yu Jitae, who had released the [Chains of Hell], bound his heart again with the ck chains after it was over.

    He returned to Unit 301 early the next morning after the incident.

    For the first time in a long time, he felt exhausted. This was the first time he was tired ever since he killed Noah.

    That was when a message appeared inside his head.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ¡­>

    You here? Good work.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ?<strong>?</strong>¦Ø??) >

    What.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (<strong> ??</strong>¦Ø??) >

    What. Why.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (<strong> ??</strong>¡Ä??) >

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]:?(?`^¡ä?)?>

    <It states it doesn¡¯t know>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] deres that it will go off to finish the leftover tasks.>

    Then, the presence of the Vintage Clock disappeared from his head. He wondered what was wrong with it but decided to let it be for now.

    In any case, he took the pocket watch out and checked the time. It was 7 in the morning, about time for the kids to wake up.

    He walked up to the door of the dormitory.

    ***

    One day before Yu Jitae returned,

    Yeorum looked for Kaeul. There were a lot of eyes in the house and it might be that she was the slowest to realise it, considering the fact that she had been uninterested in things like this at the start.

    ¡°Unn?¡±

    Kaeul blinked her golden eyes.

    ¡°Oi Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You know¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uhh, wh, why? Why are you walking towards me? Go away.¡±

    ¡°Come here for a bit. Have a chat with unni.¡±

    ¡°Huuuhh? Whyy!¡±

    Kaeul was dragged by the arm and was taken to Yeorum¡¯s room.

    ¡°Whyy! There¡¯s a drama about to start right now!¡±

    ¡°Dude. A drama isn¡¯t what¡¯s important right now.¡±

    ¡°Then what is!¡±

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    ¡°Unn? What about Bom-unni?¡±

    ¡°Does Yu Bom like Yu Jitae?¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s question lifted the irritation away from Kaeul¡¯s expression. It wasn¡¯t because she was talking casually. That was normal since Yeorum tended to call anyone by their name when they were the only ones having a chat.

    Kaeul appeared slightly surprised as a sense of dilemma appeared in her face. She btedly replied with a loud voice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­?!¡±

    Although Yeorum wasn¡¯t the best at reading through people¡¯s lies, Kaeul¡¯s reaction spoke for itself to a ridiculous extent and she thus immediately realised it.

    ¡°You know something, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Kaeul gave an awkward smile in response. ¡°Unn??¡±

    ¡°You definitely know something. Right?¡±

    ¡°Hnn? What do I know?¡±

    ¡°What is it. Come on. Tell me. Does Yu Bom really like Yu Jitae?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ uh, of course right? I like ahjussi as well.¡±

    ¡°No. You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to say.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! How do I know what Bom-unni thinks about ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°W, what made you think like that unni?¡± Kaeul asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Why did you think Bom-unni was strange?¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s that about? I didn¡¯t say anything about Yu Bom being weird though?¡±

    Oops. After realising that she made a mistake, Kaeul closed her mouth and bit her lower lips.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t know,¡± said Yeorum.

    That was when Kaeul slightly gazed up to read Yeorum¡¯s mood, before ncing at the door once again. A different light appeared in her golden eyes, as she suddenly ran towards the door with a worried look on her face and locked the door.

    ¡°Unni. Listen carefully.¡± She said.

    ¡°Huh? Okay.¡±

    ¡°Actually¡­¡±

    Kaeul nced at her and hesitantly swallowed her words.

    Hoh, is she going to say something? Thinking that, Yeorum waited but when the hesitation exceeded her patience, she was about to get mad.

    ¡°Come on you idiot. Say something!¡±

    ¡°Uahhh¡­ whatever¡­! Bom-unni really wants to have ahjussi all by herself!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    After finishing her words, Kaeul blocked her own mouth with her hands. Then, she carefully ced her hands near Yeorum¡¯s ears and whispered with a voice ever so soft.

    ¡®Bom-unni wants to have ahjussi by herself okay?!¡¯

    ¡®What? Really?¡¯

    ¡®Yes yes¡­!¡¯

    ¡®What do you mean specifically?¡¯

    ¡®Macarons!¡¯

    ¡®Macarons?¡¯

    ¡®If ahjussi buys 30 macarons for us, uhh, then both you and Bom-unni would want to eat them right?¡¯

    ¡®¡­? Anyways, okay?¡¯

    ¡®But I want to eat them by myself! Without giving them to anyone else¡­! It like, feels something like that¡­!?¡¯

    Yeorum pondered for a bit before asking her again.

    ¡°When did you notice that?¡±

    ¡°You know uhh, when we went to the ind before.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°How would I tell anyone that! I didn¡¯t want to know about it either and it was against my will¡­!¡±

    A wish to monopolise.

    Yeorum contemted how different that would be for love and like but couldn¡¯te to a conclusion no matter how much she thought.

    ¡°Oi monkey. Does that feel different from liking someone?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t know either. I haven¡¯t like, loved someone like shoujo manga either so¡­ what about you unni?¡±

    Although she had never liked someone either, trying to put that into words hurt her pride a bit for some reason.

    ¡°Hmm. Got it.¡±

    ¡°But why are you asking that all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. For now, keep our conversation a secret okay?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask why. Just know that it has to be a secret.¡±

    After walking away from Kaeul, Yeorum began looking for Gyeoul. Gyeoul, who had been struggling to open the container of food for the fish, turned around with a flinch when someone opened the door without even knocking.

    ¡°¡­What now?¡±

    She asked with a frown.

    ¡°Oi, blue.¡±

    ¡°¡­What.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a chat for a bit.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t want to.¡±

    When Yeorum obstinately walked in, Gyeoul immediately moved her hands and sprinkled water over her face. However, Yeorum cursorily flicked it away with her hands and walked towards her inrge strides.

    Then, she crouched down to look into the eyes of the child.

    ¡°¡­Leave.¡±

    ¡°Wait, just listen.¡±

    ¡°¡­Leave, I said.¡±

    ¡°No. Seriously, this is important, okay? It¡¯s rted to our household.¡±

    ¡°¡­What nonsense¡­ are you trying to say now?¡±

    Gyeoul red at the infiltrator with a disapproving gaze but the next words that left her mouth did intrigue her a little.

    ¡°Do you know what Yu Bom¡­ I mean what Bom-unni talked about when she was alone with ahjussi?¡±

    The child widened her eyes.

    ¡°¡­Nn? Why?¡±

    ¡°Like, you were using the same room with Bom-unni for a long time yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Did Yu Jitae ever¡­ I mean, ahjussi ever talk to her alone inside the room?¡±

    Calling him Yu Jitae made Gyeoul frown so Yeorum had to try as hard as she could to please the child since she was the one asking the question.

    Crossing her small arms, Gyeoul went, ¡°Hmm¡­¡±. She touched her chin but after seemingly thinking of something, she turned back towards Yeorum.

    ¡°Do you know something?¡±

    ¡°¡­Talk, outside.¡±

    Yeorum was annoyed after hearing that and even thought to herself that she shouldn¡¯t have asked her the question. That was until she heard the next words from Gyeoul that continued after they entered Yeorum¡¯s room.

    ¡°¡­Unni and ahjussi¡­ were on the bed together.¡±

    Shocking words caused Yeorum¡¯s chin to drop.

 Chapter 207: Stay still Dick Jitae (2)

    <h4>Chapter 207: Stay still Dick Jitae (2)</h4>

    ¡°¡­Nn? Why?¡±

    ¡°Just the two of them on the bed?¡±

    ¡°¡­Three including me.¡±

    ¡°Ah f*ck no wonder. So, what then.¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°¡­They just talked.¡±

    ¡°What did they say.¡±

    ¡°¡­Mhmm, I slept, so I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Yeorum frowned. It was still too early to jump to a conclusion. Bom sometimes acted as if Gyeoul was her daughter and Gyeoul also tended to follow Bom as if she were her mother.

    That wasn¡¯t anything strange. Bom was a green dragon and the green race was the race of Providence that tended to treat all the other races like their children.

    From the perspective of the red race, they were a mother-like (?) race pretending to be slightly mysterious.

    ¡°Tell me everything you know,¡± said Yeorum. However, Gyeoul seemed to have been discontent with her words. Crossing her arms, Gyeoul contemted before using the words she learned from Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­Why, should I?¡±

    ¡°Huhh? Oi.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hihi.¡±

    ¡°This is a really important matter. What do you mean why should I. Just say it.¡±

    ¡°¡­For free?¡±

    Yeorum was speechless. Since when did this childish kid be so greedy like this?

    ¡°You kid. Just because you¡¯re a little bit older¡­¡±

    Gyeoul however was serious. What did the unlikeable red dragon do for her that she had to tell her everything she wanted to hear?

    ¡°What do you need,¡± asked Yeorum.

    In response, Gyeoul made a circle by connecting her index finger and her thumb. It was the gesture she saw from the movie she watched together with Yeorum.

    ¡°Hah. Wow. How ridiculous¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Forget it, if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Yeorum went through her drawers. There was the dor she had leftover from the 50 dors Yu Jitae gave her after buying 49-dors-worth of books on the day of the festival.

    Hmm, this should be enough since she¡¯s a little kid right?

    Thinking that, Yeorum gave the dor to Gyeoul but a cunning smile appeared instead on her lips.

    ¡°¡­1 dor, won¡¯t do it though?¡±

    ***

    Bam!

    ¡°Ayat¨C¡±

    Gyeoul opened her mouth after being smacked on her forehead.

    ¡°¡­Annoying.¡±

    ¡°Just say it!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you another 5 dors when I get it okay?¡±

    Putting the 1 dor note into her pocket, Gyeoul closed her eyes to revive the memories of that time.

    She could have stubbornly refused to answer her but the reason Gyeoul obediently opened her mouth was because she was curious what Yeorum was referring to as an important matter.

    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±

    Bom and Yu Jitae talking on the bed after she fell asleep ¨C it happened quite a few times.

    Although she couldn¡¯t remember everything since she fell asleep halfway most of the time, the thing that first re-entered her mind was when Yu Jitae suddenly started banging on her back when she was sleeping just fine.

    What did Bom say back then again?

    ¡®Little bit softer please. A bit gentler.¡¯

    ¡®A little bit more gentler.¡¯

    ¡®As if you¡¯re caressing it.¡¯

    That was probably what she said while Yu Jitae was tapping her on the back.

    After listening to her words, Yeorum was shocked.

    ¡°What!? Are they actually crazy or what?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Softer? Gentler?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    Before long, Yeorum¡¯s expression turned dark.

    ¡°Like, did the bed shake at all?¡±

    ¡°¡­No? Why?¡±

    ¡°They must have been he soft then¡­ Wow, that¡¯s crazy. Crazy¡­ Look at these damn guys. Were they really ying like that behind my back in secret? Or don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re lying? Tell me straight up. This is really freaking important.¡±

    ¡°¡­No? I¡¯m not, lying.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not? Wow¡­ Crazy. Yu Jitae and Yu Bom these damn bitc*es¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Why? Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? No, I guess you wouldn¡¯t know. How would a little kid like you know anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Yeorum started mumbling to herself, ¡®Wow fu*k, ¡°beware of the silent man and still water¡±, was it¡­?¡¯ ¡®Like, was Yu Jitae that kind of bastard? Acting calm and refined on the outside and¡­¡¯ ¡®My gosh, fu*k. So they were actually doing that together huh¡­?¡¯

    In the middle of her mummers, she suddenly turned towards Gyeoul.

    ¡°Nn? What are you doing? Why you still there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Like I said, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Ah whatever kid. Don¡¯t need you anymore. Leave.¡±

    Pushed from behind, Gyeoul was chased out of the room.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kung!

    The door closed behind her back.

    ¡®¡­What was that. So annoying.¡¯ Scratching her hair, Gyeoul unhappily red at the door and turned around whilst thinking to herself. Thinking back, simr things happened several times even after that but she didn¡¯t think those were strange by any means.

    So what was wrong with that boar right now?

    ***

    The mere fact that Yu Jitae and Bom were cuddling wasn¡¯t the important part. Well, they weren¡¯t kids and it would be fine if they both wanted to. It didn¡¯t matter to Yeorum whether the two of them did that (?) or not.

    However, there was a big paradox here.

    During an Amusement, the red race tended to enjoy doing such things because it truly was an interesting deed. Even Yeorum herself ¨C if she didn¡¯t have a clear objective and a definite course of life, she might have been enjoying herself left and right as well.

    But from what she remembered, the blue or the green race weren¡¯t usually like that. That was simply the characteristics of those races.

    Naturally, there would be the doubt that any dragon could do so considering the individual characteristics of that dragon but,

    The green race was an exception.

    Somehow, all the dragons of the green race had simr personalities as if they were all printed by the same machine. They were boring and uninteresting to the point it made Yeorum think that any dragon catching a glimpse of the future would inevitably be like that.

    Therefore, Bom doing that with Yu Jitae without ¡®love¡¯ was difficult for Yeorum to understand based on her existing knowledge. Then, does Bom really love Yu Jitae? That too didn¡¯t make sense.

    Because as long as the [Origin Fragment] was in their bodies, hatchlings weren¡¯t able to fall in love. This intense paradox repeatedly created doubts upon doubts.

    Since the [Origin Fragment] was the most important thing for a dragon enjoying their Amusement, Yeorum realised that this wasn¡¯t something simple that could be dismissed with ease.

    At this point, whether the two of them did it or not was not important. This was an even more serious matter.

    Early the next morning.

    These days, Yu Jitae left the dormitory at night by himself and didn¡¯t return tillte in the morning. Because of that, Bom had to leave by herself in the morning to buy food from outside.

    ¡°Hnn hnn?¡±

    That was exactly what she was doing today. While humming, Bom was preparing a shopping bag before going outside. Now was the best time for a conversation of just the two of them.

    ¡°Unni.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Hello. You¡¯re early today.¡±

    Seemingly in a better mood, Bom greeted back with a gentle smile.

    ¡°You going to buy food?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°Okay. What happened to you?¡±

    The two of them walked outside.

    Yeorum always considered that there was something called ¡®morning air¡¯ in the early mornings. Around 2 to 3 hours after the sunrise. Despite being in the height of summer, the world would still give her a rtively cool and refreshing feeling. Thus, Yeorum tended to open the window whenever she opened her eyes in the morning to enjoy the air.

    But today, she was unable to wholeheartedly enjoy the air.

    By the time they were about to enter themercial district after a long walk,

    ¡°Unni,¡±

    Yeorum opened her mouth with a clear voice.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Do you like Yu Jitae ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    She replied all too easily so Yeorum thought her question just then was wrong.

    ¡°¡­No, I mean,¡±

    ¡°Ohh, Yeorum. Look.¡± Bom said.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°What do you think about those?¡±

    Yeorum turned her head to see Bom pointing at a sandwich store operating from early in the morning.

    ¡°Ah. Yeah. Looks good.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s good.¡±

    Maybe the timing was a little off. On the way back after buying sandwiches, Yeorum asked once again.

    ¡°Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Tell me straight without going in circles.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Do you love Yu Jitae?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    Again she replied all too easily ¨C naturally as if she had never even considered such a thing. Yeorum nced at her face and found the usual indifferent expression that hid her inner thoughts.

    ¡°Then?¡± Yeorum inquired deeper.

    ¡°What ¡®then¡¯? No is a no.¡±

    ¡°No but, like, don¡¯t you feel clingy? Trying to have him for yourself or liking him so much that you could die?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I don¡¯t.¡±

    Her response was a little strange. If Kaeul was right, she shouldn¡¯t be answering like that. Kaeul mentioned that she had not yet told Bom about the things she knew of, which meant that Bom probably didn¡¯t know how Kaeul had witnessed it¡­

    Yeorum walked inrge strides before stopping in front of Bom.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°Nn? What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±

    Stopping on the spot, Bom blinked her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. This isn¡¯t something simple.¡± Yeorum added.

    ¡°Is this rted to the question you asked before?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ But why are you asking that all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s strange no matter how I see it. From what I¡¯ve seen from time to time, I feel like there must be something between you two.¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­ I do cling to ahjussi quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°What if it¡¯s more than that?¡±

    The expression on Yeorum¡¯s face was serious and even grave. After looking into her eyes, Bom let out an awkward smile while touching her hair.

    ¡°What happened to you today¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something, isn¡¯t there?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Bom ced her hand next to her chest in response. The dragon heart ¨C next to which was the [Origin Fragment].

    ¡°You know. I have it too.¡±

    The fragment embedded with the power of the first dragon of the ancient era, the [Ancient One]. It was always next to the hearts of dragons that were going off on an Amusement by crossing to a nearby dimension.

    It was in a way a beeper. Like a passport or a ne ticket.

    At the same time, it served as a guide so that young hatchlings would not be overly immersed in their Amusements.

    ¡°We all got it confirmed by the lord on our way out right? But if I love ahjussi when I¡¯m in the same boat as all of you, wouldn¡¯t that be very dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Right. Exactly what you said. That¡¯s also why I¡¯m acting needlessly serious right now.¡±

    Taking a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket, Yeorum ced one between her lips and ignited it by creating an ember from her fingertips.

    ¡°How unlucky are we on our first Amusement, right. We came out and got f*cked.¡±

    She took a deep breath in and out along with a gush of thick smoke.

    ¡°Now we might be doing fine but when the dimensions were disjointed and we ended up being stranded here without even knowing why, what was the only thing we believed in?¡±

    Again, Yeorum took a deep breath in.

    ¡°Nothing but the Origin Fragment, right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°If your Origin Fragment has a problem here, then something might go wrong for you unni while all of us get sent back. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you. Are you sure there¡¯s nothing wrong with your Origin Fragment. Do you seriously not love ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying.¡±

    ¡°They say standing guarantee for a green is at least better than going out with a blue but¡­¡± Yeorum murmured. It was a famous joke of the red race meaning that they hated blue dragons to the core while green dragons should not be trusted that easily.

    Bom frowned as a joke.

    ¡°Hey. Isn¡¯t that ridiculous? Why did you ask in the first ce if you¡¯re not even going to believe me?¡±

    ¡°If you do have a problem there, you need to stop ying around living normal lives and stuff. Do you have time to waste like that? You need to work on fixing it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me ask onest time. What you said then about not having those feelings for ahjussi¨C¡±

    Her gaze as she sucked in the air through the cigarette was deep. With a sharp gaze of doubt, she appeared like a hunting dog twitching its nose from the faint scent of blood.

    With a deep exhale of smoke, she continued.

    ¡°Can you swear you¡¯re telling the truth?¡±

    The air felt heavy around them but Yeorum was asking since she was sincerely concerned.

    ¡°Nn.¡± Even then, Bom replied with little regard and Yeorum burned the whole cigarette on fire. Resolutely, Yeorum sharply red into Bom¡¯s eyes for a while as Bom returned an awkward smile saying it was okay.

    Afterwards, Yeorum did not speak to her.

    *

    Yu Jitae looked at the pocket watch. 7 in the morning. When he was at the door of the dormitory, he happened toe across Bom and Yeorum who were returning after buying breakfast.

    Bom shouted, ¡°Ahjussi¨C¡± so he waved back in return. That was when Yeorum suddenly started running towards Yu Jitae with a bright smile on her face.

    ¡°Oh my, my darling!¡±

    While addressing him as if she was in a good mood, Yeorum jumped up and dashed towards Yu Jitae. He was exhausted and was thus defenseless. Yeorum wrapped her legs around his waist and hung her arms around his neck.

    Then, she suddenly started pushing her head forward.

    Her lips were also protruding out as if she was trying to give him a kiss. Naturally he lifted his hand to stop the kid¡¯s face before slowly pushing it away.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Whyyy! Do you not want my kiss?¡±

    ¡°Get down. I¡¯m a bit tired today.¡±

    Yeorum stubbornly clung to him so he raised her up high into the air before cing her down on the ground. Unable to resist the difference in strength, Yeorum was forced onto the ground like a child.

    ¡°Freaking eunuch¡­ Come on whatever? It¡¯s not our first time kissing ?. Unn? Uunnnn?¡±

    Seeing that the exhausted Yu Jitae didn¡¯t say anything back in response, Yeorum grinned and entered the house after throwing a nce at Bom. ¡°Ah, we bought sandwiches for breakfast,¡± said Bom nonchntly while showing the bag as the two of them soon followed Yeorum into the dormitory.

    For some reason, the gaze that was on Yeorum¡¯s eyes was stuck in a corner of his mind.

    What was up with these two.

    However, that was just the beginning of Yeorum¡¯s strange gimmicks.

 Chapter 208:

    <h4>Chapter 208:</h4>

    <strong>Episode 69: Stay still Dick Jitae (3)</strong>

    ¨C ¡°Count Edward. Jealousy is the most honest of the emotions.¡±

    Reading shoujo manga made her feel upset just as much as it made her smile. Especially when it was about the viiness, the rival of the female lead.

    ¡®T, that freaking bi*ch? Trying damn hard to wag her tail.¡¯

    ¡®Like, how can you like an idiot like that? Looks so weak that I can crush her head with a punch.¡¯

    ¡®If this stupid male lead goes to her, I¡¯m killing the author with my hands¡­¡¯

    Yeorum corrected her choice of words. The problem wasn¡¯t the rivals but the viinesses that made the female leads upset, also causing herself who was cheering for the female lead to feel upset.

    These viinesses tended to linger around the male lead and wag their stupid tail to make the onlookers mad. Whenever that happened, the female lead would act in a frustrating way or get mad¡­ whatever it was, she would get emotional and act ordingly.

    ¡®If I were her, I would grab a hammer at night and go to her bedroom. Why the f*ck are you crying by yourself?!¡¯

    ¡®Aht, wait. This isn¡¯t what I should be doing¡­¡¯

    In any case, she was now going to try and drag out the most honest of human emotions, jealousy, to discern whether Bom was in love with Yu Jitae or not. Thinking that it was the role of viinesses made her feel trash but it did intrigue her a little when she was the one that had to pull it off.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    So during breakfast when they were having sandwiches, Yeorum gave a wide smile towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Darling?¡±

    Without saying anything in response, Yu Jitae simply frowned while Yeorum stealthily nced at Bom¡¯s face. Bom was simply chewing on the sandwich without even looking at the two of them. As if she was feeling thirsty, she raised a cup of milk and drank it before licking the milk off her lips.

    She looked way too uninterested.

    Yeorum realised that she needed a n. A strategy of acting like a fox.

    A situation being formed would be better than her doing it all by herself so Yeorum gathered her two younger sisters and informed them of the strategy.

    ¡°Got that?¡±

    After listening to her n, Kaeul and Gyeoul stared directly into her eyes.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Whyy? Have you finally gone mad?¡±

    In that instant, Yeorum had to resist the urge to test if Kaeul¡¯s cheeks could stretch like cheese or not.

    ¡°Are you doing it or what.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Looking at each other, Kaeul and Gyeoul pondered.

    Since she was saying that it was very important, they decided to obediently listen to this short-tempered unni¡¯s request.

    Like that, Kaeul and Gyeoul went outside with the baby chicken for food leaving only Yu Jitae, Bom and Yeorum inside the house for lunch.

    Closing her eyes, Yeorum reflected on the countless images she had seen till now. It was now time to show off her polished months of experience of reading shoujo manga.

    ***

    Yu Jitae gazed at the empty kitchen.

    Today was a Saturday. Both Kaeul and Gyeoul should be inside the house and neither of them being at home during lunch time was an extremely rare sight.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Blinking her eyes, Bom touched her watch.

    ¡°Where did these kids go without even saying a word¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, they said they were going outside to y.¡± Yeorum replied.

    Because of that, it was just the three of them having lunch that day.

    The menu was an assorted array of sushi bought from a nearby restaurant. Right when he was about to open the bag and take out the box of sushi, he realised that Yeorum was staring directly at Bom.

    When Bom lifted her head up after feeling a gaze, Yeorum nonchntly looked away as if she hadn¡¯t been staring at her. For some reason, it reminded Yu Jitae of the gaze he saw in the morning.

    During the meal, she was even more strange.

    The dining room was quieter than usual without Kaeul. Yu Jitae and Bom, who were originally of few words, were quietly focused on having sushi.

    That was when Yeorum slightly lifted her butt up and moved across one seat to sit next to Yu Jitae. She then used her chopsticks to dip the sushi in soy sauce before bringing it to his mouth.

    ¡°Oppa.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±

    His hands that were about to lift the sushi up came to a stop.

    He wasn¡¯t hearing things. The usual sharp voice and gaze was long gone and with gentle eyes, Yeorum spoke to him once again with a voice ever so delicate.

    ¡°Here. Eat this.¡±

    However, her hands weren¡¯t so delicate. He slightly pulled his head away but the sushi came flying in like a missile and collided with his lips before eventually falling from the chopsticks.

    ¡°Oi. What are you doing.¡± He asked.

    ¡°Ah, what a waste.¡±

    ¡°What, are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Trying to give you sushi, what else? Why are you avoiding my sushi?¡±

    Yeorum instead stared at him resentfully before picking up the sushi that was on the ground.

    Something was slightly off.

    While raising her head back up, Yeorum looked at him and mumbled something with her lips. Her shoulder-length hair flowed down and covered her side so only Yu Jitae saw her mumble.

    But the thing was that he couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying.

    ¡°Oppa. Say ¡®Ah¡¯. Ah¨C¡±

    Once again she tried to feed him sushi.

    ¡°Why are you doing this.¡±

    ¡°Just eat it. It¡¯s nice you know.¡±

    Although he had no idea why, it wasn¡¯t like this was the first time Yeorum was doing something strange. Despite feeling doubtful, he ate the sushi off her chopsticks.

    After the first one, the second one was easier. Cuddling right next to him, Yeorum fed him sushi and looked into his eyes while blinking her crimson eyes.

    In between those quirky acts, Yeorum asionally ¨C very asionally threw nces at Bom.

    Soon, she found Bom staring back at her with circr eyes.

    Did she take the bait?

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe my eyes¡­ What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Well, just giving sushi to my oppa. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. Is today a day where we take care of ahjussi instead?¡±

    Saying that, Bom naturally dipped the sushi into the soy sauce before bringing it towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Yeorum¡¯s doing that because you always eat so little, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Here. Say ¡®Ah¡¯.¡±

    Yu Jitae hesitated slightly before eating her sushi as well.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum realised that her n had somehow failed.

    What was it? Was Bom being jealous right now? But for that to be the case, her expression and gestures were too calm.

    Let alone that, even the situation was strange. It was different from before but Yeorum wasn¡¯t entirely sure about the nature of the change.

    The ¡®situation where Bom might feel jealous¡¯ because she was feeding him sushi was immediately changed by Bom by putting on a frame that ¡®today was a day where they were taking care of ahjussi¡¯ but Yeorum couldn¡¯t wrap her head around it.

    As a result, it would just be a part of today¡¯s concept no matter who fed him sushi at this point.

    Although Yeorum didn¡¯t know the exact reason for the change, she still knew that her first strategy had failed. Later, it was Bom who instead fed Yu Jitae more sushi.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum slightly red at Bom but she merely blinked her eyes and tilted her head in response. That was the end of lunch and Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t figure anything out aside from the fact that there was something wrong with the two kids.

    That day, Yeorum acted in a strange manner throughout their daily lives, evident from how she cut her hand while ying around with a knife next to him.

    ¡°Ah¨C¡±

    He turned his head and found Yeorum bleeding from her fingers. Bom and Yu Jitae both stared at Yeorum while she groaned and rubbed her finger.

    ¡°Ah f*ck. It hurts.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t a human nor was she a young kid who had never once held onto a knife. A red dragon cutting their finger while ying with a knife? Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t understand what was happening.

    Yeorum stared at him like a wounded puppy.

    ¡°Oppa. It hurts¡­¡±

    But Yeorum saying ¡®It hurts¡¯ touched a not-so-good memory of his. Towards the very end of the 5th iteration, Yeorum was in tremendous pain but she had never once mentioned it until the veryst second of her life.

    ¨C My heart hurts¡­

    And she said that with herst breath.

    Reflecting on that weighed his mood down for some reason. With no other choice, Yu Jitae stood up and walked towards her. Walking up, he grabbed her by the wrist and observed the wound.

    It wasn¡¯t a big problem and should therefore be healed very soon.

    ¡°Nn? How did you get hurt?¡±

    It was then. Bom indifferently walked towards Yu Jitae and Yeorum as if curious. ¡°How did this happen, Yeorum?¡± she said before pouring the mana of mother nature to heal her wound. The wound closed in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°All done. It¡¯s healed now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Be careful. What kind of red dragon gets hurt while ying with a knife?¡±

    Bom giggled while Yeorum was silent.

    Even after that Yeorum continued acting strange.

    After about an hour, she suddenly fell towards Yu Jitae but he easily supported her back up. After two hours, she wore a tennis skirt and a girlish flower-patterned t-shirt bought by Kaeul and Gyeoul but Bomplimented her the most by calling her cute.

    At night when they were watching a movie together, she grabbed Yu Jitae by the arm saying she was scared, but Bom who was sitting on the other side pulled and hugged her.

    ¡°Do you get scared by things like this? How cute, Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Leaning her head on Bom¡¯s shoulder, Yeorum remained silent.

    Yeorum was confused. She couldn¡¯t discern whether Bom was actually doing her best for her like a mother or if she was simply being jealous. By the time she came to herself, all her strategies ended up failing.

    At this point, she only had her st resort¡¯ to rely on.

    ***

    The time when Yu Jitae and Yeorum were physically the closest would be whenever Yeorum returned after her personal training in tatters. Especially when doing the ¡®standing¡¯ and ¡®walking¡¯ training, she would return home everyday with bruises all over her body.

    For some reason, Yu Jitae was able to use the mana of the red dragons. That was a doubt that remained in a corner of her mind ever since she first learned the ¡®pulsations¡¯ from Yu Jitae.

    In any case, Yu Jitae would give her a massage whenever her body was depleted with mana. Since neither Yeorum nor Yu Jitae thought anything of the other party, a physical contact of that level was nothing.

    ¡°What happened.¡±

    Yu Jitae asked curiously.

    She had now reached a decent level with standing and walking, although still low, and had now begun training on how to ¡®see¡¯. No matter how hard she trained, she shouldn¡¯t be in tatters like that.

    ¡°What happened to your body.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Nothing. I was just revising what I learned so that I wouldn¡¯t forget them¡­¡±

    Her entire body was full of bruises. Drenched in sweat, she staggered her way into the dormitory.

    ¡°Are you okay Yeorum?¡±

    Bom, who was on herptop in the living room, asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yeahh. Just a bit tired¡­¡±

    This much was true. Whenever she was training like this, Yeorum had to endure the feeling of her body crumbling down. Although there was a different objective today the process was still by no means simple.

    Yeorum copsed on the sofa.

    ¡°You punk. Why do something you weren¡¯t even told to do,¡± said Yu Jitae.

    Instinctively, Yeorum was about to reply, ¡®Am I your dog that I need to do only what I¡¯m told to?¡¯ but decided against it. Now was the best timing. Wasn¡¯t Bom watching them from the side right now?

    Yeorum made the most pitiful expression she could make with reference to Kaeul¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Oppa. Please give me a massage.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae wondered how a person could be so different in just one day but regardless, since it was the usual thing, he walked towards the sofa where she was lying down and crouched next to her.

    Then, he ced his hands above her bruised skin. Imitating the pulsations of the red race, he began massaging Yeorum on her calves.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum threw a nce at Bom.

    Throughout the day, whenever things like this happened, Bom would nonchntly turn around after ncing at them or ignore thempletely. Or she wouldposedly step in to solve the problem in their stead.

    But this was different. Yu Jitae giving a massage with the mana of the red race went beyond a simple treatment and was like a red dragon parent grooming their child. There was nothing Bom could do by intervening here.

    ¡®Hoh¡¯.

    Bom was staring at them.

    There was a bite.

    For a long time, Bom didn¡¯t look away from the two of them, unlike how she merely nced at them during the day.

    However, she soon retrieved her gaze. With an indifferent expression on her face, she stood up and began heading to her room.

    Huh? Is she going back just like that?

    It was still half-half. She wasn¡¯t necessarily ring at them and going back to her room here was hard to see as jealousy.

    Hmm, it did feel like a bite though¡­

    Yeorum couldn¡¯t end it like this. It was the reaction she finally got after all the hard work she put in.

    Thus, she let out a faint moan.

    ¡°Ahn¡­¡±

    At the same time, Bom¡¯s footsteps heading back towards her room stopped ringing. Slightly lifting her body up, Yeorum nced at the direction Bom was heading in.

    Bom had turned her body around and was looking at them.

    Surprised, Yeorum hurriedly turned her face away and closed her eyes.

    For a second, her eyes met with Bom¡¯s.

 Chapter 209 + Yu Bom Illustration: Stay still Dick Jitae (4) + Yu Bom Illustration

    <h4>Chapter 209 + Yu Bom Illustration: Stay still Dick Jitae (4) + Yu Bom Illustration</h4>

    Slowly Bom walked back to her seat and sat down. Even without having to look at her, Yeorum was now certain.

    She could definitely feel her gaze.

    Yeorum tried evaluating Bom¡¯s situation. When their eyes met just then, she was wearing the same expressionless look on her face.

    She didn¡¯t look particrly mad. Although it was a rare sight in the first ce, her eyes weren¡¯t trembling like the time when she tried to smash theptop.

    It was the same for other elements. The heartbeat and breathing pace of a human body tended to speed up when stimted but Bom was breathing peacefully while the beating sound of her heart couldn¡¯t be heard.

    ¡®What is it? Is she trying to bear with it? Or does she really not care?¡¯

    Yeorum still couldn¡¯t say anything with certainty. In fact, asking whether she loved Yu Jitae or not in the first ce might have been a mistake. If she truly loved him, that would mean that she was trying to bear it right now.

    But if that really was the case, it would intrigue her a little bit because acting the role of a viiness was slightly fun.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae¡¯s hands slowly climbed over her knees and reached her thighs. Since she crushed every muscle in her body, her thighs were also full of reddish-ck bruises. Yu Jitae carefully eased the tense muscles around her thigh.

    Should I bait her a little bit more?

    ¡°You know,¡± said Yu Yeorum.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Do a little bit harder please. I can¡¯t feel anything.¡±

    The hands that had been careful as if he was caressing a kitten felt now as if he was caressing a grown-up cat.

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s good.

    ¡°A little bit more inside for the thighs.

    ¡°Yes, right there. Nnn¡­ Ah, that¡¯s good.¡±

    His hands were careful as if he was trying to heal a wounded animal. Since the two of them had never thought of each other as anything above a teacher-student rtionship, even a massage like this was extremely natural and wholesome.

    How could a male be this boring? She thought, but it didn¡¯t matter. As long as the situation appeared strange, it would be enough of a bait.

    That was when she realised something strange.

    Bom was breathing peacefully while the beating sound of her heart couldn¡¯t be heard¡­ was it?

    ¡­Why can¡¯t I hear her heartbeat?

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°N, no. Go on.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum couldn¡¯t hear her heart beating. Usually she could, so the fact that she couldn¡¯t hear it meant that Bom was intentionally hiding the beating sound of her heart.

    She nced at Bom once again. Is hiding the heartbeat a part of jealousy?

    Even after reaching this point, she wasn¡¯t sure.

    Hatchlings were young and they couldn¡¯t ignore stimulus. Depending on the perspective, the physical contact between herself and Yu Jitae might appear risque. Even if one wasn¡¯t interested, their heart might beat faster and it was possible for them to hide it. Didn¡¯t Yeorum herself find her heart beat fast whenever she was staring at erotic or gory things even if she wasn¡¯t particrly excited?

    Thus, the focus had to shift away from erotic things.

    Yeorum had to focus more on ¡®love¡¯.

    Love?

    The reason this young child of the red race was reading a shoujo manga was because she enjoyed the process leading to the exhrating result of a male and female mating. That was why the likes of ghosts annoyed her.

    Therefore, she was naturally ignorant of love and nor was she interested in it.

    Love¡­

    It was difficult. The more so if it was the love of a dragon and not the love of a human. But after pondering for some time, there was something that brought itself up in her memories.

    It was a part of Bom¡¯s novel that she read.

    Since it was a horror novel, she skimmed through it but in the orientation of [Out of Sin of Daybreak], there was a short artiction about ¡®love¡¯ when the female lead was expressing her love to the boyfriend she brought to the mountain shed.

    What was it again?

    Closing her eyes, Yeorum reflected on the words.

    [¡­That was but a fleshly love.

    Bodily love tends to ur from sensation. The eyes spot a beauty. The nose smells sweetness. Being protected to rest at a nearby pond and the feeling of elongating my existence is brought forth from a bodily rtionship. But that stops once filled. It dries rapidly and something sweeter can always rece it and ache the heart.

    But psychological love permeates through the stomach and levitates the entire body. It urs not from sensation but from the time spent together. It pervades and is not filled and thus cannot be reced with anything else. It forever establishes its position in between the soul and warmly embraces my body and mind.

    This is fundamentally different from the short throbbing or aching of the heart. Thinking about it, the warmth spreading from the lower stomach to all over the body through the veins, is like ¡®that¡¯ filling the empty outer space called ¡®me¡¯, brightening it with warm light.

    Though I have yet to hear such stories about love¡­]

    At the time, she wondered what kind of nonsense this was and stopped but now that she was thinking about it, wouldn¡¯t that novel probably convey what Bom, the author, was thinking? The meaning behind the text was still hard to decipher but she could still understand some of the key words.

    So when his hands travelled past her thighs and went across the pelvis to reach her stomach, Yeorum asked something unusual.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? Hello.¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡± Yu Jitae said.

    ¡°My stomach hurts.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Pat it please.¡±

    When he touched her abdomen, Yeorum grabbed him by the hand.

    ¡°Not there.¡± She said.

    Then, she casually moved his hand to the lower region of her stomach. Yu Jitae retrieved his hand.

    ¡°Why would this part hurt.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it hurts.¡± Yeorum replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s strange. It shouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°It does though?¡±

    ¡°¡­Whatever. Let¡¯s stop the massage for today.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to use your body in the uing training either. This is enough so go to your room and recover. Don¡¯t do things you weren¡¯t even told from tomorrow onwards.¡±

    ¡°Ah whyy! Are you really not going to do it for me?¡±

    Although she whined, Yu Jitae stood up without saying a word. Thus, Yeorum continued whining to at least clutch at the straws.

    ¡°Ah, ahhh! How can you stop in the middle like that? It really, really hurts though¡­¡±

    It hurts ¨C Yeorum did not know that those words were touching on the past existing only in his memories. There was obviously no way for her to know of the other red dragon simr to herself who was in so much pain unlike her joking self, who couldn¡¯t express it till the end.

    But it worked out for her.

    Standing still, Yu Jitae looked into her eyes for a bit before having no other choice but to lower his hands. He was about to slowly caress her again on the stomach.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    That was when Bom, who had been watching from the side, opened her mouth with a slightly thorny voice.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Acting ignorant, Yeorum turned towards her. The muscles around Bom¡¯s eyes were shivering faintly.

    ¡°How about you stop now?¡± asked Bom.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you but you¡¯re a little bit weird today.¡±

    ¡°How am I weird?¡±

    ¡°I knew you were strange from the morning but now it¡¯s even worse. You¡¯re deliberately trying to trouble and corner ahjussi.¡±

    A red light went off inside Yeorum¡¯s head.

    It was a bite. It wasn¡¯t just a normal bite like before. She was definitely on it!

    She now had to pull her out a little bit further.

    ¡°When did I do that? Do you have proof?¡±

    ¡°Proof? Why do you moan when you¡¯re getting a massage?¡±

    ¡°I did it because it hurt though?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t. Do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡±

    Despite the situation, her voice was calm. However, she couldn¡¯t hide the shivering of her grass-coloured eyes and the eyshes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know I was always next to you whenever you were getting a massage? You never had to go inside your thighs did you? Same as you moaning. You didn¡¯t have to let it out? Did you?¡±

    ¡°Do you even freaking hear yourself. So, what if I do moan?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Whether I moan from the massage or from feeling horny, what does that got to do with you?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying right now¡­?¡±

    ¡°To be frank, what does it got to do with you whether I spread my legs here or not? Do you have something with ahjussi?¡±

    Yu Jitae was about to open his mouth to intervene.

    ¡°Stay still Dick Jitae, you shit!¡±

    Yeorum shouted as if in a seizure. It was the first time he was seeing her being sincerely angry at him like this. Yu Jitae squinted his eyes.

    These guys. Did they do drugs? What¡¯s wrong with them?

    They had been doing fine till now and a conflict like this had never urred before. He contemted whether he should give her a [Knifehand Strike (D)] to the back of her head but since the two of them looked grave, he decided to watch for the time being.

    ¡°Yu Bom. Tell me straight up. What I asked you before. You do right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one that doesn¡¯t see your eyes trembling like crazy. It¡¯s the same as when you threw theptop, so how am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. Because you were acting viciously for no reason, ahjussi was feeling troubled. That¡¯s why I¨C,¡±

    ¡°Ahh, so you¡¯re saying ahjussi was the one that was feeling troubled just then ey?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap. Right, now I get it. I really thought there was no way but damn. You sure nothing happened to you?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing so stop. Please.¡±

    Bom lowered her gaze. Anxiously, she fidgeted with her small hands.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look away from me! Look straight into my eyes and speak! Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m saying all this because I¡¯m worried? What¡¯s wrong. What happened to your heart?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. It¡¯s really okay. No matter what strange things you requested of ahjussi, I wouldn¡¯t have done this if you weren¡¯t troubling ahjussi.¡±

    With her head facing down, Bom desperately chose word by word and said with difficulty but Yeorum sneered in response.

    ¡°Ahh. So spreading legs is okay but pulling my clothes up to have my stomach touched is no good? You crazy bitch, how far are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Lifting her gaze that had been on the ground, she stared directly into her eyes.

    Yeorum¡¯s voice came to a stop.

    The grass-coloured gaze entuating itself from the indifferent expression and the muscles around it were shivering intensely as if in an epileptic seizure. When their eyes met, Yeorum felt her breath being suppressed.

    That was when Yu Jitae growled.

    ¡°What do you think you are doing.¡±

    Although his voice was low, it resonated clearly and froze the situationpletely. Surprised, Yeorum widened her eyes into circles and turned towards Yu Jitae.

    Yu Jitae was staring at Bom.

    ¡°Yu Bom. Are you out of your mind? Get rid of that right now.¡±

    Simrly shocked, Bom widened her eyes and looked back at Yu Jitae.

    Get rid of what? Yeorum couldn¡¯t understand what Yu Jitae was talking about.

    Soon, Bom clenched her lips. Blood oozed out of her lower lips and travelled down her white chin.

    ¡°Go to your room.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum realised what Bom had been trying to do half a second after that.

    She didn¡¯t see anything nor did she feel anything. And yet the fact that Yu Jitae was warning her like that meant that Bom was manipting ¡®something¡¯. She had pointed that extremely dangerous something at herself.

    Yeorum was saying and acting out of worry and yet what wasing back in response was an extreme reaction. The moment she had a faint idea of that ¡®something¡¯ which exceeded the realms of normal animosity,

    Yeorum couldn¡¯t control her emotions.

    ¡°Oi. Where do you think you¡¯re going.¡±

    Bom turned back. Yeorum lifted the cup of coffee that was next to her. It was the coffee Bom had been drinking.

    Before anyone could discourage her, she poured it above Bom¡¯s head.

    The hot coffee was poured over her face. With her hair and clothes turned wet, Bom frowned and red back at Yeorum.

    ¡°Come here you fu*k.¡±

    Yeorum suddenly moved her body. Grabbing a fist, she pushed the table and jumped towards Bom, all in the blink of an eye.

    In that precarious situation, right before the two collided,

    Yeorum lost her consciousness and copsed on the floor. Yu Jitae had struck her on the back of her neck.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He turned towards Bom. With coffee covering her body, her body was trembling and her head simrly shivered left and right.

    ¡°Go to your room.¡±

    Standing still, Bom slowly lifted her hands. Then, she wiped the coffee that was on her cheeks. After repeatedly wiping them, something besides coffee also began being wiped away. Endlessly no matter how much she wiped them.

    Tears.

    Bom was sobbing.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    When he looked at her, she avoided looking his eyes and replied with a crawling voice.

    ¡°I knew it would turn out like this today.¡±

    Tears could be heard interfering with her voice as she gulped and sniffed.

    After crying for a long time like that, she heaved out a deep sigh. Then, she lifted her head slightly before closing her eyes. Tears dropped yet again.

    ¡°I knew it but¡­¡±

    Swallowing herst words, Bom turned around and walked into her room. Only then did Unit 301 turn quiet.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Looking at Yeorum who was copsed on the floor, Yu Jitae heaved a sigh.

    ***

    It was dark all around.

    Opening her eyes, she could only see white tiles on the ground as far as her eyes could see.

    In a room like that, Bom opened her eyes.

    Her head was in a daze and her brain wasn¡¯t working straight. Her eyes were hazy.

    The next thing she felt was the cold and stiff texture of the tile touching her legs. Lowering her hazy eyes, she gazed at her own legs.

    Why was it? She wondered.

    She wasn¡¯t wearing anything. The only thing she could see right above the legs was therge business shirt. A business shirt with an extremely familiar smell. It was so big that she couldn¡¯t wear it properly and her fingers were buried in the sleeves.

    Since she had worn it once before, Bom immediately realised what it was.

    This was Yu Jitae¡¯s business shirt.

    Why am I here like this? Right when Bom was nkly looking into the sleeves of therge business shirt, something pulled her by the neck.

    ¡°Uht¡­!¡±

    She ended up falling t on the floor. She then realised that something was tied around her neck and soon noticed that it looked simr to a dog leash.

    Raising her eyes, she noticed the chains that were connected to the leash connecting far off into the darkness.

    In other words, it meant that someone had pulled her just then.

    Surprised, Bom twisted the leash and tried to snap it as hard as she could. However, the chains were so tenacious that she couldn¡¯t rid herself of them.

    That was when someone began walking out of the darkness.

    It was definitely that ¡®someone¡¯ who was grabbing the other end of the leash.

    With anxious eyes Bom gazed up at the person.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    In an instant, Bom raised her body. Her entire body was drenched in sweat.

    Where was she? She was on the bed.

    What was that just then? Was it a dream?

    However, she felt strange. Her heart suddenly began beating fast and the suppressed emotions started rising up from deep inside.

    The world shook. The nket, the bed, the chair and even the lights on the ceiling.

    No. It wasn¡¯t the world that was shaking but her own eyes.

    Awful thoughts covered her brain like a fog; a red fog. Her uneasily trembling gaze scanned through the room. Her eyes stopped at pen tips, scissors, and box cutters. Each and every one of them were sharp.

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    It was then. Someone called her by her name.

    The moment her eyes met with the eyes of the person staring at her from the bedside, the fog engulfing her head dissipated rapidly. The tension weighing on her body loosened like a spell and the crazily rapid heart calmed down.

    Heaving a sigh as if she was crumbling down, she leaned on the wall.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae was there.

 Chapter 210: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (1)

    <h4>Chapter 210: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (1)</h4>

    nk¡­

    While the protector was wiping the floor with a rag, Yu Jitae lifted up Yeorum and headed to her room.

    On the way his eyes met with Kaeul and Gyeoul¡¯s who were peeking from behind the door.

    Since it was night time, they were all at home. Flustered, they looked into his eyes and tried to assess what was happening.

    They must have been surprised. Thinking that, he gestured to the kids with his eyes as if everything was fine but anxiety remained on their faces.

    After cing Yeorum down on her bed, he walked out.

    ¡°Chirp¡­¡±

    That was when the baby chicken cried without reading the mood. Kaeul startledly held tightly onto the beak of therge spirit beast in her arms.

    He stopped his feet. He could hear the loud and fast thumping of their hearts.

    He didn¡¯t know how to soothe startled kids but at least he now knew how to talk to them.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so scared.¡±

    ¡°Uh, umm¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Why did they fight?¡±

    ¡°Nn nn. Right. Why did the two of them fight?¡±

    He didn¡¯t know why either.

    However, it didn¡¯t seem like a good option for him to say that. The unknown tended to bring out meaningless imaginations. Although it was an efficient method he relied on while ruling with fear, something more transparent would be better to settle the minds of the kids.

    After thinking for a little, he crouched down in front of them and matched his line of sight with them.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. It¡¯s normal to fight when your thoughts are different.¡±

    ¡°Different thoughts?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know the details but there must have been something they didn¡¯t agree with.¡± He continued.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. Fighting like this is a way of telling each other that their thoughts are different, and whatever is different can bepromised or aligned.¡±

    ¡°Why, are their thoughts different?¡±

    ¡°Look at you. Aren¡¯t you doing something simr yourself?¡±

    The baby chicken cried because it wanted to, and she grabbed its beak because she didn¡¯t want it to cry. It happened because their thoughts were different.

    Realising that, Kaeul carefully released Chirpy¡¯s beak and whispered, ¡®Sorrry¡­¡¯ The baby chicken rubbed its circr furry head on her arm.

    ¡°It¡¯s simply because they¡¯re different people. It¡¯s natural so don¡¯t worry about it. Rtionships are about fighting and makingpromises so don¡¯t worry and rest.¡±

    ¡°Nn nn. Okayy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    After settling them down, he went back into Yeorum¡¯s room after feeling a presence inside.

    Yeorum wasn¡¯t entirely back to normal even after waking up. She was sitting on the side of the bed and her breathing noises were extremely coarse. It was evident that she was trying to hold it in.

    When would be the best time to talk to her?

    He did not know. Therefore, he decided to wait next to the child until she calmed herself down.

    10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and 3 hours.

    Time passed and only when it was in the middle of the night did Yeorum collect her breath andy down on the bed.

    ¡°Why¡¯re you here?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Why did you fight.¡±

    ¡°Nothing much.¡±

    ¡°Be honest and say it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lying down on the bed, she wriggled her arms and pulled the nket from underneath her body. She then covered herself with it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We just fought.¡±

    ¡°I knew you were a little strange today from morning.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There should be a reason why you were like that. What were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum was silent.

    ¡°Are you not going to say it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re living under the same roof. It¡¯ll be ufortable with a persisting problem.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    She audibly took a deep breath in. Soon, a sigh with an equal amount of breath escaped from her lips.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t really know either.¡±

    ¡°What don¡¯t you know.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to pick a fight, so how did things turn out like this. Makes me wonder why it became like this.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I was worrying about Yu Bom in my own way though.¡±

    ¡°What were you worrying about? And what¡¯s the deal with the heart and theptop.¡± He asked.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is theptop thing about you ying with her pen name?¡±

    Yeorum closed her mouth again. After some time, she opened her mouth with a softer voice.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You said you had been leading a hard life right? A very long time ago?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re weird?¡± she asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Have you had your heart flutter recently after seeing a woman?¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­ But what about it.¡±

    ¡°Or wanting to possess a woman? Well, it could be a man as well.¡±

    ¡°Why would I want to possess a human.¡±

    ¡°Why not? Nothing wrong with feeling like that. If you don¡¯t psychologically feel that way, then how about this: if I moan or act erotically, does that arouse you?¡±

    ¡°No it wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Is that because I¡¯m young?¡±

    ¡°Because that isn¡¯t what I want from you.¡±

    ¡°Are you a eunuch?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. But I won¡¯t be aroused by you ever, including the future. Why would I be aroused.¡±

    ¡°A kidnapper pretending to be nice¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the nature of the rtionship between you and me though.¡±

    ¡°What is it then?¡± she asked.

    ¡°A guardian and a ward. I simply protect you and hope it turns out well for you. My wish is for you to be healthy and strong.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s what you wish for.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum remained silent for a little. The nket moved as she began turning her body underneath it.

    ¡°But that¡¯s weird. Are you Santa or something? Or a genie from amp? How could there be a human who lives solely for the sake of another person?¡± Soon, Yeorum opened her mouth with a bunch of questions.

    ¡°There¡¯s one here.¡±

    ¡°Why would you live like that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that such people exist.¡±

    ¡°No. That can¡¯t be the case. That¡¯s way too freaking weird. Humans all live for their own selfishness don¡¯t they? Living is just a process of trying to be happier.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How do you be happy by helping us?¡±

    In fact, there was a fundamental difference between the foundational thoughts of Yeorum and Yu Jitae. In his opinion, humans didn¡¯t live to be happy.

    Regardless, there was no reason for him to correct it for her.

    ¡°Does that matter? It¡¯s not like you want something strange from me.¡± Yu Jitae said.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. I want to be stronger. My wish is to go back and smack the shi* out of that bit*h of a sister.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°But what if, what if I was actually not interested in bing stronger. What if my wish was to have you for myself?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was the guardian¡¯s role to listen to what the dependents wanted? But if I wanted to have you for myself and wanted you to desire me as well ¨C even if I¡¯m not like that, some stupid crazy bi*ch might be like that. Then what? Are you going to listen to her request as well?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? What if that¡¯s what the dependent wants from you? ording to what you say, you need to listen to that as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you a guardian? Dicktae Shittae Yu Jitae.¡±

    Yu Jitae could guess who Yeorum was talking about. It was the second or third time he was made to think about the topic, but it was nheless a question that was difficult for him to reply.

    He considered that he had no right to be happy alongside the dragons.

    At the same time, a dragon trying to be happy with him was also a thought that was difficult for him to ept.

    More than anything, he couldn¡¯t understand why Yeorum was curious about that and naturally, he had no obligation to reply.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on. Say something. This is very important you know.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You love silence don¡¯t you, fuc*¡­¡±

    Yeorumughed along with a gush of air.

    ¡°What are you going to do now.¡± Yu Jitae broke the silence with a question.

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°You fought with Bom.¡±

    ¡°Do I have to do something here? I¡¯m the freaking victim though?¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Of course? The damn perpetrator needs toe up to me and apologise. Why do I, the victim, have to do something? I was saying all that because I was worried about her.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The reason I was trying to hit her was because she tried to kill me first. No? The things that were all around me like fangs ¨C that thing was her killing intent right? And yet I was simply using my fists in response. Shouldn¡¯t you beplimenting me for being able to hold back?¡±

    Yu Jitae remained silent for a bit. Depending on the perspective, her words could be both right or wrong so he felt annoyed by the situation. Thinking back on the event apparently made her upset again and the thin nket started faintly trembling.

    ¡°Crazy bitch¡­ she¡¯s a crazy bit*h. Of course, I¡¯m a retard as well but that bi*ch is actually a crazy psychopath. I want to tie her down and smack her. Fu*k¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop. That¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Your emotions are getting the best of you right now. You¡¯re bound to make mistakes with your words when you¡¯re upset.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not making any mistakes. I was really surprised and I was really upset.¡±

    ¡°Stop¨C¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s voice came out strict and surprised her.

    ¡°¡­Why? Why are you telling me to stop? Why only me¡­¡±

    Seemingly feeling mortified, her voice suddenly turned louder before abruptlying to a stop. Then, after repeatedly heaving deep sighs, she continued.

    ¡°¡­Do you think I made a mistake?¡±

    The statement that they probably both made mistakes, would probably be meaningless even if he were to let it out of his mouth.

    ¡°Maybe I did make mistakes. But I held out a toothpick, and she brought out a sword.¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. I¡¯m not trying to discuss who¡¯s in the wrong here. Rest for now and calm your emotions down. You¡¯re too stimted right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m serious!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Kaeul said she¡¯s going vegan too.¡±

    ¡°What are you even f*cking saying¡­¡±

    Yeorum grumbled. His awkward joke was apparently a failure.

    Lifting his body, Yu Jitae was about to leave her room. That was when her final words flew out and touched his ears.

    ¡°Are you going to that b*tch?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then tell her to apologise to me first.¡±

    Yeorum continued with a sunken voice.

    It was slightly unexpected of her to say them.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll apologise as well¡­¡±

    ***

    He went into Bom¡¯s room.

    It was 3 in the morning and she was lying down on her bed. Going next to her, he gazed at the sleeping child.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    Suddenly, Bom woke up as if she was having a fit. After raising her body, she squeezed tightly onto her chest before ncing around the room with an anxious gaze. The Regressor followed her gaze and turned his eyes.

    There were sharp things wherever her eyes stopped.

    Bom looked like she was possessed by someone, so he called the child.

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    In a fluster, Bom quickly turned towards him. Her hair, drenched in sweat, was stuck next to her face. Carefully collecting her breath, she tucked her hair behind her ears.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    Bom had trouble looking into his eyes.

    He nonchntly walked next to her and sat down. Bom then pulled her small feet that were protruding out from the nket and hid them beneath it.

    For a long time, the Regressor did not open his mouth.

    It was an extremelyplicated situation.

    Yeorum treasured Bom.

    ording to what she was saying, it could be said that she was treasuring the existence itself of Bom. But unrted to that, Yeorum was upset at Bom.

    That would probably be the same for Bom, judging from how she formed her surprisingly sharp and secretive killing intent into a form to the point that it could kill Yeorum. Even he didn¡¯t know how she could utilise it so well.

    Both of them made mistakes to one another.

    And both of them probably had their own thoughts and resentments.

    It was impossible for someone to always love their precious ones. Even the Regressor himself was the same. Although Yeorum was precious to him and he was nurturing her well, even he was slightly irritated by her temperament these days.

    Having precious people didn¡¯t always mean a good rtionship.

    What was the correct thing to do then?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°What. Why are you sorry.¡±

    ¡°¡­We must have bothered you for no reason, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°At least you know.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How do you feel.¡±

    ¡°A bit better.¡±

    ¡°Would you to like to chat?¡¯

    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s all my fault so¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae gazed into her face.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum didn¡¯t do anything wrong. My mistake was too big and I couldn¡¯t control my emotions in that moment.¡±

    The reason for her emotional acts was her desire to monopolise. Yu Jitae was aware that Bom wanted to monopolise him but was merely having trouble discerning whether that was love or simply a desire to keep things all by herself.

    ¡°A few days ago, when ahjussi wasn¡¯t at home, I made the same mistake when Yeorum touched myptop on her own ord.¡±

    ¡°What happened.¡±

    ¡°I hate my belongings being touched so I suddenly got a bit mad and tried to throw theptop¡­ Back then, Yeorum apologised first so this time, I¡¯ll go and apologise first and stick to it until she is satisfied¡­¡±

    While saying that, she carefully nced at his face in an attempt to read his mood. When he looked back at her eyes, the child avoided looking into his eyes.

    It was strange.

    The Regressor found her words a little strange.

    It didn¡¯t really sound authentic.

    Why was he getting this feeling?

    ¡°You can scold me¡­ If you¡¯d like to punish me, please do so¡­¡±

    Bom was different from other hatchlings ¨C she had always been trying to help him.

    From their first meeting when he suddenly threatened to kidnap her,

    When he was bringing other hatchlings,

    Even when the other kids were having trouble with their school life,

    And even when he was catching demons and when Gyeoul was shedding her skin,

    All those things she did; who was it for?

    Even now it was the same.

    If they both remained prideful and stubborn, it might lead to a troubling situation that could affect the management of daily lives at Unit 301 with both of the hatchlings living together.

    But Bom quickly lowered her pride.

    Who was the one that would be made the mostfortable by Bom lowering her pride?

    It was himself.

    At this point, wasn¡¯t it as if Bom was living for his sake? This waspletely confrontational to Yu Jitae¡¯s thought that he was living for Bom¡¯s sake.

    He had a doubt that she was lying right now. Although he didn¡¯t have any proof, it was a strong doubt born from his conviction without him even knowing why.

    While he was leading thoseplicated thoughts forward, Bom opened her mouth with a worried voice.

    ¡°Ahjussi. I actually had a dream just then.¡±

    ¡°What kind of dream was it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This time, she was even more cautious than before. Her fidgeting fingers and her blinking eyes proved it so.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Come on. What was it about.¡±

    From within her slow voice popped out an unbelievable word.

    ¡°¡­A dream about being imprisoned.¡±

 Chapter 211: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (2)

    <h4>Chapter 211: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (2)</h4>

    Six ¡®timelines worth remembering¡¯ had disappeared.

    Hundreds of years worth of rtions and thousands of rtionships left him behind. Countless deaths hazed by his memories shed past him.

    He had been as ordinary as a human could be. It wasn¡¯t something he could possibly withstand with a sober mind.

    The man who had lost his senses btedly realised the correct method. Forced to foolishly go the long way around, the man was finally standing next to Bom¡¯s bed with legs covered in wounds.

    After realising that everything in the world would eventually leave him behind and disappear, the man stopped forming deep rtionships with anything.

    With the end of the 6th iteration, and with the hazy memories of thousands of iterations shing past his head, he was finally standing here after ever so faintly retrieving his humanness. Although he couldn¡¯t predict how this iteration would turn out in the future, he could still guess that some kind of rtionship would inevitably be formed.

    Imprisonment.

    So when the word he had to hide the most suddenly escaped from Bom¡¯s mouth, he felt blood racing out of his brain.

    His body immediately cooled down and so did his mood.

    ck liquid bubbled up from a corner of his emotions.

    Of all the things, it had to be the Green Dragon.

    The dragon whom he met a thousand times at the very least ¨C the one he abused and harassed the most due to her strong vitality. The one he imprisoned inside the undergroundbyrinth; the one that enlightened him whilst cursing him till the end.

    Of all things¡­ it had to be the azure eyes of the young Green Dragon staring at him.

    Imprisonment.

    That was a word which should nevere out of the mouth of Bom, who was living a normal daily life. A word that should never ever leave her mouth.

    He needed to properly confirm why this was the case, using a method even more credible than the Eyes of Equilibrium.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] observes the target, [Yu Bom].>

    He wasn¡¯t agitated. In the 7th iteration, he knew that reality was being manipted for some reason. He had always been considering the worst case scenario so whilst hiding his thoughts, he quietly asked.

    ¡°¡­How were you imprisoned.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, the floor was white. There were things like tiles on the floor and it was dark.¡±

    ¡°Dark?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was bright around me, but I don¡¯t know if my body was emitting light or if there was amp next to me.¡±

    There were no tiles on the floor of the undergroundbyrinth nor was it dark. Since the [Fragment of Paradise] was always lit up, that ce was always as bright as day.

    As if to wedge his doubt further in, a message was floated by Vintage Clock.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] did not find anything abnormal from the target, [Yu Bom].>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] feelsfort and familiarity from the target, [Yu Bom].>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ^~^>

    Vintage Clock¡¯s judgment might be slow but it was never wrong.

    There weren¡¯t any problems with Bom.

    The arrow travelled right past his neck. The ck thing surging from within regained its calm and his emotions that were sinking down with an anchor became a level lighter.

    The Regressor gave a nod.

    Now, it was time for him to listen to the story of the child as a guardian instead of as a regressor discerning the situation.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°There was a weird string attached to my neck.¡±

    ¡°What string.¡±

    ¡°Something like a dog leash? It was connected to a chain and was very long.¡±

    ¡°That is indeed a bit weird.¡±

    ¡°Right? So although it¡¯s not certain, it felt like I was being imprisoned there.¡±

    Bom vacantly touched her neck.

    ¡°Is that all?¡±

    ¡°And there was someone. Someone holding the leash.¡±

    ¡°Who was it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I woke up right before seeing their face so¡­¡±

    ¡°Really? And what else.¡±

    She shook her head in response, seemingly against saying anything more about the dream. He didn¡¯t know how to interpret dreams nor did he dream himself. Therefore, there wasn¡¯t anything else he could say about the dream.

    ¡°But do dragons dream?¡±

    ¡°Hatchlings do, yes. Very frequently though.¡±

    ¡°Do you tend to dream of what you wish for, like humans?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Maybe there was something you were wishing for in that situation then.¡±

    Bom stared at him as if she found his words ridiculous. Then, she shook her head.

    That was the end of their conversation.

    Bom was silent and fidgeted her feet in deep thought. He was thinking about leaving the room when she suddenly opened her mouth again.

    ¡°I want to stay inside my room for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can see Yeorum¡¯s face right now.¡±

    Saying that, she heaved a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. She slowly repeated that several times and her azure hair moved about reflecting the light within the darkness.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. I won¡¯t make everyone in the house awkward. I just want to rest here and settle my thoughts beforeing out.¡±

    To the kids, their rooms were like air of their own.

    He nodded his head.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much about it. It¡¯s normal to fight.¡± He said.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°And even if Yeorum got hit by that, she wouldn¡¯t have died. So don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Right. If we fought, I would have been the one getting bashed up right?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not saying no? I¡¯m still a dragon though,¡± said Bom.

    ¡°Who do you think is teaching her how to fight.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah right. I was this close to dying then.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°Then I guess this close to having ck and blue eyes.¡±

    The tone of her voice was slightly humorous so Yu Jitae faintly smiled.

    ¡°Why? Is it funny to imagine me being hit?¡±

    ¡°It is. Because it¡¯s hard to imagine.¡±

    ¡®So mean¡­¡¯ she murmured before giggling out loud. It truly was hard to imagine her being bashed up.

    The mood eased a little.

    Bom gazed outside the window and he turned his gaze too, following the eyes of the child. It waste in the night, but there were people taking their dog out on a walk.

    ¡°How cute.¡±

    That was when another pair of a person and a dog came running from the other side. The dogs showed intrigue at one another but suddenly started barking out loud as if discontent about something. However, the leashed puppies were nothing but pet dogs. The fight was soon dissolved as they were each pulled away by the hands of their owners.

    Bom watched them for a very long time until the puppies eventually disappeared.

    ¡°Just like me¡­¡±

    The words vacantly left her mouth.

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah, I meant they were cute just like me. I look a bit like a puppy don¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°No. Not at all.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­ Do you want to see me wag my tail?¡±

    For a bit, he imagined a green lizard wagging its tail but shook the thought away.

    In any case, she was in a better mood in just a short period of time. Bom giggled and tilted her head slightly before gazing up at his eyes with a drooping pair of eyes.

    ¡°By the way ahjussi, have you tried smoking before?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t smoke anymore, do you.¡±

    ¡°Right. Because I quit it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because there was no reason to continue.¡±

    ¡°How did you quit? I heard it was very addictive.¡±

    ¡°I decided on a day to stop smoking. Why are you asking that though.¡±

    ¡°You know¡­ bad things are always fun, aren¡¯t they. Even if it¡¯s not good for me or the people around me. I was just wondering how people restrained themselves once they get addicted to it.¡±

    In this day and age, the addictiveness or the danger of nicotine wasn¡¯t that important for superhumans. But even then, the superhumans were unable to quit it easily afterying their hands on cigarettes or drugs.

    Rather than the addictiveness of the material, it was just that they found it difficult to change their habits.

    ¡°Should I try it?¡±

    Bom said as a joke, but he nodded instead.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Do it if you¡¯re interested in it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not stopping me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not wrong to do what you want to do.¡±

    Her eyes widened in response to his words.

    ¡°I heard you die quicker if you smoke though?¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re a dragon.¡±

    ¡°Even then.¡±

    ¡°If someone wants to do something, I think it¡¯s good to try it rather than postpone or avoid it, no matter what that may be.¡±

    Bom appeared slightly surprised but he couldn¡¯t guess the reason. Soon, when she opened her mouth, there was faint dissatisfaction mixed with her voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s strange. That¡¯s a bad thought.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If you find your life precious, shouldn¡¯t you avoid doing that?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? It¡¯s all over once you die anyway. Everything precious to you is worthless once you die.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the strange part. Why are you thinking about the meaning it holds after you die? When we¡¯re living like this right now?¡±

    Her voice mixed with dissatisfaction continued.

    ¡°Is that strange?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Of course. You only have one life. Even if I had 10 lives, they would be precious and even just 3 would be more precious than 10, but we only have 1 life.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How can you not find that precious, ahjussi?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply. There were lots of things he could say, but nothing in particr that he wanted to say.

    ¡°There are just people like that,¡± he stated.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With a frown on her face, Bom remained silent. She was simply staring at him like a puppy out in the rain.

    When he was silently staring at her face, his eyes reached the torn wound on her lips. It was the wound that was formed by her teeth when she was trying to hold her anger in.

    ¡°Guess you didn¡¯t heal it fully.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡±

    ¡°It does hurt. Whenever I speak.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you just leaving it.¡±

    ¡°Because it needs to hurt.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°My mouth made a mistake. Because I said something wrong to Yeorum, I wanted to remind myself whenever I speak, to not make another mistake.¡±

    It was something he felt from time to time, but the mind of this child growing flowers was no different from a barren wastnd.

    ¡°I find you hard to understand sometimes.¡± He said.

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes your thoughts are quite extreme.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Bom looked into his eyes before asking a question.

    ¡°That just then. Yeorum said the same thing, didn¡¯t she? While swearing at me.¡±

    ¡°No. She didn¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°I know. Her mouth is like a rag. She must have called me a crazy b*tch, a lunatic and a psychopath¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? Why aren¡¯t you saying no? So she really did say it¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? No she didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°She did, didn¡¯t she. What an awful girl¡­¡±

    ¡°No. She didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Doesn¡¯t matter what she says. But I want you to know at least, ahjussi. I¡¯m not crazy.¡±

    ¡°I know. Of course you¡¯re not.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you can call me a boring girl. But not crazy.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Just heal your lips.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to,¡± she said firmly.

    ¡°Whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­? You thought Yu Bom was a weird child just then, didn¡¯t you?¡± She asked.

    He shook his hand in response.

    ¡°Who knows. More importantly, Bom. You should stop talking. You¡¯re talking too much and your wound¡¯s opening again.¡±

    ¡°I need to finish what I have to say. I¡¯m not crazy. I was even more normal. If I was living by myself, I would have been a lot more normal than now.¡±

    ¡°I get it. I get it so it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°But, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Shh.¡±

    Taking a tissue out, Yu Jitae brought it to her lips and carefully wiped the blood flowing from her lips. When his hand touched the lips of the child and wiped the dripping blood, Bom murmured with a vacant voice while her eyes were nkly gazing into his eyes.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s constantly trying to drive me crazy from the side¡­¡±

    When he retrieved his hand, Bom slowlyid herself down on the bed. He thought that she must be talking about Yeorum.

    In any case, she was back on the bed so it would be fine to take that as a sign that he should now leave the room.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back then. Rest as much as you want ande out once you settle your mind.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    He was about to leave the room when Bom whispered.

    ¡°Please tell Yeorum to stay away from my room for now.¡±

    ¡°You have to make up. Weren¡¯t you going to apologise?¡±

    ¡°But even then, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll like Yeorum for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hot. Very annoying.¡±

    That might have been the clearest way to express her hatred from Bom¡¯s perspective.

    ***

    After that, Bom did not leave her room a single time for over a week.

    ¡°Going training.¡±

    Yeorum, who recovered her mentality first, left for her daily workouts as if nothing was wrong.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul found it ufortable for a day or two at the start, but was back to normal after a few days.

    ¡°Ahjussi ahjussi ahjussi. When is our unniing back out? Is she fine? How long is she going to stay holed up in her room?¡±

    Kaeul looked as if she would stay anxious like a baby chicken holding in its dump until Bom left her room.

    In Unit 301, Yeorum appeared to be slightly feeling out of ce. Whenever Yu Jitae, Kaeul and Gyeoul were sitting down and ying together, she would avoid them for no real reason.

    Although Gyeoul didn¡¯t care, Kaeul was different.

    After trying to speak to her several times and failing, Kaeul looked for the right opportunity. One day, she headed to the most popr confectionery store of Lair from morning and lined up to buy some macarons.

    When Yeorum returned in tatters after her training, she ran up to her and spoke to her.

    ¡°U, unniii! I got some super duper delicious macarons, uhh, do you want to have them together¡­?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m good.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ this, this is very good¡­! No like, I haven¡¯t tried them yet but the other kids said it was super amazing¡­!¡±

    Kung. When the door closed in front of her, Kaeul stared at the door of her room not knowing what to do, before turning towards Yu Jitae.

    He gestured to her toe sit down.

    ¡°Hing. I don¡¯t want to eat this anymore¡­¡±

    The macarons ended up going to Gyeoul¡¯s hands. She started enjoying them one by one and after ncing at her indulging in the macarons, Kaeul also stealthily picked up a piece for herself. Judging from how her expression soon brightened albeit by a little, it seemed that people weren¡¯t lining up in front of the store for no reason.

    ¡°Even though it¡¯s so delicious¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°You know, for me, I find things like this very very ufortable.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Nod, nod.

    ¡°Right, Gyeoul. Isn¡¯t it times like this when ahjussi should be stepping forward? Please hurry up and bring unni back¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Following the two kids, the baby chicken also started chirping out to him as if it knew what was happening. When he stayed still, it began poking his legs with itsrge beak.

    He silently listened to the chirping noises of the two baby chickens and the blue bird.

    Since Bom didn¡¯t wish for it herself, he had already decided to wait for her. It wasn¡¯t like Bom would stay holed up in the corner of her room for an eternity.

    *

    Two more days went by before Bom walked out of her room.

    Around noon of a certain weekend, an urgent voice was heard inside Yu Jitae¡¯s mind.

    ¡®M, my lord¡­! There is a serious problem!¡¯

    It was from Clone 2.

 Chapter 212: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (3)

    <h4>Chapter 212: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (3)</h4>

    That day, only Yu Jitae and Bom were inside Unit 301.

    Yeorum went off for her lesson early in the morning. Gyeoul was at her elementary school while Kaeul had left for a nearby spirit beast cafe with the baby chicken, Chirpy. It seemed that she was also ying with the spirit beast pets of other people there.

    Thus, Unit 301 was empty during lunch time and the protector had just sought his permission to take a walk on the back mountain since the weather was fine today. As the protector of the Green Dragon, it liked being surrounded by nature and would therefore be enjoying the nature outside in the restricted area around the mountain.

    And Bom¡­

    -¡­

    -¡­? ¡­

    She seemed to be having a chat with someone over the phone.

    Who could it be? Although he wasn¡¯t interested in eavesdropping to someone else¡¯s phone call, he decided to check the voice at the very least, considering her current state of mind.

    ¨C Of course. My husband really loved it. He would always peek inside like a cat whenever I was baking bread.

    ¡°Really? What kind of bread?¡±

    It was a familiar voice ¨C the voice of an old woman. It was Li Hwa.

    After identifying the person, Yu Jitae stopped eavesdropping. He felt as if Bom was letting him know of her survival after 10 days of silence and that was more than enough.

    In his free time, he entered [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]. White translucent hands approached him and bent their wrists. Since it was a daily routine, the hands of the abyss brought Jung Taebaek¡¯s corpse to Yu Jitae without him having to say anything.

    Sitting in front of Taebaek, heid his hand on top of the corpse of the child, that was being stored safely.

    Then, he manipted his mana to remove the fragments of the chimera that had merged with the existence one by one.

    It was a tedious and tough task that required a lot of caution. The fragments of a chimera were like hundreds of thousands of fine fishing hooks stabbing into the body, and there were lots to consider even when trying to remove one of them.

    The dead did not have a will of its own and a corpse was therefore prone to losing mana. The same was for Jung Taebaek¡¯s corpse. Because of that, it was weak and fragile and one small mistake would cause an irrecoverable wound.

    He was the only existence on Earth that could undertake a task like this. Carefully and slowly, Yu Jitae moved his hands.

    It was when he was removing a small fur of the chimera from the red pupils of the child.

    Clone 2¡¯s will echoed his brain.

    ¡®M, my lord¡­! There is a serious problem!¡¯

    ***

    A few minutes ago,

    Clone 2 was in the 280th floor underground of the Southern Boreal Forest. It was slightly above the 290th floor where the witch was residing. Since he often spotted human-like subhuman races living in this area, he was nning to find it and wear its skin before returning to the witch.

    A young man around 15 years of age who was strong enough to be acknowledged by the witch. A human like that had never existed even within the history of Yu Jitae¡¯s regressions.

    That was why Clone 2 was unable to predict that things would turn out like this.

    Clink¡­

    Five Death Knights appeared in front of him. In jet-ck armour and a broadsword asrge as a human body. Their swords glistened under the sunlight.

    Among them was also an Over ss, a High Rank Death Knight. Wearing a ck helmet with golden ornaments decorating it, it was one of the highest ranked guardians that was as strong as an SS ranked monster. Even two-digit rankers would find it hard to beat them 1 on 1.

    It surrounded Clone 2 along with the other Death Knights.

    ¡°What are you guys?¡± Clone 2 asked.

    ¡°Sorry but you muste with us to our lord.¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡±

    ¡°Our lord wishes to see you.¡±

    ¡°And what? That¡¯s her problem. What if I don¡¯t want to go?¡±

    ¡°I was not asking for your opinion.¡±

    nk¨C The Death Knights lifted their greatswords and postured themselves.

    A long crevice appeared on the arms of the Over ss Death Knight. It revealed aplicated mechanic structure as it soon turned into something resembling a ballista. Its height reached 3.5 metres and the steel arrow in its body was also as big as a human.

    It looked like a siege weapon and appeared like a Level 3 artifact at worst.

    A cold bead of sweat travelled down the clone¡¯s back.

    ¡°Crazy¡­ Is Valentine that kind of person? A devil that t, tries to kidnap young children!?¡±

    ¡°Shut up¨C! Do you not realise how much of an honour it is!¡±

    The Over ss pointed the ballista at Clone 2.

    ¡°Speak. Will you walk there with us?¡±

    Therge and bizarre arrow with thorns covering its tip was pointing at his legs.

    ¡°Or will you lose your legs and be carried there.¡±

    Clone 2 gulped. Till now, he had never fought with his life on the line. If he were to fight against all of them at the same time, he might be forced to put his life on the line.

    ¡°I, I get it¡­¡±

    ¡°Hooh. Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! You bastards!¡±

    Immediately after his words, the boy quickly turned around but the opponent was already expecting it. The Over ss shot an arrow that was as fast as a missile. It disappeared from sight and was right behind him by the time it reappeared.

    The boy stepped hard onto the ground and jumped up high. The arrow barely missed his feet but the pressure caused by the shot twisted his ankles.

    ¡°Catch him¨C!¡±

    In mid-air after the jump, Clone 2 observed therge artificial garden of the 280th underground floor.

    It wasn¡¯t the best location. There weren¡¯t any flowing rivers nor caves to hide in and the trees of the forest were neither too high nor too low. No matter where his eyes scanned, he couldn¡¯t find anywhere he could hide in.

    ¡°Come here right now¨C!¡± shouted the Death Knight.

    Left with no other choice, Clone 2 raised his hand into the air. Cutting through the dimension, a longsword slipped out.

    He wasmanded to preserve his energy as much as possible but there was nothing else he could do. In order to protect his chastity (?) he had to swing his sword.

    Afterwards, a fierce battle continued for roughly 20 minutes.

    A sword strike exploded parts of the forest while an arrow cut off hills. One of them rolling on the ground created a cloud of dust enough to cover the sky.

    Although he could only use 2% of Yu Jitae¡¯s powers, Clone 2 was not weaker than the Death Knights. Four knights were crushed before long and were rolling on the ground.

    Right when he was about to drive the final blow by striking the metal helmet of the Over ss,

    Tuung¨C!

    ¡°Kuk!¡±

    An arrow suddenly struck him on his thigh. Like a person being struck by a car, his body flew dozens of metres.

    Was that an arrow? The sound it created when it struck him was strange. It made something like a crushing sound¡­ So where was the arrow?

    Looking down, Clone 2 felt stifled. The spherical bone connecting the femur and the pelvis ¨C his caput femoris had been totally crushed. Fragments of the broken bone ripped through his skin and were out in the open but he wasn¡¯t bleeding that much. Large chips of his bone were blocking his veins.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Barely withstanding the shock and standing firmly on the ground, the parts around the wound screamed out in pain. It was painful and he almost lost his bnce and ended up on the floor. To stop his tears from flowing out, the clone gritted his teeth.

    That was when a chill went down his spine. The clone immediately turned around with a flick and swung the sword down.

    A fissure was created there without him even realising it and the upper body of the witch was protruding out from it. His sword was easily caught by the witch.

    I thought the witch was lonely¡­!

    I thought she wanted someone to talk to¡­!

    I thought she wasn¡¯t going to hurt me¡­!

    After a faint speck of resentment shed past his head, Clone 2 quickly shouted towards his lord, that there was a problem.

    Along with a decadent smile, the witch pushed her body forward whilst licking her lips. Unable to escape, Clone 2 had to decide on an extreme move.

    ¡°S, stop¨C! Do note near me!¡±

    He pointed the sword at the part between his legs.

    ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡±

    ¡°T, trying any closer. Okay?! Try it! Take one more step and it w, won¡¯t be any fun¡­!¡±

    In response, the witch slowly lifted her hands into the air and stopped on the spot. Collecting his breath, Clone 2 distanced himself from the witch but the smile deepened on her lips.

    ¡°Boy. Put that sinister thing down.¡±

    ¡°Huk, huk¡­¡±

    ¡°If something were to happen to your precious body, this noona will not feel veryfortable.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hnn? Calm yourself down and do not be irrational.¡±

    The witch¡¯s voice sounded like a mature nanny soothing down an immature child. Hesitantly, Clone 2 opened his mouth.

    ¡°If you touch me, my lord wille for you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°H, he¡¯s really strong. You might die.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Huhuh. Huhuhuh¡­¡±

    The witch sluggishly smiled.

    Oh no. Thinking back, the clone remembered how the witch immediatelymitted suicide after being threatened in one of the previous iterations.

    ¡°O, or this¡­!¡±

    When he ced the longsword between his legs again, the witch slowly shook her head.

    ¡°Boy. It seems you are misunderstanding me. I am not interested in your body.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What I am interested in is you. You, who is so strong at such a young age. You yourself, who is extremely cute.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So you can rx ande here. I will heal your legs for you.¡±

    Her sweet voiceforted his ears.

    No¡­ but for some reason, it sounded like a lie.

    ¨C For now listen to the witch¡¯s requests but also ask for some distance.

    That was when his lord gave him themand.

    ¡®My lord. I, I am terrified.¡¯

    ¨C It¡¯s alright. I will watch over you. Don¡¯t worry. I will immediately cancel the Shadow of Archduke once the situation goes south.

    ¡®I, I understand!¡¯

    His lord was watching over him! Thinking that, Clone 2 felt less frightened. After breathing in and out, Clone 2 calmed himself down and opened his mouth.

    ¡°There is a condition.¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°We ask each other for one thing at a time, with what we both want. Or I will run away.¡±

    ¡°And can we refuse?¡± The witch asked.

    ¡°If it is too much, then yes.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Good. Let us do so.¡±

    Silently, the two of them kept to themselves while thinking of something to request. The witch was the first to open her mouth.

    ¡°I will heal you, so sit on myp.¡±

    Crazy¡­ Was she serious!?

    However, his lord didn¡¯t say anything back which meant that it was fine to do so. He gulped as his heart began to race.

    ¡°My request is for you to not touch my body.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Y, you¡¯re promising me to not touch me right?¡±

    ¡°That is what I said.¡±

    Only after getting the confirmation did Clone 2 carefully walk up to her. His broken leg couldn¡¯t properly move so he had to stagger his way there.

    When Clone 2 walked up to her, arge rose bloomed from the ground in front of Valentine and blossomed like a bed. Sitting there, the witch waited for Clone 2.

    ¡°Oh my¡­ it must hurt a lot.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t act like you¡¯re feelingpassionate! You are a devil! Who¡¯s the one that made me like this?¡±

    ¡°Let me apologise. I have hurt you.¡±

    ¡°Hu¡­¡±

    ¡°I was not expecting you to be so obstinate¡­ Let this noona apologise once again.¡±

    Nervously, Clone 2 carefully sat perpendicrly on the witch¡¯sp.

    The witch was a very big woman, enough to make Clone 2 appear like a child. When she reached her hand towards the boy¡¯s pelvis, something gentle and warm came flowing out and began healing his broken bone.

    Clone 2 found it difficult to maintain his sanity. He could feel the body of the witch touching all over his body and the fragrant scent of the flower was too sweet on his nose. It wasn¡¯t that much and yet was very stimting.

    His bone and flesh began connecting again ¨C it was an incredible healing magic. After a few minutes, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°Boy.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Should we go on to the second ¡®request¡¯ now?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. But I will be going first this time.¡±

    In order to take the initiative, Clone 2 shouted with a loud voice but the witch simply smiled contently and gazed at him.

    ¡°Please tell me what you want from me apart from my body.¡±

    ¡°Good. But have a chat with me before that.¡±

    In the distance of touching breaths, the witch requested as such.

    *

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Overlooking the situation, Yu Jitae pressed on his temples. He had just returned to Unit 301.

    It was bing a very bothersome situation.

    There were 2 reasons why one should not give their body to the witch. One was because the scent of the witch was more addictive than any aphrodisiac in the world.

    The second was because she stole the essence of the mana whenever one gave their body to the witch. This was the trait of the lord of the abyss that she made a contract with.

    The witch wasn¡¯t a demon.

    However, she was a simr existence to a catastrophe-ranked demon. A human resembling a quagmire.

    The Regressor pondered.

    Power would only allow him to crush her neck. Abilities like mind control didn¡¯t work on her either. It was only because she was a human that strong and unique, that Yu Jitae was seeking for her help in the first ce.

    The witch didn¡¯t have any lingering attachment to life, so using her life to threaten her wouldn¡¯t work.

    The witch didn¡¯t have any precious humans so threatening her with a hostage wouldn¡¯t work either.

    To solve this situation, he had to somehow persuade the witch using words and actions. However, persuading people using just words was something he did not know how to aplish.

    The reality was that the Regressor couldn¡¯t even properly reconcile two angry young girls.

    Creak¡­

    That was when Bom walked out after opening the door of her room.

    After carefully peeking her head outside the door, she nced around before looking into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes. For the time being, he had time while the witch was healing Clone 2, so Yu Jitae walked towards her.

    ¡°You feeling a bit better now?¡±

    Bom shook her head. Though she was looking into his eyes, she appeared to be gazing at a ce further away.

    ¡°Then why are you out already.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She was silent.

    ¡°Did you see something?¡±

    Bom fidgeted with the hair that was reaching below her chest. Her fingers were fidgety and so was her gaze. He didn¡¯t know why she was like this but she appeared somewhat embarrassed for some reason.

    Soon, she asked with a soft voice.

    ¡°Do you need help¡­?¡±

    Help with what?

    That was what he initially thought but something immediately popped up inside his head. Now that he was thinking about it, there wasn¡¯t anyone better than her in terms of dealing with a male to female rtionship, was there?

 Chapter 213: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (4)

    <h4>Chapter 213: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (4)</h4>

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it works,¡± said Bom.

    The principle behind how it worked was in fact quite simple. Yu Jitae couldmunicate with his clone with his mind while dragons could receive memories and emotions of the one theye into contact with.

    The fundamental principle behind that was mana. Mana was the manifestation of will, and the Regressor had exquisite control over mana better than anyone else on Earth. Naturally, he could also freely control the level of memories and emotions being shared.

    ¡°What I do know, is that I can help ahjussi at a very close distance.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is what I saw correct?¡±

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    A very close distance ¨C in other words, just like how Clone 2 was sitting on the witch¡¯sp, he had to let Bom sit on hisp.

    He would then act like the witch while Bom would act like Clone 2. Since memories and emotions would be conveyed in real time to each other, it would allow them to control Clone 2 like Bom¡¯s avatar.

    ¡°Is that the only situation you foresaw?¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    Bom shook her head.

    ¡°There was also one where ahjussi disappeared for a month. And then¡­¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°Something precious to you would disappear.¡±

    Yu Jitae immediately understood what she was saying.

    ¡°And, ahjussi¡­¡±

    Bom hesitated.

    ¡°What about me,¡± he asked.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on. Speak.¡±

    ¡°You looked like you would do something bad so¡­¡± Bom replied.

    The Regressor twitched his eyes.

    She was cautious while worry was mixed into her gaze. It seemed that she had seen a not-so-positive possibility of the future. Yu Jitae raised his hand. Startled, Bom flinched a little while he continued carrying his hand and scratched his own forehead.

    Seeing that reaction put the Regressor in a slightly ufortable mood.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Doing ¡®something bad¡¯.

    She had seen the right thing.

    If things turned south, Yu Jitae was nning to use Clone 2¡¯s body as bait to lure the witch out. Although it sounded like something that should never be done, in the end, it was a clone of himself and it was a better option than having his strategy take a hit.

    The witch didn¡¯t have any lingering attachment to life nor did she have anything precious. To her,mitting suicide was as simple as pressing a button.

    If it was proving to be difficult to find a solution, he was thinking of making the body of Clone 2 something more precious than her own life for the witch.

    The method was quite simple. Although he wasn¡¯t skilled with interpersonal rtionships, he knew exactly how greed tended to operate, and the witch already had greed for Clone 2. If need be, he was going to give her new entertainment that could apany her for the rest of her boring life, no matter how many months it may take in the process.

    The clone would give his body as she wished but would stop at the appropriate time with hismand. Clone 2 with its essence of mana stolen would probably be broken. Although that would be extremely unfortunate, it was but a clone in the end.

    The loss of a clone and the mental damage would be solely on him, but it was bearable. Ultimately, only when the witch found Clone 2 more important than her own life would Yu Jitae gain what he wanted.

    It was a tedious and tiresome task, and he would also lose a portion of the mana essence.

    ¡°Right, okay. I¡¯d be d if you could help.¡±

    Since his ns had been seen through, the Regressor felt ufortable but spoke whilst hiding it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In response, Bom gazed directly into his eyes.

    ¡°Come here and sit on myp. I¡¯ll exin the situation to you,¡± he said.

    Was she anxious?

    He had been sharing positive times as her guardian. However, Yu Jitae¡¯s n was inhumane and the result it foresaw would have been a shocking scene for the young hatchling.

    But wasn¡¯t she feeling embarrassed just then? Maybe she was simply feeling ufortable.

    ¡°What are you doing. Come here.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    Heaving a sigh, Bom tucked her hair behind her ear. He sat down on the sofa and Bom walked up inrge strides to sit perpendicrly on hisp.

    A distance of touching breaths ¨C the same as that of Clone 2 and the witch.

    But before starting all this, he had to ask something.

    ¡°Bom. Do you find this burdensome?¡±

    She shook her head in response.

    ¡°Or was I scary in the scenes you saw?¡±

    Bom again shook her head, before prudently opening her mouth.

    ¡°What meaning is there behind having just the body?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t earn their hearts, it would ultimately go bad for sure.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t really understand how far she had seen in the future for her to say such things.

    ¡°So, what is the situation?¡± She asked.

    In any case, the strategy meeting began and so did the strategy.

    The witch¡¯s thigh touching his thigh; her body touching his arms and her arm wrapping around his back all made Clone 2 feel awkward.

    It was awkward, ufortable and stimting.

    Blood gathered at a specific part of his body¡­

    Clone 2 tried to cross his legs.

    ¡°Boy. Don¡¯t move your legs.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I want.¡±

    While the witch smiled as if finding that cute, Clone 2 raised his leg and ced it above the other knee. When the weight was conveyed to the leg underneath, his bone that had yet to fully heal screamed out in pain.

    ¡°@#$%¨C!¡±

    A silent scream left his mouth as he bent his back.

    ¡°Aigo. What did I tell you.¡±

    ¡°Hukk, ukk, hkk¡­¡±

    ¡°Stay still. Stay still.¡±

    The witch said that while bringing her body closer towards Clone 2 to restrict his movement.

    ¡°Good boy.¡±

    Feeling the weight behind his back, Clone 2 almost gasped but quickly opened his mouth to regain his state of mind.

    ¡°No. no no. Please wait. So what kind of conversation do you want.¡±

    ¡°Will you ept my apology?¡±

    ¡°No? It still hurts a lot.¡±

    Although she was healing him after he had broken her Death Knights, wasn¡¯t that the witch¡¯s fault in the first ce?

    ¡°Does it hurt that much?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I feel like dying. Seriously.¡±

    ¡°Then let me help. However, I will change my request.¡±

    ¡°To which one?¡±

    ¡°Let me touch you, only for the treatment.¡±

    Clone 2 was flustered.

    ¡°Uhh, uhh¡­¡±

    That was when the voice of his lord echoed through his head.

    ¨C Amand. From now, see what Bom is doing and copy exactly what she does.

    ¡®Exactly what she does, is it sir?¡¯

    ¨C Yeah. Both speech and movement.

    Soon, the scene in front of Yu Jitae started being conveyed to his head. Yu Bom was sitting on thep of his lord, sitting in the posture as himself.

    The witch lowered her hand ¨C Yu Jitae lowered his hand.

    The witch moved that hand of hers towards Clone 2¡¯s pelvis. Yu Jitae also moved his hand towards Bom¡¯s pelvis.

    Bom remained still so Clone 2 also had to stay silent.

    Before long, the witch¡¯s fingers touched his pelvis and began massaging it to ease the pain. Very gently and delicately, her fingers swept past Clone 2¡¯s pelvis.

    ¡°Stay still, boy¡­¡±

    Clone 2 felt like he was about to faint at this point, but Bom, who was having her pelvis touched in the same manner by Yu Jitae, remained still without her expression changing in the slightest.

    After understanding how the mana was being conveyed, Bom lowered her hand and slowly pushed Yu Jitae¡¯s wrist away, before opening her mouth.

    ¡°Uh, I think you can stop now,¡± said Clone 2.

    ¡°Hnn? What is wrong.¡±

    ¡°I, I can do something simr from here.¡±

    The trembling of his voice was a mistake. Clone 2 couldn¡¯tpletely imitate Bom¡¯s expression and gesture.

    Nonchntly, Bom massaged her own pelvis and manipted the mana before gazing up at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Uh¡­ It¡¯s time for us to request what we want from each other right?¡± Clone 2 said.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°T, then, should we start again from the start?¡±

    The witch faintly tilted her head.

    Clone 2 couldn¡¯t understand what Bom was saying but regardless, a faint smile soon revealed itself on his lips.

    ¡°Since we want something from one another, let¡¯s match them as we go.¡±

    ¡°Huhuh. Quite sudden, is it not?¡±

    Did she find something odd? That didn¡¯t sound like what I would say¡­ thinking that, Clone 2 was inwardly feeling flustered.

    ¡°Interesting¡­ how interesting. Boy. Aren¡¯t you a man with a twist?¡±

    Uhuh, uhuhuh¡­ While the witchughed to herself, Clone 2 resolutely opened his mouth with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Who do you think should start?¡±

    Their thighs were touching. In that close of a distance, the five senses that Yu Jitae allowed were all being conveyed to Bom.

    Thus, there was no need for him to say the lines himself.

    ¡°Who do you think should start?

    ¡°Then I will go first.

    ¡°This is the 280th underground floor and I want to take you outside. So my request is to bring you 20 floors up.¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t say anything nor did he smile.

    However, the witch said it was fine and smiled. She then requested that they became even closer with each other.

    Thus, Bom raised her legs and sat facing Yu Jitae. The witch reached her hands forward and supported Clone 2¡¯s back, so Yu Jitae copied her and made sure Bom could lean back as well.

    Now that he thought about the distance between them being too close, he stealthily pulled his body back. Seeing that, Bom frowned and shook her head.

    They were simply working. It was work but,

    For the first time in a long time, he felt perplexed by the situation.

    Bom¡¯s pinkish lips twitched as she whispered,

    ¡°Concentrate please.¡±

    Clone 2 mumbled quietly before closing his mouth.

    ¡°We are workin¡­ aht.¡±

    It seemed that this wasn¡¯t meant to be said to the witch.

    ¡°Did you say anything?¡±

    ¡°N, no I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Clone 2 let out an empty cough.

    There was a problem. Both Bom and Clone 2 were simrly sitting at around the middle thigh but Yu Jitae and the witch didn¡¯t have the same body structure. Therefore, unlike Yu Jitae and Bom who were about a palm away from each other, Clone 2 and the witch were practically right in front of each other.

    ¡°Boy. You are a mysterious child. You¡¯re small and cute, but sometimes you give off a manly smell. And you also know how to be bold, hnn?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even then, Clone 2 could still bear with it. The person inside his head was Bom and Bom was a target of protection that his lord was eager to protect. So seeing her face dispersed all the raging bad thoughts inside him.

    ¡°My turn to request now. Let me caress your head. You are so cute that I cannot bear it.¡±

    Uakk¡­! Straight to physical contact!

    Isn¡¯t this a bit too bad, Miss Yu Bom?

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Oh no.

    ¡°But instead, let us raise your residence by another 20 floors.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t add up does it? Isn¡¯t 20 floors too much for simply touching your hair?¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. 20 floors for merely caressing your hair?¡±

    ¡°How about anytime, anywhere.¡±

    Bom smiled sso the clone also smiled albeit awkwardly. Soon, a fishy smile appeared on the witch¡¯s lips.

    ¡°You know how to negotiate well. Good.¡±

    Saying that, the witch reached herrge hand forward and touched Clone 2 by the hair with utmost care and gentleness.

    Sababak. Sababak. Her fingers travelled through the short strands of hair and again, the fragrant scent of a flower; the smell of pheromone spread like a fog.

    It was dizzying and dangerous. Once again feeling a dangerous change in his body, Clone 2 slowly pulled his legs together and pushed his butt back as much as he could.

    Bom frowned like a cat dumped with water, with eyes asking why he was moving on his own ord.

    Please tolerate this much. Please¡­

    ¡°So there should be 240 floors left now.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Dangerous distance. Dangerous posture and dangerous gestures.

    Bom opened her mouth and began saying something and Clone 2 repeated the same thing.

    ¡°By the way,¡± he said.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Have you been here for a very long time?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ yes.¡±

    ¡°Alone?¡±

    The witch remained silent in response as she continued caressing the clone¡¯s hair. Sababak. Sababak. It continued.

    ¡°This ce is very wide.¡± Clone 2 added.

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°It took a very long time for me to evene here. I think being alone in a wide ce like this would be very boring.¡±

    The witch shook her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°Are you really alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Valentine. Why are you living here?¡±

    ¡°This noona hates tiresome things.¡±

    ¡°Tiresome things?¡±

    ¡°Yes. If you bothered toe looking for me, you should already know who I am. I have seen a lot of blood throughout my life. Half of them human blood.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh my. Was it too scary for you, boy?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m curious.¡±

    Staring at the face of Clone 2, the witch faintly smiled.

    ¡°Another half of the human blood I saw was my own. Crimson is a very tiresome and disorderly colour. Ahh, it was extremely frightening and scary when I was young but it became tiring after getting used to it. I thought everything would be fine after the end of the war.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Imitating Bom¡¯s expression, Clone 2 gave a nod.

    ¡°But that was not the case. Once themon enemy disappeared, humans began fighting each other. I was a sovereign and seeing those foolish children¡­ It made me ufortable like I was seeing dead humans. That made me decide to leave.¡±

    Bom nodded with a sorrowful expression.

    ¡°But what about this ce? No matter where you look all across this boreal forest, it is nature. There is no excessive greed. You cannot see any of those disgusting humans. Flower blooms from the ground and birds stroll through the skies.¡±

    ¡°Ahh.¡±

    ¡°Boy. You haven¡¯t seen the night sky of 291th floor yet have you? That ce is a little bit dangerous but is extremely beautiful. There are countless stars hanging in the sky.¡±

    So what? That was the honest thought inside Clone 2¡¯s mind, but Yu Bom said something else.

    ¡°Wahh, I can imagine it being super pretty¡­¡±

    The witch smiled faintly.

    ¡°Right?¡±

    She started caressing the clone¡¯s hair again, with her fingers going from his forehead all the way to his sideburns.

    Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°It would be even better if there was someone to look at it with¡­¡±

    The witch squinted her eyes.

    It was a sentence which she intentionally hadn¡¯t let out of her mouth.

    Yu Jitae was caressing Bom¡¯s hair.

    ¡°It would be even better if there was someone to look at it with¡­¡±

    In response to her words, the witch stopped her hand so Yu Jitae also stopped his. Suddenly, Bom reached her arms out and fully wrapped them around his back. Perplexed by that gesture, he pulled his body back but Bom came even deeper and eventually seeded in hugging him.

    Her grass-coloured hair touched his neck and chin, giving off the scent of nature.

    Copying the actions of the surprised witch, he raised his hands into the air. But when Bom gave him a tight hug like this and the beating sounds of her heart were conveyed through his skin, perplexity rose up uncontrobly. It was despite him being aware that this was work.

    What are you doing right now, boy? The witch asked.

    *

    ¡°Noona, you must have been so lonely¡­¡±

 Chapter 214: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (5)

    <h4>Chapter 214: Distance of Touching Breaths: Pervading in (5)</h4>

    He could feel Bom breathing near his corbone.

    They couldn¡¯t get any closer than this ¨C he had to draw the line and keep to it.

    He knew how the child wanted to monopolise him. If he were a possession, he would be willing to let the child possess him as much as she wanted to.

    But it had to end there. Any emotion above that had to be avoided. The Regressor decided to draw a clear line once again.

    Therefore, he didn¡¯t hug her back even though the witch gently returned a hug to Clone 2. He stopped after merely imitating the witch¡¯s movement.

    Soon, the witch gently pushed Clone 2 away from her body and Bom also distanced herself simultaneously.

    Whenever it was like this, Bom would giggle and excitedly try to tease him. However, she was currently wearing a serious look on her face and her gaze was that of a person warmly consoling another person.

    Thus, the atmosphere quickly returned to normal once there was a distance between the two of them. It meant that she was also treating this situation in a very businesslike manner.

    ¡°Boy. You are making some entric remarks.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Do not dare try to embrace me again. Since I did not allow it, that was a fairly impudent action. Do you understand?¡±

    There was no longer a smile on the lips of the witch.

    But weren¡¯t you trying to approach yourself? The witch¡¯s attitude was difficult to grasp and Clone 2 thought the sudden contact initiated by Bom might have been a mistake.

    However, Bom nonchntly nodded before lowering her head so Clone 2 copied her.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Good boy.¡±

    Wearing a smile, the witch lifted Clone 2¡¯s head by the chin with her finger.

    ¡°Now, it is your turn. Request.¡±

    ¡°My request is to raise your residence by 40 floors.¡±

    ¡°40 floors?¡±

    It was twice more than the previous request for 20 floors. Consequently, the witch was able to give a request that was twice that of the previous request.

    ¡°Stay with me where my hands can reach for the next month.¡±

    ¡°I cannot do that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°40 floors can only equal 2 weeks. And I can¡¯t stay here for more than 2 weeks.¡±

    The witch scoffed in response.

    ¡°Again, it doesn¡¯t add up. I am allowing 40 floors and yet you mean I can only get 2 weeks of your time?¡±

    She sounded displeased.

    Clone 2 was once again nervous and felt stifled. Thisrge woman showing her temper gave off a pressure that was difficult to put into words.

    ¡°Valentine. There is something you must know.¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°The ¡®anytime and anywhere¡¯ that I mentioned¡­ how long do you think that wouldst?¡±

    After understanding the meaning behind Clone 2¡¯s words, the witch could not help butugh. The expression on her face changed to one which suggested that she found his audacity cute.

    It meant that she could caress his head to her heart¡¯s content over the next 2 weeks. At the same time, it meant that whatever she requested henceforth wouldst throughout the 2-week period.

    ¡°Valentine. A week of you exerting your power is more than enough. After that, you can return here to rest.¡±

    ¡°How skillful¡­ Have you negotiated with yourself on the line often?¡±

    Clone 2 embarrassedly shook his head in response.

    ¡°Good. With 40 floors, I will have you for 2 weeks.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. You can start this time, Valentine.¡±

    ¡°Let me embrace you.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, what do you mean, by embrace?¡±

    Clone 2 asked back with a slightly flustered look on his face. Kyahahaha¡ª The witchughed heartily with her mouth wide open.

    ¡°What is wrong. Are you concerned that I might devour you?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?¡±

    ¡°How many floors should I give you then?¡±

    ¡°No. That request is no good¡­¡± said Clone 2 while crossing his two arms in front of his body to cover his chest.

    In the eyes of the witch, his gesture appeared so adorable that it could drive her crazy.

    ¡°You truly are ying me like a fool¡­ Never mind. Just a normal hug.¡±

    ¡°If you give me 40 floors, that would be enough.¡±

    ¡°How expensive. That too will be anytime and anywhere, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Come here.¡±

    The witch threw her arms wide open and Bom tactfully pushed her body forward.

    ¡°Good,¡± said the witch.

    The Regressor realised that this was a crisis of its own. He was trying his hardest to draw a line but the witch was starting to be a lot more aggressive than he expected.

    Now, he had to hug Bom.

    While the witch was hugging Clone 2, he remained still. That was when Bom¡¯s left eye crumpled into a frown, seemingly trying to ask what he was doing.

    Since she was acting in a businesslike manner, it in fact allowed him to also move. Carefully reaching forth, he hugged her. Bom was still silent with an indifferent gaze and didn¡¯t react in any way even after he slowly wrapped his arms around her.

    The witch asked. Howe you are staying still.

    ¡°20 floors¡­ is that okay?¡±

    Heaving a light sigh, the witch soon replied. Do as you wish.

    Only after that did Bom carefully reach her arms forward and return a hug to Yu Jitae. Her movements were also quite rigid. It could be that she was acting that way because Clone 2 wasn¡¯t used to such actions.

    Although it was their first time hugging each other, there wasn¡¯t any strange atmosphere surrounding the two of them. Yu Jitae thought that was extremely fortunate. If Bom had decided even slightly to make him perplexed, he felt that the line he was trying to draw might have been shaken.

    However, Bom was treating this like business and thanks to that, he was able to keep the boundaries straight.

    ¡­At least that was what he had been thinking.

    ¡®I want to kiss you on your forehead.¡¯

    Hearing the following words of the witch, Yu Jitae frowned. How shameless can that olddy be?

    Bom replied with a cold voice.

    ¡°Valentine. Sorry, but it is my turn to request. Please follow the rules.¡±

    I will go up 40 floors.

    ¡°No. Wasn¡¯t this something you and I promised on?¡±

    50 floors.

    ¡°I am disappointed. Promises aren¡¯t meant to be broken casually.¡±

    60 floors. No more than that.

    ¡°¡­But, they shouldn¡¯t be too inflexible either¡­¡±

    When Bom¡¯s lips faintly curved, the witch simultaneously smiled as if she found it cute. Then, she brought her lips over to the forehead of Clone 2 whom she was tightly hugging. Carefully, as if she was kissing a kitten.

    Chu¨C the witch kissed on the forehead of the clone.

    In real time, he could sense the warm and soft texture of the witch¡¯s lips.

    There¡¯s no need to copy this, is there? Thinking that, he remained still with his arms still wrapped around Bom. However, Clone 2 suddenly began panicking after losing his guide.

    ¨C Uhhh! My lord! What should I do?! W, what do I do now¡­!?

    What. You can¡¯t do it by yourself?

    ¨C Uh, uhh¡­ I feel like fainting right now sir!

    The Regressor heaved a sigh.

    In his eyes, it seemed that the witch¡¯s objective was to seduce Clone 2. A kitten was boldly snarling at her, so she was giving it snacks until it opened up to her.

    Since the clone had been controlling his emotions by syncing with Bom, he waspletely exposed to the stimulus when he was forced out from syncing.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae had no choice but to bring his face towards Bom¡¯s forehead. Bom appeared nonchnt regardless, and seeing her calm expression and gesture allowed Clone 2 to also calm himself down.

    However, he didn¡¯t kiss Bom on her forehead.

    The Regressor did not cross the line.

    But it was then. The witch gave a knowing smirk.

    ¡°Boy.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    She suddenly grabbed Clone 2 by the neck. The immense force created by herrge hand caused the clone¡¯s body to be pushed back while her sharp nails dug slightly into his skin and made him bleed.

    ¡°Ukk, kuk¡­!¡±

    The smile disappeared from the witch¡¯s lips.

    ¡°You, what are you?¡±

    Clone 2 was flustered and both Yu Jitae and Bom were also surprised so they were slow to react.

    ¡®What should we do,¡¯ Yu Jitae asked with his eyes.

    ¡®What are you doing. Hurry up and hold my neck. Hurry.¡¯ Bom threw her gaze downward. Thus, Yu Jitae reached his hand out and carefully grabbed Bom by the neck while she was still sitting on hisp.

    But in order to imitate Clone 2, Bom pushed his fingers in and made him grip even harder.

    ¡°W, why are you doing this¡­!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking something was off from a while ago. But after kissing you on your forehead, it feels all the more strange.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean¡­!?¡±

    ¡°You. Who are you?¡±

    In that instant, Clone 2 felt goosebumps travelling down his spine. However, Bom calmlyposed her reply so Clone 2 quickly regained his senses and copied her.

    ¡°What, do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like you are the only one inside you. Am I feeling the wrong thing right now?¡±

    ¡°My neck hurts. Please let me go.¡±

    ¡°Tell me the truth. Before I rip that cute face of yours.¡±

    While saying that, her right hand approached his face like a weapon. Her sharpened long and red nails arrived right in front of Clone 2¡¯s face.

    Bom didn¡¯t say anything.

    So Clone 2 didn¡¯t say anything either.

    The witch directly gazed into the eyes of the silent Clone 2. Suddenly, Clone 2 stuck his tongue out and slowly licked the witch¡¯s nail and her fingers.

    With a rxed gaze. And a teasing expression.

    Before long, a smile reappeared and reced the serious expression of the witch.

    ¡°Indeed, how is that important. Whoever you are, and whatever it is that is inside you. When you are this cute¡­¡±

    Her hand holding the clone¡¯s neck loosened.

    ¡°How troubling. I was going to drive you crazy but¡­¡±

    The witch raised her knees. Sucked by her gravity, Clone 2 was soon embraced by her once again.

    Hugging Clone 2, the witch whispered into his ears.

    ¡°¡­You are driving me crazy.¡±

    The witch said. I will give the second request. Spend the night with me.

    This was naturally in consideration of the uing 2 weeks. In response, Bom requested her to go up by 80 floors, which was all the floors that remained for the witch.

    Beingpletely defeated by Clone 2, the witch nodded and told him to do whatever he wished. She seemed to have given up.

    An insanely attractive and cute kitten that is hard to get. That seemed to be the witch¡¯s impression of Clone 2.

    This should mark the end of things.

    However, the witch was embracing Clone 2 for a very long time so Yu Jitae also had to stay still with his arms wrapped around Bom.

    Kung, kung¡­ he could hear the beating sound of her heart.

    He could see the delicate closed eyes of the child.

    ¡°Bom. Let¡¯s sto¡­¡±

    ¡°Shh. Not yet.¡±

    Bom whispered before looking up at him and warning him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Thus, the two of them couldn¡¯t separate for a long time.

    After around 30 minutes, Clone 2 was finally separated from the witch. Only then did Bom gaze up at him and heave a sigh, before giving a smile.

    ¡°Wahh. We are finally done.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t say anything in response.

    Staring at Bom, Yu Jitae felt something strange.

    Her hands fanning her heated face,

    Her awkward smile,

    Her fingers wiping the beads of sweat on her forehead,

    Her lips closing after a sigh,

    Those things remained longer in his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Regressor was doubtful.

    Since when was it, that he began feeling like this?

    Was it when Bom licked his fingers?

    Or was it just then when her heart pulsing right next to his body had been giving off a beating sound for over 30 minutes?

    Or even after that when the young green dragon buried her head into his chest and wriggled it?

    No matter how much he tried to, he couldn¡¯t discern the start.

    *

    Of all the iterations that he had encountered her, the Regressor felt a strange feeling budding for the very first time.

    Living through a very long time, he had already lost all interest in women. His heart had never moved from anything beautiful.

    That was the case, so when was it?

    The times he spent using the excuse that he was feeling perplexed ¨C from the countless times spent at a distance of touching breaths,

    Slowly,

    Ever so slowly,

    He did not realise that something was ever so slowly pervading in.

    Thus, in regards to the emotions he felt today, he decided to call it as such:

    For some reason, Bom was prettier today.

 Chapter 215

    <h4>Chapter 215</h4>

    Once upon a time, Yu Jitae plucked a flower.

    It was a bad thing to do.

    He tried not to regret it.

    It was a poisonous flower; a flower that drove his life down into the gutters. Thus, he decided to break the flower and he did. He had no intention of justifying his acts. Plucking a flower was a bad thing to do and he indeed was a bad human. He simply had to ept the past as it is.

    After several seasons and the passing of time, the same flower budded in that same location. Finding that new flower precious all of a sudden was aughable thing to do.

    All he had to do was simple. He merely had to water the flower whenever appropriate and nurture it. There was no need to find it precious, since he wasn¡¯t growing the flower because he liked it.

    That must definitely have been the case but¡­

    Living together with the flower,

    Seeing the flower bud,

    Seeing butterflies and insects flying to the flower,

    Seeing its dews on the morning and it flutter under the night wind,

    He discovered himself slowly finding the flower more precious.

    In order to grow it well, he had to love the flower. But loving the flower increased the size of his guilt of breaking the flower in the past. No matter how pretty the flower was, he couldn¡¯t stare at it for too long.

    While he was feeling confused from all those constraints, the flower spoke to him.

    ¡°This feels a lot better now¡­¡±

    Bom nonchntly got down from his knees. Yu Jitae, who had been thinking about something different, asked with a dazed voice.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply to his question and simply stretched out audibly, ¡®Knnggg¡­!¡¯ in a good mood.

    ¡°Oh right. I think it¡¯s about time to talk about it.¡± She continued.

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°I actually don¡¯t want to do it yet, but I¡¯m done settling my emotions. So can I just practise it once before the actual thing?¡±

    ¡°¡­About what?¡±

    ¡°Come on. Of course, about Yeorum.¡±

    Ah, right. It was indeed about time that they made up.

    ¡°Right. Think of me as her and practise.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Huu.¡±

    Closing her eyes, she breathed out before opening her mouth.

    <strong>Episode 71: How a Green Dragon breaks</strong>

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    On the rooftop of Dorm 107, Yeorum, who was leaning on the wall smoking, looked to the side. She could see Bom with her cucumber-coloured hair tied in a ponytail.

    ¡°Sorry for what.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for trying to attack you.¡±

    ¡°Attack? Do you call that just attacking? Weren¡¯t you trying to kill me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    Yeorum let out a scoff.

    ¡°Not even gonna say no? You crazy bi*ch.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Is ¡®sorry¡¯ enough? When I almost died back then? Of course, you would have been dead by me straight after that though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Really sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re actually sorry?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what should I do for you to feel better?¡± Bom asked.

    Yeorum replied subconsciously.

    ¡°Kneel, you fuc*ing b*tch.¡±

    In response, Bom obediently lowered her body and kneeled, despite wearing short pants with open knees.

    ¡®You¡¯re actually kneeling¡­¡¯ murmured Yeorum before walking up to her and putting her foot forward.

    ¡°Kiss my foot.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Vacantly Bom gazed at her foot before meekly lowering her head. Then, she actually kissed her toes before lifting her face.

    ¡°Is that enough?¡± she then asked.

    ¡°Oi, you. Are you actually crazy?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Why would you actually do that? Would you kill yourself if I told you to?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°You should have known something was off about mymand, you retard,¡± said Yeorum.

    ¡°I did think it was off.¡±

    ¡°Then what? Do you have no sense of pride?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Then why would you do that!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not time for me to take care of my pride.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. I don¡¯t really know what you want. If this isn¡¯t what actually betters your mood, tell me honestly what does. Don¡¯t tell me to do weird things like that.¡±

    In other words, Bom was saying that she was trying to match her own apology to the mindset of the lunatic that is Yeorum. But Yeorum in fact thought that her way of thinking was closer to that of a lunatic more than anything.

    ¡°Were you always like that?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°You look like you have a massive screw loose in your head.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to be like that; the thing you always use. That, Eye of Providence or whatever. Why don¡¯t you use that to see what I want?¡±

    ¡°Would I be doing this if I saw it? You know yourself. I can¡¯t see Providence just because I want to.¡±

    Puff. Puff. Smoke left through Yeorum¡¯s mouth and nose. Suddenly, she remembered something and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s almost done. But I don¡¯t have an ashtray.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°How do I turn this off?¡±

    Bom blinked her eyes, before opening her mouth and sticking her tongue out.

    Yeorum scowled after seeing that.

    ¡°You crazy b*tch just don¡¯t learn. Put your tongue back in, you lunatic!¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t what you wanted either?¡±

    ¡°Ehew¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop telling me to do meaningless things.¡±

    ¡°Whatever, whatever.¡±

    Yeorum shook her hand.

    Yu Bom had always been a bit of a strange kid, but these days, she tended to act like a somewhat broken person.

    ¡°So what is it in the end?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°What are you. When I cuddled with Yu Jitae, you were jealous right? What happened to your heart.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna say anything?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Yeorum frowned in response to those words. She flicked the cigarette off her hand before walking up to Bom, who was still kneeling on the ground.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem with your Origin Fragment?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You love Yu Jitae, don¡¯t you, huh?¡±

    Bom nkly gazed up at Yeorum before letting out a smile. Then, she stayed silent for some time before dropping her head low and murmuring softly.

    ¡°Yeorum. In the first year after we left for the Amusement, was it fun?¡±

    ¡°What are you suddenly on about?¡±

    ¡°Was it fun?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, I did find it enjoyable bashing people around.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t for me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Every day was boring and tiresome. I didn¡¯t know what the point of my Amusement was, but aftering here, there was something that I enjoyed for the first time.¡±

    Those were things Bom had never let out of her mouth until now. Whenever their conversation led to a simr topic in the past, she had glossed over it but not this time.

    ¡°The process of making ahjussi a human is fun.¡±

    Yeorum took another cigarette out and ced it between her lips. She flicked her thumb and index finger to light it on fire.

    ¡°You say that as if Yu Jitae isn¡¯t a human,¡± Yeorum intervened.

    ¡°Is a human without emotions a human?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm. Continue.¡±

    ¡°I think a human is someone that can express their emotions. That¡¯s why I¡¯m teaching ahjussi emotions one by one. That¡¯s what I have been doing so far, and will continue doing so.¡±

    ¡°And what.¡±

    ¡°But there was a big obstacle.¡±

    ¡°What. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s love?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    Huu. Yeorum breathed out a gush of smoke and giggled.

    ¡°True. I can¡¯t imagine that human ever loving someone.¡±

    ¡°Right? But he will.¡±

    Surprise appeared on Yeorum¡¯s face as she heard those words. A green dragon saying, ¡®he will¡¯ ¨C what did that specify? It meant that Bom had seen Providence.

    ¡°For real? That human loving someone? Who is that?¡±

    ¡°It was me.¡±

    But for some reason, her response was slightly weird.

    ¡°It, <i>was </i>you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    Yeorum reflected on how Bom had turned strange these days.

    Until now, Bom was always like alcohol mixed with water; water mixed with alcohol ¨C a dragon with a murky personality. Usually, it was hard to tell whether she was in a good mood or not and her emotional expressions were very few. A diligent but an inflexible and boring kid ¨C that was the impression she gave off.

    But how was she recently? She was emotional, impulsive and the way she treated situations started being strangely different.

    Like a broken machine doll.

    Ah¡­! Yeorum remembered hearing how the green race tended to be like that in certain situations.

    ¡°I get it¡­ You saw something with your Eye of Providence but something went wrong. Right?¡±

    Providence was absolute, but it was always shown in fragments.

    It was up to the dragon to interpret the entirety of the Providence by only seeing a fragment of it, and a young dragon tended to make mistakes in that process.

    Bom was hesitant to say it. Yeorum wanted to give her more time to think but couldn¡¯t help but ask the most important question.

    ¡°And? What about you right now? What do you currently think about Yu Jitae?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little bitplicated. Would you still like to listen?¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m changing ahjussi right now, right? If ahjussi were to feel love for someone, the best candidate for that was me.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Because I am the loveliest.¡±

    ¡°Crazy b*tch.¡±

    ¡°For that to work, I had to be interested in ahjussi myself.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°So I took interest at the start, and tried to get to know him along the way. Ahjussi had a clear line drawn and to change ahjussi, I had to cross that line. I tried a lot, and that was when I saw through Providence. A providence of me being embraced by ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°What? Embraced!?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, like how?¡±

    ¡°Deeply.¡±

    ¡°Deeply? What do you mean, being deeply embraced?¡±

    Bom interlocked her fingers in response to her question. Then, she slowly started closing her fingers together as it soon formed a fist.

    ¡°¡­Something like this.¡±

    ¡°Oi. Don¡¯t tell me. Is that what I think it is?¡±

    ¡°Probably?¡±

    Yeorum repeatedly coughed as smoke gushed out from her nostrils.

    ¡°Ah f*ck. That¡¯s freaking interesting. What next?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a green dragon. Would I do the deed with someone I have an ambiguous rtionship with? Never. So back then, I thought it would be me that would eventually make ahjussi into a human.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    Kneeling on the ground, Bom gazed up at Yeorum. The words that continued from her mouth were fairly shocking even for Yeorum.

    ¡°But in an even more distant future, ahjussi was embracing a different girl.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°A ck-haired girl.¡±

    Yeorum was astonished. Her expression was frozen solid for a few seconds but soon crumpled into a frown.

    She shouted.

    ¡°What the f*ck!? Who is that bit*h? Her face and her race?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I only know her hair colour.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait! Wait a second. Then, you¡­¡±

    Yeorum finally realised exactly why Bom was broken all of a sudden.

    Bom started feeling extremely anxious and stressed. Was it because the future changed? No. If Bom simply considered Yu Jitae an artwork, the change in future would mean nothing to her.

    ¡°Say it straight! So you¡¯re saying what I¡¯m doubting is correct?¡± Pressuring her to quickly open her mouth, Yeorum grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. With her body being pushed back and forth, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°You are correct. My emotions are certainly there. A part of my heart must have gone wrong while the dimensions disjointed. It was toote by the time I realised it.¡±

    Bom powerlessly smiled.

    ¡°I, I love ahjussi¡­¡±

    *

    After sending Bom off, Yeorum took out another cigarette and ced it between her lips.

    Providence was unchanging.

    So the future Bom saw would definitely ur. ording to her, Yu Jitae would one day embrace Bom, and wouldter go to definitely embrace that ck-haired b*tch.

    This was an unchanging future.

    ¡°Yu Jitae this fu*king bastard. This trashcan of a bastard¡­¡±

    Mumbling as such were all in vain. No-one knew how exactly the future would span out, nor did anyone know what would happen to Yu Jitae. Besides, they had no idea who that ck b*tch was either¡­

    The issue was that the hair colour was the only hint. That alone was difficult for them to specify the identify of the person.

    Even Yeorum herself was the same. The reason she persisted with her red hair was because that colour was the honour and pride of her race. If she wanted to, she could dye her hair to any colour.

    Thus, it was a meaningless concern. The only reason Yeorum was still here smoking through another pack of cigarettes was because Bom¡¯s face was vividly etched in her vision; how she immediately started crying after confessing her love for ahjussi.

    ¡®I, feel so anxious, it drives me crazy¡­¡¯

    Bom had cried over and over again.

    ¡®Even when I¡¯m breathing, I don¡¯t feel like breathing and my mind just doesn¡¯t settle. Acting normal is just not easy. When I became mad at you, I was already at my limit.

    ¡®I didn¡¯t know either, but I get very greedy and jealous. When I see you talking to ahjussi, it makes me want to stop you from talking to him alone. But I can handle that much. Because I also like you. Because our Unit 301 is more important than my emotions.

    ¡®But, but¡­? Now what? In the end, it means ahjussi won¡¯t be mine.

    ¡®So what if I change ahjussi? After changing, wouldn¡¯t he love someone else and not me?

    ¡®Thinking about that, my heart aches so much¡­ I feel so anxious that I feel like going crazy¡­¡¯

    Squeezing her heart, Bom cried for a very long time. That small hand of hers was trembling nonstop.

    ¡®Sorry. Sorry for getting angry¡­¡¯

    Yeorum forgave her.

    Puff. Puff. After breathing out a mouthful of smoke, Yeorum heaved out another sigh in aplicated mood. After seemingly calming herself down after getting forgiven by Yeorum, Bom had spoken back then with a refreshed look on her face.

    ¡®At least it feels better after saying it out loud.¡¯

    ¡®What are you going to do now?¡¯ Yeorum asked back then.

    ¡®What else. I have to finish what I have started. And normally, it is okay because my endurance is very good. Unless someone does it intentionally like you, there is no problem.¡¯

    ¡®Fuc*.¡¯

    ¡®Ah, this is a secret. You know that right?¡¯

    Secret, my ass¡­

    ¡­Maybe it was Yeorum herself that should have asked for her forgiveness?

    Thinking that, her mind was muddled withplicated thoughts.

    *

    Yeorum returned to the dormitory.

    ¡°Are you back already? What about training.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. Don¡¯t talk to me. You¡¯re disgusting.¡±

    Yu Jitae blinked his eyes. What was wrong with this child?

    ring at him, Yeorum whispered very softly, ¡®An actual son of a bi*ch¡­¡¯ before entering her room.

    ??,,,

    He was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 216: What is required of a Guardian (1)

    <h4>Chapter 216: What is required of a Guardian (1)</h4>

    For the next two weeks, Yu Jitae spent the night with Bom. It was because they couldn¡¯t leave Clone 2 and the witch by themselves when they were spending the night together.

    The extreme mindset of Clone 2 that he would rather erase the exmation mark between his legs than give his body to the witch, forced the witch to psychologically seduce the clone.

    As long as Clone 2 could withstand that temptation, the witch would help Yu Jitae and the Association as they had nned.

    At night,

    After the kids fell asleep,

    Yu Jitae walked into Bom¡¯s room and indifferently ced one of his knees on the bed, but Bom was sitting in the middle of the bed without giving him space to sit.

    ¡°Move aside a bit.¡± He said.

    ¡°No. Don¡¯te please.¡±

    Curiously, he asked.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Just because.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What does that even mean.¡±

    When he continued pushing his body forward, Bom reached her feeble arms out and pushed his chest away.

    ¡°What now.¡±

    ¡°Nnn¡­¡±

    She shook her head, with an afraid look on her face for some reason.

    It wasn¡¯t like he found it a shame that he couldn¡¯t sit on the bed, but weren¡¯t they both fine with the idea of sitting on the same bed till now? Since there was no reason to be conscious of that for both of them, it had been something natural but not today.

    What was wrong with her?

    He quietly pondered on her decision-making process but that seemed to have caused a misunderstanding.

    Bom carefully asked.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Do you, really have toe here¡­?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s alright.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t really understand what she was thinking. Besides, he didn¡¯t need to be right next to Bom in the first ce for what they were nning to do.

    Walking away from the bed, he sat on the chair next to the bed and held her hand, before sharing the situation with Clone 2.

    Sitting on the chair, he gazed at the bed. Her face being illuminated by the moonlight within the darkness pulled his gaze in. Strangely enough, his eyes kept going there.

    It was fortunate that there was a gap between them. He fixed his gaze on the sky outside the window.

    Thanks to that, Clone 2 ¨C the young Yu Jitae was able to go through the night without a problem despite being with Valentine the witch.

    *

    ¡°You will spend the night together but not lie down with me¡­?¡±

    The witch frowned as Clone 2 nodded with a rxed look on his face. She realised that this request was a continuation of their ¡®two-way requests¡¯.

    ¡°Then I will hug you to sleep on thest day.¡±

    ¡°Hug, to sleep?¡±

    ¡°Yes. With my skin touching yours.¡±

    Touching skins ¨C that blunt expression frightened Clone 2. Even Bom appeared slightly flustered but she quickly regained herposure and replied.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Thus, the witch sat leaning on the backrest next to Clone 2 and spent the night with her hand holding his. She too was the cream of the crop among the superhumans and sitting still wasn¡¯t at all ufortable.

    But it was true that it was a little bit of a letdown.

    Since there was no time limit for caressing his hair, the witch raised her hand and decided to caress the hair of the boy while he was lying down on the bed.

    ¡°Have you caressed someone else¡¯s hair before?¡± Clone 2 asked.

    ¡°Why would you ask that?¡±

    ¡°Because it feels nice.¡±

    Hearing that, the witch suddenly gripped a little bit harder. Holding onto the short hair strands of Clone 2, she abruptly pushed her face forward.

    ¡°Those words are quite irritating to hear. Do you think I¡¯m doing this to make you feel nice?¡±

    Clone 2 suddenly turned stiff; even more so than when the witch was being aggressive with physical contact. ¡®¡­?¡¯ The witch often felt a small sense of doubt when seeing the small changes in the boy¡¯s expression or actions.

    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry. I was only trying to say that your hands were very natural.¡±

    ¡°Hnn¡­ I will let it be. So, what do you think.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ahh, I think there would have been one.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There was, right? When was it, and who was it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ it was a long time ago.¡±

    Clone 2 spoke to the witch.

    ¡°About 40 years ago, I had a puppy.¡±

    The witch started speaking as Clone 2 quietly listened.

    ¡°A puppy? A small and cute puppy?¡±

    And sometimes, the clone added several questions so that the witch would continue with her speech.

    ¡°No. A human.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡°He was small and cute though.¡±

    Bom smoothly opened up the witch¡¯s heart, and the lonely witch enjoyed talking about herself. For the next 2 weeks, Yu Jitae and Bom spent the night listening to the stories of the witch.

    ¡°Boy. What a very good listener you are.¡±

    Thanks to that, they atst seeded in opening the witch¡¯s heart. Now, she would lend Yu Jitae a hand when he needs it, by using the dimensional magic that only she can manage.

    They managed to pull it off.

    They listened all night long to the chatters of the olddy, but there was no time for him to rest.

    The next morning, while the floating ind Haytling was floating above the Indian Ocean, Yu Jitae left early in the morning to go to the store before returning to Unit 301.

    The breakfast menu for that day was steak; the reason being that Kaeul wanted to have some steaks. He cursorily sliced the meat and added salt, pepper and oil, before frying it on a pan of butter.

    Beef was beef after all. He cooked it without much care and yet it still gave off a great smell. Once the delectable scent of the cooking meat spread across Unit 301, a door was swung wide open from the other side of the corridor. Standing behind it was Kaeul in her pyjamas.

    ¡°Uwah. The smell is crazyyy~~¡±

    With sleep marks covering her face, Kaeul giggled, ¡®Hehe¡¯ while running towards the kitchen.

    ¡°Meat?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Meat.¡± He replied.

    ¡°Meat meat?¡±

    ¡°Beef.¡±

    ¡°Uhihihi¨C. Did you buy it because of my request?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi, you¡¯re seriously so cool!¡±

    Kaeul banged the table repeatedly with her two hands both holding folks. Hearing the fuss, Bom, Yeorum and Gyeoul all came towards the kitchen.

    Seeing Bom, Kaeul widened her eyes into circles. It was her first time seeing her in 10 days.

    ¡°Nn? Nn? Unniiii!¡±

    Kaeul ran to her with a bright smile on her face and threw her arms wide open. Bom smiled back as she hugged Kaeul.

    ¡°What! Unni, when did youe out?! Are you feeling better now?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Sorry. Were you worried?¡±

    ¡°Nn nn. Aht¡­¡±

    Kaeul threw a furtive nce at Yeorum who was taking milk out from the fridge. Then, she ced her hand near her mouth like one of those middle-aged chatterboxes of the town before whispering to Bom.

    ¡°Did you make up¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Really¡­? How¡­?¡±

    Bom caressed Kaeul¡¯s hair and smiled.

    ¡°I begged. Saying sorry.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because it was my fault.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    Did they really make up? Since Unit 301 had felt as if it was full of thorns for the past few days, Kaeul nervously gazed at the two of them. She soon found Gyeoul doing the same thing. Gyeoul also appeared nervous as she looked at Bom and Yeorum staying in the same ce.

    That was when Yeorum used her fork to pick up a red piece of meat that was still uncooked.

    ¡°Hmm. Meat is best served rare.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that too raw?¡± Bom asked.

    ¡°What do you mean. I eat raw meat in the first ce,¡± replied Yeorum.

    ¡°Ah, right.¡±

    ¡°You sometimes forget you¡¯re a dragon, don¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°I know right.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. I was always curious, but what does your race usually eat?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t know. Broli?¡±

    Yeorum and Bom both giggled after that.

    ¡­So they really did make up!

    Kaeul and Gyeoul both felt peace watching the two interact. Suddenly, Gyeoul became curious as she whispered a question into Kaeul¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Unni.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°¡­What is, a broli?¡±

    ¡°Ahh. It¡¯s circr, fluffy and tastes bad¡­!¡±

    Gyeoul didn¡¯t know what it was, so she imagined what it would look like.

    Circr. Fluffy. Tastes bad.

    The circr thing she thought of was a ball.

    Fluffy would be a puppy.

    Tasting bad, would have to be fermented skate.

    Adding these together, she imagined a ball made by squeezing fermented skates together that had fur for some reason¡­ Hmm, she didn¡¯t know why, but it appeared disgusting. Thinking that, Gyeoul asked yet again.

    ¡°¡­What else?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s green.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    The first thing that she thought of after hearing the colour was Bom. Staring at Bom¡¯s hair colour, she curiously repeated tilting her head until Kaeul showed her a picture of a broli with her watch.

    ¡°¡­Ohh.¡±

    Gyeoul started ncing at Bom after seeing the picture of a broli. That was when Bom suddenly turned and looked back at her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nothing, is wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t look anything like it. Don¡¯tpare me with something like that.¡±

    ¡°¡­Aht.¡±

    Kaeul bursted intoughter and chuckled out loud.

    However, that didn¡¯t mean that their dining table was fully harmonious.

    There was a slightly bizarre atmosphere.

    When Yu Jitae tried to stab a piece of meat with the fork, Yeorum snatched it before he could and threw it into her mouth. And when Yu Jitae tried to stab a different piece of meat, Yeorum again stole it before he could. After that continued several times, Yu Jitae was simply moving the fork back and forth, as if he was chanting a spell.

    ¡°What you doing?¡± He asked.

    ¡°What am I doing?¡±

    Yu Jitae raised the fork and so did Yeorum. When he ced it down, she did too.

    ¡°Let me have some meat as well.¡±

    Yeorum frowned in response.

    Soon, after Yu Jitae sessfully ate a piece of meat, Yeorum didn¡¯t even spare a nce at the te of meat that his fork had touched. She treated it as if the te had been in the sewers.

    ¡°Hang¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±

    Even Kaeul with her slow mood-reading skills and Gyeoul were able to immediately tell that something was bizarre.

    However, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t say anything about it nor did Yeorum do anything else that was strange. Thus, their breakfast table looked quite harmonious on the outside.

    That was more than enough for the time being for Kaeul and Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae looked at Yeorum several times but she did not return the gaze. It seemed that she was intentionally avoiding eye contact with him.

    He was curious what the reason was, but decided to let it be for the time being since the red race always acted as they pleased. She would be back to normal when she was in a good mood, he thought.

    Today was the 11th of September, the end of the Great War. It was a public holiday worldwide and all the facilities of Lair including Gyeoul¡¯s elementary school were closed.

    The kids sat next to each other in the dormitory and enjoyed board games with the protector, but when they were ying jenga, the protector felt slightly mortified.

    Crumble¡ª

    ¡°Wahh, Cleaner Ahjussi, you lost!¡±

    ¡°¡­Idiot.¡±

    ¡°Get down, you steel pot.¡±

    Kwang kwang kwang!!

    The protector had his back struck several times. Since the kids were all dragons, even the protector felt pain after having his back armour struck by them.

    Gururuk¡­! The protector grumbled before opening its mouth.

    ¡°This is unfair, esteemed youngdies.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°This is not fair. Aren¡¯t my hands too blunt?¡±

    The protector pushed his hands forward. He was 235 centimetres tall, and his hands were alsorge while metal gauntlets covered thoserge hands of his. Besides, there were spikes above the thick gauntlets so his physical body was extremely unsuited for jenga.

    ¡°Not fair my ass. Take your gloves off if you think it¡¯s unfair.¡±

    ¡°Hooh? Right! Ahjussi, try taking your helmet off!¡±

    ¡°¡­Ohh.¡±

    The red eyes of the protector blinked.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Bored from all the jenga, the kids finally found a new board game.

    Now that they thought about it, the protector had never taken its clothes off and its natural appearance was with the armour on. Suddenly, the kids were curious of what was inside the armour.

    Before long, all the kids excluding Bom ran up and began pulling the helmet and armour out.

    ¡°Y, you cannot do that. Aahht¡­ Please¡­¡±

    It couldn¡¯t hurt the kids nor take off its armour which was the same as its skin and flesh, so the protector had to shed cold sweats for a long time.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae who wasn¡¯t ying with the children was staring at the baby chicken.

    Chirpy, the baby chicken, was dozing off but slowly opened its eyes due to all the fuss that was happening outside. After shaking itsrge head, it raised its heavy body and headed to a corner of Kaeul¡¯s room.

    Now, it could flutter its wings faintly and still float its body with mana. Therge baby chicken stared off into the distance outside the window.

    Yu Jitae confirmed the gaze of the baby chicken.

    He also listened to the baby chicken murmur.

    ¡°Chirp chirp¡­¡±

    *

    That night.

    ¡°Unni unni. Do you know how tiring it was when you weren¡¯t there?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ahh. Sorry. Should I teach you today as well?¡±

    Kaeul walked out of the dormitory with Bom to learn healing magic.

    ¡°Oi. Let¡¯s go out and do ¡®that¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­That? Ah.¡±

    Gyeoul and Yeorum also left for the training centre for the anger management training.

    Left alone, Yu Jitae gazed at Kaeul¡¯s room. When the baby chicken stealthily opened the door of her wardrobe, his gaze turned a level sharper.

    After opening the wardrobe, the baby chicken carefully began using its beak to push the clothes that Kaeul casually threw inside it.

    Under the pile of clothes was a freshman magic studies textbook which Kaeul hadn¡¯t touched for months. This book was a veryrge one but after the baby chicken pushed it off to the side, a circr hole was revealed from behind it.

    It was a hole made by the baby chicken who carefully bit through it with its beak. Even the Count of Monte Cristo would be dumbfounded by its skills.

    Chirpy pushed its body through it and soon began rushing somewhere.

    Yu Jitae raised his body.

    That day, Chirpy¡¯s murmurs were different from normal.

    ¨C Not much time left¡­

    The time was slowly approaching.

    Yu Jitae was aware of all that. He followed the unsteadily flying baby chicken from a distance.

    After entering the ¡®restricted entry district¡¯, the baby chicken entered District C0-47 ¨C the area where the old research institute had been. It also used to be the hideout of demons but was empty after Wei Yan¡¯s death.

    The baby chicken began walking whilst twitching itsrge butt. After crossing the building, the fence and following the underground corridor to somewhere below.

    A scenery which would frighten the managers of the restricted entry district was waiting there for Yu Jitae.

 Chapter 217: What is required of a Guardian (2)

    <h4>Chapter 217: What is required of a Guardian (2)</h4>

    4th iteration,

    Baby Yellow took in a parrot ¨C a white, clean and pretty parrot. When her mind was in a mess, BY strangled the parrot and it was by sheer luck that the parrot survived. Perhaps because of that, it soon opened the cage and flew away never to return after that.

    Some precious things were only revealed once it disappeared and it tended to prate deep into the mind. That was the same for the baby dragon.

    The young child that only knew how to be loved,

    Knew how to give love to another.

    Only after the recipient of the love disappeared.

    At the end of the underground corridor, there was a ce that looked like it would originally be used as a storehouse of important belongings. From the darkness, white and red glistening eyes faced the baby chicken.

    Kuruk¡­ uuung¡­

    Soon, those let out the growling sounds of beasts as they turned towards Chirpy.

    They appeared like a dog and a cat but their body was that of a human¡¯s. They were [Beastmen], who had bodies that looked the most simr to humans among the spirit beasts.

    Mana could be felt from the bodies of the two beastmen, who had coarse and dirty furs around their body suggesting the hardships they¡¯ve suffered.

    The vertically cracked fissure behind them entered Yu Jitae¡¯s sight.

    It was around 2.5 metres in height. Reaching the ceiling of the underground room, it was greedily opening its mouth trying to devour anything in sight. Although the fissure was dark, it was definitely linked to another world.

    This was an ¡®Intersecting Spatial Fissure¡¯.

    It seemed that they had stablised a fissure that linked to another ce and moved it here, with alternate dimensional magic.

    The tworge spirit beasts resembling humans began walking towards the baby chicken. Currently, Chirpy was a big fat baby chicken bigger than a basketball, but appeared extremely tiny and feeble in front of human-sized beasts.

    Despite that, the baby chicken stood still and gazed at the two of them.

    And after approaching the chicken, the two of them lowered their bodies.

    Kururung¡­ Meow¡­

    They then lowered their heads.

    These spirit beasts were actually escapees of the Spirit Beast Breeding Centre. For the past 11 months or so, the baby chicken had travelled all across Haytling, let alone Lair, fighting other spirit beast escapees. That was why the baby chicken was always injured and had to be healed and scolded by Bom.

    The spirit beasts did not like the baby chicken. Their viewpoint was that they were free after finally escaping the breeding centre.

    However, staying at Lair and thus having to live whilst avoiding the eyes of humans was not true freedom for these spirit beasts, who had strong homing instincts. Chirpy asserted for true freedom by saying, ¡®Should we not return to our homnd,¡¯ and seeded in persuading them thanks to both power and a justified cause.

    The baby chicken was always next to Kaeul.

    Kaeul always carried the baby chicken around, and during that process, the mountainous mana of Kaeul allowed the baby chicken to be slightly stronger.

    The lowly spirit beast had received the blessing of a dragon.

    Thanks to that, Chirpy became more and more stronger, getting less and less wounds over time. He increased his followers and most of the surviving spirit beast escapees now served him as their leader. ¡®Little Boss¡¯ ¨C that was what they called Chirpy.

    And atst, they finally discovered the fissure which some of them hade out of, and seeded in stabilising its intersecting space.

    Although the fissure in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes appeared unstable and sloppy, it was the essence of the baby chicken¡¯s hard work.

    Most of the surviving spirit beast escapees had already returned to their own dimension through the fissure.

    Soon, the two ¡®assistants¡¯ began having a serious conversation with their ¡®Little Boss¡¯.

    Chirp chirp. Meow. Kurung. Meoooow. Chirp.

    Their conversation went like the following.

    Cat: How long are you nning to stay here.

    Dog: That right.

    Baby Chicken: Let me stay here for a little more.

    Cat: If the intersection breaks here, that is the end of everything. What is wrong. It has already been over a month.

    Dog: That right.

    Baby Chicken: There might be morerades we have yet to find.

    Cat: Strange words. How can there be such a thing. Did we not search for them together?

    Dog: There none.

    Baby Chicken: ¡­

    Cat: You postponed changing to a human appearance and wanted freedom more than anyone else. So what is this on about? If you continue doing this, we can¡¯t wait for boss either.

    Cat: If you say ¡®That right¡¯ one more time, I will smack you.

    Dog: ¡­

    Most of the spirit beasts had already crossed but the baby chicken stayed here and dyed it¡¯s departure ¨C that was what was happening right now.

    Although they looked cute and insignificant at a nce, their conversation was one that would most likely be seen at a film noir. In fact, just for this, Chirpy had attacked thirty or so humans and killed seven spirit beasts that were attempting to revolt.

    The baby chicken was kidnapped away from its mother¡¯s warmth. In a foreign world, it was locked up in a cage and had its growth restricted for tens of years. After all the time it spent in a foreign world, breathing foreign oxygen¡­ the baby chicken wanted to go home.

    But in front of the situation that it had been longing for,

    Chirp¡­

    The baby chicken hesitates yet again, even today.

    Then what was it, that was waiting on the other side of the fissure?

    What did the world where these spirit beasts were born and nurtured look like?

    Yu Jitae knew already, since he had been there several times.

    After hiding his body within the shadows, Yu Jitae casually walked between the spirit beasts and entered the fissure.

    Soon, a new world revealed itself in front of him.

    An extremely wide sky continued until the ends of the horizons. Underneath, there was arge tree around 7,000 metres in height with countless birds and spirit beasts living within it.

    This tree had the name, ¡®World Tree¡¯. It was made from a branch of the true world tree, Yggdrasil, but was currently losing power and drying up.

    Around the ce where the spirit beasts and beastmen were living among each other were houses with doors, windows and ceilings.

    There were also fountains and sculptures.

    This world was called [Anum].

    It wasn¡¯t Unit 301, but was the baby chicken¡¯s true home.

    Since it was a nearby dimension, he had visited it several times in those iterations of hazy memories whenever necessary.

    Gazing down, he stared at the drying tree. In the previous iterations, the world tree had always been burned down to ashes. The Regressor had yet to touch the flow of ¡®Anum¡¯, and because he didn¡¯t touch it, the overall flow of things would go the same way as the previous iterations.

    Even if the baby chicken Chirpy, returned to this ce, it would die before long.

    Naturally, he wasn¡¯t interested in the life or death of the baby chicken. This tree dying had nothing to do with him, and the countless spirit beasts living here losing their habitat was none of his business.

    However, the gold hatchling of this iteration ¨C her heart had to be unhurt. Thus, he had followed behind the baby chicken for the past few months and had ced several small devices in this world.

    ¡°Let us finish this quick and go have some food!¡±

    He turned around. Near the centre of the world tree, there was an immenselyrge mechanical structure that resembled a whale. At a nce, it looked like a broken wing of an airne. However, it reached 30 metres in length and was as big as a whale.

    Next to it were beaver spirit beasts gathered together moving metal and timber with safety helmets on their head.

    ¡°Oi! Oi mate! Be careful with that, would ya!?¡±

    One of the beaver spirit beasts shouted at the other beavers. The ones that received a mouthful were carrying something, and a mana core could be seen inside it.

    ¡°Treat it with care! It¡¯s over if the core¡¯s broken! We got no power source to rece that with! How would we meet our esteemed Prophet if it breaks!?¡±

    ¡°¡°Sorry sir¨C!¡±¡±

    ¡°Go again. Slowly!¡±

    The beavers again started diligently carrying the mana core.

    The Regressor gazed at the great tree that would eventually fall; and also at the countless spirit beasts living there, and therge whale-shaped mechanical structure, before turning around.

    [Are you leaving already.]

    Right before he was about to return, a voice echoed in his mind. He turned around again and gazed down at therge tree ¨C the world tree was talking to him.

    ¡°Yeah. I see you¡¯ve managed to find it.¡±

    [We were simply listening to yourmands. However, it seems that that thing is not of our dimension.]

    Trees probably wouldn¡¯t have eyes, but Yu Jitae knew that the ¡®gaze¡¯ of this tree he was stepping on was on therge mechanical structure.

    ¡°It is yours.¡±

    [No. I am certain that over the 8,000 years of my life, I have never seen anything like it before.]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    [Today of all days, we would like to ask. For what purpose have you guided us to the road of life?]

    Yu Jitae did not reply. He couldn¡¯t tell the tree that he was twisting the flow of the world simply because of the maturing of the mind of one young gold dragon.

    It was as if this ce, [Anum] and the [World Tree] had be a virtual set adjusted by Yu Jitae. All the organisms and even the world tree were nothing but actors and the stage of the y formted by the Regressor.

    However, there was no reason for him to tell them the truth.

    [Art thou the Executor of Providence?]

    The tree asked if he was a sovereign. Shaking his head, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°I shall return in the near future.¡±

    [As you wish, Prophet.]

    *

    The baby chicken, Chirpy, would y with Kaeul during the day and sleep in Kaeul¡¯s arms at night. To stay with her for as long as possible, it remained at Unit 301 till the end even after it¡¯s subordinates all returned. And since Kaeul liked the ¡®baby chicken¡¯, Chirpy stayed as the baby chicken despite having a chance to humanify.

    ¡°Ahjussi. If, even if I don¡¯t want to let him go, it is correct to let him go if he wants to, right?¡±

    Right after realising that the baby chicken would eventually leave her, Kaeul asked him.

    ¡°Of course,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Even if I really, really don¡¯t want to let him go?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what a farewell is.¡±

    ¡°Even though <i>I </i>don¡¯t wish for a farewell? Even then?¡±

    ¡°Who are you to stop him.¡±

    ¡°Me? A dragon that really, really, really likes Chirpy¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae looked into the golden eyes of the child.

    Although he was a guardian, he didn¡¯t know what was the correct way for him to live as the guardian of the dragons. He simply had to linger on the topic everyday and ponder on.

    However, he knew that even the mightiest of the powers could not protect a person¡¯s heart, so he carefully told her.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°When there¡¯s a beginning, there is an end.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°When there is a new encounter, there has to be farewells.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t look away from it.¡±

    ¡°I, I just don¡¯t want to¡­ I want to run away¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if you try to avoid it, you can¡¯t. In the end, it will be right in front of you. When that happens, you might regret all the time you spent trying to avoid it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Then what should I do? She asked, and Yu Jitae replied.

    ¡°You must prepare for a good farewell.¡±

    ¡°How can there be a good farewell?¡± She asked again.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s weird. How can farewells be good¡­ How can there be good farewells in this world¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words broke a dam built inside Kaeul¡¯s emotions. The child began crying with drops of tears dripping on the ground, and after crying for half a day, she vacantly asked.

    ¡°If we bid farewell, will there be another new encounter one day?¡±

    There probably would be. He nodded as Kaeul asked yet again.

    ¡°Ahjussi. What are things that are required of a guardian?¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡± He replied.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ They should be able to heal a wounded child, and look after it right?¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I think so. Bom-unni healed him whenever Chirpy was hurt. Me. I was the guardian but I couldn¡¯t do anything¡­ I was always sorry about that. I¡¯m the guardian¡­ but I¡¯m useless¡­¡±

    After that, Kaeul changed her major so that she could learn healing magic, and began learning aspects of healing magic asionally from Bom.

    For another little thing that would require her protection,

    For another little thing she will meet one day in the future ¨C

    ¡­ That should have been the case.

    So after returning to the dormitory,

    Why was it that he found Kaeul pointing a small knife at her own hand;

    Why was it that a drop of blood was travelling down the white wrist of the child onto her clothes.

    Huu¡­ when his eyes caught sight of the blonde child breathing out a hesitant sigh,

    The top floor of the extravagant hotel,

    The girl that slit her own wrist with a sharp dagger in the bathroom,

    Her appearance that was a spitting image of Kaeul ¨C

    Images of that girl shed past his head.

    ¡°Ahjussi?¡±

    With surprised eyes, Kaeul looked at him.

    Without saying a word, he stepped into the living room without even taking off his shoes. His expression might have scared her ¨C Kaeul was sincerely startled and was frozen stiff.

    Approaching the child, he reached his hand out and waited.

    Forgetting to even give him the handle of the knife, she handed it over with the tip of the de pointing him. Yu Jitae grabbed the knife with his hand in response and began crushing it with his grip. Like y, the de of the knife was reformed ordingly with the shape of his fingers. Seemingly unsatisfied with that, Yu Jitae ripped the de like paper and threw it behind his back.

    Charang¨C!

    Fragments of the metal de rolled across the front entrance and echoed.

    When Kaeul raised her hands in surprise and fidgeted not knowing what to do, blood sttered and wetted both the ground and her arms.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    Facing the child frozen stiff from surprise, the Regressor asked with a low voice.

    ¡°What did you just do.¡±

 Chapter 218: What is required of a Guardian (3)

    <h4>Chapter 218: What is required of a Guardian (3)</h4>

    ¡°Uhh, i, it¡¯s not what you think!¡±

    Kaeul flusteredly shook her hands. He could spot traces of anxiety, confusion and fear from her golden eyes, but her eyes overall had enough vitality, like her eyes that he was used to seeing.

    ¡°I, I, I wasn¡¯t doing like, something strange or anything!¡±

    ¡°What were you doing then.¡±

    ¡°I was just trying to practise healing magic a bit¡­! L, look here!¡±

    While saying that, she lifted the towel and disinfectant that were ced near her legs.

    It seemed that he was overreacting in vain. Yu Jitae breathed out a deep sigh. His head cooled down as his blood began racing back out of his head.

    Oblivious to his thoughts or not, Kaeul continued gazing at him with anxious eyes whilst pping her arms. He slowly approached the child, sat in front of her and held her by the wrist as Kaeul flinched and lowered her head.

    The wound was on her palm, not her wrist and was shallow. In order to make a wound on her body that was being protected by all sorts of blessings, Kaeul had to use quite a bit of mana.

    ¡°Why would you practise healing magic on your body.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing big but, umm, uhh, just, uhh, I needed some time to practise alone, umm¡­ and there has to be a wound to heal it right?¡±

    ¡°Why not do it during lesson or at a training centre.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ uhh, umm¡­¡±

    Kaeul hesitated. Meanwhile, Yu Jitae used a gauze to wipe the blood flowing down from her small palm.

    ¡°Heal your hand first.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    She gathered mana on her other hand. After Kaeul concentrated for a bit, the delicate attribute of healing magic was casted. [Heal (C)] ¨C the most basic spell and yet the one with the highest difficulty stopped the wound from bleeding, disinfected it and began healing it at a rapid speed. In an instant, the wound began to quickly close.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae stared at Kaeul¡¯s face. Whenever ¡®she¡¯ was focusing on something, there was always an undisguisable phenomenon.

    Human conviction and thoughts stemmed from their eyes which they used when looking at the world around them. There was no way that the world in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes was the same as Kaeul¡¯s perception of the world.

    As if to prove his doubt, Kaeul¡¯s gaze appeared like an indifferent pout.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Slowly, her face returned to ¡®Kaeul¡¯.

    ¡°Nn!? W, w, why?! Why are you suddenly looking for Bom-unni?¡±

    ¡­She was immersing herself in Bom when using healing magic.

    Yu Jitae thought for a bit ¨C what would be the best way to lead a conversation in times like this?

    In his memories, Bom had always tried to slowly and calmly start a conversation. Instead of jumping straight to the trunk, he had to start from the branches of the roots.

    ¡°How unexpected.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t it hurt?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, umm¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you usually whinge for an hour when you bump your toe on something?¡±

    ¡°¡­No I don¡¯t! Maybe for about five minutes, only because it surprises me.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, did it hurt?¡± He asked again.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ it did.¡±

    ¡°A lot?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a lot, so I was very surprised¡­ I could feel it entering my flesh. It was like, really terrifying and gave me goosebumps. I, I, I was almost about to cry¡­!¡±

    So why did you do it then.

    She seemed to have read what he was trying to say from his gaze. Kaeulughed awkwardly before lowering her gaze.

    The wound was still in the middle of being closed.

    ¡°Something happened, right. In school. Or when you were learning magic from Bom,¡± guessed Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Umm, no¡­?¡±

    Judging from how she was rolling her eyes around, there definitely was something. Soon, he silently began touching his watch so Kaeul asked with an anxious voice.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for the phone number of your healing magic teacher.¡±

    ¡°Why?!¡±

    ¡°To ask him something.¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh, please wait!¡±

    Regardless, he continued operating the watch so Kaeul clung to his arm and tried to pull it away.

    ¡°No you can¡¯t. Please wait¡­! No, stop! Don¡¯t press it! Ahh¨C waittt!¡±

    When it still didn¡¯t work, she used her small hands to hold his index and middle finger.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it¡­! No, no like, it¡¯s nothing that crazy okay?¡±

    ¡°What is it then.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It just seemed that I wasn¡¯t talented at healing magic¡­¡± She murmured.

    What was this about?

    When he stopped his hands, Kaeul regained herposure and finished her sentence.

    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±

    He realised that she was trying to gloss over the topic like a sly snake. Thus, he began moving his fingers again as undisguisable nervousness rose once again on her expression. Soon, she started grabbing his fingers and whining again.

    ¡°Ahhh! Ahhnnnn¨C! Don¡¯t do it¡­!¡±

    ¡°Be honest.¡±

    ¡°My healing went bad¡­!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It was during school¡­!¡±

    Huu¡­ Kaeul breathed out a deep sigh. She nced at his face and slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°I casted healing magic as I was taught, but it didn¡¯t go well. The chimera that we were healing got even more hurt.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange. Didn¡¯t you heal your own wound just then?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong either.¡±

    ¡°Have you tried talking to Bom?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t want to tell her.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Bom-unni is teaching very well. And I can also heal properly when I¡¯m copying Bom-unni, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s, only when I¡¯m copying Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°How is that a problem.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simply imitating Bom-unni. It was the same just then¡­ That¡¯s not my healing magic. That¡¯s just Bom-unni¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae turned silent for a bit and thought to himself.

    Dragons had a strong sense of independence and were generally closed off from other races. The case with Unit 301 was only because Yu Jitae gathered the kids and forced them into one ce. Originally, Bom, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul should never have been able to gather together and be this friendly with each other.

    It was the same as how Yeorum had initially refused to learn under him. Back then, she had been speaking of the identity of herself as a red dragon. Fortunately he was able to manipte mana and fight using the martial arts of red dragons and was able to convince her.

    However, that wasn¡¯t the case for healing magic.

    ¡°What happened to the chimera then.¡±

    Kaeul hesitated before letting out words like a sigh.

    ¡°Well, it just wasn¡¯t healed¡­¡±

    Her expression rapidly turned dark.

    It was strange.

    A chimera that had to be healed was healed by the magic of a dragon itself, and yet it wasn¡¯t healed?

    Why?

    Kaeul was a dragon. She was from the race of magic.

    Of course, she might have made a mistake considering that she was in her early teens, because the uniqueness of a dragon was formted over the long histories of their life.

    But even then, she was from the race of magic; the ones that created magic. Even if she wasn¡¯t gifted, it did not make sense for a mere healing magic to drag her behind.

    He saw the need to look into it himself. By gathering his killing intent to his fingertip, he sharpened it like a small de and immediately shed his palm without a second thought.

    His palm, with the blessings and authorities cancelled, screamed in pain as his skin revealed the flesh beneath it. Blood started flowing out as Kaeul startledly looked up at his face.

    ¡°W, what are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°Can you heal it?¡±

    ¡°N, no¡­! You might get hurt¡­!¡±

    After saying that, Kaeul seemingly btedly remembered what type of person Yu Jitae was. Even now, blood was dripping from Yu Jitae¡¯s palm onto the living room floor.

    Kaeul cautiously opened her mouth.

    ¡°You can¡¯t get hurt¡­ okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry mate.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡±

    Before long, Kaeul began unfolding her healing spell.

    Mana gathered to his hand. Mana molecules with the healing attribute gathered and started healing his hand.

    He observed the properties inside the mana. [Induce], [Disinfect], [Settle], [Stabilise] and [Recovery]¡­ it was the same as a normal healing spell.

    Everything was fine.

    It wasn¡¯t bad at all.

    So why was it that the chimera wasn¡¯t healed properly? After receiving her spell for some time, Yu Jitae realised what the problem was.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    An empty smile left his mouth.

    There was a ¡®big problem¡¯ with her healing magic.

    ¡°Nn?! Why? Does it, hurt¡­?¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s fine.¡±

    There was an absurdlyrge amount of mana in her healing magic. Plus, her ability to output mana was ridiculously big.

    Healing magic normally did require a lot of mana but there was a limit to how much it would use. She was like a broken dam when the spell only required a water hose so there was no way that it would go well.

    Besides, her control was another problem. If she were manipting a water hose, it would be easy to control the direction of the flow. However, changing the direction of the water flow in a broken dam was easier said than done.

    In other words, Kaeul¡¯s healing magic was like a rock ced above a fine sieve.

    There was no way that a chimera would be able to handle this mountainous amount of mana. It was fortunate that she wasn¡¯t using this on a human.

    But Yu Jitae had no problem taking in her mana, so the wound began to close.

    ¡°Uh¡­? Nn¡­?¡±

    In any case, healing magic wasn¡¯t appropriate for the child while she was on her Amusement. It would take hundreds of years at the very least for her to gain delicate control over her mana.

    Thus, he came to a conclusion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop this.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think healing magic is for you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Surprised, Kaeul carefully asked.

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae sincerely exined everything, from the principle of healing magic to how healing spells operated and the reason why healing magic wasn¡¯t appropriate for her.

    After hearing his words, a shadow was cast on her face as her eyes gazed at the ground.

    ¡°Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t learn it at school anymore, and give up on learning it from Bom.¡±

    Kaeul was silent. She simply gave a small nod in response.

    Her response had to be perceived with care.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

    ¡°Why. Do you really want to do it?¡±

    When he asked again, Kaeul shook her head. She was saying that she didn¡¯t want to do it, and the authenticity on the Eyes of Equilibrium was ¡®true¡¯, meaning that she was okay with not learning it.

    ¡°Do you not like what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    Kaeul shook her head again, and this too was true. Kaeul did not dislike what Yu Jitae was saying.

    ¡°Then, is there something else you would like to say?¡±

    ¡°No. I think you¡¯re right, ahjussi. I am not suited for healing magic.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to tell you that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s the truth after all. I know it too. That¡¯s just the type of person I am¡­¡±

    Yet again, her response was true and her favourability towards him was heavily leaning towards ¡®like¡¯. Kaeul was being honest and she did not hate him.

    And yet for some reason, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t feelfortable at heart.

    ¡®It¡¯s fine¡¯

    Her final words mysteriously remained vividly in his ears.

    It¡¯s fine, huh¡­

    Although she might have been being honest, it still unknowingly touched a corner of his emotions.

    It was a thought stemming from the 4th iteration. BY always said she was fine even when she wasn¡¯t fine. BY, who was a lot better than the current Kaeul at hiding her emotions, really did seem fine whenever she was saying that.

    So was BY fine?

    No.

    She was not fine.

    Over the period of repeating the same words that she was fine like a parrot, BY had been building up something in her heart. Things that built up and eventually exploded¡­

    Until now, Yu Jitae had always believed in the Eyes of Equilibrium. He had always been a man forming ns, and there had yet to be an error with the Eyes of Equilibrium.

    However, he got the feeling that he shouldn¡¯t trust the Eyes of Equilibrium, at least for this asion. As for the reason, he had no idea.

    It might be that over the daily lives he had spent with Kaeul, he started understanding Kaeul deeper than the likes of a mere authority that could identify the authenticity behind her words.

    His senses rose up sharp.

    This wasn¡¯t something that he could simply ignore.

    ¡°I will go to my room and rest now.¡± Kaeul said.

    ¡°Rest up.¡±

    After sending her away, Yu Jitae walked out of the dormitory and called the professor.

    ¨C Hello. Kim Chulgon, the professor of healing magic studies speaking.

    ¡°Hello, this is Guardian Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¨C Yes yes. Ah! Hello sir? Guardian Yu Jitae. I have heard many good stories about you.¡±

    The professor who was aware of the Yu household acted humble. He might have decided against giving him a call even after the problem, because Kaeul was from the Yu household.

    ¡°I¡¯m calling because I was curious about what happened with Cadet Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¨C Ah I see. It¡¯s nothing much. Nothing really happened. Haha.

    ¡°No. I have heard from the cadet that something had urred. Please be honest without any falsehood. There won¡¯t be any disadvantages on your side.¡±

    ¨C Ahh. Actually, the thing is¡­

    Before long, the professor revealed the truth behind the matter, and only then did Yu Jitae understand a portion of what Kaeul had been feeling just then.

    It was the reason Kaeul was flustered when he made her heal him, and was also why she created a wound on her own hand.

    The chimera wasn¡¯t simply not healed.

    ¡°You mean it died?¡±

    ¨C Yes¡­

    The chimera Kaeul healed had died.

 Chapter 219: Power and Conviction (1)

    <h4>Chapter 219: Power and Conviction (1)</h4>

    ¡°Kaeul these days?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Bom thought for a bit before worriedly opening her mouth.

    It was at night of the same day that Kaeulid the de on her palm. Yu Jitae called Bom to the terrace and asked several things because Bom had always given him the answer in regards to things rted to the dragons.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ she was a little bit weird.¡±

    ¡°Weird, as in how?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t really describe it¡­¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°Nothing you¡¯ve heard from her?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You were teaching her healing magic right.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes I was.¡±

    ¡°Did you teach her well?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I think so¡­ Kaeul is just very good at copying in general, so she did it quite easily.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Why, did something happen? I did think it was strange because one day, Kaeul suddenly told me that she wanted to stop learning healing magic.¡±

    ¡°When was that?¡±

    ¡°Three days ago.¡±

    Three days ago was when the chimera died to Kaeul¡¯s magic. After the call with the professor, Yu Jitae requested an image of the incident. What came in response was a video taken by the security camera, and the death of the chimera caught by the camera was significantly horrendous.

    Yu Jitae pondered for a bit before deciding to tell her the story. It was something she couldn¡¯t tell either Yeorum or Gyeoul.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Bom covered her mouth in surprise.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what the situation is like. But if I was to be honest, I can¡¯t really guess the exact mood Kaeul would be in right now.¡±

    She heaved a deep sigh.

    ¡°Kaeul wants to learn healing magic so that she could heal the target of her protection right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you think she would have had in mind when healing that chimera?¡±

    Yu Jitae inserted himself into her shoes. He was learning healing magic to be able to heal Kaeul ¨C he practised it by healing another child but that child died.

    ¡­It was difficult.

    Yu Jitae probably wouldn¡¯t have felt much.

    ¡°Since Kaeul immerses herself very deeply, she might have felt as if she had killed Chirpy with her own hands.¡±

    But after hearing the next words from Bom, the situation sounded more serious than he initially thought. Her voice quickened as she continued.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I think this could be a really dangerous situation.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Until now, there aren¡¯t many things that Kaeul was able to properly get a hold of from the things she had wanted.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Throughout her Amusement, all she did was y and there wasn¡¯t much opportunity for her to find her identity. You can count them with your fingers right? Her desires are being suppressed.¡±

    Thinking back on it, that was the case.

    She wanted to be a celebrity, but he stopped her.

    She wanted to stand in front of a crowd, but he stopped her.

    There were countless opportunities but he had never once given the child any opportunity.

    Since it would kill the child: because of that, the Regressor only allowed a small amount so that the child would not erupt, with extremely limited opportunities.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    While he was deep in thought, Bom looked directly into his eyes before taking a step forward. She then opened her mouth with a very careful voice.

    ¡°There is a way.¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    Bom hesitated and clenched her lips.

    ¡°This method,¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t think badly of me after hearing it. I¡¯m not saying this with an evil mind or anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me hear it first.¡±

    Bom hesitated again, before opening her mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s making Kaeul dependent.¡±

    Her words made him doubt his ears.

    ¡°Whatever the case, ahjussi has to stop Kaeul from receiving the attention from other people.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So the solution is simple. Someone can flood her with that much attention and love, and when Kaeul bes weary, she will lean on that person and crave for more.¡±

    ¡°But who would be that person.¡±

    Bom stayed silent, and merely gazed back into his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Making Kaeul dependent on himself. No, it was more like making her crave desperately for his attention and love.

    ¡°Bom¡­¡±

    She was considering the worst case scenario, and the solution she shared was an extreme method that would suit the worst case scenario. Although it wasn¡¯t wrong, the method didn¡¯t sound so pleasant to him who had memories of the 4th iteration.

    ¡°Do you even know what your words are implying right now?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say I do make her dependent as you said. But wouldn¡¯t that simply hide and dy her fundamental desire?¡±

    ¡°Do you think Amusements willst forever?¡± Bom asked instead of answering his question.

    ¡°No. It will end one day for sure. But even then, this is not good. A person that can only stand up with support from another person forgets how to stand alone.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you thinking of Kaeul as something like a bomb, ahjussi? The gold race¨C¡±

    ¡°Stop. For now, I get what you are trying to say. But, it won¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No. I should be sorry. But I also agree with you, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say such things either¡­¡±

    What would it look like when Kaeul was dependent on Yu Jitae? Although he couldn¡¯t think of any details on the spot, it by no means would be a good and pretty rtionship. Besides, it would be a situation that Bom would want to avoid, considering how she wanted to monopolise him.

    That might in turn prove how much Bom cared for Kaeul, but he couldn¡¯t listen to her words for this asion.

    Dependence could never be a solution.

    In order to hide her rotting insides, the Gold Dragon depended on drugs in the 4th iteration. What was the result of it? A bathtub of red liquid, was it not?

    Depending on something and covering one¡¯s wounds with it could not solve the fundamental problem. The inside would simply rot even more.

    However, he couldn¡¯t reproach Bom for her idea.

    His emotions and thoughts that slightly deviated from daily lives rose up.

    Without the experience of the 4th iteration, what would I have done? Wouldn¡¯t I have done something even more extreme than what Bom suggested?

    It wasn¡¯t anything new. Even though he was somewhat used to daily lives, the broken cog somewhere inside his mind was still yet to be reced.

    All in all it was a meaningless hypothesis, so he shook his head away from those thoughts.

    ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± Bom carefully asked him.

    Yu Jitae rummaged through the small dimensional storage in his pocket. He could touch Bom¡¯s pocket watch, Yeorum¡¯s socks, Kaeul¡¯s wish voucher and the music box of Gyeoul.

    ¡°There is one thing I found out this time. Looks like there¡¯s one thing that Kaeul would be good at.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Bom. Do you think Kaeul is gifted?¡±

    His words didn¡¯t specify what she could be gifted in, but Bom quickly understood his words and nodded.

    ¡°Ah, yes yes. But would Kaeul want that?¡±

    ¡°Just your evaluation will do. How much is it? From the level of hatchlings.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I actually didn¡¯t really know until I started teaching Kaeul but,¡±

    Usually there was no need for her to use mana and it had thus been concealed, but they got to know about it recently. The amount of mana Kaeul had and her outputting ability in the standards of hatchlings was¡­

    Bom hesitated slightly before giving an awkward smile.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s insane.¡±

    *

    Kaeul skipped her lessons and stayed holed up in her room. Next evening, he knocked on her door and called the child who was vacantly holding the baby chicken in her arms.

    ¡°Do you want to go to a cafe?¡±

    She powerlessly nodded. She was about to carry the baby chicken outside so he suggested that they go alone with just the two of them. Kaeul nodded and ced Chirpy on the ground.

    Kaeul was in her pyjamas and her loose clothes were revealing her shoulder all the way down to her corbone. It wasn¡¯t the best outfit to go outside in. ¡°How about you change you clothes before we go out,¡± he said and Kaeul returned a nod before closing the door. She then walked outside after changing her clothes.

    Right now, she looked like a stringless puppet.

    *

    Choco choco double extra chocte frappino.

    This shocking menu was a drink made by blending chocte milk with chocte and ice, with chocte voured whipped cream and a piece of chocte on top. To top it off, it had chocte syrup and chocte cookies as garnish.

    ¨C But you have bad tastes don¡¯t you. If you wanted to persuade a problem child like me¡­

    ¨C ¡­You should have brought something sweet.

    Even when she was ending her own life, she had been looking for something sweet. And her words back then weren¡¯t just an expression.

    Slurping the drink and biting the chocte, her expression turned a level brighter. A small bit of energy was back on her previously dark face.

    ¡°How does it taste.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Sooo tasty I can¡¯t chug¡­!¡±

    Kaeul emotionally stated that with a bright smile.

    For some reason, he suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­Ladybug.¡±

    It was extremely abrupt. Kaeul tilted her head.

    ¡°¡­Hmm. Can¡¯t chug,dybug,¡± said Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Nn? Ah¡­ bug!¡±

    ¡°Plug.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm, mug¡­?¡±

    ¡°Jug.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, umm, uhh¡­ uhg uhg?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The smell of Yeorum-unni¡¯s gas¡­?¡±

    She then giggled to herself. If there was something like that, it would indeed be quite horrendous so Yu Jitae returned a faint smile.

    While drinking his long ck, Yu Jitae stared at the child. She was savouring thest piece of chocte cookie and was holding it with both of her hands like a chipmunk. When her eyes met with his, she stopped eating and cautiously stared at him.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°You look like a bandit.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm, umm. Are you giving me a sign? I didn¡¯t know ahjussi would be like that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe it. You could have simply asked for it¡­!¡±

    Kaeul said that and gave him the remaining half of the cookie.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Her voice sounded as if she was very willing but her hands acted differently ¨C her hands hesitated over and over again. Although he didn¡¯t need something like a cookie, he felt yful and received the cookie.

    Kaeul¡¯s eyes red daggers at the cookie. When it slowly headed towards his mouth, her mouth also dropped open.

    How would Bom have teased her here? Maybe she would have licked the cookie before shaking it in front of her eyes.

    However, he couldn¡¯t go that far so he reached his hand out and inserted the cookie inside her open mouth.

    ¡°Uhp¡­!¡±

    The surprise on her face was slowly reced by a bright expression as she started chewing.

    He guessed that it was about time and thus opened his mouth.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yess.¡±

    ¡°Why did you learn healing magic?¡±

    Her hands mixing the drink stopped and she avoided his eyes. Maybe he shouldn¡¯t have brought the topic up, but it was already toote at this point.

    ¡°Uhm, because I wanted to be a guardian¡­¡±

    ¡°Chirpy won¡¯t be with us for long now.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Are you learning healing magic for Chirpy?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m spending more time with Chirpy. The guardian thing¡­ is because I want to be a guardian again¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just feels like it will happen again in the future, and it seems like my destiny¡­¡±

    Destiny. It was the destiny of the gold race who lived as guardian deities of countries. Yu Jitae opened his mouth and spoke about the things that he had constantly been thinking of ever since he realised the child¡¯s magic output capacity.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a better waypared to healing them after they are hurt?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°How about protecting them so that they don¡¯t get hurt.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°You have to protect them. You must protect them so that they don¡¯t get hurt, if you are a guardian.¡±

    Liveliness rapidly seeped out of her eyes in response to his words.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    The Regressor twitched his eyes.

    This reaction again?

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®yes¡¯.¡± He inquired.

    ¡°You¡¯re right ahjussi. Protecting would be better.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think so?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Bom-unni healing Chirpy was on my mind, and I must have thought about something useless¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae inwardly clicked his tongue.

    It was certain at this point. The repetitive failures caused her confidence to drop to the ground. As Bom mentioned, since all her decisions had been stopped by him, the child gave up on making a decision for herself after getting used to the failures.

    This was a new phenomenon revealed in the 7th iteration that hadn¡¯t urred in other iterations.

    The Regressor did not know how to console a child with ack of self-esteem. Therefore, he was pondering on the next conversation topic.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    That was when Kaeul carefully opened her mouth. There was unexpectedly amon keyword between the two of them.

    ¡°Yeah. Why.¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi, you¡¯re the guardian of me, unnis and Gyeoul, right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ then, what do you think a guardian must have?¡±

    Kaeul wanted to be a guardian and Yu Jitae was her guardian. Right now, Kaeul was looking at Yu Jitae, asking him what it meant to be a guardian.

    He didn¡¯t know what a guardian was either since it was his first time bing a guardian in the true meaning of the word. However, when he deeply pondered about the topic, he discovered an answer that seemingly proved that the time he spent in the 7th iteration nearing 2 years at this point was not in vain.

    In his opinion, what a guardian must have:

    Was none other than,

    ¡°That would be power and conviction.¡±

    ¡°Power, and conviction?¡±

    ¡°You need power to protect them so that they don¡¯t get hurt. Power greater than any threat.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°To protect them well you need conviction. A guardian isn¡¯t protecting belongings, are they? They need to ponder, contemte and constantly think what the better way to grow and nurture the child would be.¡±

    Kaeul nkly listened to his words before giggling.

    ¡°What. That doesn¡¯t suit you at all. I thought ahjussi wasn¡¯t thinking about anything.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Like, you¡¯re like a hermit sometimes.¡±

    ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°When you don¡¯t care about Yeorum-unni annoying you? Like, uhum, uhum, Yu Yeorum, you mischievous child~¡±

    ¡°¡­I also think. A lot.¡±

    ¡°Kyaa. Hehe.¡±

    This time, herughter was slightly louder.

    ¡°Then, since you¡¯re super super strong, let¡¯s put power aside but what about conviction? Do you also have a conviction, ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±

    ¡°Ehnng? In that case, do you think for us, and like, contemte what would be a good way to look after us even now?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Even right now, he was continuously thinking about the topic. The rtionship between himself and Kaeul was that of a guardian and a ward, especially more so than that of the other children. Instead of simply keeping her safe physically, Yu Jitae¡¯s role was to lead her life forward so that the child could be sincerely happy.

    And he had finallye up with a solution.

    ¡°Uwah. Then what do you think about, when you¡¯re thinking about me?¡±

    Kyu? With a bright smile on her face, Kaeul lifted her index fingers up and poked her own cheeks.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I just want our Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Uun!¡±

    ¡°To learnbat magic.¡±

    ¡°Uunn¡­?¡±

    Hearing words that she was least expecting, the smile disappeared from her face.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I think about.¡±

    ¡°??,,,¡±

    Doubt appeared in her eyes.

    There were 4 main categories in magic.

    1. Combat Magic

    2. Healing Magic

    3. Daily Magic

    4. Research Magic

    From these, bat magic¡¯ was literally one that existed only forbat. Under that category were spells for protecting oneself and defeating others.

    ¡°The story about a guardian¡¯s conviction is too early for you. You¡¯re probably not too sure yet about what it means to be a guardian let alone their conviction.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡±

    ¡°However, if you want to protect something in this world that¡¯s full of those with their swords drawn out, you need a bigger sword. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to protect anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But look. How lucky. While others are ying around with swords, you were born carrying a gun in your hand.¡±

    Kaeul gave a nod after digesting his words. But this time, her eyes weren¡¯tcking in confidence ¨C there was liveliness in her eyes.

    ¡°The problem with healing magic was all because your talent was exceedingly great. Your output is also tremendous for a hatchling. I didn¡¯t think it was that great till now, but after personally experiencing your magic, I am certain.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Kaeul. In preparation of the time when you will be protecting something again, let¡¯s grow your power so that you can protect it from harm¡¯s way. What do you think.¡±

    When the child turned nk with surprise, the Regressor took out the final words he had been saving all along.

    ¡°Would you like to try learningbat magic?¡±

 Chapter 220: Power and Conviction (2)

    <h4>Chapter 220: Power and Conviction (2)</h4>

    ¡°Yu Kaeul is learningbat magic?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°She said yes?¡±

    On the way back to the dormitory, Yeorum asked Bom.

    ¡°Nn. She said she wanted to give it a try. We will be starting from today.¡±

    ¡°How ridiculous¡­ who¡¯s she learning it from?¡±

    ¡°Me and ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Huhh?¡±

    Yeorum asked.

    ¡°I understand Yu Jitae, but why you?¡±

    ¡°I have to teach her magic of course? Ahjussi said he wasn¡¯t that knowledgeable on magic.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    That¡¯s weird? He knew the red dragon¡¯s magic though¡­? The question shed past her head.

    ¡°Anyways¡­ there are so many things to do throughout for our unni.¡± Yeorum said.

    ¡°You mean me?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy? You shop with Yu Jitae, look after the house, teach magic to Kaeul. Ah, you went to Gyeoul¡¯s school event as her mum a few days ago didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Nn. They were all surprised.¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s like a kid iming to be a kid¡¯s mother.¡±

    ¡®Right¡¯, said Bom with a nod. Yeorum continued.

    ¡°You also write, and judging from your grades you¡¯re also studying diligently¡­ when there¡¯s so many things to do, doesn¡¯t your head get all messed up and dizzy?¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ there¡¯s no reason for it to beplicated. It¡¯s actually very simple.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I always think about ahjussi.¡±

    Yeorum retched in response.

    ¡°Uwekk. Freaking¡­¡±

    Bom chuckled.

    ¡°¡­But you know, how did you be like that?¡¯

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°There must¡¯ve been a reason right. The reason you, uhh, became like that to Yu Jitae.¡±

    There was usually a clear reason in most of the shoujo mangas. Bom wanted to make Yu Jitae a person but why did she start having those feelings for Yu Jitae?

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    However, Bom remained silent. She was thinking to herself and her words naturally disappeared. The fact that Gyeoul came running from afar carrying a bag of ice cream and waving her other hand also yed a part in cutting her words off short.

    Bom threw her arms wide open. Even while being hugged by Bom, Gyeoul frowned at Yeorum as if she was looking at a bug.

    ¡°What¡¯s with those damn eyes.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why? Can¡¯t I, look with my own eyes?¡±

    ¡°You dare look at your unni with a gaze like that? You wanna die?¡±

    ¡®Tch,¡¯ Gyeoul still had the discontent look on her face, but soon carefully took out an ice cream from the bag and gave it to her.

    ¡°¡­Eat it if you want.¡±

    ¡°Hell. You probably bought it with Yu Jitae¡¯s money and look at you pretending to be nice.¡±

    Yeorum took the ice cream despite her grumbling. However, Gyeoul felt like she was being falsely used and opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­No?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­I bought with money I earned.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. How does a kid like you earn money. Now you¡¯re lying just to show off aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­No I¡¯m not? ¡­ Give it back if you don¡¯t want.¡±

    Gyeoul came down from Bom¡¯s arms and reached her hand forward but Yeorum dodged her hands. So Gyeoul used her mana to steal the ice cream with telekinesis but in response, Yeorum stuck her tongue out and licked the ice cream.

    ¡°¡­Ah, fuc-¡±

    When Gyeoul was unable to hold it in and almost swore out loud, Yeorum chortled with a voice that irritated the listeners.

    Ihihi, kikik, kekekek¨C! It went along the lines of that.

    ¡°By the way, is that true? How you¡¯re earning money yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­I am.¡±

    ¡°How? Wait, well, they do buy and sell water in this dimension. Don¡¯t tell me you sold water to make money without caring about the pride of us dragons right? Aye, there¡¯s no way.¡±

    ¡°¡­Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why did you hesitate just then?¡±

    Gyeoul was dumbfounded.

    I¡¯ve always been a slow talker okay?

    ¡°So you did. Ahh, you¡¯re caught red handed. This kid, you young little brat¡­ You don¡¯t even know how important the pride of your race is and you go sell water? That¡¯s a trash thing to do.¡±

    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t though?¡±

    ¡°You are obsessed with money that much. Even the world-famous swindlers will show you respect.¡±

    ¡°¡­What does that even mean? ¡­No, I don¡¯t care so don¡¯t talk to me. So annoying¡­¡±

    The repetitive nders put her in a bad mood as she turned her head around and buried her face into Bom¡¯s stomach. ced in the centre of the two of them, Bom gave a faint smile, but that in turn caused Gyeoul¡¯s rage to find its next target.

    ¡°¡­Why, are you smiling?¡±

    It was her first time saying bad things to Bom. ¡°Because it¡¯s funny,¡± replied Bom with a smile and caused Gyeoul to be in a worse mood.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t smile. I¡¯m not in a good mood.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, you swindling merchant.¡±

    Bom instead teased her with a cunning expression.

    ¡°¡­Huu, uuuiingg¡±

    Unable to hold her irritation in, Gyeoul bumped her forehead into Bom¡¯s stomach on repeat. Kong! Kong!

    Both Bom and Yeorum bursted intoughter andughed for a long time.

    ***

    ¡°From now, you will be learningbat magic.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Bom will teach you but I will be with you two when you¡¯re learning it, in case idents ur. Also because we want to force you to continuously hit your output limit. Bom won¡¯t be able to know that either.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Can you do it well?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, umm, I¡¯ll try my best¡­¡±

    Her response was somewhatcking in energy.

    A person¡¯s confidence that has already dropped to the ground often leads to two circumstances. They either be pessimistic and refuse to do anything, or they simply follow the flow and do everything in a sloppy manner.

    What wasmon between the two circumstances was that there was not a sliver of passion to be found.

    It was fortunate that Kaeul was thetter at the very least. If she said the likes of, ¡°I can¡¯t do it¡±, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do it¡± or ¡°How would someone like me be able to do anything¡± then it would have been a lot more difficult for him to show her a different direction.

    As the guardian, he had to be the person showing the right path for Kaeul. There was a clear difference in their rtionshippared to that of the other kids.

    He had been worrying about it the whole time and had just gotten the gist. Unexpectedly, it was Bom that was holding the key to the question.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s do it together.¡±

    ¡°Nn, unni.¡±

    ¡°Can you promise me? That you will obediently follow everything I teach you?¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    From that day, Kaeul started learning 5 basic spells from Bom.

    [Magic Bullet (C)]

    [Magic Arrow (C)]

    [Barrier (B)]

    [Blink (A)]

    [Attribute Enchantment ¨C Lightning (B)]

    In fact, these were fairly advanced to be called basic spells in human standards, especially for spells above the B grade.

    However, they were the race of magic ¨C dragons. Humans might take weeks to learn each spell but Kaeul seeded in learning all of those spells in the mere span of four days.

    Naturally, her learning process wasn¡¯t that smooth.

    [Magic Bullet (C)]

    It was a simple spell where normally a fist-sized ball of mana would be [condensed], and unched] after setting a [direction]. Usually, it would never be stronger than a cannonball but,

    ¡°No. Kaeul. It¡¯s too strong. You have to be more delicate.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Nnnn? Like this?¡±

    Kwaaanggg¨C!

    Kaeul¡¯s [Magic Bullet (C)] was like an anti-aircraft missile. The problem was that it was a missile outside her control. Bom who was helping from right next to her was caught in the aftermath of her attack.

    ¡°Hukk! Unni¡­!¡±

    Bom flew to the other side of the training centre and rolled several times on the ground.

    ¡°Unni, unni! Are you alright!?¡±

    Kaeul ran up in surprise as Bom raised her body with dishevelled hair.

    ¡°Kaeul. Are you trying to kill me?¡±

    ¡°Uaah, sorryy¡­!¡±

    However, that was just the beginning.

    Even low grade spells like magic bullet and magic arrow was like that. The dimension was shaken from its root whenever she was using blink so Yu Jitae had to carefully offset its effect. Otherwise, the entire dimension of the training centre could have been ripped off.

    Despite that, Bom stayed next to her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stand next to me¡­! I, I can¡¯t really control this! You might really get hurt!¡±

    ¡°Then you have to control it better so that I don¡¯t get hurt.¡±

    ¡°Uaah¡­! I don¡¯t know how¡­!¡±

    ¡°Be more delicate. Let¡¯s do it again.¡±

    Kwaaang! Despite all that, Bom flew again.

    ¡°Again.¡±

    Kwaaaaang! And again she flew.

    ¡°Why did it get stronger? Do it again.¡±

    Kwaaang! She rolled the ground on repeat.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lying on the ground, Bom vacantly stared at the ceiling. Yu Jitae approached her first and lowered his back.

    ¡°Are you alright.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You have a nosebleed.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom cursorily wiped the blood with her wrist before healing her body. She then walked towards Kaeul again, who was fidgeting not knowing what to do.

    ¡°Go again.¡±

    ¡°N, nn¡­¡±

    *

    One day,

    Two days,

    Four days¡­

    And a week.

    Time passed rapidly.

    With Yu Jitae next to them, Bom¡¯s injuries never got out of control.

    The fact that Bom stayed next to her and got overwhelmed by Kaeul¡¯s ¡®uncontroble mana¡¯ might be an intentional action done to touch her sense of guilt.

    Looking from the side, he found Bom¡¯s teaching method to be slightly intriguing. He had never seen her teach anybody before, but it seemed that she was quite talented at teaching others.

    ¡°Kaeul, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it¡­! I, I will do the rest tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°No. Come here. Where are you running to?¡±

    Or was she ¡®teaching¡¯?

    Kaeul was caught from her attempted escape and was dragged back. After less than 30 minutes of resting time, she started shooting magic bullets again.

    He gazed at the two of them, and observed the atmosphere around them which was different from normal.

    ¡°Hukk, uhh, I¡¯m dying¡­ hukk, hukk¡­ it, it feels like my soul is getting sucked dry¡­ hukk¡­¡±

    Kaeul grabbed her own chest and whinged. It was because mana was constantly being forced out of her.

    ¡°Stand up Kaeul. We need to finish what¡¯s left.¡±

    ¡°Unni! Please let me off¡­! A little bit more rest.¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯ve rested for 5 minutes already.¡±

    ¡°Auuanng! How does it make sense to suck me dry for 2 hours and give only 5 minutes of rest!? That¡¯s too cruel¡­!¡±

    Herint was logical.

    Normal magicians trained for 30 minutes and took 2 hours of rest ¨C even Kaeul knew that although she hadn¡¯t learned magic before.

    However, Kaeul was a dragon no matter how young she may be, and her mana capacity was tremendously bigger than normal hatchlings. That was why Bom repeatedly tried to suck her dry so that the child could get used to outputtingrge amounts of mana at a given time. This was what Yu Jitae told Bom to do, because both dragons and humans improved the most in extreme situations so it was the most effective method.

    But no matter how good one¡¯s stamina was, how could a marathon be easy? Considering that she was also a 12 year old girl who only started running a few days ago, it was impressive that she was able to endure it till now.

    When Kaeul remained stubborn, Bom walked towards the child and stared at her.

    ¡°Kaeul. We promised when you first started, that you will listen to everything I say. Don¡¯t you remember it?¡±

    ¡°I do. I do but¡­! I still don¡¯t want to¡­! I might die at this rate¡­!¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t. Ahjussi is here isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean is it!? How can I do something this hard in one day¡­!¡±

    Both objectively and even in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, the training was quite severe and because of that, Kaeul was almost out of her mind at this point. Atst, when she was one week into training, she vehemently protested for the very first time.

    ¡°I really, really might die¡­ Or is there a way to do it easier? You know uhh, unni you¡¯re a green dragon, and you are very smart! Training like this is too primitive and hard!¡±

    ¡°Training is meant to be hard though?¡±

    ¡°Which dragon ever trains like this¡­! M, my mum and dad both lie on the ground and sleep though? Only Yeorum-unni would do things like this right? What if my heart explodes?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we take it a little bit slower?! There hasn¡¯t been any improvement in a week! I can¡¯t even feel anything change so how would I get the motivation to do it¡­!¡±

    Her shout filled with tears echoed the training room for a long time, perhaps because Bom was silent without saying anything back.

    The words that finally left Bom¡¯s mouth were unusually low and dark.

    ¡°How easy your life must have been till now.¡±

    Kaeul regained her sanity and gazed up at Bom.

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    Bom was looking down at her with an indifferent expression.

    ¡°Dear Kaeul. You must have been loved so much by your family. Your life must have been pretty and all flowers till now. Right?¡±

    ¡°Uh, uhh¡­ not really?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? I think the fact that a dragon ignored magic for 12 years of their life is the proof though? All the gold dragons I¡¯ve seen till now weren¡¯t like you. There were both respectable hatchlings and adults. So a 12-year-old dragon not knowing a single thing about magic can¡¯t be a problem of the gold race. Then whose problem would it be?¡±

    ¡°B, Bom-unni¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hnn? I wonder.¡±

    Kaeul looked up at her in surprise.

    Both her dishevelled hair and clothes made her look like a beggar, but her eyes that were gazing down ¨C her vertically slit pupils caused Kaeul to unknowingly shrink her body.

    ¡°Kaeul. Even aftering out on Amusement, you only ate, yed around and slept. Have you ever dedicated even a day to properly learn magic?

    ¡°Listen. It has been 12 years since you left your egg. 12 years. That¡¯s around 4,500 days. What you¡¯ve been ignoring in that long a period is ¡®magic¡¯. ¡®Our¡¯ sense of identitymon all throughout the races is what you¡¯ve been neglecting.¡±

    There was no change in her tone. As always, her indifferent expression made it difficult for others to guess whether she was angry or not.

    Today however, she gave off a feeling that she was mad, and that ambiguity scared Kaeul even more.

    ¡°Of course, it will be possible some time in the future. If you slowly receive memories of your mother over hundreds of years. But is that what you wanted? What did you say? Didn¡¯t you want to be a guardian in the true meaning of the word during your Amusement?

    ¡°You want a visible change. After doing something for merely 7 days, you want something to miraculously change? The thing you haven¡¯t even nced at for 4,500 days in just 7 days?

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s being too shameless?¡±

    ¡°U, unni. I¡­¡± Kaeul tried to intervene.

    ¡°Shut your mouth Kaeul.¡± Bom cut her off and continued.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a week now. You just started and yet you¡¯re already like this. What are you going to do in the future? Here I¡¯m sacrificing my time to bother teaching you. Do I have to waste time and listen to you whinge about things you can do just because you don¡¯t want to do them?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul widened her golden eyes in shock. There was a chill in Bom¡¯s gaze.

    Frightened, Kaeul nced at Yu Jitae who had his arms crossed behind Bom, wishing he could save her. However, he stood silent and Bom¡¯s strict voice saying, ¡°Yu Kaeul,¡± pulled her gaze back to the speaker.

    ¡°Get up. Before I really get mad.¡±

 Chapter 221: Power and Conviction (3)

    <h4>Chapter 221: Power and Conviction (3)</h4>

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that because you¡¯re a genius?¡±

    Maybe today was the day she decided toin. Although Kaeul couldn¡¯t even look into her eyes, she nheless opened her mouth.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°U, unni you¡¯re a genius. You¡¯re very good at magic right? I heard it at school. Aren¡¯t your standards just too high? Who in the world learns magic like me¡­ D, don¡¯t get angry. It¡¯s scary¡­¡±

    Bom stayed silent for a while.

    Her expression that had appeared indifferent throughout now contained a slightly sorrowful look. Whenever she was angry, she tended to run her fingers through her hair and that was what she was doing right now.

    ¡°My parents live separately.¡±

    Bom¡¯s voice that finally flowed out after the hesitation was heavy like wet cotton.

    Kaeul widened her eyes.

    ¡°Parents living separately is like a divorced family for humans. It¡¯s actually quite different but¡­ anyways, I was in my mother¡¯sir when I was born and my mother told me that there was a ¡®Grand Aspiration¡¯ in n for me.¡±

    Unlike Kaeul who cried after her mommy regardless of the time, Bom had almost never talked about her family before. Kaeul carefully listened to the story but was a bit more scared at the same time.

    Bom¡¯s expression made her feel that way.

    ¡°I had to learn magic from the day I was born. All because of that Grand Aspiration. My mother was strict and had high standards so I was scolded a lot. Was it because I was worse off than others? No. I was on the gifted side in magic from the green dragons but she was never satisfied.

    ¡°In order for me to be used for the ¡®Grand Aspiration¡¯, I had to be a magician better than others. For almost the entirety of 20 years after opening my eyes; without resting a single day; without resting few minutes a day, I studied and researched magic.

    ¡°Even that wasn¡¯t enough apparently. One day, she kidnapped 200 magicians from a nearby dimension. I was three years old back then, around the size of Gyeoul after shedding my skin but she said to me. If you don¡¯t do it properly, I will grind these 200 people and give them to you for nutrition.

    ¡°The 200 of them were living and breathing humans and back then I was scared of killing an organism even if they were lowly humans. The life of a breathing thing ending was a very scary thing back then, so I wanted to match her standards and do it ¡®properly¡¯.

    ¡°Do you think I would have resented that reality and my mother?¡±

    Bom asked with a hazy gaze but Kaeul couldn¡¯t say anything in response.

    ¡°No. Logic-wise I understood everything. Hatchlings were different from adult dragons after all. If my mind waspletely dusted after living a thousand years, and found the identity of our race to be more important than my individual thoughts and values, wouldn¡¯t I do the same thing to my child?

    ¡°It was just that it happened to be my mother and me that it was very tiring. But thanks to that, I managed to be this good at magic.¡±

    She slowly walked towards Kaeul. Then, she crouched in front of Kaeul who was nkly staring back with her knees on the ground and looked straight into her eyes.

    ¡°Kaeul. A ¡®dragon¡¯s amusement¡¯ is a time given for them to find their identity, have fun and build happy memories that would remain forever.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°We might have been forced toe on our Amusement because of the time, but this will be a precious time period that you will never find again once you return to your parents¡¯ir. This might be the first and thest. It¡¯s precious and if you¡¯ve found your identity, there¡¯s no reason for you to sit down and rest when you should be running instead.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Get up.¡±

    Kaeul dusted her legs and slowly got up. The child appeared fairly shocked from her words, despite it being an indirect experience.

    ¡°What about the 200 people?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened to the 200 magicians?¡±

    Bom silently looked at her and shook her head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul felt something crumbling from Bom. At the same time, she felt embarrassed.

    The child was emotional and was easily carried by the flow. Swallowing theplex thoughts inside, she decided to give it another go.

    *

    The few days of training after that was even more hellish for Kaeul.

    ¡°Protecting is a very realistic problem.¡±

    Bom flooded her with reproaches whenever Kaeul was about to copse.

    ¡°Look straight. How many spells are flying towards you?

    ¡°There¡¯s ten. Imagine one of them is an arrow flying towards Chirpy.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t intercept them with ¡®magic bullets¡¯, they will go straight into Chirpy¡¯s head.

    ¡°Look. You missed it again didn¡¯t you? Chirpy¡¯s now dead. Is it because someone shot you? No. It¡¯s because you missed them. You¡¯re the guardian. You killed him.

    ¡°Focus until the end. Focus properly on the direction until the mana gets formed and shot from your fingers.¡±

    Bom¡¯s words were like a de sharp enough to wedge through a person¡¯s heart. For several days, Kaeul couldn¡¯t hold her tears in and cried constantly during the training.

    Her confidence that was at the rock bottom was now about to go through to the basement.

    But once she slowly got used to that, she stopped dropping to the ground even when crying. She stood still and kept on using magic, clenching her lips and dripping drops of tears.

    It seemed that Bom was discontent with even that.

    ¡°Kaeul. Stop crying. Have you seen ahjussi cry? Guardians don¡¯t cry. When you¡¯re fighting someone, the target of your protection will be staring at you. What would happen if you cry because you¡¯re scared or frightened? How horrified would that child, who¡¯s only looking at you, be?¡±

    She didn¡¯t stop scolding her even when Kaeul seeded in intercepting the attacks.

    ¡°So what if you seed in intercepting the attacks? Shouldn¡¯t you defeat the enemy with magic arrows?¡±

    Even when Kaeul shot a far-off target.

    ¡°You have to be able to protect your target of protection from being swallowed by the aftermath.¡±

    Even when she managed to safeguard an area with a barrier and simultaneously shoot the enemy¡¯s attacks, Bom didn¡¯t stop.

    ¡°Can something like that block an unstoppable strike? Say if Yeorum was determined to strike you with her fist, would you be able to save Chirpy with that barrier?¡±

    Only when she was able to safeguard with barrier, attack the enemy and simultaneously use blink, did her reproachese to an end.

    It was an impressive feat that happened in just ten days.

    ¡°I, I did it¡­¡­¡±

    Kaeulid on the ground after the training and started groaning and crying. Because her dragon heart waspletely void of mana, a pain iparable to before wasshing at her body. Feeling as if all the blood was sucked out of her body, she was unable to smile even after a sess and continued crying.

    That was when Bom turned around and walked towards him.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    ¡°Good work. Bom.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She had to repeat words that attacked and oppressed Kaeul¡¯s mind for several days. Her wild words were quite unexpected and he was surprised at the start but he understood parts of it after hearing the stories of her past.

    For some reason,

    Bom looked like she was about to cry.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I was being too harsh?¡±

    Only then did Yu Jitae realise it.

    There were people that found it difficult to say bad things ¨C people that hated putting other people down from birth. It seemed that Bom was one of those people. It must have been hard for her to crush someone else¡¯s confidence and mind.

    He never noticed it because she acted normal over the past few days when they were on their way back to the dormitory, but there was no way that shouting at a person for more than ten hours a day would be easy on her mind.

    ¡°No. You did well.¡±

    He consoled her.

    Bom¡¯s sorrowful expression strangely touched somewhere within his emotions. When she walked up and bumped her head into his chest, he unconsciously caressed the child on the back of her head.

    ¡°You did great. Go back first and rest.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please look after her nicely¡­¡±

    *

    Yu Jitae sat next to Kaeul who was groaning due to mana exhaustion. Lying on the ground, she repeatedly wriggled and twisted her body while her eyes cried buckets out and her mouth gasped for breath.

    ¡®Mana shock¡¯. She was like this thanks to being a dragon and a normal human would have died a hundred times.

    With her long blonde hair in a messy state, Kaeulid down breathing in and out for almost 2 hours.

    After settling her breath, she faintly opened her eyes and her mouth.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°I, I did it¡­¡±

    ¡°Well done. You did great.¡±

    ¡°Please hug me a bit¡­¡±

    She was like a child looking for her mother.

    That analogy was probably not wrong. In this ce, Yu Jitae was like a mother to Kaeul. He raised her up in the blink of an eye and when the small child powerlessly leaned her body on his, he tapped her on the back.

    ¡°You really did well. Seriously.¡±

    ¡°Really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You pulled it off.¡±

    If Bom¡¯s role was to push her self-esteem down and make her synchronise with her own state and force her to move, Yu Jitae¡¯s role was to fill up her confidence that had dropped to the ground.

    Why was it difficult to find a dream?

    That was the topic that had been brought up during the meal of a certain day. Back then, Bom said the following, ¡®Sometimes us throwing our body into a dream starts from a simplepliment.¡¯

    A cool elementary school teacher saying, ¡®¡õ¡õ you¡¯re so good at maths,¡¯ could make a girl who had no interest in her 80% score at maths to like it, and it could serve as a good memory that encourages her to grow up to be a maths teacher.

    Yu Jitae was in the position of the maths teacher. He had naturally be one over the past few days, but it might be that Bom had induced the situation to be like that.

    The arms wrapping around his neck were powerless, so he gave a tighter hug to make sure she didn¡¯t fall. That was when Kaeul, who was heaving deep breaths, raised a question.

    ¡°But¡­ I have a question¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Even if I do all this, isn¡¯t it meaningless without conviction?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°You said that both power and conviction were necessary to be a good guardian¡­ with power that¡¯s only half the requirements.¡±

    That might be the case for the time being, but,

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°When you doe up with a conviction, power is what lets you protect your conviction. Without power, the size of the conviction you can withhold decreases.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks to all your hard work in building your strength, you will one day be able to create a big conviction and keep it. You will be able to protect even more things.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She pondered and replied after a long time.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    On the way back, he carried the child who couldn¡¯t walk properly on his back. He could feel the gazes of the cadets of the academy district, but he paid little regard to it.

    After walking a little bit, Kaeul fell asleep behind his back. Something was wetting his neck. He hoped it wasn¡¯t her saliva.

    A thought that suddenly popped up in his mind was how cruel talent was.

    He remembered how he couldn¡¯t reach other superhumans including BM when he started his life for the 4th time. If he was as talented as BM inbat, the number of iterations he had gone through would be halved.

    He didn¡¯t care too much about it when it concerned only him, but when Kaeul was in the equation, it reminded him of how cruel talent was.

    The ten days she spent training with Bom ¨C as long as she continued training like that, Kaeul would be stronger than Yeorum in just three months. Naturally, she wouldn¡¯t continue training like this but¡­ the vessels they were born with were simply different.

    Instead of Yeorum who desperately wanted to be stronger,

    Kaeul who was suddenly dragged by someone else to be stronger having more talent.

    It was a reality too brutal for Yeorum.

    So that there would be no meaningless strife between the two, he had to draw ns for the future beforehand.

    *

    ¡°¡­Good work unni.¡±

    When they returned to the dormitory, Gyeoul ran up and gave a wide hug to Kaeul, burying her head into her chest.

    ¡°Thank you Gyeoul. But I¡¯m very dirty right now¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnn.¡±

    Parts of her t-shirt had dark stains here and there. They were all dried up blood that Kaeul coughed out from either her mouth or her nose.

    Even though she was powerless, she smiled ¡®hehe¡¯ as she staggered her way into her room. Yu Jitae supported the child so that she didn¡¯t fall and that was when Yeorum opened the door of her room to observe the living room.

    His eyes met with her red eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum nced past him and gave a frown.

    She had the same disgusted look on her face like before, and because of that he wasn¡¯t able to teach her recently.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t even reply and turned around to return to her own room. Thus, he ignored the incident and brought Kaeul to her room so that she could rest. Then, he stayed there caressing her head and giving herpliments so that the child could sleep with ease.

    *

    After going back into her room, Yeorumid down on the bed.

    The manga was boring today for some reason so she threw it away.

    She scratched her head and had trouble falling asleep. She became irritated for no reason when lying down on the bed.

    Yeorum stood up and stealthily opened the door of her room. In the living room, the protector and Gyeoul were drying the likes of sweet potatoes on a tray. What were those idiots doing?

    When she was turning her gaze away from the small gap, her eyes caught sight of the front entrance. She could see Yu Jitae¡¯s brown shoes and Kaeul¡¯s white sneakers with ck stains of dried blood.

    Yeorum stared at the shoes for a long time with a frown.

 Chapter 222: Business Plan (1)

    <h4>Chapter 222: Business n (1)</h4>

    nk nk.

    7 am. The sound of metal created by the Protector moving echoed across the quiet Unit 301.

    Bom, the protector and Gyeoul were sitting on the floor, flipping sweet potato pieces that were ced on a tray. They were making dried sweet potatoes.

    They were easy to make.

    A steamed sweet potato would be sliced thinly and ced on a tray. The pieces would then be dried for two days at the veranda which was windy yet void of sunlight. They couldn¡¯t be dried for too long and the timing had to be perfect ¨C they had to retain their chewiness as well as some juice.

    ¡°Youngdy. Do these things actually get sold?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Who buys them? The students?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul looked up at the protector.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that I am curious.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. ssmates.¡±

    Her exnation was like the following:

    Since Lair was a superhuman school with high standards and themuting children were from important families, a lot of the children were strictly forbidden from buying junk food and snacks because of the dignity and face they had to maintain. Thus, dried sweet potatoes which were sweet and chewy despite not being junk food was what made them popr.

    ¡°How did you discover such things?¡±

    She exined that she had gotten the idea from how the kids loved it when sugar-zed sweet potatoes were provided by the school.

    ¡°Hoh. As expected, you are very smart, mdy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. Hihi.¡±

    ¡°How much do you charge them?¡±

    ¡°¡­One pack, for 50 cents.¡±

    ¡°This much is a pack right? That is a very reasonable price as well. It is perfect.¡±

    ¡°¡­Should I charge more?¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be too expensive then?¡±

    ¡°¡­What if I add a bit more?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Good idea. If you increased the amount by 50%, that should be enough to realistically rip off your friends.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ohh.¡±

    Bom, who was flipping the sweet potatoes and listening to their conversation from the side, giggled. They were very serious with their conversation.

    Gyeoul had fairly straight standards for freshness as well. The sweet potatoes that weren¡¯t sold for three days went directly to her own stomach.

    Just today, the sweet potatoes that had been cooked two days ago were ready to eat. Bom, the protector and Gyeoul ced them into ziplock bags in right quantities.

    Gyeoul carried her bag and bid farewell to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m, going to school now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Be safe.¡±

    Walking out the door hand in hand with Bom, Gyeoul nced back into the house and her eyes met with the protector¡¯s.

    1.5 times the quantity but 2 times the price¡­!

    The protector nodded. Seeing that, Gyeoul nodded back with a faint smile.

    *

    That evening,

    Gyeoul¡¯s expression when returning from school was extremely bright.

    ¡°Ohh. Youngdy. Wee back.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Huhu. Something good must have happened. Could you please share your joy with me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Come here.¡±

    She gestured with her hand. The protector immediately ran up and kneeled on one of its knees. Then, Gyeoul hid her two hands behind her back and asked.

    ¡°¡­Right? Or left?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°¡­Quick.¡±

    ¡°Right hand please.¡±

    Gyeoul showed what was on her right hand ¨C it was a pack of dried sweet potatoes.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°¡­Remaining pack.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then what is on your left hand?¡±

    She brought her left hand to the front with a bright smile. There were a bunch of 1 dor notes.

    ¡°Ohhhh! How much is all this?¡±

    From the eight packs she had brought to school, she had sold seven and had thus earned 7 dors in total. Carrying a bunch of notes in her hands, she swung them up and down.

    ¡°That is amazing, youngdy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    Uhihi, she smiled.

    Gyeoul went into her room and started writing something down on a notepad with crooked handwriting. The protector sneakily followed her and observed what she was writing down on the book.

    +++

    Bought: Sweet potatoes, vegetable store. 2.7 dors.

    Sold: 7 dors.

    Earned: 4.3 dors.

    +++

    Ahh, it seemed that she was ounting for the cost and ie.

    At the very bottom of the ount book, the protector found a slightly different note.

    +++

    Goal: 40 dors

    +++

    Hohh, does she want to earn 40 dors and do something with them? The protector¡¯s red eyes bent into a [^^] shape.

    Gyeoul carefully crumpled the 1 dor notes and pushed them into the piggy bank. She had 3 dors remaining in her hand, which she probably was nning to use in order to buy more sweet potatoes.

    ¡°By the way, youngdy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°At this point, how about you make a lot at once and sell a lot of them?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they quite popr? I will help you so that you can produce them inrge amounts.¡±

    Gyeoul hesitated. Since she had always been making and selling a set amount of sweet potatoes, she had never even considered making and selling them in bulk.

    ¡°¡­Would it be fine?¡±

    ¡°Of course it would. Why wouldn¡¯t it be fine?¡±

    ¡°¡­Reallyy?¡±

    ¡°I will do my best to help you.¡±

    Tung tung¨C the protector beat its own chest.

    Gyeoul took out 3 dors which she had folded for her emergency fund. Adding that to 3 dors which she hadn¡¯t put into the piggy bank, she bought 6 dors worth of sweet potatoes. There were so many of them, that both of her hands were full on the way back home.

    ¡°Now is the time for me to show off my skills.¡±

    Using the skills it had built up over time, the protector took out arge pot. It was a pot bought so that they could deep fry Chirpy, but recently the atmosphere was quite strange that it had ended up in the corner.

    After cooking the sweet potatoes for a long time with steam, the yellowish sweet potatoes were ready to slice and dry. They made six trays full of sweet potato slices.

    Perhaps because there were more trays than usual, others who were usually uninterested in them came and observed the food.

    ¡°Oh Gyeoul, can I have a piece?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, so mean! They smell amazing though.¡±

    ¡°Chirp?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll give you one.¡±

    ¡°Chirp chirp!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with these messy things?¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t touch them.¡±

    ¡°You know that makes me want to touch them more.¡±

    ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t.¡±

    Kaeul, Chirpy and Yeorum came one by one. Last one to show up was Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What are they.¡±

    ¡°¡­Dried sweet potatoes.¡±

    ¡°Why are you making them.¡±

    ¡°¡­I want to sell them and earn money.¡±

    If Yu Jitae wanted them, she was willing to give up to 2 pieces but he in fact didn¡¯t ask for any.

    ¡°Do you need an allowance?¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head in response. After realising that receiving things for free should not be taken for granted, she started refusing his money.

    ¡°¡­I will earn them myself.¡±

    Dreaming of making a fortune, she smiled brightly.

    *

    However, it happened to be summer.

    The humidity after the rain increased the moisture of the steamed sweet potatoes by several fold. Next morning, Gyeoul found mould on the dried sweet potatoes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She froze stiff.

    Seeing the sweet potatoes with disgusting green dots here and there made her heave a sigh unknowingly.

    The issue was that she had bought too much. When Gyeoul turned to the side with a flick, the glittering eyes of the protector shed off in an instant.

    Gyeoul scowled.

    When Yu Jitae returned from outside, he found the protector receiving punishment with its head on the floor.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I am receiving my punishment sir.¡±

    Gyeoul was cleaning something up from the side with a discontent look on her face. He immediately realised that she was unhappy because the sweet potatoes had gone off.

    Yu Jitae crouched next to the child and helped her clean up the inedible sweet potatoes.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­They all went bad.¡±

    ¡°It seems like it.¡±

    ¡°¡­I made them, with all my money.¡±

    ¡°Oh no.¡±

    With a teary look on her face, Gyeoul gazed up at him and shook her head. A sigh deep enough to blow the ground away left her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Will it continue raining?¡±

    ¡°Probably. Since it¡¯s the rainy season. It will probably continue raining for the next 2 weeks.¡±

    Kwarurung¡­!

    The sound of roaring thunder coincidentally indicated her mood.

    ¡°¡­This can¡¯t be.¡±

    Thanks to Yu Jitae helping from the side, the sweet potatoes were all cleaned up in a sh. Gyeoul cleaned the trays that were dirtied from all the mould with her spell. However, it wasn¡¯t like the sweet potatoes were going toe back with that so Gyeoul was still in a very bad mood, despite being a blue dragon that loved rain.

    What could they do though. Life didn¡¯t always go the way they wanted it to. But whatever the case, Gyeoul still had a lot of opportunities more so because Yu Jitae was with her.

    ¡°Do you want some help?¡±

    Shake shake.

    Even then, Gyeoul refused his help. She stayed copsed on the living room floor even after cleaning up the sweet potatoes and continued staring resentfully at the downpour.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was when something seemingly struck her mind. Gyeoul ran to Bom¡¯s room and hurriedly knocked on the door. Seeing that, he walked outside again.

    That night.

    Knock knock. Someone knocked on the door of his room. He opened the door but found no-one. No ¨C there was someone lower down. Gyeoul was looking up at him with a nervous look on her face.

    ¡°Why are you here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hi?¡±

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    Gyeoul cautiously nced at him before handing him a paper. The A4 paper that was folded twice had something written on it with a crooked handwriting.

    [Business n]

    ¡°¡­Please lend me some money.¡±

    A business n¡­ there was no way that Gyeoul would have known of such words so Bom must have helped here up with it. Yu Jitae opened the folded paper. There was a table of contents at the top with ns about the business written beneath it.

    The texts were like the following:

    1. Umbres will be sold during the rainy season. The rainy season is estimated to continue for the next 2 weeks.

    2. Small and cheap umbres on the inte cost $1.50 each. ording to Bom, a percentage is taken off when buying in a bulk. Using shop points and a discount coupon, 30 umbres can be bought for $39.80.

    3. Selling each for $2, a profit of $20.20 can be expected. Since there are 1,200 students at Lair Public Elementary School, 30 will be sold without a problem.

    Conclusion: Please lend $40. It will be returned within 2 weeks.

    Lowering the paper, Yu Jitae stared at Gyeoul. She was nervous like a salesperson waiting for the confirmation of their client. She might even be feeling like a CEO borrowing funds for their business.

    He was dumbfounded. He had sent him to an elementary school and yet she was about to be a salesperson.

    Of course, it didn¡¯t matter even if she became a salesperson. All that mattered was whether she became happy from that or not. It was just that he was surprised how her dried sweet potato business shifted to an umbre business from the rain.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He thought to himself.

    If Gyeoul came and abruptly asked for 40 dors, he would have given her 50 dors with no questions asked.

    But right now, Gyeoul wasn¡¯t his precious child. She could be seen as a businessperson looking at the wallet of their sponsor.

    He decided to have a more realistic conversation.

    ¡°What you want is this, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Taking out 40 dors from his wallet, he showed it to her. Gyeoul nodded.

    ¡°But will the kids really buy umbres?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like the rain stops and suddenly falls again. It¡¯s the rainy season. It¡¯s a period where the rain continues to fall so who woulde to school without an umbre?¡±

    In fact, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t really know either. Besides, he wasn¡¯t interested in whether theymuted to school with an umbre or not.

    The reason he nheless presented an opposing view was because he was curious how Gyeoul would react to a realistic problem.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It seemed that she hadn¡¯t been expecting a question. Gyeoul red at Yu Jitae with wide eyes.

    Then, she scratched her head before sneaking a nce behind. Standing outside the study was Bom. When their eyes met, Bom slowly shook her head with a smile telling her to do it by herself.

    Feeling betrayed, Gyeoul red at Bom with circr eyes before turning back to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­I can, do it.¡±

    ¡°Do what.¡±

    ¡°¡­I can stop the rain for a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh, you would be able to do that. So will you stop the rain and make it fall again?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn nn.¡±

    Did she really understand what she was saying? Interfering with the weather just to sell some umbres¡­ Whatever the case, that was up to the ability of the debtor.

    ¡°Alright. Good. How will you bring 30 umbres to school then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Umm, I will carry 5 a day, and sell them.¡±

    ¡°Because the rainy season willst for 2 weeks?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    He felt amused from how he could spot a trace of confidence from her response. Even then, he ounted for the worst case scenario among worst case scenarios and threw her thest question.

    ¡°What if they don¡¯t get sold and you have a bunch of unsold stocks.¡±

    Her reply to the question was extremely intriguing.

    ¡°¡­Umm, refund?¡±

    She was a born salesperson.

    Yu Jitae opened his wallet.

 Chapter 223: Business Plan (2)

    <h4>Chapter 223: Business n (2)</h4>

    The next day, a post arrived at the house and inside were 30 cheap foldable umbres. Gyeoul took five of them and tied a pretty knot with a ribbon.

    ¡°¡­Bye bye.¡±

    Yu Jitae waved back.

    He would be slightly busier today since the Vintage Clock had alerted him of the appearance of the second hostility.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] warns of theing of the [Second Night].>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that it will likely consist of approximately 30 monsters and a boss.>

    Unlike before, the clock¡¯s analysis of the ¡®Great Hostility¡¯ reached 20%, thanks to which it was able to notice it 15 days before the arrival.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] estimates the attribute of the boss to be [Augmentation].>

    Besides, the images in his mind became clearer after hitting 20%.

    The structure of the Second Night appeared in front of his eyes. Arge and bizarre cluster of muscle repeatedly contracted and rxed whilst giving off a disgusting aura.

    In a world without Yu Jitae, this would have been a fairly big threat but it wouldn¡¯t be that dangerous since this world had a regressor who was living through his 7th iteration.

    However, he couldn¡¯t be too rxed because the [Hostility] of the far-off dimension can control the reality itself of the 7th iteration.

    The key question here was the principle behind its control over reality. It takes such a long time for the [Great Hostility] to arrive and yet Ha Saetbyul and Wei Yan had been under its maniption from the start.

    Have you found out the principle yet?

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that it is still unclear.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] notifies that an instant control over reality cannot result in arge effect.>

    The Vintage Clock was right.

    Wei Yan, 30-man special force squad, Ha Saetbyul.

    After controlling the reality up to that point, the [Hostility on the other side of the Horizon] seemingly noticed how those couldn¡¯t impact Yu Jitae that much. It is estimated that the Hostility has not even given it another try afterwards.

    And the analysis on Hostility?

    <[Hostility]¡¯s Trace Fragments gathered: 42.1%¡­>

    5% of fragments had been gathered from the First Night and Kyalkaophe whom Clone 1 had smashed into pieces. For now this seemed to be the limit.

    In any case, Yu Jitae alerted Clone 1 of the same information and also decided to head to the Association for some affairs. This enemy in particr required a more careful approach because the boss had the attribute [Augmentation].

    In the past, the Tower of Mages had picked 3 most difficult attributes to encounter. Those were none other than augmentation, immortality and creativity.

    Creativity was the reason why the human-type chimera who had been acting like BM¡¯s son was dangerous ¨C they developed endlessly, contemted and grew in unimaginable directions.

    Immortality referred to undying beings.

    But in truth, ¡®undying beings¡¯ were impossible to exist. Even Yu Jitae would definitely die one day and that was simply what Providence was.

    Therefore, a being not dying when it is supposed to has incredible andplex reasons behind it. No matter how weak a monster was, it was deemed like a time bomb if it was an undying being that could be hiding inconceivable truths. So when a specific target was confirmed to be of the immortal attribute, the Association¡¯s ¡®Immortal Monster Disposal Squad¡¯ had to depart.

    In fact, the leader of this squad was the old man that was crushed by Yu Jitae, the King of Mercenaries Christoff, one of the 5 transcendents of Chaliovan.

    Andstly, augmentation.

    This was an extreme headache to deal with.

    Augmentation referred to the borrowing of someone else¡¯s power to increase their own. In the history of the world¡¯s Providence, there was a time for something to appear as well as a definite time for something to disappear. Like the warring race [Karl-Gukwa] that had reigned supreme over the distant dimension, [Ancient Forest] ¨C beings that were too dangerous and had to be vanished.

    Augmentation allowed one to borrow the powers of such ancient beings. Let alone their danger, they were known to manipte unfamiliar and bizarre abilities.

    Clone 1 would probably not lose.

    However, there cannot be a sliver of uncertainty in protecting humanity.

    Thus, Yu Jitae stepped into the Association for the first time in a long time.

    It was then.

    Uuuunng¡­

    His watch rang ¨C it was a call from Lair Public Elementary School.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¨C Hello. Is this the guardian of Yu Gyeoul?

    ¡°Yes. Yu Jitae speaking.¡±

    ¨C Right. I¡¯m the homeroom teacher of Gyeoul, Hikigaya Kanako. It¡¯s just that I heard how Gyeoul had brought umbres to school and was privately selling it to her school friends. I would like to consult with you regarding this problem. Would you be okay withing to the school for a short meeting?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She was caught red-handed it seemed.

    Yu Jitae turned his feet.

    *

    He had a meeting with Gyeoul¡¯s homeroom teacher.

    To the question, why was a child selling umbres, Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t really think of anything to say. ¡°Maybe she just wanted to,¡± was all he could think of but he received a warning that any conduct for private benefit inside school premises was not allowed.

    The meeting was held in the staff room. It was in fact the deputy principal nearby that was sweating and bing nervous from each and every word of the teacher. The name of Yu household was quite famous in Lair but this young Japanese teacher was very passionate.

    Yu Jitae decided to agree. The teacher wasn¡¯t saying anything wrong and it was Gyeoul¡¯s fault for conducting a business without approval. Yu Jitae apologised and Gyeoul also lowered her head.

    On the way back to the dormitory hand in hand with Gyeoul,

    ¡°How many did you sell.¡±

    Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°¡­Five.¡±

    ¡°You have 25 left then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Should I refund them?¡±

    ¡°If you want to.¡±

    Although it might be a shameful and wrong method as a businessperson, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t a guardian leading the child down the ¡®moral and correct path¡¯. His opinion was that it would be fine as long as Gyeoul was happy even if she happened to be selfish. Besides, businessmen that did bad things tended to seed more often, proven by history.

    However, after returning to their house she realised that the umbres could not be refunded. It was because she had bought them in a pile of 30, and yet 5 were missing.

    ¡°¡­Why, is this happening to me?¡±

    cing both of her hands on her cap, Gyeoulined about her life. ¡°¡­Huiing!¡± In the end, she was forced to keep 25 umbres as unsold stocks.

    That was just what a business was like.

    He looked at Gyeoul staring at a pile of umbres heaving constant sighs with an amused gaze.

    Should I tease her a little.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°You have 12 days left to pay your money back.¡±

    ¡°¡­Aht.¡±

    The debtor¡¯s expression darkened.

    ¡°You¡¯ll pay me back right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bete.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul asked with a worried expression.

    ¡°¡­What if I¡¯mte?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­What will you do, if I¡¯mte?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Let¡¯s see, what should I do.

    Yu Jitae thought to himself before deciding to tease her a bit more. What did Gyeoul dislike? It was the protector.

    ¡°You will have to wear a helmet until you pay everything back.¡±

    ¡°¡­Helmet?¡±

    ¡°That thing.¡±

    He pointed at the head of the protector who was watching TV in the living room. After suddenly being pointed at, the protector¡¯s eyes became little dots as it stared at the two of them in puzzlement.

    Gyeoul¡¯s expression turned serious. Wearing a bizarre helmet like that?

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it heavy?¡±

    ¡°Still.¡±

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it ugly?¡±

    ¡°Then should you be wearing something pretty? It¡¯s for your punishment.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°By ugly, you mean me? Youngdy, even though I look like this, I was fairly popr among the living armo¨C¡± the protector tried to speak for itself.

    ¡°¡­You be quiet, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I will pay it back.¡±

    With a serious look on her face, Gyeoul wrote something down on a piece of cardboard with a marker before leaving the dormitory. However, she didn¡¯t sell anything until night. She appeared sincerely sad when she returned so Yu Jitae decided to stop teasing her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    He stopped acting like a creditor.

    Holding the child¡¯s hand, the guardian walked outside with a bag full of the umbres. Dazedly, Gyeoul walked outside and began walking through the rain.

    The ce he headed to was Colosseo Lair. The rain had begun falling around 2 days ago and today was the day that cadets who had entered a 3-day training session would leave.

    Carrying the piece of cardboard, Yu Jitae and Gyeoul sold umbres to the cadets.

    [Foldable Umbre $2]

    ¡°¡­Will it sell?¡±

    Gyeoul, who couldn¡¯t sell a single umbre by herself for the past few hours, doubtfully asked him.

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t certain either. Even in his repeating iterations, he had never sold umbres at Lair.

    ¡°But you will be wearing a helmet if they don¡¯t sell.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huingg. I dun want to.¡±

    Around the time when the cadets came flooding out of the centre after their training, cadets without their guardians waiting or those that had been nning to y by themselves were met with the sudden downpour. They then spotted Yu Jitae and Gyeoul who were selling umbres near them.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Three of these please.¡±

    ¡°¡­Uh, uh. 6 dors please.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. Yeah, right. Where do you want the money?¡±

    ¡°¡­To me please.¡±

    One of the cadets handed her a note. Gyeoul widened her eyes in response.

    ¡°Oh my. She¡¯s seriously so cute¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. She really is¡­¡±

    Gyeoul opened her mouth after receivingpliments from the cadets.

    ¡°¡­We dun take refunds.¡±

    The cadets burst intoughter.

    Their first transaction was a sess. Gyeoul waved the note in front of Yu Jitae.

    ¡°You did well.¡±

    ¡°¡­You did well too.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    The cadets did not recognise Yu Jitae since he had pulled his cap all the way down. Sometimes when a staff member of Colosseo Lair walked up to regte the unauthorised selling of goods, Yu Jitae raised his cap and showed his face. ¡°Aht¡­ hello sir¡­?¡± said the staff members with an awkward smile after recognising his face, and they quickly walked away.

    The stocks that had been unsold for a few hours began to sell rapidly, to the point that Gyeoul struggled to keep up with the speed while giving them the change. Since it was also raining, she was in an extremely good mood and the smile hanging on her lips refused to leave.

    ¡°Do you like earning money that much?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a secret.¡±

    Kuhihi¡­ Excited, Gyeoul grabbed onto his pants and bumped her forehead constantly on his thigh. It was something she did very often these days to people she was close to.

    More than 20 umbres were sold in an instant leaving only one umbre to Yu Jitae and Gyeoul. However, the cadets that had been participating in the group training had already left. The gates of Colosseo Lair closed and it was only Yu Jitae and Gyeoul standing under the dark rain.

    ¡°Should we go back now?¡±

    ¡°¡­No?¡±

    ¡°Why. We sold almost all of them. It¡¯ste as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnnn.¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head.

    ¡°¡­I want to sell everything.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we do it tomorrow? There¡¯s no-one here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not perfect.¡±

    Dragons were all rtively stubborn and Gyeoul too was a dragon.

    The two of them were both carrying their own umbres already. Yu Jitae pondered what to do, before breaking the umbre he was using and throwing it into a bin.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae was suddenly without an umbre, open to the rain. Surprised, Gyeoul reached her arms up and tried to cover him with her umbre but her arms were too short. In a fluster, she floated into the air and covered his head.

    Although he was already wet, Yu Jitae opened his wallet with an indifferent expression and asked.

    ¡°How much is it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Can I buy one.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    His expression was the same as always. A colloquial way to describe it would be that he appeared expressionless as heck.

    Thus, Gyeoul in a fluster wondered if he became mad because of her stubbornness and quickly gave him the remaining stock of umbre. Seeing that, Yu Jitae pondered about what had surprised the child before showing her a faint smile.

    He then put 2 dors into the child¡¯s pocket.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Only then did Gyeoul understand what he was doing and a bright smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±

    Then, she also folded her umbre with a wide smile and threw it inside the bin. ¡°What are you doing,¡± he asked and she replied, ¡°¡­There¡¯s no, umbre now.¡± It was rare for Gyeoul to show such an innocent and childish smile.

    On the way back, Yu Jitae had to lift her up and ce her on his elbow. The two of them had to be closer than usual because the foldable umbre was very small.

    Making their way through the rain, they returned to the dormitory.

    Shaa¡­

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t like the rain.

    Shaaaa¡­.

    But today, the sound of raindrops didn¡¯t sound all that bad.

 Chapter 224: It will be difficult

    <h4>Chapter 224: It will be difficult</h4>

    ¡°¡­Here. 40 dors.¡±

    Gyeoul gave him a bunch of crumpled 1 dor notes.

    ¡°Are you certain?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°You have to confirm them for me.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words made her float a pout on her face.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you, trust me?¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul. There¡¯s no friends, parents or children when ites to money. So can you please confirm them properly.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Is that how it is¡­? Etching his words into her brain, Gyeoul walked up and ced the notes down on the table one by one.

    ¡°¡­One, two, three, four¡­¡±

    They were all 1 dor notes. After diligently going through the notes, it was clear that there were exactly 40 notes there.

    ¡°Why are they all 1 dor notes though?¡±

    ¡°¡­Because, that way it looks like there¡¯s more?¡±

    ¡°Did you change them all to 1 dor notes?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    How strange, he thought while taking the notes for himself.

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ve gotten them all. Now you won¡¯t have to wear the helmet.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hehe.¡±

    ¡°Off you go.¡±

    Gyeoul turned around after a nod and walked out of the room. Right before closing the door, she nced directly at his eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­I liked it.¡±

    ¡°You liked what.¡±

    ¡°¡­Selling, the umbres together.¡±

    ¡°I liked it too.¡±

    The sound of herughter after getting hold of money, and the sound of raindrops in harmony with herugh remained as a fairly enjoyable memory. Perhaps that was also the case for the child.

    ¡°¡­Please, help me again next time.¡±

    ¡°For free?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°You need to give me money. Per hour. Because I¡¯m helping with your work.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul closed her mouth. She vacantly thought to herself before giving him a questioning gaze.

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi. How much for an hour?¡±

    ¡°1 dor.¡±

    If someone from the Association heard it, they would be bbergasted. Even if they paid 100 million dors, they would not dare dream of using Yu Jitae for an hour.

    However, Gyeoul shook her head with a pout.

    ¡°¡­Expensive¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean expensive. Am I not worth even a dor?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She was silent and appeared discontent. Was she nning to negotiate?

    It seemed that his thoughts were on the mark. Gyeoul mumbled several times before carefully opening her mouth.

    ¡°¡­1 dor for an hour and a half.¡±

    The Regressor was dumbfounded. This young blue child was already a true salesperson.

    ¡°Got it. 50 cents for an hour. How¡¯s that.¡±

    As if to prove that, she looked unhappy even when he agreed to the negotiation. At this rate, she would probably bring it all the way down to 30 cents.

    ¡°That¡¯s half the price. Don¡¯t worry about it if you¡¯re still not happy. I won¡¯t do it then.¡±

    Only then did Gyeoul shake her head with a hurried look on her face.

    ¡°..Nnnn. I like it. 50 cents. Good.¡±

    After a sessful negotiation, sheughed like an evil boss.

    ***

    Chirp chirp. Meow. Chirp. Meeoww! Chirp! Meoooo!

    The baby chicken and the cat talked to each other. The dog spirit beast was no longer there. 5 minutes ago, it had entered the fissure over to the other side so only the two of them were left at Lair.

    The cat spirit beast passionatelymented.

    I¡¯m still waiting for boss only because I have a good personality. Didn¡¯t that stupid dog leave already? How can you do this if you have even a speck of respect for me?

    In response, the baby chicken repeatedly apologised while begging it to wait a little bit more.

    I hate you birds. The word birdbrain doesn¡¯t exist for naught. The cat spirit beast spoke in anger.

    Chirpy told the cat that it could go over whenever without waiting for him. The cat however was dumbfounded. But what if the fissure broke after that? Was I supposed to live a happy life while you stay here all alone?

    That would be very fun meow!! I will order some fried chickens myself meow!

    Good idea. My owner liked them too.

    Listening to their conversation, Yu Jitae realised that the rtionship between the two of them was deeper than he thought. Chirpy was a spirit beast who was not scared to use power and it seemed that the cat spirit beast had been saved by Chirpy right before it was about to get killed by other cats.

    It seemed that the reason it was waiting alone till the end was to not betray its benefactor.

    But it couldn¡¯t stay that way for way too long. The cat was irritated by the insanely stubborn baby chicken.

    Meeoooww¨C!!

    Unable to hold it back any longer, the cat ran up, scratched and bit Chirpy without an end.

    [Smack (D)]

    The cat was serious so the baby chicken had to run away whilst bleeding from its forehead.

    Chirp!

    During his escape, Chirpy said.

    I will definitely go.

    But, not now.

    So please wait a little bit more.

    ***

    Unit 301.

    Yu Jitae spoke to Kaeul.

    ¡°For now, it will be fine for you to practise based on what you¡¯ve learned from Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too much. Focus on reducing your output for the time being.¡±

    ¡°But if my output is big, why do I have to practise lowering my output? Isn¡¯t it better to increase it even more?¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t even control a small bit of power, how would you control a big output of power? There¡¯s a procedure to everything.¡±

    ¡°Aht, ah¡­!¡±

    ¡°You seem quite into it though. Are you motivated now?¡±

    Kaeul faintly smiled in response.

    ¡°¡­Maybe a little?¡±

    Right next to her. Yeorum who was listening nonchntly to the normal conversation felt a bump from her words. Was it the voice? Or perhaps an impression she got from the words?

    Whatever the case, Kaeul appeared different than normal so it was bizarre. After breakfast, Yeorum called her to the rooftop.

    ¡°Nn. What¡¯s up unni?¡±

    ¡°I heard you were learning magic.¡±

    ¡°Unn.¡±

    ¡°How is it. Is it doable?¡±

    Yeorum asked while smoking a cigarette.

    ¡°Nn nn. I don¡¯t really know yet.¡±

    ¡°What don¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel realistic yet¡­ but it is fun seeing things go boom and stuff.¡±

    It really was strange. Was this kid always this calm? It felt to Yeorum as if the child had changed a little in thest 2 weeks.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Unn?¡±

    ¡°Come here for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Kaeul walked up. Putting the cigarette between her lips, Yeorum used both of her hands to tickle her on her sides. ¡°Uaah¡­!¡± Kaeul, who was weak to tickling, giggled ¡®kyahahaha¡¯ and wriggled her body. Only then did Yeorum feel content.

    ¡°Wh, what¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden¡­! Huk huk¡­!¡±

    ¡°No, whatever. So, is Yu Jitae a good teacher?¡±

    ¡°Unn? Actually, there is something strange¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°I get scolded a lot by Bom-unni right? Whenever I do, I always want today to be thest day but when I feel like I¡¯m about to die after the training, ahjussi suddenly likepliments me and says well done.¡±

    ¡°¡­Compliment? And then?¡±

    ¡°Then I feel motivated to do it the next day as well. Umm¡­ Looking back, maybe like, I¡¯m getting trained like a pet by the two of them..?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t feel bad.¡±

    Kaeul smiled like a puppy with the usual thoughtless look on her face. Yeorum breathed out a mouthful of smoke.

    ¡°Hepliments you? A lot?¡±

    ¡°Unn! Umm, like everyday?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When Yeorum remained standing nkly smoking her cigarette, Kaeul asked if she could go back now.

    ¡°No. Wait,¡± said Yeorum.

    ¡°What. What now.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You got aint? Is talking to your unni boring?¡±

    ¡°Un. It really is boring!¡­ Of course that was a joke! Hehe¡­¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s expression turned stiff but Kaeul immediately showed her belly and wriggled her tail. With a satisfied look on her face, Yeorum asked.

    ¡°Do you have any ns to dye your hair?¡±

    ¡°Huh? How did you know that?¡±

    Yeorum twitched her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking if I should change it to a brighter golden colour.¡±

    ¡°You f¡­¡±

    Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t. Yeorum clicked her tongue.

    ¡°Yeah. Bright or dark gold doesn¡¯t matter. Just don¡¯t dye your hair ck.¡±

    ¡°Unn? Why?¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t do it. Unless you want to see someone die.¡±

    ¡°Does someone die if I dye my hair?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What about gray?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Gray¡­? You can¡¯t. Uhh yeah you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Then what about bright gray? It will be closer to silver so would that be okay?¡±

    ¡°Just live as a damn banana. Unless you want to die.¡±

    ¡°N, nn¡­¡±

    Kaeul returned to the house after a nod. She then went out on a walk and Yeorum could see from the roof the two baby chickens running out like fools.

    Huu¡­

    Left alone, Yeorum entered deep in thought.

    That ck-haired bit*h.

    Dick Jitae this bastard.

    Yu Kaeul learning magic? Can we fight together then¡­?

    Such thoughts floated up in her mind consecutively but at one point, her mind turned nk. Strangely enough, what filled her nk head were the words of Kaeul.

    The words that Yu Jitae hadplimented her everyday strangely remained in a corner of her mind.

    Breathing out a mouthful of dense smoke, she murmured.

    ¡°How rare¡­¡±

    That human, he doesn¡¯tpliment that much.

    ***

    ¡°Hmm¡­ so what I thought was this.¡±

    Inside a bright forest, in that world full of fragrant scent of the forest, Bom was sitting on a tree stump as she opened her mouth.

    ¡°There is a thing called procedure right. So, like a continuation of inevident incidents that ur within a given time frame.¡±

    She was hesitant with her words.

    ¡°Procedure-wise, I¡¯m the first but if there was another girl toe after me.¡±

    Her words were slow like a singer who was a poor speaker, thinking of words to express what was on their mind.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t give the first¡­ then wouldn¡¯t that solve the problem?¡±

    Bom awkwardly smiled after saying that. Sitting on the other side, an olddy with white hair chuckled. Her name was Li Hwa.

    ¡°Or perhaps, the procedure itself waspletely false.¡±

    ¡°A wrong procedure you mean?¡¯

    ¡°Like, there is the possibility of the future I saw being a dream. Both of them.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t embraced nor was the ck-haired girl. If all of it was just a dream¡­¡±

    The old superhuman saw the young girl trying to desperately reason herself and heaved a light sigh.

    ¡°If you start doing that, won¡¯t everything that urs in the future be covered in a fog?¡±

    ¡°Yes but, if I give my first, then it will be the end for me psychologically.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    ¡°Yes, so it was all a dream. A dream. From my knowledge, those things do tend to happen. Although they are quite rare, there is a possibility¡­¡±

    Listening to the child, she found her to be in a pitiful state. Li Hwa clicked her tongue.

    ¡°Listen Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You yearn for that young man deeply from your heart, do you not.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ yes.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Try expressing it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Staring off into the distance of the forest, Bom opened her mouth with a distant gaze.

    ¡°I choose all of ahjussi¡¯s menus.¡±

    ¡°Menus?¡±

    ¡°Yes. For drinks and meals. If I don¡¯t, ahjussi never tries anything new. He chooses the same things. Fried rice at a restaurant, basic fried chicken with no vours, pepperoni for pizza, long ck for drinks¡­¡±

    ¡°What a boring taste for a young man.¡±

    ¡°Right? That¡¯s what he always gets. So I choose a lot of different things for him, but ahjussi gets annoyed by it. Sometimes he scolds me, saying it¡¯s fine to eat anything. When that happens, I think to myself. Should I annoy him a bit more?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Why?¡±

    ¡°So that I get hit by ahjussi. Like on my cheek or my butt. Not as a joke but in a slightly harsh manner. Of course, it would hurt if he hits me hard. I might cry from the pain. But I can prove it if that happens.¡±

    ¡°Prove what?¡±

    ¡°That I can like ahjussi even if he does all that¡­¡±

    Her gaze became all the more distant.

    ¡°However, ahjussi will probably never hit me so I won¡¯t be able to prove that ever. That¡¯s what makes me sad.¡±

    Li Hwa was silent.

    ¡°There is only one thing that is important. I just want him to not love anyone apart from me.¡±

    After finishing her words, Bom slowly pulled her knees in and hugged them. ¡°I didn¡¯t used to like him this much, so when did it be like this?¡± she asked and the old woman remained silent despite knowing the answer.

    Deep emotions tended to deepen endlessly from a momentary distortion. Like herself who loved her husband even more only after his death, and the child in front of her.

    The reality was an extremely miserable thing. After clicking her tongue, Li Hwa asked the most important question with a slightly bitter voice.

    ¡°If you yearn for him that much, do you think you will be able to refuse him when that man wants you?¡±

    Bom ¨C her eyes dropped.

    But her lips slightly curved upward.

    Bom sorrowfully smiled.

    ¡°It will be difficult¡­¡±

 Chapter 225: Change of Seasons (1)

    <h4>Chapter 225: Change of Seasons (1)</h4>

    Lair, which was being operated by rtively younger staff memberspared to other educational facilities, often carried out sweet events.

    [Five Transcendent Cadets of Ha Sukmoo Selection Test] was one of the examples.

    The original ¡®Five Transcendents of Chaliovan¡¯ were the select few chosen by the chairman of the Association, Chaliovan. It wasn¡¯t decided by official ranks, and the title was only given when the individual¡¯s power allowed them to confront legions of superhumans.

    Lair was simply carrying out an informal version using the name of the principle of Lair, Ha Sukmoo.

    Only the 2nd grade cadets were allowed to take the special exam, and five cadets with the best scores were given the title, ¡®Transcendent Cadet¡¯. It acted as a type of certificate or a licence that proved their worth. Even their name badges would have a Transcendent Cadet sticker put on and people would nce at them and say, ¡°Hoh, look at them.¡±

    However, the cadets did not like this event. It was because of the name of the qualification.

    ¡°Uhh, it¡¯s so old-fashioned I hate it.¡±

    Team Mochi ¨C Yu Yeorum, Sophia Vorkova, Kim Ji-in and Hisaki Soujiro. Four of them were talking inside a cafe.

    Sophia grumbled.

    ¡°Like, those dotards must be crazy. What the hell is Five Transcendent Cadets? Who the hell came up with a name like that?¡±

    ¡°I know right. What¡¯s wrong with their word choice¡­¡±

    Kim Ji-in nodded with a serious expression on her face. For the sensitive cadets in their teens to early twenties, the name ¡®Five Transcendent Cadets of Ha Sukmoo¡¯ was a fairly embarrassing title to speak of.

    ¡°But at least it¡¯s better than stiff titles, actually, isn¡¯t it quite cool? The proof of a cadet exceeding the standards¨C¡±

    ¡°You weeb, what are you saying¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ji-in. It¡¯s not just a deceptive title, is it? If I became one of the five transcendent cadets for example, our vige would probably make a card you know? Isn¡¯t it a suitable name for the qualification of both power and authority?¡±

    ¡°Oi. Soujiro.¡±

    ¡°Hai?¡±

    ¡°Whenever you say things like that, I really want to chase you out of the team. Like, seriously.¡±

    ¡°Eht.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    ¡°W, wait.¡±

    ¡°Next weeb please¡­¡±

    ¡°Please shut up Soujiro.¡±

    The energetic Soujiro shrunk after hearing a mouthful from Sophia and Kim Ji-in.

    ¡°So mean¡­¡±

    For some reason, Yeorum was a lot quieter today so the cadets looked at her.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Huh, huh? Me?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the word five transcendents, like super old-fashioned?¡±

    Yeorum, who had been quietly sucking the coffee, replied.

    ¡°Mhmm, it does sound retarded.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s response sounded energyless as if her soul had left her body. Twirling her long hair in circles, Sophia was observing her expression when Soujiro jumped out with a question.

    ¡°By the way, Yeorum. Are you going to do it?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Do what?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s the transcendent cadet exam. If you¡¯re going to attend, that¡¯s already one seat less right?¡±

    Yeorum nkly thought to herself.

    She had already proven her qualification bying first ce in the campuspetition. All the strong superhumans of their era were in Lair, and she had already proven the fact that she was strong enough to represent the grade.

    Thus, there was no reason to bother getting another proof. They won¡¯t even be a match for her, so apetition was pointless.

    ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t be bothered though.¡±

    ¡°Heeh. But that¡¯s really cool. The fact that you can choose toe first or not.¡±

    One thing that was a shame was that she hadn¡¯t had the chance to fight the two strongest cadets of their gradest year.

    Yong Taeha of the Yong household.

    And Tyr Brzenk, the son of Oscar Brzenk.

    Although she had wanted to fight and crush them, the five transcendent cadet exam did not have any interpersonal fights in it.

    ¡°Ey. You can¡¯t go back on your words okay?¡±

    Sophia, who had been slightly interested in one of the five transcendent cadet positions asked that, and Yeorum nonchntly shrugged her shoulders in response.

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in childsy.¡±

    ¡°Hohh, confident.¡±

    ¡°You b*tch. You think you¡¯re a world ranker or something,¡± grumbled Sophia.

    Yeorum quite liked her own words, and liked even more how those words had naturally left her mouth.

    I am the strongest.

    There weren¡¯t any cadets that could refute her words, at least in the second grade.

    ¡°Try your best, you dipshits.¡±

    *

    Do you want to try taking the five transcendent cadets of Ha Sukmoo exam?

    Hearing Yu Jitae¡¯s words, Kaeul blinked her eyes.

    ¡°Unn? Me?¡±

    Gyeoul also blinked her eyes from the side. Why are <i>you</i>¡­

    ¡°Now that you know a bit on how to fight, it might be a good idea to try fighting even if it¡¯s virtual.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, umm. Uhh¡­¡±

    Kaeul scratched her head in confusion, before asking yet again.

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes you.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯m not confident though¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t necessarily have to be in the top 5.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave her the handout. Kaeul opened it up and read through it while Gyeoul and Bom both nced at it from the sides. The handout included a map of the dungeon as well as the contents of the exam.

    ¡°Just give it a go.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul vacantly touched her head.

    It was as he had thought.

    Kaeul wasn¡¯t learningbat magic because she wanted to. In fact if she had enough self-esteem, she would have refused learningbat magic altogether, since she didn¡¯t even want to learn it. However, she wasn¡¯t even able to say that.

    After failing and giving up numerous times, the child had be dispirited and her self-esteem that had dropped to the bottom made her susceptible to being carried by the opinions of the surroundings.

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay. But, y, you can¡¯t me me even if I don¡¯t do well, okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°I definitely won¡¯t. You don¡¯t have to feel pressured.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Even now was the same. She was only listening to him since he, the guardian, was showing her the direction and calling it the correct path. ording to Bom, there needed to be a continuous source of fuel that could motivate her even in the slightest.

    Bom shouting at her during training, and Yu Jitaeplimenting her after the training. The two of them were just barely maintaining the flickering ember of her motivation.

    However, the test would be carried out with a lot of attention from the crowd.

    He hoped it would lead to a decent result.

    ¡°Are you doing it too?¡±

    Yu Jitae asked Yeorum who was lying on the floor in the middle of the corridor. She pretended to have missed his words and ignored him.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    Only then did she turn her head.

    ¡°Are you doing this or not. Don¡¯t you like things like this.¡±

    ¡°None of your business¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae stopped and stayed still.

    When he suddenly turned silent, Yeorum nced at him in an attempt to see if he was angry or not but Yu Jitae was simply gazing down at the table.

    He was in deep thought.

    These days, Yeorum¡¯s improvement had slowed down.

    Was it because she yed around too much? No. She was still persistently training. She crushed her own body and zealously tried to get stronger.

    The biggest cause for her slower improvement was because she was doing it ¡®zealously¡¯. After all, until a few months ago, she had been doing it ¡®to the point that she could die¡¯. It was because her sense of crisis had diluted.

    Yeorum would die the moment she stops.

    Only ¡®advancement¡¯ allowed her to survive. That was the reason for her Amusement and was moreover the meaning behind her life. It was why she was obsessed with getting stronger to the point that she gave up on the favourite activities of the red race, alcohol, gambling and sex.

    However, now that she was so far ahead of others already, it made sense for her to be unable to feel a constant sense of crisis. There might be an inward fear of the day of her return but that was in the distant future.

    There had to be procedural crises and that¡¯s what wascking right now.

    There even was the proof.

    Even though Yeorum acted like she hated him, he didn¡¯t care about it because her favorability floating on the Eyes of Equilibrium was still ¡®like¡¯. She in fact didn¡¯t hate him.

    Despite that, she was refusing to be taught by him, and that was bad.

    Yu Jitae could use the mana of the red race. He was the one and only suitable teacher for this young red dragon who had identally arrived on Earth.

    If she had even the slightest of those procedural senses of crisis, it did not make sense for her to refuse his teaching. That had been on his mind but fortunately a goodpetitor had appeared.

    ¡°Gyeoul. What if I get bashed by the monsters?¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    It was Yu Kaeul.

    *

    He thought about the future.

    Firstly, he would make thempete against each other.

    The most important thing was to not create enmity between the two of them. Conflicts andpetition whilst not making them hostile to each other would result in a positive influence for both of them.

    The problem however was that he couldn¡¯t really imagine how the strife between the young dragons would span out.

    Therefore, he asked the specialist for advice.

    ¡°Nn? Ahh, I think it sounds good. Yeorum had never even considered Kaeul apetitor. Also, the red race always thinks very importantly of hierarchy. If Kaeul suddenly became stronger and became her rival, she would probably feel very threatened.¡±

    ¡°What are the odds of their rtionship being negatively affected?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ 50%?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too high.¡±

    ¡°Then 0.1%?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference.¡±

    ¡°The first one¡¯s if you simply leave them be, and the second one is if Yeorum ultimately wins.¡±

    Bom¡¯s words sounded a little strange. Yeorum ultimatelying out victorious was literally the result. Isn¡¯t the process what breaks down rtionships?

    He thought for a bit and finally understood her statement.

    ¡°So you want me to tell Yeorum that she will be winning in the end?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It will be even better if she does win right?¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply to her question.

    ¡°Ah, and it would be very helpful for Kaeul. Kaeul knows a lot about how great Yeorum is. She doesn¡¯t make it obvious but she actually does admire her quite a lot. If she wins against Yeorum for a bit ores close to defeating her, it would help set her pride back.¡±

    He nodded his head.

    ¡°It would be a headache if something goes even slightly wrong in the process though.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It is a very sensitive topic¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you mediate the two of them well?¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Bom.

    ***

    At night,

    While the kids were all sleeping,

    At the shallows of the abyss, Yu Jitae was administering the body of Jung Taebaek. While removing thousands of sharp fragments of the chimera resembling fish hooks one by one, his mind brought him back to the past.

    Was it because Taebaek had red hair?

    A red dragon appeared in his mind.

    ¨C What the fuc* are you?

    She wasn¡¯t Yeorum.

    ¨C Do you even know who I am?

    ¨C Oi, are you crazy? Huhh? Let go right now!

    ¨C Go away! Fu*k, d, don¡¯t you hear me¡­ kuuk!

    After being grabbed by the neck, she was dragged to the undergroundbyrinth.

    ¨C Oi. Oi! You fuc*ing piece of shit¨C!

    ¨C Open the door righhhhtt noo¡ª!!!

    It was the memory of a girl,

    A girl that looked awfully like Yeorum.

    In the 5th iteration, while Yu Jitae had yet to be perfected as a superhuman.

    In the 4th iteration, he had seen a new possibility but when the light was about to vanish from that possibility, he had to address what he had been avoiding as the central topic.

    He didn¡¯t have enough power to protect his conviction and there were a lot of things he had topromise with. Thus, he had to be stronger.

    Ranked 3rd worldwide, one of the Five Transcendents of Chaliovan, possessor of the Dungeon Free Pass¡­

    Although he was known as a powerhouse, what couldn¡¯t be concealed from all those misceneous titles was the fact that he was still weak.

    In order to be stronger, he locked the hatchlings inside the undergroundbyrinth and moved. He had already discovered the locations of the hatchlings in the 4th+ iterations so it wasn¡¯t difficult in the slightest.

    ¨C What did I ever do wrong? What have I even done to you¡­

    ¨C Why are you doing this to me¡­

    A red hatchling that burned her own heart to escape the undergroundbyrinth. She furiously set herself aze while he wasn¡¯t there. The suppressed urge for violence erupted while her mind had gone crazy.

    The hatchling waged wars and endlessly wreaked havoc and became humanity¡¯s enemy.

    By the time he heard the news and rapidly returned to catch it, the entire body of the hatchling had already been torn to pieces, crushed and crumbled beyond repair.

    The child had never onceined about pain when she was locked up, but staring at the Regressor with her only remaining eye,

    ¨C I, it hurts.

    ¨C My heart, hurts.

    She moved her cracked jaws and requested him for a favour.

    ¨C Please, kill me¡­

 Chapter 226: Change of Seasons (2)

    <h4>Chapter 226: Change of Seasons (2)</h4>

    In the 4 lives he could remember,

    Over hundreds of psed iterations,

    The Regressor had never killed a baby dragon with his own hands.

    Yu Jitae submitted an application for the ¡®Five Transcendent Cadets of Ha Sukmoo Selection Exam¡¯ with Kaeul¡¯s name written on it. Fortunately, she was given an earlier spot and she was able to take the test the next day.

    Because of her nervousness, Kaeul wasn¡¯t in a good state. She started trembling from noon of the day before, fidgeted endlessly throughout the night and stayed holed up in her room on the morning of the next day without at all showing her face for a few hours.

    It was a good thing that she was immediately taking the test. Nothing would change even if she were to prepare for it for several days.

    Yu Jitae knocked on the door of her room.

    ¡°Kaeul. Are you in the room.¡±

    ¨C Yes.

    ¡°Start preparing yourself. We will leave straight after having breakfast.¡±

    ¨C Okay.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¨C Yes.

    Her voice sounded powerless. Although she didn¡¯t sound nervous, the ce she was forced to stand in was too foreign a ce to be in.

    Like the campus rankingpetition, events thatpared the ranks of cadets tended to gather a lot of attention. And Lair, which knew how to portray the superhuman cadets as ¡®heroes¡¯, knew exactly how to use the attention of the crowd.

    Therefore, this event was also quite bustling with people like thepetition. There were a lot of eyes as well as an audience seat for them to cheer from.

    He called Bom.

    ¡°Start preparing yourself and bring Yeorum. We will head straight to the venue and will cheer for her together.¡±

    ¡°Should I wake Gyeoul up as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I will prepare the meal.¡±

    Their breakfast menu today was bread. One by one he took the bread out from the paper bag. A well-bnced sandwich with ham, all sorts of vegetables and a lot of cheese. Kaeul¡¯s favourite donut with a small crust of sugary ze. And cold macarons of various colours.

    When having bread, Kaeul often asked.

    ¨C Where is milk?

    Thus, thest one he took out from the bag was milk. It was a breakfast menu that Kaeul could literally faint after seeing.

    ¡°Ah, like I said, I¡¯m not interested in transcendent cadets or whatever.¡±

    Despite theint, Yeorum walked outside after being pushed by Bom.

    ¡°Why. Let¡¯s go cheer for Kaeul together.¡±

    ¡°But you know, even though it¡¯s a fake dungeon and a test, isn¡¯t it too cruel to make Yu Kaeul go into a dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Hnn? Why?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how much of a coward she is? She will probably tremble like crazy and it will be great if she doesn¡¯t piss herself. I don¡¯t want to see that with my eyes.¡±

    Bom looked at her with a smile.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that because you haven¡¯t seen how much Kaeul has changed now. Kaeul is very good. Right, ahjussi?¡±

    Yu Jitae turned towards Yeorum in response.

    Yeorum was staring at him. Unlike the usual frowns she wore these days whenever she was staring at his face, there was slight tension in her expression. His following words created a crack in her tranquil expression.

    ¡°Of course. She¡¯s good.¡±

    ***

    Kaeul was quiet throughout breakfast. She silently ate the sandwich, drank milk and took a bite of the macaron. She appeared normal, different from how she was trembling the day before.

    ¡°You¡¯re not shaking anymore. Are you okay Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah. Un.¡±

    Yeorum nced at her before opening her mouth.

    ¡°You¡¯re alright my ass. Do you want some rxing pills or something? Like anxiety pills?¡±

    ¡°No no. I¡¯m good¡­¡±

    Yeorum frowned after hearing her response. She thought it was strange.

    ¡®¡­?¡¯

    Was she always this calm? She didn¡¯t think much about it when Bom was talking about how much Kaeul had changed, but Yeorum started feeling slightly curious after seeing how she was acting.

    After the meal, the Yu household headed to Colosseo Lair wherepetitive events started and ended at Lair. Near therge cylindrical building were bustling crowds of cadets in summer uniform, guardians and staff members. Although each had their own goals, a few of the cadets got on an elevator to head to the basement which was the same for the Yu household.

    4th basement level, the ¡®virtual dungeon training ground¡¯.

    The difference between this virtual dungeon to others was that this dungeon was under the influence of the Level 4 artifact, [Statue of Competition]. Therefore, the dungeons here were more natural allowing for a more realistic training.

    Because of that, the ¡®virtual dungeon training ground¡¯ was usually reserved for 4th and 5th grade cadets but today, it served as the venue for the selection exam of five transcendent cadets of Ha Sukmoo.

    ¡°I, I¡¯ll be on my way then.¡±

    The kids either waved their hands or shouted, ¡®¡­Good luck¡¯. With a stiff look on her face Kaeul nodded before walking somewhere else under the instructions of the staff.

    The Yu household headed to the guardian waiting room. Therge room resembling a movie theatre already had three hundred or so of people, who were either guardians or friends of the cadets.

    ¡°Ima sit at the front.¡±

    Yeorum who was still ufortable with Yu Jitae sat away from him which he didn¡¯t at all mind. After finding a seat, he met someone familiar. The man had a tall height and arge body, hair short enough to be called a skinhead and a vicious scar underneath.

    ¡°It has been a while. Mihailov.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah. You¡¯re here too, Mister Yu Jitae.¡±

    Next to him were cadets of Russia¡¯s RIL sitting in a straight line. Seeing Yu Jitae, they hurriedly stood up but didn¡¯t know what to do. They didn¡¯t dare greet him but still looked at him with gazes of admiration.

    ¡°What are you all doing? Hurry up and sit down.¡±

    Despite the words of Mihailov, the cadets hesitated and didn¡¯t sit. Half of their gazes were on Yu Jitae while the other half were trying to catch a glimpse of the dragons.

    It was something he was already used to. Even now, there were dozens of gazes all across the waiting room gathered on the dragons. As always.

    ¡°Look at you bunch. Should I pluck your rolling eye candies out and throw them into your mouth or will you sit down now?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry sir¡­¡±

    Only when he shouted did the cadets of RIL hurriedly sit back down. This was what the usual rtionship between guardians and cadets were for soldiers.

    ¡°Ah, sorry about that. The kids were being very rude.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡±

    ¡°By the way, Jitae. What brings you here.¡±

    ¡°What else. Of course I came because one of my kids are taking the exam. Are you here because of Sophia?¡±

    ¡°No. Sophia is on thest day and today is the exam for a different child. Aigooh, if Cadet Yu Yeorum is in the group, I guess we will only have 4 positions to contest for,¡± said Mihailov.

    ¡°Ah, Yeorum is over there actually.¡± Bom interjected.

    Hearing her words, Mihailov looked at the red-haired girl sitting near the very front of the room. He touched his plump forehead around the scar with his thick fingers.

    ¡°Nnn? What. Why is Cadet Yeorum there?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum isn¡¯t the one taking the test.¡±

    ¡°Whut?! Then who¡­¡±

    He then murmured, green, red, blue¡­ to himself before widening his eyes.

    ¡°Yellow isn¡¯t here¡­! Kaeul. Right. So the child that read the deration is taking the exam?¡±

    ¡°That is the case.¡±

    ¡®Hooh¡­?¡¯ A curious voice escaped Mihailov¡¯s mouth.

    Meanwhile, although it was the two guardians talking to each other, there were a lot of ears in the waiting room.

    The story quickly spread. Firstly, it was the group of guardians near them that picked up the said topic for their conversation.

    ¡°What? So it¡¯s Cadet Yu Kaeul that¡¯s taking the test?¡±

    ¡°That blonde haired cadet?¡±

    ¡°Hoh. Interesting. Now that¡¯s new. Cadet Yu Yeorum really is here.¡±

    Only at Unit 301 was Yeorum a run-of-the-mill hatchling. At Lair, wherever it may be, there would be gazes of awe and admiration on Yeorum as if she was a celebrity. Besides, the story about the ¡®Yu household¡¯ that was known to have BM and Myung Yongha as its sponsors was an even bigger topic.

    It seemed that the third daughter of that household had suddenly be abat-oriented superhuman. By nature, the question of ¡®Who¡¯s stronger?¡¯ was one of the most interesting conversation topics.

    ¡°That is interesting. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen Cadet Kaeul fight.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think she has. She did look like a very feeble and fragile cadet¡­ She was quite different from Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Well I did hear that Cadet Yu Bom was also quite deeply talented at magic.¡±

    ¡°But talent when ites to magic isn¡¯t always hereditary, is it. Will she really be that strong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really think so¡­ even though they may be sisters, does it make sense for both of them to be geniuses?¡±

    ¡°Aye, but I¡¯m sure the household has their unique curriculum of some sort. It is the Yu household after all.¡±

    ¡°Right. The Yu household¡­¡±

    After the chatter, the eyes of the guardians simultaneously headed straight towards Yeorum. The representative of their group carefully walked up and called Yeorum.

    ¡°Excuse me, Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    Hearing the quiet voice, Yeorum turned her head with her arms still crossed.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°My name is Nguyen. I¡¯m one of the guardians affiliated with the Blue Tail Guild.¡±

    ¡°Yes. And.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah. It¡¯s just that our kids like you a lot.¡±

    ¡°What is that about? Thought you were whispering to each other at the back. And you have a question or something.¡±

    Embarrassed by her straightforward words, the guardian scratched his head.

    ¡°Oh no. We were trying to quietly talk to each other but you must have heard it. Sorry if that made you feel unpleasant.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Sometimes I do that too.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your understanding.¡±

    The atmosphere seemingly eased a little.

    ¡°So what is it.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so by the way, would it be okay for me to ask how strong Cadet Yu Kaeul is?¡±

    Although only one of the guardians was asking the question, several gazes of curiosity were urging her to reply. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± When Yeorum cursorily replied with an indifferent voice, they followed it up with more questions. ¡°Does she use magic, or is she a sharpshooter?¡±, ¡°Have you two sparred before?¡± Yeorum suddenly showed her temper.

    ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you sisters?¡±

    ¡°What. Do I have to know everything if we are sisters? I don¡¯t even know her exact height. I¡¯m curious too, okay!¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    ¡°If you find out somewhere then pleasee let me know as well. Alright?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I see¡­¡±

    He already knew about her personality so the guardian embarrassedly scratched his head before walking away. On the way back to his seat, he nced at Yu Jitae. However, directly asking Yu Jitae was a bit daunting while Bom was sitting on the other side.

    That was when his eyes met with the eyes of the blue-haired girl, but she looked too much like a kid that she probably wouldn¡¯t know much.

    But by the way, this blue-haired girl, was too cute¡­

    Does this household pick kids based on their appearance or something¡­

    ¡°¡­What, are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah, n, nothing¡­¡±

    When the child gave a frown, the guardian felt slightly ufortable and quietly turned around. Until then, Yu Jitae had simply been silently listening. Bom, who was sitting next to him with her legs crossed, suddenly gave a small chuckle.

    ¡°What¡¯s funny.¡±

    He quietly asked.

    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just interesting.¡±

    ¡°What is.¡±

    ¡°Thinking about how their expressions will changeter.¡±

    He thought to himself. It seemed that the daily lives had indeed pervaded in a little bit. Although he wasn¡¯t as expectant as Bom, he could still understand what and why she was expectant.

    ¡°¡­ I see.¡±

    They will probably be in an uproar.

    ¡°Cadet Kaeul won¡¯t be strong.¡±

    That was when a powerful voice was heard from behind.

    ¡°Sorry? Does that make sense? It¡¯s still the Yu household.¡±

    ¡°Aye, there must be the curriculum that perfected Cadet Yeorum. It¡¯s too early toe to a conclusion. We haven¡¯t even seen anything yet right?¡±

    The man with a powerful voice refuted the objective opinions, ¡°I¡¯m sure you would be saying something different if you had ever seen one of Cadet Kaeul¡¯s magic sses before.¡±

    ¡°Our cadet was in the same ss but she was as good as other people though?¡±

    ¡°Well, it was really unstable when I saw itst month.¡±

    ¡°What are you even talking about? Mate, Cadet Kaeul took the magic studies ssst year.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same guy talking gibberish¡­ just ignore him.¡±

    It seemed that the man was someone who tended to talk gibberish very often and a lot of the listeners appeared extremely discontent. However, the man with a powerful voice asserted even more.

    ¡°Whatever. She is weak though okay? Her maniption over mana is so unstable that she could never be strong.¡±

    His assertion became more forceful seemingly because everyone was disagreeing with him.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was still silent. In fact, he didn¡¯t think anything of it.

    He did not value the lives of organisms. The only things he acknowledged were the abilities of the individual. Because of that, humans he did not know of were no different from bugs.

    If a bug tried to bite him, he would crush it and kill it. If a bunch of bugs tried to bite him, he would disinfect the area and get rid of their habitat altogether.

    However, a group of bugs talking to each other about the grades of his daughter was none of his business.

    ¡°A damned stupid half-breed. Talking nonsense just because you have an open mouth.¡±

    He was silent but perhaps because of that, it was someone near him that swore instead. The surprised cadets of RIL looked at the speaker while Bom also turned her gaze towards him.

    ¡°Should I rip that mouth of yours or something.¡±

    Saying that, Mihailov raised his body.

 Chapter 227: Change of Seasons (3)

    <h4>Chapter 227: Change of Seasons (3)</h4>

    Mihailov quietly joined the group that was having the conversation and listened.

    Although Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t interested in the conversation of worthless unknowns, he was a little bit intrigued in the movements of Mihailov, whom he had some connection with. It was like a dog he knew in town walking up to a group of bugs.

    Turning his head, Yu Jitae looked at them.

    ¡°Should I make another prediction?¡±

    ¡°What is it now.¡±

    ¡°Cadet Kaeul will not be able to be one of the five transcendent cadets.¡±

    He was a nameless male guardian of a nameless household. However, the Regressor looked at the face of the ¡®woman¡¯ hidden under the fake mask.

    It was a familiar face. Reflecting on it, he remembered who she was. She was a member of the ¡®Brzenk¡¯ family, guardian of Tyr Brzenk the son of the world¡¯s Rank 1, Oscar Brzenk.

    At the same time, she was Oscar Brzenk¡¯s younger sister.

    Her name was Kitty Brzenk ¨C also referred to as the Sorceress of Brzenk.

    She was a powerhouse ranked 129th worldwide. From what he remembered, she was meeting people here and there with a virtual identity under the approval of the education department of Lair.

    The Brzenk Family was the only household whose name value exceeded that of the Yu household. And unlike the Yu household which suddenly rose to fame, they were affiliated with the Association and their contact with the masses was severely restricted for the maintenance of a unique and mysterious face. Thus, Tyr Brzenk was also one of the cadets but had almost never stood in front of arge crowd.

    It seemed that there were people from the Brzenk Family that were itching to move.

    ¡°I know the Yu household is great but Cadet Kaeul can¡¯t be that strong, alright? Geez, none of you just have the eye for it.¡±

    An example would be that woman pretending to be a man.

    ¡°Haigo, what a wacky person¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care so can you just go away?¡±

    The guardians shook their hands off and expressed their disgust but the attention seeker wearing the mask of a man stimted them further byughing.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this without any proof. It was my first time seeing a cadet whose mana sttered like that. You know, it¡¯s to the point that the mana would erupt even before she could form a fireball in her hand.¡±

    ¡°Ah. How can you be so certain like that? Maybe she¡¯s not a mage.¡±

    ¡°No. Cadet Kaeul¡¯s maniption over mana is so unnatural and it has exceeded the norms. What meaning would her position ever have when her control over mana is that low? Front guard, sharpshooter, healer ¨C she won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡±

    ¡®His¡¯ words weren¡¯t wrong.

    Kaeul¡¯s control over mana was unnatural. It did exceed the norms. Ifpared to water, it was like a water bomb sttering to all sides.

    But as for the reason behind all that, the person was clueless.

    Power has an endogenous origin and before being released, it cannot be clearly discerned. Even Yu Jitae had just noticed it recently so how would a mere Rank 129 be able to see through it?

    The water was sttering only because there was a broken dam.

    The atmosphere wasn¡¯t that positive. The guardians who had already turned their ears off decided to not give any more food for the madman.

    ¡°Are you silent because you cannot say anything back?¡±

    Despite that, he continued.

    ¡°My words are true, are they not?¡±

    ¡°Can you please just stop.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The guardian from Yu household is also here, isn¡¯t he.¡±

    ¡°Did I say anything bad or criticise someone? What¡¯s wrong with a healthy discussion on power?¡±

    The person¡¯s thought process was probably like the following. As a member of the Brzenk Family, she had some rivalry mindset with the Yu household. Despite that, Tyr Brzenk wasn¡¯t even allowed to participate in events while Yu Yeorum was increasingly spreading her fame. It was probably an eyesore for her.

    And there appeared a secret which inferior, average guardians of this ce cannot see through ¨C a secret only the truly strong ones can discover. The fact that Kaeul was weak. She was the only one aware of it so there would be a conflict if someone happens to refute her and in the end when everything is revealed, she would feel joy from it.

    Lack of attention was effective. Kitty Brzenk was about to lose interest and walk away but it was then.

    ¡°Oi. Young man over there.¡±

    A man¡¯s voice gathered the eyes of everyone in the room. The man with an especiallyrge body, Mihailov, opened his mouth.

    Someone finally took the bait. Intrigue appeared on the fake face of Kitty Brzenk.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Your mouth is quite the free one is it not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m speaking with my own mouth. Any problems?¡±

    ¡°The problem is that my ears didn¡¯t want to hear them.¡±

    ¡°Haha. So what?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Who even are you? Do I have to humour you in some way?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Because if you don¡¯t, something unpleasant will happen to you.¡±

    Kuung¨C

    The air fluctuated and vibrated as killing intent bounced from Mihailov¡¯s eyes. But immediately afterwards, Mihailov realised that something was off. The killing intent he emitted was enough to oppress the dimension and squeeze it but the young man in front of him was receiving it with extreme ease.

    ¡°Did you do something just then?¡±

    The man¡¯s crooked sneer infuriated Mihailov even more.

    ¡°You. Come outside for a bit.¡±

    When Mihailov suddenly started walking up to him, the guardians nearby stood up and blocked him.

    ¡°Oho. What¡¯s gotten into you!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Mihailov.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t even concern you, does it.¡±

    Suppressing the anger, Mihailov opened his mouth.

    ¡°From the days past, fists have been great teachers. Whether it concerns me or not, an impudent bastard has to be bashed otherwise they won¡¯t listen.¡±

    Kitty Brzenk asked back with a smile.

    ¡°If you want to, well, how about a bet?¡±

    ¡°A bet?¡±

    ¡°No more no less. How about one flick on the forehead. On whether Cadet Kaeul can finish the test or not.¡±

    Seemingly dumbfounded, Mihailov raised his hand and scratched his forehead.

    ¡°It¡¯s not even whether she can be one of the five transcendent cadets. Are you scared?¡±

    He ced his middle finger behind his thumb and repeatedly flicked it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen many superhumans till now but I¡¯ve yet to see someone with a loose mouth like you live long enough.¡±

    ¡°Good on you I guess? A retired bear old and sick still has a mouth as heavy as an active Soviet.¡±

    ¡°You damn scum¡­¡±

    Kitty Brzenk insulted Russian soldiers by calling them Soviets, and also touched his pride as a retired soldier. Mihailov had to hold in the urge to run up and crush his neck.

    ¡°What. You wanna hit someone? Then how about changing the bet. A p for the winner.¡±

    Once his rage exceeded its ceiling, it instead cooled rapidly. Mihailov replied with a low voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need a finger at the very least.¡±

    ¡°Then what about a wrist.¡±

    ¡°Wrist is good. More importantly the loser quits being a guardian. How is that.¡±

    Right now, Mihailov was being very irrational.

    Quitting the guardian position referred to leaving Lair. Mihailov was nning to chase after the young man as soon as he left Lair and kill him.

    ¡°What a crazy old bear¡­¡±

    ¡°What. Are you scared? Vow before everyone here.¡±

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s do it. Do not regret it.¡±

    The onlooking guardians blinked their eyes in puzzlement but that was the end of the fuss.

    [No.5-2, Cadet [Yu Kaeul]]

    [Starting in 5 minutes]

    A sentence marking the start of the exam appeared on the hologram screen.

    *

    The hunting dog of the Soviet Union, who would have charged in no matter the opponent and location in the past, gained patience with age.

    However, it seemed that 5 years wasn¡¯t enough for him to control his rage. Once he settled down his mood while smoking outside the building, Mihailov realised that he had been angry for no reason.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    He was calming himself down with a cigarette when Yu Yeorum walked towards him.

    ¡°Ahjussi. You looked like an actual madman there.¡±

    ¡°Young cadets should go back inside.¡±

    ¡°Fu*k. What.¡±

    Yeorum ced a cigarette in her mouth and lit it on fire.

    ¡°Good job. I felt a lot better myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It should be fine. Our guardian will take care of it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Mihailov opened his mouth after a long contemtion.

    ¡°Cadet Kaeul. Is she strong?¡±

    His question was short.

    Did he butt in without even knowing that? Yeorum was dumbfounded.

    The sigh of the retired soldier was visibly long and deep.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied.

    ¡°What? I¡¯m not joking around right now. Cadet Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°I actually don¡¯t know. I¡¯m serious. She learned magic at a ce I couldn¡¯t see. I¡¯ve never seen it before and I¡¯m also curious.¡±

    Mihailov blinked his eyes.

    ¡°A, are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Nn. But she is definitely strong.¡±

    ¡°Based on what?¡±

    ¡°Because she¡¯s¡­¡±

    A dragon. No matter what, Yeorum couldn¡¯t say that so she looked for the right word to reply with.

    ¡°¡­ my sister? Haha.¡±

    Those were credible words indeed.

    It was so trustworthy that he could stand guarantee for her. It was a little bit more credible than how his uncle had asked for business funds 40 years ago.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His two nostrils gave off a gush of smoke like the chimneys of a factory.

    ***

    ¡°She¡¯s on.¡±

    The camera focused on Yu Kaeul as the eyes of the guardians all gathered on the hologram disy. The camera and mic picked up the situation.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t be this anxious even if it was Sophia taking the test. Like a restless person who had held their piss in for 7 hours, Mihailov red at the disy before shooting out of his seat.

    ¡°Good luck Yu Kaeul¨C!¡±

    When he powerfully shouted out loud, the cadets of RIL also shouted out, ¡°Uahh¨C!¡± and ¡°Good luck!¡±. The people that were unaware of what was happening were startled but naturally, all these sounds would not be heard by Kaeul who was on the other side of the screen.

    Yu Jitae was silently staring at Yeorum who had returned to his side.

    Something might have happened but she was in a good mood for some reason.

    ¡°You know, is she a lot stronger now?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, she is.¡±

    ¡°I hope she does well.¡±

    Her vignce had disappeared although a little. With an excited look on her face, she stared at the disy.

    [Exam start]

    Light entered the ne that Kaeul was wearing.

    It was a valley-shaped dungeon ¨C a simple man-made dungeon that consisted of a straight line path through the narrow and risky mountain slopes.

    The background of the situation was like this.

    There was a vige at the end of this dungeon that had been attacked by monsters. In order to save the survivors, a raid group had been formed but they failed after a sh with the boss and a few of the members were already lost.

    There was only one survivor in the wild but if they weren¡¯t saved in 10 minutes, they would die. That was why there was an image of an electric timer above Kaeul¡¯s head.

    [10:00]

    Soon, her watch rang.

    ¨C ATT headquarters. Rescue op superhumans on standby, copy.

    ¡°Copy that. On standby.¡±

    Kaeul calmly replied.

    ¡®Hoh? She¡¯s calm,¡¯ said someone in the room who knew how she usually acted. However, in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, Kaeul inside the disy looked somewhat absentminded.

    ¨C Begin the rescue operation.

    ¡°Copy that.¡±

    [09:59] The time immediately started ticking as Kaeul ran forth.

    The first section ¨C 50 metres till the ridge. She simply had to run up the rocky slope with nothing else.

    ¡°Run!¡±, ¡°Let¡¯s goo!¡± People cheered for her inside the room. However, when Kaeul during her sprint bumped into a rock and fell on the ground, the cheers immediately turned into ¡°Aht!¡±, ¡°Oh no¡­¡± and the atmosphere quickly died.

    Yeorum giggled andughed while Mihailov¡¯s expression turned dark.

    ¡°Aigo. An unfortunate start~¡±

    Kitty Brzenk said as if it was a shame but no-one replied.

    Standing back on her two feet, Kaeul took a deep breath in and out before running again. This time, it was stable. Her feet traversed across the increasing height of the rocky slope with light and long strides.

    By the time she reached the end of the 50 metre section, there was arge wall stopping her at the end of the ridge. It was a man-made structure roughly 10 metres in height, created to stop the hordes of monsters from attacking them.

    In just one stride, Kaeul jumped over the rocky wall.

    ¡°Ohhh!¡±

    ¡°Her feet are very light!¡±

    Any superhuman physically trained could easily jump over 10 metres but not that easily as if they were simply walking. They had to contract and rx the muscles and urately add mana to them.

    So what Kaeul did just then required a lot of physical talent and understanding. Is she a front guard or a fighter then? Some of the onlookers thought that.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible¡­¡±

    Mihailov closed his fists.

    The next section was a vastnd with swords and broken spears stabbed on the ground. They were the weapons of the dead ones, ced to mourn for those who had been sacrificed during the raid.

    She simply had to bow her head a little and walk past it. However, Kaeul stopped in front of each and every weapon and bowed to show respect.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Why would she¡­¡±

    ¡°Like, what is she¡­!¡±

    People gasped andmented at the sight with the biggest oneing from Mihailov¡¯s mouth.

    Actually, that was the basic etiquette of superhumans but this was a test was it not? Is she doing that despite knowing the fact that it is a time attack?

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    That was when Bom let out a faint gasp.

    ¡°What,¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°I think I made a mistake.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I told her to just follow what she learned¡­¡±

    Saying that, she tucked her hair behind her ear. It seemed that Kaeul was doing it the OG way following what she actually learned during the lessons in the past.

    ¡°Might bete but should I at least tell her now? To do it more efficiently?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. Leave her.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Yu Jitae looked at Kaeul over the disy. Although he was physically distanced from her, he could still talk to her as long as he wanted to but he didn¡¯t.

    Ever since she began learningbat magic, she had never done anything on her own ord.

    Kaeul wasn¡¯t a fool. The moment she heard it was a test, she should know better than anyone what would give her good grades for the test.

    The reason Kaeul was doing what she was doing despite knowing that was because <i>that</i> was what she wanted to do. This might be the first step into her gaining her independence and identity.

    Thus, he decided to quietly watch over it even when Kaeul continued doing bizarre things. Kaeul, after bowing her head and showing her respect, suddenly began taking the weapons out and carrying them.

    Others would have dashed miles ahead already but despite that, she ran only after carrying all the weapons under her left arm. The onlookers gasped once again.

    ¡°Ahh, aigo.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ why exactly is she doing that?¡±

    ¡°I cannot understand. It¡¯s a little bit hard to watch even¡­¡±

    When the heavy weapons shook, her body did too. What was waiting for her next was a 60 metre gap between two cliffs. Not only that, there was a strong gale surrounding the cliffs.

    From the list of items given to the members was an artifact that allowed people to create floating bridges. Only 5 were given so every 12 metres, they had to throw one and create a floating bridge, while carefully crossing it and avoiding the wind.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    At this point, Mihailov clicked on the RIL group saved on his contacts and went through the list.

    Who would be a good sessor? He wondered.

    ¡°Mihailov.¡±

    That was when a voice he did not want to hear put an end to his thoughts. It was Kitty Brzenk with the mask of a man.

    When Mihailov silently turned towards her, Kitty Brzenk smirked.

    ¡°Kneel and apologise right now. Then I will let you keep your wrist.¡±

    She then giggled. Seeing that face, Mihailov couldn¡¯t withstand the desire to kill and couldn¡¯t care any less about the bet.

    It was when he brought his hand to the dagger on his waist.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Someone doubtfully raised their voice.

    Naturally, the eyes of both Kitty Brzenk and Mihailov headed to therge hologram disy.

    Kaeul was on the other side of the 60-metre gap already.

    She continued running.

    Afterimages of her mana, shockingly clean and sharp, scattered behind her feet. More importantly, it was such a long-distance dimensional movement that it did not make any sense.

    For cadets, no matter how great they were at it, ¡®that spell¡¯ had a 15 metre distance limit so the onlookers couldn¡¯t immediately tell what it was and were dazed.

    ¡°Huh? What was that just then? Blink¡­?¡±

    ¡°Blink? That was blink? That was more than 60 metres?!¡±

    The atmosphere flipped immediately.

 Chapter 228: Change of Seasons (4)

    <h4>Chapter 228: Change of Seasons (4)</h4>

    The boom mic approached them. The cameraman filming the room did not forget his role even in this surprising situation and filmed the faces of the dumbfounded guardians and cadets.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡±

    One of the guardians who had grown up as a mage said that.

    ¡°Surely it¡¯s a different spell and not blink?¡±

    Only the footage and sound were sent over the disy so they had to make a guess with just that.

    ¡°A different spell? You think there are tonnes of dimensional spells or something?¡±

    ¡°Sure there¡¯s not that many, but there are some right?¡±

    ¡°Like what? There¡¯s only things like zeta-blink, dimensional discement and interdimensional gates. At a cadet level, even if they used those three spells in a row, they shouldn¡¯t be able to cover 60 metres in a short period of time.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s true, but she¡¯s from the Yu household, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    The listeners closed their mouths. The name Yu household was strangely enough to clear most of their doubts.

    ¡°A unique spell of the Yu household. Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±

    ¡°That is probably the case¡­¡±

    The eyes turned back towards the disy filled with intrigue, and with a different objective. If Yu Kaeul was a mage, they might be able to see a bit more of Yu household¡¯s unique spells.

    Inside the screen,

    A crossroad appeared before Kaeul as she stopped sprinting.

    Opening her watch, Kaeul looked at the given map. The left road led to a high mountain slope that had to be climbed and both monsters and traps were waiting there. Meanwhile, the right side connected to a very narrow side road on the side of a cliff.

    Standing before the crossroad, Kaeul looked at the front and the bottom of the cliff. The side road was so narrow that Kaeul would fall if she were to stand straight on it and a bottomless pit was under the cliff. There was still a strong gust of wind surrounding the cliffs and there were also several bird-type monsters in the distance.

    If she were to cross the dimensions with magic, it would give off a dense pulse of mana that makes her the target of the flying monsters.

    The bigger issue here was that Kaeul was still carrying therge weapons under her left arm. She was short already so the greatswords and broken spears appeared all the morerge.

    ¡°Aohh! What are you even thinking about? Just chuck all those things away and go down the narrow path!¡±

    Yeorum furiously erupted. However, unlike what she wanted, Kaeul carefully hugged the weapons with her two hands and started walking down the narrow path with her back towards the cliff. Her blonde hair neatly tied up in a bun swept past the rocky cliff like a broomstick.

    ¡°Like, why the heck is she doing that?¡±

    ¡°I think she¡¯s trying to walk until she¡¯s outside the flying monsters¡¯ territory and blink from there.¡±

    Bom replied.

    ¡°Like I said, why? If she¡¯s a mage, she can just kill them first.¡±

    This time, Bom didn¡¯t reply as she too couldn¡¯t understand what Kaeul was doing. However, Yu Jitae had told her to leave her alone and there must be a reason he said that.

    Soon, Kaeul was met with a precarious situation. From the other side of the narrow path ¨C from behind the slight curve of the cliff-side, a zombie reared its head.

    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s gonna be dangerous,¡± said a guardian who had worked for 30 years as an operator.

    ¡°Dangerous?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an infected zombie. It¡¯s the type that explodes when it¡¯s killed.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    There were blue speckles all around the zombie¡¯s body. It was amon enemy in the battlefield.

    ¡°Normally people would try to make the zombie drop but that thing happens to be a variant that lives on the cliff. The bones on its feet and ankles look like spikes.¡±

    ¡°Right. They do look like the spikes of crampons¡­ they wouldn¡¯t fall that easily then.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult to either kill or have enough force to drop the zombie from a long range without exploding it. She would have to either fight closebat or explode the ground, but the variant gives off infectious liquid when it explodes and she won¡¯t be able to move if she explodes the ground so¡­¡±

    ¡°Then the only way out would be to jump over it without touching it right? Since the zombie moves very slowly.¡±

    The guardians nodded.

    ¡°So it¡¯s just a moving obstacle in a narrow space that needs to be jumped over while keeping their bnce.¡±

    ¡°When you put it like that, it doesn¡¯t sound that hard though?¡±

    However, the operator guardian shook his head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Why would there be an infected zombie on the side of a cliff?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a man-made dungeon so someone must have put it there right¡­? Wait, huh¡­?¡±

    The guardian muttered in enlightenment.

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡±

    Unlike other educational facilities, Lair¡¯s virtual dungeons were known for imitating natural dungeons 100%.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t put there by humans.¡±

    *

    By the time Kaeul was half way through the narrow walkway on the side of the cliff, the camera distanced away and disyed the full picture.

    Further down the walls of the cliff, arge chameleon-looking monster was stuck on the wall waiting for its prey after setting the zombie up as bait. Feeling the vibrations of the wall, its eyes rolled left and right as it waited on.

    ¡°Uhh, fuc*¡­¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s expression also darkened. The chameleon was as big as an elephant and looked like shit. It by no means looked like a weak monster.

    If Kaeul exploded the zombie, her path would be blocked by the infectious liquid. However, if she simply jumped over it, she would feel the pressure of being chased by the zombie behind her while the chameleon monster would attack her from the front.

    Even if she survived the attack, it was highly likely that she would fall off of this narrow ledge. Since she was still within the territory of the flying monsters, she couldn¡¯t blink forward and the best option for her would be to blink back to the crossroad.

    All that while carrying all those weapons¡­

    [6:01]

    However, there wasn¡¯t much time remaining on the clock. If she were to go back to the crossroad, it would be difficult for her to finish the test.

    Stopping on the spot, Kaeul pondered and hesitated while the zombie walked up to her.

    ¡°What are you going to do¡­?¡±

    The solution Kaeul came up with was the most rational and simple solution. However, it was a solution that a cadet other than Kaeul could never even dare try.

    Click ¨C Kaeul clicked her fingers.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Uh. Huh¡­?¡±

    Once again, the onlookers doubted their eyes.

    The zombie was covered in light before appearing further down the narrow pathway.

    It was blink ¨C Kaeul had teleported the zombie.

    ¡°What is that!?¡±

    ¡°How in the world did she do that? Huh? Nn?¡±

    ¡°An object would be crazy enough already. A zombie¡­!¡±

    Their mutters were closer to horror at this point.

    Mana was the manifestation of will. Unlike other organisms, zombies had weaker wills. If one wanted to, it was possible to fold the dimension and move it somewhere else like other objects.

    Well, that was only the case for world rankers in 4 digits at the very least.

    They were shocked.

    Meanwhile, the chameleon monster that was acutely sensing the situation with vibration mistook the thing that suddenly appeared before it as its prey. The light caused by blink served as a smokescreen. Quickly, the chameleon stuck its tongue out and pulled in the thing that was surrounded by light.

    However, it realised that something was off the moment it ced it into its mouth.

    Uwekk!

    The monster hurriedly spit it out but its tongue was already covered with bluish liquid. The chameleon who was careful and cautious enough to use bait immediately ran away in fright. Thus, Kaeul easily walked down the narrow path and crossed the section.

    ¡°How much time left now?¡±

    ¡°5 minutes and 32 seconds. She¡¯s fast.¡±

    ¡°The average time left for transcendent cadetsst year after that section was 5 minutes and 37 seconds right? She¡¯s almost the same.¡±

    While the guardians and cadets were watching the sudden turn of events with intrigue, Mihailov turned towards Kitty Brzenk.

    The man was wearing quite the look on his face, as if a set of dominos he hadboriously built up hade crumbling down. Looking at the man¡¯s face, Mihailov still felt irritated but at the same time, he wanted to see that face crumpling to an even worse frown.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see the little dog that was barking till now. Ahh, can you see it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hoh? He red back. It seemed that his stupid ego was quite hurt.

    ¡°Or did someone sew the mouth of that dog? It was so noisy; I¡¯m sure it must have been hard.¡±

    Mihailovughed heartily. What was the thing he needed the most on such a happy asion? The retired Russian soldier could dare say that it was vodka.

    Taking out a pocket-sized bottle of vodka from his pocket, he dumped it inside his mouth. The burning feeling in his throat felt rather refreshing.

    Meanwhile,

    Kitty Brzenk found it hard to control her temper. Children born and raised in the Brzenk Family were always very bored. It was frustrating since they couldn¡¯t show anything despite having a lot of things.

    She had gotten hold of a fake identity with difficulty and because she had to care for Tyr Brzenk, she couldn¡¯t stay in this form for long. This superhuman in her 40¡¯s wanted to enjoy her pastime activities with more density.

    That was when she came across something entertaining. It was rare so she had wanted to kindle the fire a bit but it was now her that was being insulted instead.

    ¡°Kik kik kik.¡±

    And why the hell was that redhead giggling like a fool?

    It wasn¡¯t just the redhead. All the superhumans that had been annoying her wereughing in secret with their heads turned away from her.

    Kitty Brzenk was ranked in the 100¡¯s, and was a superhuman that would be treated like a VIP wherever she went. Mere insects that would not dare look into her eyes outsideughing at her like this was very difficult for her to bear with. Even if it was because of her own mistake, she did not feel ashamed for that misjudgment.

    It was because she was a ¡®Brzenk¡¯.

    ¡°Hmm. Alcohol tends to taste better with the right scenery. What do you think; do you think today is a good day for some alcohol?¡±

    Mihailov was churning her insides in real time with a smile.

    ¡°Look. It¡¯s still not the end of the test yet. Mihailov. Stop your disrespectful words and watch the disy.¡±

    ¡°Were you not doing the same? You were the one judging Cadet Kaeul before she even used her magic and yet you are calling me disrespectful now. You should reflect on your own attitude.¡±

    ¡°Mihailov¡­ I see you are a very talkative person.¡±

    ¡°What. I¡¯m speaking with my own mouth. Are there any problems?¡±

    This time, Mihailov copied the same words that Kitty Brzenk had used. But that was when something interesting entered the sight of Kitty Brzenk.

    ¡°Right. Now I get it¡­ You better put that bottle away right now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to say something strange again. Vrrroong vvrrroong. Your noisy mouth might need some repairs.¡±

    ¡°Shut it. I am probably correct. Cadet Yu Kaeul is only a blink mage. She must be unable to use other spells.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, it doesn¡¯t make sense. A cadet outputting that much mana? And using dimensional movement spells in a row like that?¡±

    As if she had found an escape route, Kitty Brzenk¡¯s voice turned brighter.

    ¡°Then she won¡¯t be able to finish the test. Because there is an opponent that must be fought.¡±

    Hearing that, the smiles vanished from the faces of the listeners. In fact, the mages that had been watching the test so far had been carrying simr doubts. Going through several sections, Yu Kaeul had only been using blink.

    Even now was the same.

    After passing the cliff, when she met 3 monsters blocking the road, Kaeul avoided them with blink and also when she was inside the underground cave that was full of traps, Kaeul jumped past it with blink.

    At this point, people were made to have the same doubt as Kitty Brzenk.

    Perhaps,

    Perhaps there was just an extremely efficient blink spell unique to the Yu household? If the ability Cadet Yu Kaeul was enlightened to was a blessing rted to dimensional movement on top of that, even this iprehensible situation can be understood.

    Of course, that alone would be amazing.

    It was amazing, but their hearts that had been expecting something even greater were starting to be cut down. Inside the waiting room that had strangely turned quiet, Kitty Brzenk¡¯s voice represented their doubts.

    ¡°Look. Even here, she won¡¯t try to usebat magic.¡±

    Standing at the front of the only entrance to the ruined vige was arge monster. With a height reaching 3.7 metres and a hairy and muscr humanoid body, it had the head of a bull.

    A+ ranked humanoid monster, Minotaur.

    A mid-boss level monster that physically exceeded an ogre with its crazy reflexes. It was not an opponent that could be defeated by a cadet. They needed at least a 4-digit superhuman to defeat it.

    However, the minotaur inside the virtual dungeon had a suppressor shaped like a nose ring going through its nostrils. This Level 2 artifact was one that greatly weakened the beast.

    Therefore, if the cadet could drive one urate blow to its nose ring, the monster would be dazed for a short period of time.

    ¡°It cannot be dodged with blink. Because it¡¯s fast.¡±

    As soon as Kitty Brzenk finished her words, the minotaur found Kaeul.

    Kaeul was by no means moving stealthily and that was what gave her away. To monsters, humans were their enemies. The moment it discovered an enemy off in the distance, the minotaur bent its body in an upside-down ¡®L¡¯ shape. Its thighs as thick as building pirs built up power and each one of its muscles contracted as it lowered its shoulders. Soon, the thighs with unprecedented force behind it kicked off the ground as the monster dashed towards Kaeul.

    Kung, kung, kung, kung, kung¨C!

    The minotaur sprinted through the dimension with a vigour like that of a tank. Even castle walls would not be enough to hold back its march.

    ¡°She has to fight it. What is she going to do now? Drop a piece of stone from above or something?¡±

    The maximum distance of 60 metres that had been previously shown with the blink would serve as nothing more than a 2-second time frame against that monster.

    The minotaur that had been as tiny as a fingernail in the distance was now as big as a house. It would be an instant death the moment it drove into her.

    Kaeul¡¯s body and her height of 158 centimetres that was already smaller than others appeared even smaller.

    That was when a crack appeared in the excitedly chattering face of Kitty Brzenk.

    At a frighteningly rapid speed, mana was [condensed].

    Kaeul reached her right hand out as mana gathered into a golden dot. It was ever so tiny but everyone could see beyond the screen the unnaturally dense ball of mana.

    Soon, when the forme of [pration] and [speed] were added to the [condensed] and [focused] mana.

    The dimension with a 3 metre radius away from her right hand started being crushed and pushed back.

    The minotaur¡¯s head closed in.

    And,

    Tuung¡ª

    As if the world itself had been suppressing it, like the crumbling of a dam and like a volcanic eruption, an indescribably immense flood of mana was shot as a ray of light.

    It prated through the head of the minotaur and exterminated its upper body. The ray of light did not lose its force even after that and drew a clean cylinder as it flew off and cut a portion of the distant mountain.

    Even though their eyes had seen it, they could not believe it. It was the same for all of them.

    When Kaeul¡¯s magic talent was finally proven,

    The waiting room was filled with screams and yells of shock and fear.

 Chapter 229: Change of Seasons (5)

    <h4>Chapter 229: Change of Seasons (5)</h4>

    After losing its head, the minotaur copsed. The body could no longer move once its spinal cords were blown away. Its lower body were stiff as if they were under a paralysis.

    However, it had been running at a speed faster than a car and the body denser than rocks was also heavier than a car. The lower body rolled forward after copsing on the ground while sprinkling drops of blood everywhere.

    Right when it was in front of her, Kaeul startledly used blink and avoided it at thest second. Therge body of the monster collided with the fragments of light that covered where Kaeul had been, and travelled through it until it crashed into a rocky wall in the distance.

    That much would have been perfect.

    However, perhaps because her legs were trembling, Kaeul stepped on a rock after leaving a pool of light elsewhere and fell on her bum.

    After falling on the ground, she seemed surprised from what she herself had done.

    ¡°¡­? ¡­¡­??¡±

    With circr eyes, she looked at her hand and looked back at the remaining body of the minotaur. When her eyes caught sight of the cut-off mountain in the distance, her body flinched visibly to the point that people could see it from the other side of the screen.

    She looked frightened.

    Yu Jitae looked at the hands of the child. She was unable to control her power at all. The electric mana unique to the gold race was still flickering and drawing tails around her palm.

    Her hand would probably be hot and her wrist and elbow were probably still shaking.

    Just as he expected, Kaeul remained there nkly hugging her right hand.

    However, she didn¡¯t have a lot of time.

    Kaeul stood up.

    She dusted her bum, and carried the weapons that had fallen on the ground. She headed into the ruined vige and met the child, the only survivor.

    All that had taken just a minute and 20 seconds.

    Meanwhile, the waiting room was literally in chaos.

    ***

    Seeing a situation which immensely deviated from theirmon sense, people were shocked.

    Whether it be normal superhumans or guardians that were inside the waiting room, most of their lives had been spent living inside a basket of normal superhumans.

    Awakening at around 15 years of age, entering an academy in their teens and getting trained until early 20¡¯s. After graduation, they desired to be well-treated by their country¡¯s military organisations, guilds and their households. That¡¯s how the superhumans started their social life after bing young adults.

    Strong superhumans can be seen anywhere but they were like the moon. They gathered the eyes of others and could be seenmonly wherever but were in fact umon. In the night sky, they were especially brighter than countless other stars.

    Those that couldn¡¯t tell the difference when they had been staring at it from a distance realises it only once they be a star themselves. It prates deeply into their mind.

    That the ¡®moon¡¯ is different from them.

    Just then in front of their eyes,

    A star that seemed slightly brighter than other stars.

    Had revealed itself just then as a bright shiny moon.

    ¡°Uwahhhhh¡ª!!¡±

    ¡°Wah, wah! Insane. Seriously!¡±

    ¡°What happened?!¡±

    The cadets showed coarse, undisguised reactions. The cadets of RIL covered their foreheads with their hands in shock as other cadets showed simrly frightened reactions.

    The elements that cadets of Lair referred to themselves with; namely affiliation, organisation, ethnicity and nationality. All those elements crumbled before an overwhelming element exceeding the norms.

    Superhumans lived to be stronger.

    It didn¡¯t make sense for anyone to stay still after watching that. A superhuman sane after seeing that? How?

    A young cadet specialising in magic whose heart had been tingling from the moment she saw Kaeul¡¯s blink couldn¡¯t hold it in after seeing that offensive spell and screamed out loud.

    ¡°Kieeeeekkkk!¡±

    ¡°Kuuaaahh! It¡¯s crazy! Crazy!¡±

    In the midst of the chaotic waiting room, the guardians that had been quietly shocked and rolling their tongues opened their mouths.

    ¡°¡­¡­What was that thing just then?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m seeing it. From the speed, it doesn¡¯t look like a light-attribute spell.¡±

    ¡°It did draw a parab at the end. From the trajectory alone, it looked just like a magic arrow right?¡±

    ¡°Aye. It can¡¯t possibly be a magic arrow right.¡±

    The sight of a worm as big as a snake made the veterans confused. However, that spell was indeed a [Magic Arrow (C)]. While the guardians were trying to ascertain what the spell was, one of the guardians raised a question.

    ¡°So Cadet Kaeul recently learned magic right? Who in the world did she learn it from?¡±

    Gyeoul, who had been carefully listening to their words, tapped on Bom¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Bom turned around and Gyeoul showed her two big thumbs.

    Seeing that, Bom also showed an arrogant expression, beforeughing it off and stamping her thumbs with her own. After receiving a stamp on her thumbs, Gyeoul turned around and looked at Yeorum.

    Yeorum¡¯s gaze was fixed on the screen. Seemingly surprised a fair bit, her expression was slightly crumpled while her mouth was slightly open.

    Gyeoul was wearing a bright smile, thinking it was a great thing all around but it was then.

    ¡®Wahh¡­ isn¡¯t she just stronger than Yu Yeorum?¡¯

    ¡®I think she¡¯s a lot stronger by far.¡¯

    Someone¡¯s voice was heard from the crowd.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Gyeoul turned around. However, there were too many people chatting to each other and a lot of them were on their feet so it was hard to tell who the speaker was.

    The issue was that Yeorum-unni could hear anything that Yu Gyeoul herself could hear. Gyeoul turned around to look at Yeorum and she became slightly surprised.

    Yeorum was looking in the same direction she herself had been looking in.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    When Gyeoul carefully asked a question, Yeorum who had been obstinately turning her gaze in search of something turned around.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why? Are you, looking for something?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Yeorum once again turned back towards the screen. She then crookedly tilted her head and slowly crossed her legs.

    ¡°Please calm down. It¡¯s not the end yet is it?¡±

    Saying that from the back, Mihailov took out an emergency fire axe and swung it around. The look on Kitty Brzenk¡¯s face had exceeded shock and was even nearing fear.

    In the midst of the bustle, Yu Jitae was silent.

    Soon, the noise died down.

    Kaeul¡¯s test was not yet over.

    ***

    In the middle of the vige, Kaeul stabbed the weapons of the rescue squad that had died in the field. Since they died trying to protect this ce, she thought it was right to ce the weapons here. Finally, they had returned to their rightful ces.

    Kaeul moved her feet and found a young child who had injured her legs inside the rubbles.

    ¡°I, I have secured the superhuman survivor. Copy that.¡±

    ¨C This is ATT headquarters. Copy. Return as soon as possible.

    After the report, Kaeul looked at the child who was on the ground. Her legs were bleeding while her face was covered by dust. The child was smaller than her, and was perhaps a little bigger than Gyeoul.

    Following the given procedures, Kaeul spoke to her.

    ¡°A, are you alright?¡±

    The fallen child gazed up at her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m here to save you. You just have to follow me.¡±

    The child nodded. It was a normal reaction, naturally because this was a virtual man-made dungeon. This child too was a fake.

    ¡°My leg hurts¡­¡±

    Normally, people simply had to carry this human which was nothing but a mass of polygons on their shoulders and go back, because they were short on time. Kaeul was 2 years into her life at Lair and also knew it.

    ¡®I can¡¯t do it¡­¡¯

    But despite knowing that it was a test, Kaeul just couldn¡¯t do so. Wasn¡¯t there someone resembling a human in pain? How could she just ignore it?

    It was an irrational judgement born from a trivial emotion.

    Despite that, Kaeul decided to follow her own judgement. It didn¡¯t matter whether she was doing well in the test or not.

    ¡°I have medication. I¡¯ll put it on for you. After that, let¡¯s run away with unni.¡±

    Kaeul hurriedly took the medical box from the emergency kit. Then, whilst reflecting back on the first aid course she learned during ss, she wiped the wound, disinfected it and applied medication on top.

    ¡°M, my mum is o, on the other side.¡±

    It was then.

    The child¡¯s eyes suddenly turned vacant, as she murmured.

    ¡°Huh? Nn?¡±

    ¡°My mum. My mum is there¡­ A monster stepped on her and she¡¯s hurt. Please save her.¡±

    The child pointed at the mountain that was even further away from the vige. If Kaeul was to go into the mountain and save someone ande back, it would go over the given time limit.

    Although Kaeul was unaware, this was also an element of the test.

    A ce invaded by monsters was like the manifestation of hell on earth. Survivors in that ce are those that saw their family members and friends get ripped to pieces in front of their eyes.

    It was unlikely for them to be in their right minds.

    Despite seeing the corpses of their families, they believe they are still alive and ask for help.

    Was it just survivors in battlefields that lost their minds?

    No. Young superhumans inexperienced in wars also tended to lose their minds. Especially the superhumans who had the mindset that they were here to save people were easily carried by their emotions.

    Even though they doubt it might be a false request, they still listen. The rescue then inevitably takes longer and ultimately everything gets messed up.

    ¡°Please help my mum¡­¡±

    Since this was just a test, Lair did not make the child too desperate. It was to avoid giving traumatic experiences for the cadets.

    The remaining time was [03:27].

    Looking at the numbers above her head, Kaeul pondered.

    There were people on the other side of the screenmenting and screaming as they saw her vacant self, but Kaeul was uninterested in all that.

    Until now, Kaeul had been doing everything Yu Jitae told her to do, and didn¡¯t attempt anything that he told her not to do.

    However, that disappeared as she started learning magic. Yu Jitae did notmand or restrict her. He simply told her that she could build power first and earn conviction one day.

    Kaeul wanted to help the child. She thought it was her duty to do so.

    Was this the conviction ahjussi was talking about?

    She had no idea.

    A difficult word like that was not for her.

    However¡­

    Although it was a test for now, something simr to this might happen in real life one day. It might be alright this time because there aren¡¯t any actual victims inside the mountain, but if it does happen, the child¡¯s mother could truly be in the mountain right? Should she ignore the cries of the child and return despite that in order to save time?

    Kaeul did not want to do that.

    She thought that a person wishing to live as a guardian and a guardian deity should not do such a thing.

    She couldn¡¯t tell whether her judgement was right or wrong.

    Kaeul was young.

    She simply did as her heart told her to.

    Hiding the child behind a strong wall of the vige, Kaeul asked her.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Moon¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright. Moon. You have to hide here and not move until unnies back, okay?¡±

    ¡°What about you unni¡­?¡±

    If Kaeul had considered this a simple time-attack test for even a second, she would have ignored the request of the child.

    However, she did not do so.

    ¡°I will go save your mum.¡±

    However, Kaeul couldn¡¯t find the child¡¯s mother for over 3 minutes. It was because she wasn¡¯t there in the first ce.

    At that point, she only had 20 seconds remaining on the clock. Blink or whatever she could use would not allow her to return on time.

    The moment the audience was certain about the exam failing, someone inside the roomughed like crazy. Then, that person snatched the axe away from Mihailov¡¯s hand.

    However, what marked the end of the chaotic mess was when Kaeul hugged the child and jumped through the distant dimensions.

    [Teleportation (S)]

    People outside the screen once again screamed out loud as Kaeul returned to the designated ce for the rescue team.

    [00:17]

    The timer stopped.

    ¡°I have sessfully saved the survivor¡­ copy that.¡±

    ¨C This is ATT headquarters. Copy!

    ¨C Congrattions on the sessful rescue.

    She passed the test.

    Despite wasting 3 minutes, Kaeul seeded in rescuing the child.

    The child gave off her programmed expression. Saying thanks, she hugged Kaeul with a bright smile and Kaeul hugged her back.

    For the first time after she started learning magic, Kaeul felt something twitch inside her heart.

    Her mind that had been muddled and hazy was being cleared up.

    Like magic.

    ***

    ¡°What was that? You only have 20 seconds so kneel and ask for forgiveness, was it?¡±

    The axe was back in the hands of Mihailov. Kitty Brzenk could dare vow that she had never felt this irritated in her entire life so far.

    ¡°Can you read the numbers there?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Read it out loud please. Look. The one at the front is a 1, and the one at the back is a 7, but I can¡¯t tell what it is when you put them together.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please understand. I have a disease where I can¡¯t read any numbers under 20.¡±

    He swung the fire axe in circles and smiled like a bear. The startled guards came running up and asked what was going on. However, they couldn¡¯t directly interfere with the situation unless the actual violence urred ¨C that was just the way superhuman societies worked.

    Kitty Brzenk thought to herself.

    She couldn¡¯t escape. There were too many eyes in the surroundings.

    It would hurt when her wrist is cut off. Superhumans were the same. Although it was possible to stick it back again, that was after all the pain subsided.

    However, what would hurt a bit more than the wrist was her pride.

    Me losing my wrist for something this meagre?

    ¡°Kneel. I will take a finger instead of a wrist.¡±

    She felt extremely irritated and did not want to act subserviently.

    Kitty Brzenk inwardly raised her mana and inserted them into her skin. She then went through 7 different forme in a row.

    [Inner Shield (A+)]

    Right underneath the skin, she created a small barrier to block the axe. The physical protection spell used by a mage in the 100¡¯s was something that cannot be dealt with with the power of a mere retired soldier.

    She could then scoff and walk away.

    The fake identity could be discarded and she could create another one with the name of the Brzenk Family. Although there would be less entertainment for the time being and it would be boring, she could act based on the things that had happened today to have a more fun timeter.

    ¡°Go on. Try swinging it down.¡±

    Saying that, Kitty Brzenk nonchntly showed her wrist. With no questions asked, Mihailov immediately swung the axe down.

    Kaang¨C!

    The skin near the wrist was slightly cut but the axe bounced off as if it had struck a piece of metal.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Mihailov was surprised by the mana that immediately invaded his body through his hand. Due to the reaction of the inner shield spell, sharp lines of mana entered his body and wreaked havoc. Quickly, he raised his mana and blocked it but his insides had been damaged already. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± he quietly muttered.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Come on.¡±

    Was that violence? No. There weren¡¯t any victims yet. Since the situation was flowing in a strange manner, the guardians and guards that were watching the situation didn¡¯t know what to do. It was then.

    ¡°Do you mind if I do that?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    A man began walking towards them inrge strides. The man was tall and had wide developed shoulders and a hazy gaze that was difficult to look back at.

    Surprise spread across the crowd like a wave.

    ¡°Ah. Of course.¡±

    Mihailov nonchntly handed him the axe while inwardly giving a smile.

    *

    He wasn¡¯t going to care much about it, but the dog he was seeing often in the town got bit by a bug and was about to get bitten even more.

    A dog he knew crying in pain wasn¡¯t a wee sight so Yu Jitae decided to crush the bug and kill it.

    Standing in front of Kitty Brzenk, he raised the axe.

    Guardian of the Yu household.

    The superhuman that overwhelmed Sirdo Leo.

    Kitty Brzenk was visibly surprised as she pulled her hand back. Then, she shouted at Mihailov.

    ¡°Oi! You can¡¯t make someone else do¡­!¡±

    Yu Jitae raised his shoulder. Right when people thought he was about to swing the axe, his arm turned hazy.

    Bamm¡ª

    A sound resembling the chopping of firewood resonated. The axe fell down and so did Kitty Brzenk¡¯s wrist.

    ¡°Ahhhkkk!!¡±

 Chapter 230: Change of Seasons (6)

    <h4>Chapter 230: Change of Seasons (6)</h4>

    Kitty Brzenk soon stopped shouting.

    Although it did hurt, high-ranked superhumans were all trained in pain tolerance. The pain did not reduce, but their tolerance did increase.

    However, Kitty Brzenk soon felt a slightly bigger sense of fear. After walking right up to her nose, Yu Jitae grabbed her by the forehead.

    She was frightened, thinking how a human could have such a powerful grip.

    Even now, her ¡®inner shield¡¯ spell was still active. If a tank drove into her, she might feel the shock in her body but the tank would still fail to leave any direct damage on the bones or her skin.

    Despite that, Yu Jitae¡¯s hand that was grabbing her head ripped through her skin. Blood oozed out as the mask that had be one with the skin ripped and he gripped until a part of her skull let out a crack.

    No matter how she twisted her body, it was futile. As if her head was stuck in a hydraulic press, her body twitched with the head stuck in ce.

    Kitty Brzenk took a deep breath in. The two hazy eyes and gray pupils ¨C the man was staring at her. But he wasn¡¯t looking at her eyes and it seemed as if he was staring at her true self hidden underneath her eyes.

    Don¡¯t tell me, did he find out?

    Even a ranker should not be able to see through the mask created by the lord of the Tower of Mages though?

    Huuk, she took in another deep breath as her heart felt like it was being squeezed to a stop.

    Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°I do not know who you are.¡±

    A faint light of amusement spread across his hazy expression.

    That was when the guards ran in shouting, ¡°Please let go!¡± and ¡°Stop please!¡±. They had to bite the bullet and try to create a distance between Yu Jitae and Kitty Brzenk.

    The man obediently let go. He then raised his hands and followed their requests.

    Do not know who you are?

    Kitty Brzenk was instead certain from those words that her identity had been seen through.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words sounded like a warning, saying try acting up again with a different identity if you dare.

    She felt her legs turning loose so she had to use telekic powers to support her body.

    Yu Jitae was caught by the superhuman guards and so were Mihailov and Kitty Brzenk. They were led to the sentries and had to write a summary statement describing what had happened.

    Although he could defy them if he wanted to, Yu Jitae obediently followed their requests. Before following them, he told Bom.

    ¡°Take the kids back home.¡±

    Bom, who had ced Gyeoul on herp and had covered her eyes with her hands, gave a nod. The sudden block of her vision and the skin contact was allowing Bom¡¯s good memories to flow into her. Therefore, Gyeoul right now was waving her hands mid-air, trying to touch things in a flowerfield.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Bom let go of her hands only after Yu Jitae walked out. Gyeoul looked into her eyes with a frown.

    ¡°¡­Why, did you block?¡±

    In response, Bom covered her own eyes before opening them straight.

    ¡°Peek-a-boo.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head with a frown.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m, not a baby.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡±

    Fortunately she seeded in taking her mind off of the topic. If she saw Yu Jitae swing an axe with her own eyes, Gyeoul would probably have been very surprised.

    Even though a dragon, she was still a baby. Bom gently smiled.

    Then, Bom turned around and looked at Yeorum.

    Although there had been amotion inside the room, Yeorum¡¯s gaze was still fixed on the disy, as if nothing else mattered.

    The disy screen was a close-up full of golden colours.

    Outside the exam venue were filled with reporters.

    ***

    <Q: Cadet Yu Kaeul. What was the spell you used at the end?>

    <Yu Kaeul: Umm, umm¡­bat magic¡­>

    <Q: Since when did you start learning magic, Cadet Yu Kaeul?>

    <Yu Kaeul: Uhh, umm, just¡­ (runs away)>

    <Q: Is there a reason behind why you had been hiding your magic talent all the way throughout the 1st semester of 2nd grade let alone the 1st grade?>

    <Yu Kaeul: Sorry? Umm¡­ it¡¯s not like I was hiding¡­>

    <Q: Both guardians and us reporters were really surprised after seeing the test. There have been numerous people wondering if you could be stronger than Cadet Yu Yeorum at this rate. What is your opinion on that?>

    <Yu Kaeul: That¡¯s umm, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. Unni is really really strong and¡­>

    <Q: Just then, you¡¯ve mentioned that it wasn¡¯t the case, so does that mean you have had a training bout against Cadet Yeorum already?>

    <Yu Kaeul: No? We didn¡¯t fight but¡­>

    <Q: So that means it¡¯s unknown who woulde out on top when the two of you actually do fight. If you can keep the distance, would that give you a slight chance of victory?>

    <Yu Kaeul: ??>

    Using other people as an excuse, they asked slightly disrespectful and stubborn questions. A few of the cameras were on her right hand that was still shaking. Her right hand was red as if it had been hit by someone all around, and there were also bruises here and there.

    That was when the sentries removed the reporters in the stead of Yu Jitae and put Bom, Gyeoul and Kaeul into an elevator. There were some reporters that wanted to squeeze through the gap ande in but when Bom gave them a whole-heartedly serious re, their bodies turned stiff and they froze on the spot.

    They were clicking their tongues when Yeorum, who was slower than the rest, entered their sight.

    Yu Yeorum!

    The most frightening one to interview but wasn¡¯t she the cadet that guaranteed the most amount of traffic?

    The reportres nced at each other. The first one to go might have their cor grabbed by her but the following reporters could ask questions from behind while the first reporter would act as the meat shield.

    Thinking that, they pushed each other. One of the reporters was pushed by others and was made to stand before Yeorum in the blink of an eye.

    <Q: Were you aware that Cadet Yu Kaeul was such a great mage?>

    <Yu Yeorum: ¡­>

    <Q: Have you trained directly against Cadet Yu Kaeul?>

    <Yu Yeorum: ¡­>

    Silence was the only reply to the several questions they asked.

    The camera focused on her expression; an indifferent expression as if nothing mattered.

    A reporter with a good sense instead found that to be strange because Yeorum¡¯s expression had always been full of irritation whenever she was in front of reporters.

    In any case, she¡¯s usually just a freaking bi*ch but she really is damn pretty with her mouth closed¡­ it was when some of them were nkly thinking that.

    The following question led to a slight change in her expression.

    <Q: It just wasn¡¯t revealed and just like you, Cadet Yu Yeorum, it seems that Cadet Yu Kaeul had also been training extremely diligently, right?>

    Yeorum turned towards that reporter with a flick.

    <Yu Yeorum: ¡­>

    ***

    That night, an edited version of the footage was revealed on the official website of Lair. Kaeul¡¯s test video was quickly spread by word of mouth and in just one day, the video recorded 6 million views.

    ¨C Wahh!!!!!

    ¨C ;;;;; Yu Kaeul is seriously crazy.

    ¨C Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy! Crazzyy!

    ¨C One strike to kill a freaking minotaur holy shit;; is it like the special move of the Yu household or something?

    ¨C What kind of spell is that?

    ¨C From a distance, that is estimated to be a magic arrow.

    ¨C OMG. If that¡¯s a magic arrow, there is a leaning tower of pisa between my legs.

    ¨C The only thingmon is that they¡¯re both on an angle¡­

    ¨C At that point, isn¡¯t she the best mage cadet in history?

    ¨C That¡¯s not the end is it? Look at what¡¯s on Yong Danbi¡¯s SNS rn.

    [Official ?Yong Danbi _SweetRain_?]

    re: Please stop asking.

    Are all the mages the same?

    Jealousy is only when they¡¯re somewhat near your level. Haha¡­

    I watched it like 20 times.

    Can¡¯t even feel jealous. It¡¯s just, marvelous¡­

    ¨C Wah, the thing she watched 20 times. That¡¯s Yu Kaeul¡¯s test video right?

    ¨C Think so, yeah¡­ wow.

    Most of thements at the start were like the above.

    The footage was repeatedly shared and after three days, her video exceeded 30 million views. Several broadcastingpanies and superhumans talked about their opinions on Kaeul¡¯s test numerous times.

    A cadet killing a minotaur in one strike. The distance of her short-distance dimensional movement being a shocking 60 metres. With these two points alone, she waspared to rankers in 400~500s and people praised and were in awe of her talent as a mage.

    The highlight was definitely the teleportation spell at the end of the video. Long-distance dimensional movement had different equations and use of mana altogether.

    Kaeul is a dragon who uses teleportation as easily as they would breathe and had just followed what she learned from Bom, but for humans it was a special ability that can only be used by 3-digit mage rankers.

    Actually, Kaeul¡¯s teleportation could travel roughly 120 times the distance of 3-digit rankers but none of them knew that.

    In any case, there were several people doubting that Kaeul might be the same as a ranker in the 900s.

    A mere cadet, having the strength equalling that of a ranker in the 900s?

    People started seeing Kaeul as the seconding of the witch Valentine and treated Yu Kaeul as if she were a goddess.

    In fact, just like how being born with a tall height was different from being a good basketball yer, the amount of innate talent people were born with was a different thingpared to their talent to learn. 500 years would be barely enough for Kaeul to be on the same page as the witch but how would theizens even know that?

    It was around this point that ¡®strangements¡¯ were starting to be posted.

    ¨C Kaeul said, ¡°This ce is too small.¡± That was the start of bigbang.

    ?Lolll??

    ?You freaking lolol

    ?What is this about haha

    ¨C Students look for past papers, Yu Kaeul looks at the future

    ?Like what are you guys writing lololol

    ?Lmao. So funny lol

    ¨C ¡°My head is out so take a deep breath and take it slow,¡± said Kaeul to her mother.

    ?Ahkk kekekekek

    ?Lololololol

    ?Well done Kim Yu Kaeul. Destroy humanity with your hands.

    ?Fu*k lolololol

    ?What the hell is this now haha

    ¨C One day, Kaeul identally dropped her apple.

    It dropped on someone¡¯s head, who said, ¡°Uh? This¡­?¡±

    ?Stop the crap lololol

    ?Is it a gravity joke now lol

    ?YES you¡¯re right. That¡¯s why the word for something falling is ¡®fall¡¯.

    ?Wtf lololol the hidden origin behind the word lolol

    ?Ah lolol. Stop taking it so far lololol

    At the start, they simply deified Kaeul and joked among each other.

    However after a week or so, when the number of views on Kaeul¡¯s video exceeded the 89.87 million views that Yeorum¡¯s video had, Yeorum naturally became a target for aparison.

    ¨C The rm wakes Yeorum up each morning.

    But Kaeul does not need the rm. She decides the time herself.

    ?Lolololol

    ?Like seriously lmao

    ?Kekekekek

    ¨C Themonality between the First World War, the Second World War and the East-Asian great war is that they started in ¡®Summer¡¯ and ended in ¡®Fall¡¯.

    ?Hoohh;;;;; got goosebumps just then.

    ?That¡¯s crazy lolol;;;

    ?Ehng? No that¡¯s wrong?? Not sure about the rest, but the Second World War started on the 1st of September and ended on the 2nd of September. Unlucky mate.

    ?(Fact) Yu Kaeul is born on the 2nd of September.

    ????

    ?What the freak; how does this make sense?

    ?Wow. That¡¯s crazy lololol

    Some of those jokes raised Kaeul while lowering Yeorum. It was done in a natural manner. That was just how impactful Kaeul¡¯s test was.

    Yu Jitae and Bom confiscated Kaeul¡¯s watch.

    Kaeul obediently handed her watch in and didn¡¯t go to school for the time being.

    Although she was now receiving a lot of attention, Kaeul was somewhat like an absent-minded person and didn¡¯t show that much of a reaction. Whenever someone asked her questions, she would just say, ¡®Wow, it feels good.¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Nn? I¡¯m alright. Unni.¡±

    ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°It does feel good, but right now it¡¯s kind of weird.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. It feels good but¡­¡±

    After that, Kaeul generally smiled as if there was a screw loose on her head and did everything Yu Jitae told her to do.

    Despite that, her appetite did not decrease at all so the only times theck-lustre child showed passion was when she was eating.

    Yeorum looked at her for a long time, before going into her room.

    *

    It was night.

    Her body was more exhausted than usual and her heart even more so.

    However, she just couldn¡¯t fall asleep so she turned on her watch. She came across something and looked at it.

    For a long time, Yeorum fidgeted with the watch. In the process, her sleepiness went away even more and by the time she realised it, she noticed light seeping in through the curtains.

    Fuc* it¡¯s morning already¡­

    *

    It was earlier in the morning than usual.

    Waking up before anyone else, Yu Jitae opened the curtains before going outside to buy breakfast for the kids.

    Around that time Bom also woke up and readied herself because it was time for Yu Jitae to wake up.

    When the two of them returned after buying breakfast, he saw Yeorum who was about to leave the house without even having breakfast. It was a lot earlier than when she usually left. Wearing a pair of leggings and a tank top, she was putting her feet into the shoes.

    Those were the clothes she wore for training, but this early?

    ¡°You going already? What about food.¡±

    Yeorum nced at him.

    Would she say, ¡®None of your business¡¯ again? Thinking that, Yu Jitae waited for her reply.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seemingly pondering about something, Yeorum twitched her lips and slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    That was when Bom, who had gone back into her room to tie her hair, walked out of her room while tying her hair into a ponytail. Yeorum threw a nce at her, before stealthily turning around and whispering quietly.

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯ll message youter.¡±

 Chapter 231: Change of Seasons (7)

    <h4>Chapter 231: Change of Seasons (7)</h4>

    After Yeorum walked outside, Yu Jitae turned towards Bom. When their eyes met, the thought that her nted eyes looked pretty abruptly appeared in his mind so he shook that thought away before asking.

    ¡°What do you think.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    She thought for a bit and replied.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time now.¡±

    ¡°Is it.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Did you know that Yeorum was constantly avoiding Kaeul quite a bit these days?¡±

    Was she? Looking back at it now, that did seem to be the case.

    These days, Kaeul had been learning how to control her power during the day from Bom and she had finally gotten a chance to rest today.

    In any case although it wasn¡¯t that obvious, he could still remember how Yeorum had been slightly avoiding Kaeul.

    Soon, the kids walked into the kitchen.

    ¡°Good mornningg~ Ahjussi. Unni.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Hello Gyeoul? What¡¯s for breakfast today?¡±

    While the kids chattered and ate their breakfast, Yu Jitae thought about the state Yeorum was in. Reflecting on the slightly hazy memories of the past, he could understand a little bit of how Yeorum would be feeling right now.

    The Regressor was not talented.

    Despite repeating his life several times, he had been weak.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He did not pity or empathise with her but he still wanted Yeorum to be happy.

    She would probably be feeling slightly confused right now since her eyes had only been looking forward till now. Just like how he had been, her vision was probably narrowed, her mind rash and easily shaken by tiny things.

    Most importantly, her vision narrowing down had to be avoided since her mind would ultimately break down, like himself of the past.

    Thus, it was time for her to take a slight breather.

    ***

    Yeorum thought to herself.

    Wherever she went these days, she would hear stories about Kaeul.

    During lesson, restaurant, training centre¡­ wherever it may be, people were always talking about Kaeul.

    After the number of views of her video exceeded her own, there were more and more people who would sneakily try to hear her opinion about the matter.

    She felt veryplicated.

    Drenched in sweat after finishing her early morning training, Yeorum smoked a cigarette in the back alley by herself and turned on her watch.

    [1. Dick Jitae]

    On the messaging app at the very top of the contacts, she wrote Yu Jitae¡¯s number in and started writing the message.

    [Me: It¡¯s me. I have something to say after school if you have time¡ª]

    [Me: I have something to say. If you have time today¡ª]

    [Me: Do you have time¡ª]

    Yeorum wrote several words down before deleting them. Repeating that several times, she realised that she didn¡¯t know what to say.

    To be frank, what exactly could she do after sending him a message?

    Be mad at him? No. There was no reason for her to be mad.

    Then do I tell him I¡¯m feelingplicated? That would hurt her pride too much. It¡¯s not like she was a kid so how would she even say that?

    Then? Should I ask him if we could start training again? The memories of how she had been acting disrespectfully to him these days held her back from saying that.

    Why did I do that¡­ I must have empathised too much with Yu Bom after seeing her tragically cry. Maybe because her future was also destined like myself¡­

    But I do also know that Yu Jitae is not the type of person to swing his lower part left and right. I do but¡­

    ¡°Fu*k¡­¡±

    Due to all those thoughts, she couldn¡¯t send him the message. Only the smoke continued leaving her mouth.

    She was confused and the emotions that sometimes reared their heads were mostly negative.

    Yeorum was a rtively weak hatchling. She was the slowest to leave her egg, with an almost 100 year difference between herself and her oldest unni.

    She knew it herself that she had no talent.

    She would die after going back home and in order to live, she had to try harder.

    Fortunately, she had the best teacher. A human that could use the martial arts of the red race.

    Learning how to fight from him was an extremely daunting task. Everyday her body had to live through muscle pain while her heart cried out from pain due to being squeezed dry. Covered in bruises, her body had unsightly dots and she wanted to run away from pain whenever Yu Jitae gave her a massage.

    The hardest one among them was the training with the chains attached. It was hard to breathe and her heart was squeezed until she was ready to embrace death. It felt as if her body was squeezed into an extremely small room and squashed. Maybe this is actually how I die? Yeorum had to endure through the chained training with such thoughts in mind.

    Taking another cigarette out, she ced it in her mouth. She ignited it and breathed out a mouthful of smoke.

    She looked at her hands filled with blood clots and calluses.

    ¡°I had to go through all that and yet¡­¡±

    Yu Kaeul. She was fairly strong.

    Yeorum thought to herself. Would I lose if I fought against Kaeul? No. I wouldn¡¯t lose for now. Although blink was great, 60 metres could be immediately covered using the footwork of Karl-Gukwa stand-up martial art. The [Magic Arrow] was also definitely quite powerful but the speed of the projectile wasn¡¯t that great. It was for sure avoidable. And after closing the distance? Teleportation required a lot of casting time and there had to be no mana interference so Kaeul would be unable to escape. Then, then¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡­Why the heck am I seriously thinking about this?

    She felt confused.

    It was the first time she was feeling this way ever since her birth.

    Back in Askalifa, everything was taller than herself. She was at the lowest ce in the world and there were only existences and targets that she had to ovee. Those targets that she had to ovee were great existences so she had to struggle desperately.

    But what about now? Right now, next to her who was still diligently running forward, someone was about to ovee her. Extremely easily at that.

    She wasn¡¯t as desperate as herself. She didn¡¯t try hard either. Until recently, she had been smiling like an idiot from sweet stuff and ying with a baby chicken in her room, and yet¡­

    The world praised her in awe as if it was the most natural thing.

    Her teacher, stingy withpliments, repeated hispliments all too easily.

    ¨C Kaeul is very good. Right, ahjussi?¡±

    ¨C Of course. She¡¯s good.

    Back then, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t hesitant at all.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Thinking back, she felt lethargic. Going through another cigarette, she started resenting Bom who asked a strange question like that as well as Yu Jitae who answered it.

    How could you say she¡¯s good so naturally? Have you ever said that to me even once?

    Then what were all those things that I went through just for that onepliment?

    Yeorum found it slightly unfair.

    Only then did she notice a portion of the identity of the emotion that was harassing her right now. It was a sense of inferiority and a sense of deprivation.

    Ever since she was born, Yeorum had never pitied herself because pitying herself was the same as acknowledging the fact that she was a pitiful child.

    Even if everyone else in the world found her pitiful, she didn¡¯t want to find herself pitiful. But when the thought that everything was all unfair started creeping in, Yeorum felt some emotions surging up within.

    She was not pitiful ¨C that had to be the case.

    [Dick Jitae: Yeorum]

    That was when a message was sent from Yu Jitae.

    [Dick Jitae: What are you up to]

    [Dick Jitae: Did you finish your morning training?]

    Seeing his messages drove her heart into further confusion. With the current state of her emotions, she was not confident in writing a reply while hiding her weakness.

    That wasn¡¯t the end.

    If he was so content from teaching Kaeul, how pathetic would she have been in his eyes? She felt pained from being made to face her weakness but if he found her pathetic on top of that, she might even want to kill herself.

    She was scared.

    Thus, Yeorum did not reply to his message.

    *

    All kinds of things popped up in her mind as her emotions surged up and down. By the time she came to herself, it was already past lesson time. Her phone had rung several times and she had gotten several messages. They were all from Yu Jitae but she didn¡¯t reply to them.

    In order to waste time and have dinner outside, she headed to a restaurant with Team Mochi. She didn¡¯t feel like eating so she ordered some simple noodles.

    But even there, it was the same.

    ¡°Wah, by the way. You guys saw that too right? Isn¡¯t she like super insane?¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°Yu Kaeul video. That, ukk¨C¡±

    Yeorum was on the way back carrying a tray of noodles when Soujiro, who was murmuring something, got hit by Kim Ji-in¡¯s elbow and shut his mouth. Kim Ji-in red sideways at Souijro before ncing at Yeorum but Yeorum pretended to have missed it and sat on her chair.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her hair constantly dropped while she was having her noodles and it annoyed her. Yeorum tied her hair behind her head but perhaps because her ears were now revealed, she could hear voices whispering in the distance.

    ¡®Isn¡¯t she actually weak as fu*k?¡¯

    ¡®Right. I think Yu Kaeul was a lot more insane.¡¯

    ¡®You know, I didn¡¯t even see Yu Kaeul take any magic studies sses.¡¯

    ¡®Apparently she did take it for a little bit.¡¯

    ¡®Then it¡¯s not Yu Yeourm that¡¯s amazing but just the Yu household that¡¯s insane right? Do they have like a dope ass curriculum?¡¯

    ¡®People do say that they have the full support of the Association or something¡­¡¯

    ¡®Dude I don¡¯t care about it. I just wanna see them two fight.¡¯

    ¡®Why?¡¯

    ¡®What do you mean why. It¡¯s because I wanna see Yu Yeorum get smacked of course.¡¯

    ¡®Kik kik. I do wanna see that too.¡¯

    Yeorum ced her chopsticks down.

    After the settling of her emotions, irritation surged up. There was zing heat rising from the depths of her heart, making her feel like immediately pulling their eyeballs out. She stood up from her seat and carried the noodles which she wasn¡¯t even eating.

    ¡°Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°Hey. Where are you going.¡±

    Kim Ji-in and Sophia talked to her but Yeorum ignored the two of them and walked towards the babbling cadets.

    She wanted to pour the soup over their heads. And the moment they turn around, she wanted to smack them on their mouths and crush all their teeth.

    However, Yeorum endured it. She held in the emotions that threatened to burst forth. Maybe the anger management training she had been doing with Gyeoul was proving to be effective.

    Yeorum pulled the chair and sat next to the cadets who had been bad-mouthing her. Once they saw her, they rolled their eyes in a fluster as silence covered the table.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there someone calling me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Uh, huh?¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯m here anyways, should we eat together?¡±

    In fact, Yeorum didn¡¯t hit people or sabotage the ce that much, but her public image was a lot worse than the reality because of various rumours.

    They had been bad-mouthing her till now. If she didn¡¯t hear them, then there would be no reason for this red-haired girl toe sit next to them.

    It was hard for them to even breathe properly and each second felt like a minute. ¡°We are done eating¡­¡±, ¡°Uh, nn.¡± Saying that, the cadets nervously stood up carrying their tes.

    Only then did Yeorum reveal her irritation.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    The cadets who had been awkwardly trying to stand up turned stiff.

    ¡°Do I have to spell it out for you? Are you that stupid?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°Are you gonna apologise or what.¡±

    Finally, the cadets awkwardly smiled and apologised to Yeorum. Sorry. That wasn¡¯t what I was trying to say. It was a mistake¡­ One of them even showed an unsightly behaviour by saying that he was sorry despite not personally saying that much. However, they still weren¡¯t foolish enough to mention Kaeul again.

    When the cadets acted serviently, Yeorum felt her irritation dissipate albeit by a little. However, confusion retook its ce once her irritation disappeared.

    What am I even doing¡­

    *

    It was when Yeorum was smoking alone in a corner. A shadow appeared in front of her.

    It was unknown when he even came here but Yu Jitae was in front of her.

    Crouching on the ground, she looked up into his eyes. However, she wasn¡¯t confident in staring into his eyes for too long so she looked away before indifferently opening her mouth.

    ¡°What¡¯s up.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you pick up the call.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±

    Dense smoke from the cigarette left her mouth along with a sigh. She turned silent again so Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Skip the training today and skip the lessons tomorrow. Let¡¯s go somewhere for a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Just do as I tell you to.¡±

    It was his normal voice but it sounded more pressuring than usual.

    She did not want to show him her weak sides.

    She did not want to be dependent on him.

    She did not want to bepared.

    Whatever the case, Yeorum did not feel like talking to anyone right now.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t want to. I want to stay alone for a bit. Leave me alone here.¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Ah what! I get depressed as well sometimes. Just leave me alone.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why? I¡¯m not doing anything. I¡¯m just gonna stay here okay? I won¡¯t leave the house or anything and I won¡¯t cause any problems. Fu*k, I just need some time to think¨C¡±

    It was when she was refusing him with an irritated voice. Yu Jitae suddenly walked up to her and pulled her by the wrist to make her stand on her feet.

    There was nothing she could do in terms of power. While she was surprised, Yu Jitae pulled her wrist and walked somewhere. Like a young kid being pulled by an adult, she could only look at his back as he took her somewhere else.

    At the end of the alleyway was a car.

    ¡°Ah, what are you doing? What is this! Let go!¡±

    ¡°Go in.¡±

    Opening the door, Yu Jitae shoved her inside. Due to the difference in power, she could not escape at all and she was inside the car by the time she realised it.

    ¡°Like what are you trying to do right now! Are you ignoring me?¡±

    ¡°I told you. We¡¯re going somewhere to y.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t feel like ying right now!¡±

    Without saying anything else, he stepped on the elerator. As the car suddenly started moving forward, Yeorum gave a frown.

    ¡°I heard from your friends on the way. I heard you were about to get mad but you held it back.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    Apliment she wasn¡¯t expecting in the slightest came flying in from him. Her mouth that had previously been showing its fangs slowly came to a close and with a slightly softer voice, she asked.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Seat belt.¡±

    ¡°Fu*k. Telling a dragon to wear seat belts¡­¡±

    Despite saying that, she was slowly putting the seat belt on when a surprising word left Yu Jitae¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Las Vegas.¡±

    Yeorum widened her eyes.

 Chapter 232: A Dance with Yeorum (1)

    <h4>Chapter 232: A Dance with Yeorum (1)</h4>

    Is the child happy?

    Yu Jitae looked at her but she didn¡¯t really seem that happy. Yeorum had her legs ced on top of the passenger¡¯s seat and was lowering her head. As always, there were several ck bruises on her legs and since those weren¡¯t simple bruises, they weren¡¯t fully cured yet.

    Her attitude remained the same even when the rental car travelled through the warp station to arrive in the USA, all the way till they arrived at Las Vegas.

    However, she would probably like it very soon.

    He was certain because it was Bom¡¯s idea.

    ¨C What about Las Vegas?

    It was her response to his question, when he asked what Yeorum would enjoy the most in her free time. He was concerned, thinking that it might be excessive.

    ¨C Hmm. Not at all. Because she¡¯s from the red race, Yeorum would actually find those things morefortable and pleasant.

    He couldn¡¯t really understand so he asked what she meant.

    ¨C The red dragons are a barbarous race of beasts. They are conquerors and fighters. Their word choice is very coarse and so are their actions. The things that are on their minds are fundamentally different from other races.

    ¨C Even the nicest and the kindest red dragon in the world enjoys gambling, drugs and both men and women. Not because those are stimting but because it puts them at ease. That¡¯s just the way of their life.

    Yu Jitae could somewhat understand after hearing up to that point.

    In the 3rd iteration, there was a time when he was afraid of daily lives.

    Hunting monsters for 10 years, every day was spent stabbing, killing and shedding blood¡­ Once fighting became a part of his life, he had felt greatly anxious whenever he wasn¡¯t fighting. It was morefortable for him to break his body and he felt more at ease when shedding blood.

    But for that to be the case, isn¡¯t Yeorum too serene? Yu Jitae asked.

    ¨C Hmm. I think it¡¯s partly because we¡¯re still young and we aren¡¯t influenced yet. And I also think Yeorum is special. Her heart is very gentle, kind and she has both consideration and patience.

    ¨C The red race tends to live by themselves. Even the parents live in separate ces as well as the hatchlings. It¡¯s because their race would go extinct if everyone was living together. But Yeorum lives with us fine right? This is an extremely shocking thing. Which red dragon in the universe would get pped by a blue dragon to control their anger? If it was any other red dragon, Gyeoul already would have¡­

    ¨C Anyway so in truth, Yeorum is an angel.

    ¡®Oh, right right,¡¯ said Kaeul while nodding from the side. Gyeoul also nodded with a smile but she was probably just nodding after her sisters despite knowing nothing.

    In any case, it was an interesting opinion.

    That Yeorum was an angel among the red dragons.

    ¨C But ahjussi.

    ¨C You have toe back early okay¡­

    He then remembered the soft whisper that Bom let out right before he left the house and her red whispering lips. He didn¡¯t know why something like this was randomly popping up so he shook those thoughts away.

    In the warp station, he paid $10,000 per person and received a bracelet.

    ¡°In Las Vegas, you must wear this.¡±

    A thin rubber bracelet was ced on the wrists of Yu Jitae and Yeorum. This Level 1 bracelet artifact was a device that sensed the flow of mana and recorded it. It was a device for better security and all the superhumans of this city except for the police had to wear this.

    Soon, the rented sedan left the warp station and drove into the city. The centre of the world¡¯s entertainment and pleasure. Even the scenery of the town was fancy.

    There were all sorts of famous building replicas including the obelisk, sphinx, pyramid, the Statue of Liberty, and a replica of Haytling in the sky as well as the absolute wall (where the ceasefire deration of the great war had been written on).

    The sedan drove past those buildings and headed towards the hotel.

    During all that, Yeorum did not say a single word.

    *

    They checked in at the lobby.

    He added two $100 notes under the card and handed them in. Casually taking the tip, the hotelier allocated a bigger and better room for Yu Jitae.

    This was something called ap upgrade where a better room was given for free. However, it didn¡¯t usually happen for free so it was a rather paradoxical word.

    ¡°If you need anything, please press the call button whenever.¡±

    Yeorum, who had followed Yu Jitae into the room, appeared slightly surprised. The furniture and the room were very fancy and elegant, plus an extremely wide bed.

    Pulling the curtains open revealed the entirety of this fancy city with the McCarran International Warp Station in the centre.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her eyes were vacant. Although she still hadn¡¯t said a single word, she still couldn¡¯t hide her cheeks from being flushed.

    ¡°You like it?¡± asked Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Huh? Well, just¡­¡±

    ¡°Change your clothes first. You¡¯re not gonna make it too far wearing cadet clothes.¡±

    ¡°Clothes? I don¡¯t have any though?¡±

    He opened his internal dimensional storage and the white hands pushed Yeorum¡¯s wardrobe out.

    ¡°Did you bring the whole thing here?¡±

    ¡°Hurry and change.¡±

    There was another room attached to the main room. Yeorum walked out after changing her clothes in the other room. She didn¡¯t have any formal or one-piece dresses so she was wearing ck x pants and a white t-shirt on top. Since she was tall and skinny, it suited her nicely.

    ¡°How is it,¡± she asked.

    ¡°Looks good.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡±

    Yu Jitae was also wearing a shirt and a pair of x pants. His wide shoulders and solid muscles made the simple clothes more attractive.

    ¡°Are you not going to change your face?¡± He asked Yeorum.

    In fact, Yeorum was quite famous and there were also several people ncing at her in the warp station. The people did not create a fuss since this was a ce frequented by various celebrities but even then, it wasn¡¯t a great idea to walk around with her bare face out in the open.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to change my face though¡­ I¡¯ll just grab a hat and a mask or something.¡±

    ¡°How about you change your hair colour then. To an inconspicuous colour.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You know, like brown or ck.¡±

    It seemed that there was something wrong with his words. Yeorum shook her head in fright.

    ¡°Are you crazy!?¡±

    She almost shouted even.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°No. No. It¡¯s nothing. Whatever. Just go! And don¡¯t tell me to do stupid things.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna change your hair?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not! Never!¡±

    She stubbornly refused to do so.

    *

    Throughout dinner at the hotel, Yeorum diligently ate meat, had a piece of souffle and a dense cream cheese soup although she usually wasn¡¯t that interested in food. During that, she nced at the people walking past.

    ¡°What are you looking at,¡± he asked.

    ¡°The hell is that.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about.¡±

    ¡°Look. Look at that person. What a freaking big ass butt.¡±

    Yu Jitae looked at where she was looking. It indeed was an amazing butt¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡­for a man.

    ¡°And look at that person over there.¡±

    This time, she was looking at a woman who had ttered herself with a gold tooth, a gold ne, a gold bracelet and all sorts of gold essories.

    ¡°She looks like the owner of a jewelry store. I wanna smack her head, steal all that stuff and sell it.¡±

    ¡°Why would you do that to a stranger.¡±

    ¡°No like, f*ck, I was just saying it¡­ but you know, our world had something simr to that.¡±

    ¡°What was it.¡±

    ¡°A gold goblin. They always stick all those things around their body,¡± she said before adding, ¡°Ohh, and look at him.¡±

    ¡°The one with white clothes?¡±

    He looked normal though.

    ¡°Nn. He¡¯s a normal baldie.¡±

    Saying that, Yeorum quietly giggled to herself.

    It was slightly dumbfounding. Yeorum did not smile a single time despite staying at a hotel that was worth 1,000 dors a night, and having a 500-dor dinner but wasughing at a bald guy.

    Whatever the case, anything was fine as long as it could better her mood. After finishing the main dish, the waiter brought a dessert along with a decent wine.

    It was 8 pm by that time. Darkness covered the city outside as fancy lights of the town seeped through the window. Taking a sip of the wine, Yeorum murmured a question.

    ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡±

    ¡°How many times do I have to say it. We came here to y. Don¡¯t worry about anything and just y to your heart¡¯s content while we¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Putting a piece of cheese into her mouth, she said.

    ¡°It is nice, but this is not good.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°You know yourself. Now¡¯s not the time for me to do this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not fine.¡±

    ¡°People that run with their eyes looking only at the front need to take a rest sometimes. Or what, do you not like this ce? Do you want to go somewhere else?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Well, it¡¯s not like I hate it but¡­¡±

    ¡°Then just y. Put everything down.¡±

    Yeorum nkly turned to the scenery outside the window. Her pony tail that left through the hole of her cap appeared like the tail of a puppy.

    ¡°Hmm, but you know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Like, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I, don¡¯t really know¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon like, what can it be? Do you really not know what I¡¯m talking about?¡±

    It seemed that she was somewhat embarrassed by it. She red at him for a little before avoiding eye contact and whispering.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know how to y in ces like this.¡±

    Her words left like a sigh.

    Wasn¡¯t that natural though?

    Yeorum right now was not only unaware of how to y, even watching people walk by was an interesting sight for her. Everything for her was a new experience.

    Ever since she opened her eyes to this day, her life was just a repetition of fighting, getting stronger and fighting stronger enemies. It was the same when she just arrived for her Amusement as well as at Lair. She had been fighting wearing a wooden mask back then but was now fighting cadets wearing a cadet uniform.

    He didn¡¯t know why she would be embarrassed by the fact that she didn¡¯t know how to y.

    Naturally Yu Jitae himself didn¡¯t know how to y either but could imitate it to an extent. It was because there was a time when he had to live in Las Vegas for a few years in the past.

    Thus, he nonchntly said to her.

    ¡°Just trust me.¡±

    ***

    He first took Yeorum over to a circus.

    Alpha Monsters ¨C it was a monster circus show. Under the splendid spot lights, well-trained ogres and sabertooth tigers either bounced balls or danced. As cheerful music came flowing out, the monsters rhythmically shook their heads and sometimes, male and female dancers wearing risque clothes came out and danced with the monsters. Yeorum couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the stage.

    ¡°Wow. What was that.¡±

    After the show, Yeorum was very talkative.

    ¡°That was freaking interesting. How did they do that? It was like perfectly on beat.

    ¡°Are all those stupid monsters crazy? They don¡¯t have any pride¡­! They just listen to whatever they¡¯re told.

    ¡°That¡¯s actually freaking interesting. Did they like bash the monsters up when they were teaching them? Because they listen better that way?¡±

    Excluding the time when she was doing great in thepetition, Yu Jitae had never seen Yeorum this excited.

    ¡°Was it fun?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Well¡­¡±

    But the question of whether it was fun or not might havee across to her as if he was treating her like a child. Maybe the fact that she had enjoyed a small entertainment like that might have touched her pride, but Yeorum ced the cigarette in her mouth with a grumble.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t much.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sure. Of course.

    Suppressing her excitement, Yeorum smoked the cigarette. Yu Jitae was next to the child but could see the ponytail popping out from the cap.

    When Yeorum turned her head looking at the shiny and colourful buildings around her, the hair appeared like the gently shaking tail of a puppy.

    It was a fairly strange thought on his part. Had he ever seen something somon, and link it to something different that it resembled? For some reason, he wanted to touch it so he reached his hand out and touched the hair¡­

    ¡°Nn? What you doing?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Go away.¡±

    Yeorum flicked her hand so he retrieved his arm. Weirdly enough, there was a very faint sense of reluctance. It was a strange thing because he wasn¡¯t interested in puppies or cats.

    The tail of a puppy huh¡­

    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡±

    ¡°Casino.¡±

    She appeared very pleased after hearing it.

    ¡°Oh. I love it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your first time right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He moved his feet. Yeorum¡¯s feet as she walked right behind him were very light and on the way there, Yu Jitae exined a few things.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to y but there are a few things that you must keep in mind.¡±

    ¡°What are they.¡±

    ¡°Mentally prepare yourself first. Whether it¡¯s exciting or enraging, this is just a little bit of a pastime activity. You can¡¯t forget that. You can¡¯t get absorbed in it, no matter what it is. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Do I look like a kid?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply to that question. He simply opened his watch and gave her a card.

    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared this for you. There are 1,000 dors inside it. Go change them to chips and go to a slot machine, do ck jack, barat, whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re noting with me?¡±

    ¡°I have something else to do. If you don¡¯t know how something works, just watch and learn from the side. There¡¯s nothing too hard inside.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ How about you stille with me?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s just something I have to buy. I¡¯ll go to you after buying them. Call me when there¡¯s a problem.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Yeorum nodded. In fact, he would be acutely raising his senses so there wouldn¡¯t be a problem even if she didn¡¯t call him.

    *

    After sending her off, Yu Jitae headed to a store outside the casino. He had nced at it on the way but there was a variety of ornaments in this ce that girls would love, ranging from small jewelries to cute mascot plushies of Las Vegas, and essories like bracelets and rings with the mascot engraved.

    He hadn¡¯t given any essories to the kids before. Now that he was at a fairly distant ce, it might be a good idea for him to give a gift to each of the kids. They would probably like it.

    Maybe this hair pin with a pink flower attached would suit Bom¡¯s hair quite well ¨C that was the first thing he thought of. Pink suited her quite nicely perhaps because her hair had the same colour as grass.

    After buying a hair pin for Bom, he bought bracelets for Kaeul and Gyeoul, as well as a piercing for Yeorum. That was when someone called him ¨C it was Yeorum.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¨C Sir¡­

    Sir?

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¨C Little Yeowum ish f*cked¡­

    She spoke with a lisp. It sounded as if she was trying to act cute.

    He could somewhat guess what it was about without even having to hear the rest.

    ¡°Did you lose everything already? It¡¯s only been 20 minutes since you¡¯ve gone inside though?¡±

    She was silent for a short period of time. Soon, a chuckle sounded from the other side of the phone.

    ¨C Nn ?

 Chapter 233: A Dance with Yeorum (2)

    <h4>Chapter 233: A Dance with Yeorum (2)</h4>

    Going through the storage inside his pocket, he searched for the pocket watch. In the process, he came across Yeorum¡¯s socks. Putting them away he grabbed the pocket watch, took it out and checked the time. It had exactly been 17 minutes after Yeorum had gone inside.

    ¡°Where are you.¡±

    ¨C The same ce. Third floor, hihi.

    ¡°Excited aren¡¯t you. After losing a month¡¯s worth of the dormitory fee in just a few minutes.¡±

    ¨C Eeeinng~ Sorry ?

    ¡°What did you even do and how did you lose all that money already.¡±

    ¨C How did I lose it? Like, the person next to me was going at it like crazy so I thought, f*ck it, life can¡¯t be that hard but¡­ I guess it is a little bit hard¡­

    ¡°Enough, whatever. Just stay there for now. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±

    After paying for the gifts, Yu Jitae headed to the third floor of the casino. The moment he entered the building, he was met with fancy lights and tourists in party clothes who hade here to enjoy their tour.

    A few of them had slightly different gazes. Those people had a different objective than ying.

    When he arrived at the third floor, Yeorum found him and ran up to him.

    ¡°Weee!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Give me my card.¡±

    ¡°Here!¡±

    Las Vegas Member Credit Card. He checked the remaining cash and saw that there were roughly 8 dors left inside.

    ¡°You really blew off the whole thing.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Do you have no more money or something?¡±

    ¡°I do have it.¡±

    Some time ago, he had sold the byproducts of a dungeon to the Swiss auction. Excluding tax and themission fee, he got around 40,000 dors in return. If he wanted to, he could easily earn millions a day but he intentionally only earned the amount of money that would be needed, because that was closer to the general framework of daily lives.

    ¡°What, so you do have more money? Give them to me then.¡±

    ¡°And what if I do give it to you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Will you lose 10,000 dors in 2 hours now?¡±

    ¡°Noo?¡±

    Yeorum gave a bright smile in response to hisment.

    ¡°Can I try it onest time? I¡¯ll multiply your money tenfold.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want me toe with you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah. I want to try it myself. Since I¡¯m the one that lost it, I need to earn it back.¡±

    The right call would naturally be to ignore her nonsense and go together. However, Yu Jitae pondered for a bit. What would Yeorum need right now, and what would make her the most happy?

    He now knew it after living together for 2 years.

    Yeorum was an extremely independent dragon. She did not rely on others easily nor did she desire help. She gave her best toplete things on her own.

    Yu Jitae respected her independence because it concerned her pride as a red dragon. Even then, a child inevitably needs the help of adults even when ying around like this let alone fighting.

    She needed help but he couldn¡¯t give her much help.

    In times like this, how should he, the guardian, approach the child?

    After a bit of thought, he had an idea. Adding 2,000 dors into the credit card, he gave it to her.

    ¡°Ohhh.¡±

    ¡°Do a bit better this time.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I love¡­ not really, but, respect! I¡¯m heading off then~¡±

    ***

    [Yu Gyeoul: Wat are you doinng?]

    [Me: At cafe]

    [Yu Gyeoul: Are you by yourself?]

    [Me: Ye]

    [Yu Gyeoul: Picture please]

    He took a picture of the cafe filled with chandeliers.

    [Yu Gyeoul: Twinkle twinkle. They are pretty]

    [Me: What are you up to]

    [Yu Gyeoul: I¡¯m going to go to a cafe with Kaeul-unni]

    [Yu Gyeoul: I also braided my hair]

    [Me: Your hair?]

    [Me: Let me see]

    A photo soon arrived.

    Gyeoul¡¯s face inside the picture was as big as a house. Since she didn¡¯t know how to take pictures, she had tucked her chin in and there was a big double chin making her look fat as a result. Only half of her fingers making the V sign was caught by the camera.

    [Me: Who tied your hair for you]

    [Yu Gyeoul: Kaeul-unni did]

    It was usually Bom who did it for her but it seemed that Kaeul had done it today.

    [Me: I c]

    [Yu Gyeoul: When are youing back?]

    [Me: Maybe the day after tomorrow]

    [Yu Gyeoul: Day, after tomorrow¡­?]

    [Me: So in two days]

    [Yu Gyeoul: Still so much time left¡­]

    [Yu Gyeoul: Bom-unni said she was feeling lonely]

    It hasn¡¯t even been that long yet. Yu Jitae was thinking of what to write when another message was sent by Gyeoul.

    [Yu Gyeoul: I want to see you too]

    Therefore, Yu Jitae took a selfie of his face and sent it to her.

    [Me: Here]

    [Yu Gyeoul: Not this]

    Like that, he spent the time sending messages to Gyeoul at the cafe. That was when his watch vibrated. Yeorum was calling him and this time, it had been around 3 hours.

    ¨C Hello?

    ¡°Yeah. Did you earn some money?¡±

    ¨C Uhh. So the thing is,

    Yeorum hesitated before opening her mouth.

    ¨C Would you like to know, sir¡­?

    Oh no.

    He called Yeorum over to the cafe. After arriving at the cafe, she ordered a long ck before giving excuses with an awkward smile.

    ¡°No. I really didn¡¯t do anything fuc*ing wrong. This time, I was about to earn some money¡­!¡±

    ¡°What game did you y.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called Texas Holdem. There are several cards at the front, and I have to make abo with my cards.¡±

    ¡°I know what it is. And.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so at the start I was really careful alright? But whenever the person next to me lost his money to me, he continued raising his bet and increasing the pool size. What is that if not a challenge to me? Right?¡±

    ¡°And you couldn¡¯t avoid the challenges, is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ssex!¡±

    ¡°Why did you roll your tongue.¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re in America.¡±

    Saying that, she giggled. Fortunately, she appeared to be still in the mindset of simply having fun and she was enjoying herself despite losing money. She had gambled in the literal meaning of the word and had beenpletely defeated in mind games.

    If he continued giving her money two or three times from here, she would start getting frustrated every time she lost.

    It was about time.

    ¡°Do you want to try one more time?¡±

    ¡°Really? Can I?¡±

    ¡°But, this time you have toe with me.¡±

    ¡°Why? I want to try it by myself though¡­ I can do better this time.¡±

    ¡°No. Because I¡¯m going to give you 10,000 dors this time.¡±

    ¡°Huh? For real?¡±

    The unit itself was different.

    When she was getting allowances, she only got ten or twenty dors but after losing a thousand dors, there was now ten thousand dors at stake. Even Yeorum, who was ignorant of currencies, knew that it was arge sum of money.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite a lot of capital.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Yeah.¡±

    ¡°So I also have to be more careful, don¡¯t I.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ but still. Can¡¯t you wait until I mess up one more time?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t win.¡±

    ¡°Huh? No? For sure I can.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to bet?¡±

    ¡°Good. If I restore all the previous money, then you have to serve me as the master, like a ve.¡±

    Yeorum said, thinking of what she had read at a certain shoujo manga. As always, her analogies were very vulgar.

    ¡°What if you lose.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll treat you like a master for a day.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    He didn¡¯t need a red dragon ve.

    But this way, he could help the child protect her pride as the adult and at the same time had an opportunity to teach her something new.

    Walking out of the cafe, they headed once again to the tables. Under the brilliant lights was a carpet of intriguing patterns that strangely urged people to spend more money. There was a whole crowd of people and although it was overall fairly quiet despite that, there were asionalments and sighs here and there.

    Among them, Yu Jitae and Yeorum walked towards the Texas Holdem table. Inside the credit card were 10,000 dors. Swinging the card, Yeorum asked.

    ¡°Do I start straight up?¡±

    ¡°Exin to me before you start on what you¡¯re thinking of doing.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s simple. Go get cards and bet money. If someone picks a fight, I¡¯ll take it on. Well¡­ I might lose though.¡±

    At that rate, she was bound to lose more money but Yeorum wasn¡¯t a fool either. Perhaps feeling a slight doubt with her own strategy, she slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°You know what. Don¡¯t tell me too much but maybe just give me one advice.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something on the line so why would I.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon just tell me. Anything will do. Do you want to lose 10,000 dors?¡±

    ¡°10,000 dors for a dragon ve is not bad.¡±

    ¡°Far out¡­ Alright. Go away then.¡±

    But it wasn¡¯t like he could really let her lose all that money because she might get emotional after losing again. It would be an anger sprouting from greed and was a shortcut to gambling addiction.

    Yu Jitae walked up to the back of Yeorum who had started walking away, and grabbed her two shoulders. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s up?¡± she asked as her body came to a stop. Lowering his body, he aligned his line of sight with the child¡¯s and fortunately found a good target.

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin it to you once.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh okay.¡±

    ¡°Look. Over there.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Right.¡±

    Yeorum obediently listened to him teach.

    In a table of 5, 3 of them had folded. It was a table where one man and one woman were continuing with the game.

    ¡°Who do you think will win out of the two.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, the lucky one?¡±

    ¡°Right. If it was a holdem of humans, you might be right. But you¡¯re a dragon. Look closely.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Yeorum looked at them with a frown.

    ¡°What am I even meant to be looking at¡­¡±

    ¡°As for techniques, there¡¯s nothing you can see so far. Same as luck. And you can¡¯t look at their cards either.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°In order to have the advantage in a situation like that, you must make good use of what you have. You have good eyes don¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Better than a human at least.¡±

    ¡°Sync yourself to me.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    His hands were on her shoulders. Yu Jitae epted the feeble mana of the dragon seep in. The synchronisation was done with an extremely small amount of mana, so tiny that the bracelet could not sense it.

    ¡°Focus and look at them.¡±

    Yu Jitae spoke from her shoulders and she focused. Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze looked at both the man and the woman. Firstly he looked into their eyes, and he nced at their faces before finally scanning through their bodies.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes looking at a human were as if he was staring at a block of timber. Yeorum felt slight goosebumps so she rubbed her arms.

    Without caring about that, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Focus.¡±

    ¡°Ah, un.¡±

    He opened his mouth when her eyes were again back on the people.

    ¡°How is it. Can you see it now?¡±

    Yeorum could finally understand a little bit of what he was trying to tell her.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze was focused on extremely tiny details. For example, his eyes focused on the slight twitch of the man¡¯s eyes when he received a card.

    It wasn¡¯t international nor was it a twitch visible to human eyes. It might even be a slight movement revealed by the electric senses given off by the man¡¯s brain.

    Even a dragon like herself could not see it without consciously focusing on it.

    Straight after that, the man¡¯s expression turned into an afraid look. This time, it was at a level that normal humans could also sense it as long as they were attentive.

    ¡°It looks like something¡¯s f*cked.¡±

    ¡°Does it? But there¡¯s a lot on the line.¡±

    ¡°Nn. Is he gonna fold? It¡¯s a shame but he¡¯s fu*ked right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    After ncing at the man¡¯s eyes and the expression, the next thing that entered Yu Jitae¡¯s sight was the man¡¯s posture.

    His posture and attitude. His shoulders and his expression were greatly shrunk from visible fear. However, his legs were slightly open while his knees were bouncing up and down. He looked quite excited.

    ¡°Hoh. He¡¯s not folding and he¡¯s going at it. Did he get a good hand?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡±

    After the final bet, it was the final showdown and the cards were revealed. The man had a flush, which was a fairly high hand.

    ¡°Oh no¡­!¡±

    The opponent gave a frown. She had gotten confident from the slight look of fear on the man¡¯s expression, not realising that it was a trap.

    ¡°Hoh¡­ Now I get it. He had a good hand but still acted scared right? That was very natural.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about right. Holdem is a fight. You have to bait them into biting at your weak points but there is almost no human in the world that canpletely hide their expressions and thoughts. There are some but very few.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°There was greed in the man¡¯s eyes, and his expression revealed his intention to deceive his opponent. However, his inner thoughts were revealed by his gesture and attitude and it¡¯s hard to hide those.¡±

    With a vacant look on her face, she looked back at Yu Jitae and nodded.

    ¡°Greed from the eyes, intention from the expression and inner thoughts from the attitude and posture¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°You get it?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Huu. It suddenly makes me kinda nervous.¡±

    ¡°Be prudent. Don¡¯t be caught up in the atmosphere.¡±

    ¡°Not like it¡¯s my money anyway.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Yeorum chuckled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back. Just wait and see.¡±

    She then joined the table.

    *

    In the end, gambling was about luck and it was impossible to win every time. Even if one was good at mind games, it was hard to go over 55% win rate.

    ¡°Hoh. The prettydy is back. Were you that worried about my pocket?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll give you more money so open it up.¡±

    But with that said, 55% win rate was extremely massive. The more rounds they went through, the 5% more chance to win slowly revealed its destructiveness.

    Besides, after sessfully inferring the enemy¡¯s mind once, the gambler will gain information about the other yer. Their gestures, feet, expression, gaze, habits. They would gain data on such things and their understanding of the opponent will therefore increase.

    And naturally, the win rate would go up even more.

    ¡°Raise. 30.¡±

    ¡°Call and raise. 50.¡±

    ¡°Raise. 70.¡±

    There were more and more chips at stake, but Yeorum was not nervous.

    ¡°Call.¡±

    ¡°Hoh? You¡¯re not folding here? Did you get a good hand or something, reddy?¡±

    ¡°No? I have two pairs.¡±

    Five hours after the start, around 2 am in the morning, Yeorum leaned on the chair and heartilyughed.

    She had restored the 3,000 dors that she had lost,

    ¡°But I thought you would only have a pair.¡±

    ¡°God damn it¡­¡±

    By five-fold.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With a bright smile on her face, she looked at Yu Jitae. However, he couldn¡¯t watch the situation unfold with a rxed gaze and after thinking about it, he realised that it was because there was something they had betted for.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you back your money first. Wait until I¡¯m done with the game.¡±

    After changing the chips back to money, Yeorum gave him the card with a wink.

    ¡°Jitae.¡±

 Chapter 234: A Dance with Yeorum (3)

    <h4>Chapter 234: A Dance with Yeorum (3)</h4>

    A strong point of Yeorum he could point out as her teacher would be that she had the heart of a beast. Perhaps because there was no turning back, Yeorum had no fear driving herself into the unknown.

    That was just how her personality was like. It was something Yu Jitae, who always calmly formed ns despite having absolute power, did not have.

    And her personality was being revealed in the casino.

    ¡°Raise. 1,000.¡±

    Yeorum pushed ck chips into the circle. Seeing that, the opponent gave a frown.

    ¡°Heydy. Do you think you are always going to be the oneing out on top? You better stop. There¡¯s this thing called beginner¡¯s luck.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Smoking was allowed inside the casino. With a cigarette in his mouth, the middle-aged man opened his mouth.

    ¡°If you want to enjoy the casino for a long time, let me teach you something. Look at the table. There are three hearts within themunity cards, aren¡¯t there.¡±

    [5?] [2?] [K?] [A¡ô] [10??]

    Yeorum simrly was smoking a cigarette. A mouthful of thick smoke dispersed with a sigh.

    ¡°And what.¡±

    ¡°Think carefully. Why do you think I was raising it by a 100 but suddenly went with 500 this time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you think I won¡¯t have two hearts in my hand?¡±

    There was a fishy smile on his mouth. However, the bet had already been raised and the chips had left her hand. The middle-aged man gave chips worth a thousand dors, before pushing 5 times the amount.

    ¡°Raise. 5,000.¡±

    5,000?

    This time, the yers and the dealer let alone the audience widened their eyes in shock. ¡°Did he say five thousand?¡± ¡°What a jump!¡± They moured because 5,000 was the bet limit ced in this casino and although it was none of their business, they were interested in seeing who would be the one losing a fortune.

    Yeorum looked back at Yu Jitae. Was it because she was scared? No. At this point, her expression was so hazy that it was hard to decipher.

    Intention revealed from expressions ¨C that was what Yu Jitae taught her. Following that, she was making an expression that hid any sort of intention.

    However, it seemed that she still couldn¡¯t hide the greed that was revealed in her eyes. With a faint smile, Yu Jitae gave her the card ¨C the heart of the beast was going to make something big happen again.

    She changed all the money in the card into chips and pushed them forward.

    ¡°Call.¡±

    There were $14,000 dors at stake in just one game. Due to therge amount of money, the dealer was also very excited and raised their voice.

    ¡°Showdown!¡±

    Finally, it was time to reveal their cards. The man flipped his two cards.

    [Q?] [10?]

    ¡°It¡¯s a flush!¡±

    ¡°A heart flush with a Q! It¡¯s a strong hand!¡±

    The audience created a fuss.

    Flush ¨C the fifth strongest hand from the bottom. Besides, there weren¡¯t anymon numbers in themunity cards so a full house or a four of a kind, which were both stronger than flushes, were impossible.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. Three hearts in themunity cards and two in his hand ¨C most importantly, Q which was the strongest after K was in his hand. And from the 52 cards of the deck, there were only 13 heart cards from which 5 had already been revealed.

    98%

    The man considered his chance to win as 98%*.

    This was almost impossible to lose.

    There was only one hand that could allow Yeorum to win at this point. However, the moment Yeorum flipped her cards, the confidence in the man¡¯s expression crumbled.

    Of all things, ¡®that¡¯ was in Yeorum¡¯s hand.

    [A?] [4?]

    People shouted with excitement.

    ¡°Uwaaahhh!¡±

    ¡°A of hearts! A of hearts was just in her hand!¡±

    ¡°She actually won it? What a fiesta!¡±

    It was the same flush but A of hearts which was a tick above the middle-aged man¡¯s hand was in Yeorum¡¯s hand. The moment his expression was filled with astonishment and shock, Yeorum giggled.

    ¡°People would think you had a royal straight flush or something with that confidence of yours.¡±

    ¡°Y, y, you damn girl¡­!¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s an A of hearts, and a heart from me too. Mmwah ?¡±

    cing her hand on her lips, she blew a kiss as the middle-aged man begrudgingly stood up from his seat.

    The defeated yer left the table. Yeorum also stood up from the table after changing the chips into money and putting them into the card as the audience created a pathway like the red sea divide.

    ¡°That was amazing,dy.¡±

    ¡°How much did you freaking earn from one game?¡±

    ¡°Give me a share of your luck! I¡¯ve been losing fromst night.¡±

    They were excited from the dramatical defeat of someone else. ¡°Sure!¡± Yeorum replied as she bumped her fist with everyone on the way out.

    However, that wasn¡¯t the end of their games of the day. When the two of them had left the casino for a little breather, three men withrge builds walked out of the dark alleyway and stood in front of them. They were all superhumans that had learned martial arts.

    ¡°What are you bunch?¡±

    Yeorum rxedly asked with a cigarette in her mouth.

    ¡°Look. No need to be so cautious. We¡¯re not here to do bad things.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to bring your game to a bigger table?¡±

    With their chins, they gestured and pointed at the middle-aged man who had lost his money, waving his hand with a smile. Then, the middle-aged man pointed at a shabby building in the corner of the dark alleyway that didn¡¯t suit this paradisiacal city.

    That ce was the underground casino, where the ¡®real¡¯ ones bet money without any limits.

    ¡°What are you up to. Is it because you don¡¯t want to lose all that money?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no. Don¡¯t misunderstand us okay? We can¡¯t harm tourists either because we don¡¯t want the police to create a hole in our heads. You are free to go if you want to.¡±

    The men revealed their harmless natures with a nod. Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t really inclined because ces withrger units of money tended to have bigger fluctuating madness within.

    They had earned enough and had enough fun already so there was no reason to go in any further.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Yu Yeorum.¡±

    However, when he looked back at Yeorum¡¯s expression, he found an iparably excited look on her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to,¡± she replied.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°How dare you tell me to do something? When I¡¯m your master?¡±

    He had forgotten it for a bit but Yeorum had paid him back.

    ¡°ve. Let¡¯s go there.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Ehey! You have to call me master.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She dragged him by the wrist and pulled him along while he was looking for words to return. With no other choice, he followed Yeorum and the group of men into the underground casino.

    Unlike the shabby outside appearance of the building, the inside was dark yet shy. The lights, the carpet and everything appeared like a proper casino and there were countless ¡®true bettors¡¯ ying their games.

    The moment Yeorum and Yu Jitae entered the building, several gamblers walked up and weed them.

    ¡°Ohh! She¡¯s here! The red-haired girl!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that emptied the pocket of old man Sillon right?! Well done! Kuhahaha!¡±

    ¡°I heard you were in luck today!¡±

    Without being intimidated by their energy, Yeorum nonchntly made a V sign with her fingers.

    ¡°So, who¡¯s ying against me?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Right. Did old man Sillon go somewhere?!¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have. He was gritting his teeth till now!¡±

    ¡°Ah, he¡¯sing!¡±

    The middle-aged man who had lost a fortune to Yeorum was walking towards them with a short young man next to him.

    Yu Jitae looked at the tiny young man. He couldn¡¯t sense anything from him, meaning that he wasn¡¯t even a superhuman. He was just a normal human but his eyes were bright and intelligent and it was a gaze that was rare to find in a ce like this where people only had eyes intoxicated in alcohol, drugs and money.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Dennis?¡±

    ¡°Shameless old man. Why would you bring the winner ofst year¡¯s poker contest here?¡±

    ¡°He really didn¡¯t want to lose I guess. Kukuk.¡±

    The middle-aged man gave a scowl hearing the voices of the bystanders while Yeorum grumbled.

    ¡°What, you¡¯re gonna use a substitute?¡±

    ¡°What if I am?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to do it now.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s up to you to take the game. Go away if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Stupid old man.¡±

    ¡°What, you immature young kid. You scared or something?¡±

    His lowly provocations did not work and Yeorum simply had the question of whether it was fine to y or not. She turned towards Yu Jitae, looking for his consent.

    He decided to let the child do whatever she wanted to do. I will take all the responsibility so do whatever you want to do today ¨C Yu Jitae signalled that with a nod as Yeorum sat on her seat with a bright expression.

    The game soon began. There were more than 10 people watching the game and because it was a fairly big game, the underground casino dealer raised his voice.

    ¡°Small blind.¡±

    Dennis, who was the first to bet, pushed a ck chip forward. It was 100 dors from the get go¡­ Seeing the difference in the scale of the bet, Yeorum gave a frown.

    ¡°What a lunatic. Straight up like that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The opponent was quiet. His expression was saggy like a dead man while his eyes appeared indifferent. Both his posture and attitude were stiff like a machine.

    There was nothing she could sense from his outward appearance¡­ Realising that, Yeorum also turned serious. She bet 200 dors for the big blind followed by the preflop ¨C two cards were given each to the two yers.

    The two of them stealthily looked at their cards as the opponent, Dennis, started betting. He pushed forth a ck chip worth 100 dors. Yeorum called.

    Until then, the game was peaceful. There was no reason to get worked up from the start and because the night was long, the audience was also thinking of rxedly watching the game unfold. However, the moment threemunity cards were revealed in the flop, the atmosphere of the game turned upside down.

    [J?] [J??] [J?] [?] [?]

    People screamed in shock.

    ¡°Uaaak!¡±

    ¡°What?! It¡¯s already a J triple?¡±

    ¡°You fuc*ing shithead! Are you sure you fu*king mixed the cards properly!?¡±

    When the eyes of the crowd fell on him like arrows, the dealer who himself was also surprised, quickly pointed at the authentication certificate of Las Vegas attached to the shuffle machine.

    ¡°My word¡­! I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m seeing right now!¡±

    ¡°Is this going to be the ultimate finisher?¡±

    The ones who had been nning to enjoy a long rxed game turned bloody-eyed as the lightened mood immediately vanished. Even in ¡®Texas Holdem¡¯, one of the poker games where high hands were quite frequently spotted, a tripleing out on the flop was a rare sight that can only be seen once in three months or so.

    If the two of them had a pair in hand, it would immediately be a full house.

    And if there was one of them with thest J in hand, that would be a four of a kind.

    And usually, a higher hand than four of a kind could hardly be seen in half a year. At this rate, the game would end in a single round.

    In the midst of the chaotic crowd, Dennis was calm. He quietly grabbed several ck chips and pushed them forth.

    The number of chips he pushed were 10 in total.

    ¡°A thousand dors from the start¡­!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s gonna happen now? Will the redhead fold here?¡±

    ¡°Fu*k no! What kind of coward would take their hands off here!?¡±

    All the listeners agreed with the final shout. No matter how much was at stake, it didn¡¯t make sense to turn tail from this.

    With a coldly settled expression, Yeorum opened her mouth, ¡°Raise. 20.¡±

    Dennis indifferently raised it again. 50.

    Yeorum continued the raise by calling out 100, which Dennis continued raising all the way to 200.

    Only then did Yeorum call.

    One thousand dors.

    Five thousand dors.

    Ten thousand dors.

    And twenty thousand dors at the end. By the time it all ended, there were 72 ck chips in front of the dealer, worth a shocking 72 thousand dors!

    The onlookers were astonished.

    Was there something they were believing in that allowed their full-on sprint? Did one of them perhaps have another J, while the other had a pair for a full house?

    When the fourth card was unveiled,

    [J?] [J??] [J?] [J¡ô] [?]

    They once again let out voices filled with screams.

    ¡°A four of a kind! Damn it! There¡¯s a four of a kind on the board!¡±

    ¡°Damn it! What the f*ck is going on!? You sure you mixed the cards properly!?¡±

    ¡°Wait, that means none of them had a J in the first ce!¡±

    No J in hand.

    Maybe both of them already had a full house in their hands?

    In the following bet, Yeorum raised to 50,000. Dennis followed suit with a preposterous call to raise it to 100,000.

    More and more chips were being built up and as the scale increased, tension was built upon tension like a sandwich. People couldn¡¯t even breathe out loud as they quietly waited for Yeorum to reply.

    Nonchntly, she agreed to the ridiculous bet.

    ¡°Call.¡±

    372,000 dors.

    A mountain of ck chips were ced on the table.

    At this point, it would not end until one of them headed toplete annihtion. The onlookers knew its nature because they had seen simr situations once every few months so they watched the game unfold with eyes filled with excitement.

    It was the beginning of a race to ruin.

 Chapter 235: A Dance with Yeorum (4)

    <h4>Chapter 235: A Dance with Yeorum (4)</h4>

    The dealer gulped. Since the surroundings were so quiet, the sound of his gulp reverberated clearly.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    River ¨C atst, the final word was revealed.

    [J?] [J??] [J?] [J¡ô] [3¡ô]

    In truth, what the card was was no longer important at this point.

    A single game with 372,000 dors on the line, where four of a kind was already made certain. Whatever the two of them had in hand was no longer important, even if that made a full house.

    But although the ridiculousmunity cards had made countless other elements of the game meaningless, it did seed in bringing madness to the people. The ce had already be a pot of greed with Yeorum and Dennis the only ones that were calm.

    Finally it was the time for thest bet.

    Dennis spoke with a powerless voice.

    ¡°All-in.¡±

    He had brought roughly a thousand ck chips. The dealer raked in the remaining 827 chips.

    ¡°Ahhhhhk!¡± ¡°Uooohhhh!¡± ¡°Kieeeet!¡± People shouted.

    An all-in!

    In just one game, the first game at that, there were about to be 2 million dors at stake.

    ¡°What? All-in? I don¡¯t have that many chips.¡±

    ¡°Fold then.¡±

    ¡°Shut the crap you f*cker.¡±

    The fact that she wascking in chips inparison must have been under his calction. However, she couldn¡¯t borrow money and couldn¡¯t fold either since there was a lot of her money on the line.

    She was giving a frown when Yu Jitae, who was quietly watching her, asked.

    ¡°Confident?¡±

    Wearing a scowl, Yeorum turned towards him. There was a menacing frown in her expression, like a baby wolf whose food had been stolen away from it.

    He looked into her eyes.

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t see anything within.

    It meant that Yeorum waspletely controlling her greed and that instead gave him certainty.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Drop.

    When Yu Jitae ced a card on the tabletop, the audience gazed at it with sparkling eyes. There was a gold familiar engraving on a ck card. It was¡­

    That was when one of them gasped with a retch.

    ¡°A D, Dungeon Free Pass¡ª!¡±

    Immediately, a veteran dealer ran up and confirmed whether it was fake or not. When he stated, ¡®It¡¯s the genuine article with the official stamp of the Association,¡¯ the people buzzed even more.

    It was the unlimited dungeon raid privilege that he got while working as Season.

    The onlookers attentively appraised Yu Jitae¡¯s face. He wasn¡¯t a famous superhuman. Several people present were quite knowledgeable about the superhuman industry but none of them knew who he was.

    In other words, he must have picked it up somewhere. Since it was a card with unique magic set-ups, it might a million or two if it was returned to the Association!

    ¡°Is that a suitable price?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Even then, Dennis did not look surprised in the slightest. It was instead Yeorum that was surprised because she knew of the value of the Dungeon Free Pass.

    For her, this was just a continuation of her gambling and yet Yu Jitae was trusting her so much that he was willing to put the unlimited dungeon raid qualification on the line. Isn¡¯t that what it meant?

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go that far¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine even if you lose it.¡±

    ¡°No. I won¡¯t lose it. Ever.¡±

    Shutting her lips tight, she turned her head back to the front.

    That was the end of the bet.

    ¡°Showdown!¡±

    Atst, the results were revealed.

    [5?] [2¡ô]

    Those were the cards Yeorum had. Some of the onlookers were so shocked from the ridiculously low numbers that they were about to faint but,

    [4?] [3??]

    Dennis¡¯s hand was even lower than Yeorum¡¯s.

    It was Yeorum¡¯s win.

    People shrieked.

    ¡°Akkkkkk¡ª!!¡±

    ¡°Aaaahh! Crazy¡ª!! They don¡¯t have K or a J or even an 8 and yet they do that!?¡±

    ¡°These guys are crazy! What in the world is on their minds¨C!?¡±

    The screams of the crowd shook the entirety of the underground casino like a tsunami. Still dumbfounded from the shock, Yeorum was dazed when Dennis asked with a distorted frown on his face.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy? How do you follow my raises with a hand like that, huh!?¡±

    His question caused the crowd to settle a little. What would she say in response? Wasn¡¯t Dennis¡¯s raises crazy in the first ce? Did she win after an intensive mind game? It was when they were all holding in their voices waiting for the redhead¡¯s reply.

    Yeorum¡¯s voice in return was a bewildered one itself.

    ¡°Uhh, I, I just did it.¡±

    Once again, people shouted from all around.

    The dealer changed more than a thousand chips to money and added it to the credit card as Yu Jitae took his Dungeon Free Pass back. Only then did Yeorume to terms with her victory.

    While there were still shouts andments of astonishments among the crowd,

    ¡°Uwwahhhhh¨C!¡±

    Yeorum ran up to Yu Jitae with a smile brighter than ever.

    ¡°I won! I won!¡±

    She jumped up and down before hanging her arms around his neck. Yu Jitae then realised that the child¡¯s heart was beating like crazy as if it was about to explode so he hugged her back.

    Her expression was filled with joy once her intentional look of peace was gone.

    ¡°Wah shit. I was scared as f*ck! Wow! I, I, I was this close to being f*cked! For real!¡±

    ¡°Nice job.¡±

    ¡°Did I do well?!¡±

    ¡°You did great.¡±

    ¡°Really? For real?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Then hurry up andpliment me more! Hurry!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you.¡±

    ¡°Ah f*ck! I love it! I¡¯m about to go crazy! Ahhhh, sex¡ª!¡±

    Hugging the child, Yu Jitae repeatedlyplimented her while thinking to himself.

    Dennis was sprinting forward hoping for Yeorum to fold, while wearing a calm expression until the end of the game. A demeanour like that was an absurdly amazing thing for a normal human.

    It was the temperament of a hero.

    However, Yeorum also had something simr.

    Not only did she have the heart of the beast, she also knew how to be patient, knew how to hide her true intentions and also had the confidence to fight. The result wasn¡¯t important ¨C Yu Jitae realised for the first time that Yeorum could show calmness in front of a true battle.

    Although there was his generous support and trust in the centre of all that, it was Yeorum who had managed to pull it off.

    Today¡¯s gamble had a very positive impact. An experience like this would remain in a portion of Yeorum¡¯s memories and stay there forever. No matter what battle she would face in the future, Yeorum could reflect on her current memories and settle her emotions.

    However, the situation wasn¡¯t just over yet.

    ¡°You damn mother f*ckers! Stay right there!¡±

    It was when they were about to leave with the card. Perhaps because they had lost a million dors in a single game,rge men wearing ck suits came running towards them holding guns in hand.

    There were 7 in total, and it was clear to both Yeorum and Yu Jitae that they were rted to Dennis. A million dors was enough to drive a small organisation in the town like them crazy.

    Bang bang bang bang¨C!

    Ear-splitting sounds of firearms echoed as the chandeliers dropped from the ceiling.

    ¡°Uaah! Those lunatics are back at it again!¡±

    ¡°R, run! Hide under the table!¡±

    It was chaos.

    The gamblers pushed each other away as they ran as some of them fell. Tables flipped and the surprised dealers quickly took out shotguns but another round of firearms caused them to fall.

    Kyaaak! A sharp scream of a woman resonated above the gunshots, as well as someone¡¯s desperate cry for police.

    It was when Yu Jitae, ced in the centre of the incident, was about to move his body.

    ¡°Yu Jitae!¡±

    Yeorum grabbed him by the arm.

    Strangely enough, her expression was filled with excitement.

    ¡°Let¡¯s run away!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing. Let go.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my ve! You have to listen to me¡­!¡±

    Saying that, she wrapped her arms around his and started pulling him.

    Why was she like this, and why did they have to run away?

    He was thinking that but suddenly remembered an American drama that he had watched some timest year with Yeorum and Gyeoul. The protagonists who had been gambling in the underworld running away after hearing gunshots¡­ maybe Yeorum had remembered the same thing.

    Yu Jitae suddenly found this red hatchling to be like a young kid. Things like the heart of a beast and the calm temperament of a hero all soundedughably unsuitable now.

    He sometimes forgot it since she always acted like a mature adult, bleeding in her zealous efforts but¡­

    Yeorum had just turned seventeen.

    ¡°Hurry, hurry up! Let¡¯s run¡­!¡±

    Thinking that, Yu Jitae decided to y along with the child.

    Together they ran past other people, jumped over fallen tables and headed to the exit. The moment they opened the door they were weed by three people pointing their firearms at them to stop their escape.

    Bang bang bang¨C!!

    When the guns fired their bullets, Yu Jitae stood in front of Yeorum and stopped the bullets with his body. Dozens of S-ranked protective blessings within his body snatched the kic energy from the bullets making them drop powerlessly. He then took one of the guns and swung it like a club.

    These guys were a bunch of rogues that put their lives on the line for just 2 million dors. They had chosen this ce as their hideout because people couldn¡¯t use magic in Las Vegas: Paradise. That was also why they were using firearms as their weapons but they were naturally powerless before well-trained superhumans.

    Kkang¨C!

    The head of one of the viins exploded. Startled, the other two ced their fingers on their triggers but a foot came flying in. It was Yeorum¡¯s flying side kick. With a loud bang, one of the remaining two lost his chin. His head was turned to the side as his heavy body fell down the staircase.

    Lastly, the remaining person with a body especially bigger than others tried to physically stop them. However, he seemed to have guessed that it wouldn¡¯t work out and appeared fairly flustered. Yu Jitae grabbed the guy by his neck and casually tossed him as therge muscr superhuman weighing around 340kg helplessly rolled down the stairs.

    ¡°Grab them¨C!¡±

    Seemingly out of their minds, the members of the gang pursued them while shooting their guns from behind. Once the two of them left the building, they found a truck driving towards them. As the hysterical chase began, Yeorum and Yu Jitae quickly turned a corner which the truck followed with an excessive drift.

    It was impossible to dodge without using mana. Thinking that, the driver of the truck drove into the two of them despite the casino building being in front of it.

    Kwanng!!!

    A loud explosion covered the area.

    From the midst, Yu Jitae carried Yeorum and jumped out, reaching 20 metres in height without even using mana.

    ¡°Kyahahaha! Those retards¨C!¡±

    Being carried like a princess with her eyes gazing at the zing scene of the explosion beneath her, Yeorumughed herself to death.

    That seemed to be the end of their eventful day. Superhuman police officers appeared in the distance and the surprised rogues began running away.

    ¡°Ohh¡­! Wow. Look at that¡­!¡±

    However, the ce Yu Jitaended after the jump happened to be the terrace of the ballroom located on the 6th floor of the casino.

    ¡°W, who are you guys!¡±

    ¡°Oh my!¡±

    A couple that had been intoxicated by their champagne and the atmosphere had been sharing a deep kiss but startledly jumped away after spotting them. Inside the building were people entangled and dancing under the brilliant lights. The building had great soundproof walls and they were absorbed in their entertainment no matter what was happening outside.

    ¡°Hey ve. Let¡¯s dance together.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Hurry up¡­! I feel crazy good right now! I probably won¡¯t dance ever if not today you know?¡±

    He hesitated, thinking why he had to dance all of a sudden but it just served to prove how excited Yeorum was.

    In any case, it wasn¡¯t the right condition for a dance. Yu Jitae wearing a business shirt, x pants and shoes was alright, but Yeorum was still wearing a t-shirt.

    ¡°You don¡¯t match the dress code do you.¡±

    Hearing that, Yeorum flicked her head towards the woman who had been sharing a deep kiss.

    ¡°Unni. Sorry but let me borrow your clothes for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Uh, huhh?! What are you¡­!¡±

    She was no different from a gangster herself.

    That night was literally a chaos.

    In the end, wearing the borrowed dress, Yeorum danced with Yu Jitae under the chandelier lights. However, Yeorum was not the protagonist of a drama and didn¡¯t know how to dance despite the atmosphere.

    Thus, she kept on stepping on Yu Jitae¡¯s feet until he became slightly irritated atst. He said ¡®Just forget it,¡¯ as Yeorum once againughed till she gasped for breath.

    That was how they spent that night.

    *

    From sunrise all the way till noon,

    The sound ofughter did not leave her mouth.

 Chapter 236: A Dance with Yeorum (5)

    <h4>Chapter 236: A Dance with Yeorum (5)</h4>

    The next day, they yed. They ate, yed around, watched another show and ate again. There was an incident that happened in the middle ¨C while she was at a slot machine inside the casino, she called it the ¡®biggest fraud alongside w machines¡¯ and chucked the machine.

    It was fine because Yeorum was now loaded with money. However, she couldn¡¯t avoid getting kicked out of the casino no matter how much money she had.

    Throughout the day Yu Jitae was treated like a ve. Yeorum seemed to have forgotten about it but suddenly remembered it during the show and said to him.

    ¡°Hey ve. Your shoulders.¡±

    Well, cing her on his shoulders because it was hard to see wasn¡¯t a difficult task. Carrying her on his back because she couldn¡¯t be bothered to walk and lending her his knee for her to tie her shoces were all okay.

    But once they started having a meal, Yu Jitae became slightly unsatisfied with the result of this bet. It was because she ordered chopped steak, before giving him the fork and asking with an open mouth.

    ¡°Hey ve. I¡¯m a baby. Gimme fud!¡±

    This girl. She must have seen something. She knew exactly what Yu Jitae hated doing and was trying to make him do it in this temporary master to ve rtionship.

    ¡°Use your own hands when you¡¯re eating food.¡±

    ¡°Uuunng~ Yeowum, dosen no how to use choppstwicks¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. Have you gone crazy?¡±

    ¡°Hinng. Eeeingg. How shuld I eet dis? If my ve feeds me, I can swallow da whole thingg¡­¡±

    For some reason, Yu Jitae really didn¡¯t want to do this from the bottom of his heart today. Even Gyeoul eats her food by herself, doesn¡¯t she?

    ¡°Hello? Where¡¯s my ve.¡±

    However, a bet¡¯s a bet and he had to inwardly give up on something as he picked up a piece of steak and brought it to her mouth. That was when Yeorum stuck her tongue out and started licking the sauce that was on the steak.

    It wasn¡¯t suggestive in the slightest and was disgusting at a nce. He frowned.

    ¡°Kyahahaha¨C!¡±

    Staring at his indifferent frown, Yeorumughed her heart out. She then murmured to herself as if she had figured something out, ¡®Ah, so this is why Bom said that huh¡­?¡¯

    What did Bom say?

    Whatever the case, up to that was fine. Yu Jitae could force himself to do such things but once they were in front of an event clothing store, he could no longer endure it.

    ¡°Ohh. Look ve. Those clothes look pretty!¡±

    Pointing at one of the clothes, Yeorum turned around but Yu Jitae had long disappeared.

    ¡°Huhh? Hey ve! Where did you go¡­!¡±

    Yeorum shouted in regret. It was because her finger had been pointing at a bunny boy clothing revealing the body line alongside rabbit ears.

    ¡°Aoh fu*k¡­ he¡¯s usually dense so how did he even know that I was gonna make him wear it?¡±

    In regret, Yeorum called him but his watch was already off. Thinking that he woulde back soon, she waited for an hour but Yu Jitae did not return.

    At this rate, he probably wouldn¡¯te back until the end of the ve contract.

    ¡°Where did you go? Come back!¡±

    Paradise ¨C in the city quiet at noon,

    ¡°I won¡¯t make you wear it! I really won¡¯t¡­!¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s shout echoed across the town.

    *

    Night arrived while they were ying to their heart¡¯s content.

    At a certain bar inside Paradise, Yeorum and Yu Jitae ordered an extremely expensive bottle of alcohol under the moonlight. It was a cognac named Remy Martin Louis XIII. This cognac made in Champagne was quite unique because of its rarity, not its price.

    A bartender in clean clothes poured the cognac into a burgundy ss with a snap of his wrist. Once the bartender walked away, Yeorum nced at Yu Jitae and asked.

    ¡°How do you drink this?¡±

    ¡°Just drink it.¡±

    ¡°No ice or salt or anything like that?¡±

    ¡°You can just drink it straight.¡±

    ¡°What. So it¡¯s the same as soju.¡±

    With a sip, the alcohol entered her mouth and Yeorum, who had been savouring the taste and the smell of the drink, widened her eyes. The soft texture of velvet. A fragrant fruity smell iparable to average brandies filled her mouth and after swallowing it, a residue of the delicate scent of oak remained on her tongue.

    ¡°Ohh.¡±

    ¡°Not bad is it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    After having a few more drinks, Yeorum seemed slightly drunk due to lowering her body¡¯s detoxification speed to its bottom. With every breath, the smell of cognac rose up from inside her. Enjoying that sweet scent, she quietly continued taking deep breaths in and out.

    ¡°This alcohol¡¯s very interesting.¡±

    ¡°In what sense.¡±

    ¡°Even breathing is enjoyable.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Every breathing moment became special ¨C that was why Yu Jitae had chosen Remy Martin Louis XIII. Outside the bar was dark so the ambient light of the bar was very snug. The two of them quietly remained sitting there for a short period of time until Yu Jitae eventually broke the silence.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be going back in a few hours.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°How was it. Did you enjoy yourself?¡±

    ¡°Uh, no¡­?¡±

    Yeorum swirled the ss in a circle with a grumble.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that fun.¡±

    Yu Jitae ignored herments and nodded. He had already gotten used to her way of speaking.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine to enjoy yourself but once we go back, you must return to what you have been doing. You know that right?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a shame?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve enjoyed enough already.¡±

    Her eyes were fixed on the ss. Her fingers scratched the surface of the ss.

    Yeorum pondered for a while before opening her mouth.

    ¡°You know. Yu Kaeul¡­¡±

    She added more words after a short hesitation.

    ¡°¡­If I, find her irritating, is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I was just, curious.¡±

    ¡°Who knows. If it¡¯s to the point that you are notfortable with living together, that would be a problem.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not like I hate living together. It¡¯s not that but¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. I do think it¡¯s a little ufortable¡­ Don¡¯t really want to go back and see her face either. It¡¯s also slightly annoying. Actually, I¡¯ve been trying to avoid walking into her recently.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why¡­¡±

    The pace of her breaths turned slightly more rapid.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t think she¡¯s the problem. You know me right? My personality is quite trash. I¡¯m a b*tch that hates a lot of things in the world. So¡­ I just¡­¡±

    After that, Yeorum did not say anything else. For a very long time.

    She couldn¡¯t speak of her weakness. It was embarrassing and disgraceful. It made her detest herself since acknowledging her weakness was like the value of her existence being denied.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    Although he was imperfect with human rtionships, Yu Jitae could understand almost exactly how Yeorum was feeling. There was amonality between his life and Yeorum¡¯s.

    While he was thinking along the lines of that,

    He suddenly thought of something that he wanted to share with her.

    ¡°I had a dream.¡±

    With a light voice, he opened his mouth. Still indulged in silence, Yeorum looked at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a dream I have had since I was very young and extremely weak. Naturally, it was hard to achieve and I¡¯ve repeated countless failures.¡±

    Yeorum appeared slightly surprised.

    To her, Yu Jitae was the strongest human in the world. The strong was a target of worship for the red race and yet such Yu Jitae was talking about the times where he had been ¡®weak¡¯.

    ¡°There was a method that I used to think was correct and I felt that I would achieve everything as long as I could earn it. But that wasn¡¯t the case. I¡¯ve gained a lot of things, but still couldn¡¯t achieve my goal.¡±

    His voice sounded slightly mncholic to her.

    ¡°Thus, I decided to grab more things, regardless of the means. More and more. Wouldn¡¯t I reach my dream one day? I thought that but in the end, I couldn¡¯t reach it.¡±

    ¡°¡­And then?¡±

    ¡°Repeating countless failures, I became impatient. I started giving up everything I had tried for from the slightest of mistakes. Let¡¯s restart from the beginning whenever there¡¯s a problem ¨C that was my mindset. Should I borrow your words?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Fuc*~ It was going well but I got f*cked~ Let¡¯s just do it again from scratch~¡±

    When Yu Jitae awkwardly copied Yeorum, she dumbfoundedly giggled.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the same at all.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Anyway, being impatient like that was a stupid thing to do. My vision was narrowed and I couldn¡¯t look far ahead. Your head bes a mess and it forgets what¡¯s important.¡±

    With the joke set aside, there was something inside Yu Jitae¡¯s words that rang her heart.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Yeorum closed her lips and contemted.

    ¡°What is your dream,¡± he asked her.

    Seeing her guardian with a different and unusual atmosphere around him, Yeorum also deeply thought to herself. She remained hesitant so Yu Jitae asked again.

    ¡°Is it to survive? Or bing stronger?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t those the only two options? If not, then for what are you bing stronger.¡±

    Dream¡­

    That mellow word touched the depths of her emotions. It pricked at something inside her heart.

    Lowering her gaze, Yeorum touched the ss with her two hands.

    Words she had never let out of her mouth.

    Words she had never forgotten, not even for a single day.

    Yeorum had such a dream.

    ¡°There are some words that I haven¡¯t conveyed yet¡­¡±

    Her honest thoughts escaped with a sigh.

    ¡°To your oldest unni?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And also to my youngest unni¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t ask what it was.

    ¡°You¡¯re bing stronger in order to convey those words. Right?¡±

    Slowly she nodded her head.

    He gave the child some time to think. When he drank his ss of alcohol, Yeorum btedly drank hers as well. Soon, he could feel her fragrant breaths.

    ¡°Yeorum¡­ Listen carefully to what I say.¡±

    Hearing his words, Yeorum raised her gaze up from the ss and looked into his eyes.

    ¡°You and me. Forcking existences like ¡®us¡¯ the path is always narrow and is covered with sharp pebbles.¡±

    Us¡­

    From the mouth of an undoubtedly perfect existence, whom she assumed had been strong from the beginning, left the word ¡®us¡¯.

    ¡°If you only look at what is right ahead, it is difficult to move forward. There are tonnes of sharp rocks in the world.¡±

    ¡°Sharp rocks?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The world is filled with obstacles that will block you, interfere, scoff at your steps that are eager to hurt you. Sometimes it might be painful and sometimes it will be sad. You might be afraid of going forward.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to looking far ahead.¡±

    Yeorum clenched her lips.

    She could finally understand why he had brought her to this ce, as well as why he was giving such answers to the doubts in her mind. She started understanding all his words.

    Las Vegas.

    In this ce, Yeorum got to experience various joys that she had never felt before. Enough to remind how she was a red dragon herself, each and every moment had been fun and it was a shame that she had to return despite there being more enjoyable and exciting things here.

    However, the reason that she had to give up on such interesting things to be stronger was because Yeorum had a dream.

    Didn¡¯t she vow to herself on the day of her Amusement? That she will definitely convey those words that she couldn¡¯t before on the day of her return?

    ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t look at what¡¯s right ahead of you, you might easily miss trivial things. You might stumble on a rock, or get scraped by a thornbush and you might even fall in a quagmire. But that¡¯s fine. No matter what, we can stand back up and walk forward again. Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°¡­Because, we are looking at what¡¯s far ahead?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The road sign was pointing into the distance.

    There was no reason for Yeorum to consider Kaeul apetitor.

    ¡°So that means I don¡¯t have to be overly considerate of the trivial things in front of me.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    Kaeul was just Kaeul, a being unrted to Yeorum¡¯s dream so there was no reason to be jealous of her even if she was in front of her, nor was there a need for self-hatred.

    ¡°If you¡¯re simply feeling thepetitiveness and trying harder to ovee it, that¡¯s fine. Because although the talent Kaeul has is great, you can be more desperate.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°I believe you won¡¯t be pushed back by Kaeul but what I¡¯m saying is that it doesn¡¯t matter even if you do get pushed back. You do not need to be in a constant rush for now. Have your feet on today, and your eyes on tomorrow. Got that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Feet on today,

    Eyes on tomorrow.

    His lesson shook her mind from its core as theplex array of emotional knots became untangled.

    Being satisfied by getting stronger every day.

    Feeling a sense of superiority from winning thepetition,

    Being anxious of a genius that was about to overtake her.

    The times she spent worrying and those childish emotions began to dissipate as Yeorum finally felt her heart gaining peace.

    ¡°Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    She realised that this was his lesson not as a ¡®guardian¡¯, but as a ¡®teacher¡¯.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum looked up at him.

    Today, he appeared all the more like an adult. She had always considered him big but today he was even bigger.

    That might have in turn made her feel smaller inparison. The words that left her mouth after she contemted and ruminated over his words were slightly wrong, when she reflected on it after a few seconds.

    ¡°Yes sir¡­¡±

    *

    That was the end of their enjoyable time in Las Vegas. On the way back inside the car, Yeorum built up everything that had happened in thest few days and carefully saved them in a corner of her memories.

    Thinking that when something unbearably difficult happens,

    That she would open it again.

 Chapter 237: Regarding Romantic Feelings (1)

    <h4>Chapter 237: Regarding Romantic Feelings (1)</h4>

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Do I, smell by any chance?¡±

    Smell. A chemical reaction caused by specific molecules carried by the air stimting the olfactory receptors of the nasal cavity.

    Thus, this sense of smell she was giving off was indeed a ¡®smell¡¯.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you pushing your nose towards me?¡±

    ¡°Because it smells good.¡±

    ¡°So I do smell.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s a good smell.¡±

    Bom pulled her body back, so Yu Jitae had to push his body forward by that much.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ this thing. It¡¯s nothing much actually,¡± Bom said with a nervous look on her face.

    ¡°You mean the scent?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s just a natural scent that spreads with the pulse of a green dragon¡¯s heart. It¡¯s verymon actually¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Then why¡­?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, there is something else I am curious about.¡±

    ¡°Is it smell? Is there a different smell?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it?¡±

    Since her back was already on the backrest of the chair, there was no further retreat for her. Yu Jitae¡¯s body was a lotrger than hers and thus his body was about to cover her body.

    ¡°I need to be a little closer to know what it is.¡±

    ¡°What is that. What do you even mean¡­¡±

    When they were that close, he found it hard to look into her eyes because it was perplexing. His gaze therefore travelled down to her nose. He had been unconcerned about it before but her nose was pretty so he lowered his gaze even further.

    Looking at her red lips brought a surge of perplexity yet again so his gaze travelled even further down. Under her neck, revealed behind her u-neck shirt was her white skin and her corbone. That ce was also unsuitable for his gaze but with that said, lowering his gaze from here on was even more unsuitable. It would be a disrespectful attitude so Bom would probably not like it.

    Then should he look at her feet or her stomach? Thinking about it like that, there was nowhere on the body of this hatchling where he could rest his eyes.

    Once again raising his gaze, he looked into her grass-coloured eyes. Bom was nervous and her eyes were drooping low as if she was slightly scared. Since it was always hard to tell her inner thoughts, the Regressor couldn¡¯t figure out whether this was a made-up expression or if it was a result of her honest emotions.

    In times like this, he tended to brush it aside thinking to himself that there must be a reason.

    Daily life was difficult and he was a broken human. By nature there were things he couldn¡¯t understand but he was not nning on disregarding the matter today just because he couldn¡¯t understand it.

    This was an extremely important matter.

    He asked.

    ¡°Bom. Are you scared of me?¡±

    Bom quietly pondered before giving a small nod.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Because someone bigger is like,ing towards me.¡±

    ¡°You are a dragon. And no matter how big I am, I¡¯m just a human.¡±

    ¡°But still.¡±

    ¡°Still?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m smaller right now¡­¡±

    With a slightly frightened look, or perhaps a ring look, she appeared nervous.

    ¡°You are a bit weird,¡± he said.

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you that were doing whatever you pleased. You were the one controlling the gap and teased me knowing I was feeling troubled.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°And yet you are scared of me approaching you? Does that not sound weird to you?¡±

    He thought to himself.

    There was something that did not make sense in Bom¡¯s behaviour.

    It was somewhat understandable for her tough at his perplexity because he too felt amused teasing Gyeoul and Yeorum.

    And the birth of a different emotion in that process was also understandable. He knew how Bom had faint romantic feelings for himself and ridiculously enough, he too was feeling some strange emotions.

    Then what was the reason for Bom to fear himself?

    ¡°It¡¯s fine for me to go near you,¡± she said.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Because ahjussi will be normal.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by normal?¡±

    ¡°The same as yesterday and the day before.¡±

    Once again, it was her unique way of speech and it was clear that she was trying to enshroud the topic at hand in obscurity. However, he decided to be more stubborn this time.

    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s say you¡¯re right. So you mean I can¡¯t go near you?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that weird? Didn¡¯t you want to monopolise me.¡±

    ¡°When did I say that?¡±

    ¡°You said it. About how you wanted to have the cake by yourself.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s, umm¡­ because, cakes are tasty¡­¡±

    Seemingly realising how nonsensical her words sounded as she said them, her lips quivered and closed. Her eyes avoided his eyes as her gaze turned even more anxious.

    That frown ¨C it seemed that Bom wasn¡¯t aware of how the reluctant look on her face was stimting Yu Jitae even more.

    ¡°You¡¯re a bit strange.¡±

    Bom opened her mouth and talked back.

    ¡°You are also strange today, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°What about me.¡±

    ¡°You usually never do this to me.¡±

    ¡°What am I even doing.¡±

    ¡°Look. You look as if you are trying to eat me¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    From who knows when, the range of his perplexity had widened. Even when it wasn¡¯t an embarrassing situation; even when they weren¡¯t overly close; even when Bom wasn¡¯t looking into his eyes and even when she wasn¡¯t softly whispering into his ears.

    He was easily troubled.

    By the time he realised it, he was already a step further in. He found Bom pretty and often thought about her. Looking at a pretty hair pin reminded him of her grass-coloured hair and he thought about Bom even when he was looking at other humans.

    It was no longer an issue that could be glossed over. He may be inexperienced but was no fool.

    He wasn¡¯t clueless ¨C

    About the fact that this was simr to ¡®romantic feelings¡¯.

    The Regressor valued logic above everything else. He couldn¡¯t logically understand the birth of romantic feelings inside him. It was impossible for such things to ur nor should they and besides, there wasn¡¯t even a clear cause was there?

    ¡°Why am I like this, you ask?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it either.¡±

    Like the unspecific time frame of an ice melting, he couldn¡¯t specify the exact moment it began so Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t believe the fact that there were such emotions existing inside him.

    He needed certainty.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to look into it now.¡±

    ¡°Into what? Ah¡­¡±

    Finishing his words, Yu Jitae carefully reached his hand out and touched her cheek. When she gave a startled look on her face, a gush of perplexity rose in his heart, almost enough to suffocate him to death.

    ¡°Tell me if you don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Since this ¡®perplexity¡¯ had caused him to turn away from those situations, he wasn¡¯t able to clearly discern his emotions till now.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Wait.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What if someonees in¡­¡±

    ¡°No-one will.¡±

    Lowering his body, he went even closer to her body. The scent tickling his nose became even denser.

    ¡°You can¡¯t¡­¡±

    Bom didn¡¯t say she hated it, even though she was so scared that she was almost about to cry.

    ¡­The cause of this absurd situation was what happened a few days ago.

    ***

    The next morning after their return from Las Vegas, Yu Jitae headed out with Bom early in the morning and bought food. The breakfast menu of that day was ck bean noodles with sweet and sour deep fried pork. It was one of Kaeul¡¯s favourite menus but since Yeorum was especially into spicy food, they ordered some spicy noodles on top.

    Unit 301 was filled with tension that morning.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was because Yeorum, who tended to avoid Kaeul these days, was having breakfast with them. Yeorum was silent and so was Kaeul because she knew how Yeorum was being conscious of her.

    Gyeoul stole a nce at Bom. In return, Bom caressed her hair so thinking that it wasn¡¯t anything important, Gyeoul immersed herself in her noodles.

    Meanwhile, Bom nced at Yu Jitae. He faintly shook his head to the side telling her to not worry about it.

    And soon, Yeorum broke the silence.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Huh, uh?¡±

    ¡°You became that transcendent cadet or whatever.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Nn¡­¡±

    In fact, Kaeul had failed the test. She had returned with 17 seconds left on the clock but it was quitetepared to other sessful cadets.

    However, the details of her test were overwhelmingly unconventional and her name was being mentioned more than thousands of times a day on the inte. Since that was the case, Lair made her an exception and seated her as one of the transcendent cadets.

    Kaeul had be one of the five transcendent cadets of Ha Sukmoo, but for some reason, she didn¡¯t look too happy.

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    ¡°Uh, t, thank¡­¡±

    ¡°You did well, but if you try to get on my level just because of that, I¡¯ll smack you alright.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°You might think something like this. You and I are both in the same grade, received the same military education and we¡¯re both dragons. So you might be able to fight against me on the same level. Right?¡±

    Yeorum picked up her chopstick and pointed it at Kaeul. In her hand, it looked like a chisel.

    ¡°I¡¯ll actually f*cking smack you then.¡±

    Kaeul frantically waved her hands in front of her body in response.

    ¡°Ehew. No¡­! Me on the same level? If you wanted to, I¡¯m sure you can break all my limbs!¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Right¡­¡±

    ¡°Why would we even fight? Umm, if we, uhh, go and save people together, I think that would be awesome¡­!¡±

    The table turned silent after her words. Although Yeorum was silent, she appeared quite content but that instead proved how much she was conscious of Kaeul.

    ¡°And also, just because your output¡¯s a little good, don¡¯t go everywhere shooting spells.¡±

    ¡°Unn?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t control it at all can you. Doesn¡¯t your heart feel empty after a spell? And your fingers tremble and feel burnt?¡±

    ¡°Ah, unn¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a problem, you know. You¡¯re simply pouring out mana while your body is unable to handle it. If it runs out that fast like a premature ejaction, you¡¯ll be useless when you¡¯re actually trying to save someone, you get that?¡±

    ¡°Uunn¡­ Thanks for your advice.¡±

    On the outside, Kaeul appeared to be obediently following her advice and there wasn¡¯t any change in their hierarchy.

    But there was an incident during the meal. It happened when both Kaeul and Yeorum picked up the same piece of pork. With a servile smile, Kaeul released her chopsticks while Yeorumfortably brought the pork after confirming the hierarchy.

    The problem happened afterwards because Kaeul took the few remaining pieces of pork and piled them on her te.

    ¡°Oi. Why are you taking everything.¡±

    Yeorum tried to take one of them but that was when Kaeul raised her chopsticks and blocked hers.

    Hoh? Thinking that, Yeorum added more power to her grip.

    A different light appeared in Kaeul¡¯s eyes. For a split second, a sharp light like that of a de appeared in her eyes that were looking into Yeorum¡¯s eyes before quickly dissipating. When Yeorum red back into her eyes, Kaeul flinched andughed while scratching her head.

    She then ced the te underneath her where therge baby chicken was. Chirpy started diligently chewing the pieces of pork that it got from Kaeul.

    ¡°Far out. Just say that you were going to give it to the chicken.¡±

    ¡°S, sorry¡­¡±

    Kaeulughed hehe¡­ in a subservient manner.

    *

    After the meal, Bom talked to both Yeorum and Kaeul separately. Her role was to make the two of them feelpetitive against each other while not harming their rtionship.

    In order to do so, she had to talk to each of them separately.

    ¡°Is Yu Kaeul apetitor for me? No? I don¡¯t care a single bit about her. Frankly speaking, her role is different and she just started learning magic so it would be shameless of her to try getting on my level,¡± replied Yeorum when she was alone with Bom.

    ¡°Yeorum-unni? Ehew. Would I even be a match for her? Of course unni is the strongest! I won¡¯t even be able to fight against her. She tries very hard right? And, uumm¡­ there¡¯s no reason for us to fight either.¡± That was what Kaeul said in response.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ you know, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it because I¡¯m more into physical fights than magic¡­ Ah, don¡¯t take me wrong and just listen. I¡¯m just asking since I¡¯m super curious. Is she really that talented?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°¡­But if we fight, I won¡¯t lose right?¡±

    Yeorum asked.

    ¡°By the way. Unni unni.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Uumm, I¡¯ve never heard my mum tell me I was good at using magic so I can¡¯t really understand yet¡­ Am I really a genius? Aren¡¯t all the other dragons the same as me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ not that I will fight her but¡­ would I be able to win if I fought against Yeorum-unni¡­?¡±

    Kaeul asked.

    In response, Bom pondered before smiling and telling the same thing to the two of them.

    ¡°Who knows? Until you actually fight her.¡±

    *

    It was while slight tension was budding inside Unit 301.

    A message came to Bom via her watch. Surprised, she quickly dashed and looked for Yu Jitae. She found Yu Jitae sitting on the sofa ying a game with Gyeoul.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I won an award¡­!¡±

    Bom appeared happy, which was quite a rare sight.

    An award?

    Yu Jitae checked the message that was on the disy screen of her watch.

    [Horror Novel Contest Awards]

    ¨C Hair Colour Broli

 Chapter 238:

    <h4>Chapter 238:</h4>

    ¡°Uwah, uwah. Let me see!¡±

    When the message was forwarded to her watch, Kaeul started reading out the words written on the invitation.

    ¡°Thank you for submitting your valuable manuscript for this summer¡¯s horror novel contest¡­¡±

    As she mumbled through the words of the invitation with her clear voice, the kids that had gathered nearby started bing more excited. Sitting on Yu Jitae¡¯sp, Gyeoul turned towards him with a bright smile while Yeorum tapped Bom on her back as a way of telling her, ¡®Not bad¡¯.

    ¡°¡­Congrattions to Author [Hair Colour Broli] for the award and¡­¡±

    But the moment her pen name was mentioned, Bom flicked her head towards Yeorum, who then looked off into the distance.

    ¡°Whose pen name is that lol.¡±

    Regardless, her mouth did not know hot to stay quiet and babbled on.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to die?¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡±

    When Bom acted annoyed with a slightly serious yet joking countenance, Yeorum returned a sneaky smile while supporting her bust with her arms.

    ¡°Wanna touch my titties?¡±

    <strong>Episode 78: Regarding Romantic Feelings (2)</strong>

    In the New Era, Korea became the centre of horror literature. It was because there was an especiallyrge amount of spirits and ghost-type monsters alongside intellectual and demonic monsters in Korea.

    From an era where ghosts had simply been an object of imagination, it became so that there were now several people who had seen real ghosts. Although they did exist, only few things were revealed about these bizarre monsters, thus leading to a new horror boom.

    Besides, it was now an era where both interpretation and trantion were perfect thanks to the increasing development of magic engineering so each genre of literature tended to gather to one specific ce. And ¡®horror literature¡¯, which was on the minor sidepared to other genres, just happened to be treated as a major genre in Korea thanks to a lot of media traction.

    [International Horror Literature Exhibition of South Korea]

    Receiving an award in a contest like that was an honour a lot greater than Yu Jitae had initially thought.

    Out of thousands and tens of thousands of manuscripts that had flown over from all across the world, only 13 of them got an award. Although the final evaluations weren¡¯t out yet, it was enough to make Bom absurdly happy.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting it at all!¡±

    Kaeul brought her spoon to her mouth like a mic.

    ¡°Miss Yu Bom! How do you feel!?¡±

    He wondered what this sudden role y was, but Bom in her good mood gave a wide smile suitable for an interview.

    ¡°I feel amazing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been working very hard for it. Uhh¡­ what was it called again? Anyway, do you think 1st ce will be possible?¡±

    ¡°That will probably be difficult, I believe.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think so? You wrote very very well, so have more confidence in it!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t read it though, did you?¡±

    ¡°Aht, hehe¡­¡±

    Bom thought to herself before replying.

    ¡°It will be hard. There is someone who came first for five years includingst year and the year before.¡±

    ¡°Hukk, really? For five years¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nn. She¡¯s really famous. You probably know her name as well.¡±

    Bom said while looking at both Yeorum and Kaeul.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know shi* about that.¡±

    ¡°Unn. Me neither!¡±

    ¡°No. You probably do. She¡¯s called Carrot Girl. Don¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°Carrot Girl? Ah¡­!¡±

    Seemingly realising something, Kaeul gave a p.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she really famous? Like, I saw her name on a lot of romance novels!¡±

    ¡°Right. She¡¯s a romance novelist. There have been several movie, drama and manga adaptations of her novel¡­ She¡¯s the most famous writer in Korea.¡±

    750 million e-book downloads.

    Korea¡¯s best romance novelist with a legendary record of selling 28 million hard-copies worldwide.

    Although Yeorum didn¡¯t show it on the outside, her unforgetting memories clearly remembered that name.

    How would she ever forget it?

    [The House Owner¡¯s Dangerous Secret]

    [Author: Carrot Girl]

    Carrot Girl¡­ It was the author of the paranormal romance book that she had stealthily borrowed from Bom¡¯s room a few months ago.

    This damned author had written a horror novel pretending like it was a romance novel, but she was so good at writing that Yeorum had knocked on the door of Yu Jitae¡¯s room in the middle of the night, thinking that he might be a ghost too.

    She also discoveredter how her name was often mentioned in a fair bit of shoujo manga as the writer of the stories.

    ¡°Oi. Yu Bom.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Then why is that bastard writing a horror novel? She¡¯s a shoujo manga writer, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Is she? I looked it up but she was originally a horror novelist but it didn¡¯t make her much money apparently. She probably came back after a huge sess with romance novels.¡±

    ¡°What a dog-ass bastard. You better smack her away. Her writing was freaking annoying.¡±

    While the kids were chatting to each other assuming what the award Bom will be getting was, Gyeoul was sitting in the corner not knowing what was going on and was simply blinking her eyes. She looked back at Yu Jitae but noticed that his eyes were hazier than usual.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae was quite confused.

    Bom receiving an award with her novel? It was extremely hard to believe.

    Since he had personally read the novel she had written in the 6th iteration, plus had given it to a professional for a diagnosis, he knew Bom was not talented at writing novels.

    A famous novelist of the time had said after reading her novel.

    ¨C She appears to bepletely untalented.

    ¨C The characters are dead. The narration is weird and the main theme of the story is gloomy and without any message.

    ¨C Especially, the emotions of the characters are very very weird. Here they areughing, and they cry and suddenly get mad. I don¡¯t think there will be many people understanding these characters.

    The ¡®Bom¡¯ back then was the same person as her current self. So how could she receive an award with a novel?

    ¨C But some parts are also normal¡­ Writers with a slightly strange mentality tend to write like this.

    When Kaeul made an ugly look with her face and called it the ghost¡¯s face from the side, Bom giggled.

    There was one thing that was different from the previous iteration: the current Bom smiled very often. Did she change from living a daily life?

    Her past of living like a hikikomoripared to her joyous present ¨C it was evident that she had somehow changed.

    ¡°Ohhh. I just looked it up, but there is a thing called a Gold Prize,¡± said Kaeul with flickering eyes.

    By nature, gold was the best colour was it not?

    ¡°I hope you get the Gold Prize!¡±

    But when Bom told her that the Gold Prize was one level below the Grand Prize, Kaeul became slightly disappointed.

    Regardless, her wish came true.

    A few dayster.

    After the end of the final evaluation, the formal invitation letter to the rehearsal of the awarding ceremony arrived at the house, and written on it were details about Bom¡¯s award.

    [Hair Colour Broli: Gold Prize]

    The Grand Prize went to Carrot Girl but that had nothing to do with her. Carrying the letter she jumped out to the living room and hopped around in joy.

    ***

    After the end of the rainy season;te summer as the heat started to die down.

    The Horror Literature Institution located in Mapo district of Seoul was busily preparing for the awarding ceremony rehearsal. In the basement parking lot of therge building were countless sedans driving by and several famous writers were heading to the venue in groups.

    Today was a rehearsal but since it was a fairly renowned event with quite a bit of attention worldwide, there were a lot of eyes on it. Several news articles had been written already and looking at an article with Bom¡¯s pen name, a group of writers chatted to each other.

    ¡°You know this person.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡¯

    ¡°The one getting the Gold Prize this year. This person is a new writer right?¡±

    ¡°Probably? It¡¯s my first time hearing that name.¡±

    ¡°I guess. A unique pen name like this should be hard to forget.¡±

    Uhahahat. They heartilyughed out loud.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Coincidentally, Bom was walking out of a car and heard it while Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul next to her all heard it too. Bom red at Yeorum from the corner of her eyes as Yeorum supported her chest with her hands and pushed it forward. The smile on her face was so annoying that Bom was this close to actually pinching it, but soon decided against it.

    Bom, heaving out a sigh and shaking her head, had ck hair. It was because she didn¡¯t want to be aughing stock in front of a camera.

    Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul were all wearing a mask and a cap each.

    ¡°Oi. By the way, is it fine to have your hair ck?¡±

    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Nothing happened yet. Don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡±

    Licking her lips, Yeorum gave a nod.

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t with them.

    He told them there was an urgent task and said he would be thirty minuteste. ¡®An urgent task in this important situation?¡¯ thought Yeorum but Bom said it was fine.

    She knew that him calling something an ¡®urgent task¡¯ meant it was extremely important, so she did not delve deeper into it.

    The hatchlings headed to the waiting room of the rehearsal venue. The waiting room was literally a room and ten or so out of the 13 awardees were seated already. Most of them were chatting with their managers, families or staff members so it was quite bustling with noise.

    Finding a seat in the corner of the room, Bom, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul were chatting about what Bom would say after receiving the award.

    That was when a middle-aged Asian man who appeared to be in his 40s entered the room after carefully pushing the door open. He said several things to the staff before stealthily heading to one of the awardees sitting next to the window and lowering his head.

    ¡°Umm, nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Who could you be¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the manager of the writer, Carrot Girl.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, yes yes. What is the matter¡­?¡±

    ¡°Umm, you see.¡±

    Sweating profusely and seemingly troubled, he startedying out exnations and cautiously asked if the awardee could yield the position next to the window. The awardee dumbfoundedly rolled their eyes but soon agreed and meekly moved to a different spot.

    People started clicking their tongues and whispering to each other after the manager walked out of the room.

    ¡°She¡¯s doing it again.¡±

    ¡°I heardst year was also ridiculous right? She flipped everything or something.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nothing. That person is¡­¡±

    It was already famous what kind of person ¡®Carrot Girl¡¯ was but still oblivious to it, Bom was blinking her eyes when a loud and sharp voice of a woman resonated from outside the waiting room.

    ¨C It was you who wanted me toe! I said I didn¡¯t want toe!

    Kwang!

    The door was pushed open with a deafening thud as a woman with an orange hair walked in with her heels creating loud clicking sounds. She was inte 20s but her crumpled and discontent face appeared a lot younger due to her being a superhuman.

    She was none other than Carrot Girl herself.

    While everyone¡¯s eyes were on her, Carrot Girl took deep breaths in and out. When the same manager from before grabbed her by the arm in a flustered attempt to calm her down, she flicked her arm and shook his hand off.

    She appeared very upset and turning around, she red at her manager.

    ¡°Manager. Why do you always do this?¡±

    ¡°M, Miss. That¡¯s because¡­¡±

    ¡°How many times have I said it? I told you I had to take time off tonight!¡±

    ¡°No that¡¯s, I did contact them but¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you even know how important that meeting is? If I¡¯m even five minuteste, it will drench my face with ink. Can you take responsibility for that!?¡±

    ¡°P, please calm down¡­ the Institution did say that they will make the rehearsal fast¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough! Go and tell them to be faster thanks.¡±

    ¡°O, okay.¡±

    ¡°Theck of inspiration is driving me crazy already. If you keep working like this, I¡¯m not going to write again. You guys are not the only managementpany.¡±

    When she shouted, ¡°What are you doing!? Hurry up and go right now!¡± the manager in his 40s quickly left the room with beads of sweat.

    She turned around as the people, whose eyes had been fixed on her, quickly looked away. A different manager gave emptyughs before apologising to the surroundings and leading her to the cushion ced next to the window which the previous manager had prepared.

    Clicking her tongue, Carrot Girl walked noisily with her heels before finding the girls of Yu Household staring at her.

    Although their faces had been covered with a mask, each person had an aura that was difficult to hide. Their bodies, eyes and the shape of their faces were all like a ray of light shining outward.

    ¡°Who are these girls?¡±

    Pointing at the four seasons with her finger, Carrot Girl asked her manager.

    ¡°An idol group here for a performance?¡±

    The manager frantically shook his hands and eximed.

    ¡°N, no no! She¡¯s the writer, Hair Colour Broli, the winner of the Gold Prize.¡±

    ¡°Ah. That broli¡­¡±

    Carrot Girl looked at Bom. She nced past her hair before giving a grin.

    ¡°More like a tyre¡­¡±

    Saying that, she went to her seat and sat down as the surrounding people distanced themselves away from her. For a short while, the waiting room was filled with silence but people started chatting to each other again once she was engrossed in her watch.

    ¡°That f*cking bi*ch. Look at the way she talks¡­¡±

    Yeorum who btedly understood Carrot Girl¡¯s words murmured to herself.

    ¡°She freaking called your hair colour a tyre just then right?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. Calm down.¡±

    ¡°Her own stupid head looks like bird crap. Wish I could rip her damn mouth out.¡±

    Yeorum swore looking at the yellow and red hair pin on her carrot-coloured hair, and Bom had to tell her it was fine.

    ¡°I know right. Why does that ahjumma say whatever she wants to? So annoying¡­¡±

    But even Kaeul chimed in and red at Carrot Girl with a frown. It was different from her usual self, so Bom had to soothe her with an awkward smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°You feel bad right, unni¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I heard other people talking about it, but she apparently has quite the personality.¡±

    ¡°But even then¡­¡±

    It was when Kaeul wasining that the door of the waiting room was pushed open.

    Thinking that it was her managering back to the room, Carrot Girl red at the door with wide eyes but the one that came in wasn¡¯t her manager.

    Tall height,rge body ¨C it was a man who appeared extremely vicious. ¡®Shi..¡¯ grumbled Carrot Girl when her eyes met with the man¡¯s for a split second.

    In that instant, Carrot Girl was so surprised that her body froze right on the spot.

    ¡°Sorry for beingte.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Come here.¡±

    While Yu Jitae was giving coffee to the kids, the manager hurriedly came back for Carrot Girl, telling her that there was a ce she had to go to.

    ¡°Huhh? O, okay.¡±

    Carrot Girl walked outside in slow strides and conspicuously looked at Yu Jitae until the door closed behind her. With a gaze as if she was honouring something great, as if she was moved by something.

    Feeling that gaze, Yu Jitae turned towards her for a bit but soon forgot about it. When he turned his head back to the kids, he found Bom directly staring at the door.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Nn? N, no it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°Why. Do you know that woman?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s Carrot Girl apparently. She¡¯s a freaking crazy bi*ch,¡± said Yeorum. Her voice that abruptly jumped out was a bit loud and the bustling waiting room suddenly turned quiet, amplifying the sound of someone¡¯sughter that followed it.

    One of the other writers, who had identallyughed, embarrassedly lowered his head.

    They sat there waiting until one of the staff members ran into the room and shouted.

    ¡°We will start the rehearsal in 5 minutes!¡±

    *

    Sending Bom to the stage, Yu Jitae stepped outside for a bit and contacted the Association. That was when a middle-aged man walked towards him from a distance and bent his back.

    ¡°Hello sir?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a manager of the writer, Carrot Girl.¡±

    He was wearing a very anxious-looking smile, which at the same time appeared very servile.

    ¡°Yes, what is it.¡±

 Chapter 239: Regarding Romantic Feelings (3)

    <h4>Chapter 239: Regarding Romantic Feelings (3)</h4>

    The rehearsal was being held on the stage. Fitting their genre of horror, dancers in bizarre paranormal clothing danced like ghosts in alignment with mysterious music. While the camera director and the audio director were pointing at different ces with their fingers, various writers sitting in the audience seats were stealing nces at one person.

    ¡®Hair Colour Broli¡¯ was a person outside their expectations.

    She was dumbfoundingly beautiful but there was a sense of distance alongside her beauty. They were scared to start a conversation with her but their curiosity made them continue stealing nces. Her slightly nted eyes appeared decadently appealing while her indifferent pout made her look like a discontent goddess.

    She didn¡¯t seem like a ¡®pretty girl¡¯ and gave off a holy aura. Like an otherworldly person she appeared, and she in fact didn¡¯t even seem like a human.

    Whenever she looked back into their eyes, people felt stifled regardless of their gender.

    That was when a faint smile appeared on her uninterested expression. It wasn¡¯t something to be genuinely happy about however, as people unknowingly felt frightened. Carrying that mysterious atmosphere around her, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little nerve-wracking. It¡¯s my first time getting an award in my life, you see.¡±

    Ah, right. Haha. Me too¡­ It was when some of the other writers were looking for words to say. A middle-aged female writer opened her mouth after a little cough.

    ¡°By the way.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That, Miss Carrot Girl said something before right?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    She did call her hair-colour a tyre. Bom nodded as the middle-aged writer nced at Carrot Girl sitting in the distance by herself with her legs crossed.

    ¡°Tch. It must have been your first time seeing her and I thought you might be surprised. But you don¡¯t have to worry about it too much.¡±

    Others nodded, seemingly in agreement.

    ¡°That person has always been very short-tempered.¡±

    ¡°She thinks she¡¯s the best in the world so¡­¡±

    It seemed that her reputation wasn¡¯t good as they continued bad-mouthing her.

    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m fine. Thank you. But did something happen to her? She wasn¡¯t in a good mood.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in the samepany as her. It seems that she¡¯s scrapping everything she writes these days.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡±

    ¡°Nothing to write anymore. Lack of inspiration. Things like that¡­ It¡¯s normal since she¡¯s been writing stories non-stop for several years but the problem is that she¡¯s ming others for it.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    As people whispered, ¡®Crazy¡­¡¯ ¡®Does she think she¡¯s the only one with a writer¡¯s block?¡¯ Bom curiously asked another question.

    ¡°She must have gotten the Grand Prize because she can write horror novels though, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course. But that¡¯s simply for her self-satisfaction.¡±

    ¡°Self-satisfaction?¡±

    ¡°Because she¡¯s originally been a horror novelist. A hobby so to speak.¡±

    Some of the writers gave a frown. A manuscript written as a hobbying first did prove her talent but they were nheless discontent.

    ¡°But both herpany and herself earn money with romance. Romance novels probably give her around 80 times more money than horror novels.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know the details but it¡¯s clear why she¡¯s creating a mess all around. She¡¯s just hysterical after losing her way to earn money.¡±

    ¡°That would be stressful.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s already earned a lot of money so how greedy can she be¡­ But I don¡¯t know the details. She doesn¡¯t have many friends in the first ce so¡­ well, it¡¯s just the staff of herpany that are dying out in the process.¡±

    Ehew. After another sigh, people continued talking behind her back. ¡®How can a person like that write romance novels?¡¯ ¡®I know right. There won¡¯t be anyone willing to take her.¡¯ A few of them giggled while some threw nces at Carrot Girl.

    Bom thought, is that so, and didn¡¯t think much about it then.

    ***

    Left alone, Carrot Girl remained in a corner until the start of the rehearsal.

    She didn¡¯t like her own habit of chewing her fingernails but today, she couldn¡¯t help herself. The face of a man was stuck on her mind.

    Dark lips and jawline, pale skin and an exhausted gaze that seemingly considered everything in the world beneath him.

    He was a rather shocking man.

    Carrot Girl bit her fingernails.

    When she was young, there were a lot of tall and great people near her but as she aged, she realised that most of them were insignificant. By the time she became a bestselling author, called Korea¡¯s Jowen K Rowling, the world became full of insignificant people for her.

    She was still just 29 years old.

    ¨C Miss Juhee. No more no less. Let¡¯s just do one more novel. China is going crazy right now. There are so many people waiting for your novel ¨C are you going to betray all of them?

    ¡°Betray? Since when was it a mutual rtionship. Aren¡¯t those people going to point fingers at me straight away if I write a terrible novel?¡±

    ¨C Listen. Miss Juhee!

    ¡°Am I writing for loyalty? How many times do I need to say it? I¡¯m going to do what I want to do now!¡±

    What brought her to the top funnily enough was ¡®romance novels¡¯, which she had started writing just to earn some cash.

    She wasn¡¯t interested in romance and she preferred horror which touched the depths of a human.

    But as she continued writing, Carrot Girl became dissatisfied with her own work. Perhaps it was because she had been writing romance novels for a long time but now, she could only write a novel that others enjoyed, and forgot how to write what she herself wanted.

    She had gotten awards from it but it honestly didn¡¯t make her feel any better.

    This wasn¡¯t the horror novel she wanted to write, and she had be a broken author who didn¡¯t even know what to write.

    A life that others might see as blessed. While she was going through a hellish time all alone ¨C that was when she saw him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When researching for materials to write about, she had visited a superhuman mental hospital, interviewed a haunted criminal, met actual ghosts and talked with murderers. Those were all prehensible¡¯ things.

    But today, she met an iprehensible person for the first time. Despite a short eye contact, there was tons of inspiration filling her mind.

    She wanted to know him better. She wanted to talk with him. What did he think about and how could she best express a person like that?

    The things she had long forgotten wereing back to life.

    Dante the poet had Beatrice while Nietzsche, Freud and Rilke had all been courting for Lou Andreas-Salome¡¯s attention.

    It had been her lifelong question. How would it feel to have a ¡®muse¡¯? A person whose existence alone flooded out inspirations?

    Today, she had found the answer to that question.

    ¡°Manager.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°The idol kids just then.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, you mean the Gold Prize writer, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Whatever. Do you remember the man that was with them? The one with a good body.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes of course.¡±

    ¡°What was that person like?¡±

    In response, the younger manager who had been left inside the waiting room, replied.

    ¡°Hmm, he looked really kind.¡±

    ¡°Kind?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Not sure if kind is the right word¡­ but he was a very good listener, and the girls that were with the writer Hair Colour Broli all looked very attached to him.¡±

    He was kind?

    It was a little weird but that would be even better. Thinking that, she dropped a bombshell.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of meeting him.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Bring him to me. Whatever it takes.¡±

    It was an absurd statement but the manager was already used to it. ¡®Only if I was rich¡­¡¯ grumbled the manager as he awkwardly looked for the said man and requested some of his time for dinner.

    However, the words that came back from him were firm.

    ¡°Sorry but no.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I have no ns on meeting her.¡±

    The manager felt as if he had be a door-to-door salesman.

    Doesn¡¯t he know who Carrot Girl is?

    ¡°Umm, we will be happy to give quite some cash forpensation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be fine thanks.¡±

    The manager would even cling to his pants if he could, but for some reason he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so. With no other choice, the manager reluctantly called Carrot Girl and conveyed the situation.

    ¨C @#%@%!!!

    From the other side of the watch rang a deafening voice. With beads of sweat, he tried to pacify her over the watch for a few minutes but the call suddenly ended.

    The manager was sweating profusely wondering what was happening when he suddenly heard her voice from a distance.

    ¡°Where is he!¡± shouted Carrot Girl, who had run all the way in a one-piece dress, drenched in sweat.

    ¡°Huh, uh?! Miss? Weren¡¯t you in the middle of a rehearsal?¡±

    The manager startledly opened an umbre to block the sunlight but Carrot Girl disregarded his question and shouted.

    ¡°Like I said, just tell me where that man is!¡±

    ***

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was calling the Association in preparation for the uing ¡®Second Night¡¯.

    After ending the call with Jefferson, he turned his body and was about to head back inside to watch the rehearsal. That was when a set of hurried footsteps were heard as a woman suddenly jumped out from the corner of the building.

    ¡°Ah, you¡­!¡±

    It was the orange-haired woman whom he had seen at the waiting room.

    ¡°Hey. Let¡¯s talk for a little.¡±

    ¡°Regarding what.¡±

    It seemed that she had been running wearing heels. She was gasping for breath and appeared to becking in stamina despite being a superhuman. Repeatedly, she wiped the sweat falling from her forehead and took a deep breath in, before finally opening her mouth.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s impolite to do this when it¡¯s our first time seeing each other but listen. Me. I earn a million a month.¡±

    Yu Jitae was speechless.

    So what?

    ¡°I have a lot of sessful pieces ¨C around 10 of them. Five of my novels were adapted into dramas and two of them recorded the best rating for their broadcasting channels. You might not know but I¡¯m the only one in Korea who has 750 million e-book downloads. The one under me doesn¡¯t even reach 100 million. And, also I¡¯m¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait. I get it. So what¡¯s your business.¡±

    When he cut her words off short, Carrot Girl gave a big frown, but she wiped her sweat and returned to her prideful smile.

    ¡°Looking at you gives me tons of inspiration. This is my first time. This might sound weird but it is very important for me because each of my novels are worth millions of dors. But these days, I haven¡¯t been getting many ideas¡­¡±

    Her words were about to get longer again so Yu Jitae growled with a lower voice.

    ¡°Your business¨C¡±

    His low growl with the resonance like that of a beast silenced the high-toned voice.

    Carrot Girl was visibly surprised and clenched her lips. But despite that, there was a look of satisfaction on her face for an unknown reason.

    ¡°No more no less. Just meet me five times.¡±

    ¡°Meet you? Why.¡±

    ¡°I told you. I¡¯m getting inspirations from you. I also want to know you better. It won¡¯t take long. Just a meal along with some conversations.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t need it. You should go.¡±

    ¡°What? Wait! I¡¯m not just trying to meet you for free. You are probably also busy with your work.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not doing it.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so rash? You won¡¯t lose anything. How about I buy your time. Ten thousand dors an hour. How is that? I can give you more. That much is nothing to me.¡±

    A smile full of confidence shed past her lips. It was the attitude of a person who thought everything went ording to their wishes and was an attitude he had seen often from superhuman rankers.

    Her neck without a single wrinkle was very thin.

    During her chatter, he imagined grabbing and twisting that neck. It would be an effective method for silence but that would ruin Bom¡¯s awarding ceremony.

    ¡°Do you understand human words.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? What did¡­¡±

    ¡°Go before I break your neck.¡±

    A sense of disgust was overflowing from his voice.

    ¡°W, w, why do you say such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Go away.¡±

    Frozen stiff, she stopped on the spot. What? Wasn¡¯t he kind¡­? She was speechless and she couldn¡¯t open her mouth but at the same time, she felt satisfied. Right, a man like him should be like that of course¡­

    However, him turning around and heading into the building wasn¡¯t a wee sight.

    ¡°W, wait! Wait a second!¡±

    With her heels clicking against the floor, Carrot Girl ran in an attempt to grab him.

    However, her heels broke in the process due to the unreasonable pace. ¡°Akk¨C!¡± About to miserably fall on the ground, she shouted and that was when the man turned around. His wide chest was right in front of her.

    There¡¯s no way he doesn¡¯t catch me right? She thought, but Yu Jitae slightly pulled his body away and Carrot Girl ended up straight on the asphalt floor with arge thud.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae was dumbfounded from that pstickedy or whatever it was meant to be when Carrot Girl flicked her head up.

    ¡°Why, why did you pull back? No. Whatever. That¡¯s alright. Is there something you wish by any chance?¡±

    Drip¡­ The moment she raised her head, blood dripped from her nose. Seemingly ignoring that, she reached her hands out and grabbed him by his pants.

    ¡°A, are you dissatisfied because I was trying to buy you with money? Let me apologise then. I¡¯ll apologise.¡±

    ¡°Let go.¡±

    ¡°W, wait. The second ce! Broli! Are you her boyfriend? You¡¯re not, right? Besides, I¡¯m not doing this because I¡¯m interested in you as a man or something!¡±

    At this point, even he felt doubtful.

    Yu Jitae was suppressing her right now with quite a bit of killing intent. It was hard for anyone to be this desperate even if it was their life that was on the line. That in turn meant that she was so desperate to the point that she was literally about to die.

    However, that was none of his business. Whether she was desperate or not, everything else apart from the hatchlings had no meaning to Yu Jitae. He stepped on her hands that were grasping at his pants as a sharp shout echoed across.

    ¡°Ahhkkk¨C!¡±

    He was about to turn around when the woman shouted again.

    ¡°Wait! Wait! Th, the contest! Right. Only the Grand Prize is guaranteed for an OSMU movie adaptation! I¡¯ll help with that. That girl got a Gold Prize right? I¡¯ll help you with the movie adaptation! I know a lot of people that work there!¡±

    But this time, the woman proposed a decent offer. A bit of money and authority couldn¡¯t bepared to the power born from connections ¨C the power created over a long time as money, connections and credit built upon each other.

    ¡°Do you still hate it that much? Just having a meal with me?¡±

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    Bom had been very happy when she got the message saying that she would be getting an award. It was extremely rare for her to be that happy.

    If her novel were to be adapted into a movie, how happy would she be¡­?

 Chapter 240: Regarding Romantic Feelings (4)

    <h4>Chapter 240: Regarding Romantic Feelings (4)</h4>

    That day, only Bom and Gyeoul were home for lunch. Yeorum had gone for her training while Kaeul was at a spirit beast cafe with Chirpy.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    Inside the quiet house, Bom called the child who had been nkly staring at the tropical fish inside the aquarium of her room. Gyeoul turned around and looked at her.

    ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. Where¡¯s ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Probably off to work.¡±

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t in the dormitory but it was nothing to worry about. Bom was the only one in Unit 301 that knew of Yu Jitae¡¯s connection with the Association, and also knew that he was busy with Association-rted tasks. And she also had a vague idea about the ¡®Hostility¡¯.

    ¡°¡­He¡¯s, outside a lot these days.¡±

    Until then Bom wasn¡¯t concerned in the slightest. She decided not to think about where he was or worry about when he would being back. There wasn¡¯t anything in particr that she was seeing from Providence either and she just assumed he was busy.

    ¡°What do you want to eat with unni, Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°¡­Uumm, instant noodles?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have them yesterday?¡±

    Whenever he wasn¡¯t home, she simply had to y his part.

    That was what Bom was thinking.

    ***

    He had watched a movie where the protagonist was a regressor. The story was about the protagonist returning to the past from the future, rebuilding his future.

    But being an actual regressor, Yu Jitae found it difficult to concentrate on the movie. In the movie, the worldly affairs affected by the protagonist had turned out to be mysteriously advantageous for the protagonist.

    It was as if the protagonist of the movie had entered a world of his dreams instead of returning to the past.

    Real life regressions weren¡¯t like that.

    The ¡®flow of time¡¯ was like a continuation of pushing through the starting points of various domino lines. There might only be several dominoes falling in the near future, but those mingled and turned in the distance, leading to thousands of other oues.

    Extremely insignificant elements twisting the future and impacting important figures didn¡¯t happen just once or twice.

    An example would be how the Second Great War had broken out in the 5th iteration after just 2 years of Yu Jitae¡¯s regression point. It had taken 20 years in other iterations but it was dragged forward due to his reckless rampage.

    What was fortunate was thatrge incidents like the Great War required some inevitable prerequisites. Unless one was trying to intentionally twist the future, the flow of a grandiose incident like that tended to stay in ce.

    However, small things like a ¡®daily life¡¯ tended to be damaged all too easily.

    To protect daily life, he had to clearly separate normal life from abnormal life.

    ¡®Daily life¡¯ couldn¡¯t be too different from other people¡¯s lives. A life that is happy and joyous, a life that is sometimes upsetting, sad and painful. It was the life of everyone else.

    And adding a few spoonfuls of joy and happiness in the process was the life he was pursuing in the 7th iteration.

    Daily life had to be normal. Thus, the Regressor did not collect money meaninglessly and did not seek out unnecessary authority. He did not influence the surroundings with things that weren¡¯t necessary.

    He was cautious.

    The daily life he desired had to be probable in the eyes of normal people, and he had to fit himself into the realms of the normal. If he didn¡¯t do so and gained everything the kids wanted all too easily like a deus ex machina, it would mess up thepensation system in their minds. They would no longer be able to find small bits of joy precious, and that in turn would no longer be a daily life.

    One of the most natural powers within the probabilities of daily life was human connection. A rtively distanced connection that was not too far and not too close.

    ¡°It¡¯s a beef omakase. Do you like beef?¡±

    That was why Yu Jitae started having a meal with this orange-haired woman.

    With 3 meals, he would create a decent connection and the woman would add more joy to Bom¡¯s life. An adaptation into a movie was an exceptional event and since it wasn¡¯t a direct solution he forced, it would fall under the realms of probability.

    Bom would be happy, and she would consider it great.

    ¡°Just so-so.¡±

    ¡°But this ce should be different. It¡¯s quite expensive.¡±

    Throughout the meal, Carrot Girl stared at Yu Jitae. The promised number of meals was 3.

    As if bewitched by a spell, she observed his expression, face, gesture and paid attention to his voice. She continued writing something down on her notes as if there was a constant flood of ideas.

    ¡°Were you a soldier? Or maybe a criminal?¡±

    ¡°Soldier.¡±

    ¡°From which force?¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a frown and she quickly changed the topic.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s my bad. Well, it could be a military secret after all. Have you killed monsters before?¡±

    ¡°I have.¡±

    ¡°Have you killed a lot? How was your military life?¡±

    ¡°I fought a lot, and killed a lot. It¡¯s nothing great. Just the duty of a soldier.¡±

    After a short silence, she slyly asked.

    ¡°¡­Then, what about beings other than monsters?¡±

    It was a cumbersome question and his face turned stiff.

    ¡°What do you think.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She again wrote something down on her notes.

    Throughout the three encounters, Yu Jitae repeated giving short responses but she returned every time in a visibly brighter mood.

    These people called writers were impossible to understand.

    And in the process, Yu Jitae felt unfamiliar with these types of meals.

    There was not a sliver of joy or pleasure.

    It was as if he was eating in front of a block of wood. This was what he had been feeling whenever he was with other people until the 6th iteration, but had now be unfamiliar to him.

    For him, meals had be naturally pleasant times.

    Why was that the case?

    Looking back, he realised it was because all his meals had been with the hatchlings.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Towards the end of the third meal, Carrot Girl gave him a business card. [Hinari Pictures. Vice President. Kang Yungoo] It was the business card of a person he did not know.

    ¡°What is this.¡±

    ¡°Hinari Pictures. Don¡¯t you know? It¡¯s the best horror movie productionpany in Korea. They have good connections with cinemas as well.¡±

    ¡°This is the one?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Two of my movies have been released here. I¡¯ve already talked to them about it and though it¡¯s not certain yet, they will contact you before the end of the awarding ceremony. You can then sign a contract with ourpany to talk about the OSMU publication rights.¡±

    Is that so¡­

    There wasn¡¯t anything certain yet, in other words.

    ¡°You ended my long writer¡¯s block. Thank you. I¡¯ll talk to you again when the movie is confirmed.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She seemingly wasn¡¯t expecting a thanks from him, and widened her eyes in surprise.

    ¡°Let¡¯s meet again for the contract. I¡¯ll help you out.¡±

    ***

    It was night when he arrived at the dormitory. The kids were gathered in the living room, eating fried chicken and chatting to each other.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Ohnng, ahjussi. Hi. Come and have chicken¡­!¡±

    Kaeul pped her arms with chickens dangling on both of her hands as Gyeoul also weed him with a wide smile on her face.

    ¡°Where were you?¡±

    ¡°Just meeting someone.¡±

    Yeorum apathetically nodded and bit through a piece of chicken.

    Tomorrow was the awarding ceremony.

    Tomorrow, Bom would be acknowledged by others for the story she had been writing for almost a full year. A party was a must for a happy asion like this, thus the chicken and coke they were currently having.

    ¡°Hihi.¡±

    In the midst of their noisy chatter, Kaeul suddenly opened her mouth with a bright smile.

    ¡°Oh, right right. Ahjussi. Do you know?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Bom-unni prepared her lines for the awarding ceremony, you know? It¡¯s about¡­!¡±

    ¡°Kaeul!¡±

    Kaeul was swinging a piece of paper when Bom, in a fluster, quickly snatched the paper away from her hands. Seeing that, Yeorum, Kaeul and even Gyeoul bursted intoughter.

    ¡°Why. What is it.¡±

    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    He was curious but Bom had no ns of telling him what it was. She seemed to find it funny herself as well, and giggled while hiding the paper.

    The sound ofughter in Unit 301 continued tillte night.

    Even after returning to her room, Bom couldn¡¯t control her joy. There happened to be a person with whom she wanted to share the joy so she called her.

    ¨C Nn. Bom?

    ¡°Hello? Granny.¡±

    ¨C Aigu. What¡¯s happening? Your voice is very bright. Something good must have happened right?

    ¡°I got a Gold Prize.¡±

    ¨C Nn? You mean your novel?

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¨C Aigo¡­! Well done! Very well done!

    Throughout the night until the break of dawn, Bom continued talking to Li Hwa about this and that.

    She wasn¡¯t at all fatigued.

    Was it because she was a dragon?

    Perhaps so, but she probably wouldn¡¯t have felt tired even if she were a human.

    That was how happy she was.

    *

    The day broke.

    With only three hours left till the start of the awarding ceremony, Bom arrived alone at the waiting room wearing a beautiful modernised version of a traditional Korean dress.

    The Horror Institution offered makeup and hair stylising and the awardees were gathered in the waiting room for their makeup.

    ¡°Hello everyone.¡±

    ¡°Ohh, Miss Broli. Wee!¡±

    Several writers who were acquainted with Bom weed her.

    With bright lights above them, the awardees excitedly chatted while receiving the services of the makeup artists and hair stylists. From talks about their work, topanies and congrattoryments for each other, the conversation topic naturally moved to that one woman who wasn¡¯t currently inside the room.

    ¡°By the way, do you know how Carrot Girl is really quiet these days?¡±

    ¡°That ridiculously annoying person?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s suddenly be a different person. She doesn¡¯t get angry at all and smiles amiably¡­ Like she even greeted me first at thepany!¡±

    ¡°Oh my, wow¡­ Oh right! I also heard something about her.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Carrot Girl, I heard that she¡¯s meeting a man these days.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? She¡¯s beenining about inspirations so much¡­ Maybe she got inspiration for her romance novels?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Why do you think she was constantly peeking her head into horror? It¡¯s because she ran out of ideas for romance and tried to do something by changing genres.¡±

    ¡°Well. That¡¯s good for both of us I guess.¡±

    Bom listened to their conversation and nodded when appropriate. As usual, she wasn¡¯t thinking much about it and simply thought, is that so¡­

    After her makeup, people gasped in admiration around her as Bom smiled embarrassedly and gave a nod. Then, she took out her script for the award eptance speech from the dimensional storage and read through it, before putting it back in.

    Shepletely memorised it already, but wanted to look at it again for some reason.

    ¡°Dear writers, please enter the venue!¡± shouted one of the staff.

    Bom sat at the very front seat of the audience in preparation for the start of the ceremony. That was when she heard the sound of clicking heels from a distance as Carrot Girl, who hadpleted her makeup and hair stylising at her own store, nonchntly sat next to Bom.

    As people had been talking about behind her back, she appeared to be in a very good mood and her previously sharp countenance was full offort.

    Whether that was the case or not,

    Bom wasn¡¯t concerned about her but Carrot Girl suddenly started a conversation.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Bom turned around.

    ¡°You look really pretty today.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°You look pretty. Even without makeup you looked great but you look really cute with makeup on.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, thank you. You look great too.¡±

    ¡°Can I touch your cheeks?¡±

    Bom shook her head with a smile.

    ¡°Unlucky. You could have made your hair green as well. In that way, there could have been a headline going Carrot vs Broli. Look at me. I¡¯m carrot-coloured right?¡±

    She fluttered her orange-coloured hair and Bom replied with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. It¡¯s already an honour to receive a prize.¡±

    ¡°Hnn. Really?¡±

    Despite smiling on the outside, Bom wondered why this woman was suddenly acting familiar. Even the other writers next to her were dumbfoundedly stealing nces.

    Did her personality really change that much?

    ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°It feels very nerve-wracking, because this is my first time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You know what¡¯sing up after the ceremony right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to thank me? This unni had to use a fair bit of influence.¡±

    Bom closed her mouth for a bit as she couldn¡¯t understand her words.

    What was happening after the ceremony?

    Despite thinking that, she didn¡¯t forget to put an amicable and kind smile on her face but¡­

    ¡°I read your manuscript but it looked quite suitable for a movie adaptation as well. You described the atmosphere quite well. This was your first work right? You must be talented.¡±

    ¡°Movie¡­ adaptation?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Don¡¯t you know? Didn¡¯t Jitae-ssi tell you about it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Jitae-ssi?¡±

    The smile disappeared from Bom¡¯s face.

    ¡°I guess he didn¡¯t tell you yet. Well, the productionpany just gave their ¡®OK¡¯ sign this morning so that must be why.¡±

    Carrot Girl who had beencking romance inspiration.

    Meeting a man these days.

    Yu Jitae who had been busy these days.

    Carrot Girl¡¯s personality changing all of a sudden.

    And¡­ a movie¡­?

    An ominous feeling reared its head. Like a ck rose, when the smile disappeared from her lips, Carrot Girl curiously asked.

    ¡°Why are you frozen stiff like that?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about.¡±

    ¡°¡®What are you talking about¡¯¡­? Where¡¯s your manners? And did you really not hear anything? Well, that¡¯s fine. You can figure out what¡¯s happening from now. Come with me for a bit after the ceremony. We will go meet people from ourpany and¨C¡±

    ¡°No. Say it from the start.¡±

    Her voice was like a bucket of cold ice.

    While Carrot Girl vacantly blinked her eyes, Bom asked.

    ¡°What did Jitae-ssi do?¡±

 Chapter 241: Regarding Romantic Feelings (5)

    <h4>Chapter 241: Regarding Romantic Feelings (5)</h4>

    ¡°Bom. There is something you must keep in mind.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°One day, your jealousy might hold you back.¡±

    Inside the forest, Li Hwa said during her romantic advice to Bom.

    ¡°My jealousy?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Jealousy. Jealousy blurs a person¡¯s eyes, blocks their ears and clouds their mind. It is the most spiteful power that causes misunderstandings.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°But do you know what the funny thing is? The thing about jealousy, is that it¡¯s not something I do but it¡¯s things that others do that pulls it out of me.¡±

    ¡°You mean it¡¯s not something I can control.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ Telling you how dangerous jealousy is will be pointless unless you put it down yourself. But I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t be able to, right?¡±

    Bom nodded with a bitter smile.

    ¡°Something happened already.¡±

    ¡°What was it?¡±

    She exined what had happened with Yeorum and Li Hwa let out a solemnment.

    ¡°Oh no¡­¡±

    ¡°What should I do¡­¡±

    ¡°What can you do about jealousy itself? It simply happens because you like someone.¡±

    Reminiscing in her younger days, Li Hwa added.

    ¡°It is normal to get angry and that is unavoidable nor should it be avoided. But you must listen carefully. Open your eyes wide. Then you can avoid making mistakes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you get it? When you¡¯re jealous, you must open your eyes and your ears.¡±

    Looking at the wrinkled eyes of the olddy, Bom nodded.

    Thanks to that memory, she was able to endure it a little bit more.

    .

    .

    .

    What¡¯s wrong with this kid.

    That was what was on the mind of Carrot Girl.

    When her eyes were drooping low, she appeared gentle. Suiting her pen name, broli, she resembled herbivores from animals and especially ones like kos and deers.

    And yet the same deer was pointing its antlers at her.

    ¡°What are you trying to do right now?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that way of talking to someone who was trying to help behind your back? Do I look easy just because I¡¯m smiling and talking to you?¡±

    As soon as she finished her words, Carrot Girl felt extremely strange.

    The bloody look on the eyes of the writer, Broli, vanished and her eyes returned to the docile look. An appearance so gentle and delicate¡­

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Is sorry going to cut it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m seriously sorry. I was just surprised by the word movie¡­¡±

    It was bizarre.

    It was really really strange, but as she looked into the eyes of Broli, Carrot Girl felt a bizarre inspiration surging up. Quite different from the inspiration she had felt when looking at Yu Jitae, this was closer to romance than horror.

    The sensation she was feeling from the eyes of Broli, was the emotions of a royal princess whose country had been taken away from her.

    Is she jealous yet intentionally hiding it? Thinking that, Carrot Girl looked into her eyes but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    There had been opportunities for her to be the scenario writer of several dramas and had supervised various actors. If that was acting, she should be a Hollywood actress.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was perhaps the same principle as how Carrot Girl had felt a strong image of a tyrant when looking at Yu Jitae. Since Yu Jitae, who appeared to be in his 30s, had no way of being a tyrant at a different ce, the imagery of the girl in front of her losing her country should also be a mere illusion.

    However, it was enough to feed her inspiration and there was already a book finished inside her head.

    ¡°Hmm. Alright. I¡¯ll let you off this time.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°So you were asking what was up between me and Jitae-ssi right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And I also wanted to hear what you meant by a movie.¡±

    Broli asked with a calm and questioning voice, as if she was sincerely curious.

    The emotion of a royal princess losing her country¡­

    Was it jealousy¡­?

    This refreshing stimulus was exciting the mind of the lunatic writer and so Carrot Girl decided to stimte the opponent even more.

    ¡°I¡¯ll speak casually since I¡¯m older than you. How do you write when writing a novel?¡±

    ¡°¡­I write what¡¯s on my mind.¡±

    ¡°You must be the same type as me then. I write based on inspiration but my head was blink until recently. Because of that, I was very temperamental but I felt a strong sense of inspiration when seeing Jitae-ssi a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked him to meet me for a bit. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Jitae-ssi doesn¡¯t meet people easily though¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Yeah, he didn¡¯t want to see me either at the start.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°I added a condition. That I would help with the movie adaptation of your novel.¡±

    Her lips twitched beforeing to a close and Broli calmly nodded with slightly wider eyes. At a nce, she seemed surprised by the great fortune.

    At the same time, her eyes jerked and the moment Carrot Girl saw that, a surge of inspiration hit her mind once again.

    There were two books in her mind now.

    Was it jealousy? Probably not. Her eyes had twitched for a split second so Carrot Girl disregarded it.

    ¡°So what. Do you have any problems with that?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s your rtionship with him? Are you lovers or something?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a family. Distant rtives.¡±

    Saying that, Broli stealthily asked.

    ¡°What did you do together?¡±

    ¡°What else would we do? We had a meal together, and walked around at night.¡±

    ¡°Like a date?¡±

    ¡°Close, I would say? A man and a woman meeting and having a meal together ¨C that¡¯s a date.¡±

    Broli¡¯s eyes convulsed yet again as Carrot Girl got another set of inspiration. Characters,plications, background information and lines ¨C everything popped up in a row.

    This would be enough for three books.

    ¡°But why are you asking that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ Did you get enough inspiration?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Your Jitae-ssi is like a painting and it feels good to just look at him. Aggressive, indifferent and somewhat like a tired soldier. But at the same time, he¡¯s hard to understand¡­ It¡¯s my first time feeling like this.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s handsome right?¡±

    ¡°No? There are tons of people that are more handsome than him.¡±

    In response, Broli gentlyughed saying, ¡®He is though¡­¡¯ so Carrot Girl returned a light smile and added.

    ¡°But he is sexy.¡±

    Her smile vanished.

    Was this jealousy? No, she looked surprised and her gentle demeanour was still there, same with her rxed breath and gaze.

    ¡°Do you like Jitae-ssi by any chance?¡±

    She did like him as her muse.

    It made her realise that Nietzsche, Rilke and Freud weren¡¯t allpeting for one woman¡¯s attention for nothing. A muse created a storm in one¡¯s mind just with their existence alone.

    She just found it a shame because he was as closed off as a fortress.

    ¡°¡­To be frank, he was appealing.¡±

    Broli didn¡¯t say anything back.

    Her eyes simply remained on Carrot Girl for a few seconds after the conversation, with the quivering covering arge portion of the muscles around her eyes.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Seeing that gave her the fourth inspiration of the day.

    It was crazy¡­ Is there something special in their blood?

    She wanted to say something more but Bom had already turned both her face and her body around. For some reason, she gave off an aura that made it hard to approach her.

    With Carrot Girl still feeling regretful, the awarding ceremony began.

    ***

    After all the arranged performances came to an end, several renowned horror novelists gave their speeches and the actual awarding ceremony started after that.

    ¨C We will now announce the winner of the Silver Prize award. A story of bothedy and chills ¨C the story of ghosts seen by an athlete. Ghost of the Field!

    ¨C Writer Evil9. Pleasee up to the stage!

    The announcer called the pen name of a writer as the awardee climbed the stage and received a que alongside a cheque for the prize. Around ten writers received their awards in a row going from the bottom. The camera filmed them one by one and atst, it was Bom¡¯s turn.

    ¨C We will now be announcing the winner of the Gold Prize award. An ardent revenge of a vengeful spirit. A shocking work of twists upon twists ¨C Out of Sin of Daybreak!

    ¨C Writer Hair Colour Broli. Pleasee up to the stage!

    ¡®It, it¡¯sing. It¡¯sing¡­!¡¯ Kaeul and Gyeoul pped Yu Jitae¡¯s arms from the sides. Walking up to the stage, Bom received her que, bowed to the people and stood in front of the microphone.

    ¨C Are there ck brolis these days?

    Wahaha. Aughter broke out.

    Wearing a crimson dress amplified her ck hair and made it glow as Bom calmly started reading her lines. It was a fairlymon award eptance speech: It is an honour to receive such an important award. Thank you. I worked hard but will continue to try harder and create better novels¡­

    But Kaeul, listening to the speech, widened her eyes into circles.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong with her lines?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the original script though¡­ Ah, it¡¯s finished already¡­¡±

    After saying her lines, she elegantly covered her chest and bowed before the shing cameras.

    ¡°What was it then?¡±

    ¡°It was like, about a horror human being in our house, and teasing ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°The way she put it was really funny¡­ Why didn¡¯t she do it?¡±

    Nnn? In doubt, Kaeul scratched her chin like a monkey.

    Yu Jitae looked into Bom¡¯s eyes. Now that he thought about it, there was something else that was also strange.

    It was that Bom had never looked at him a single time.

    ***

    After the awarding ceremony, Yu Jitae sent the kids back home. There seemed to be an afterparty which only allowed up to one guardian.

    Looking back, it was strange.

    Has she ever not looked at him before for an extended period of time? Especially when it was something grand like an awarding ceremony?

    Bom was sitting in the banquet hall, drinking champagne with other writers. Bom in her red dress under the yellow spot lights appeared like a painting.

    ¡°Bom. Congrattions.¡±

    He walked up to her and said that as Bom turned towards him with a smile in response.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You did well saying your lines without shaking.¡±

    ¡°Right. I thought I would get nervous.¡±

    She was back to normal again however. Was he misunderstanding it then?

    In any case, there was something he had prepared for this happy asion.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I have a gift for you.¡±

    This morning.

    Director Kang Yungoo of Hinari Pictures came looking for him in person. Hinari Pictures was the world¡¯s most renowned horror movie productionpany, known for several megahit movies like Blue Day and Ne.

    After reading the manuscript, Director Kang Yungoo stated that there was a definite possibility of it being adapted into a good movie. It had already been confirmed by thepany thanks to the support of Carrot Girl.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Ohh. You¡¯re here!¡±

    Carrot Girl, who happened to be nearby, discovered Yu Jitae and walked up to him with an amiable smile. She then stood next to Yu Jitae in an extremely natural manner.

    ¡°Are you telling her now? What should I do. I identally spoiled the fun already!¡±

    She then bbered as such, and started saying words that Bom could not understand ¨C words that were shared only between Yu Jitae and Carrot Girl.

    As Bom indifferently stared at her, she took a paper bag out of her Hermes Birkin bag. It was the contract document with herpany.

    The protagonist of today, Carrot Girl, was together with one of the main stars of the day, Broli, and thus had naturally gained the eyes of a lot of other writers nearby.

    Although Yu Jitae was slightly annoyed by the fact that Carrot Girl had told Bom about it already, he nheless gave the business card to Bom and Bom gazed down at his hand with an indifferent look on her face.

    ¡°Hinari Pictures. Do you know?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a famous horror movie productionpany.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. She suggested your novel to thepany. They went through it a few days ago and the result came out this morning, that they will help with the movie adaptation.¡±

    After Yu Jitae¡¯s words, Carrot Girl made a ¡®V¡¯ with her fingers next to her eyes, while murmuring, ¡®I had to use a bit of my powers¡¯.

    ¡°She supported your work but it¡¯s fine to say that it¡¯s something you earned with your own hands, since thepany liked your manuscript as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Here you go. This is my gift.¡±

    Raising her eyes from his hands, Bom looked into his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 242: Regarding Romantic Feelings (6)

    <h4>Chapter 242: Regarding Romantic Feelings (6)</h4>

    After slight hesitation,

    With an ever so delicate movement, Bom received the business card as other writers, who had been intently listening from the sides, let out gasps of admiration.

    ¡°Here is the contract. Look through it first and when your managerester, you can sign both that and the movie adaptation contract.¡±

    This time, Carrot Girl chimed in as her elbow brushed past Yu Jitae¡¯s arm. Bom looked at her with a sluggish gaze before taking the paper bag of contracts that was in her hands.

    That was when other writers began opening their mouths.

    ¡°Wow! That is amazing!¡±

    ¡°It really went well for you¡­! Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Wahh¡­¡±

    The surrounding people gave her a round of apuse, saying ¡°Congrattions!¡± and ¡°Wow, it must feel great¡­!¡±. Some of them had discontent looks on their faces because that was how big of an opportunity this was.

    Bom remained silent and simply held the papers in her hands. A veteran novelist, one of the executives of the Horror Institution, shot out of his seat and raised a ss of champagne with a heartyugh.

    ¡°Haha! This truly is a happy asion. We were inadequate and could not promise movie adaptations for everyone¡­ but you helped us out like this! Thank you, Miss Carrot Girl.¡±

    ¡°Try better next year. Shouldn¡¯t people above the Silver Prize all have the OSMU contract at least? It¡¯s true the genre isn¡¯t mainstream but still.¡±

    She was showing an extremely arrogant attitude that made the entire Institution appear ipetent, but it was tolerable today. It was because the movie adaptation of a novel given the Gold Prize by the Institution could be seen as the result of the Institution¡¯s support.

    ¡°Haha! We will devote ourselves more. Let us do a toast together in this happy asion!¡±

    ¡°Ohh¨C!¡±

    ¡°Sounds good!¡±

    Raising their champagne sses, the writers stood up from their seats. The veryst one to stand was Bom, who slowly stood up with a ss of champagne in her hand.

    ¡°Now! If Miss Broli could start us off with the toast statement please?¡±

    She did not reply.

    ¡°Come on!¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please give us a share of your luck!¡±

    People pressed her from the sides. With the ss in her hand, Bom slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°I will give up on the Gold Prize.¡±

    A cold bucket of ice was dropped. Someone who was parroting her statement murmured, ¡®I will give¡­¡¯ before immediately shutting their mouth.

    The atmosphere immediately settled.

    Wondering if they were hearing things, people blinked their eyes, but Bom remained headstrong.

    ¡°I will also destroy the manuscript.¡±

    ¡°P, please wait a second. Miss Broli?¡±

    ¡°Sorry to say this on such a joyous asion.¡±

    Saying that, Bom lowered the champagne ss and ripped the contract in front of Carrot Girl¡¯s eyes.

    It was a contract strengthened by magic but was powerlessly ripped before the grip and mana of a dragon.

    Everyone was shocked. Movie adaptation was like the dream of every novelist so what in the world was she doing?

    More than anyone else, it was Carrot Girl who was the most pissed.

    ¡°Look.¡±

    Without listening to her words, Bom continued ripping the contract.

    ¡°Oi! Broli! Have you gone mad?¡±

    Her hands became even faster. With trembling hands, Bom ripped the contract and ripped it again, as if trying to grind it into powder.

    After throwing away the shedded contract, she grasped the business card that Yu Jitae gave her but hesitated before ripping it. In the end, she could not rip the business card.

    Why exactly was she like this?

    Yu Jitae was also dumbfounded and was staying still while Carrot Girl shouted at Bom, thinking that she was being ignored.

    ¡°Ey, ey! What are you even doing?¡±

    The startled writers near her raised their arms and blocked her body.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you. What are you doing right now!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want the movie adaptation,¡± replied Bom.

    ¡°Then just say that and don¡¯t rip it! You impudent brat. Just with a little award you dare look down on me like this?¡±

    ¡°And what?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°How long do I have to y around with you humans?¡±

    In an instant, Carrot Girl¡¯s body froze from her words.

    It was bizarre. Not because it was impolite but because her words were sending chills down her spine.

    Her pupils appeared to be with a vertical split for a moment but blinking her eyes, Carrot Girl realised that it was an illusion. Despite feeling chills, she couldn¡¯t withstand her anger from the rudeness so Carrot Girl yelled out loud.

    ¡°Oi Broli. Do you think you can ever seed in this field after doing this!?¡±

    Carrot Girl was shouting furiously to the point that veins were popping out of her neck. ¡°P, please calm down!¡±, ¡°What is happening¡­!¡± The onlookers ran up and hurriedly tried to dissuade Carrot Girl.

    There was no point in hearing any longer. Yu Jitae looked into the eyes of Carrot Girl and thought of shutting her mouth with a gag. Immediately afterwards, she turned silent and stiff.

    It was then.

    Bom raised her champagne ss, and moved her feet towards Carrot Girl.

    He was sceptical of what she was trying to do, but still had to stop her.

    ¡°Bom. Calm down. This is something you were happy about.¡±

    Yu Jitae stood in front of her. And that was when Bom¡¯s expression that had been indifferent no matter which words were being thrown at her, changed for the first time.

    ¡°Are you going to render all your efforts into nothing?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Bom¨C¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The faint change in her expression slowly became all the more apparent. Beads of liquid appeared under her eyes; her eyebrows sagged low and she clenched her lips.

    He felt that he shouldn¡¯t stop Bom here as it would surely affect her happiness. Her eyes were conveying something to him: that she wished him to be on her side.

    When he stopped his body from the instinctive feeling, Bom walked past him. On top of the face of Carrot Girl, whose arms were being grabbed by other people,

    She poured the champagne.

    Huh huh? People gasped in shock but it was already toote by then. She dumped it so hard that it sshed above Carrot Girl¡¯s head.

    ¡°Ahhkkk! You crazy b*tch¡ª-!¡±

    The champagne that had been filling the ss wetted Carrot Girl¡¯s face, hair and all her clothes. Her hair that she had carefully tied up was undone, making her look like a vagabond while her thin dress was also drenched. Her managers dashed towards her in fright and quickly covered her with napkins.

    It was chaotic and the writers inside the room couldn¡¯t make anything out of the situation. Why in the world would that gentle-looking Broli do this? They were frozen stiff from shock when a low and soft voice resonated across the banquet hall.

    ¡°Sorry for pouring cold water on such a joyous asion. Please deprive me of every qualification and right. If there is anything I must take responsibility for, please contact me.¡±

    Lowering her head, she said with a sorrowful voice.

    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t write a novel, ever again.¡±

    From her dragon heart beating like crazy left an uncontroblenguage of mana. She was pretty much using her [Dragon¡¯s Voice] for this deration.

    After her words, Bom slowly walked out of the hall, and due to being suppressed by her aura, no-one could go after her.

    Except for Yu Jitae.

    *

    Bom walked fast.

    He chased after her.

    Suddenly, her body rose into the air before vanishing into thin air ¨C it was teleportation. Yu Jitae closed his eyes and tracked her aura. He felt traces of her from the waiting room they had been at, a rtively close ce.

    He quickly moved his body. Going through walls, he closed his eyes and enshrouded himself in darkness.

    By the time he reopened his eyes, he was in front of the waiting room but the lights of the corridor couldn¡¯t sense him and remained off.

    Yu Jitae opened the door of the waiting room and walked in. He found Bom sitting on the sofa with her back towards him, under the bright lights of the room.

    He walked towards her.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°What did you just do. Why did you do it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you why. Why have you done it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom was silent for a very long time.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to me you. It¡¯s just that I cannot understand. When was it that you and I decided to write a novel together? It was one year ago. You were working hard on it for close to a year so why did you mess it up with your own hands.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Same with the movie adaptation. That was something I prepared in my own way, so what did you not like and what made you do such an unreasonable thing, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You could have stayed still and everything would have gone well. And yet you messed it up like this. Answer me. Why exactly did you do it.¡±

    Her quivering voice oozed out.

    ¡°¡­A bit of time.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­Please give me a little bit of time.¡±

    Her body was once again covered in light, in an attempt to teleport somewhere else.

    However, he couldn¡¯t let her do so since this problem had to be taken care of right here. He grabbed her by the shoulders and dispersed her mana.

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    When he pulled the child by her shoulders, Bom was forced to turn towards him.

    Bom gazed up into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes with an indifferent expression,

    With tears flowing from her apathetic eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom was crying. Wearing an extremely familiar expression.

    His head turned nk.

    Several times, he had seen Bom cry in the 7th iteration. Once, she cried from regret and once she cried from heartache.

    But it was different this time. Her eyes indifferently looking at his eyes with flowing tears ¨C

    It coincided with how she cried,

    At the end of the 6th iteration, emptying out words that had filled her heart. It was the result of ack ofmunication.

    ¡°What will you do by running away. I still don¡¯t know anything.¡±

    Both now and back then, there was a definite reason behind her tears. But back then, he did not try to hear and this time, Bom was not trying to say it.

    ¡°Tell me. So that I can listen and understand!¡±

    His voice became a little louder.

    With tears still travelling down her cheeks, Bom coarsely gasped for breath seemingly both agitated and anxious. But soon, her eyes formed a frown as if she was unable to hold it in any more.

    ¡°¡­likes you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Swallowing her tears, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­That woman, said she likes ahjussi.¡±

    Words he had never even imagined, left her mouth.

    ¡°¡­She said to me, that you had a date.¡±

    ¡°A date?¡±

    ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you?¡±

    What did that crazy thing babble about? Swallowing the surge of irritation inside him, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Like a child, Bom continued speaking under her breath.

    ¡°¡­That woman, calls ahjussi Jitae-ssi¡­ she said you ate together¡­ she likes looking at you¡­ she thinks you¡¯re sexy¡­ she said, ahjussi, ahjussi was appealing¡­¡±

    Bom continued whilst swallowing her tears.

    ¡°¡­I, I hated that so much.¡±

    She lowered her head in tears.

    Seeing the child cry, he gave her a hug. Her body flinched in shock.

    He did not know what he was supposed to say. However, he did have the wisdom of hugging a child until she could calm herself down again.

    In his arms, she atst bursted into tears and started pouring out her honest thoughts.

    ¡°Actually¡­ I don¡¯t need anything like novels. One year, ten years, a hundred years¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter how much time I spend on it¡­ I don¡¯t feel pain even if others ignore and look down on it¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But, why does my heart ache so much when ahjussi has a meal with someone else¡­?¡±

    Instead of a reply, he returned a tight hug and quietly hugged her until her tears came to a stop.

    After roughly 6 hours, only once the veil of night covered them did Bom stop her tears.

 Chapter 243: Regarding Romantic Feelings (7)

    <h4>Chapter 243: Regarding Romantic Feelings (7)</h4>

    ¡°Granny.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Li Hwa prepared a warm tea. It was a Taiwanese tea with a fragrant scent of flowers.

    The olddy with a bent back had already lost most of her body¡¯s physical abilities. She used telekinesis to make her heart beat and move her body. Despite that, she was always carrying a walking stick in her hand, even though she shouldn¡¯t need it.

    Bom had always been curious about that walking stick.

    ¡°Is it a special cane?¡±

    ¡°Nn? It was bought for five dors at a market, so what could be so special about it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you not need it?¡±

    ¡°No? Of course I do. Wouldn¡¯t people give me more seats if I¡¯m carrying this?¡±

    It was a reason she had never expected so Bom giggled.

    The two of them shared the tea together, sensing its gentle scent and enjoying the refreshing breeze of the forest. Soon, the olddy finished organising her thoughts about the troubles that the young girl had talked about.

    ¡°Girl.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Granny.¡±

    ¡°You said you were worried about it, didn¡¯t you? How your emotions be extreme when you get jealous.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ because Yeorum almost got hurt as well.¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you something.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°When your fists are about to go out in anger, attack with things that don¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°Dumping people with water actually soothes your anger quite a bit, you know that? And it often helps you avoid the worst case scenario.¡±

    ¡°Is that from your experience?¡±

    ¡°Definitely. My husband did get hit by pillows a lot.¡±

    Hulhulhul¡­ the olddyughed followed by the child¡¯s giggle. After wetting her lips with the tea, Li Hwa added.

    ¡°However¡­ you also need to confront the more fundamental problem.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You are very much like an adult than others your age. Perhaps it¡¯s that part of you that is making you suffer even more.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I mean the problem is because you are not honest. You are hiding and suppressing your emotions, so the explosion it causes is even greater.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡±

    ¡°To your precious people, it¡¯s better to show more of what you are as is. If you like something or hate something, tell them straight. You need that for a more genuine rtionship.¡±

    ¡°But, I¡¯m not used to expressing my emotions honestly.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I learned from my mother when I was young.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Besides, if I¡¯m too honest, wouldn¡¯t that make me look like a child¡­?¡±

    Li Hwa chuckled in response.

    ¡°Adults don¡¯t worry about that.¡±

    In response to her words, Bom once again realised how she was a young hatchling.

    She was right. Acting like an adult thinking that she could control her emotions, Bom had been hiding her true emotions while the conflict was escting even more.

    Bom nkly etched her advice into her mind.

    ¡°Honest emotions¡­¡±

    Even if that would make you appear like a child.

    ***

    Five minutes passed by after hugging Bom. Her shoulders touching his arms were small.

    Her loud heartbeats and her sniffles filled the waiting room.

    He thought to himself that she was different from usual, but he had trouble defining what was actually different. Thus, he started going through the events from the start while consoling the child crying in his arms.

    Her unusually happy self after receiving the invitation message.

    The script of her awarding ceremony she had been preparing with the kids.

    Her sudden anger at Carrot Girl; her facial expression that seemingly wanted him to move aside; her voice thatined like a child about the things that had made her upset and the words she used.

    In all those situations, Bom had been subtly different from her usual self.

    Her normal rhetoric packed with metaphors and analogies was no longer there.

    ¡®That woman said she likes ahjussi. I hated that so much¡­¡¯ Those were the words Bom said. Childish expressions and words had been used and her expression that tended to skilfully hide her emotions was clear.

    Looking back he realised that Bom, who had usually been acting like a mature adult, was rtively childish these days.

    Was this a part of her acting?

    The reason he doubted it was because it had originally been extremely difficult to read her inner thoughts.

    In any case, there were two problems.

    Problem 1. The ¡®Hatchling of the Green Dragon¡¯ had never acted childish in any of the previous iterations. The green hatchling that had been maintainingposure no matter the situation changing like this was a matter that he could not deal with, due to ack of data.

    Problem 2. If possible, he would have loved to deny it but at this point he couldn¡¯t even do so. It was such a clear thought that he even felt slightly repulsed by himself.

    Even the crying child appeared pretty in his eyes.

    *

    It had been 30 minutes since he hugged Bom.

    She was crying for a long time to an iprehensible degree. Her polymorphed body resembling the physical body of a human could continue changing liquid into tears so long as the owner of the body wished to do so. Therefore, Bom continued shedding tears without taking a single minute of rest.

    But considering those were tears, it wouldn¡¯t even amount to a handful even if he were to gather all of it.

    When the green dragon cried, her body gave off the scent of a wet forest after a rainfall. It was a smell which he, who disliked the rain, did not like.

    And because of that, his self-hatred continued to rise ever so slightly as time passed.

    The scent he had been hating thus far, was slowly bing likeable.

    *

    5 hours after he hugged Bom, she finally stopped shedding tears but her hups and gasps still remained.

    Until now, Bom had been standing still and he loosened the arms that had been wrapped around her body.

    She looked up into his eyes. Reddened eyes, flushed cheeks, eyes drenched in tears. After crying her heart out, she seemed slightly exhausted judging from her fatigued expression.

    After calming herself down, Bom asked him the details of the incident and Yu Jitae straightened out the misunderstanding. It was a misunderstanding from the start till the end and the only problem was Carrot Girl having good feelings for Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­Since you understand everything now, I have my share of words to tell you. You need to get scolded a little.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know what you did wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With wet eyes, Bom gave a nod.

    ¡°You were selfish, Bom. Your emotions got the best of you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°To be honest, to me it doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re selfish or not. If it was in the past, I probably would have cared even less. I don¡¯t care if Carrot Girl and other people get disadvantaged by it as long as you feel better about it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But one day, wherever it may be, when you are with people you sincerely consider important, the emotional bursts you have been showing so far will break a lot of things. I can tell you for sure, because it¡¯s happened to me before.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And you can¡¯t do that.¡±

    Bom continued nodding her head, but had a somewhat dissatisfied look on her face.

    ¡°What is it. Do you have something to say?¡±

    She shook her head saying nothing, but her expression remained in a pout as if there was something on her mind. When he repeated the question, Bom opened her mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t selfish before¡­¡±

    ¡°What kind of excuse is that. Are you telling me what you did just then wasn¡¯t you acting selfish?¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s the truth. I really wasn¡¯t selfish before¡­¡±

    H, she collected her breath after a hup.

    ¡°When I was young, I gave my younger sister all the toys whenever she wanted them. When I was on my Amusement, I didn¡¯t feel bad even when my whole life was stolen by someone. So I rationally thought to myself that it would be better to help the kidnapper.¡±

    He wondered if she was ming it on him.

    ¡°That is weird. Why were you like that.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not greedy. I¡¯m not nning to live a long life and there¡¯s nothing I want to do so why would I be selfish? Do you think precious rtionships or whatever breaking apart matter to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And yet why am I like this now? Ahjussi, you¡­¡±

    She hesitated as a mncholic light resurfaced on her face. Then, she buried her head into his chest and whispered.

    ¡°¡­You are making me selfish.¡±

    Her words flew in like a harpoon. His mind turned dizzy.

    She indeed was ming it on him, but wasn¡¯t bearing a grudge against him.

    The child was confessing to him.

    Perplexity surged forth. After finishing her words, Bom coughed out before gasping for breath again. Listening to those sounds, Yu Jitae had mixed feelings and at this point, he not only felt self-hatred and even felt disgusted by himself.

    He must have truly gone crazy.

    Now, even the resonance of her breath sounded pretty in his ears.

    *

    It was on the way back to Unit 301.

    Crying herself to exhaustion, Bom used up all her energy and her hair had returned to grass-colour. She was tired and couldn¡¯t even use teleportation since it was an S rank spell.

    Early in the morning, Yu Jitae and Bom arrived at the warp station. It was closed but being a VIP, he was able to use it.

    While the staff on duty turned on the artifact they had turned off in preparation for the long-distance warp, he sat Bom in the VIP lounge of the building after showing his Dungeon Free Pass.

    All sorts of thoughts shook his head, and the emotions he had been denying started wreaking havoc in his mind. Half-lying down on the sofa, Bom used her pink flower-shaped hair band to tie her hair, revealing her white neckline.

    It was the present he bought with Yeorum at Las Vegas. Looking at the child¡¯s hand and her ponytail swinging left and right like the tail of an animal,

    Yu Jitae realised that he couldn¡¯t dy it any longer.

    The Regressor thought to himself.

    In order to not crumble the 7th iteration, he had to clearly discern what his emotions were and a judgement required clear logical evidence for this dialectic situation.

    The Regressor pondered on.

    Human greed could be presented in two different forms.

    One was the mind and the other the body.

    ¡®Bom is pretty¡¯ ¨C if his thoughts weren¡¯t romantic feelings and was just his aesthetic preference aligning itself to Bom¡¯s appearance, he had to stop there.

    However, if he couldn¡¯t help but crave for Bom¡¯s body as well, he would no longer be able to deny that it was a romantic feeling.

    Therefore, he walked up and sat next to Bom who was powerlessly lying down on the sofa. Then, he shoved his head in to smell the scent of the child.

    And that,

    Was how it happened¡­

    *

    Whether this was the VIP warp lounge, or not.

    Whether the people on duty were here or not,

    None of that mattered at this point.

    ¡°Ahjussi, wait.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What if someonees in¡­¡±

    ¡°No-one will.¡±

    No-one was nearby nor were there any eyes on them. He immediately started the test.

    How about putting lips together.

    No.

    This was not enough to be used as a logical proof. He had to crave her body.

    But he could not damage daily lives in the process so he gave her the keyword, ¡®hate¡¯. If Bom ever showed her hatred of the situation, he would immediately end the test without any questions asked.

    ¡°You can¡¯t¡­¡±

    However, she did not say it. With his body on top of hers, he brought his face closer towards the child¡¯s face. As the tension was rapidly reaching its explosion point, Bom started tearing up again.

    Her powerless arms tried to stop his shoulders but she couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°You can¡¯t¡­¡±

    As their lips drew closer, tears started forming under her eyes. She couldn¡¯t refuse him but was trying to refuse him.

    It was a situation he couldn¡¯t understand. Unlike himself who still wasn¡¯t sure yet, Bom should have genuine romantic feelings toward himself, so why was she refusing it?

    Yu Jitae did not know what physical rtionship meant to Bom.

    Her hair had returned to grass-colour. If Bom was to be embraced by him now, the thought of the ck-haired girl who wouldtere up and be embraced by Yu Jitae would haunt her from hell as she trembled in fear ¨C there was no way for the Regressor to know that.

    Besides, Bom did not want to tell him that. She thought he would probably never shower her with love if she told him, and thus could not tell him.

    She was stuck between a rock and a hard ce.

    ¡°Stay still.¡±

    Twisting her head and her body, Bom twitched so he pinned the child down by her neck. His hand wasrge inparison to the small Bom, so once his hand took a hold of both her neck and her corbones, Bom could not avoid him at all.

    Was he craving her body?

    He still wasn¡¯t sure yet.

    He brought his hand to the back of the red dress, and lowered the zipper. Her clothes slid down from her shoulderlines, as her white skin that had never entered his sight before slowly revealed itself. Her corbones ¨C beneath them were curves imitating human breasts being disyed over the underwear.

    Did he want to delve even deeper?

    Even now¡­ he couldn¡¯t be certain.

    A little bit more ¨C he had to go a little more.

    Lowering his hand, heid it on her stomach. Going even lower, his hand touched her thigh beneath the hems of her dress. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Bom faintly moaned.

    That was when the situation turned.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    Her grass coloured eyes closed as a drop of tear travelled down her cheek.

    Soon, she faintly opened her eyes, and whispered with a very soft voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m, scared¡­¡±

    Hearing her words, he stopped his body.

    As a myriad of thoughts shed past his head,

    Bom¡¯s lips suddenly closed in and touched his.

    A soft and foreign texture and warmth spread across his lips ¨C Bom had kissed him on his lips.

    In that instant, he felt the worlding to a stop.

    A sense of perplexity exceeding its limits shook his head. Hisposure was torn apart and shaken to its core, as his mind turned dizzy.

    ¡°¡­Only this for now.¡±

    Bringing her lips back, Bom tightly closed her eyes. As another drop of tear travelled down her cheeks, she buried her head into his chest.

    From around his chest, he heard her whispering, ¡®Can¡¯t we¡­?¡¯ for permission. Bom had given up now and it waspletely up to him whether they would continue or not.

    Despite crying and being scared, Bom did not say she hated it but at this point, even he realised that there was something with Bom and that he should not continue hereon. But right when he decided to stop his body, an undeniable evidence finally revealed itself.

    Now that he was trying to stop,

    There was a part of him that found it a shame.

    It felt as if his head had been driven into a bucket of water. Absent-mindedly, heid his hand on her back and slowly raised the zipper he had lowered.

    The Regressor realised that something had gone terribly wrong.

    He couldn¡¯t deny it any longer.

    The feelings he had for Bom.

    ¡­Those were clear romantic feelings.

 Chapter 244: The Basement of Vintage Clock (1)

    <h4>Chapter 244: The Basement of Vintage Clock (1)</h4>

    [1304. Being born in the midst of darkness and being tortured for a long time in a cave, I remember the first sunlight I saw outside. Back then, I cried for a long time. It was a warmth I was feeling for the first time in my life.]

    [1305. So were thy lips.]

    Bom¡¯s hands that were about to close the notes came to a stop.

    Her vacant gaze reached the stars that were at the front of the book. The stars she had been adding as she got to know him better had reached 16 at this point, but she did not need the 17th star.

    Slowly, she started erasing all the stars.

    And she filled the empty ce with a new symbol.

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ?]

    The 17 symbols she had drawn were gone but there was no hurry.

    She would start again from one.

    The deeper it went, the more symbols there would be.

    It was daily life again.

    Going to elementary school hand-in-hand with Gyeoul, preparing time for 3 of them with Chirpy as Kaeul¡¯s guardian, starting a new training schedule as Yeorum¡¯s teacher ¨C he resumed his daily lives with the children.

    Meanwhile, he overlooked the clones, the undergroundbyrinth and Jung Taebaek¡¯s corpse; went to and from the Association starting the investigation into Anti-Association terrorist groups and prepared for the uing Second Night which was right before them.

    Hectic days went past.

    And from time to time, Bom was with him.

    Bom wrote a separate apology letter to the Institution and Carrot Girl, and Carrot Girl who had been rampaging about for a few days suddenly turned quiet. There were rumours that her rampages both in and out of thepany had settled after meeting a man for a short time.

    After somehow managing the situation, Bom really stopped writing novels. She threw away the sses she always wore when writing novels into the bin.

    It was morning ¨C time for breakfast.

    Yeorum was interfering with Kaeul¡¯s meal next to him, which Gyeoul also joined. ¡°Uahh¨C go away both of you!¡± shouted Kaeul.

    During thest few days, Bom had been treating Yu Jitae in the same manner, as if the whole kiss and whatever had never happened in the first ce.

    ¡°Why? Is there something to tell me?¡±

    Bom asked when their eyes met.

    She showed not a sliver of greed, and did not seek any answer or exnation about the sudden change in his attitude. She must have pondered in her own way after the kiss and that attitude must have been the one she decided on.

    Then what attitude was he supposed to have?

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Just finish your food.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Outside for a bit.¡±

    He said that but standing in front of the front entrance, he casually looked back at Bom. The breakfast menu of that day was takoyaki and Bom was chatting with the kids while slowly bringing the spherical takoyaki into her mouth with a toothpick.

    Right before it was about to go into her mouth, she closed her lips and gave a light kiss on the takoyaki. She then licked off the soy sauce and the mayonnaise of the takoyaki that had smudged her lips.

    Her red lips and her small and attentive tongue resembling a cat¡¯s entered his sight. Feeling perplexed, he looked away.

    Bom then stealthily looked at him from the corner of the kitchen with a crafty smile. She quietly giggled to herself before throwing the takoyaki into her mouth.

    It was absurd.

    Bom had teased him for the first time in a long time, but it didn¡¯t put him in a good mood in the slightest.

    In fact, it was extremely painful.

    ***

    There were things he had done to the green hatchling.

    Those were extremely wrong and evil deeds.

    After the 4th world was covered in ashes, in countless iterations that had be hazy in the corner of his memories, the flower had been trampled, torn apart and burnt. Not only once or twice but countless times. The flower bled a tremendous amount of blood and was in pain for an extended period of time.

    Who was it? That had mistreated such a young and small flower?

    It was me.

    Although it was in his hazy memories, it definitely was his own wrongdoing.

    There was no guilt in the process and there was a reason why he had to do it. He had never done it because he wanted to and he could alsoe up with excuses if he so desired. But looking back, it was definitely his sin. He admitted the fact that he was evil and had no intention of justifying it.

    Then how could he hold something like romantic feelings?

    All the iterations he had gone through felt futile. He wasn¡¯t a boy in his puberty so why was it that he was having such emotions now?

    It was fine for Bom to have romantic feelings for himself, since Yu Jitae was the first for Bom.

    However, Yu Jitae should definitely never have any romantic feelings for Bom.

    Bom was just one of the hundreds of green hatchlings in his memories and every one of those hatchlings except for one had met miserable ends. It was true that it all started from an unfortunate event, but it was also true that he had added to their misfortune.

    He imprisoned them, used violence and dissected their bodies. There was no particr reason behind why it had to be the green race. It was only because they had the most vitality.

    And yet he was having romantic feelings for Bom after all that?

    Why?

    To kiss those lips that he had gagged before?

    Or to embrace that small body which he had crushed?

    Was he going to wipe those tears that he made her shed?

    Was he craving those breasts that he had not even spared a nce when he was dissecting her body?

    Did he truly want to share affection with the poor young thing that requested him to kill it instead? Really?

    How disgusting and abominable feeling could this be.

    He had never asked for romantic feelings.

    To him, ¡®daily life¡¯ was nothing but a unique leash. He was simply using a tool he had never used before after a research to safely send the kids back home. But now, that leash had begun strangling his own neck.

    His senses irritatedly rose up.

    It was a type of annoyance, and was a type of guilt. That damned leash began lighting up the road he had trodden. A dirty road covered with blood and organs that he had somehow hidden in the darkness was now being lit on.

    Daily life.

    It was something he thought was the solution he had discovered atst, but this clean and bright thing started affecting him like poison.

    The light was overwhelmingly bright. Only now was he being reminded that the things he had walked past without a second consideration were vomit-inducing sins under the light.

    Thinking about it caused a corner of his emotions to be polluted in ckness and he felt unbearably disgusted by himself. To the point that he was willing to slice his own neck off, so long as there would be a meaningful result.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In the Shallows of the Abyss, he adjusted his thoughts all alone. Skimming off his self-hatred, he calmly pondered.

    Not everything was over yet.

    There was one way to solve all the problems.

    Getting rid of his romantic feelings.

    And giving fake love to Bom, until she eventually returns home.

    As long as he could do so, he would be able to distance himself from the sin covering his body and Bom would remain happy. In the end, for Bom it would be the same as her love being betrayed but so what? He had already been living as a human butcher, covered in sinful filth and adding one more hypocrisy would not even be that relevant.

    But why was it that he wasying such lowly excuses and self-soothing statements for himself unlike his usual self¡­

    He could note up with the answer to that question.

    Even now, the first thing that came to his mind when closing his eyes were the grass-coloured eyes curving at him, and her mischievously nted lips. An abundant smile he had never seen despite meeting her hundreds of times.

    Yu Bom.

    That mad girl was shaking the entirety of the history he had built up.

    ¡­This wouldn¡¯t do.

    One of the abilities of Vintage Clock was one that allowed him to urately read records of the past iterations. This wasn¡¯t something he could readily ask for since Vintage Clock did not really like this ability but he had no other choice.

    After the end of the 4th iteration until the start of the 5th iteration. He was nning to go through countless iterations that had for some reason be hazy in his memories. And he would remind himself who it was that he was having these romantic feelings for.

    So open the doors of your workshop.

    [Vintage Clock (EX)]

    However, the surroundings remained quiet.

    With a frown, Yu Jitae looked into the darkness of the abyss. 3 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds. Nothing happened no matter how long he waited and in fact, Vintage Clock wasn¡¯t even properly replying to him.

    He once again used the authority.

    [Vintage Clock (EX)]

    It was futile. The mana he sent returned without any meaningful results and this meant that Vintage Clock was refusing his entry into the workshop.

    Vintage Clock refusing his entry into the workshop was something that was happening for the first time ever, throughout all the iterations.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    In the midst of silence, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Open the doors.¡±

    The Vintage Clock was silent.

    What was this guy trying to do.

    He withdrew himself into his inner world and approached the Vintage Clock¡¯s authority. Since his status had yet to reach the level of an EX grade authority, there was a limit to what he could see.

    In the middle of the world covered by a deep fog, a white bird was flying in front of arge wall.

    ¡°Are you gonna open it or not?¡±

    In response, the white bird pped its wings in a fluster and repeatedly drove its head into the wall. The fact that it was avoidingmunication despite being fine probably meant that it had its circumstances and also seemed to be in the middle of work.

    But regardless, Yu Jitae shouted, ¡®Open the doors!¡¯ towards the world of fog and the white bird was even more startled as it continued bumping its head into the wall.

    In the end, it probably wasn¡¯t going to open it.

    Time passed differently for authorities and humans. He didn¡¯t know how long it would take and he had no time to wait.

    If he didn¡¯t tie a firm knot, his rtionship with Bom would rapidly cause the ruin of the 7th iteration.

    Therefore, he had no choice but to barge in.

    [Vintage Clock (EX)]

    Pulling out the entirety of his mana, Yu Jitae knocked on the door of the authority. Although the door was closed, it wasn¡¯t fully locked and he had enough mana to force open the closed door.

    With him in the centre, the world turned upside down.

    By the time he opened his eyes, Yu Jitae was in a ce resembling outer space. The white bird was right next to him, and so was the wall that white bird had been bumping into.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is startled!>

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you open the door.¡±

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that it was going to open the doors very soon!>

    Seemingly in a fluster, White Bird fluttered its wings and flew in circles around Yu Jitae. When he reached his hand out, the birdnded on his hand and repeatedly twirled its wings, as if trying to act cute.

    This guy, what was it trying to do.

    Before asking any further, Yu Jitae observed the wall in front of his eyes.

    This was strange enough already as there had not been such a wall in Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop before. However, the moment he looked above, Yu Jitae was frozen stiff.

    Something sparkling in red, shaped like a square ¨C something unknown was gazing down at him from far above.

    Thus, he hurriedly distanced himself by a few hundred metres and looked at it from afar, and realised that it was an enormous mechanical construction reaching thousands of metres in height.

    It was arge andplex machine that looked like a human. The thing Yu Jitae thought was a wall was in fact its leg.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s confusion was due to it being an existence whom even he couldn¡¯t perceive the end of. It had a status far out-shadowing Yu Jitae, who had armed himself to the limit of a human being with authorities and blessings.

    ¡°What is that thing.¡±

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that everything is fine!>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] informs you that the opponent is not an enemy!>

    Although the Vintage Clock had begun rambling on, it did not help him rx in the slightest. He had never seen such a thing before, ever in his life.

    What in the world is that thing?

    That was when a message with an indescribably immense presence squeezed into his mind.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] gazes down at you.>

    It was like forcing a radish through a coin-sized hole, and felt as if one was forcibly shoving something that could not fit into his mind. It led to a fairly big impact in his mind. Sharp pain making him feel like his brain was about to explode crept in but Yu Jitae focused on the message.

    EX grade authority? Key?

    <It¡¯s a friend of the Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)]!>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (¡ä??¦Ø??`)>

    ¡­A friend?

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that it has brought a friend to help you!>

 Chapter 245: The Basement of Vintage Clock (2)

    <h4>Chapter 245: The Basement of Vintage Clock (2)</h4>

    Mana is the manifestation of will.

    A will to do something being revealed in an intangible form. ording to its use, it was referred to as magic, skills, blessings or abilities.

    A strong will required a strong mana but there was a limit to how much will a human could output. For example, it was difficult to add an unprecedented amount of mana into the act of simply smacking someone on the back of their neck, which was why Yu Jitae¡¯s Knifehand Strike remained as a D-grade skill.

    Ever since the New Era,

    The tower of mages located in Northern Europe,monly referred to as the Silicon Valley of magic engineers, ¡®Blue Belt¡¯, the centre of magic research discovered something strange during their investigation into skills and magic.

    A stronger will required more mana but there was always a wall blocking the way. And once one was to increase the size of their will and ovee that wall, they discovered that the efficiency of their magic would explosively increase.

    They discovered 6 walls which they decided to measure with grades.

    From the bottom, it was E, D, C, B, A and after thest wall was S grade. Added to that were SS ranked authorities which only sovereigns could ess and with several restrictions at that¡­

    Later, more objects from other worlds flowed in as more dimensional fissures opened and people realised that intellectual beings of other worlds were also using simr types of grading systems.

    Kikril, Kataran, Kutra, Kotrin¡­ although they used different words, it was just a different way of expressing 6 walls and 7 grades. This proved that the magic research of Earth had reached the foundations of mana and magic to some extent.

    However, there was something strange they also found. Going through the record of a certain Level 5 artifact discovered in a dimensional fissure, they came across a grade higher above the Kulyata (SS) grade.

    The superhuman researchers of the time were shocked. Even the sovereign of Earth, Witch Valentine, couldn¡¯t proceed after cing a foot into the boundaries of SS grade. Back then, the witch had talked of how it was a ¡®world too high for me to climb¡¯.

    So how could there be a grade above SS?

    But despite their repeated research, humans couldn¡¯t evene up with any concrete statements about the SS grade let alone what was above (Because the witch, who was the only one in that grade, was scared of human experiments and ran away). In the end, the rank above SS was left an unsolved mystery.

    Countless magic engineers and mages struggled to hold back their curiosity.

    SS grade alone had the power to shake the entirety of Earth. The reason why the International Superhuman Association could exist, with its nonsensical principle of not allowing other nations to interfere with their military, was because of one individual ¨C the witch.

    So what could be the EX grade that exceeded all of those grades?

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] scolds the Authority, [Key (EX)].>

    <[Key (EX)]: WHY¡­>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] suggests to hide its unnecessary presence.>

    <[Key (EX)]: NO¡­>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] scolds the Authority, [Key (EX)] again to protect the mortal.>

    Kong kong! The white bird constantly drove its head into the leg of therge mechanical human. It was a childish appearance, considering that it was the target of the human race¡¯s long-time curiosity.

    ¡­That had been his thoughts on the matter when seeing Vintage Clock.

    But looking at therge mechanical human in front of him made him change his mind. The guy had a status and presence fitting the size of its authority.

    That was the pinnacle.

    The ones he had been faintly sensing from the distance ¨C those monsters that decided on the standards of the world were allrge and great, so it was Vintage Clock who was the size of a small white bird that was the odd one out instead.

    In any case, an authority like that couldn¡¯t affect him physically in any way. He was just feeling fatigued by his mind being suppressed by it.

    Around 10 centimetres behind the white bird¡¯s back, a dimensional gap with a length of dozens of metres appeared as arge weapon left from within.

    This pair of scissors that had the hour hand and the minute hand of a clock as its des showed off a presence simr to [Key (EX)] as it slowly revealed its mighty body.

    Thisrge pair of scissors with unmatching des was the [Connection-severing des]. It was the tool Vintage Clock used before rewinding the world¡¯s time, to cut off the flow of the world.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??¦Ø??)? >

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] threatens the Authority, [Key (EX)], its friend.>

    Soon, the hour hand and the minute hand of the scissors flew up and headed to a certain part of the mechanical construct.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??¦Ø?)? ¨t¤Ò¨s>

    <[Key (EX)]: OH.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??¦Ø?)? ¨t¤Ò¨s>

    <[Key (EX)]: OHHH¡­>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??¦Ø?)? ¨t¤Ò¨s>

    <[Key (EX)]: NO.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??¦Ø?)? ¨t¤Ò¨s>

    <[Key (EX)]: STOP>

    <[Key (EX)]: OK>

    <[Key (EX)]: OK¡­>

    Soon, therge presence of the authority vanished as a pair of yellow eyes appeared in front of Yu Jitae.

    Its body was hazy under the veil of darkness.

    It was a ck cat.

    *

    From what Yu Jitae knew, EX-grade authorities each had one role and one ability.

    Vintage Clock¡¯s role was to make sure dimensional records of various worlds like the Earth did not stop. And its ability was controlling the flow of time in specific dimensions, with several restrictions in ce.

    In other words, it could be seen that the time of this enormous dimension was being rewound by Vintage Clock alone, and that proved how godly an EX grade authority¡¯s power was.

    Then what was the ability of [Key (EX)]?

    ¡°What are you.¡±

    [I am. Key. One who opens doors.]

    The will of the ck cat was conveyed straight into his mind.

    ¡°Why did youe here?¡±

    [Vintage Clock. Requested. Open the basement doors.]

    The jet-ck cat swung its tail.

    Fitting its name, it seemed to be a tool that opened things. He was curious what this basement was, when white bird opened its wings out wide.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rifies that the [Basement] is the name of the new [room] created inside Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop!>

    He did know what the new room was.

    Back when he felt the authentic feeling of life once each from Bom, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul, Vintage Clock had mentioned the opened possibility of new growth, and called it a [room].

    But now wasn¡¯t the time for him to concern himself with that.

    ¡°Vintage Clock. You may open the doors of the basementter. Please take me to the top floor of the workshop.¡±

    The white bird blinked its eyes.

    ¡°I must open the records of the dissection experiments of the hatchlings past the 4th iteration. Don¡¯t know why but my memories are hazy and I cannot remember them.¡±

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]:?>

    ¡°Why do you pretend to be clueless. Do you not know my circumstances yourself? There has been a big problem in the 7th iteration and my rtionship with the hatchlings is crossing the line. I have never asked for such a process.¡±

    His memories of mistreating the green hatchling. For some reason, it wasn¡¯t a memory he defined as an iteration and was therefore very hazy, like a scene of a drama from a few years ago.

    Thus, he was nning to remind himself of the in atrocities he hadmitted and drop the affection he was feeling for Bom.

    This was a very very important task.

    Because otherwise, it might crumble the extensive zealous efforts of the Regressor in just one blow.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that the guest cannot stay for long, and requests to go to the basement first.>

    The Vintage Clock then fluttered its wings and flew beneath.

    It was not going to listen to him at all.

    [Follow. To Basement]

    When the ck cat also started following the white bird, Yu Jitae looked at them going further away and had no choice but to move his body. Although discontent, he still followed them.

    In fact he was also curious.

    There was a life he had lived through. Though it might have been a wrong direction, the objective of his life had always been power. He wanted to be stronger.

    After the 5th iteration, repeating at least hundreds of iterations, he became stronger and after bing stronger than the strongest existences of Earth ¨C BM, Chaliovan, the witch and Oscar Brzenk, he began hunting sovereigns of nearby dimensions.

    There, Yu Jitae hunted [Demon Archduke, Baal], [ck Dragon, Lugiathan], [Monarch of the Highest Heavens, Gaum], [Immortal, Shin], [Destroyer of World Tree, Yutahn] etc. By killing all the sovereigns near him, he absorbed their powers.

    And atst, his power reached the limit of a mortal.

    Even after that, he repeated dozens of lives, throwing his body into whatever possibility that could allow him to be stronger, but Vintage Clock had denied any possibility of growth in him. And yet in the 7th iteration, it was suddenly stating that there was a new possibility of growth.

    He was doubtful since it didn¡¯t coalign with what it said before, but he was nheless curious.

    What was waiting for him under this ce?

    If he were to be even stronger from here, what would he be?

    *

    There is no reference point in space and there is therefore no direction.

    Despite that, after following Vintage Clock and Key, Yu Jitae realised that he was at a ce low enough to be called the ¡®basement¡¯. There was a familiar door there ¨C it was a spitting image of Unit 301¡¯s door.

    Although it felt a little strange, shortly after, he remembered that ¡®authorities¡¯ existing in conceptual appearances tended to show up in a structure familiar to its target.

    The original Vintage Clock wasn¡¯t actually a white bird. It did not have an actual body.

    In any case, this door too was something he had never seen in the workshop. He quietly stood there as the will of the key flowed into his mind.

    [Unlocked. May open. The door.]

    ¡°Let me ask one thing before I go in.¡±

    [Rejected]

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??¦Ø?)? ¨t¤Ò¨s>

    The ck cat sneaked a nce at the bird before slowly raising its body and walking towards him.

    [Question. What is it.]

    ¡°To you authorities, the word ¡®existence¡¯ means the same as mortals. Is that right.¡±

    [Right. With conscience. Living in Providence. All disappear one day. Organics that die.]

    ¡°Then can the thing inside make me live forever?¡±

    [That. Cannot.]

    Yu Jitae had made an assumption, that him bing stronger than this would make him into something other than an existence. He presumed that he might be a part of the authorities overlooking the world like Vintage Clock, but that seemed to have been a wrong assumption.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Saying that, Yu Jitae pushed open the doors of the Vintage Clock¡¯s Basement. Inside he found 11 pirs resembling obelisks ced in an arc with 5 of those pirs lit up.

    In the centre of the fan-shaped array of pirs was an altar and above it was a mysteriously formed solid resembling both a rock and a metal buoyantly floating in mid-air.

    It looked like a rock crafted by men ¨C there was a regr pattern, as if there were multiple staircases attached to it. At the same time, like a crystal of a metal or mineral it appeared.

    What is that.

    He wanted to ask but both Vintage Clock and Key were tilting their heads in front of the obelisks, and it seemed that these authorities also had no idea.

    That was when an illusion appeared in his mind.

    Inside the illusion,

    Yu Jitae was opening the door, walking into Unit 301.

    A very small child with sapphire eyes and sapphire hair started tottering her way towards him with a worried look on her face. She was Gyeoul before shedding her skin.

    He raised her up with an extremely natural movement. Gyeoul pulled down his clothes around the chest and confirmed the ne woven with her hair and scales before ncing at him.

    Then, she moved her tiny lips to ask.

    ¨C ¡­Did somessing, happen?

    Yu Jitae stayed silent, and baby Gyeoul asked again with a slightly more worried look on her face.

    ¨C ¡­Un? Somessing?

    Only then did he reply.

    ¨C No. Nothing happened.

    He then said with a genuine smile.

    ¨C What about you.

    That was the end of the illusion.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    By the time he came to himself, he was back inside Vintage Clock¡¯s basement.

    That illusion.

    It was when he returned to the dormitory after fighting Noah in the masquerade. After wasting several months fighting Noah in his dream, he had been mentally fatigued and for the first time, he felt that fatigue melt away after returning to the dormitory.

    Wearing a frown, Yu Jitae nced nearby. There were four lit up obelisk pirs apart from this one.

    Heid his hand back on the white obelisk and looked at the recollection with Gyeoul. He wondered why this memory would be here and pondered beforeing to a realisation.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??¦Ø?`)???>

    [Curious. What is it]

    In the 7th iteration,

    It was the first time he felt genuinely happy.

 Chapter 246: The Basement of Vintage Clock (3)

    <h4>Chapter 246: The Basement of Vintage Clock (3)</h4>

    ¡°Curious what this is?¡±

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??¦Ø?`)??????>

    [Speak. Curious.]

    Yu Jitae stared at the bird and the cat.

    These guys had no idea what this was. He already assumed that they couldn¡¯t see it but their reactions made him all the more certain.

    He gestured to the bird. Vintage Clock flew, drawing a refined curve behind its flight and sat on his hand, as he whispered into its ears.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ?O¦ØO`)!?>

    The white bird nodded its head.

    [What.]

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] asks for your permission.>

    Yu Jitae shook his head in response.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that it cannot tell you!>

    [What. Tell me. Too]

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] refuses to do so.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rifies that it is a secret between the two of them.>

    [Why. You not tell. Me.]

    The ck cat showed its white fangs as its yellow eyes turned a level sharper.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] asks of the size of the curiosity.>

    [Curious. Very.]

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] bragfully demands for a more desperate request.>

    [Please. Desperate. Tell me. Curious.]

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] refuses to do so!>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?>?<?) Lol>

    [Kill.]

    The white bird started running away into the distance. Letting out a growl, the ck cat dashed out and chased the white bird for tens of metres in circles. While narrowly escaping from the ws and teeth of the cat, the white bird swung its wings and teased the cat. It resembled Bom in the sense that it had another being on the top of its hand.

    Meanwhile, he thought to himself that they looked like mischievous kids. Authorities that surpassed the human world seemingly didn¡¯t need fake faces or unnecessary dignity.

    There was also something new he understood. Perhaps the thing called honest joy only urred from childish acts like this.

    Joy has amon aspect with childishness¡­

    However, he didn¡¯t have the time to quietly watch kids y around. While the two of them were in the middle of a fight, Yu Jitae nced through the obelisks located in front of him.

    The two ying next to him were genuinely solemn beings who decided on the world¡¯s standards. And yet Vintage Clock and Key did not know what these obelisks were.

    That was the core clue.

    Authorities in charge of the management of the world¡¯s Providence were in contact with several truths. His experience told him that things those authorities weren¡¯t aware of could be ssified into two categories.

    1. Works of another authority.

    2. Something instigated from outside the Horizon of Providence ¨C works of the Non-providential World.

    Vintage Clock was the type to have a seizure whenever things were influenced by the Non-providential world and it was also fairly displeased when ¡®basement¡¯, which it had no idea of, suddenly appeared.

    What did Vintage Clock say back then?

    ¨C The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] feels slightly displeased by the uncertain element nonexistent inside Providence.

    ¨C ¡®So what if you¡¯re displeased¡¯.

    ¨C ¡®Go do something if you have the time¡¯.

    ¨C [Vintage Clock (EX)]: (¡ä??¦Ø??`)]

    ¡­Right. That was what happened.

    However, the fact that it wasn¡¯t necessarily displeased after its identity was revealed meant that this was not something instigated by the Non-providential World.

    Thus, it was safe to assume that these obelisks were caused by a different EX grade authority outside of the two of them. With that in mind, Yu Jitae called the two of them that were still fighting and asked them.

    ¡°How many authorities are there that regte the world¡¯s system like you, and what are they.¡±

    [Impudent.]

    The cat revealed its ws alongside its displeasure.

    [How dare. Outside your right. Mortal. Cannot say.]

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that there are 7 authorities in total!>

    [Stop. You crazy. Stupid clock.]

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?>?<?) Lol>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?>?<?) Lolol>

    ¡°Can I ask what those 7 are?¡±

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that apart from [Vintage Clock (EX)] and [Key (EX)]¡­>

    [Stop! Shut it. Stop!]

    It seemed that this time, they could not answer the question no matter what. In fright, the ck cat grabbed onto the white bird with its four legs, bit its head and rapidly scratched with its ws.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX): (¡ä?¦Ø?`)!!>

    [Can never. Say it. Give up. Your curiosity.]

    Yu Jitae tried to persuade them a bit more but Key (EX) was dead stubborn. He wanted to tell the Key what the obelisks were in return for the answer to that question but that too was refused.

    Listening to these seemingly mischievous and childish responses despite his own destiny being on the line slightly drained him of energy.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    In any case, the two of them noisily bickering with each other had nothing to do with him.

    By earning daily life, he had changed. Admitting the fact that certain elements could touch his emotions, he decided to have a brief look over the other obelisks.

    He felt it the moment he looked at them.

    The second obelisk gave the illusion of the time he had been dancing with Yeorum. Although he didn¡¯t show it on the outside, it seemed that he was also quite enjoying it at the time. This was therefore [Pleasure] or [Enjoyment].

    The third obelisk was an ovepping repetition of the time he had spent with Kaeul. In the 7th iteration, the person he was thinking about the most was Kaeul, and the person he was the most concerned about was also Kaeul. This would therefore be [Thought], or [Worries] or [Concern].

    Seeing the fourth obelisk brought him to the first time he saw Bom. He couldn¡¯t tell what this was, because his emotions back then were quite muddled andplex.

    Lastly in the fifth obelisk was an unexpected person. The short Chinese girl who fumbled for words ¨C memories of Ling Ling wanting to apologise for her guardian¡¯s wrongdoing as well as her guardian, Lyun, treating her like a small prostitute appeared in his mind. Looking back, Yu Jitae realised that it was the first time he got angry for a private matter, and this was therefore [Anger].

    Every one of them made him guess that each was the starting point of those emotions.

    Then what were the 6 remaining obelisks with no lights on?

    One of them was slightly shing, as if it was about to be lit on. He touched it as an illusion of Bom¡¯s face appeared right in front of his eyes, as well as her lips.

    This seemed to be [Affection].

    He thought to himself.

    Humanity defined human emotions as joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure or with 7 emotions, namely joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, affection, contempt and greed.

    What if it was a continuation of that with 11 emotions? Things like greed and sorrow were turned off and he had no idea what the rest of the four obelisks could be.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It suddenly appeared very meaningless.

    The biggest problem was that there was no way that he would feel the likes of sorrow or depression.

    Why?

    It¡¯s because he was always depressed.

    There were a lot of things to be sad about in the times passed, but he couldn¡¯t specify thest time he felt sad or depressed let alone remember it. From a certain point in time, depression attached itself to his life without ever letting go.

    It was the same even when living together with the hatchlings. There were times he felt happy and times where he enjoyed himself, but those were simply momentary feelings. He endlessly wished for the 7th iteration that he achieved with extreme difficulty to not crumble and had never at all considered the entire processfortable.

    Although it might be a happy daily life for the kids of the 7th iteration, this was simply another test for him after more than a thousand fails.

    If it went south, that would eventually lead to the start of the 8th iteration. All the connection he zealously built with the kids and the world he protected would leave him behind all alone and vanish¡­

    He didn¡¯t know what principles these obelisks used when regting his emotions but if these did not find his current emotion to be sorrowful, it meant that he would never feel sorrow in his entire life.

    Because he was already depressed.

    Pushing those futile thoughts behind, Yu Jitae turned around and spoke to the white bird.

    ¡°Done. We have seen everything there is to see. Take me to the top floor.¡±

    In that instant, the white bird turned stiff.

    And was silent.

    He gave a frown, thinking what was wrong with this guy this whole time.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Take me there. Do you not hear me?¡±

    White Bird was silent and simply looked back into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Oi.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you to take me there. Am I not?¡±

    White Bird did not move or say anything.

    ¡°Are you refusing to do so? Why? Are you not attached to my memories? You should also clearly know the reason behind my request.¡±

    The silence went on. The ck cat who was next to them stealthily buried itself into darkness and vanished, leaving only Yu Jitae and Vintage Clock inside the dark workshop.

    ¡°If you know the situation, then how can you ever refuse my request? Answer me. Or do I have to persuade you now? Or threaten you?¡±

    It was still silent.

    He felt extremely irritated.

    Right¡­ it was strange that it wasn¡¯t trying to open the doors. And it was also strange that it took him to the basement when he was trying to go to the top floor.

    ¡°Who is the one that forcefully regressed me. Isn¡¯t it you, Vintage Clock? I have never in my entire life chosen to live in such a stupid way. I¡¯m but a mortal chosen by you toplete your goal as your substitute. Am I wrong?¡±

    Even now, it was silent.

    Lowering his back, Yu Jitae grabbed the white bird that was on the ground. Without running away from his touch, the bird was obediently raised by him.

    With the bird in front of his face, Yu Jitae continued.

    ¡°The world regressing with my death is because the Earth you¡¯re trying to protect inevitably meets the Apocalypse if I die. I¡¯m nothing but a scapegoat. Can you deny that?

    ¡°So how could you possibly refuse me here. Huh?¡±

    His voice slowly became louder.

    In fact, he didn¡¯t resent the bird that much. The times he had cursed and hated Vintage Clock were all in the past and it was just that he couldn¡¯t understand Vintage Clock¡¯s decision as well as its silence.

    ¡°Why is it that I must be anxious in front of the opportunity that I¡¯ve barely found. Why is it that the 7th iteration is so unstable? Isn¡¯t it all because you couldn¡¯t deal with the Non-providential problems?

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t foresee that damned Hostility and you¡¯re still clueless because of your powerlessness. You said Hostility cannot directly impact reality that much? What kind of irresponsible attitude is that? ¡­What if.¡±

    The worst case scenario he could imagine appeared in his mind.

    He had a past he could never erase.

    What if.

    ¡°If the memories of the kids get connected to the previous iterations, how are you going to handle it¡­¡±

    The Regressor¡¯s eyes turned bloody.

    From time to time, he felt it. The more value he ced in it and the more precious he found it, the more worried and anxious he became. The world turning brighter made his shadow all the more darker.

    He hadn¡¯t been nning to hide such a past until now. He was simply silent about it because there was no reason to tell them.

    However, as he slowly started retrieving the lost daily life, he noticed his own thoughts changing.

    He had to hide his past. It was a must.

    ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense either. Don¡¯t you know yourself. Ha Saetbyul received memories of the 2nd iteration.

    ¡°If memories get sent in fragments, it might be better off for the others. There were more times I spent worrying and working for the Gold Dragon, and I had less contact with Red and Blue. Imprisonment alone might not even be that detrimental.

    ¡°But what about the Green Dragon. Don¡¯t you know what I did to that young thing to know more of that damned Origin Fragment? The higher the connection between me and her, the steeper the fall will be when it all falls apart.

    ¡°The past is already out of my hands. It¡¯s pointless to regret and there is nothing I can do.

    ¡°A regressor? A regressor? Am I not also one of the fools that can¡¯t do anything about the past?

    ¡°Say something. Why am I like this? Who made me into this. Who made me into a sinner!¡±

    Like a howling beast, he shouted.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do other than change whatever I can, and yet you¡¯re refusing even that? How far are you going to drive me into the gutters till you¡¯re content. Vintage Clock¡ª!¡±

    His shout echoed across the basement, but was in vain in front of the broad outer space of the workshop.

    His hand holding the white bird clenched along with his scream. However, Vintage Clock was still silent and the gaze of the bird and its ck eyes were the only thingsing back to him.

    Soon, after his irritation and rage settled.

    ¡°Let me say it for the final time. Open the top floor.¡±

    He continued with a calm and lowered voice.

    ¡°Before I resent you again.¡±

    Atst,

    Only then did the Vintage Clock start showing its will.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] refuses to listen to your request.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has something to tell you.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] uses up all the spare authority it had been building up for a long time for this moment.>

    In that instant, arge sense of presence started emanating out of the white bird¡¯s body. It was an overpowering pressure that he couldn¡¯t dare hold with his hand and was the same status that he felt from the encounter with Key (EX).

    A presence that shakes the outer space,

    One that overwhelms even the transcendent who has reached the limits of an existence.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] looks into the prohibited world of [Definite Providence]. And alerts you of the inevitable future revealed within.>

    Soon after that, Yu Jitae heard something he had never heard before.

    The true voice of Vintage Clock.

    [You will. Definitely. Be happy.]

 Chapter 247: Discussion Topic: Our Ahjussi (1)

    <h4>Chapter 247: Discussion Topic: Our Ahjussi (1)</h4>

    The clear timbre of Vintage Clock he was hearing for the first time failed to ring his heart.

    ¡°Who asked such a thing?¡±

    Bing happy meant nothing.

    Did that mean he could let everything go and be happy? Probably not because there was no fixed shape of happiness. One still had to move desperately and finally grasp it towards the end of the journey and that was why the revtion that he would be happy was meaningless. At least that was what he thought.

    He wasn¡¯t curious about his future. He simply wanted to be guided to the top floor with the door opened before him.

    ¡°Or do you not have ears to listen to what I¡¯m telling you to do? Do I just have to listen to you ramble on and on?¡±

    Affection isn¡¯t something given or received.

    It appeared by itself and deepened by itself.

    It was the same with love. He had never wished for this pointless emotion but woefully by the time he realised it, it had appeared out of nowhere and had deepened by itself.

    He had to go back.

    ¡°If you truly think and wish for me for even the size of a flea then stop bbering nonsense and take me to the top floor. Now!¡±

    His affection for Bom was like lighting up the most dangerous fuse and their rtionship would definitely deepen the more attention and love he gave. If he could go through the atrocities he hadmitted and remove his romantic feelings for Bom, that should at least let him avoid the worst case scenario.

    Vintage Clock howeverpletely countered the Regressor¡¯s thoughts head-on.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] expels you from the [Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop].>

    His eyes turned into circles enough for his eyeballs to pop out.

    ¡°You are expelling me? You? Expelling me?¡±

    Before long, an intense and irresistible wave of power flooded his body and pushed it back.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    The force pushing him back intensified. Yu Jitae clenched his teeth and stood his ground as veins shot out of his skin from chin all the way up to his cheeks. He could not leave just like this.

    ¡°Are you trying to stop me from misfortune now that I¡¯veid hands on daily life?¡±

    The force was pushing not his physical body but his soul itself. However, it was physically revealed in this conceptual world as a storm of wind and pushed him back while the world dissipated into a fog.

    ¡°Do you wish for me to escape my hideous past? Bury that and be happy? Is that truly what you wish for?¡±

    It was the same process as the end of iterations; where the world would crumble and leave him behind. Yu Jitae stood firm. Grasping at the darkness of the dissipating workshop, he stabilised his body.

    ¡°What kind of hypocrisy is that, huh?¡±

    Despite his words, Vintage Clock appeared resolute.

    From afar, therge pair of scissors ¨C [Connection-severing des] overwhelmed Yu Jitae with its sheer force. A tempest of pressure struck his body like the pellets of a shotgun bullet and pushed his body back.

    The concept became des that ripped his clothes apart and carved several wounds on his body.

    With chattering teeth, he screamed.

    ¡°How can you do this to me. Who¡¯s the one that drove me into the gutters. You¡ª¡±

    His feelings for Bom ¨C

    It made him feel the guilt he had been denying, forced him to hide the past he had no ns of avoiding, uneasily shook the uing future,

    And made him hate once again,

    The Vintage Clock whom he thought forgiveness and hatred no longer mattered, and even his own destiny.

    The white bird disappeared into the distance.

    ¡°How can you dare do this to me¡ª!!¡±

    Yu Jitae screamed and shouted.

    In the end, he was chased out of the Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop.

    No message was sent by Vintage Clock ever since.

    *

    Three days went by.

    Even when the 4th, 5th and the 6th iterations came to an end, even when Hostility affected Ha Saetbyul and Wei Yan, Yu Jitae¡¯s mind had never been shaken so much. Stupidly enough, only after learning how to smile again did he learn once again the displeasure caused by the shattering of that smile.

    His mind was all over the ce and he had no time to objectively view his own actions and words. Whether he was in the right mind or not, time passed. He was still a member of the daily life, a guardian of the kids, a life stabiliser of the dead child and a prophet of the Association. There were a lot of things that had to be done.

    He observed Gyeoul at her school, started training Yeorum and Kaeul again and focused on life at Unit 301 regardless of the awkward distance with Bom. His usual mental calmness was no longer there. He was anxious, and discontent and sometimes, random thoughts popped up in his mind.

    If Bom were to remember the past iterations, what should he do?

    Habit was scary. The first method that came to his mind were the things he had done in the previous iterations. A different way to put it was that he was spending just over 2 years with the kids in the 7th iteration, while he had spent dozens of years imprisoning the kids. Therefore, he was still more used to that kind of method.

    If things went south, he might even unknowingly lock her up.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Have some of the whipped cream as well.¡±

    ¡°Uh? Ah¡­¡±

    That was why he couldn¡¯t stare at her eyes for a long time when they were at the cafe together.

    Today, Bom ordered a caramel mhiato with whipped cream for him and to Yu Jitae, who still only knew how to slurp a drink with a straw, she gently scooped some cream and brought it to his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll eat it.¡±

    ¡°You say that but you don¡¯t eat it¡­¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s more fun for me to feed you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Give it to me.¡±

    He reached his hand out. With the straw in hand Bom narrowly avoided his hand and soon, his hand had nowhere to go and had to go back down.

    Bom was teasing him. The smile on her face proved it, and so did her pointless evasion. Therefore, he shook his hand as usual. In a situation like this, he would say, ¡®Give my straw back,¡¯ and add ¡®Whatever. Don¡¯t need it,¡¯ if she continued pulling a prank. It might be somewhat strange but he had no time to worry about that.

    He did what came to mind. Was it natural? It probably was considering the faint smile that was on her lips.

    Going back home and acting his part in daily life, he suddenly realised that their dinner was a lot louder than usual.

    ¡°Uaahh, this is too salty and sourr¡­!¡±

    ¡°Which one? The kimchi?¡±

    ¡°Nn! I don¡¯t like it¡­!¡±

    ¡°Stop eating you monkey. You said it was strange a while ago so why the heck are you still eating it?¡±

    ¡°But! They gave this with the meat so we have to eat them together right¡­!¡±

    ¡°Ehew.¡±

    ¡°But why did they put so much vinegar on kimchi? It¡¯s weird! Hehe¡­¡±

    No, it was just Kaeul that was more bustling with noise than usual. Now that he thought about it, she was like that recently. Maybe there was something she was happy about.

    But inparison to the noisy Kaeul, Gyeoul was a lot quieter than usual.

    ¡°Gyeoul. How are you eating this?¡±

    ¡°¡­Just.¡±

    ¡°You just eat it? Uhh, that¡¯s incredible. You¡¯re so small so how are you so good at eating things like this!?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He asked, ¡®Should I wash it for you,¡¯ and Kaeul frantically shook her hands.

    ¡°Who washes kimchi before eating it¡­! Right, Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul sneaked a nce at his face and turned towards Bom before giving a nod.

    *

    It was night time. When Yu Jitae walked into the living room, Yeorum casually walked up and wrapped her arm around his.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a chat for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    She was stubborn. Yeorum pulled him along so he followed her onto the terrace. With a cigarette in her mouth, she frowned.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Did something happen between the two of you.¡±

    Two of you?

    ¡°Yu Bom and you. You¡¯re both acting strange. How many days has it been already? Why are you scaring others?¡±

    Her words shook a corner of his mind. Whenever he doubted his attitude and found it questionable, he tended to look at Bom but she had been treating him all the same.

    Was there something wrong there?

    ¡°Nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°Are you seriously saying that right now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡ª-

    Breathing out a gush of smoke, Yeorum scattered her hair that was reaching below her shoulders and suddenly screamed.

    ¡°Stop saying freaking nonsense!¡±

    His expression didn¡¯t change but he was inwardly quite surprised. It was because he couldn¡¯t understand the suddenness of her outburst as well as the outburst itself.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Calm down.¡±

    ¡°What calm down. Calm down what? Don¡¯t you know Yu Kaeul and Yu Gyeoul are scared as heck ¡®cuz of you guys?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°That food-loving pig isn¡¯t finishing her meal these days and doesn¡¯t even freaking eat anything sweet. And Yu Gyeoul? That noisy little brat constantly looks at you and is too scared to make a damn sound. How many days has it been already! Why are you like that if nothing¡¯s happened?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Same as Yu Bom. Why is she suddenly like a stringless puppet and nk like someone who got smacked on their head everyday?¡±

    Seemingly upset, Yeorum continued sucking through her cigarette. It seemed that her temper wasn¡¯t going to die down anytime soon and she ced another cigarette in her mouth.

    ¡°Did something happen between you guys?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There is. There must be. Fuc*. You¡¯ve already done that huh.¡±

    What was this about.

    ¡°I knew from a while back that Yu Bom liked you.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°The other kids don¡¯t know but I do. So what is it. Be honest. What did you guys do? Sex?¡±

    ¡°No. No. Calm down. Nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°If nothing happened, then why the f*ck are you like that? Say something! You¡¯re usually not like this. You¡¯ve been acting all gentle so what are you doing right now?¡±

    She appeared as if she was ready toe punch him on the face. His mind that had already been shaken was easily shaken again.

    For starters, his goal was to calm her down.

    ¡°Calm down. I must have been tired. You know how I¡¯ve been busy these days.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hearing his words, the cigarette dropped from her mouth.

    The ember dropped from the dark sky onto the ground. As if she was staring at something bizarre, Yeorum was staring at him with a strange look on her face.

    ¡°What now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re seriously weird right now, you know that¡­?¡±

    Her words caused something to drop inside him as he asked with a dazed voice.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Are you acting like a normal person, just because you¡¯ve been with us like a normal person?¡±

    ¡°What are you on about.¡±

    ¡°How can you be tired? How can there be such an insincere excuse¡­¡±

    ¡ª It was a mistake. A wrong word.

    He was trying to use a word fitting daily life and had unknowingly spouted a word that didn¡¯t suit him.

    ¡°Seriously, what wrong with you¡­¡±

    Seemingly scared, Yeorum took a step back. Yu Jitae tried to carefully and sincerely choose the words to say but her next words made his mind nk.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re now scaring me even.¡±

    Her red eyes gazed deeper into his eyes than usual.

    He lowered his eyes.

    A thought intensified ¨C a thought that something had started going wrong.

    This was an element he couldn¡¯t do anything about. Human emotions which he had earned after a long time was the problem. It was causing him to be so unstable.

    At the same time, a different impulse intensely rose up.

    What about distancing himself from them before these kids got more scared and got repulsed by him?

    Or perhaps for the whole remainder of their time?

    Even from a distance, he could protect them and guard them. The kids had now formed a small society of their own and they could help each other out when necessary. Even without him Unit 301 would be fine and that would also be a natural way of distancing himself from Bom.

    There had to be no hazards to kids but the biggest hazard right now was himself.

    Thus, he simply had to distance himself. Quite a rational judgement was it not.

    ¡°Can you say something?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Wasn¡¯t trying to surprise you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Let me go somewhere for a few days.¡±

    Saying that, Yu Jitae turned around.

    He wanted to escape this ce. He wasn¡¯t a human suitable for a ce like this. It was the same thought he had as the day when he had gathered the kids. A hideous rock in a colourful field of flowers ¨C that was him.

    ¡°Where are you going!¡±

    Without replying to her question, Yu Jitae opened the terrace and walked back into the living room. Yeorum could not stop him but this time, someone else did.

    It was Kaeul.

    ¡°Where are you going¡­?¡±

    He had blocked the sound after going to the terrace, so why was she here.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go somewhere for a bit.¡±

    Moving aside, he tried to walk past her but she also moved to the side and blocked him. She had a very withdrawn look on her face and her eyes were quivering.

    ¡°Why are you in front of me.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Just stay here. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    He moved to the left but Kaeul once again blocked him and did the same even when he moved again to the right.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Let me go past.¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh¡­ Please don¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°Why. I¡¯m just going somewhere for a bit.¡±

    ¡°J, just don¡¯t go. Let¡¯s have a chat today¡­!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t understand. Why was she stopping him? Now that the situation was well beyond hisprehension, his mind was more in a rush and he wanted to leave this ce as soon as possible.

    Yu Jitae grabbed the child by her shoulders.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it at night. Okay?¡±

    Kaeul, who was mumbling for words, soon closed her eyes. He released his hands but that was when she suddenly grabbed him by his wrist.

    It should be fine to be strict at this point.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    However, he couldn¡¯t say anything else.

    It was because Kaeul was staring at him with a gaze different from before. Her eyes were no longer quivering and there was a strong vigour in her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±

    The voice leaving her lips was calm and low.

    ¡°I can¡¯t stay like this any more. Have a conversation if there is a problem with someone right? That¡¯s what you taught me.¡±

    A gaze full of vigour.

    He remembered the words he told her.

    When she wanted to hurt someone or had to convey her sincere thoughts, Yu Jitae said it was fine for her to immerse herself in BY.

    ¡°So have a conversation with us.¡±

    Despite that, his confused mind still pushed his feet forward but Kaeul pushed her arms out straight and stopped him by the chest as if pushing a wall.

    She then softly tried to pacify him.

    ¡°Please¡­¡±

    And his feet finally came to a stop.

 Chapter 248: Discussion Topic: Our Ahjussi (2)

    <h4>Chapter 248: Discussion Topic: Our Ahjussi (2)</h4>

    ¡°C,e here¡­¡±

    Kaeul grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into her room. Yu Jitae obediently followed her like a sinner tied by a rope.

    There were a lot of plushies in her room, and there were a lot more stic bags, cartoons and devices rolling on the floor since thest time he saw her room.

    She pulled him and sat him down on the bed.

    ¡°Stay here, ahjussi. Okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? Okay¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded his head. Even then, Kaeul wasn¡¯t at ease and looked at him with anxious eyes before starting to grab a cake ribbon that was on the floor next to her.

    ¡°When I, unn¡­ was like, going around causing trouble, so, when I was very young¡­ my mum tied me with something like this¡­¡±

    She tied his wrists together. It seemed that she didn¡¯t know how to tie a ribbon properly. She randomly wrapped it around several times and connected it to one of the pirs of the bed.

    ¡°Ahjussi, you¡¯re like my mum, so what my mum did should work¡­ What am I even saying.¡±

    Her face soon turned gloomy.

    ¡°Uaah¡­ It¡¯s like I¡¯m locking you up. Sorry! I didn¡¯t want to do this¡­! But you can¡¯t go somewhere else now. Okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please say something¡­ Nn? Nn?¡±

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    He was saying something because she asked him to but Kaeul flinched a little.

    ¡°Why did you stop me.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I told you there was somewhere I had to go for a bit. Why did you stop me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul hesitated before opening her mouth.

    ¡°I felt like you were going to go somewhere far¡­¡±

    Recently, throughout the time she spent with him, ying around and having a meal together, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that.

    ¡°You are not going anywhere? Right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Stay here for a bit. I will talk to unnis. You know, this ce might be a bit dirty¡­ Uun¡­ but it should be fine. Because I live here fine¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    She was still uneasy, and threw several nces back at him on the way outside.

    Yu Jitae looked at his own wrists with hazy eyes.

    Him saying he would stay here was nothing but a word of formality and even now, the impulse that he should immediately leave this ce was filling his mind.

    The ribbon was so loose that even a child would be able to break free and something like this couldn¡¯t stop him in the slightest.

    He simply had to rip it and leave.

    So why was it that he couldn¡¯t readily do so? It felt as if this fragile and feeble string was thest rope connecting himself to Unit 301.

    It could be very easily ripped apart and the decision waspletely up to him. The same was with the rtionship between Unit 301 and Yu Jitae. He was the guardian ¨C because he was above the kids, the rtionship was that of a one-sided dependency and it would crumble the moment he wobbled.

    But what was broken wouldn¡¯t stick back.

    And even if it did, the trace of the snap would remain forever.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, shouldn¡¯t he still tear it apart?

    Not because Bom was a problem. She had never been the problem. The problem was his feelings for Bom and the life he had lived through. The past was not something he could change, and would stay that way forever.

    ¡­Vacantly, he continued thinking for a while,

    But soon, he added power into his hands.

    *

    ¡°If ahjussi wants to, we should let him go.¡±

    Bom¡¯s words caused Yeorum to wear a deep frown while Kaeul widened her eyes in shock.

    ¡°U, unni! What are you talking about?!¡±

    ¡°Oi. Have you gone crazy?¡±

    The two of them said at the same time but Bom¡¯s hazy gaze wasn¡¯t on them.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What ¡®why¡¯ you b*tch. What kind of f*cked up question is that?¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason he shouldn¡¯t be able to leave?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    But her next words shut Yeorum¡¯s mouth.

    They can¡¯t let him go.

    They can¡¯t but¡­ Yeorum couldn¡¯t think of a reason to support her im. Bom then added more words to her confused mind.

    ¡°Maybe we are too used to receiving everything from him?¡±

    Yeorum twitched her eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been getting everything from him ever since we came here. Ahjussi is a person too and there will be things he wants. If he wants something, I don¡¯t think we should stop him.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°B, but¡­! No!¡± shouted Kaeul.

    ¡°Why, Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t just leave like this! How do we know when he wille back? He said he will be back soon, but I can¡¯t trust that!¡±

    ¡°Then when should hee back by?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°We can negotiate on the time with him. One year?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Then? Half a year?¡±

    Kaeul shook her head in fright.

    ¡°N, no¡­ Half a year is still too long.¡±

    ¡°Then what about three months?¡±

    ¡°No! It¡¯s weird. Why do we have to negotiate on something like this!?¡±

    In response, Bom gave a faint smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Bom suddenly changed her attitude. Finding her voice and her smile odd, doubt appeared on the faces of both Yeorum and Kaeul as Bom opened her mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°I thought about it, but it might be a little better if I leave.¡±

    ¡°What? Why!?¡±

    ¡°Because I might be the problem.¡±

    ¡°Stop saying nonsense unni¡­! What¡¯s gotten into you now?!¡± Kaeul sorrowfully shouted.

    ¡°Do you know something?¡± Meanwhile Yeorum, who knew of the rtionship between Bom and Yu Jitae, asked for something more fundamental but Bom shook her head in response.

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    It was true. Bom was quite fast at reading the atmosphere and realised that there was a part of Yu Jitae that wanted her. But she couldn¡¯t understand why he would try to create a distance despite those emotions.

    However, her instincts told her that there must be a reason. Like herself who couldn¡¯t go all the way despite loving him.

    The three of them soon turned quiet.

    The baby chicken was mindlessly blinking its eyes in Kaeul¡¯s arms, not knowing what was going on. Kaeul hugged the chicken a little harder and said with a sunken voice.

    ¡°He needs to take responsibility¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what ahjussi said. A guardian should protect and be responsible for happiness. Ahjussi brought us in, right? So he should take responsibility. Leaving now is too irresponsible¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if he¡¯s only leaving for 3 months?¡± Bom asked.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul hesitated. Inside her confused mind was only ck and white and anything gray in between them only made her more displeased. So the only words that left her mouth were her honest thoughts.

    ¡°No. I just don¡¯t want him to go¡­¡±

    Yeorum heaved a deep sigh.

    Kaeul was right. There was no logical reason why he shouldn¡¯t be able to leave ¨C it was just that they didn¡¯t want him to leave.

    Kaeul threw a nce before talking to Bom.

    ¡°You look more weird to me, Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Like, I¡¯ve been thinking you were weird for a long time. Whenever we are talking about ahjussi, you pretend you are not a dragon or something. What kind of dragon thinks and speaks like you?¡± Kaeul added.

    The expression vanished from Bom¡¯s face.

    ¡°Then, what am I?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but, what¡¯s weird is weird. Unni you always think based around ahjussi, as if you might even give him your dragon heart if he wanted it. Don¡¯t you think about your own wishes?¡±

    Her words struck deep into Bom¡¯s heart.

    ¡°I have my wishes too¡­¡±

    Bom said with a slightly mncholic voice.

    ¡°What wish?¡±

    She had a lot.

    Bom wanted Yu Jitae to love only her.

    Bom wanted Yu Jitae to be a better person.

    Bom wanted Yu Jitae to be happy.

    And Bom wanted to understand Yu Jitae.

    However, he was bound by something and didn¡¯t reply no matter how much she asked what was binding him. Those things were grabbing his ankles like shackles and were stopping him from going forward. Bom thought about all those before slowly realising what it was that she truly wished for.

    Not being able to be a human. Not being able to be happy and refusing to be understood. And withdrawing from the affection that finally bloomed within all those.

    Something was restricting him from all those.

    Thus, all her wishes led to one conclusion.

    ¡°Ahjussi bing free¡­¡±

    If she herself was a part of those shackles, it was right for her to leave.

    Bom added those words but Yeorum simply couldn¡¯t understand her.

    ¡°Shut your trap. Yu Bom.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being honest.¡±

    ¡°Just stop it. For real. I feel like smacking you right now¡­¡±

    Yeorum had to suppress her anger because of Bom¡¯s disjointed way of thinking. And because Bom understood why Yeorum was upset, she couldn¡¯t retort in any way.

    That was how the three of them were.

    There was one who treasured their guardian so much that they had to let him go, as well as those that treasured their guardian so much that they couldn¡¯t let him go.

    They were all treasuring their guardian in their own way and there was no clear solution.

    ¡°We can¡¯t evene to a conclusion so how are we even going to talk to him¡­¡± Kaeul said with a mncholic voice.

    In front of theplex array of emotions soplex and difficult, Gyeoul silently stood up. Until now, she couldn¡¯t follow the conversation because it was tooplicated for her.

    With a nk gaze, Gyeoul nced at her unnis. She couldn¡¯t understand why they were having such conversations in the first ce. She thought to herself that this discussion itself was wrong.

    Thinking that, the blue-haired child turned around. She then headed straight towards Kaeul¡¯s room, ignoring the one that called her name from behind.

    ***

    A slight sense of resistance was felt by his wrists as he was about to rip the string.

    The door was pushed open and Gyeoul walked into the room. She closed the door and stoodpletely still facing him, so he had to stop his body as well.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The two of them didn¡¯t say anything;

    Gyeoul looked at him with extreme caution in her eyes, and with an even more cautious movement, she moved her feet.

    He stayed still.

    Taking another step forward, Gyeoul approached him like a baby walking to a lion for the first time. Atst when she was next to him, Gyeoul reached her arms forward.

    Was she asking for a hug?

    There was a strong feeling that he shouldn¡¯t get too close to her, and so he gave an excuse.

    ¡°As you can see, my hands are tied up.¡±

    Seemingly convinced, Gyeoul gave a nod. She carefully resumed walking towards him, and ced her hands on hisp before floating her body.

    He unknowingly pulled in hisrge and thick thighs together and btedly realised that it had be a habit. Because he had to stick his legs together for Gyeoul to be morefortable on hisp.

    But this time, she didn¡¯t sit on hisp and she sat next to him on the bed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Without saying anything, she looked at him.

    Only after sitting side-by-side did she start understanding what the mission given to her was about.

    ¨C My dear daughter.

    It was when Gyeoul was still very small and young.

    When she was around 80 days old.

    She went sledding with him with just the two of them, and had instant noodles that he cooked for her for the first time. She heard the long-awaited ¡®Here you go¡¯ from him and went to sleep at night grasping onto his finger.

    That night, the young and small blue dragon had heard the voices of her forefather.

    ¨C From now, you need to protect your precious ones with your own hands.

    The grandpa said.

    There wille a long night so prepare for it. Realise what is precious to you and ponder on how to protect it.

    ¨C It will be very dark. With nothing visible, someone would inevitably fall. Merely standing up with those injured legs will be difficult and they therefore might not even be able to stand up properly.

    Inside the swarming tempest, there were a lot of words Gyeoul couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¨C When that timees, my child, do whatever you can.

    But she vowed to etch the words of her forefather into her brain, and contemted endlessly on what it was that she had to do.

    ¨C And protect what you must.

    This time, it was her turn to do something.

    The likes of a paper string was tying Yu Jitae up like a sinner and Gyeoul just couldn¡¯t understand that. In her mind, he wasn¡¯t a bad person. And it didn¡¯t matter even if he was a bad person because she herself didn¡¯t think of him as a bad person.

    However, if there was some kind of darkness permeating around him that made him consider himself a bad person, she wanted to get rid of the darkness with her own hands.

    Slowly raising her body, Gyeoul stood on Kaeul¡¯s bed and walked towards his back.

    His usually wide back appeared small today.

    ¨C Protect.

    Following the clear mission inside her head, Gyeoul opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Can you, not go?¡±

    He closed his eyes and stayed silent.

    ¡°¡­I will be happy, if you don¡¯t go.¡±

    He was still silent so Gyeoul added more words. Soon, Yu Jitae unknowingly let out an excuse.

    ¡°I think I must go.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason I have to go. I won¡¯t go that far and if it¡¯s me, I can look at you and protect you from a distance.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnnn.¡±

    Gyeoul stubbornly shook her head. ¡®¡­You can¡¯t.¡¯ Her soft voice touching his ears gave rise to a myriad of thoughts.

    ¡°¡­I will ask questions. Only reply.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­With one word, okay?¡±

    Yu Jitae decided to drop all theplex thoughts and agreed to follow Gyeoul¡¯s pace.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°¡­If I¡¯m sad, how will you feel?¡±

    All sorts of words,plex thoughts and situations could have been used for the reply, but he followed Gyeoul¡¯s request and gave a simple response.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t feel good.¡±

    It was then.

    Gyeoul wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. It was always him that was hugging her, so this time, she wanted to be the one hugging him instead.

    When the body of the small child touched his back, Yu Jitae quietly remained still until she continued.

    ¡°¡­Then, don¡¯t go.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t move. The feeble arms wrapped around his neck gripped tighter. Gyeoul¡¯s lips, forehead and cheeks were all warming up the back of his neck and he couldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°¡­If you go, I will be sad.¡±

    Her voice; and her breath,

    They touched his ears and his heart as the murky darkness slowly dissipated and brightened. The fundamental thought popped up in his mind.

    ¡°¡­A lot.¡±

    To achieve their happiness, he had seeked for their safety and individuality. Helping with that and walking down the journey together, the time he had spent with them was way too much.

    ¡°¡­¡­A lot.¡±

    The rtionship they had built in the present was too deep,

    For them to distance because of the past.

    *

    Sometimes, it was the simplest of solutions that solved the mostplex of emotional knots. Millions of people who had cursed each other and shed blood under different ideologies ¨C like how therge wall that separated them came crumbling down immediately (sofort) without dy (unverz¨¹glich) from a simple mistake of a representative.

    But at the base of that was the people who had wished for harmony with innocent hearts.

    Innocence sometimes had the power greater than anything else on earth. And when innocence conveyed through Gyeoul¡¯s voice reached his ears,

    Theplex knot of emotions started loosening itself.

 Chapter 249: Discussion Topic: Our Ahjussi (3)

    <h4>Chapter 249: Discussion Topic: Our Ahjussi (3)</h4>

    Gyeoul did not want him to leave. Him leaving meant Gyeoul¡¯s misfortune and for her happiness, he had to stay here.

    Should he honestly tell them everything and ask for their forgiveness? He had thought such a thing for a split second but in the end, he didn¡¯t think these kids would be able to handle a shock that big.

    For example, Kaeul was a child who found it hard to send off a baby chicken who had been with her for a bit more than a year, and asked for advice everyday. She was a very young and fragile child who had yet to experience the world.

    The other kids were the same.

    Hostility was an uncertain element and even the godly EX authorities were powerless. Since he had lived all his life forming ns, an uncertain element trying to interfere with his ns made him morbidly look for a better n, and that was where the problemid.

    In any case, it wasn¡¯t certain that the kids would retrieve their memories of the past iterations.

    He decided to put himself in the shoes of countless other people living daily lives ¨C people who didn¡¯t know what tomorrow had in n for them. Among those people, there surely would be a lot of them living with big problems like himself, who still had the power to smile today.

    Putting it that way, Yu Jitae realised something new.

    Since he had always called it the 7th iteration, thinking of the whole thing as the ¡®present¡¯, he was unable to think that a certain time frame within the 7th iteration would also be the ¡®past¡¯.

    ¡®¡­Then, don¡¯t go.¡¯

    The child who had stopped her own heart at the end of the 6th iteration,

    ¡®¡­If you go, I will be sad.¡¯

    Was now saying she would be sad if he left her.

    Both Yu Jitae and Gyeoul were the same people, so what was it that was now different?

    ¨C ¡­More, please.

    Gyeoul, who pushed her bowl forward asking for more noodles.

    ¨C How should I help you?

    Himself helping Gyeoul who had lost her bottle of gummies.

    ¨C Doesn¡¯t that already make me a good person then?

    ¨C ¡­Nn?

    ¨C I y with you already.

    ¨C ¡­A lot¡­ Someone that ys with me a lot.

    The conversation he had with her as she ached in pain in the cold and dark ce.

    They had all changed.

    Even apart from those, Gyeoul and Yu Jitae had spent countless moments in the 7th iteration that differed from the 6th iteration, and looking back, those had also be a part of the past embroidering the path they had trodden.

    All the uing future will again be a part of the past and remain forever in the child¡¯s head. Realising that, he started thinking that an unnecessary worry should never ruin the present.

    Mysteriously, something changed the moment he changed his own thoughts.

    Yu Jitae gazed down at the string binding his wrists.

    Until then, it had felt like thest string supporting him and Unit 301 together. But now, it looked like something that shook his emotions, making hime to such a childish decision; like a shackle formed from the past.

    Rip¨C

    He snapped the string.

    The string that he originally had to embrace his mind as if he were breaking the universe, was broken all too easily.

    He stood up on the spot as Gyeoul¡¯s arms loosened around his neck.

    The child was small and was still smaller than him despite standing on the bed. Bending his back, he brought his arm behind her knees as she sat on his arm.

    It was an extremely natural and familiar gesture.

    Her faith originating from the past told her that this arm would never drop her, and made her enjoy the close distance.

    ¡°¡­You won¡¯t go?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gyeoul nodded with a bright smile.

    Looking for words to say, he was nkly gazing at her face when the child suddenly reached her hand out andid it on top of his head. She then started running her fingers through the coarse strands of his hair.

    ¡°What are you doing,¡± he asked.

    ¡°¡­You look like, a kind tiger.¡±

    Her response made him dumbfounded.

    ¡°¡­And also, one more.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°¡­If you are like that again, tell me.¡±

    He gave a faint smile.

    Something like this would never ur again.

    Quietly lending his ear to the sound of the child rustling her fingers through his hair soothed his mind. The words he was supposed to say naturally left his mouth.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    He apologised,

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    And the child forgave him.

    There were 3 left to go.

    ***

    When everyone was there, he gave a light apology.

    He admitted that he was being overly sensitive recently and told them that he would take a rest today to settle his mood. It was such a simple sentence and yet it made the children visibly more rxed.

    The most heated response was Yeorum swearing out loud and angrily leaving the dormitory.

    Only after seeing that did he realise how much he himself had shaken Unit 301. Overly worrying about something that hadn¡¯t even urred yet, he was close to ruining the daily life that he had built up with difficulty.

    He was literally about to be doomed.

    ¡°An apology?¡±

    It was obvious where Yeorum would go. He went up to the roof and found her smoking a cigarette there.

    ¡°Far out, you guys freaking¡­¡±

    Remembering something simr that had happened quite recently at the same spot, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°Is sorry going to cut it?¡±

    ¡°Then, how do you want me to apologise.¡±

    ¡°Kneel.¡±

    Yu Jitae quietly kneeled down. For a split second, he wondered if he should do it or not, but he was truly feeling sorry so it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t do it.

    However, Yeorum¡¯s expression turned funny after seeing that.

    ¡°Huhh¡­?¡±

    With her mouth full of smoke, she walked towards him and pushed forward her foot wearing slippers.

    ¡°Kiss my foot.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you not gonna do it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It stinks.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. How can a dragon¡¯s foot stink?¡±

    ¡°Your socks did.¡±

    She frowned.

    ¡°Anyways, you don¡¯t wanna do it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ right? It¡¯s weird to obediently kiss the foot when told to do so right?¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know whether he was supposed to reply to her question or not.

    ¡°No. Whatever.¡±

    Letting out another mouthful of smoke, Yeorum looked directly into his eyes.

    ¡°Anyways, don¡¯t make others feel miserable again.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. Tell me straight. Looking at you doing crap by yourself from the side sucked my blood dry. It felt disgusting.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t even in the right state of mind to care for himself, so he had no idea what Yeorum would have been feeling back then.

    ¡°Do you know what actually makes me feel like shi*? I can¡¯t do anything. If you drop everything and suddenly leave, what can I even do? Should I grab onto your pants and cry? Let you touch my titties? Are you gonna stay then? No right? You always do whatever the f*ck you want to, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What can I do then? Nothing. I feel freaking powerless. Why do you make me feel that way?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Fu*k you¡­¡±

    Once again, she started taking in and out breaths of smoke. She then suddenly asked.

    ¡°So did you do it?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Did you have sex with Yu Bom.¡±

    It was an extremely abrupt question and he was dumbfounded.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t even want to reply but realised that he couldn¡¯t not say anything in a situation like this. It was a situation where he had to say something back.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Sex.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a stupid QnA time, she seemed to be in a slightly better mood.

    ¡°Ah~ Where did my ashtray go off to.¡±

    Standing right in front of him, Yeorum twitched the cigarette that was half its original size. Yu Jitae looked at the cigarette before standing up from the ground. He then snatched it from the child¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Huh, uh? What are you¡­¡±

    Soon, Yeorum widened her eyes.

    He ced the cigarette in his mouth and sucked in the smoke. Very deeply ¨C so much so that one breath of his made the cigarette close to burning out. The following exhale of smoke that left his mouth was therefore extremely dense.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    He intentionally turned off the blessing rted to the body¡¯s detoxification system, but it was a weaker cigarette than he thought and wasn¡¯t much. Yu Jitae was about to throw the cigarette butt, but soon turned the fire off with his fingers and took it so that he could throw it into the binter.

    ¡°Do you smoke?¡±

    For some reason, her expression was slightly brighter than before.

    ¡°In the past.¡±

    There were now 2 to go.

    *

    ¡°You really need to get scolded, ahjussi!¡±

    Kaeul shouted.

    ¡°Why did you do that? And surprise me? Hnn? Unn?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I was really really surprised. Nn? Do you know? Do you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°No you don¡¯t! You don¡¯t know anything!¡±

    When Yu Jitae took a submissive attitude, all her feelings seemingly exploded and Kaeul angrily shouted.

    ¡°How can you suddenly do that! Huh? Do you know what it feels to have your precious friend suddenly trying to leave you behind and disappear? The person left behind feels like being thrown away you know! Were you trying to throw me away? Really? Like, reallyyy?!¡±

    Her words poked through his memories.

    How could he not know? The world had left him behind and disappeared six times.

    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Is sorry going to cut it?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you something delicious. Apparently the bakery store next to themercial district has a new menu.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need that!¡±

    ¡°Apparently it¡¯s a strawberry inside a chocte brownie.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need that either¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll also get you some macarons and ice cream.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Do you think I¡¯m like, a fool or something, that only loves food?¡±

    She then started preaching again. It wasn¡¯t going to end any time soon, so he gave her something he had obtained with much difficulty.

    ¡°Right. I¡¯m sorry. First, take this and calm down.¡±

    ¡°What! Ehng? Bakery coupon? Like seriously! What do you take me for!!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for you. It¡¯s the premium ticket of Lair Hotel¡¯s bakery store.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, how many times do I have to say it. Seriously! Stop trying to gloss over it with things like this. I, I¡­¡±

    Kaeul slurred the end of her sentence as her eyes rested on the ticket.

    Was it tempting her? He thought this was the opportunity to push forward.

    ¡°They have a new chocte pie apparently.¡±

    It was a store that was always mentioned whenever there was a debate over the best bakery of Lair. It was the best patisserie with VIP entry only, fully booked for the next 6 months.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Would she take it? He wanted this to help her rx a bit more so he pushed his hand forward.

    However, Kaeul stopped his hands with her palms.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you listening to me¡­¡±

    Her voice caused a small ripple in his mind.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it¡­ I don¡¯t need something like this¡­ so don¡¯t go. Nn?¡±

    Yu Jitae realised that he needed a more fundamental apology. Facing Kaeul, who had her eyes looking at the ground, he replied.

    ¡°Yeah. Sorry. I promise I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Make a vow then.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°With your ce of birth, name and your father¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°Is that like the vow of the dragons, or something?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not. Like, it¡¯s not like a spell that forces you either. Don¡¯t even know how to do those things. But please just, promise me. Otherwise, how can I be at ease, and believe you won¡¯t throw me away¡­?¡±

    With a mncholic expression, she slurred her words.

    He had broken the credit they had built up already, so he now had to diligently build it up again. Breaking the silence, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°I, Yu Jitae, born of Songpa, Seoul.¡±

    At that moment, Kaeul widened her eyes, but it took some time for him to remember the name.

    ¡°The son of Yu Junghwan, hereby vow on the name of Yu household that¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae knew of the vowing etiquette of nearby dimensions, but did not know what he was supposed to promise about. ¡®What should I say,¡¯ he whispered and Kaeul whispered back, ¡®Uh, uhh, that you won¡¯t suddenly explode out?¡¯

    ¡°¡­that I won¡¯t explode.¡±

    Following the etiquette of the vowing ceremony, he lowered his head when Kaeul shouted.

    ¡°What is that¡­! It¡¯s a mess!¡±

    ¡°Why. That¡¯s what you told me to do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how you do it in our world okay? Also, you are not a bomb so why would you explode? Even if I say something random, you need to, nn? Tie the knot so that it makes sense!¡±

    ¡°Instead of tie, how about a chocte pie?¡±

    ¡°Ahhnng! Annnng! Again, again! You¡¯re treating me like a pig¡­¡­!¡±

    Kaeul red at him before closing her mouth. In any case, he did make a vow. She said with a voice so soft that it resembled the breeze of a pinwheel.

    ¡°But, you did promise¡­ no breaking promises. Okay?¡±

    She asked carefully.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Then, promise me that you won¡¯t break it.¡±

    Kaeul said with her pinky out.

    Wouldn¡¯t this be promising on a vow? He thought but still wrapped his pinky around her pinky, but that was when she showed another pinky finger.

    ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t break the promise.¡±

    Only after promising on the promise of the vow, did Kaeul take the ticket.

    ¡°Andstly, there is something you really need to know.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a pigg¡ª-!¡±

    Alright.

    There was now one left to go.

 Chapter 250: Hobo Hair â€“ Zone

    <h4>Chapter 250: Hobo Hair ¨C Zone</h4>

    Early in the morning, under the warm sunlight.

    Yu Jitae and Bom walked into a quiet park inside the residential district. Bom tended to stay indoors a lot but there was no suitable ce inside the house where they could have a serious conversation with just the two of them, so he intentionally brought her outside.

    Bom was wearing a gray pair of pants and a tight white t-shirt and ck sandals. It was the same in outfit.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    Chagak, chagak¡­

    Walking down the gravel path of the park with Yu Jitae, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why do human males like the word ¡®oppa¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Why.¡±

    ¡°At school, some of the old Korean people and seniors wanted to be called ¡®oppa¡¯, by female juniors.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why would they do that?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. I would assume it¡¯s because it would make them feel respected as seniors.¡±

    ¡°¡®Ahjussi¡¯ is also a respectful title for seniors but they don¡¯t like it right?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not too sure.¡±

    ¡°Then do you like being called ¡®oppa¡¯ as well?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really care.¡±

    ¡°Did you care about it in the past?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t remember.¡±

    Bom gave a nod.

    Once the cloud stopped blocking the sun, her grass-coloured hair reflected the sunlight like a small leaf. Bom was nkly and slowly walking forward without saying anything. Thinking that it was about time to apologise, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    But that was when she cut his words off.

    ¡°When it¡¯s just the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Can I call you oppa?¡±

    He looked at her face.

    It was the same expression as always, as if the question she was asking wasn¡¯t that important.

    Oppa.

    It was an unfamiliar title. Excluding Yeorum who sometimes jokingly called him that, there was probably no-one in the 7th iteration who called him oppa. But whether it be ahjussi, grandpa or oppa, such titles did not necessarily make him feel anything.

    ¡°Do whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Okay, oppa.¡±

    With the same indifferent look on her face, she pondered about something before opening her mouth.

    ¡°You called me to apologise, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Did this happen because of me, by any chance?¡±

    There was no issue with Bom. The issue was in his past and in his emotions.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s something personal.¡±

    ¡°Please tell me what happened in more detail.¡±

    ¡°I told you. I was just being overly sensitive by myself.¡±

    ¡°More detail please.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It was very painful. I want toin today but it would beughable if Iined despite everything being because of me, right.¡±

    Bom seemed sincerely worried, not about Yu Jitae but about theint that she was about to give now.

    He thought about Vintage Clock for a bit and opened his mouth.

    ¡°I had a friend.¡±

    ¡°A friend?¡±

    ¡°Some guy I knew for a long time but I don¡¯t really like that guy. Didn¡¯t really want to be friends either, and that guy stayed next to me all the time troubling me and making my life harder.¡±

    ¡°Was it really hard?¡±

    ¡°I guess. I just fought with that guy. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Do I know that person?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    Bom gave a nod. Soon, she threw her sandals away and started walking down the gravel path on bare foot.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Please hold my hand.¡±

    Bom naturally gave him her hand so he grabbed it. Then, the mana of the dragon stealthily tried to pervade in so he blocked the flow of mana.

    The two of them started walking down the gravel path.

    ¡°You know, there aren¡¯t many things that I found precious in my life,¡± said Bom.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a dad. My family wasn¡¯t precious. I hated my mum. I hated my sister¡­ I just hated the entire dragon race.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°My mum thought of me as a unique child and I hated that uniqueness as well. Looking back, I think I just hated myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But aftering here, I started liking Unit 301. It¡¯s very precious to me now. Gyeoul who¡¯s just like my daughter, Kaeul who always gives me strength, Yeorum although she¡¯s sometimes annoying¡­¡±

    Walking hand-in-hand down the gravel path, Bom whispered.

    ¡°So the fact that Unit 301 had to be left behind was painful.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I won¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not you, oppa, that¡¯s leaving.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I have to be the one leaving¡­¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae realised something strange. He was about to lower his gaze but Bom turned her body around and slowly grabbed his chin.

    ¡°If I¡¯m a hindrance to oppa or Unit 301, I thought it was best for me to disappear. Weird right? It was less than 10 days that oppa had been weird for, but in that short period of time, my head suddenly turned strange by itself. I was almost like a crazy girl.¡±

    Bom chuckled.

    ¡°So, if that wasn¡¯t because of me, then you need to sincerely apologise to me, oppa.¡±

    ¡°Bom. What are you doing right now.¡±

    Ignoring her grip, Yu Jitae lowered his head and looked beneath with a frown. Her feet were smeared with something red.

    It was blood.

    ¡°Why would you do this to yourself.¡±

    Bom was a dragon. Walking down the sharp gravel path barefoot wouldn¡¯t usually cause any wounds on her feet. It meant that she had removed the blessings protecting her body to intentionally create wounds on her feet.

    ¡°There is a reason why.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Back then, it was painful and it was still painful even after oppa became fine. That¡¯s why I tested it just then.¡±

    Turning his head, Yu Jitae looked at the path they had walked through. All the sharp gravel she stepped on was smudged in blood.

    Bom let go of his chin and pulled her hand in. Tightly squeezing her chest, she sorrowfully smiled.

    ¡°Even now, this part hurts more¡­¡±

    *

    Yu Jitae lifted her up straight into the air. ¡°Aht,¡± eximed the surprised child but he nheless took her to the pond inside the park.

    It would be fine for her to heal herself but Bom would probably not do so. In the past, she had cut her own lips just because of a slip of a tongue and had left it to heal naturally like a human.

    The pond with an ongoing filtration system was crystal clear and clean. He ced Bom on the ground, walked into the water and bent his back.

    He then carefully grabbed her feet.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    Bom seemed surprised. She wriggled her toes and tried to pull her feet away but he grabbed onto her ankles.

    Those were white and clean feet, with blue veins over her skin but had been smeared with blood and dust. He began washing it off with water.

    He didn¡¯t know what meaning there was behind actions like this. He didn¡¯t exactly know how to apologise but his apologetic feelings pushed him into washing her feet clean.

    Throughout the wash, Bom endlessly twitched her toes seemingly embarrassed.

    ¡°Please wait.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s dirty.¡±

    ¡°Stay still.¡±

    ¡°Please stop. It tickles¡­¡±

    ¡°Just stay still.¡±

    Bom couldn¡¯t let her feet stay still. Washing it with water, wiping the dust and blood¡­ After doing those, he was nning to apply some expensive ointment to heal her wounds but she was constantly twitching her feet so much that he couldn¡¯t wash them properly.

    Flip p.

    Flip p.

    The water ended up sshing to his face in the process.

    Yu Jitae pped the back of her foot. ¡°Ouch,¡± said Bom with a flinch.

    ¡°Stay still. Unless you want another p.¡±

    Only then did she stop moving her feet. And he was finally able to wash her feet with more ease.

    ¡°Can I say one thing as an excuse?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I always determine whether I¡¯m normal or not looking at you, but you were acting fine these days.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I thought I was fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a good actor, you know.¡±

    ¡°I can see that.¡±

    Her feet without all the dust and blood was still red.

    ¡°Heal them.¡±

    ¡°No. This¨C¡±

    ¡°Just listen to what I say. No nonsense about emotions and whatnot like the time you bit on your lips.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    She still looked dissatisfied, and looked like she was only doing it because she was told to.

    Bom obediently used her magic to cure her feet, and wiped off the water with a cleansing spell. Yu Jitae put the sandals over her feet and said.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply. Her feet were already wearing sandals but even after he stood up, Bom remained still while silently looking into his eyes.

    ¡°What. Aren¡¯t you going?¡±

    For several seconds, she simply gazed into his eyes.

    ¡°If I knew this would happen, I should¡¯ve just rolled over the stairs¡­¡± she quietly whispered.

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Roll? Why?

    Thinking about that, Yu Jitae suddenly realised that his hands had been on her feet for a very long time, touching every part of her feet.

    Btedly understanding what her words meant, he felt a sense of perplexity surging up.

    What did she just say?

    The preposterous im incited unnecessary imaginations and those unnecessary thoughts made him all the more perplexed. After that, he turned around to look at Bom and realised that she was mischievously holding her breath in andughing.

    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    She then asked back with the same expression as always.

    He shook his head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    And shook off the bad thoughts that had popped up for a bit.

    ***

    Like that, he finished apologising to the kids but in fact, this did not solve the fundamental problem. His past would still remain as his past, and he was clearly aware there was an off chance that an incident could break out that he hadn¡¯t prepared for.

    However, he decided to be more at ease.

    To be bound by the past and overly concern himself over the uncertain future, the present was way too important. A simple mindset like that caused a great effect in his life. His worries appeared meaningless and surprisingly, everything became less difficult like before.

    Time flew by.

    The Second Night arrived but the annihtion of the boss who had the augmented power of the [Nocturnal Cat] with 7 lives was not that difficult.

    Although there were several problems both inside and outside the Association, he felt more at ease as he dealt with them. Letting go of the obsessive thought that it had to be perfect allowed him to approach matters in a more flexible manner.

    The interdimensional fissure that the spirit beasts had barely opened was starting to shake. He filled up theirst moments with memorable times with Kaeul and Chirpy. Kaeul, who had repeatedly be both calm and bright during the confusion of her values, slowly returned to her past self after somewhat preparing herself for the inevitable farewell.

    After taking everything in, it felt better. That was what Kaeul said.

    Clone 2 gazed at the night sky of basement floor 291 with the witch. Afterwards, the witch listened to the request of Clone 2 despite finding it a shame till the very end that she couldn¡¯t devour him.

    The 30-man special force squad of the undergroundbyrinth had their pollution almostpletely cured and were in the process of readying themselves to leave the hospital. They now needed some time to get rid of the Light of Paradise that had permeated into their minds.

    They all had a family to return to, and a house.

    The only one among them without a ce to go was Ha Saetbyul. She was officially an enemy of the Association and all her original connections, whether it be on the human or the demon side were allpletely cut off.

    ¨C On the day everyone leaves thebyrinth, you take Ha Saetbyul separately and bring her to a troop she can stay in.

    Following Yu Jitae¡¯smand, Clone 2 went to the undergroundbyrinth and met Ha Saetbyul.

    Her polluted mind was back to normal and the Light of Paradise was alsopletely gone.

    Ha Saetbyul who had gone back to normal looked at Yu Jitae of the 1st iteration, as Clone 2 gazed back at her. The two of them stared at each other for a long time in silence, despite seeing each other for the first time.

    During the holidays, Yeorum and Kaeul earned new opportunities. From the overall evaluation formed based onbat power, Yeorum came 1st and Kaeul came 2nd, but these two had records that by far exceeded those of other cadets and there were increasingly more people paying attention to them even from outside of Lair.

    From time to time, he went fishing with Gyeoul and looked for some fish to fill the fish tank. Gyeoul caught tons of conches, fish and frogs but there were too many for their fish tank so she had to return half of her catch back to the wild.

    Greedy Gyeoul was sad.

    Bom kept a fair line and didn¡¯t request much from him. After being shaken once, both Yu Jitae and Bom were more stable and theirplicated rtionship was not easily shaken on the outside like the calm surface of the water.

    However, when it was asionally just the two of them, and when Yu Jitae became an oppa, she tended to tease him and enjoy herself.

    After the holidays,

    Around the start of the new spring semester of 3rd grade, Yeorum¡¯s hair reached slightly below her shoulders while her bangs covered her eyes and went down to her nose.

    ¡°Ah. This feels like sh*t.¡±

    One day, Yeorum grumbled like that in the morning.

    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s wrong, unni?¡±

    ¡°These bangs are so freaking annoying.¡±

    They were long enough to cover or poke her eyes, but were too short to tuck them behind her ears.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the beggar zone.¡±

    ¡°Beggar zone?¡±

    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s messy right?¡±

    Kyahaha, Kaeul chuckled.

    ¡°But how is it a problem? Just make them longer with polymorph.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. Dick Jitae said I¡¯m not supposed to use magic on my body for the next year.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Why?¡±

    ¡°Dunno.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you cut them then?¡±

    ¡°Ahh I hate bangs. I wanna get rid of them. It¡¯s so annoying to have them drenched in sweat and sticking to my skin.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get rid of the whole thing!¡±

    ¡®Kuangg!¡¯ Kaeul shut her mouth after getting smacked on her head.

    Yeorum¡¯s irritation did not disappear until the end of the beggar zone and she was constantly mad at her bangs regardless of the time. One day, Bom tied her bangs with the top part of her hair and lifted it up into an apple hair.

    This time, Kaeul teased her and called her ¡®cute¡¯ so she got smacked again a few times, and Yeorum lowered her bangs again.

    And atst it happened.

    While washing her face, Yeorum tried to tuck her bangs behind her ears but they couldn¡¯t stay there and constantly fell off.

    Constantly, she tucked them behind her ears,

    And constantly they fell.

    Inside the bathroom, Yeorum squealed out loud.

    ¡°Ah for f*ck¡¯s sake! This stupid hobo hair!¡±

    Stupid hobo hair?

    It was quite an addictive way to say it. Kaeul cut her bangs like Yeorum¡¯s and teased her, saying, ¡°Me tooo. Me tooo. Stupid hobo haiirr~.¡± After being caught by her, she almost became bald.

    The returned daily life was all over the ce and just like that, it rapidly flew by.

 Chapter 251: Who is at the Lead (1)

    <h4>Chapter 251: Who is at the Lead (1)</h4>

    Around a month ago,

    1st of October. 2:05 pm.

    The Second Night hade.

    A 2.5 metre humanoid monster walked out of the fissure. With a ck body covered with thorns, it was a frightening monster having the strength rivalling that of a single digit ranker.

    The monster happened to be armed with countless abilities suited for massacre. It shot out approximately 500 ck des and only aimed at the weak organisms to effectively destroy their necks and hearts.

    The Association¡¯s initial response to the incident was remarkable.

    ¡®One¡¯ had killed the monster in just 27 seconds.

    Immediately after that, the body of the monster let out arge thud and exploded with a burst of mes.

    That was when the monster¡¯s ability and the identity of the ¡®augmentation¡¯ that Vintage Clock had warned of was revealed. [Seven Hearts]. It was most probably a blessing that had disappeared in the ancient past of a different dimension. The owner had seven lives and the heart exploded with every death.

    With each decreasing life, the monster¡¯s body exploded like a bomb. The explosion would cover the entire area as the scattering fragments and ashes woulde together in the distance and form a new life.

    Season (Yu Jitae) quickly saw through that and alerted themand centre of the Association of its traits and abilities. There were 7 explosions as a result and a few towns in Mongolia were caught up in the explosion and turned to ashes.

    However, thanks to Yu Jitae¡¯s quick realisation, the Association¡¯s rapid judgement and the wise response of the well-trained soldiers of the Association, there were only few casualties from the incident.

    That seemed to be the end of the incident.

    It was 11:17 pm.

    But after exactly 5 minutes, at 11:22 pm, the embassy of the United States inside Mongolia was caught in an explosion.

    17 staff and rted personnel died from the incident, with 107 casualties. And the deputy president of the United States, Rick Vanderbilt, just happened to have visited the embassy at the time to congratte soldiers of the Association.

    The deputy president died from the explosion and the only source of constion was that they somehow managed to find his body.

    He was a well-respected politician and the world with the United States in the centre was shocked. Several extreme anti-Association news broadcasts referred to the incident as the ¡®8th explosion¡¯ as people began flooding the Association with buckets of criticism.

    *

    The roads were in tatters.

    The remains of the crumbled buildings rode the wind and scattered as dust. It was hard to find any ce that was normal after a war. Every sign of nature was burnt to ashes while man-made structures were left behind as hideous remains.

    Yu Jitae ced a foot on that ce.

    ¡°Hello. Season!¡±

    From the other side of the remains, a woman approached him with a wave of her hand. She was Kang Ahjin, one of the agents belonging to the 5th Command Room.

    ¡°Heard everything¡¯s going great for you.¡±

    ¡°It seems it¡¯s true that news travels very fast. Have you heard it already, Chief Advisor?¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s talking about you so who wouldn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s natural to do better with more hard work.¡±

    ¡°Confident, aren¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°Was that too arrogant? It¡¯s all thanks to you, Chief, of course!¡±

    Kang Ahjin heartilyughed out loud.

    The ¡®8th explosion¡¯ of the embassy during the Second Night ¨C Kang Ahjin visited the scene with Jefferson and was the first one to propose that the explosion wasn¡¯t due to a monster¡¯s ability with evidence to back off her im.

    Later, Zhuge Haiyan of the strategy council verified Kang Ahjin¡¯s im and the Association was able to escape the false usation.

    Why did you think it wasn¡¯t due to a monster¡¯s ability?

    Yu Jitae had asked her back then.

    ¨C It is all because I have great respect for you, Chief Advisor.

    And that was Kang Ahjin¡¯s reply. She was saying that she had fully trusted in the sudden words of him, the prophet, but was in fact just her currying favour.

    ¡°Do you still think that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°That you discovered it out of your respect for me.¡±

    ¡°I still do. But honestly, I think I just got lucky. It was fortunate that I came across a fragment of the bomb.¡±

    ¡°I see you¡¯re more honest now after a raise.¡±

    ¡°Well. Some people are just born lucky right? It must have been thanks to my luck that I got to serve you from the side as well, Chief.¡±

    In fact, it was a problem Yu Jitae would have solved even if Kang Ahjin hadn¡¯t done it herself.

    For the Regressor, it was just one less tedious task away from his hands but it was a hard-won aplishment for Kang Ahjin, a 3rd grade agent of the 5th Command Room, and the Association gave her ample rewards.

    She had a special promotion going up by 2 grades. Now, she was in charge ofpleting the prophet¡¯s tasks alongside Antonio Jefferson.

    Officially she was now a 1st grade agent.

    Her work was still the same and she still helped Yu Jitae and One, but her authority had increased by severalfold.

    ¡°Good morning Chief!¡±

    ¡°Good morning Chief!¡±

    When Yu Jitae entered the temporary conference building of Mongolia, soldiers of the Association saluted him. Sitting down on the highest seat, he went straight to the topic and asked for the conclusion they drew.

    ¡°So. Who¡¯s the disrupter.¡±

    His habit of going straight to the topic bewildered some of the soldiers but one of the assistants, who had already gotten used to it, quickly opened his mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s the terrorist group, ¡®Quasar¡¯.¡±

    They were the ones that had nted a bomb inside the embassy.

    *

    In the past, before the New Era.

    There were terrorist groups formed by Im extremists, namely ¡®Taliban¡¯ and ¡®Boko Haram¡¯. Ones that murdered andmitted crimes under their god¡¯s name.

    Going through the New Era, a portion of them came to a surprising and renewed enlightenment. It was the thought that ¡®Aren¡¯t we humans, in fact the same as gods?¡¯

    Because unlike the past, where everyone had to lead lives on almost equal grounds, some humans managed to obtain all sorts of powers that exceeded other humans. They were then called superhumans.

    Immediately after the New Era, humanity faced various big problems under topics like the following. Can humans and superhumans co-exist? Can humans be considered equal despite the immense difference in ability?

    Extreme thoughts led to convictions; differences in convictions led to divided organisations and divided organisations resulted in wars. There were various wars and by the time monsters no longer became a pressing problem, wars between cold weapons and supernatural abilities broke out.

    If the current chairman of the Association, Chaliovan, didn¡¯t step up and repress the confused world with righteousness, and if he couldn¡¯t move the omnipotent sovereign, Witch Valentine, around like his servant, humanity might have been divided intoplete disunion.

    Regardless, Chaliovan seeded and the group of terrorists indulged in elitism became the first target of subjugation.

    But for some reason, the terrorists revived again and again like cockroaches. In the end, they even held hands with demons but this was something only Yu Jitae knew of in the current era.

    They had forgotten their original objective and the sole driving power of their existence became their hatred against the Association.

    Besides, they were so insincere withing up with a name for themselves that they had a different name in each iteration. It seemed that they had decided on the name [Quasar] for the 7th iteration.

    Quasar.

    A celestial nucleus, huh¡­

    If left alone, they would constantly try to grab at the ankles of humanity and the Association. They were a force that had to be gotten rid of.

    ¡°Please let me take care of this again.¡±

    ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We are aware that Chief Advisor is already busy so we would rather not add any more burdens.¡±

    He was indeed so busy whenever he was at the Association that he did not even have the time to sit down so he readily gave her the permission.

    ¡°Right. Good luck.¡±

    But right after sending Kang Ahjin away, he called Jefferson.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    ¨C Yes Chief.

    ¡°I need you to help locate and subjugate Quasar. Stop everything you¡¯re doing right now for the time being.¡±

    ¨C Hmm, I heard that Agent Kang Ahjin was in charge of it. Should I lend her a hand?

    ¡°No. You form a separate group of your own. It¡¯s not like they only have a few bases. If you need to, use my name whenever.¡±

    ¨C Yes.

    ¡°Catch all of them and bring them to me.¡±

    ¨C Yes sir.

    Jefferson did not ask him for the reason. It was the proof of the small trust he had.

    It was better to make sure things were more certain because Quasar was a tedious opponent in the first ce, plus the fact that the actions of the demons of the 7th iteration were being affected by the Hostility.

    And Jefferson. This man was a military genius. In other words, he was the best suited for all types of military tactics out in the field. He was someone he could trust for a task like this.

    Before ending the call, Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°Are you still wearing your squid mask these days?¡±

    ¨C Sorry? Ahh, I¡¯m not. I¡¯ve gotten rid of them all.

    ¡°Why did you. You need to keep your rank 1 position.¡±

    ¨C Don¡¯t people only get distracted when things aren¡¯t working out? There is no need for that anymore sir. Besides, I don¡¯t even have the time to.

    ¡°Not meeting any women either?¡±

    ¨C Not at all. Not a single one.

    ¡®Hauh¡­ how far can you take me?¡¯

    ¡®My car always runs down the Autobahn.¡¯

    Remembering the dirty talk Jefferson had been sharing with a woman, he joked.

    ¡°Why not run down the Autobahn.¡±

    ¨C Ouh, my gosh. Please forget about that¡­

    Leaving behind the voice of the middle-aged man who was made to reflect on his shameful past, Yu Jitae walked out of the Association.

    ¡°Anyways, contact me if there are any problems.¡±

    ¨C Yes sir. I will get back to you with good news.

    Yu Jitae had no time to rest.

    Some time in the near future, something very important was going to happen at Unit 301. He had to increase the time he spent with the kids a bit more.

    ***

    Gyeoul thought to herself.

    After going somewhere and ying with Yu Jitae some time ago, the red bastard was less sensitive and became more docile. Perhaps because of that, she no longer returned a serious re from a joke and it was more enjoyable to tease her.

    ¡°¡­Stoopid, hobo hair?¡±

    She used her hands to shake her own bangs.

    ¡°What did you just freaking say?¡±

    Gyeoul would run away with a chuckle whenever Yeorum red back at her.

    That was how she tended to tease her.

    However, teasing with the same thing more than 3 times was not fun and there weren¡¯t that many things to tease Yeorum with. Gyeoul joked around for a few days but she lost interest after getting smacked a few times on her head.

    One day, Yu Jitae and Bom went out in the morning to buy breakfast but they did note back for a very long time.

    ¡°Uuung. Why aren¡¯t ahjussi and unniing back? I¡¯m starving to death¡­!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    It just happened to be Yu Bom x Yu Jitaebo. With a reasonable doubt in mind, Yeorum sent a message.

    [Me: Sir]

    He replied straight away.

    [Yu Bom¡¯s Dildo: Ye]

    [Me: Are you buying tomorrow¡¯s breakfast or something? Where are you.]

    [Me: Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re doing something strange in broad daylight??]

    [Yu Bom¡¯s Dildo: No]

    [Me: Then why aren¡¯t youinngg -.-]

    He soon sent a photo. The line was too long and they had to wait. Inside the picture, Yu Jitae had the usual dull look while Bom had a faint smile.

    [Me: Hurry up. I need to go exercise]

    [Yu Bom¡¯s Dildo: Coming]

    [Me: Are you on your way?]

    [Yu Bom¡¯s Dildo: Soon]

    [Yu Bom¡¯s Dildo: It¡¯s our turn next]

    [Me: Kk. Hurry up. Yu Kaeul this pig is dying right now]

    ¡°Oi. Look here,¡± Yeorum said.

    ¡°Unn?¡±

    ¡°Express your hunger with your face.¡±

    Hearing that, Kaeul gave a bizarre expression which made both Yeorum and Gyeoul burst intoughter.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s fu*king funny.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    Yeorum then sent the photo she just took to Yu Jitae.

    [Yu Bom¡¯s Dildo: ?]

    [Yu Bom¡¯s Dildo: What is going on]

    [Yu Bom¡¯s Dildo: What¡¯s wrong with her face]

    He soon called her. ¡®Why are you actually surprised?¡¯ ¡®Kyahaha! Ahjussi! Was I really that weird!?¡¯ The three of them againughed out loud from Yu Jitae¡¯s reaction.

    After hurrying him, Yeorum ended the call.

    Like that, the three of them were sitting down on the sofa waiting for the two toe. Unable to control her hunger, Kaeul went to the kitchen looking for something while Gyeoul, sitting on the sofa, looked back and forth between Yeorum and Kaeul. Suddenly, an abrupt and innocent curiosity popped up in her mind.

    ¡°¡­Unni.¡±

    ¡°What you brat.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why is your chest smaller than Kaeul-unni¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Gyeoul pointed at the kitchen, towards the upper body of Kaeul who was wearing a tight t-shirt. She could see a big bulging line that was slightly even burdensome to look at.

    That was when she received a strange response.

    ¡°How¡¯s that a problem? I can make it bigger anytime.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Uinng?¡±

    A problem?

    Gyeoul realised something odd behind her words.

    She was simply curious why one was big and one was small and the difference that caused it. Her unnis did not fine-tune their bodies with polymorphs and their current appearances were like their default versions formed naturally. Gyeoul¡¯s question was because she was curious what her own future self would look like.

    However, Yeorum¡¯s response was a little bit aggressive, as if there was the assumption that Kaeul was better than her.

    Gyeoul also did not miss Yeorum¡¯s discontent gaze staying on Kaeul for three seconds or so.

    She thought to herself. Does this red bastard feelpetitive against Kaeul-unni or something?

    She could remember the two of them being like that quite recently. They originally weren¡¯t like this but it was perhaps after they both started learning how to fight that it had begun.

    Thus, Gyeoul decided to ask her.

    ¡°¡­Unni.¡±

    ¡°What now, brat.¡±

    ¡°¡­Between unni, and Kaeul-unni. Who¡¯s stronger?¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s eyes twitched.

 Chapter 252: Who is at the Lead (2)

    <h4>Chapter 252: Who is at the Lead (2)</h4>

    ¡°What kind of question is that?¡±

    Yeorum pulled her sleeves up, revealing her arm. Her slender arm in fact had a lot of visible muscles, all the way from her forearms, to biceps and triceps as well as herteral shoulder muscles.

    Besides, there were also various wounds and scars all around her arms. Her white hands were especially so coarse that anyone could see her and immediately tell that she was a fighter. Yeorum considered these an honour and left them, just like what other superhumans tended to do.

    ¡°Who do you think will win now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Hmm.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about. Yu Kaeul equals one smack. Ok?¡±

    Saying that, Yeorum was pushing her fist towards her so Gyeoul reluctantly had to reply,

    ¡°¡­Okkay.¡±

    But she couldn¡¯t just end it with that so this time, Gyeoul decided to ask Kaeul who was stronger.

    ¡°Uunn?¡±

    ¡°¡­Who, is stronger?¡±

    ¡°Of course Yeorum-unni is stronger.¡±

    ¡°¡­Have you fought?¡±

    ¡°Uumm, no?¡±

    ¡°Hah, oi brat. Seriously¡­ there¡¯s no need to fight, is there?¡± Yeorum interjected.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I will win of course.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Oi. Think about it. Yu Kaeul is like the type to sit on the ground shooting cannons. They hit hard but not all the time. On the other hand, I¡¯m an eagle. Can you hit an eagle with a cannonball?¡±

    Gyeoul imagined a gold cannon trying to shoot down a red eagle. It wasn¡¯t easy. It looked difficult for a ball of steel to hit an eagle.

    ¡°If I go to her back and smack her once on the back of her head, that¡¯s the end alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­She can, run away with magic?¡±

    ¡°Am I gonna just sit back and let her do that? You can sense the fluctuation around the area she¡¯s about to blink to. I can cancel the flow of mana for teleportation and blink would be right next to me, so I can use my own footwork to close the gap.¡±

    ¡°¡­But she can block you?¡±

    ¡°Oi. Do you wanna try blocking my fist? See who suffers a loss?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    Meanwhile, Kaeul uninterestedly tried to bite on the wing of the baby chicken. Chip chip! The baby chicken fluttered its wings and ran away in fright while Kaeul chuckled and chased after it while shouting, ¡°Uahh, my chicken wings!¡±

    Yeorum clicked her tongue as if she found that pathetic.

    ¡°Look. Just look at her. She¡¯s just a kid so why would I fight her?¡±

    ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you young as well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not young.¡±

    ¡°¡­How old are you?¡±

    ¡°Around 18. I lived six times more than you at least.¡±

    Seeing that there was still a doubtful look on Gyeoul¡¯s face, Yeorum felt slightly irritated. It might be that as a daughter of the red race, she felt displeased by the fact that she was beingpared by a blue dragon.

    ¡°Oi, Yu Kaeul!¡±

    ¡°Uunn?!¡±

    ¡°Do you wanna try fighting me today?¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Why?¡±

    ¡°Apparently she¡¯s curious who¡¯s stronger.¡±

    ¡°Aye. Of course I¡¯ll lose if we fight!¡±

    Yeorum gazed down at Gyeoul with an expression saying, ¡®You see that?¡¯. Gyeoul found that prideful smile to be very annoying but following the next words of Kaeul, the smile vanished from Yeorum¡¯s face.

    ¡°But when protecting people against demons or protecting a fortress against monsters, I should be better, right?¡±

    The triumphant look disappeared from Yeorum¡¯s face. However, the overall change in her expression was small and Gyeoul, having not noticed it, asked again.

    ¡°¡­What if it¡¯s just the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Aye. I would lose that for sure.¡±

    ¡°¡­What if, it¡¯s in groups?¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s, uumm¡­ I don¡¯t know? Maybe?¡±

    ¡°¡­Then that¡¯s, 2:1?¡±

    ¡°Hoh? Yu Kaeul. What do you even know about fighting?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°I studied in first grade and second grade as well, you know?¡±

    Studying at Lair meant undergoing a military education, and for the past 2 years, Kaeul had diligently gone through the military training. Despite that, Yeorum couldn¡¯t acknowledge it. She simply thought that Kaeul was acting up just because she was a bit older now.

    ¡°You confident?¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Stop this if you can.¡±

    Yeorum moved her hand. Grabbing a cushion, she immediately threw it as it started flying towards Chirpy.

    It wasn¡¯t that fast. However, surprised by the fact that something was flying towards Chirpy, Kaeul instinctively moved her mana and bounced the cushion off in mid-air. It was an ident ¨C Kaeul was still inexperienced and couldn¡¯t properly control the direction of the mana. The cushion bounced in mid-air and started flying towards Yeorum¡¯s head as if it was shot from a cannon.

    This time, it was as fast as a cannonball.

    Surprised, Yeorum instinctively twisted her head and pulled her head away from the trajectory but the cushion suddenly began expanding.

    Unable to handle the sheer force of Kaeul¡¯s mana, the cushion exploded mid-flight. With a loud bang, the cotton inside the cushion exploded out and uratelynded on Yeorum¡¯s face. Some of them even entered her mouth.

    ¡°Uht. Ptui, ptui!¡±

    Yeorum pulled the cotton out of her mouth and her tongue. Gyeoul widened her eyes into circles, wondering what had just happened. Kaeul was also surprised. In a fluster, she shouted ¡°U, unni!¡± and ran up to her before pping her arms around in confusion.

    ¡°S, sorry! Are you alright!?¡±

    Sticking her tongue out, Yeorum got rid of the cotton that was on her tongue while ring at Kaeul. There was a small smile hanging on her eyes but that appeared all the more scary in Kaeul¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°My dear sister. What¡¯s this about?¡±

    ¡°No, no¡­! I didn¡¯t know it would fly to your face!¡±

    ¡°Do you think that makes sense?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡±

    ¡°There are tens of ces it could have bounced off to but it went straight towards my face. You mean that was a coincidence? Do you think that¡¯s a sound excuse?¡±

    Kaeul was feeling mortified.

    ¡°B, but! Y, you shouldn¡¯t have thrown the cushion in the first ce then!¡±

    ¡°Hoh? Now you¡¯re being honest ey? Just from a little joke, you suddenly don¡¯t care about seniority and try to make your unni eat shit?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, it was an ident¡­!¡±

    That was when Yeorum suddenly threw a broken portion of the cushion towards Kaeul¡¯s face.

    ¡°Uekekk! Ptui ptui!¡±

    Her mouth had been open just then. Spitting out all the cotton that had entered her mouth, Kaeul screamed out loud at Yeorum.

    ¡°Unni!!¡±

    What Yeorum said in response was ridiculous.

    ¡°Oops, that was an ident.¡±

    Kaeul furiously clenched her trembling fists as Yeorum returned a displeased re.

    Embers flickered between them.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What¡¯s gotten into them all of a sudden?

    That was Gyeoul¡¯s honest thought on the matter.

    ***

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Uun. Me too.¡±

    ¡°But to be honest, it¡¯s your fault.¡±

    ¡°What? No? Ah, nn¡­¡­¡±

    Seeing Yeorum¡¯s fist, Kaeul acted submissively but her lips were still in a big pout.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that expression on your face. Huh?¡±

    ¡°What! What about my expression!¡±

    ¡°¡®What¡¯? Whaaat¨J?¡±

    Her voice was for some reason very scary.

    ¡°N, nothing. Hehe¡­¡±

    Kaeul forced a smile but after turning around and looking at Gyeoul, she threw a nce towards Yeorum from the corner of her eyes and quietlyined.

    ¡°¡­Ehew,¡± sighed Gyeoul while clicking her tongue.

    Her two unnis weren¡¯t mature in the slightest. How was it that they were more childish than herself?

    Their conflict persisted even throughout their meal.

    The menu Yu Jitae and Bom bought for the day was a braised pork belly set from a very famous Chinese restaurant at Lair. Thick pieces of meat soaked with soy sauce both juicy and tender with a hint of chilliness!

    Wrapping the piece of meat with bok choy that came with the set alongside a spoonful of fried rice ¨C it was an otherworldly vour, a luxurious mix of sweet and salty.

    During meal time, Kaeul who had always been submissively giving up, stole the piece of braised pork that Yeorum was about to pick up.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s chopsticks froze in mid-air as Kaeul joyously chewed on the meat.

    ¡°Hmm it¡¯s so nicee.¡±

    It was her way of showing her displeasure. Yeorum had a slightly dumbfounded look on her face but soon, she picked up the te of braised pork belly which was located in front of Kaeul and ced it in front of her own seat.

    ¡°Huhh? What are you doing!¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m eating the braised pork as well!!¡±

    ¡°Is anyone stopping you? Just eat it, you gold pig.¡±

    But because of the distance, she was at a disadvantage. Whenever Kaeul tried to pick up a piece of braised pork belly, Yeorum intercepted it and constantly brought it to her mouth.

    ¡°Seriously, what are you doing unni!?¡±

    Kaeul shouted in anger.

    ¡°Oh wow, this is freaking great. The meat¡¯s melting inside my mouth.¡±

    ¡°I want it too!¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. Kaeul. Come on and have some, alright?¡±

    Kaeul moved her chopsticks again but to no avail. For three more times, Yeorum moved her chopsticks first and snatched the meat away from her. She picked up three whole pieces and crammed her mouth with all the meat.

    ¡°Anng ?. It¡¯s just melting inside my mouth ?. Why aren¡¯t you having them, my dear sister?¡±

    ¡°U, uuiiii! Are you an actual devil unni? What¡¯s wrong with your personality?!¡±

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t watch them fight any longer and took the te of braised pork belly before cing it in the middle. With a flick, the two of them turned towards him.

    ¡°Ahjussi!¡± shouted Kaeul.

    ¡°Dear. Aht¡­ I mean, sir!¡±

    Yeorum threw a furtive nce at Bom before changing her words.

    ¡°This little brat is trying to get on my level all the time. What should I do?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°What do you mean! Ahjussi! Look here! Unni is constantly harassing me!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s funny. She was the one that interfered with my food first and now she¡¯s acting like the victim.¡±

    ¡°You harassed me first just then!¡±

    Yeorum red at her but this time, Kaeul did not look away from her gaze.

    ¡°Hoh. Now you¡¯re ring back at me even?¡±

    ¡°D, d, don¡¯t you know the saying, ¡®You shouldn¡¯t even touch dogs when they¡¯re eating¡¯?!¡±

    ¡°Hah. F*ck. Alright. Let¡¯s make this straight. Ahjussi. If she and I fought, who would win?¡±

    After slight hesitation, Yu Jitae asked back.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Right, ahjussi! To be honest! Aren¡¯t I, in a more variety of ways than unni, you know? More useful than her?!¡±

    ¡°Are you freaking shameless or what?¡±

    ¡°What!¡±

    ¡°You stay on your bum all day, and you dare think you can contest against me!¡±

    ¡°But unni, you only know how to fight!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here to fight. That¡¯s more than enough you retard!¡±

    ¡°Superhumans exist to protect! Right? Right, ahjussi!?¡±

    They were this close to biting at each other¡¯s necks.

    Was the braised pork belly at fault? Yu Jitae had no idea why the two of them were suddenly so eager to fight.

    He was nning to let thempete, but wasn¡¯t this too over the top now? Thinking that, he turned towards Bom but Yu Bom, the chairman of the anti-excessivepetitionmittee, shook her head. It meant that there weren¡¯t any problems for the time being.

    ¡°Yeorum would probably win.¡±

    In response to Yu Jitae¡¯s words, Kaeul¡¯s expression changed as if the whole world was crumbling before her while Yeorum gazed down with an indifferent look on her face. Meanwhile, she stealthily intersected her thumb and her index finger into the shape of a heart and showed him under the table, so that Kaeul wouldn¡¯t be able to see it.

    But suddenly, the situation changed.

    ¡°Why? I think Kaeul would win.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Oi. Yu Bom.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°How can you do this to me?¡±

    I¡¯m helping you keep your secret hidden and I¡¯m always on your side, so shouldn¡¯t you be on my side?

    That was what Yeorum implied with her question but Bom smiled as if it was funny.

    ¡°Competition should be done by your head not by your heart. Thinking logically, I think Kaeul would win.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It made sense but Yeorum still had a frown on her face.

    On the other hand, Kaeul gave repeated nods towards Bom and showered her with a gaze filled with love.

    There happened to be five people at the dining table, so the gazes of the two of them soonnded on Gyeoul.

    Gyeoul on the side was diligently trying to carefully fold the white part and the green part of the bok choy into a clean half. During that, she nkly raised her head but suddenly found four pairs of eyes looking at her.

    ¡°¡­Unn? Why?¡±

    Yeorum moved her chopsticks. She then ced a meat on top of the bok choy Gyeoul had opened.

    ¡°Awh, our cute little Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­?¡±

    ¡°You heard what unni said just then right? Who do you think will win?¡±

    Gyeoul felt goosebumps popping up on her skin. Yeorum was smiling warmly as if she was staring at something precious. Gyeoul had originally been thinking that Yeorum would definitely be the winner but Yeorum¡¯s expression dissuaded her from saying that.

    ¡°¡­Kaeul-unni.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you freaking brat.¡±

    ¡°Kyahahaha! You know babies don¡¯t lie right, unni!?¡±

    Patty cake, patty cake~. Kaeul grabbed onto Gyeoul¡¯s hands and shook them up and down. Gyeoul also wore a bright smile on her face.

    It was now 2:1. There were more people that believed in Kaeul¡¯s victory!

    Suddenly, Yeorum shot out of her seat and brought the protector who was watching and following the morning yoga show in front of the living room¡¯s TV.

    ¡°You know, Cleaner Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Gururuk¡­?¡±

    ¡°Me or Yu Kaeul. Choose one.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The protector flickered its red eyes.

    ¡°C¡¯mon choose. Hurry up.¡±

    ¡°Hmm hmm. Based on which is it? Beauty? Or is it the one who has been nicer to me?¡±

    ¡°What kind of question is that? The first one would be me of course!¡±

    The protector¡¯s eyes became little dots. It blinked its dotted eyes in confusion as silence covered the house.

    Being one to hold grudges, the protector still remembered how Yeorum had kicked the rubbish bin that it had gathered and was about to choose Kaeul.

    ¡°No no no. I mean who do you think will be stronger.¡±

    Ah, based on that, huh?

    However, even the protector couldn¡¯t guess that so standing still, it pondered on the spot. The following words that left its mouth made the kids burst intoughter.

    ¡°Please show your sincerity.¡±

    When Yeorum was about to run up and break the cleaning tools, the protector stopped joking and gave a judgement fairer than that of Solomon¡¯s.

    It was now 2:2.

    ***

    That evening,

    With the kids inside the car, Yu Jitae drove to the ground. From the passenger¡¯s seat, Bom nced at the rear mirror, at Yeorum and Kaeul who were sitting at the back seats without saying a single word to each other.

    Stuck in the middle of the two, Gyeoul seemed amused by the situation and giggled, ¡®Uhihi¡¯ staring at the two of them.

    ¡°Right right. By the way, where are we going to right now?¡±

    ¡°I told you already. We¡¯re heading to the Korean branch of the International Superhuman Association.¡±

    ¡°But why are we going there??¡±

    ¡°Actually this morning, I applied for this semester to be your ¡®Self-regted ss Participation Semester¡¯ at the education department.¡±

    In response to his words, both Kaeul and Yeorum looked at the back of his head.

    ¡°Ehng?¡±

    Self-regted ss Participation Semester.

    Starting from the 3rd grade, cadets were allowed to start working outside despite several restrictions being in ce. Of course, their grades had to be decent as well.

    Yeorum and Kaeul naturally had more than enough grades, and from now on, Yu Jitae was going to start leading the kids outside.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because the Association¡¯s official superhuman world rankings get updated at the end of the year.¡±

    ¡°Huh, wait what?¡±

    His words caught her off guard and Yeorum leaned forward with only her bum on the chair.

    ¡°What? World ranking?!¡±

    Inside Lair, there were no longer any cadets that could fight against the two of them, and the gap between them and other cadets was already starting to increase exponentially.

    Yeorum was just that desperate.

    While Kaeul was just that much of a genius.

    To the kids that were frozen from the unexpected turn of events, Yu Jitae added more words.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you guys to get yourselves a world ranking as well.¡±

 Chapter 253: Who is at the Lead (3)

    <h4>Chapter 253: Who is at the Lead (3)</h4>

    It was like a droplet of water dripping on the calm surface of ake. That was Kaeul¡¯s expression in a nutshell.

    But Yeorum especially was all the more surprised. If Lair was a slightly big well, the world was like the ocean and right now, Yu Jitae¡¯s car was moving towards the sea.

    ¡°Uh, uh¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡±

    They weren¡¯t expecting to stay inside Lair the whole time. However, since they had already be used to life at Lair, the fact that they were now advancing to the wider world came as a fairly big shock to them.

    Until now, Yeorum had only been running forward with her eyes on what was beneath her, but she now had to look up to the skies.

    And Kaeul, who had only been the target of protection till now as the ward, would now have to protect others.

    ¡°B, but ahjussi. I, don¡¯t really need rankings though¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright. Then what do you think it is that you really need.¡±

    ¡°Uum, uum¡­ getting love and attention from other people?¡±

    Right.

    In all the previous iterations, Kaeul had thought the same thing and until recently, Yu Jitae had also been thinking the same thing.

    ¡°From now, your thoughts will change.¡±

    In the 4th iteration, Baby Yellowmitted suicide by slitting her own wrist.

    Back then, Yu Jitae thought to himself. Earth just happened to have the monster called ¡®media¡¯ that vomited out excessive attention. He thought it was a world too poisonous for the young and fragile gold hatchling to achieve its dream.

    However, living through daily life together with Kaeul and watching over her take care of the baby chicken, and observing the deepening connection between the child and the baby chicken, his thoughts started to change.

    ¡°You know what you yourself really need, don¡¯t you.¡±

    He hade the long way around, but was now certain. Kaeul had already found a path that suited herself, and that was in alignment with the identity of the gold dragons.

    ¡°What is it¡­?¡±

    Although she couldn¡¯t be a singer or an actress, there was something Yu Kaeul could be.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Nope! I really really don¡¯t know¡­!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me? You¡¯re making me curious¡­!¡±

    In the end, the Regressor didn¡¯t tell her, because there wille a time when she realises it herself.

    Soon, his gazended on Yeorum through the rear mirror. She appeared even more shocked about this situation than Kaeul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Escaping the children¡¯s yground, and going into the world.

    What would be on her mind right now? He guessed that she would probably be thinking about that one specific superhuman.

    The strongest powerhouse of South African Nations united (SAN).

    Rank 8, Javier Karma.

    Back then, Yeorum had fought and destroyed things to her heart¡¯s content aftering here for her Amusement. Although she had a destined end, it was still far off and she probably enjoyed the Amusement that was right in front of her.

    Javier Karma was the one that showed her the ¡®reality¡¯.

    Reality was sometimes cruel and Yeorum¡¯s reality was one of them. When her death that had seemed so distant came across as something visibly close, Yeorum had silently let out tears from the sense of defeat and powerlessness.

    ¡°You know what,¡±

    After some thought, Yeorum opened her mouth with a mutter.

    ¡°The, umm, isn¡¯t it, too soon?¡±

    ¡°For what.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m like, prepared for it yet.¡±

    Now, it was time for her to stand on the same world as Javier Karma, receiving the same numbers called ranks as him.

    ¡°You scared?¡±

    ¡°No. What would I be scared of? Who do you think I am.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem.¡±

    ¡°But like, I¡¯m still only in my 3rd grade. I haven¡¯t graduated yet and there are things I haven¡¯t learned¡­ Didn¡¯t you say the same thing? That there was still a lot I had to learn?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°So me going out like this without even being prepared, is too early is what I¡¯m saying. To be frank, if I fought against that African ranker right now, I¡¯d just be smashed right?¡±

    ¡°You have to look at the long-term for that as well.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What you have to prepare for in the end is how you will do after returning home is it not?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then even things like this will be a part of the preparation for that day.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be stressed about it. Don¡¯t think too much about the world simply bing broader and there¡¯s no need to do well either.¡±

    Yeorum was silent. However, thinking that this too was just a part of the preparation lessened the burden she was feeling about the idea.

    ¡°But I <i>am</i> gonna do well.¡±

    So the only grumble that left her mouth was just her nitpicking on his words.

    ***

    Following Yu Jitae¡¯s suggestion, Yeorum and Kaeul put on sunsses before leaving the car.

    The Korean branch of the Association was crowded by countless superhumans and civilians. The moment they entered the building, they immediately gathered a lot of gazes due to their eye-catching hair colour and cadet clothes, as well as stories about Yu Jitae that some of the crowd had heard about.

    ¡°Mommy¡­¡±

    Kaeul dropped her head low in a fluster but Yeorum, who was walking next to her, tapped her on her back.

    ¡°Be more confident. Are you a criminal or what.¡±

    ¡°The embarassment is killing me¡­! They¡¯re all looking at me aren¡¯t they¡­?¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. You¡¯re just being delusional.¡±

    Yu Jitaepleted their cadet-to-superhuman application with ease as the ¡®Newborn Superhuman¡¯ licences were given to the two of them. Newborn Superhuman was a status given to reserve superhumans.

    ¡°Here. Take these.¡±

    He handed the cards over to them. These cards to the kids appeared like an entry ticket to a new world.

    After bringing the kids back to the car, Yu Jitae started exining the future ns to them.

    ¡°Listen carefully. Soon, they will start the Newborn Superhuman Competition.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°People that either just finished their studies or are in the middle of their studies like you, will be the firstpetitors for your rankings.¡±

    Renownedpetitors had already finished their registrations, because they needed the fame of being a superhuman.

    ¡°Look here. These two teams are the ones that are currently being viewed as the top tier.¡±

    Yu Jitae showed the kids the document.

    +++

    [Team White]

    ¡ïWhite McDonald (971)

    Alianne Gray (5421)

    Bang Won (7871)

    Gu Joongun (8897)

    +++

    ¡°The star is probably the team leader¡­ What are the numbers next to their names?¡±

    ¡°Their ranks.¡±

    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you say these guys were newborn superhumans? Why do they have ranks already?¡±

    ¡°Right. Three of them are Lair graduates and they used a bit of an expedient strategy. They postponed their application a little so that it sits in two separate newborn superhuman test periods.¡±

    ¡°Can they do that?¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a nod. It was amon thing to do.

    ¡°Team White in this case is a team dedicated for the team leader, White. Others are also rankers, but they all funnel for the overwhelming Rank 971 of their team.¡±

    In short, it was a one-man team.

    ¡°That sounds like a f*cking dogshit teamp though? Do the other teammates even have a sense of pride?¡±

    ¡°As long as the team leader is skilled, it is quite effective. Since they can control the team however they want.¡±

    ¡°Tch tch.¡±

    That was when Kaeul asked with a worried voice.

    ¡°B, but¡­ Rank 971, isn¡¯t this too much¡­?¡±

    White McDonald.

    Despite being a newborn superhuman, he was in 3 digits.

    The gap between Rank 900 and Rank 2000 was immenselyrge. And the gap between Rank 2000 to Rank 5000 was also extremely big. One or two months of hard work would never be enough to shorten that gap.

    It was because the superhuman world ranks in reality were things superhumans dedicated their whole life to.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because he¡¯s a mage that was sent from the Tower of Mages and not Lair. He¡¯s a superhuman grown with extreme care by the Tower. His education was a bit longer and so he¡¯s also quite old.¡±

    ¡°His rank is too high¡­ this is unfair¡­¡±

    He ced his hand on top of the sullen child.

    ¡°This is not a sport, Kaeul. How many things are there in a war that is fair? Besides in that case, isn¡¯t it already unfair that you arepeting against humans as a dragon?¡±

    ¡°T, that¡¯s true¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Rankings are given to individuals anyway. Regardless of the procedure or method, in whatever way you want to, just prove your worth and beat other people.¡±

    Kaeul worriedly gave a nod before turning her gaze towards the document again. This time, she saw some familiar names.

    +++

    [Team Lair]

    ¡ïTyr Brzenk (4881)

    Yong Taeha

    Ling Ling

    +++

    ¡°What¡¯s up with these bunch of fools? Why are these guys together?¡±

    The three training institutions ¨C Yong household, Noblesse School and Erfan Guild. The 10th year¡¯s enrolment of Lair had been a mix of all these institutions.

    And the strongest of each institution had formed a team together.

    In the past, Zhou Luxun was the strongest of China¡¯s Erfan Guild, but Ling Ling¡¯s recent growth had been in an entirely different league, thus earning her spot in Team Lair.

    ¡°Wow, these guys just have no freaking eyes for people.¡±

    Yeorum scoffed.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they contact me?¡±

    ¡°Of course they wouldn¡¯t,¡± replied Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Ehng? Why?¡±

    ¡°While Team White is a one-man team, this team isposed of simr-level cadets so that they can stay together for the long run. Unless you are willing to be more submissive, everyone knows how your personality is like.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re right but it still feels like sh*t.¡±

    Just like that, they went through the list of teams that will be theirpetitors. Next, it was time to choose which team they would enter.

    ¡°From now, you guys must form a team of your own.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you the list. There are people there that you can form groups with, so contact them and form a basic party of four. After that, I will have a look at your teams.¡±

    But Yu Jitae¡¯s attitude was somewhat strange. He simply sent a document to their watch without doing anything else.

    ¡°Nn? Wait, you didn¡¯t prepare them for us?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean. Why would I prepare them for you.¡±

    ¡°But you should, right? You¡¯ve been doing it for us¡­¡± grumbled Yeorum while Kaeul also said, ¡°This is my first time though. I don¡¯t know how to do this¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae pondered on how to exin this to them while touching the back of his neck.

    ¡°Guys. I¡¯m not your guardian anymore.¡±

    ¡°Ehng?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?!¡±

    Yeorum and Kaeul had a dumb look on their faces as if they were smacked on the back of their heads.

    ¡°Of course I will be at the house when you return and I will lend a ear to all your worries. But I¡¯m not going to do everything for you like what I¡¯ve been doing at Lair.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh, uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°Think properly. The ce you will now be living in is the field. You were thrown out into the battlefield from your warm houses and you need to make decisions for yourself.¡±

    No matter how precious their child was, no guardian would go to their child¡¯s workce and raise their voice in their stead.

    The two were now in the field.

    They were now soldiers.

    Although Yeorum and Kaeul were slightly saddened by his seemingly cold attitude,

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    They obediently epted it.

    ***

    But now that he thought about it, maybe he <i>should</i> have helped them with forming their teams. It was because the next day, what Yeorum brought to Yu Jitae calling them her teammates was none other than the exact members of Team Mochi.

    ¡°Hello, sir!¡±

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Sophia, Kim Ji-in, Soujiro, Yu Yeorum. It was a familiarbination.

    Yu Jitae was lost for words for a bit.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    These guys, did they even have grades good enough to apply for the self-regted semester? After looking through it, it seemed that they did barely make it through.

    ¡°Oi. Yu Yeorum. Come here.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uh, why?¡±

    Grabbing her by the arm, he took her to an alleyway devoid of people and asked.

    ¡°Are you really going to do it with them?¡±

    ¡°Yeahh.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why? You told me I have to do that to manipte the team however I want to right? Team White was like that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He did tell her something, but that was on the pros and cons of a one-man team.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you condemn it for being a bad thing to do?¡±

    ¡°Ah, not when I¡¯m the one doing it.¡±

    Yeorum said with a giggle.

    ¡°You need to think this carefully,¡± he said.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°They might not be the best suited team for you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you close to them? A group with a big difference in skill doesn¡¯t tend tost long. The newborn superhumanpetitionsts for a whole year and so will your group.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, don¡¯t worry. I know they are retards but I didn¡¯t bring them because of empathy or anything.¡±

    ¡°Then what.¡±

    ¡°We have fairly decent teamwork and those guys are all desperate too.¡±

    Seeing that Yu Jitae was still in doubt, Yeorum said with a frown.

    ¡°Sophia that b*tch. She apparently failed the transcendent cadet test and didn¡¯t make it into Team Lair either. You see the bruise on her eye right? After getting rejected by Team Lair, she apparently tried to kill herself with a knife and got smacked by her guardian.

    ¡°Kim Ji-in and Soujiro are, as you know, freaking retards. But their grades still went up by a lot. In the first year they were in 4000s but, they¡¯re now both in 300s you know?

    ¡°And, honestly I really don¡¯t want to admit it but¡­ I¡¯m also a freaking retard for a dragon right? We have something inmon. Because retards have their unique desperate mindset.¡±

    Despite her long attempt at persuading him, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t say anything back. He was silently thinking to himself whether that party would be able to operate decently but seemingly misunderstanding his silence as a no, Yeorum repeatedly stamped her feet.

    ¡°Ahh, whyyyy~ Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stay with them? For real?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But, ah¡­ then why did you tell me to make the team by myself? I already told them the whole thing and they applied for the self-regted semester for this¡­ How am I going to sort this out now¡­¡±

    From his lifelong data, it was rare for sardines to get along well with sharks. If the world they¡¯re living in and their abilities were vastly different, it was natural for their thoughts and convictions to also differ.

    That was what he was worried about.

    However, Yu Jitae admitted that they had fairly decent teamwork and could also remember their desperate struggles.

    ¡°Alright. You can do it.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Really?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t that pleased by it but decided to let it be. Just like that, [Team Mochi] was registered in the Superhuman Association as a new newborn superhumanbat team.

    Next up was Kaeul.

    Receiving a call that she had found a team, Yu Jitae headed to the academy district of Lair. And after entering the waiting room that Kaeul talked about, he came across something surprising.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Uht¡­!¡±

    Young cadets quickly rose to their feet and bowed their heads to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Hello sir! It is an honour to see you.¡±

    There was a ck-haired boy looking at him with sparkling eyes ¨C he was Yong Taeha of the Yong household. He constantly talked about how he respected him, and it seemed that the fact that Yu Jitae had knocked Sirdo Leo down in one strike wasn¡¯t even a secret anymore.

    ¡°H, hello¡­ great to see you again¡­¡±

    And the girl that slowly walked towards him after a flinch was a very small girl with red hair. She was Ling Ling of Erfan Guild.

    Looking at Yu Jitae, she seemed slightly afraid but that was understandable considering how he made the face of the Chinese guardian, Lyun, into a rice cake.

    ¡°Nice to meet you sir. I have heard many things. I am the team leader of Team Lair, Tyr Brzenk.¡±

    Lastly, a male cadet with a slightly gloomy look on his face greeted him with respect. He was a spitting image of his Rank 1 father.

    Yu Jitae quietly nodded and greeted them back but was inwardly slightly dumbfounded so he turned towards Kaeul.

    Kaeul had joined Team Lair.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yess.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a chat for a bit.¡±

    Taking her out onto the corridor, he asked her about the current situation.

    ¡°What¡¯s with them. Are you going to join their team?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Uumm¡­ because they¡¯re strong¡­? If I¡¯m next to other strong people, wouldn¡¯t I learn something?¡±

    ¡°Is that the decision you made yourself? Not them inviting you in?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Hehe¡­ Is it bad¡­?¡±

    There was nothing bad about it.

    It was in fact extremely good for her.

    Rankings were given to individuals but being in a good team meant it was easier to have good results, which would then lead to good ranks.

    One concern was that for some reason, theposition of Yeorum and Kaeul¡¯s team fell all too perfectly into the picture.

    On one side there was a team without talents that had to be desperate.

    While on the other hand was a gathering of geniuses.

    At this rate, Yeorum would be made to be more conscious of her position whether she wanted to or not.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Can you do it well?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­ For now, that¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Did I do a good job¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded back. As a matter of fact, Kaeul had made the best possible decision.

    ¡°You did a great job.¡±

    Only then was Kaeul relieved.

    Just like that, the roster of [Team Lair] was updated and re-registered at the Association. And like what he expected, this caused a great ripple in the newborn superhuman industry.

    The next day,

    There was a flood of articles talking about Yeorum and Kaeul.

 Chapter 254: Who is at the Lead (4)

    <h4>Chapter 254: Who is at the Lead (4)</h4>

    [The strongest cadets of Lair in history, atst leave their nest.]

    [President Yun Gujoon, ¡°This year¡¯s Korea¡¯s newborn superhumans will in the future be one of the world¡¯s powerhouses.¡±]

    [The overwhelming 1st ce of Lair¡¯spetition record, Yu Yeorum takes a step to the outer world.]

    [(Superhuman Reviews) Team Mochi? A king and its servants?]

    [Yu Kaeul. Enters Team Lair as itsst member. With Tyr Brzenk, Yong Taeha and Ling Ling¡­ A gathering of young geniuses]

    [Manager of Team Lair states, ¡°A newborn superhuman team whose contenders won¡¯t be seen for the next 30 years.¡±]

    [(Column) Summer may be long, but it surely ends in Fall¡­]

    Countless media broadcasts poured out articles. At the centre of all that was Yeorum and Kaeul; Team Mochi and Team Lair.

    ***

    The long rainy season finally came to an end. There would be a refreshing breeze in the morning ¨C a weather perfect for a light jacket to be put on top.

    Under the especially tall skies and cleaner sunlight of a certain countryside vige, ¡®Team Mochi¡¯ was waiting to be sent in for the first mission they received from the Association.

    Sitting on the middle of the mountain, they had to keep on waiting so in the meantime, Sophia kept on fidgeting with her watch.

    ¡°Oi, Sophia,¡± Yeorum called her.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Stop looking at your watch.¡±

    ¡°Why. There¡¯s an article about me. Do you wanna have a look?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, just stop looking at it. It¡¯s gonna distract you.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s my first time getting so much attention.¡±

    ¡°Ey.¡±

    Yeorum tried to snatch the watch off her hand. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t. So damn strict,¡± Sophia said irritatedly before finally turning off the hologram of her watch.

    ¡°Are you guys alright?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uhh¡­ fuu, a bit nervous.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just so-so.¡±

    Soujiro and Kim Ji-in both touched their respective weapons ¨C the bow and the musket. The metal feeling colder than usual was probably due to the climate of early Autumn. The chill touching their fingers made their hearts colder as well.

    nkly sitting in silence, the four of them turned quiet. Before long, Kim Ji-in broke the silence.

    ¡°¡­¡­Do you think, we can do well.¡±

    Her words represented the thoughts of everyone else.

    ¡°I know right, f*ck. People were so freaking expectant. My guardian was cheering me up like crazy as well. Tch¡­¡±

    ¡°I got a call from my mum as well. Haha¡­ Apparently there¡¯s another card at the entrance of my vige. Do you want a look?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Ah okay¡­ sorry Sophia.¡± Soujiro apologised.

    ¡°Kim Ji-in, what about you?¡±

    ¡°My mum was expecting a lot. It¡¯s probably all because I¡¯m with Yeorum though.¡±

    Her words reminded them of the core focus of the team.

    They were here thanks to Yu Yeorum and without Yeorum, they would have never gotten this much attention.

    But that worried them even more. The three of them knew better than anyone else that they were toocking for a treatment this special, and also knew that people might point fingers at themter on.

    Although they reached a high ce thanks to Yu Yeorum,

    They had to do way better because of her.

    To the young kids who had only beenpeting with cadets their age, the burdensome feeling of an actual fight was definitely not small.

    Can we, do well?

    That was a thought that was on all their minds. And that thought created tension that suffocated them despite this being a simple monster subjugation mission. Soujiro felt stifled and had to take deep breaths in.

    With both silence and that doubt covering the area, Yeorum finally opened her mouth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try our best¡­¡±

    Yeorum murmured.

    ¡°At least let¡¯s be as desperate as we can until we get our first ranks¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s try our hardest¡­

    ¡°Even if we can¡¯t be the best¡­

    ¡°If people were to give ranks based on hard work, let¡¯s be the one at the very top¡­¡±

    In Kim Ji-in¡¯s eyes, it seemed like Yeorum was saying those words to herself. After saying that, Yeorum raised her red gaze and looked at the three of them before adding more words.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I think about these days. Before, I thought most of the people in the world were retards.¡±

    Sophia giggled in response, ¡°Sounds just like you.¡±

    ¡°But no. I realised living just like other people was also quite incredible.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I thought there was no point in their lives since they were weaker than me, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Everyone¡¯s trying their freaking best. Living like everyone else is actually already quite hard¡­¡±

    Everyone was fiercely running forward in their own way. In a ce like that, in order to be ahead of everyone else, what should they do as people without any talents?

    ¡°So what else can we do. Just try harder.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m sick of that word,¡± said Sophia.

    ¡°Trying harder?¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, f*ck. Trying ¡®harder¡¯.¡±

    ¡°But what else can you do? You just have to try even harder.¡±

    ¡°What more can I do from here? I already feel like dying soshing at me to try harder is too cruel isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Then should we kill our desires? No, right? If I¡¯m not cruel to myself, won¡¯t the world be cruel to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right if you don¡¯t have any desires. But we do, don¡¯t we? When I suggested we form a team together, you guys told me yourselves that you wanted to be a world ranker.¡±

    Kim Ji-in and Soujiro nodded. Soon, Sophia also reluctantly gave a nod.

    World ranker. Being given a higher number was the dream of every superhuman in the world.

    However, things that everyone desired were precious because not everyone could earn them. Anyone could have desires. Even a small baby bug might want to soar through the skies, but as always, it was just the reality that didn¡¯t support them.

    ¡°But haven¡¯t we been doing fine till now?¡±

    Yeorum opened her mouth while the rest of the kids were looking depressed.

    ¡°People don¡¯t change easily, they say, but we¡¯ve changed a lot of things till now right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s be honest. Other cadets look at you and they¡¯re jealous right? About being fu*king carried by Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Y, yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°But those bastards don¡¯t know. They don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve been training behind their backs. They don¡¯t know all the blood and sweat you¡¯re shedding.¡±

    They have endured through hardships. There were things they achieved by sacrificing their bodies.

    Each and every one of the four in this ce was a living proof of possibility.

    ¡°Dude. How hard was it when we were training huh?¡±

    Soujiro with drooping fat was no longer there.

    Now, Soujiro had a well-trained body of a superhuman that couldn¡¯t be hidden by his short height. He had that presence.

    ¡°We almost felt like dying, didn¡¯t we? Fainting, vomiting, bleeding and our skins breaking apart¡­¡±

    The always-gloomy Kim Ji-in was longer there.

    She did not try to erase nor hide the scar reaching all the way from her chin to her neck. Kim Ji-in was now a person who knew how to fight when necessary.

    ¡°We¡¯vee this far because we changed.¡±

    There was no longer a child who threw everything down and cried from a sense of defeat. The hunting dog of RIL, who could stand back up with a weapon in hand no matter what was ahead, was here.

    ¡°Even if we¡¯re trash, we can have desires. But for people like us to be greedy, we need to try harder.¡±

    Even caterpirs had dreams.

    ¡°I really want to be stronger. I want to learn more, and I want to get higher ranks. Don¡¯t you guys feel the same?¡±

    That one day, they would spread their wings apart,

    ¡°So let¡¯s be more cruel to ourselves.¡±

    And soar through the skies.

    ¡°Let¡¯s push ourselves a bit more.¡±

    The kids had a dream.

    The words Yeorum shared to everyone including herself, pushed away the anxiety that was crawling up their hearts.

    Her words were mysteriously consoling and encouraging. After a long silence, Soujiro started wiping his tears with his wrist.

    Not fond of that warm atmosphere, Sophia suddenlyughed out loud and opened her mouth.

    ¡°But the other teams will probably have the same thing on their minds right? Try harder and get good rankings, yeah? With a future n in mind so that they could live great just like how they have been till now?¡±

    ¡°Of course. We¡¯re not the only ones.¡±

    ¡°Shame they would be wasting their time then.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Bi*ches that only look at tomorrow will be held back by me.¡±

    ¡°¡­You bi*ch. What are you even on about?¡±

    Thinking she was about to say nonsense again, Yeorum was about to smile but the following words erased the smile from her lips.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m a b*tch that only lives the present.¡±

    ***

    ¡°We have to look far ahead,¡± said Tyr Brzenk, the team leader of Team Lair.

    A gloomy voice and a dispirited gaze. He spoke at a slow pace in a strange rhythm.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it one more time. There¡¯s no need for us to overdo it. Safety is the best.¡±

    Team Lair was also waiting for the sign of the Association, preparing themselves for the fissure raid. In front of the ck crack in the air, the geniuses shared a conversation.

    ¡°Ah, uun uun.¡±

    ¡°I mean it¡¯s fine to do what you want to, but excessive greed is prohibited. It¡¯s best that we don¡¯t injure ourselves. We should look far ahead and look at the long run.¡±

    ¡°Uun.¡±

    Kaeul replied, while Ling Ling asked.

    ¡°Thenn, umm, what after thatt¡­?¡±

    ¡°After that? With safety in check, next priority is the pursuit for our own individuality. You wouldn¡¯t want to be the same as every other superhuman right. Think about what our own roads are. Ling Ling, what kind of superhuman did you want to be again?¡±

    ¡°Someone that protects people¡­?¡±

    ¡°More specifically?¡±

    ¡°If our China gets attacked, I want to be the one standing in the most dangerous cee¡­¡±

    ¡°That is quite a romantic goal. Yong Taeha, what about you.¡±

    ¡°Well, I want to be a superhuman with no equal,¡± Yong Taeha replied.

    ¡°Like 5 Transcendents of Chaliovan?¡±

    ¡°Simr. Fighting is of course important, but a symbolic superhuman that could keep peace before the fight even happens. That¡¯s why image-making is very important.¡±

    ck hair, ck eyes, and a face full of dignity and leisure. Yong Taeha, whose appearance was often voted in fashion magazines as the most suitable appearance for a hero, shared his goal.

    ¡°I want to be a superhuman that can break threats ahead of time before they even appear,¡± said Tyr Brzenk, as Ling Ling and Kaeul nodded.

    The concerns and ns of the four of them were in a different leaguepared to the worries of other superhumans. Ever since they were born, they were ahead of other people and knew themselves that their starting points were different.

    They ran ahead and suddenly realised that the ones behind them were very far behind. Therefore, their concerns and ns for the future cannot be the same as those who got exhausted from simply running.

    In fact, they already knew that they would eventually be at the top. Rather than the question of how far they would go, they were more concerned with where they should be and how.

    That was when Yong Taeha asked.

    ¡°But Brzenk. You¡¯re saying something different than yesterday.¡±

    ¡°On what?¡±

    ¡°You said thinking about our future was more important yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t expecting us to be greedy in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°Greedy about what.¡±

    ¡°Now we might unknowingly get quite greedy during our missions, you know? Even if you were the team leader that is.¡±

    ¡°What do you even mean.¡±

    ¡°Think about it. If we only had a knife in hand, we would run away from bears and kill rabbits but now we have a missileuncher in our hands. Wouldn¡¯t you get greedy?¡±

    Ling Ling and Yong Taeha seemed to be in agreement with his words. Despite knowing that they were talking about herself, Kaeul didn¡¯t know how she was supposed to react so simply blinked her eyes.

    Facing her, Brzenk asked.

    ¡°What about you.¡±

    ¡°Uun? M, me?¡±

    ¡°Yes you. Missileuncher. What kind of superhuman do you want to be?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I, uuumm¡­¡±

    Kaeul pondered before asking with a foolish smile on her mouth.

    ¡°What can I be?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. I don¡¯t know what a missileuncher¡¯s future dream might be.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, how about a nuclear weaponnn¡­?¡±

    Yong Taeha and Ling Ling joked with a smile as Kaeul chuckled out loud in response. It was the first time sheughed wholeheartedly with them and it was such a pretty smile that the three of them were caught off guard regardless of their gender and age. They had to intentionally cough out loud to wake themselves up.

    ¡°I think I will slowly think about it as time goes¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, alright. Just listen to the orders until you think of it then. We¡¯re all going to be in for some hard work so it¡¯s best that we don¡¯t interrupt each other.¡±

    Tyr Brzenk ended the conversation there.

    ¡°Uun uun.¡±

    ***

    ¡°No, you stupid fool.¡±

    Yeorum pped Sophia on the back of her head.

    ¡°What, you f*ck.¡±

    ¡°I was told to look far ahead without being in a rush.¡±

    Yeorum using someone else¡¯s words was a rare sight, considering how she was a massive cluster of ego. Doubtfully, Sophia asked.

    ¡°Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°The dildo in our house.¡±

    Sophia giggled.

    ¡°Does the dildo in your house know how to speak?¡±

    ¡°Even makes some jokes these days.¡±

    ¡°What does that even mean. That¡¯s hrious. So what was thest thing it talked about then?¡±

    ¡°To rely on him if it¡¯s tough.¡±

    Sophia nkly wondered what this was about, but after remembering that there was only one man inside Unit 301, she bursted intoughter.

    ¡°Kyahahaha! You crazy b*tch!¡±

    Kim Ji-in and Soujiro also threw nces with faint chuckles. After smiling, they realised the pressure suffocating them easing up a little.

    That was when the Association¡¯s call for them to enter the operation was ryed.

    When Yeorum stood up on the spot with her sword, the cadets also btedly rose up with their weapons in hand and lined up.

    They were in for the most advanced task they could get for their first mission. In order to be stronger through extreme and authentic battles, they would struggle and perfectly finish the operation to soar into the skies.

    With tension building up again like an stic band, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°Team Mochi. Operation start.¡±

 Chapter 255: If you swing your tail just because itâ€™s short (1)

    <h4>Chapter 255: If you swing your tail just because it¡¯s short (1)</h4>

    [[TL: A twist of the Korean saying: ??? ?? ??? (You will get caught if your tail is too long)]]

    [Team Mochi, Oct 6, Nd04-1642 Completion of Tropical Rainforest dungeon raid. Subjugated 231 monsters in 17 hours and 34 minutes. Fissure destroyed.]

    [Team Lair, Oct 6, Mo17-0149 Completion of Ruin dungeon raid, Subjugated 188 monsters in 9 hours and 5 minutes. Fissure destroyed.]

    [Team Lair, Oct 8, Participated in an urgent Gyeongwon Vige rescue mission. 3 hours and 55 minutes, sessfully rescued 38 people.]

    [Team Mochi, Oct 11, KK18-9490 Completion of dungeon raid. Subjugated 595 monsters in 49 hours and 31 minutes. A casualty of four among other superhumans of the group. Sessful rescue of isted superhumans plus the destruction of the fissure]

    ¡­

    Going through the records of the kids, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yeorum will win for sure.¡±

    Bom looked back at him and shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Kaeul will win.¡±

    They looked at each other for a long time. Soon, Yu Jitae opened his mouth with a solemn voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s already the third mission for Team Mochi.¡±

    ¡°Team Lair is on their third mission as well.¡±

    ¡°What I mean is Team Mochi finished their mission yesterday.¡±

    ¡°I know. But that¡¯s only a one-day difference?¡±

    ¡°You are looking down on one day too much. Do you not know how big of a difference that is?¡±

    ¡°How big of a difference is it?¡±

    It actually wasn¡¯t that big of a difference¡­

    Although the ranks of the top achievers were decided by small differences, the overall flow of the missions was still several times more important than the difference of a day considering that there were still 100 days left.

    Thus, he closed his mouth silently as Bom asked a different question.

    ¡°Why are you saying something different now, ahjussi? I thought you said Kaeul would win a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°I did. I still think the same.¡±

    ¡°Then why? Are you favouring Yeorum just because you taught her?¡±

    ¡°No. What about you. Aren¡¯t you favouring Kaeul?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°Because you taught her magic?¡±

    ¡°That too, but actually, I started hating Yeorum this morning.¡±

    Saying that, Bom gave a faint frown.

    ¡°Again?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I just happened to nce at her watch this morning. Do you know what name Yu Yeorum saved my number as on her watch?¡±

    ¡°What name was it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She mumbled for words before heaving out a sigh, as if it was a word that she couldn¡¯t dare voice out loud.

    ¡°Anyways, I was sexually harassed¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh no.¡±

    ¡°So I changed Yeorum¡¯s name on my watch as well.¡±

    ¡°To what.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It must have been a terrible name. After saying, ¡®It¡¯s nothing important¡­¡¯ Bom stealthily walked away.

    Why wasn¡¯t she telling him any of the two names?

    He turned his head to the side and found Gyeoul looking directly back at him. After the eye contact, she suddenly started throwing furtive nces at Bom.

    Yu Jitae whispered to Gyeoul.

    ¡®You know something, don¡¯t you.¡¯

    Her head moved up and down.

    ¡®What did she save Yeorum¡¯s name as?¡¯

    Gyeoul ced her hands in parallel lines, perpendicr to her mouth. When he lowered his body, she started whispering into his ear.

    ¡®¡­¡­Kaeul¡¯s stepping stone.¡¯

    Gyeoul immediately started giggling after finishing her words so Yu Jitae also unknowingly let out a smile.

    Calling a person a stepping stone¡­ It seemed that Bom was really upset. She didn¡¯t even swear a single time when pouring a bottle of champagne over someone¡¯s head, so considering her lexicon, wasn¡¯t that almost the same as extremely offensive profanities?

    Meanwhile, that in turn made him curious.

    It meant that Yeorum had made her so upset with her naming. What exactly did Yeorum save Bom¡¯s number as?

    ***

    Yeorum and Kaeul¡¯s heatedpetition was well underway and on the other side of the spectrum, there was also the heatedpetition inside the Association.

    This side¡¯spetition was between Jefferson who finally got the chance to do what he wanted to do, and Kang Ahjin who wanted more sess after her initial sess.

    The day after he ordered for them to track Quasar,

    Kang Ahjin located a base of the Anti-Association terrorist group, Quasar, in Inner Mongolia but only the remnants were in there, with none of the higher-ups and executives to be seen.

    And on the day after that, under themand of Jefferson, a small group of elites tracked the executives that had fled from the Inner Mongolian base but all of them threw small grenades into their mouths and killed themselves without leaving any traces behind.

    During the morning conference, Jefferson condemned Kang Ahjin.

    ¡°Ahjin. It would have been better if you were more cautious. It seems you were in too much of a rush and made it too conspicuous.¡±

    ¡°I admire a lot your rxed attitude despite a potential terrorist attack that can happen anytime,¡± replied Kang Ahjin.

    There were thorns in her words. Jefferson twitched his eyes.

    ¡°Jefferson. The fact that all 8 executives killed themselves when there was a possibility of catching them alive is a concern that should be addressed and improved first instead, is it not?¡±

    ¡°Improve, you say? What a convenient way to look at things. How would you capture terrorists that are running away with the resolve to die?¡±

    Yu Jitae quietly watched them.

    In the end, both of them had done well but werecking the final 1%. They lost Quasar¡¯s tracks that they had managed to find with difficulty and had simply alerted them that the Association was right behind their tail.

    They probably wouldn¡¯t stay silent.

    And on the next day, Yu Jitae¡¯s thoughts became reality.

    While the Association¡¯s forces were focused in Inner Mongolia, the enemies went for a different target. 30 soldiers in the Mongolian base of the Association located at the centre of Gobi Desert, was attacked and most of them were found as corpses.

    *

    South of Mongolia, Gobi Desert.

    Taking his two assistants, Jefferson and Kang Ahjin, Yu Jitae inspected the barren site. There were signs of broken and burnt tent artifacts nearby, as well as corpses of animals and trash rolling around.

    And in the middle was arge spear with human heads skewered in a row, seemingly there as an exhibition.

    Letters were carved on the faces of the corpses with knives. His ability, [Fallen Babel (S)] allowed him to immediately read the words that insulted the Association.

    Yu Jitae walked towards it and touched the face of the corpse that had the most number of holes in it.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not clean, Chief.¡±

    Paying no regard to the dissuading words of the soldier, he pulled down the closed chin of the corpse. Then, he pulled the tongue out and on the tongue, behind the wriggling maggots was something blue. After dusting the maggots away, he scraped the blue thing with his finger and smelled it.

    Along with the odour of the corpse was a familiar smell.

    ¡°Our analysis team is currently looking into the substance. Their current assumption is that it is poison.¡±

    No.

    This smell was that of KSR-08a. A not-so-famous yet strong hemostat that stopped bleeding.

    It was a trace of torture. Since they had to survive for longer for the torture to continue for as long as possible.

    He put the soldier¡¯s tongue back in, and closed the wide-open eyes of the corpse.

    ¡°How many corpses?¡±

    ¡°There are 25 sir, but 5 of them seem to have been dragged off by beasts. There are blood trails.¡±

    It was already close to a day since they had left, and there was no way he could catch them for the time being.

    The geological location was a problem. The endless dusty gust of Gobi Desert had murky mana mixed in it alongside the grains of sand. This ruthless breeze erased all the traces of everything it touched.

    The strength level of the opponents was another problem. The ones that had done this had such meagre presences that he couldn¡¯t easily track them. If rankers had done this, he would have been at their door already, breaking their heads.

    Another problem was that their course of action was different from previous iterations. Even five or six average superhumans would easily be able to dig a hole in the desert sand and hide themselves. There was nothing in this ce that would stop them from doing so.

    Even Yu Jitae, with his 90 years of service at the Association and close to 10 years of being near Mongolia, couldn¡¯t think of any decent ns.

    How should he catch these lowly weaklings?

    If he were to walk across the desert for three days looking for tracks, he would probably find something but that wasn¡¯t efficient. It would be a waste of time.

    He was wondering what to do when the signalman of the troop shouted.

    ¡°An urgent message from the Association sir!¡±

    ¡°What message.¡±

    ¡°Quasar has sent a video to the Association!¡±

    ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°J, just then sir!¡±

    His eyes twitched.

    These guys had animosity against the Association. It was clear what kind of video it would be without even having to look at it.

    Jefferson and Kang Ahjin came to his side as a hologram video soon appeared from his watch. A face of a man with buck teeth filled the entirety of the screen.

    A foreignnguage started leaving his mouth.

    ¨C Hi there? You damned dogs of Association?

    Kahahahahk! Heughed, as othersughed along from nearby.

    Yu Jitae immediately thought to himself.

    At least six voices.

    They were in an enclosed space, with metal for the ceiling and the walls. It was a familiar sight ¨C it was the inside of therge mana-activated desert-type armoured car, A50. The noisy sound of the engine was heard from behind and it seemed to be a video they took while driving somewhere.

    ¨C I am Kadan Nihum, you fu*kers. I am the son of Kurun Nihum who you f*ckers killed.

    ¨C Talking about the world¡¯s order or something at the front while preparing for a war behind our backs, ey? It¡¯s not gonna be as easy as you think.

    ¨C We will not run away. We will not submit ourselves to strength.

    ¨C God will judge you with justice.

    ¨C But you know who that god is?

    ¨C It¡¯s me.

    Once again, heughed ¡®Kahahahat!¡¯ as others bustled from nearby. Kill! Kill! They chanted, as the man pointed the barrel of his gun somewhere.

    The screen moved and revealed a man whose eyes and mouth were covered by a cloth. One of the missing young soldiers of the Association was there.

    He seemed like a private, judging from his outfit. His tattered clothes showed wounds underneath and his entire body was drenched in blood, as tears flowed from his eyes.

    ¨C Nnn? Why are you crying? You¡¯re touching mypassionate heart.

    The man insulted.

    ¨C Open your stupid mouth. Oi.

    ¨C Hello? Ahh! Open it!! Ahh right. Very good.

    ¨C Now, you have two options.

    ¨C Between a gun and my thing, what do you want inside your mouth?

    When the mouth closed from his words, the terrorist swung his spiky gauntlet and struck the young soldier in his chin. With a thud, the soldier¡¯s chin broke and fell open. ¡°Ouhh!¡± they yelled from the side.

    ¨C Ahh, lord! We are sending another retarded child of the witch Valentine. Where should this pitiful young boy go off to?

    ¨C He is a devil¡¯s child, so straight to hell.

    After a one-man show of praying and giving the revtion by himself, theyughed out loud before the gun sted forth.

    Bang!

    Kang Ahjin twitched her eyes, as Jefferson also gave a menacing scowl.

    Other people watching the video also let out gasps. The head of the soldier exploded as its innards spreaded across the armoured car.

    Yu Jitae carefully observed all that.

    ¨C This is only the beginning. Please wait for the next one! Okay?

    ¨C God breast you!

    The buck-teethed bastard touched his breasts that didn¡¯t even exist. That marked the end of the video.

    ¡°This fuc*king son of a bi*ch¨C!¡±

    Unable to hold himself back, Jefferson furiously asked with a shout.

    ¡°Oi! What did the headquarters say! Where are the coordinates of the origin of the video!?¡±

    ¡°They have been on it since they received the video, but it¡¯s not clear sir!¡±

    ¡°For f*ck¡¯s sake! It¡¯s not even clear in a stupid desert! Are you telling me there are no clues at all!?¡±

    Jefferson obstinately shouted as Kang Ahjin also started ordering her subordinates.

    ¡°Rey the video at 0.2 times the speed! Look for any clues!¡±

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae also reyed the video several times. The only traces inside the video included the dashboard that was identally caught by the camera as well as shing images of the outside scenery that could be seen from the armoured car¡¯s hologram disy.

    He had to find something from here.

    Yu Jitae focused, and raised all his senses.

    The time of his perceived world slowed down. He started paying attention to every single clue that could be spotted from the video.

    ¡°Put the map up.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±

    In response to hismand, one of his subordinate soldiers hurriedly floated up the hologram map of Gobi Desert.

    It¡¯s not easy.

    How was he supposed to look at and full of sand all the way to the horizons and specify the location? It was different from when he was looking for the baby dragon that subconsciously released its aura.

    Whether a regressor or not, it was impossible.

    He was not a god.

    However, after quietly going through the video several times, he discovered something ¨C one object that could be used to specify the location.

    The clouds in the sky were all in different shapes.

    Today happened to be on the clearer side, with a great visibility of the distant skies. Inside the 3-minute video, the appearance of the clouds reflected on the hologram disy were exceptionally clear.

    He calcted the time. It had been exactly 17 hours and 31 minutes since the incident urred in this ce.

    He analysed all the data in hand.

    A50 weighed 17.8 tonnes, with the mana engine having a horsepower of 1950. It could climb hills up to 72 degrees tall, but going through a road filled with hills was not mana-efficient and they wouldn¡¯t have enough mana stones.

    They must have avoided the high hills. He could imagine their movement path.

    He checked the dashboard.

    They were running at 81km/h, with fuel hitting the bottom. It was almostpletely empty and an empty fuel meant low output, with inability to use protective spells. There was no reason for terrorists to voluntarily run on low fuel.

    This meant that they did not have spare fuel.

    Lastly, he remembered something bizarre.

    They killed the hostage inside the vehicle.

    Question: Why would they do that when it makes the vehicle dirty?

    Answer: Because they will get off soon.

    In that case, all they would have to do is either clean the car or throw it away.

    Question: When would people get out of their car?

    Answer: When they are at their destination.

    Opening his eyes, he looked at the skies. His vision intensified as the world began being pushed away with himself at the centre. The distant parts of the world beyond the horizons entered his sight.

    He discerned all the clouds.

    Comparing them to the data inside the dashboard and the outside of the armoured car, he drew seven dots on the map around the ce he was currently in. Those were the ces with simr cloud shapes.

    ¡°Season? That¡¯s¡­¡±

    He ignored Kang Ahjin¡¯s words.

    The reason there were still seven, was because the shape of the clouds in the nearby skies were changing in real time. Seven¡­ there were still too many options, and besides, the enemy was still in motion.

    It was then.

    ¡°We have received another video from the target!¡± shouted the signalman.

    In response, Jeffersonmented once again. Knowing that the Association wouldn¡¯t be able to easily backtrack them, they were openly provoking them like this.

    ¡°When was this!¡±

    ¡°Just then sir!¡±

    Yu Jitae shouted.

    ¡°Send the video to me first. Now!¡±

    ¡°Yes Chief!¡±

    The signalman sent him the video, and it was a simr video. A video about slowly decapitating another hostage with a knife.

    They were still inside the same armoured car.

    Scanning through the video at 8 times the original speed, Yu Jitae carefully observed the sky outside the armoured car before again raising his eyes to the sky around him and confirming the location of the clouds he had specified. Only one of the seven dots of the map showed almost exactly the same clouds as the video.

    He drew a V on the map.

    There you are.

 Chapter 256: If you swing your tail just because itâ€™s short (2)

    <h4>Chapter 256: If you swing your tail just because it¡¯s short (2)</h4>

    His eyes were on the skies. Sensing the unprecedented amount of mana soaring into the heavens, powerful superhumans nearby paid attention to Yu Jitae¡¯s movement.

    He marked a spot on the map in red.

    Several superhumans had their eyes on him. In this frustrating, hopeless and irritating situation, a few of them wanted that V sign to be the location of the enemies.

    There was not a single element they could use to specify the location of the said Quasar troops but¡­ perhaps the prophet might be able to somehow find where they were.

    They couldn¡¯t help but have such blind expectations but surprisingly enough, their expectations were soon realised.

    ¡°Antonio Jefferson. Kang Ahjin.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He drew a red line connecting to the back of the V sign.

    ¡°Take your men and head here immediately. Get behind them.¡±

    ¡°Sorry sir?¡±

    ¡°There will be at least the size of a toon, or more of Quasar in that location. Both of you, take the fastest of soldiers from the headquarters and surround this ce from behind.¡±

    ¡°Understood sir¡­ but, how did you¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no time to exin. How many minutes will it take.¡±

    ¡°The sandstorms are currently quite calm. After specifying the coordinates, we will be able to use the teleportation device to arrive there in an hour and a half sir.¡±

    ¡°Get on with it right now.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    He simplymanded with neither evidence nor any attempt of persuasion.

    Despite that, there was an immense power behind his words.

    Season was the prophet of the Association, and Jefferson, who had seen his omnipotent power unravel before his eyes, couldn¡¯t dare retort in any way.

    ¡°This is Antonio Jefferson. Convey my words.¡±

    ¡°1st grade agent Kang Ahjin here! Making a request for the immediate reinforcement of mobile troops¡­!¡±

    While Jefferson and Kang Ahjin started noisily talking to theirmunication devices, Yu Jitae manipted his mana.

    He would now be jumping high above.

    It wasn¡¯t anything difficult.

    He formed a cone-shape with his mana above his head and suppressed himself with it. It felt as if the entire heaven was suppressing him from above.

    The sand beneath his feet exploded out and his body started creating a hole through the weak foundation of sand. A storm of sand gushed away from him to the surroundings as people shrieked and shouted from nearby.

    At the epicentre of that storm, Yu Jitae added arge amount of mana into his legs. His thighs as thick as building pirs endured through the explosive pressure of the atmosphere. While the heavens were pushing him down, his thighs were pushing away from the earth with the same amount of force in them.

    The strengthened tension exploded as dust scattered beneath.

    Atst, he erased the pressure weighing his body down and simultaneously kicked off the earth as hard as he could.

    Kwaaaaaannggg¨C!

    Yu Jitae bounced off the ground. Like a fighter jet or perhaps a missile, he sped through the skies and started flying somewhere.

    When his body exceeded the speed of sound, noises of the space getting ripped apart resonated across and when he again exceeded the supersonic speed, white ripples began spreading away from him like ocean waves.

    Cutting through the sky, he gazed down at the world rapidly shifting away.

    After flying for around 20 minutes, Yu Jitae discovered arge armoured car with the same colour as sand on the ground.

    It was exactly where he estimated.

    They were inside it.

    Immediately, he dropped on top of the armoured car.

    Kwaaangg¨C!!!

    The roof made of 15-centimetre-thick mana-enforced alloy crumpled beneath his feet. Therge piece of metal heavily shook up and down, but he did not stop there.

    Lowering his hand, he pushed it into the cannon barrel ced on top of the armoured car, looking like the head of the car. He started ripping the entire cannon barrel out. He looked like a certain Nazirite of the Old Testament that pushed the pirs of a temple and crumbled it.

    His strength exceeded even the standard beliefs of superhumans as the metal was bent and ripped apart. The piece of alloy that should never be lifted started creaking while being separated from the body of the vehicle.

    ¡°Uaaaakk!¡±

    ¡°W, what¡¯s happening!!¡±

    From inside, he could hear shrieks full of fear.

    ¡°What is that! S, stop it! Stop it!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let hime in!¡±

    He heard such voices,

    ¡°Contact the base! Send the emergency signal right now!¡±

    ¡°Y, yeah! Got ya!¡±

    As well as those voices.

    Picking up a piece of metal that he ripped apart, Yu Jitae threw it at the signalman sitting next to the driver. The ball of metal exploded his head, pierced through it and destroyed themunication device behind him.

    Immediately afterwards, magic firearms were pointed at him.

    Bang bang bang bang¨C!

    Bullets flew in but were blocked by dozens of blessings protecting his physical body. Before even touching his body, they lost their kic energy and the mana inside them were dissolved. They touched his body but soon powerlessly dropped.

    Yu Jitae slowly looked at the inside of the vehicle. It was the same as what he saw from the video.

    There were exactly 6 people alive, including 1 alive hostage. The shock caused by himnding killed the four that were sitting at the back seats of A50.

    There were six corpses in total, including the hostages they killed.

    ¡°The guns aren¡¯t working!¡±

    ¡°What in the world is that monster!¡±

    ¡°S, stop him! You fu*king retards!¡±

    They couldn¡¯t stop him and Yu Jitae easily walked into the car.

    One of them ran at him with a sword in hand but even he himself wasn¡¯t positive about the idea. His eyes were filled with doubt and seemed to be aware that his attack wouldn¡¯t lead to any meaningful results.

    Before the sword could even touch him, Yu Jitae threw his fist. The body of the terrorist flew behind with both his eyes and chin crushed.

    After crashing into the wall at a rapid speed, the terrorist¡¯s body fell right in front of hisrade. However, surprised by the sudden speed, therade ended up shooting his ownrade¡¯s dead body before being surprised yet again.

    In the blink of an eye, Yu Jitae moved his body and smashed two more people to death.

    The only remaining two were the driver and the buck-teeth.

    The buck-teeth was shocked but quickly pointed the barrel of the gun at his own chin.

    He was trying to kill himself but Yu Jitae didn¡¯t allow it just yet.

    Looking into his eyes, Yu Jitae thought about something as the buck-teeth immediately froze on the spot. He turned powerless and the gun dropped from his hand onto the floor.

    In a seizure, he grabbed onto his own neck with his eyes all white. He drove his body into the bloody floor of the car, trembling while foaming at his mouth. As if something was strangling him by the neck, he had trouble breathing.

    Yu Jitae threw a nce at the soldier who was caught hostage. He looked back at him whilst trembling but there didn¡¯t seem to be any other problem in terms of health.

    Finally, he approached the driver.

    Despite shaking tremendously, the driver couldn¡¯t even look away but his mind was still conscious.

    A dirty armoured car would either be cleaned or disposed of, but something like this should be quite costly for them so they shouldn¡¯t be willing to throw them away easily. It was obvious where they would end up by the time their fuel ran out.

    Their base was nearby.

    He spoke to the driver.

    ¡°Go straight.¡±

    ¡°P, pardon?¡±

    ¡°Just go. To where you were going.¡±

    At one point, the armoured car drove into the sand. It wasn¡¯t up to the armoured car to decide the timing. As if it was alive, the desert moved and epted the car in, as if the barrennd was absorbing the car with its own will.

    The Regressor knew of the nature of these underground bases of the terrorist organisations. That was also why he hadn¡¯t touched the core of the armoured car despite breaking parts of it.

    By suppressing the mana above him, he used it as the roof of the opened armoured car. With no sanding into the car, it slowly drove further into the ground.

    They soon arrived at a certain underground fortress.

    The parking lot, with seven desert tanks parked in it.

    There were various tunnels here and there and in the distance was also a za as well as a ce for people to take a rest at.

    He could sense roughly 150 people stationed at the za. Not all of them should be on guard so there would probably be around 400 people in the entire base.

    If it was the size of a small squad, it would¡¯ve been a shame. He would¡¯ve been content as long as it was the size of a toon but lo and behold, it was apany of terrorists.

    Several armed soldiers of Quasar approached them, while being curious about the state of the armoured car.

    Hiding his presence, Yu Jitae prepared to leave the car. In his right hand, he formed killing intent into the shape of a de and with his left hand, he grabbed the buck-teeth by the back of his neck.

    ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Now that he was hiding his presence, the pressure suffocating his throat vanished and the buck-teeth was able to finally open his trembling lips.

    ¡°Huk, huk¡­ Who are you¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you think.¡±

    ¡°A, a dog of the Association?¡±

    ¡°Close.¡±

    Grit, the man gritted his teeth.

    ¡°What do you n on doing by keeping me alive, you damned dog of the Association. Looking to torture me or something?¡±

    He was trembling in fear and yet still bbered on.

    Unexpectedly, the buck-teeth¡¯s question allowed time for Yu Jitae to ask himself the same question.

    Right, why am I doing this?

    All he needed to do was quietly kill all the terrorists in this ce. He could knock the buck-teeth out and take him back but Yu Jitae wanted to show him the disaster that would befall this ce.

    After thinking to himself for a bit, he discovered the answer.

    Yu Jitae added.

    ¡°You almost slipped through my fingers.¡±

    ¡°W, what?¡±

    ¡°If not for your videos, I never would have been able to find you.¡±

    ¡°What do you¡­ but there shouldn¡¯t have been any clues in the video.¡±

    ¡°Did you not show me the clouds?¡±

    ¡°N, nonsense¡­¡±

    He seemed to be in disbelief.

    His body shook heavily.

    Looking at his reaction, Yu Jitae felt his frustration dissipate. He wanted to see this guy make such an expression.

    Unlike usual, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t being rational. He was emotional.

    It seemed that the video of killing and insulting young superhumans had unknowingly irritated him quite a lot. This was a side effect of retrieving daily life, and he admitted the fact that this wasn¡¯t a good thing to do.

    ¡°Kadan Nihum. Long tails are easier to catch.¡±

    That was when a soldier of the underground base asked from nearby, ¡°What¡¯s up? How did the car end up like that?¡± Thus, Yu Jitae lowered his voice even more and softly continued.

    ¡°But your tail was short. So I thought it would be hard to catch it.¡±

    One of the soldiers jumped into the armoured car through the back door. Yu Jitae threw his arm and it travelled past the soldier¡¯s chin, through the nose into the temple,pletely dividing his face into two.

    The man fell into the car.

    ¡°But you swung it too much.¡±

    That was the start.

    Yu Jitae wrapped a rope around the neck of the buck-teeth and took him outside like a dog. Buck-teeth crawled on four legs but couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed and fell face-t on the ground. His body was dragged across the ground but he couldn¡¯t even let out a single shriek, because his throat was blocked by something.

    In the far-off entrance of the fortress were armed guards.

    Picking up a fist-sized stone from nearby, Yu Jitae casually threw it.

    Bam¨C

    One of the heads exploded causing the yawning soldier next to him to turn around.

    ¡°Huh?¡¯

    Immediately afterwards, the soldier¡¯s perception of the world tilted diagonally. He thought it was weird but his gaze soonnded near the ground. That was thest thought he had before his head dropped on the ground.

    ¡°¡­¡­!¡±

    Buck-teeth gasped for breath and frantically threw his arms and legs around but Yu Jitae continued forward. After walking into the fortress, he could see a small yet decent training ground as well as training soldiers.

    Yu Jitae walked towards them.

    Buck-teeth desperately struggled. He thrashed around trying to tell hisrades to run away but they couldn¡¯t see him, as Yu Jitae had obscured the space around them to full. He was powerless and could only watch Yu Jitae¡¯s Shapeless Sword decapitating people.

    He thrashed around before finding a sharp piece of rock in the training field. Buck-teeth tried to stab his own eyes with it so Yu Jitae swung his Shapeless Sword and sliced the tendons in his wrists.

    ¡°¡­!!¡±

    Due to being strangled by the neck, he couldn¡¯t even scream out loud and in the blink of an eye, everyone in the training grounds were killed. Using the ability of the ck dragon, [Eradication (S)], Yu Jitae burnt the corpses leaving nothing behind.

    He then grabbed onto the hair of the crying buck-teeth and pulled his head up.

    ¡°What are you doing. Etch it into your eyes.¡±

    ¡°¡­!!¡±

    Buck-teeth moved his mouth and mumbled but Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t really curious.

    He was probably asking him to kill him, but he had no ns of doing so. After watching everything here, he would be handed over to the Association.

    ¡°Come.¡±

    Once again, Yu Jitae walked forward with the leash in hand. Walking down the inside of the fortress, he killed every human without a sound and erased their corpses.

    Atst, he arrived at the heart of the fortress.

    Immediately he pushed open the door of themand room. Officials of Quasar that were in the middle of a conference looked at him with confusion in their eyes. One of the skilled superhumans instinctively ran in with a spear in hand but he was the first to turn into a corpse.

    Yu Jitae killed everyone except for themander and the deputy.

    ¡°Speak. The location of the regiment you belong to. And themander¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°I, I do not know! I¡¯m just following themands of higher-ups¡­!¡±

    The authenticity in his Eyes of Equilibrium was ¡®true¡¯.

    Terrorist groups were unique organisations. Despite moving based on convictions and faith, they always distrusted each other. That was the same in every iteration and because of that, they tended to cut off their own tails easily and run away.

    However, Yu Jitae had the experience of being in the Anti-Association groups for around 5 years in the 5th iteration. It was in order to kill Chaliovan.

    This was a battalion-sized force.

    The only hotline connected to troops like this was the direct superior that gave themmands and in this case, it would be a battalion. However, battalions would not exist in remote wastnds like this and there was always a specific ce for battalions.

    The organisation had a different name in every iteration.

    However, the battalion-sized troops were always in one of the 100 or so of locations. It was because the formation of their base had a strong corrtion with the geographical advantages around those areas.

    Yu Jitae had a way around it himself.

    Turning his head, he nced around the surroundings. As he expected, there was a hotlinemunication device inside themand room that couldn¡¯t be tracked.

    ¡°What¡¯s the password for this.¡±

    He turned on the hotline, and ordered the frightenedmander to input the password.

    ¡°Youe here.¡±

    Since buck-teeth loved video calls, he sat him in themander¡¯s seat and waited until someone¡¯s face appeared inside the hologram screen. It was someone he had no recollection of but it was probably someone random taking the call in the stead of theirmander.

    The man inside the screen frowned after seeing buck-teeth.

    ¨C Who are you? What¡¯s going on?

    In a daze, buck-teeth nkly stared at the screen. Meanwhile from nearby, Yu Jitae carefully observed the background of the video. It was a familiar sight ¨C troop 0713. The following troop was located at the centre of the African continent.

    ¨C What are you! I¡¯m asking you right now! Where did Farwell go?!

    Since he specified the location already, he didn¡¯t need to continue the call any longer. After ending the video, Yu Jitae hit buck-teeth on the back of his head.

    ¡°Thanks. It was easy to find where they were.¡±

    ¡°W, w, what¡­?¡±

    His eyes trembled.

    All hisrades were killed and the troop he belonged to was destroyed in a single day and he had to watch everything unfold in real time.

    The game he yed to simply screw the Association over had led to such results. He would probably be in so much regret that he would rather die.

    ¡°All thanks to you.¡±

 Chapter 257: Who is our Enemy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 257: Who is our Enemy (1)</h4>

    That marked the end of the ordeal.

    Reinforcements of the Association btedly arrived and began investigating across the underground fortress. They found 137 deceased and 2 survivors.

    Although they had found 3 survivors, a rash action of a superhuman ended up killing one of the surviving terrorists on the spot. The private that killed the terrorist was a 15-year-long friend of the dead hostage who had entered the military together.

    He got punished with paid suspension of 3 months, and 120 hours of mental therapy as a measure of security.

    Yu Jitae conveyed the information he found from the underground basement about the regiment-sized force located in Africa to the Association. He wanted to go personally but couldn¡¯t do so because he had to go to an arboretum for Gyeoul¡¯s homework with Bom and Gyeoul. And at home, he had to spend time alone with Bom so he had no time.

    His spot was reced by one of the 5 Transcendents of Chaliovan, Christoph Willbald Freeman, the old man who loved talking about his instincts. An operational squad was formed with him at the centre and they attacked the base in secret.

    However, Quasar of the 7th iteration was a lot more cautious than what Yu Jitae had expected.

    In that location was a subordinate army of South African Nations united (SAN), with actual soldiers of SAN positioned. It was revealed that Quasar had been secretly using one of the unused buildings as amunication office. It was a problem that urred due to the negligent maintenance of the troops.

    Several hotlines of battalions were connected to the building but the lines were disconnected the moment the troops of the Association bombarded in, and the one inside themunication office was also clueless.

    Until he eventually died from the torture, he continued throwing out wrong pieces of information.

    ¡°Haha, these random retard bastards¡­¡±

    The old superhuman with good instincts, King of Mercenaries, Christoph, licked his fangs with his tongue.

    The next day, the headquarters received a report from him with a fairly shocking title.

    [My senses do not tell me where the tail connects to]

    Christoph had never said anything negative about his instincts or senses a single time in the past 50 years. In fact when he wasn¡¯t sure about something, he simply didn¡¯t mention his instinct at all.

    So why was it that he intentionally used the phrase, ¡®my senses do not tell me¡¯?

    ¨C Doesn¡¯t that mean that the interruption of the trace is too perfect, my lord?

    That was Clone 1¡¯s opinion to which Yu Jitae agreed.

    The old man wasn¡¯t one of the 5 Transcendents of Chaliovan for nothing. He might have been a weak old dotard in front of him, but it was safe to say that no-one in the Association could be as efficient or effective as Christoph in terms of individual missions.

    The fact that he wasn¡¯t able to find anything despite that, meant it wasn¡¯t something simply in the realms of ¡®hiding it well¡¯.

    Hiding something would leave trails of them hiding it. And even if they were to hide those on top, it would still leave traces of hiding what was hidden.

    Christoph¡¯s words meant that there was no such a thing in the first ce. It meant that themunication station of Troop 0713 was as clean as if it had never been used by the Quasars at all.

    In other words, it meant that themunication centre was a space created with utmost care of an ultra high ranker whose understanding of ¡®location¡¯ and ¡®traces¡¯ had reached that of Christoph¡¯s.

    ¡°Tch. That old man. I never liked him ¡®cuz he always talked about his instincts and whatnot.¡±

    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t work anymore I guess. Or he¡¯s gone senile.¡±

    But after Yu Jitae devastated them before, Christoph¡¯s reputation by people of the Association¡¯s Central Command Centre was being depreciated. His self-centred personality added even more to his negative reputation.

    Since he couldn¡¯t simply ignore the matter, Yu Jitae headed to the area in person the next day. And immediately, he realised what the method that got rid of the traces was.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The clue instead was that the traces had been erased way too perfectly.

    There were only 2 people ording to his memories in this world that could erase the traces of mana so perfectly.

    One was himself,

    And the other was¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was such an absurd thought that he had to review his own hypothesis.

    Was this true? But it shouldn¡¯t be.

    He was confused.

    ¡­The other person that could do this was the woman who had been at the Rank 1 spot for a very short period of time, after the witch released her title of sovereign and until Oscar Brzenk rose to be a sovereign.

    Her name, Wings of Snowlight.

    She was the woman who taught Yu Jitae the maniption of mana to manage traces.

    However, she was already dead. She died during the Great War when trying to save people. People already found her corpse, and she also had a grave.

    He wondered if she had revived herself but that couldn¡¯t be the case judging from his experience. Yu Jitae had never seen her true self in his 7 iterations.

    The Regressor had simply learned her way of manipting mana by forcibly pulling out the immense amount of mana sitting in her grave, and forming it in the shape of her avatar.

    In fact she didn¡¯t even teach him, because the avatar of Wings of Snowlight had no ns of teaching him her skills. He nheless threatened her and stole the skills from her.

    So in other words, didn¡¯t that mean someone in the 7th iteration had used the mana left behind in her grave to form it into an avatar, thereby stealing the skills from that avatar like he himself had done?

    Yu Jitae had to confirm this so he immediately headed to the National Memorial Board of Korea.

    ¡°No-one¡¯s allowed past this ce.¡±

    He then sneaked into the grave that was being protected by soldiers.

    As he had expected, the grave of Wings of Snowlight had been robbed already. He had no idea who the robber was because there was not a single trace remaining¡­

    Feeling slightly irritated, he returned. Back then, Wings of Snowlight was very upset and expressed her anguish throughout the transfer of her skills.

    [I was not allowed a single rest when I was alive. Now I am about to enter an eternal sleep to restfortably but you are tormenting me even now¡­]

    [Am I not even allowed to rest in death¡­]

    [If only I did not know of such skills. At least I would have been able to rest in my death¡­]

    After being exposed to daily life in the 7th iteration, he knew what feelings Wings of Snowlight had been feeling back then, and also understood that his actions from back then was a sin not so small. Because of an ethical reason like that, he wasn¡¯t nning to visit her grave in this iteration but¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae became more vignt.

    This was not something that should be taken lightly.

    In fact, the executives of the Association whose horizons had broadened from the previous incidents also took this to heart.

    [Quasar]

    During a meal, Chaliovan said to Zhuge Haiyan regarding Quasars.

    ¡®This is not a simple group of terrorists.¡¯

    ¡®There is no way that is the case.¡¯

    His words were firm and Zhuge Haiyan also agreed with his words. Around 2 weekster, as if to prove their thoughts, another incident came knocking on their door.

    Near the Great Lakes of Michigan, USA.

    A boy who had been fishing in the cold weather with bodyguards suddenly vanished underwater. An extensive investigation followed it but when they discovered the boy on the other side of the coast, he was found dead with his ears and tongue ripped out.

    The boy¡¯s name was Michael Willbald Freeman.

    The grandson of King of Mercenaries, Christoph, was murdered.

    ***

    That day, Yu Jitae wore ck clothes and Bom followed him with ck hair.

    Beneath the lights of the cathedral¡¯s chandelier, they attended the funeral. A lot of people were present with unending sounds of tears.

    ¡°Michael, Michael! Will youe back to me if I rip all those bastards into pieces? Huh?¡± One of them bursted into rage before being pulled away by superhumans.

    ¡°Please open your eyes. I have your favourite candies with me¡­¡± There was another who cried with a jar of candies in hand.

    However, the dead boy would note back.

    Magic engineering had developed and so did technology.

    Despite that, there was still no way to revive a dead person into their normal state. Death was still death.

    Yu Jitae waited in a line and only after a long time was he able to stand before the deceased.

    In American Catholic funerals, there was the culture of allowing people to meet the deceased for thest time with the coffin open. Some people still followed these cultures despite religion having lost a lot of authority in recent times.

    He stood in front of the coffin, and looked at the pale body of the boy. His ripped ears entered his sight.

    Ripping his tongue and ears was most likely as revenge for cutting off the importantmunication line of Quasar. No-one necessarily mentioned it but it was quite obvious that it was.

    ¡°He is about the size of Gyeoul,¡± said Bom.

    The boy appeared to be around 10 years old.

    ¡°It must have been painful¡­¡±

    Saying that, she felt sad about a child whom she was seeing for the first time. Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t really that sad and even now, there was instead a myriad ofplex thoughts muddling his head.

    ¡°Stay here for a bit Bom.¡±

    ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡±

    ¡°Just to talk to someone.¡±

    After the funeral, he looked for Christoph. The superhuman who was old yet as big as a beast, didn¡¯t really look that depressed. He was smoking a cigarette alone at the back of the cathedral.

    ¡°Christoph.¡±

    ¡°Season. You¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about what happened to the child.¡±

    Christoph heaved out a mouthful of smoke. The old man nonchntly said through the thick smoke.

    ¡°There is no way the prophet came all the way here to console a lowly old man. So, what brings you here.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a talk about what happened after themunication office operation of Africa¡¯s Quasar branch.¡±

    ¡°Alright. What is it. Don¡¯t beat around the bush.¡±

    ¡°What did you do after the operation.¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°Why are you asking that.¡±

    ¡°I have gone through the records of the 5th Command Room and discovered that you had nothing scheduled for a long time, with neither work-rted or personal schedule written down.¡±

    ¡°As you turn older, it¡¯s natural to rest more.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think of yourself as young.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you know me well.¡±

    Christoph sucked in a very deep breath through the cigarette. His consequent sigh was just as deep.

    ¡°¡­Nothing much. I was just personally looking into it.¡±

    ¡°Looking into Quasar.¡±

    ¡°Right. Chief Advisor Season. You¡¯re aware that there are around 7 special troops tracking Quasar apart from you, yes?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded. Themunication office connected to battalions that he found was the most relevant recent sess with no other troops having meaningful oues.

    ¡°With all their data in mind, I followed my instincts and scavenged through everything.¡±

    ¡°What everything?¡±

    ¡°All the governments around the world¡­ I went through them a lot. They probably haven¡¯t told others yet because of my fame as an old veteran hero of the war, but there is most likely a lot of governments that do not like me.¡±

    ¡°So, any results?¡±

    ¡°There is one thing. One very strange point.¡±

    Christoph held the cigarette with his other hand.

    ¡°There is someone¡­¡±

    ¡°Someone?¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°I have no idea who it is though.¡±

    ¡°A group? Or an individual.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know about that either. But it feels more like an individual.¡±

    ¡°Their gender? And age?¡±

    ¡°Not sure about either of them.¡±

    ¡°Any traits, or their rank.¡±

    ¡°Not too sure about their rank, but it¡¯s probably high. As for their trait, it¡¯s that the being can control human rtionships and societies exceptionally well like a monster. That¡¯s what I felt.¡±

    ¡°What you felt? You mean everything you said is based on your instincts?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a faint frown.

    The word ¡®instinct¡¯ was one that didn¡¯t sit well with him. However, he still didn¡¯t disregard it. ording to Christoph, the opponent was an individual that could manipte the rtionships of human society well like a monster.

    And that person might as well be the very person that robbed the grave of Wings of Snowlight.

    ¡°What made you think that.¡±

    ¡°There is something. In some countries¡­ there is something, something strange with them. But there was nothing weird on documents and none of the people were doubtful or skeptical either.¡±

    ¡°If neither the documents nor people find it weird, then what makes you im there¡¯s something strange. Is there anything else apart from that instinct of yours?¡±

    ¡°Even the god doesn¡¯t know, so how would an old man like me know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a god. I¡¯m just another desperate human. Tell me everything you know.¡±

    The old man pondered as he burned through another cigarette. Soon, he opened his mouth while throwing the cigarette butt away.

    ¡°They were too fast.¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°Prophet. Following your words, the Association was preparing for the ¡®Night¡¯. But us gathering power is buying the wariness of other nations. Because of the growth of the military organisation, Association, governments are feeling pressured.¡±

    ¡°Is that not natural?¡±

    ¡°Right, but I¡¯m saying that their reaction is way too fast.¡±

    ¡°On what standards?¡±

    ¡°My experience. That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying it¡¯s based on my instincts.¡±

    ¡°So, you mean there is one ¡®individual¡¯ that is inducing that situation from behind?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    After that, Yu Jitae threw several more questions but the conclusion was the same.

    ording to his instincts, there was one suspicious guy moving the world, to antagonise the Association.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded and was about to head back. However, right before turning around, he felt slightly soft inside. Reflecting on the principles of daily lives, he carefully asked.

    ¡°How do you feel.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking that now.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s something to do, leave it to me or One. We will help you take some time off.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just go. I am still young.¡±

    When the hesitant Yu Jitae was again about to turn around, the old man¡¯s voice flew in like a lingering regret and stopped him by his ankles.

    ¡°Are you, not a god?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m a human.¡±

    ¡°A human huh¡­ You were behaving just like an old god but¡­ so you mean you are a creation just like me, yes?¡±

    ¡°If the doctrine of creation is correct, then yes.¡±

    ¡°I happen to be a creationist. Then can you listen to one of my stories as the same human?¡±

    Yu Jitae turned and faced the old man.

    ¡°I had a son and a daughter.¡±

 Chapter 258: Who is our Enemy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 258: Who is our Enemy (2)</h4>

    ¡°My son died fighting monsters.¡±

    He started sharing his story.

    ¡°My only remaining daughter, that foolish girl, was also a superhuman but I wanted to make her live like a normal person. By then, my wife was already dead so I couldn¡¯t have another child. My daughter was so stubborn that we fought very often.¡±

    Yu Jitae remembered the woman that was crying on her knees in front of the portrait.

    ¡°Season. Does a prophet have children too?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. I don¡¯t have any myself.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t make a child for the next decade at least.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His deep sigh was mixed with smoke. Soon, he reopened his mouth along with another sigh of smoke escaping through his white moustache and beard.

    ¡°Time sometimes flies. It was already time for that young girl to get married. She wanted to show me a grandchild ¨C a child giving birth to a child. But like what I said to you then, I told her not to. My foolish daughter married before the war but the war broke out when they were newlyweds.¡±

    And yet the baby was born.

    ¡°Who could stop a married couple sleeping together? In the end, near the end of the war, she did bear a child. I should have known she was as stubborn as myself, and should¡¯ve separated her from her husband or something¡­ but they had a child already and she was pregnant. What could I do then?¡±

    ¡°Did you scold her?¡±

    ¡°Of course. How long has it been since your brother turned into a corpse? How could you bear a child in a time like this? I admonished them a ton. The two of them cried together and yelled. I was going to tell them off for the rest of my life but when the baby was actually born¡­¡±

    He smiled with a low voice. Before long, there was a slightly denser smile on his lips.

    ¡°¡­His little dick was so tiny and cute, alright. My DNA is quite powerful though, and he looked just like my dead son. So I bought a stroller for him. It was a very expensive,rge and pretty stroller made in Japan. The shock absorber in it was great. It didn¡¯t shake an inch even when going over speed bumps.¡±

    Christoph turned towards Yu Jitae.

    Because of the smile that was on his lips, when killing intent suddenly sparked from his face, he looked even more sinister. The gaze of a beast that was seconds away from dashing forward and ripping someone to pieces was in his eyes.

    ¡°The Korean government floats an ind in the sky to nurture kids into killing monsters. Chaliovan announces that it will be a peaceful period ¨C Valentine said the world would be fine even without her and buried herself in the forest with young men. The sovereign, little Brzenk ¨C that young man is twice as strong as the witch. Seeing all that, this old man¡¯s brain must have softened.¡±

    He spoke faster and faster.

    ¡°I was dreaming,

    ¡°Watching children peacefully grow up,

    ¡°Teasing my foolish daughter ageing with her husband,

    ¡°Like a retired old dotard, I was going to sit back and wait until I could eventually meet my wifey.

    ¡°I thought it would be okay.¡±

    To the old superhuman, this was not simply the death of a young life.

    ¡°I was going to decorate gardens and flowerbeds,

    ¡°People around me teased me for going senile.

    ¡°But I meant it. As you turn older, you funnily get more attached to flowers.

    ¡°So I grew flowers, looked after the garden,

    ¡°Bought a slide and a seesaw so that kids could y around.

    ¡°I thought it would be okay.¡±

    In his mind, an entire era had ended.

    ¡°When Michael was born, I nted an oak tree in my garden.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t heter be a father himself?

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he tell me that he would show me a great-grandson in the future?

    ¡°By then, it would be another twenty to thirty years and the oak tree should have grown enough. If I was still alive, I would have cut that tree and used it for the entrance of that kid¡¯s house.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. I wasn¡¯t expecting the tree to be the child¡¯s coffin.¡±

    Because the era around him had changed, the old superhuman couldn¡¯t simply be the grandpa of the young boy. He had to be a soldier, and soldiers did not cry from people¡¯s death.

    ¡°People say you be more childish as you age. Maybe that happened to me.

    ¡°Or maybe I got a screw loose like what the people talking behind my back are saying.

    ¡°I was too soft-hearted, thinking it was an era where I could grab a stroller and not a sword, live peacefully growing flowers, and die without worrying about a single thing.

    ¡°I thought my life had finally regained that era.¡±

    His eyes turned bloody. Veins popped out of his hand carrying the cigarette. His skin turned bloody from his fury as one by one, dense words oozed out of his mouth.

    ¡°It was all an illusion.¡±

    The old soldier quietly revealed his rage.

    ***

    ¡®Me rummaging through everything might indeed have been a problem.¡¯

    Finishing it off with those words, Christoph turned around. The old man, who thought an era of peace had finallye, grasped many things but he now had to let go of them all, and the old soldier was not the only one seeing this as the turning point.

    [A rtive of the 5 Transcendents of Chaliovan murdered.]

    [The international Superhuman Association announces a radical response to the terrorist group, Quasar.]

    [Chairman Chaliovan sternly ims to retake the price of blood]

    The Association didn¡¯t make a fuss over the incident. But their reaction was slightly different from the past where they tended to remain silent no matter the incident. It was a small yet visible change and the world in turn also noticed the small shift.

    After a few days, people gathered in the main conference room of the Association.

    Chairman Chaliovan, BM, 4 transcendents including Christoph, the Druid of Regeneration Myung Yongha, the Sword of the Royal Family Minamoto and other members of their group ¨C added to that was the chief of strategies Zhuge Haiyan and other advisors, andstly Season and One.

    The chairman of the Association, Chaliovan, opened his mouth.

    ¡°I heard the saidmunication centre was for military support.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir. As you have likely seen from the reports, it was themunication centre of Quasar¡¯s military support and was being used as a type of control tower.¡±

    ¡°Who was the one that made the underground fortress we found prior to that?¡±

    ¡°It is estimated to be a mage above Rank 200 at the very least sir.¡±

    Chaliovan slightly tilted his head to the side, slowly withposure. As if in deep thought, he touched his lips with his long and white fingers.

    ¡°¡­How strange.¡±

    He then said slowly with a rxed tone of voice.

    ¡°It is as weird as Christoph not finding any traces at themunication centre. How can a mere battalion-sized underground fortress of an Anti-Association terrorist group be made by a Rank 200 mage?¡±

    ¡°Let me exin from there.¡±

    Someone else replied this time. It was a slender woman with a short height, circr-framed sses, neat ponytail and a hazy, dry gaze.

    She was the chief of the strategy council, Zhuge Haiyan.

    ¡°There were heterogeneous objects from what we have secured. KSR-type drugs, 407-bullet artifacts, and one-way teleportation gate v04.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hearing her words, the listeners were filled with doubt.

    KSR-type drug was a medicine produced in Japan, renounced due to its side effects.

    407-bullet artifacts were human-encroaching bullets used in Mexico, that wereter banned due to its extremely inhumane effects.

    And one-way teleportation gate v04 was something used by the old Russians that eventually got substituted by superior versions during the Great War.

    It was strange for those objects to all be at the same ce.

    ¡°¡­Have they been preparing these for a long time?¡± said one of the advisors in doubt but Zhuge Haiyan shook her head in response.

    This was not that simple.

    ¡°Our internal tests have allowed us to confirm the authenticity of the items. All the military equipment was genuine. V04 was in fact proven to have been used in Russia while other consumables were also newly crafted.¡±

    Items that weren¡¯t meant to be used were being used. And items that should have been abandoned by the countries were all newly crafted.

    ¡°A sponsor huh.¡±

    Chaliovan concluded it with one word.

    ¡°Yes. There are people sponsoring Quasar from behind. Governments. That would exin the underground fortress and themunication centre perfectly.¡±

    People gasped hearing Zhuge Haiyan¡¯s voice filled with certainty.

    An Anti-Association terrorist group ¨C that much was already a headache. But when there were groups sponsoring the terrorist groups from behind, that would be even more of a headache.

    And if those groups happened to be governments?

    It was something they had to watch out for.

    ¡°And the source of the military supplies?¡±

    ¡°We are looking into every possible source as of yet but there is nothing that stands out. They were known to have all been disposed of directly by the militarypanies of the respective countries themselves without going through a number of steps.¡±

    ¡°Then I assume it¡¯s not one specific government then.¡±

    ¡°However we still need to consider that as there are several who are discontent with the Association¡¯s current affairs¡­¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan and Chaliovan¡¯s conversation was too fast. One of the advisors shot his hand up with a frown.

    ¡°P, please wait! Doesn¡¯t that mean there has to be an organisation that has connections with the militarypanies of all countries? How could there be such an organisation?¡±

    In response, Zhuge Haiyan turned around.

    ¡°What else could it be. Of course it¡¯s the Undetectables.¡±

    As if a heavy piece of lead had dropped on the room, the atmosphere rapidly turned grave. The transnational group of demons ¨C Undetectables.

    Her words however made them sceptical.

    ¡°Undetectables¡­ But I remember them stopping all of their actions after Noah recently died.¡±

    ¡°Right. As always, they hid themselves again. Discarding their bases and cutting tails.¡±

    Seemingly irritated by thinking back on what happened, Zhuge Haiyan replied with a frown. She still was not able to find any concrete evidence on who Noah¡¯s killer was.

    On the other hand, it indeed was strange. Demons were always sly and cautious, and they wereposed since they had a long life ahead of them. They tended to watch from the sidelines until they were certain and it didn¡¯t make sense for them to provide aid to the Anti-Association group and willingly create traces that way.

    ¡°That is the weird part. They don¡¯t gain anything by opposing the Association right now, so it doesn¡¯t make sense for the demons to be the sponsors of Quasar, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to say. Who would like to guess? Why are they doing this?¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan ced her hands on her waist and tilted her head. Why was it that the frightened dog was acting up again?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    No-one replied so Zhuge Haiyan continued with an empty smile.

    ¡°They want to blow their nose without using their own hands. Trying to have someone else make things fall on theirp.¡±

    ¡°Who is that ¡®someone else¡¯ though?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. There is no proof yet, and I do not like talking based on circumstantial evidence. They are wrong sometimes.¡±

    Turning her gaze, she looked at one of the people inside the room. She spected that that man was the one who killed Noah, but there was not a single concrete proof to back off her im, so she didn¡¯t even bother saying it out loud. It was the same this time.

    The prolonged silence was then broken by Chaliovan.

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Say it Haiyan. Who do you think is the sponsor.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In response, Zhuge Haiyan closed her mouth and pondered.

    ¡°May I postpone my response for now?¡± She then asked.

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    After saying that, she turned towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Prophet Season. Who do you think it is?¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan was scratching the itchy spots of everyone present with her question. Ever since they received the report, a few of the advisors had been curious about Season¡¯s thoughts on the matter, while Zhuge Haiyan herself was also curious. There just wasn¡¯t enough evidence toe to a conclusion and it was one¡¯s basic instincts that mattered the most at this point.

    Usually it was a question they tended to ask Christoph, but his expression dissuaded them from asking him.

    Therefore, their eyes naturally gathered on Yu Jitae.

    He was leaning back on the chair, quietly listening to them talk and despite the question, he was still silent.

    Was he about to reveal the profound secrets of the heavens? They curiously waited for him to open his mouth.

    But actually, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t know either¡­

    The advisors would probably be thinking along the lines of this:

    The source of the supplies was Japan, Russia or Switzend.

    It was well-known that the royal family of Japan had various different faces and everyone knew how the Russian government was leaning more towards an anti-Association constitution. The neutral country Switzend was a good ce to secretly move military supplies.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. After the Great War, there were only 2 countries that were close allies with these 3 countries.

    Korea and USA ¨C but wasn¡¯t the deputy president of America killed in the process? So it has to be either Korea, Japan, Russia or Switzend right?

    No.

    ording to what he thought, this marked the start of an era. An era where countries were discontent with the military expansion of the Association and fought against it. There might be a ¡®certain existence¡¯ as Christoph mentioned at the centre of all this, but that guy was simply elerating the process. Even without that ¡®certain existence¡¯, the world nheless would have naturally flowed into that era.

    Something simr had urred in the 6th iteration.

    Back when he killed Chaliovan and dered the dictatorship of the Association in order to rule over the Earth by himself. With his overwhelming power he suppressed every country across the globe.

    Back then, it wasn¡¯t one specific nation that was cautious of his increasing dominion.

    ¡°Prophet. Speak. Who is our enemy?¡±

    Unable to handle the long silence, Chaliovan hurried him and atst, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°The entire world.¡±

    He dropped a bomb into the conference room.

 Chapter 259: Who is our Enemy (3)

    <h4>Chapter 259: Who is our Enemy (3)</h4>

    [Systematic Concepts (S)]

    It was the name of the blessing Zhuge Haiyan had awakened to.

    This was like a smallputer appearing in her mind. Thanks to this, she was able to be the head chief of the strategy council and naturally, her reaction speed and her ability to cope with sudden situations were a lot faster than other superhumans.

    An unexpected word came out of Season¡¯s mouth but after deeply considering it for 0.08 seconds, she realised what he was trying to say.

    ¡®The entire world¡¯¡­ it was a crude expression but it was urate.

    Suddenly, she thought of something else and immediately checked the time of theputer inside her brain. It was a rare chance to check the reaction speed of everyone in the Association.

    1 second.

    Chaliovan¡¯s eyes that had formed a frown straight after those words eased up.

    2 seconds.

    Myung Yongha¡¯s eyes were the first to hold a different light. Before long, several advisors and other transcendents including BM and Christoph also had a shift in their expression. It was against Zhuge Haiyan¡¯s expectations that even Jefferson behind them clenched his jaws.

    3 seconds.

    At this point, almost everyone seemingly understood Yu Jitae¡¯s words. People who still had no idea required even more time not because they were stupid but because their perception of the world was different.

    4 seconds.

    Suddenly Chaliovan¡¯s lips twisted and formed a smile. Why was he like that?

    That was when someone opened their mouth.

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°The entire world?¡±

    Those were the ones whose perception of the world was different.

    Zhuge Haiyan opened her mouth.

    ¡°By saying the entire world, you actually mean the flow of the world right? Prophet Season?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe there¡¯s not even a 1% exception?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What makes you believe as such?¡±

    Yu Jitae pondered for the right words to return. That was mostly the case in previous iterations, and this time there is even a guy that is trying to elerate that flow.

    ¡­That wasn¡¯t suitable for the evidence.

    Constantly referring to himself as the prophet whenever things like this urred didn¡¯t suit him and that was probably not the answer they were asking for either.

    He had volunteered for the role of the prophet and at least inside the Association, it was a must for him to keep that abstract image. In other words, he had to constantly appear like the ¡®guy who knows it all¡¯.

    After some contemtion, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°The demons¡­ the Undetectables aren¡¯t moving hand-in-hand with Quasar.¡±

    ¡°Why is that the case?¡±

    Despite also knowing that very well, Zhuge Haiyan asked back, curious about the rationale and logic behind his im.

    For now, he had to y along with her.

    ¡°Like what was mentioned prior, the Undetectables cannot challenge the Association head-on. The demon group hides their strength and does not contend for victory until their time fully arrives. They failed at Melissia Masquerade and one of the top three catastrophe demons, Noah, was killed. Right now, they will never openly antagonise the Association.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°Think about the characteristics of demons. Demons live for a long time. They know how to use their lifespan as a weapon. Delving deep into each government, they induce corruption and squeeze in through the gap. It is difficult for them to do so for military which is constantly under the careful maintenance of governments and the Association but on the other hand, they are quite powerful in funding, media and politics.¡±

    An example would be the catastrophe-ranked demon holding his seat in Lair, the Seat of Covenant Ma Namjoon.

    ¡°But then it doesn¡¯t make sense that the Undetectables are sponsoring Quasar, right?¡±

    ¡°Enough of acting foolish, Zhuge Haiyan.¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan poked her tongue out and gave an apologetic smile. Since Yu Jitae knew that she was in fact trying to make his point clearer, he decided to y along for a bit more despite it being tedious.

    ¡°At this point, Quasar is but a w sticking out. It is evident from themunication centre and the underground fortress that there is a foot moving behind it.¡±

    ¡°What is the foot?¡±

    ¡°The foot may be an organisation, or an individual that sponsors Quasar. An existence that can rival the King of Mercenaries. You can say the Undetectables are cooperating with them, which would exin why military supplies gathered from the ck markets of various nations are being discovered there.¡±

    ¡°If there is a foot, you mean there is also a body.¡±

    ¡°Do you think governments wouldn¡¯t know that the Undetectables are in motion?¡±

    ¡°They probably would.¡±

    ¡°Right. And what is their response?¡±

    ¡°Nothing from what we know.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that they¡¯re not reacting. They are intentionally overlooking it.¡±

    The Undetectables and the existence of demons were headaches for every government. They had roots so deep that they were hard to get rid of. Therefore, the demons had to carefully tread between the lines making sure they didn¡¯t overdo anything.

    But this time it was different ¨C the Undetectables clearly crossed the line. While confronting Quasar, the Association would see more military supplies connected to other nations and they could use that to pressure each government.

    It would put the governments at the weaker side of the table.

    ¡°Even then, the governments will not move.¡±

    Why?

    ¡°Because they do not like what the Association is doing.¡±

    The increase of military power advised by Yu Jitae was bringing about their opposition.

    Listening to him, the advisorsmented. They all knew this. Although they knew it, the scattered pieces of the puzzle weren¡¯t being put back together neatly but they were finally slowlying together.

    As such, the entire world was starting to antagonise the Association.

    From a distance, they would watch the w called Quasar.

    Without involving themselves in the sponsoring of the Undetectables.

    However, their indifferent attitude would only be the starting point.

    That was when Chaliovan gave a smile. He was sitting at the chairman¡¯s seat and the change in his expression was spotted by everyone. Their doubtful gazesnded on the spreading smile on his wrinkled lips.

    ¡°Who is one that caused all this? Prophet.¡±

    It was just one sentence.

    That sentence was poking at the essence of the situation.

    Quasar carrying out terrorism, a mysterious existence sponsoring Quasar, the Undetectables chiming in in this chaotic situation, the world antagonising the Association ¨C all this, added to the unsolveable fundamental problem mentioned in this conference was all because of Yu Jitae.

    ¡­That was what Chaliovan was saying to pressure him.

    ¡°Chaliovan. Who do you think is the one that caused this.¡±

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae imed that he was the one responsible.

    It was simple. If Chaliovan had the strength and experience matching that of Yu Jitae¡¯s, a situation like this would have been solved very easily.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Knowing that, Chaliovan meekly nodded his head.

    ¡°We will try every possible means. It is indeed up to the Association for these tasks.¡±

    However, there was a reason why he pressured Yu Jitae.

    ¡°But Prophet, I am nothing but a mortal that can¡¯t do anything above my abilities.¡±

    ¡°How modest for the man who pacified the New Era.¡±

    ¡°That is the reality of it. The witch is no longer in my hands, and the sovereign is beyond my reach. There is a limit to the abilities of a mortal and I am well and truly at the limits.¡±

    Chaliovan said while twitching his fingers. He didn¡¯t look like a 150-year-old old man, and it was a refined gesture suiting his 40-year-old-looking appearance.

    ¡°If you wish toplete your great n, you must reveal your strength,¡± said Chaliovan with a low voice filled with certainty but Zhuge Haiyan refuted from the side.

    ¡°That will be troubling, Chairman.¡±

    ¡°Right. A seemingly omniscient prophet with omnipotent power. If people discover that such a being truly exists, their resistance will be even worse.¡±

    ¡°Indeed sir. If you know that already, then why¡­?¡±

    Chaliovan¡¯s following words made Zhuge Haiyan wear a big frown.

    ¡°¡­If we continue ying the armband game that is.¡±

    Kwang!

    Zhuge Haiyan stood up, striking the table.

    ¡°Chairman!¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°What kind of careless statement is that!¡±

    The advisors, 5 transcendents and the Grand Natural Society. All their expressions were the same as Zhuge Haiyan¡¯s.

    Then what? Put the armband down and pick up a gun? Is he trying to say that he will oppress other nations with military power?

    The thought alone gave them goosebumps. Chaliovan was spouting some crazy nonsense ¨C at least that was what Zhuge Haiyan thought.

    ¡°Chairman¡­!¡±

    ¡°Do you seriously mean it sir?¡±

    ¡°What is wrong with you folks,¡± replied Chaliovan with a stern voice.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you think this is a joke?¡±

    Suddenly they remembered a fact they had forgotten.

    Chaliovan was a cruel person.

    In order to create a working society of people with differing capabilities and in order to found the current Association, he waged wars and killed hundreds of millions of humans and superhumans that disagreed with his cause.

    His seat was a throne drenched with blood, and what sustained the current bnce of the modern world was due to corpses piling up on one side of the spectrum.

    But waging a war against the entire world?

    ¡®That¡¯s nonsense¡­¡¯

    Suddenly, Zhuge Haiyan turned around with a vacant gaze. She looked at Season and One.

    Unprecedented powers. Existences with unprecedented might that never existed within the annals of history ¨C such existences were currently in the Association.

    Chaliovan¡¯s idea was nonsense. However, when a nonsensical idea was added with nonsensical might, strangely enough everything started making sense.

    Zhuge Haiyan again felt goosebumps crawling up her skin. What a ridiculous sword was it that was in the hands of the Association?

    But when Season opened his mouth with a straight look on his face, her thoughts were once again shaken.

    The sword wasn¡¯t in the hands of the Association.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡±

    The sword was shaking the Association.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a joke,¡± said Chaliovan. His words had a strange charm to it. When he innocently shook his hands with a hearty smile, it added credibility to his words.

    Oh, it¡¯s a joke huh.

    Of course. No way he was saying that for real.

    Everyone had the same thought in mind. As the chilly mood dissipated and the nonsensical idea discarded, the advisors regained theirposure and started giving out emptyughs. As if it was funny, Chaliovan alsoughed with them.

    However, Yu Jitae did notugh as it wasn¡¯t funny.

    ¡°Anyways, Prophet. If you do not wish to reveal your power, then we need evidence. Evidence that can prove that there is a reason behind what we are doing.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a nod.

    That much was true.

    ¡°If not, then we need a symbol. As you probably know yourself, we need something that we can reveal to the whole world.¡±

    That was also true. Sometimes, a symbolic existence slightly shrouded in mystery could be used as the evidence for everything.

    If, in the case of a what-if.

    If there was a foretelling ¡®soothsayer¡¯ that the Association could announce to the public. If that soothsayer was an actual person that had the actual ability of foretelling the future; and if that actual person could stand before others, then it would naturally provide the Association with a moral cause.

    ¡°Association continue doing Association-tasks.¡±

    ¡°And what about you?¡±

    Funnily enough, there was one actual prophet on Earth ¨C the one and only soothsayer. She also happened to have a miserable power level so she was the perfect fit for the position. Thinking about her, Yu Jitae drove in the wedge.

    ¡°It is already all prepared.¡±

    No-one talked back to him.

    ¡°You focus and consolidate your own roles.¡±

    That was the end of the conference.

    *

    He had killed Chaliovan twice.

    Once in the 5th iteration, and the other in the 6th iteration. It was because his thoughts that were revealed in the conference just then were not a joke.

    Chaliovan was a revolutionist. A smart revolutionist that knew how to swing the right tools at the right time.

    On Earth, there were a few individuals that couldpletely flip the flow of the world and its era on its head and for the Regressor, it was more effective to kill them than to regte them. The revolutionist sitting at the highest seat of the conference room was one of them.

    The 100 years of peace with him at the chairman¡¯s seat of the Association was because there was nothing that warranted a revolution. The old wolf simply sat back and watched over the stabilised household.

    But sitting down did not render a wolf a dog.

    Lying down did not wear out its ws.

    When he became the owner of the witch, he was able to remove all the side effects of the New Era by waging wars. That must have been a good experience.

    And because of that, he was now trying to grab him and move him as he wished.

    How insolent.

    After the conference as everyone started heading off to their personal space, the darkness suddenly cracked open and swallowed the chairman. By the time Chaliovan reopened his eyes, there was a jet-ck dimension in front of him ¨C it was a world without any distinguishable standards where he couldn¡¯t tell apart the ground beneath his feet from the sky.

    In a ce like that, Yu Jitae was looking into his eyes.

    ¡°Chaliovan.¡±

    The voice of the prophet made his eyes twitch ever so faintly.

 Chapter 260: Expressions of Love (1)

    <h4>Chapter 260: Expressions of Love (1)</h4>

    Slowly he looked around the world.

    ¡°This ce. What a familiar sight.¡± His indifferent voice resonated across the void.

    Rather than the fact that he was kidnapped, Chaliovan was more intrigued by the area he was in after the kidnap.

    A heavy voice echoed.

    ¡°Chaliovan.¡±

    His vacant gaze regained its focus but he did not reply.

    Thus, the Regressor called him again.

    ¡°Chaliovan.¡±

    And only then did he reply.

    ¡°¡­Speak, Prophet.¡±

    ¡°Do not act up.¡±

    With a calm expression, he looked at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Just do what you¡¯re told and stop being greedy like a fool.¡±

    ¡°In what sense was I being greedy.¡±

    ¡°Chaliovan. What do you think is the reason I¡¯m leaving you alive despite having this much power?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I needed a dog that could lead the sheep. You were a decent sheepdog so I let you live and yet now you dare treat me like a sheep. How impudent is that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Chaliovan Greenrain. Do you still think I¡¯m a prophet? Or an ignorant pathfinder of the Association? Or do you think I¡¯m a saviour who¡¯s doing all this stuff to save humanity?¡±

    Chaliovan calmly took his words in. Perhaps because he had been thinking of Yu Jitae as a sharp w, he might have assumed that there was a handle attached to it.

    ¡°Answer me. What do I look like to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A crack appeared in his expression. To Chaliovan, he¡­ looked like a murderer.

    Yu Jitae gave a faint smile ¨C a faint smile was drawn on the lips of the murderer.

    ¡°The first time I killed you it was hard, and there was a sense of achievement killing you the second time.¡±

    The pupils on Chaliovan¡¯s gray irises contracted.

    ¡°How would the third time be?¡±

    What did this mean?

    Hurriedly rolling his eyes, Chaliovan looked at his body. By the time he realised it, ¡®white hands¡¯ born of the abyss behind outer space were grabbing onto his body.

    ¡°So it was the Abyss huh¡­ Unbelievable. How could you possibly have the [Scaffold of the Highest Heavens]¡­¡±

    Chaliovan murmured to himself before shutting his lips. His eyes widened as he finally realised something.

    ¡°¡­Are you, one who has gone against the flow of time?¡±

    Yu Jitae did not reply. As time passed, Chaliovan¡¯s eyes increasingly widened. Reflecting on various elements, he seemed to be putting pieces together but seemingly realised that it was all meaningless in the end.

    There was no such thing as prophets among humans. Chaliovan was aware of that fact.

    ¡°It¡¯s a warning. Until the end of the night, live as a dog. Dogs listen to their owner. They don¡¯t roll their eyes and they don¡¯t dare act up. Lead the sheep properly. If you do anything funny, I will break your legs and will sew your lips if you bark.¡±

    Atst Chaliovan¡¯s expression cracked.

    ¡°Go where I tell you to go.

    ¡°Stop if I tell you to stop.

    ¡°Bark when I tell you to and crawl when I tell you to crawl.

    ¡°Unless you want to see everything you¡¯ve built by shedding your blood, sweat and at the cost of your conviction; unless you want to see them burn to ashes, do as I tell you to.¡±

    Each and every word of the Regressor was like a leash pressing down on his neck.

    ¡°Do you get it?¡±

    His quivering gaze headed above the Abyss ¨C at the ce slightly above the shallows. Gazing at that ce, Chaliovan finally realised what type of existence Yu Jitae was.

    A deep sense of powerlessness was mixed into his response.

    ¡°¡­I shall be prudent.¡±

    Time flew.

    It was already time for the dazzling sunlight to start feeling warm. The sky was high while the wind felt slightly cold.

    He was on the way back from Michael Willbald Freeman¡¯s 9-day ritual and as always, Bom was with him sitting in the passenger¡¯s seat. They were in a car, heading towards the warp station.

    They had already changed back into casual clothes.

    It would be natural to wear autumn clothes in a weather like this, so Yu Jitae was wearing the high neck sweatshirt that Kaeul had chosen for himst year. It stuck tight onto his body and because of that, all the rigid lines of his body that had 7% body fat including his wide shoulders, thick chest muscles and powerful wrists were revealed in full.

    And Bom was furtively stealing nces at that body of his. From time to time, her gaze travelled up and looked at his face and his eyes. Yu Jitae was focused on driving so she felt relieved enough to lower her gaze again.

    She was back to wearing a white t-shirt and short pants as she tended to wear in clothespared to other kids.

    The reason he started using cars more often recently was because he realised that watching the world change outside together with the kids had some kind of value to it.

    Therefore, it took them quite some time to go back.

    It was time for just the two of them.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Why are you looking at me.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    She turned her head back to the front with several empty coughs.

    ¡°Mhmm¡­ by the way, oppa.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    Thinking back on the 9-day ritual, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°If there are encounters, there will inevitably be farewells as well right.¡±

    ¡°Is that how it is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how everyone lives, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah I guess.¡±

    ¡°And one day, we will also have to say goodbye to oppa.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    Bom was right. They will definitely part ways one day.

    Yu Jitae was aware of that.

    When his mind was shaken at the Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop and when he regained his state of mind thanks to Gyeoul aftering back, he decided to change his attitude when facing the 7th iteration.

    Reason being her exact words.

    With a destined farewell at the end, what should humans living their daily life do in this cycle of inevitable encounter and farewell?

    He pondered and came to a small conclusion.

    That he would try his best in every moment.

    In the end, there will surely be some form of regret left behind but let¡¯s try to not have that regret be as a result of his irresponsibility. Thinking that, he wanted to give only good things to the kids. Without thinking about theplex things that mighte in the future, and without calcting everything, to sincerely give them what they desire.

    But that thought chain of his came across as something slightly dangerous for one person. It was none other than Bom.

    He had to give her what she wanted but he still didn¡¯t really know what she wanted. She seemingly wanted his attention, and seemingly wanted him. Maybe she was after his affection as well but even then, Bom kept a line without crossing it.

    There was a difference between her pranks and her honest intention, and there was also a difference with how she acted in and out of the house.

    She nonchntly crossed the line during her pranks and yet did not cross them for real. She, who tended to pull multiple pranks outside, drew a clear line when they were inside the house.

    Why?

    Her actions didn¡¯t make sense to Yu Jitae. Continuing his line of thought, he was focusing on driving when Bom suddenly turned bigger in the corner of his eyes. ncing to the side, he realised that Bom was a lot closer to him now.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Just focus on driving oppa.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He really should. Bom looked pretty today as well and he wouldn¡¯t be able to focus on driving if he were to look at her. Yu Jitae was therefore trying to focus solely on driving but that was when her fingers touched his cheeks.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Sit properly. And wear your seatbelt.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not a child. And not a human either.¡±

    Bom said that with a quiet giggle.

    Yu Jitae was slightly at a loss ¨C her giggling voice was too clear in his ears.

    But that was just the beginning.

    Bom abruptly touched his cheeks, and grabbed his earlobes. She then pulled it slightly with her extremely meagre strength.

    ¡°Oi. What is wrong with you.¡±

    He was even more troubled.

    He had feelings for her ¨C after admitting that fact, his head tended to turn nk whenever Bom was teasing him like this. The problem however was that he was in the middle of driving.

    ¡°Bom. Stop. What if I identally drive into someone.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you won¡¯t.¡±

    Right. Something like that wouldn¡¯t happen as long as he was able to focus but even if he was about to drive into someone, Bom would be able to stop an ident. Without crossing the line too much, she was teasing Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°Nnnn.¡±

    ¡°What is that ¡®nnnn¡¯.¡±

    She was stubborn so he had to try persuading her.

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    But what came back in response were her fingers. When he twitched from the uncontroble urge to do so, she once again started giggling.

    Soon, the car drove past the toll gate into the highway as Bom carefully started moving even closer towards him.

    Leaning her body more forward, she touched his neck. Her fingers seemingly had a destination. Going past the neck, they touched his chin and before long, her index finger climbed up even more and reached his lips.

    When he turned his head to the side from the sense of perplexity, her arm no longer reached his lips. However, she leaned even more forward and touched his nose.

    Nose was better off than the lips as it didn¡¯t make him think of anything in particr so he stayed still. But that was when Bom suddenly put her index finger into his nose.

    What kind of thing is this now? He thought.

    After scraping across the shallow parts of his nose, she brought that same finger towards Yu Jitae¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Ey ey. That¡¯s dirty.¡±

    Despite there being nothing dirty, Yu Jitae shook his head while Bom held her stomach and quietly kicked the ground. She was holding herughter in as desperately as possible.

    It was about time to stop after doing this much but as if she had finally found her lifelong toy, Bom didn¡¯t know when to stop. And because she liked ying like this so much, he couldn¡¯t force her to stop despite it being painful.

    After a while, she dropped her hands but this time, she brought her lips to his ears. What is she nning to do now that she was so quiet?

    His head was already nk while his hands couldn¡¯t let go of the handle. He couldn¡¯t turn towards her either.

    Chu chu¡­

    That was when he heard strange noises.

    Chu chu, chupp, jupp¡­

    Chu, chupp, juupp¡­

    What was this about.

    Soon, Yu Jitae realised what Bom was doing.

    With her lips next to his ears, from the small gap inside her mouth, she was making noises by moving her tongue and lips. After realising that fact, he almost lost his sanity for a second.

    ¡°Oi Bom. What in the¡­¡±

    Hearing his voice that was louder than usual, Bom startedughing out loud again. ¡°Kyaa! Ahahahahh!¡±

    But her body suddenly tilted forward in the process and because of herughter, she couldn¡¯t control her tilted body. In an attempt to support her body, her handnded on Yu Jitae¡¯s stomach. When her palm touched the clear lines of his abs, she hurriedly pulled her body back with a flinch.

    The weight behind her hand that touched his body for a split second made him dizzy.

    She seemed agitated. Hurriedly breathing out at a visibly faster rate, she fidgeted with her hands and stayed meekly on her seat without saying a single word for a long time.

    He now knew it.

    This was the line between her pranks and her honest actions.

    It was fine when she was the one teasing, because it was a prank.

    But when a situation outside her expectations rose up and it no longer became a prank, she tended to break and turn quiet.

    He was at a loss. If Bom was calm about it, he wouldn¡¯t have felt anything but seeing her embarrassment also made him slightly embarrassed.

    ¡°Umm¡­ you know¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? Yeah.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very, umm¡­ bumpy.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Can I touch it?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Ah, is that weird¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it in a weird way¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When his emotions that had been dead for way too long were revived, it sat in his heart with a childish shape. It was the same when he was harassing buck-teeth at the underground fortress recently. It was an action based on a very childish desire for revenge.

    It was the same thing now. It had been a very long time since he had lost all interest in women. And yet when that was revived in the shape of a romantic feeling, it reminded Yu Jitae of what Kaeul had told him some time in the past.

    ¨C Ahjussi is a little kid¡­!

    Dumbfoundingly enough,

    She wasn¡¯t wrong.

    ¡°¡­Do you want to touch it?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Then, touch it.¡±

    While still driving on, he suggested.

    Bom stole a nce at his face before carefullyying her hand on his stomach. Yu Jitae decided to turn off the senses of his stomach for a bit since that should erase the problem.

    ¡­

    But he shouldn¡¯t have rxed himself too much. Despite turning his senses off, he could still feel Bom¡¯s hands touching from above the clothes.

    ¡°It¡¯s very¡­ umm¡­ hard.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah. It is a muscle.¡±

    ¡°Mine is, umm¡­ soft though¡­¡±

    ¡°Because you don¡¯t work out.¡±

    Despite saying stuff, he didn¡¯t know what half of his words meant himself.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When Bom¡¯s hand finally disappeared after some time, Yu Jitae finally felt relieved. With a relieved mind, he looked to the side.

    That was when he suddenly caught sight of Bom raising her t-shirt all the way up to her underwear, fumbling her stomach with her hands.

    It was as if time suddenly stopped.

    Her white stomach and her belly button.

    The thin lines of her waist.

    The faint rim of her abs and a portion of her white underwear.

    It all entered his sight in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Bom, who had been fumbling her stomach till then raised her head, and the two of them looked at each other.

    At a loss, Yu Jitae fixated his gaze on her face while Bom, who was at an even bigger loss than him, slowly lowered her clothes.

    She soon covered her stomach.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was an anxious look on her face.

    He quietly turned his head back towards the road.

    He had seen a lot of stomachs of women including the dragons. Because of her tendency to be in a hurry, Kaeul¡¯s clothes rolled up quite easily while Yeorum always wore training tops but Yu Jitae didn¡¯t feel anything looking at those.

    But it just happened to be Bom¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°Why would you look here when you¡¯re driving¡­¡± said Bom after a moment of embarrassment. Her cautious voice had a hint of moisture to it.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    A bad thought appeared in his mind.

    Fortunately, they were still inside the car.

 Chapter 261: Expressions of Love (2)

    <h4>Chapter 261: Expressions of Love (2)</h4>

    Bom tended to only tease Yu Jitae and Gyeoul.

    Bom wanted Yu Jitae to be a human and among the conditions of bing a human were being able to express emotions. To make Yu Jitae into a human that could express his romantic feelings, she was in the middle of teaching him such emotions through the ¡®act of teasing¡¯. Her own enjoyment was a byproduct.

    And although Gyeoul was a mature child in the standards of humans, she sometimes acted like a child especially when facing her food preferences. In times like that, Bom had to act the role of a mother, but she couldn¡¯t exactly scold her so she was teaching her in a mischievous way. After doing it for a long time, she started enjoying this as well.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Today¡¯s victim / criminal. Yu Gyeoul.

    Crime: Eating toothpaste.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul, who maintained the cleanliness of her body with a cleansing spell, had never brushed her teeth before because simply using a spell would cleanse her teeth.

    Therefore, she didn¡¯t think much of it even though there was a squeezable food of some sort inside the bathroom. She saw Bom brushing her teeth with it sometimes but as all dragons were, she had limited interest in what other dragon races were doing.

    It all changed when she received an ice cream that looked simr to it at her school. An extremely delicious ice cream that had to be squeezed¡­

    Aftering back home, Gyeoul carefully opened the lid of the toothpaste and squeezed it into her mouth. Surprisingly, it tasted good. It was sweet and tasted like fairy floss.

    She would be caught if she ate too much of it, so she decided to eat only a little bit.

    However, Bom was extremely quick at reading between the lines and Gyeoul was caught that very night.

    Gyeoul was scolded by her.

    She said that wasn¡¯t meant to be eaten.

    However, Gyeoul couldn¡¯t ept her words.

    Isn¡¯t it fine as long as it was tasty? It¡¯s not like she would get a stomachache from eating it so there appeared to be no reason why she wasn¡¯t supposed to eat it. Therefore, Gyeoul decided to be stubborn onest time.

    The next day, the colour of the toothpaste changed.

    Into something that had the same colour as Bom-unni¡¯s hair colour.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Since she couldn¡¯t get caught, she hurriedly squeezed it into her mouth and that was the problem.

    She was startled. Her nose started ringing as she continued sneezing non-stop. With tears flowing out of her eyes, she quickly escaped the bathroom in a fright.

    It was wasabi.

    On the way out, her eyes met with Bom¡¯s who was sitting on the living room sofa, and saw her floating a teasing smile. In the end, her ns worked out and Gyeoul never ate toothpaste ever since.

    But meanwhile Gyeoul, whose jar of gummies as well as toothpaste had been stolen away from her, realised that she couldn¡¯t continue suffering a loss like this.

    ¡°What. Me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°You want me to help with your revenge?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Since a sessful revenge against Bom by herself would never be possible, Gyeoul came looking for Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­You can¡¯tt?¡±

    ¡°Well. Not that I can¡¯t, but what are the ns for your revenge.¡±

    Gyeoul put her hands together in a cone shape and whispered into his ears.

    ¡®¡­Unni, is doing homework, right now.¡¯

    Homework? She probably meant assignments.

    ¡®So that¡¯s why you came to me now.¡¯

    Gyeoul nodded in response with a bright smile.

    ¡®¡­Please, distract her with me.¡¯

    As if they were plotting a secret conspiracy, Gyeoul appeared excited. Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t sure if it would work out or not but the child was enjoying it, so he gave a nod back.

    ¡®Alright.¡¯

    ***

    Bom was doing six assignments at once. Books alongside aptop were on the table, on herp or floating in mid-air.

    It was because she lost all the remaining interest she had in studies after ruining the writing contest. Now she was just procrastinating at thest second so that she wouldn¡¯t have to repeat the grade.

    In the middle of her diligent work on the assignments, she felt a gaze from her sides. Turning around, she saw Yu Jitae and Gyeoul looking at a gaming console. Thinking that it must have been her imagination, she was about to concentrate back on the assignments but felt gazes again after a while. She immediately flicked her head to the side and found Gyeoul staring at her for a split second.

    ¡°¡­Lu, lulu ?¡±

    Gyeoul suddenly started singing with an awkward voice. Bom stared at her for a long time before turning her gaze back to the assignments but soon started feeling the gazes again.

    Just like that, Gyeoul was nning on doing revenge with her gaze. By ring daggers at her and pretending otherwise whenever Bom looked her way.

    Therefore, what happened next immediately made her flinch.

    Bom raised her head. Thinking that she was about to look at her, Gyeoul turned nervous but Bom¡¯s gaze headed to theptop floating in mid-air making her feel relieved.

    But that was when Gyeoul¡¯s face suddenly appeared on theptop.

    The surprised look on Gyeoul¡¯s face as well as the dull look on Yu Jitae¡¯s face was being reflected on theptop.

    ¡°What are you doing? Both of you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you here to interfere with my assignments?¡±

    How did she find out? It was way too quick.

    In a fluster, Gyeoul turned towards Yu Jitae and asked with her eyes.

    What do we do now?

    Who knows.

    But Yu Jitae didn¡¯t have a decent n either.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste your own time. Just go. I¡¯m busy.¡±

    Seeing that Yu Jitae and Gyeoul were still persistent, Bom grinned murmuring, ¡®Cute¡­¡¯ before focusing her mind back on the assignments.

    There was no more turning back. Yu Jitae went and sat next to Bom on the sofa and Gyeoul, having realised his intention, upied the opposite side of the sofa.

    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s almost due and I¡¯m busy¡­¡±

    Bom softly mumbled that and concentrated on the assignments without even sparing them a nce. Their objective wasn¡¯t to stop her from doing assignments and was to distract her a little. After some contemtion, Gyeoul repeatedly opened and closed her fist next to Bom in an attempt to make her look at it but it failed.

    Gyeoul slowly brought her fist closer towards her. She opened and closed her fist right next to Bom¡¯s shoulder but Bom did not move a single inch. Thus, Gyeoul softly nudged her on the shoulder. She repeated that several times but soon realised that she was being ignored.

    ¡°Nnn, do that as much as you want~¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was instead Gyeoul herself who was being teased now.

    Gyeoul gestured with her eyes at Yu Jitae who was sitting on the opposite side of the sofa, with her eyes asking, why aren¡¯t you doing anything?

    In response, Yu Jitae faintly shook his head, meaning what would I even do. Gyeoul shook her head even faster, telling him to do something at the very least.

    Harassing other people¡­ Thinking about it, he remembered how Yeorum was harassing Kaeul.

    ¡­No, that won¡¯t do. That wasn¡¯t harassing and was closer to simply inflicting pain.

    He thought a bit more and remembered Bom¡¯s pranks ¨C how she harassed him from the side when he was driving the car. Carefully raising his hand, he touched her by the cheek.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom ignored him. Regardless, he continued tapping or caressing it and soon, her eyes widened into circles.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Gyeoul shot her eyes wide open. Wasit working? Copying him, Gyeoul carefully tapped Bom on her cheek when she suddenly mumbled with a sigh.

    ¡°Ah¡­ it was a group assessment¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t very effective¡­

    ¡°So annoying¡­¡±

    Gyeoul was the one that flinched in the end¡­

    That was when Yu Jitae remembered something else.

    There were two types of Bom.

    #1. Depending on the location.

    Bom when she¡¯s at home / Bom when she¡¯s outside.

    #2. Depending on her mood.

    Bom when she¡¯s pulling a prank / Bom when she¡¯s serious.

    When she¡¯s at home, Bom didn¡¯t show that much of a reaction no matter what prank Yu Jitae pulled on her. Even now was the same. Although he was touching her earlobes and slightly pulling her cheeks out, she ignored him.

    Unable to hold back her frustration, Gyeoul tickled her on the sides and on her neck but Bom was still fully focused on her assignments.

    If this was done to her outside the house, the result would have been different.

    But Bom when she¡¯s at home¡­ The so-called ¡®Home Bom¡¯ was like an impregnable fortress.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae suddenly noticed that her attitude was the same as himself. When he was living a daily life and living a non-daily life, he had to live as a different person due to the different objectives he had in mind. Was he overthinking it to think that Bom was the same as him in that regard?

    In any case, no matter how much they poked her on her cheeks and her sides, Bom looked as if no-one was even touching her so Gyeoul turned towards him with a crestfallen expression.

    Did we fail? She seemed to be asking.

    After some thought, Yu Jitae pointed somewhere. Gyeoul turned around and found her pencil case.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Wouldn¡¯t this work for sure? With a bright look on her face, Gyeoul brought the pencil case and took out a brush and a permanent marker.

    Gyeoul grabbed the marker while Yu Jitae took the brush.

    Gyeoul gave an extremely innocent smile as she started drawing a picture on Bom¡¯s cheek. She drew two dots and a line underneath. :> And thus a smiley face was born.

    Next, she decided to draw an animal.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae also started using the brush to carefully scrape at Bom¡¯s ears, nose and her neck, like an archaeologist excavating the bones of a dinosaur. Although there was a funny tattoo on her face and her neck and a long tickling session¡­

    ¡°Aigo. What¡¯s gotten into you guys¡­¡±

    That was the only reaction Bom showed.

    Yu Jitae stared deeply at her face. Then, he brought the tip of the brush, cing it near her nose. He slightly poked it into her nostrils but she remained still regardless.

    Taking it outside, he poked her lips with it, like a child touching a mysterious bug with a piece of stick.

    It was then. Her tongue poked out, looking like the tongue of a cat. She rotated it in a circle and slowly licked the tip of the brush, all the while focusing on her assignments as if nothing was happening.

    Yu Jitae was the one that was feeling troubled now. There was still an expressionless look on his face, but he slowly pulled the brush out.

    It all failed but there was still one thing he hadn¡¯t done. Yesterday when they were inside the car, Bom put her lips next to his ears and made weird noises at the end.

    But he just couldn¡¯t make himself do the same thing.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    So in the end, it was a fail.

    The two of them weren¡¯t able to distract the ¡®Home Bom¡¯.

    ¡°Please go somewhere else if you¡¯re done. You too.¡±

    Swish swish. Bom only said that to the two of them a long time after the two of them were done with their pranks. It was an astounding level of concentration.

    Gyeoul was disheartened.

    She remembered how painful it was after eating the wasabi, but Bom-unni didn¡¯t care even though a picture was being drawn on her¡­

    But she had been quite zealously indulged in her drawing. There was the likes of a crooked rabbit with sparkling eyes on Bom¡¯s cheek and her neck.

    Since she looked visibly disappointed, Yu Jitae decided to console the child.

    ¡°By the way, your drawing is really nice. It¡¯s cute.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn? Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Very pretty.¡±

    That was when Bom¡¯s hand paused for a split second. It had stopped from time to time even when she was focused on her assignments so Yu Jitae didn¡¯t think much of it.

    ¡°¡­I, tried my best.¡±

    ¡°Seems like it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Which parts, are pretty?¡±

    What?

    Her words made him speechless.

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Nothing?¡±

    Gyeoul was about to be depressed again.

    He couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. The crooked drawing was only pretty because Gyeoul was the one that drew it.

    Deeply he contemted. And looking at Bom¡¯s cheeks, he thought a bit more. He suddenly realised that the sparkling eyes of the rabbit were probably what Gyeoul had spent the most time on.

    ¡°The eyes are pretty.¡±

    Bom¡¯s hand stopped once again.

    ¡°¡­Andd?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, the nt of the eyes is cute.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. Ah, there¡¯s also hair on the head.¡±

    She seemed to be in a good mood after hearingpliments.

    The child was happy, so he started adding unmatchingpliments to the crooked drawing of the child.

    There were three strands of hair resembling a weed.

    ¡°Right. I would love to caress it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn nn. The entire body, is covered in fur.¡±

    ¡°Must be warm to hug.¡±

    ¡°¡­What if, hungry?¡±

    ¡°You mean the rabbit? Or me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Uumm, both.¡±

    ¡°Give it a carrot. Or eat it.¡±

    Gyeoul chuckled out loud while Bom¡¯s fingers twitched.

    ¡°¡­Is it delicious?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Rabbit meat. Is it delicious?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But she didn¡¯t take it as a joke. It was times like this that reminded him that Gyeoul was also a dragon.

    ¡°Who knows. But you worked hard on drawing it so don¡¯t think about eating it. You need to treasure it.¡±

    ¡°¡­But, it will be gone anyway.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. Even though it¡¯s so cute.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    Gyeoul nodded her head in sorrow, before asking again for the confirmation.

    ¡°¡­Is it, really cute?¡±

    ¡°Very cute.¡±

    ¡°¡­Would you treasure it?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    That was when she threw a slightly philosophical question.

    ¡°¡­If it¡¯s gone, it¡¯ll be forgotten right¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae contemted, before giving a response.

    ¡°It will remain in your memories though.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    ¡°You especially won¡¯t be able to even forget it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. Then ahjussi, will you remember it as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course I can¡¯t forget it. It¡¯s so pretty.¡±

    It was then.

    Suddenly, Bom hurriedly took her books and theptop and stealthily stood up from her seat. ¡°¡­Aht,¡± eximed Gyeoul as she btedly tried to catch her but Bom quickened her steps with an anxious look on her face. At a speed close to running away, she escaped.

    Kung. The door closed behind her.

    Standing in front of Bom¡¯s room, Gyeoul turned towards him.

    There was a question mark floating above her head.

    ***

    There was a point Yu Jitae and Gyeoul hadn¡¯t even considered.

    It was that they just happened to be constantly looking at Bom¡¯s cheek during their conversation.

    Until one point in time, Bom waspletely focused on her assignments that she couldn¡¯t hear a single thing. It was as if the whole world was put on mute.

    But her ears suddenly started picking up sound.

    Since when was it?

    ¨C Very pretty.

    It was after he called her cheeks pretty.

    Something extremely strange started happening after that. It was that Bom¡¯s ears had started picking up only the sound of Yu Jitae¡¯s voice.

    ¨C The eyes are pretty.

    ¨C Hmm, the nt of the eyes is cute.

    ¨C Right. I would love to caress it.

    A crack appeared in her expression. Assignment and concentration or whatever, she just couldn¡¯t continue any longer, so Bom red at the two viins that were disturbing her.

    ¨C Must be warm to hug.

    ¨C Of course.

    But Yu Jitae, who was paying all his attention into pleasing Gyeoul, seemed unable to notice it. And that was when her malfunctioning ears picked up the final words

    ¨C Of course I can¡¯t forget it. It¡¯s so pretty.

    Lying face-down on the bed, she buried her face into the pillow.

    I must be crazy¡­

    She knew he wasn¡¯t talking about her. She knew he was talking about the rabbit drawn on her cheeks and yet hearing such words made her heart race and jumbled up her brain.

    Bom heaved out a deep sigh.

    She needed to keep herself in check.

    At this point, it was an illness and a severe one at that.

    *

    [1418. But I still loved it¡­]

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ??]

    *

    After that, Yu Jitae bought a squeezable ice cream for Gyeoul.

    She had fun with Yu Jitae, gotplimented for her drawing, and was able to have ice cream¡­ All those elements seemed to have bettered her mood by severalfold.

    For him, it was a great turn of events. He had been lost for words when he was suddenly made topliment the rabbit but¡­

    All the things he had thought of when looking at Bom came in handy.

 Chapter 262: E#1 BM: Pledge

    <h4>Chapter 262: E#1 BM: Pledge</h4>

    ¡°Good work.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    He said with a wry smile.

    Yu Jitae looked at his half-broken sunsses, and at his torn-apart military uniform with blood stains and dirt all over it.

    ¡°Are these tattered rags you¡¯re wearing likest time a form ofint?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not intentional. Just didn¡¯t have the time to,¡± replied BM.

    ¡°Wear some proper clothes for today. And heal your wounds too.¡±

    ¡°Why, do we need to meet some esteemed being to get the ¡®seed that allows the dead to breathe¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Do you have clothes?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. I do have some casual clothes but¡­ he must be a considerably great person or something.¡±

    With his chin, Yu Jitae gestured at the road connecting into the distance.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a chat on the way there.¡±

    ***

    Yu Jitae climbed the mountain with BM.

    It was his first time taking a whole day out for something that waspletely unrted to the [Hostility] or the dragons in the 7th iteration.

    Just for this day, he postponed the training with Yeorum, and assigned Bom with assisting Gyeoul¡¯s homework. Because of that, Bom would probably be quite busy today due to teaching Kaeul magic, helping with Gyeoul¡¯s homework while studying for her own exams.

    She asked if she coulde with him but he refused.

    Was it because this was something he was doing for BM?

    No.

    It¡¯s because this was something he was doing for himself.

    ¡°How¡¯s your body.¡±

    The mountains were steep. They were climbing a mountain so tall that the tip was covered by perpetual snow, which they were starting to see in the distance.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°But still, you did gather all the ingredients.¡±

    Yu Jitae was carrying on his back the coffin-shaped Level 2 artifact that BM gave him, that had a preservation spell cast on it. Inside were miniscule amount of ingredients that would be used to connect the heart to the body.

    For example, although the originally required ATTN essence to create a human was 425mL, they only needed about 0.2mL now. Despite the small amounts, they still needed each of every ingredient so BM had to go out of his way to find them again.

    ¡°Would I pull a trick? I¡¯m trying to save my son here.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Kuhum¡­ but the mana density around this ce is really high.¡±

    Changing the topic, BM looked around. By the time he realised it, mysteriously dense clusters of mana were flooding in from the sides.

    ¡°Have you cleaned the inner room?¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°I got rid of everything. Baby stuff and pictures. Please apologise in my stead to Yeorum. I also got rid of everything she gave as a present.¡±

    ¡°Good. Because those books were second-hand anyway.¡±

    Dumbfoundedly BM smiled.

    ¡°She gave a second-hand item as a gift to a kid?¡±

    ¡°The plushie you threw away was also second-hand. That was Kaeul¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Kaeul, is that blondie right? The one those agents were revering as a goddess or something?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s Yeorum¡¯s sister.¡±

    ¡°¡­No wonder it was filthy. Huh, at this point it¡¯s as if the gummies Yeorum brought for Taebaek were also second-hand.¡±

    Yu Jitae remained silent as BM brought his palm over his face.

    ¡°My word.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just like that.¡±

    ¡°You must have it rough¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a faint smile.

    After that, the two of them quietly walked on. The sun at the centre of the sky warmly embraced the cold autumn breezes. The refreshing air that could only be felt at the upper mountains made BM more excited today.

    BM was slender and was taller than Yu Jitae, but his long legs were probably not the only reason why he was covering more distance at a faster rate. Thinking along the lines of that, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s what you¡¯ve been wishing for for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes it is.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t people usually call that a dream.¡±

    ¡°Right. A dream.¡±

    ¡°How does it feel to achieve your dream.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking the weirdest of questions.¡±

    BM said with augh.

    ¡°After getting rid of everything, I bought new baby stuff and reced it.¡±

    ¡°How fast.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I wanted to do that the very night after cleaning it but I couldn¡¯t. Even though I removed everything, it still felt as if the child was with me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how that small guy roamed all across my workshop. His hair was all over the ground and it just happened to be red. I could see it everywhere. Actually it seems he even went into the storage I told him not to. His hair was in there as well.¡±

    ¡°Was it painful?¡±

    ¡°Painful, huh?¡­ Sometimes you ask things that girls would.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°I mean that¡¯s what the focus of your questions are sometimes. They sound like questions young girls would ask.¡±

    With a hazy face as if he had just murdered a person or two, Yu Jitae pondered and realised that BM might be right. After all, who were the people he had shared the most conversation with till now?

    ¡°Ah well. Kind of embarrassing to say this, but it honestly was quite painful. I hoped it would be fine if I got rid of the items andter even cleaned the whole ce. But then I found pictures we took together on my watch. I deleted them but then, far out, they were still there inside the stupid cloud system.¡±

    BM chuckled.

    ¡°That stupid cloud. It freaking recognised the face and erged it, and the kid was smiling. Like, why are you smiling¡­¡±

    Seemingly in deep thought, BM hesitantly opened his mouth.

    ¡°That child, he was doing all that to survive right. Pretending to be a human, pretending to be the son of my friend so that it could devour my heart.¡±

    ¡°If you think about it that way, yes.¡±

    ¡°Right. It was just a child desperately trying to survive. He was smart in his own way to survive in this cruel world but who was the one that made him like that? It was me.¡±

    BM heaved out a deep sigh.

    ¡°So after removing the child¡¯s items, I cried a lot.¡±

    His feet started to slow down.

    ¡°I cried a lot like a baby. Sobbing out loud and I just couldn¡¯t hold myself in. But if I was sad for too long, I thought it would be rude to the new Taebaek I would be seeing. So, I pledged to myself that I would only cry for one day ¨C just cry for today and forget it all from tomorrow.

    ¡°But you see, after crying my heart out that day, I came to myself at night and went to the bathroom to wash my face.¡±

    His breath started to quiver, seemingly remembering the exact situation of the past.

    ¡°And, do you know what I found there?¡±

    After he thought he had removed everything and had emptied everything,

    The moment he pledged to himself to focus on the new child he would be seeing.

    It appeared right in front of him.

    ¡°There was a toothbrush. Two of them¡­¡±

    That day, BM couldn¡¯t follow through with his vow.

    ¡°There were fucking two toothbrushes there¡­¡±

    And he still couldn¡¯t.

    *

    After that, BM stayed quiet for a long time with only the rustling sound of the grass reaching their ears. The perpetual snow that appeared far-off was already right in front of them and they soon had to step through the snow to climb the mountain.

    ¡°I kept the toothbrush.¡±

    It was BM who broke the silence.

    ¡°Thought you were throwing everything away.¡±

    ¡°Right. You¡¯re right, but I changed my mind after looking at the toothbrush. What happened then shouldn¡¯t be buried and it¡¯s not like it would disappear even if I did bury it. In the first ce, I wasn¡¯t supposed to empty that child away.¡±

    ¡°So what did you do.¡±

    ¡°I kept the toothbrush somewhere else as a tombstone. From time to time I¡¯ll go there and after I meet Taebaek again, and when the child grows up a bit, I will have to talk about that to him as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°After changing my mind, I was finally able to mentally prepare myself to wee the new child.¡±

    BM couldn¡¯t empty out the remains of the dead child. But instead, because he decided to take everything in without emptying it away, he was atst able to empty his mind that had been intertwined with the past.

    ¡°Good on you.¡±

    ¡°By the way, how far do we have to go? We¡¯ve been walking for a few hours now¡­ and where even is that great being? I¡¯m not really feeling anything.¡±

    Looking at the pinnacle of the snowy mountain, BM opened his mouth. He had to frown for a bit due to the sharp storm.

    ¡°Have you prepared yourself?¡±

    ¨C And to get that, there is the need to go to a slightly dangerous ce.

    ¨C Dangerous, is it? Even for you?

    ¨C No. Just you.

    BM remembered the words Yu Jitae had told him in the past.

    In order to revive Taebaek, he had to stand toe-to-toe against the dangerous being waiting before him. It was a ce Yu Jitae himself had personally called ¡®dangerous¡¯.

    Sincerely, BM said with a nod.

    ¡°I have no ns of relying on you for this.¡±

    ¡°Still stubborn I see.¡±

    ¡°Right. Sure I am. Whether it rips my arm out, or rips my legs out, I will take care of everything myself so just watch on from the side thanks.¡±

    BM started raising his mana.

    ¡°You might die.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s warning ¨C the words of the absolute transcendent weighed BM¡¯s heart down even more. However, he shook his head.

    ¡°If I had ever done something right, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±

    In his mind, BM had never done anything right.

    Like how in the distant past, when Arandot was covered in mes; like how on top of losing all his lifelong friends andrades, he had even lost Taebaek near the end of the long war.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have taken my eyes off of the child just because there were a lot on my hands.¡±

    In his despair after 20 years of futile research; like how he brought trash items despite the advice Yu Jitae gave him.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have tried topromise just because I was tired.¡±

    When he impulsively drove the heart in without even confirming its nature; and when he ignored it even after realising that it was wrong. Thus when he had to rip that beating heart out and hold it again with his own hands ¨C those were all his mistakes.

    ¡°And I shouldn¡¯t have dismissed something wrong just due to affection.¡±

    Atst, the final opportunity hade.

    That was how BM approached this matter.

    ¡°Now I want to do something right for once, so please watch over me from the side.¡±

    All the history he had built up in his body ¨C the times he spent contemting over things day and night, dreaming of the change in Arandot¡¯s history ¨C all of them, he was willing to give up for this one moment.

    If needed, he was willing to give his whole body even.

    It was then.

    Yu Jitae said with a faint smile.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    BM twitched his eyes.

    What did he mean sorry?

    Soon, a ck fissure appeared with a crack behind Yu Jitae as white hands carried something out from within.

    It was the dead body of Jung Taebaek.

    ¡°That was a grandiose pledge but I¡¯ve actually done it all already.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    What was this about?

    What about the being they were to meet now? The dangerous ce?

    Even though BM was still confused beyond what his mind could handle, Yu Jitae flicked his fingers.

    Click¨C

    On top of a small hill among the snowy mountains surrounding them, snow suddenly exploded out like firecrackers and started fluttering into the air. When the snow covering the ground scattered on all sides and enshrouded the surroundings and the sky,

    And when they started flickering under thete night sunlight,

    Just like a dream,

    Or perhaps a magic spell of a movie,

    It filled BM¡¯s perception of the world with fragments of light. Only then did the old returnee realise that the hill he was stepping on was arge living life of its own.

    Was this the ¡®seed that allows the dead to breathe¡¯?

    ¡°You ready to meet Taebaek?¡±

    BM felt goosebumps rising up his skin.

    Was everything ready already?

    ¡°Wait, wait!¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°What is this on about? Meet him already? I haven¡¯t mentally prepared myself yet.¡±

    ¡°What preparation. You¡¯ve done that for 20 years already.¡±

    ¡°But still wait¡ª I¡¯m telling you to wait¨C!¡±

    BM touched his sunsses. Unable to stand still, he walked all around the seed with anxious hands and an even more anxious pair of legs. He looked down at the seed, before ncing through the snow that had risen to the air and the fragments of light.

    When the encounter was suddenly right in front of him at an unexpected timing, this superhuman in his 60s was as scared as a young child.

    ¡°Look at me please.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°H, how do I look.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you how these insignificant casual clothes look! I didn¡¯t even do my hair. If I knew this would be the case, I would do the hair and yeah? Wear some better clothes too.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So how do I look. Wouldn¡¯t a child seeing me for the first time be frightened?¡±

    He asked Yu Jitae, who replied after some thought.

    ¡°How about you get rid of those sunsses first.¡±

    ¡°Huhh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your first meeting so you should show your eyes at least.¡±

    ¡°N, no but. But the thing is¡­!¡±

    BM took off his sunsses and put them into his pocket. There, Yu Jitae could see the bare eyes of BM which he was seeing for the first time including all the previous iterations.

    The bird monster of the other world, Arandot.

    The eyes of Abraxas were making his eyes shine in bright blue.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they a little strange? Wouldn¡¯t the child be scared.¡±

    Yu Jitae thought back on Gyeoul and shook his head.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the first thing he sees, he will get used to it very soon.¡±

    ¡°I, is that so?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re all done with the preparation right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, r, right! Yes¡­¡±

    Would a young child meeting their first love be like this?

    Or perhaps would it resemble the heart of an old man who miraculously reunited with his family after a long separation in a divided country?

    When his lifelong aspiration was right before him, the old man felt extremely burdened.

    Prepare myself, prepare myself, prepare myself¡­ Murmured BM, while trying toe back to his senses.

    ¡°Get on your knees, and move your mana. Think about letting him live again, so that your will may be conveyed to the seed.¡±

    The life he had lost back then,

    The world so distant that it was now faint,

    The child of his two friends, more precious than anyone else in existence ¨C

    Now that he was about to meet him again, BM kneeled with a trembling body. His quivering hands didn¡¯t know where to go, so he grasped them together as if in a prayer.

    [Ignite]

    The ¡®seed that allows the dead to breathe¡¯ ¨C that special artifact started dissolving its own seal on its own ord. When the intense mana of the returnee carried his powerful will into the ground beneath his feet,

    Soon the body of child being carried by the white hands floated in mid-air.

    The empty heart borrowed the power of the seed and started being filled.

    The child was enveloped in light.

    His heart beat once.

    The blood that had stagnated in one ce started to flow again.

    His heart beat again.

    Life was given to the dead tissues.

    His heart beat thrice.

    The organs, muscles, brain, veins and everything forming a human body started being supplied with both blood and air.

    Atst, a small life twitched its fingers.

    His eyes opened faintly, revealing red irises within.

    Yu Jitae walked away so that he wouldn¡¯t interrupt them and watched the child and BM.

    How would one feel after achieving their dream? In order to get a glimpse of it beforehand, he was standing here alone.

    BM carefully carried the boy that was lying down. His chin turned rigid.

    All the times and hard work he went through to meet this small existence again shed past his memories.

    ¨C Do you know? How it feels to be the only one running away when all my friends are dying next to me?¡±

    ¨C But, hundreds of times a day ¨C I just couldn¡¯t forgive myself.

    From the time he lost his precious ones.

    ¨C The baby, he died. It wasn¡¯t due to something grandiose either. Some random monster shot its sting while it was on the way and it hit the baby. He died because of my stupidity.

    To when his own fault made the child die.

    ¨C I waszy. I coulde up with excuses, saying that I¡¯ve repeated countless failures upon failures.

    ¨C But I shouldn¡¯t have done that.

    ¨C Other people might, and maybe for other things, but I, shouldn¡¯t have done that for that one thing¡­

    And the countless times he had failed throughout his long life.

    ¨C My neck suddenly hurts¡­ It hurts

    ¨C Daddy¡­ it hurts¡­ it hurts¡­ my neck¡­

    ¨C Don¡¯t kill meeee¡ª-!

    The child born from his own faults who had to take the me and die.

    It all shed past his mind.

    As if being rewarded by all those times,

    Or perhaps being punished for all those times.

    Now, everything that he had gone through resulted in those red eyes looking up at his face.

    Suppressing the tears that threatened to burst through his lips, the man looked at his son and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Hello¡­¡±

    The child was still weak. Only his lips faintly moved and BM was crazy curious about what the child was trying to say.

    The child didn¡¯t look away from him. His red eyes took in the entirety of BM. BM¡¯s blue eyes and his face exhausted by everything life threw at him were all being stored within those young and innocent eyes.

    A certain young existence, was starting to bloom to life again.

    ¡°I¡¯m Jung Bongman¡­¡±

    BM made yet another pledge.

    I will for sure make you happy,

    I will help you defeat this cruel world,

    And I shall create a shelter your exhausted body cane back to.

    My whole life will be solely for you.

    ¡°I¡¯m your father¡­¡±

    From the beginning of your life, I will be with you for the rest of my days.

 Chapter 263: Reason behind the Smile (1)

    <h4>Chapter 263: Reason behind the Smile (1)</h4>

    Season said.

    ¡°Antonio Jefferson. Head to the newly discovered Quasar base immediately and take care of the matter yourself. As fast as you can.¡±

    ¡°Yes Chief.¡±

    ¡°Kang Ahjin, you support Christoph alongside Zhuge Haiyan. Constantly ask him what his instincts tell him and follow his senses. I will take responsibility for everything. Just help Christoph with everything he does until I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    ¡®One. You go to South Sudan and assassinate Rank 399 Barun.¡¯

    ¨C By Barun, do you mean the Wizard of the Desert, Barun sir?

    ¡®He¡¯s someone who held the Association back in all the iterations, calling for anti-humanism. Don¡¯t leave anything behind and get rid of him.¡¯

    ¨C Your will.

    After giving out themands, he also started to move himself. It was busy all around with no time to even sit down. He was more cautious than usual while preparing for the uing ¡®Night¡¯.

    It was because he wasn¡¯t hearing anything from Vintage Clock although it was about time for the Third Night toe.

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t the one that should be worried. Vintage Clock was the main subject of these incidents and it was Vintage Clock that should be worried instead, and it was also Vintage Clock who should be the first one to reach out to him.

    However the clock was silent and it didn¡¯t even reply to his calls. Perhaps it might even be in a situation where it couldn¡¯t talk, as a side effect of having looked into the Definite Providence.

    Like how the First Night and the Second Night weren¡¯t very threatening, it was highly likely for the third to be the same, but Yu Jitae remained cautious and that was why he was even busier.

    ¨C What a surprise!

    Even amidst the frantically busy days, he turned on the hologram TV of themand room right on time. On the TV, on Channel Lair, the superhuman live news of today was being disyed.

    ¨C They sessfully managed to raid a shocking A ranked fissure.

    Said the MC, standing in front of the foreign mountainous region. A ck and long vertically-split fissure was in the middle of the forest with reporters lining up before it.

    ¨C It¡¯s making everyone here excited as well.

    Currently, there were 3 teams among the newborn superhuman groups that were gaining the most attention. Those were Team Mochi, Team Lair and Team White.

    From them, Team White was the only team that had seeded in an A ranked fissure raid so far. It was natural considering how it was a team with a current high ranker inside.

    ¨C That one and only record was finally broken today!

    ¨C It makes us astoundingly proud. After all, they are the first among this year¡¯s cadets to do so.

    ¨C Ah, they seem to be making their way out now. Please stay tuned!

    As light seeped out of the fissure, reporters walked towards it as several superhumans slowly walked out of the fissure.

    A red-haired girl with bluish-ck blood covering her body was at the lead. Her eyes were hollow from exhaustion and it was unclear what she had been doing inside but her reddened hands were ripped apart with red blood flowing down.

    She was Yeorum.

    Yeorum and Kaeul.

    It had been two months since the two of them left their house and Yu Jitae was watching over them trying their best from a distance. Originally, he wasn¡¯t nning to let the kids outside but he now had some faith in them.

    The camera filmed Yeorum walking out in tatters. Three others walked out of the fissure behind her, looking almost the same as her.

    Their eyes fatigued yet sharp with killing intent proved that the young cadets had turned into soldiers in merely two months.

    A few of the reporters ran up and asked questions.

    ¨C It is a wondrous aplishment. A word if you could please!

    ¨C What was the reason for hunting the A ranked Boss solo!?

    ¨C You have been repeating raids recently without taking any rest. Is your health alright?!

    While the other three were cursorily replying to the questions, the seemingly exhausted Yeorum ignored the cameras. But suddenly, she turned towards a camera that was filming her. It was the one with the [Lair PR Team] mark attached.

    With a bright expression and a faint smile, Yeorum grabbed the camera with her hands. ¡°Aht, a word please if you don¡¯t mind!¡± In response to the words of the reporter, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¨C You watching yeah?

    ¨C I¡¯m doing fine.

    ¨C When I go back¡­

    She put her index and her middle finger on her lips and made an audible ¡®chu¡¯ sound.

    ¨C Oki?

    Her smile onlysted a few seconds. Once again with a fatigued look on her face, Yeorum entered the Lair Agency van.

    ¨C Woah. Did Superhuman Yu Yeorum just give a kiss?

    ¨C Who was she talking to I wonder? Does she have a boyfriend?

    ¨C Who knows¡­ maybe it¡¯s her sister, Miss Kaeul?

    ¨C It might have been to her peers in Lair.

    Yu Jitae gave a nod.

    She was doing fine.

    When shees back, he could go through a smoke or two together which was not that big of a deal.

    Meanwhile, he couldn¡¯t see Kaeul from any of the videos.

    Unlike Yeorum who actively showed herself in various forms of media, Kaeul¡¯s team was avoiding any official contact with broadcastingpanies. It was because Tyr Brzenk wasn¡¯t to be shown in the media.

    Therefore, Kaeul sent him messages every Monday.

    Today was one of those days.

    [Kaeuli?: Ahjoosshii T.T]

    [Kaeuli?: I miss youuu TT.TT TT.T]

    It was a message from two hours ago. He saw itte but replied as soon as possible.

    [Me: Are you doing well.]

    [Me: I miss you too]

    [Kaeuli?: Ohh!!!!]

    She immediately replied.

    [Kaeuli?: TT.T]

    [Kaeuli?: Ahjoosshii TT.TT]

    [Kaeuli?: Aree you doingg finneee?????]

    [Me: Yeah whatbout you]

    [Kaeuli?: Perfectly fine!]

    A photo was sent and in it, Kaeul was wearing a bright smile. And sitting on top of her head was the baby chicken. Since she would be living at a dorm with Ling Ling for the next few months, she had taken Chirpy out with her.

    [Kaeuli?: Ling Ling took it for me!!]

    [Me: Very cute]

    [Kaeuli?: I knoww hehe. I¡¯m, you know, hehehe]

    Every Monday, Yu Jitae looked forward to the photo of the two. The indescribable feeling he had when talking to Kaeul by the phone was something he did not hate.

    [Kaeuli?: Are Bom-unni and Gyeoul also fine??]

    [Kaeuli?: What about Cleaner ahjussi? TT]

    [Kaeuli?: I miss home so muchhh TT.TT]

    [Me: You tired?]

    [Me: Want me to go there?]

    [Kaeuli?: Noo!?!?]

    [Kaeuli?: I¡¯ll try my best and I¡¯ll go back only when I really can¡¯t handle it¡­ T.T]

    [Kaeuli?: Ah right! Gimme your photo!!]

    [Kaeuli?: Photophoto]

    [Kaeuli?: Photophotophoto TT.TT]

    Yu Jitae also took a random picture of himself and sent it to her, as he had been doing every week.

    [Kaeuli?: Ehng?]

    [Kaeuli?: Who are youu T.T]

    [Me: It¡¯s me]

    [Kaeuli?: Noo T.T Our ahjussi isn¡¯t this ugly Q.Q]

    [Me: io]

    [Kaeuli?: Lolololol]

    [Kaeuli?: In such a rush hahahah]

    [Kaeuli?: Hihi kekekekek]

    [Kaeuli?: You know it¡¯s a joke rightt????]

    [Kaeuli?: Luv you?]

    He received another picture, and this time Kaeul was making a heart shape with her fingers.

    Yu Jitae deeply observed those fingers.

    Her usually white and small hands were turned red with protruding veins on it. It was usually the result of over-abusing mana and it seemed that she had been fighting against monsters just then.

    [Me: Tell me when you¡¯re tired]

    [Kaeuli?: Okay~~~~]

    [Kaeuli?: Please show it to unni, Gyeoul and Cleaner ahjussi for me as well ?]

    [Me: Good luck. I¡¯ll cheer you on.]

    [Kaeuli?: Uuunnnn~~~]

    Yu Jitae sent the photo to Bom and Gyeoul, before leaving the Association.

    ¡°Chief. Where are you headed to?¡±

    He had no time to rest.

    Today, he had to attend Gyeoul¡¯s Parent Attendance ss.

    ***

    All the boys nervously nced at someone. They gasped, ¡®Woah¡­¡¯ ¡®Wow¡­¡¯

    They were looking at Gyeoul. Since it was the gaze she had always felt inside the elementary school, it was nothing new to her so Gyeoul did not react in the slightest.

    Early in the year, all the kids found Gyeoul difficult to approach because she always had an indifferent look on her face, was apathetic and mysteriously mature. Her status as a dragon was added on top of that.

    It was to the point that the teachers were worried about her not making any friends.

    However, as she started learning the sweetness of money, Gyeoul started having more interactions with her peers.

    ¡°I lost my OMR pen. How much is it Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°¡­1 dor.¡±

    ¡°A dor? Why is it so expensive?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 50 cents outside though.¡±

    ¡°¡­Go, outside then?¡±

    She would be scolded by teachers if she were to sit in one ce and carry out a business. Therefore, Gyeoul changed her business model and began preparing more than what she needed for the supplies that were required for the day.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. Desperation became money.

    ¡°Ah, I forgot today¡¯s coloured papers. Gyeoul, do you sell coloured papers as well?¡±

    ¡°¡­3 dors.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Why is it so expensive?¡±

    ¡°¡­For 2 bundles.¡±

    ¡°We only need 1 bundle right? So why¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I got it. I will look for someone else to buy it with¡­¡±

    What a corrupt peddler¡­!

    Some of the kids didn¡¯t like Gyeoul because she liked money so much.

    ¡°Oi! Aren¡¯t you overpricing them too much?¡±

    ¡°¡­Am I?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re like a scammer!¡±

    ¡°¡­I am.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    But Gyeoul wasn¡¯t the type that tried to please her haters, and didn¡¯t care no matter what people said. It was therefore kids that were protesting to her that got irritated instead.

    Besides, she also had a lot of friends nearby that stood for her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t buy if you don¡¯t have money. Why are you harassing our Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°I know right! Like, did Gyeoul force you to buy anything?¡±

    They were the kids who had barely escaped troubling situations thanks to Gyeoul. For friends that stood up for her, Gyeoul gave them a 10 cent discount whenever she sold them something else down the track. And vo, those kids said thanks and even promoted it to their friends!

    Gyeoul was slowly starting to learn marketing and VIP management systems.

    And besides, the closer they got to her, the more they liked her honesty. They were attracted by her short yet cool and straightforward words.

    Ever since the start of the semester, more and more kids started approaching Gyeoul and recently, there were 3 girls that always went around with Gyeoul like best friends.

    Even today, the kids were sitting in a circle during their breaks chatting to themselves. They were in the 4th grade ¨C and thus today¡¯s topic was about boys they liked.

    It was a topic that Gyeoul wasn¡¯t really interested in because it wouldn¡¯t her any money.

    This person wore these clothes and he was cool¡­

    I bumped into a sunbae and he was really tall¡­

    Kids our age are too immature so I hate them and I like these celebrities¡­

    Throughout the conversation, Gyeoul repeated nodding her head with a bored look on her face.

    ¡°What about you Gyeoul?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Do you have anyone you like?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    ¡°Someone you find cool?¡±

    There was no-one in particr so Gyeoul quietly fidgeted with her hair.

    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t Aron-sunbae really handsome?¡±

    ¡°¡­Who is that?¡±

    ¡°You know, the kid model sunbae.¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head after looking at the hologram picture.

    ¡°¡­Not really.¡±

    It was a reaction they were all used to.

    One of her friends wearing sses pondered. Gyeoul always had a half-depressed look on her face but she would sometimes give a bright expression although it was very rare.

    When did she tend to do that again? Thinking that, she remembered something.

    ¡°Kanna. Of course Gyeoul would find that ugly.¡±

    ¡°Aron-sunbae? Aren¡¯t your standards too highh?¡±

    ¡°No, think about it. Gyeoul¡¯s face is like this, so what would her family members look like?¡±

    Aht, they gasped in realisation.

    That was true.

    Gyeoul wasmonly referred to as the goddess of Lair Public Elementary School¡­

    One of the other friends suddenly remembered something in shock.

    ¡°Right, right¡­! You know when Gyeoul¡¯s sister? camest time? I saw her.¡±

    ¡°Ehngg? Really?¡±

    ¡°Yea yeah. I was super surprised back then.¡±

    ¡°Why? Is she pretty?¡±

    ¡°Nn nn. It¡¯s crazy. She¡¯s prettier than celebrities¡­¡±

    Their eyes gathered towards her as Gyeoul floated an awkward smile.

    The kids thought about other things ¨C it was not just the younger sister that was pretty and even the older sister was pretty. So how handsome would her father or brothers be?

    A man that looked simr to Gyeoul¡­ if Gyeoul had been looking at a face like that everyday since her birth, it made total sense for Aron-sunbae the kid model to appearme in her eyes¡­

    With flickering eyes, the kids surrounded her. They then asked with a very careful voice.

    ¡°Gyeoul, do you have a brother?¡±

    ¡°¡­No?¡±

    ¡°What about a dad?¡±

    No matter how much she was exposed to situations like this, Gyeoul just couldn¡¯t get used to the reply so had to ponder a little. He wasn¡¯t her dad, but publicly he was her dad. They didn¡¯t share a single drop of blood so he wasn¡¯t her dad but he treated her well just like a dad¡­

    After some thought, Gyeoul gave a nod and soon, the kids created a fuss.

    ¡°Hul. Why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier!?¡±

    ¡°How is your dad? How old is he?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure but wouldn¡¯t he be about 400 years old? Gyeoul thought, before describing his outward appearance.

    ¡°¡­Around early 30s?¡±

    Kyaa¨C they screamed.

    ¡°What? Why is he so young? He must have gotten married really early.¡±

    ¡°What about height? How tall is he?¡±

    This was something Gyeoul had also asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°¡­189?¡±

    ¡°Woah, he¡¯s tall as well¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­ So he¡¯s young, tall and his face¡­¡±

    In early 30s, and a height of 189 centimetres. Added on top of that was his face that would have contributed to Gyeoul¡¯s appearance.

    The kids imagined Gyeoul¡¯s father in their minds. Blue hair, tall height and the face of a young god!

    Seemingly thinking about her father, Gyeoul had a remarkably brighter look on her face.

    We must be right. Yeah. It¡¯s insane¡­

    One of the children was unable to hold back her curiosity and asked her.

    ¡°Gyeoul!¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Can you please talk about your dad with us?¡±

    Other kids also created a fuss.

    ¡°Yes yes. Me too me too! I¡¯m curious!¡±

    ¡°What kind of person is he?¡±

    Gyeoul blinked her eyes. She stayed silent for a bit, before giggling out, ¡°Hihi¡±. It was extremely rare for her to smile like this and it was evident that there was something in her mind. ¡°What is it!¡±, ¡°Tell us!¡± shouted the kids in curiosity.

    ¡°¡­Do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    ¡°Quick!¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Nnnn! Nn! Nn!¡±

    ¡°Stop hesitating and tell us!¡±

    Gyeoul curled her fingers into a circle with a smile.

    ¡°¡­50 cents.¡±

 Chapter 264: Reason behind the Smile (2)

    <h4>Chapter 264: Reason behind the Smile (2)</h4>

    Of course, it was a joke.

    However, her friends gave her a dor despiteining and she just couldn¡¯t not take them. She fidgeted with her wallet trying to give 50 cents back for the change but that was when one of them irritatedly gave a shout.

    ¡°Aoh! I don¡¯t need the change so hurry up and tell us!¡±

    At the centre of all their attention, Gyeoul deeply contemted before opening her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Uum, what du you want to kno?¡±

    ¡°Like, like, does he have a good body?¡±

    Gyeoul gave a confident nod, and pointed at her small shoulders before pushing her palms out wide, gesturing the width of his body. ¡°Wahh¡­!¡± ¡°Hul¡­¡± eximed the kids as more details were added to their imagination.

    ¡°What about his personality? What¡¯s he like?¡±

    ¡°What do you do at home? Are you close to your dad?¡±

    ¡°Did you do something fun together? What do you do when you¡¯re ying with him?¡±

    They flooded her with questions.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul quietly thought to herself.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s personality?

    She remembered his worried voice right when she was about to shed her skin; his awkward jokes, his hand reaching out, as well as the shiritori they did¡­ Gyeoul summarised her memories and gave a rough exnation.

    ¡°Hul¡­ He must be super kind¡­¡±

    ¡°Wow, that sounds so nice¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you do at home?¡±

    At home?

    They didn¡¯t do much, and they just yed together. ying a game together, watching movies¡­ Sometimes they went fishing to catch fish to put into the fish tank inside Gyeoul¡¯s room.

    Gyeoul exined everything at a slow and rxed pace. There wasn¡¯t anything special about her exnation this time and it was just how a nice dad would y around with his daughter. However, the mere thought of a blue-haired super-handsome ahjussi doing such things with Gyeoul created a scene straight out of a movie in their minds.

    On the other hand, there was something else that caught their attention.

    ¡®Wahh, look at her expression.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ve never seen her smile like that¡­¡¯

    Her face was a painting in itself. Her usually bored and gloomy blue eyes that gave off the impression that she wasn¡¯t in a good mood was now bent into a curve that put its onlookers in a good mood.

    Even apart from that, Gyeoul continued talking about sledding together, how they went shopping together and what happened when she got caught by a teacher when selling umbres. Her speech was so slow that it got slightly boring in the middle but the kids couldn¡¯t stop her because she appeared to be enjoying herself a lot.

    That was when they suddenly realised something very important.

    ¡°Huh wait?!¡±

    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s that thing, the parent attendance day¡­!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Hul! Hul! You¡¯re right!¡±

    The kids decided to ask Gyeoul.

    However, most of the parents of the elementary kids worked during the weekdays. Besides, the attendance sses were also once a month and were verymon, so parents didn¡¯t attend the sses that often.

    ¡°Is your dading?¡±

    ¡°¡­Uum.¡±

    ¡°Is he? Is heing?¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head with an awkward smile.

    ¡°Ah, hul¡­¡±

    ¡°Such a shame¡­¡±

    ¡°Hope he cane one day.¡±

    They were sincerely sad about it.

    Seeing that, Gyeoul felt slightly strange.

    She wanted to show him to them and brag about him but at the same time, she didn¡¯t really feel like having them see him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In any case, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see him.

    It was because she intentionally didn¡¯t tell him about the attendance day. Gyeoul knew how busy Yu Jitae was ¨C he was always busy but he seemed even busier these days.

    They often couldn¡¯t even have a meal together during the day and Bom was the only one helping her with homeworks. He was almost impossible to find at night. Sometimes, Gyeoul would knock on his door at night while rubbing her eyes but he was never there.

    If he¡¯s busy, she shouldn¡¯t disturb him.

    Sometimes when she missed him so much at night, she wanted to send a message but would soon decide against it, because he would definitely be there by the next morning.

    Yu Jitae was always there in the morning.

    That was like the truth of some sort. After all, it was extremely rare for him to not be present in the morning.

    Therefore when Yu Jitae told her, ¡®See you at school tomorrow¡¯ that night, Gyeoul was shocked. She had no idea that the school newspapers were being sent to the parents and caregivers.

    ***

    The next morning, Gyeoul dropped an outrageous announcement to the kids at school.

    ¡°Hukk? He¡¯sing today?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Really? Yesterday you said he wasn¡¯ting though?¡±

    Gyeoul slowly shook her head before giggling, ¡®Kuhihihi¡¯. Realising that she wasn¡¯t joking, her friends started jumping up and down in excitement.

    ¡°Uwah. I¡¯m so curious¡­!¡±

    ¡°Me too me too. Gyeoul and her dad appeared in my dream yesterday you know!¡±

    While they were chuckling to themselves, there were others staring at them. To be exact, there were gazes on Gyeoul who was among the group of kids.

    Dragons had a different status.

    Others with aparatively lower status couldn¡¯t even dare hold deep emotions for dragons, no matter what type of emotion that may be.

    If a dragon was in a bad mood, a mere human would have trouble meeting eyes with that dragon and arge difference in status would make it difficult to even breathe, and they might even die on the spot.

    Because of that, there were a lot of children watching Gyeoul with fluttering hearts from a distance but not a single one of them crossed the line and approached her.

    And thus, what happened a few minutes after that was a fairly rare sight.

    A boy walked into the ssroom carrying a bouquet of flowers.

    4th grade of elementary school ¨C girls of the same age tended to be taller than boys of their age but that boy was a lot taller than other girls, and had a very beautiful and handsome face.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he the piano genius from ss 3?¡±

    ¡°Huk. You¡¯re right you¡¯re right¡­ Why is he here?¡±

    ¡°Wait? He¡¯s going towards Gyeoul¡­¡±

    Some of the kids recognised him.

    The boy awkwardly stood about 5 metres away from Gyeoul with a face full of nervousness. His well-adorned appearance, his clothes and the bouquet of flowers in his hand¡­ All of those things gave away what was going to happen from now.

    ¡­No.

    That thing in his hand ¨C those weren¡¯t flowers.

    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that? Those are not flowers? Were they folded with paper?¡±

    ¡°Paper¡­? Dude wait, that looks like money.¡±

    ¡°Did he fold flowers with real money? Wow¡­¡±

    His target however was Gyeoul, who happened to be in love with money. Gyeoul¡¯s friends stood in front of her to block him and the boy, who seemingly wanted a 1-on-1 conversation with her was slightly intimidated.

    ¡°Let me talk to Gyeoul for a bit,¡± he said.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I have something to confess.¡±

    The boy was nheless like a bulldozer. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Confess?¡± asked other kids but he pushed his way through without sparing them a nce.

    Another obstacle then revealed itself ¨C it was the status of the blue dragon. Strangely enough for him, his hands and legs trembled the closer he got and he couldn¡¯t open his mouth properly.

    However, it was okay. That was why he had prepared something beforehand. The boy handed her the letter he had prepared alongside the flowers.

    ¡°T, t, this¡­¡±

    Gyeoul¡¯s friends nced at her.

    Is she going to ept it?

    There¡¯s no way right? Gyeoul having a boyfriend? It was hard to imagine but for her to refuse it, the amount of money that was weaved into creating the flowers was way too enormous¡­

    But they realised that Gyeoul had an extremely uninterested look on her face.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°A p, present.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t, need it.¡±

    ¡°J, j, just t, take it.¡±

    She still had an indifferent look on her face and her lips were as usual, in the shape of a ?

    . When she turned her head away from him, the boy immediately dropped the bouquet of flowers on her table and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting,¡± before running away.

    Staring at the bouquet of money on her table, Gyeoul frowned as if she was seeing something detestable¡­

    That made her friends surprised yet again.

    Why isn¡¯t she happy? How much money is that in total¡­?

    A rough estimate told them that it amounted to about a thousand dors. There were countless rich parents in Lair and quite a few of the kids received a simr amount as an allowance so it wasn¡¯t anything mindblowing. However, Gyeoul only earned a few dors at most by selling goods everyday.

    ¡°Why? Gyeoul. Are you in a bad mood?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like money¡­?¡±

    The one who asked that question then received reproachful gazes from her other friends for being too straightforward.

    Gyeoul shook her head.

    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t work for this money.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°¡­This, is not my money.¡±

    Saying that, she pushed the flowers away with the same apathetic look on her face.

    While thinking about her strange logic, her friends soon felt curious about something else. The only thing Gyeoul really liked was money and yet she didn¡¯t even smile in front of arge amount of money.

    It was a stark contrast to how she was smiling brightly while talking about her daddy yesterday.

    How awesome and cool must her daddy be for her to show such a different attitude?

    Their curiosities would soon be answered.

    Atst at 3pm, it was time for the parent attendance day.

    ¡°Quiet, guys.¡±

    The first attendance ss was PE. Before going outside to y together, their homeroom teacher opened her mouth.

    ¡°Parents, pleasee into the room.¡±

    Gyeoul¡¯s friends immediately turned towards the rear door of the ssroom. Several adults started entering the room in a row. They were dads and mums of their ssmates.

    At the same time, they nced at Gyeoul because none of the parents had blue hair.

    But the moment a man came into the room, Gyeoul¡¯s expression rapidly turned bright.

    Who is it!?

    With sparkling eyes, the kids looked at the man.

    As Gyeoul had told them before, the man was very tall and had a cool body that they could immediately tell through the clothes. And to top it all off, his face that should be more handsome than a popstar¡¯s¡­

    His face¡­?

    ¡°Hukk¡­!¡±

    ¡°Aht¡­?¡±

    Shocked, the kids immediately turned their heads away. The kid wearing sses was so immersed that she almost let out a shriek.

    ¡°W, what¡­¡±

    ¡°Huuhh¡­?¡±

    Amidst their shock, Gyeoul gave a bright smile and suddenly started running to the back of the room unlike how other kids were sitting still in their chairs.

    There¡¯s no way. Right? There¡¯s no way it¡¯s that scary person¡­

    However, as if she had been waiting all day for this, Gyeoul ran up to the extremely scary adult and reached her arms out. With a natural movement, the man hugged Gyeoul and carried her in his arms.

    At this point it was not only her friends and it was the whole ss that had their eyes fixed on them.

    ¡°Were you studying well.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    His face looked as if he would chuck her into the wall if she wasn¡¯t studying well so the kids became nervous.

    ¡°Good girl.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°You should go down now.¡±

    ¡®If you don¡¯t want to die¡¯ ¡­ It looked natural for such words to leave his mouth afterwards but Gyeoul merely returned a bright smile in response to his words.

    In the end, she only returned to her seat after the adult put her down.

    Meanwhile, her friends whispered to each other.

    ¡®My eyes are fine right¡­?¡¯

    ¡®I think so? So scary¡­¡¯

    ¡®Me too me too. I think I saw his face in a wanted poster in front of the police station¡­¡¯

    ¡®Ey what¡¯s happening. You were the one that said stuff about DNA and stuff¡­¡¯

    The two other friends red at the girl wearing sses but the sses-girl was also confused herself.

    ¡®How am I supposed to know¡­?¡¯

    That was how much of a shock Yu Jitae¡¯s appearance was to them. It was their first time seeing such a scary-looking person in their life.

    ¡°Parents, please sit next to the students in the empty chairs.¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly started walking towards Gyeoul as soon as the homeroom teacher said that and sat next to her. Some of the kids were ring at him but looked away with a flinch when their eyes met. They would then see Gyeoul next to him wearing a wide smile.

    ¡®Why in the world is she smiling¡­?¡¯

    Gyeoul thought for a bit before handing the bouquet of money to Yu Jitae.

    This was a fairly shocking scene in itself as well.

    Whether she was interested in the money or not, it was still a fair amount of money and she was the owner of that money. Gyeoul being so willing to give her money away to someone else was a shocking sight for her friends.

    ¡°¡­Here. Present.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this.¡±

    ¡°¡­A flower bouquet, made of money.¡±

    ¡°Is it yours?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money. Where did you get it from.¡±

    ¡°¡­Someone gave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Dunno.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, you should return it. It¡¯s arge amount of money.¡±

    ¡°¡­Should I?¡±

    He returned the flowers back to her. Receiving the bouquet nkly with her two hands, Gyeoul appeared sincerely dejected for not being able to give him the money. Despite that, she soon smiled again and agreed with his words.

    Why is she agreeing with him¡­

    More like, what was there to smile about just then¡­?

    ncing at them, her friends got more and more confused.

    ¡°So first off for the parent attendance ss will be PE. Should we head outside together now?¡±

    In the midst of their confusion, the first lesson began.

 Chapter 265: Reason behind the Smile (3)

    <h4>Chapter 265: Reason behind the Smile (3)</h4>

    Why in the world was she smiling?

    That was what the kids found the most questionable.

    On the way out to the yground, the scary adult¡¯s phone rang. Seeing him send Gyeoul off first, the kids threw nces before hurriedly clinging to Gyeoul and worriedly whispering into her ears.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing bad going on with you right¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Like, a bad person suddenly kidnapping you or anything. It¡¯s nothing like that right¡­? Nn?¡±

    ¡°Y, yeah. If there¡¯s anything going on, tell us. We will help you¡­¡±

    Gyeoul tilted her head, still wondering what they were talking about.

    That was when Yu Jitae ended his phone call and started walking towards them. Startled, the kids immediately distanced themselves and decided to watch over them for the time being. It was because no matter how they saw it, there was a vast difference between the ¡®daddy¡¯ inside Gyeoul¡¯s exnation and the adult in front of their eyes.

    The first session of the parent attendance day ¨C PE.

    Guardians had to either watch the kids y, or match themselves with the kids and y along. That was why Yu Jitae watched Gyeoul, in order to see what she usually did during PE.

    ¡°You can do whatever you want today,¡± said the homeroom teacher while throwing a bunch of balls to the ground. The kids grouped up and either yed dodgeball, basketball or ser.

    Despite that, Gyeoul was sitting down on the bench so he had no choice but to sit on the bench as well.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and run around.¡±

    ¡°¡­I hate PE.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Might get hurt.¡±

    The subject she omitted here would probably be ¡®someone¡¯. Gyeoul was still not used to manipting her mana and she thus spent her time as quietly as possible because others might get hurt by her.

    ¡°Have you done something by mistake before?¡±

    ¡°¡­Uum.¡±

    Listening to her following exnation, it seemed that she had never participated in a PE lesson ever since she almost hurt someone by mistake at the start of the semester.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it boring to watch them every day?¡±

    ¡°¡­I have friends.¡±

    ¡°Right now you don¡¯t.¡±

    Hearing that, she pointed at a group of three girls who had been throwing nces at him for a while.

    ¡°Let¡¯s y with me for today then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    When Yu Jitae slowly stood up from the bench, Gyeoul also stood up and followed him. They then walked towards the yground.

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul¡¯s friends who had been watching the situation unfold from a distance concentrated on their movements. The scary adult paced towards the jungle gym with Gyeoul and with a ball in his hand.

    The jungle gym of this elementary school was an assembly of equipment. There were iron bars, monkey bars, slides and other equipment.

    Why did he go there? A dangerous ce like a jungle gym didn¡¯t suit Gyeoul.

    In the midst of their worries, Yu Jitae carried Gyeoul on his back and climbed up the jungle gym. Then, while standing precariously on top of the small bars with Gyeoul, he threw the ball towards her.

    The kids found that strange as well because Gyeoul did not like ying with balls.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    But against their expectations, Gyeoul exchanged the ball with him with a bright smile on her face. They weren¡¯t simply exchanging the ball, and appeared to be trying to hit each other¡¯s body like dodgeball.

    The mysterious part was that the ball would always get sucked into Gyeoul¡¯s hands like mas.

    ¡°Ehng¡­?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    The adult¡¯s ball flew towards Gyeoul¡¯s head. However, she single-handedly grabbed it and casually threw it somewhere random, as the adult had to wriggle his body unnaturally on top of the monkey bars to not drop the ball.

    Finding that funny, Gyeoulughed, ¡°Kyaa¡ª¡±

    Atst, the ball Gyeoul threw hit the adult on his head.

    It indeed seemed to have been dodgeball. Due to the loss, the adult had to crawl on top of the monkey bars with Gyeoul on his back. And soon when they rode the slide down together, Gyeoul threw her arms high into the air with a bright smile.

    Suddenly, one of the friends was reminded of the ¡®kind daddy¡¯ that Gyeoul had mentioned.

    However, this wasn¡¯t enough. It was still nowhere near the daddy of their imaginations. That scary adult right now was like arge dog that involuntarily had to y with a child because she was annoying him too much.

    Although it was quite surprising considering their first impression¡­ for the kids, it was still not enough to answer the reason behind Gyeoul¡¯s smile.

    ¡°Our second session for attendance day will be visual arts.¡±

    Their observation and surveince continued into the visual art session. The two of them drew together but neither of them were good at it.

    ¡°Oi. Why did you colour that ck.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why not?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a tree.¡±

    ¡°¡­A burnt tree, why nat?¡±

    ¡°Burnt?¡±

    The theme of the drawing immediately changed as Gyeoul giggled, ¡®Hihi¡¯. When the adult started colouring the area around the tree in red, Gyeoul began colouring the bottom in yellow.

    ¡°Oi. Why is there yellow underneath the tree.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s an ice cream cone.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­Strawberry green tea, ice cream.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this ck thing then.¡±

    ¡°¡­A chocte bar?¡±

    Whenever the adult tried to do something, Gyeoul constantly interrupted. Due to that, the picture changed from a tree to an ice cream and then from an ice cream to a clown. After that, Gyeoul covered it in ck so it was impossible to tell what it was anymore.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°If you do this, what happens to everything we¡¯ve drawn so far.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a fissure.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying the clown we drew went into a fissure?¡±

    Gyeoul ced her two hands beneath her chin and stared at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­Is that, what you thought?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­Cute.¡±

    She once again started chuckling as the adult shook his head, seemingly dumbfounded.

    ¡®They¡¯re really enjoying themselves¡­¡¯ The friend wearing sses murmured.

    They looked like they were having a lot of fun.

    ¡®Maybe he only looks scary?¡¯

    ¡®Ehng? But his voice is also super monotone¡­¡¯

    ¡®But he didn¡¯t do anything bad right?¡¯

    ¡®Would he do anything bad when there¡¯s people around and when he¡¯s ying with his daughter?¡¯

    ¡®Aren¡¯t you treating him too much like a criminal¡­?¡¯

    The kids started having different ideas at this point. It was ¡®Not sure yet¡¯ vs ¡®He¡¯s a good person¡¯.

    During the break, the kids were observing the adult and Gyeoul while whispering to themselves. That was when the rear door of the ssroom was pushed wide open as a boy started walking in inrge strides.

    ¡®Huh? It¡¯s him. The one that gave flowers to Gyeoul.¡¯

    Looking only at the ground, the boy marched towards Gyeoul¡¯s seat but seemed to have noticed therge adult at one point. Startled, he changed his direction as if nothing was wrong and naturally left through the front entrance of the ss.

    Gyeoul¡¯s gaze remained on the boy for a little longer than it normally would so Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°Why. Who is he.¡±

    ¡°¡­Gave me flowers.¡±

    ¡°He gave this to you?¡±

    Yu Jitae took out the bouquet of money from the drawer.

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and return this to him.¡±

    ¡°¡­By myself?¡±

    ¡°Then what. Go together?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    nkly, Gyeoul stared at him with blinking eyes.

    ¡°Has this happened to you before?¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head. Simr things did happen in the past but it was her first time receiving a bunch of money publicly in front of people. Yu Jitae looked at the memo stuck in between the bouquet of flowers that had a name and a phone number written on it.

    ¡°Why do you think he gave this to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he trying to leave a good impression on you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rted to you so you have to handle it yourself. It¡¯s rare for me toe to school like today.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You never know if something like this will happen again. Instead of that being the first time, would it not be better to experience it when I¡¯m here with you. I will help you if there is a problem.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It is important to tie a knot. The one that gave this to you might be waiting.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So go and talk to him. I¡¯ll be here.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hn?¡±

    Gyeoul directly gazed back at Yu Jitae without saying anything in return.

    Nervously, the kids also gazed at the adult and Gyeoul.

    Right. ying and having fun for a bit was not the most important part. What the adult said just then appeared to make sense but at the same time, they could also understand why Gyeoul would be reluctant to go alone.

    ¡®Is Gyeoul going to be scolded?¡¯

    ¡®This isn¡¯t something to get scolded for right¡­?¡¯

    ¡®But, I don¡¯t think the scary ahjussi is wrong¡­¡¯

    Yu Jitae closed his mouth and looked back at her.

    The kids were frightened and flinched because he looked even scarier now that he wasn¡¯t saying anything.

    However, Gyeoul did not look away.

    She simply reached her hand out and grabbed Yu Jitae¡¯s clothes by his sleeves.

    Her hand was smaller than her peers while Yu Jitae had a body bigger than others so her hand holding onto the long sleeves of the shirt appeared extremely tiny.

    Tension built up as they silently stared at each other but Gyeoul was stubborn.

    ¡°Alright¡­ I got it. Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    When he reluctantly stood up, only then did Gyeoul¡¯s expression turn bright. Gyeoul toddled in small steps carrying the bouquet of flowers as he walked behind her inrge strides. Her friends also furtively stood up and followed behind them.

    The boy was in the corridor. Perhaps because he was more mature than others, he appeared to be in his puberty as he nkly stood there leaning on the wall.

    He still had some hope after seeing that Gyeoul hadn¡¯t thrown the flowers away. She likes money so maybe she would give him a message or something through the number ¨C that was what he thought.

    That was when Gyeoul walked out of the ssroom and looked around. After finding the boy, she held the flowers out.

    ¡°Uh, uhh? W, what?¡±

    ¡°¡­Returning.¡±

    ¡°Y, you don¡¯t have to though?¡±

    He didn¡¯t receive it so Gyeoul gently tossed the flowers toward the boy. Since he couldn¡¯t just let the flowers drop on the ground, the boy had to receive it back.

    ¡°Uhh, uh, umm. Then, can you tell me your number?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me your number.¡±

    Gyeoul had to think to herself for a bit.

    It was easier to reply when Myung Jun-il whom she knew of had expressed his good will towards her, but it was her first time getting confessed to by someone she wasn¡¯t really acquainted with, so she had trouble looking for the right words to say.

    But like what Yu Jitae told her, it would probably be good to end rtionships with a firm knot.

    ¡°¡­You know.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Yeah yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m, not, interested in you.¡±

    ¡°W, why? I, have a lot of money. I¡¯m tall and I can y the piano well¡­¡±

    Gyeoul pondered again before giving her reply.

    ¡°¡­Because I¡¯m not interested in money, height and piano.¡±

    ¡°Ah, uh, then? What should I do?¡±

    ¡°¡­No. I¡¯m just not interested in you¡­ You dun have to do anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry. Goodbye.¡±

    When Gyeoul waved her hand and went back into the ssroom, only then did the boy realise that his confession had ended as a clean failure. Abandoning the idea, the boy returned to his own ssroom.

    *

    Gyeoul¡¯s friends watched the back of the boy.

    It seemed that everything had worked out fine.

    ¡®That went well¡­¡¯

    ¡®Hmm¡­ Right?¡¯

    Kids their age often became mean for no reason from a failed confession or talked behind their backs, but it seemed that the boy had perfectly given up on the idea.

    After returning to the ssroom, Gyeoul hugged Yu Jitae who was standing in front of the door. She asked if she did well, and he replied telling her she did well.

    The kids could slightly understand what Gyeoul meant when talking about her kind daddy, but it was still somewhatcking. Her friends still couldn¡¯t really understand why Gyeoul was smiling so brightly.

    ¡°Last lesson will be a test of your creativity. Let¡¯s get into groups and make a cake together.¡±

    But with the start of thest lesson, the kids finally realised it.

    ¡°Ah, hellooo¡­ we are Gyeoul¡¯s friends.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Right.¡±

    Because Gyeoul wished for it, the kids got into the same team as Yu Jitae. The kids along with the adult diligently whisked thickened cream to make it stiffer, cut the bread horizontally to makeyers, stered all theyers with cream, and decorated the top with strawberry and jam.

    Throughout the process, Gyeoul constantly sttered whipped cream onto the adult¡¯s face and chuckled out loud. Then, the scary adult also dumbfoundedly sttered whipped cream onto her face.

    It was the same as when they were drawing together.

    Looking at it from a close distance, Gyeoul¡¯s friends realised that the two of them ying appeared extremely guileless.

    ¡®Gyeoul¡¯s daddy is actually very innocent¡­¡¯

    ¡®Hmm¡­ Right¡­¡¯

    ¡®Someone fun to tease? That kind of adult¡­?¡¯

    ¡®Teasing him¡­? Gyeoul has iron nerves I guess. I don¡¯t think I can do it.¡¯

    During their whispers, one of the girls came to a realisation.

    ¡®Hey hey! I think I get it.¡¯

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    ¡®What is it?¡¯

    ¡®That scary ahjussi. He¡¯s been ying with Gyeoul for real till now¡­!¡¯

    ¡®Nn? For real¡­?¡¯

    4th grade of elementary school. Some of the mature kids would start gazing at the world through their own standards. Kids in this age group can clearly tell apart oneself from others, understand others and start thinking of how themselves would be perceived by others. They would then also realise what adults did when ying with kids.

    Adults yed along with kids.

    By ying along, it didn¡¯t mean they were ying together. They simply ¡®yed¡¯ with kids for them to enjoy it.

    As adults they matched themselves to the children and yed along with them. Standing one step back, they would be considerate of the enjoyment of the children.

    As they grow older, children begin to understand that the adults are considerate while ying with them and after realising that, it bes difficult to y together with a sincere heart.

    At the start it was only the adult that had to be considerate of the child but it wouldter be the child being considerate of the adult¡¯s feelings as well. There is no way that hiding their inner thoughts and being considerate of each other would be a fun way to y.

    In that sense, that scary adult was a bit unique. He didn¡¯t seem to be enjoying it nor was he trying to y along that well.

    However, he drew with Gyeoul when drawing without any pretence, and asked a question from the side of the drawer when she ruined the painting. That wasn¡¯t the end. He wasn¡¯t trying to draw a good drawing, and he didn¡¯t scold her for ruining what they had drawn.

    ¡®He is yeah¡­¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s true¡­ he¡¯s just having fun ying with her.¡¯

    Even now, it was the same.

    Although he was making a cake, he appeared to have no concerns about the objective itself of this situation. The result was a terrible cake but he did not give any evaluations regarding that.

    Throughout the random and mindless drawing session, and even during the cake-making session, both the adult and Gyeoul were sincere and that¡¯s what was allowing Gyeoul to enjoy herself.

    Looking at it from the side, they also started finding it funny. When Gyeoul, who was about to put the small strawberry into Yu Jitae¡¯s mouth, suddenly changed her direction and stuck it into his nose, her friends giggled softly.

    His reaction and his sincerely dumbfounded expression was also funny. Gyeoul¡¯s friends also started being absorbed in the situation and theirughs became more audible. Atst when Gyeoul trolled by cutting the circr cake into squares, her friends also burst out into uncontrobleughter.

    ¡°Ey ey ey! You ruined it!¡±

    ¡°Kyahahaha!¡±

    ¡°Yu Gyeoul! Why are you cutting it like that!¡±

    At this point, Gyeoul was almost rolling on the groundughing.

    *

    After the end of the parent attendance day, the scary adult left the school with a wave of his hand and the kids waved back. The day passed by in a sh and only then did the kids realise it.

    ¡°I think I get it.¡±

    ¡°Me too¡­¡±

    Because they had been thinking of Gyeoul as a special child who didn¡¯t smile often, they thought there would be a unique reason behind her smile. However, nothing special was required to make her smile ¨C just like how they themselves had started wholeheartedlyughing at one point after dropping the thought of analysing the reason behind the smile.

    So looking back now, the reason why Gyeoul smiled at everything rted to her daddy was simple.

    It was just that fun.

 Chapter 266: Those who meet must part (1)

    <h4>Chapter 266: Those who meet must part (1)</h4>

    <strong>¨C </strong>You head to the undergroundbyrinth

    ¨C And look for Ha Saetbyul

    ¨C The effect of the paradise¡¯s light should have dissipated by now.

    <strong>¨C </strong>Take her outside.

    ¨C And look after her as well as you can. Provide her with a house to live in, with things to do and a life.

    ¨C So that she can live just like others.

    ¨C While you¡¯re helping out, I will cut off themunication.

    ¨C Contact me with your watch when everything is done.

    Following his lord¡¯smand, Clone 2 stood at the undergroundbyrinth, and faced Ha Saetbyul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In front of the door of the inner room where the Light of Paradise could not reach, she was there with messy and unkempt hair, as well as a face dirtied from the dusty undergroundbyrinth despite her efforts to keep it clean.

    Beneath that face of hers was a well-trained body with a beautiful ratio of muscles. Due to her short height, she still had a small overall body but it was evident that she had been working out zealously.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Now, her mind was no longer polluted and even the Light of Paradise had left her body but Ha Saetbyul nheless was vacantly sitting down in front of the entrance, gazing up at Clone 2.

    The two of them gazed at each other for a long time in silence.

    Soon, Clone 2 gave a bow.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Ha Saetbyul. I am your guide.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s step outside together. I will look for a house for you to live in, and will help you look for a job as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ha Saetbyul was silent. At a nce she looked as if she was out of her mind. Her energyless gaze was out of focus and her body was like a stringless marite powerlessly lying on the ground.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I would love to wait for you but there is no time to waste. I have quite a few things to do, you see. Please tell me if you would like a bit more time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Guess not¡­ Then I shall take you outside on my own ord.¡±

    Clone 2 walked towards her as Ha Saetbyul¡¯s hazy gaze headed towards the approaching body of the clone. Her eyes were still out of focus.

    When Clone 2 reached his arms out, Ha Saetbyul instinctively retracted her body. But even that was slow and powerless.

    ¡°Why. I¡¯m not here to hurt you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please do not be nervous. I won¡¯t do anything bad to you. My only job is to help so that you can go outside and live fine.¡±

    Since words didn¡¯t seem to be getting across, Clone 2 had no choice but to carry the retracted Ha Saetbyul. Carrying her, Clone 2 started moving forward. The undergroundbyrinth was quite literally abyrinth ¨C it was a curly maze with walls on the sides so it took a lot of time for them to reach the exit.

    Throughout the way, Ha Saetbyul nkly gazed at the ck ceiling of thebyrinth, which was so dark that it appeared as if it had been devoured by the darkness.

    ¡°Where¡­¡±

    That was when she finally opened her mouth.

    ¡°Are we going¡­?¡±

    It was such a fragile and high-pitched tone that stirred up the protective instincts of people, but her voice was powerless and lethargic. Clone 2 pondered before replying to her question.

    ¡°We will be going to Korea.¡±

    ¡°Korea¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Isn¡¯t it the ce you¡¯re the most familiar with, at least?¡±

    She was silent so he continued walking.

    Atst, she slowly reopened her mouth.

    ¡°Do you know who I am¡­?¡±

    He didn¡¯t.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t tell Clone 2 the details including who she was, and the reason she was confined inside the undergroundbyrinth. Naturally, Clone 2 didn¡¯t ask him either because there must be a reason why his lord didn¡¯t tell him the details.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°A homeless woman¡­¡±

    ¡°I have told you before but I will be looking for your house very soon.¡±

    ¡°Jobless on top of that¡­¡±

    ¡°How is that a concern? It¡¯s the same for your job. Since you have awakened as a superhuman, looking for a new job won¡¯t be difficult.¡±

    ¡°No acquaintance either¡­¡±

    ¡°Please stop with the needless concerns.¡±

    ¡°Needless¡­?¡±

    ¡°Am I not your first acquaintance already? You have rtionships now. Besides, if you find a house and a job, won¡¯t you continue forming rtionships?¡±

    His prompt words made Ha Saetbyul¡¯s eyebrows curve into a °Ë shape.

    ¡°You are making it sound easy¡­¡±

    ¡°I see that you are very timid.¡±

    ¡°But it really is concerning though¡­¡±

    ¡°If it was me, it wouldn¡¯t have been concerning at all. What do you gain by worrying about things?¡±

    ¡°You mean I¡¯m the problem¡­?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ha Saetbyul¡¯s hazy eyes slowly closed.

    ¡®So annoying. This kid¡­¡¯ She then grumbled with a very soft voice but the clone still heard it.

    Clone 2 immediately stopped walking and ced her down on the ground. If not for his lord¡¯smand to ¡®look after her as well as he could¡¯, he would have thrown her on the ground. After being suddenly made to sit on the ground, she nkly gazed up at him.

    Soon, Clone 2 opened his mouth.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t even gone outside yet so what¡¯s with all these concerns?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make it straight. Please no constant whining. As someone trying to help you, it does not feel good to hear it. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°You have to promise me.¡±

    ¡°Promise on what¡­¡±

    ¡°That you won¡¯t continue whining.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. We will have to be together for the next 2 weeks or so at the very least. If you keep doing that, you will constantly be doing yourself a disservice on top of wasting my time.¡±

    ¡°Okayy¡­¡±

    ¡°Vow to me, that you won¡¯t whimper.¡±

    ¡°How¡­¡±

    Right, how should she make the vow? Clone 2 contemted.

    ¡°Do I do a pinky promise¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s go with that.¡±

    Clone 2 and Ha Saetbyul locked their pinky fingers together. Seemingly displeased, she quickly pulled her hand back but that didn¡¯t matter to the clone. He simply hoped that she wouldn¡¯t whine again after doing all this.

    Clone 2 carried her once again, and headed towards the long deep road of darkness. Atst, they found the bright exit and they left thebyrinth.

    It was the beginning of Ha Saetbyul¡¯s new life.

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°Where is your hometown.¡±

    ¡°Gangwon Province Jungsun¡­¡±

    ¡°Jungsun? Let me see.¡±

    In the middle of his search, Clone 2¡¯s hands came to a stop. Jungsun of Gangwon Province had been wiped off the map from the aftermaths of the East-Asian Great War and had yet to fully recover to its past state.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s head to the city instead of here.¡±

    ¡°I like the countryside.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I hate people¡­¡±

    ¡°There are also people in the countryside though.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul irritatedly red at him.

    ¡°Hah, alright. Then let¡¯s head to Wonju.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also a city.¡±

    ¡°How is Wonju a city?¡±

    ¡°Because when I was young, I went to Wonju to y with my friends.¡±

    ¡°How much of a countryside person are you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I get it. I get it. How about Goseong. Goseong Province.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Hah my goodness, seriously¡­¡±

    What a countryside bumpkin.

    ¡°What. I¡¯m not a bumpkin,¡± said Ha Saetbyul.

    ¡°Did I say anything?¡±

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s okay to get a better house!¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t need one.¡±

    ¡°Fine, you might not need a house, but what about a 3-room officetel, hmm? A 3-room officetel sounds good right.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay with that as well. A one-room is fine.¡±

    ¡°Like, why are you trying to voluntarily go into a tiny one-room house? It¡¯s fine to buy a good house okay?¡±

    ¡°Why are you constantly trying to get me a big house then?¡±

    Why? It was because that was themand of his lord.

    ¡°Because a big house is a good house!¡±

    ¡°To me, a small house is a good house.¡±

    Clone 2 ran his fingers through his hair.

    ¡°Damn it.¡±

    Seeing the two of them, the real estate staff scratched his head with a smile.

    ¡°You look very close.¡±

    ¡°No we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°No we¡¯re not.¡±

    When the two of them said that with a straight face, the staff had to wipe the cold beads of sweat dripping down his balding forehead and apologise.

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°Aigo so small.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s big for a one-room. Perfect to live alone.¡±

    ¡°How is it perfect? You get up from your bed and it¡¯s the kitchen. You turn your head and it¡¯s the bathroom. One somersault and you will break the wall.¡±

    ¡°Why would you somersault in your house?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just an expression.¡±

    ¡°It still has everything that I need. It has a washing machine and a fridge¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course. Because we picked the biggest one-room with all the furniture included.¡±

    So who was the one that picked it hmm? Clone 2 had a boastful look on his expression while Ha Saetbyul frowned as if discontent.

    The two of them went shopping together. They bought frying pans, a rice cooker, aputer, hangers, a table, a chair as well as electric nkets.

    Finally, thest thing to enter the room was a power rack. It was the result of Ha Saetbyul¡¯s stubbornness of not wanting to quit working out. The one-room house was already tiny and it looked exceptionally jam-packed after the addition of the power rack.

    This wasn¡¯t a part of his n to ¡®look after her as well as he could¡¯.

    The clone heaved a deep sigh.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    However, Ha Saetbyul was humming. She appeared delightful staring at the power rack, dumbbells and kettlebells.

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°You¡¯re saying you don¡¯t want to be a soldier?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And why is that? Operator-type superhumans are always treated well no matter where you are. It is a waste of your talent.¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you be a personal trainer for superhumans. It seems that you are really into working out.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul looked at him and shook her head.

    ¡°I am not a talented teacher.¡±

    ¡°So this is the only thing you want to do?¡±

    [Goseong Province Orphanage]

    The two of them were standing in front of an orphanage.

    An underdeveloped region with less poption than other cities received less budget and orphanages were therefore alwayscking in funds. The shabby signboard at the main entrance was crooked to the side by 15 degrees, while only half the structures inside the premises were actual buildings, with the remaining half being container blocks. There would probably be kids sleeping in those container blocks.

    ¡°Miss Ha Saetbyul.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about you but I do know that you used to be an orphanage teacher in the past.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul was a teacher at an orphanage. She liked young kids but had lost those children during the war.

    ¡°I heard you had a dream. Didn¡¯t you want to do something that saved more people?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also right.¡±

    ¡°With your current abilities, you would be able to save a lot more people at a ce bigger than this.¡±

    Clone 2 said that after sincerely contemting her career path. Her Korean age was 28 ¨C it was by no meanste for her to start something fresh.

    ¡°I hope you free yourself from the past.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You might think it¡¯s rude, but it¡¯s for your own future.¡±

    ¡°¡­It is rude.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Soon, Ha Saetbyul added more words.

    ¡°I want to change the world. But do you think I can possibly change a world this big?¡±

    ¡°What says you can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I worked as a soldier for a few years when my mind was hazy. I know how the governments work.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true there is no longer any virtue but¡­¡±

    ¡°I am not being tied up by the past. Realistically speaking, only this much is the size of the world that I can change with my own hands. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    Ha Saetbyul said while pointing at the orphanage.

    ¡°This is my world.¡±

    .

    .

    .

    She then didn¡¯t make it through the interview.

    ¡°Kukuk.¡±

    ¡°Stopughing¡­¡±

    ¡°Kukuk, kukukuk.¡±

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°Ah, my bad. But why didn¡¯t you make it?¡±

    ¡°They need a teacher but apparently they don¡¯t have enough funds to pay for one.¡±

    ¡°Oh no. Well, the pay is an important topic.¡±

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m unemployed for now then¡­¡±

    Seemingly remembering something, Clone 2 giggled again before asking.

    ¡°So how does it feel to be expelled from your world¡­¡±

    That was when his neck was grabbed by Ha Saetbyul. He was soon made to realise that her muscles were the result of excruciating exercises.

    ¡°Ahhkkk¨C!¡±

    .

    .

    .

    That night.

    Someone anonymous signed a monthly donation of 5,000 dors to Goseong Province Orphanage.

    .

    .

    .

    The next day, Ha Saetbyul widened her eyes into circles.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°What is wrong?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    She fidgeted with her watch before turning to Clone 2 with a surprised look on her face.

    ¡°They told me toe to work starting tomorrow¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ohh. That¡¯s good news. It seems something good must have happened at the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    With a bright smile, Ha Saetbyul pushed her hand out.

    Albeit awkwardly, Clone 2 gave her a high-five.

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°So that would mean you have both a house and a job now.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your hard work during thest 2 weeks.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    In front of the door of the one-room officetel, Ha Saetbyul and Clone 2 quietly looked into each other¡¯s eyes.

    Like the first time they saw each other, the two of them simply looked at each other without saying a word.

    ¡°Thanks for helping me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. That was what my job was.¡±

    ¡°I think I was quite stubborn; thank you for listening to me.¡±

    ¡°It was actually quite hard to listen to all yourints.¡±

    Clone 2 said that before cautiously stealing a nce. It was because his honesty had earned quite a few hits till now. But right now, Ha Saetbyul was standing still without saying anything in particr.

    It was now time to bid farewell.

    ¡°Well then, I will be on my way now.¡±

    ¡°Please be careful on your way back¡­¡±

    When Clone 2 took a step back, Ha Saetbyul slowly closed the door.

    Just like that, the door was locked shut.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With this, his mission was over.

    2 weeks ¨C depending on one¡¯s perspective, it could be seen as either a short or a long period of time. But in any case, it was true that he had done it all by himself without even contacting his lord once.

    Clone 2 prided in himself, thinking that he had now be a fairly decent shadow of an archduke.

    Should I go back now¡­

    However, his feet stayed glued to the ground.

    Every morning, he came here for his work while sleeping at a hotel every night, so that he could help her find a new job while also helping her with anything she might need help with¡­

    Now that it was finally time to leave, it made him feel weird. Perhaps the two weeks of time he had spent had already be a habit of some sort.

    Therefore, Clone 2 pped his own cheeks, trying to wake himself up.

    He started forcing his feet forward, and turned his watch on so that he could send a message to his lord.

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    It was then.

    Ha Saetbyul opened the door a tiny bit and poked her head out through the gap.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You are still there¡­?¡±

    ¡°I was just about to leave.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I closed the door though¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clone 2 scratched his head.

    ¡°How old are you? You are not underage with that height right?¡± she asked.

    He was made based on the 15 year old body, but age had no meaning to the clone because he was not a human.

    ¡°I am young though.¡±

    ¡°Can you drink alcohol¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    Thosepletely unexpected words made the clone widen his eyes.

    ¡°Do you want to, have a farewell drink¡­?¡±

    .

    .

    .

    They were close to each other. It¡¯s because the house was small.

    The two of them drank alcohol and shared stories about their lives.

    She talked about the strange people she met at the undergroundbyrinth, while he shared a story about the tall and frightening witch he met in the past.

    Stop lying, she said. But he wasn¡¯t lying.

    Smiles bloomed once they got drunk.

    Their eyes were locked.

    There must have been a mysterious maic force at work.

    You are drunk. He said.

    No I¡¯m not drunk. I can prove it, said Ha Saetbyul as she raised a kettlebell.

    But she dropped it in the middle and itnded on his foot.

    He screamed in pain.

    Shocked, she hurriedly closed the distance and in her attempt to gaze at the wound, her hands touched his. When he suddenly smiled while saying, tadah it actually didn¡¯t hurt at all, he was put under a vicious head lock.

    ¡ª- It¡¯s because they were drunk. Their touching skins were warm.

    The scent of alcohol was mixed into their breath ¨C not their breath, but the other person¡¯s breath.

    That was the problem.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    They were too close.

 Chapter 267: Those who meet must part (2)

    <h4>Chapter 267: Those who meet must part (2)</h4>

    The Regressor has a dream.

    In the past, he had different dreams and in the 2nd iteration, Ha Saetbyul herself was his dream.

    Now that he was sprinting towards the end of the long umtions of his sin, Yu Jitae needed to conduct an experiment. It was a test about his dream.

    Therefore, he cut his mental connection with Clone 2 and sent him to Ha Saetbyul.

    To Clone 2, the concept of ¡®his lord¡¯ was an absolute one, but how much freedom would he be able to reveal under his restraint?

    He didn¡¯t know the result yet and decided to wait until he received a message from the clone.

    On the other hand, regardless of the experiment, sending Clone 2 was something done for the sake of Ha Saetbyul. He now had some faith in the 7th iteration, perhaps because of the words of Vintage Clock, who said that he would definitely be happy.

    If so, then this iteration would flow without the flow of time being interrupted again and Ha Saetbyul had to live a happy life in that continuum of time. It¡¯s because she had done many things for him.

    That was all he felt about Ha Saetbyul.

    It was the season of golden fields of wheat rustling like waves from the wind. The international political state was veryplex.

    The Association broke one of the promises made with the International Peacekeeping Organisation. It was about the use of magic stones.

    Although it wasmon for matters like that to go under the radar, it was shared under the broad daylight due to a whistle-blower.

    In a few days there was amotion in the neutral country, Switzend, where people raised a protest at the entrance of the Association¡¯s embassy. It was a protest that denounced them for going against the promises, as they demanded the Association to exin their cause. Itsted several days and atst became an armed protest where people with guns raided the embassy.

    The Association and Switzend¡¯s police officers reacted to the armed protest with force but it was too over the top. Although human rights weren¡¯t viewed as important in the current era, the death of 2840 civilians still shocked the world.

    There were simply way too many deaths.

    Naturally, none of them were things caused by the Association. After the whistle-blower was caught, it was revealed that he wasn¡¯t from the Association, and the ones that had mixed in with the police force and Association¡¯s soldiers to carry out the excessive repression weren¡¯t from the Association either.

    However, those people immediatelymitted suicide after being caught. Someone was wreaking havoc using the Association as its mask.

    Regarding these incidents, Chaliovan wrote a 17-page statement by hand and announced it to the public.

    His statement summarised into one sentence was this.

    Association: It isn¡¯t us!

    However, because the Association was already increasing their military might, people did not buy their exnation. The Association was excessivelyrge and had went on for an excessively long period of time. They thus had too many weak points.

    They needed 100 lines of exnations to exin 1 criticism. It wasn¡¯t time-efficient, and that point was what Quasar effectively focused on.

    The person behind Quasar actively started moving and because of their eleration, various media all around the world began raising their ws at the Association.

    They were being attacked by the media of all nations, just like the advice Yu Jitae gave.

    Once again, Chaliovan announced his statements and indicated that there was an unknown person who tried to nder the Association. He named that person [Q].

    It will be the start of Chaliovan and Q¡¯s fight for power and from this point on, it was the Association¡¯s job.

    After finishing the preparations for the Fourth Night, Chief Advisor Season did not show his face at the Association.

    He had to spend more time with the kids.

    ***

    Yong Taeha¡¯s eyes flickered with light.

    ¡°Kuk!¡±

    His body was struck hard, floated in mid-air and flew for more than 30 metres before mming into the dungeon wall. Yong Taeha¡¯s chin dropped open as something gushed out from within. His mind immediately thought of the pancake he ate in the morning but what came out of his mouth was red.

    ¡°Taeha!¡± Someone¡¯s shout echoed in his ears.

    ¡°Uuk¡­¡±

    He slowly raised his body as a scary thought emerged in his head. The first part of his body thatnded on the ground were his ribs.

    How big was the shock? Thinking that, he simultaneously scanned past his rib cages with his hands. One, two, three¡­ a total of six bones were broken but fortunately, they didn¡¯t pierce through his organs and were piercing out through his skin instead.

    Only after seeing the bones protruding out of his ripped ribs did he feel pain flooding in.

    ¡°Get up, Yong Taeha!¡± shouted Tyr Brzenk.

    There was no time to remain sitting down so Yong Taeha stood up. His rib cages cracked and gave him goosebumps but he endured it and tightly grabbed onto the sword.

    In front of him was a monster whose body was constructed of stone, reaching 8 metres in height.

    Therge doll moved despite half of its head missing- the A- ranked mid boss, ¡®Golem¡¯, let out a roar.

    Kurururur¡ª¨C

    His cracked bones cried out loud.

    ¡°Yong Taeha! Move your feet! Do not fight it head-on!¡±

    Superhumans with cold weapons were powerless against suchrge-type monsters. Even if they were to envelope their swords with auras, they were still nothing but skewers that couldn¡¯t pierce through the heart.

    ¡°Look here¡ª!¡±

    With a shout, he jumped high in the air, once again making himself the bait.

    From the corner of his eyes, he could see Yu Kaeul with trembling hands.

    He had to believe in her.

    *

    Team Lair was currently in the middle of a restoration operation on a monster-upiednd. Roughly 15% of Earth had be the habitat of monsters and these were the so-called monster-upiednds.

    Most of them weren¡¯t dangerous so it used to be more cost-efficient to leave them be, but with the passing of time,nds became increasingly more expensive and reiming barrennds like this slowly rose to be one of the prominent jobs for superhumans.

    Every member of Team Lair except for Kaeul wanted high ranks and the difficulty of the raids gradually increased as a result.

    On some unlucky days, they would end up with excessively dangerous operations like this.

    ¡°Oi! Ling Ling¨C!¡±

    Bangg¨C

    Her small body was struck by a fist of the same size.

    She managed to react in time. Right before the strike, she strengthened the point of impact and protected her organs with mana. Despite that, Ling Ling after mming into the ground had a nosebleed, bled from her ears and received a lot of internal damage.

    The golem¡¯s movement was abnormally fast. It punched out towards the human girl on the ground that was the size of its fist.

    Standing in between them, Tyr Brzenk took out his shield.

    [Stronghold Deration (A): Aegis]

    Golden light gathered into a ball.

    Kwangg¨C!

    The ground caved in.

    Kwangg¨C!

    Ling Ling¡¯s remaining ear also erupted.

    Kwangg¨C!

    Tyr¡¯s legs were bent into an unnatural direction.

    Kwangg¨C!

    And soon, a crack appeared on the shield of light. The moment it breaks, one of them would die for sure.

    It was a make or break situation but Kaeul couldn¡¯t stay focused. It wasn¡¯t her fault as she had already used five enormous spells ¨C it was due to the golem being a monster for surviving all of them.

    There was a hole in the golem¡¯s head that had been exploded by Kaeul¡¯s spell. Yong Taeha crawled into the golem¡¯s body but the mana moving inside its body intertwined with Yong Taeha¡¯s mana and resulted in an explosive reaction.

    Bamm- it exploded and Yong Taeha bounced out of the golem¡¯s body with fractured bones and burned scars all around his body.

    After the explosion of mana, the doll with its mana flow interrupted, twisted and turned as if it was broken, but this only bought them a little bit of time.

    When the golem once again started moving properly, it changed its target to Yong Taeha who was still on the ground. Without even any time to look after Ling Ling, Tyr Brzenk immediately jumped out. He had to make the golem look his way.

    However, Tyr Brzenk couldn¡¯t do anything to grab the attention of therge golem with only one hand. The only thing he had was a sword so he climbed up the golem¡¯s body and constantly stabbed at the joints. His palms ripped. His sword shattered and fragments of the sword bounced into his eyes.

    Despite all his effort, the golem did not stop.

    Standing in front of the tattered Yong Taeha, it atst raised itsrge fist of stone into the air.

    From the frustrating sense of powerlessness, Tyr Brzenk bellowed.

    ¡°You fuc*ingg¡ª!¡±

    That was when Kaeul¡¯s spell finally constructed itself.

    Tuuung¨C

    Arge and sharp ray of golden light emerged forth. The ray of light erased all the shadows nearby ¨C it was a [Magic Arrow] with an extreme amount of mana embedded within.

    The overwhelming power of the spell pierced through the lower body of the golem, and melted all the mana and stone in its path. The ray of light had gone through the core of the golem and only then did the goleme to a stop.

    After casting the spell from a distance, Kaeul kneeled on the ground while grabbing onto her hand. She had been using spells for quite a long time but it was still difficult to control it. Her veins were ruptured, her skin was reddened and her fingers ached all around.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even then, she couldn¡¯t sit still. Kaeul ran forward to check Ling Ling¡¯s situation. There were all sorts of wounds around her body due to the aftermath of the golem¡¯s punches. Kaeul used an emergency healing spell albeit awkwardly and the mana of the dragons helped them quickly recover themselves.

    ¡°So mysterious¡­¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°Kaeul-unni your spell. It feels so goodd¡­¡±

    Enveloped in her golden mana, Ling Ling murmured.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. You¡¯re bleeding¡­¡±

    Yong Taeha then added from the side.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I almost ended up smelling incense as a portrait. We are all alive thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°You did great¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, it was all you. You¡¯re just in a different league.¡±

    He gave an honestpliment with a bitter smile.

    After receiving countlesspliments for saving them, Kaeul felt weird.

    Was it because of theirpliments? Maybe it was, but it felt as if there was something more to it. Even from before hearing theirpliments, she had felt a greater sense of aplishment the moment she realised that everyone was okay.

    Before long, the rescue team arrived with the post management team. Fortunately, the raid ended with everyone safe.

    The raid was more difficult than usual but it was normal for unexpected things to ur in the field ¨C the more so if it was a battlefield.

    The after-effects of their wounds were severe so Team Lair had to rest for the next week but they had gained so many points from this raid that they weren¡¯t losing out on anything.

    They didn¡¯t die and that was more than enough. As long as they were alive, nothing was too serious for superhumans.

    None of us died right?

    So it was a sessful raid.

    We got hurt but we are doing our best.

    So it¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s just rest for a bit.

    ¡­While the young newborn superhumans were consoling their own exhausted minds back to normal, something unpleasant popped up.

    News reports on the inte ruined their mood.

    *

    [Theziness of geniuses? Team Lair not attending any operations for several days]

    [A famous newborn superhuman group, ¡®Team Coin¡¯ denounces, ¡°If you have more, you have to know how to do more¡­¡±, ¡°A directparison to Team White¡±]

    [Fans of Lair enraged. Team Lair should be ashamed to face all the other newborn superhumans bleeding at the forefront.]

    Tyr Brzenk twitched his eyes. His eyes that were always gloomy and dark turned even darker.

    ¡°These fu*king bastards.¡±

    Yong Taeha swore out loud.

    ¡°What the f*ck do they want¡­ We¡¯re trying our hardestt¡­¡±

    The one who followed him up with more swear words was Ling Ling. This small young girl¡¯s personality tended to get coarse when upset.

    Team Coin ¨C some random nameless team was talking smack about Team Lair. At the same time, theypared Team White who was estimated by the media to be the strongest with Kaeul¡¯s team, with the logic that Team White had both talent and hard workpared to thezy Team Lair.

    ¡°So annoying, for real. Do they think we are actual retards just because we are not saying anything?¡±

    Yong Taeha gritted his teeth. People knew that Team Lair was a group that had the greatest geniuses of history and requested even more zealous work from them.

    The overdogs ¨C people with a lot of belongings ¨C tended to be disyed as the viin. The more they had, the more they were expected to sacrifice. That was Team Lair¡¯s situation in a nutshell.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with them. Guys, we all know how we are doing.¡±

    The young man who was the son of Rank 1 from his birth was used to this situation. Tyr Brzenk settled his own mood first before consoling hisrades.

    ¡°We can prove it with the oue.¡±

    But despite saying that, the young man didn¡¯t feel too happy himself.

    Yong Taeha had rib cages piercing through his skin, had a second-degree burn all over his body, and had both small andrge fractures. He also had mana poisoning symptoms and had to suffer for two days from high fever.

    Ling Ling had both of her eardrums erupted and her organs were messed up from the shock. She discharged blood for three days and cried from pain whenever she was alone with Kaeul.

    What about Tyr Brzenk himself? Fragments of his broken sword had stabbed into his eyes and if they were even slightly deeper, he might have died during the fight.

    And yet all their hard work was being denied.

    Therefore, Brzenk only tried to console his teammates twice. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say the same thing three times.

    Meanwhile, Kaeul who had been quietly watching them also had a frown on her face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul wasn¡¯t in a good mood.

 Chapter 268: Those who meet must part (3)

    <h4>Chapter 268: Those who meet must part (3)</h4>

    There were several things that caused this situation. The first problem was the system in which superhuman ranks were given.

    International superhuman ranks were affected by the four elements below.

    1. Individual power level

    2. Mission Oues

    3. Number of rescued people

    4. Public Image

    Strong superhumans could prove their power in the form of having good results in missions. Besides, righteous superhumans would have a higher number of rescued people.

    For example, BM with his individual strength that was at the top worldwide had done remarkable things during the Great War, and the number of people he saved both directly and indirectly was estimated to be around 24 million.

    Besides, as a transcendent of Chaliovan and with a clean personal life as well as a healthy mindset, he created a good public image without doing anything funny.

    That was why the Returnee, BM, was given Rank 2.

    There was something strange about these standards, however. The standards focused not on their might as a soldier, but as a ¡®hero¡¯ that humanity could trust and believe in.

    That was why the fourth element was ¡®Public Image¡¯.

    Superhumans had to market themselves. Somewhatcking superhumans would create a profile and stick to a concept, bbering about the good things they had done. Putting their life on the line to participate in dangerous operations was one of the things they did for a good public image.

    Sometimes, they would talk down on other superhumans or teams and nder them, in hopes of going up as much as theye down.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    With a worried voice, Kaeul opened her mouth.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we, just retaliate¡­?¡±

    Until now, Kaeul¡¯s team had not publicised their own aplishments. She wasn¡¯t interested in her rank in the first ce so Kaeul didn¡¯t think much of it in the past.

    But now that it hade to this, it was strange. It was strange for Tyr Brzenk to stay quiet in a situation like this.

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°Firstly, I¡¯m prohibited from publicising any of my activities.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because it might dishonour my dad.¡± Tyr Brzenk said with a frown.

    The one and only son of the world¡¯s Rank 1. There were a lot of gazes on Tyr Brzenk.

    At Lair, Tyr Brzenk did not show himself in any of the Campus Competitions or Ha Sukmoo¡¯s transcendent cadet exams. Because no matter how well he did, it would still be within the expectations of other people and if he happened to fail, it would create a dent in his father, Oscar Brzenk¡¯s reputation and honour.

    ¡°Then what about you?¡±

    Kaeul asked Yong Taeha.

    ¡°The thing is¡­ it¡¯s a bit bad for me too.¡±

    ¡°Why? You used to do them right.¡±

    ¡°In the past, I did but¡­¡±

    Yong Taeha threw a nce at Ling Ling.

    ¡°He had a verbal fight with Zhou Luxunn¡­¡± Ling Ling interjected.

    ¡°¡­Nn. Sorry.¡±

    This was how it went. He had been emotionally fighting against Erfan Guild¡¯s Zhou Luxun and got caught by his father. The head of the Yong household, Yong Jungkook took his son and gave him a little advice.

    ¡°What I want to be is a superhuman with a characteristic presence. I¡¯ve been talking about it since a while back and my father told me to stay away from SNS if that was the case¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lyingg¡­¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not lying.¡±

    ¡°You were swearing a lot and got permabanned¡­¡±

    Yong Taeha flinched before changing the topic. ¡®No, but I could have made another ount but I didn¡¯t¡­¡¯

    Even Yong Taeha couldn¡¯t retaliate against the SNSpany¡¯s banning system.

    Kaeul turned towards Ling Ling who opened her mouth before she could.

    ¡°I can¡¯t eitherr¡­¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, because of Zhou Luxun, we got an order from the state¡­¡±

    It was even worse off for her.

    In the middle of his fight against Yong Taeha, Zhou Luxun identally revealed a military secret in order to disy their power. It was an immature mistake.

    Because of that, China¡¯s Central Military Commission issued a verdict prohibiting the use of SNS for superhumans under the age of 30. At the same time, Zhou Luxun no longer received any support from the state and that was how Ling Ling who had been constantly on the rise managed to join Team Lair.

    ¡°The way they expressed it in the verdict was funnyy¡­¡±

    ¡°What did it say?¡±

    ¡°Little kids are prohibited from privatemunication until they experience the world¡­ something stupid like that¡­¡±

    ¡®Aht, I didn¡¯t say anything.¡¯ Suddenly, Ling Ling said that while covering her lips with her fingers.

    Seeing that eased their mood a little and Yong Taeha chuckled lightly.

    Before long, their gazes gathered at Kaeul.

    Every cadet at Lair knew that Kaeul was extremely defensive regarding all sorts ofmunication media including SNS. She had shown herself a few times, but she refrained from standing in front of the public often despite there being several great opportunities to do so.

    ¡°And why can¡¯t you do it?¡±

    Unable to hold back his curiosity, Yong Taeha asked. Until now, he couldn¡¯t ask because it wasn¡¯t something he could casually delve into.

    ¡°Me? I, uum¡­¡±

    Kaeul pondered for the right words to say.

    Ahjussi did not like media exposure.

    In the past, she was quite disappointed by it but not anymore. She was slowly starting to realise the reason behind her guardian¡¯s actions.

    ¡°Nothing. Just because of some household circumstances.¡±

    Kaeul always went on the inte on her watch. In the past, only the fun and exciting things appeared in her eyes but from a certain point in time, her eyes started to catch more bad things than good things.

    To Kaeul, the inte appeared as an extremely bizarre ce. If handled well, one would be able to enjoy a tremendous amount of attention in real time but those attentions also tended to be poison in real time.

    There were a lot of people she saw that fell from grace. With every passing day, several people had their privacy, problems and mistakes revealed and that would result in indescribable hostility of people travelling across the.

    Whenever that happened, Kaeul immersed herself into their positions.

    The ones that are swearing? They are mostly people who experienced bad things. People whose trust and love was betrayed. It was naturally understandable for them to be upset and even she herself might be in their shoes depending on the situation.

    Would everything be fine as long as I did everything well? Do I have the confidence in not making any mistakes?

    No. She knew herself how careless she was.

    What if someone swore at her? Would she be able to handle it?

    She wasn¡¯t confident about that either. It would probably ache her heart.

    In the end, she came to the conclusion that the strict world of inte just wasn¡¯t for her.

    ¡°But you know, who even is this Team Coin people?¡±

    Yong Taeha changed the topic. Who even were these guys that were badmouthing them?

    ¡°I know that one, Taeha.¡±

    ¡°Who are they?¡±

    ¡°They are a little gofer of Team White.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Yong Taeha asked with a frown.

    The current estimate of the newborn superhuman team ranks was the following.

    +++

    1. Team White

    2. Team Lair

    ¡­

    5. Team Mochi

    ¡­

    21. Team Coin

    +++

    Team White was the undoubtable first ce. After all, it was a team formed by a current high ranker joining the newborn superhumanpetition by using an expedient trick.

    ¡°Then what. Did White tell them to do it?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. But personally, I do think so.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Trying to bring us down so that they could remain at the top. Probably.¡±

    ¡°What a bunch of retards.¡± ¡°A group of stupid asses¡­¡±

    Yong Taeha and Ling Ling replied at the same time.

    ¡°Team Coin actually talked smack about Yu Yeorum¡¯s team a while ago. You know that yes?¡±

    In response to Tyr Brzenk¡¯s question, Kaeul gave a nod. Team Coin had criticised Yeorum¡¯s team for being a one-man team but that came back and resulted in a bacsh.

    Yeorum and Sophia openly retaliated in their SNS.

    [Official Yu Yeorum of MZZ]

    What the fuck lolol. I copied Team White though? Lolololol

    [Official Sophia_MZZ]

    For real lmao. Damn right we are a one-man team.

    Feels good being carried by Yu Yeorum~~~ Haha

    [Official Yu Yeorum of MZZ]

    For real lol. Team White must be so pure rightt ^^~~

    [Official Sophia_MZZ]

    Their name exins it, they¡¯re pure white ^^! Just like Yu Yeorum¡¯s heart!

    [Official Yu Yeorum of MZZ]

    Freakinn bit*h ^^?

    For them to criticise Team Mochi for being a one-man team, the top party that instigated them was the prime example of a one-man team and besides, Team Mochi had no qualms with being sworn at. Their public image was already like that so they received no damage.

    It wasn¡¯t a smart idea to attack any of the two teams¡­!

    ¡°I thought they were going to stop with all the bacsh they got but¡­¡±

    ¡°An easy prey or something for them I guess¡­ So now they¡¯re taking me as some random bloke huh. These bastards.¡±

    It left a bitter aftertaste in their tongues.

    Team Coin had managed to strike at their weak points.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see for now.¡±

    ***

    Team Coin¡¯s weak point attack continued endlessly. Making fun of the fact that they weren¡¯t able to publicise their raid results, they said that Kaeul¡¯s team was ¡®in fact ying around¡¯, and ¡®getting free points thanks to their parents¡¯.

    And when other broadcasting media let out articlesplimenting Kaeul¡¯s team, they even criticised thosepanies for giving out false news.

    It was extremely obnoxious for Kaeul¡¯s team because they had to sit still and watch the ones that were standing up for them get condemned.

    At the same time, Team Coin sneaked in several articles that praised Team White. Team White was already estimated to being first and the raid oues that they shared were extremely good so the praising articles didn¡¯t feel out of ce. Their team value constantly rose up and their official SNS ount even reached 30 million followers.

    This was an unprecedented amount of attention for a newborn superhuman team and was followed by various news articles yet again.

    On their SNS ount, they uploaded a video of a congrattory party.

    ¨C Ah, I would like to add my best wishes for the 2nd ce, Team Lair as well. Things would be easier if we were as gifted as them but¡­

    ¨C We will always put in more and more effort instead of bingcent!

    The team leader of Team White, White McDonald added such words near the end of the video.

    That day just happened to be Ling Ling¡¯s birthday. The other three bought a cake to carry out a small party with the four of them for Ling Ling. However, she was unable to control her emotions after seeing that video and threw the cake on the ground before crying out loud.

    No-one condemned Ling Ling for doing such a thing.

    With falling tears, Ling Ling cleaned up the cake with her own hands.

    Team Lair was in a very bad mood all around.

    ¨C Are you going through our raid records? We are trying our best so please take good care of us.

    ¨C For humanity!

    ¨C For humanity!!

    The video full of pretence was transmitted to ces all around the globe, including the watch of a certain man who was sitting on the couch of his house.

    ***

    The refreshing morning breeze flowed in from the window.

    Chirp chirp ?

    Kaeul opened her eyes from the morning rm of Chirpy¡¯s voice. Ling Ling, who had cried throughout yesterday, was still on her bed and Kaeul wasn¡¯t in a good mood herself after seeing that.

    She was in the process of forming her sense of identity and there were a lot of things she learned during it. Kaeul gradually realised that times like this were essential for her Amusement but she still didn¡¯t want to see the people around her in pain.

    ¡°Are you upp¡­?¡±

    ¡°Un un. Did you sleep well?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Stay on the bed. I will order some food.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about yesterdayy¡­¡±

    ¡°Ehew, no no it¡¯s nothing¡­! Rest up~¡±

    With the delivery application, she ordered some Chinese food but continued fidgeting with her watch even after ordering the food. This wasn¡¯t her first time contemting while looking at Yu Jitae¡¯s number.

    Whenever things were rough, she had always been helped by Yu Jitae. He always helped her without saying anything else and told her to seek his help no matter the time.

    However, relying on him even after leaving the house made her somewhat feel like an immature and hopeless child.

    Chirp ?

    She was constantly worrying about it but that was when the baby chicken walked up and gave her a nudge. A bright smile appeared on her lips.

    ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    Chirp!

    ¡°Then, give me your hand!¡±

    She didn¡¯t make him do this very often. Therefore, Chirpy nced at his wings and at his foot, seriously contemting which one of them should be called a hand. Seeing that, Kaeulughed despite the situation.

    Kaeul gave him the food. Watching the baby chicken indulging itself in its feed rxed her heart a little bit. She always felt her worries disappear whenever she was with Chirpy.

    Ding dong! That was when the bell rang.

    ¡°Ohh.¡±

    It must be the food delivery. Kaeul went to the door and opened up the inte disy. She then tilted her head.

    Someone she was all too familiar with was standing outside.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Kaeul widened her eyes.

    *

    Yu Jitae waited outside the door for a long time. It had been quite a while since he rang the bell but no-one was opening the door, so he tried pressing it one more time. There was still no response but they should be inside considering that it was still early in the morning.

    That was when the security guard standing in the distance suspiciously gazed at him.

    The old guard slowly walked towards him with extremely cautious steps. He nced across Yu Jitae from the top to bottom, before raising a vignt question.

    ¡°Who might you be?¡±

    ¡°I have acquaintances inside.¡±

    ¡°Which acquaintances¡­?¡±

    ¡°Superhuman soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Soldiers¡­? Which unit?¡±

    ¡°205.¡±

    ¡°What? You¡­ Who are you!¡±

    Suddenly, the guard lowered his body and took out something resembling a baton in caution.

    When Yu Jitae looked into his eyes, the guard became visibly nervous but nheless stood his ground. It might be because that was thest responsibility the old man had left in his life.

    ¡°There are no superhumans inside that house! Who are you!¡±

    Yu Jitae wondered what was wrong with him before remembering that superhumans acted in secret.

    In Unit 205 were Kaeul and Ling Ling. They just happened to be small and immature-looking kids so the security guard must have thought that the house was being upied by two young girls.

    ¡°Hey listen. It¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°Ah like I said, tell me what you are! Or get out!¡±

    However, the misunderstanding was soon resolved.

    Kwang! The front door opened with a thunderous thud.

    ¡°Ahjussiiiii¡ª¨C!¡±

    And Kaeul immediately ran up and jumped into his arms.

 Chapter 269: Those who meet must part (4)

    <h4>Chapter 269: Those who meet must part (4)</h4>

    Yu Jitae gathered the kids of Team Lair into one ce. Five superhumans thus gathered inside a small office.

    After hearing that Yu Jitae was visiting them, Yong Taeha wore a suit despite his body being covered with bandages. Brzenk, who avoided contact with everyone except for his manager from Lair Agency, also came.

    They shared some formalities and greetings, after which Yu Jitae revealed the purpose behind his visit.

    ¡°Frustrating, isn¡¯t it? All of you.¡±

    As expected, that seemed to be the reason for his visit.

    Brzenk frowned. The fact that he had to receive someone¡¯s help despite being in the field out of school was something that damaged his pride as a genius.

    Meanwhile, Yong Taeha wagged his tail.

    ¡°You knew about that, sir¡­¡±

    ¡°It was impossible to not know.¡±

    ¡°It truly is very frustrating and all the swearing is hard to take. I think it is harder because we are already trying our hardest.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    He had heard from Kaeul beforehand and already knew how zealously they were working. That was when Ling Ling, who had been stealing nces at his face, said with an awkward smile.

    ¡°But actuallyy, we are okkay.¡±

    ¡°What is okay.¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t reallycking anythingg, and we will still be getting our ranks so you don¡¯t have to helpp uss¡­¡±

    Last night, Yu Jitae had talked with Kaeul over the watch, without mentioning anything about his visit. Ling Ling who had been crying her eyes out ording to Kaeul was drastically different from the Ling Ling he was seeing.

    The kids were smoothly growing up into adults, perhaps more maturer than some immature adults.

    ¡°I¡¯m not necessarily trying to physically help you when you¡¯re already doing fine.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°You guys can continue working on what you were doing, as you have been doing.¡±

    ¡°Thennn¡­?¡±

    The problem was simple. An attack through the media added to their circumstances where they couldn¡¯t publicise their actions.

    Since the problem was simple, the solution was also simple. They simply had to stop the attack over the media and publicise what was happening.

    Unlike the other three whose individualmunication to society was being restricted due to variousplex reasons, Yu Jitae was the one stopping Kaeul¡¯smunication. Therefore, he could simply say, ¡®Kaeul let¡¯s do SNS from now,¡¯ and that would solve the problem.

    He looked at Kaeul, who was still silent without saying a word. This was probably how she had been like the whole time. Her thoughts hadn¡¯t matured yet and she didn¡¯t have anything that could be thrown out as her own opinion.

    Today, his n was to ask Kaeul about her ¡®own opinion¡¯ about the matter.

    But of course, there were things to do before that.

    ¡°You guys, have you ever found it strange?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°The rank prediction being given by the media. Team White has a higher rank than you and Team Mochi who are constantly repeating raids day and night, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    Turning his head, Yu Jitae looked at the son of Oscar Brzenk.

    ¡°Brzenk.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you are weaker than Rank 971 White?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose but objectively speaking, I think we are around the same level.¡±

    ¡°Then what about Kaeul.¡±

    Brzenk hesitated slightly before opening his mouth.

    ¡°I believe she will be equal to rankers in 500s.¡±

    ¡°Right. That means your overall strength might be higher than White¡¯s team.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But if you look at White¡¯s SNS, don¡¯t they appear to be raiding with quite the leisure? He¡¯s meeting people, and having parties with his mates.¡±

    ¡°I did find it slightly questionable.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll show you something I¡¯ve found first.¡±

    Yu Jitae fidgeted with his watch.

    ¡°This is the raid record of the past 67 days since the start of the newborn superhumanpetition. Have a look.¡±

    He sent the data he took from the Associationst night to their watches.

    ¡°Sorry? Uhh..¡±

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t this illegal?¡±

    They voiced their worries but Yu Jitae shook his head as it wasn¡¯t illegal.

    ¡°Only requires some rights to view it.¡±

    Ahh I see, thought the cadets but after realising what those ¡®rights¡¯ referred to in the Association, they were slightly surprised. In any case, they came to themselves and nced across the data.

    +++

    Record on number of operations carried out in thest 67 days

    ¨C Team White: 85 times (D-)

    ¨C Team Lair: 21 times (B+)

    ¨C Team Mochi: 59 times (C)

    ¨C Newborn team average: 16.5 times (D)

    +++

    Currently, out of the 2300 newborn superhuman teams that were registered at the Association, Team Mochi was the oneing second with their number of raids. They were cutting down on their sleep and desperately working on the raids.

    And that was 59 times.

    ¡°Team White, 85 times¡­!? What kind of. What is up with these guys?¡±

    So Yong Taeha¡¯s scream wasn¡¯t anything strange.

    ¡°How diligently were they¡­ no, wait. Is this even a possible number no matter how diligent they are?¡±

    There wasn¡¯t a big difference between 2nd ce and 3rd ce. There wasn¡¯t a big difference between 3rd ce and 4th ce either.

    However, there was a gap of 44% between 1st ce and 2nd ce. Average rank of D- was extremely low and meant that they were undertaking easy dungeons on average. But even then, 85 raids within 67 days was still a number that waspletely impossible to understand.

    ¡°This means they¡¯re only sharing a portion of it on their SNS right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Their followers were saying they onlypleted 60 missions or so till now right!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what they themselves told their followers¡­ to the 30 million followers they¡¯re so proud of,¡± said Tyr Brzenk.

    Yong Taeha¡¯s eyes twitched after hearing his words. Cutting down on their aplishment and only publicising a portion of it?

    It was strange.

    Operations weren¡¯t given out everyday at every hour of the clock. There were a set number of operations each day and the time slot was also random. Because Yeorum¡¯s team had 59pleted missions after diligently carrying out everything that was allocated to them, 85 missions appearedparatively abnormal.

    ¡°Are there more detailed records?¡±

    ¡°There is. But thereon it will be illegal.¡±

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±

    Their faces turned dark.

    One of the children had belonged to the top ever since his birth and had his eyes set on the far-off distance. After immediately grasping the situation, Tyr Brzenk bitterly opened his mouth.

    ¡°I guess they are epting failed missions from minor squads.¡±

    ¡®Minor Squads¡¯ here referred to superhuman squads that were not supported or sponsored by superhuman agencies.

    Yu Jitae showed his agreement through silence.

    He was right.

    ¡°What do you mean? You mean they added 20 missions to their name like that? But failed missions don¡¯t even happen that often though.¡±

    No superhuman entered a mission ready to fail. All superhumans readied themselves as much as possible and because of that, it was quite rare for missions to fail.

    ¡°Or do you mean the Association dumped all the failed missions to Whitee¡­?¡±

    ¡°No. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s the case. That¡¯s impossible.¡±

    It was impossible for someone within the Association to hand over a failed mission to a specific squad and therefore, the current situation was like the following.

    1. A minor squad fails a mission.

    2. They alert the Association of their failure.

    3. The Association looks for a team that could undertake the failed missions in a fair manner.

    4. But for some reason, Team White always happened to be there and takes all the failed missions into their wings.

    5. That was why they were able to increase the number of their missions without sacrificing much of their rest time.

    6. And despite that, they publicised only a portion of what they had done.

    ¡°Does this even make sense? Brzenk. Maybe White has an informant hiding inside the Association?¡±

    ¡°No. That won¡¯t make sense either¡­¡±

    Although the Association wasn¡¯t a clean organisation by any means, they also weren¡¯t a group that would allow something this ridiculous happening from within them. Thus, it was safe to assume that this wasn¡¯t based on things that were happening inside the Association.

    Everything was happening outside the Association.

    The kids thought to themselves. What kind of team was Team White? They were the team under White McDonald who was getting explosive support from the Tower of Mages, whose reputation and fame was starting to dwindle in recent times due to Lair¡¯s uprise. They also had Team Coin who was supporting them via media¡­ and due to 30 million followers, they also had a lot of verbal influence.

    Finally realising something, Ling Ling struck the table with her fist. Kong! Her fist was small, and so was the sound.

    ¡°I, I think I get itt.¡±

    ¡°Why? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think minor squads actually failed their missionss? That¡¯s why it wasn¡¯t making sensee!¡±

    ¡°What? Then what if they didn¡¯t fail?¡±

    ¡°What if they pretended like it failed?¡±

    Yong Taeha and Kaeul twitched their eyes. As Yu Jitae had nned, the smart group of children found the answer by themselves from a simple trace.

    1. Minor squads would fail missions ¨C sometimes they won¡¯t

    2. But they will alert the Association of a failed mission

    3. After getting contacted by the minor squids, Team White would ept the failed missions for themselves.

    Of course, the process couldn¡¯t be done for free. Raid squads that fail missions will have to shoulder the me. The Association¡¯s trust in their ability will plummet and therefore, there had to be a bigger profit for them.

    ¡°And there is the Tower of Mages behind White.¡±

    And the Tower of Mages had a lot of money.

    ¡°So 20 of the 85 missions they have done are very likely to be ¡®false missions¡¯ that were done by them simply entering an empty dungeon.¡±

    0. Team White buys out the minor squads.

    It all now started to make sense and Yong Taeha and Ling Ling raised their voices from the frustration.

    ¡°These evil trashes¡­!¡±

    ¡°We should report to the Associationn. This is unfairr!¡±

    ¡°We must screw them over or something! Oi, Brzenk! Can you get some help from your father in situations like this?¡±

    ¡°I could.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s screw them up! These bastards! I will also get some help from my household!¡±

    It was then. Right when they were about to start formting a n, Brzenk poured a bucket of cold water above them.

    ¡°But how would you make this a problem?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The newborn rankingpetition onlysts 4 months. A few of the people already know about minor squads earning some money through this but it¡¯s hard to make this into a big issue.¡±

    ¡°How is it hard?¡±

    ¡°Most of the raid failures would probably be at the boss raids, which really are dangerous. There are a lot of situational elements that could force the group into retreating.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say we do report it to the Association. Would the minor squadse out and obediently say that they had received some dirty money? That they got paid to do so? They won¡¯t. So we don¡¯t have any evidence or witness. What are we going to do if all the minor squads group up and im that they really did fail their missions?¡±

    And what if Team White just coincidentally happened to monopolise them?

    ¡°But! How can there be such a coincidence? That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    ¡°But on the other hand, we don¡¯t have any evidence to im that it wasn¡¯t a coincidence right?¡±

    After calmly thinking about it, they realised that Brzenk was right.

    ¡°I also feel like shit, but we have to be calmer in a situation like this. We only have circumstantial evidence right now.¡±

    That was the problem.

    The minor squads were the ones iming that they had failed the missions while the transaction was between minor squads and Team White. It was simply structurally impossible for there to be any evidence or witness.

    It was a smart move by Team White.

    ¡°Should we just do the same thing!?¡±

    ¡°Taeha. Don¡¯t say that even as a joke.¡±

    ¡°Yeahh¡­ I would rather stop being a superhuman than do that¡­¡± said Ling Ling.

    False missionpletions like this would always be carried out in the shadows based on connections so 30 million followers of theirs must havee in handy. However, Team Lair didn¡¯t even have such a connection in the first ce so they couldn¡¯t even do the same thing even if they wanted to.

    Yong Taeha awkwardly gave a frown.

    ¡°I was just saying it. It¡¯s just freakin¡¯ frustrating¡­¡±

    Naturally, the eyes of the young superhumans gathered towards Yu Jitae.

    Despite the abysmal situation, they thought Yu Jitae might have the answer to this issue. It was the same feeling as all the other cadets of Lair who saw the actions of the Yu household. The guardian of Yu household always made possible, the seemingly impossible ¨C including ridiculous things at times.

    ¡°What did they move for again?¡± Yu Jitae, who had been quietly watching them, opened his mouth.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be money sir?¡±

    ¡°Right ¨C money. But there is more. Newborn superhumanpetition onlysts 4 months. They can¡¯t ruin their whole superhuman career from some momentary cash can they.¡±

    The kids nodded in return.

    ¡°I guess there is their trust in the Tower of Mages¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all the more hopeless then. Because there is both money and trust between them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I met them yesterday,¡± said Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Sorry? What do you mean sir?¡±

    Opening his wallet, Yu Jitae threw a bunch of papers onto the table. There were around 10 business cards each with a name and a phone number. The kids nced across them, curious as to what they were.

    ¡°Those are the business cards of the minor squad captains.¡±

    The kids widened their eyes in shock. Startled, Ling Ling hurriedly picked up one of the business cards she dropped on the ground.

    ¡°Did you go meet them personally?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. All through till morning.¡±

    ¡°But would they obediently open up considering all the money and trust they have, sir?¡±

    ¡°They weren¡¯t very willing indeed.¡±

    ¡°Damn it¡­ I guess so though. Because admitting that would ruin both their life and their connection with the Tower of Mages.¡±

    As expected, there won¡¯t be any witnesses¡­ or so they thought.

    ¡°That¡¯s why it wasn¡¯t that easy,¡± Yu Jitae said, shattering their thoughts.

    ¡®Sorry?¡¯ asked Yong Taeha with his voice cracking in the middle. Ling Ling¡¯s red eyes widened and even Tyr Brzenk appeared bewildered.

    No matter how much he intimidated them, they didn¡¯t try to admit anything so it was a bit difficult but in the end, he forced their mouths open by using the skills he was good at. Naturally, there was no reason for him to share this part of the story with the children.

    In any case, the evidence was with him right now. Yu Jitae unfastened his watch and gave it to the children.

    As if it was the legacy of his household, Yong Taeha carefully received it before clicking on the [1. Minor Squad Cobras Wing_Testimony] from the list of recordings.

    ¨C Yes. T, that is correct. 2 weeks ago we received money rted to the false missions from the Magicians Tower Agency (MTA).

    The voice of the ¡®witness¡¯ flowed out from the watch. Ling Ling¡¯s expression turned dark in real time.

    ¨C In cash?

    ¨C Ye, yes sir.

    ¨C And any insurance? If the Tower of Mages goes back on their word, it¡¯s just you falling into ruin.

    ¨C T, the things is, we have a non-disclosure agreement. In, in paper¡­

    ¨C Pass it over.

    A rustling sound escaped from the watch as the recording soon came to an end.

    While the expressions of the kids were changing entrically in real time, Yu Jitae took a small piece of paper from his pocket and ced it on the table. When Tyr Brzenk opened up the folded piece of paper, the kids let out shrieks of awe.

    ¡°T, this!?¡± ¡°Hukk¡­!¡±

    They guessed what it was from the recording but actually seeing it with their own eyes gave them a different feeling altogether.

    [Non-disclosure Agreement_Cobras Wing]

    There was ¡®evidence¡¯ before their eyes now, following the witness¡¯s testimony.

 Chapter 270: Those who meet must part (5)

    <h4>Chapter 270: Those who meet must part (5)</h4>

    ¡°There is nothing to worry about regarding the way you took the evidence, right sir?¡±

    Tyr Brzenk thought to himself that whatever he asked hereon would probably be meaningless. And Yu Jitae gave him the statement of affirmation.

    ¡°Of course not. He spoke with his own mouth and handed it over with his own hands.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t ask about the details either so Tyr Brzenk merely let out a bitter smile.

    Meanwhile, Yong Taeha clenched his fist. In the past two months, all sorts of things and problems hade up during his time here which he couldn¡¯t really share with anyone. He was so frustrated that he had cried himself to tears once but now, he was feeling all those buckled-up thoughts and emotions drain away.

    ¡°This, this¡­ is perfect.¡±

    It seemingly made Ling Ling emotional as well, and she quietly bit her lips with excitement.

    ¡°Sir. Thank you. Thanks a lott¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah. R, right! Thank you a lot sir.¡±

    Yu Jitae waved his hand and didn¡¯t ept their gratitudes as he wasn¡¯t doing all this for these kids.

    He looked at Kaeul who was still blinking her eyes in silence. As if in deep thought, her expression repeatedly turned brighter before bing darker again.

    ¡°Anyways, this will be quite the sight to see when it gets publicised.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Now that you mention it, what would happen if this gets announced? I¡¯m not that knowledgeable on how false reports and the Association work, you see.¡±

    ¡°Funnelling all the failed missions of minor squads into one group¡­ This happens quite often in fact. Well, but it is my first time seeing 20 freaking funnelled missions in just 2 months.¡±

    Tyr Brzenk continued while rubbing his chin.

    ¡°They simply did it way too much. If it was just one or two, other superhumans wouldn¡¯t necessarily mention it but¡­¡±

    ¡°Why would they not mention it? Something this crazy¡­?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they. Ling Ling, how long do you think this was going on for?¡±

    ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°At least dozens of years. The Association never changes their systems and the early superhumans who got some juice out of it at their own newborn superhumanpetitions are now the ones judging.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Arms bend inward ¨C people tend to be more generous and open-minded to the crimes they havemitted themselves. It won¡¯t explode until it¡¯s properly grabbed and squeezed.

    ¡°How many false missions do you think they received, sir?¡±

    ¡°Above 20.¡±

    ¡°Too much, I assume.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The result would be different depending on the way he exploded it.

    ¡°There are a lot of ways you can go around it.¡±

    Yu Jitae added.

    ¡°The biggest way to publicise it is right before the end of the rankingpetition, when the ranks are mostly decided inside the Association. And you can explode it for the public to see right when there are the most number of spotlights on White.¡±

    Tyr Brzenk gasped.

    ¡°¡­If that does happen, they would bepletely ruined beyond repair. Let alone Team White, all the minor squads that sold failed missions for money, the agency behind Team White, MTA, and the Tower of Mages will all be involved. If the Association was to delve deeper into it, they would find even more involved people.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t Team Coin be one of themm?¡±

    ¡°Most likely yeah.¡±

    Their 30 million followers would alsoe back and bite them on their backs. Both their names and faces were all known already and after betraying everyone¡¯s trust, they would no longer be treated as heroes.

    They would immediately plummet all the way to the ground but actually, it would be fortunate for them if that was the end.

    ¡°It will be worse.¡±

    ¡°Even worse, sir?¡±

    ¡°Money. You have to think about money.¡±

    Money ¨C it was a very realistic word.

    ¡°The amount of money the Tower of Mages put in to nurture the historical genius called White McDonald, is astronomical.¡±

    And naturally, that support wasn¡¯t for free. White McDonald had to show some results that fit his framed image of an historical genius and had to create some sort of profit.

    In other words, it was still a debt he had to pay.

    ¡°If White was to fall here, all the teams that got supported by the Tower, the teams that were in charge of their education, and the department inside the agency that supported them will all go bankrupt. All the sponsors that believed and sponsored White would naturally also fall to ruin.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just a story of one or two people. At this point, the expressions of the kids started to change.

    ¡°All of his family would be out in the streets and it¡¯s not a small amount of loan they have either. What kind of fool would sit back and watch when an astronomical amount of money has simply vanished into thin air?¡±

    In the current era, human rights weren¡¯t that valued and being murdered as a revenge wouldn¡¯t even end up in the news. Considering all that, it was easy to imagine what would happen when a family with millions of dors in debt was to be chased out into the streets away from the protection of the Tower.

    There was a high chance of White¡¯s family being murdered. Not because they did anything wrong, but for the murderers to ease their anger.

    ¡°It would be good for White if he could at least die with his family, but he won¡¯t even be able to.¡±

    The young superhumans here had heard some things of how ¡®usable¡¯ superhumans would be treated aftermitting crimes. Their best option would be to hide in the shadows. Their worst option would be being inverted into the dirty task force of a country, and being forced into the most dangerous and dirty missions until death.

    ¡°He will be a tool.¡±

    A tool was an official word used in the superhuman industry. Peoplemonly referred to that as bing livestock. They had to do the most dirty and horrendous deeds that humans couldn¡¯t even possibly imagine until their death and yet they weren¡¯t even allowed to choose when to die.

    Livestock weren¡¯t treated all that differently from belongings ¨C they would be severely brainwashed before being sent into a mission. When they weren¡¯t sent into missions, they would be forced into hibernation, soaked in preservatives resembling formalin so that they could build up power until their next mission. Throughout that process, drugs that were effective but harmful to the body ¨C and thus cost-efficient ¨C would be used on them.

    After he exined up to that point, the excitement died down a little. And the change in Kaeul¡¯s expression was even more visible.

    In any case, they would repeat brainwashing and removing the brainwash on the livestock for a reason. It was because the individuals had to have a decent mental capability for challenging tasks.

    Because of that, although their physical capabilities would be at the minimum when they are ¡®hibernating¡¯ inside formalin, they would most of the time be awake. Since they were superhumans, only two or three hours of sleep was enough to keep their mind fresh.

    ording to research, ¡®livestock¡¯ in this status had egos and had their brains functioning at 95% of their normal capability.

    Unable to move ¨C unable to neither see or hear and their bodies locked up in foreign liquid. Their minds would be confined within the smallest jail cells in the world called their ¡®bodies¡¯. Livestocks would most likely think for days, months and perhaps even years and decades¡­

    However, human rights weren¡¯t of high value and no-one was interested in the thoughts of livestocks.

    That was what Yu Jitae guessed would be the future of White.

    He indifferently exined these facts but after hearing that far, the kids made rather flustered looks on their faces. Ling Ling especially was pale and she dropped her head with her eyes fixed on the ground.

    Why, he wondered. Perhaps it was because they were young. These young superhumans might be thinking that a treatment like that was too much.

    He couldn¡¯t really understand it.

    Why are they scared?

    What was there to be surprised about with a person paying for their sins? Thinking that, Yu Jitae quietly thought to himself trying to figure out whether there was a part of his exnation that was wrong.

    Ling Ling opened her mouth.

    ¡°Is, is there a reason to go that farr¡­?¡±

    Yong Taeha immediately poked her with his elbow and Ling Ling startledly closed her mouth.

    ¡°Why. Is this too much?¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    He was asking with a good intention and wasn¡¯t expecting it to appear oppressive. The young superhumans, however, shook their heads in a fluster.

    ¡°So no objections then, I¡¯m assuming.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ sir.¡±

    It was right when Tyr Brzenk was about to represent everyone else and put the full stop.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    Kaeul opened her mouth with an extremely anxious look on her face.

    ¡°If possible¡­¡±

    ¡°Say it. Whatever you have on your mind.¡±

    ¡°Uum, uum¡­ What if we only publicise it on White¡¯s SNS¡­ Would that be okay¡­?¡±

    Although Yu Jitae didn¡¯t show it on the outside, he was inwardly very surprised. He was constantly pondering on whether he should ask her for her opinion, but decided against it because she had kept her mouth closed. He thought it was still too early for her to formte her own thoughts.

    From the old BY of the past to the current Kaeul. It took a lot of time for the gold hatchling to form her own thoughts. And even if she were to formte her own thoughts, she rarely ever let it out.

    That was the biggest reason behind BY¡¯s death ¨C it¡¯s because she rarely ever expressed her honest opinion.

    That¡¯s how it was but¡­

    ¡°Why did you think that.¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­¡±

    Kaeul sneaked a nce at her friends before going on.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be big enough already¡­?¡±

    That indeed was right.

    30 million followers ¨C that was the most number of followers that a newborn superhuman group has ever had and there was an immense gap in poprity between them and the second ce. They were at the centre of every type of newspaper and broadcasting channels, receiving the undivided attention of the media and not a single person in the entire world didn¡¯t know them despite them being a new group of superhumans.

    Their follower base would continue to growrger. And therefore, even if they were to simply touch their SNS without publicising it, it would still be a great impact to White.

    ¡°Uum¡­ even without the false missions, they still have over 50¡­ he saved a lot of people¡­ he did bad things to us but still¡­¡±

    Kaeul started sharing her honest opinion. Her opinion which might appear to be trying to contradict Yu Jitae¡¯s intention.

    ¡°And.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ and, it¡¯s not like, it¡¯s that, that big of a bad thing to do right¡­ It is bad but still¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. And,¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the person that¡¯s bad, uum¡­ I think the problem is with the SNS that was used in a bad way¡­ he won¡¯t even have a chance to repent if we¡­¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    Kaeul slurred the end of her sentence, before opening her mouth with extreme caution.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too harsh¡­ I think¡­¡±

    Unlike other kids, Yu Jitae was inwardly delighted.

    He had known her for 60 years at the very least, and he could say with certainty that this baby dragon sharing such a detailed and sincere opinion this early into an iteration had never happened before.

    She wasn¡¯t immersing herself in BY¡¯s emotions either, so how much courage would she have needed to let out such words? It made him realise again how much Kaeul had psychologically grown aftering out onto the field.

    ¡°Do you guys think the same?¡± He asked others with a slightly more pleased tone. Fortunately, the other kids seemed to have thought the same and they all gave a nod.

    ¡°Right. Got it. Let¡¯s just do moderate damage to their SNS.¡±

    Only then did the bizarre atmosphere covering the entire office ease up.

    ¡°And as you said, let¡¯s give them a chance as well,¡± he added while looking at Kaeul who then nodded with a slightly brighter look on her face.

    Of course, they won¡¯t change even if they were given a chance.

    That night, Yu Jitae sent an anonymous message alongside a donation of a thousand dors to Team White. The reason he bothered to donate is because they might not see his message otherwise.

    The message read like the following.

    [Ihavefoundevidenceofyourillegalnegotiationsandfakemissionswithminorsquads. HidethetracesyourselfandceasealltypesofSNSactivitiesincludingthedealwithTeamCoin]

    It was his first time threatening someone with a message but it appeared quite threatening. Yu Jitae was rtively satisfied with the oue.

    Meanwhile, the young superhumans tilted their heads thinking it was slightly weird but they couldn¡¯t say anything after sensing Yu Jitae¡¯s satisfaction. Besides, they weren¡¯t going to forgive them that easily in the first ce.

    Whatever the case, the message had gone through.

    On one hand, he was quite curious about how they would respond.

    It seemed that he really did regain the daily lives ¨C Kaeul had given them an opportunity with an anxious mind so even if they didn¡¯t get punished ording to their wrongdoings, he would still be okay since it meant that Kaeul¡¯s kind heart was being rewarded.

    But unfortunately, such things did not happen.

    ¡°Have they responded?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What did they say?¡±

    Yu Jitae quietly turned on the hologram disy mode for them.

    [Ey listen. Who might you be, and why are you donating to say such nonsense? We are Team White, that always seeks toplete missions the right way, so a message like this is very disappointing to see. Minor squads? Fake missions? If you try to circte false rumours like this again, then we will have to bring this to court. Please use this money to find yourself awyer if that happens.]

    The donation was returned.

    Although they were somewhat expecting such a result, the young superhumans were once again upset from their shamelessness.

    They lost theirst chance at survival.

    ***

    Immediately after receiving the message, Team White contacted all the minor squads that they had made a deal with. They then got the message that they didn¡¯te into contact with any outsider.

    The moment they started doing these things, they had readied themselves for rumours to spread like this but they thought a strict warning would be enough to solve the problem.

    The superhuman influencer team had a shocking number of 30 million followers. It was the highest number of followers in the history of newborn superhuman teams and there were therefore a lot of small-fries that came up with nonsense.

    Of course it was rare for them to say nonsense with arge donation like this but¡­

    In any case, there was arge event nned ahead for them so Team White decided to shake their mind away from the small-fries.

    ¡°Today is an important day. Don¡¯t make mistakes.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    White encourages hisrades.

    Atst, it was the day of their first live broadcast.

    It was their first time doing a live stream with people as heroes and influencers. It was in the form of an online fan convention.

    Since they had a lot of influential power, they also received a lot of attention from the media as ten or so of reporters brought forth their cameras.

    Sitting in a row behind a long table, the members of Team White beganmunicating with their fans in real time.

    ¡°Hello. We are a newborn superhuman team, Team White!¡±

    ¡°For humanity!¡±

    Hundreds of thousands of people gathered the moment they began the broadcast and before long, there were more than 3 million fans watching the video live. It was a number that allowed others to realise just how popr Team White was.

    After their greeting and when they weremunicating about this and that with their fans,

    From somewhere came a flying paper airne.

    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s this I wonder?¡±

    The team leader, McDonald, tilted his head looking at the direction the paper airne hade from. Although they were outside, it was bizarre since he hadn¡¯t sensed anything with his senses.

    ¡°Was it sent by a fan?¡±

    ¡°Probably. Ohh? Something¡¯s written on it.¡±

    ¡°Haha. What does it say there?¡±

    There was a strange array of letters written on the paper airne.

    [@Search_me_Plzzz]

    ¡°What do you think this is, everyone?¡±

    The leader, White McDonald, made a grave mistake of showing that on live without any concerns. Since it resembled an SNS ID, some of the curious viewers searched for that ID on the SNS.

    And they came across a shocking ount.

    [Search_me_Plzzz]

    Here we expose Team White¡¯s trickery

    It exploded like a bomb.

 Chapter 271: Those who meet must part (6)

    <h4>Chapter 271: Those who meet must part (6)</h4>

    ¡°Whoa, it seems we¡¯ve already hit 5 million viewers.¡±

    ¡°We are also at the top of the board for current live stream shows.¡±

    ¡°At the top? Wow! Really¡­! Thank you so much!¡±

    This was a live stream prepared by the Mage Tower Agency (MTA) for the newborn superhumans. A fan convention or a Q&A session ¨C whatever the name may be, it was a way of unting their poprity which had seen a recent spike in growth.

    It was of a different scalepared to individual streamers. MTA spent a tremendous amount of money and even outsourced a professional filming team.

    Since it was going to be on live anyway, they also invited several renowned superhuman broadcastingpanies. 25 people gathered in the end just for the live stream of 4 people.

    Due to the number of people, they decided to host the event outdoors at a quiet ce to spare more room for the cameras. It was normal for them to get nervous but the superhumans of Team White had already taken a bunch of psychological relief drugs so they faced the camera with wide smiles.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing special about us, so to see so many people gathered¡­¡±

    ¡°Haha. Then shouldn¡¯t you show everyone something at the very least, boss?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, then I¡¯ll show a bit of my specialty, ¡®magic swordsmanship¡¯ which everyone was curious about.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t mean now though. Since everyone is curious about it, please stay tuned until the end of the live show! You can see it then.¡±

    Uhaha, theyughed.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be a great streamer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing he¡¯s good at~~¡±

    While the members were harmoniously chatting with each other, a PD from MTA suddenly gestured towards the filming team in fright, before walking away from the site while calling somewhere.

    What¡¯s wrong with him? Did something happen nearby? That¡¯s what the members of Team White were thinking.

    [Waldo: ??? Search me plzzz what is this? :O]

    [¤Ê¤Ê: Nothing much? They¡¯re putting up posts about how Team White is deceiving people¡­]

    [Çàº£: Please do something about them]

    From time to time, strangements were being made on the paidment section. Although curious, Team White decided to ignore it for the time being. There were a lot ofments in the first ce and it was just the opinion of the minority.

    That was when the PD suddenly ran up and gestured to everyone to stop the stream.

    ¡°Uhh? Ah, one second please.¡±

    ¡°Please give us a second.¡±

    One of the members red at the PD, demanding for an exnation but the PD continued moving his arms with a pale face, telling them to pause the show.

    ¡°I think there is a problem with the broadcast. P, please give us a minute!¡±

    Just like that, the show came to a full pause. The outsourced filming crew was confused, while the members of Team White were even more confused. In the end, White walked up to the PD and irritatedly asked him.

    ¡°What is this all about? Sir.¡±

    ¡°M, Mister White. Pleasee here for a bit¡­!!¡±

    ¡°Like I said! What is wrong with you!¡±

    White stopped in the middle of his furious outrage the moment he spotted the look of fear on the PD¡¯s face. Before long, that same expression was hanging on White¡¯s face after they distanced themselves from the site.

    ¡°That paper airne!¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°The airne! That ¡®search me please¡¯ that was put out was an SNS ount name! Right now, there are posts being made that talk about Team White¡¯s deception and fake missions but¡­! T, they don¡¯t sound like utter nonsense!¡± The PD shouted with a pale look on his face.

    White controlled his facial expression and began to furiously me the PD instead.

    ¡°Do you believe that? Show me right now!¡±

    He snatched the device away from PD¡¯s hands, and gazed through the posts.

    [Search_me_Plzzz]

    First reveal: Is the number of missions Team White haspleted within thest 67 days 61 times as they im it to be?

    No ¨C it is in fact 82 times.

    An image of a document that was remarkably simr to the ¡®mission record¡¯ that Team White had shown to the public was attached to the post, as well as all the official schedules that Team White had carried out in between.

    It looked bizarre when it was all put together. The schedule was way too tight. Even if they were cutting down on their sleep, it still wasn¡¯t enough time toplete all the missions that weren¡¯t officially announced by Team White.

    ¡°This¡­ what is the source of this document?¡±

    ¡°We are trying our best to look into it but¡­ for now we¡¯re not sure¡­¡±

    White and the PD were unaware but the temte of the document was one that was used within the Association. However, there was nothing on the document that could allow them to guess that it belonged to the Association.

    The PD muttered, ¡®Of course I know Mister White is not the type of person to do that¡­! But, the reaction of the people are¡­!¡¯

    There were dozens of thousands ofments made in just a few minutes.

    [??? Is this real?]

    [What? They were talking about deception so I thought it would be negative but are they trying to help Team White? So Team White was working even harder?]

    [Bullcrap. It doesn¡¯t make sense. Team Mochi is publicising all their operations. They didn¡¯t take a single break and they only have 59 missions.]

    [Lol you¡¯reparing White with Mochi. They are on a different league so that¡¯s no surprise haha]

    [Stop uttering crap. Haven¡¯t you seen Team Mochi¡¯s operation video? They¡¯re at the top of newborn superhuman teams.]

    [I trust Team White. There¡¯s no evidence in the first ce]

    [frfr]

    [333333]

    For the time being, there was nothing on the image that proved its credibility. The PD tearily opened his mouth.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t true, right? Right?¡±

    ¡°Is that even supposed to be a question?¡±

    ¡°R, right¡­?¡±

    ¡°Did you get scared from a single image and stop the live show? When it was at the toping 1st from current live streams? Are you going to take the responsibility for this?¡±

    White shamelessly replied despite blood racing away from his face. In fact, he didn¡¯t even know what his own mouth was bbering about because even his head was turning pale.

    82 times was too urate forfort¡­

    It was an extremely clever reveal. No-one other than the directly rted personnel of the Association would be able to urately tell the exact number of missions, which was 82.

    But there was no reason for rted personnel of the Association to get involved and threaten a newborn superhuman team, because that wasn¡¯t what the name of the Association should be used for.

    White couldn¡¯t possibly imagine a 5th grade agent of the Association with an authority at the level of the 5 Transcendents of Chaliovan being antagonistic towards him, so he was even more confused.

    It was then. White¡¯s watch suddenly vibrated.

    Someone was calling him.

    After checking the number, White was startled.

    [+00 0000000000]

    Both the country and the phone number were concealed. White could immediately tell that the caller was the one behind all this and the guy was calling him directly.

    His eyes turned blurry. It felt as if there was arge wound on his body, because this was how he felt whenever there was blood racing out of his body.

    ¡°T, then should we restart the video?¡±

    ¡°No! Please just wait for a bit! And stop fucking whingeing!¡±

    After subconsciously swearing at the PD, White walked away and took the call.

    ¡°Who are you.¡±

    His heart raced like crazy. No-one talked back, so White screamed out the question again.

    ¡°Oi, oi! What are you huh? What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¨C White McDonald. Watch your tone.

    A voice modified to a higher tone came flowing out of the watch. It wasn¡¯t any dumbfounding technique, and was just a built-in function which friends tended to use to prank each other.

    ¡°What was that, you bastard?¡±

    ¨C It¡¯s already been some time since it happened. Are you still clueless about what¡¯s happening? What was the Tower thinking, investing in an idiot like this.

    Kung. It felt as if a piece of lead dropped inside his heart. Everything felt all the more chilling and realistic, as his fingertips began to ache.

    ¨C Wake up. It¡¯s moments away before everything you¡¯ve built upes crumbling down.

    ¡°W, w, who might you be¡­ Why, why are you doing this to me¡­¡±

    ¨C I warned you. You should¡¯ve listened when you had the chance.

    Only then did White remember the sponsored message he received a few days ago, that was written without any spaces in between. He thought it was just a mental person writing it but¡­

    ¨C Just think of me as a voice phisher you see in movies. Also, I have a lot of proofs but it¡¯s up to you if you want to do anything funny.

    ¡°D, do you think you will be safe after doing this¡­¡±

    ¨C Think of your own well-being first.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He knew it was a life built on sand. When he was blinded by greed into making the wrong choice, he had worried about having to pay for it one day, but he wasn¡¯t expecting today to be the day.

    White heavily trembled.

    ¨C I¡¯m going to make you do things and as long as you listen to my orders, I¡¯ll end this meaningless skit. I will. So you just have to reply, ¡®Yes,¡¯ to whatever I say. Understand?

    ¡°W, w, what kind of questions are you going to ask¡­¡±

    The caller didn¡¯t respond.

    Why wasn¡¯t the person saying anything? Is it because he didn¡¯t say ¡®Yes¡¯? While White was starting to be scared from the opponent¡¯s silence, PD shouted from the other side.

    ¡°E, excuse me! S, Sir White! Is the call important!?¡±

    ¡°Why! What¡¯s wrong?!¡±

    ¡°The guy posted something new on their SNS¡­!¡±

    White hurriedly looked at the new post with his watch.

    [Search_me_plzzz]

    Out of 82 missions, most of them are located all over South America and North America, and yet strangely enough, 4 werepleted in East Asia.

    ¡®Yes¡¯?

    Yet again there was an ambiguous image attached to the post and thements that were being written in real time were discussing and trying to guess what that ¡®Yes¡¯ thing meant.

    Those 4 operations indeed were also false missions¡­ Gritting his teeth, White replied.

    ¡°Yes. I will say ¡®yes¡¯ only¡­ P, p, please do c, continue¡­¡±

    The guy over the watch finally continued speaking.

    ¨C You got an in-ear headphone yeah? Go and turn on the live show again.

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, ah¡­ yes.¡±

    Why? What was the man trying to make him do? His heart raced so fast that his vision turned hazy. From the abnormallyrge mental shock, his legs lost strength and he copsed onto the ground.

    ¨C Don¡¯t wanna move?

    ¡°I, I, I will go right now¡­¡±

    He obediently stood back up and powerlessly paced towards the site. The PD ran up and asked what was going on but White ignored his question and shook his pale face.

    ¡°Turn the broadcast on again.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°T, there is no problem with this. S, s, so just put it on live again.¡±

    Saying that, he returned to his seat behind the table. The moment he sat down, all the filming crew, members of the broadcastingpanies and hisrades all turned quiet.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening. Is it all resolved now?¡±

    ¡°Shut your trap. Before I rip it open¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Hisrades were shocked but White¡¯s voice was so soft that the mic didn¡¯t catch it.

    This was in fact how their rtionship was like ¨C White was the tyrant of his one-man team. The harmonious atmosphere they showed on the outside was just for show and hisrades were also enduring through it since it was a win-win rtionship for them as well.

    The PD ran back to site and gave the OK sign to the filming crew and other staff.

    As the show went back on live, White¡¯srades gave awkward smiles while apologising to the viewers, saying that there was a problem on their end.

    Meanwhile, a mechanical voice reached White¡¯s ears through the in-ear headphone.

    ¨C Continue what you were doing.

    That sentence was extremely frightening to him.

    After all this was a live stream, and the opponent was probably watching him at this exact moment.

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    However, there was nothing White could do other than reply with a voice that the mic couldn¡¯t pick up.

    *

    Meanwhile, there was a brighter atmosphere covering Team Lair.

    They were watching the show live through arge disy screen that was inside the small office they borrowed, and they were going through Search me Plz¡¯s SNS ount on their watches.

    ¡°That guy is super scaredd¡­!¡±

    ¡°Ahahaha! Did you see the guys next to him flinch just then?¡±

    The guy they hated so much was being startled in front of arge audience in real time. Watching that, they felt very refreshed.

    Since she got the confirmation from Yu Jitae that they won¡¯t be driven into the deepest gutters with no way to get back up, Kaeul was also able to smilefortably.

    Before long, the number of viewers hit 3 million again.

    ¡°What do you want to do? You can y with him until we blow it up,¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    y with him? Although their eyes sparked from the idea, the young superhumans couldn¡¯t openly give ideas as they were still not thatfortable around Yu Jitae.

    She knew how they were feeling. Because of that, Kaeul who had been hugging the baby chicken and throwing nces the whole time, mischievously shouted to start it off.

    ¡°Tell him to pick his nose¡­!¡±

    It was the dirty thing that Yeorum-unni often did.

    *

    And after exactly 5 seconds,

    White began to pick his nose,

    Live, in front of 3 million viewers.

 Chapter 272: Those who meet must part (7)

    <h4>Chapter 272: Those who meet must part (7)</h4>

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on?¡±

    The viewers of the live stream watched with frowns on their faces. White suddenly started doing something strange ¨C he started picking his nose while the camera was facing him and hisrades.

    ¡°Ah? What is he¡­?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    White, thanks to his handsome appearance and his gestures that touched the hearts of women, he had often been called the ideal boyfriend. Since he was suddenly picking his nose, it was difficult to both understand or ept what he was doing and his fans were confused as to where to look.

    In fact, he had been strange for a while already.

    He suddenly made a straight face and red at hisrades, before immediately smiling brightly at the camera. His fans felt relieved after seeing the same bright smile but now he was picking his nose with a straight face which waspletely iprehensible.

    [White Lover: ???]

    [Whiting: ?]

    [¥Û¥ï¥¤¥È¤µ¤ó´óºÃ¤­: Eh?]

    [100k a Month: What¡¯s the guy in the middle doin???]

    But that was just the beginning of his bizarre acts.

    Usually, nothing went down the wrong pipe for superhumans. So when the water he was drinking went down the wrong pipe, the swordsmanship genius of the Yong household was put in a very bad mood.

    It was when he pulled his injured body to visit a hospital straight after a mission. While waiting for the appointment time, he saw a post made by Team Coin that ndered Team Lair. He happened to be drinking water when he saw the news and he was so surprised and mad that the water managed to enter his airway.

    That¡¯s why something simr was happening now.

    White opened the lid of his water bottle before cing the hole next to his nose. He then started drinking water through his nose, which would never work out in the first ce. He soon started coughing out all the water through both his nose and his mouth.

    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±

    [Hwang Jorong: ???? Seriously what is wrong bro?]

    [Ted: Huh? What¡¯s wrong with Mister White?]

    [Loookie: ??????]

    The chat was being filled with question marks as White¡¯srades tried to resolve the situation with awkward smiles. Even then, White continued his mysterious acts.

    The short female superhuman of China¡¯s Erfan still wasn¡¯t very satisfied with the situation. She was the type of person who considered violence to be an essential part of a true revenge. Like how she struck Yeorum on the nose and made her bleed, and like how she bit her ears in the past, she wanted to pick up a sword and cut one of White¡¯s wrists off.

    That¡¯s why the following happened.

    ppp!

    A thunderous sound echoed across as White suddenly pped his own face with his palm. It once again shocked all the viewers but this time, it was followed by a nice ad-libment of a fast-thinking member of Team White.

    ¡°R, right dude! White! p yourself and wake up!¡±

    ¡°Huhh? Right right! You were drinking water with your nose and, you¡¯re a bit weird toda¡­¡±

    It all became meaningless when White started to nosebleed. How strong was the p for him to bleed like that?

    [p: ???]

    [WoB: But why in the world?]

    [ibzell: ???]

    [cais: ?]

    Once again, the chat section was being filled with question marks.

    Confused, the filming team was pondering whether they should continue this broadcast or not. One of the staff hurriedly suggested to the PD that they end the live stream at least but the PD shook his head with tears in his eyes.

    It was because White told him to never stop the live stream no matter the cost.

    Meanwhile, someone asked the son of the world¡¯s number 1 ranker, telling him to say something too. Shaking his head, he said, ¡®I¡¯m fine,¡¯ but others kept pestering him so he threw a random word.

    *

    ¡°Chirpy. Let¡¯s do that.¡±

    Chirp?

    ¡°You know, that thing. That¡­!¡±

    Chirp!

    The young superhumans threw nces at both Kaeul and Chirpy. They appeared to have seen ¡®that thing¡¯ a few times already, and had expectant lights in their eyes.

    Kaeul didn¡¯t know how to read the baby chicken¡¯s expression so she missed it but the chicken replied he didn¡¯t want to just then. When Kaeul persistently tried to make him do it, Chirpy started exining himself.

    Chirp chirp¡­! (¡®Tis very humiliating though¡­)

    But Kaeul still couldn¡¯t understand his words.

    ¡°Uung Uung. That thing. It¡¯s that!¡±

    Chipp! (What, I don¡¯t want to)

    In the past, he was very courteous and always referred to Kaeul as his guardian deity but they appeared to have gotten a lot closer during the time they were away. The baby chicken protested.

    On the other hand, Kaeul thought the baby chicken wasn¡¯t understanding her words so she showed an example. She started dancing while twisting her hips and her waist.

    ¡°This thing. This thing! You know it right?¡±

    Chipp (Damn it)

    ¡°Ahh, hurry up. Otherwise, no food okay?¡±

    Chirp¡­! (How could you say such a thing¡­!)

    In the blink of an eye, the baby chicken was picked up by her hands and was ced on the table of the office.

    He really didn¡¯t want to, but now that all the eyes were on him, there was no choice but to do it. Left with no other choice, Chirpy began swinging his yellow, chubby and furry hips left and right.

    ¡°Ahahahaha!¡±

    ¡°Kyaaaa¨C!¡±

    Yong Taeha and Ling Ling gasped for breath,ughing. On the screen behind where the baby chicken was dancing, White had gone up the table, doing a strange dance.

    That was Tyr Brzenk¡¯smand.

    *

    On the other hand, the filming site was in aplete mess of an atmosphere. Unable to sit still and do nothing, hisrades tried to pull White down but White shouted at them to leave him alone. They, who were already quite pissed from his usually tyrannical personality, screamed back at him.

    ¡°Have you really gone mad?! Come down you idiot!¡±

    ¡°Let go! Let go of me right now! You don¡¯t know why I¡¯m doing this, do you? You lowly useless bastards!¡±

    ¡°You! Watch your words!¡±

    ¡°I always thought so but you guys are absolutely useless! You know that¨C?!¡±

    The abnormal bncing ability of a superhuman was working well. He appeared to be about to fall but constantly made it back up.

    But White seemed to have lost it and started swearing at the viewers.

    ¡°What are you looking at!? Why are there so many here! Please just fuck off! Go away from the channel!¡±

    There were so manyments that it was simply impossible to read any of them.

    The PD felt the world turning in front of his eyes. Unable to tell whether he was in a dream or not, he looked for his assistant.

    ¡°Hey. This is a dream right?

    ¡°Hnn? Should we just stop the show¡­?¡±

    No-one replied. Turning around, he discovered that his feeble-hearted assistant had already fainted.

    In an instant, the PD felt as if the heavens were crushing down on him and simply imagining what the Tower of Mages would say to him after this made him sick. Although it wasn¡¯t his fault, they would probably make him ountable for not stopping the stream.

    Meanwhile, the broadcastingpanies watched the situation unfold with interest. This was even more exciting to them than the first half of the live session. The renowned and popr ¡®White McDonald¡¯ has a mental illness!? They were typing out things that could be put on the front page of their newspaper.

    The chaos was transmitted into the viewers as well. White¡¯s entric behaviour spread to every corner of the globalmunities and thus came the inte warriors who loved fighting each other. Because of that, the chat was mixed withughing and sobbing ones who swore at each other saying, ¡®I knew he was like that from the start¡¯, and ¡®Just go away¡¯¡­ It was a mess.

    But in any case, the overall perception of the public was that of negative.

    That was when White suddenly dashed off somewhere. It was better off for him to do that in fact ¨C his team mates bellowed to the PD to stop the live broadcast on one end, while trying to give an exnation to the viewers on the other end.

    After distancing himself from the site, White asked towards the mic of his in-ear headphone.

    ¡°Hello? H, how long do I have to do this for!?¡±

    ¨C Almost done.

    ¡°You mean there¡¯s still more? You, why are you doing this to me! Huh? W, why are you doing this to me¡­ What did I ever do wrong¡­¡±

    He heard several high-tuned voicesughing from the other side. It seemed that the opponent wasn¡¯t an individual but a group.

    ¨C Do you think I¡¯m doing this out of hatred?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¨C If I really wanted to bury you under the dirt, I wouldn¡¯t have even done this. I told you did I not? That I won¡¯t make it public if you do as you¡¯re told.

    White was the one who knew better than anyone what would happen if they publicised it and make a big deal out of it.

    He started sobbing out loud. The most important part of his career which he had built up with great efforts was crumbling towards a bottomless pit. It was beyond repair at this point.

    ¨C Go back.

    However, there was nothing he could do. Although White still felt like killing himself, he returned to his seat with a calmer look on his face. Fortunately, the live show still hadn¡¯t ended.

    ¨C Say exactly what I tell you to say.

    White copied his words word-for-word.

    ¡°I am sorry for causing a lot of trouble¡­¡±

    The faces of the ones near him turned dark, wondering what he was going to say now.

    ¡°Before anything, let me tell you everything¡­ about¡­ what we have done wrong¡­¡±

    The other members of Team White were shocked.

    ¡°We are in a close rtionship with several broadcastingpanies and¡­ Team Coin¡­ Using that we have indirectly criticised¡­¡±

    White started to weep throughout his sentence.

    ¡°¡­Other teams. We would like to apologise to Team Mochi, Team Lair, Team Gluon, Team Huasan¡­ and everyone who was impacted by our false criticisms and ndering¡­ Once again, I¡¯m sorry¡­ Sorry¡­¡±

    The faces of his teammates were tainted in darkness. All the entric acts till now were disastrous but this was on a whole different league. What was this crazy son of a bitch bbering about?

    ¡°Oi! Don¡¯t let this fucker talk!¡±

    Unable to hold themselves back, the members ran up, trying to block White¡¯s mouth. That was when a line ofmand was given to his ears, saying ¡®Do not be caught¡¯.

    Although the group of young men tried to grab him, White pushed them away with his spells. Kwanng¨C! His teammates were pushed to the sides and some of the nearby cameras either cracked or fell.

    As silence befell the filming site, White reopened his mouth. There was no longer rage or any sort of emotion on his face. He said with a soulless expression.

    ¡°From today onwards, I, White¡­ will stop any sort of societalmunication including SNS and streaming¡­

    ¡°I will start again from¡­ scratch¡­ enter operations as a normal superhuman and try my best in every operation¡­¡±

    White heaved out a deep sigh.

    ¡°Once again, to everyone that had a bad experience because of me¡­ Team Mochi, Team Lair, Team Gluon and Team Huasan¡­ and everyone else, I give my sincerest apologies¡­¡±

    Huuu¡­

    This time, his sigh was even longer.

    Some of the ones that ¡®loved White no matter what¡¯ thought he was putting on a show while confessing out of his guilt, thus the sigh.

    The truth was far from it. White was heaving a sigh of relief because he realised that this hellish time was finallying to an end.

    A myriad of thoughts appeared in his mind.

    What should I do now. What will the Tower of Mages say. What should I do after closing SNS. What will my parents say. What would be the best way to cut ties with Team Coin.

    And which detestable son of a bitch was it that betrayed me¡­

    That was when a voice put an end to his thoughts.

    ¨C Don¡¯t bother trying to backtrack. Unless you wanna die.

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¨C And where is your closing performance.

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¨C I thought you were showcasing your magic swordsmanship.

    White looked around and found a stic knife ced next to the celebratory cake of the live stream. Despite the chaos that had befell the site, a few of the cameras were still facing him. The staff were all busily running around when White opened his mouth.

    ¡°Lastly, let me show you the magic swordsmanship I mentioned at the start.¡±

    He raised the stic knife.

    The sharp aura of wind sharpened the de of the sword.

    Using that, White shed the camera in half and destroyed it.

    *

    That was the end of the live stream, and it was almost a festival back in Team Lair.

 Chapter 273: Partner (1)

    <h4>Chapter 273: Partner (1)</h4>

    Several days went by after Team White¡¯s unsightly self-destruction. Just as they had mentioned in the live stream, they withdrew themselves from any type of individualmunication.

    Their SNS ount was removed and all the public schedules that had been nned were cancelled. And as Team Coin¡¯s wicked deeds came to light, the teams that had been ndered by the teams White and Coin began to receive more attention from the public.

    Thanks to that, the teams that had been condemned by Team Coin each received a re-evaluation.

    But since Team White voluntarily turned themselves in, they weren¡¯t disqualifiedpletely from the newborn superhumanpetition and White didn¡¯t fall into an endless pit of debt either.

    The channel, @Search_me_Plzzz disappeared immediately afterwards so the assumptions about their false missions went under the radar. This must be due to the influence of the high-ranked superhumans of the ranking evaluation sector who had done simr false missions in the past¡­ that¡¯s how Tyr Brzenk interpreted the situation.

    ¡°Thank you sir!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, thank you a lott¡­ I feel super refreshed¡­¡±

    In any case, this was where he was going to part ways with them. This point onwards it would be a purepetition so it was now up to them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get going. Try your best.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    He cursorily bid farewell and left the office, but soon heard soft voices from inside.

    ¨C Ah, it seriously feels so refreshing.

    ¨C They won¡¯t swear at us for no reason now, rite?

    ¨C Of course.

    ¨C I can finally rx myself. By the way, isn¡¯t Sir Yu Jitae like superman?

    ¨C I know rite! He is like Mao Zedongg¡­!

    ¨C What?

    ¨C Why¡­?

    ¨C Oh right! Hey hey, Kaeul. Does Sir Jitae need a pet by any chance?!

    ¨C H, huh? W, what kind of pet?!

    ¨C I know how to use a toilet!

    ¨C Aht! I, I can wash the dishes as welll¡­!

    ¨C No no no! T, that¡¯s not good enough!

    ¨C Why!

    ¨C I can do that as well¡­!

    ¨C Huh¡­?

    He stood still wondering what they were talking about and was dumbfounded. Right when he was about to continue walking again, Kaeul pushed open the door of the office before dashing towards him down the corridor.

    ¡°Uh? Ahjussi! You are still here?¡±

    ¡°About to go now. Why¡±

    ¡°Likee! How can you just go like that without even a proper goodbye¡­!¡±

    ¡°We can call any day though.¡±

    ¡°But even then! You have to say goodbye¡­!¡±

    Was that how it was?

    He still wasn¡¯t very good at things like this.

    With her mouth shut, Kaeul twirled her golden hair with her fingers for a bit, before opening her mouth.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no real reason why I came out but¡­ I thought I had to say goodbye at least, along with an apology¡­¡±

    ¡°Apologise for what. I did what I had to.¡±

    ¡°You know, I just found myself a bit pathetic¡­ I didn¡¯t want to receive your help this time but¡­¡±

    She looked slightly bitter.

    The fact that she found herself pathetic was because she was embarrassed about receiving help. And being embarrassed about receiving help meant that she thought she could solve the problem by herself.

    So Yu Jitae found this to be another proof for Kaeul¡¯s mental growth.

    He walked closer towards her, lowered his body and matched his line of sight with her¡¯s.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You are doing great.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    ¡°You can call me any time whenever you need help. And look after yourself during the remaining 2 months of thepetition.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°And while you¡¯re here, don¡¯t forget to find your dream.¡±

    Kaeul gave a nod.

    Turning his body, Yu Jitae walked down the corridor. That was when Kaeul shouted at his back.

    ¡°Can I call¡­!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Can I call you more often?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded.

    ¡°You can do it everyday.¡±

    Atst, a smile reced the bitter look on her face.

    That was the end of the short, several days of mishap.

    ***

    A month went by.

    November. It was slowly starting to get colder as winter came knocking on the door as usual.

    With approximately a month till the end of the rankingpetition, Yu Jitae walked around various ces on foot, looking for a new teaching location for Yeorum.

    Teaching was about giving a tool.

    He had given Yeorum a tool, and taught her how to use it. That was the most he could do.

    Yu Jitae only gave her one tool at a time. The reason he didn¡¯t dump her with a whole bunch of new tools is because giving her new tools would be meaningless if she couldn¡¯t even properly use the ones she had.

    But over thest three months, Yeorum repeated endless battles as the leader of Team Mochi. She was slowly starting to perfect all the tools she had in hand.

    Since that was the case, it was about time for him to give her a new tool.

    It was when Yu Jitae was sitting on the living room couch, sending a message to Yeorum.

    ¡°Uh? Team Lair is estimated to being first?¡±

    Bom uttered those words to herself, but she wasn¡¯t the type to give monologues. She was probably voicing it out loud so that he could hear it.

    Just like thepetition happening outside, there was a simr one happening inside Unit 301. Bom was still visiting Kaeul during the weekends to teach her magic while Yu Jitae was Yeorum¡¯s teacher. The extension of thepetition outside had led to a simr war of nerves happening inside.

    ¡°Yeah. I saw it. White¡¯s team fell to second ce it seems.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Our Kaeul is very good right?¡±

    ¡°She is.¡±

    There was a mischievous look on her face as she casually sat next to him on the sofa.

    ¡°If I knew it would be so favourable to me, we should have put something on the line.¡±

    ¡°I will be the winner anyway. Yeorum is smiling.¡±

    ¡°Why is she smiling?¡±

    ¡°Because the strong have the leisure to.¡±

    ¡°Is that how it is? Kaeul is also smiling though,¡± said Bom while showing him Kaeul¡¯s profile picture that was printed on the 2nd page of the newspaper.

    Printed newspaper in this time and age? Yu Jitae thought while standing on Yeorum¡¯s side for the time being.

    ¡°Yeorum is still holding her power back.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only a month left and she¡¯s still holding back?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s trying to sprint at the very end when everyone else is tired.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ Here in this newspaper it says Team Mochi is the one that has been the most diligent in attending missions for thest three months.¡±

    In fact, Bom was right.

    Yeorum was trying her hardest but she still fell short of Kaeul.

    This was something unavoidable. No matter how hard she tried, the gap in the ability they were born with was way too big.

    Like how a human won¡¯t be faster than a four-legged animal no matter how fast they were to run, Yeorum¡¯s team beating Kaeul¡¯s team was realistically speaking, an impossible feat.

    At least for now.

    Bom continued while fluttering the newspaper.

    ¡°And apparently the Tower of Mages is looking for the one who taught magic to Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°What are they trying to do after finding them,¡±

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re just curious. Apparently teaching someone to manage such a high-output spell is not easy?¡±

    ¡°Who says?¡±

    ¡°An article in this newspaper.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a very likeable newspaper.

    ¡°And here on another page, it estimates Kaeul¡¯s rank to be in the 400¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°What about Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Yeorum¡­¡­ Nn? Where is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not there?¡±

    ¡°It guessed up to rank 1000 but¡­ why can¡¯t I see her name¡­¡±

    ¡°Must have been made randomly.¡±

    ¡°I think the paper is well-made though¡­¡±

    ¡°Pass it here. Let me look for it.¡±

    When Yu Jitae reached his hand out, Bom pulled the newspaper back. He thought to himself for a bit, before opening his mouth.

    ¡°What are you doing. Let me have a look.¡±

    Bom shook her head in response.

    When he reached his hand forward again to grab them, Bom rotated her body in reflex and avoided it. ¡®Let me see,¡¯ he said, and ¡®Don¡¯t want to,¡¯ she replied as though she really didn¡¯t want him to see it.

    The two of them turned silent, as tension slowly started to build up.

    Yu Jitae raised his body. Seeing that, Bom flinched and started running away but there was nowhere to hide within Unit 301 from Yu Jitae and his long legs. When he coerced her with his long strides, Bom ended up next to the living room wall with her sides covered by his body.

    His left shoulder was in the way when she tried to go left, and his arm was in the way when she tried to go right.

    ¡°Ahh, why. Please don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Give it to me. Where did you bring that weird newspaper from.¡±

    ¡°I subscribed to it. $19.90 a month. Got the agency discount for $17.90 and cadet discount to make it $14.87.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite cheap.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s a newspaper from apany partnered with the Tower of Mages. That¡¯s why they¡¯re supporting Kaeul, since she¡¯s also a mage.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how it is!¡±

    ¡°Then give it to me. I¡¯ll see it for myself.¡±

    Bom shook her head once again.

    Yu Jitae contemted. How would he snatch that unlikeable newspaper from her hands? Since both of her hands were carrying the paper behind her back, the first idea that popped up was tickling her.

    However, that wasn¡¯t a good idea because it seemed that Bom was fairly ufortable with physical contact in a strange atmosphere.

    He didn¡¯t know the exact reason. Perhaps it was a simple reason ¨C although a dragon, she was still young and maybe she was ufortable with physical contact that she wasn¡¯t used to.

    The thing about romantic feelings and whatnot was his business and not hers. That¡¯s why he had recently been trying to avoid excessive physical contact with Bom.

    So tickling won¡¯t do.

    Thus, Yu Jitae decided to pinch her cheeks. Her eyes widened from the shock and pain.

    ¡°Buuuu¡­¡±

    Bom frowned because he wasn¡¯t ying around with the pinch.

    ¡°Give it to me right now.¡±

    ¡°Uuu¡­ Dun wanna¡­¡±

    She remained stubborn so he pinched the other side of her cheeks as well.

    ¡°Uuu¡­ Buunuu¡­¡±

    She was still stubborn ¨C he had no idea why.

    That was when Bom also pulled one of her hands out and pinched his nose. It had been dozens of years since someone grabbed his nose like that so he had forgotten it, but Yu Jitae btedly realised that he wasn¡¯t fond of people touching his nose.

    Therefore, he pulled his head back. Due to the difference in arm length, Bom¡¯s hand iled around in mid-air but she soon inserted her fingers into the neck part of his business shirt. She then began pulling the shirt down.

    ¡°Oi, oi.¡±

    ¡°Buu¡­¡±

    ¡°Let go. It¡¯s gonna rip.¡±

    ¡°U let go furstt¡­¡±

    What am I doing with her right now, he suddenly thought to himself.

    That was when he started to hear the soft footsteps of Gyeoul from nearby. If they were too close, the child might misunderstand so he distanced himself from Bom.

    Bom rubbed her reddened cheeks while ring at Yu Jitae when Gyeoul poked her head out from behind the wall. With a fluttering piece of paper in her hand.

    ¡°What is that.¡±

    ¡°¡­Look.¡±

    Yu Jitae received the fissure travel pamphlet that she gave him.

    There were travel destinations on it.

    *

    [Walk across the sky on transparent ground and enjoy a walk! ¡ï Sky Garden ¡ï]

    [Let¡¯s walk under the rainbow-coloured sky. An Impossible sight on Earth!]

    [The underground fortress of the past dwarves. Enjoy the town integrated with the essence of magic engineering!]

    After the New Era, the tourism industry was met with a whole new epoch.

    Sometimes, in stabilised fissures that have been fully conquered, were spectacr natural environments of other dimensions. They had fancy sceneries and unique food, unseen before on Earth.

    The pamphlet Gyeoul gave him was on such ¡®fissure travels¡¯.

    ¡°¡­How about here?¡±

    Sitting next to him on the sofa, Gyeoul pointed at the corner of the pamphlet with her finger. It seemed like a rtively unpopr travel site.

    [Forget the worldly problems and spend your time meditating on the [Tranquil Sea]]

    ¡°This one?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    It was an interesting coincidence.

    This happened to be the new training area that he was going to bring Yeorum to.

    This ¡®Tranquil Sea¡¯ was a unique fissure. There was an extremely dense water-attributed mana within and the waters were small yet extremely deep.

    It was the ce that best restricted Yeorum¡¯s mana attribute and was therefore a ce that would allow her to train as exhaustingly as possible. It was by pure coincidence that Gyeoul wanted to go y there.

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go this weekend.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°How about for a week. I¡¯ll talk to your school about it.¡±

    ¡­For a whole week?

    Gyeoul nodded with a bright smile before turning towards Bom.

    ¡°¡­Go together?¡±

    Bom, who was still rubbing her cheeks with a resenting look on her face, widened her eyes into circles and gave her the unique expression that she only showed to Gyeoul.

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. From this weekend. Do you have time?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this weekend will be a bit hard. Unni has to teach Kaeul magic.¡±

    I see. Gyeoul nodded.

    She was now old enough to not show it on the outside, but Gyeoul liked hearing that even more, because it was extremely rare for her to go somewhere alone with Yu Jitae and y.

    ¡°¡­What a shame.¡±

    Bom gave a mysterious smile and looked into her eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you think it¡¯s a shame though?¡±

    ¡°¡­Not true.¡±

    ¡°Then should we go together?¡±

    ¡°¡­N, n? Nn.¡±

    Bom saw through her hesitation and giggled under her breath.

    ¡°Just joking. Look at you being so surprised.¡±

    Gyeoul walked up and wrapped her short arms around Bom, and buried her head into her stomach.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a shame. Reallyy.¡±

    Bom caressed her blue hair.

    Even then, Gyeoul was thinking about the fish tank in her room. Although there were a few fish, seaweed, shells and conches, the tank was so big that it still appeared very empty. There seemed to be a lot of fish inside the Tranquil Sea so they would probably do some fishing when they get there.

    Yu Jitae was very good at fishing and he had gotten her a lot of fishst time as well. She would quietly chat with him while fishing, boil a seafood stew and y with water. If there were pretty corals or stones, what about picking them up and selling them at school? Maybe it would her quite the money¡­?

    But the following words that left Yu Jitae¡¯s mouth shattered her fantasy.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go as a 3 including Yeorum.¡±

    Drop.

    The pamphlet dropped from her hands.

 Chapter 274: Partner (2)

    <h4>Chapter 274: Partner (2)</h4>

    Time flew by and soon came the weekend. It was the day for both training and ying.

    After getting the news from Yu Jitae, Yeorum told her teammates that she will be going off for a week. There was only a month of the rankingpetition left so it might not seem like the best time to rest, but they had been trying way too hard over the past 3 months and the rest of Team Mochi readily epted her offer.

    They were mentally feeling very cornered and thus needed some time to rest.

    Yu Jitae was waiting for Yeorum on a car at the venue they agreed on,

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul sat on the passenger¡¯s seat with her arms crossed. The blue-haired child was extremely dissatisfied with this situation.

    ¡°¡­Why, going together?¡±

    ¡°Who, Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°I was actually going to go there with just Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    His words made her even more displeased.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes were fixed on his watch. Gyeoul made a very displeased look on her face but since he wasn¡¯t looking her way, she eased her expression.

    However, she still couldn¡¯t help but mumble.

    ¡°¡­Why, ¡­¡±

    She hesitated. She pondered whether saying something like this would make her look too much like a child but before long, she continued mumbling aint with a pout.

    ¡°¡­Why did you, not invite me¡­ even though, you were going to y¡­¡±

    ¡°y?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh, Gyeoul. You must be misunderstanding something.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to take Yeorum there to y. She would be training there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Training?¡±

    At a tourist attraction?

    ¡°¡­What about me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be ying with me.¡±

    Only then did her pouting lips slowly go back to normal. If it was that, she could understand.

    It was then. Someone pulled the door of the passenger¡¯s seat wide open ¨C it was Yeorum, whose shoulder-length hair had grown even longer in the time Gyeoul hadn¡¯t seen her.

    ¡°Helloo!¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Iya, it¡¯s really been a long time. Hoh? Little Blue is also here.¡±

    Although she was seeing her after a very long time, Gyeoul didn¡¯t really miss her so she simply waved her hand a little without even saying a word. However, Yeorum suddenly lifted her up into the air, sat on the passenger¡¯s seat herself before cing Gyeoul on herp.

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    Gyeoul was about to have a seizure from the fact that she had to sit on Yeorum¡¯sp, before hesitantly holding herself back.

    It was because her hands that were on her waist were full of scars. Added on top of that was her expression ¨C Yeorum whose default expression was usually that of displeasure had a faint smile hanging on her lips.

    That was even more disgusting to look at, but Gyeoul couldn¡¯t bring herself to spit on someone¡¯s smiling face.

    ¡°But damn, you got even heavier thanst time.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Stop freaking eating and ying all day and look after your weight. Do you want to be a pig again?¡±

    ¡°¡­None of your business.¡±

    ¡°Your double chin was hrious though.¡±

    ¡°¡­Go, away.¡±

    The two of them fought.

    Meanwhile, the car was headed to the warp station. Going through the station, it headed straight to SouthEast Asia and there, it entered a fissure into the dimension of the Tranquil Sea.

    By the time they reopened their eyes, a mysterious sight weed them.

    *

    It was a cylindrical world.

    The horizon appeared extremely nearby. Looking into the distance, it appeared as if there was a transparent barrier of some sort surrounding the horizon.

    Just like the name of the dimension, the waters were tranquil. There was not a single breeze and although there were clouds on the bright ashen skies, they did not move. The sea was more than big enough to be called a ¡®sea¡¯ and yet there was not a single wave in sight.

    Gyeoul found this world to be like a world frozen in time.

    Far off into the distance of the Tranquil Sea, around 2 miles down the coastline from the fissure was a small reef, where they decided to stay. The moment he arrived there, he used the field kit to make a tent and lit up an inextinguishable campfire using an artifact.

    Yeorum gazed across the world filled with water and gasped.

    ¡°Wow. What a suuuuuu¡­¡±

    All the way from where she was standing to the horizon, she realised that it was all filled with water-attributed mana which she detested the most.

    ¡°¡­uuuuuper fucked up ce.¡±

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul had taken her shoes off, and her two feet were inside the water already. Ssh ssh ¨C the surface of the water that appeared frozen in time created a ripple from her kicks.

    ¡°You will start training with me now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m ready.¡±

    Rummaging through the equipment, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°The water in this Tranquil Sea has one unique characteristic.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that the mana molecules of the water are formed inplex shapes of hooks.¡±

    ¡°Hooks?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Because of that, they don¡¯t allow other attributes of mana to seep in. It takes at least 3 hours to boil the water here because they devour heat.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. You¡¯re right. Seems like it¡­¡±

    Yeorum replied with an ufortable tone while looking at the water.

    ¡°It looks very dense. Is that based on the same principle?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Theplex hook-shaped mana molecules entangle themselves with each other inplicated ways. They even affect the material world ¨C the surface tension will be stronger and it might feel like a quagmire.¡±

    Although she should be feeling considerably ufortable just by being here, Yeorum gave a confident nod.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good look you have. Are you confident?¡±

    ¡°Confident? Not sure about that, but it¡¯s not like I can give up before I even start just because I¡¯m not confident right.¡±

    Yu Jitae said while reflecting on Yeorum¡¯s concerns.

    ¡°You felt ack of mana, was it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Yeorum drew all the fights she had in thest three months in her head. After fighting endlessly at the front lines, she would sometimes feel her heart drying up.

    ¡°Whenever it¡¯s almost empty, the polymorph tries to uncast itself. Well, I guess it¡¯s natural for my mana to be constantly near the bottom when I run around for hours by myself,¡± she said with a bitter voice.

    Out of 100 dragons, Yeorum¡¯s talent would probably be around 98th. Her talent in the standards of dragons was just that miserable.

    It was proven by the fact that she broke out of her shell 100 years after the talented one of her generation.

    ¡°Yeorum. Listen very closely.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one very important fact.¡±

    His voice turned very serious.

    ¡°Mana gets drawn in the more you wish.¡±

    ¡°Nn. I know.¡±

    Mana was the power to manifest one¡¯s will in the physical world of time and ce.

    ¡°If you want to have more mana in your heart, what do you think is the most necessary.¡±

    ¡°Dunno? Do you have to build up more will over a long period of time?¡±

    ¡°No. It can be short, but you must harbour a stronger will.¡±

    ¡°A stronger will¡­¡±

    ¡°Time is nothing but more opportunity. A younger one simply has more opportunities to harbour stronger wills.¡±

    In order to break through the limits, beings had to drive themselves into extreme situations.

    ¡°Whether it be 10 years or 100 years, the change will be meagre even if you try to gather mana with a moderate will. But if you wish for it to the point of death for just one week, an unimaginable amount of mana will start to reside in your dragon heart.¡±

    It was advice based on his experience.

    This water will make her feel like suffocating to death the whole time, and she had to utilise the mana inside her heart and protect her body as much as possible to survive.

    After he finished pitching the tent, Yu Jitae raised his body.

    ¡°To be honest, I am quite concerned with this method.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you to have concerns, ey? I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m full of motivation right now you know?¡±

    He didn¡¯t bother exining himself.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s concern meant that it was something even he had to worry about. This training method was just that dangerous and painful. He knew it better than anyone else because he had tried it out himself.

    But Yeorum had to do this now.

    The 20 years that she had for her Amusement wasn¡¯t a long period of time. It might not even be that different from the past 2 years. As he had mentioned before, a ¡®moderate will¡¯ would not change anything no matter how much time was given.

    Just once ¨C she just had to be desperate to the point of death once, but people did not easily change because that one moment would just nevere to most of them.

    ¡°Although this dimension is small, the waters are very deep. It¡¯s even deeper than most of the oceans on Earth. I have put 3 gs of the same shape underneath. They are each 200 metres deep, 500 metres deep with thest being even deeper. What you have to do now is bring the 3 gs back up.¡±

    ¡°Okey! Do I start now?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to bring all 3 of them at once. Start with the 200 metre one.¡±

    ¡°Okkayy!¡±

    Yeorum was still very bright, even though it should be suffocating enough to be standing here.

    However, her confidence probably won¡¯tst long.

    ¡°Prepare yourself mentally.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done enough on the way here.¡±

    ¡°Do it more. Arm yourself mentally before you go in.¡±

    ¡°Aigo for fak¡¯s sake, what¡¯s gotten into you? I¡¯ll be fine okay? Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±

    Looking at his face, Yeorum beat her chest.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it onest time. Endure it no matter how painful it is. Do note back until you find the g.¡±

    ¡°Ah, stop lecturing, seriously. One more and it will be 30 times you¡¯re saying that already.¡±

    ¡°Etch it into your brain. After you start the training, I might be a bit harsh. You might not understand.¡±

    This wasn¡¯t something he couldpromise on. That was the level of weight implied behind his words so Yeorum shouted with a slightly dumbfounded look on her face.

    ¡°I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t ever! When I drown in water and float dead, you can carry my corpse back home! Happy now?¡±

    She had to do it now.

    If she couldn¡¯t finish it here, she would never be able to.

    Yu Jitae returned a firm nod.

    *

    ¡°You know, Mister.¡±

    Before going into the water, Yeorum tied her hair up and said with a voice that was a lot calmer.

    ¡°I never asked you or anything right? About the next training.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to ask you everyday but I held it in. I thought there must be a reason why. But wow, you really didn¡¯t teach me anything big in a whole year. Fuck, do you know how long I¡¯ve been waiting for this toe?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So what if it¡¯s a bit hard. I¡¯ve been enduring it till now right? I can handle exhaustion and pain but I just can¡¯t handle being weak.¡±

    Yeorum lowered the zipper of her jersey in one go. Underneath her training jersey was a body full of scars. It was evident what kind of lifestyle she had gone through over the past 3 months and the reason she didn¡¯t bother removing the scars was probably because she found them to be a source of pride.

    She took the jersey off and gave it to him.

    ¡°Ah, there are cigs inside the pocket. Don¡¯t let them touch this disgusting water.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Three in total. 200 metres, 500 metres and one below that, yeah? And just the 200 metre one at the start?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright. When I bring the 200 metre g¡­¡±

    She ced her index and middle finger on her lips ¨C she was suggesting that they smoke together.

    ¡°Okey?¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    Ssh¨C Yeorum threw her body into the water.

    The ripple soon weakened and before long, the water turned still as the bubbling also came to a stop. He gazed into the water that was closer to ck than blue.

    There was onest thing he hadn¡¯t mentioned to Yeorum.

    Mana was the manifestation of will. Hook-shaped attributes of mana only urred when there was a will trying to forcibly hold something back. In other words, thisrge and deep pond was a type of trap. And every trap wasid by a ¡®hunter¡¯.

    There was a hunter resting in the depths of the ocean.

    *

    After courageously jumping into the water, Yeorum only travelled a little bit before widening her eyes and stopping on the spot.

    The ocean water started to squeeze her throat. It entangled itself all around her body. While she had to endure the immense vomit-inducing level of friction, the mana of fire attribute that made up Yeorum¡¯s body started being pulled away by the water.

    ¡®I didn¡¯t hear about this though¡­?¡¯

    He just said it was like a quagmire but that was wrong. The ocean was like a living organism.

    It was just 200 metres so she had underestimated it too much. If she knew it would be this hard, she would have used her breathing principle to awaken her heart beforeing in.

    Yeorum looked up at the surface. She was still less than 10 metres underwater and it seemed like a better idea for her to go up and awaken the mana inside her heart with Karl-Gukwa breathing principle, beforeing back in. Thinking that, Yeorum swam up to the surface of the water.

    Tukk¨C!

    But that was when arge and coarse hand stopped her head.

    ¡®What are you doing? I¡¯m just going to leave for a bit!¡¯

    It was definitely Yu Jitae¡¯s hand. Yeorum grabbed onto his wrist and tried to pull it away but his hand remained firm above her head. When she continued wriggling underneath, his hand forcibly shoved her underwater with its ridiculous might.

    The force made her dizzy. After being shoved underwater by around 10 metres, she widened her eyes.

    From outside the water, Yu Jitae was gazing down at her.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Yeorum began to feel that something had started going wrong.

 Chapter 275: Partner (3)

    <h4>Chapter 275: Partner (3)</h4>

    ¡®Why would you push for¡­¡¯

    She was just trying to go up for a little bit. Although she was surprised by the dense aura of the water, by no means was she trying to give up there.

    ¡®Feels like shit.¡¯

    ¡®You¡¯re strong, wow, okay¡­¡¯

    Why didn¡¯t he just wait until I poke my head out of the water and tell me to go down again? Then I would have obediently gone down as well¡­

    Even now, his eyes were looking at her.

    What you looking at? You think I was going to give up just then?

    Due to such thoughts filling up her mind, Yeorum was momentarily put in a bad mood. But whatever the case, she was in the middle of a training session and Yu Jitae was the teacher. Personal feelings like that weren¡¯t helpful so she shook those thoughts away.

    Her training shoes were a lot more annoying than she thought so she took them off and threw them out of the water onto the ground. That was when Yu Jitae hurled something into the water and Yeorum flinched thinking that he had gotten mad at her.

    She thought he might have misunderstood her throwing of the shoes as a way of protest. Yeorum was about to feel mortified from the misunderstanding but felt a lot better after seeing what it was that was in the water.

    It was a small artifact; one that was supposed to be wrapped around the wrist. It looked like an essential watch for divers.

    [Depth: 11.4m] [Time: 05:28 (pm)]

    [Mana Density: 5.3Ma/p] [¡ü]

    Depth was the underwater depth she was in and time referred to the current time.

    Mana Density literally meant the density of mana. Normal ces on Earth had 0.5Ma/p, meaning that the mana here was 10 times denser than the one on Earth.

    Andstly, the arrow appeared to be pointing at the direction the surface of the water was.

    By the time Yeorum looked back up, Yu Jitae was no longer there.

    ¡®Anyways, so I have to go down by myself right?¡¯

    She turned her gaze back towards the ground. The dark depths of the water slowly entered her sight and she could see a t piece ofnd within the darkness that she couldy her feet on.

    Strangely enough, there were a lot of t and extremely wide teaus ofnd within the depths of this sea. Thend which appeared t as far as she could see even gave off a slightly man-made feeling.

    Yeorum decided to name that t ce the ¡®field¡¯.

    She was about 200 metres away from the field in terms of depths, so the ¡®g¡¯ Yu Jitae talked about should be somewhere on the field.

    That was the objective of this dive.

    Her ultimate objective was to go to the very depths. However, Yu Jitae bothered cing 3 gs as if he wanted her to go down step-by-step over the course of 3 times.

    ¡®Why?¡¯

    Maybe he was giving her time to adapt herself to this environment.

    In that case, having an urate grasp of the attributes of the water here seemed more important than the first objective of going 200 metres underwater and finding the g. So that she wouldn¡¯t be lost when going further down.

    Even if it¡¯s slow, let¡¯s go properly.

    That was when chilliness suddenly seeped in through her skin. Yeorum wrapped her arms around her body from the shivering coldness.

    ¡®It¡¯s cold¡­¡¯

    Yeorum pulled the heat within her body but the moment her heart raised the fire-attributed mana, the water-attributed mana of the ocean swirled around her body and immediately snatched the heat.

    ¡®Damn.¡¯

    She realised that using more power within this ocean would result in more power being stolen away. Trying to rush there would in fact result in losing all her power on the way because she was still a hatchling with acking amount of mana.

    She was speechless.

    It was as if she was at a casino trying to earn some cash, only to realise that she didn¡¯t even have enough capital to y a game. She was trying to solve the problem of not having enough mana and yet that same problem was stopping her on her tracks.

    It became increasingly colder the longer she stayed still.

    Is it about time to move? No, she still hadn¡¯t finished organising her thoughts.

    In order to contemte a bit more, Yeorum shrunk her body like a prawn and wrapped her arms around her knees.

    ¡®Hoh.¡¯

    Mysteriously enough, she then started losing less mana. About 30% less.

    Why was this the case, she wondered and came to a realisation after thinking a bit. It was because there was less surface area touching the water.

    By shrinking as much as possible, her thighs, chest, stomach and calves all touched one another. Her legs were in her arms and she lowered her head and rested it next to her knees.

    Less of her body touched the water and resulted in less mana loss.

    She thus decided to crouch and shrink when taking a rest.

    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯

    With that, she finished a general identification of her location, the objective and some basic analysis on the characteristics of the sea. Yeorum then began diving deeper in.

    .

    .

    .

    [Depth: 50.1m] [Time: 05:38 (pm)]

    [Mana Density: 6.1Ma/p] [¡ü]

    She only went 50 metres.

    It was only 50 metres deep and yet it took 10 minutes.

    Yeorum was dumbfounded. She was pretty much travelling at the speed of a worm right now.

    Before, she thought the water was like a tentacle ¨C a tentacle that moved to grab the moment she moved.

    However, she changed her analysis a few minutes into the dive. Rather than a tentacle, it was more like the water being extremely sticky.

    ¡­Would this be how it feels to swim in nute?

    It had already been 10 minutes since the dive but she wasn¡¯t short of breath. In fact, Yeorum was technically still breathing.

    By absorbing the scattered mana into her body, she was changing the element of that mana into the attributes of air. There was a rted blessing to dragons so she was still breathing normally but the more she moved, the harder breathing was proving to be.

    ¡®Hukk, hukk, huu¡­¡¯

    The reason behind the pain stemmed from the fact that the outside mana she was trying to substitute to air were all water-attributed. It was a pr opposite attribute to the red race and the rate of the change was therefore extremely slow.

    She felt a constant shortness of breath, as if she was at a ce with almost no air. Yeorum had to consciously breathe in and out.

    The deeper she went, the quieter it became.

    The red race had a better ear, even more so than other races. Usually, she kept her ears semi-closed so that she could hear like a normal superhuman but in situations like this, her ears would be as wide-open as possible.

    She was able to hear Yu Jitae and Gyeoul¡¯s conversation after entering the water but now that she was about 50 metres deep, their voices sounded extremely soft like a very quiet whisper.

    ¨C ¡­ haimibing bibii?

    ¨C ¡­ byuutee¡­ burburbuuguihi¡­

    Their voices were so soft that she couldn¡¯t really tell what they were talking about.

    ¨C Gi, hil, hil, hil

    Still, she could tell what this was.

    Stupid Gyeoul must beughing or something.

    That idiot must be crazy happy. Even though her unni is dying in real time¡­

    Judging from how she just didn¡¯t stopughing, it seemed that there was something fun happening above water.

    She¡¯s probablyughing at some stupid random fish or a shell.

    How happy must her life be? Sheughs with a boring ass guy like Yu Jitae, so she must be happy staying with anyone.

    ¨C Ki, kiii¡­

    Hmm¡­

    But what are they doing that she¡¯sughing so much?

    What, did Yu Jitae do a backflip?

    Did he invite you to Las Vegas?

    Or maybe they¡¯re shittalking me?

    ¨C Ki, hil, hil, hih

    Right. They are shittalking me, those bastards.

    Underwater is like a graveyard for red dragons. You trying to pray for my death or something ey?

    Do you like it that much? Make sure you don¡¯t die you idiot¡­

    ¡­

    ¨C Ki, hi, hih

    But seriously, what was so funny¡­?

    .

    .

    .

    [Depth: 100.3m]

    The deeper she went, the darker it got.

    Underneath was dark from the start and above was always bright. However, things that were rtively close to her were starting to appear very dark. Left, right, front, back ¨C on all sides.

    It was as if a circr wall of darkness was slowly approaching her from the sides.

    Why was it, she wondered, that she was suddenly reminded of the fact that she was alone?

    Even now, she could still feel the gravitational force but her body was simply stuck in ce inside the dense, honey-like water.

    It¡¯ll be even harder to go up.

    On the other hand, this was around where she could no longer hear the voices of Yu Jitae and Gyeoul. Did they stop talking? Maybe, but they might still be talking to each other.

    It was then.

    ¡°Uht!¡±

    Bubble¡­!

    At that moment, her diaphragms contracted and she almost unconsciously breathed in water.

    Yeorum ced her hands over her nose and her mouth.

    Her body right now was simr to a human body. If she were to drink this water with a ¡®ridiculously dense mana of water attribute¡¯, it would cause significant harm to her body. Her polymorph spell might even be cancelled.

    Polymorph being cancelled without even reaching 200 metres?

    She would be better off dead than swallowing all that shame.

    ¡®Calm down. Calm down¡­¡¯

    Stopping the dive, she shrunk her body. Lowering the loss of mana, she soothed her startled organs ¨C her body wasn¡¯t literally startled and it was just a matter of her mentality. Fortunately, the stuffiness vanished after enduring it for a bit.

    It was all fine.

    .

    .

    .

    [Depth: 151.35m]

    The deeper she went, the denser the water became. On top of that, it felt as if millions of small hooks were cutting into her body. Her arms and legs felt even heavier than before.

    Her heart felt stifled as if bound by a rope. Normally her heart would contract and expand like a balloon but right now, it was as if there was a rope restricting her heart.

    It was painful. It wasn¡¯t just normal pain and was one that made her feel extremely bizarre.

    She wasn¡¯t used to this type of pain.

    If she were instead being smacked around by a monster, it would be possible to endure through the pain but it was her first time feeling this type of stifling sensation, and was thus very difficult to withstand.

    Even though she wasn¡¯t even half-way finished, she felt a small urge to run away.

    What her mind suddenly thought of was Gyeoul who would probably be still giggling andughing.

    ¡®That stupid Yu Gyeoul¡­¡¯

    Let¡¯s give her a flick to the forehead after going up.

    Unexpectedly, thinking of such things helped her ventte the difort out of her mind.

    However, itsted less than 5 minutes.

    Once again Yeorum felt the stifling sensation in her heart. Added on top were the difort from having her breath suppressed, the frustration from not being able to see far ahead, plus the suffocating sense of the darkness drawing closer in. It felt like she was locked up in a small and suffocating room by herself.

    All those factors added up harassed her. It was even worse because this didn¡¯t feel like training for Yeorum.

    ¡®Is there nothing? Is it seriously just painful like this?¡¯

    This didn¡¯t feel like training for Yeorum.

    It was torture.

    ¡®Like, what is this thing?¡¯

    Usually in games and stuff, don¡¯t you get a reward when you are about this deep? Like, sudden air bubbles that you can breathe from or something?

    Or find a paddle to use, for example?

    Through exercise, she would feel strength being added to her muscles and through fights she earned enlightenments. Since she was here to increase her mana, she at least hoped she would be able to feel mana increasing in her body.

    In that case, at least there would be some incentive to help her endure through this torture but this ¡®dive¡¯ simply felt like abusing her body.

    ¡®Give me something at least you fucker. I¡¯m not getting motivated at all¡­¡¯ Yeorum swore at the ocean.

    However, this Tranquil Sea wasn¡¯t an artictely crafted training area like those in games. This was but a portion of mother nature and she wasn¡¯t the protagonist of a story either. Mother nature was brutally indifferent to the baby dragon.

    Yeorum knew that as well.

    Maybe it would feel better to put the me on one specific person?

    She thought of a bad guy.

    ¡®Dick Jitae you son of a bitch¡­¡¯

    She remembered what happened a few minutes ago ¨C he had shoved her head back into the water.

    Like, so what if I breathe and start again; is the world gonna end or something? Did I ask for your life? I was just trying to go up and get a deep breath beforeing back in so why would he stop me like that¡­

    He didn¡¯t just stop her either and even shoved her underwater.

    Back then, she was extremely shocked.

    She was so shocked that she identally snorted water in through her nose and coughed it back out.

    And what was with those condescending eyes?

    Do I look that pathetic to you?

    Did you think I was scared?

    I was just, trying to do one small prep beforeing back in¡­

    She started to actually feel disheartened after extensively pondering on it. The reason she started ming him was to freshen her mind and yet it ended up agitating her emotions.

    ¡­What¡¯s wrong with me all of a sudden.

    She was already more than 150 metres deep.

    For thesest few minutes, she consciously avoided looking around her. The things resembling ck walls were a lot closer to her, making it feel like someone had locked her up in a small room by herself, so she consciously focused on what was underneath. That must have been the reason she felt stressed out.

    For fuck¡¯s sake¡­

    Yeorum shook the useless thoughts away from her head. It was a retarded thought process.

    She could now trust Yu Jitae.

    There was no way he would find her pathetic nor would he shove her underwater for no reason. There must be a reason he did it¡­

    At the very least, Yeorum was able to forget the pain for a bit while thinking about other things, but she still had trouble breathing. Her diaphragm contracted by itself although she wasn¡¯t breathing. It was the same thing as before on repeat.

    She had a very short yet mind-breakingly strong urge to run away.

    But fortunately, the stifling feeling disappeared after some time, and she found the courage to continue a little bit more.

    .

    .

    .

    Yeorum continued diving deeper in as 10 more minutes, long enough to feel like an hour, went by.

    The ground that had appeared so far off was finally before her eyes.

    [Depth: 203.9m] [Time: 06:11 (pm)]

    [Mana Density: 7.9Ma/p] [¡ü]

    Atst, her white feetnded on the wide and t ¡®field¡¯.

 Chapter 276: Partner (4)

    <h4>Chapter 276: Partner (4)</h4>

    The ¡®field¡¯ she thought was t from a distance wasn¡¯t actually that t. There were hills as well as several craters.

    200 metres underwater was overall very dark, and that was why she initially thought it was t.

    If Yeorum hadn¡¯t found the g on the way down, she would have been at a loss. In other words, she was currently standing in front of the g.

    There was no reason to further mention it at this point, but Yu Jitae really was a son of a bitch¡­

    Although she found the g on the way down, it was by coincidence that she was able to find it this fast.

    After all, the g was ck.

    This was on purpose. He must have intentionally chosen a ck g.

    Like, it¡¯s already dark on all sides like a small jail cell. Is it that hard to at least make it a white or a yellow g¡­?

    It was when Yeorum grabbed the g whilst grumbling. The ce around her chest suddenly tensed the moment she rxed as the diaphragm spasm visited yet again.

    ¡®Uht¡­¡¯

    Blocking her mouth with one hand, Yeorum used the other hand to grab tightly onto the g and crouched. The desire to breathe soared up from her lungs, through the throat and tried to crawl on top of her tongue.

    Although this was already the third time, the impulse directly rted to survival was extremely difficult to ignore.

    Is this how it feels for food to get stuck on the throat on its way down? No, it in fact felt as if food got stuck on the way out of her body.

    Fuck. I might die for real.

    Crouching her body like a prawn, Yeorum waited for the stuffiness to disappear. She held even harder onto the g so as to not run away. If she ran away despiteing this far, she would feel more like a worthless fool in front of Yu Jitaeter on.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    After a minute of pain that felt like 10 minutes, Yeorum finally lifted her head. Her mind would turn nk a little straight after enduring the urge to breathe so she simply lifted her head from the crouch.

    Finally feels a little better¡­

    With a hazy pair of eyes, she stared at the ocean scenery. There were only rocks and piles of dirt nearby.

    A little further away was also about the same, but there were some hills and algae although rare.

    Even further away was too dark to see. It was the tightening wall which she tried exceptionally hard to ignore on the way down.

    ¡­It was slightly weird.

    Shouldn¡¯t there be tons of corals, seaweed and fish in the ocean? Of course, there were some algae and seaweed here and there, plus rocks and mysterious ck things, but even with all that, this ocean was very deste.

    Looking back at that from the bottom of the world, Yeorum suddenly felt as if she was the only one left in this world.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    She wanted to smoke.

    By habit she touched the part around her ribs only to find her bare skin.

    Oh right, I left my jacket behind.

    I need to go up.

    Lifting her body, Yeorum started swimming in the opposite direction, by pushing aside the heavy water.

    Kugugugung¡­ That was when the surrounding waters began to tremble.

    What?

    Her red eyes shot wide open.

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Above water.

    Gyeoul was throwing nces at Yu Jitae.

    Right now, he was setting up the grill after preparing the pork belly and king oyster mushrooms that he had brought from outside.

    But there was a problem. The lighter he brought appeared to be broken and was unable to create any fire.

    Throwing that aside, Yu Jitae used the mana operating method of red dragons to create an ember of fire on his fingertip. And soon, the charcoal was lit.

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    His sudden word made Gyeoul flinch.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t wat?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go inside water.¡±

    ¡°¡­I, I wasn¡¯t, goingg to¡­¡±

    She was caught red-handed but she pretended otherwise. For almost 3 hours, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t able to catch any fish and Gyeoul wasn¡¯t allowed to enter the water.

    Yu Jitae had been fishing with an extremely long fishing line. Whenever it felt like there was a catch, he had to turn the reel for three minutes because it was that long.

    But the only things that came out were seaweeds and mysterious chunks. They even fished a shoe once.

    Although he had the same expressionless look on his face, in this context it appeared as if he was dejected and Gyeoul found that very amusing.

    On the other hand, Yu Jitae was constantly stopping her from entering the water for the past 3 hours. For Gyeoul, it was a fun game. Whenever he turned around, she would charge towards the water but would be grabbed by him before she could enter the water.

    But atst, the chance came knocking on the door.

    He half-bent his back into the tent, scavenging through the bag. Seeing that, Gyeoul slowly crawled towards the water.

    Blindly charging into the water every time must have been the problem. It would be better to kill her presence and slowly crawl there.

    But unlike what she thought, Yu Jitae still somehow noticed it and suddenly turned towards her.

    Hukk. Their eyes met. Immediately after that, Gyeoul started to dash and then jumped towards the ocean, but Yu Jitae¡¯s hand grabbed the child and lifted her up into the air.

    ¡°Kyaa¡ª!¡±

    Although it was yet another failure, she chuckled out loud.

    ¡°I said you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hehe.¡±

    In the end, Gyeoul was arrested by Yu Jitae.

    That was how they spent their time.

    Yeorum was still inside the ocean but Gyeoul wasn¡¯t interested in that in the slightest. So what if she didn¡¯te out, she thought, but Yu Jitae from time to time nced at the water.

    Gyeoul was curious why he wasn¡¯t letting her enter the water, since she had already put her feet in it. Therefore, when she was so curious that she couldn¡¯t help it, she asked him.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you go inside the water, was it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it is okay for you to go in.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then?¡±

    ¡°But if you go deeper than 10 metres, that¡¯s when it will start getting troublesome.¡±

    Gyeoul couldn¡¯t understand his words, because the tourists inside the pamphlet were fine swimming and such.

    ¡°Humans are fine, but aren¡¯t you a dragon?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°This ocean has an owner and the house owner hasid a trap. If you try to leave after entering it, the trap will bother you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    It was because the ocean owner has a peculiar taste ¨C they liked locking the visitor up in the basement. Because of that, the ocean owner was no different from a hunter.

    ¡°¡­Would I, be at risk?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be at risk. Because you are friendly with the water.¡±

    His words made her think of Yeorum.

    Yeorum wasn¡¯t friendly with the water.

    ***

    Something unbelievable happened.

    Yeorum had to change her analysis yet again.

    On the way down, she thought the water was thick like nute but that was wrong. When she was around 10 metres higher than her original position, the water-attributed mana converged and began to form a shape. It was thin and long, looking just like a tentacle.

    Thinking that something was odd, she was about to dodge it but the formed tentacle came flying in and wrapped itself around her toes.

    Wait, fuck.

    Is this that tentacle y or something?

    Shit.

    Memories came back of the time she visited a normal(?) website out of curiosity, only to never look back at it out of disgust. That was when the water-attributed mana, crawling up her toes, suddenly caught her by the ankle and pulled her towards the depths again.

    It had an astonishing strength to it.

    It was ridiculously strong that she thought her ankle might explode at this point. And yet it still got stronger.

    Huh?

    Uhhh?

    Wait, this is¡ª

    Crackkk!

    Ahkk!

    Both her foot and her ankle were broken ¨C not just once, but at least more than 6 times. Her muscles and ligaments were all torn.

    It hurts like shit¡­!

    The pain btedly came flooding in. At the same time, she could feel the bones being out of ce.

    Looking down at her legs, her face turned stiff.

    The bones were piercing through her skin; and her skin was either torn or squashed. As if it had juste out of apressor, everything was crushed beneath her right shin.

    Her mind turned nk.

    What was happening right now? She couldn¡¯tprehend what was happening. She heard nothing about this from Yu Jitae.

    Her lungs cried for breath and she had to focus even harder.

    After using up its force, the water-attributed mana dissipated on the spot. Startled by what happened, Yeorum hurriedly began to swim up. She iled her arms and legs rapidly and unsparingly used her mana but the ocean then started to steal her mana.

    Her right ankle didn¡¯t move at all, so she could only rely on her left leg and her arms to move forward. It therefore took a long time.

    ¡°Huuk¡­!¡±

    Even though she wasn¡¯t moving it, the swaying ankle cried out in pain and Yeorum couldn¡¯t help but let out a groan. Blood oozed out but it simply floated in the middle of the dense water.

    Calm down.

    Calm down.

    Let¡¯s think.

    Diligently moving her arms, Yeorum pondered.

    Was it done by a living being?

    No. There had been no such thing, nor is there anything simr right now.

    The only thing she could feel with her senses was the ¡®Tranquil Sea¡¯ that she had been feeling the whole time.

    In other words, it meant that the tentacle wasn¡¯t something intentional that someone had sent for her.

    It was then highly likely for it to be a basic mechanism of the mana spreading across the ocean, simr to how they were all ¡®hook-shaped molecules¡¯. Their job might be to break the legs of people whenever they tried to escape the water, like a reflex action of the central nervous system.

    That meant it wasn¡¯t necessarily aiming for her and because of that, it might be fine after that.

    Right. It will be all fine.

    There¡¯s no reason to be scared like a coward¡­

    Huh¡­?

    But then why is there another tentacle there¡­?

    The aura of water gathered in one ce yet again and formed a shape.

    Startled, Yeorum began to swing her arms even faster.

    The storming tentacle dashed in; this time towards her left leg.

    She couldn¡¯t sit still and let it do its thing, so Yeorum turned her body with a flick and kicked the stream of water as hard as she could. It was a kick strong enough to break the skull of an elephant, but the water dissipated only momentarily before simply gathering again andnding on her leg.

    No.

    No no no no.

    In the end, it wrapped itself around her ankle.

    Ah fuck that¡¯s¡­

    Crackkkk!

    ¡°Uhuhk¡­!¡±

    A shriek left through her clenched teeth as her left leg crumbled from the irresistible force. Her eyes were about to bounce out. This time, it happened while she was conscious of it, and the pain was thus almost enough to make her faint. She wasn¡¯t crying and yet tears flowed out of her eyes on its own.

    ¡®Hah, fuck¡­¡¯

    Again, the water tentacle lost its force and dissipated after breaking her leg.

    While sobbing, she waved her arms. Her breath that was already close to running out squeezed her throat. She wanted to vomit.

    She had to regain herposure.

    Whatever the case, I wouldn¡¯t die here would I?

    Would Yu Jitae leave me here to die? Besides, even without Yu Jitae I¡¯ll never die.

    However, thoughts weren¡¯t always in alignment with emotions.

    She was inside the detestable water. She had to swim through the suppressing friction, wave her arms and hold her breath, and yet now her legs ached as if they were scorched.

    Though she was used to pain, it was still hard for her to withstand it. She wanted to throw everything away and drop it. She felt a strong urge to dispel the polymorph and teleport out in her dragon form.

    The strong urge encroached her emotions like a me.

    What kind of fucked up traning is this?

    How is this a way to get stronger?

    Feels like dog shit¡­

    Why do I have to be the only one suffering through this?

    That idiot must be ying her heart out by now¡­

    Her frustration became oil that stimted her impulse.

    ¡­That must be why he said that at the start.

    ¨C Prepare yourself mentally.

    ¨C Arm yourself mentally before you go in.

    ¨C Endure it no matter how painful.

    Yeorum clenched her teeth.

    It was now a matter of pride. Whether it be training or whatever, she simply wasn¡¯t allowed to give up in front of hardship. Bing stronger came second.

    In order to survive, she had to advance.

    She forcibly suppressed the impulse. Fortunately, the diaphragm spasm didn¡¯t happen again, but it was still unclear what other dangers there might be. She had to continue moving even if that meant losing more energy.

    Her right leg from the ankle to halfway through the shin; and her left leg was crushed all the way down from her knee.

    However, she tried moving both of them and realised that her thighs could still move.

    ¡®Uukk¡­.¡¯

    Although the pain was immense, the fact that she could move them was important. Regrly moving her thighs back and forth, she added to the speed.

    Though she was losing blood, she could heal it once she was outside.

    Although her mana was being snatched, she could recover outside.

    Though she was short of breath, she could breathe the fresh air when outside.

    As expected, going back up was a lot harder thaning down. That probably would have been the same even if her legs were fine.

    Yeorum felt as if she would lose her mind. Her mind was unfocused and her eyes were hazy but she did not stop swimming up.

    She proceeded on.

    Towards the transparent and bright sky above.

    *

    Peng¨C peng¨C

    ¡°¡­Aht.¡±

    It was a bite¡­! Startled, Gyeoul tapped Yu Jitae¡¯s arm with her palms. But Yu Jitae tilted his head as if he didn¡¯t understand so Gyeoul rushed him while pointing at the reel of the fishing rod.

    ¡°¡­Nnnn, hurry.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you pulling?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡±

    Yu Jitae started to turn the reel.

    Before long, something came out of the water. Thinking that it was a veryrge fish, Gyeoul flickered her eyes.

    Puaak¨C

    The thing that came up holding onto the fishing line, powerlessly opened their mouth.

    ¡°Fishy Yeorumm is heree¡­¡±

    It was Yeorum.

    She crawled on her knees and staggered before falling on her side. ¡®Huuk, huuk¡­¡¯ She murmured under her breath.

    ¡°A big catch, you fuckers¡­¡±

    Soon sheid down on her back, closed her eyes and took deep breaths in and out. Both her lips and her face were pale.

    Gyeoul widened her eyes.

    Yeorum was bleeding from both of her legs and it appeared very severe. Regardless of whether she liked her or not, an injury of that level came as quite a shock to Gyeoul. It would have been interesting if she was slightly injured but that was way too much. Startled, she rushed towards her with blinking eyes.

    ¡°¡­Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m alright¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­What, happened?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. Maybe I bumped into something on the way.¡±

    How could she be this injured from bumping into something? Gyeoul pondered curiously.

    While Yu Jitae was walking towards them, Yeorum twitched her fingers.

    ¡°Ey. Bring your head closer.¡±

    ¡°¡­Head?¡±

    A fist suddenly came flying towards her head.

    Kong¡­

    ¡°¡­??¡±

    Gyeoul was startled from the sudden attack.

    But it didn¡¯t hurt.

 Chapter 277: Partner (5)

    <h4>Chapter 277: Partner (5)</h4>

    ¡°Get up.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s voice made Yeorum shoot her eyes open.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But her crimson eyes were out of focus.

    ¡°Have some food.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    ¡°Food.¡±

    ¡°Ah, food¡­¡±

    She raised her body. Her body that had been covered with wounds was almost fully cured already thanks to the authority of a dragon. Although there were still hook-shaped water molecules sticking to her leg, even those were slowly being cleansed thanks to the ¡®dragon¡¯s mana¡¯.

    Pulverised bones and wounds filled with filth ¨C a human would have had to rest for a full week at the best medical institution in the world at the very least, and yet she recovered from such wounds just by lying down for a few hours. It truly was an efficient body.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Yu Jitae handed her a stic te.

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°Meat and some other stuff. Eat it.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, meat¡­¡±

    ¡°You did great.¡±

    ¡°Yah.¡±

    Yeorum probably wasn¡¯t feeling like eating anything. He therefore expected her to reject it but she received the te with trembling hands, picked up a piece of meat with her bare hands and shoved it down her mouth.

    Her eyes were still drenched with fatigue.

    That was when Gyeoul came closer to the tent. She crouched on the ground and ate her share of meat while observing Yeorum.

    Yeorum had trouble eating seemingly because she couldn¡¯t swallow anything. She constantly shoved food into her mouth and yet couldn¡¯t swallow it so her cheeks soon swelled like a balloon. Even then, she continued pushing food into her mouth.

    Gyeoul grinned. What¡¯s wrong with her? That seemed to be what her smile suggested.

    ¡°What youughing at, you idiot.¡±

    ¡°¡­None of your business.¡±

    ¡°Stopughing. You freaking,¡±

    Pork belly, chicken skewers, mushrooms and sausage. They were all cooked until brown with the smell of charcoal in them. Yeorum continued shoving all those into her mouth.

    ¡°¡­How was itt?¡±

    ¡°How was what.¡±

    ¡°¡­Was it hard?¡±

    ¡°Was doable.¡±

    ¡°¡­Did somessing, bite your leg?¡±

    ¡°No, I told you I bumped into something on the way out.¡±

    Yu Jitae followed suit with a question.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t I be alright? It¡¯s nothing much.¡±

    Yeorum softly smiled and continued devouring the meat.

    By the time she was almost done with the food, Yu Jitae handed her the jacket along with her pack of cigarettes. Yeorum took the clothes, cursorily tossed it over her shoulders and red at him for a while. She then snatched the pack of cigarettes away from his hand, ced one in her mouth and lit in on fire.

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul ran away from the smoke with a frown.

    ¡°Are you gonna smoke by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Just me.¡±

    She exhaled out as dense smoke filled the tent.

    ¡°By the way, I have a question,¡± she said.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Going down anding back up. It wasn¡¯t hard or anything but it did test my patience.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it would have.¡±

    ¡°Did you see what I was doing?¡±

    ¡°Only when it seemed dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Well, it wasn¡¯t hard but there was pain that I had never felt before. So I could understand why you told me to not run away, but¡­¡±

    ¡°So, was it difficult?¡±

    ¡°No? It wasn¡¯t difficult, alright? I¡¯m not trying to say the training is too hard or anything like that.¡±

    Yeorum continued with a frown.

    ¡°It was nothing but suffering and I didn¡¯t earn anything. That was my question throughout the training; like, what kind of training is this?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there no change because it¡¯s only 200 metres so far? Or what? Am I doing something wrong?¡±

    Yu Jitae looked at her with a gaze filled with doubt.

    ¡°Nothing changed?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Nothing at all. Both going down anding up. To be honest, it just felt like being tortured you know?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ really?¡±

    He felt slightly amused.

    It must have been really hard for her. How exhausted must she be to be so disoriented? Even after taking a rest, she appeared to be clueless about the change that had happened to her.

    Yu Jitae pondered on how he should exin the whole thing but soon changed his line of thought. A picture tells a thousand words and seeing with her own eyes would be a thousand-fold better.

    ¡°Come out once you¡¯re done smoking.¡±

    *

    Mana resided in the mana hall (dantian). The specificalities of these ¡®dantians¡¯ differed ording to the race.

    Humans had one; dragons had three.

    Out of the three dantians that dragons had, the one at the very top ¨C the ¡®upper dantian¡¯ was known as the ¡®dragon heart¡¯. And hatchlings on their Amusements all had Origin Fragment next to their dragon heart.

    Since hatchlings were immature, they generally wouldn¡¯t even be able to handle this dragon heart properly.

    Mana and organisms had aplementary rtionship. Mana might visit first and stay in the organism¡¯s dantian, but on the flip side, the organism might instead be the one that pulls mana in.

    The easiest way to confirm the state of mana was to simply feel it, but there were methods to check from the outside in case one wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind to do so.

    Yu Jitae took out a small lens from the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)].

    This was a Level 2 artifact, [Monocle of a Mage]. It was an extremely rare artifact for a Level 2 one, since only two of them existed in the entire world.

    This monocle allowed the wearer to confirm the amount and shape of mana that belonged to an individual but it was a consumable that had limited usage, so he didn¡¯t use it very often. It had been stored up for asions like this.

    ¡°Use this.¡±

    ¡°Use it? How? It¡¯s just a lens.¡±

    ¡°Put it in front of your eye.¡±

    When Yeorum brought the lens to her eye, it fixed itself on the spot in mid-air, around 1 centimetre away from her eye.

    ¡°It¡¯s locked there, yeah? Now put mana into it and look at your hand.¡±

    Doubtfully, she flowed mana into the lens but that was when something mysterious happened.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Her hand started to look strange over the lens. There was a red translucentyer resembling a stocking over her body. Yeorum deeply considered what it might be and realised that it was the blessing, [Tenacity] that existed for all dragons.

    Lowering her head, she saw a sparkling gem around her heart. This was the [Dragon Heart].

    ¡°Wow. What the fuk¡­¡±

    ¡°It looks simr to the mana you usually feel in your body right?¡±

    Compared to the legs, hands and arms, her neck and her stomach that had extra protection of tenacity had a thickeryer of translucent red over it.

    ¡°Yeah. Looks exactly the same.¡±

    Although mana did not have a form, an existence with a will couldprehend mana, because despite its invisibility, it moved ording to how they wanted it to move. After getting used to that process, they could even ¡®see¡¯ its movement by sensing the abilities and blessings that always cover their body.

    Confirming the image that had always been in her imagination with her own eyes was an interesting experience for Yeorum.

    ¡°Then lift your eyes up and look around.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah¡­!¡±

    She gasped after looking at her surroundings. Blue and red auras intertwined from far off and were revolving around Yeorum as if she was the sun. It was a tremendous amount of mana that reached roughly 20% of the mana she had in her dragon heart.

    ¡°What is all this?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all mana that were pulled out from the sea by your will. You haven¡¯t absorbed them yet though.¡±

    Despite being put in various situations that might have killed her, she endured through it and survived. Pushing through it despite her ability to avoid it represented her strong will and that strong will for survival had the gravity to pull the surrounding mana towards her.

    However, she still had yet to absorb them fully. If her will for survival was to bend here, those mana would eventually start to leave her.

    She had to grab them before they could.

    ¡°Sit down. Close your eyes and breathe in. Rest your mind. You will now absorb those into your body.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uh, okay.¡±

    Copsing on the spot, Yeorum closed her eyes and started to [pulse] her heart. Slowly, the fluctuating auras of crimson began to enter her body.

    After three hours of meditation, Yeorum opened her eyes with a mutter.

    ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡±

    The time it took from entering the water, all the way to fainting and meditation ¨C the whole process took 9 hours.

    In just 9 hours, the capacity of her mana increased by 1.2 times.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum was dumbfounded.

    ***

    The next day, while Gyeoul with her feet in the water was exining to Yu Jitae about expanding her business¡­ so, while she was sharing stories about her school life, Yeorum continued the meditation by herself for a few hours.

    Even superhumans had the same brain speed as a normal person, unless they had a blessing rted to that but a dragon¡¯s brain had a different volumepared to that of a human, and even hatchlings were the same.

    She imagined all the possible ways in which she could use the newly-earned mana. Diving into her memories, she pulled out images of the monsters she understood almost perfectly and fought against them inside her head.

    After she was done making herself more ustomed to the mana she now had, Yeorum realised once again how much stronger she had be and gave a smile.

    The ce she was sitting down for the meditation was near the waters. While standing up, she found her own reflection on the surface of the water.

    Red hair. Red eyes.

    Oh my, such beauty¡­

    During that, Yeorum found a reddish-ck bruise on her neck. She lowered the zip of her training jacket and saw the reflection of her body. She looked at the scars etched across her body, and soon lowered her gaze towards her red feet that were still covered with recovering wounds.

    These were even more beautiful than her face.

    Yeorum smiled once again.

    She had be stronger. By trying hard, she became stronger. She became stronger through enduring the urge to run away.

    That put her in a good mood and she continuedughing like a madman.

    After a few hours at the break of dawn, before the sun even rose in this dimension ¨C while Gyeoul was deep in her sleep as a thinyer of fog covered the surface of the water, Yu Jitae called Yeorum. He had to push her back into the water before her desperateness lost its inertial force.

    ¡°Today it will be a bit more dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°So let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Yu Jitae started to undo the buttons of his business shirt.

    ¡°What you doing? Showing off your body?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Better to take off your pants then.¡±

    This was a business shirt the kids had chosen for him, and he didn¡¯t want it to touch the dirty water here.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. Up to 200 metres, it was okay for you to fail.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Because you can undo your polymorph if need be.¡±

    ¡°True.¡±

    ¡°But now you can¡¯t. If you fail 500 metres deep, your presence will be felt too vividly and will reach the depths. Things will get troublesome.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s fine as long as I don¡¯t dispel my polymorph right? That¡¯s fine then ¡®cuz I¡¯m not gonna fail.¡±

    ¡°No. We can¡¯t guarantee that this time.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be that difficult. Seriously, I won¡¯t fail it for sure. Right now, I¡¯m even more hyped up than when I dived for that 200-metre g.¡±

    ¡°I know but let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°No no no. It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to help me so much.¡±

    Saying that, Yeorum walked up and started re-doing the buttons of his business shirt.

    ¡°Stay here. You didn¡¯t tell me the details about the environment so that I¡¯d be more desperate, right?¡±

    ¡°But difficulty should only be to some degree. 500 metres will be a lot more difficult than you think.¡±

    ¡°Ahh like I said, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    As if it was her first time buttoning up someone else¡¯s shirt, her hands weren¡¯t nimble. Yeorum slowly did the buttons but suddenly murmured, ¡®Ah, someone¡¯s not going to like this¡­¡¯ and distanced herself.

    ¡°Hmm. Oh well, it¡¯s fine since she didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway, listen to me. I actually could have done the 200-metre dive a lot faster.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°But I went a lot slower so that I could analyse the water. It was easy, and the 500-metre g will be even easier.¡±

    Why was Yeorum so adamant about refusing his help? Yu Jitae knew the answer.

    Yeorum struggled for survival.

    Before leaving on her Amusement, her life had always been dependent on others. Her unfortunate talent andte birth, her oldest sister who took lives and her fate that could have taken her life¡­ Because of that, she wished to do everything by herself during her Amusement.

    So for her, Yu Jitae¡¯s goodwill was not something she could receive open-mindedly ¨C it felt more like the sympathy of the strong to the weak. This was something that touched her pride.

    That wasn¡¯t his intention and Yeorum was probably aware of that as well. However, sometimes there was an emotional line that was even more important than the rational thoughts and right now, Yu Jitae was just outside her boundaries.

    ¡°It will be very dangerous. Mentally arm yourself.¡±

    ¡°Aigo, okay okay.¡±

    ¡°It will be physically exhausting as well as mentally.¡±

    ¡°I get it sirr. Okay.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you were going to worry so much, then why did you even ce a g past 500 metres?¡±

    Yeorumughed while Yu Jitae turned silent. Before long, Yeorum took her jacket off and tossed it.

    ¡°I can do it by myself.¡±

    Leaving those words behind, she jumped into the water.

    This time, it really won¡¯t be easy.

    *

    But after exactly 8 hours, Yeorum crawled outside with her body in tatters.

    Her arms and her legs were broken. On top of that, her ribs were ripped out to the point that others could vaguely see the outline of her rib cages. Blood dripped from one of her eyes and travelled down her cheeks onto the ground.

    Stopping all those wounds from bleeding with her mana, Yeorum crawled outside. She was even missing one of her fingers.

    Yeorum was literally bloodstained, and was in tatters.

    ¡°Fishy¡­ Yeowumm¡­¡±

    Unable to continue her words, she wobbled.

    Yu Jitae hurriedly ran up and supported her body. Her entire body was shaking and her skin was as cold as a sheet of ice. She had short breaths and her eyes twitched.

    ¡°Hu¡­ ukk¡­ Fuk¡­¡±

    ¡°Breathe, Yeorum. Breathe.¡±

    ¡°Ukk¡­ kukk¡­¡±

    ¡°Now!¡±

    Only then did she try to breathe properly.

    He had been watching over her and several times he was about to go in and help her but didn¡¯t. There were countless hazards and risks 500-metres deep and yet Yeorum withstood all those ordeals and endured it.

    This came as an extreme surprise, even in the eyes of the Regressor.

    Lifting his eyes, Yu Jitae looked around. Clumps of mana that were 3 times bigger than the ones she had after the 200-metre dive were revolving around Yeorum.

    ¡°Good work.¡±

    ¡°Did I do well¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You really did. It¡¯s amazing.¡±

    Despite her constantly short breaths, her lips curled up.

    ¡°What did I, say¡­¡±

    She raised her hand with all the power she could manage.

    ¡°I said¡­ I can do it by myself¡­¡±

    In her hand was a transparent cloth that had been a part of the g, that currently looked more like a rag. ¡°I get it so don¡¯t move,¡± said Yu Jitae while trying to take the g but her fingers were rigid and were tightly mping onto it.

    ¡°Hah, but fuck¡­ so ck wasn¡¯t enough¡­ A transparent g¡­ you can¡¯t be human¡­ kuk, kukukk¡­¡±

    She powerlesslyughed,

    ¡°Yu Jitae, you, fucking devil¡­¡±

    And fainted straight after her words.

 Chapter 278: Partner (6)

    <h4>Chapter 278: Partner (6)</h4>

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She looks like she is in a very good mood, thought Yu Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It happened about half a day ago ¨C Yu Yeorum crawled out of the water with a crushed body.

    Lifting her up, Yu Jitae walked into the tent and closed the door, before telling her, ¡®y by yourself for a bit¡¯. Before long, an aura that Gyeoul found unpleasant ¨C the aura of the red race ¨C started to flow out of the tent.

    This was odd, because Yeorum¡¯s aura had never been this big. So what kind of aura was this¡­?

    In any case, ying by herself was something she was good at. Sitting near the soothing waters, she closed her eyes while humming a song. Looking back, the memories of the very distant past vividly filled her mind. The rustling voices around her the moment she broke out of her egg; the hands that tossed her around like a product; and the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes¡­ those eyes¡­

    Emotions of that time vibrantly resurfaced along with the memories. Constantly ruminating on those memories allowed Gyeoul to fully enjoy herself to her heart¡¯s content.

    Sometimes, she wanted to forever remain in that world of illusion.

    A lot of time went by. The tent reopened and Yeorum walked out looking like a severe patient with countless unclosed wounds all across her body.

    Why was she so injured this time?

    Sincest time she said she bumped into something, she must have crashed into something this time.

    Yeorum walked to a corner of arge piece of rock and started to meditate.

    .

    .

    .

    That night, after her meditation, she became extremely loud.

    ¡®Dude, I¡¯m super strong now.¡¯

    ¡®About to smack Yu Jitae very soon.¡¯

    ¡®What? Smack Yu Jitae? Oh my! Yu Yeorum, even the sky is not her limit¡­¡¯

    Gyeoul gave a frown. It definitely was a crash. She must have crashed into something head-first.

    ¡®Yu Gyeoul. What should I do?¡¯

    ¡®Tell me, huh? What should your unni do?¡¯

    ¡®I don¡¯t think I can lose anymore so what should I do! Hahahahaha!¡¯

    Gyeoul ran away but Yeorum followed.

    Persistently she followed her and grabbed her in the end, to simply exin how much stronger she had be. Unable to deal with it any longer, Gyeoul blocked her ears but her thunderous voice roared through her palms.

    ¡®Stop the nonsense. You¡¯ll be going deeper tomorrow so prepare yourself beforehand. There¡¯s not much time.¡¯

    ¡®Yes sirr ?¡¯

    Yeorum finally became quiet.

    After that, Yu Jitae and Yu Yeorum shared a lot of conversations till night. It went like this.

    ¡®We have to go together.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m fine though? I can do it by myself!¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s dangerous. Yeorum. This time, I¡¯m serious.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ve always been serious though.¡¯

    ¡®Aren¡¯t you afraid? You should have felt yourself what lies deeper down.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, but if I go by myself, are you going to let me die?¡¯

    ¡®No.¡¯

    ¡®Then I won¡¯t die. I¡¯ll be back in one piece.¡¯

    She¡¯s so full of confidence as always¡­

    Gyeoul always found that to be bizarre. Yeorum was never in a good shape whenever she returned from the dive. She was severely injured every time. Gyeoul could remember the pain Yeorum went through ¨C how she vomited blood after constant short breaths; her pale expression as if in fear and how she crawled while pulling her legs with her arms.

    And yet Yeorum would smile after a little as if nothing was wrong.

    Gyeoul found that astounding.

    How could she be full of confidence after going through all that?

    How was it that she could still smile?

    Wasn¡¯t she scared?

    ¡­Maybe it¡¯s because she injured her brain?

    If it was me, I would be scared for a month at least¡­

    That seemed to be the end of that day.

    But in the middle of the night, Gyeoul opened her eyes after hearing a strange sound. A strange gulping sound was heard from outside the tent, along with a teary noise.

    Lifting her body, she found that the door of the tent was half-open. With her eyes in the shape of (o.O), Gyeoul looked outside and found Yeorum facing the ocean.

    She was crying.

    ¡­Eh?

    ¡­Why is she crying?

    ¡®??¡¯

    Curious, Gyeoul was about to walk outside but someone pulled her body in. Caught in someone¡¯s embrace, Gyeoul turned her head and saw Yu Jitae who shook his head facing the child as if telling her to not go outside. She didn¡¯t know why he was stopping her but she obediently gave a nod.

    She felt strange.

    That night, she had trouble falling back asleep.

    .

    .

    .

    The next morning.

    Yeorum was surprisingly back to normal during breakfast. She still had wounds and her stamina had yet to fully recover. Because of that, she took a rest at the corner of the tent while Yu Jitae and Gyeoul were ying outside.

    It was by night that she finally started to prepare for the dive.

    ¡®Fishy Yeorum ready for the dive! Skipping the exercise before dive!¡¯

    ¡®About to be a blue dragon at this rate!¡¯

    ¡®Shat! That¡¯s a bit iffy!¡¯

    ¡®Yeorum is a fishy!¡¯

    ¡®Anyways, off she goes!¡¯

    With a loud announcement, she entered her third dive.

    .

    .

    .

    And a few hourster at dusk.

    The dimensions cracked open as a red hatchling revealed itself.

    The might of a baby dragon, reaching 8 metres in height fluttering its wings, shook the whole atmosphere of this wide dimension. In a normal ocean, schools of fish would have suffocated to death from that pressure; the aura that alerted the world of its arrival and presence.

    However, the red hatchling couldn¡¯t fly for long.

    It staggered in all directions, unbelievably feeble for itsrge size. Like a fly that had breathed in pesticide, it wobbled before dropping to the ground but even after that, it fluttered its wings and wriggled, seemingly in pain.

    Startled, Gyeoul turned towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡®Can you stay inside the tent for a bit?¡¯

    ***

    The sea was tranquil, just like its name.

    Yeorum was silent and so was Yu Jitae.

    She sat facing the ocean with her face away from him.

    For a long time, they remained silent as Yeorum gazed down at the water with her head lowered. Everything was so silent to the point that the small sound of her lips parting reached the ocean as well as his ears.

    As if she found herself pathetic, Yeorum said.

    ¡°I failed.¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t return any words. Gyeoul and him were the only ones that saw what happened just then because he made sure that no-one else could see her.

    ¡°¡­Well, were you surprised? Since I suddenly popped out?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t really, no.¡±

    ¡°Really? I guess that¡¯s just how you are. It¡¯s the first time I showed you my dragon form. How was I, pretty?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just say I was pretty even if it¡¯s just empty words?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She picked up a pebble and threw it in the water.

    Pong¨C

    A ripple travelled across the silent ocean.

    ¡°Why did youe out.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why. It¡¯s nothing crazy. I just found it hard on the way down. Tried to endure it but it wasn¡¯t easy.¡±

    ¡°How far did you go down.¡±

    ¡°Just deep enough. Ah, of course it was more than 500 metres.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go down again after healing your wounds.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna stop now.¡±

    Yu JItae gave a frown.

    Yeorum picked a different pebble and began throwing it up and down. She looked extremely fidgety.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Ah, c¡¯mon to be honest, this should be more than enough already.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t give up here.¡±

    ¡°Why? I at least went down 500 metres didn¡¯t I? And I¡¯ve built a lot more mana. It¡¯s 1.8 times more than what I started with so that¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°It is not enough. Far from it. I didn¡¯t prepare this training to only build such an insignificant amount in your body.¡±

    ¡­

    The rock that had been jumping up and down her hands came to a stop.

    ¡°What <i>did</i> you prepare?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Putting that stupid invisible g underwater?¡±

    ¡°No. It hasn¡¯t yet¡­¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I just don¡¯t want to do it okay?¡±

    Her voice became a little louder. He couldn¡¯t see her face so he couldn¡¯t see the expression that was on her face.

    ¡°This much is enough isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t the training for me to get stronger? I¡¯ve be strong enough already.¡±

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Why, I tried as hard as I could, you know? Same for 200 metres but for 500 metres, I put in more effort than I had ever done in my life.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done enough. This is fine already. How much harder can I do from here? Isn¡¯t it fine to stop what I don¡¯t want to do after this much?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. Calm down first.¡±

    ¡°I am calm. I¡¯m just stating the facts.¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s voice serenely echoed across. As if startled, her voice came to a stop, but before long, her hands started fidgeting again as the pebble bounced up and down.

    ¡°But, I¡¯m serious. I¡¯ve done enough. I think, it really is time for me to take a rest¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°At least, I didn¡¯t cause trouble. I swam up to the 200 metre mark and teleported from there.¡±

    She stood up from the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m going now. You two can y for a bit more. There won¡¯t be any problems. That thing underneath¡­ that shit probably doesn¡¯t even know I was here in its slightest dreams.¡±

    He opened his mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve done well. I know you were trying very hard until now. But you see Yeorum, you have to go again.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°You must go.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t say no just because you don¡¯t want to. You have to do it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. No. I¡¯m saying I don¡¯t want to do it. And I¡¯m going to stop.¡±

    ¡°Who says.¡±

    ¡°I say it. Why? Am I not even allowed to decide that myself?¡±

    Her voice became increasingly louder.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying I don¡¯t want to do it! Can I not even say that?! Can¡¯t I find it painful to get hurt? Can I not hate how it feels to bleed? Can I not find it frustrating to not hear anything; get irritated to not see a single thing? Can I not say that? Me!?¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Stop. I¡¯m going!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t. If you don¡¯t do this now, you¡¯ll never be able to. You need to know that there is inertia to failures as well. Didn¡¯t I tell you? That you must do it in one go?¡±

    ¡°No? I just don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°You can do it. You¡¯ve been doing it well so why wouldn¡¯t you do something that you can,¡±

    ¡°Do you think I really don¡¯t want to do it? I can¡¯t¨C!!¡±

    It was an anguished shout sounding like her throat was ripped apart.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it! I just can¡¯t do it anymore¡­!¡±

    As the silence came once again after her shout, her breaths turned audibly louder as her words began to tremble. A voice filled with tears soon crawled all the way up from beneath her throat. Uhk, uhk¡­ but it stayed within her throat, unable to cross the syrinx.

    ¡°W, why are you doing this to me? You should know¡­ D, don¡¯t you know what I want to say already¡­? You said you¡¯ve done it¡­ you said you know how painful it is¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°D, do you have to hear me say it in such a pathetic way? W, will that make you feel better¡­?¡±

    Saying that, she lifted her hands and started wiping her eyes. Tears that had already flowed out were about to drop from her chin.

    Yeorum started crying just likest night.

    There was only one reason why she would cry.

    ¡°I¡¯m, scared¡­¡±

    Yeorum crouched on the spot. She seemed to have reached the limit in holding her tears in and she audibly sobbed.

    ¡°It¡¯s too scary¡­ I can¡¯t do it anymore¡­¡±

    Her sorrow turned into drops that endlessly flowed down as heavy marbles.

    ¡°My skin gets ripped the whole time; it¡¯s painful¡­

    ¡°The feeling of my bones breaking and disjointing gives me goosebumps¡­

    ¡°I feel painfully powerless from all the bleeding¡­ it feels like I¡¯m about to die¡­

    ¡°And so what if I go down¡­? It¡¯s dark. I can¡¯t see anything a, and, everything bes narrow. I feel like I¡¯m locked in a small room¡­ it suffocates my chest¡­ It¡¯s scary¡­

    ¡°W, when I go down it bes quiet¡­ I can¡¯t hear anything; I can¡¯t tell the direction¡­ I feel like a fool¡­ it¡¯s scary¡­

    ¡°Deeper down even the time feels off¡­ my senses feel weird. I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m right or wrong¡­ I thought I was dying there for a month¡­ it was too scary¡­

    ¡°And those weird things attack me. They like, bite me, scratch and stab¡­ why do I have to be attacked like that¡­?

    ¡°My heart feels suppressed, and plus my chest contracts like crazy. I try to endure it but it happens again in 10 minutes¡­ I want to breathe¡­ Why do I have to hold my breath like an idiot¡­?

    ¡°Why do I have to be the only one suffering¡­?¡±

    The emotions that she had pressed deep inside her ¨C those suppressed emotions came flooding out.

    ¡°What did I ever do wrong¡­?¡±

    Over countless times, Yeorum had wanted to ask that very question but she held it in, because that might again make her look childish. However, she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t I trying hard¡­?

    ¡°I tried my best¡­

    ¡°I really, really did my best¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t control the surge of emotions, and thus the child sorrowfully sobbed.

    ¡°So please, let me just stop now¡­¡±

    ¡°Please¡­¡±

 Chapter 279: Partner (7)

    <h4>Chapter 279: Partner (7)</h4>

    He sat next to Yeorum, and quietly waited until she stopped crying. He knew a day like this woulde one day and in fact, it should havee a lot earlier.

    Yeorum couldn¡¯t stop her tears with ease and wiped the endlessly falling tears with her hands full of wounds.

    ¡°Hkk¡­¡±

    Dragons weren¡¯t unique. Their uniqueness was born from the long amount of time they lived and the experience they built.

    So Yeorum¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t very different from an 18 year old human¡¯s, and the training she had gone through until now was far too severe for an 18 year old human to handle.

    ¡°Ukk, hupp¡­ uht¡­¡±

    The Regressor pondered.

    In order to remove the limit of the mana capacity that was sealed tightly shut, that person had to live through a painful period of time that screamed of death without running away from it. However, Yeorum being a ¡®dragon¡¯ was where the problem lied.

    ¡°Ukk, uhk¡­¡±

    To beings with good memories, a failure was something to be feared. Right now, Yeorum still vividly remembered the emotions she felt the first time she was met with a failure. Such a memory will continue to grab her by the ankles as shackles and make her like an elephant restricted by a rope from its youth, that cannot escape from it even after reaching adulthood.

    ¡°Huuk¡­ uhk¡­¡±

    For dragons with their good memories, failures had an inertial force that tended to be a habit, but one failure was still fine because the depth of that failure was still rtively shallow.

    ¡°Nnn¡­ hkk¡­¡±

    With more frequency came a deeper range of experience and unfortunately, failure was also an experience of its own. Such experiences will tangle deeply into her ankles as more shackles that then make it increasingly more difficult for her to ovee.

    Therefore, Yeorum had to do this through now. If she didn¡¯t do it now, she might never be able to.

    And Yeorum will die at the end of her Amusement.

    ¡°Huukk¡­ ukkk¡­¡±

    So by the time the child almost stopped crying, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°If your emotions get the best of you, you might go the wrong way.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s think about it again after you calm down.¡±

    Those were far too crude words.

    ***

    As she stopped crying, the sea yet again turned silent.

    ¡°When we were ying there¡­¡±

    Yeorum opened her mouth with a murmur.

    ¡°¡­it was so fun.¡±

    ¡°You mean Las Vegas.¡±

    ¡°Nn. It was really¡­ really really fun. If things could be that fun, maybe it¡¯ll be fine to live for just 20 years and die.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You know¡­ so I thought¡­¡±

    The ripples of her first failure were already moving her mind.

    ¡°¡­Is there a meaning to a long life?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a short life, if I, was to enjoy that time¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be a good enough life already?¡±

    She was about to crumble mentally.

    ¡°Thinking like that, I realised there was no more point in struggling underneath, so I came up.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m, done weeping now. I¡¯m not emotional. But I still want to stop and go back. As I said, I¡¯m very tired and I just want to rest.¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    Humans, if they so wished, could conquer Mount Everest, but some humans had trouble getting up from their bed in the morning. It was a difference in their willpower. Beings with their willpower snapped cannot do anything and that was her current state of mind.

    It was a difficult issue. In what ways could you encourage a bird who lost its wings after a crash that now fears flying to fly again¡­

    At the end of a deep contemtion, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. There¡¯s nothing good with living a long life.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But you told me that you are not getting stronger to survive.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you had words you had yet to convey? I thought you wanted to say something to your oldest unni and your dead youngest unni.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You have to tell them those words.¡±

    Yeorum wasn¡¯t trying to get stronger to survive. Her primal goal was revenge.

    ¡°You have good memories for no reason, fuck¡­¡±

    She grumbled but couldn¡¯t return any words.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go one more time. This time, I will watch over you from behind. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to force through the depths by yourself in the first ce. There is a limit to what a person can do by themselves.¡±

    ¡°Did you not understand my words¡­? I didn¡¯te up because it was difficult. I told you it¡¯s because it was painful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mental training. We can¡¯t do anything about that because you will get stronger the more pain you ovee.¡±

    ¡°How¡­¡±

    Yeorum seemingly choked on her words and bit her lips.

    ¡°How can you make it sound so easy as if you know how I feel¡­?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I.¡±

    ¡°You are already strong¡­ It must have been ages ago that you did something simr. And obviously you must have been better than how I am right now¡­ You don¡¯t know how much pain and torture I had to endure underneath, do you¡­¡±

    With a powerless voice and yet with a definite attitude, Yeorum was refusing his approach. Once again, Yu Jitae had to stop before her mental ¡®boundary¡¯.

    ¡°You have no idea how painful it was¡­¡±

    Like how the wealthy disregarded coins, the strong cannot understand the weak ¨C that seemed to be her line of thought.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s just go back¡­ Nn¡­? I want to stop looking pathetic¡­¡±

    Throughout the iterations, he had never experienced such a thing, and Yu Jitae had no history to reflect on in such an inexperienced world.

    So what he would do now, was also a type of challenge for the Regressor.

    ¡°Unfortunately, you can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You have to go in again.¡±

    ¡°Do you have to make me a retard till the end¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    Yu Jitae called the child. As the reddened eyes and the cheeks tainted with tears turned towards him, he put his hand into thin air and took out the monocle.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it onest time. Last time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it one more time, and stop if it doesn¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°Do what. Push me down the ocean again¡­? And then you say this and that from behind¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was going to do, but not anymore.¡±

    ¡°Then what. Isn¡¯t that how a teacher is supposed to teach? And when I freak out saying I can¡¯t do it, you¡¯re going to tell me off again¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯ve always been like¡­ Well, probably because I never said I was scared or it hurt but¡­¡±

    He looked at the child¡¯s body. Feeling his gaze, Yeorum covered her body that was filled with wounds with her two arms but seemed to be ignorant of the wounds that were also on her arms.

    ¡°Right. That¡¯s what I used to do.¡±

    Will it be possible for me to fully understand you? Although Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t certain, he also knew that he would never find out without trying.

    ¡°This time, let¡¯s take a different approach.¡±

    Saying that, Yu Jitae closed his eyes.

    ¡°Like I said, what kind of meaning¡­¡±

    It was when Yeorum was about toin from the frustration that something happened.

    ¡°Is there¡­¡±

    Unable to finish her words off, Yeorum widened her eyes.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Over the monocle, she saw things that she had never seen before. Underneath the ashen sky of dusk, things asrge and tall as apartments appeared before her.

    ¡°Uh, uhh¡­?¡±

    It looked surreal.

    What is that?

    Yeorum thought to herself. When she looked at herself over the monocle, the authorities and blessings protecting her body had resembled simple stockings and leather armour, but what she was now seeing over the monocle was different.

    Murky mana tangled and intertwined into aplex shape, mingling like arge mechanical device. She soon realised that those were authorities and blessings that all protected Yu Jitae¡¯ body. Facing that oppressive, overwhelming and simply iprehensible strength, Yeorum astonishedly pulled her body away from him with her bum still on the ground.

    ¡°What are you trying to do¡­? Show off your body¡­?¡±

    That oppressive force made her stutter.

    ¡°I, I told you to take off your pants then¡­¡±

    But Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply and with his eyes still closed, he meditated as something astounding happened.

    Thatrge andplex mechanism started to undo itself. Things resembling a pipe started to fall one by one, followed by tes. Those then dissipated into thin air as the general size of the mechanism started to decrease over time.

    Soon when therge mechanical clunk was almost fully undone, Yu Jitae appeared to be wearing a ck full-ted armour.

    However, he didn¡¯t stop. His helmet lifted; the breastte dropped and his gauntlets disappeared alongside his shouldertes. Almost all the authorities and blessings covering his body vanished.

    ¡°What do you see,¡± he then said with his eyes still closed.

    The things that now remained on Yu Jitae¡¯s body ¨C Yeorum looked back at her own body and noticed that they were simr in both size and shape to the blessings protecting her body.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    And before long, the ce around his chest started to change into deep red, and Yeorum realised what it was despite her confusion. It was the mana of the red dragons that tended to arise from Yu Jitae¡¯s body whenever he was teaching or massaging her.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But he didn¡¯t stop there.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to persuade you now.¡±

    ¡°Persuade¡­?¡±

    He threw his hand through the void and took out a sharp dagger. What is he trying to do? Yeorum thought while rolling her eyes but that was when Yu Jitae shoved the de through his arm without a single second of hesitation.

    Stab¨C

    Blood sshed over the sand.

    Startled, Yeorum shouted out loud.

    ¡°Have you gone mad? What are you doing!¡±

    She looked at his face and found his eyes forming a very faint frown. With all the authorities cancelled, his current body wasn¡¯t too different from Yeorum¡¯s body. It had been a while since hest felt his skin getting ripped by a de; his muscles being torn apart and his bone being struck by a de.

    ¡°What are you doing!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go one more time.¡±

    ¡°What? Is this what you meant by persuading? Keeping yourself hostage¡­?!¡±

    Casually, Yu Jitae raised the de and stabbed himself on his stomach. This time, it wasn¡¯t shallow and his skin ripped open as blood oozed out.

    ¡°You must have gone mad¡­! What are you doing!?¡±

    He did not stop.

    Stabb¨C he stabbed through his hand.

    Kugukk¨C he poked a wound on his chest.

    Stab¡­ shed through the skin on his back.

    Gritt¡­ and shed past his neck,

    Kwang! He then struck his knee with his fist to break a portion of his bones.

    ¡°Stop! Stop! I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re doing this, but I don¡¯t think you are in the right mind right now!¡±

    Yeorum dashed up and held his arms. That was when something astonishing happened ¨C Yu Jitae was being held back by her arms.

    ¡°Wait for a bit. I haven¡¯t even started persuading yet.¡±

    ¡°How much more do you have to do? Like, what kind of persuasion is this in the first ce?! You are not a child so why are you doing this¨C!¡±

    It was then. Yu Jitae¡¯s gaze once againnded on her body.

    ¡°Nn¨C?¡±

    And he started creating wounds on his body again.

    His gaze was somewhat odd.

    Although Yeorum stopped, Yu Jitae did not. He saw through the wounds hidden behind her jacket so he formed push pins with his killing intent on the ground andid his body on top of it.

    Rip¨C

    The sound was simple but the result was not. Blood flowed out like water and wetted the ground.

    After standing up, he again looked at her body. Then, he struck his ribs with the handle of the dagger and with a thud, his rib cages broke.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Only then did Yeorum realise his intention.

    And was baffled.

    Until now, his entric actions came as a shock. Yu Jitae¡¯s always strong and firm body, which she had trouble imagining with wounds, was being broken in real time. That alone was a big enough shock to Yeorum.

    However, she realised that Yu Jitae¡¯s entric action wasn¡¯t that of a mindless self-injury. Atst when his hands came to a stop, Yeorum observed his body in detail and found that all the wounds on his body resembled the ones she had.

    She felt goosebumps.

    The young red dragon felt her blood boil.

    The red race worshipped the strong and not a single dragon in Yeorum¡¯s memories was stronger than Yu Jitae. In other words, Yu Jitae was like a god to her.

    And yet right now,

    That ¡®god¡¯ was imitating her own wounds.

    ¡°With this, we are in a simr situation. My body is about the same as yours now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So let¡¯s go together onest time.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I will take part in the hardship with you. I won¡¯t watch from behind and instead I will be by your side. Let¡¯s suffer through the same ordeals, and endure through it together. Let¡¯s take the g from the deepest ce ande out.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How does that sound.¡±

    Yeorum bit her lips. For some reason, she felt like tearing up. Maybe it was because she had gotten quite emotional just then.

    ¡°Hn? Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    She dropped her head.

    Right now, he wasn¡¯t suggesting a teacher-student rtionship. Enduring through a test ever so painful, suffocating and exhausting together ¨C he was volunteering to be her partner.

    ¡°You know, doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It does hurt. But didn¡¯t you endure this already?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum still couldn¡¯t believe it was real. It was too big of an astonishment that she simply couldn¡¯t believe it.

    She slowly walked towards him and carefully nced up at his body from his legs.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t dodge.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    She made a fist, and punched him by the sr plexus as hard as she could.

    Bamm.

    It went through. She had punched him before as well but his stomach that felt like steel back then wavered this time.

    Just like a human.

    Hupp¨C

    She could also hear him gasp,

    Just like a normal human¡­!

    Yu Jitae grabbed his chest and took a few steps back.

    ¡°What was that for.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Why did you hit me.¡±

    ¡°D, did it hurt¡­?¡±

    Her question made him wear a frown.

    ¡°¡®Did it hurt¡¯? After hitting as hard as you could?¡±

    ¡°Hnn? Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°Stand straight. I¡¯ll help you find out yourself.¡±

    ¡°N, no. Wait sorry¡­ Don¡¯t hit me¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae was in pain from her punch. Only after seeing that did this shocking situation feel realistic.

    Yeorum shuddered. Something shot up from the depths of her heart.

    Closing her eyes, she calmed her emotions and contained the tears that threatened to leave once again.

    ¡°So are you going to go, or not. Tell me.¡±

    Atst, Yeorum¡¯s boundaries that had blocked others¡¯ approach for a long time started to waver.

    Biting her lips, she nodded. She felt like tearing up but suddenly thought of something absurd.

    ¡°But why would you cut yourself¡­? You are an idiot¡­¡±

    Yeorum smiled with a crying face.

    ¡°I was going to heal them anyway¡­¡±

    ***

    Yu Jitae called Clone 1 over and made him watch after Gyeoul. Throwing the fake skin off, the clone became Yu Jitae and nodded.

    At midday, Yu Jitae and Yeorum made their bodies suitable for entering the water again. Even the degree of their recovery was managed to be the same, and Yu Jitae kept the wounds on his body for those that had yet to fully recover for Yeorum.

    They were now fully ready to go. Before starting the training, he asked.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you doing your usual shout?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°You know that thing. Fishy Yeorum, ready to dive or whatever.¡±

    Yeorum frowned.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do it now that you tell me to.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­ let¡¯s start then.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Ssh¨C

    The two of them jumped into the water at almost the same time.

    Their final challenge thus began.

 Chapter 280: Partner (8)

    <h4>Chapter 280: Partner (8)</h4>

    Gyeoul had trouble falling back asleep ¨C she could still vividly see Yeorum iling her body on the sand when closing her eyes.

    She couldn¡¯t hear anything that was happening outside the tent as it seemed that Yu Jitae had isted the dimension. With her eyes closed, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep and it was even harder with her eyes open¡­ so Gyeoul stayed by herself just like that, not knowing what to do.

    That was when someone opened the door of the tent and walked in.

    It was Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Getting up from the bed, Gyeoul weed him in. She threw her arms wide open and he naturally lifted her up into his arms.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping yet.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing. What about unni?¡±

    ¡°She went home. Let¡¯s go to sleep now. That way we can y more tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae lied down on the nket and she did the same. She couldn¡¯t do so when Yeorum was with them but now that it was just the two of them, Gyeoul grabbed his arm and pulled it. Seeing her struggle with recing his arm, he raised it and ced it beneath her head for her to use as a pillow.

    Only then did she feel somefort.

    But¡­ suddenly.

    She had a strange line of thought.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    She didn¡¯t know why it suddenly struck her but Gyeoul abruptly thought that this man might not be Yu Jitae.

    That didn¡¯t make her anxious or anything. Gyeoul remembered seeing two Yu Jitaes when she was young ¨C there was Yu Jitae she saw everyday and Yu Jitae whom she couldn¡¯t see everyday but the one that wasn¡¯t with her everyday was still as handsome as the real one and was simrly nice to her. So back then, she thought they might be twins and that the other one might be the younger brother.

    Yeorum wasn¡¯t outside the tent anymore. She must have gone home or gone back inside the water, but either way Yu Jitae had probably gone with her.

    Then was the younger one here?

    Gyeoul asked.

    ¡°¡­Who are you?¡±

    He gazed down at Gyeoul, and replied.

    ¡°What do you mean, who are you.¡±

    ¡°¡­You are not, our ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t, think you are.¡±

    ¡°Why. All of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°¡­A hunch.¡±

    ¡°I am Yu Jitae.¡±

    Since themand from his lord was to ¡®y with Gyeoul as Yu Jitae¡¯, the clone lied.

    Meanwhile, the clone who was made based on the 6th iteration¡¯s Yu Jitae felt ufortable at heart whenever he faced this young child. It was because she made him remember the blue-haired child who was found dead in the undergroundbyrinth in the 6th iteration.

    ¡°¡­Liar.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­But we¡¯ve, seen each other, before right?¡±

    ¡°We see each other everyday.¡±

    Gyeoul frowned.

    He was the same ¨C he was exactly the same as Yu Jitae but his words felt strangely short and that was odd because Yu Jitae was more of a chatterbox now.

    How was she supposed to find the proof though¡­?

    After pondering by herself for a little, she decided to use the power of dragons that allowed them to directly confirm the memories and emotions of other beings.

    So after some contemtion, she said to him,

    ¡°¡­Hand.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­Let me, hold your hand.¡±

    Saying that, she immediately lifted her hand and tried to grab his but he stealthily pulled it away.

    ¡°¡­Why did you avoid?¡±

    ¡°Why are you trying to hold it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just, give it to me.¡±

    Gyeoul stared directly at him with wide open eyes but he did not let her grab his hand, so Gyeoul felt all the more certain about her assumption.

    One of his arms was still underneath her head. Immediatley turning her body, Gyeoul pressed onto his arm with her head and reached for the other hand.

    ***

    Their hands sped.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s will was conveyed to Yeorum¡¯s mind.

    ¡®I¡¯ll talk to you like this from now on. Just move your head.¡¯

    Yeorum gave a nod. That was the only thing she could do since she could only receive others¡¯ will.

    Yu Jitae checked her artifact.

    [Depth: 224.53 m]

    They were slightly lower than the 200-metre mark where the first g was at. The two of them had to focus a bit more now because things that actively interrupt with their dive would soon show themselves.

    As they went deeper by 10 more metres, the water began to turn into a tornado.

    Kurururuk¡­! Kwarururuk¡­!

    The tornado had a centre, and after turning into a force it gathered in one ce. It was the same thing that broke her two legs when she was on the way up.

    Yu Jitae called this a [trap].

    The gathered water became sharp and thin like spears. There were six of them, out of which three aimed for Yu Jitae while the rest went for Yeorum.

    He had to concentrate.

    Although he came in to help Yeorum with the training, this had now be a training for himself as well. He wasn¡¯t hiding any powers either and his current self was powerless and weak ¨C he would also be gravely injured if he were to not focus.

    Shieeeek¡ª

    Right when it came flying in, Yu Jitae twisted his body and avoided the first spear of water. The second one came flying straight towards his face ¨C he lowered his head and avoided the spear as it swept past the back of his neck. Following that, he used the inertia from lowering his head and turned his body and dodged the third one that was aiming for his lower body.

    The spears flew off into the distance in the blink of an eye and dissipated after losing its force.

    After that, he looked back at Yeorum. Fortunately, she seemed to have dodged all of them as well but was standing a lot further away than where she was. It meant it was an excessive dodge.

    He approached her and grabbed her by the arm to ry his will.

    ¡®You did good. It was good but not wise.¡¯

    Tilt?

    ¡®With our current pool of mana, we can perfectly dodge all the attacks until we are 500 metres deep right? It would be easier to dodge if we were to move our body more.¡¯

    Nod.

    ¡®But if we do that, we will run out of mana when we are 700 metres, 1,000 or 1,500 metres deep.¡¯

    ¡­Nod.

    ¡®You have to dodge with minimal movements. And you have to get hit by some if you have to.¡¯

    Yeorum nodded with a stiff look on her face. She did think about doing it like that but¡­ she hadn¡¯t managed to make herself do so.

    Yu Jitae however, followed through with his words.

    When 4 spears flew towards him at the 250 metre mark, he did notpletely dodge one of them that had an exquisite trajectory and gave away a portion of his arm. His arm got ripped as blood oozed out and floated underwater.

    When they were 300 metres deep, 6 spears flew towards their heads. Yeorum thought they looked way too dangerous and jumped away from it but Yu Jitae calcted his remaining mana and stamina, and let one of them graze past him.

    One of his ears got ripped apart as if butchered by dozens of des.

    As blood flowed out from his ears, Yeorum hurried next to him in surprise but he shook his hand and gestured that he was fine. There was an element of the red race¡¯s maniption of mana that helped with stopping a bleeding wound. It seemed that he had deemed using that to be more efficient than losing mana from dodging it.

    Yeorum silently watched him and thought to herself.

    Is that how far you had to go?

    That¡¯s dreadful¡­

    But at least it wasn¡¯t impossible.

    When they were 400 metres deep, Yeorum also received two of the eight spears that couldn¡¯t be dodged with ease. One of themnded on her finger while the other was on her stomach which was being protected by [Tenacity]. It felt as if she was run over by a car ¨C her finger broke and the skin around her stomach was scratched open.

    Uhh, fuck¡­

    The pain made her breaths unstable and forced bubbles to leave her mouth, but she was able to save mana thanks to that.

    Yu Jitae rested his hand on her arm.

    The water was cold, so when his hand touched her body, she realised again the warmth of a human body.

    ¡®Are you alright?¡¯

    Nod.

    ¡®Okay. Let¡¯s continue.¡¯

    But as Yu Jitae started moving his body, she saw the trail of blood being drawn in the middle of the ocean away from his body and frowned. The warmth she felt was because of the blood that flowed out of the crack on his palm, and surprisingly, she discovered among the transferred emotions a great pain.

    Is he in that much pain? He¡¯s not showing any of it though?

    Pretending to be strong or something¡­

    They weren¡¯t even a quarter of the way there. Although she felt her heart be congested from fear whenever she thought of what was beneath, she nheless followed him from behind.

    .

    .

    .

    [Depth: 491.2 m]

    The scenery changed as darkness gradually neared in. The ¡®walls¡¯ that drew closer were now approximately 5 metres away from her, forming a circle following the limit of her vision. It forced Yu Jitae and Yeorum with psychological pressure making them feel like they were locked in a small room.

    On top of that, their hearing was also affected. Static noise of the world that had sometimes made it through now felt distant. As if someone had intentionally lowered the volume of the world, the surroundings turned quiet.

    Yeorum clicked her fingers.

    ¡­¡­Click¡­¡­

    It sounded as if it was done a mile away. The feeling of having entered a bizarre dimension gave her goosebumps and Yeorum felt fear although it was her third timeing here already.

    What was fortunate however was that she was able to save a lot of mana thanks to following Yu Jitae¡¯s method.

    Another thing that was fortunate was that even though Yeorum was so frustrated and pained to the point that she felt like going crazy, she would see Yu Jitae enduring it without a problem. And strangely enough, seeing him gave her the power to endure through it.

    Lastly, she didn¡¯t feel like she was the only person left behind in this world yet, because he was right next to her.

    Atst, their feetnded 500 metres deep.

    There was arge piece of bulkynd in the ocean. It was bumpy, messy, extremely enormous and had a concave shape like a lens. This ce was where the second ¡®transparent g¡¯ was on.

    The first time she saw this, Yeorum had in fact almost fainted.

    This thing that appeared like a piece ofnd was actually the carapace of arge turtle.

    Crazy, Yeorum thought to herself.

    It¡¯s ridiculous no matter how many times I see it¡­

    How is it so big¡­?

    With a body length reaching approximately 150 metres, it was evenrger than an adult dragon that tended to be 50 metres tall. Even though strength wasn¡¯t always proportional to the size, it was highly likely that this thing would be stronger than an average adult dragon.

    That was when Yu Jitae grabbed her by the arm.

    ¡®This guy is the owner of this ocean. It lived for about 8,000 years and is currently asleep. The ce you called the [field] is where this guy sometimes leans on and rests when it¡¯s awake.¡¯

    Yeorum nodded. She had gotten goosebumps the moment she realised how the bumps of the field were probably made due to being pressed by this turtle¡¯s stomach.

    ¡®It is the Sovereign of this dimension. It¡¯s registered as the [Owner of the Tranquil House] but doesn¡¯t have an actual name.¡¯

    Yeorum gave another nod.

    A Sovereign¡­ it meant the ruler of a dimension, just like the [Dragon Lord].

    ¡®It¡¯s not dangerous right now but if you cancel your polymorph here, it¡¯s the same as exploding a firecracker next to its face in its sleep. If Gyeoul did that to you while you¡¯re sleeping, you would wake up. Would you be in a good mood though?¡¯

    Shake shake.

    ¡®So let¡¯s quietly go past. Okay.¡¯

    Nod.

    Together, they dived deeper next to the carapace as he conveyed his will with a stricter and a more cautious tone than usual.

    ¡®Now I will exin what lies beneath.¡¯

    Nod.

    ¡®The turtle creates nerve eleration substances from its body to match itsrge body to the speed of the real world.¡¯

    Nod.

    ¡®But because it has a lot of wounds, a portion of them constantly flows out and they circte beneath.¡¯

    Nod.

    ¡®When you were down there, you probably felt time bing slower. Right?¡¯

    ¡­Nod.

    Yeorum suddenly opened her mouth wide open, but realised that she couldn¡¯t speak and closed it again.

    Until here, it was hard yet bearable even when she was alone but the true hell was beneath ¨C it was so severe that even Yeorum couldn¡¯t endure it.

    ¡®You have to mentally prepare yourself now.¡¯

    Nod.

    ¡®The waters between 200 to 500 metres attack organisms and make them unable to go outside. Why? It¡¯s to constantly make theme down.¡¯

    Nod.

    ¡®And when theye down, they will inevitably end up here and will then go even further down. Normal living beings will lose their mind when they are down there. Due to the eleration of their nerves, they forget the flow of time and receive damage to their minds.¡¯

    Nod nod.

    ¡®Since the water constantly urges them downward, the fish will continue going down. What do you think will be at the end of it all then? Won¡¯t there be all sorts of underwater organisms and fish mindlessly gathered in one ce, despite being still alive? Do you know what that¡¯s called Yeorum?¡¯

    ¡­Shake.

    ¡®It¡¯s a¡¯

    She nodded with a gulp.

    A¡­

    Since Yeorum had experienced the hell he was talking about albeit for a short period of time, she knew exactly what he meant as well as why he would call it a.

    Fear once again arose from the depths of her heart and made her want to escape.

    [Depth: 515.17 m]

    Up to here it was alright.

    Although difficult, it was bearable.

    She was used to bleeding from injuries, and she could handle being unable to see anything and being strangled.

    However, deeper than this was a different story.

    That was when Yu Jitae sent her another message.

    ¡®Onest time.¡¯

    ¡®I know it¡¯s hard, but let¡¯s go down together just onest¡­¡¯

    It was then.

    A sudden surge of fear made Yeorum shake his hand off. Although she felt fear from it, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t scared in the slightest and that discrepancy threw her off.

    Yeorum was scared.

    The fear that settled itself deep inside her heart and her memories that could vividly redraw everything about the situation came back and discouraged her.

    However, Yu Jitae once again wrapped his hand around her wrist.

    His will was ryed to her once again.

    ¡®There is definitely a g underneath.¡¯

    ¡®This time, it¡¯s not ck or transparent.¡¯

    Despite the situation she was in, Yeorum gazed up at Yu Jitae and asked with her eyes what colour the g was.

    ¡®It¡¯s red. And it¡¯s very big. Like a normal g.¡¯

    ¡®So don¡¯t be scared.¡¯

    ¡®We can pull it off.¡¯

    ¡­¡­Nod.

    After that, Yu Jitae was about to let go of her but Yeorum hurriedly grabbed his hand and stared at him with anxious eyes. Her hand tightly held onto his hand.

    Do not let go¡­

    That seemed to be what her anxious expression and gaze were trying to express.

    He nodded. That gave Yeorum the courage to dive deeper in.

    The two of them continued.

    [Depth: 545.17 m]

    ***

    Somewhere in the depths.

    Somethingrge began to crack open. When the thing that resembled a piece of rock opened vertically by about 1.2 metres, the thing inside it moved ever so slightly and moved yet again.

    It was therge turtle opening its eyes, gazing around.

    The Sovereign, [Owner of the Tranquil House] thought to itself.

    Wasn¡¯t there something here just then?

    It didn¡¯t really mind when there was only one inside, but now that there were two of the same type it annoyed the turtle quite a bit like how flies were annoying to humans.

    But since the turtle couldn¡¯t see anything after actually opening its eyes, it decided to go back to sleep. However, before doing so, it demanded for the cleansing of the ocean. The will of therge turtle rode the current and travelled beneath to the depths.

    Creak¡­

    And at the very bottom of the pit.

    ¡®Cleaners¡¯ raised their heads.

 Chapter 281: Partner (9)

    <h4>Chapter 281: Partner (9)</h4>

    [Depth: 550.24 m]

    Yeorum did not want to appear childish.

    What happened before was because she had been too emotional ¨C she wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind back then. So she had to stop acting like a child now but¡­

    It wasn¡¯t her intention to tightly grip onto Yu Jitae¡¯s hand. Her hand was doing so on its own ord.

    .

    .

    .

    [Depth: 600.24 m]

    The surroundings became narrower.

    Water molecules intertwining as hooks physically blocked light and began to block mana on top of that as they drew deeper in. And as the walls of darkness closed in, the visibility that had been 5 metres before was now as little as 2 metres.

    His will was conveyed over the touching hands.

    ¡®Do not kick your legs too much now.¡¯

    ¡®We are in the flow. The current will bring us down there on its own.¡¯

    ¡®No need to get anxious.¡¯

    That was what his message roughly meant.

    He must have felt her anxiety through the touch. Maybe she should let go of his hand¡­

    Why are you holding my hand so tightly?

    Oh my, do you like my hand that much?

    ¡­For her to say that, it was obvious that she was the one holding tightly onto his hand.

    The reason was simple. The dense condensation of water-attributed mana made her body chilly as if she was buried in snow naked, and Yu Jitae¡¯s hand was the only source of warmth. It was like touching a warmer in winter and it was thus hard to let go.

    ¡­What a joke.

    Make up a better excuse next time.

    Coward bitch.

    Although she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she knew the truth. The anxiety was making it impossible for her to let go of his hand.

    .

    .

    .

    [Depth: 648.99 m]

    The visibility was now only 1 metre.

    Walls of darkness nearing in from all sides enveloped her. Yeorum felt her heart thumping loud and clear, and felt as if the surroundings would suddenly devour her.

    Ahh, I want to leave¡­ wasn¡¯t it around here that I felt the same thingst time?

    It was then. Her body suddenly craved for air. Her diaphragm spasmed but she couldn¡¯t crouch her body, so she closed her eyes and used her other hand to block her mouth and nose.

    It was cold and excruciating. Her body shivered.

    Guess what I¡¯ll do when I go back?

    I¡¯m never turning the lights off again at night¡­

    It was around this point that a portion of Yu Jitae¡¯s upper body was devoured by the darkness, no longer visible. But his will was asionally transmitted over the sped hands. Are you alright? Is it hard? Are you using your mana well? He showed concern for her.

    Yu Jitae wouldn¡¯t be able to see it no matter what expression she made now, so she drew a circle at the back of his hand with her thumb.

    How could Yu Jitae be so fine¡­?

    I can tell it¡¯s cold for him as well though?

    I can also feel his heart being stifled and his diaphragm contracting .

    So why isn¡¯t he in pain?

    Why are you pretending to be tough¡­

    .

    .

    .

    [Depth: 700 m]

    A visibility of around 50 centimetres. It was here that Yeorum had given up before.

    A lot of things were devoured by the darkness. Looking down, she couldn¡¯t even see her legs and over half of Yu Jitae¡¯s body was also unable to be seen.

    Yeorum gulped. Fortunately, she could still hear the sound happening inside her body despite the surrounding silence. She pointlessly tapped her teeth one by one with her tongue.

    It didn¡¯t feel good.

    She closed her eyes. It felt better to close her eyes instead of staring at the gradually approaching darkness.

    Countless memories resurfaced when she closed her eyes. Memories of her meal; memories of harassing Yu Kaeul; memories of the first time she read a shoujo manga¡­ Yeorum continued her trail of thought and let it go its own way as a temporary relief from the frustration.

    Out of nowhere, memories of her youth also resurfaced.

    There was a time when Yeorum was as small as Gyeoul. Back then, she was with other hatchlings.

    The mother that was supposed to feed them was enjoying herself ying with the father, while the father had no interest in weak individuals. Therefore, it was always her youngest unni that found food for her.

    ¡®Hey. Eat this.¡¯

    But ever since Yeorum was a baby, both her dragon form and her human form were small and skinny. She wasn¡¯t an experienced eater and had trouble putting food into her mouth.

    Her youngest unni berated her whenever that happened.

    ¡®Ahh so annoying. Just eat it.¡¯

    ¡®Howe you can¡¯t even freaking eat properly?¡¯

    She was admonished everyday, during every meal. Yeorum endured all of it but one day, she became so upset that she threw the food on the ground but was then bashed by her youngest unni as if there was no tomorrow.

    Until then, it was her youngest unni that protected her whenever other sisters were about to hit her and it was the first time Yeorum was hit by her youngest unni. She felt betrayed and sorrowfullyined.

    I¡¯m still a baby.

    I don¡¯t feel like eating. My mouth is small and I can¡¯t swallow a lot.

    Weren¡¯t you the same when you were my age?

    But after hearing what she said, her youngest unni made a scary face, and grabbed her by the hair to bring to an isted cave. She pushed her into that dark ce, forced her mouth open and shoved a bunch of food into her mouth.

    At the same time, she said to her.

    Do you want to stay a punching bag after 10 years?

    Spend a 100 years as a punching bag?

    No-one¡¯s gonna wait for you to get bigger.

    No-one in the world gives a damn about you being bornte like a retard.

    Do not talk back to me ever again.

    Eat everything you¡¯re given and make that peanut body of yours bigger.

    If you don¡¯t wanna die.

    Yeorum felt sad back then butter realised that she had said all that for her sake and the two of them continued having a good rtionship. And after that, Yeorum started to eat more.

    It was just that kind of a memory.

    Nothing much; just a random memory¡­

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was still holding onto her hand. She wondered, what was he thinking about¡­?

    The faint emotions that she sometimes felt were all those of frustration and suffering.

    He did not feel fear.

    He was not in a fluster.

    Thus, Yeorum was able to rx herself yet again, reminding herself that since Yu Jitae can do it, she can do it as well.

    There was no need to be scared¡­

    .

    .

    .

    [Depth: 804.02 m]

    Visibility: 10 centimetres.

    Her body was buried in darkness and it was suffocating both literally and emotionally.

    She lowered her head, but couldn¡¯t see her chest so she raised her other hand and touched it. Fortunately, it was still there.

    All her other limbs were all still there. In the process of checking her body, she touched the wound on her lower stomach and it gave her relief.

    The pain made her realise that she was still alive¡­

    With her arm stretched out, she could not see her own hand let alone Yu Jitae¡¯s hand so she pulled his hand all the way until it was right in front of her eyes.

    She hoped this would stay visible.

    But after going deeper by another 50 metres, even his hand that was right before her eyes began to be eroded by darkness.

    Gradually yet endlessly.

    That frightened her so much that she had to twitch her fingers and fortunately, Yu Jitae twitched back in response. If she didn¡¯t even have that, Yeorum might have escaped already from the frustration.

    Following that, another memory resurfaced.

    And Yeorum buried herself in that memory.

    .

    .

    .

    [@tph: 90$.%&]

    Unable to handle the pressure, the artifact eventually began to malfunction.

    Approximately 900 metres in depth, thought Yeorum.

    How long has it been since she came in here?

    It took about 10 minutes to travel 50 metres, so it was probably about 180 minutes so far¡­

    Until now, Yeorum had already gone through approximately 20 or so of memories that had left her with a strong impression among the 15 years of her life leading up to the Amusement. Short ones were a few hours long while longer ones were about a day long.

    Therefore, she thought it had at least been a week since she came in.

    It was at least thanks to Yu Jitae¡¯s hand that she had a slightly better touch at reality. Last time, she thought it had been 2 weeks despite only being 700 metres deep.

    And she was able to tolerate this thanks to the experience she had gone through and when it was her first time doing it without any prior knowledge, she was really close to dying. However, that didn¡¯t mean that it wasn¡¯t painful to put up with this training. Yeorum was pained by this unending stress.

    Darkness had long devoured the world. There was nothing to be seen, and no sounds to be heard.

    She tried blowing her lips,

    But heard nothing.

    It was the same even when she pped herself on her cheek. Her head turned but there was no sound from it.

    With both seeing and hearing gone, it was only the sense of touch that remained with her.

    Everything in the world disappeared, leaving behind only herself and Yu Jitae¡¯s hand.

    Pain, exhaustion, temperature, frustration. These continued pushing her mind into a corner. Whenever she woke up from her reminiscence, Yeorum felt an explosive urge to suddenly run away.

    Her mind wasn¡¯t stable. Her body trembled and her heart furiously thumped.

    Whenever that happened, she grabbed even tighter onto Yu Jitae¡¯s hand. That was thest measure Yeorum could resort to, in order to not escape from it.

    Something simr happened again.

    By the time she realised it, she was pressing her sharp nails into the back of Yu Jitae¡¯s hand.

    Ah, fuck.

    Sorry¡­

    She thought to herself that continuing like this wouldn¡¯t work and decided to think of every reason why she shouldn¡¯t run away.

    1. Because she had to be stronger.

    2. Because there were words she had yet to convey.

    3. Because she had to be happy.

    ¡­

    14. I want to go to Las Vegas again.

    ¡­

    52. Because I have to fill 3 carriages with handsome and fit men to y with.

    53. Because that¡¯s what youngest unni wanted to do.

    ¡­

    127. Live long and gamble for as long as possible.

    ¡­

    Like that, she scraped up whatever she could and came up with 900 reasons.

    The artifact showed a 4 digit number before bingpletely useless.

    .

    .

    .

    Depth, probably 1200 metres or deeper.

    Yeorum thought to herself.

    Why.

    Why wasn¡¯t this ending.

    Why, why, why¡­

    Why is it still going?

    Ah, fuck.

    I¡¯m about to go crazy.

    I¡¯m dying here¡­

    Yu Jitae.

    Are you there?

    Are you alive and well¡­?

    She moved her fingers and he responded. It was fortunate that her sense of touch was at least still there.

    But damn, why aren¡¯t you sending anything these days?

    Say something to me.

    Nn?

    I¡¯m about to die here¡­

    Yeorum raised her nails and scratched the back of his hand.

    And was shocked.

    The back of Yu Jitae¡¯s hand was full of deep wounds. It seemed that she had unconsciously raised her nails during her mindless wonders.

    Ah¡­

    Yeorum caressed the back of his hand with her finger. She felt extremely sorry.

    It was thanks to this that she was able to endure it for so long and yet it must have hurt for him.

    What if he let go? She suddenly became anxious.

    But there¡¯s no way that Yu Jitae would let go of her hand right?

    Why?

    Because it¡¯s Yu Jitae¡­

    .

    .

    .

    It was after a long time that Yeorum regained her consciousness. It was because an unbelievable emotion was conveyed from Yu Jitae¡¯s hand.

    He was in a fluster just then.

    Why?

    What is it?

    What is wrong?

    Immediately after that, the mental connection she had with him was cut.

    Yeorum was startled. She added more power to her hand, wondering if there was a problem with her sense of touch now.

    But no, it was fine. She could still touch his hand, and moving her other hand she touched Yu Jitae¡¯s wrist.

    She could still touch his wrist as well.

    Nothing¡¯s wrong right¡­?

    But why is he suddenly like this¡­?

    Why¡­?

    What¡¯s going on¡­?

    ¡­

    What¡¯s happening¡­?

    ¡­

    Meanwhile, his hand trembled.

    Wait, is it his hand that¡¯s trembling? Or is it his skin, or his bone?

    Ehng? Why is he trembling though? There¡¯s no way he¡¯s scared or anything so¡­

    Amidst her confusion, a foreign texture was felt over her fingers. Thick fingers ¨C the coarse callus, his joints and his fingers scraped past her hand.

    After that, his hand softly slithered away.

    Yu Jitae ¨C

    He let go of her hand.

    Huh?

    Huh¡­¡­?

    Yeorum couldn¡¯t believe what was happening.

    What happened just then?

    Huh?

    Why is my hand so cold¡­?

    Nnn¡­?

    Uh? Huh? Am I dreaming?

    She reached her arm out. Nothing met her hand.

    She reached for a different ce but yet again, her arm grazed past nothing.

    Stuck in darkness, with absolutely nothing to be touched. The moment she realised that, Yeorum felt stifled.

    Darkness was devouring her.

    No, right?

    It¡¯s a mistake right?

    You didn¡¯t intentionally let go, did you?

    Yeorum desperately worked her brain.

    Although he wasn¡¯t scared or frightened, Yu Jitae was also in pain. From time to time, bombs of pain also made it through over his hand, which was probably from a diaphragm spasm.

    Yu Jitae was also in pain.

    It¡¯s not just me.

    Ah.

    Fuck, alright.

    I was way too reliant.

    I was whining about him acting like a teacher and yet here I am treating him like a teacher.

    Let¡¯s not be overly dependent.

    We¡¯re this deep already.

    There is a current anyway.

    I¡¯m going down without having to do anything right?

    Since our physical conditions should be the same, he should be around 3 metres away from me no matter how far he is.

    You¡¯re there aren¡¯t you?

    I know. About 3 metres in front of me. Around there, ey?

    Letting go ¨C it¡¯s to make the training harder for me right?

    I¡¯m sure he must be regretting it after letting go as well.

    Holding my hand was probably a relief for him too.

    I know, I know.

    ¡­Right?

    Yes. It¡¯s all part of the training.

    I trust him.

    I only have to withstand it.

    ¡­

    But you know¡­

    If you were going to let go,

    Couldn¡¯t you have given me a signal at least¡­?

    No, no no no. Let¡¯s not think about that. It¡¯s fine.

    ¡­But,

    It¡¯s not that hard to give a sign¡­

    If you at least undid your fingers one by one¡­

    ¡­Or if you told me from the start that you were going to let go.

    I would have prepared myself then¡­

    ¡­

    Why¡­

    Why did you let go?

    Nn?

    Why did you let go of my hand?

    Nnn? Why did you do that?

    I thought we were partners¡­

    Are you abandoning me¡­?

 Chapter 282: Partner (10)

    <h4>Chapter 282: Partner (10)</h4>

    Something stood in Yu Jitae¡¯s way.

    A lot of them.

    Following the current that was bringing organisms into the depths, they surrounded Yu Jitae with moderate distance between them.

    They were mermen, protectors of this ocean and the turtle. At the same time, they were also cleaners that picked up trash scattered across the ocean.

    They had the face of a squid and the body of a human but their outer shells were tough like steel tes and their sparkling scales were as if they were made bybining small daggers.

    ¡­or so was Yu Jitae¡¯s guess about their appearance since he couldn¡¯t see what was ahead either. For a second, he wondered why they would be here but soon came to the conclusion that it must have been because of the turtle¡¯smand.

    It was troublesome.

    Telling Yeorum that he would be in the same circumstance as her during the training was not a lie. He hadpletely removed all his blessings and authorities, absurdly so, to the point that he found it ridiculous now that he thought back on it.

    Because of that, he couldn¡¯t see nor hear and also felt a detached sense of time just like Yeorum.

    ¡°¡ª-¡±

    ¡°¡ª-¡±

    While saying something to themselves, they approached.

    He contemted what to do.

    If he were to bring back his power, the turtle above would definitely notice it. Although it wasn¡¯t impossible to kill the turtle, needlessly making it a bigger problem that costs him both time and power wasn¡¯t something he was willing to do.

    And naturally, Yeorum¡¯s training would also be ruined.

    On the other hand, there would increasingly be more elements towards the depths that had an impact on the mind, among which were things that even Yu Jitae wanted to avoid as much as possible.

    Examples were visual and auditory hallucinations that rendered the prey powerless ¨C poison that the hunter injected into its prey.

    The mental exhaustion was troublesome already and yet there were a lot of mermen on top of that. Due to the nerve eleration substances, each movement will appear slow and it might feel like months of fighting.

    So how was he supposed to approach this¡­?

    He pondered on and on until one of the spear heads almostnded on his forehead,

    He then finally made a decision.

    It was a decision made for Yeorum;

    He released the child¡¯s hand.

    ***

    It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s no way he would abandon me. Being over-dependent is not good. He said we were partners. There must be a reason. It¡¯s all for me. He¡¯s also having a hard time. He is also in pain. You felt it yourself.

    Coming up with every possible reason, Yeorum tried to understand the situation but it was interfered by a sudden surge of emotions.

    Why did you let go?

    Why?

    Why would you let go aftering this far!?

    What¡¯s happening?! What is it! Tell me!

    Why are you doing this all of a sudden? Is it really just to teach me more?

    Or did something appear? What was the fluster for?

    What is there to be flustered about! You said you knew everything here! Was that a lie? Can¡¯t you just put those abilities back on, save me and go out? Why would you be startled!

    Tell me! Hurry up! Say something to me! Huh?!

    I, I¡¯m dying here!

    Hurry up and grab my hand again!

    Huh?

    Uhh?

    Huhhh!?

    Ah¡­

    Or is it that¡­?

    Were you annoyed by me poking your hand?

    It hurts right? There was something warm flowing out there. It¡¯s probably blood¡­ but I wasn¡¯t in my right mind and I didn¡¯t know.

    I must have been a nuisance. Even though things are already rough for you¡­

    But it wasn¡¯t intentional¡­

    I won¡¯t do it anymore. This time I¡¯ll be docile and simply hold your hand, hnn?

    Come back. Come and hold my hand. Nn? Please.

    ¡­Nn?

    Ahh¡­

    No. I had it wrong all along.

    Now I get it.

    It¡¯s because I was relying too much.

    Right. It must be that.

    Partners should help each other and yet I was only relying. Mana won¡¯t gather without me being desperate right?

    Of course, it¡¯s true that you are the one that forced me toe along although I was scared¡­

    Ah, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m ming you or anything¡­

    Anyway, it¡¯s because I need to ovee it by myself right? Your goal was to make me struggle by myself for survival, and that¡¯s why you let go.

    So, you¡¯lle back if I wait through all the hardships right?

    You wille back and hold my hand right¡­?

    Yes¡­?

    ¡­

    But, make it quick.

    I¡¯m, not good at waiting¡­

    .

    .

    .

    Yeorum waited.

    But no matter how much time passed,

    Yu Jitae did note back.

    Nerve eleration substances pervaded into her body. Like paint spreading on the canvas, it settled itself in her mind and heart.

    This intense substance which, with enough amount, could even throw an average adult dragon¡¯s nerves into confusion radically elerated her concept of time.

    In her mind, ten days passed.

    What was fortunate was that she did not have to move ¨C her body was in the current and was diving deeper by itself.

    Yeorum spent her time with her body crouched like an hibernating animal; like a dragon entering a deep slumber.

    From time to time, her breath welled up in her throat. The diaphragm spasm thatshed at her chest happened more and more often.

    Now, it wasn¡¯t so hard to psychologically endure the pain but her body acted differently. Whenever the diaphragm spasm urred, her body subconsciously crouched itself even harder, and the muscles around her neck tightened as her hand blocked her mouth on its own ord.

    Ughh, ughkk.

    Enduring through the suffocating pain, Yeorum remembered the excursion venue called ¡®Valley of Wind¡¯ that she had visited with Kaeul.

    The breeze there was very refreshing. Kaeul had thrown her arms wide open to breathe in the air, and told her to do the same thing¡­ Back then, she didn¡¯t do it but Yeorum now wanted to try it.

    Thus, Yeorum unconsciously breathed in and came to herself only after the water came flowing in through her nose. Coughing repeatedly, she had to once again hold her breath.

    No matter how long she waited, Yu Jitae did note.

    .

    .

    .

    A month went by ording to her mind.

    The first severe coldness of her life was making her body freeze. She shivered and trembled. Sometimes, it got better¡­ but the chilliness would suddenlye back without any notice.

    She expected herself to get ustomed to coldness after so long but that wasn¡¯t the case. Her fingertips and the tips of her toes were especially more freezing so she kept her hands closed in a fist and pulled her toes.

    At one point, it was so cold and painful that she instead wanted to cut them away from her body, and after shivering from the cold for a month, she came to a conclusion that it wasn¡¯t a bad idea.

    The fact that she could recover even the lost parts of her body through polymorph added more weight to her n.

    Therefore, she ced her finger into her mouth.

    And closed her teeth.

    Putting power into her chin, her teeth dug through the skin and muscles all the way to the bone.

    ¡ª-

    Something snapped, but it was fine.

    She couldn¡¯t even see it nor hear the sound of the snap. Even her sense of taste and smell were hazy now and the pain onlysted for a second.

    Yeorum spit out the thing that was in her mouth.

    The severed finger was no longer cold ¨C there were only 9 to go.

    At this point, Yeorum was not in the right state of mind.

    Suddenly she remembered what happened in the past. When she was randomly lying down in the living room, Bom reproached her saying that human females had to make sure their stomachs were warm¡­ while needlessly throwing a nket over her stomach.

    Thinking back on those times, Yeorum brought her hand to her stomach.

    Her stomach was as cold as ayer of ice.

    It would be nice if there was a nket¡­

    No matter how much she lowered her head, her mouth did not reach her stomach.

    One thing that made her hesitate was that Yu Jitae might be flustered when trying to grab her hand if she no longer had any fingers.

    But despite all the waiting, Yu Jitae did note back.

    .

    .

    .

    It was quite a while ago that Yeorum had lost her sight and hearing from the mana of the depths and after a month had gone by ording to her senses, she had even lost her sense of taste and her sense of smell.

    The only remaining thing was the sense of touch and this acted as the sole device in reminding her of her own survival as well as the flow of time. From the pain she felt through her wounds, she perceived that she was still alive.

    And by closing her eyes and feeling the pulsations of her heart that softly shook her body, she understood the absolute time.

    But after half a year went by in her head.

    The pain weakened and the pulsations of her heart started to be even gentler.

    Before then, Yeorum was able to differentiate herself from the world. The flow of water she felt with the outside of her skin was not part of her body, and the movements of the organs happening inside the skin were all parts of her body.

    And yet now that even the sense of touch had vanished, Yeorum could not tell how much was her own self, and how much was the world.

    Later, when she could no longer even feel the pulsations of her heart, it became impossible to calcte the flow of time. She remembered a brain floating inside a container that she had seen on the inte ¨C only the mind existing without a body.

    That was exactly what her current self was like.

    Even then, Yeorum held on without trying to escape.

    Although she couldn¡¯t even tell the direction now, she believed that Yu Jitae was undergoing the same ordeal as herself somewhere nearby, and believed that he woulde back for sure.

    Whatever the reason may be, the reason he let go of her hand must be because he hadn¡¯t given up yet.

    He must be holding on for my sake without giving up¡­

    But as the pain continued endlessly, her mind became as exhausted as it could get. Extremely unhealthy thoughts sometimes made it to her brain and from time to time she cursed her precious things for that rage to help her through the pain.

    The biggest anguish was in time.

    She did not know how long she had to wait for it to end,

    Nor did she know how long she had waited.

    After missing the flow of time once, she started turning sceptical about the time itself. Yeorum decided to conduct a test ¨C she decided to count down after saying A.

    A.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­How many minutes went by?

    10 minutes? Hmm.

    An hour? Hmm.

    A day? Hmm¡­

    A month? Hmm¡­

    1 year? Hmm¡­

    10 years? Ah¡­

    As the unit increased endlessly, she stopped the experiment and shook the thought away from her head, because all the hours and days seemed usible.

    As she endlessly and vacantly waited for Yu Jitae buried in both darkness and thoughts,

    Something began to whisper into her ears.

    ***

    ¡®Hey¡¯.

    It was a familiar voice.

    ¡®Yeorum. Do you hear me?¡¯

    And unbelievable at that.

    ¡®Do you remember my voice?¡¯

    How could she ever forget it? It was the voice of her youngest unni.

    ¡®Can you hear me? Say something.¡¯

    Yeorum could not reply.

    Even though she tried opening her mouth, she wasn¡¯t certain whether it actually opened or not, and she couldn¡¯t tell whether the trembling of her throat would result in any sound.

    Despite that, she tried to reply.

    Telling her precious youngest unni,

    That she was listening.

    ¡®Ah, it seems you can hear me fine.¡¯

    The moment Yeorum realised that they couldmunicate, her mind woke up in a sh. Meanwhile, a corner of her mind remained doubtful because her youngest unni had died in front of her eyes.

    Her body thrashing around in pain after being bitten on the neck by the oldest unni that slowly came to a stop vividly existed in her unforgetting memories.

    ¡®I¡¯m here to bring you along.¡¯

    Me?

    Amidst the darkened world, a small face floated up.

    The one that found food for her young starving self; the one that brought her, who stayed holed up in the corner of the hatchling¡¯sir, outside to show the mountains and rivers of the world,

    ¡­It was the face of the one whom Yeorum had loved the most.

    ¡®Let¡¯s go together¡­¡¯

    Her youngest unni floated a smile facing Yeorum.

 Chapter 283: Partner (11)

    <h4>Chapter 283: Partner (11)</h4>

    It was such a great shock to Yeorum¡¯s confused mind that she was lost as to what to say.

    Six months after losing her vision, her eyes opened; and after six months of hearing nothing, her ears picked up sound again. And the person behind the voice and the face just happened to be her youngest unni.

    It was that one person whom she wanted to meet no matter what the cost if she were to die and go to the afterlife. Yeorum confessed what was on her mind.

    ¡®I wanted to see you too.¡¯

    Her sister walked up and approached the weak, injured and crumbled baby dragon.

    ¡®You look extremely fatigued.¡¯

    She then hugged Yeorum¡¯s invisible head with the same arms that used to cover her young self who had to stay in the corner after getting bashed up by the other sisters of the generation.

    ¡®You tried hard. And you did very well.¡¯

    Yeorum did not weep like before.

    She was too mature to do that ¨C at least that¡¯s what she herself thought. But even then, the warmth of her sister that substituted for her parent¡¯s embrace felt so cozy that it was almost like a dream.

    The youngest unni said while caressing her hair.

    ¡®I hope you do not suffer any longer.¡¯

    You hope I don¡¯t suffer?

    ¡®Isn¡¯t it about time you took a rest?¡¯

    Her words sounded so sweet but Yeorum could not do so because she was still weak. Hearing that, her youngest unni smiled.

    ¡®Is there a need to get stronger?¡¯

    What?

    ¡®Let¡¯s go with unni, and enjoy our time together.¡¯

    Yeorum shook her head.

    She couldn¡¯t go with her unni yet.

    ¡®Why?¡¯

    There was something she had to wait for, and things that she had to aplish in the future.

    That was when the youngest unni curiously asked back.

    ¡®Is the person you are waiting for worth all the suffering? Is there a need for you to be in so much pain?¡¯

    Yeorum was about to reply but hesitated. Her mind wasn¡¯t functioning straight.

    That¡¯s true¡­

    Who was I waiting for¡­?

    What did I have to do¡­?

    In any case, she had the subconscious feeling that she should not follow her. This was a strange thought because she liked her youngest unni the most. Her wish at the end of the long life given to her was to be buried at the same ce as her sister.

    Sensing her hesitation, the youngest unni smiled.

    ¡®There is no need for any more suffering. Let¡¯s go together. There is a world built for us red dragons over there.¡¯

    She pointed somewhere while saying that.

    A world built for red dragons? Yeorum suddenly became curious.

    ¡®It¡¯s and full ofva and unending mes.¡¯

    Her sister began whispering with a dreamy expression and voice.

    ¡®Above ground is filled with all sorts of delicious restaurants and wines of every dimension are gathered there. They treat us like princesses.¡¯

    ¡®Underground is covered with all sorts of casinos and underground gambling houses. There are illegal clubs and fighting clubs where you can bash people to death any day. And you know what? You can grab millions of drugs there. It¡¯s insane.¡¯

    ¡®You can y around with males and females you like any time and anywhere. When I first got there and enjoyed it, I couldn¡¯t evene to myself for a fortnight. The people of that world are so creative and there are countless unimaginable delights.¡¯

    Saying that, her youngest unni smiled with the brightest smile on her face.

    ¡®So Yeorum. Come with me.¡¯

    ¡®Let¡¯s go, eat and drink day and night.¡¯

    ¡®With me, your sister.¡¯

    She appeared absolutely entranced. A short exnation was enough to entice Yeorum as well since the ¡®exciting city¡¯ that Yeorum had enjoyed for a short time before was not even close to that.

    Her heart wavered.

    If a ce so happy and joyous actually existed, she wanted to try visiting it as well.

    ¡®Hungry, right?¡¯

    Her youngest unni reached her hand out while her voice remained ringing in her ears. There appeared to be light emanating from her body.

    ¡®Now¡­ let¡¯s go and have food together¡­¡¯

    Yeorum unconsciously reached out and grabbed onto the hand. Her sister¡¯s hand wrapped itself around her hand that was so ruined and left without any fingers.

    The hand she had found so cold was now ever so warm.

    But that was when her body suddenly came to a stop. Without knowing the reason herself, Yeorum uttered such words.

    I can¡¯t¡­

    A crack appeared on the warm face of her sister. Her expression was weird ¨C it looked as if she detested Yeorum, and it came to her as a big shock.

    ¡®What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m telling you toe with me.¡¯

    Yeorum replied.

    I¡¯m waiting for someone.

    And that person is also waiting for me.

    That was when the youngest unni asked with a slightly more stern voice.

    ¡®And who is that.¡¯

    Yeorum was scared of the expression that was on her sister¡¯s face.

    As her mind tried to remember who it was, memories of that ¡®human¡¯ which had be hazy began to resurface.

    Forcing the fear down, Yeorum opened her mouth again.

    No, I can¡¯t go. There is a human male waiting for me ¨C a human that taught me many things.

    Hearing that, her youngest sister¡¯s expression turned all the more serious.

    ¡®A human¡­? Did you just say human?¡¯

    Yeorum nodded.

    ¡®You. Come here,¡¯ she said with a straight face.

    Although Yeorum tried to stand her ground, her sister shot her hand out.

    ¡®Come here, you trash!¡¯

    Her youngest unni grabbed her by the hair. With unimaginable strength, she dragged Yeorum somewhere like how she did in the past.

    By the time Yeorum reopened her eyes, the darkness had long vanished.

    ¡®Look. Open your eyes wide and see.¡¯

    Unveiled before her eyes was a city of enjoyment and pleasure with arge erupting volcano at the back.

    It was a suffocating scenery for Yeorum. A world more dazzling than anything she had seen before in her life was in front of her but she still shook her head.

    ¡®Are you saying you won¡¯t follow me there? Even though I¡¯m asking you to do so?¡¯

    Yeorum stubbornly remained firm as her sister began to shout.

    ¡®Why wouldn¡¯t youe! Huh? What¡¯s with that stupid human!¡¯

    There is a reason, unni¡­

    ¡®Are you looking down on me now just because I¡¯m no longer a part of your life? Are you telling me that you will remain just because of a stupid human?¡¯

    I¡¯m not looking down on you¡­

    The human taught me a lot of things.

    And I¡¯m not staying behind because of that human¡­

    ¡®What? Teach you a lot of things? Hah¡­ do you have no sense of pride as a red dragon? How can you ever boast about learning from a human?¡¯

    The youngest unni scornfullyughed at her with a burning temperament.

    ¡®Hey. Howe you haven¡¯t changed a single bit after all those freaking years?¡¯

    What¡­?

    ¡®There is a world here better than your life and you wanted toe with me, so you should juste with me. And yet you want to stay back? In a world that only gives you pain? Just because a stupid human is looking for you?¡¯

    I told you that¡¯s not¡­

    ¡®Shut your mouth! When will you ever grow up!¡¯

    She was furious. Yeorum could not look straight back into her eyes but her sister grabbed her by the cor and forced her to look back.

    ¡®What did that freaking human give you?¡¯

    Yeorum listed the things she received from him.

    ¡®What? Food? House? That¡¯s all to lock you up in one ce and confine you. How do you not know that?¡¯

    No.

    That human also taught me how to fight¡­

    ¡®Karl-Gukwa? That¡¯s something etched into the hearts of every red dragon from birth. Wake up Yu Yeorum! That human was just imitating the red race!¡¯

    Her shout scattered the world into ashes.

    Yeorum thought about it. She pondered about everything one by one and funnily enough, everything her unni said was correct.

    The reason he provided her with food and shelter was because he kidnapped her.

    The thing that he taught her was indeed a technique unique to the red dragons.

    It¡¯s true. Then what did I gain? What have I learned from that human till now¡­?

    Something deep in her mind threatened to crumble.

    ¡®Now. Let¡¯s go. Come with me to the ce where there is no more suffering.¡¯

    Yeorum¡¯s heart wavered from the words of her youngest unni but she decided to go through it onest time.

    What did she learn from him?

    Firstly, Yeorum learned [pulsation] out of the Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art from Yu Jitae. Her heart that she couldn¡¯t differentiate from a dragon¡¯s body when in a human form began to beat. Like I said, you can¡¯t teach me okay? She expressed her doubt but Yu Jitae remained headstrong.

    ¡­On that day, Yeorum¡¯s heart began to beat.

    Next, Yeorum learned how to [breathe]. It was tied to effectively making use of the [pulsations] and finding the right bnce through inhaling and exhaling to circte mana within the body. Late at night, when the chains strangled her heart, Yeorum asked him to stay back out of fear. He sat next to her and listened through her grumble about the stories of the past ¨C stories that she had never told anyone before.

    ¡­From that day, Yeorum began to breathe.

    After that, she learned how to [walk]. That too was in rtion to effectively making use of [pulsations]. Back then, she shook, unable to walk properly due to the heaviness weighing her body down. Yu Jitae had walked alongside her hand-in-hand and she remembered other cadets of Lair teasing andughing at her. Even then, Yeorum was happy because she felt power building up in her legs.

    ¡­That day, Yeorum stood firm on the ground on two feet and walked.

    He made her heart beat,

    He taught her how to breathe,

    And he showed her how to stand.

    After that, she learned how to run; how to see and how to hear.

    She didn¡¯t think about it when learning it, but now that sheid them down one by one, it was the same as the process of a baby being born and learning how to live.

    ¡®Come with me. You tried really hard and you deserve some rest. You have the right to do so! Don¡¯t you agree? Life is a continuation of despair and pain!¡¯

    ¡®Let me say it onest time. Come with me. Live happily with your unni in a world where neither pain nor sorrow exists.¡¯

    ¡®My dear sister Yeorum.¡¯

    While her sister hurriedly flooded out words in a rush, Yeorum realised what she learned.

    She learned how to live from Yu Jitae¡­

    ¨C You might stumble on a rock, or get scraped by a thornbush and you might even fall in a quagmire.

    ¨C But that¡¯s fine. No matter what, we can stand back up and walk forward again. Do you know why?

    Even if every breathing second was exhausting,

    Even if your legs were to get scraped and even if you were to stumble from thorns,

    You can stand back up. That¡¯s what he told her.

    ¨C ¡­Because, we are looking at what¡¯s far ahead?

    ¨C Yes.

    Because there is tomorrow that is worth waiting for.

    After regaining her mind, Yeorum raised her body. She then looked straight into the eyes of her youngest unni who was still looking at her as if she was trash and met face-to-face with that liar.

    It had wavered her heart because it was a spitting image of the one that had been so precious to her in the past. But now, she was certain.

    I¡¯m not going.

    ¡®What?¡¯

    I¡¯m not going anywhere. You fuck off.

    ¡®You, you¡ª-¡¯

    In the blink of an eye, she smacked the face of her youngest unni as hard as she could.

    mm¡ª!

    Despite it being an illusion, the head of her sister turned and she flew back all the way to the veil of darkness. With an abnormally distorted face, she shouted ¡®Yu Yeorumm¨C!¡¯ but Yeorumughed. Who was she calling Yu Yeorum?

    ¡°Silly bitch. You should have prepared your script properly.¡±

    How desperate was her mind for things like this to be seen?

    ¡°My youngest unni doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m Yu Yeorum¡­¡±

    Although her will for survival was there, Yeorum found her circumstances to be very daunting and shed tears.

    Even then, she will live on.

    ¡°It¡¯s the name that human gave me¡­¡±

    Because that¡¯s what she learned from him.

    At that moment.

    The distorted fake youngest unni dissipated like mist.

    At the same time, the ck illusion covering the world cracked open.

    ***

    The moment she came to herself, someone grabbed her by the hand. Her hand was a hand devoid of any fingers but the person paid little regard to it.

    Tightly, he grabbed her hand.

    It seemed that they had gone past a certain section of the depths ¨C she could hear stuff although faint and she could hazily see his face through the darkness.

    He was Yu Jitae.

    It had almost been half a year since thest time she saw his face. It seemed unreal, so much so that she felt stuffy at heart.

    But soon, her gaze travelled further in and found approximately ten enormous swords and spears piercing through his back.

    ¡®Come closer. We¡¯re almost there. We have to hurry.¡¯

    Turning her head, she found numerous things following from behind. She realised at a nce that those were what Yu Jitae had been fighting against.

    It was shocking.

    Was he fighting against those?

    Under the same conditions and circumstances as her?

    Does that even make sense¡­?

    She found it absurd but now wasn¡¯t the time for such thoughts.

    His face was a wee sight, and his hand was so, so warm but now wasn¡¯t the time to enjoy such things. Once again, she tensed her body and began to follow him while enduring the pain that was digging into her body.

    Soon, his will was conveyed into her disoriented mind.

    ¡®You did well enduring it. Sorry for beingte. We¡¯re almost there.¡¯

    Almost there¡­?

    ¡®Yes. It¡¯s all done.¡¯

    Those words that it had all ended came as such a big relief to her. Holding in her jumping emotions, Yeorum endlessly swam forth and at the end of the long swim was an underground cave which Yu Jitae and Yeorum both entered.

    Near the end of the cave was a red g. The g which they hade all this way for.

    How deep did you have to put it, you son of a bitch¡­

    At one point, the ones that were chasing from behind saw where they were going and stopped, before disappearing into the distance. Yeorum approached the g and tried to hold it but had no fingers that could allow her to do so.

    ¡°Uhhkk¡­¡±

    The pain btedly came flooding in so Yeorum embraced her hands and fell on the ground.

    It wasn¡¯tpletely over yet.

    Using her polymorph, Yeorum healed her hands while Yu Jitae also began healing himself after plucking out all the javelins, knives and arrows that were on his back.

    For half a day, the two of them focused on healing their wounded bodies without saying a single word and entered the water again only after most of their wounds were healed.

    ¡®From here is a shortcut. It¡¯s a ce where the turtle has less influence over.¡¯

    Yeorum noticed something strange about her body.

    They were 2000 metres deep.

    Although they were swimming through the dense water over such a long distance, she did not feel fatigued in the slightest.

    That wasn¡¯t the end.

    Storming traps flew in and tried to bite her foot but Yeorum kicked them away. They vanished after only inflicting small wounds on her body and couldn¡¯t damage her legs like before.

    Yeorum once again realised how much stronger she had be, and how vast the ocean of mana became inside her body.

    Therefore, the way up wasn¡¯t as hard as before and Yu Jitae no longer let go of her hand.

    Atst they found light shining from above and popped their heads out of the water.

    The moment fresh airnded on her face, Yeorum felt herself bubbling up with indescribable emotions as more power entered her clenched hand.

    We pulled it off¡­

 Chapter 284: Partner (12)

    Chapter 284: Partner (12)

    While gasping for breath, the two of them leaned on the rock staring at each other.

    The training had been extremely strenuous ¨C even more so to Yu Jitae than the months he spent locked in Noah¡¯s dream. Even then, it wasn¡¯t his first time experiencing such things so he paid little regard to it but that wasn¡¯t the case for Yeorum. With a nk look on her face, she began doing strange things.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lifting her hands, she touched all over her body. She touched her nose and pinched her soft cheeks.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She brushed past the wound on her ankle and wetted her finger with blood. Then, she rubbed it with her thumb and index finger before bringing it to her nose for a smell.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After that, she brought it to her lips. As if having sweet honey, she tasted her own blood and savoured the vour even though it should have a rusty vour to it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum then turned her gaze towards the world. It was early morning near the end of dawn. Sun of this dimension was starting to rise from the horizon with its ambience covering the entirety of this tranquil ocean. With not a single bird or organism interrupting the scenery, the surface of the water near the horizon reflected the shape of the Sun like a mirror, making the Sun look like a crumpled rugby ball.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Andstly,

    She opened her lips and made a sound.

    ¡°Ah. Mhmm. Hmm¡­¡±

    She seemed to find her own voice awkward.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    But herst sound was slightly different ¨C Yeorum groaned as her body crumbled down. Yu Jitae hurriedly threw his arms forward and supported her body before she could copse from the umted fatigue. She had been holding on with her willpower alone and her body was the first to react when she rxed her mind.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum gazed at him with half-closed eyes. The two of them did not say anything in particr.

    A smile was hanging on her exhausted face as she stared at him.

    Yu Jitae, however, did not smile back. He simply took the strands of hair that had gotten into her mouth out with his fingers.

    That was when Yeorum raised her trembling hand to grab a handful of hair to ce into her mouth. She looked just like a rebel with that sneer on her face.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae grabbed more strands of hair and inserted them into her nostrils for her.

    ¡°Ukk, kng, hmph¡­¡±

    ¡°Have some more, why don¡¯t you huh? Eat more.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡±

    That was the first conversation they had in a long while.

    How difficult it was; how long they had to wait; what they had gone through and what pain they endured ¨C none of that was the first words they shared. Everything was over already and Yeorum didn¡¯t feel like listening or talking about it so the two of them stayed quiet without sharing any other conversation.

    ¡°It¡¯s cold¡­¡±

    Hearing her mumble, Yu Jitae took her jacket out of the alternate dimension and handed it over.

    ¡°Ah, right.¡±

    Yeorum took a cigarette out of that jacket and gave it to him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He received it and ced it in his mouth.

    Using the mana of the red dragons, he tried to light it on fire but his fingers failed to create any ember¡­ Although he pretended otherwise, he had also used up a lot of his power. Slowly, he began to bring the authorities and blessings back to his body.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was when Yeorum lifted her finger to light her own cigarette on fire. She then tried to bring the fire over to Yu Jitae¡¯s cigarette, but the ember did notst long since she had also used arge proportion of her power. By the time her trembling finger reached his cigarette, the fire was already long gone.

    ¡°Nn? It¡¯s gone¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a second. I¡¯m bringing my blessings back.¡±

    It was then.

    Yeorum lifted her body and gradually approached him.

    With little distance between them, her hazy eyesnded on Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes before travelling down towards his cigarette.

    Yeorum¡¯s cigarette touched his cigarette. She breathed in and the ember ticking on the end of her cigarette was soon transmitted over to Yu Jitae¡¯s cigarette.

    He slowly inhaled and received the fire.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    They could hear the scorching sound of dried leaves. As the smoke scattered above the tranquil ocean, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°You know,¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°For a little bit, I saw my youngest unni below.¡±

    ¡°Youngest unni?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Like a hallucination¡­ She told me toe with her to the utopia built for red dragons. But I rejected it.¡±

    That was the hallucination sprinkled by the turtle sovereign to render existences powerless which aimed to break the desire sitting in people¡¯s mind from its foundation. For example, it would show an illusion of their legs being torn apart to runners and show an illusion of crushing fingers to pianists.

    ¡°And I suddenly got curious¡­¡±

    Exhaling a mouthful of smoke, Yeorum looked up into his eyes and carefully asked.

    ¡°What did¡­ you see?¡±

    Yu Jitae exhaled back.

    He too had experienced both visual and auditory hallucinations while fighting the monsters in the darkness. He had also seen things that threatened to crush his dream.

    ¡°You guys.¡±

    In two words, Yu Jitae summarised the illusion he saw.

    Yeorum could not fully understand what he was saying so she yfully asked.

    ¡°Us? Was I there as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You were.¡±

    ¡°How was she?¡±

    ¡°She had long hair.¡±

    ¡°What? I hate long hair. ¡®Cuz it¡¯s annoying.¡±

    ¡°It went all the way down to the waist.¡±

    ¡°Tch tch. They should stop acting at this point. Their script¡¯s trash and their research is trash. Not the right way to approach acting.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    ¡°And what did I say? Did I like, swing around a sword saying I¡¯ll leave home?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t have a very pleased look on his face. It was rare for him to show such an expression so Yeorum stopped asking.

    Yu Jitae asked back.

    ¡°Was it very hard?¡±

    ¡°Easy as.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine to be honest. I know bad memoriesst long for you guys.¡±

    Hearing his awkward question and concern, Yeorum replied while exhaling smoke as if it was nothing.

    ¡°Should we jump in again then?¡±

    Only then did Yu Jitae give a faint smile.

    Not a single breeze was there above the tranquil sea, so their breath and smoke intertwined andsted for long.

    ¡°I knew you¡¯de back¡­¡±

    Yeorum closed her mouth after saying that. Even though the two of them didn¡¯t say much after that, they felt a strange sense of constion.

    Their mere existence was a sce to one another.

    ***

    On the way back to their original campsite with Yeorum, he entered deep contemtion for a while.

    In fact, over the course of half a year, there were 3 different asions when Yu Jitae pondered whether he should stop the training and leave with Yeorum or not.

    Whenever that happened, he would momentarily return the blessings to his eyes to look at Yeorum and every time, he saw her attempting to withstand the great mental shock.

    Back then, he thought while staring at her.

    A little bit more.

    Endure it a bit more.

    Just a little bit more¡­

    He knew how difficult and miserable the training would be and sincerely wished for the child to withstand it without falling apart. That was when arge earthquake was felt within the world of darkness followed by a bizarre message.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] has confirmed the met requirements of emotion.>

    <Filled Emotion: Greed>

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states that the [Obelisk of Greed] located in the [Basement of Vintage Clock] has been cast with light.>

    Basement of Vintage Clock.

    The basement and unknown obelisks that suddenly appeared one day. There were 11 obelisks in total with 6 of them lit up, and it seemed that one of the remaining five had also been lit up.

    This was a pleasant urrence because he, who could no longer be stronger in Providence due to the long repetition of iterations, had finally taken a step towards a new growth.

    Joy. Pleasure. Hatred. Anger. Concern. Affection.

    And the recent Greed on top of that¡­

    Then what were the four remaining emotions?

    ***

    The moment Gyeoul was about to grab his hand, the clone stood up from the floor and lifted her up, before having her sit on hisp.

    ¡°¡­Are you, going to be like this?¡±

    When Gyeoul turned her head back and red daggers at him, the clone exined himself after a sigh.

    ¡°Yes. You are right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I am his younger brother. A different person.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why, did you lie?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I wasn¡¯t deceiving you out of a bad intention or anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The discontent look on her facested for only a little and Gyeoul soon curiously raised a question.

    ¡°¡­But¡­ Why are you so identical?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Probably because we are born of the same root.¡±

    ¡°¡­Twins?¡±

    ¡°Simr.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul appeared to be in deep thought. After a while, she asked with a cautious tone of voice.

    ¡°¡­Do you know him well?¡±

    ¡°Who. My lor¡­ I mean, my brother?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you close?¡±

    ¡°We are.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then, I have a question.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    She threw a nce across the surroundings, before bringing her mouth closer towards the clone¡¯s ear as the clone let her do whatever she wanted to do.

    Gyeoul whispered a question, ¡®¡­What does, ahjussi like?¡¯ The question was so abrupt that the clone asked back in doubt.

    ¡°Why do you want to know that,¡±

    ¡°¡­Just because.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He probably likes you.¡±

    The words that suddenly came flying in made her heart beat in a pleasant mood so she smiled with a nod.

    ¡°¡­But, besides that.¡±

    ¡°That is a tough question to answer.¡±

    Gyeoul added another question, to which the clone replied by whispering into her ear after some thought. Hearing his answer, Gyeoul rejoiced with widened eyes.

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    The clone had no idea why Gyeoul was so happy.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s, a secret.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­You cann¡¯t tell, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°No. I must say everything to my brother.¡±

    Gyeoul was so shocked after hearing that answer that her eyes widened into circles.

    ¡°¡­You cann¡¯t, say it.¡±

    ¡°No. I must.¡±

    ¡°¡­You can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I have to.¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    Both the clone and Gyeoul red at each other.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I tell him.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why, do you have to tell him?¡±

    ¡°Because obviously he needs to know everything.¡±

    ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t, make any sense.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, no. I will tell him.¡±

    She had a fairly shocked look on her face. The ends of her eyes then stooped low as if she was about to cry.

    Gyeoul resentfully red at the clone before turning around with a flick. She then wept out loud.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The clone was rtively startled.

    He was here to make Gyeoul happy. This was amand given by Yu Jitae and there was no hierarchy in priority between thismand and themand to stop the Second Night. The twomands were equally important.

    Therefore, Gyeoul crying was a great crisis.

    The clone thus hurriedly closed his eyes and asked his lord. Gyeoul asked a certain question about milord but does not want to let you know about the details of the shared conversation. What was right thing to do then?

    Yu Jitae rather easily gave him the reply, ¡®Do as she says.¡¯

    ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t tell him.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t so don¡¯t cry.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul turned around.

    Although it sounded like she was crying, there were no tears around her eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She immediately began giggling, ¡®Hihi¡¯ and only then did the clone realise that it was being yed.

    For the remainder of the time, Gyeoul made the clone do various things ¨C things that she wanted the normal Yu Jitae to do but couldn¡¯t ask him to do because she didn¡¯t want to appear childish and troublesome for asking such trivial things. But it was easier to do it to his brother, who was a spitting image of Yu Jitae.

    Therefore, the clone had to cook instant noodles five times a day, and with that unique tone of voice had to repeat the likes of ¡®Here you go¡¯ or ¡®I am Gyeoul¡¯s father¡¯ for an hour straight.

    It was such a pleasant thing to watch that Gyeoul chuckled out loud while the clone asionally had to question his own actions.

    On top of that, Gyeoul asked for a hug, and asked for his socks everyday. They fished together and took hundreds of selfies.

    She also made him make stupid expressions which resulted in roughly 120 humiliating pictures of Yu Jitae in her watch, and the clone also had to listen to hours of her bad-mouthing Yeorum.

    Due to everything she did, Gyeoul was fully satisfied although Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t with her for thest 3 days. On the day before going back home, she filled a bottle with the water from the ocean.

    Thus ended the week at Tranquil Sea.

    ***

    After that, Yeorum returned to the newborn superhumanpetition and the remaining month went by in a sh.

    Since her mana pool had increased by approximately 8.5 times the one she had before the training, Yeorum now had even more mana than Kaeul.

    Some people doubted how she had be so much stronger in the span of a few days but it was kept a secret which only Yu Jitae and Yeorum knew the answer of.

    Yeorum achieved oues that were unthinkable for a newborn superhuman in the remainder of thepetition and in thest 40 days, their teampleted twice the amount of missions they had done in the previous 90 days and began gaining an explosive burst in poprity and fame worldwide.

    By the end of thepetition, 250 letters were sent to Unit 301, while roughly 5,000 messages were sent to Yu Jitae¡¯s watch.

    There were dozens of people everyday calling the PR team of Lair, looking for Yu Jitae, which was partly because he had yet to announce Yeorum¡¯s affiliation.

    Almost every renowned guild worldwide tried to pull Yeorum into their arms and Yu Jitae became so tired of their calls that he decided to officially register the virtual ¡®Yu household¡¯ at the Association. Only after he registered both Yeorum and Kaeul under the household did everything settle down.

    Atst when thepetition came to an end, Yeorum¡¯s official rank was decided by the Association.

    Although numerous people and the press were estimating her to be in the top 200¡¯s as an unprecedented newborn superhuman, the actual given rank exceeded their expectations and shocked the world.

    [Yu Yeorum (KR, 18, MZZ): Rank 93]

    Kaeul ended at Rank 498 but since she had no interest in her rank in the first ce, she was whole-heartedly happy for Yeorum.

    *

    Like that, the rankingpetition came to an end and in the middle of a snowy winter day.

    ¡°We¡¯re backkkkk!¡±

    ¡°Ah, sex.¡±

    The kids returned to the dormitory.

 Chapter 285: A Black Flower (1)

    Chapter 285: A ck Flower (1)

    It was on a winter holiday, a few days after they started living together again.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s rtionship with the kids changed but their life together wasn¡¯t all that different.

    This year too had snow falling on the floating ind, Haytling. The ind was floating in the stratosphere and was above most of the clouds so sometimes, there could be a heavy snowfall on earth with not a single sign of snow in Lair.

    In those cases, the mages of Haytling sometimes created artificial snow to scatter from above, in order to create an environment simr to the ground.

    ¡°Oi. Who¡¯s the one in charge of snow today! Who¡¯s the one that sprinkled it!¡±

    ¡°Aht¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you huh? Why did you pour so much?¡±

    ¡°Sorry sir! It was an ident¡­!¡±

    Since it was people that were doing it, there were asional mistakes and that was the reason behind the heavy snowfall of that day.

    ¡°Uwah¡­¡±

    Kaeul walked out to the terrace with the baby chicken in her arms.

    ¡°That¡¯s a looooot of snow.¡±

    As the snow piled up and covered the colours of the world, everything outside the window appeared white and clean. Kaeul and Gyeoul nkly gazed outside.

    What was snow to the little kids?

    ¡°Hmm! That¡¯s going to be a big mess in a few days¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­Messy.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s stay home for today Gyeoul¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn nn.¡±

    They in fact didn¡¯t find it that significant because it was already their third time seeing heavy snow.

    Thus, the kids gathered at the living room that day and yed a board game. Travelling across the world, they boughtnds and raised buildings; or pulled the bricks of a fine tower to make an unstable stack on top of the building; or earned an ¡®identity¡¯ each and deceived others about their identities through lies while figuring out other¡¯s identities and attacking them for money.

    Most of the board games werepetitive, and they naturally tended to create a scapegoat at the end.

    And the scapegoat of Unit 301 was¡­

    ¡°I attack ahjussi with assassin!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Kyah! Ahjussi you lost a life!¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah? Then I¡¯ll steal Yu Jitae¡¯s money with the pirate captain. Give me 2 coins.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Easy~. Now you¡¯re poor as heck. Haha!¡±

    ¡°¡­Uhm, me too. Captain Hook.¡±

    ¡°What now.¡±

    ¡°¡­Give me, money.¡±

    ¡°This is everything I have.¡±

    ¡°¡­Give me, everything.¡±

    In an instant, all his lives except for one in addition to all his money was taken away as Yu Jitae squinted his eyes.

    Atst it was Bom¡¯s turn. Yeorum grinned and red at Bom wondering whether she would cover for him or not.

    Bom, who had a faint smile or an indifferent look on her face throughout the games, gave a slightly brighter smile the moment her eyes met with Yu Jitae¡¯s. Her eyes curved and the ends of her red lips curled up.

    She covered her mouth diagonally so that only Yu Jitae could see it, but her voice was loud and clear for everyone else to hear.

    ¡°It was nice ying with you.¡±

    Oi.

    Once again, the kids bursted intoughter.

    Meanwhile, Bom brought her lips together and gave a little blow kiss which only Yu Jitae could see due to the covering hand.

    Unable to resist their joint attack, Yu Jitae had to leave the board. While the kids were chuckling from behind, the one that dropped out even before him weed him.

    ¡°Wee sir. Let me guide you to your seat.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that. Are you a guide or what.¡±

    ¡°I am a punching bag.¡±

    Yu Jitae sat next to the protector.

    The two of them who were always the first to be bombarded by kids had no choice but to watch over them. The protector at least had something to do, as he repeatedly pulled the baby chicken away by its leg whenever it tried to stealthily deliver a coin to Kaeul.

    Chirp chirp chirp!

    Should the baby chicken resist, he would grab its beak and cuddle it with his arms and legs. The baby chicken had to spend time in the jail cell that is the full-ted armour.

    While they were gathered in one ce enjoying themselves, a mysterious post was sent to their door.

    [To. Yu Kaeul]

    It¡¯s the leaf you were looking for. There was nothing on the market and barely got it after a few days. Only sending one ¡®cuz why not. Too annoying and won¡¯t do it a second time.

    [From. TB]

    A leaf?

    Yu Jitae called Kaeul and told her that she had gotten a post from Tyr Brzenk.

    Her reaction however, was strange.

    ¡°Hukk! Is that finally here?!¡±

    She soon began ripping the post box apart. It was Yu Jitae¡¯s first time seeing the child looking forward to a gift this much ever since the chocte macaron.

    What was it?

    What Kaeul took out of the post box was a small flower ¨C a ck flower that didn¡¯t look that pretty. It resembled a rose and had multiple leaves stacked on top.

    He immediately knew what that was.

    It was a unique nt called a Wyvernip.

    Wyverns were one of the most troublesome monsters to fight against in dungeons because they were fast, shot magic spells and flew around. And yet none of their parts were expensive so it was nothing but a bothersome monster to a raid group.

    That flower was a miraculous drug against those wyverns.

    Wyverns tended to lose their will to fight and turn extremely docile the moment they took a breath of that scent, so raid groups sometimes crushed the flower to apply it over their bodies like a perfume. Even the wyverns that came to attack humans would be gentle from the pleasing scent and refrain from fighting.

    He also heard of how they would sometimes trail from behind like puppies.

    But of course, wyverns themselves were quite rare so there wasn¡¯t much demand for Wyvernips. Besides, they only grew in unique environments so there was only a small supply from fissures outside of Earth.

    There was only a few in both supply and demand.

    That was why the flower was only popr to aficionados and the rich but¡­

    That was when Kaeul, after cing the flowerpot on the ground of the front entrance, nkly gazed at it as if she was staring at a bright gem. She then carefully brought her nose to have a smell of the flower.

    She then tightened her fists and bit her lower lips.

    ¡°Muuuunng¡­¡±

    Kaeul melted on the ground like a liquid and giggled.

    It was intriguing to find that Wyvernips which were known to only have an effect on wyverns also had an effect on dragons.

    ¡°Woah. This really smells too good.¡±

    Aftering back to herself, Kaeul was about to carry the Wyvernip into the living room.

    ¡°Unni unni! Gyeoul!¡±

    Apart from its intriguing aspect, it wasn¡¯t a wee sight for Yu Jitae to see Kaeul melting like that because there was a not-so-pleasant memory simr to it.

    Thus, he called her.

    ¡°Yes?¡± she replied.

    ¡°That thing. Give it to me for a second.¡±

    ¡°Okayy.¡±

    Kaeul obediently handed the Wyvernip to Yu Jitae.

    This was used like an anti-anxiety pill to wyverns but they were different from dragons. If this had some kind of sedative or stimting effect to dragons, he had to discard it immediately.

    Yu Jitae tried smelling it. It didn¡¯t feel like anything to a human like him but when he used the pulsations of a red dragon¡¯s heart, his physical body momentarily became like a red dragon¡¯s body.

    Thump¨C After the red-coloured heart thumped once, he closed his eyes and smelled the flower.

    It felt as if there were fluffy clouds spreading across his emotions. There wasn¡¯t any sense of pleasure and it wasn¡¯t that potent nor did it have any addictiveness to it either. It simply invigorated the parasympathetic nervous system by a little.

    This was no different from having something sweet when hungry, and wanting to take a nap on a warm day.

    ¡°Why why why? Is it bad?¡±

    ¡°No. It should be fine. But where did you suddenly get this from,¡±

    ¡°It was inside Ling Ling¡¯s ne, but it had such a nice smell to it you see? So I asked for one!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°He could have bought more though. It¡¯s only one flower¡­ He¡¯s tall but he¡¯s very small-minded!¡±

    In the past, Bom had described Kaeul¡¯s face when grumbling as (-3-) over the messenger, and that was exactly what her current expression was like.

    In any case, something that had no harm to the body and no addictiveness was nothing but a fun toy to the children. Yu Jitae gave the permission and Kaeul immediately brought the Wyvernip to the other kids.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°Unni unni. Try smelling this¡­!¡±

    ¡°What is that jet ck shit. Go away.¡±

    ¡°No no no. This is really insane¡­!¡±

    ¡°Like I said, go away.¡±

    ¡®Hupp¡¯, Kaeul ran up but had to retreat after having both of her nostrils be poked by her fingers. During that process, the flower touched Yeorum¡¯s nose as the frown on her face immediately vanished.

    ¡°Hoh¡­¡±

    ¡°How is it, how is it? Cool right?¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    Yeorum sniffed the Wyvernip with a much more rxed expression.

    ¡°Amazing yeah? It¡¯s super rxing right?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm. Not bad.¡±

    Seeing Yeorum blink her eyes and stay still, Kaeul¡¯s expression turned brighter as she then went for Bom.

    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s this¡­ hmm¡­¡±

    As expected, Bom melted infort after having a smell of the Wyvernip and Kaeul sniffed it again from the side. The two of themying down infort like that made them look like avocado paste and mashed potatoes stacked on top of each other.

    ¡®Ah, sex¡­¡¯ Soon, tomato paste was added to the avocado paste and mashed potatoes.

    But Gyeoul, who was in the middle of her unnis, shook her hand as if she wasn¡¯t interested in the slightest even after sniffing the flower. She walked up to Yu Jitae and asked what was wrong with them.

    There were asionally a few wyverns that were tolerant to the smell and it seemed that Gyeoul was simr to them.

    In any case, the Wyvernip was an alive flower and it withered that night due to being unable to adapt to the foreign environment. Due to the unique environment which the flower grew in, it was hard to keep it alive and Bom also couldn¡¯t recreate it since it did not belong to either Askalifa or Earth.

    In a sad mood, they all gazed at the withered flower as Kaeul then raised a question.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Can you please buy us another one?¡±

    It had been a while since Kaeul asked him for a favour so Yu Jitae readily agreed to do so. Them being too attached to the flower wouldn¡¯t be a wee sight but buying it once shouldn¡¯t matter that much.

    Thus, on the next day at around lunch time, Yu Jitae headed to the one and only store on Earth that bought and sold Wyvernips.

    Located in the southeastern region of USA, at the state that had divided out from Virginia in the past which then turned into a corporate town after the New Era, Kentucky, there was the world¡¯srgest ¡®unique monster consumable shop¡¯.

    There, the Regressor came across an unexpected person.

    ***

    The monster consumable store was bustling from early morning.

    Yu Jitae was about to take the pocket watch out to check the time but decided against it since the pocket watch was set to Haytling time zone.

    Thus, he checked the current time with his watch.

    It was currently 9 in the morning, and 11 would be when they receive goods from the raid groups working in the dimension, [Lamdiaran]. Although there were still two hours left until the delivery, there were quite a few people waiting in line. They were collectors who personally enjoyed gathering such goods even though it wasn¡¯t a socially well-received hobby.

    He guessed that a few of them were also here for a Wyvernip.

    Wearing a coat, he stood in line waiting when something strange entered his sight.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a woman two seats away from him.

    ck coat. ck heels. Purple earrings and a ck cap on top. Even her hair was pure ck and her eyes were purple like the colour of her earrings.

    Yu Jitae frowned the moment he saw her face.

    An idealistic beauty unimaginable from a human was hanging on her face, which was covered by a high-quality face mask.

    It was by no coincidence that Yu Jitae¡¯s eyesnded on her. He had a blessing that consistently sensed all the existences within a 1.5 kilometre radius and that woman was not caught in that radar.

    Alongside her face, the woman was also hiding her presence at a simrly high level.

    It was strange.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He looked at her with a somewhat skeptical gaze.

    Kwanng¨C!

    That was when a loud thud echoed from nearby.

    ¡°Hukk! What was that!?¡±

    Growl!

    A beast roared in anger.

    Arge white beast resembling a wolf kicked and jumped out of the cage. It had a height of 2.4 metres and a body length of 5.5 metres.

    Therge wolf that was as big as an elephant kicked the guard in front of it with its front paws and began wreaking havoc by either pushing or attempting to bite other people.

    It immediately turned into chaos.

    ¡°Uaaaaak!¡±

    ¡°R, run away!!¡±

    ¡°Superhumans! Where the fuck are the superhumans!!¡±

    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±

    The frightened people shouted and made a fuss. While the crowd scattered like a bunch of ants, the ck-haired woman stayed still, with her hazy pair of eyes still gazing at the ground.

    After perhaps sensing something, the wolf dashed towards to her.

    But at that moment,

    As the wolf¡¯s eyes met with the eyes of the woman, itsrge body froze on the spot. As if there was a bottomless cliff in front of it, the wolf hurriedly took several steps back before turning around and running away in fright.

    It was drenched in fear.

    The monster was immediately suppressed by the superhuman guards but that mattered not to Yu Jitae. He gazed at the ck-haired woman even more attentively.

    Slowly, her eyes turned towards him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The purple pair of eyes gazed back at Yu Jitae.

 Chapter 286: A Black Flower (2)

    Chapter 286: A ck Flower (2)

    Power had an endogenous origin.

    Before being released, it was not revealed in full.

    The reason Yu Jitae was able to discern a rtively strong person¡¯s power level immediately after seeing them was because he was a regressor. He had already seen the outputs of all the superhumans that were worth knowing, so he could guess how strong they would be in certain phases.

    However, he did not know the woman before his eyes.

    ck hair, purple eyes.

    And a face seemingly carved for the purpose of beauty.

    He had never seen or heard about such a person existing and her mana was also quite foreign.

    Something like this asionally did happen. Although he had lived for over hundreds of years, the world was broad and sometimes had things that he had no idea of. Whenever he came across such things, he wasn¡¯t in a good mood since he had to know Earth like the back of his hand.

    But it was fine since he could learn what he didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Aigo. Why today of all days?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just line back up.¡±

    After the crisis, people who had scattered due to the beast gathered again to line up as Yu Jitae stood in front of the woman. It might cause more friction if he were to stand behind her so he intentionally stood in front of her.

    There was no reason to waste any time. He was currently an executive of the Association and had various tools.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Her purple eyes turned and gazed into his eyes.

    The woman had normal eyes ¨C the average eyes of a human, which was a rare find among superhumans.

    Yu Jitae took the ID card out of his wallet and showed it to her. It was the Dungeon Free Pass; a ck card with the Association¡¯s symbol on it.

    ¡°I am the Association¡¯s Grade 5 agent, One.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Can I see your ID?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    The woman indifferently looked into his eyes, before taking an ID card out of the inner pocket of her coat.

    Yu Jitae received the card which only had such words engraved on it.

    [Tower of Mages]

    Soon when the woman added mana into it, it disyed the details of her identity.

    [Royal Guards of the Golden Cross]

    [No. 12. Myu (28, Female)]

    Myu¡­ it was a unique name.

    Only then did Yu Jitae realise why this woman seemed so foreign to him.

    Despite repeating various iterations, he had a weak connection to magic due to hisck of talent at it.

    Tower of Mages was an lusive and introverted organisation. When he was weak, it was hard to make a connection with those from the Tower of Mages, and after bing stronger, he needed rankers who weren¡¯t tied by the Tower of Mages. Because of that, there were naturally people in the tower that he had no idea about.

    Royal Guards of the Golden Cross were agents that guarded the Lord of the Tower from the shadows in secret. It was rare for them to show up in public and those elected as the Royal Guards of the Golden Cross even had their names removed from the official ranks.

    This woman was apparently Number 12, but Yu Jitae didn¡¯t even know how many of them there were in the first ce. It was thus normal for this to be his first time seeing her.

    Even then, he decided to talk a bit more.

    ¡°Why is a shadow that should be attached to the feet of their master wandering around in broad daylight?¡±

    ¡°We are not watchdogs. I have something to do.¡±

    ¡°And what would that be.¡±

    ¡°To buy a flower.¡±

    The authenticity floating on his [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)] that he had activated as a habit was ¡®true¡¯. It meant that she was telling the truth.

    Her favourability was neutral and so was her nature of good and evil.

    It was an ever so average personality. It was so normal that it was unique among superhumans who tended to turn increasingly strange as they got stronger.

    The woman appeared vignt but did not ask about the reason behind his question. This was why an executive position of the Association was convenient ¨C he could act like a police officer wherever it may be.

    ¡°May I ask why you are here then?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Did youe looking for me for matters rted to the Tower? There shouldn¡¯t be anything the Association can force on the Tower though.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ I came to buy a Wyvernip.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. Same as me.¡±

    ¡°Wyvernip?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re good, aren¡¯t they. Very rxing to smell.¡±

    In some countries, they were often used as an expensive air freshener or a talisman, just like how Ling Ling had kept dried Wyvernip as a ne. After that, Yu Jitae continued asking a few questions but couldn¡¯t find anything strange about the woman.

    However, they were met with a problem when the line in front of them disappeared.

    ¡°Ohh. You¡¯re here again, Miss. You¡¯re after a Wyvernip yeah?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Do you have a lot of them?¡±

    ¡°No. We got almost nothing this time.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°And today¡¯s batch is thest. There won¡¯t be any more in the future.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    The merchant grumbled.

    ¡°You know how the bastards at the Association are noisy these days. Those gangsters and bullies forced every raid group out of Lamdiaran.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    ¡°Fuck. Say something in advance at least, ya know? My brothers were in the field for 8 years and they suddenly got nothing to do. They borrowed equipment for 10 years and now they¡¯re doomed.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got no idea how many people have to starve now. Those Association retards. Who knows what random things they¡¯re trying to do, trying to monopolise everything¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah~~! You have no idea! Everyone knows those bastards are trying to wage a war!¡± The merchant of the store nearby shouted in fury.

    ¡°Whatt? Fuck, are they really tryin¡¯ to wage a war? Do those arrogant bastards have something to believe in?¡±

    ¡°Those guys yeah? They were acting cocky as if they were international police and now their stomach is so big, that their guts are flowing out from it.¡±

    ¡°What has the worlde to¡­ Association. I had no idea those rogues were the source of evil.¡±

    ¡°Bastards¡­ Those guys called Quasars or whatever need to do some work. Whinging just because of one death or something¡­ Hell, every one of those stupid higher-ups should all die for a whole revamp!¡±

    Meanwhile the woman, ¡®Myu¡¯, widened her eyes in surprise as she threw a nce at Yu Jitae. She then saw the odd Grade 5 agent of the Association wearing the same indifferent look on his face despite hearing countless profanities about the Association.

    The public sentiment being like this was already well-known, even in the Association.

    ¡°So, how many Wyvernips do you have?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah. Look at me. Here. I have one left.¡±

    ¡°One?¡±

    ¡°Yah. Only one. You¡¯re lucky Miss. Haha.¡±

    The moment he said that, she immediately flicked her head towards Yu Jitae. Although the two of them were next to each other, it was Yu Jitae who was in the line first.

    ¡°Nn? Ah, were you also after the Wyvernip young man?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to you Miss, but I think hees first.¡±

    Yu Jitae paid the price and took the flower. During the process, he observed her and again thought to himself that she was a superhuman with an extremely sane personality, from how she threw nces at it with regret.

    In any case, he received the item and it was highly likely that the woman wouldn¡¯t cause any problems. Things were done here so he turned around and left the crowd behind but the woman toddled and chased from behind. He stopped and turned around to ask why she was following him.

    ¡°They only sell that here apparently.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And that seems to be thest flower.¡±

    ¡°I heard that too.¡±

    ¡°Is there any chance that I can buy that?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 5 times the price.¡±

    ¡°Even 10 times won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    She had an extremely regretful look on her face.

    ¡°Okay¡­ You know, if you turn the corner there, you¡¯ll find a preservative store. You should be able to enter it as a Grade 5 agent.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Get holy water from Lamdiaran and a preservation device to set at 45 degrees Celsius. If you do that, even after it dies it wouldst several weeks without withering and give a scent off.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really.¡±

    ¡°Just so that you can use it for as long as possible since it¡¯s thest flower. Goodbye then¡­¡± she said before turning around.

    He thought to himself. Shouldn¡¯t one give something back after receiving something? It was interesting that such a thought had struck his mind due to living a normal life.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡±

    Yu Jitae called Myu, who looked back at him after hearing his voice. He walked up and plucked a few of the ck petals of the flower and gave it to her.

    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    Saying that, he turned back.

    ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m very grateful. Would you like me to buy you a meal?¡±

    She said at the end but he shook his hand. That was the end of his encounter with the woman ¨C he wasn¡¯t interested in anything beyond that.

    Even if he were to remember that woman one day, it would simply be because of her unique purple eyes.

    ***

    ¡°Oing? What¡¯s this box?¡± Kaeul asked.

    Inside the transparent cubical box, the petals fluttered inside the thick liquid. The other kids that were either having an apple or a mandarin also turned to look at him.

    ¡°The Wyvernip flower is inside. Apparently itsts longer this way.¡±

    ¡°Nn? What about the smell?¡±

    ¡°Try it. It gives off a soft scent.¡±

    ¡°Uuumm¡­¡­ Uwah, it actually does!? Ahjussi you¡¯re the best¡­!¡±

    Kaeul carried the Wyvernip and showed it to Bom and Yeorum.

    ¡°Muuunng¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s good¡­¡±

    Once again, Yeorum and Kaeul rxed after smelling the flower.

    Meanwhile, Bom continued feeding Gyeoul. ¡°Uiingg~¡± She imitated the sound of a fly while carrying the mandarin around in a circle before bringing it to Gyeoul¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Ahh.¡±

    Gyeoul, thinking that she was being treated like a child again, had a displeased look on her face but when the mandarin was finally in front of her mouth, she widened her eyes into circles and opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Ahh.¡±

    The mandarin entered her mouth half-way.

    But when her lips were about toe to a close, Bom sneakily pulled the mandarin out.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°¡­.?¡±

    What¡¯s ¡®good¡¯? Gyeoul grumbled in dissatisfaction. Only then did Bom put the whole mandarin into her mouth with a smile.

    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡±

    ¡°You seem sulky but your mouth is giving it away.¡±

    Nom nom¡­

    He thought she was simply too indulged in ying to pay any attention to the flower but that wasn¡¯t the case. Even when Gyeoul was rolling around with the baby chicken, Bom kept her distance without trying to take a smell of the Wyvernip.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you smelling that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Oh you see you see! For some reason, it¡¯s stronger for unni! She said she suddenly got very sleepy¡­!¡± said Kaeul from the side after raising her body up from the sofa.

    It had a stronger effect on her?

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Yu Bom spent the whole day yesterday holed up in her room taking a nap,¡± Yeorum added.

    She did sleep more than usual but he hadn¡¯t linked it to the flower. Yu Jitae turned towards Bom, who then opened her mouth.

    ¡°For some reason, it was just me that felt very sleepy.¡±

    ¡°Just you?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. I think it¡¯s because I¡¯m a dragon of nature. That¡¯s probably why it had a stronger effect on me.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you force it away then.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking about it, but it feels different from pushing poison out of your body. It¡¯s like forcing yourself to stay up when sleepy? Something like that.¡±

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t really remember what that felt like.

    ¡°Well it was good though. I get a lot of nightmares usually and can¡¯t sleep well but I had a whole 2 days of sleep.¡±

    He paid little regard to it. Although it did seem slightly strange, there was a lot more important topic to focus on so he turned his mind towards that instead.

    While the kids were watching a drama in the living room, he checked the newspaper with his watch.

    [An ever-increasing fear and animosity.]

    [¡®G12¡¯ demands for a detailed reasoning behind the Association¡¯s recent focus on the military.]

    [A newborn superhuman in his 20¡¯s left jobless from the sudden shift in the military workforce.]

    [Maximum military tension in every country¡­ Some even voice their support for Quasar.]

    [President of the Republic of Korea, Yun Gujoon, ¡°It¡¯s not toote yet. The Association must discard their mysticism and open up¡­¡±]

    [¡°Will blocking the mouth and the ears suffice?¡± Petrovicys criticisms on the Association¡¯s control over media.]

    mes of anti-Association that had momentarily settled after Chaliovan¡¯s public statement had recently been re-ignited. In the subjugation process of the Quasars, there was an excessive use of force and several armed organisations that were dissatisfied by the process came out and conveyed their will to stand alongside the Quasars.

    He had postponed it for as long as possible, but it was no longer possible to do so.

    ¡°Bom. Let¡¯s have a chat for a bit.¡±

    Yu Jitae called Bom to the terrace.

    *

    ¡°Have you thought about what I told you before?¡±

    Bom was the only one out of the four that at least had an idea of what Yu Jitae was doing. From the days when he had been hunting demons in the past, Bom often asked how things were going and Yu Jitae gave short exnations.

    And a few months ago, he asked Bom for a favour, asking her to go to the Association together.

    ¡°It was about things that I can help with right?¡±

    ¡°So you still remember it.¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t forget.¡±

    The situation was like the following:

    1. The Association was umting more military in preparation for the ¡®Long Night¡¯.

    2. The ¡®reason¡¯ at the basis of the preparation of the Long Night was the prophet.

    3. And the entire world was requesting for that reason.

    However, Yu Jitae could not stand at the forefront.

    ¡°From now, you will be the justification of the Association. You will be the reason for everything I do and everyone will ept what I say at once because of you.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s voice was a lot lower than usual as Bom also returned a serious nod.

    ¡°¡­With the title of a soothsayer, is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You will stand for the public to see. Each nation will try to analyse the wave of your mana and as you know, the unique attribute of [Foreseeing] is within the mana of the green race. This is the same as the power of foresight which was discovered from the one and only Level 5 artifact that¡¯s in the hands of the Tower of Mages.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    Bom was in fact an iplete soothsayer, because she couldn¡¯t see what she wanted to see or see things that had to be seen.

    However, that was not important because Yu Jitae had the revtions and although quiet for now, [Vintage Clock (EX)] was the god so Bom simply had to act as the mouth.

    After some contemtion, Bom asked a question.

    ¡°What will you do if I don¡¯t want to do it?¡±

    ¡°I will have to find a substitute.¡±

    ¡°Is there one?¡±

    There wasn¡¯t any.

    Things would get more troublesome because Yu Jitae would have to take time off the children to use for pressuring each government.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m the only one that can do it.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think so.¡±

    ¡°If someone too strong like ahjussi act as one, it might be seen as an imbnce in power and there might be oppositions.¡±

    Bom was smart enough to understand the ins and outs of the situation.

    Yu Jitae was a tyrant. Hitting them with a stick was possible as long as he had the time. But ironically, that was in fact the problem since the time spent taking care of the young dragons was more important to him than anything else.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right. That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to give a carrot instead of a stick.¡±

    ¡°Ah, a carrot¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Broli, cucumber, whatever.¡±

    Only then did Bom give a satisfied nod.

    ¡°Is that okay,¡± he asked.

    ¡°Do I have to be restrained there a lot?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. But there might be a few instances where you have to follow me to show your face. You would have to follow a schedule.¡±

    ¡°Will I have to be there by myself?¡±

    ¡°That will almost never happen. You will spend most of the time with me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom slowly nodded with an uncertain look on her face.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ we will return to Unit 301 sometimes right?¡±

    ¡°Well of course.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Saying that, she slowly leaned on the railing.

    ¡°Life at Lair was boring anyway.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no good.¡±

    ¡°You already know. I have no friends and no social skills¡­ And now I¡¯m not writing any novels either. The kids are fun and interesting to be with but I was quite bored these days to be honest.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. You won¡¯t have to go to the frontlines so there¡¯s no need to be too nervous.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think of this as you being used or anything. It¡¯s to make things better for all of us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Using and being used is part of human rtionships right?¡±

    It was winter.

    The days were short and the sun set from early evening. Although the two of them weren¡¯t really cold, the wind was quite chilly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back inside.¡±

    He said while turning and Bom, who was nkly gazing at him, btedly gave her reply.

    ¡°¡­Okay, oppa.¡±

 Chapter 287: A Black Flower (3)

    Chapter 287: A ck Flower (3)

    ¡°How does this look?¡±

    She said, wearing a ck dress that revealed arge portion of her arms.

    ¡°Looks okay.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It seemed that Bom wasn¡¯t satisfied with being okay, and went back inside to change her clothes. This time, she wore a red evening dress.

    ¡°How about this?¡±

    ¡°Looks pretty.¡±

    ¡°No, not that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s showing too much of your shoulders. Are you going to the Academy Awards or something.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In response to his words, Bom went back into the room and audibly scavenged through her clothes. This time, she came out dressed like a career woman, wearing a business shirt and a tuxedo.

    ¡°Are you going off to work?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Just dress casually. A shirt with pants.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the soothsayer right. I have to look like one.¡±

    Today was the day Bom would be standing before the Association.

    Until now, Yu Jitae had never talked about the basis of his ¡®prophecies¡¯. However, he vaguely hinted at the existence of one foreseeing the future and today would be the day the existence of the soothsayer woulde to light.

    ¡°We have an hour left.¡±

    ¨C Hmm.

    ¡°Hurry up. We might bete at this rate.¡±

    ¨C Hmmmm.

    ¡°Quick.¡±

    ¨C Nnnnnn.

    When Bom walked out of the room again, she was wearing a mediocre ck dress.

    ¡°Looks fine.¡±

    ¡°Really? Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    But when Bom walked past him, Yu Jitae had to call her.

    ¡°Wait. Are you really going to wear that?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you wear something else.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was fine?¡±

    He did,

    Not knowing that the back part of the dress was made with transparent sheer fabric.

    ¡°Change to something else.¡±

    Beyond the ck texture, her white nape and clean back as well as her shoulder des were all fully visible. It was too improper for a soothsayer to wear.

    Not knowing where to look, he slightly tilted his head and looked away.

    After cing her hand on her back, Bom appeared slightly flustered and seemed to have mistakenly worn something simr in a hurry.

    She threw a nce at Yu Jitae. After realising that he was even more perplexed than herself, her fluster disappeared and turned into amusement. Bom walked towards him and leaned her back on him.

    ¡°No-one will see it if we do this though¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    It was naturally a joke.

    After that, Bom giggled and changed into the dress that she had been trying to wear in the first ce.

    ¡°This should do.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was the first dress she had worn.

    *

    Winter.

    The sky filled with clouds was dark despite it being the middle of the day. A sedan slithered over the road in that cold weather heading for the Association.

    While driving, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°You need to be on your toes from now on.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Sitting on the passenger¡¯s seat, Bom replied with a stern look on her face. She pulled a little prank in the morning but she knew exactly what the situation entailed. Her voice would soon reverberate across the entire world.

    ¡°Foreseeing the future is a ridiculous ability. It doesn¡¯t exist nor should it exist. Even a normal person can do things that no-one else can pull off as long as they know what is ahead of them.¡±

    Bom gave a nod.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you need to appear like a god.¡±

    ¡°I have to act as one, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem very confident.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to overthink it. Just try to show some level of dignity. You will start off with a lot of authority in their eyes and that will add weight to your words.¡±

    It was simple to give prestige and authority to Bom. Yu Jitae simply had to treat her like an extremely important person.

    ¡°Should I talk casually to you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then will you talk politely to me, oppa?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Bom entered a world of delusions but that couldn¡¯tst long as they began to see something strange from the distance.

    There were people gathered in front of the headquarters of the Association. Hundreds of people were standing at the door carrying either a card or a board.

    ¡°Dirty Association. Reveal the truth!¡±

    ¡°Stop the war!¡±

    Stop the war.

    The protesters shouted in one voice. A few of them were carrying wooden sticks or metal pipes but most of them were normal humans and there were very few superhumans.

    ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°The anti-Association protesters. Following G12.¡±

    ¡°Protesters? Why would the protesters do that though? The Association isn¡¯t a humanitarian organisation and it¡¯s not like they would listen to a protest right?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why. Have a look.¡±

    Yu Jitae pointed at a group of cameras. Funnily enough, there were an excessive number of cameraspared to the number of protesters.

    Dozens of international broadcastpanies were filming the protest and most of their cameras were facing the humans who would die from an idental tap. Linking that to the recent uproar with the Association¡¯s excessive subjugation, it was obvious what their objective was.

    It was cumbersome. Although there was an underground entrance, he had chosen to use the front entrance since that would give Bom a rough idea of her new workce. And of all days, the protest had to be today.

    ¡°Uh? What¡¯s that. Isn¡¯t that a guy from the Association?¡±

    It was then. One of the protesters walked towards the passenger¡¯s seat with arrogant steps, while shaking the stick in his hand.

    ¡°Uh, they¡¯reing¡­ what do we do now?¡±

    The man came to the driver¡¯s seat and shouted out loud. ¡°Oi! You are from the fucking Association right? Huh?!¡± His yell gathered the eyes of the crowd.

    As Bom anxiously stared at Yu Jitae, he lowered the window of the driver¡¯s seat and gestured with his finger for him toe closer.

    ¡°What you fucker! Are you from the Association or what!¡±

    The man lowered his head. Right as the car blocked the vision of the camera, Yu Jitae smacked the man by his chin.

    With a thud, the man crumbled to the ground. Bom widened her eyes and threw nces at Yu Jitae and the man on the ground in surprise.

    From a distance, the protesters began to walk up.

    ¡°Hang on.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    He suddenly pressed hard on the elerator. The speed rapidly rose up as the engine frantically rotated.

    It was as if he would actually run over someone.

    Yet again in surprise, Bom tightly grabbed onto her seatbelt.

    ¡°Ahhht! Dodge it!¡±

    ¡°R, run away!¡±

    The crowd quickly avoided the car in fright. Although they were here with a violent demonstration in mind, they would have died in one hit if they didn¡¯t dodge that.

    Going past them, the sedan entered the Association. There was no problem because it won¡¯t make for a big headline without a dead person.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom was again reminded of what kind of person Yu Jitae was outside and how he was only unconditionally kind inside Unit 301.

    This was the natural Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Were you surprised?¡±

    So when Yu Jitae asked that question, Bom shook her head. If he was that kind of person¡­

    ¡°That was refreshing.¡±

    She had to be that type of person as well.

    However, it wasn¡¯t easy.

    The moment they left the car, Bom felt the weight and tension in the air. The inside of the Association had a very sharp air to it. Every superhuman appeared to be having a bad day and people shouted from all corners of the building.

    Her resolution to show the same attitude as Yu Jitae onlysted a little, and the weighty atmosphere came across as very foreign.

    She tried to wrap her arm around his.

    ¡°Why. Are you scared?¡±

    ¡°No. I just wanted to appear close.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to.¡±

    Yu Jitae said while slowly pulling his arm out. Bom fidgeted her fingers in mid-air before following after him.

    ¡°You are here, Season!¡±

    Before long, Jefferson and Kang Ahjin ran out to wee Yu Jitae and Bom. They had received the message prior and knew about the existence of the soothsayer. The two of them bowed to Bom with a very deferential look on their face.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Haru.¡±

    She introduced herself using the alias they had decided on.

    A high, clear and elegant yet somewhat mncholic voice. Her voice was quite a good match with the expected voice of a lonely soothsayer.

    ¡°We will guide you to the conference room.¡±

    The two of them led Yu Jitae and Bom to the conference room while reporting about the things that had recently urred.

    Atst when the conference room was before them, Yu Jitae sent Kang Ahjin and Jefferson away before turning towards Bom.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Just do as you normally would.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t forget what we¡¯ve talked about.¡±

    Bom nodded in return.

    Before revealing the true existence of the soothsayer to the world, they first had to show her to the Association and etch Bom into their brains. And the preparations for that were all set already.

    Opening the door, Yu Jitae walked in. Following from behind, Bom bit her lips in secret.

    The organisation with the strongest people on Earth unravelled before her eyes. The Five Transcendents, high rankers, Chaliovan, Zhuge Haiyan as well as other hands and brains of the Association.

    Each and every one of them was a force to be reckoned with. Thirty people from here working together might even allow them topete against an adult dragon.

    It was even more nerve-wracking than she expected. Bom was unconsciously about to grab onto the sleeves of Yu Jitae¡¯s shirt but restrained herself from doing so.

    ¡°The Prophet is here,¡± someone said. Everyone inside the conference room stood up rigidly from their seats. As if he was used to that already, Yu Jitae walked towards his seat while Bom followed and sat next to him.

    ¡°Then, we will now begin the weekly reports.¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan stood up and walked onto the pedestal.

    ¡°Please look over here.¡±

    Arge letter floated on the hologram.

    [Q]

    The one behind the Quasars, that moved the terrorist group to murder the grandson of Christoph, controlling the flow of anti-Association movements worldwide and the one that instigates G12 (Group of 12 nations at the top in superhuman military) ¨C the enemy at the core of every problem.

    ¡°First, ording to the data we have, there is a low chance of Q being an individual.¡±

    Several graphs appeared on the disy.

    October 8th, Hanyaval Cyplenkov¡¯s South Sudan terrorist attack.

    October 13th, discovery of illegal trades of 4.4 tonnes of artifacts in Syria.

    October 27th, Ichimaru¡¯s extortion and blockade of fissures guarded by the Association.

    November 1st¡­

    On disy were countless incidents that Q was estimated to have directly intervened.

    Someone muttered, ¡°This is unbelievable.¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan added.

    ¡°Rank 177, Wizard Hanyaval Cyplenkov ¨C he¡¯s a neutral superhuman. In the past, the Association had requested for a special mutual assistance rtionship at the cost of a long-time rent of a Level 3 artifact but was rejected.¡±

    ¡°That didn¡¯t happen just once did it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I met him 8 times before giving up. Even Zhuge Liang was 3 visits and Meng Huo was 7 times after all.¡±

    And yet Q had sessfully pulled that Hanyaval Cyplenkov into their arms.

    ¡°And what about the other matters? 4.4 tonnes of artifacts that we retrieved from Syria were all explosive types that were being strictly governed by the state and the Japanese ¡®Ichimaru¡¯ was a colleague of ¡®Hasegawa¡¯, the disaster-ranked demon who had died 2 years ago, and is simrly assumed to be of the disaster rank.¡±

    ¡°Was Ichimaru captured?¡±

    ¡°Currently, Myung Yongha and Minamoto are out on the case but that is not the focus. The centre of attention here is that neither of them are options approachable through money alone.¡±

    Q attempted to smuggle 4.4 tonnes of strictly guarded artifacts, and moved the disaster-ranked demon Ichimaru. People that no-one in the world should be able to move were being manipted by Q.

    ¡°It has barely been one year since the Prophet Season has warned of the Long Night. It is an absurdly short amount of time to pull in demon organisations that have constructed their ownworks over decades, and neutral superhumans who are living alone.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°If this was in a drama, people would swear at it for being highly improbable.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that exactly what is happening right now?¡±

    ¡°That is correct. It doesn¡¯t make sense and yet that¡¯s the reality we¡¯re facing,¡± Zhuge Haiyan said with a bitter look on her face.

    ¡°But after some time, I thought of a possibility.¡±

    She continued with an extremely low and gloomy voice.

    ¡°It might be, that Q is an individual with a brainwashing ability.¡±

    It truly was an absurd hypothesis but considering the current situation at hand, it was the most believable exnation and Zhuge Haiyan viewed the probability of that being the case as 15.5%.

    ¡°Perhaps they have a way to seduce every person they meet into helping them.¡±

    When that was deemed as the most probable exnation, the intelligent woman had no choice but to consider the worst case scenario.

    ¡°And because of that, we have gathered everyone including themanders that are usually out in the field for this weekly report.¡±

    The conference room turned rowdy. The crowd began to buzz as the look on Zhuge Haiyan¡¯s face turned even more serious.

    ¡°I thought to myself. If I was Q and could brainwash people, who would be my first target?¡±

    She raised her sses up with her eyes scanning through everyone that had attended the conference.

    It was a what-if.

    If it was true that Q had a brainwashing ability and they had btedly discovered that, then there definitely had to be brainwashed people inside the conference room.

    A few of the advisors raised their voices.

    ¡°¡­Are you trying to say that there are people brainwashed within the Association?¡±

    ¡°Such doubts are not wee!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Haiyan. People are demoralised already. There are voices inside the Association that consider themselves to be in the wrong and without any justification. How will doubting each other help in this situation?¡±

    Some of them shot out of their seats and exined the potential risk.

    Yu Jitae and Bom quietly waited for the right timing.

    The prepared arrangements were drawing near.

    Nervously, Bom fidgeted her fingers and grabbed onto his sleeves for a bit. She quickly lowered her hand but this time, Yu Jitae held her hand for a short while before letting go.

    Bom did not turn towards him, since she knew that now wasn¡¯t the time to do so.

    ¡°Actually, this doubt struck mest Saturday at 8:13pm.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s suspicious but there is no way to confirm is there? We have no idea about the methods of brainwash nor how it¡¯s applied¡­ In the first ce, does a convenient ability like brainwashing high rankers and disaster-ranked demons exist in the world? It surely doesn¡¯t exist and we therefore can¡¯t discern it. That¡¯s what I thought but¡­¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan gave a rxed smile. Everyone present knew the implied meaning behind her words and gathered their eyes at Bom.

    ¡°It seems that such a thing is possible.¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan continued while politely bowing at Bom.

    ¡°Please, if you may. Soothsayer.¡±

    Bom nodded in return before standing up from her seat. The eyes of the crowd gathered at her.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Haru, one who foresees the future.¡±

    She opened her mouth and read the prepared lines.

    Ohh. Some gasped. A few of them were momentarily befuddled by her appearance while some of them were in awe of how it was such a young girl that was moving that omnipotent prophet.

    Foresight.

    A blessing that had never been found among humans in the history of the New Era that ranged over a century. It was such a young girl that had such an ability.

    ¡°Heading straight to the topic at hand, I will now confirm whether there are people who have aligned their goals with the objectives of the enemy.¡±

    Bom walked onto the centre of the conference room and Yu Jitae followed from right behind her as a bodyguard.

    ¡°I will now ask everyone a question. Please reply with either a yes or a no.¡±

    No-one knew how that was rted to foresight, but didn¡¯t dare ask.

    ¡°In here, is there anyone who has either met or decided to stand alongside an individual or an organisation that is presumed to be Q?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t using any spells or anything and yet her voice, her gaze and her gestures oozed out with presence more so than anyone else inside the conference room.

    ¡°Starting from this side, please look into my eyes and tell me.¡±

    Immediately after that, Yu Jitae used his authority from behind.

    [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]

 Chapter 288: A Black Flower (4)

    Chapter 288: A ck Flower (4)

    Her sapphire eyes were profound yet rather dark and anyone seeing her eyes would consider that to be the gaze of a soothsayer.

    Bom was no longer nervous in the slightest and immediately immersed herself into the situation to act like the perfect soothsayer. She then scrupulously observed for a hint.

    I have no ideaa¡­

    Regardless of what was inside her mind, it was fine since it didn¡¯t show on the outside.

    Meanwhile, it was about time for her to have physical contact with Yu Jitae. In order to receive his thoughts naturally in front of the eyes of such powerhouses, it was wiser to rely on the empathising ability of dragons to receive his memories and emotions rather than using mana to convey each other¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±

    Thus, Bom closed her eyes and stumbled as some of the advisors gasped, ¡°Aht,¡±. Their minds linked that image of the mysterious girl stumbling to her foresight ability.

    Naturally, Bom leaned on Yu Jitae and their bodies touched.

    ¡°Are you without any injuries, Soothsayer.¡±

    At that moment, Bom was dismayed by two things.

    One, she was simply following the script but being actually hugged by Yu Jitae threw her mind off,

    And two, she was expecting him to use politenguage but it sounded like he was reading a passage from a textbook and that threw her off even more.

    ¡°Thank you for supporting me so naturally. Season.¡±

    [Why is your acting so unnatural?]

    ¡°Was there a revtion,¡±

    [Did you receive my memories?]

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    [Yes yes]

    After receiving his memories, Bom slowly heaved a deep sigh.

    ¡°There is something unfortunate that I must convey.¡±

    Her words immediately intensified the tension inside the conference room.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    People stuttered, not willing to be rash with their words.

    ¡°Who might that be, Soothsayer,¡± Chaliovan asked.

    ¡°One who has either formed a connection with an individual or an organisation presumed to be Q, or has aligned themselves to their goals¡­¡±

    Bom slowly turned her gaze in the middle of her speech and identified one middle-aged man.

    ¡°South East Asia¡¯s 7th Corps Commander, Edrei. Please stand up.¡±

    When a veteran soldier who had served the Association for 30 years stood up from his seat after being called by her, the conference room was filled with astonishment. Christoph in that instant twitched but BMid his hand on the shoulder of the old man to prevent this emotional old man from murdering someone.

    The silence elongated like a cheese stick. Although the true ¡®traitor¡¯ was revealed by the Soothsayer, the conference room was dead quiet with not a single sound to be heard.

    Some were furious; some were shocked while others were in doubt.

    ¡°Hah.¡±

    The Albanian, Edrei, opened his mouth and gathered the eyes of the crowd.

    ¡°I wonder what you saw from the future to make you say that¡­ I have no idea, Soothsayer.¡±

    At the centre of all sorts of gazes, he shook his hand with an awkward smile.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like this? I have done nothing wrong. Me betraying the Association? And how would I meet Q in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Edrei. You havee into contact with either an individual or a group that you yourself consider to be Q.¡±

    ¡°No? I have never done so, Soothsayer. Please think rationally. I am an old man in my 50s and yet I have themander title of the renowned Association at this age. Why would I ever do such a thing?¡±

    In response, Bom replied with a bitter voice.

    ¡°You are right. I wonder why¡­¡±

    Edrei twitched his eyes in response.

    ¡°No. No no no! In the first ce, how are you foreseeing the future, youngdy? How does that prediction of yours work?¡±

    The coarse manner of speech of a soldier took the best of him as he began referring to her as a youngdy instead of a soothsayer. He had an awkward smile on his face but that was hiding the teeth-shattering anger he was feeling.

    ¡°Is that interrogation from before a prediction? Even if that was true, how would that be a prediction? That would be just mind-reading! Am I wrong?¡±

    While spitting saliva everywhere, Edrei threw his arms into the air and frantically preached. His eyes gazed around looking for agreement.

    People that were absorbed in by Bom¡¯s aura slowly came to themselves and began to realise that something indeed was odd.

    ¡°That is true.¡±

    ¡°Rather than prediction of the future, that¡¯s more like¡­¡±

    ¡°Then, are you sure you have never done anything dishonourable, Commander?¡±

    Edrei shouted out loud.

    ¡°Of course I have never done such a thing! This is an outrageous insult!¡±

    ¡°I have merely stated the truth,¡± Bom replied.

    ¡°No! You stay quiet, youngdy! Who even is she? Howe a scammer can call themselves a soothsayer without going through any verifications? Even though it was the Prophet that brought her here, how can a person without their identity checked be here at the heart of the Association?¡±

    He reminded everyone of how Bom was an outsider. As more and more doubt appeared in the eyes of the onlookers,

    ¡°Be quiet, Edrei.¡±

    Chairman Chaliovan cut his words off.

    ¡°Your Honour Chairman. Please see this injustice through. That youngdy is a scammer!¡±

    Edrei turned towards him in fury as Chaliovan¡¯s eyes, resembling that of a beast, curved like a painting.

    ¡°Why are you so agitated like someone who¡¯s done something wrong.¡±

    ¡°I have done nothing wro¡­¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re confident, stand still with your mouth shut.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Bringing the situation back to the topic, Chaliovan turned towards Bom.

    ¡°However, he is not wrong. Soothsayer Haru. What did you see from the future?¡±

    ¡°Dark ce. Scent of burnt tyres. Cheap mixed whiskey. A pen writing words down on a paper ¨C a report for Q to see.¡±

    Bom said pretending to be mysterious but Edrei shouted back, ¡°That¡¯s utter nonsense! I do not even know such a ce!¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that is due to happen in the future?¡± Chaliovan asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But doesn¡¯t that mean it might not have urred yet?¡±

    ¡°The records of the report¡­¡±

    Slurring the end of her sentence, Bom nced back at Yu Jitae. With too much detail, they would end up creating leeways for counter-arguments. Predictions had to be ambiguous and thus Yu Jitae was the only one that could solve the situation.

    ¡°Executives, please do not ask for details from my Soothsayer. There is Providence that should never be interrupted within a prediction and there is a limit to how much can be shared.¡±

    Aigo, it¡¯s over.

    Bom thought it was all over. The textbook passage from before wasparatively better off and now, he sounded as if he was reading an essay.

    Due to that, the skeptical eyes of the crowd remained in ce.

    The executives found a colleague who they had been working with for over 30 years to be more trustworthy than the soothsayer whom they were seeing for the first time today, even though she was brought by Season.

    People buzzed with noise. Their heads tried to see the situation objectively but their heartspletely refused to raise doubts against their long-time colleague.

    ¡°BM and Carrefour. Take Edrei to the underground prison for me.¡±

    ¡°This is nonsense! It¡¯s not me! I have not been brainwashed or anything! Your Honour Chairman, do you not trust me sir?¡±

    In response, Chaliovan turned towards him and Edrei had to immediately shut his mouth with a gasp.

    ¡°My trust is not of importance here.¡±

    It was when two of the five transcendents stood up and carried Edrei by his arms.

    ¡°Chairman. It is too radical and I must say that it is a regrettable turn of events.¡±

    ¡°That is right sir. How can we doubt Edrei this easily. That is devaluing all the time we have spent with him.¡±

    Othermanders who had gone through various hardships with Edrei stood up and took his side, resulting in the eruption of other suppressed doubts.

    Several soldiers and executives threw nces at Bom and their hostile gazes spread to everyone else. Before long, everyone¡¯s eyes were on Bom.

    Who even is that young girl and why is she creating such a fuss? In their eyes, it looked like a new nail trying to force out an old nail to im its spot. The things about Q, brainwash and whatever all sounded like excuses as their minds reflected on the 30 years they had spent with Edrei.

    Was she even an actual soothsayer in the first ce? Those suspicions budded up but what dissuaded them from continuing with such doubts was the rxed appearance on Bom¡¯s face as well as her straight and unwavering gaze.

    As if she fully understood their doubts, the sapphire-eyed soothsayer opened her mouth.

    ¡°It is fine to hate me. Should youe and curse at me, I will stand and listen to it all. It is okay because I believe heartfelt emotions will one day reach everyone.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It might be everyone¡¯s first time seeing me today, but I have spent half of my life in this ce,¡± said the young girl who appeared to be in her 20s.

    The soothsayer then continued.

    ¡°Zhuge Haiyan. Our personalities were quite a good match.¡±

    Both Yu Jitae and Zhuge Haiyan twitched their eyes at the same time. For Yu Jitae, it was because Bom suddenly started saying things that weren¡¯t part of the script. He wondered what was wrong with her.

    After that, Bom looked at the one sitting next to her, but that person didn¡¯t have a name tag. Slowly, Bom reached for Yu Jitae¡¯s hand and after realising her intention, he quickly allowed her to receive his memories.

    ¡°Carlie. Mao Jing. Mekia Ivankov. Jung Bongman. Christoph. You guys were truly noble and sublime warriors. You always stood at the frontlines unwilling to back down.¡±

    She then began calling everyone sitting there one by one by their names and looked into their eyes. A few of the superhumans red back at her with confusion.

    ¡°Steel Patrick. Mahatma Gideon. Wang Yuhao. Koizumi Yuuta. Elbappe McKnight. You were excellentmanders. You had saved countless people and defeated countless monsters to maintain peace on thisnd.¡±

    Wasn¡¯t it their first time seeing each other? They realised that this too was a prophecy. Bom called 52 of them by their names without getting a single name wrong,

    ¡°Chaliovan Greenrain. You had always trusted and supported me.¡±

    And mentioned the future they had spent together.

    ¡°Though some of us here might not stay with us till the end, that is something I cannot say with my lips. However, I, will stand with everyone until the day my eyese to a close and be your strength.¡±

    Saying that, Bom elegantly gave a bow.

    ¡°Please take care of me.¡±

    The conference room was yet again met with a fairly big shock. Her voice was ever so filled with sincerity to be called a lie; her gestures were natural and her gaze was profound.

    In alignment with that, the eyes filled with fury also dissipated by little. Even though they didn¡¯t know her, the opponent showing so much care and expressing that affection to them raised a fairly bigmotion in their hearts.

    After listening to all that, Yu Jitae wanted topliment Bom.

    While saying that it was okay for everyone to be mad, she was naturally demonstrating the credibility of her prophecies. And besides, she linked it to the salvation of humanity which the soldiers and executives of this ce found to be their pride.

    He was expecting her to do it well due to her intelligence but this was even better than what he imagined. Her lies were also very well crafted.

    In any case, the rice had already finished cooking and it was now time to open it.

    ¡°I will take part in the investigation.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t anything difficult.

    After two hours, a record of Edrei having contacted an anonymous person over an encryptedmunication artifact was discovered. Twenty investigators of the Association entered the case and decrypted the code. Even then, Edrei continuously yelled of his innocence.

    ¡°You guys will regret it! You will regret being controlled by that scammer! You know that¡ª!!?¡±

    However, concrete evidence was soon discovered. They even heard the voice of Q.

    ¡°Edrei. Why did you do that?¡±

    Only then did the middle-aged Albanian lower his head and turn quiet.

    He smiled.

    At the start, he appeared to be holding hisughter back as if it was ridiculous butter chortled out loud as if there was something funny.

    ¡°How did the brainwash happen,¡± asked one of the investigators.

    ¡°Brainwash? A brainwash? It¡¯s nothing like that.¡±

    The investigators felt miserable seeing the purplish-ck stigma that appeared on Edrei¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Do you even know of that person¡¯s despair? How much sorrow and pain that person had gone through? Brainwash? Hah, brainwash! This is sympathy ¨C empathy and voluntary participation! If only I could sit on that person¡¯s right side and wipe those tears! Lick that person¡¯s wounds so that it¡¯s no longer painful!¡±

    Like that, he began talking nonsense like a lunatic and was sent over to the security department of the Association. That night, he died after vomiting out every secret.

    On the other hand, it resulted in arge and shocking change to the eyes of the executives facing Bom and Yu Jitae.

    A girl that suddenly appeared out of nowhere referred to herself as the soothsayer and pointed at one person as the evil. Some asked for proof and logical reasons but there was no such thing. To be fair, it made sense for an absurd ability like foreseeing the future to have no logical exnation behind it.

    However, the Association always had to move with proof so they all doubted ¨C everyone. But the result was one thatpletely flipped the doubts of every executive member of themand centre.

    The prophecies were correct. They were urate.

    ¨C I still cannot believe it. To think a soothsayer actually existed¡­

    ¨C I am also very shocked by it.

    Everyone in the Association were talking about the Soothsayer and it wasn¡¯t difficult to hear such conversations.

    ¨C I actually even thought the Prophet had something else in mind.

    ¨C Something else?

    ¨C It is a bit extreme but it seemed like he was constantly instigating conflict between governments and the Association. So that just made me think that he might be a new type of demon¡­

    ¨C Ahh, doing that to kill more of humanity than a simple copse of the Association, huh. I guess that would make some sense, but¡­

    ¨C Yes. I had it wrong. The soothsayer actually existed¡­

    Bom, who coincidentally heard the conversation from the office, blinked her eyes and smiled at Yu Jitae who was sitting next to her while biting her tongue. I did well right? That seemed to be the meaning behind her smile. Yu Jitae was also satisfied and caressed her cheeks with his fingers.

    So far, it was going ording to n.

 Chapter 289: A Black Flower (5)

    Chapter 289: A ck Flower (5)

    ¡°We will be heading off first then, Chief Season!¡±

    ¡°Good work. Don¡¯t forget to give notice to the 8th Corps on your way.¡±

    ¡°Yes sirr~¡±

    Kang Ahjin was a mood maker. She was quick at bing close with anyone and always gave off an energetic and positive aura. That was no exception even when facing Yu Jitae, who everyone in the Association found hard to approach.

    ¡°You should head off now as well Chief. These days you always get offte, right? Even though you used to go home right on time.¡±

    ¡°I will soon.¡±

    ¡°If I was a chief advisor, I wouldn¡¯t evene to work. Getting paid for doing nothing has always been my dream, you see. Ah, your cors aren¡¯t straight.¡±

    Saying that, she came closer and straightened out his cors.

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be heading off. Ah, please be safe on your way as well, Miss Haru.¡±

    Kang Ahjin was also very respectful to Bom even though she had suddenly appeared. Since she was always kind like that, Bom also returned a smile and bid farewell.

    She left, leaving behind Yu Jitae and Bom inside the office.

    ¡°Should we practice acting together before we go?¡± asked Bom.

    ¡°Why,¡± he asked back.

    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that there were some awkward spots.¡±

    ¡°We did well though.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that? That both of us did well?¡±

    ¡°We did. They were all fooled.¡±

    He was serious.

    A smile appeared on her lips. She murmured, ¡®What should I do¡­¡¯ but he had no idea why she would say such a thing, because he knew he had done a very good job at acting.

    ¡°In any case, it was unexpected.¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡±

    ¡°I knew you were smart but I wasn¡¯t expecting you to deceive them so naturally. You didn¡¯t even have much time so when did you practise that.¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s what I do everyday¡­ Ah, by the way.¡±

    Bom suddenly walked towards him. He was sitting on the sofa of the office and Bom, after suddenly walking to him, casually rested her bum on his knee.

    ¡°Oppa.¡±

    He gave her the permission to call him that way if it was just the two of them and ever since, Bom sometimes called him oppa although very rare.

    ¡°Do you know the people here very well?¡±

    ¡°Sort of. Why.¡±

    ¡°You know the ones that help you directly, what kind of people are they?¡±

    ¡°Who. You mean Antonio Jefferson and Kang Ahjin?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking that,¡±

    ¡°We will be on the same boat now so I want to know more about them.¡±

    Yu Jitae looked into her eyes.

    When Bom wasn¡¯t there, the agents of the Association all praised her for her eyes. Jefferson found it too mystical and burdensome while Kang Ahjin mentioned that it felt like her eyes would suck her in.

    He had gotten used to her eyes after living with the dragons for so long but sitting right next to each other like this made him understand yet again what their words meant.

    ¡°Nothing too different from what you already know about them. They are like assistants and they¡¯re like my limbs.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, since when were they your assistants?¡±

    ¡°Been quite some time.¡±

    ¡°Then, are you close to them?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. I guess inside the Association for work-rted matters, yes.¡±

    Bom blinked her eyes and muttered, ¡®Been quite some time¡­¡¯ before slowly lowering her gaze. She faintly closed her left eye with her right eye still open.

    She fidgeted her fingers before quietly opening her mouth.

    ¡°I should be friends with them as soon as possible then¡­¡±

    Hearing that, Yu Jitae felt slightly odd. It gave him the feeling that Bom might not be in a good mood but when she lifted her head back up, she had the same usual look on her face.

    ¡°The kids must be hungry. What should we get for dinner?¡±

    Was he just sensing things?

    ***

    The strategy council and the military police of the Association backtracked Edrei¡¯smunication records, movements, people he came into contact with and personal life and had pulled out as much data from him as possible regardless of his impending death.

    All the gathered data merged in the hands of Zhuge Haiyan. She, who had aputer in her mind,bined all the information fragments and identified approximately 870 ces that Q could be in.

    Immediately afterwards, 200 agents including a secret ops squad, the five transcendents and Yu Jitae spread all across the globe. They had to move fast. Q would soon hear the news of Edrei having been caught and will immediately begin erasing their traces.

    ¡°It¡¯s already begun actually.¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan, with her mind connected to 12puters, said while biting her lips. It seemed that Q was very quick-witted.

    It was only half a day ago that they had tracked down Edrei. How often did Q manage the people that were connected to them that they discovered the Association¡¯s search already?

    ¡°Hurry.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    They had to collect as many traces as possible before they were erased.

    ¡°Huh? Wait, this¡­!¡±

    Thanks to running around as if there was a rocket attached to their feet, early next morning, the Association discovered an astonishing CCTV video hard drive.

    It contained a shocking video.

    ¡°Why. What is it.¡±

    One of the superhumans of the strategy council replied to Zhuge Haiyan¡¯s question.

    ¡°It is a video of a person presumed to be a high executive of Quasar!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    After having a look at the video, Zhuge Haiyan bit her lips.

    No. In her eyes, this was not a simple high executive of Quasar.

    ¡°Send it through right now.¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±

    A person that might be Q was recorded on the CCTV clip.

    *

    Mana was the manifestation of will. Thus, things without a will tended to escape from the interference of mana quite easily.

    Because of that, electronic devices were the bane of superhumans. They had eyes and yet there was no ¡®will to see¡¯ in them.

    Yu Jitae was in the 5th Command Room conducting a conference with Christoph, BM, Carrefour and Jeanie ¨C four of the five transcendents when a message was suddenly sent to them from the strategy council.

    Astonishingly enough, it seemed that they had gotten their hands on a video of someone that was estimated to be Q.

    ¡°Signalman!¡±

    In response to themand of the old man Christoph, the signalman hurriedly yed the video.

    It was a conference room, dark due to the curtains covering outside light. There were 5 men, 2 women and one person whom they could only see the back of, but that person was sitting at the seat of honour and immediately became the focus of the clip.

    Unlike others who were in soldier uniforms, that person was wearing padded hoodies.

    ¡°Is that the guy?¡±

    ¡°Quite small actually.¡±

    They fast-forwarded through the conference. There was no sound to the video but enraged behaviours could be seen under the dark lighting of the room. One of them appeared to be shouting while another threw the papers in their hands andined. It was unknown why they were fighting each other but one of them even stood up and pointed fingers at the seat of honour.

    Looking at the screen, the five transcendents analysed the clip.

    ¡°The sword that big guy is carrying is Eme-580 right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Looks like a genuine one bought from the Hermes franchise.¡±

    ¡°So it seems they have quite some cash. Their mouths are slightly disjointed; probably a fake face or something. Ah, wait. Stop. Hmm¡­ the thing on the waist of thatdy at the back is ¡®Desert Shadow¡¯ isn¡¯t it? You know, the armour set from the Great War.¡±

    ¡°Looks just like it. You have great eyes. It is likely for that woman to be a ranker in 200s then I guess.¡±

    ¡°Who was thest owner of Desert Shadow again?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. It was either Anna Crema or Yong Jungkook but¡­ that¡¯s already 8 years ago.¡±

    ¡°I have no connections with Anna Crema but Yong Jungkook I can ask right now.¡±

    Saying that, BM was about to call someone when the person sitting at the seat of honour slowly stood up.

    ¡°He got up.¡±

    The person walked towards the superhumans.

    In an instant, the superhumans raised their weapons and dashed towards the approaching person. Red mana intertwined with blue mana and shot asrge swords appeared from thin air. Right when the conference room was about to turn into chaos,

    Suddenly, the world inside the screen came to a stop.

    ¡°Did you pause it?¡±

    ¡°Signalman you freaking fool!¡±

    ¡°Uh, umm¡­ It, it¡¯s still ying¡­!¡±

    The timer at the bottom of the screen was still moving.

    Before long, the person whose face they had yet to see began to move and approached the crowd that was frozen stiff.

    Following that was somethingpletely unbelievable.

    The person presumed to be Q grabbed a superhuman by the neck and immediately pulled it out.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Blood rushed out as a part of the spine followed the head out of the body. That marked the start of the massacre. The person grabbed others by their bodies and ripped them apart; it was slow and vividly visible.

    ¡°What the f¡­¡±

    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡±

    The 5th Command Room had assumed the victims of the video to be high rankers. Top rankers had their [Tenacity] reaching the heavens and their bodies were generally tougher than steel and yet the person whose face was hidden from view divided their bodies like toys.

    Toys.

    That was the best way to put it.

    As the superhumans began to die, the mysterious person began to do something odd. The person pulled one of the victim¡¯s intestines out and swung it around in the air before strangling another person with it. Then, they pulled someone¡¯s fist out before trying to insert it into the mouth of the man who had shown the fiercest protest by throwing papers down.

    The man was still alive and tried to resist but his chin was soon grabbed before being pulled towards the ground. The entire body of the superhuman that was stuck in mid-air seemingly screamed as his lips and cheeks ripped apart. His chin sunk down and revealed the inside of his mouth.

    The person wearing the hoodie then inserted the fist, nonchntly, as if they were putting an apple into a pig¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°What a madman¡­¡±

    ¡°A disturbing sense of taste.¡±

    The attitude of killing people and ying around as if they were toys made the watching executives frown.

    ¡°That strength though¡­¡±

    ¡°More like, why is it that none of them can move?¡±

    ¡°Is that rted to brainwash?¡±

    A timebel was added to the clip by the signalman. From 4 minutes and 17 seconds to 9 minutes and 39 seconds ¨C everyone was killed in that time span. After excluding the time the man spent ying around, the time taken was reduced to exactly 2 minutes and 2 seconds.

    ¡°Please have a look at this,¡± said the signalman.

    What is it? Thinking that, the transcendents turned around and found the mysterious person turn slightly to the side, before wiping the blood that was on their face with their arm.

    ¡°It¡¯s too dark to see anything¡­ Make it brighter.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    Even then, it was hardly visible. One of the person¡¯s arms was covering the face and the camera was too high. The only thing that was really revealed was the person¡¯s nose but that was when something strange entered Yu Jitae¡¯s sight.

    ¡°Signalman.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes sir!¡±

    ¡°Go back to 10:08. And y the clip at 2 frames per second.¡±

    The signalman followed his order as Yu Jitae gazed deeply at the video.

    The mysterious person opened a small gap in the window of the dark room, before bringing a cube out from their waist and bringing it to their nose.

    He remembered seeing that somewhere.

    ¡°Zoom in more. Make it so that the thing they¡¯re carrying is easier to see. And go through that section 1 frame at a time.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    The transcendents looked at Yu Jitae with curiosity. The cube in the person¡¯s hand was the size of a palm and appeared to be transparent from the way it reflected light. In addition, there were various holes on it.

    ¡°Is there anything on your mind, Season?¡± asked BM but Yu Jitae didn¡¯t respond.

    What was it? He had seen it somewhere¡­

    Where was it?

    After a deep thought, something shed through his mind.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He focused even more at the screen that was cycling through the same section. A transparent cube¡­ and bringing that to the nose¡­?

    Yu Jitae immediately took a picture of the screen with his watch and sent a message to Kaeul.

    [Me: Kaeul]

    [Kaeuli ?: What is itt ahjooosii ?]

    [Me: Tell the cleaner to take a picture from the same angle as this photo.]

    [Kaeuli ?: ???]

    [Kaeuli ?: Whyy?]

    [Me: Hurry up.]

    Soon, a message was sent to his device.

    Inside the photo, he could see the back of the golden-haired girl¡¯s head, as she gazed off into a distance over the window and the thing she was carrying in her hand¡­ was quite naturally, the preservation device for Wyvernip that Yu Jitae had bought for her.

    Even though he didn¡¯t tell her to do so, Kaeul naturally held it in her hand simr to the way it was taken in the photo. Why? It was because they were both transparent; both were of a simr size and were both used by bringing it to the nose.

    [Kaeuli ?: Ehehahehi. Is dat okeyyy//???]

    [Me: Ye]

    He turned off his watch.

    A woman with purple eyes appeared in his mind.

    There¡¯s no way¡­ he thought but¡­

    Myu.

    She was a woman with such an average personality. She regretted being unable to obtain what she wanted, and bothered to share information about how to preserve it for as long as possible and expressed her gratitude. She even appeared like a virtuous person.

    There was nothing strange there that he found.

    Is that ¡®mysterious person¡¯ inside the video actually Myu?

    Did a woman like that enjoy such a vicious way of killing humans? Although there were countless mental people among superhumans, a personality gap that big was on the extreme side even among superhumans.

    ¡°Jeanie.¡±

    Yu Jitae called a woman who was sitting on the other side of the 5th Command Room. Officially ranked 15th, she had the alias, ¡®Nuclear Bomb¡¯.

    [Jeanie Inssirem]

    She was the only mage from the five transcendents ¨C a great mage admired by the whole world who had the Dungeon Free Pass while also being the captain of the ¡®Last Squad of Humanity¡¯.

    The middle-aged woman in her 40s, as elegant as a noble in a painting, replied.

    ¡°Speak. Chief Season.¡±

    ¡°Let me borrow your name once right now for the Tower of Mages.¡±

    ¡°Why the Tower?¡±

    [No. 12. Myu (28, Female)]

    Reminding himself of the details he saw before, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°I need to see one of the Royal Guards of the Golden Cross.¡±

 Chapter 290: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (1)

    <h4>Chapter 290: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (1)</h4>

    The Tower of Mages was an lusive organisation. They avoided outside contact as much as possible.

    Due to those doubtful of what they were doing behind the curtains, they tended to be at the centre of all sorts of conspiracy theories. The only outside contact they had with the world happened once a quarter, in the superhuman conferences which were attended by both the Association and the nations of G12, where they revealed the records and achievements of the previous quarter.

    Why were they such an lusive organisation?

    It was because they created spells that should not be known to the public.

    Under whose sponsor?

    Naturally, there was no other group apart from the Association that could be their sponsor.

    Because of that, it was possible to consider the Association and the Tower of Mages to be somewhat in a hierarchical rtionship.

    ¡°Alright. I shall personally give them a call.¡±

    A great mage like Jeanie Inssirem had direct contact with the higher-ups of the Tower of Mages like the witch, Valentine. She, however, did not have a good look on her face after giving them a call.

    ¨C ¡­¡­¡­

    The Tower of Mages did not pick up her call.

    ¡°Are they not picking up?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She remained silent in response to Yu Jitae¡¯s question. Her face soon turned extremely ominous because mages had an extremely strict hierarchy among themselves, even more so than an average military group.

    Taking 5 seconds to pick up her call would be enough for them to receive a mouthful and yet they did not pick it up at all.

    As the great mage was quietly burning in mes of fury, someone added oil to the me.

    ¡°Aht¡­? Hello?¡±

    The Tower of Mages picked up Jefferson¡¯s call.

    Jefferson, who had rang the reception desk of the Tower of Mages just to be sure, was startled as well and rolled his eyes to nce at Jeanie Inssirem. If a gaze could rip people to pieces, her face would have made her a serial killer already.

    ¡°Speaker.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, yes¡­¡±

    Hearing the voice that was as cold as a sheet of ice, Jefferson quickly put it on speaker mode. In any case, the Tower of Mages had picked up the call so Jefferson calmly began to do what he had to do.

    ¨C Hello.

    ¡°Hello. I am a 4th Grade agent of the Association, Antonio Jefferson.¡±

    ¨C Hello sir. You are the chief aide of the Chairman, yes? It has been a while sir.

    Jefferson politely shifted the topic to the Royal Guards of the Golden Cross, and said he urgently needed information about the 12th member.

    ¨C Ahh¡­ Sorry but that won¡¯t be possible.

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¨C The Royal Guards of the Golden Cross are currently in charge of the security of the 72nd floor¡¯s research. They have rotating shifts.

    ¡°Ahh, what I mean is, instead of a conversation with the 12th agent, I simply need some data about them.¡±

    ¨C That won¡¯t be possible either. The Tower cannot give out personal information without the permission of the individual. That is the rule.

    It was a ridiculous story.

    That might be the rule, but that was by no means enough as a justification for rejecting the request of the Association.

    ¡°What kind of nonsense is that? Well, when¡¯s the 72nd floor¡¯s research going to end then?¡±

    ¨C It beganstst month but¡­ we have no idea when it will end.

    ¡°Are you taking me as a fool right now? Every research has an initial deadline does it not?¡±

    ¨C My apologies. That is restricted information and we cannot tell you that.

    ¡°Buddy. Listen up.¡±

    Jefferson¡¯s voice increasingly got louder.

    ¡°Are you joking me right now?¡±

    ¨C My apologies. We would love to help but the policies changed very recently and there¡¯s nothing we can do.

    After that, Jefferson asked more questions and approached from other directions but the opponent simply concealed information by repeating like a parrot that it was due to the recent policy change.

    ¨C Have a lovely day then¡­

    ¡°Oi. Oi! You son of a bitch!¡±

    The call had already ended.

    Jefferson furiously gasped for breath.

    Things were going in a strange direction. All the transcendents and soldiers looking at him had the same look of doubt on their faces.

    He asked Jeanie.

    ¡°Jeanie. Do you have any idea on what they are researching?¡±

    ¡°Things like that are generally not shared¡­ because research is important.¡±

    ¡°Does any one of you have any ideas?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡ª A research in this current state in time¡­¡±

    While they were having such conversations with each other, Yu Jitae gave a frown.

    The 72nd floor was the top floor of the Tower of Mages where the elders including the Tower Lord would conduct personal research. Spells that were created there were at least of the S tier and the next long-term research at the 72nd floor should have begun after another 10 years, considering how that would be one of the big agents behind the Second Great War but¡­

    The future of the 7th iteration changed. He was the one that changed it.

    But from the factors that he had modified, was there any of them that could have made the 72nd floor move this early in time?

    No.

    Even if there was, it must have been an extremely miniscule factor that had close to zero chances of leading to such a result. Of course, although extremely unlikely, it could have happened due to a butterfly effect of some sort but¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was bizarre. No matter how much he thought about it.

    He tried to assemble the different puzzle pieces together. The Tower of Mages had a recent change in policies and the 72nd floor started creating the spell 15 years ahead of time. Because of that, Jeanie¡¯s call was being ignored by the top floor, which happened to have the foreign superhuman called Myu who Yu Jitae assumed to be the same person as Q¡­

    Those were the various puzzle pieces scattered all across but thest piece had a strong adhesive strength to it.

    [Q is presumed to have a brainwashing ability]

    Doubts consistently increased in magnitude.

    *

    The case elerated rapidly.

    ¡°Let me give it another try.¡±

    Enraged, Jeanie Inssirem immediately headed to the magic department of the Association and used the contact line of the Association to call the 72nd floor again.

    ¨C How is it.

    In response to the Prophet¡¯s question, Jeanie Inssirem revealed her fangs like an enraged lion. It had the same result despite trying to connect from the standpoint of a coworking organisation rather than an individual.

    ¡°It seems they cannot pick up right now.¡±

    ¨C Who said that?

    ¡°¡­The answering machine.¡±

    At this point, she found it more bizarre than irritating. Connecting directly to the Tower of Mages like this happened for the first time in 12 years, and was ever since they had dered the end of the Great War.

    It was that important of a connection line and yet¡­

    As doubts stacked on top of another, a new message arrived from Zhuge Haiyan.

    [Strategy Council Zhuge Haiyan: We have acquired a new video of the same clip. It was taken from a different angle and shows their face, so please have a look.]

    The signalman hurriedly yed the video.

    There was a person wearing a hoodie.

    She carried out the same massacre as the previous clip and opened the window. Then, she brought the transparent cube to her nose and inhaled it in. She breathed in so deeply that they could see her chest expanding from the inhale.

    And when she turned her face after that¡­

    Yu Jitae bit his dry lower lips.

    The face disguised by the face mask was unrecognisable, but the eyes sparkling brightly in purple like amethyst was something that could not be concealed.

    A thunder sparked through his mind.

    That was undoubtedly [Myu].

    ¡°Kang Ahjin. Go and get permission from the Chairman.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes sir¡­! What should I ask for?¡±

    ¡°To dispatch an official delegation to the Tower of Mages.¡±

    The situation now felt a lot more serious than expected. Soon, Jefferson and Kang Ahjin dashed outside as the 5th Command Room simultaneously began to bustle with noise. They were now going to have a conference.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae decided to not partake in the conference.

    His mind was chaotic.

    The leader of Quasar who erased all their traces for the past few months, who killed the grandson of Christoph and repeated terrorist attacks to quicken the anti-Association movements, Q.

    That Q seemed to be Myu.

    Why was the Vintage Clock still silent in a time like this?

    The connection he had with Vintage Clock wasn¡¯t cut off and yet even when he first met Myu, and even after all these things, it was silent and didn¡¯t reply to any of his calls.

    This was an extremely irresponsible attitude. A variable like this had only urred in the 7th iteration because of its ipetence. Yu Jitae had to shoulder all the responsibilities and duties that followed it but didn¡¯t have much information at hand.

    Where.

    How.

    What.

    Not a single one of them was certain. Even the operational methods of brainwashing and its limits weren¡¯t fully revealed yet.

    However, there was one thing he could be certain of.

    All the way till the 6th iteration, he was ced before countless trials like this in every iteration and in every one of those situations, Yu Jitae discovered the solution. He was standing on top of all those seemingly impossible histories to reach this far above.

    The Regressor created a hypothesis.

    Now that the Association had officially formed a delegation, it was impossible for the Tower of Mages to reject it regardless of what was happening in the 72nd floor.

    So if Q indeed was there.

    And if there was something that had to be concealed there¡­

    Very soon, there will definitely be an incident that will attempt to drive the attention away from them.

    ***

    After exactly 1 hour.

    The Association created a delegation party under the name of Prophet Season, and that was simrly publicised by the Tower of Mages.

    But immediately after that,

    Surprisingly, something urred as Yu Jitae had predicted ¨C but that something, was ridiculously more grandiose than he had expected.

    ¡°Uaakk¨C! It¡¯s a Downfall¡ª!!¡±

    The signalman screamed out loud.

    ¡°What? A Downfall!?¡±

    ¡°What is this about¡­!¡±

    ¡°A, a, a Downfall¡­!¡±

    [Downfall]

    An ultrahigh speed explosive mass-destruction bomb made by splitting mana molecules with a strong enchanted will of [Destruction].

    Easier put, it was the atomic bomb artifact created after the New Era.

    In that room where everyone froze on the spot due to the unreal turn of events.

    ¡°Oi! Move you idiot¨C!¡±

    One of themanders shoved the signalman away and floated the MIMS (Mana Information Management System) on the disy. Countless ck wings devouring light were soaring into the skies, intertwining as they sped through the heavens.

    Realising that each of those wings were billions of mana chunks, themander¡¯s expression turned pale.

    ¡°W, w, why would Mexico suddenly¡­¡±

    The location of discharge was Mexico,

    And its target was the Association.

    It was a restricted weapon due to an international agreement and was the most overpowering weapon that a single nation could have ess to. That very weapon was speeding towards the Association, leaving a trail of mana behind it.

    Red lights flickered all across the control room and rms rang without an end.

    Beep¨C! Beep¨C! Beep¨C!

    Danger level R5.

    Bursted Grenade.

    It was an rm signalling the sudden hazard.

    ¡°This is absurd¡­!¡±

    The Downfall drew a trail behind like aet that interfered with the dimensional stabilities of every area it touched. The unstable dimensions began to create fissures and there was soon bound to be hundreds and thousands of fissures.

    ¡°Emergency, emergency!¡±

    Despite the pressing situation, veteran soldiers who had experienced the war quickly carried their weapons and moved to their positions.

    ¨C All transcendents to control room.

    In order to deviate the trajectory of the iing Downfall, the Level 4 artifacts of the Association began to be ignited as transcendents and rankers picked up their weapons and shot out of their seats.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae looked for Bom who was waiting at the office.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    She, who had been waiting for Yu Jitae¡¯s conference to end, appeared startled by the sudden uproar.

    ¡°What is it? It suddenly feels stuffy and strange¡­¡±

    ¡°A Downfall ising to us. You know what that is. It wille to the Association in less than 10 minutes.¡±

    There was no guarantee that this ce would be safe, and Yu Jitae won¡¯t be here when that timees.

    He therefore had to send Bom away.

    ¡°So go and wait, at Unit 301.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, Bom seemed reluctant to go, evident from her hesitant hands and the anxious look on her face.

    ¡°Hurry up and go. Use your teleport.¡±

    Yu Jitae was also in a rush and had no time to talk with Bom.

    ¡°Quick¨C¡±

    Before long, magic circles and fragments of light appeared around Bom. With a face filled with regret, she bit her lips that only parted once she was almost entirely enveloped by light. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t get hurt,¡± she said with a worried voice despite knowing that he would never get hurt.

    After sending her off, he opened the window. The Regressor gazed far into the distance.

    Tower of Mages was also a floating ind.

    Located South-East from here, roughly 5,950 km away.

    In the South Pacific in the eastern regions of Oceania, around 45 kilometres in the air at the tip of the stratosphere.

    The altitude was a lot higher than Haytling and the protective devices of the area restricted the use of teleportation in nearby areas. He thus had to fly there.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Regressor thought to himself.

    Mexico possessed only 1 [Downfall] that naturally had countlessyers of protection.

    Downfall was the strongest and the most overpowering military artifact. The Mexican military that cannot evene close to the Association¡¯s military was pushing the Association into panic in such a short amount of time, only because of the Downfall. Even though Q had the ridiculous ability of brainwashing, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy for her to brainwash everyone that was rted to the usage of Downfall.

    That meant that Downfall would have been a difficult weapon to obtain even for Q.

    The grave of Wings of Snow Light who had taught Yu Jitae how to manipte mana traces was robbed by Q and that was already half a year ago.

    Within that span of half a year, Q could have shot Downfall whenever so desired but didn¡¯t, and yet was shooting that now. Why was that?

    He imagined what would happen from now.

    The Association would stop the Downfall, raid the expanding fissures, pacify the people and question the Mexican government for their actions. All that will create time for Q.

    ¡­And that ¡®time¡¯ was something Q was so desperately willing to buy, even if it was at the cost of a weapon that was difficult to obtain.

    Things were bing even more urgent.

    Something was definitely happening at the 72nd floor.

    ¨C Excuse me! Prophet Season!

    It was then.

    Zhuge Haiyan¡¯s voice came through the contact line as her face appeared on the hologram disy of the watch.

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¨C Are you going to the Tower of Mages!?

    As expected of the brain of the Association, she had calcted that much in this pressing situation and had contacted him.

    ¨C If you are going to fly there, wait a little bit! Let me send you T088!

    ¡°What is that.¡±

    ¨C It¡¯s a recently crafted Level 3 artifact! A cutting-edge mobile suit! Damn it. It would still take 6 hours but will be a lot faster than flying with nothing¡­!

    But Yu Jitae shook his hand at the screen.

    ¡°No need.¡±

    ¨C What?

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. 6 hours is too long.¡±

    ¨C W, wait¡­!

    Soon, the screen turned off and so did the call.

    cing his foot on the windowsill, the man lowered his body. His legs built up an explosive amount of force as muscles tensed and revealed its cracks.

    The ground shook and the building floor supporting his feet crumbled. Mana flickered into all sides like lightning from the oppressive friction as Yu Jitae kicked off the ground.

    Kwannng¡ª!

    His body flew forward. Like a missile traversing through the air, the atmosphere and the sky, he jumped through dimensions in the blink of an eye. As the Association¡¯s building looking like a mini version became the size of a palm and became the size of a fingernail¡ª

    He again thought to himself that 6 hours was too long.

    2 hours¡­

    He had to arrive within at least 2 hours.

    [Ignite]

    The situation had elerated too much for it to merrilye to an end. He dropped all theplex thoughts muddling his mind.

    [Chains of Hell]

    The method no longer mattered.

    [Release]

 Chapter 291: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (2)

    <h4>Chapter 291: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (2)</h4>

    Mana exploded from the pressure into all sides.

    Kwaaaangg¡ª!

    A spherical ripple was formed as dimensions wavered back and forth. Even though it exploded at a very high altitude, the ripple still managed to reach all the way down to the ground. Some of those observing would realise or be puzzled by his unchained strength.

    Yu Jitae elerated. The air felt like a viscous fluid trying to pull his body back.

    He elerated even more and his body gradually exceeded the speed of sound as air tore and cracked around him.

    At one point, his ears could no longer pick up any sound. The world turned silent, leaving behind only the beating sound of his heart. Air molecules tried to grab and pull his body behind like hooks.

    Despite all that, Yu Jitae elerated even further.

    ¡ª¡ª

    It was then.

    He found a ck line dropping in a parabolic line.

    The Downfall was dropping above the head of the Association. Its trajectory deviated at a certain point in the air and exploded a few seconds after that. The explosion as ck as ink was so immense that even Yu Jitae could see it from where he was.

    He had no time to check whether they had managed to safely alter its trajectory or not.

    Yu Jitae called the Vintage Clock, not bynguage but through something closer to pressing a doorbell. He got no response even though it should be listening to him.

    Was it ignoring him? Or perhaps it was going to quietly watch over him, like how it silently stared at him during his youth¡­

    He flew into, and through clouds with more clouds beneath his feet and soared higher into the skies to fly through higher clouds.

    Atst, he saw cumulonimbus clouds. It appeared artictely three-dimensional as if it was crafted by cutting a mountain. He followed up a tall pir of white cloud as something ck hazily emerged from among it.

    Tower of Mages was built on top of the floating ind, ¡®Hitlytan¡¯, but it was impossible to see above the 3rd floor with naked eyes from outside.

    It was because all the floors between the 4th and the 72nd were all inside a different dimension shaped like a dark hole. That hole was precisely the reason why the Tower of Mages was located 45 km in the air, as well as why it did not rotate around Earth like Haytling.

    The Tower of Mages was built outside the fissure down from the 4th floor due to stability reasons, and simultaneously existed in two dimensions.

    As he increasingly neared the floating ind, Hitlytan, Yu Jitae felt a slight sense of fatigue and collected his breath.

    And soon, hended on the ind.

    Kwanng¨C!

    Like a missile, his drop created a crater in the earth and a loud roar.

    He put an end to his thoughts.

    ***

    The front entrance of the Tower of Mages was surrounded by a 50-metre-wideke. Humans rarely ever visited this ind, so the ones guarding the gates weren¡¯t humans.

    He ced a foot above the surface of the water.

    That was when a ck shadow soared up from the darkke. In order to kill the uninvited and unauthorised guest, a school of anglerfish, each 2 metres long, opened their mouths wide and flew towards the one who created the ripple but the man was long gone.

    ???

    While the anglerfish were circling around the area in puzzlement, the man was already on the other side of theke at the entrance of the door.

    The door was 10 metres tall, and was as big as a three-storey building. A magic-engineered device was protecting the gates but when the man shoved his fingers in through the gap and pushed it open, the protective spell shattered alongside a spark.

    An rm went off.

    Beep¨C! Beep¨C! Beep¨C!

    ¡°An intruder¨C!¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°At the main gates!¡±

    People shouted from inside as soldiers either wearing hoodies orbat outfits unsheathed their weapons and dashed towards him. They were the standby troops and mages that were prepared for any emergency situations.

    Yu Jitae pervaded into the shadow and proceeded on. He rode the dark walls and the dark ceiling.

    He could break the ceiling and move up, but if he did that, half of the power sustaining the altitude of Hitlytan would be shifted into creatingyers of protective spells throughout the building. It would separate each floor with different barriers and that would take more time to break through.

    Thus, he headed to the elevator of the Tower.

    Yu Jitae had only a bit of connection with the Tower of Mages.

    Although little, it¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t have any connections with them. Therefore, he was fully aware of the basic structure of the tower as well as what he had to do to proceed above.

    He had visited this ce at least ten times.

    The [Mana Elevator] that went straight to the 69th floor was in fact a device that allowed an interdimensional travel up and down. A limit to how far one could travel was decided depending on their role.

    Because of that, he revealed himself from the veil of darkness.

    ¡°It¡¯s that way; the intruder¡¯s there!¡±

    ¡°Catch him!!¡±

    Soldiers dashed towards him and Yu Jitae did the same.

    m¨C By striking the guy at the front, he knocked him out and kicked his body before it could even touch the ground.

    As if struck by a car, he flew and became one cluster with the two that were following from behind and crashed through the window of a restaurant and rolled on the tables and chairs.

    [Ice Spear (B+)]

    [Poison Fog (B)]

    Meanwhile, the mages shot spells from behind. Clouds of poison covered him from all sides. It was undodgeable and the spear of ice was bound to reach him!

    Even though the mage was certain of his victory,

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    He suddenly realised that the spear was for some reason in the intruder¡¯s hand.

    Without even sparing a nce at the poisonous fog, the man swung the spear and smacked the head of one of the other superhumans that were running towards him. The spear shattered alongside the head leaving behind a sharp piece of ice that now resembled a sword. He then used the shorter piece of ice like a sword.

    What kind of bullshit was this?

    The captain of the standby troops widened his eyes.

    The intruder walked towards him. Startled, the captain tried to distance himself with blink but he could not cast his spell. Huh? What the fuck is this? He thought as his throat was grabbed by the man.

    ¡°Uh, hulk¡­! Kuhk!¡±

    Unable to breathe, the captain swung his wand in fright and struck the man on his head, but it felt as if he was hitting a piece of steel with wood.

    Before long, the force strangling his neck became indescribably immense. ¡®Kuu¡­¡¯ Without saying a single word, the man carried the captain and ced his eye in front of the iris scanning device of the elevator.

    The floor limit of the standby troops captain was Floor 59.

    The interdimensional force of the elevator seeped into his body. By the time he reopened his eyes and walked out onto the 59th floor, he was met with high-ranked mages who had heard of the infiltrator through the Tower¡¯smunication system to run towards the elevator.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    ¡°Who are you!¡±

    The intruder didn¡¯t bother saying anything, since they wouldn¡¯t listen even if he were to say something.

    While leaving the elevator, he grabbed the steel door of the elevator as the handle dented following the shape of his fingers.

    Every steel inside the Tower was made with a special type of alloy and even a 5mm thinyer of it was impossible to be twisted by an ogre. Having that dent like y in front of their eyes frightened the mages.

    Soon, the man plucked the steel door out and raised it up.

    ¡°Dodge it!¡±

    ¡°The elder will be here soon! D, don¡¯t let the guy go any further!¡±

    It was a futile attempt.

    The steel door came flying in at an overwhelming speed. It shattered their barrier spells and sent all the superhumans back, crashing through the wall.

    In the midst of chaos, Yu Jitae suppressed the remaining superhumans with a simple solution ¨C violence. Every time he swung his fist, at least one of them always ended up rolling on the ground.

    They shot mes and lightning strikes but couldn¡¯t stop nor inflict any harm on him.

    ¡°Stop there!¡±

    It was then.

    Along with a shout, light gathered in the middle of thin air and increasingly got bothrger and brighter. When the light vanished, it was reced by an old woman wearing a hoodie.

    ¡°I am Maria, an old woman who had been with the Tower from its beginning days. Are you the young infiltrator? Are you here alone?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Not sure what the reason may be, but how about you stop here and we have a conversation, hnn? I respect your passion, young man.¡±

    Tower of Mages, 7th in hierarchy ¨C a high ranker who used to be Rank 117 before renouncing her rank.

    [Maria Valentine]

    She was the elder of the Valentine household and¡­ she was the aunt of Valentine the witch and had previously aimed for the position of the Tower Lord.

    ¡°I do not know how you ended up here, but I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t easy. You must have gone through a lot as well¡­ Right?¡± said the old woman, while trying to appease him with a warm and benevolent voice.

    There must be a reason why this old woman in her 80s was here instead of the other elders.

    It might be because she wasn¡¯t a part of the 72nd floor research, or because she was the one with the loudest voice that could reach the public¡­

    To Yu Jitae, thetter seemed a lot more realistic.

    Her niece was the Witch.

    The disciple of her niece was one of the five transcendents, and the other sons and daughters of the household were revered for being blood rtives of the Witch.

    The reason he was able toe up here so easily was because all the powerful mages of the Tower were on the 72nd floor for the research. Thus, it was more correct to view the sole remaining person as one who had stayed behind due to their political influence ¨C someone who could make things troublesome with their global influence.

    When he didn¡¯t say anything back, the old woman seemed to have found that insulting and raised her voice.

    ¡°Ehem. Young man! Don¡¯t do that to yourself because of your youth. People can make mistakes in life, but before you regret doing something irreversible, let us have a conversation. Hnn?¡±

    Of course, that had nothing to do with him. He moved at the speed of lightning and struck the old woman by the chin.

    ¡®Kuhk,¡¯ she dropped her staff as his hand reached for her neck.

    It was fortunate that at least one of the Tower¡¯s elders had stayed behind.

    ¡°Open your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Uhk, hkk, kuhuk¡­¡±

    ¡°Open them. Before I dig them out.¡±

    ¡°Hkk¡­ Bastard, you are from the Association aren¡¯t you¡­? You will regret¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t have time.

    m!

    The old woman¡¯s head turned to the side. After that, he entered the elevator and forcibly separated her eyelids. When the device recognised her eye, fragments of light began to envelope the old woman¡¯s body but he kicked her out of the elevator. Her role was done.

    ¡°Wait¡­!¡±

    Despite being kicked and hit, the old woman did not faint nor give up. She desperately tried to re-enter the elevator.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go! That is not allowed!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s not allowed.¡±

    ¡°If you understood even a small portion of that person¡¯s suffering, you won¡¯t dare go there! You cannot possibly do such a thing!¡±

    A purple stigma appeared on the old woman¡¯s forehead as she entered a frenzy. It was the evidence of brainwash that was confirmed on Edrei.

    He kicked the old woman who was trying to crawl back into the elevator and soon, his body was covered by blinding light.

    *

    Tower of Mages 69F.

    An ancient weapon was here protecting the 72nd floor, the heart and brain of the Tower. A Level 4 defensive artifact.

    [Gate Guardian]

    Therge mechanical doll that reached 4 metres in height, was sitting down on a small chair. Next to it was the staircase leading to the 70th floor.

    The authority this destructive artifact had was [Unlimited Regeneration]. Surprisingly enough, the Gate Guardian was unable to be harmed no matter what the opponent was as long as it was inside the designated territory.

    It constantly regenerated at an ultrahigh rate, at the cost of practically nothing. Yu Jitae, who had been curious of its regenerative abilities, had fought it for 10 days and 10 nights back in the 5th iteration before retreating.

    sh¡­

    Red lights appeared in the sockets with a flicker, sensing something that approached from beneath.

    Gate Guardian raised its body. It had been a long time since it met an enemy. The opponent was estimated to be a human but appeared extremely strong.

    Despite being created for the purpose of fighting, there had been no chance to. Rotating its joints, Gate Guardian unsheathed the greatsword from its back and readied itself.

    It was starting to be heated up for the first time in a long time ¡ª

    That was until the floor went crumbling down.

    Kwaaangg¨C!

    The territory designated by the Gate Guardian was the 69th floor. When the ceiling of the 68th floor copsed, the guardian fell out of its area, disabling its ess to unlimited regeneration.

    In order to cut down on time, Yu Jitae avoided a frontal fight with it.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C 2nd Form]

    [Chainsaw Form]

    Killing intent merged like des and rotated following a chain. Yu Jitae¡¯s killing intent that now resembled an electric chainsaw divided and crushed the two legs and wings of the Gate Guardian. The aftermath of his attack was immense. A portion of the 69th floor¡¯s walls were blown away, revealing the red sky of the other world.

    Uiing! Uiiingg!

    Leaving behind the wriggling Gate Guardian, Yu Jitae climbed the stairs heading straight to the 72nd floor.

    *

    Atst when he was running up the 71st floor¡¯s staircase, Yu Jitae felt a somewhat familiar sensation.

    It felt extremely familiar for some reason¡­

    Something he had felt dozens and hundreds of times at least between his previous iterations ¨C he had not considered those in-between rounds as iterations and his memories of the time, that were therefore hazy, were starting to float back up.

    Don¡¯t tell me¡­

    The Regressor thought to himself.

    There¡¯s no way.

    A gloomy aura covered the ground, singing tunes of death. The will that wished for something to die and disappear gathered above the ground into a faint form. It momentarily dissipated when his feet touched the ground, but soon clunked up again to follow his body from behind.

    After he flew through the staircase, he found therge gates of the 72nd floor at the end of a long corridor. The thing that Q was desperately trying to hide should be on the other side of that door.

    Kwang!

    Yu Jitae kicked the door open. Inside was something that would shock any and every superhuman.

    There was a nest.

    Arge nest.

    ck and long, yet hiltless des were intertwined, forming arge nest as big as a sports stadium.

    The des that substituted the twigs of the nest were piercing through human bodies who had their arms wide apart as if crucified. There were more than a hundred of them there and half of their bodies were covered by purplish liquid.

    After scrutinising their appearances, Yu Jitae realised that they were the elders of the Tower.

    He frowned.

    All the mages that were involved in the 72nd floor¡¯s research were prated on the nest.

    Yu Jitae approached one of them and wiped off the purple liquid that was covering their face. Revealed from inside was a man with a wavy beard, who gave off an old yet fierce impression.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It seemed that even the lord of the Tower of Mages was in this state.

    ¡°Who are you¡­?¡±

    That was when the Tower Lord, prated by des, opened his eyes. The old man with a curly beard looked at him with a faint gaze and asked.

    ¡°Who¡­?¡±

    He was physically alive and even his mind was fresh. Despite that, mana was being sucked out from their bodies by therge nest.

    Before long, he felt arge aura and jumped up tond on the nest.

    Something opened its eyes from within the darkness and he had to turn his gaze towards the tall ceiling to meet its eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    30 metres in height; a body covered with ck scales. He could see the tough tendons on its arms and legs as well as a powerful pair of legs.

    Swoosh¨C

    It opened its wings. Large wings threatening to cover the entirety of the enormous 72nd floor fluttered.

    He found it strange.

    The numerous ck dragons that he had seen all had ck eyes but the one in front of him was different. The dragon faced him with vertically-slit pupils and ¡®purple eyes¡¯ that he had never seen before on a dragon,

    [I was hoping you would note here but¡­]

    [Since you are here anyway, I shall wee you.]

    It was a simple transmission of will and yet caused the dimensions to shiver and shudder.

    [Wee.]

    The adult ¡®ck dragon¡¯ greeted Yu Jitae.

    [My Nemesis.]

 Chapter 292: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (3)

    <h4>Chapter 292: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (3)</h4>

    ck dragon.

    One of the dragon races born from Askalifa, the dimension of dragons, who was a unique bunch that lived across other dimensions instead of Askalifa. They were ¡®dimensional vagrants¡¯ who caused the most number of problems all over different worlds.

    In addition, they were also the dragon race who had died the most to Yu Jitae.

    Therefore, after confirming that the one in front of his eyes was a ck dragon, and after hearing it use the expression ¡®nemesis¡¯ towards him, Yu Jitae felt countless questions clogging his mind.

    To the point that he didn¡¯t know what he had to ask first.

    ¡°Your nemesis¡­ I have no idea what you mean.¡±

    [No idea?]

    The dragon mentally replied to him.

    His first doubt was its purple eyes.

    ¡°What is there to dislike.¡±

    The woman he coincidentally met at the store that sold Wyvernips, Myu. And a ck dragon with the same-coloured eyes who was at the Tower of Mages, the same location as her.

    There appeared to be a big corrtion there.

    Because of that, Yu Jitae tested the dragon out.

    ¡°Were you that dissatisfied with me buying thest Wyvernip?¡±

    [No.]

    And the dragon casually replied to him.

    [But why wouldn¡¯t I call a human that will now try to steal my home a nemesis?]

    Myu replied and the authenticity hanging on the [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)] was true.

    It was soon followed byughter.

    [How woefully unfortunate was I? It was such a good day that I went outside and yet I just had toe across an Association guy¡­]

    The dragon nonchntly confessed that it was Q.

    There was a small inevitability within the coincidence ¨C Yu Jitae had gone there for the dragons and that was why he came across another dragon.

    ¡°You probably know well, but I will confirm it before we begin with the official affairs. I am the Association¡¯s Grade 5 agent, Season.¡±

    [I have heard many stories about you already, Prophet Season.]

    ¡°Did you hear from Edrei?¡±

    [Indeed.]

    ¡°I will now begin with the investigation as a Grade 5 agent of the Association. I wish for your obedient cooperation. Your name.¡±

    He said that to end the unnecessary conversation.

    Yu Jitae was expecting the ck dragon to disobey because the ck race were known for their brutality and trickery that rivalled that of the red race. He was going to use that as justification for bashing up and making it open its mouth.

    However, the ck dragon obediently replied against his expectations.

    [Myu.]

    He could feel its enjoyment despite the mentalmunication.

    It might be thinking of it as a roley and might be acting arrogant, but that had nothing to do with him.

    ¡°Affiliation.¡±

    [An adult dragon of the ck race as you can see.]

    ¡°Age.¡±

    [ording to this ce¡¯s calction, well, I do not know. Between 300 to 1,000 years old?]

    ¡°Quite young. Why are your eyes purple.¡±

    [A mutation.]

    All of the above were true.

    Yu Jitae was reflecting in silence on its name, face and age to think of all the ck dragons he knew. Myuughed into his mind.

    [Why. Do you want the ID card again?]

    It was a sarcasticment which Yu Jitae did not bother replying to.

    In the meantime, he finished his reflection.

    There was no dragon called ¡®Myu¡¯ out of the 27 ck dragons that Yu Jitae had met across the nearby dimensions during his [Sovereign Hunt].

    ¡°Why did you buy a Wyvernip.¡±

    [By the way, do you have time for a carefree investigation like this? I¡¯m sure the outside is in an uproar.]

    That was something for the Association to handle.

    ¡°Just answer the question.¡±

    [Do you know anything about our race?]

    ¡°If you are talking about the interdimensional incorrigible trash vagrants, I do know them very well.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a figure of speech. In fact, every world that was inhabited by ck dragons suffered from them no matter what world it was.

    Unlike other races who were forced by the [Origin Fragment] to stay within Askalifa as much as possible after bing adults, the ck race had no such a thing. They would continue wreaking havoc across different dimensions even after bing an adult.

    It seemed that the dragon wasn¡¯t very content with Yu Jitae¡¯s expression. The voice of the ck dragon ringing his mind turned sharp.

    [¡­Watch your words regarding me and my race.]

    ¡°Did I say anything wrong?¡±

    [I will only repeat it onest time. Watch your mouth before I truly consider you my nemesis and rip you to death.]

    The ck dragon quietly revealed its fury. Yu Jitae gazed back into the purple eyes in silence as Myu added after a short silence.

    [¡­I have bought the Wyvernip because I like its scent. I smelled it for the first time aftering to Earth and realised it soothes my emotions.]

    ¡°Your emotions?¡±

    [I have long wanted to resemble humans. I was unable to be like one from birth but I can act like one for a bit so long as I have the scent of the Wyvernip.]

    Its authenticity on the Eyes of Equilibrium was true.

    It seemed that it had bought the flower for purely controlling its emotions. It was a surprise that the ck dragons that always hated everything could calm down from the simple scent of a flower.

    ¡°How did you crawl in here.¡±

    Second doubt.

    <How is a ck dragon on Earth?>

    A ck dragon had never been on Earth until the 7th iteration, and it¡¯s not like he had affected the outside dimensions in any way. The only variable in this iteration was the [Great Hostility], but Vintage Clock wasn¡¯t giving him any warnings regarding it.

    [It was by coincidence that I came in. Following the disjoint of dimensions.]

    ¡°A dimensional disjoint? When was it.¡±

    [This is my 5th spring ording to the calcting methods of thisnd.]

    5 years. It meant that the dimensional disjoint it went through was around the same time as the baby dragons. This too was true ording to the Eyes of Equilibrium.

    ¡°Exin it in more detail, so I can understand.¡±

    [It is nothing much. We are the only race that can freely move between dimensions and so am I. I was caught up by mistake during my journey and ended up here.]

    ¡°Did youe alone?¡±

    [Have you ever seen the ck race travel with someone else?]

    He did, and thus the question.

    ¡°So. Yes or no.¡±

    [I havee alone.]

    Yu Jitae stood still and thought to himself.

    Out of his three doubts, he asked two and heard its response.

    1. The ck dragon was Myu.

    2. It was brought in due to the variable of the 7th iteration.

    And the third doubt.

    ¡°You must now follow me to the Association. For instigating armed Anti-Association movements and illegal protests, responsiblity for 57,000 murder cases and illegal smuggling of weapons.¡±

    [Will you be locking up a dragon somewhere?]

    ¡°We¡¯ll see. It will depend on your response.¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly walked forward while adding pressure to the surrounding air. The 72nd floor, expanded with an interdimensional spell, was asrge as two football fields but the sound of his boots trampling the des echoed across the entire room.

    ¡°Be prudent with answering this question. Your life and death will depend on your response.¡±

    Releasing his killing intent, Yu Jitae asked with a lower voice. His irritation about all the things that had annoyed him over the past six months was mixed into the question.

    ¡°Why did you antagonise the Association as Q,¡±

    Clomp¡­

    ¡°Why did you lead the Anti-Association terrorist group Quasar,¡±

    Clomp¡­

    ¡°Why did you drive a wedge between G12 and other nations and the Association.¡±

    Clomp¡­

    ¡°Why did you educate young kids into suicide bombers of Quasar; kill the young grandson of Christoph¡­¡±

    Clomp¡­

    ¡°Why did you rip the top rankers of the world that tried to stop you. Why did you shoot the Downfall and why did you render the mages of the Tower into this state.¡±

    His footsteps stopped in front of therge feet of the ck dragon. Gazing up at the ceiling, he increased his killing intent, thinking of shing its ankles off first if he were to be met with a brainless response.

    But what came back was something he had never expected. Myu¡¯sughter began to ring his mind.

    [My Nemesis. You sure are asking the weirdest questions.]

    ¡°What?¡±

    [Are you telling me I did all that? Really?]

    Yu Jitae frowned.

    [Look. So I have be this individual called Q to antagonise the Association, summon the Quasar and nurture young humans, kill a child I do not know with a bomb, kill high rankers and pierced every one of the mages in this tower by hand? Me, thiszy and noble dragon? What kind of dragon would live such a diligent life?]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    [It has been 5 years since I¡¯ve ced my feet on thisnd. We are a race that roams freely but there is also the wish to settle in one ce inside of us. I was the same. And thus I looked for various beings who had the same scent as I do. Yes, including those humans who you refer to as ¡®demons¡¯.]

    The ck dragon opened its wings out wide.

    [Build me a house. I requested them.]

    ¡°By house, do you mean this nest?¡±

    [At the start it was built out of nk. They wanted a negotiation. Being a nice ck dragon, I looked into what their desires were. It¡¯s nothing difficult. Dragons can read others¡¯ memories and emotions. Do you know what they wanted? Something very obvious ¨C they wanted power.]

    [By nature, humans be stronger by forming a society. And it is easier to group with amon enemy in mind. There happened to be everyone all around who hated the Association, you see.]

    [So I helped those who had the same goal meet and be closer. So that they could lend each other help. And then I was sought after by more humans, each from different groups.]

    ¡°¡­Groups?¡±

    Yu Jitae squinted his eyes.

    [Where do you think I would have met Edrei? That human was in an Anti-Association group behind the curtains in the first ce. Because he hated Chaliovan. It¡¯s the same for these mages over here you know? They voluntarily became the sacrifice. Give me a ce and materials to build my nest and I will help with the research, I told them, and they wanted me to use themselves for it.]

    [Going back to your question; did I antagonise the Association as Q? Did I massacre young children? Carry out terrorist attacks? Stab mages with des for my nest? Shoot the Downfall?]

    [Well I have no clue, because I didn¡¯t do any one of them. I¡¯ve never been this ¡®Q¡¯ person that you guys were bbering about!]

    It said with amenting voice as if it was being falsely used, and yet there was a hint ofughter in between.

    Q is an illusion. That¡¯s what Myu was saying.

    [I merely gave them a sword.]

    [The rest is what the humans did.]

    After finishing her words, Myu was unable to stop herself fromughing uncontrobly.

    It was a rather disheartening response.

    Naturally, the authenticity shown by the [Eyes of Equilibrium] was true.

    It meant that the grave of Wings of Snow Light was robbed by someone else, and also meant that shooting the Downfall was due to the personal choice of someone in Mexico done in order to protect Myu who would be at the Tower of Mages.

    [After painstakingly working for 5 years, I barely managed to create my nest but you havee here riding on the back of the Association, and you will now try to take my house away. You are therefore my nemesis.]

    Everytime, it was like this.

    No-one knew how the centre of a hurricane agitating the oceans and disturbing the earth would look.

    Yu Jitae gave a nod. Everything Myu said was true and thanks to that emotionless exnation, it made him a little bit more certain that Myu had nothing to do with [Hostility].

    It was nothing to be surprised about but in any case, it was also true that she had quickened the flow of the entire world subconsciously.

    ¡°I see. That is the end of my questions.¡±

    [Is that so? If all your questions are cleared, how about we carry out a deal?]

    ¡°A deal?¡±

    [Tell me anything you want and I will listen. But in return, please do not touch my nest. I will move to a quiet and secluded area so don¡¯t find me either.]

    ¡°I can¡¯t allow that.¡±

    [What?]

    He got the answers he needed and it was now time to finish what he had to do.

    ¡°Sorry but I cannot let you go.¡±

 Chapter 293: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (4)

    <h4>Chapter 293: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (4)</h4>

    5th Iteration.

    He had to be a part of an Anti-Association group to kill Chaliovan; he struggled against the Seat of Deepest Desire, Noah, and could not save the red hatchling who had been swept away by the currents of war.

    The reason for the 5th iteration¡¯s failure could be summarised into one word.

    It was because he was weak.

    Yu Jitae was weak.

    Because of that, he tried every method to make himself stronger after the end of the 5th iteration. He was killed by those holding killing intent against him to develop his Shapeless Sword, trained how to use a sword and learned how to manage mana traces from the grave of Wings of Snow Light.

    Andstly, he went on a [Sovereign Hunt].

    One of the sovereigns he killed during that was the head of the ck dragon race, [Lugiathan].

    To prepare for the fight against Lugiathan, Yu Jitae had previously seeked out other ck dragons. He visited every single nearby dimension and found exactly 27 ck dragons and there, he saw clearly what happened to a world inhabited by a ck dragon.

    ¡°I can¡¯t leave you here. You must follow me.¡±

    [Are you still going to act like a police? Let me hear your reason at least.]

    ¡°I have seen numerous ck dragons. From 27 dimensions, I saw 27 ck dragons, both young and old.¡±

    And the worlds he found ck dragons in were¡­

    ¡°All those dimensions were long ruined.¡±

    Barren wastnds with not a single hint of life. A world devoid of anything worth calling mother nature.

    Water hadpletely dried up and the humid wind carried sand everywhere.

    Every dimension was the same.

    ¡°If you have yet to reach 1,000, you must be quite young for an adult dragon. It might be your first time hearing it but it¡¯s true.¡±

    [And what about it? How would that rte to me?]

    ¡°Of course it would. Back then, I became curious about the reason. Why would a ck dragon do such a thing? I was curious and looked into it.¡±

    Polluting the water; raising the temperature; attacking everything nearby in a sudden frenzy and suppressing the weak to death.

    ¡°¡­Because I thought there would obviously be a ¡®reason¡¯ for doing such things.¡±

    There in fact was no reason.

    That was simply what a ck dragon was ¨C they were the destroyer of nature that ruined dimensions.

    [Like I said, how does that have anything to do with me?]

    ¡°And yet they do not bother sparing a nce at a world that has an existing sovereign. In that sense, it must be true that you have identallye to this ce.¡±

    Only choosing the weak and easy dimensions and leading those worlds into pollution and apocalypse was the characteristic of ck dragons.

    The mere existence of a ck dragon was poison and Myu¡¯s existence right now was no different from a bag of poison being dropped onto Earth. The pouch would open whenever and wherever Myu desired.

    ¡°While going through the nearby dimensions, I came across a vige of some dwarfs that had devout religious beliefs. They referred to you guys like this.¡±

    Large garbage.

    Flying chaos.

    Poor vagrants of dimensions.

    Destroyer of order.

    Or,

    ¡°The trash of Askalifa.¡±

    It seemed that the whole race of ck dragons had been chased out of Askalifa in the distant past. He didn¡¯t exactly know why but could guess the reason after meeting various ck dragons from all around.

    There was a reason why they were chased out.

    [Then, are you treating me the same way as them just because I¡¯m a ck dragon?]

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    [What a harsh spection.]

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t feel the need to share a long conversation anymore. The being in front of him would definitely cause harm to humanity.

    ¡°I will give you onest chance.¡±

    If this was in the past, or even near the start of the 7th iteration, he would have immediately smashed the ck dragon to death.

    ¡°Obediently change yourself to human form and follow me.¡±

    [How absurd. And what will you do then?]

    ¡°I will lock you. You will be separated and managed by me so that you can¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±

    [We are the wandering race. I would rather leave Earth than be locked away from freedom.]

    ¡°Even if you leave to another dimension, you mighte back one day, thus you must go through the necessary procedures.¡±

    In that instant, the ck dragon¡¯s aura surged forth.

    [I wanted to see how far you were going to take it, but truly¡­]

    The obedient attitude was no longer there and the voice being transmitted to his mind was full of irritation. It seemed that the ck dragon was sincerely enraged.

    [You are overstepping your boundaries, my Nemesis.]

    Good. This was it.

    In fact, the purple-eyed dragon in front of him was a lot more poised than the other ck dragons he had seen. If it had stable emotions, it was fine to let it live. If Myu was able to either swallow her anger or maintain himself as the only target of her rage due to being a mutant, Yu Jitae would chase her outside without killing it since that meant that she could control the mouth of the pouch herself.

    But if she couldn¡¯t do so and followed her instincts to wreak havoc, Yu Jitae would have no choice but to kill Myu.

    Therefore, he provoked her even more.

    ¡°Overstepping my boundaries?¡±

    [I have told you already. To not run your mouth against my noble race as a lowly human.]

    ¡°Are you discontent with me expressing the truth? It is for you to endure. That filth is what your race has done across every dimension. Or are you embarrassed by the adults of your race?¡±

    [How dare you call our race by such a name with ignorance? Cut your fingers off immediately and apologise to me. Otherwise you will greatly regret it.]

    Tension rose in the air, threatening to rip any time but Yu Jitae did not stop his provocation. If he had to open the pouch of poison, he had to do it now while his powers were released.

    ¡°Live quietly in a corner with your nest? Such nonsense. You are different from the other dragon races. Aren¡¯t you just a cluster of pollution that uses your ability to ¡®convey¡¯ memories and emotions to pollute others with your disgusting and unpleasant emotions? You are no different from bats and rats that transmit gues.¡±

    [Enough¨C!]

    Her wings spread far and wide as she lowered her body. With eyes overflowing with killing intent, she looked at him with a different light in her eyes.

    [You are forcing me to forget the kindness of your flower.]

    It was a familiar gaze. It had a different colour but had the same look as the eyes of the 27 ck dragons that he had seen.

    ¡°Do not remember any gratitude. You trashes of Askalifa who corrupted the elves that helped you settle to lead them to destruction; who polluted the oceans and made the Nagas that kindly shared it with you die.¡±

    The purple eyes shivered from its surging fury. Yu Jitae felt Myu¡¯s killing intent rising. It was a considerable amount of willpower even for an adult dragon, possibly because it was a mutant.

    [¡­]

    However, a ck dragon was still a ck dragon. The trash of Askalifa was still trash despite being a mutant.

    [You are begging for your own disaster¡­]

    The evil of every dimension; a disaster and a contaminant. As if to prove that, the ck dragon¡¯s eyes flipped and it¡¯s killing intent fluctuated the surrounding dimensions.

    In an instant, the dragon reached its wings far and wide.

    [Killing you is nothing difficult but yes, after hearing your words, I¡¯m thinking there is no reason to not follow my instincts. So everything that happens from now is what you have brought upon yourself.]

    Its voice was still tranquil but its mental state was not.

    Myu had just lost her rationality. The endless and unjustified grudge that was located in the minds of every ck dragon also existed in her mind.

    ¡°I knew it.¡±

    Yu Jitae flew towards Myu, carrying in his hand a killing intent that could even tear through the tough flesh of dragons.

    All the purple aura that had been absorbed from the nest was hanging on the wings of the dragon as a ck aura began to create ayer over the ck dragon¡¯s body.

    His provocation being the reason for its fury was nothing but an excuse. Yu Jitae knew that Myu was unable to fight against her own instincts and was trying to destroy the world.

    In the end, as long as it stayed on Earth, this was bound to happen one day.

    [Mass Teleport (SS)]

    It was then. Something that he hadn¡¯t anticipated urred.

    An interdimensional movement spell that had been pre-organised by Myu unfolded.

    ¡°Stop right there¡ª!¡±

    Yu Jitae bellowed. The beast-like roar shook the entirety of the 72nd floor like thunder,

    But the dragon had vanished already.

    This was different from other dragons. Even though it might have been a spell prepared beforehand through [Memorise (S)], the casting time of the spell was still absurd and ridiculously fast.

    It must be its ability as a mutant.

    The dragon was let loose on Earth. The situation at hand became more pressing and urgent than any before.

    The remaining aura of the ck dragon¡¯s nest was trying to restrict him. Adding more killing intent, Yu Jitae pushed Shapeless Sword to its limit. He then carried the killing intent with both hands, and raised it towards the heavens.

    He had no time to bother descending the tower.

    *

    The Association¡¯s Strategy Council.

    ¡°Huuk!¡±

    ¡°What is that! Oi! How big is that thing!¡±

    ¡°It, it¡¯s a 40-metre-tallrge monster!!¡±

    People shouted back and forth.

    A signalman was staring at the screen disying the sky of the South Pacific Ocean. A 40-metre tall flying monster ¨C a jet-ck beast resembling a wyvern in appearance. The soldiers were shocked after seeing the mana output that was being felt from the beast ¨C an SSS rank; a monster with the same rank as the ¡®boss¡¯ that appeared in the East-Asian Great War was on the screen.

    ¡°Dispatch the Vanguard Frontier Royal legions 2, 3, 6 right now! It is a continuation of R5! And¡­¡±

    It was when Zhuge Haiyan was giving out variousmands in astonishment with her eyes fixed on the screen.

    ¡°D, d, director!¡±

    ¡°Say itter. Later! Do you not see the priorities?¡±

    ¡°T, T¡ª¨C¡±

    A different signalman stuttered from the side. Zhuge Haiyan ignored it and focused on the pressing matters but the following shout of the soldier stopped her body.

    ¡°The Tower of Magesssss¡ª¨C!!!¡±

    ¡°What is it! What about the Tower¡­¡±

    Tower of Mages? The ce where Prophet Season went to?

    When she turned towards the screen, she froze on the spot. Somethingrge was falling from within the clouds.

    It didn¡¯t feel realistic and she felt as if someone had smacked her head as hard as they could.

    Zhuge Haiyan absent-mindedly murmured.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    Inside the disy screen.

    Arge section of the Tower of Mages was crumbling towards the ground.

    *

    The ck dragon after teleporting out was gradually moving further off into the distance. It was about 10 kilometres away already and itsrge body appeared as small as a fingernail.

    Kwanng¨C!

    Yu Jitae kicked off the air.

    The current enemy was an extremely dangerous one.

    The situation was different from the phenomenon that urred with the death of the baby dragons. The adult dragons there had their minds coerced by the [Origin Fragment] into instinctive ughter.

    However, this dragon had a clear mind and ego, and was intelligent. It would now lead to a horrendous situation.

    A single dragon losing its mind and being controlled by its desire to ughter would fight against humans. It would lead to a fight and the dragon would eventually die after being outnumbered.

    Several dragons losing their mind being controlled by their desire to kill would multiply the scale. Humans might be annihted but that would still be the result of a war.

    However, what if one single dragon, that had a very clear understanding of Earth, were to move in order to kill the most number of humans on its own volition?

    That would no longer result in either a fight or a war.

    It would be a massacre.

    As if to prove that, the mouth of the dragon in the far off distance cracked open. Myu¡¯s heart roared as the skies pulsed in response.

    He pressed on, as fast as he could.

    Shortening the distance of 10 kilometres seemed unfathomically difficult, due to the purple wings of that dragon that were doped with the mana of humanity¡¯s strongest mages.

    Soon, an explosive burst of mana gathered at its mouth and the friction caused the surrounding mana to scatter into all sides. Buzz! Buzzz! Sparks shed from it as several purple spheres of mana appeared around the dragon.

    In the shape of a fan, they expanded ¨C all aiming at one ce.

    Yu Jitae frowned and,

    [Dragon Breath]

    Tuuung¡ª-

    A purple ray of light was shot from its mouth,

    Kugugugung¡ª

    Spheres of mana followed suit.

    That ray of light carrying an immeasurable output of mana even forced Myu¡¯srge body back from the pressure and drew a clear cylindrical line dividing the sky.

    The concentrated breath of an adult dragon immediately fell upon various inds all around Oceania.

    *

    Melbourne, Australia. Central Oceania Commercial Tower.

    The workers that were having an early dinner at the 105th floor heaved out sighs. Looking down over the windows, they could see a beach underneath with people having a rxed afternoon. It was when the workers were shoving food into their mouth, thinking ofing for a surf or two over the weekends.

    ¡°Hnn? Something¡¯s shing over there.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re right¡­¡±

    Something purple shed in the sky. The sun had yet to set so it was strange for the sky to flicker in a time like this.

    ¡°Is it aet?¡±

    ¡°Is it? But why is it getting bigger¡­¡±

    The purple light rapidly increased in size during the worker¡¯s question. As the workers all paused their hands and turned towards the window, they saw therge purple light sweeping past the beach.

    The ray of light shook the earth. It reached even the central regions of Bendigo all the way from Melbourne, which was at least 140 kilometres away.

    It caused a white explosion after touching the ground. The condensed sparks and steam of the explosion expanded in the shape of a dome surrounding Bendigo City.

    It was followed by a thunderous roar echoing the world. Every window and ss shattered and the workers either bounced off or rolled the ground due to the aftershock.

    One of the workers crawled on all fours and looked down at the beach.

    ¡°Kyaaaaak! Ahh, ahhh! Ahh¡­!¡±

    The beach that had been enveloped by the ray of light had evaporated. Not a single trace of a living person remained.

    Following that, all the lights of the tower turned off due to the power supply being caught up in the explosion.

    ¡°Ahh, ahhhh¡­¡±

    The worker didn¡¯t even notice the ss fragment digging into her fingers. Her scream noisily echoed through the darkness.

 Chapter 294: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (5)

    <h4>Chapter 294: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (5)</h4>

    That was only the beginning of the true disaster. ck dragon¡¯s breath had the attribute of destroying and absorbing nearby mana and was detrimental to a magic-engineered civilisation.

    Despite having lost her rationality, Myu was still crafty.

    There was a reason for the direction of its breath ¨C the two biggest mana power nts of Australia were destroyed in a straight line. Now, the mana cirction of Australia will be momentarily stopped.

    Nonfunctioning power nts meant no electricity. It would limitmunication and ess to media as well as stop the production lines of factories. The electricity used to neutralise the pollution would disappear, stop the water supply and sewage systems, and make it difficult to have ess to drinkable water.

    All of the above was what Myu was aiming for.

    On the days of the Apocalypse, in the span of a month that the dragons had spent destroying Earth, Yu Jitae had managed to kill 10 dragons. Each dragon had countless protective blessings and were thus difficult to kill. More time was needed to kill such enormous monsters.

    However, he could not afford to do so right now. He had to kill it as soon as possible even if it came at a big cost.

    Thanks to the ck dragon being pushed back after shooting its breath, Yu Jitae was able to shorten the gap between them. He erged the range of his Shapeless Sword to the limit.

    He had to sever its wings.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C 3rd Form]

    [Forked Lightning Form]

    Like the twigs of a tree; like how lightning extended its reach by forking into little strands. Yu Jitae¡¯s will to shred those wings to pieces was answered by his killing intent forking and stretching to all sides.

    Like a spider web, it limited the dragon¡¯s movements. The killing intent immediately shattered the blessings protecting the dragon¡¯s body and seeped into itsrge wings.

    Blood surged out like a fountain as the thin pair of wings ripped into little pieces.

    [¡ª¡ª!!]

    Despite not being in the right state of mind, its scream still managed to reach Yu Jitae¡¯s mind. After finally confronting him head-on, Myu noticed his power level and stuttered.

    [How could a human have such¡­]

    Meanwhile, balls of mana carrying the attributes of [suppression] and [pulverisation] surrounded Yu Jitae. It was possible to dodge but behind him was the city and he thus had to block it.

    Hundreds of balls of mana swept towards him like a sandstorm. Kwagwagwagwang! They exploded simultaneously and caused his body to wobble a little.

    After realising that it could not fight him head-on, the dragon began to avoid a frontal fight. Its instinct urged the dragon to avoid Yu Jitae while bombarding the regions nearby.

    It was a troublesome situation.

    The dragon did not fall despite its ripped wings. The unprecedented supply of mana still managed to allow therge body of the dragon to float and move in the air.

    Thus, Yu Jitae continued flying towards its back, repeatedly tearing its wings and crushing its back scales with the [Forked Lightning Form].

    In the meantime, dozens of spells endlessly fell towards him. A few of them were balls of me, while some of them were des of ice. Lightning asionally struck him from the sky and contracted his muscles.

    Each and every one of those spells was enough to immediately kill a ranker but Yu Jitae took all of it in with his body.

    His blessings managed to offset half of the spells but could not do so for the remaining half. Dodging all those spells would cost more time so Yu Jitae persevered, in order to save as much of humanity as he could.

    Yu Jitae, however, could not block the asionalrge-scale spells that Myu was shooting at the world. Countless magic spells appeared in the air and fell down. A few of them travelled longer due to the strong condensation and either resulted in a rain of fist-sized rocks, or des of wind that swept across thend.

    And another dragon breath caused an immense explosion in the Asian region.

    Crack!

    During all that, Yu Jitae crushed a portion of the dragon¡¯s scales and its spine. One of the bones of therge dragon that was 2.5 metres thick shattered from his strike.

    The dragon fluttered its wings from pain. Soon, it was no longer able to sustain itsrge body in the air and gradually began to fall.

    However, dragons were the rulers of mana.

    It did not sit back doing nothing.

    [Eradication (S)]

    ck mes that scorched everything, whether it be a blessing, mana, an authority or an existence, soared up.

    By using up the mana doping its wings, the mes soared towards Yu Jitae like the mouth of a beast. Yu Jitae did not dodge it. He received it from the front by crossing his arms in front of his body. The me burned a portion of his clothes and seared his skin.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He endured the pain.

    That was when countless magic circles appeared around the falling body of the ck dragon.

    [Teleportation: Bulk Exchange (SS)] ¨C a grand spell that moves an entire location instead of an individual.

    He hurriedly manipted his killing intent to interfere with the magic circles.

    But it didn¡¯t work. The spell was alreadypleted beforehand with [Memorise (S)]. It was ridiculous andpletely outsidemon sense to prepare an SS-grade spell beforehand with an S-grade spell.

    [Dimensional Step (S)]

    Yu Jitae folded the nearby areas and immediately jumped through dimensions to enter the purple area that was about to be substituted with a different location.

    He, who was not permitted by the spell, was treated as a foreign substance and mana turned into tens of thousands of needles to pierce through his body. An intense shock shook his body and made his head feel like exploding. His innards became a mess and blood flowed out of his eyes and ears but he endured all the pain.

    [You truly are obstinate.]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    [What¡¯s wrong? Are you happy now that I¡¯m doing this? I¡¯m destroying the world like how you described our race so are you happy now?]

    Soon, the ck dragon and Yu Jitae both re-appeared in the air above East Asia ¨C around 100 kilometres in the sky.

    They were so far up that they could see the round shape of the Earth and the blue surrounding atmosphere with their naked eyes. The shape of each continent and ocean that one could see from a map was unveiled underneath them.

    Dashing in, Yu Jitae used the [Chainsaw Form] to crush its scales and sh its neck. Half of the 4-metre long Shapeless Sword stabbed through its body and tore through its flesh.

    He heard its mental scream of pain but the dragon did not stop.

    [A mere human dares to show contempt to my race¡ª!!]

    Yu Jitae swung the sword again, this time aiming for the heart. The scales around the heart shattered as the bones crushed.

    Right when the killing intent was about to reach its heart, arge explosion bursted out from its heart and pushed Yu Jitae away.

    Immediately after that, the dragon used [Teleport: Bulk Exchange (SS)] yet again. But this time, the target was different. It tried to tear away the dimension where Yu Jitae was in so he distanced himself with all his might.

    [Ahh, now I get it.]

    [Here I was wondering how you were so strong¡­]

    [Are you perhaps, that Oscar Brzenk?]

    [Has Providence sent you to kill me?]

    The ck dragon appeared to be misunderstanding something, but Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply.

    [This is why I wanted to live quietly in a nest.]

    [I wanted to live like a human.]

    [It was time for all the hard work to pay off and yet,]

    [Why must Providence be so merciless on us, ck dragons?]

    As its will was conveyed to him all at once, Yu Jitae kicked off like a lightning strike to kill it. But that was when a resolute voice echoed through his mind.

    [My Nemesis.]

    [You resentful proxy of Providence.]

    [Do you think I will be simply annihted without any retaliation?]

    The dragon began to drop towards the earth at a rapid speed, with a heart full of mana intended for a dragon breath.

    It caught him off guard.

    The dragon was trying to explode itself.

    [Who could possibly dare kill me¡ª!]

    It was trying to sacrifice its entire dragon heart to destroy everything within sight!

    Yu Jitae hurriedly began to follow suit. The mana that it forced out all the way from the Tower of Mages intertwined with its dragon heart to explosively increase its output.

    No matter how much he increased his speed, he realised that it would be futile. It would somehow be possible to reach it, but he would not be able to stop the ck dragon from touching the ground.

    The condition of regression was the death of 95% of humanity.

    This was like a ¡®health bar¡¯ that Yu Jitae had. If the entire East-Asian region were to be destroyed and the attributes of the dragon heart were to expand and absorb mana for years, the world would enter a great depression, and would inevitably cause humans to kill and extort other humans.

    It would lead to the death of at least 20% of humanity.

    The Long Nights had yet to even arrive and at that rate, humanity would never be able to work in harmony. They were suffering this much already from a single adult dragon and the approaching enemy at the level of 3 adult dragons would definitely be a catastrophe.

    That was why Yu Jitae had to stop this from happening at all cost.

    Fortunately, they were still high in the air and the dragon was not too far.

    He had onest method that he could resort to.

    Yu Jitae gazed down at the world. He could see at least 10rge fissures bigger than 40 metres in size that had yet to close.

    He could deviate the falling trajectory of the ck dragon and force it into the fissure as long as he had something powerful enough to make that happen¡­

    And he did.

    [Conceptualisation (SS)]

    He resorted to the authority he stole by killing the head of the ck race, ¡®Lugiathan¡¯. [Conceptualisation] ¨C an ability that reced aspects that were unable to beprehended by an existence into an understandable concept.

    It modified each of his killing intent into a concept that appeared in front of his eyes. They turned into 1,000 bright orbs and formed a denseyer in front of him looking like a night sky filled with stars.

    Each of these were the ¡®will to kill¡¯ that Yu Jitae had personally collected and he soon consumed 150 of them without any hesitation.

    Some time, somewhere, someone. As those emotions and desires to kill that people had faced him with while shedding tears of blood shed like stars, Yu Jitae gathered them all into his hand.

    Revealed by [Conceptualisation], it formed the shape of a long spear.

    Kugugugung¡ª¨C

    Amidst the fall, the atmosphere resonated with Yu Jitae¡¯s mana.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C 5th Form]

    [Punishment]

    He threw the spear.

    The mightiest output of killing intent that Yu Jitae could create turned into a falling spear.

    It flickered dozens of times a second and shed. It would sometimes stop as if it was being repressed by the earth, and would sometimes spring off again. Whenever it did travel, it travelled through several kilometres in the blink of an eye.

    Atst, it pierced through the dragon¡¯s back and altered the direction of its fall.

    [¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!!]

    Ignoring the sharp scream ringing his mind, he concentrated on the falling body of the ck dragon. Itsrge body fell and was soon absorbed into a fissure located in the southern oceans of China.

    Yu Jitae threw his body into the fissure and followed it.

    There was a rocky mountain inside and the fissure was one that had already been cleared. After going inside, he found the ck dragon stuck in a pile of rocks.

    Therge flying beast reaching 40 metres in height, that was as big as three basketball courtsbined, was lying on the ground.

    Even though it was an adult dragon, and even though it was a mutant that had been doped with the mana of the greatest mages of the Tower, the strike that Yu Jitae forced out by permanently sacrificing a portion of his strength was nheless deadly.

    It was all over, and he simply had to end its life now.

    Kuruk, kuruk¡­

    Myu gasped for breath.

    Yu Jitae also had to endure a fair bit of fatigue as he climbed onto its stomach. He then paced across the shattered scales and headed for the heart.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But,

    That was when something strange entered his sight.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For a second, Yu Jitae doubted his eyes.

    Somethingpletely unbelievable was beside the shattered scales of the ck dragon¡¯s heart.

    ¡°How could¡­¡±

    His astonishment made his body freeze on the spot.

    The Regressor had never been this surprised in the 7th iteration.

    *

    There was a big hole on the ck dragon that went all the way from its back to the chest. Plus, the area near the dragon heart had suffered from Yu Jitae¡¯s attack and the heart was therefore barely holding on to its previous shape.

    Next to the shattered dragon heart was the Origin Fragment. It was natural because every dragon had it and the ck race was not an exception to that rule.

    However, Myu¡¯s [Origin Fragment] had a slightly different shape.

    The usual [Origin Fragment] resembled the crystal shape of a gem, and revolving around the gem was an ash-coloured ball. Like a moon revolving around Earth, it rotated and obstructed outside interference to protect the data that were inside the fragment.

    Its name was [Will of the Ancient One] and was something Yu Jitae could not break through no matter what he did. It was because it was an authority personally crafted by the mythical creature, Ancient One.

    A few experiments would have done it.

    Through repetitive research, he understood the principle behind how the fragment functioned and how it recorded data. However, the [Will of the Ancient One] always obstructed him from conducting an actual experiment.

    He had enough data and reference. If only he could conduct an experiment on how to activate it, he would have been able to use the Origin Fragment to immediately activate the [Emergency Summon] that would usually be activated on its own after 20 years.

    However, he could not carry out any experiments.

    It drove him crazy.

    Using thousands of methods, he tried to remove the Will of the Ancient One but it stubbornly remained and even Vintage Clock stated that it was impossible to break it apart.

    Experiments would be enough to end it all, and yet he simply could not conduct any experiment.

    Yu Jitae had to go through unimaginable mental torment when he powerlessly had to end his long-time research.

    And yet¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lowering his body, Yu Jitae gazed at the heart of the ck dragon. The Origin Fragment of the ck dragon Myu had a cracked [Will of the Ancient One].

    It felt as if a bucket of cold ice had been casted on his head.

    His heart raced like crazy.

    Licking his dried lips, Yu Jitae wetted his lips and gazed down at it once again.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The ¡®experimentable and dissectable Origin Fragment¡¯ that he had long desired was atst ced in front of his eyes.

    It all felt unrealistic and the world seemingly wavered around him.

    That was when he quickly came to himself.

    Kuruk, kuruk¡­

    Sensing the shallow breaths of the ck dragon within the dark fissure, Yu Jitae opened [Shallows of the Abyss (S)] in a panic and hurriedly took out an elixir to pour over the ck dragon¡¯s heart.

    He could not let this dragon die. Ever.

    He could never let this dragon ever die. Never.

    Thinking that, he was healing the dragon that was about to die but that was when he felt amotion in the mana outside the fissure.

    Yu Jitae gritted his teeth.

    The fight against the ck dragon was too impactful. The damage Myu had inflicted all over the world was enormous and the superhumans of each nation were thus not going to sit back and do nothing.

    Closing his eyes, he extended his sixth sense and felt the auras of the approaching top rankers.

    They wereing to kill the ck dragon.

 Chapter 295: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (6)

    <h4>Chapter 295: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (6)</h4>

    Each of the presences of the iing superhumans felt like the rusty smell of blood. Smelling that settled his feelings that were running amok due to the sudden situation and immediately cooled down the Regressor¡¯s mind.

    Kuruk, kuruk¡­

    Standing on top of therge dragon that was still gasping for breath, the Regressor thought to himself.

    There was a multi-purpose warp station in Spratly Inds that was linked with Australia, and in the Paracel Inds was China¡¯s military portal station.

    The current fissure was around the centre of the two teleportation devices. It was approximately 500 kilometres away from either of those ces and the aura he felt was what the superhumans scattered after teleporting to the respective warp stations.

    He assumed that they would be wearing manufactured mobile suits intended for fighting against flying monsters, that could cover roughly 750 km per hour.

    It would take them 45 minutes to get here.

    Yu Jitae did not like the ck dragon in front of him. Not because it shredded people to pieces or because it antagonised the Association.

    He simply detested the ck dragon race.

    Them settling inpletely unrted worlds and leading those dimensions into ruin ovepped with the adult dragons who had destroyed his world countless times. Aftering across 27 ck dragons, that hatred deeply rooted itself in a corner of his emotions.

    However, he was not foolish to the point of acting emotionally even after confirming the [Origin Fragment] that had a cracked [Will of the Ancient One].

    If he could experiment and figure out how the [Emergency Summon] functioned with the ck dragon¡¯s heart, it would enable him to safely return the baby dragons of Unit 301 who had identallynded on Earth due to a dimensional disjoint back home.

    As long as he could do that,

    Their tremendously long Amusements will finallye to an end,

    And Yu Jitae¡¯s earnest desire would finally be fulfilled.

    Because of that, he dissuaded himself from ripping the heart out.

    He had to heal the ck dragon and escape with it. The dragon heart after being poured with an elixir was enveloped with light as the wound slowly began to heal. Despite the immense recovery speed of dragons supplemented by the power of elixirs, the wound did not close that easily. It was because the wound had been inflicted by him.

    Before long, the soldiers would rush in.

    If they confirmed the existence of the dragon with their own eyes, Yu Jitae would have no justification to bring the dragon out. G12 alongside the Association and Australia, which had suffered the greatest losses, would iste the dragon and attempt to analyse it.

    There would be no room for his personal experiment.

    ¡®The dimensions are separate and no eyes can reach us. How about you kill everyone thates in and close the dimension, my lord.¡¯

    It was the suggestion of Clone 1, who shared his mind with Yu Jitae. Clone 1 was currently flying with the Last Squad of Humanity.

    ¡®It would take around 2 hours to forcibly close that dimension, so in the meantime, I will stand at the entrance of the fissure and make sure no-onees out alive.¡¯

    ¡®Waiting for yourmand, my lord.¡¯

    The clone was essentially suggesting that they used the fissure as a trap. Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration would have done that as it was the simplest and yet the most certain method to rely on.

    However, Yu Jitae shook his head.

    That would be a bad move.

    The iing soldiers were the top rankers of each nation ¨C great, noble and powerful superhumans. They were the ones that would be protecting humanity throughout the Long Nights so he had to let as many of them survive instead of intentionally killing them.

    Besides, the dragon¡¯s rampage had crossed the line and in a situation like this, ¡®that guy¡¯ would most certainly show himself.

    Even if he were to kill every single superhuman outside, he had to avoid killing ¡®him¡¯ no matter what.

    The best option would be escaping it altogether with thisrge dragon.

    Fortunately, he had the alternate dimension [Shallows of the Abyss (S)] and he just had to put Myu inside, but that wasn¡¯t easy either. An adult dragon had a status exceedingly higher than even a catastrophe-ranked demon. In order to shove this into the [Shallows of the Abyss (S)], it at least had to be polymorphed into a human form to lower its status.

    The problem however, was that this dragon did not look like it would wake up within the 45 minute time limit.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Yu Jitae walked towards the neck of the dragon and kicked the chin of therge dragon.

    ¡°Wake up.¡±

    He kicked again, but the fainted Myu did not show any signs of waking up. After some contemtion, he looked at the upside down scale beneath the dragon¡¯s chin.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was the reverse scale which was going in a different directionpared to the other scales. He would now touch the reverse scale that dragons hated the most, which was simr to how peeled cuticle skin felt for humans.

    He grabbed the reverse scale by hand and pushed it up the other way. The scale and the flesh beneath was lifted but as expected, the dragon showed no response.

    Its wounds were so severe that something at this level would naturally be ineffective.

    Yu Jitae released the scale.

    There was now only one thing that he could do.

    [Dimensional Shutdown (S+)]

    Yu Jitae activated one of the abilities he stole by killing a certain sovereign in the past. It was the ability that forced a fissure to a close but a 40-metre-widerge fissure would take 2 hours to close.

    He had to block the entrance so that no-one could enter it for 1 hour and 15 minutes after the arrival of the superhumans. Once the entrance was closed, he simply had to wait for the ck dragon to wake up, bash it into human form and follow [Shallows of the Abyss (S)] to escape the fissure.

    After gazing at the powerless dragon on the ground, he turned around. Standing in front of the vertically cracked fissure, he gazed into the wide oceans of Earth that were on the other side of the fissure.

    The situation felt quite paradoxical.

    Until just then, he was pushing forth a spear to kill the ck dragon and yet now he had to raise a shield to protect the same dragon. He had to now block the spears that others would be attacking with.

    If someone were to have a frank conversation with him, they would ask this first.

    What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden?

    But he would not be able to honestly answer that question.

    His actions henceforth were things only he himself couldprehend. No matter what he gave as an exnation, no-one would empathise with his cause.

    In other words, it meant that his actions contained insufficient public justification no matter who saw it.

    Even if he were to be honest about it, no-one would listen to him.

    Not a single person would understand or help him.

    He was all alone on this Earth but this was something that still had to be done.

    Fortunately, he had the power to push through with that unjustifiable paradox.

    ***

    Soldiers unendingly flooded out from the warp station and threw nces at each other.

    Despite the confusion due to Mexico¡¯s sudden attack, G12 and the Association joined hands. In order to kill themon enemy, they gathered and stood together.

    The number of superhumans gathered was 1,800.

    They were the top rankers of the entire world, with most of them being affiliated under the [Last Squad of Humanity]. The deputy captain of that squad was the superhuman who was the most respected regardless of nationality.

    The returnee, BM.

    ¡°We will now fly towards the fissure.¡±

    Following hismand, the soldiers floated above and moved.

    The weapons in their hands gave off menacing auras. Swords, bows, guns and spears¡­ the weapons were all top-level artifacts that belonged to the arsenal of their countries. Some of them were Level 3 artifacts with a few Level 4 mixed in between. They were simply carrying the weapons and yet it weighed down on the atmosphere and resonated with the surrounding mana.

    Strategic weapons of each nation were in the hands of arguably the strongest superhumans of the world.

    They flew in silence. It was arge number of them flying together and yet not a single one of them talked out of turn. They were drenched in either fury or excitement, but the well-trained soldiers instead became more poised and cool-headed.

    SSS-rankrge-type monster.

    An enormous beast that was assumed to be of simr rank with the monster that began the East-Asian Great War and pushed humanity into fear was in the distance waiting for them.

    Due to its appearance resembling arge gargoyle and its overall ck colours that were revealed by a short footage, it was temporarily given the name [ck Dragon].

    A monster that people wondered would exist but one that had never appeared in the world ¨C dragon. Assigning that name to the mysterious beast was effective at raising the rms and tension of the soldiers.

    In the middle of the crowd, Clone 1 thought to himself.

    ¡®Quite a lot of them in that short span of time.¡¯

    On the day of the Apocalypse.

    Arge crack had appeared in the sky as 60 or so dragonsnded on Earth. They lost their sense of reasoning and indiscriminately attacked Earth.

    Near the end of the 6th iteration, Yu Jitae had killed 10 dragons by himself as a result of 30 days of endless fights with not a single moment of rest.

    ¡®These people alone should be enough to kill 2 dragons at least.¡¯

    Humanity retaliated and also killed around 10 dragons. They could only kill 10 dragons despite the lusive ones like Oscar Brzenk, catastrophe-ranked demons, the Witch, Chaliovan and high rankers joining hands together.

    That was the result despite tens of thousands of superhumans being allocated to each dragon.

    A simple calction based on the above facts meant that it was safe to assume that 20% of humanity¡¯s strength was gathered here.

    They proceeded on towards the fissure as a 40-metre-long vertically-split ck entrance soon appeared in front of them.

    Their hearts pulsed with scorching blood. They were excited at the thought of fighting against therge beast that was likely to be within the fissure.

    Even if it cost their lives, they were willing to die so long as they could leave a dent on its scales. A few of the superhumans that were from Australia had to suppress their urge to ignore themands and charge in.

    Right before their intangible wills intertwined and exploded out,

    At that moment,

    An invisible aura created a ripple as it swept past them.

    Every one of them froze on the spot.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Not a single one dared to move rashly and none of them were confused about why the people next to them were frozen stiff.

    An ominous presence existed behind the dark veils of the fissure.

    The deputy, BM, raised his sunsses and gazed into the fissure.

    From behind the widely-spread curtain of darkness, someone was blocking the road. Someone with a ridiculous presence.

    ¡°¡­Every men, on standby.¡±

    BM reluctantly let those words out as his quietmand resonated across the troops.

    The overwhelmingly immense presence carried with it an indescribable pressure that immediately snapped the fighting spirits of the soldiers that had been soaring through the skies.

    They doubted.

    What in the world was that?

    How could such a thing exist in this world?

    Such doubts spread like a gue.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    BM who was standing at the centre of it all was unfathomably confused.

    It was because he heard from Zhuge Haiyan that ¡®Season¡¯ had already left to fight the dragon. It was something which only Chaliovan, Zhuge Haiyan and himself knew about in the entire world.

    BM long knew that Season was Yu Jitae. And that made him naturally guess that the one in front of him with such immense presence was none other than Yu Jitae. He knew he was powerful and extraordinary but the presence BM was feeling from inside the fissure was on a whole different league to what he had known.

    It was just 1 person.

    The unprecedented pressure that was being given off by just 1 person was suppressing 1,800 rankers.

    However, BM knew that he couldn¡¯t stop here.

    He had no idea what Season was thinking about, but stopping others from entering the fissure for no reason in this situation was something unjustifiable and thus impossible to carry out.

    Although he respected and feared him, the Last Squad of Humanity had to enter the fissure and even Yu Jitae could not stop them without any valid reasons.

    After some contemtion, BM realised exactly what he had to do.

    If he was stopping them, there must be a reason, and that reason would inevitably be in corrtion with the continuance of humanity.

    Yu Jitae just had to persuade the superhumans here with his reasons.

    ¡°I am the returnee of the Last Squad of Humanity, BM.¡±

    BM opened his mouth as the representative of the squad. His words added even more tension. Jeanie Inssirem as well as Christoph gazed into the darkness of the fissure with frowns while average superhumans had trouble breathing.

    ¡°Judging from how you have attacked the ck dragon, I am assuming that you have the same goal as us, and that you have fought against the monster for humanity.¡±

    He chose his words carefully and did notbel the mysterious being as an enemy.

    ¡°However, yourborious fight is not enough of a reason to stop us from facing the truth. As soldiers protecting humanity, we must confirm with our own eyes the truth behind this incident.¡±

    Using objectively valid reasons, he provided reasons on why they should enter the fissure and asked the opponent for their cooperation.

    ¡°So the one inside the fissure, please doe out. Come out and reveal your identity, and let us know the truth of what happened to therge ck dragon.

    ¡°Before we force our way in.¡±

    It was a logically sound speech, thought BM as beads of sweat travelled down his cheeks.

    He had no idea how Yu Jitae would react to this and could only hope that it wouldn¡¯t escte into a full-scale fight.

    It was when they were nervously staring at the fissure. An inexpressible presence squeezed into their minds, making them feel as if their minds were connected to someone else¡¯s.

    In the midst of the ever-expanding tension from the immense suppression, the intangible being opened its mouth and spoke to them.

    [Only those willing to sacrifice their lives maye in to face the truth.]

    Immediately after those words, the suffocating pressure vanished.

 Chapter 296: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (7)

    <h4>Chapter 296: A Spear and a Shield, into the Eye of the Hurricane (7)</h4>

    ¡®What is he thinking?¡¯

    BM squinted his eyes.

    He couldn¡¯t understand what Yu Jitae was thinking.

    ¡®Only those willing to sacrifice their lives maye in to face the truth¡­¡¯ This was by no means a justification or reason and was just avoiding the situation altogether.

    ¡®Is he really going to kill everyone that goes inside?¡¯

    That appeared to be his intention. It was as if an omnipotent being was suddenly being hostile to humanity but what purpose would this have apart from a simple instillment of fear?

    ¡°What should we do sir. It seems that we shouldn¡¯t just barge in.¡±

    ¡°I wonder what they want to do¡­¡±

    ¡°For now, I think we must wait and see until we get further support.¡±

    The advisors were confused from the abrupt iprehensible turn of events while BM gave a frown from the side.

    ¡®What are you thinking, Yu Jitae¡­¡¯

    It¡¯s not that they could stop the raid altogether just because of his words and someone would inevitably end up going in.

    If someone did go in, Yu Jitae would react by either killing or letting the person live. If that person were to return alive, there would be no point to this nonsense and if they were to die, then the Last Squad of Humanity would never be able to retreat in front of such an rming situation.

    Either way would not be a good solution.

    ¡®¡­¡­Wait, but who would go in?¡¯

    BM suddenly had a strange trail of thought.

    The pressure Yu Jitae gave off just then was like an elephant pressing down on a tiny doll.

    It was a ridiculous amount of aura. Even he, who personally knew Yu Jitae, felt like he would be killed without a doubt upon entering so who would possibly enter the fissure?

    The answer was ¡®someone¡¯. BM had unconsciously been thinking as a habit that someone would go in.

    Who was that someone?

    ¡®It¡¯s been too long that I forgot about it¡­¡¯

    An SSS-rank ck dragon that humanity had never anticipated, plus the enormous damage that it caused.

    R5: Bursted Grenade.

    Thisnd had one existence who would appear from somewhere within the heavens to protect the world whenever massive problems like this urred.

    BM finally realised what Yu Jitae was trying to do.

    He wasn¡¯t intending to exin himself in the first ce. Yu Jitae had separated the dimensions and was buying time to have a private conversation with ¡®him¡¯.

    The moment BM¡¯s mind reached such thoughts, a new presence appeared in the sky.

    ¡°He has finallye¡­¡±

    ¡°To think I would see him again¡­¡±

    The saviour who would solve any problems ¨C the heavens opened as arge ball began to descend. The ball surrounded by strands of light gave off a divine aura.

    Before long, the sphere divided into eight branches of long and thin crystals, revealing the person inside.

    [Oscar Brzenk]

    Rank 1

    The Earth¡¯s Sovereign descended towards the fissure.

    ***

    A transparent ss mask protecting the face and the eyes. In addition to the armour, the cape, gloves and the [Heaven-destroying Eight Wings] behind his back, he also had a ne and rings. His entire body was wrapped with gears. The weakest of them were Level 3 artifacts while some of them were Level 4.

    In addition, the long sword hanging in his waist was a Level 5 artifact ¨C a weapon dedicated for the sovereign.

    Oscar Brzenk.

    He entered the dark fissure without saying a word and faced Yu Jitae.

    It had been a while since Yu Jitaest saw him.

    In various iterations, Yu Jitae hade across Oscar Brzenk. In some iterations Yu Jitae was on the side of the Association and sometimes he was an enemy of the Association but the Regressor had never created a conflict with the Sovereign.

    They both had the same objective of wishing to take care of Earth, and they were both being supported by [Vintage Clock (EX)].

    Aftering across Yu Jitae in the dark fissure, Oscar Brzenk gazed behind his back and looked at the ck dragon.

    ¡°First time seeing you in person. I assume you are Prophet Season.¡±

    ¡°I am. Brzenk.¡±

    ¡°What is with all thismotion.¡±

    Oscar Brzenk was always aware of a lot of things because he received information from Providence. He naturally knew about Yu Jitae already to some extent.

    ¡°I have done this to set the stage for you toe. To have a conversation about the future treatment of that dragon.¡±

    ¡°¡­No wonder my head¡¯s been aching these days. I¡¯ve been getting a surge of information on potential danger that was impossible to decipher no matter what but,¡±

    The existence giving information to Oscar Brzenk was none other than [Vintage Clock].

    ¡°That must be what it was referring to,¡± he added.

    ¡°Are you here to kill it?¡±

    ¡°With due responsibility, I should. That entity is too dangerous.¡±

    Charak¡­ he unsheathed his sword.

    ¡°Move to the side, if you may.¡±

    A sovereign was like a white blood cell. Their objective was the peace and continuance of the dimension they reigned over.

    Regardless of his personal thoughts, Oscar Brzenk would try to kill the ck dragon who was deemed to be a risk factor.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t do so.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s response caused Oscar Brzenk to squint his eyes.

    ¡°Let me hear your reason.¡±

    ¡°This dragon must be kept alive, in order to remove the fundamental risk from Earth.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Exin to me how letting a risk factor survive rtes to the process of removing a risk.¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head.

    In several nameless iterations, he had exined the situation regarding the baby dragons and had seeked his help but things had never gone the right way in the end.

    He couldn¡¯t lie about it either because Oscar Brzenk could differentiate the truth from the false.

    ¡°If you wish to save it without any persuasion, no-one will empathise with your actions and there is no justification in sparing the adult ck dragon. If word spreads to the outside, the entire world might consider you an enemy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I am aware. That is the reason behind this 1-on-1 conversation.¡±

    ¡°borate.¡±

    ¡°If you go out and announce the ck dragon is dead, no-one will doubt it due to the credibility and authority behind your name. It won¡¯t be difficult either and we simply have to deceive the G12 and the Association.¡±

    ¡°Are you inducing me into saying what is false?¡±

    ¡°Just once and it will be enough.¡±

    ¡°And if I refuse,¡±

    ¡°Things will get tedious for both of us.¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly continued.

    ¡°Even without your help, I can hide this entity. Things will escte out of hand and I might have to kill a lot of people. However, I will in the end hide it in a ce that nobody knows.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How will you stop me. Will you mobilise the military? Coax the Association and G12 into your side? Request catastrophe-ranked demons for cooperation or tell Chaliovan that I¡¯m the enemy? Do you think that will allow you to stop me?¡±

    Oscar Brzenk remained silent. The Sovereign appeared to be contemting and viewing this incident from various perspectives but there was only one answer he could give.

    Those with power made the rules. This was a fundamental truth that applied to organisms ranging from birds and bugs to cats and mice, that also applied to wars between countries.

    And the one with the most power in this world was Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Sovereign soon had an irritated look on his face. He did not recklessly try to escte it into a physical fight.

    One reason would be that he knew Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t his enemy thanks to the data given by the Vintage Clock,

    And the other reason would be because Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t someone he could defeat even if he was his enemy.

    ¡°¡­Good. However, there are conditions.¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°I am aware that the following entity can transform into a human. So change the entity into human form and allow the Association to manage it. So that I can go in anytime and confirm its state.¡±

    ¡°That will be difficult. If they know that I¡¯ve brought it in, there will be people doubting within the Association.¡±

    ¡°I wille up with the fake reason myself.¡±

    ¡°Hoh.¡±

    ¡°No reason not to add one more lie to the deception. I will allocate the entity as a special target for supervision with the Sovereign¡¯s rights and will notify beforehand that the Prophet will be in charge of it.¡±

    He meant that he would leave it nearby so that he could kill it whenever even though it was impossible to kill it right now. This was the Sovereign offering the most he could and Yu Jitae knew that.

    ¡°Got it,¡± he replied and epted the offer.

    The Sovereign asked back.

    ¡°What will you do by sparing the entity?¡±

    ¡°Iste, protect and carry out a few simple experiments.¡±

    ¡°Can I view the process of the experiment?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be possible. I hope you understand.¡±

    ¡°¡­Understood.¡±

    They both took a step back and each got what they wanted. Assuming that to be the end of the conversation, Oscar Brzenk turned around but that was when Yu Jitae called him.

    ¡°What is it,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Vintage Clock disappeared.¡±

    At that moment, the drooping eyes behind the ss mask opened wide.

    ¡°I can still feel it and the connection is still there. However, directmunication is not working. Isn¡¯t that the same for you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Right. That is how it is.¡±

    ¡°But I do not have enough time to look for the Vintage Clock myself. So can you check for me?¡±

    A different Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop existed for everyone that was connected to it. It meant that Oscar Brzenk had his own workshop and looking for the Vintage Clock in such an extensive outer dimension was something that would take too much time.

    It was unclear how many days and months it would take.

    ¡°I shall have a look.¡±

    Leaving those words behind, Oscar Brzenk disappeared and the fissure closed after filling up the 2 hours that it needed.

    Things finally came to an end.

    ***

    Oscar Brzenk went out and announced the fake truth of the situation. His excuse was like this: a monster from a different dimension (dragon)nded on Earth after being chased by a person from a different dimension (the one that was inside the fissure) who killed it and disappeared after a conversation with Oscar Brzenk.

    The different dimensions that humanity had yet to confirm became the target of all the me as the incident came to an end.

    ¡°So there are more monsters like that in other dimensions?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost never happened before though¡­¡±

    Some doubted but there was no way they could express their doubt.

    The fight between the dragon and the mysterious person had bent the nearby dimensions during their fight with their abilities so not a single organisation or facility was able to get a clear view on their fight.

    ¡°But thank goodness we have Oscar Brzenk¡­¡±

    ¡°I heard G12 and the Association joined hands due to this incident.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s some good news to hear.¡±

    The G12 and the Association showed endless support to countries including Australia that were bombarded by the dragon.

    And the Tower of Mages was immediately collected by the G12 and the Association afternding on the ocean and it was discovered that all the great mages were already dead. People all around the globememorated the people that were killed during the fight.

    The Association and G12 analysed the broken tower and discovered a ¡®nest¡¯ that was crafted with an unidentifiable alloy and moved it to aboratory for a closer inspection.

    They were also busy with the follow-ups of matters rted to Quasar and Mexico.

    Due to everything that was on their hands, the Association and the entire world was busy with the aftermath of the sudden event.

    While that was happening, Yu Jitae headed to the basement of the Association.

    In the basement was an [hazard istion room] where countless dangerous superhumans, monsters and artifacts were isted and managed under the supervision of the Association.

    The ck-haired woman, Myu, was also to be isted and protected in the basement under themand of the Sovereign.

    The Sovereign, Oscar Brzenk, wished for three things in the supervision of Myu.

    1. Morning and Evening: twice a day. Grade 0 agents (agents proimed dead due to their criminal offences) would be sent in to provide food and the required amenities. Any agent that came into contact with her was to conduct a mental examination and were to be killed on the spot if they showed any strange symptoms.

    2. Only Prophet Season is allowed toe into contact with it freely, and no record of this is to be left behind in any way.

    3. Support the requests of Prophet Season in every way possible.

    An istion target that suddenly appeared and a vanished ck dragon.

    After roughly understanding what was happening, Zhuge Haiyan allocated the biggest and the most humanitarian istion room to Myu and kept silent about the matter.

    In the Association, Myu was just called B-12, nothing more and nothing less.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae looked over the windows of the istion room.

    After Oscar Brzenk left, Myu had a fit the moment she woke up inside the closed fissure and transformed into human form after being bashed a few times by Yu Jitae.

    She fainted again due to being punched and was now lying down on the bed of the istion room. Her jet-ck hair was scattered over the white bed.

    Her wounds won¡¯t heal in a day or two. Yu Jitae would be called when she wakes up from thea and that would be when he has a conversation with the mutant adult dragon again.

    Yu Jitae vacantly gazed at Myu before turning around.

    It was now time to go back.

    Waiting in the lounge was Bom, who had returned after everything settled, watching the busy passersby with an anxious look on her face.

    He called her.

    ¡°Our task is over. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    Things rted to the Association should be all done for the time being as it was the Association¡¯s job to clean up everything. As they began walking towards the underground parking lot, Bom asked.

    ¡°That, was a ck dragon¡­ right?¡±

    Due to all themotion, it was impossible for her to not know who the enemy was.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And you defeated it, oppa?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Bom looked at him with a worried gaze and carefully raised a question.

    ¡°¡­¡­Is it dead?¡±

    He in fact had been worried about what to say regarding this.

    There was no reason to tell the kids about things rted to the ck dragon, but Bom might eventually know of Myu¡¯s existence during her time at the Association.

    There was no reason to tell her right now, but there was no reason to hide it either.

    After some thought, he decided to not lie about it.

    ¡°It¡¯s not dead.¡±

    Realising that Yu Jitae was not willing to delve deeper into the topic, Bom did not ask any more questions. He didn¡¯t seem to be in the mood for jokes either.

    That was when his watch rang.

    Yu Jitae took the call and shared a conversation with Zhuge Haiyan. While he was on the line, Bom stared at the other side of the corridor ¨C towards the direction Yu Jitae hade from.

    She deeply gazed at it in silence.

 Chapter 297: Cottage Industry (1)

    <h4>Chapter 297: Cottage Industry (1)</h4>

    ¡°Gyeoul. You are not selling stationery or supplies to your friends anymore right?¡±

    Flinch.

    Gyeoul hesitated for 2 seconds after hearing her homeroom teacher¡¯s question.

    She wasn¡¯t leading the kindest of lives but she still needed some time to mentally prepare herself before lying.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Really? And you don¡¯t get paid for doing others¡¯ homework anymore?¡±

    Flinch.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve washed my hands, off it.¡±

    ¡°No more usury either right?¡±

    Flinch.

    ¡°¡­What, is that?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Hmm~. By the way, did you want to volunteer for the election?¡±

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    She was quick at expressing her honest thoughts.

    Election? Gyeoul knew how the ss representatives always suffered from being pestered by the teachers everyday, so she immediately turned down the offer.

    ¡°Really? I was thinking Gyeoul would be a good candidate for the school captain election though.¡±

    ¡°¡­School, captain?¡±

    ¡°Nn nn. You are almost in Year 6 now, so that means you can be the school captain for 1 year soon.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ahh.¡±

    ¡°You know how much of an awesome thing that is right, Gyeoul? You will represent your friends and do many good things.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnn.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the end you know? The school captain of a renowned school like ours would receive extra points when applying for a middle school¡­¡±

    Gyeoul¡¯s mind was somewhere else already, thinking about the losses she had suffered and such.

    It was because the dried apples that she sold the day before yesterday were unexpectedly not very popr, so she had to throw some of it away. Sweet potatoes and bananas were popr so why didn¡¯t apples work?

    She was giving random responses while thinking about such things but that was when her ears picked up some promising words.

    ¡°There is a sponsoring schrship for election runners as well, you see.¡±

    Schrship?

    ¡°Since Gyeoul, you look quite ambitious and greedy in a good sense, I thought you would be interested in something like that¡­ After all, you are the best merchant in the world right, Gyeoul?¡±

    Gyeoul frowned in response to those words and lowered her gaze.

    ¡°¡­Please, don¡¯t call me that¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah, then the world¡¯s best entrepreneur?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The child locked her fingers and fidgeted, and her blue eyes appeared rather sad.

    Oh no. Did that put her in a bad mood? Was she treating the child as if she was obsessed with money? Thinking that, the teacher apologised.

    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m sorry. Then what would you consider your pretty self to be, Gyeoul?¡±

    Gyeoul replied.

    ¡°¡­Politician.¡±

    Like that, she applied for the election.

    In fact, the school captain position of a primary school was quite a meaningless job. ss representatives tended to be called around everywhere by the teachers but that wasn¡¯t the case for school captains. She realised that it was more of an honorary position after applying for the election.

    Gyeoul was already satisfied by the election fund.

    It was a shocking amount of 50 dors!

    On the next day it was sent into Yu Jitae¡¯s bank so she immediately asked him for the money.

    After a few days, it was the day for the school captain candidates to announce what they would do upon a sessful election and that was when Gyeoul heard something shocking.

    It was that school captains would receive another schrship.

    ¡°Oh didn¡¯t I tell you? It¡¯s a full schrship for the whole semester.¡±

    ¡°¡­How, much is it?¡±

    ¡°A thousand dors.¡±

    Thousand dors¡­?

    It was on a whole different level. Fifty dors was already such a delight toy her hands on and multiplying that by 20 times would be¡­?

    Her eyes rolled around.

    Taking out a small coin purse from her pocket, Gyeoul looked at the five 10 dor notes that she got from Yu Jitae a few days ago.

    A hundred of these huh¡­?

    It felt as if she could see bundles of cash flying in front of her with wings.

    That was when the first candidate walked up to the mic and announced his promise. Cleaning the flowerbeds, and reducing theplementary lessons¡­ he ceremonially bbered about things that he would not even be able to achieve.

    The kids seemed bored by it.

    Gyeoul grinned, thinking that she would easily be able to win with all the credit she built with her friends.

    But that was when the situation flipped.

    The boy wearing tidy clothes fidgeted with his bowtie before giving a smile.

    ¨C Andstly if you choose me as your school captain, I will give out pizzas for every ss!

    ¡°Ehng? Pizza?¡±

    ¡°But, didn¡¯t the teacher say buying food and giving it out was not allowed¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    The boy answered their doubts.

    ¨C I will be making it with my family! No problems there then, right?

    The year advisor asked with surprise, ¡®Can you? There are a thousand students in our school.¡¯ In response, the boy smiled while showing off his white teeth.

    ¨C Of course! Please choose me, the number 1 candidate, Kim Taeho!

    With wide smiles, the audience let out thunderous ps. Even though they were the sons and daughters of rich families, they were still elementary school children and because quite a few households prohibited their kids from eating junk food, they were sincerely happy.

    ¡°Wahh! Kim Taeho!¡±

    ¡°¡°Kim Taeho! Kim Taeho!¡±¡±

    Listening to the cheering crowd, Gyeoul¡¯s expression rapidly turned dark.

    The flying bundles of cash were flying further and further away.

    ***

    ¡°Did you kill it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You let it go? Fuck, you should have just killed it.¡±

    Yeorum frowned.

    It was morning but the winter wind was still quite cold.

    Although it was never freezing for the hatchlings, they still felt chilly at times. Sitting down on the sofa, Kaeul was hugging the baby chicken like a hand warmer while Yeorum was hugging Kaeul from behind as a heater.

    ¡°ck dragons should all be killed.¡±

    ¡°Why,¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°Why? Of course they have to die. Don¡¯t you think the same?¡±

    ¡°Uun. Yeah¡­¡±

    Kaeul nodded with a simrly serious look on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that slow answer. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    ¡°Uuum, no. You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right¡­¡±

    ¡°Those bitches. I heard they ravage things everywhere even after being chased out of Askalifa.¡±

    Kaeul carefully returned a nod.

    ¡°Actually, you see? I heard the ck race can transmit their emotions and memories,¡± said Kaeul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°We can only receive them right? And, their heads are always filled with very bad thoughts, and apparently they transmit them everywhere they go.¡±

    It was something he already knew so Yu Jitae gave a nod.

    ¡°They should all just be killed. Fucking trashes.¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­ but, killing all of them is still¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi. Are you being soft on them just because it¡¯s not your business?¡±

    ¡°Uum, uum, uhh¡­¡±

    But for some reason, there was a peculiar atmosphere surrounding the kids. Yu Jitae turned towards Bom who was still staying silent and she shrugged her shoulders in response.

    ¡°Ah, this is freaking annoying. Why are both of you so apathetic about it? It¡¯s a ck dragon. A ck dragon! Oi, Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°Yu Bom I can understand, but <i>you</i> can¡¯t be like that can you. You¡¯re the one that told me about it in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah, ahhh¡­! Wait, unni unni¡­!¡±

    Kaeul pped her arms around and tried to block Yeorum who was behind her.

    ¡°What? Is this something I can¡¯t say? Why can¡¯t I say some stuff about the blue race?¡±

    ¡°Unniiiii, stop stopp¡­!¡±

    Kaeul suddenly began trying to pacify Yeorum while throwing nces at Yu Jitae. He turned towards Bom, who now had a slightly gloomy look on her face after seemingly realising what was going on.

    ¡°What is it,¡± he asked.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing ahjussi¡­! You don¡¯t have to know about it!¡±

    ¡°So what is it.¡±

    ¡°What! It¡¯s about time to say it after living together for so long, no?¡± Yeorum eximed out loud.

    ¡°Unni, don¡¯t¡­! We can¡¯t talk about Askalifa. It¡¯s a taboo¡­!¡±

    ¡°Taboo my ass. I already talked about my past and Yu Jitae saw my true body a few months ago as well so what? That¡¯s not the end. Yu Bom thatss really crossed the line you know? She told me that everytime she sees Dick Jitae she gets horny and¡­¡±

    ¡°Uaaaahhh¡­! What are you talking about! Stop!¡±

    ¡°When did I say that?¡± Bom interjected from the side.

    Yu Jitae slowly turned towards her. It was by coincidence that he looked her way and yet she shook her head as if she was being falsely used.

    ¡°I never said that.¡±

    It was then.

    Yeorum got annoyed by Kaeul¡¯s constant interference and shouted out loud.

    ¡°Ah, why can¡¯t we just say it! Who the fuck cares about a taboo?¡±

    ¡°Unni¡­!¡±

    ¡°Two blue dragons died to a ck dragon ¨C that¡¯s why Yu Gyeoul has no parents! Shouldn¡¯t Yu Jitae know about it at the very least¨C!?¡±

    It was like a bomb being dropped.

    Yu Jitae frowned.

    Yu Gyeoul¡¯s parents were killed by a ck dragon? None of the kids refuted; the living room suddenly turned quiet with Yeorum¡¯s rough breath being the only source of sound.

    Not knowing what to do, Kaeul raised her hands and covered her face while Bom stared at Yeorum with a frown before heaving out a sigh.

    The living room was filled with silence.

    Chirp¡­

    As soon as the baby chicken broke the silence while rolling its eyes, Bom criticised Yeorum.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. You¡­¡±

    But soon swallowed her words.

    ¡°What about me? It¡¯s even more ridiculous that none of you told him this until now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the business of another race. Why would you say it.¡±

    ¡°And what if I don¡¯t say it? When would that little idiot ever say it to him?¡±

    ¡°If Gyeoul doesn¡¯t want to talk about it, then she doesn¡¯t have to. Who are you to say it without even getting her permission?¡±

    ¡°Haigo. Do I have to get the permission of a little kid that doesn¡¯t even know left and right yet? She won¡¯t say it. And Dick Jitae will never get to know something so important until the day we go back home. Do you think that¡¯s okay?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what Gyeoul wants, then that¡¯s how it should be.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that? That¡¯s so freaking distant. Like really? I don¡¯t understand how you guys can deceive Dick Jitae and pretend like you don¡¯t know anything!¡± Yeorum continued shouting. ¡°What kind of fucking nonsense is that?¡±

    Although he was momentarily surprised by it, he had to stop them from fighting too much.

    ¡°Guys. Calm down first. Don¡¯t raise your voices.¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum, you¨C¡±

    ¡°Me what? And what about you, you freaking shithead?¡±

    ¡°Oi. Oi.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words made them quiet. They silently red at each other while Kaeul buried her face into the baby chicken¡¯s back with aplicated look on her face.

    Gyeoul had been imnted into Kaeul¡¯s ne and came out on her Amusement as an egg.

    He did find it odd and had asked a few times about the reason but the kids had never directly answered the question. The answer to that question was finally unveiled.

    I see.

    Gyeoul¡¯s parents were already dead¡­

    ¡°Uum¡­ my mommy¡­¡±

    Kaeul hesitantly opened her mouth.

    ¡°Was close to the blue race¡­ so she asked me to take the egg along with me for the Amusement. It had been a long time since a fissure opened in Askalifa and, there was no dragon born after me in any of the races¡­ or any dragon estimated to be born in a hundred years. I was essentially the youngest excluding Gyeoul so¡­¡±

    Since there were set opportunities to leave Askalifa, it seemed that Gyeoul had to go on her Amusement while still inside an egg.

    ¡°But, I don¡¯t really agree with Yeorum-unni¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Yeorum wrapped her arms around Kaeul¡¯s neck. It was half a prank, but on the other hand, she did seem quite disappointed by her words.

    ¡°But, but¡­ that was a different ck dragon¡­ and our Dragon Lord captured and killed it¡­¡±

    ¡°They are the same bunch! Don¡¯t you know Australia got smashed this time?¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­ but saying that every ck dragon must die because of that is a bit¡­ and if you think about it like that, then red dragons as well¡­¡±

    ¡°What d¡¯you say?¡±

    Kaeul stopped babbling and closed her mouth, seemingly deciding to not aggravate Yeorum. In any case, Unit 301 was being unnecessarily heated up so Yu Jitae had to calm the kids down.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Put your hands in the air and keep them up. That¡¯s your punishment.¡±

    ¡°Why me?¡±

    It was Bom who instead raised both of her arms in the air without saying a word. Seeing that, Yeorum lifted her arms up as well with a big pout on her lips.

    Meanwhile, he suddenly thought of how the first thing Gyeoul took interest in after turning older was ¡®money¡¯. To be precise, it wasn¡¯t money and was instead ¡®how to earn money¡¯, evident by how she always refused any allowance from him.

    Unlike the other three, Gyeoul always enjoyed the process of selling goods to others and earning money. Out of curiosity, he had asked in the past why she was so interested in earning money.

    ¨C ¡­A secret.

    He didn¡¯t think much of it in the past, but maybe that¡¯s what the secret was? Maybe she wasying the foundations now so that she could live by herself after returning to Askalifa. Perhaps she understood her own position and was instinctively trying her best to survive.

    It might be him overthinking it, but that¡¯s what suddenly struck his mind.

    Earning money at school was making Gyeoul more mature.

    To sell, one had to be fluent with words and had to read other¡¯s minds to set the best prices. Since she also had to avoid the teachers during her negotiations, she also had to be skilled at reading the mood.

    And the most important of all was the process of preparing the goods. ¡®Preparation¡¯ was something new that was introduced to her life, which had been nothing but a constant flow of time. At times, she also made a loss which allowed her to self-introspect and consider the ws.

    All that was slowly making Gyeoul into an adult.

    ¡°¡­Uhh, umm.¡±

    That was when Kaeul softly murmured.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Can you pretend like you never heard it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make it obvious.¡±

    ¡°Okay okay. Phew¡­¡±

    It was when Kaeul was heaving out constant sighs. Yu Jitae¡¯s watch rang.

    [Yu Gyeoul: T.T]

    [Yu Gyeoul: T.T]

    [Yu Gyeoul: T.T¡­]

    He received various messages from Gyeoul, but all of them were crying faces.

    She should be at school right now, so what would it be about? He then remembered that today was the day of the school captain election and replied to the message wondering if something happened.

    [Me: What¡¯s wrong]

    [Yu Gyeoul: Can I call?]

    [Me: Yea]

    His watch rang again.

    When he picked it up, Gyeoul began to exin the situation with a stammer. First candidate was pizza, the second was chicken, and it was soon time for her to go up to the stage as the third candidate.

    ¨C ¡­He said, he will fry 500 chickens.

    ¨C ¡­Crazy, for power.

    She sounded extremely depressed. Inwardly, he was quite surprised because he never knew Gyeoul wanted to be a school captain so badly.

    ¨C ¡­What should I do.

    ¨C ¡­I can¡¯t, cook.

    Right, what should they do?

    A primary school kid wouldn¡¯t be frying 500 chickens by themselves so they would either be helped by their family, or housekeepers and private chefs if they were from rich families.

    He was the type of person to make judgments based on prior experience. Unfortunately in the previous iterations, he had never tried to make an elementary school child into a school captain.

    In other words, Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t really sure of what to do either.

    ¨C ¡­Nnn¡­ it¡¯s, my turn soon.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ then let¡¯s say we will give them a burger.¡±

    ¨C ¡­A burger?

    ¡°Yeah. We can learn how to make it and make them together.¡±

    He could hear Gyeoul going ¡®Oohhh¡¯ from the other side of the watch.

    Is that the end? Yu Jitae thought. Would simply making a burger be enough to hold its ce against pizza and fried chicken?

    That was when a sudden trail of thought shed past his head.

    ¡°By the way, Gyeoul.¡±

    ¨C ¡­Yes.

    ¡°The kids that promised to give out pizza and chicken all said they¡¯ll give it out after they¡¯re elected right?

    ¨C ¡­Sorry? ¡­Ah, yes.

    When are the actual politicians nicest to voters? It was right before the election. Don¡¯t they bend their backs towards merchants and businessmen whom they usually ignore and stray away from just to join hands for a bit?

    In any case for kids, something closer and realistic might work better than a future promise.

    ¡°That burger, tell them you¡¯ll hand it out on the day before the election.¡±

 Chapter 298: Cottage Industry (2)

    <h4>Chapter 298: Cottage Industry (2)</h4>

    ¨C ¡­On the day before?

    ¡°Yeah. The day right before the election.¡±

    ¡®¡­Uhh, ¡­uhhh.¡¯ Her voice started to dwindle.

    Three candidates, out of which two had already given out their speeches. In a situation where the other candidates could no longer change their promises, what would happen if she were to give out the bribes beforehand?

    Yu Jitae could sense her small brain working as rapidly as possible.

    ¨C ¡­ Umm, if I were them¡­ I think I would pick someone else.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¨C ¡­Because ¡­ the burger is already gone.

    Good.

    As expected, she had a capitalistically logical mindset.

    She was right.

    People were shrewd. After a small profit, they tend to move for an even bigger profit. Young kids were no different and in fact, they were a little bit more honest to their own greed than adults.

    Even individuals would show such tendencies so it was obvious how groups of people would act.

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    What he was going to suggest now was something that he had never introduced before to Gyeoul. However, he soon made up his mind and opened his mouth after some hesitation.

    ¡°If you only give out the burgers, then maybe.¡±

    ¨C ¡­Then?

    ¡°You can¡¯t end it there. Whates next is more important.¡±

    What candidates gave back when sharing a handshake with a voter wasn¡¯t the warmth of a human hand. It was expectation.

    ¡®I¡¯ aming all the way even to a ce like this to hold your hand. Election campaigns were struggles for an increase in the voter¡¯s expectation by suggesting that they would be the same even after the election.

    ¡°After having a taste of it, whatever you promise to do after the election will feel more realistic. Even more so than a pizza or chicken which they have yet to even taste.¡±

    ¨C ¡­Yes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t end with just making a promise. Make them have bigger expectations for the future. As long as you can do that, you will have a higher chance at getting the votes.¡±

    An example would be another giveaway after the election.

    ¨C ¡­Hmm. Then, ¡­make the burger twice?

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy, would it?¡±

    ¨C ¡­Yess ¡­ There are, a thousand students.

    ¡°Yeah. Doing it once would be hard enough already. And if you think it¡¯s difficult, then the other candidates as well as the voters will also know how difficult it is. It might even be too difficult for you to do it.¡±

    ¨C ¡­Yes¡­ Nn? Sorry?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? You might be trying your hardest but making enough food for a thousand people twice is nothing easy. Due to various inevitable reasons, it might be impossible to do the second giveaway, right?¡±

    After sensing a dangerous idea from his words, Gyeoulmented, ¡®¡­Aht¡¯.

    ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    ¨C ¡­Nnn.

    This was key.

    By closing the distance and making the reward feel realistic, amplify their expectations and take their votes.

    Their expectations would be immense so it would naturally increase her chance of getting elected. But what about after that? Is there a need to answer their expectations?

    ¡­No. There was no need to.

    To be honest, what came after the election was not important. If election was her goal, then she would have already achieved her goal by then.

    ¡°Is your goal to be a school captain? Or being elected to be a school captain?¡±

    ¨C ¡­Being elected.

    ¡°Is it for the thousand dor schrship?¡±

    Hihih¡­

    A small giggle came after a slight pause. Yu Jitae opened his mouth after carefully choosing the right words to say.

    ¡°Gyeoul. If I were you, that¡¯s what I would have done.¡±

    Right now, Yu Jitae was teaching deception and fabrication to the child. This was definitely not a right method for an adult to rmend to a child.

    However, it was an appropriate suggestion for a guardian to give to their ward. After all, Gyeoul would not stay a child forever.

    ¡°Because you shouldy your hands on what you consider is necessary. Regardless of the method.¡±

    On the day he created her room and put an aquarium into it, Yu Jitae began to consider Gyeoul as a ¡®person¡¯ that had to be respected. And after hearing about her circumstances from the kids, he realised that Gyeoul would eventually have to be an adult that can stand firmly on her two feet.

    That would happen one day,

    And that day might not be too far off.

    Gyeoul would have no parents to rely on after returning to Askalifa. For her to grow up while only looking at the nice and the beautiful aspects of life, her world outside Yu Jitae¡¯s greenhouse was already pouring with a blizzard.

    Just like her name of all things.

    ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t mean this is the right method. Some might swear at you and it might hurt your conscience if you consider it a bad thing to do yourself. So do whatever makes youfortable.¡±

    ¨C ¡­Mhmm.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be stressed out and it¡¯s fine to choose anything. Go back on your word if you have to. If need be, you can just give up on the election. Okay?¡±

    ¨C ¡­Nn nn.

    Soon, he heard someone calling Gyeoul from the other side of the watch. ¡°Aht, I¡¯m going now.¡± In a hurry, she quickly bid farewell and ended the call.

    What would she choose to do?

    Regardless of her choice, Yu Jitae would respect that choice and try his best to match and help her.

    After a few hours.

    He went to the main gates of Lair¡¯s public elementary school and waited for the child. Gyeoul, who was walking out with her friends from a distance, found him and toddled her way towards him.

    She reached her arms out, which was quite rare these days, so he immediately lifted her up. Her blue hair rested on his chest as she leaned on his body.

    ¡°How did you go.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In response to his question, Gyeoul looked up at his face. The smile on her lips appeared rather awkward as well as her small hand that was grabbing onto his sleeves.

    ¡°Did you decide to not do it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll just, make, a burger.¡±

    It was different from what Yu Jitae would have done. Although he considered his method to be the most realistic for the election, that didn¡¯t mean it was necessarily the correct answer either.

    Respecting another as a person meant acknowledging that each had different values and thoughts. What was important was that Gyeoul had thought and decided by herself.

    Even though she was a realistic dragon, she also appeared to be cautious of doing bad things, evident from how she ¡®wished for him to be a good person¡¯ in the past.

    ¡°Right. Good choice.¡±

    He respected her decision.

    That was when Gyeoul added after giggling, ¡®Hihi¡¯.

    ¡°¡­If it was 10,000, I would have done it.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious.¡±

    ¡°¡­A thousand dors, ¡­is nowhere near enough.¡±

    ***

    The next day, he got a call from the school.

    ¨C I believe we should minimise the possibility of money resulting in votes as much as possible. That is what I think as a teacher.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¨C Besides, due to the recent focus at Lair for a safe and healthy culture, we are stricter in this regard than usual.

    There was an immense difference between the poor and the rich in Lair. Aparison between Tyr Brzenk with Kim Ji-in and Soujiro was enough to prove it.

    ¨C So, we have decided to only permit the hiring of 1 person. Everyone else must sync their watch ID code with the system, so that we know their rtionship with the student, how much they worked and how intensive the work was.

    This seemed to be the best system the school coulde up with after a long discussion.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    It was nothing difficult.

    On the other hand, Gyeoul was met with a different crisis.

    ¡°¡­Please help me.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t imagine doing it alone so Gyeoul went to her sisters and asked for their help. However, Yeorum with her arms crossed showed an attitude different from her expectations.

    ¡°What. For free?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°You have to pay me. Who the fuck would do that for free?¡±

    ¡°¡­Please, help me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna. My time¡¯s expensive but I will give you a discount at least.¡±

    ¡°¡­How much?¡±

    ¡°Give me 5 bucks an hour.¡±

    Labour costs¡­!

    It hadpletely escaped her mind. With eyes as if she was begging for a saviour, Gyeoul turned towards Kaeul and Bom who gave wide smiles and said they would do it for free.

    5 dors an hour.

    So making her work for 12 hours would cost 60 dors.

    ¡°Oh right, right¡­! And Gyeoul¡­! You can¡¯t make the burgers in our house right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn? ¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°I looked up the cost for renting cooking facilities nearby. Do you know how much it costs?¡±

    ¡°¡­How much?¡±

    ¡°127 dors to rent it for a day¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Rent¡­!

    That¡¯s true. They couldn¡¯t make burger sets enough for a thousand people inside the dormitory so they had no choice but to rent a different ce.

    Gyeoul added the rent fee of 127 dors to the 60 dors of Yeorum¡¯sbour cost.

    It was already over 180 dors. Thinking that, Gyeoul heaved a sigh but that was when Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°Ah, and from what I found¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Aht.¡±

    The worst had yet toe.

    With a nervous look on her face, Gyeoul gazed at Bom. She had asked Bom an hour ago for advice on how to buy ingredients because she was the best at buying things cheap. That was why Bom had searched up the lowest prices but¡­

    The cost was rather shocking.

    ¡°¡­Nn? ¡­H, how much?¡±

    ¡°Fried chips, coke, bread, lettuce, tomato, minced meat, salt and pepper enough for a thousand people¡­ Altogether it¡¯s 1938.9 dors.¡±

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    That price was after considering all the discounts and card bonuses in addition to the mass purchase prices of the ingredients.

    ¡°¡­A t, t, thousand nine hundred and thirty¡­¡±

    Gyeoul was stupefied.

    She was used to selling apples and things for 50 cents or a dor so she needed time to process big units of money. Looking back, it was obvious that feeding a thousand people would cost a lot!

    There was no reason to add it to the rent orbour costs anymore, because it was already well over a thousand dors!

    ¡°¡­I, impossible.¡±

    Her face turned dark in real time.

    Finding that funny, Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul giggled.

    ¡°Little Gyeoul tripped on her own foot.¡±

    ¡°Serves you damn right. You greedy kid.¡±

    ¡°What should we do, Gyeoul? You have to use up all the money you earned until now¡­!¡±

    They continued mischievously teasing Gyeoul and pushed her to the brink of tears.

    ¡°¡­Huiinng¡­¡±

    When Gyeoul actually began to sob, theyughed even more. Even Bom was unable to hold it in while Yeorum gasped for breath and Kaeul slipped off the sofa to roll on the floor.

    She was so cute that they couldn¡¯t handle it.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m ¡­ done.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­I quit¡­ Not doing it.¡±

    This much was something they had anticipated but what happened after was outside of their expectations. In the face of 2,000 dors, Gyeoul began to run away.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t, look for me.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Gyeoul where are you going¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m, leaving home.¡±

    Kyahahaha¨C! Theyughed out loud again but Gyeoul dashed towards the entrance as if she would actually leave. Yeorum, who was in the middle ofughter, shouted.

    ¡°Oi, oi. Cleaner! Grab her!¡±

    ¡°Aht, yes!¡±

    The protector who had been grinning at the corner ran in response to her words and stood in front of Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul red at the protector with wide eyes.

    ¡°Young miss. Please calm down first.¡±

    ¡°¡­Step, aside.¡±

    ¡°You cannot leave home like this.¡±

    Tears began to bud on her eyes. Seeing that, the protector hurriedly shook its hands and said.

    ¡°It, it¡¯s fine young miss. I don¡¯t cost anything!¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t¡­ need.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kung. It felt like something heavy had dropped down on its mind and the psychologically injured protector froze stiff. Finding a gap, Gyeoul once again began to race towards the door.

    But that was when the door opened by itself.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    The teary Gyeoul gazed up at Yu Jitae who had appeared after opening the door. He was carrying an enormous piece of fresh meat that was wrapped several times. It was as big as a whole pig!

    Wondering why Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul were on the floor, Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Where are you going.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m¡­ leaving home.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have time for that.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°I got the meat. Didn¡¯t Kaeul tell you? She rented a kitchen so let¡¯s get to work.¡±

    ¡°¡­Refund, please.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t, have money.¡±

    After listening to Bom¡¯s exnation about the situation, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Gyeoul. Many countries have support funds for elections.¡±

    ¡°¡­Support, funds?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It means the government pays for the funds that are required for a legal operation of the election. Meaning, that I will be supporting the cost of your election.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that, how it¡¯s always done?¡±

    Otherwise the cost would far surpass the profit so Yu Jitae persuaded Gyeoul.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    ¡°Got it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And you guys get up as well. Let¡¯s get going.¡±

    ¡°Okayy,¡± they replied and raised their bodies. It was time to end the prank.

    *

    Yu Jitae opened the door and went outside again as light seeped in and brightened up Gyeoul¡¯s face. Bom, who had been slightly worried about Gyeoul sobbing, sneaked up to check her face and found her down-nted eyes were now curving in a radiant smile. With a wide smile on her face, Gyeoul wore her shoes.

    Her smile was brighter than the midday sun.

 Chapter 299: Cottage Industry (3)

    <h4>Chapter 299: Cottage Industry (3)</h4>

    Gyeoul¡¯s promise wasn¡¯t too different from the other candidates, and unlike what Yu Jitae suggested, she promised to give out burgers upon election.

    ¡°Our Gyeoul is cute, so wouldn¡¯t a lot of them choose her!?¡±

    ¡°No. I heard her image went to the gutters after selling stuff like a merchant.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s only the kids in the same grade as her so that shouldn¡¯t matter too much though?¡±

    Her sisters said a line each as Gyeoul returned an awkward smile. It was hard to guess the results of the vote because she had been honest in her speech.

    Yu Jitae took the kids and was on the way to the rented kitchen. They were going to now make 30 sample burgers that would be given to the students of her ss.

    Instead of lying about giving 1,000 burgers again, Gyeoul thought it would be better to give it to a small portion of students to raise their expectations.

    That¡¯s right. It was Gyeoul¡¯s suggestion.

    After arriving at the facility, they went in and found all sorts of cooking utensils and spices neatly arranged inside therge and clean kitchen.

    ¡°I looked up a recipe on the way here.¡±

    It was when Bom was about to activate the hologram disy of her watch.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Yu Jitae stopped her.

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°I know how to make one.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Really?¡±

    Kaeul asked with an astonished voice. It was because Yu Jitae had never made a single burger during the 4 years or so of their time together.

    Burger¡­ was a dish he knew very well from a distant past.

    Laying down the ingredients that he bought on the way here, Yu Jitae began to skilfully move his hands.

    He sliced the lettuce to the desired size and created thinyers of tomato, as well as onions and pickles.

    After that, he covered the pan with butter and cooked the buns until the sides turned yellow and crispy. The kitchen was soon filled with the mixed smell of cooked bread and butter.

    ¡°Hoh, what? Did you work at McDonalds before?¡±

    ¡°It smells amazing¡­¡±

    His movements were so natural that the kids watched with amazement.

    From what he could remember, the 2nd iteration was thest time he made this. It was such a long time ago but he was so used to making the burger that his body moved on its own.

    Burgers¡­

    It was mysterious; making this suddenly brought up the buried memories of the distant past.

    1st iteration. When Yu Jitae was still leading his first life.

    There was a long war. Monsters and superhumans flew around in the sky and the TV screens talked about the deaths of such and such people everyday.

    In the midst of the war, a boy lost everyone in his family and became an orphan.

    Back then, there were plenty of kids that were like that. Kids who lost their parents to the ws of the monsters, who were chased out onto the streets with their houses bombarded and left with nowhere to go.

    Later, the boy did enter an orphanage and although the life at the orphanage was also extremely impoverished, the life before that in the streets was difficult to the point that he could have died anyday. It still faintly remained in a corner of his memories.

    Like other beggars and orphans, he scavenged through bins to fill up his stomach, and survived by drinking the dirty river water. Sometimes, he had to fight other orphans for bins or lie down on the streets and suffer from a stomach ache.

    One of his eyes was smacked by a beggar to the point that it could not be opened, and whenever it rained, he had to lie on the streets drenched with water with no roof above him and shiver in his sleep.

    That was when he was 11 years old.

    After starving for four straight days, when he was powerless and his vision was starting to fail him,

    Yu Jitae¡¯s feet made him reach a certain fast food restaurant that was at the corner of the main street. He smelled something ridiculous right when he was walking by the entrance.

    The smell was both savoury and salty, that could immediately make anyone drool¡­

    It was a shocking smell.

    [Burgers]

    As he nkly stared at the image of a burger that was hanging outside the store, someone opened the door and walked out. Startled, Yu Jitae quickly moved away, hid in an alley and pacified his fast-beating heart.

    That¡¯s a burger?

    The burger that hest ate with his parents?

    Impossible. The scent that he just smelled was iparable to that burger from before and simply thinking of that smell made his heart race.

    It was a smell that could drive people crazy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ever since that day, Yu Jitae began to observe the burger restaurant from a distance. Everyone that entered it were wearing military outfits ¨C most of the ones with enough money to survive in these times of turmoil were superhumans.

    Behind the transparent windows, superhumans ate the burgers, dipped fried potatoes in ketchup and sucked their drinks in.

    Gulp¡­

    He watched it while constantly gulping.

    He didn¡¯t know why or how but one day, he couldn¡¯t endure it anymore and vacantly entered the restaurant towards its closing time. Then, he begged the owner for a burger.

    Back then, Yu Jitae was extremely egoistic yet timid. He never begged for food even if it meant he had to starve but the unbelievable smell of the burger bent his ego.

    ¡®This is a leftover. You can have it.¡¯

    And there, Yu Jitae met a benefactor.

    After finishing the entire burger, he gave a bow and was about to leave when the owner of the store called him.

    ¡®You¡¯re the one that lives under the bridge over there right?¡¯

    ¡®How old are you? What happened to your parents?¡¯

    ¡®Hmm¡­ Do you want to work here?¡¯

    She was ady; an adult who was a lot older than him. He could no longer remember her name or appearance.

    ¡®The government is going to build more orphanages and there¡¯s going to be one more near this ce. In around 3 months. So if you¡¯re okay, let¡¯s live together until that timees.¡¯

    If he still had parents, they would be around her age. Because of that, Yu Jitae despite being always filled with caution, was able to lower his guards around her with a bit more ease.

    The ce he thought of as a store was in fact an area that was turned into a restaurant by remodelling her house. Walking past the door that was next to the kitchen, he saw two rooms and a bathroom.

    She took Yu Jitae into the bathroom and washed him. And gave him food and a ce to sleep. The next morning, she taught him how to make a burger and because he was skilled at moving his hands, Yu Jitae quickly learned the necessary skills.

    ¡®I can¡¯t give you any money though.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t like they would ept more customers with Yu Jitae helping out, and she wasn¡¯t well off either. In one of the rooms was her older brother who had a very weak body. He was a nice person but he had a disability and had to ride a wheelchair.

    Yu Jitae could remember seeing big bulky mene in the weekends shouting at her to pay off her debt.

    Despite that, she provided Yu Jitae with endless kindness.

    Whenever she had time, she took Yu Jitae and went to the nearby creeks and mountains for a pic (she made Yu Jitae help her brother get on the car), and sometimes gave him allowances so that he could buy things he wanted to eat.

    ¡®They are building another orphanage in Nonhyun-dong next month. You can head there.¡¯

    And showed him a direction.

    There was something Yu Jitae always wanted to ask. It was something he couldn¡¯t ask because of his timid personality.

    ¡®Great job working until now.¡¯

    A question that he couldn¡¯t voice out loud, that stayed holed up in his mind until the day of their separation.

    ¡®Thanks for everything¡­¡¯

    Saying that, he turned around.

    But he suddenly thought that he would never get to ask the question if he didn¡¯t ask it now, so the 11-year-old Yu Jitae turned around and called her as she was about to get in her car.

    ¡°Wait¡­!¡±

    It was then. Kaeul¡¯s voice put an end to his trail of thought. Her eyes were filled with doubt.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°What meat is that by the way?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like beef, or pork?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s something tasty.¡±

    Yu Jitae shook off the memories of the past. It was a meaningless recollection.

    In any case, the key to this strategy was the meat.

    The meat he had prepared was that of a baby minotaur. It was tremendously savoury, and the meat was both chewy and soft. It was the king of delicacy that had yet to be known to the public. In around 10 years, people would discover this and make it public but it was currently known to practically no-one.

    With ease, he sliced off a portion of it, blended it and mixed them together. After seasoning it with salt and pepper, he ced it above the fire without oil as the savoury smell that forced people to drool spread across the kitchen.

    It was due to this fabulous smell that baby minotaurs were hard to find in dungeons. This scent was the result of its mana attributes and the other beasts also knew how delicious it was.

    Yu Jitae added theyers one by one and the burger was soonplete.

    ¡°Woah¡­! That looks insane¡­!¡±

    ¡°What? Let me see, let me see.¡±

    Yeorum and Kaeul approached with a startled look on their faces. Both the appearance and the smell were perfect.

    ¡°Ahnngg~¡±

    He divided it into four portions and handed them to the kids. After taking a bite of the burger, Kaeul was incredibly shocked and created a fuss.

    ¡°Wow, wow, wow¡­! This is crazy. This is crazy¡­!¡±

    ¡°Hahh, sex¡­¡±

    Yeorum also enjoyed it tremendously, which was very rare to see. Both Bom and Gyeoul were also surprised and praised Yu Jitae for the burger.

    ¡°Would this do?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes yes. Yes yes.¡±

    It was hard to see a reaction like this out of Gyeoul and fortunately, it seemed that the kids were quite enjoying it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make it together then.¡±

    *

    Things were finished in the blink of an eye after that.

    They made thirty samples and delivered them to the kids of her ss who were shocked after having a taste of the burger.

    ¡°It¡¯s insane¡­¡±

    ¡°Super nice¡­ ridiculously nice¡­¡±

    ¡°Someone made this? Who?¡±

    Gyeoul replied with a bright smile on her face. It was only at school that she could say it.

    Opening her mouth, she said, ¡°My daddy.¡±

    ¡°Aht, him¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    After remembering the scary daddy, her friends suddenly began a debate on what meat this could be.

    Kids were honest and were quick to move. The story of the ridiculously delicious burger spread from her ssmates to the entire grade, and those students who had younger siblings at the same school persuaded them by talking about how great it was.

    Time passed quickly until the day of the election.

    And thanks to all the hard work, Gyeoul was elected as the school captain.

    After that, Yu Jitae and the kids made burgers for two straight days but it was nothing difficult for the Regressor and the dragons. The burgers led to further astonishments after reaching the school.

    ¡°¡­Kuhi.¡±

    Gyeoulughed.

    ¡°¡­Kuhihi.¡±

    With each of her hands carrying 500 dors.

    ¡°¡­Kihihihihihh!¡±

    She ran up to Bom and fanned her face with the bundles of cash.

    ¡°Do you like it that much?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°¡­I can, die in peace.¡±

    Bom giggled in response.

    Soon, Gyeoul turned towards Yeorum with a serious look on her face. Yu Jitae had paid the rent but not thebour costs.

    Yeorum had worked hard for 20 hours, and her hourly rate was 5 dors.

    She walked towards her. As soon as the red pair of eyes looked back into her eyes, Gyeoul gazed at her as if she was looking at a bug and opened her mouth.

    ¡°You, sly, little fox.¡±

    Yeorum thought she was hearing things.

    ¡°¡­Do you think, you are the first, of your kind?¡±

    ¡°What d¡¯you say?¡±

    ¡°¡­You approached, my Jitae, because of money¡­ no?¡±

    Saying that, she handed her a hundred dor note and only then did Yeorum realise what she was doing.

    The source of all trouble was the morning drama that she had seen a few days ago. It seemed that the scene of the mother-inw giving money had left quite an impression in her mind.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a kid¡­¡±

    Gyeoul chuckled out loud and this time, ran towards Kaeul who received her with a wide smile on her face. After congratting each other, they stuck their heads together and whispered about something.

    ¡°Then, how much more do we need?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn? Ahh.¡±

    Yeorum looked at the two kids before shaking her head. She had no idea why they were so excited and giggly.

    Lastly, the child went to Yu Jitae.

    Gyeoul dashed up to him. She stood in front of him and carefully counted each of the notes before extending her arms with 800 dors in hand.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a resolute look on her face.

    ¡°What is it. Is this a repayment?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why are you giving it to me. I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°¡­But ahjussi ¡­did everything.¡±

    But to think the petty Yu Gyeoul would give him so much money¡­ thinking that, Yu Jitae reached out and grabbed the cash.

    However, there was a slight retaliation.

    Gyeoul red daggers at his hands and stubbornly held onto the notes.

    When he stopped his hands, Gyeoul went ¡®oops¡¯ and gazed at his eyes again, with her eyes shamelessly telling him to hurry and take them.

    So he tried to pull the cash away but was again met with faint resistance.

    Why was she trying to give it despite subconsciously wishing to hold onto it so badly?

    That was the question on his mind but on the other hand, her attitude brought his mind back to the distant memories that had resurfaced while he was making the burgers.

    ¡®Wait¡­¡¯

    Everything from back then was faint. The olddy¡¯s face, her clothes, name, background, time, season. Everything¡­

    But one thing ¨C her words still vividly remained in his memories.

    ¡®Why were you so nice to me?¡¯

    ¡®I am a beggar. An orphan.¡¯

    ¡®I might not be able to repay this favour ever in my life.¡¯

    The young Yu Jitae asked the olddy in a time that would nevere back to him, and in response, thedy replied with a smile.

    ¡®When I was your age, I was lost in a foreign country.¡¯

    ¡®That was when a missionary from the Philippines took me in, gave me food and a shelter, while asking for nothing in return.¡¯

    ¡®I appreciated it so much and asked him. Why did you help me out so much? And this is what he told me.¡¯

    ¡®When he was young and troubled himself, someone helped him the same way.¡¯

    The smell and taste of the burger he received from her on the day they met was shocking.

    But the words she left behind on the day they parted was even more shocking than the burger she gave him.

    ¡®You don¡¯t have to repay the favour.¡¯

    ¡®But if you see a child that needs help.¡¯

    ¡®Help them out at least once.¡¯

    It was something Yu Jitae from back then could not understand. It was a bizarre form of ¡®altruism¡¯.

    The world had then changed.

    It was almost impossible to see starving children in the streets. Besides, for him to have such a selfless mindset, the life he had led was too long and strenuous. He became too selfish to help others out of pure goodwill and was not wise enough to enlighten others either.

    His eyes lowered and faced the small hands of the child that were holding 800 dors.

    However, he thought that maybe Gyeoul would be different.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it so you can keep it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Instead, can you hold my hand?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    After holding his hand, Gyeoul widened her eyes into circles. The things he experienced were conveyed from his hazy memories into her head.

    With a startled look on her face, she looked at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Later if you see a child that needs your help, help them out at least once.¡±

    The burger in the past was an encouragement to his life.

    ¡°Okay?¡±

    The encouragement of a person he didn¡¯t know was conveyed down from a certain middle-aged woman to him; and from him down to Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    And in the future, it would reach someone he didn¡¯t know.

 Chapter 300: First Experience (1)

    <h4>Chapter 300: First Experience (1)</h4>

    <Head of Istion Chambers. Thimithi: The istion target B-12 has woken up. [14:48]>

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was a weekday. Yeorum went to North Europe to spar with a European ranker; Bom and Kaeul went outside and Gyeoul was at school so there was no-one else in the dormitory.

    <Head of Istion Chambers. Thimithi: The istion target B-12 has refused to follow the restraints. [14:51]>

    <Head of Istion Chambers. Thimithi: The istion target B-12 started going on a rampage against the Grade 0 agents. We will now raise the security grade of the target and implement further measures to control it. [14:59]>

    She seemed to havee to herself 11 minutes after waking up but because of the half-broken heart, she shouldn¡¯t have been able to use much of her original powers.

    On the cold winter afternoon, Yu Jitae changed his clothes and left Unit 301.

    ***

    But why was she here.

    ¡°Nn? Season?¡±

    Her white and soft one-piece dress revealed her shoulder lines. A light brown cardigan was draped over it but looked as if it could slip off anytime. And on her head was a flower pin that Yu Jitae had bought for her.

    Bom was chatting with Kang Ahjin at the Association.

    It was a bizarrebination.

    ¡°Haru. Did you not mention that you were meeting someone.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I came to talk with Ahjin-unni¡­¡±

    Ahjin-unni?

    That was when Kang Ahjin, who was standing next to her, exined with a bright smile.

    ¡°Ah, the thing is Season, it¡¯s going to be ¡®that menu¡¯ today at the cafeteria.¡±

    ¡°That menu?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. I heard Miss Haru saying that she liked it in the past so how could I be the only one having it? That¡¯s why I contacted her.¡±

    ¡°Soft and delicate!¡±

    ¡°Right. Soft and delicate. And spicy sweet!¡±

    ¡°I would have been sad if you didn¡¯t call me.¡±

    Theyughed out loud together.

    Yu Jitae found it strange.

    Were they always this close? Rather, it was his first time seeing Bom smile like that in front of a person other than the dragons.

    ¡°Were you always this close?¡±

    ¡°Auh, of course not. At the start, she gave off a very distant feeling. Like, she¡¯s too pretty and has something like an aura? That suggests that you shouldn¡¯t go near her too much, right?¡±

    Covering her mouth, she then carefully whispered, ¡®You know, she looks like a noble princess right?¡¯

    ¡°But I realised Miss Haru¡¯s personality was nothing like that. One day she started treating mefortably and I was able to get closer to her thanks to that.¡±

    He gave a nod but that was when Bom followed up with another question.

    ¡°What brings you here, Season?¡±

    ¡°I came for some errands.¡±

    Bom naturally walked closer and at a distance that was too close for hisfort, she gazed up into his eyes and softly asked.

    ¡°Would you, like to have a meal together?¡±

    It was such a pretty voice but he wasn¡¯t here for a carefree lunch.

    ¡°I would have to refuse. Because of work.¡±

    ¡°What kind of work is it?¡±

    ¡°It is rted to the postwar adjustments. Please enjoy your time.¡±

    When Season treated her with utmost respect, the ones that were working at the office realised once again how respect-worthy Bom was.

    On the other hand, Bom was also nice to other female workers other than Kang Ahjin and constantly smiled at them. For Yu Jitae who had asionally doubted her social skills, it was a good thing to see.

    He remembered her saying that she was uninterested in forming rtionships but it seemed that she at least had the social skills to make them.

    After seeing that much, Yu Jitae walked away.

    *

    The moment he entered the underground istion rooms, a young woman wearing extremely thick sses walked up.

    ¡°Wee, Season. It¡¯s great weather today.¡±

    Pattahirra Thimithi.

    She was the head director of the underground istion chambers and was the only human that could call [Oscar Brzenk] for work-rted matters. This right to summon the sovereign was something even Chaliovan didn¡¯t have, so she had a unique role in the Association.

    ¡°Seems you¡¯re interested in outside weather even though you¡¯re underground all day.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    The characteristics of Director Thimithi was that she stayed holed up underground to reduce the odds of leaking confidential information and that she slightlycked social skills as a result.

    And,

    ¡°Because there is nothing to talk about when I meet people, I tend to watch the news very often. I heard there¡¯s an infectious disease going around these days but have you been taking care of your body Prophet? You might be fine but if you wash your hands often and make that a habit, you can escape roughly 4,000 types of illnesses and stop the increase of harmful bacteria¡­¡±

    That she was very talkative.

    ¡°Stop. You¡¯re noisy.¡±

    ¡°My apologies.¡±

    ¡°How are things going with B-12?¡±

    On the way down to Myu¡¯s istion room with Thimithi, he asked.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t look like she was in a very good mental state. One of the Grade 0 agents was killed while the other one had his neck twisted and is barely alive.¡±

    ¡°Did B-12 twist it?¡±

    ¡°No. He did it himself. Would you like to watch the footage?¡±

    Yu Jitae watched the recording.

    After waking from a deep sleep, Myu touched her hair. She soon looked around the surroundings to confirm where she was at, and tried to break the walls and the chains using her mana. However, her mana output was insufficient and the use of mana was obstructed by her chains. She then punched the wall with her fist and shouted.

    Two Grade 0 agents entered the room after that as Myu shouted at them and pointed with her fingers,manding them to do stuff.

    ¡°Would you like the sound on?¡±

    ¡°Other than a request to let her leave and the request to bring the one that confined her, were there any other requests?¡±

    ¡°It was exactly those two. You know everything. As expected of the Prophet. As for the order, she asked for the one that confined her first and then requested to leave but from the perspective of non-verbalmunication, she didn¡¯t actually show signs of actively wanting to leave¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae turned his gaze to the screen and brought his index finger to his lips. In response, Thimithi shut her mouth.

    Inside the screen, the Grade 0 agents who were all criminals red at Myu with a disrespectful posture. That was when Myu¡¯s eyes began to glow in purple as the Grade 0 agents wrapped their arms around their heads in pain.

    One of them drove his own head into the wall and killed himself, while the other grabbed his own chin and head to twist it.

    ¡°It is assumed to be a brainwashing ability.¡±

    ¡°Have you heard some details of that entity from Zhuge Haiyan?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Then this shouldn¡¯t be anything surprising to Thimithi.

    ¡°How did you handle it.¡±

    ¡°We have released sleeping gas and have activated four types of chains but B-12 still hasn¡¯t fainted. But we did confirm the activation of the [Chains of Ekmer] that are ced around her neck. She fainted for a few seconds at the time of its activation and has now calmed down a lot more.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Can I go in?¡±

    ¡°Ah, there are Grade 0 agents inside trying to clean the mess. Should we make theme out?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I will go in when theye out.¡±

    ¡°Would you like to listen to an interesting joke while you¡¯re waiting?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°No, my apologies. That was inappropriate.¡±

    They were currently 17 floors underground at the [Istion Area of Immense Risk Factors].

    Yu Jitae went straight to the istion room of B-12 and Grade 2 agents followed from behind as soon as he entered the corridor.

    This long corridor had three doors. Each of them were crafted with heavy lead, ck steel and coated mithril which obstructed all sorts of mana and electric signals as well as a physical escape.

    While the agents were cleaning the inside of the room, the woman¡¯s grumpy voice could be heard from the corridor.

    ¨C How many times must I say it?

    ¨C I¡¯m telling you to bring him here. The one that locked me in this ce.

    ¨C Howe none of you can understand what I¡¯m saying? I¡¯m personally speaking in your lowlynguage for you.

    It was a voice carrying mana that inflicted pain in the ears of the Grade 0 agents.

    ¨C ¡®You will¡¯? That¡¯s what the other guys said. They told me to wait.

    ¨C How weak do I look to you for you to try to deceive me in such an arrogant manner?

    ¨C This won¡¯t do. One of you can go outside and convey my words but the other has to remain here.

    The agents startledly replied that they could not do so. Immediately after that, a bowl flew to his face and pushed the agent all the way back until he crashed into the wall.

    Drenched in porridge and frightened, he lowered his head.

    ¨C Are you still not going to stay?

    ¨C ¡­

    ¨C I should call someone else then. What? You guys are in charge? I don¡¯t even have to talk to them though.

    ¨C Won¡¯t more peoplee to clean up when there¡¯s a corpse?

    They were so terrified that they couldn¡¯t continue cleaning so there was no longer any reason to wait for them to finish.

    He pushed open the mithril door and walked inside as three pairs of eyes turned towards him.

    ¡°Come out.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yess¡­!¡±

    In response to one of the Grade 2 agent¡¯s words, the Grade 0 agents hurriedly left the room. The camera and the mic of the room soon turned off.

    ¡°Hoh, you¡¯re finally here.¡±

    Yu Jitae slowly walked up to Myu.

    ¡°I was looking for you. Firstly, the facility here is quite ufortable, you see.¡±

    He then raised his hand.

    ¡°I just woke up and¡­¡±

    p!

    Air burst forth as her head turned to the side. The shock that was powerful enough to momentarily daze even a polymorphed adult dragon made her widen her eyes in surprise.

    Her head slowly turned back towards him, and touching her reddened cheek, Myu sneered.

    She silently red at Yu Jitae and after seemingly chewing something inside her mouth, she spit it out onto the floor underneath the bed. It was a white, cracked tooth.

    ¡°What is this supposed to mean?¡±

    Myu asked, with the condescending gaze of an adult dragon looking down on a human.

    ¡°You better know your own ce.¡±

    ¡°My ce?¡±

    ¡°Do you not understand your position?¡±

    ¡°My position? My ce? Those are some strange words you are using. What is wrong with my position? Why wouldn¡¯t I say or do whatever I want?¡±

    ¡°Is that supposed to be a question when you¡¯re locked up in a ce like this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I have no idea so you tell me. Why should I stay still like you are telling me to?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae quietly gazed into her eyes for a bit before opening his mouth.

    ¡°You give off a very different feeling to other adult dragons. Very immature and naive. You are probably stronger than the average 5,000 year old dragon and yet your actions make you appear less than a thousand year old.¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to tell me anything about my position?¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth.¡±

    Myu¡¯s purple gaze gleamed with a brutal aura. Her gaze alone gave off a tremendous sense of presence and status and it seemed as if the true body of a dragon was looking down at a feeble human.

    But naturally, it failed to impact him in any way because Yu Jitae¡¯s presence was far greater than hers.

    After opening his internal alternate dimension, he pulled out arge cubical bag.

    ¡°Myu. You must cooperate with me from now on.¡±

    She seemed to have found his wordsughable and asked back with a smile.

    ¡°A cooperation huh¡­ So why does it sound like amand to me. Is that rted to my ¡®position¡¯ that you were talking about before?¡±

    ¡°Last warning. Shut your mouth.¡±

    It was a ck dragon that he already detested, and was one that he would love to immediately tear into pieces. A ck dragon like that not knowing the situation and constantly defying him irritated his mood.

    ¡°Hohh¡­?¡±

    But Myu did not step down.

    ¡°So it seems that ¡®my position¡¯ that you have arbitrarilybelled me with, is somewhere underneath your feet. Like how you¡¯re acting as if my head¡¯s under your feet. That¡¯s why you can easily p me on my cheeks andmand me as such. Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How ridiculous. Although I was defeated by a human¡­¡±

    In the blink of an eye, it happened.

    Yu Jitae dashed forward like lightning and pushed forth his coarse hand. His hand was wrapped around her tiny neck as the entire bed sunk and crumbled down. Getting on top of Myu, Yu Jitae used both of his hands to strangle and suppress her by the neck.

    ¡°Kuhk¡­¡±

    As if she couldn¡¯t believe it, her widened yet frowning eyes red back at Yu Jitae. Looking down into such eyes, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    It was a heavy and dense voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, to shut your mouth.¡±

    ¡°Kuhk, ukk¡­¡±

    Myu closed her eyes and couldn¡¯t reply back. Her body resembling that of a human stopped breathing as the blood flow also came to a stop, turning her pale face into red.

    Suppressing his desire to immediately twist his hand and kill it, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Should I tell you your position?¡±

    ¡°Kukk¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much.<i> This</i> is your position.¡±

    ¡°Kaukk¡­¡±

    ¡°With one grip I can break your neck. That is your position and it¡¯s no different from snapping a weed that I do not like. Think about it yourself. How strong would your weakened body bepared to a random weed.¡±

    Through their touching skin, the mana of the ck dragon tried to seep into his body but Yu Jitae shut it down before it could.

    ¡°I will now do a simple dissection of your body and experiment with it. You must cooperate with me.¡±

    ¡°Uhkk¡­¡±

    ¡°Your life and death is in my hands. If you obediently cooperate with me, there will be no meaningless strife. Depending on how things go, I may release you within 20 years and let you go.¡±

    ¡°Hut, kuhk¡­¡±

    ¡°But if you constantly defy me like this, I can¡¯t let you lead afortable life either. I need to make things easy to control but I¡¯m not proficient at soothing and pleasing people.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But I do have plenty of experience in torture. Would you like a try.¡±

    Only after saying everything did he release his grip by a little. Due to the tight pressure, there were beads of tears in her eyes.

    Her breath slowly returned and her eyes hazily opened back up. When her purple eyes looked back at his eyes, it formed a ferocious frown.

    Myu pursed her lips and;

    ¡°Ptui.¡±

    She spit at his cheeks.

 Chapter 301: First Experience (2)

    <h4>Chapter 301: First Experience (2)</h4>

    While gasping for breath, the purple pair of eyes filled with hatred red at him.

    After wiping the spit that was on his cheek, Yu Jitae raised his hand.

    p!

    Her head turned to the side as her two arms instinctively tried to push him away. Grabbing both of her wrists with one hand, he pressed it down onto her chest and indifferently raised his other hand again.

    pp¨C!

    Her head turned to the side as blood and saliva flowed past her torn lips. The inside of her mouth would probably be in a mess right now but she didn¡¯t do anything besides retaliating. Indifferently, he raised his palm yet again.

    pp¨C!

    It echoed across the istion room. Blood flowed from her nose and her eyes were also tainted in red due to one of the nearby vessels popping. She wriggled her body in pain.

    Up to here was a reaction he had expected.

    However, Myu¡¯s gaze remained unshaken despite the ps and her emotions were stable. Even dragons had hierarchies and tended to crawl before the strong but she was different.

    Therefore, he raised his hand again.

    pp¨C!

    His hand was like a whip.

    pp¨C!

    It made her bleed all around her cheeks.

    pp¨C!

    The pain umted. Myu crouched her body and wriggled and shivered to break free but in response he grabbed her by the hair and pulled it up. ¡°Uhk¡­!¡± The only thing the powerless adult dragon could do was to thresh its legs around.

    Pushing her into the wall, Yu Jitae raised his foot and kicked her and continued with the violence.

    After endlessly hitting her for a few minutes, her struggle began to subside so he simrly stopped his movement.

    That was when Myu slowly raised her body. Despite her face being covered with wounds, she looked at Yu Jitae with a clear unwavering gaze.

    While spitting out blood, she wiped her face with a shivering hand.

    Myu was still veryposed.

    Yu Jitae on the other hand knew that he was barely holding on thanks to a small string. His rationality threatened to snap on its own anytime and the reason he excessively attacked Myu is because he felt the need to unleash the impulse lest it umte into identally killing her.

    Slowly, like a cat licking its wound, she licked the blood off her lips. Then, her lips curved up into a mocking sneer.

    Seeing that, Yu Jitae almost lost his rationality.

    <[Key (EX)]: ¡­>

    It was then.

    The gaze that was always on him suddenly became bigger.

    Vintage Clock¡¯s friend: the ck cat or therge mechanical monster. [Key (EX)] was a being that allowed Yu Jitae to confirm and see his emotions.

    Yu Jitae had no idea why its gaze had suddenly thickened but after noticing it, he began to reflect on his actions. He inhaled and exhaled in order to suppress his impulsive thoughts.

    ¡°My, Nemesis.¡±

    That was when Myu opened her mouth with a cracked voice. Theposure could still be felt from her voice.

    ¡°I thought about it. I have been hostile to you and I have attacked humans and yet you left me alive. Why would you do such a thing? There must be a reason. Although I wasn¡¯t sure about the reason,¡±

    Myu ced her hand on her chest.

    ¡°It is probably even more priceless than the value of this heart.¡±

    Huk, huk¡­ she had trouble breathing. Myu right now was like a normal person who was involved in a big car crash so speaking should be painful already and yet her voice was still clear.

    ¡°And your words just then have convinced me. Cooperation. Vivissection. Experiment. There is something you want from my body and that exceeds the value of this heart.¡±

    ¡°And what about it.¡±

    ¡°Until now, you have ced my life on one side of the scale when threatening me, even though you have more to ce on the other side of the scale. You must have thought that I would value my life.¡±

    He squinted his eyes. It was true.

    ording to his research, the focus in life of everything in creation across all dimensions was the transmission of their genes. In other words, the biggest objective in the life of an organism was reproduction. Whether it be bugs, dogs, cats, humans or even orcs, that was how it was because life was limited yet genes would continue down forever.

    However, things were different for dragons who lived up to 10,000 years. Their lives were seemingly endless and they thus attached more meaning to their own life than the reproduction of their race. The most important thing for dragons was their individual lives and dragons tended to be more and more obsessed with their own lives with age.

    This was recorded down in a certain researcher¡¯s essay as a ¡®weird situation¡¯. The essay mentioned that if that was the case, wouldn¡¯t the bizarre race of dragons inevitably meet its end with time?

    ¡°It¡¯s not just once or twice that I¡¯ve seen you guys struggle desperately to survive.¡±

    Yu Jitae knew the answer.

    Because of their worrisome trait of attaching more importance to individual lives than the continuance of their race, the [Ancient One] had attached a device that would make them avenge the deaths of the hatchlings into the Origin Fragment. If not for that authority called [Protection of Infant Dragons], dragons would not spare a single nce even if the hatchlings were to be killed somewhere else.

    ¡°Right, right. I assume it wasn¡¯t an empty bluff that you met several dragons¡­ but do you know what? I am a mutant.¡±

    Her purple eyes bent like bows with a gaze profound enough to absorb the world.

    ¡°Living long was never my intention. Lead a decent life, enjoy a decent lot and have a decent death. Life is not precious to me in the first ce. How dare you try to threaten me with my life and arbitrarily assign me this ¡®position¡¯?¡±

    Myu gave a crooked smile. It was the smile of a person who was in control of the negotiation.

    ¡°My Nemesis. The reason you didn¡¯t kill me is because I have to stay alive, for that vivissection and experiment of yours. But if you make me suffer anymore than this, I will die without any hesitation.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can easily kill yourself in front of my eyes?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s as simple as stopping my heart.¡±

    ¡°The heart cannot be stopped unless the pain reaches a critical threshold.¡±

    This too was one of the authorities inherited down the Origin Fragment.

    [Heart Suspension]

    The reason why he couldn¡¯t stop BY of the 4th iteration from stopping her heart; the reason why even the green hatchling of the 6th iteration was unable to stop the blue dragon from stopping its own heart despite being next to it.

    Dragons, upon their suffering reaching a critical limit, could stop their heart and kill themselves.

    ¡°That is exactly correct. But haven¡¯t I mentioned it? I¡¯m a mutant. I can decide my own death even if there is no pain.¡±

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t say anything in response. He couldn¡¯t believe it but what surfaced on the Eyes of Equilibrium was ¡®true¡¯.

    ¡°What? My position?

    ¡°Know my ce?

    ¡°Howughable.¡±

    Her slow tone of voice specified who it was that was in control of the situation. It was due to a variable that he hadn¡¯t expected, that stemmed from her mutation.

    ¡°If you want my body, do as Imand you to.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you silent? Isn¡¯t this simr to the cooperation that you were talking about?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But I am not going to stay holed up in here and there¡¯s no reason for me to follow your words either.¡±

    However, being able to kill herself was different from dying. The ck dragons in particr were more obsessed with their lives.

    ¡°No. You will not be able to die.¡±

    ¡°Me? Why not?¡±

    ¡°A dragon forcing their heart to a stop is only when death is seen as the better future. Are you telling me that¡¯s how miserable your life is?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Being locked up and bashed by a mere human might be a miserable life for some.¡±

    I will die if I am not the one leading the negotiation ¨C that was what Myu was saying.

    ¡°I do not believe there is a single ck dragon in the entire world that would end their own life.¡±

    However, the moment he talked about the ck race, the smile vanished from Myu¡¯s face.

    ¡°Do not pretend like you know anything about my race. Is that not what I have said before?¡±

    ¡°You seem to have no idea about how your race is living because you¡¯ve been wandering all your life. You don¡¯t know the disgusting measures they resort to to simply survive, do you?¡±

    ¡°How dare! Shut your mouth right now!¡±

    Yu Jitae considered this extreme reaction of Myu to be a positive sign. He had sensed it before but Myu appeared to have some sort of pride and attachment to her race.

    ¡°What. I¡¯ve told you. There were tons of such dragons out of the ones I¡¯ve met. Each and every one of them were underhanded, disgusting and stubbornly hung on to life in hideous ways.¡±

    ¡°Shut your trap My Nemesis, unless you want to see me end my life right now.¡±

    ¡°You will not die. From 150-year-old hatchlings to 7,000-year-old dragons. Every ck dragon pollutes the world and tarnishes everything around them and yet values their life so much that they want to be the only one living an eternal life. Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°Stop¨C¡±

    Myu blocked her ears, refusing to hear his words.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae walked up and forcibly pulled those hands away from her ears. ¡°Uht!¡± She desperately threw a fist but he grabbed it and continued.

    ¡°Cooperate and don¡¯t create a fuss. Or pretend like you¡¯re cooperating and betray meter. You can do what all the other dirty ck dragons do. Even if you do so, I won¡¯t be disappointed because I already know you guys are always like that.¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop¨C!¡±

    A shredding scream echoed across the istion room. In the blink of an eye, Yu Jitae pulled his body back as her sharp w shed through thin air.

    There was now a gap between them as silence filled the room.

    With an expressionless look on her face, Myu heaved a sigh. The look ofposure soon returned to her face as she faced Yu Jitae and smiled while biting her lips.

    ¡°Well. Let me see you try¡­¡±

    Before long, the mana changed starting from the heart of the ck dragon. The pulsations of the heart gradually began to slow down.

    Thump, thump¡­ thump¡­

    Yu Jitae twitched his eyes.

    ¡°You. What are you trying to do.¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Are you suddenly trying to kill yourself? Is this supposed to be a protest?¡±

    Seemingly thinking that she was the one leading the negotiation again, Myu smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it onest time. Give me my freedom and do not stop me. Then I will cooperate with you to some extent.¡±

    Myu¡¯s dragon heart began to slowly lose power. Her eyes lost focus as the blood flow started to slow down.

    Her scattered ck hair wavered as her purple eyes dimmed. Her breath became faint. Even the hand that was ced above her stomach lost power and slipped down.

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    With a faint groan, she closed her eyes. Myu gradually began to die and her heart tremendously slowed down.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 60 seconds¡­ Weigh your options¡­¡±

    In that instant, what Yu Jitae had ced on one side of the scale became useless and a heavier weight was added to her side of the scale.

    ¡°Or I¡¯ll die¨C¡­¡±

    Still with her eyes closed, Myu smiled; it was obviously a provocation. Theposure in her voice was quite unfitting of her current dying state.

    ¡°And you can do what you want, with my corpse¡­¡±

    He closed his eyes as a hot impulse rode down his vessels. He found itughable how he had to make it survive within 50 seconds despite wanting to kill it immediately.

    There were 50 seconds remaining.

    ¡°Are you trying to negotiate with your life on the line because nothing else is going to work? Do you think that would work?¡±

    ¡°The one suffering a bigger loss¡­ will have to move, right¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae frowned.

    Myu could not die here.

    Over a thousand iterations. Over hundreds of years in time.

    It was the first mutant he found that had a cracked [Will of the Ancient One] out of dozens of dragons that he had seen.

    This was an opportunity he got because of Hostility running amok in the 7th iteration. He had no idea when he would be able to meet a simr entity after this iteration.

    There were 40 seconds remaining on the clock.

    However, there was one thing that Myu didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°The one suffering a bigger loss, is it.¡±

    Myu did not know the number of ck dragons that Yu Jitae had met in the 5+ iterations.

    ¡°Alright. Just die.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°Die. If that¡¯s what you want to do.¡±

    Myu did not know how Yu Jitae knew the locations of all the ck dragons in the nearby dimensions.

    ¡°But before you go, have a look at one of my memories.¡±

    And did not know that all those ck dragons had been killed by Yu Jitae.

    With less than 30 seconds left, Yu Jitae approached her again and grabbed her hand. It was a small and white hand.

    She resisted with her feeble remaining power but could not stop his fierce grip.

    Despite nearing her death, the innate ability built into their mana of assessing the emotions and memories of the one in contact moved.

    Memories of 5+ iterations appeared in Yu Jitae¡¯s mind. Although there were countless holes due to not being identified as iterations, they were more than enough.

    In that instant, her hazy eyes widened in a sh.

    ¡°You, you¡­¡±

    Shaking her powerless arm, she tried to push his hand away.

    ¡°Let, go.¡±

    ¡°Why should I.¡±

    ¡°L, let go¨C!¡±

    In a fit, she shook her hand and tried to push his face away. However, she was stopping her heart in her already weakened state so she could not push him away at all.

    Memories that were too painful to watch endlessly flooded in.

    Those were the memories of when Yu Jitae was massacring the dragons of the ck race. Towards Myu who held pride and affection for her race, Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°It was a stupid dragon.¡±

    A memory of the 3,700-year-old dragon, Alikkan of the dimension Gyogre, losing its head to his attack.

    ¡°How amusing it was seeing it thrash around on the floor.¡±

    A memory of the 1,800-year-old dragon, Kiriuga of Umutuna, left wingless from his ambush.

    ¡°This one was quite stubborn.¡±

    A memory of the 150-year-old hatchling, An of the public dimension Hamkan, whose heart was ripped out by his hand.

    ¡°It was old and sluggish.¡±

    A memory of a 7,700-year-old elder dragon, Aian of Katriarka, who had its skull crushed in one strike.

    Everything was sent to Myu except for their ¡®death¡¯. Despite killing all of them, for some reason, there were holes in his memories in the exact moments of their death.

    However, that was enough to get the meaning across.

    There were 15 seconds remaining.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Myu was silent but through [Eyes of Equilibrium] Yu Jitae spotted her mind undergoing a rapid change.

    Her emotions and her hatred were reaching the limit.

    Her feelings were that of a girl who saw their parents being bashed to the brink of death and her mana sharpened like ss fragments.

    There were 10 seconds left.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Her voice trembled.

    Why was it that Myu was overly attached to the ck race? Was it because they were in the same boat as her? But for that to be the case, other dragons of other races appeared different.

    Perhaps it was rted to her being a mutant.

    ¡°Do you know your ce now?¡±

    There was a memory of a ck race¡¯s hatchling mixed in his memories, and Myu would have sensed that that hatchling was not dead yet in this timeline. How would that make her feel?

    The Regressor knew the exact answer.

    ¡°You can go.¡±

    There were 5 seconds left.

    ¡°But if you do.¡±

    Yu Jitae released his grip.

    3 seconds.

    Her small hand wriggled in the air.

    ¡°Expect all of them to follow you one by one.¡±

    A beastly growl resonated across the istion room.

    ¡­¡­Thump.

    ¡­Thump.

    Thump, thump¡­

    1 second.

    The weakening heart began to beat again. Although it was still weak, it meant that the death had stopped.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Atst, Myu yielded.

 Chapter 302: First Experience (3)

    <h4>Chapter 302: First Experience (3)</h4>

    ¡°What were those memories just then.¡±

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°¡­Did you kill all of them?¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head. Things have gone back in time and all the ck dragons that he had killed should all be alive again.

    ¡°They are all alive for now.¡±

    Myu had already given in, so it was not a wise idea to continue instigating her hatred.

    Her favourability facing him was at extreme levels already and was close to exceeding the limits. Considering that they had to spend quite some time together due to the experiments, it was a better idea to create an amicable rtionship even at a superficial level.

    He used the stick, and it was now time for the carrot.

    ¡°There is no need to hate me too much.¡±

    He found it ridiculous after saying such words, considering how he already hated Myu himself.

    ¡°Let me reiterate this. As long as you cooperate, I will guarantee as many things as I can.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It takes a hundred years for a normal dragon to create their nest right? If you did that in 5 years, you must have been trying your hardest to settle on Earth while cutting down on your sleep. You must have been desperate as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her nted lips faintly curved downward. She realised that the momentum hadpletely shifted to his side.

    ¡°Filling the 72nd floor of the Tower of Mages with the dragon¡¯s ck metal, [Ethril], making the Tower stand on your side and inciting the entire world with a fake identity was all for you to live a good life was it not?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll respect that at the very least and I will guarantee that you won¡¯t be mistreated during your istion. I will also give you some freedom.¡±

    Her loosened eyes were still filled with hatred but it was hard to decipher her exact thoughts.

    ¡°How aggravating¡­¡±

    Soon, her heart began to beat as usual.

    ¡°So my race hasn¡¯t died yet huh¡­¡±

    Myu said while gasping for breath.

    It seemed that the mere attempt to stop her heart had caused trouble for the body. She grabbed her chest and calmed herself down before wiping the blood off her eyes with her white wrist.

    ¡°Yeah. Ask me anything if there is something you want to request for the cooperation.¡±

    The outline of the negotiation was finally set. Yu Jitae was the one in control of the negotiation and he didn¡¯t necessarily hate deals that were made under his lead.

    Myu red at Yu Jitae.

    Lowering her gaze, she looked at her reddened wrists before turning her eyes towards the crushed bed. Soon, a light of resignation shed past her eyes.

    ¡°I will demand three things¡­¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    But by the time she gazed back up into his eyes, it was again filled with hostility.

    ¡°One. Do not abuse me more than necessary.¡±

    ¡°That will depend on how you act.¡±

    ¡°As I have stated, no ¡®more than necessary.¡¯¡±

    Yu Jitae remained silent.

    ¡°I will take that as a yes. Two. I conform with being isted in this ce and I will help with the experiment. However, I wish for a treatment that fits my status.¡±

    ¡°What is that about. Do you wish to get treated like a king?¡±

    ¡°Anything wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Exin the details.¡±

    ¡°Move the istion room to a bigger ce. Send in attendants that will move as my hands and feet and reduce the chains to the minimum. Give me an animal that I can y around as a toy and if I ever wish to spend time quietly in this ce, let mey my hands immediately on anything I desire.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t anything difficult.

    ¡°What¡¯s thest.¡±

    ¡°Before saying that, there is a question I must raise. My Nemesis. What exactly is the vivisection and experiment that you were talking about?¡±

    ¡°It is regarding your heart and the Origin Fragment.¡±

    ¡°How many experiments, and how long would it take?¡±

    ¡°That is unclear. It won¡¯t finish in one go. It would have to be several times.¡±

    Yu Jitae was expecting Myu to request for freedom at the end of the experiment. No-one in the world unconditionally wished for death and Myu must in the end have some desire to live as well.

    After some hesitation, Myu opened her mouth.

    ¡°After one experiment, let me leave the istion room for a short time.¡±

    But her request was different from what he had been expecting.

    ¡°You want to leave?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯ll be troublesome. Any other requests?¡±

    ¡°None. This is something I cannot concede. I am a ck dragon and we are the wandering race. I am tired of being locked up in one ce.¡±

    Her expression was serious to the point that he could sense the resolution behind her request.

    ¡°Where are you nning to go.¡±

    ¡°Wherever my feet carry me.¡±

    ¡°To do what.¡±

    ¡°Whatever Iy my hands on.¡±

    In other words, she had nothing nned.

    Yu Jitae stopped his words. If Myu had to go outside, there was only one way to do it.

    ¡°¡­There is a condition.¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°Wherever you¡¯re going and whatever you¡¯re doing ¨C from the moment you leave the istion room until you return, you must be with me. You cannot go outside the boundaries I have regted and you cannot do things I tell you not to do.¡±

    Myu curiously asked back.

    ¡°Right. I was expecting that much. But, what is this boundary and what are the things that I cannot do?¡±

    ¡°Brainwashing someone, deceiving them, attempting to run away, or sending those disgusting thoughts of yours to someone else. Things that interfere with my experiment.¡±

    ¡°What ¡®disgusting thoughts¡¯. If only I could torture you to death¡­¡±

    Revealing her fangs, Myu growled.

    ¡°¡­Alright. What about anything else? How abouting into contact with humans?¡±

    ¡°It will be fine as long as they do not interfere with the experiment.¡±

    ¡°Even if I were to allow ten able men into the bedroom, do you mean you will be simply watching over the window?¡±

    ¡°The debaucherous life of dragons is none of my business.¡±

    Myu red at Yu Jitae with a crooked gaze before caressing her aching cheeks. She contemted but she probably knew that this was everything he could permit and that there weren¡¯t any other things she could choose.

    ¡°My Nemesis.¡±

    Before long, Myu opened her mouth with a resigned look.

    ¡°Exin the experiment process to me.¡±

    ¡°There will be a physical and mana contact with the Origin Fragment.¡±

    ¡°So you will be splitting the skin.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How dangerous is it.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be dangerous at all.¡±

    ¡°Will you be inserting objects? I hate difort.¡±

    ¡°There is none. The experiments will end with each experiment. However, it will be painful and will thus require anaesthesia. At times a recovery will be necessary after the experiments.¡±

    ¡°Does that bag have tools for the experiment?¡±

    Myu pointed at the cubical bag he brought in.

    ¡°No. That¡¯s for the anaesthesia. Since the shock and pain will be considerable.¡±

    ¡°Tranquilising the dragon heart, is something difficult to imagine.¡±

    ¡°It is quite troublesome. It will take around a fortnight for the anaesthesia to tranquilise the entirety of an adult dragon¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright. I have understood it all.¡±

    She raised her body that had been leaning on the wall.

    ¡°Begin right now. That heart experiment or whatever.¡±

    ¡°After fixing the broken bed.¡±

    ¡°No. Do it now. I must get out of this suffocating ce as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Things advanced smoothly now that they had matching thoughts. Myu used magic to create an alternate space on the floor andid herself down on it. Yu Jitae approached her and opened his bag.

    ¡°Before starting the experiment I will carry out the anaesthesia. Sit back. Once it goes in and you feel sleepy, do not resist it.¡±

    But blinking her purple eyes, Myu said something outside his expectations.

    ¡°There is no need.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°There is no need for anaesthesia. Did you not say it would take a fortnight?¡±

    Lying on the ground, she grabbed onto the neck part of her t-shirt with extended ws, and pulling it straight down, she ripped it in half.

    The body that was made by mimicking a human body was revealed.

    ¡°Do not waste any time.¡±

    Myu closed her eyes.

    He had mentioned already that he would be cracking open the dragon heart. It was like ripping open a person¡¯s flesh and naturally, dragons also felt pain.

    Even though she tended to act like a young entity, things like this made her look like an adult dragon.

    Yu Jitae closed the bag and sharpened the killing intent at the tip of his fingertips into an extremely fine and keen point.

    ¡°Thanks for your cooperation.¡±

    The words that unconsciously left his mouth were surprising even for him. It seemed that he had be used to daily lives so much that such words had left as a habit.

    In response, Myu widened her eyes and red at Yu Jitae with a hostile gaze. She then seethingly uttered words one by one.

    ¡°You little shit¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    Instead, he formed over 40 utensils by artictely crafting them with killing intent. There were seven different types of knives as well as hammers, chisels, electric chainsaws, wires and needles.

    ¡°If you show signs of pain, the experiment will immediatelye to a stop. And I will carry out the anaesthesia.¡±

    ¡°I do not mind pain.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not because I¡¯m being considerate of your pain. Every little twitch will be an interference to the experiment.¡±

    ¡°Do as you wish.¡±

    Saying that, she closed her eyes.

    Jiiinng¡ª

    And the chainsaw of killing intent began to rotate.

    ***

    Myu suffered throughout the experiment.

    By tearing through the flesh and cracking open the bones, Yu Jitae approached the dragon heart and the Origin Fragment in various ways. By crushing, splitting it, embedding devices and injecting liquids.

    Despite the pain, Myu remained still and all she did was asionally frown or grab the bed sheet. Thanks to not a single groan and not a single twitch, the experiment smoothly came to an end.

    After he healed the wound and closed it,

    ¡°Is that all¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then leave at once¡­¡±

    Myu finally released her tight grip on the bed sheet and fell asleep so Yu Jitae covered her body with a robe. She had lost a tremendous amount of vitality so she needed to take a long rest.

    Before leaving the basement, he told Thimithi.

    ¡°Leave B-12 alone for it to recover. I willter send you further terms so follow them and contact me as soon as it wakes up.¡±

    ¨C Okay.

    After ending the work at the istion room, while walking down the long corridor, Yu Jitae had to pacify his emotions that were drenched with excitement.

    The results of the experiment were extremely good, to an unbelievable level.

    Due to the crack in the [Will of the Ancient One], Yu Jitae was able to ess the Origin Fragment via mana and there, he identified 9 authorities that were being individually operated.

    One of them would be [Heart Suspension] while the other will be the [Immediate Summon] for the Amusement. The likes of [Infant Dragon Protection], [Long-range Dimensional Intersection] that forced open a fissure to the distant dimension upon death and [Amusement Assistance] that stopped hatchlings from being overly attached to their Amusements should be included.

    In the next experiment, he had to distinguish them and tell which was which.

    And if he could identify the authority of [Long-range Dimensional Intersection], he would be able to find the coordinates of their dimension, which he couldn¡¯t find due to the sheer distance, and open a fissure.

    The reason he could progress and envision the future experiments in one go was because of his built-up experiences from the 4+ iterations.

    It won¡¯t seed in one or two experiments.

    He might have to sacrifice a few things.

    However,pared to all the time he had thus wasted, he predicted it to take an immensely shorter amount of time.

    And if he could confirm the coordinates,

    If he could atst confirm those coordinates¡­

    Closing one of the doors, he continued down the long corridor as something wriggled within his emotions.

    If he could find it, the baby dragons would finally return home¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae reflected on the memories of the past.

    In the night sky of his imagination were stars.

    That was the Regressor¡¯s dream and an aspiration that he had harboured for so long.

    It was too far to reach and too hazy to see. At times he was zealous, telling himself that he would definitely see it and undoubtedly reach it¡­

    However, it all turned vague after repeating failures upon failures. It should be somewhere around there. I¡¯ll reach it one day if I proceed on¡­

    No matter how long he waited and tried, he could not see the stars. The world was too dark for him to see it.

    Yu Jitae stopped his feet.

    Something squirmed from the depths of his heart.

    His blood felt scorching hot. The pulsations of his heart reached his ribs, as the zing blood rhythmically flowed down the arteries to every nook and cranny of his body. His entire body felt heated up from the rising temperature.

    This wasn¡¯t good.

    Excessive expectation has always been poisonous.

    The emotions that had returned from living daily lives were the problem. The Regressor could not deny that his rampaging emotions that had surged up after seeing the concrete evidence were agitating him.

    How long had he lived trying to just see those stars¡­?

    He turned around.

    Off in the distance down the corridor, he could see the firmly shut entrance of Myu¡¯s istion room. The light seeping out of the palm-sized window attached to the door appeared like a road sign in this dark tunnel.

    His eyes wavered and couldn¡¯t suppress the movement behind his chin. By silently standing still, he quietly restrained his bursting emotions.

    On the other side of the darkness, were flickering stars.

    *

    Myu only woke up from her sleep after a few days.

 Chapter 303: First Experience (4)

    <h4>Chapter 303: First Experience (4)</h4>

    Early in the morning.

    As the dry and refreshing winter breeze seeped through the window, Bom faintly opened her eyes and rubbed them open.

    A sweet voice woke her up from her sleep.

    Yu Jitae was talking by himself in the living room.

    *

    ¨C Yes, Season. Zhuge Haiyan speaking.

    ¡°There is something I want to request.¡±

    ¨C Is this regarding the istion chambers?

    ¡°Yeah. Can I get some time for it soon?¡±

    ¨C Ahh. Is that the thing about B-12 going outdoors that you¡¯ve mentioned?

    ¡°Right. To let it have some fresh air. Can you get the word across beforehand, thanks.¡±

    ¨C Hmm¡­ The matters rted to the ¡®immense risk factors¡¯ leaving istion rooms must be requested face-to-face due to security reasons. Is it urgent, by any chance?

    ¡°Why. Is there something on your hands right now?¡±

    ¨C I¡¯ve actually taken the morning off for some personal reasons.

    ¡°You took the morning off?¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan hesitated a little before adding more words.

    ¨C ¡­I have an arranged marriage meeting today.

    ¡°You¡¯re meeting a man?¡±

    ¨C Yes. First meeting.

    ¡°How rare. For you to see someone.¡±

    It was more intriguing than rare.

    Zhuge Haiyan had never married anyone in the past iterations. In other words, it meant that she had been single for hundreds of years.

    ¨C It¡¯ll just be a short meeting in the morning so it won¡¯t affect work. There¡¯s not much time, you see.

    ¡°Who is it? For him to not have time to meet someone like you who only sleeps two hours a day.¡±

    ¨C Ah, I mean, I don¡¯t have much time.

    ¡°¡­.. I see. Then please do that for me as soon as you go to work.¡±

    ¨C Alright.

    ¡°Good luck on your appointment.¡±

    Ending the call, Yu Jitae turned around. From behind the small gap behind the door of her room, Bom was peeking his way. Her emerald eyes blinked as soon as their eyes met.

    ¡°Good morning~¡±

    She then suddenly walked out of her room with a big stretch.

    ¡°Did you have a good sleep?¡±

    ¡°Nn~ The weather looks amazing today.¡±

    ¡°What do you want for breakfast,¡±

    ¡°How about some fast food?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    Bom naturally approached the sofa andid herself down next to him while resting her head on his thigh. She then turned on the hologram disy of the watch while humming, ¡°What should we feed the kids today¡­¡±

    Despite their kiss in the lounge room of the warp station, Bom still tended to lean on him like this quite often.

    It was Yu Jitae who was the most troubled by this as he thought Bom was ufortable with sexual atmospheres and the likes because she had yet to experience such things.

    ¡°Oh yeah. By the way, who were you talking to on the line just then?¡±

    ¡°What. On the watch?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She sounded and appeared very casual so he replied in a simrly nonchnt manner.

    ¡°Zhuge Haiyan.¡±

    ***

    That day, Yu Jitae headed to the Association.

    He would now take Myu outside and take a short break. In the meantime, the agents of the [Immense Risk Istion Rooms] will move everything to a bigger room and carry out the things she had proposed.

    It wasn¡¯t difficult for Yu Jitae to assume that today would be a rather ufortable day.

    How?

    ¡°I wish you wouldn¡¯t greet me with that disgusting mouth if you could.¡±

    Because those words were the first things he heard the moment he opened the door.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He detested the ck dragon and simrly, the ck dragon also hated himself. Considering their rtionship, it was obvious that having to stick to each other when going outside wasn¡¯t very well-received by either of them.

    ¡°How¡¯s your body.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Answer me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Or there will be no going outside today.¡±

    Myu didn¡¯t move her lips. She looked up and threw him a short nce.

    ¡°It has gotten better.¡±

    ¡°Right. It shouldn¡¯t be getting worse.¡±

    Her dragon heart and the Origin Fragment had to recover a bit more before the next experiment.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already applied for a leave on the way. We can go out whenever you want to but I¡¯ll only allow up to half a day. Is there anywhere you want to go?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Myu pondered.

    Where would she try to go?

    He could easily guess the location.

    Hatchlings being simr to humans was because of the short span of experience and time they had built up. However, a one-time experience became an evesting memory in the unforgetting memories of adult dragons.

    Due to bing numb to stimtion, what adult dragons wished for tended to be bigger sources of stimtion.

    In other words, they were generally dirty and disgusting things.

    ¡°I¡¯ve wandered through dimensions for a long time. Ever since I was very little.¡±

    That was when Myu started talking about things he wasn¡¯t even curious about.

    ¡°Aftering to Earth¡­ I found out that this mysterious world contained things that I had never seen or heard of.¡±

    It was what everyone including Chaliovan who came from different dimensions always said about Earth. Her words were going in one of his ears, going out the other, but Myu continued rambling reminiscently while gazing off into a distance.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found some worlds with technology where magic coexisted with cogs. But a world this advanced in technology was a first.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Even I, as a dragon, was seeing it for the first time, and yet the humans of thisnd lived without even appreciating it. I found that intriguing and judged that this world was one that was worth settling in to end my hundreds of years of travel. My n was to quietly stay in a corner after making a nest and explore the new world.¡±

    He was only half-listening but he could still guess what she was trying to say.

    That long introduction was to put the me on Yu Jitae who had ruined it.

    ¡°And what.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Just get to the main point. So where do you want to go.¡±

    Myu was simr to 5,000 year-old adult dragons in terms of strength, but she said with her own mouth that she was between 500 to 1,000 years old.

    It was obvious where dragons of that age would head to. With that in mind, the Regressor was thinking of all the dirty ces that it could ask for.

    But after some hesitation,

    Myu talked about apletely unexpected location.

    ¡°¡­¡­A museum.¡±

    *

    Myu wanted to have a look at the chronological development of Earth¡¯s technology. That¡¯s why she wanted to head to a museum but she didn¡¯t know which museum to go to.

    A museum¡­

    The Regressor thought to himself. The ¡®technology of other dimensions¡¯ that she had seen were probably those worlds that developed cogs, weaved cotton with tools and had oil pressure at best.

    In other words, they were around the 18th~19th Century on Earth, simr to the technological state during the Industrial Revolution.

    Thus, Yu Jitae decided to show the technological and scientific development that happened during the 19th~20th Century. Fortunately, there happened to be a museum in Paris that had gathered evidence on the modern development history that went all the way until the 20th Century.

    That should be enough.

    And if she enjoyed it, it was easy to find what to do on her next leave. He just had to show the scientific skills developed in the 20th~21st Century.

    Yu Jitae took Myu, who hid her appearance with a mask and a cap, and went to Paris. There were not many things that he had to do. The first thing he did was to hire a guide because he didn¡¯t want to talk to her all day.

    ¡°What you see here is a replica of the tin foil phonograph that Thomas Edison had invented in 1877.¡±

    He introduced her as a ¡®girl from an uncivilised tribe who knew nothing about the world¡¯ to the guide and because he didn¡¯t want to walk next to her, he left a few steps between them and monitored her movement.

    ¡°A phonograph? What is that?¡±

    Myu very much acted like a normal person, like the time she first met Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Firstly, let me show you how it works.¡±

    The guide touched the replica on disy and said while turning the handle, ¡°Wee to Paris full of wonders!¡±

    In that instant, Myu¡¯s heart reacted. She observed the machine with her acute senses but tilted her head, because she didn¡¯t sense any mana from it.

    ¨C Wee to Paris full of wonders!

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Myu appeared startled. It was an impressive fabrication which momentarily deceived even him.

    ¡°Were you surprised?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°A phonograph is a device that saves sound. Do you see this needle here? Sound has a vibration and the vibration gets transmitted here to swing the needle. And the needle leaves the vibration as a record down on the spinning cylinder.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Then we get some dents on the cylinder depending on the vibration and when we retrace it back with the needle, it ys the recorded sound.¡±

    ¡°Uwah.¡±

    Like Yeorum staring at a good weapon and Kaeul looking at new macarons, Myu¡¯s eyes flickered with light.

    ¡°Is the recording function on the watch based on simr principles?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Sorry? Haha. No that¡¯s not the case. That is an iparably more developed technology because this here is almost 300 years old now.¡±

    ¡°300 years old¡­¡±

    The guide continued with the exnations.

    Starting from the wireless telegraph over the Antic (1901), controble gliders (1902), penicillin (1929), maic tapes (1931) and jet engines (1940) to the firstputer Colossus (1943).

    All the way to the satellite Sputnik (1957), which humanity managed to send off through the atmosphere.

    As if possessed, Myu followed the guide and listened to his exnations, seeming very satisfied.

    She also bought a replica of a controble glider as a toy/souvenir. Myu wanted to buy more but Yu Jitae stopped her.

    ¡°Why can I not get more?¡±

    He was ufortable seeing Myu¡¯s undisguised expressions of joy.

    ¡°There¡¯s no money.¡±

    ¡°You are not a beggar or anything. Do you not have money for a single toy?¡±

    ¡°Of course I have money.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°But I have none to use for you.¡±

    ¡°I wish you go kill yourself.¡±

    Like a child, Yu Jitae¡¯s emotions were unstable. Thinking back on ck dragons disgusted him but the fact that she was a precious ¡®experimentable subject¡¯ that he had found after a long time made him think that it would be fine to do 1% of what he would do to the kids.

    This too might be a thought that he earned during his daily lives.

    Being uncertain of what to do like an average person.

    Before leaving the museum, Yu Jitae bought a toy replica of the satellite Sputnik and gave it to Myu.

    It was on a whim.

    ¡°¡­¡­What is this about?¡±

    But Myu looked at him with an indifferent look on her face and he had nothing to say in return.

    When he didn¡¯t say anything, Myu raised the toy Yu Jitae bought and chucked it down on the ground.

    nk!

    It shattered into pieces and scattered.

    Yu Jitae endured the impulse to run up and grab her by the hair to simrly chuck her down towards the ground.

    It was his fault for acting on a whim.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The way back was ufortable for both of them and they said nothing to each other.

    But the problem was that he had bought two presents on a whim. He was going to hand them out one by one and there was now one still remaining in his hand.

    Sitting in the lounge of the warp station, Yu Jitae contemted before giving it to her once again.

    It was a small phonograph toy. It didn¡¯t actually operate like a phonograph and was just a toy that recorded sound like a recorder that looked like one.

    ¡°Throw this too if you don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Myu, who was sitting a seat away from him, did not receive the small gift. Therefore, he ced it on the empty seat between them andpletely shut his mind off it. He was no longer curious whether she even received it or not.

    Yu Jitae read the newspaper with his watch and waited for their turn at the warp station before heading to the Association.

    ¡°For my first ever date with a male, it was a mess.¡±

    And when they arrived back at the Association, Myu suddenly gave him a grade which Yu Jitae was naturally not even interested in.

    ¡°And what about that. Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Never mind. Why would I bother. Leave.¡±

    Myu said while shaking her fingers.

    ¡°Obediently stay here till Ie back.¡±

    ¡°Hope you eat shit.¡±

    ¡°Unless you want a hole in your head.¡±

    Leaving behind Myu who was raising her middle finger in the new istion room, Yu Jitae turned around. Their first leave that was as ufortable as it could have been, thus came to an end.

    *

    Left alone inside the room, Myu took the phonograph out of her pocket and quietly stared at it.

    ck dragons ced a lot of importance on new experiences.

    Seeing a ¡®machine¡¯ that operated without a single movement in mana was simr to seeing magic in a world without magic.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    So this little thing here, copies sound without using any mana?

    Thinking that, Myu carefully pressed on the record button.

    Ding¨C

    ***

    He was done with most of the work.

    Because there was something he had to convey to Zhuge Haiyan, he looked for her at her personal office and saw something bizarre.

    Inside Zhuge Haiyan¡¯s office, Bom was doing something with Zhuge Haiyan in front of her.

    ¡°Ah, wee. Chief Season.¡±

    Startled by the sudden visit of the Prophet, Zhuge Haiyan stood up and saluted him. He saluted back before turning towards what Bom was carrying in her hands.

    She was holding a thin brush, which had been used to draw near the eyes. In other words, it seemed that Bom had been doing make-up for Zhuge Haiyan.

    ¡°Hello, Season.¡±

    ¡°What has brought you here.¡±

    ¡°Nn. I was helping Haiyan-unni with some make-up.¡±

    ¡°Make-up?¡±

    ¡­Haiyan-unni?

    Zhuge Haiyan awkwardly let out a smile after sensing his gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much but I coincidentally came across Miss Soothsayer at the cafeteria around lunch time. After some conversation, we realised our personalities matched mysteriously well. So we thought of having tea and¡­ I even talked about the marriage meeting that I told you about in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, things have gone very well for unni today.¡±

    Bom said with a chuckle. Zhuge Haiyan turned towards her with an embarrassed smile with intimacy oozing out of her gaze.

    Yu Jitae was sceptical due to various reasons. In his 90 years of service at the Association, Yu Jitae had never gotten that close to Zhuge Haiyan; not a single time. He had always been thinking of her as a humanputer so seeing something like that out of her was mysterious and the process of Bom getting that close to her was also something he became curious about.

    ¡°Ahh. And apparently they are going to meet in secret during the Association¡¯s dinner event tonight.¡±

    ¡°That was meant to be a secret.¡±

    ¡°Aht, sorry¡­¡±

    Bom and Zhuge Haiyan looked at each other before giggling out loud. They looked very close and intimate.

    When Bom turned her eyes back towards him, he sensed the same intimacy that was in Zhuge Haiyan¡¯s gaze from her eyes.

    The time he had spent with Myu, and the gaze he felt from her at times, must have really been ufortable, judging from how it was so rxing to receive her gaze.

    ¡°And, by the way, Season.¡±

    ¡°Yes. What is it.¡±

    ¡°If you have time tonight¡­¡±

    Before continuing with her words, Bom wetted her lips a little. She appeared to have no idea about it but it was a habit he noticed after spending years together.

    She seemed rxed. Her eyes were calm and her voice was the same as usual.

    But when she does that and uses her small tongue to lick her lips like a cat¡­

    ¡°Would you like toe with me to themand centre¡¯s dinner event today?¡±

    That was when she was nervous.

 Chapter 304: First Experience (5)

    <h4>Chapter 304: First Experience (5)</h4>

    ¡°Let me double-check the schedule.¡±

    Why is she nervous?

    It started off as a small doubt. But as he continued thinking about it, he discovered various strange points among her recent actions.

    These days, Bom had gotten very close to the members of his office including Kang Ahjin. Going around the Association, she started meeting people and learning work and now she was even doing make-up for Zhuge Haiyan.

    It was in stark contrast to how she would usually act around people. Was she simply trying to find more to do after getting used to working at the Association?

    He continued thinking as his doubt gradually increased in size.

    Bom always moved based on deliberate calctions. She always acted after thinking and never the other way around.

    Kang Ahjin. Zhuge Haiyan.

    And the agents of the office that she became closer to by approaching them first: Isabe Kampavic, Wei Hongwei, Patricia Mosca, Gretta Jenecamp, Iyana Goradia¡­

    What was the thing inmon between these agents who were different in both race and nationality?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae felt slightly ufortable.

    They all happened to be female.

    *

    ¡°Could youe with me for a little.¡±

    ¡°If there is something you would like to say, of course Season.¡±

    ¡°Get in the car.¡±

    ¡°Yes oppa.¡±

    He took Bom to the underground parking lot and got in the car.

    ¡°Bom. Is there something happening these days?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Why do you suddenly want to go to their dinner event.¡±

    ¡°Are we not allowed to go if there¡¯s nothing wrong?¡±

    The fragments of his doubt were too far apart to connect into one piece.

    ¡°Why have you be so proactive these days.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°It is weird though. It has already been several months since you¡¯ve joined the Association and you were putting a distance between you and them to match your image of a soothsayer.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But I think I¡¯ve been too indifferent to my surroundings.¡±

    Indifferent?

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I suddenly had this thought a few days ago. I think I¡¯ve been living my whole life staring inside a cylinder.¡±

    ¡°Inside a cylinder?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Like the core of a tissue roll or a straw. It¡¯s nice to focus and look at one thing through it but that makes it impossible to look at the surroundings. And when the thing you were staring at through the cylinder disappears, you immediately lose track of it.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t understand her words but there seemed to be no reason to continue with this QnA.

    Her words were false ording to the [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]. Having a false for the answer meant that her response wasn¡¯t an authentic one that stemmed from her sincere thoughts.

    ¡°Bom. Are you hiding something from me?¡±

    ¡°Nothing these days.¡±

    True.

    ¡°Are you trying to do something behind my back?¡±

    ¡°How and why would I do something behind your back, oppa.¡±

    True.

    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand my words and reply asfortably as you want to. Are you nning on hurting someone?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    True.

    Soon, her lips formed a pout as a sullen look appeared on her face.

    ¡°Why would I suddenly hurt someone. What a weird question¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry if that offended you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that much of a psycho, you know¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never once thought of you as a psychopath.¡±

    In any case, if Yu Jitae knew everything and she had no ns of hurting other people, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    He decided to let go of those doubts for now.

    ¡°Are youing to the dinnerter?¡±

    ¡°You wanted me to go, didn¡¯t you. Then I will.¡±

    Bom once again licked her lower lips.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ***

    That night.

    Themand centre¡¯s dinner was held at a wine bar. Rather than a formal one, it was for people that liked socialising toe for a chat and was more simr to an inpany party than a formal dinner.

    Naturally, the higher-ups like the Five Transcendents and Chaliovan weren¡¯t here today.

    Because of that, Yu Jitae who was swirling his wine ss at the corner wearing a business shirt and a tie was a difficult person to approach for them. He was like a professor who came to a university party of students.

    It was evident by how some of the agents awkwardly greeted him before immediately going further away.

    Despite the prevalence of human death these days, it was still straight after a huge incident so the people weren¡¯t very rowdy. They dropped their business mindset a little to share some conversations about their personal lives.

    There was one person who gathered the eyes of everyone present.

    It was none other than Bom.

    ¡°Haru! Can I please sit next to you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Of course, unni.¡±

    ¡°Miss Soothsayer. The thing you told mest time was such a great help.¡±

    ¡°Wow really?¡±

    ¡°Would you like to have some tteokbokki together when we have time?¡±

    ¡°I would love to¡­¡±

    Her connection wasn¡¯t limited to the 5thmand room agents. It included many people from other departments so various women naturally began to gather around Bom.

    There was definitely something in her mind.

    It was then that his eyes met with hers through the gap between the crowd.

    Her hair was done up. Not a single blemish could be found on her skin despite her sitting under the lights. A ck choker was around her neck and a thinyer of make-up was on her face.

    On top of that, she was wearing a white babydoll dress. It was rare for her to put so much effort into dressing herself.

    ¡°But Haru, howe you never wore clothes like these until now?¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ you really look fantastic today.¡±

    ¡°You look just like a doll. Where did you get these clothes from?¡±

    There were so many people bustling near Bom but she still sent sincere gazes to each and every one of them and naturally continued with the conversation like flowing water.

    The fragrance of nature softly spread from her. Her clear voice was a delight to listen to and her beautiful eyes bewitchingly gathered their gazes.

    Everyone that was talking to her became engrossed in Bom.

    As time passed and people got morefortable at the dinner, Bom slowly stood up from her seat.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I asked him toe, but he¡¯s sitting alone so¡­¡±

    Some of the people that just discovered Season were quite surprised. They wanted to follow Bom and have more conversations but none of them were willing to share the same table with Prophet Season. Even Kang Ahjin wasn¡¯t very willing because it was burdensome.

    ¡°Howe you are alone on such a fine night?¡±

    But there were still many ears on them so Bom maintained the appearance of a mysterious soothsayer despite being alone with him.

    ¡°I believe you were enjoying yourself. There is no need to be concerned about me, as I feel morefortable staying alone.¡±

    And so did Yu Jitae.

    ¡°But you¡¯vee a long way. Would you like a ss with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±

    In that dark area with the only source of light being the dimmp, as the LP disk in the turntable yed a heavy yet slow melody,

    Clink.

    Yu Jitae and Bom clinked their sses.

    He expected Bom to leave after that but she remained in her seat. As he was wondering what she was trying to do, Bom rested her chin on her two hands and gazed at Yu Jitae with her usual eyes.

    It was different from the eyes she showed at the Association.

    Her eyes were nted in the shape of the character ¡®eight¡¯ (°Ë) and she deeply stared at him as if she was gazing into the depths of his soul.

    Quietly, she stayed like that.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That silence, for some reason, felt like the start of a certain event. That was what the Regressor¡¯s intuition told him. Whenever this girl who was like a nine-tailed fox did strange things, there tended to be reasons regardless of whether he knew them or not.

    In other words,

    Something was going to start.

    Her head was tilted to the side and her eyes that deeply stared at him curved like bows. Her smiling lips opened, beforeing to a close. After some hesitation, she barely voiced it out.

    ¡°¡­¡­Thanks for everything.¡±

    That was what Bom suddenly said.

    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to you that I¡¯ve be happy.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Was it a simple sentence of gratitude or was there some other intention behind it? He knew that something had begun but had no idea what it was.

    That was when Bom covered her mouth in slight surprise.

    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry. Was that a slip of a tongue?¡±

    In any case, Yu Jitae had to show respect to Bom within the Association for her authority.

    ¡°By no means. It was sudden, but it¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°I must be drunk. But it¡¯s not made up. I¡¯ve always, wanted to say this to you¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an honour.¡±

    Bom breathed in and out, going ¡®huu, huu¡¯.

    ¡°Apparently you be sober faster if you breathe in and out like this. Huu, huu¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a superstition?¡±

    ¡°Is it? Huu¡­¡±

    He decided to stealthily show his doubt.

    ¡°You seem to be in a very good mood today. Did something good happen? You also seem to have drunk more than usual.¡±

    (Why do you act so drunk.)

    Usually, Bom tended to reply connotatively whenever he asked such questions.

    ¡°There are many good things of course. It¡¯s good talking to such awesome people, and sitting in front of you like this also¡­¡±

    But her response was different today and she actually seemed drunk.

    ¡°If you have drunk too much, how about you stop drinking now.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯s fine. So what, if we get slightly tipsy?¡±

    ¡°A drunken tongue blurts out wrong words, and the body tends to behave disgracefully. It concerns me that it might dishonour your face.¡±

    (If you¡¯re really drunk, then stop it right now.)

    There was no way that the clever Bom wouldn¡¯t have understood the meaning behind his words, but she shakily shook her head.

    ¡°Noo? That doesn¡¯t logically make sense, because I¡¯m not drunk.¡±

    ¡°You seem to have rxed yourself too much.¡±

    ¡°Huhuh¡­ I¡¯m not a one-year-old child. I can control it and besides, I don¡¯t drink like this anywhere else. But, isn¡¯t it fine to get a little tipsy today?¡±

    ¡°Why would that be fine?¡±

    ¡°Because, you are with me by my side¡­¡±

    It was a sweet-sounding word that was pleasant to the ears. In fact, it did ease his mood and soothe his heart that was starting to be filled with suspicion.

    On the other hand, he still couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to do.

    What exactly was wrong with her? Bom however, did not allow him the time to think about it.

    ¡°You can¡¯t leave by yourself.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll never.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae changed his mind.

    Maybe Bom really was drunk and was saying anything that was going through her mind. Thinking that, he deemed it necessary to end it here in order to maintain her dignity as the Soothsayer.

    Clink¨C

    Their sses collided once again and he drank the wine in one go.

    Afterwards, he opened his mouth trying to suggest that they leave now but that was when Bom put something into his open mouth. It was a canap¨¦ that they had ordered to have alongside the wine. A cracker with cheese, cream and fruit on top.

    Slightly surprised, he looked at Bom as she continued staring at him with a smile.

    Bom trying to feed him food was something that she had been doing for a long time. However, this was the Association and Yu Jitae was Prophet Season and yet Bom had treated him very much like how she would in their daily lives.

    ¡°How does it taste? I tried it, but it was really delicious.¡±

    He quietly crunched the thing that was in his mouth while feeling intensified gazes from the surroundings.

    The nces that were asionally being sent towards their way had suddenly changed into explicit and open gazes.

    Let alone Kang Ahjin and Zhuge Haiyan, the members of the 5thmand room and thedies that Bom had befriended recently as well as some of the male agents were all staring at Yu Jitae and Bom with eyes filled with intrigue and curiosity.

    Don¡¯t tell me she¡­

    ¡°So I immediately thought of you. And wanted to let you try it¡­¡±

    Only then did Yu Jitae realise it.

    Her words finally resolved all his doubts.

    The reason why Bom suddenly approached Kang Ahjin and Zhuge Haiyan to get closer to them. The reason why she left the impression of a wagging puppy to others to make that rtionship seem natural, andstly the reason why she repeatedly expressed her affection towards him while pretending to be drunk.

    All the scattered puzzle pieces finally came together.

    Monsters that hunted in hordes tended to gather the food they hunted into one ce and apply their thick saliva on it to ensure their foods won¡¯t be mixed up. It was likebelling the food and was called ¡®marking¡¯.

    Simrly, piss was also used to mark territory that implied to others, ¡®This is mine, and this is my territory so do note over¡¯. Taking that approach, Yu Jitae finally understood Bom¡¯s actions as well as why she intentionally waited for everyone to settle beforeing to him.

    Bom was marking him as her territory.

 Chapter 305: First Experience (6)

    <h4>Chapter 305: First Experience (6)</h4>

    For a long time, Bom gazed at Yu Jitae with deeply immersed eyes that anyone could tell. She expressed her trust in Yu Jitae, talked about her happiness andstly, she naturally fed him food.

    Not a single expression among that process was explicit but was enough to widen the eyes of the onlookers. Anyone could make a guess after seeing her attitude.

    ¡®Oh my, oh my¡­¡¯

    ¡®Are those two, in that sort of rtionship?¡¯

    The rtionship between the two of them had always been one of the big questions inside the Association.

    Prophet Season, who suddenly appeared at the Association and violently jolted the executives, andter appeared like an omnipotent god, and the young and beautiful Soothsayer Haru that was brought by him.

    They came at different times of the day but were always together when going off work, and they were more than often riding in the same car.

    None of them dared to ask them about their rtionship but everyone could still guess that they were very close. Some of them exercised their imaginations and likened them to a princess and a bodyguard that frequently appeared in fairy tales.

    Their doubts that had been gradually increasing in size were finally answered.

    ¡®Uwah¡­ what did I see just then?¡¯

    ¡®Maybe they really are lovers¡­¡¯

    That was when Yu Jitae modified his mana into a very thin and secretive string and shot it towards Bom. It was a mimicry of the long-distancemunication skill [Silent Noise].

    He transmitted his thoughts.

    ¡®Bom. What are you doing.¡¯

    ¡®You called me selfish didn¡¯t you¡­¡¯

    Her reply brought up some of his memories. Back when things happened with Carrot Girl, Yu Jitae consoled Bom but also reprimanded her for being selfish.

    Bom¡¯s emotions had gotten the best of her, and she ended up ruining a lot of things. It was simr to a child¡¯s rapid change in mood and was considerably violent as well. A selfishness at that level could harm other people and could be poisonous to her in the future so he wholeheartedly rebuked her by calling her selfish.

    What was her response back then?

    ¨C ¡­You, are making me selfish.

    Through the string, Bom exined. She said she wanted to chase ¡®certain women¡¯ out of the Association but couldn¡¯t so, so she befriended everyone.

    ¡®Sorry oppa. I can fix everything else, but this is something I cannot change.¡¯

    And in front of the eyes of such ¡®friends¡¯, she furtively announced that Season was hers.

    ¡®Maybe I really am selfish¡­¡¯

    Yu Jitae was inwardly quite amazed.

    He knew Bom was skilled at social interactions, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be at this level. For better or for worse, the news would now spread and people would remind each other of their rtionship, and discourage anyone from approaching him.

    There probably wouldn¡¯t have been any woman approaching Yu Jitae already, but this would give Bom the certainty. Besides, her actions just then were extremely exquisite and stuck to the level that wouldn¡¯t cost her any authority.

    Despite her jealousy, Bom managed to perfectly control her emotions and the situation to get what she wanted.

    It was remarkably well-organised, but there were also concerning points in this situation.

    ¡®Bom. I asked you before whether you were doing something behind my back or not. You told me there was none.¡¯

    ¡®I was just, trying to make friends¡­¡¯

    In the end, it was true that she wasn¡¯t intentionally hiding it from him nor trying to deceive him.

    ¡®That¡¯s not a friend in the true meaning of the word is it. You should¡¯ve let me know at least if this was what you were going to do, and ask for permission beforehand. One mistake and all your authority that we had excruciatingly built up could have crumbled.¡¯

    ¡®Yes¡­¡¯

    ¡®However you did pull it off without a problem. You probably know yourself so I¡¯ll stop with the nagging.¡¯

    Bom nodded. With drooping eyes, she silently gazed at the reddish-ck wine inside her ss.

    ¡®But what pushed you into doing something like this. That¡¯s what I¡¯m curious about.¡¯

    She replied with a gloomy look on her face.

    ¡®Sorry. I can¡¯t tell you that¡­¡¯

    For some reason, she had a very mncholic look on her face so he stopped asking her questions.

    In any case, since things were already in this state, Yu Jitae decided to y along Bom¡¯s strategy. Bom was sullenly lowering her head but that made her look as if she was dozing off on the outside. People were still throwing nces at them so Yu Jitae gentlyid his hand on her small head, slowly pulled her head towards him and allowed her to rest on his shoulder.

    Startled, Bom¡¯s heart pulsed out loud.

    *

    In fact, Yu Jitae had connections to other female superhumans as well. It wasmon for him to meet Jeanie Inssirem for matters rted to the Tower of Mages and also sometimes conversed with the new chief aide of Chaliovan, ¡®Armin¡¯.

    However, there was one reason why Bom only got close to Kang Ahjin and Zhuge Haiyan.

    Most of the Asians had ck hair.

    *

    Time passed as more alcohol entered the systems of the attendees.

    Bom pretended to be asleep for a little before getting up. Her eyes after waking up were evidently brighter than before.

    After that, she shared a conversation with him regarding how she spent time at the Association, and fed him canap¨¦, cheese and crackers whenever she had the opportunity.

    Her two eyes were fixed on Yu Jitae and her ears only listened to his words.

    And after sensing that Yu Jitae wanted to spend some time alone, she stood up and moved back to her seat but constantly thought about Yu Jitae on the way.

    After dropping all theplex thoughts, Yu Jitae felt a strange emotion during his chat with Bom. It felt as if the 1 square metre of space between them was Unit 301.

    He pondered on what it could be and realised that it was probably fort¡¯. It was intriguing because he had never feltfortable just by being around certain people before.

    It might have been more obvious due to aparison with the exceptionally ufortable time he spent with Myu in the morning.

    Meanwhile, something interesting happened on the other side. After going back to her seat, Bom joined into the conversation of the 5thmand room females that she had gotten close to. The women¡¯s ages ranged fromte 20s to 40s and their conversation topics were something else.

    ¡°Huh? Miss Ahjin. You¡¯ve never kissed before?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡­! Not yet.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you are always in the office working. Shouldn¡¯t you meet some men while you¡¯re young?¡±

    ¡°Is that how it is? I¡­ am quite ambitious you see. So I feel going for romance on top of that is being overly ambitious? Or something like that.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your ambition?¡±

    ¡°I want to be the future chairman of the Association!¡±

    ¡®Hahaha. You¡¯re crazy!¡¯ Theyughed.

    Up till that point was fine and even Bom was gently smiling in the mix. It was part of her n to get close to the people.

    But the problem was¡­ that they had gotten too close. To the point that they couldfortably share conversations about male and female rtionships.

    The conversation that started off with ¡®kiss¡¯ naturally became more and more blunt.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you my first experience was horrendous.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°My husband was 24 years old back then. And that must have been his first time as well. He didn¡¯t know where was where, you know?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, really?¡± ¡°That¡¯s so innocent and cute!¡±

    ¡°No it is not! Do you know how much I¡­¡±

    Although Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t interested in listening to others¡¯ experiences, Bom being flustered in frank conversations like that was an amusing sight. So he decided to listen a little bit more.

    ¡°Right. We were newlyweds back then. And he, would jump at me during breakfast, and jump at me at night aftering back from work¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh my oh my¡­!¡± ¡°Aigo, good times¡­¡±

    They continued with such unrestrained conversations. With a nk look on her face, Bom was only half-listening to the conversations and her vacant eyes were off focus. But that was when the arrowhead shifted towards her direction.

    ¡°Um, hmm hmm.¡± ¡°So, umm¡­¡±

    Hesitantly, they asked.

    ¡°Haru. Can we ask you something?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°Aye. Linda. Stop. Why would you ask something like that? She¡¯s still too young!¡±

    ¡°What? No she¡¯s not that young. She said she¡¯s turning 24 this year. That¡¯s old enough to know everything these days!¡±

    ¡°Eeng? Reallyy~?¡±

    An old Grade 4 agent who was a little bit more drunk than others asked with a knowing smile on her face.

    ¡°Miss Soothsayer.¡±

    ¡°Y, yes?¡±

    ¡°Could you¡­ tell us ¡®that¡¯, by any chance?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, by that you mean¡­?¡±

    ¡°Actually, there were a lot; a lot of people who were very curious until yesterday.¡±

    ¡°About which?¡±

    ¡°¡­About the rtionship between Sir Prophet and Miss Soothsayer.¡±

    ¡®Yes,¡¯ ¡®Right, right¡¯. People nearby nodded in agreement. They appeared excited after just confirming it today.

    ¡°Hmm, Those things, I don¡¯t really know much about¡­¡±

    Questions flooded her the moment she shook her hands.

    ¡°Ey, I don¡¯t think so,¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re not denying it entirely¡­ that means something did happen right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, umm¡­ that¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    Whenever conversations like this were brought up in Unit 301 (because of Yeorum), Bom tended to ignore it. Why? It was because it was embarrassing since she had yet to build tolerance for such conversations.

    ¡°I think Miss Haru is a master at romance.¡±

    ¡°Right. I saw her giving a lot of tips to Director Haiyan.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ she¡¯s so pretty so how many men would she have around her¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­I, I have none.¡±

    Bom, who had instigated such conversations in order toprehend the concurrent rtionships of the people inside the Association, was instead put in an awkward spot in those conversations.

    She had fallen into her own trap.

    ¡°No. But you always go off work together so I thought something must have happened already!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing¡­¡±

    ¡°I thought so too. You two look amazing together by the way!¡±

    ¡°Ah, thank y¡­¡±

    ¡°So so so! Have you held hands? Wait, actually! You were leaning on him before so¡­ have you kissed?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Aye. Of course she has. Didn¡¯t you see how they were lovey-dovey before?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Maybe Season is unexpectedly extremely sweet when they¡¯re alone?¡± ¡°Oh my oh my¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    One of them even whispered to her by using mana.

    ¡®How are things at night¡­?¡¯

    Bom was startled. Not knowing what to do, she fidgeted and was at the brink of tears.

    Yu Jitae felt amused seeing a fox fall into its own trap.

    Meanwhile, the womenughed after seeing the embarrassed Bom but did not cross the line. They did not cross the line that Bom had drawn which meant that her authority was growing stronger despite them being rxed around her.

    Soon, Bom gave him the SOS sign. She tapped her watch, and it seemed that she had sent him a message.

    His watch soon vibrated but he did not bother checking it. When Bom sometimes red at him, he looked away andter even turned off the watch because of all the constant vibrations.

    ¡°Excuse me, let me head to the bathroom¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah. I wanted to go as well. Let¡¯s go together!¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah¡­¡±

    Her n to escape failed. Even aftering back from the bathroom, they continued on a simr topic. Only when it was bing pitiful to watch did Yu Jitae interject and pull Bom out of the mix to go back.

    *

    They teleported and headed straight to the residential area of Lair.

    On the way back,

    ¡°Your watch must be broken.¡±

    Bom, who had been silently forming a pout, suddenly began mumbling.

    ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fine.¡±

    ¡°Then my messages must have evaporated¡­¡±

    Feeling amused, Yu Jitae closed his mouth but Bom continued reproaching him.

    ¡°Like, why didn¡¯t you help me? You were listening the whole time.¡±

    ¡°No I wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I know you were. It¡¯s too much¡­ Here I¡¯m so embarrassed I feel like dying and yet you¡¯re just watching from the side. It was impossible for me to leave by myself in that situation you know¡­¡±

    Bom was sincerely grumbling which was quite a rare sight. Thinking that a kid was still a kid, he asked.

    ¡°How is it embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know¡­?¡±

    ¡°Just ignore it. You¡¯re good at it aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    She stopped talking so he turned and looked at her.

    Bom¡¯s expression was as remarkable as a piece of art. She red at Yu Jitae with a resentful gaze before widening her eyes into circles and bending her eyebrows into the shape of the character ¡®eight¡¯ (°Ë). She clenched her lips and faintly dropped her head.

    Soon, she reopened her mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°It makes me visualise it in my mind¡­¡±

    Of course.

    It seemed that visualising the candid personal matters of others that she didn¡¯t even want to know about, was a burdensome thing to do.

    After that, Bom walked a few steps behind him and focused her gaze on the watch. She seemed quite sulky and didn¡¯t say a single word until they arrived back at home.

    Walking alone, Yu Jitae did not smile.

    He had never smiled when alone but throughout the entire way back, he was amused.

    *

    ¡°¡­Please, help me with this homework.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    After returning to Unit 301 and while helping Gyeoul with her homework, he looked at his watch and finally checked the messages that he hadn¡¯t seen before. Seeing the messages made him feel amused yet again.

    [Yu Bom: Oppa]

    [Yu Bom: Oppppa]

    [Yu Bom: #Ahjussi #Oppa #Yu Jitae]

    [Yu Bom: Please save me]

    [Yu Bom: Let me out]

    [Yu Bom: Help mee]

    [Yu Bom: Please T.T]

    [Yu Bom: Why aren¡¯t you reading my messages]

    [Yu Bom: Helppp]

    He could sense the urgency from her messages.

    But underneath that, he saw more messages that were sent at a different time. They were sent several minutes ago, meaning that Bom had sent further messages on their way back.

    [Yu Bom: Just letting you know, I¡¯m not a naughty child]

    [Yu Bom: I really wasn¡¯t thinking about anything weird]

    [Yu Bom: T.T]

    What did this ¡®naughty child¡¯ here mean? Yu Jitae btedly sent a reply.

    [Me: Think about what]

    [Yu Bom: I don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t talk to me today¡­]

    He immediately received the reply message.

    He thought she must be sincerely upset, but that was when he suddenly remembered her words from before.

    ¨C It makes me visualise it in my mind¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­?

 Chapter 306: Umbrella (1)

    <h4>Chapter 306: Umbre (1)</h4>

    Tap, tap.

    ¡°Uunng¡­¡±

    Kaeul groaned. Something was tapping her on her face and it was most definitely Chirpy.

    The baby chicken tended to sing in the morning when it was time for Kaeul to wake up. It would sing, chirp chirp~?, telling her that the sun was up and that she should wake up.

    Tap tap. But today, it did nothing but tap.

    ¡°Uung. 5 more minutes¡­¡±

    Whatever the case, Kaeul stretched out her hand, trying to hug the baby chicken. It was a habit. Chirpy had the softest fur in the world so it was tender and soft to hug.

    However, Chirpy avoided her hand.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    When her hand found nothing but the air, Kaeul opened her eyes in wonder and saw the baby chicken staring at herself.

    They looked at each other for a few seconds. Chirpy did not approach or act cute like it always did. It merely gazed at Kaeul.

    As if it was viewing a work of art; as if trying to etch the scenery into its head as much as possible.

    After a few more seconds,

    Kaeul¡¯s hazy eyes became increasingly wider.

    ***

    ¡°Unni.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    It was a rare weekend at Unit 301 with everyone gathered. Yeorum had returned from Europe after a 2-week training with a ranker and Kaeul was resting at home, after applying for a leave due to not being able to find any meaning from further schooling.

    Sheek¨C sheek¨C

    Sitting on the terrace, Yeorum was sharpening the edge of her sword with a whetting stone.

    ¡°Because we are dragons¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°We will live a lot longer than others, yeah?¡±

    ¡°By a few thousand more years, yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, all the organisms around us will die before us, right?¡±

    Sheek¡­ Yeorum stopped her hands and turned around to face her younger sister.

    Kaeul¡¯s voice was a lot calmer than usual. After staring at her for a while, Yeorum opened her mouth while moving her hands again.

    ¡°I guess so? Elves, who live the longest, only live up to a thousand years while only a handful of demons and devils can live up to a thousand years. Most of them would die and vanish before us.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I just thought that would be very heart-wrenching.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think so, unni?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Why? If everyone you get close to dies first, how would you easily befriend anyone? When you have to send them off in the end?¡±

    ¡°That might be true, but,¡±

    Yeorum calmly moved her hands and her voice was as tranquil as her hands.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just befriend someone new then?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a fundamental difference in their personalities. Unable to find the answer she wanted, Kaeul was about to stand up but that was when Yeorum stood up first and inserted the sword into the sheathe.

    ¡°Why are you asking that all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°Nothing really¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi. Yu Kaeul. You really don¡¯t act like a dragon, do you.¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°What kind of dragon ever worries about such a thing? Other people dying and disappearing; is that something to be that sad about?¡±

    ¡°Do you never feel that way?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I don¡¯t care. No matter who dies and disappears.¡±

    After some contemtion, Kaeul opened her mouth.

    ¡°What if that someone was our ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi is an amazing human, but he¡¯s still a ¡®human¡¯. He can¡¯t live for thousands of years in Providence so in the end he would die before us¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, fuck. What¡¯s with this sudden shit.¡±

    ¡°But, that¡¯s true right¡­? Will you really not feel sad even when that happens, unni?¡±

    Yeorum said with a frown.

    ¡°Are you sick or something?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Fucking go away. Stop saying weird shit like that.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Despite her words, Yeorum pushed her to the side and walked into the living room first. In the process, her feet came to a stop and she pondered for a bit before adding more words.

    ¡°Your life must be soid back. To have time to worry about meaningless stuff like that.¡±

    Her words were sharp. They contained sharp des themselves.

    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, never mind.¡±

    Kaeul asked in surprise but Yeorum¡¯s voice soon softened. Raising her hand, Yeorum repeatedly ran her fingers through her hair.

    ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Kaeul asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t, then why¡­?¡±

    Yeorum didn¡¯t say anything back but she appeared as if she was holding in her anger. Seeing that, Kaeul was quite sad. Because for her, it was a really important and serious topic.

    ¡°Sorry if I somehow made you upset¡­¡±

    But Kaeul knew Yeorum was slightly more sensitive than usual after returning from Europe so she apologised first. Soon, Yeorum heaved a small sigh before adding more words.

    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ve never thought about things like that in depth, nor do I want to. I have my own problems to solve so I have nothing to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Uun.¡±

    ¡°Ask Yu Jitae or Yu Bom for something like that.¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­¡­¡±

    Saying that, Yeorum walked away but Kaeul didn¡¯t go back in. Leaning on the wall of the terrace, she gazed off into a distance.

    Chirpy was always looking in this direction every morning.

    What did that child see from here? Even with the eyes of a dragon, she couldn¡¯t see it.

    Back when she was young, her mother told Kaeul while hugging her that dragons were a ¡®glorious race¡¯.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    But after actuallying out and experiencing the world, Kaeul started to think otherwise. There were still a lot of things that she did not know.

    Bigger questions like the one she asked Yeorum and what she herself had to do, as well as smaller questions like the reason behind Yeorum¡¯s irritation were both things that Kaeul could not answer.

    nkly gazing off into a distance like that abruptly resurfaced the memories of the time an elder of the race passed away.

    It was probably the mother of the father of the father of her mother. She didn¡¯t really know her but she did see her several times and had shared some conversations while walking to ces hand-in-hand.

    So Kaeul was rtively shocked after hearing that she had passed away.

    ¨C She has gone in ordance with Providence.

    On the way back after the funeral, Kaeul in her mother¡¯s embrace felt her emotions.

    ¨C It is nothing to be sad about.

    Her mother said despite her sorrow.

    ***

    Going into the living room, she found Bom cutting apples by herself.

    ¡°Hello, Kaeul. Do you want some apples?¡±

    ¡°Nn? I¡¯m fine¡­¡±

    She was going back into her room with swaggering steps when Bom suddenly pushed forth an apple with her fork.

    ¡°Here. Just have it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fin¡­¡±

    The fragrance of the apple was very sweet. Both sweet and fragrant.

    She felt slightly dejected seeing her own self that was still chasing after food in a situation like this.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Taking the apple by the fork, Kaeul was about to walk back into her room but Bom¡¯s voice stopped her in her tracks.

    ¡°Kaeul. You have something you¡¯re worried about?¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°Come here. Let me hear it.¡±

    Who told her that? Thought Kaeul, because she had only expressed her concerns to one person.

    Bom grabbed her hands and pulled her towards the sofa as Kaeul vacantly sat next to her on the sofa.

    ¡°Like, umm. Well, it¡¯s not that big of a concern but¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t readily ask the question because there were too many ears in the living room. Sensing her agony, Bom pulled her by the hands and brought her into her room. Closing the door, she expanded the alternate dimension to cut off sound.

    Only then was Kaeul able to start the topic with a sigh.

    ¡°Unni. We live longer than other races, right.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°If we get close to beings that are not dragons¡­ they¡¯ll definitely die before we do, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°How would you feel, unni?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you feel sad?¡±

    Bom said after thinking about the answer.

    ¡°It would depend on who it is.¡±

    ¡°Right. If it¡¯s someone precious, it would be more heart-wrenching the more precious they are. So what should we do then? In fact, is it fine to get close to others in the first ce then?¡±

    ¡°What makes you question that?¡±

    ¡°Because the closer we get, the more painful the time of separation will be.¡±

    Bom shook her head.

    ¡°Am I wrong¡­?¡±

    ¡°No. Kaeul. Everything you said is correct.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul was slightly disappointed by the answer. In a corner of her mind, she wanted her to say no, hoping that the smart Bom-unni would give her a different answer and a new direction.

    ¡°In your life, you will meet people, get closer to them, but there will be inevitable times of separation as well.¡±

    ¡°What if we don¡¯t get closer to anyone?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t because our mothers are the same as well. Your mother must have lived a few thousand years more than you, right?¡±

    Kaeul¡¯s eyes widened into circles.

    That was true¡­ it wasn¡¯t limited to just beings other than dragons.

    Some dragons, despite being dragons, will still disappear before she did. It was such an obvious fact and yet she had never considered it that way until now, so Kaeul began to feel sad.

    In her life, she would definitely lose her mother one day¡­

    ¡°Kaeul. We call ourselves ¡®people¡¯ simr to humans.¡±

    ¡°Uun? Uun¡­¡±

    ¡°Because everyone that leads a life is simr. Everyone must bid farewell to other people one day.¡±

    With a sad pair of eyes, Bom caressed her by the forehead.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡±

    Her response sounded powerless.

    ¡°That too is life, so we must ept it.¡±

    It was an extremely weak sentence. Kaeul still couldn¡¯t understand it, so she asked about something extreme like she did to Yeorum.

    ¡°Is that it? Just feel sad, ept and that¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°What else can we do?¡±

    Kaeul pondered. In asional conversations about families, Bom mentioned that she didn¡¯t have a father and she seemed to have a bad rtionship with her mother.

    The person she likes the most would be¡­

    ¡°Unni, you like ahjussi don¡¯t you.¡±

    Bom¡¯s eyes widened into circles.

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Uun? Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°No. Go on. So?¡±

    ¡°I really really like ahjussi as well right? But ahjussi is a human and he will die before us. When that happens, I think I will be extremely sad. What about you unni? Will you just ept the sadness and finish there?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°¡­Uun?¡±

    ¡°I will die with him.¡±

    Bom said with a straight face.

    It did not sound like a joke at all. Kaeul suddenly remembered her emotions that she had received in the past and asked back in fright.

    ¡°Are you serious¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a joke. Why are you so surprised?¡±

    After seeing her face turn jet ck, Bomughed out loud.

    Ah, so it was a joke.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­¡±

    ¡°There are many sad things in life. But us dragons apparently get numb to those feelings with age. We get used to the sadness.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It sounds a bit scary right? Because that means we have to weather through a lot of sad things.¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­¡±

    ¡°But, there¡¯s nothing we can do. Even the dragons that die early live for at least 5,000 years. That¡¯s the life that was prepared for us from birth.¡±

    Bom said with a bitter smile. Even then, they had to endure it, and live on despite the sadness.

    That was the fate of dragons, and;

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s our providence.¡±

    ***

    Kaeul learned two things from Bom.

    1. Separation is inevitable.

    2. You must ept it even if it hurts.

    Lastly, Kaeul decided to go to Yu Jitae after some hesitation.

    ¡°Yeah. Come in.¡±

    He was in the study reading a newspaper with Gyeoul who was sitting on hisp but when Kaeul opened the door, Yu Jitae made Gyeoul leave the room. And facing her questioning gaze, he said, ¡®I heard you had something you¡¯re concerned about¡¯.

    How did he know?

    After telling him everything she learned from Bom, she asked Yu Jitae about the things she wanted to ask.

    ¡°Then how should we handle separation?¡±

    ¡°How do you think we should handle it.¡±

    ¡°¡­I, don¡¯t really know.¡±

    Kaeul ced her hands on her chest.

    ¡°Just thinking about it makes my heart ache. I don¡¯t like pain, so I hope it¡¯s never painful¡­¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°So I thought about it. How about distancing ourselves before the separation?¡±

    ¡°Distancing yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It hurts because they¡¯re precious right? If they¡¯re no longer precious, then wouldn¡¯t it be easier at the time of separation?¡±

    Yu Jitae looked into her eyes and replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°What do we do then¡­?¡±

    Reminiscently, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°If the problem is your heart aching, then you need to think it through. Sorrowsts for some time but that¡¯s it. It¡¯s like a wound. With time, the blood stops and the wound closes. But some emotions reallyst a long time in your heart and endlessly pain people.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s regret.¡±

    Kaeul blinked her eyes from the unexpected words.

    ¡°Regret exceeds the scope of a wound and leaves a disability. It continues on and sometimes regrets suddenly appear long after the event. Even the wisest people will inevitably build up regret with more time. Because the past is unretrievable.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Regret aches the heart. Even more so the pain of separation, it bitterly pierces a corner of one¡¯s mind.

    ¡°That is why the final moments must be decorated as beautifully as possible. At least that¡¯s what I think.¡±

    ¡°Do you ever have any regrets, ahjussi¡­?¡±

    ¡°I used to have none.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply and Kaeul too was soon immersed in her own thoughts.

    In deep contemtion, she did not open her mouth for a very long time.

    Before long, tears budded around her eyes. She blinked her eyes for a bit before slightly raising her head towards the ceiling to stop them from falling down. They still threatened to travel down regardless so she lowered her gaze and stared at the ground this time.

    Her fingers fidgeted without an end. With her right hand, she constantly touched her left index finger.

    She slowly walked towards him and he stood up from his seat after sensing what was happening.

    The child slowly reached her arms out and wrapped them around his neck. He bent his back to match his height with the child¡¯s and returned a natural hug.

    ¡°Is it time?¡±

    In his arms, Kaeul softly whispered with a lump in her throat.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

 Chapter 307: Umbrella (2)

    <h4>Chapter 307: Umbre (2)</h4>

    However, Kaeul did not cry. She wiped a drop of tear with her hand and smiled awkwardly after separating from Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Ah, ummm, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    With a myriad of emotions in her mind, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°Ahjussi told me before, right. To prepare for a good farewell¡­¡±

    Kaeul asked back then, on how there could possibly be a thing called a good farewell.

    ¡°I did. Do you get it now?¡±

    ¡°Noo¡­ I still don¡¯t really get it. But, I¡¯ve prepared a lot for it.¡±

    She spent time with the baby chicken by investing a lot of time from her life. Meeting friends was her only source of entertainment but she recently applied for a leave at the school. On top of that she rejected the chance to live a steady and sessful life as a superhuman.

    Kaeul had tried her best.

    ¡°Yeah. I know.¡±

    ¡°Then, this, should be a good farewell right?¡±

    In fact, he didn¡¯t know what exactly a good farewell was either, and had no idea how to make a farewell good. However, he had seen Kaeul try as hard as she could throughout their time together so he replied without a sliver of hesitation.

    ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s continue preparing in the remaining time we have.¡±

    Kaeul nodded as her voice became a little brighter.

    ¡°I should¡­! Actually one time, I went to a spirit beast cafe and you know what~? Every puppy there had a dog tag on their necks. Every one of them!¡±

    ¡°Really? What about it though.¡±

    ¡°Like you see~ Chirpy is a piggy so it¡¯s hard to make a ne for him. He¡¯s also too fluffy; it looks weird.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not good. And yes, I guess it would strangle him if you put it around his neck.¡±

    ¡°Right! That¡¯s why, I¡¯m making an anklet right now! To use as an identification tag¡­! Ah, I should hurry up and finish making it¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah. Hurry.¡±

    ¡°Uun uun!¡±

    Kaeul hurriedly turned towards the door but her feet suddenly came to a stop. Turning around and facing him, she asked.

    ¡°¡­He, should be here for a few days at least, right?¡±

    She still needed more time.

    *

    The baby chicken actually had to leave way earlier, and from time to time, it did try to leave.

    The spirit beast, ¡®Chirpy¡¯, had his home, a house to return to and a family. But because Kaeul wanted to prepare for a good farewell and spent more time ying with the baby chicken, it in fact ended up discouraging the baby chicken from leaving.

    All the spirit beasts that were waiting for him had already left. The dimensional gap wavered at times and yet he had to leave Lair during the newborn superhumanpetition. Despite those situations where the path of return could have disappeared, the baby chicken did not leave.

    And yet he was trying to leave now and there was a reason behind that.

    ¡®When do you think Chirpy is going to leave?¡¯

    ¡®Ah, I just thought ahjussi might know it¡­¡¯

    After telling her that he would immediately look into it, he connected his mind with Clone 2.

    ¨C Yes, my lord.

    The clone had arranged the residence for Ha Saetbyul a while back. Yu Jitae had severed their mental connection for an experiment and got the results back from it.

    After that, Clone 2 had been protecting the dimensional gap the whole time. The reason such a precious military might was being a mere watchman was because the fissure connecting Earth to the other dimension [Anum] was that important.

    ¡®How are things?¡¯

    ¨C It is starting to close. It has been gradually closing ever since I came here.

    Ever since the end of the rankingpetition, the baby chicken had been heading to the fissure every day to check its shape. There were two reasons why the baby chicken was trying to leave now.

    ¨C It is gradually copsing in its closure and the 4/7th barrier is also starting to snap. Even from the outside, it is evident that it is about to close soon.

    One of the two reasons was that the fissure was changing to a ¡®closing shape¡¯.

    ¡®How long do you think it will take for it topletely close.¡¯

    ¨C At best, it willst 7 hours.

    ¡®¡­I see.¡¯

    *

    Reality was cruel to people at times.

    No matter how much they yearned for each other, they were sometimes put in situations where they could not even miraculouslye across each other or coincidentally walk by one another.

    That was the state they were in right now.

    Kaeul was shopping with Bom and Gyeoul, in order to calm herself down before decorating their final moments together. But she immediately returned home after hearing the sudden news.

    ¡®Sorry? A few hours¡­?¡¯

    The baby chicken would be leaving very soon.

    The chicken was actually still fast asleep. He would probably be confused about the turn of events as well because he would have to hurry back home after seeing the rapid changes to the fissure¡¯s shape.

    ¡®I, I haven¡¯t even prepared myself yet¡­¡¯

    She didn¡¯t have time to sit still and ept the reality and her hands moved despite the shocking situation. Shepleted the identification anklet that she had almost finished and hurriedly left the residential area to go to somewhere far away.

    When she returned, she was carrying a small gold-coloured scale in her hands.

    [Reverse Scale]

    The one and only reversed scale that appeared around the chin of a dragon. Its nerves were directly linked to the dragon heart and it epassed a lot of refined mana that flowed in from the heart. Dragons tended to immensely treasure it.

    Receiving Bom¡¯s help, she punched a hole in her reverse scale and connected it to the anklet.

    At that point, there was less than an hour left.

    Soon, the baby chicken woke up, and it was time to bid farewell.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Together the three of them headed to the restricted area, went through the underground passage and arrived at the warehouse.

    In front of the unstably fluctuating dimensional tunnel, Kaeul hung the anklet around the baby chicken¡¯s ankle, said goodbye to the baby chicken and gave it onest hug. Worried that dying things too much would be vexing, she couldn¡¯t even give a proper hug.

    Without even enough time to properly dwell on their emotions came the cruel separation.

    The baby chicken left them.

    ***

    Is it because it was a sudden farewell? Or because she had been preparing it for a long time? Regardless, Kaeul did not cry. Even when she was sleeping alone in her room which used to be inhabited by two; even when she was cleaning up the leftover belongings of Chirpy, Kaeul did not mourn.

    After all that she nkly stayed lying down. Despite loving sweet stuff so badly, she did not touch a single sweet snack and stayed holed up in her room for several days without having any food.

    The people around her were curious. One of them asked her.

    ¡°¡­Unni, are you okay?¡±

    Whenever she was asked such questions, Kaeul replied.

    ¨C Uun. I¡¯m fine.

    Kaeul left the room after a few days.

    The baby chicken was no longer here. So there was no longer any reason to stay in her room.

    ¡°I, am going to go out, and try to continue with what I was doing.¡±

    So after a few days, Kaeul returned to Team Lair.

    ¡°Wee back. We were waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were nevering bk¡­¡±

    A lot of people were shocked when she announced that she would stop her career as a superhuman. They ranged from the ones that supported Team Lair from the outside as well as the members of Team Lair.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±

    *

    Withouting back to Unit 301, Kaeul focused on her work. Until the cold winds stopped blowing; until the midday sun started to feel warm.

    Kaeul did not contact Unit 301. She only picked up the call when Yu Jitae or other kids asionally contacted her.

    One of the kids was disappointed.

    ¡°Like fuck, howe you¡¯re not giving us a single call? Do I have to watch the news to hear stories about you?¡±

    ¨C Sorry. Hehe.

    Kaeul apologised.

    But even then, she never gave them a call first.

    *

    It happened one day. nkly, Kaeul gazed down at the knife in her hand and wondered.

    Why am I carrying this?

    Her hand holding the knife appeared strange, and so did her military outfit. Vacantly standing on the spot, Kaeul looked around. Within the remaining rubbles of a city, in the midst of copsed buildings, she was standing by herself.

    Suddenly, she found everything to be empty and meaningless.

    Why am I empty?

    It was strange.

    She had a home that she could return to any day, and had a job that she could wholeheartedly focus on.

    There were people that wanted her. And the people she wanted were also there.

    Everything was still there.

    Despite that, Kaeul had a very strong feeling, which she had never felt before, that everything was in vain.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Is it because Chirpy left?

    No¡­

    Although the final moments went by rapidly, she didn¡¯t have any regrets. She did her best to Chirpy and Chirpy also peacefully went back home. She was able to send him off with a smile.

    Even then, Kaeul felt empty.

    No matter how much she contemted it, she couldn¡¯t tell why.

    ¡°Kaeul. Can youe and heal this child here!?¡±

    ¡°Uh, uh¡­?¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of them hurt over there so I have to go! Hurry up!¡±

    Yong Taeha said with a shout.

    Kaeul quickly ran up to the injured kid and crouched in front of them. She was in a dangerous battlefield where unauthorised personnel weren¡¯t allowed toe in and in a ce like that, Kaeul had to heal someone.

    She couldn¡¯t use healing magic, because that would kill the child.

    With awkward hands, she opened the first-aid kit. Even though she learned and still remembered it, she wasn¡¯t good at it. She disinfected the wound with trembling hands, applied a paste over it and pressed it down with a bandage.

    Kaeul tried her best and yet it was still sloppily done. She was terribly ungifted at using her hands.

    That day, after raiding the fissure that suddenly appeared, the superhumans went to an expensive restaurant and consoled each other while barbequing meat and drinking wine. However, Kaeul found that ce to be like a bed of pins and needles.

    She did not know how to drink wine. She could not empathise with theughing and chattering voices, and things weren¡¯t interesting because of that.

    Kaeul, who had been nkly gazing at her ss, was about to raise the scabbard that was on her waist that oddly annoyed her when sitting down to ce it on the table.

    That was when her eyes caught sight of a variety show that was being shown on the restaurant¡¯s TV.

    [The song ¡®Garbage¡¯ by the new singer Jung Yuran! Please wee her with a round of apuse!]

    She was vacantly gazing at the screen when a familiar girl appeared on it.

    ¡°Huh? I know that girl from somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she from Lairr¡­?¡±

    Yong Taeha and Ling Ling said.

    Right. She was indeed from Lair. Once, they used to be friends at the same travelling society andter she was the girl that Kaeul had a strife with during the audition of Lair¡¯s masked singing contest.

    A bad girl, who felt inferior to her and tried to pull her down behind her back.

    [¡°Hello. I¡¯m Jung Yuran!¡±]

    Kaeul nkly stared at the screen.

    She, became a singer huh¡­

    When the beautifully-clothed girl turned around and faced the camera, people pped out loud in admiration.

    In alignment with the instruments ying at the back, the child began to sing. She naturally danced in between and her high notes clearly resonated across.

    It¡¯s a good song, and she¡¯s good at singing. She must have practised a lot¡­

    The audience let out a thunderous apuse as Kaeul vacantly gazed at the screen. After the performance, Jung Yuran gave out a bright smile. She looked very happy.

    In her hand was a microphone.

    Kaeul looked down at her own hands.

    She saw a scabbard of a knife.

    *

    Atst, it happened.

    It was when they were hunting the remaining monsters in the ruined city and saving people. There was arge me in one of the tall buildings. An evil fire spirit that looked like a human was rampaging about, shooting mes everywhere and Team Lair¡¯s job was to defeat it.

    Thinking that it would be an unavoidable strike, Kaeul shot a spell at it.

    ¡°Wait, Kaeul¨C! Don¡¯t shoot it that way¡ª!¡±

    It was a mistake.

    A building that could have had people inside was behind the fire spirit. She knew there was a building there, and the problem was herck of focus.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    They managed to kill the monster but Kaeul was shocked. They btedly arrived at the building and checked it and fortunately, there was no deceased human inside the building.

    However, there was a small puppy there. It was unable to tell whether it was caught up in the aftermath of her spell or not but the puppy was lying t on the ground with its leg pincered by debris that fell from the ceiling.

    The puppy wasn¡¯t dead and it was sent to a vet.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°No-one¡¯s hurtt.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not you that did it.:¡±

    Her kind friends consoled Kaeul, but she did not return to the dormitory after the end of the raid.

    Kaeul walked forward.

    She endlessly walked forth following the path. Without a destination, she went wherever her feet pointed her towards.

    That was when heavy rain started to fall. All the mes that had picked up in nearby ces were extinguished and she could hear voices that joyfully shouted how it was a miracle and a godsend.

    Walking down the road, Kaeul was gradually drenched in rain.

    Her drenched clothes felt suffocatingly heavy. Taking off her military coat, Kaeul ced it on the ground. Her soggy shoes were unpleasant so she also took off her military boots.

    In light clothing and on bare foot, Kaeul walked down the deserted ruin.

    Kaeul slowly raised her head and looked up at the ck sky covered in dark clouds.

    That day was a simr day ¨C the first day she met the baby chicken. After hearing from Yu Jitae that she should give up on being loved by people as early as possible, she was put in a simr mood and that was when she found the baby chicken for the first time in the streets. Under the rainy weather, the baby chicken was soaked in mud, trembling in fright inside the bush.

    The scenery back then intactly remained in her head. Closing her eyes, she reminisced on the emotions and memories of the time.

    Only then did Kaeul realise what the emptiness she had been feeling was.

    Kaeul closed her eyes again.

    Swoaaaah¡­

    It was raining.

    *

    Towards the end of the cold winter,

    While one¡¯s breath still spread into white mist,

    With the scarf personally woven by Bom around her neck, with the hairpin she received as a gift from Yu Jitae on her head,

    Kaeul returned to Unit 301.

    It was after 2 months of leaving home.

 Chapter 308: Umbrella (3)

    <h4>Chapter 308: Umbre (3)</h4>

    Clone 2 had been protecting the entrance of the dimensional tunnel even after the baby chicken left. 6 out of the 7 connecting barriers had closed already ¨C the path between Earth and Anum will disappear the moment thest one closes.

    The connection with the nearby dimension, Anum, will be severed.

    Clone 2 gazed into the fissure.

    It was Spring in Anum. The flowers were in full bloom as the refreshing smell of the World Tree spread far and wide. Various species of spirit beasts and beastmen were running up and down therge tree having fun.

    Laughing beastmen, whispering birds, and the cold breeze sweeping past the grass.

    Clone 2 raised his eyes a tiny bit. Even a small piece of darkness tended to be clearly visible in a world full of light.

    From beyond the horizon, ck things were swarming forward inrge groups, having clear objectives and in thrill and excitement.

    Two months ago, one of the reasons why the baby chicken wanted to leave was because the fissure was starting to close.

    There was another reason why the baby chicken wanted to leave. After living for several years with the Gold Dragon, the baby chicken who had unknowingly received mana from her had also received the ability, [Crisis Perception] from her.

    Vuuuuung¡­

    The frightening echoes of buzzing wings resonated across the air.

    [King Bees]

    Plunderers were on their way.

    ***

    Upon leaving for their Amusement, dragons lived with humans. They looked for their hobbies and their roles.

    Kaeul was also a dragon.

    At first, she wanted to be loved.

    Kaeul loved attention and that was all she had wanted.

    Despite that, the ahjussi who was the most precious in the world told her that her fate was to not lead such a life. Therefore, Kaeul decided to live without craving for the love of others.

    There were still a lot of things to do in the world.

    But what should I do¡­?

    Turning around, she could see her unnis of Unit 301.

    At the start, she enjoyedughing and chatting at Unit 301.

    She wanted to try her best at living a sessful school life.

    However, that wasn¡¯t easy. People appeared to be covered with thorns and getting too close to people made such thorns stab each other. Because of that, Kaeul could not easily befriend humans.

    But if I were to approach with a smile, shouldn¡¯t that allow us to be friends? If I smiled at someone, wouldn¡¯t that person smile back at me? It was then that she was betrayed by her most-trusted friend. The moment she heard the dirty thoughts lying inside that friend was when Kaeul realised that human rtionship wasn¡¯t the way for her.

    Kaeul despaired.

    Once, she became envious of Bom-unni¡¯s ability of healing injured people. Thus, she tried to learn healing magic.

    However, it was obvious from the beginning that healing magic was not the way for her. The thing that gets healed by her cannot put up with her output: the memory of the chimera that exploded the moment she used healing magic on it was vividly etched into her mind. She had used magic to let it live, and yet it expanded and exploded, scattering as blood and flesh to all sides.

    Her unforgetting memories did not allow her to forget such memories.

    Kaeul despaired.

    Once, she became envious of Yeorum-unni who was overflowing with passion. So after hearing the suggestion to be a soldier, she decided to try it.

    She quite liked saving people but fighting was, as expected, not a good fit to her personality. Calmly retaining her rationality in front of dying people in tense situations and fighting monsters was very burdensome.

    Seeing the injured puppy, seeing the child that couldn¡¯t receive help in time, embracing her hand that trembled after using a spell,

    Kaeul despaired.

    Once, she wanted to do volunteer work but throughout her time doing it, she was under a dilemma, wondering whether she was doing this purely for others or as a self-satisfaction.

    At other times, she wanted to leave on a journey looking for other sources of enjoyment, but gold dragons were territorial spirit beasts.

    ¡°Nothing goes well whatever I do.¡±

    Connecting such memories one by one, Kaeul reached a certain conclusion in the end.

    ¡°Nothing in the world goes the way I want it to.¡±

    It was after she gathered everyone, saying that there was something she had to say. After hearing that Kaeul had returned, Bom, Yeorum and Gyeoul dropped everything they were doing and gathered.

    Their sister, who they hadn¡¯t met a single time in the past 2 months, said with a calm look on her face.

    ¡°Oi. What would the chicken think if he heard you say that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Kaeul. Didn¡¯t Chirpy return home safely thanks to you?¡±

    Yu Jitae and Gyeoul appeared to be thinking the same thing. With a faint smile on her face, Kaeul gave a nod.

    ¡°Uun.¡±

    Her lips were smiling but her golden eyes were calm.

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    After hearing that she couldn¡¯t lead a life of being loved by others, back when there was not a single thing that she had actively done, Kaeul did something for the first time out of her volition.

    ¡®There is a baby chicken¡¯, she said to him.

    ¨C A baby chicken?

    It was a wild baby chicken. She saw it often but it never opened its heart up to her.

    ¨C Hmm, I see

    ¡®When you meet someone for the first time, how do you open their hearts up?¡¯

    He gave a genius reply in response.

    ¨C Try luring it in with food.

    That was how she herself had opened her heart up to him.

    ¡°At the start, I found it very pitiful.¡±

    Closing her eyes, she could still clearly see the small, dirty and starving flurry ball.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I thought I had to raise it.¡±

    Kaeul moved on her own volition for the first time. She provided the poor child with food and washed its dirty body.

    ¡°And what I found is that I, who can¡¯t do anything properly, could finally do something.¡±

    Raising, feeding, putting it to sleep, ying together, going out on a walk, saving it from being taken and healing it.

    While doing all the above, she pondered on how to make a good farewell.

    Kaeul was always thinking about the baby chicken and in the end, they did carry out a ¡®good farewell¡¯.

    ¡°Before we separated, I thought that would be enough but¡­¡±

    As she looked after the baby chicken more and sacrificed even her own enjoyment, Kaeul thought everything she was doing was a pure sacrifice. She thought everything she did was for the baby chicken.

    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°I finally noticed it after he left.¡±

    Kaeul was a person who gave food to the baby chicken.

    Kaeul was a person that looked after the baby chicken when it was injured.

    Kaeul prepared a ce for it to sleep in, and decorated the room into a ce that the baby chicken couldfortably rx in.

    She tried her best so that the baby chicken would be happy even during the farewell.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do any of that because I was talented. Nor is it because it was the path for me¡­ I¡¯m, just¡­¡±

    I was a guardian.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After the baby chicken disappeared, Kaeul was no longer the guardian of the baby chicken.

    She realised that she had returned to her previous incapable self.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Kaeul. Nn? You can meet a new child and form a good rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fucking right. He¡¯s not the only chicken in the world is he?¡±

    Kaeul did not cry.

    She simply whispered with a faint smile.

    ¡°No. I tried doing a lot of things, but you know how they all ended up. No matter what I do, it doesn¡¯t go well.¡±

    ¡°Oi. So are you going to give up now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving up.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡±

    ¡°I just want to take a little rest¡­¡±

    Yeorum frowned.

    ¡°What do you mean, rest.¡±

    ¡°My mommy told me to look for a dream during the Amusement. Even though everything has been a mess, I at least learned something now so isn¡¯t that enough?¡±

    ¡°No, you fuck. So what do you mean by resting.¡±

    ¡°If I make new rtionships, there wille a time for separation again¡­ I don¡¯t want to bid another farewell. I don¡¯t want to feel so powerless again.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve learned everything I need to learn already. Not right now but one day I will be the guardian of another child. So¡­ let me just sleep for a little.¡±

    As the kids listened in silence, she continued.

    ¡°Just, 10 years¡­¡±

    Kaeul dropped an outrageousment.

    ¡°10 years? Are you sick in the head?¡± ¡°Yu Kaeul!¡± ¡°¡­!?¡±

    Yeorum and Bom simultaneously raised their voices. Gyeoul also startledly clenched onto Kaeul¡¯s sleeves.

    Adult dragons tended to sleep for centuries but no dragon slept during their Amusement. Young dragons had to earn good experiences and memories and the first Amusement was the most important of them all. Wasting 10 years of that time meant in other words¡­

    That she would be giving up on this Amusement.

    Surprised by the shouts of her unnis, Kaeul widened her eyes. However, she was firm with her words.

    ¡°Why are you so surprised? I, I tried my best as well.¡±

    ¡°Oi. Stop talking crap.¡±

    ¡°But, I just can¡¯t do anything properly so what can I do?¡±

    ¡°Stop! Do you not think about anyone around you? How can you give up so easily? Have you tried to the brink of death?¡±

    Yeorum stood up, held Kaeul by the cor and pulled her towards her, seeming extremely frustrated.

    Kaeul did not retaliate but instead, she looked directly back at Yeorum with her wavering gaze.

    ¡°Unni. I¡¯m not an idiot. I¡¯m not that stupid you know¡­¡±

    Soon, her eyes turned red.

    ¡°I know. I know everything. I know how hard Bom-unni was trying to help me. I know you take care of me, Yeorum-unni, and I know how much ahjussi is worried whenever I cause problems. My mum said it too, that I had a weak mentality. So I knew it ever since I was very young.¡±

    Yeorum looked like she could p her any time so Yu Jitae walked up and grabbed her arm. Releasing her grip, Yeorum turned and red at Yu Jitae.

    Meanwhile, Bom held onto Kaeul¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Kaeul. Let¡¯s calm down first. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Unni. I¡¯m sorry. You taught me how to use magic so much, but I couldn¡¯t learn them properly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. Okay?¡±

    ¡°I know you were trying really hard to teach me. But I couldn¡¯t learn it. It¡¯s because I¡¯m stupid.¡±

    Tears budded under her eyes. Bom hurriedly held her by the hands and received Kaeul¡¯s emotions.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of me. I don¡¯t like worrying everyone, and I¡¯m sorry for not returning anything despite being helped all the time. So¡­¡±

    ¡°Kaeul. You can stop for now. Let¡¯s calm down.¡±

    But Kaeul did not stop.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m useless, stupid and my willpower is so weak that I just can¡¯t endure it anymore¡­¡±

    She had never shown it on the outside before, because she knew that expressing it would burden other people even more.

    However, she couldn¡¯t help but say it now.

    ¡°It would have been so much better if I was more stupid¡­ so stupid to the point that I can¡¯t even think about such things. I¡¯m only half stupid so I can¡¯t use anything I learn and I cause trouble to everyone all the time. That¡¯s just how I am, so what can I do¡­¡±

    Kaeul who had identified her position by looking at the baby chicken, this time apprehended her identity by looking at the dragons.

    ¡°I¡¯m not as clever as Bom-unni, as strong-minded as Yeorum-unni or as mentally strong as Gyeoul. I¡¯m, just a pathetic kid¡­¡±

    Wiping her endlessly flowing tears, Kaeul came to a conclusion about her own self.

    ¡°Just a kid that can¡¯t do anything¡­¡±

    Only her weeping sound could be heard in the living room.

    ¡°So please let me sleep at least¡­¡±

    Kaeul said with a choking voice.

    ¡°Thank you for everything until now¡­¡±

    ***

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    Kaeul went into her room. Immediately after that, Yeorum turned towards Yu Jitae and grabbed him by his cor.

    ¡°Why are you silent, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you. Why, why the fuck aren¡¯t you saying anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You can tell her something can¡¯t you. I don¡¯t know shit so I can¡¯t give her any advice, but you¡¯re different! You always gave me advice when I was suffering!¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°So why are you so silent!¡±

    Gyeoul was crying after receiving Kaeul¡¯s emotions with Bom consoling her from nearby.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t in a good mood.

    Whose fault was it that Kaeul¡¯s heart had crumbled to such an extent?

    He could give out excuses. It was because of the previous iteration¡¯s Kaeul. It was because he saw the death of BY.

    But regardless of what excuse he were to give,

    The one that made Kaeul powerless in the ¡®7th iteration¡¯,

    Was none other than himself.

    ¡°Yeorum. Stop. It¡¯s not ahjussi¡¯s fault that this happened¡­¡±

    ¡°This is so freaking frustrating! Why¡¯s that bitch so weak-minded? Why? And what the fuck am I supposed to do?¡±

    Kwang¨C. After kicking a chair with her foot, Yeorum dashed out of Unit 301. Bom also gazed at Yu Jitae with a gloomy gaze before hugging Gyeoul and following after Yeorum.

    ¡°I will, go buy choctes, macarons and stuff¡­¡±

    She said while leaving the house.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Kaeul would like them or not, but I¡¯ll try something at least. So please do something as well ahjussi¡­¡±

    *

    After the front entrance closed, Yu Jitae stood in front of Kaeul¡¯s room in thought.

    If there really was an omnipotent, omniscient and wise existence, that being might know how to put a mentally unstable girl in front of the media and the public while not hurting her in the slightest.

    However, he could not do such a thing.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But at the very least, he had been expecting something like this to happen and the fact that Kaeul decided to ¡®sleep¡¯ instead of killing herself was in fact a statement to the achievement of his initial goal.

    So everything that will happen henceforth will be an impulsive act done on a whim.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae knocked on the door but she didn¡¯t reply.

    Opening the door, he walked into the room. The child lying down on the bed had her eyes closed but wasn¡¯t sleeping yet.

    He walked up and sat next to the bed. Then, he caressed her golden hair the way the child liked, following the line down the forehead.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Taking a small bracelet out of the dimensional storage, he put it around the child¡¯s wrist. Although Kaeul flinched a little, she did not resist.

    After putting the bracelet on, he quietly walked out of the room.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae had a n.

    A n that he had been preparing for for almost 3 years ever since the first time he saw the baby chicken; ever since he realised that it was a chicken from the alternate dimension, ¡®Anum¡¯.

    A n delicately prepared all for this moment.

    He had such a n in mind.

    ***

    After Yu Jitae walked out of the room, Kaeul opened her eyes. A myriad ofplex emotions and a sense of emptiness flooded her.

    She had extracted all the words that she had been suppressing inside. Although it felt better, it still hurt her heart. In the end, being honest about her thoughts like this was something that pained everyone.

    It was a fittingst moment for an ipetent and whinging kid like herself, who couldn¡¯t do anything properly. Although this wouldn¡¯t be an eternal farewell, it was still a type of farewell and something that can¡¯t be called a good farewell by any means.

    She was pathetic until the very end.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, at least this was the end.

    This is fine.

    Everything, was now over¡­

    Her golden eyes shining under the moonlight slowly came to a close.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    That was when it suddenly struck her.

    Buzz¡ª

    A foreign emotion seeped into her head and her eyes slowly opened back up.

    Her senses ¨C the crisis perceiving ability of the gold race alerted her of the iing hazard. It wasn¡¯t something that was happening around her and the hazard was very far away. This was mana that had originated from the [Reverse Scale] that she had attached to the baby chicken¡¯s ankle.

    The size of the risk was immensely huge¡­

    As if possessed, Kaeul raised her body. She then hurriedly opened the curtain and added a ridiculously enormous amount of mana into her eyes.

    Kaeul¡¯s two eyes were staring outside the window but her vision was going beyond the horizon. The dimensional gate located at the basement of the restricted area was almost gone but hadn¡¯t fully dissipated yet.

    ¡°Ah, ah¡­ uhh¡­¡±

    Startled, she hastily opened the door and jumped out to the living room. But for some reason, neither Yu Jitae nor the protector were inside the living room.

    She touched the watch and scanned through the contacts with her frantically trembling fingers.

    ¡°Uhh, umm. What should¡­¡±

    Kaeul always looked for Yu Jitae in times like this but Yu Jitae did not pick up the call.

    ¡°Why, why, why isn¡¯t he¡­¡±

    Her head turned nk as if it had been struck by a hammer and time felt as if it was stretching like a cheese stick.

    Her wavering gaze headed outside the window.

    By the time she came to herself.

    Kaeul was jumping out the window.

 Chapter 309: Umbrella (4)

    <h4>Chapter 309: Umbre (4)</h4>

    Standing in the sky above, Yu Jitae gazed down.

    Kaeul was dashing off in the distance. Jumping through space, she flew with hurried steps towards the dimensional tunnel. Yu Jitae killed his senses to the limit and followed her from behind.

    There once was a gold hatchling.

    Luna.

    In every iteration, her name was different but they were all soft-hearted.

    Ieyata G.D.

    Their lives were different but she always crumbled before hardship.

    Baby Yellow.

    A dragon that ended all those lives with a suicide.

    Now, she had be that golden-haired girl hurriedly racing off into a distance.

    After the baby chicken urgently left them, Kaeul must have contemted her life during the 2 months of time she had spent outside.

    He didn¡¯t interfere with that process. People needed time to mature and also had to answer some questions themselves.

    The conclusion Kaeul drew from that was like the following.

    ¨C I am useless.

    Kaeul failed at everything she did, so she called herself useless.

    ¨C Stupid.

    Nothing she did worked and she endlessly worried about strange things. That was why the word she used to describe herself was ¡®stupid¡¯.

    ¨C My willpower is so weak that I just can¡¯t endure it anymore¡­

    And weak-minded.

    Those were the reasons for failure that she had discovered from herself.

    However¡­

    Is Kaeul really useless, stupid and weak-minded?

    The Regressor thought otherwise.

    Kaeul was not useless.

    She had various great talents that no-one else had. Compared to everything the other three had achieved in their 20 years of time on Earth, her achievements were iparably greater.

    Kaeul was not stupid.

    She was just more immature and delicate than other kids, that she didn¡¯t yet know what suited her the best.

    ¡®I just can¡¯t endure it anymore,¡¯ is something that can only be said after trying to endure it as hard as one could.

    Compared to the child who had shivered from endless hatred and hostility, who buried her face into a nket and cried throughout the night, whoter relied on drugs to endure it,

    ¡®Weak-minded¡¯ was a debatable expression to use for her current self.

    Then why was it that Kaeul had crumbled to this extent?

    The one and only downside that this innocently kind girl had was that she had the habit of looking for the reason behind every unfortunate event in the world from herself.

    ¨C I¡¯m, just a pathetic kid¡­

    ¨C Just a kid that can¡¯t do anything¡­

    Right. Unfortunately, Kaeul had already learned powerlessness.

    That was why Yu Jitae hadn¡¯t said anything to Kaeul when she was crying and voicing her feelings. Things had already gone too far for simple words to solve the problem.

    What Kaeul really needed wasn¡¯t a constion made of hundreds of words, but one full experience. And it was for that one full experience that Yu Jitae had made this n.

    He organised the entire world [Anum] that had been destroyed in other iterations, that was now supposed to head into ruin, into a scene. In that pre-organised scene, Kaeul without knowing that it was a nned situation, would dive into it.

    Since it will be a real battle, things might not go the way he wanted it to at times, and that was why Yu Jitae followed Kaeul and also headed towards the dimensional tunnel.

    There was no room for any problem.

    What he was about to do now was undo the shackles that were binding her feet.

    It will shake Kaeul¡¯s life from its core and it will change her values.

    From now, in alignment with Yu Jitae¡¯s strategy,

    Yu Kaeul will be the [Guardian Deity] of Anum.

    ***

    Kaeul ran.

    She raced towards the restricted area, towards the interdimensional fissure.

    There was nothing else in Kaeul¡¯s mind but the fact that Chirpy was in danger and that she had to go save it. In fact, she was so out of it, that she couldn¡¯t even judge whether that was indeed going through her mind or not.

    What am I doing right now¡­?

    She was moving on an impulse without any certainty. Because of that, Kaeul had to stop in front of the vertical fissure for a bit because it was clearly visible that the fissure was about to close any time soon.

    If she went now and things were to go south, she might never be able to return.

    ¡°Uhh, umm¡­ What is, someone like me going to even do there¡­¡±

    Kaeul wondered but that was when a fierce crisis was perceived through the [Reverse Scale]. As if possessed by a ghost, Kaeul unknowingly moved her body. It was simr to how she had urgently raced out of the house.

    Kaeul had to save the baby chicken.

    ***

    Having a height of 7,000 metres, it was as wide as a mountain range. A type of enormous tree that existed across various dimensions that was sorge that one couldn¡¯t catch its entire shape with one nce.

    [World Tree]

    All sorts of beastmen and spirit beasts that showed characteristics ofnd animals like dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits, elephants and giraffes and birds built their houses on the tree and formed a society of their own.

    It was a paradise for thousands of spirit beasts.

    Living there were certain ¡®birdmen¡¯.

    They resembled humans in appearance and walked on two feet but hadrge wings attached to their arms. In silence, they watched their egg that was the size of an ostrich egg. The white egg with blue dots had been shaking left and right since yesterday ¨C the baby inside was moving.

    Both day and night, the parent birdmen looked after their egg. Worried that it might identally fall, the mother stayed at home to watch over it while the father flew more diligently to hunt for the mother who was unable to leave on a hunt.

    The egg that hade out onto the world 3 months ago, was about to let something else out onto the world.

    From the side, young birdmen flickered their eyes while staring at their parents, waiting for their younger sibling toe out. The siblings were the ones that had decided on the name of their younger sibling, by putting together the likes of light, flower, rainbow, tree and wind which were close yet ever so precious.

    Crack¨C

    It was then. A crack appeared on the egg. Tap tap. The crack widened with each tap. One of the young birdmen that was making a fuss got smacked on the back of their head. As they nervously waited, a loud crack echoed across as a very tiny head of a birdman popped out of the egg, wearing a broken piece of the egg on top of its head like a cap.

    It was the birth of a new life. In that wondrous instant, the young birdmen that now became older brothers and older sisters received the baby birdman from their parents.

    Carefully, they hugged it as the tiny life faintly moved.

    It was then.

    Kwaanng¨C!

    A loud thud was heard from outside. Surprised, the father birdman opened the curtain.

    Outside the protective barrier that was safeguarding the World Tree were ck things covering the entire sky. The father birdman felt his blood racing down.

    They were King Bees.

    The thud had been the result of the disgusting plunderers throwing their bodies towards the barrier with their stings in an attempt to break it. Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! They elerated down from hundreds metres away and stabbed as hard as they could. The bees would turn into a paste upon being unable to break the barrier due to the speed but that did not dissuade the greedy plunderers from sacrificing their bodies. Kwang! Kwang! Kwaaang!

    ¡°Ahhhk!¡±

    ¡°Hukk¡­!¡±

    The young birdmen screamed out loud. The surreal scene of bees crushing their bodies in an attempt to break the barrier appeared like a scene directly from hell.

    No matter what dimension it was, rtionships were always quite simr in form. The adults pacified the startled children.

    ¡°Kids. Calm down. It¡¯s fine. The protective barrier will not break that easily¡­!¡±

    ¡°Dear!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay! Now, follow your mother and go!¡±

    The father birdman was a soldier. As he hurriedly calmed the kids and tried to let them leave through the back door, one of the young birdmen asked, ¡®Then what about you daddy?¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡±

    He could not continue. A ck shadow appeared over the young birdman.

    The father birdman gazed into a distance and reached the source of the shadow. His eyes wavered from the unrealistic thing in front of his eyes.

    ¡°Hukk! What is that thingggg!¡±

    People screamed outside.

    Outside the protective barrier was an entity that was at least 20 times bigger than the rest. The King Bee, [Centurion], that was as big as a whale revealed itself. Pushing out its butt and raising its thorn that was as huge as an elephant, it buzzed its wings in descent.

    In that moment, the father birdman hugged the children in fright and quickly jumped to the wall outside the house for a cover with the mother birdman.

    And,

    Kwaaannnng¨C!

    A thunderous noise shook the heavens and the earths.

    The protective barrier cracked open. The aftershock swayed the tree as countless beastmen and spirit beasts were flung off the tree and rolled on the ground.

    ¡°Ukk!¡±

    The father birdman quickly raised his head and looked around before checking the states of his kids, his wife and the baby.

    Oh no!

    He couldn¡¯t see one of the young birdmen¡­

    ¡°Run!¡±

    ¡°Run away! Run until the military gets here!¡±

    The beastmen society had a military.

    Before long, beastmen riding huge flying spirit beasts came flying out as the King Bees poked their heads into the crack in the barrier to fly in. The beastmen soldiers covered the crack so that the enemy would not be able to enter too deep.

    They collided.

    The beastmen that collided with the King Bees fell. The beastmen whose heads got struck died while the King Bees that were stabbed by mana-infused cold weapons also exploded and died.

    Countless arrows were shot towards them but even then, one of the King Bees managed to squeeze through the siege.

    Its hexagonal eyes gazed down at therge tree, looking for an easy target.

    Soon, the King Bee found a prey that was smaller than the rest, who was stuck on a branch by itself after being separated from its group.

    Vuuung¡­

    Hearing those ominous buzzing sounds, the young birdman widened his eyes. The King Bee was flying towards him.

    ¡°H, help me! Daddy! Mommy!!¡±

    As the tough outer shells of the bee closed in; as the tiny hairs on its body became vividly visible to the naked eye, the birdman screamed, feeling like he was seeing a devil from hell. The young birdman froze stiff next to the tree as fear reigned over its heart. It could not even scream anymore.

    It¡¯sing.

    ¡°H, help¡­¡±

    It¡¯sing.

    It¡¯sing!

    He tightly closed his eyes.

    That was when a bright ray of light flew across. A lightning strike as bright as the sun sparked across. Itshed like a whip and removed the entire head of the King Bee.

    Kwagwagwagwang¨C!

    It was so fast that the sound came after the strike. The flying King Bee fell towards the ground as the astonished young birdman turned its gaze towards the sky.

    Gold hair was fluttering in the air.

    Standing there was a female human.

    The woman looked at him, seemingly trying to judge whether he was injured or not. The moment she judged that he was fine, she immediately threw her body further into the air and vanished as a spark of light.

    *

    With an anxious gaze, Kaeul looked at therge tree and the chaotic battlefield. There were a total of 3 holes in the protective barrier. Three [Centurion] King Bees had smashed into the barrier from 3 directions to form holes on the barrier.

    Kaeul had to find the baby chicken first.

    But due to the mix of all sorts of auras, she could not sense the specific direction of the Reverse Scale. In addition, the scent of the chaotically running spirit beasts also messed with her senses.

    He has to be somewhere nearby!

    ¡°Chirpy!¡±

    Kaeul looked for the baby chicken. Chirpy was not above the branches, nor was he underneath arge leaf.

    ¡°Chirpy!¡±

    She checked the holes that were on the tree. Despite checking roughly twenty of them, the baby chicken wasn¡¯t in any of them.

    That was when Kaeul found a yellow furry ball walking with staggering steps on a branch.

    ¡°Chirpy¡­!?¡±

    Surprised, Kaeul quickly dashed forward and called out the baby chicken¡¯s name but noticed the size of the baby chicken after getting closer to it. The spirit beast in front of her was slightly smaller than the spirit beast, Chirpy.

    ¡°Hey! You over there! Run away immediately!¡±

    That was when a birdman resembling a rooster shouted with a spear in hand.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about me¡­!¡±

    ¡°Nn? A human¡­!? Anyway, you must evacuate right now! The Queen Bee is flying towards us right now¨C!!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The Queen Bee! The Queen! The lord of King Bees is on its way! It must be trying to scorch this entire tree to make this its new home!¡±

    ¡°I, I have¡­!¡±

    ¡°Wait! We are running very short on time! The Queen Bee shoots mes and poison! We must head towards the top! If we¡¯re in a low area like this, we will all die to the poisonous fog!¡±

    The birdman¡¯s voice was filled with fear and Kaeul¡¯s face as she listened to its words also turned pale. A poisonous fog¡­ if that were to spread, Chirpy wouldn¡¯t be fine either.

    She had to immediately find the direction. She had to find where the baby chicken was as quickly as possible but she had no idea where it could possibly be at.

    ¡°Hurry up! Now!¡±

    ¡°Ah, w, wait¡­ I have a ce to go to¡­!¡±

    ¡°And where is that!¡±

    ¡°I, it¡¯s¡­¡±

    While being pulled away by the birdman, Kaeul who had no experience of shaking off someone¡¯s arm, had no idea how much power she should put into her arm. She was starting to feel irritated from all the frustration when a sudden message floated inside her head.

    <The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] gazes down at you.>

    Kaeul noticed the bracelet around her wrist vibrate. Isn¡¯t this the bracelet ahjussi put on her wrist when she was lying on the bed?

    What exactly is happening to this watch right now¡­?

    That was when more shocking words rang inside her head.

    <The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] suggests the direction of the target, [Spirit Beast].>

    <¨J>

 Chapter 310: Umbrella (5)

    <h4>Chapter 310: Umbre (5)</h4>

    ¡°Yu Kaeeuul. Come out!¡±

    Yeorum knocked on the door of Kaeul¡¯s room.

    ¡°Yeorum. That¡¯s enough¡­!¡±

    ¡°Let go! Enough what? Yu Kaeul. Come out right now!¡±

    She was about to break open the door at this rate. Left with no choice, Bom used telekinesis as thin yet tough strings reached out and grabbed Yeorum back by her arms and legs.

    ¡°What is this!¡±

    ¡°Stop being violent to a child with a crushed heart. Please. Before I really get mad.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re always being thisx that she¡¯s being childish and whinging all the time. You need to tease a crying child to make them stop crying. Don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    ¡°Stop saying nonsense. Yeorum. Please.¡±

    The moment the telekinesis turned slightly weaker, Yeorum immediately kicked the door open. Ignoring Bom who shouted, ¡°Yu Yeorum!¡± she walked into Kaeul¡¯s room.

    ¡°Oi! Goldie!¡±

    But after entering the room, she realised that Kaeul wasn¡¯t inside.

    ¡°Oh fuck. We¡¯re doomed.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Where¡¯s Kaeul?¡±

    Yeorum turned pale.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul, this crazy bitch. She left home¡­!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    *

    The misunderstanding was soon undone. Clone 2 who no longer had any reason to protect the interdimensional fissure came to Unit 301 wearing a ck face mask. It was a mask widely used by the Association¡¯s secret ops squad so Bom wasn¡¯t too wary of him.

    ¡°It is an honour. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°What. Who are you?¡±

    Clone 2 introduced himself as a subordinate of Yu Jitae and gave them arm bracelets, so that they could have a look at how things were currently faring. This was an artifact created by Yu Jitae called [Authority Adaptor], the same one as the one that was on Kaeul¡¯s wrist.

    It allowed Yu Jitae, who still couldn¡¯t act like an ¡®authority¡¯ within the world of Providence, to use abilities like an authority to the wearers of the bracelet. After putting the bracelets on, the image of Kaeul in the other world ¡®Anum¡¯ appeared in their minds. To be exact, Yu Jitae was essentially sharing his vision with the kids.

    ¡°Please do watch together.¡±

    Despite being usually uninterested in what was happening to others, Gyeoul also calmly sat down and watched the things unfold. After realising what was happening, their expressions rapidly changed.

    They could understand why Kaeul left home as well as why she was suddenly fighting monsters in another world.

    Kaeul flew and jumped through the space before meeting the baby chicken.

    ¡°¡­Oh ¡­ Chirpy.¡±

    Gyeoul recognised it. Kaeul hugged the chicken and the chicken likewise rubbed its forehead. In that chaotic battlefield filled with shock waves, explosions and screams, the baby chicken was fortunately unscathed.

    All the baby chicken spirit beasts including Chirpy were using their beaks to carry a of spirit beast eggs into a different ce. They were carrying it into a mechanical device that resembled an airne.

    Seeing that, Bom frowned.

    ¡°They seem to be trying to float that outside in case the World Tree falls.¡±

    ¡°That appears to be the case. Each of those eggs are of the different beastmen species, and they seem to be trying to preserve all their races by doing so.¡±

    They were moving with the assumption that they had already lost.

    ¡°My goodness¡­¡±

    Bom clenched her lips.

    It was a world she knew nothing about. She didn¡¯t have real connections to it and it was also her first time hearing the name of that dimension. However, seeing a world fall to the attack of a plunderer was obviously nothing pleasing to look at.

    The dead spirit beasts fell and dropped on the ground with some of them being yellow baby chickens that looked exactly like Chirpy. The battle turned increasingly more intense, as things turned radically feverish.

    ¡°Can you go into your room and stay inside, Gyeoul?¡±

    ***

    ¡°We must stop this. Right now.¡±

    Bom said to Clone 2 who was wearing the ck mask. Clone 2, who had received a portion of Yu Jitae¡¯s memories, was unfamiliar with such a firm attitude.

    ¡°What is wrong?¡±

    ¡°You should know it since you were sent here by ahjussi, but this situation is too harsh for Kaeul. Ahjussi needs to step in and solve it for her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°People are dying next to her in real time and she is put into a situation where she needs to kill others. Kaeul won¡¯t be able to handle it. Why did he put such a soft-hearted girl in that ce? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    But it was Yeorum who rebutted instead.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t crumble that easily.¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. Do you think everyone in the world is as strong-willed as you? Kaeul is fragile. She is already in a weak state of mind right now so putting her out into the battlefield is a really bad decision.¡±

    In response, Yeorum red back at her.

    ¡°You know. Isn¡¯t it you, unni, that¡¯s looking at Yu Kaeul like a damn retard?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°She received a professional military education, you know that.¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. How much better would it be if Kaeul were to use that military education or whatever after she¡¯s back to her normal state?¡±

    ¡°And when exactly would that idiot get back into her normal state then?¡±

    ¡°At least not right now.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean. There¡¯s a war happening already. Do wars wait for people to get prepared?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only for real wars is it not?¡±

    Bom didn¡¯t seem convinced but Yeorum drove her argument further in.

    ¡°That is a real war! Think about it. She didn¡¯t just receive military education. It was at the world¡¯s best facility for three years. She¡¯s been getting good marks and hasn¡¯t repeated a single subject, has 80 dungeon raiding experiences and got a 3 digit rank from the start. Which retard in the world can ever achieve such a thing?

    ¡°It¡¯s been that way from the start. That bitch. She could¡¯ve done anything as long as she wanted to!¡±

    In the perspective of the authority, Kaeul helped the baby chicken move eggs. She appeared to be trying to persuade the baby chicken to run away and appeared to be in a fluster as she hurriedly tried to carry the eggs.

    Kaeul heading to that ce despite her unhealthy mind was solely for the safety of the baby chicken, Chirpy.

    However, the baby chicken refused to run away. No matter how much Kaeul told him to, he could not just leave his homnd behind and escape. That was why Kaeul was helping the baby chicken in a fluster.

    Things were going in a very disadvantageous direction. Atst, the soldiers that were protecting the World Tree could not stop the King Bees. Even themanders of the military like the mythical creatures, unicorn and the winged tiger, were being pushed back.

    That was when things happened the way Yeorum had predicted.

    It atst resulted in a serious matter.

    Sheeeek¡ª¨C

    A stray sting flew their way.

    There¡¯s no way¡­ they thought but the sting headed for the baby chicken and Kaeul tried to block it with her hand in shock but it was toote.

    Pak¡ª

    The chicken fell.

    Kaeul screamed out loud as Bom and Yeorummented at the same time.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Fuck.¡±

    A thorn the size of a human arm was nailed into the baby chicken¡¯s body.

    In that instant,

    Kaeul¡¯s body stopped. It froze like a statue.

    Before long, however, Kaeul regained her senses and calmlyid the baby chicken down on the ground before taking the first-aid kit out of her dimensional storage. She extracted the thorn and carried out the first aid. She looked extremely bizarre and mysteriously calm. To the point that it made them wonder whether she was the same Kaeul as the one that had been trembling moments ago.

    ¡°What. What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After finishing the first-aid, Kaeul rose from the ground, and turned her gaze to face the world.

    The pupils within her golden eyes were split vertically. Kaeul began to fume with killing intent.

    Yeorum felt goosebumps riding up her arm.

    Kaeul was angry.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ You have to wake up. Yu Kaeul.¡±

    But Bom instead had a worried look on her face.

    ¡°No. This is dangerous.¡±

    When Yeorum red at her, she quickly added more words.

    ¡°If a weak-minded person acts on an impulse, it might harm everyone.¡±

    However, her concern was soon dissolved. Kaeul calmly raised the baby chicken and carried it into the airne where the other spirit beasts were rapidly going in and out of.

    Her movements were calm and despite oozing with killing intent, she was not agitated.

    Kaeul was silently and chillingly furious.

    ***

    The situation immediately changed.

    Kaeul flew into the battlefield. Using [Teleport (S)], she travelled through space and rose higher up.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¨C!¡±

    She shouted. It was more of a scream that sounded as if her throat was cracked. The high-pitched sound echoed all across the world.

    [Dragon Fear]

    It was the warning shot of a gold dragon.

    Hearing therge shout that threatened to explode their eardrums, the battlefield turned oddly silent for a little as the beastmen military and the King Bees simultaneously gazed at Kaeul.

    Vuuuung.

    Soon, the King Bees began flying towards Kaeul after receiving themand from their Queen. That was when mana gathered in her hands and rotated like a tornado.

    [Magic Arrow (B)]

    Tuung¨C

    Who in the world would ever consider this an arrow?

    It resembled a cannonball if anything.

    After leaving her hands, the arrows flew several kilometres, destroyed everything that existed in its path and created a whole on a distant mountaintop.

    That overwhelming output surprised even Bom and Yeorum, let alone the beastmen military and the mythical creatures.

    Immediately, the King Bees came flooding in.

    Raising their stings, they approached in an attempt to kill Kaeul.

    Soaring further into the sky, Kaeul shot magic arrows endlessly and crushed everything that dared to approach her. The thick outer shells and the flesh of the bees scattered down like drops of rain.

    That was when the ¡®Queen¡¯ changed its attitude.

    Chiririririk!!

    Itmanded everyone to focus their attacks on her. The King Bees immediately knew who their strongest enemy was.

    Kwang!

    One of their stings was blocked by Kaeul¡¯s barrier spell and shattered. Once more and more bees were added to the fray, Kaeul also had to urgently turn her body to dodge several of them. However, she couldn¡¯t dodge all of them and one of them created a hole on her shirt after scraping past her shoulder.

    The core focus of the battlefield soon turned into one dragon and despite the chaotic war, the tides visibly turned as the beastmen chased after their enemies who had suddenly retreated in an attempt to kill Kaeul. The King Bees flew towards Kaeul at the cost of losing their wings even, as if they had lost their rationality.

    In that vtile situation,

    Kaeul yelled.

    [Soldiers, heed my words]

    [I will shoot down the heart of the Queen Bee]

    [And thou shalt protect me]

    Dragon Voice.

    A dragon¡¯s mana-infused voice had the power of forcing every creation. That one spirit beast who suddenly appeared in this world was able to light a fire in the hearts of every other spirit beast.

    They had been constantly on the receiving end throughout the fight, but it was now different. Themanders of the troops ¨C the mythical creatures shouted out loud.

    ¡°Protect the golden human!¡±

    ¡°Run in, all of you!¡±

    King Bees and beastmen soldiers moved in perfect order as Kaeul raised her gaze and stared at the distant enemy boss. The reddish ck eyes of the bee were looking back at her. It considered her a human and used its status to suppress her.

    The difference in status did in fact put a limit to her movement and Kaeul could feel her body moving slower.

    [Dispel Polymorph]

    So when Kaeul broke the taboo of Amusement and removed every chain that was concealing her status,

    ¡°Huuk!¡±

    ¡°Wait, that is¡­!¡±

    When therge golden body reaching 17 metres in height revealed itself, its overwhelming ¡®status¡¯ trembled the atmosphere and stunned everyone.

    A mythical creature, ssified as an ancient species. The strongest spirit beast across every dimension.

    ¡°A d, dragon¡ª¨C!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just the beastmen and the spirit beasts. Even the King Bees were affected and their bodies slowed down during their flight.

    ¡°Protect the dragon!¡±

    The beastmen soldiers blocked the King Bees, who did not stop their march towards Kaeul despite their loss. In an instant, Kaeul flung her wings and rapidly flew towards the Queen Bee.

    Large Centurions attempted to stop her. They threw their bodies to protect their queen.

    However, Kaeul had already squeezed her dragon heart to pull out every bit of mana. Her talents that could outshine any other hatchling ¨C that overpowering output of mana turned into a ray of golden light at her throat.

    [Dragon Breath]

    Paaaanng¨C

    Like an atomic bomb, it erupted the atmosphere.

    The coercive force momentarily painted the world in shadow. Therge ray of light flew off into the sky, drawing a clean cylinder in its path.

    The dragon breath destroyed two Centurions and crushed them, and with its remaining power it sessfully scorched the wings of the Queen Bee. The queen dropped towards the world tree and crashed through several branches but barely managed to find its bnce in mid-air.

    It was thanks to the Centurions taking most of the damage.

    Chiriririririrak!!

    As if in a seizure, the queen shouted. Soon, its butt expanded before exploding with a thud.

    [Poisonous Cloud]

    A liquid of poison sttered above the ground. They soon turned into green gas that slowly descended towards the earth beneath.

    On the ground were hundreds of beastmen that couldn¡¯t escape in time.

    Watching that, the gold dragon clenched her teeth. Due to using too much mana in the dragon breath, there was a slight pause before she could move her body again.

    Her body would soon move again without a problem but the cloud of poison would reach the ground first at this rate.

    ¡°Damn it! No!¡±

    ¡°Shoot wind! Do not let that gas fall!¡±

    The mythical creatures shouted as the beastmen used their wind spells to try to lift the gas up. However, it was nowhere near enough. The boss¡¯s aura was not weak enough to waver from a weak breeze.

    ¡°Uuuk!¡±

    ¡°Kuhuk¡­!¡±

    ¡°Ahk! D, do not breathe!¡±

    Growl! Chirp!

    The beastmen that breathed in the gas near the ground began to writhe in pain. Some of them vomited blood and drooled while others shivered and convulsed.

    Meanwhile, the King Bees moved to attack other beastmen. It was to hide the fact that their queen had been weakened.

    Watching all that,

    Kaeul thought to herself.

    Despite thinking rationally, she still had no idea how she was supposed to act right now. That was when the mysterious voice that she heard before floated in her head again like a revtion.

    <The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] wishes to add more power to you!>

    This¡­

    In that instant, Kaeul remodified her body using polymorph, because a human body was able to use mana more efficiently now that there was less mana inside her body.

    <The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] is sending mana to you.>

    Mana soon seeped in through the wrist. It was a truly ridiculous amount of mana.

    Kaeul had no idea what this authority was. She could only guess that it was an existence rted to ahjussi since ahjussi was the one that had given it to her.

    <The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] wants you to heal them.>

    Kaeul looked at the hundreds of beastmen and spirit beasts that had been infected by the poison. Arge number of organisms were crawling on the ground in agony.

    She, however, wasn¡¯t certain because she could not heal properly. Everything that had gone wrong when she was trying to heal rapidly resurfaced in her head. The biggest of them was the chimera that had exploded but it also included a memory of how Yu Jitae had been mad when she was trying toy a knife on her wrist.

    <The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] believes that you will be able to do it.>

    <The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] wants you to trust in yourself.>

    Trust in myself¡­?

    *

    ¡°What is she trying to do?¡±

    Yeorum shotued.

    ¡°No. You can¡¯t do that. Fuck! Is she trying to kill everyone with her hands?¡±

    This time, it was instead Bom who was calm. She opened her mouth when Yeorum turned towards her in doubt.

    ¡°Kaeul, she learned healing magic from me, you know.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°¡­She tried, really really hard.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°She practised really hard even when there was no-one watching. Even though she failed countless times, she did it for months without an end.¡±

    There was only one reason why she had constantly failed.

    It was because of her crazy output.

    *

    Kaeul suddenly had this thought.

    Maybe, it¡¯s because her overflowing output had been focused on one target that they had exploded due to being unable to endure it.

    If that was the case, if she could assign that whole group, that was close to a thousand, as her target¡­ If she could split her output into hundreds of strands¡­

    Feeling the mana jolting her heart, Kaeul clenched her teeth.

    She had never properly healed someone before. Things had instead exploded to death after being healed by her and she could not trust her own stupid judgment.

    However, even then, she repeated it hundreds and thousands of times. So that she could heal the injured and the sick, Kaeul tried endlessly by herself in tears.

    If all that effort wasn¡¯t in vain.

    Then everyone there must be healed.

    Kaeul decided to trust herself for the first time.

    [Mass Cure (A)]

 Chapter 311: Umbrella (6)

    <h4>Chapter 311: Umbre (6)</h4>

    Meanwhile,

    The Regressor merely watched things unfold from the sky. Standing above everything else, he could see everything within the battlefield but Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes were fixed on Kaeul.

    Would Kaeul know, he wondered.

    Healing magic. Combat magic. Immense mana output. Military life. Volunteering. All those ¡®failed experiences¡¯ and things she tried to voluntarily learn as well as bringing in the baby chicken surprisingly all had amon factor.

    ¨C If I knew this would happen¡­

    After the parrot flew out of the cage.

    Left alone, BY cried for days and nights before finallying to herself. In that vacant and intoxicated state, she repeatedly mumbled.

    ¨C I shouldn¡¯t have asked for love.

    With trembling hands she wrote down the next lyrics while ruminating about her life.

    A life that had been spent chasing after love. But at the end of that not-so-short life, upon realising that she wasn¡¯t suited for receiving love, BY atst realised what the type of life she should have led was.

    ¨C I should have given more love¡­

    ¨C I should have treasured it more¡­

    ¨C Given more love before it left¡­

    Back then, Yu Jitae could not understand those words no matter how much he pondered and in fact, that was still the case until recently.

    But now, he had an idea.

    ¨C I should have loved more¡­

    Some existences lived in order to be loved, but there were also people that becameplete by giving love. Those that protected a nation, its people, the world and every individual ¨C those who lived for the sake of others.

    People referred to such beings,

    As ¡®Guardian Deities¡¯.

    That was themon factor in everything that Kaeul had done on her own volition. Without anyone telling her anything, she was already on the path to bing a guardian deity.

    With his eyes fixed on Kaeul, he thought to himself.

    Yes. You can do it.

    There is no need to feel powerless or be discouraged.

    Do not falter. Trust in yourself.

    Trust in what you think is correct.

    She had ended three of her lives with her own hands already.

    Isn¡¯t that more than enough experience in crumbling from powerlessness?

    The one soft-hearted gold hatchling;

    Atst, it was time for her to be saved.

    *

    The poison of King Bees had a neurotoxic nature to it.

    One of the spirit beasts bled from every hole on its face while one of the beastmen convulsed, unable to breathe properly. Them bleeding and vomiting in pain was vividly etched into the golden eyes.

    Below the shades of the tree, into that pandemonium, her magic descended as a gleam of hope.

    Magic was the manifestation of will and thus those with a selfless nature tended to be better at using healing magic.

    Even though she had never met them before, Kaeul¡¯s wish for those suffering in pain to recover was carried by her violently enormous flood of mana and was conveyed down to everyone.

    And what happened as a result made Kaeul doubt her own eyes.

    The tiger beastman stopped convulsing; the blood that had been endlessly flowing out of a giraffe spirit beast¡¯s neck stopped. A wound that was sorge inparison to the small body of the rabbit spirit beast rapidly closed.

    As the injured slowly raised their bodies and began to follow someone¡¯s order to hurriedly escape the area,

    The World Tree¡¯s military each raised their voices and roared in joy.

    ¡ª-!

    ¡ª-!

    Listening to all those cheers with her two ears, Kaeul turned nk for a little.

    She thought she wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. Because she wasn¡¯t able to do a single thing properly.

    Her first failure was disheartening. It hurt more due to all the effort she had put in. It forever remained in a corner of her memories so Kaeul had to consciously avoid the memories of that time.

    However, whenever her mind crumbled and bad thoughts surfaced up; whenever a sense of defeat and a sense of powerlessness rose to the surface, Kaeul could not stop those memories from floating back up.

    I¡¯m, really trash¡­

    As she repeated failures, she slowly became used to them. I won¡¯t be able to do it no matter how hard I try. All my effort will be betrayed anyway. All those thoughts slowly made Kaeul more and more timid.

    When was thest time she had wholeheartedlyughed and chattered? She realised that she had always been half-awkwardly smiling recently.

    She was always anxious.

    Always sorry.

    Even though she had always been problematic, no-one pointed fingers at her. And since it was her that always betrayed those kind-hearted people, Kaeul had always been pointing her own fingers at herself.

    Isn¡¯t it time for you to finally start getting better¡­?

    Why are you so stupid¡­

    Why can¡¯t you do anything properly¡­

    Those had been the questions constantly going through her mind.

    And yet what was happening underneath right now? All those spirit beasts and beastmen that had been convulsing and vomiting blood were slowly standing back up and moving.

    Kaeul looked at her two hands.

    She could not stop them from shivering.

    I, I can do it.

    I can do it as well¡­

    The chains that had been binding her snapped. At the start, it was on an impulse due to the danger Chirpy was put in, and was out of anger but it was now different.

    Even someone like me, can do it.

    Raising her head, Kaeul looked at the sky. The state of the war was still far from victory.

    Through her military life with Team Lair, Kaeul learned how to assess the progress of a war. In a disadvantageous turn of tides, the plunderers that had been aiming to invade the World Tree changed their attitude. At a nce, it was impossible to understand what their goal was.

    They began to throw their bodies to all sides, attacking everything in their sight without any order.

    ¡°What are you doing! We must stop them!¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not a simple attack. We need to understand what they¡¯re after!¡±

    ¡°And what are they after!¡±

    The reason behind their actions were difficult to grasp and they seemed to be flying around without a clear objective, solely for the purpose of destruction.

    One of the King Bees attacked a beastman soldier that was on a flying spirit beast, while others randomly attacked the unarmed spirit beast civilians.

    In Kaeul¡¯s eyes, it was a strange flow of events.

    It was then.

    The sensitive nose of a dragon picked up a peculiar scent. Is it poison? No, this is¡­

    Kaeul thought to herself.

    Most monstersmunicated through visual and olfactory measures. They warned others by making themselves look bigger or marked one¡¯s territory with urine.

    More intellectual beasts like goblins and gray wolves that formed groupsmunicated through sound, just like humans.

    However, King Bees were different. King Bees were able to carry outplexmunications through chemicals that other species could not even sense. It was amunication that no-one should be able to pick up without receptors like them.

    It was the power to share an explicitmon goal in a short period of time.

    Through pheromones.

    Although dragons did not have the chemical receptors like King Bees, they did have the power of interpreting the will behind the mana that formed those pheromones. Kaeul quickly began to analyse the will hidden within the ¡®peculiar scent¡¯.

    She infiltrated through the outer disguise. The moment she analysed the firstmand of the Queen Bee embedded within, Kaeul widened her eyes.

    [Mass Suicide]

    Only then did she realise what the King Bees were trying to do. Raising her mana to the limit, she soared into the sky.

    ¡°Uhk¡ª!¡±

    Now that the tides had turned against them, the Queenmanded them to carry out a purposeless massacre. Pheromones had yet to reach the distance. She had to kill the Queen Bee immediately and stop the signal before it caused any more chaos.

    [Magic Arrow (A)]

    Arge missile rushed through the sky but the Centurions interrupted it. Despite theirrge bodies exploding from the strike, the Centurions threw their bodies in and protected the queen.

    Charararak!!

    The excessive use of mana overheated her heart. In a situation like this, she would not be able to shoot a dragon breath even if she were to undo the polymorph.

    Kaeul was already close to her limit. Never in her life had she scraped up so much power.

    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±

    ¡°S, stop them!¡±

    Meanwhile, the King Bees continued with their attack. Each had their own target and fell towards the unarmed and weak spirit beasts with whatever method of attack they had with them. ¡°Ahhkk-!¡± ¡°Noooo¨C!¡±

    There were some deaths that she could not stop.

    It was a chaotic war.

    Chemical signals allowed a group to carry outplex orders. Ants building their house underground immediately knew where they had to go, and what room they had to make as well as how to make them.

    King Bees were the same. After the simplemand of [Mass Suicide], a separate yetplex pheromone was again spread by the highly intellectual Queen Bee.

    The queen¡¯smand was renewed inside Kaeul¡¯s mind.

    [Aim for the young spirit beasts]

    [Gather the attention of those flying bugs (flying spirit beasts)]

    [Strike the branches of the World Tree and break them]

    [Iste the unwinged spirit beasts between the branches and the roots]

    [Expand your stomachs (with poison) and explode yourselves]

    It wasn¡¯t a simple suicide explosion. With intellectual means, they were trying to carry out the most efficient explosion.

    Such a specific expression of hostility caused Kaeul to have goosebumps.

    [Magic Arrow (B)]

    [Magic Bullet (B)]

    Kaeul shot more spells in a hurry. They flew towards the queen but could only kill those that were protecting it.

    [Blink (A)]

    Despite her repeated attempts, they were all blocked by the Centurions so this time she moved through dimensions to attack from different angles. However, it was not enough to go around the enormous bodies of the Centurions.

    She was in a hurry. Even at this moment, the queen¡¯smand was spreading far and wide, changing into more and moreplex orders.

    ¡°Kuuk! Damn it!¡±

    ¡°What in the world are they after?!¡±

    ¡°Stop them first! Stop them! Save those that weren¡¯t able to evacuate yet!¡±

    The death throes of the dying spirit beasts could be heard.

    Pandemonium.

    It was like hell on earth.

    Kaeul looked at the watch but the existence that had given her power once did not react this time.

    That was when she felt several gazesing her way. They were from the mythical creatures ¨C themanders of the military. Looking at Kaeul, they were eagerly wishing for something.

    Those gazes struck her at the back of her head.

    Despite meeting each other for the first time, they were already relying on her and were expecting things from her. Kaeul soon realised that it was because the headmander of the military had died from the sting of a Centurion.

    She could sense her position and her role and so she immediately stopped attacking the Queen Bee. Kaeul realised that she had the right to lead every soldier in this ce.

    Kaeul thought to herself.

    And came to a decision.

    However, in that instant, she doubted herself. Because standing in front of people and gathering their attention was what Kaeul had to avoid at all cost. She again felt a shackle flying in, suppressing her by the neck.

    ¡®Do not stand in front of a crowd¡­¡¯ That was the supreme order given by Yu Jitae and was a shackle that had been binding an elephant from youth. It was difficult for it to break through even after bing an adult.

    That was when she suddenly felt a warm gaze, that seemed to have guessed what was going through her mind.

    <[Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] gazes down at you.>

    Dragons had a certain level ofprehension regarding ¡®transcendent authorities¡¯. The eyes of a being that had evidently exceeded the realms of a human that could possibly even rival the status of the Ancient One was on her.

    An existence like that was watching over her, with a warm gaze filled with encouragement.

    Therefore, Kaeul decided to trust in herself one more time. Getting rid of the fear that suppressed her throat, Kaeul squeezed the mana out of her heart and yelled with a scream.

    [Every mythical creature leading the army, heed my words¡ª!]

    Dragon¡¯s Voice ¨C a power that forces every creation.

    Kaeul remembered the waymands were given out in the military.

    [Every operation regarding the protection of the World Tree will now be under mymand¨C]

    She remembered the names of the spirit beasts that she had learned from school that existed in a corner of her unforgetting memories.

    At the same time, she reflected on the analyses of the pheromone that was constantly being updated.

    [Mountain Lord, go down and protect the young spirit beasts¡ª]

    The winged tiger.

    [One-horned Beast, do not be deceived by the King Bees! Protect your ranks and those nearby¨C]

    The one-horned white horse.

    [Jiao, protect the branches of the World Tree and do not let them be broken¨C]

    Large snakes and others.

    Kaeul continued giving out orders.

    [The objective of the King Bees is mass suicide¨C]

    [Stop the poison from spreading as best as you possibly can¨C!]

    After finishing with themands, Kaeul felt a severe insufficiency in mana that made her gasp for breath. She had to overuse Dragon¡¯s Voice to send her voice across while embedding coerciveness into it.

    Kaeul blocked her mouth in an attempt to stop herself from throwing up. She then wiped her mouth as blood smeared her hand.

    Her mind felt dizzy and her vision wavered.

    However, when she raised her head again, she found the mythical creatures following hermand and moving in perfect order.

    The aggression of the King Bees was efficiently obstructed once their goals were seen through and their meaningless offences were no longer threatening. The tides turned yet again as the plunderers fell into confusion. Even though the queen updated its orders from time to time, Kaeul also gave further orders in response.

    Two dragons that were watching the situation unfold from a distance clenched their hands and cheered.

    The exceedingly efficientmands that only dragons could give in the world created a new flow in the once chaotic battlefront.

    The flow was nowpletely in their hands, as they struck back.

    Kaeul trusted in herself.

    And everyone believed in Kaeul.

    ¡°Block the Centurions¨C!!¡±

    Just like that, therge spirit beasts and the mythical creatures all cooperated to block the Centurions and hinder their movement and Kaeul, who jumped through dimensions, finally found a gap. As a golden arrow squeezed out of her fingers and explosively shot through the air,

    ¡ª

    The falling light finally popped the head of the Queen Bee.

 Chapter 312: Umbrella (7)

    <h4>Chapter 312: Umbre (7)</h4>

    Therge body of the Queen Bee fell. It plummeted into the ground as clouds of dust rose up into the sky.

    After losing the connection they had with their boss through pheromone, the King Bees became confused. Their movements and attacks no longer had any purpose.

    Without the central power directing them, the army turned into groups of individual entities. The King Bees scattered away while some of the dense bees drove their heads into the protective barriers of the World Tree and crumbled into pieces.

    Meanwhile, the army of beastmen and spirit beasts led by the mythical creatures moved promptly, swinging swords and throwing javelins at their order-less enemy.

    However, the war wasn¡¯t over yet. The final fight of the war finally began as the remaining beemander came back to itself.

    The surviving Centurion collected data from nearby. Although the pheromones of fighter bees weren¡¯t as potent as the queen¡¯s, they could still emit pheromones to ry information to those nearby.

    Every remaining bee was destined to die in any case. Left with that predestined fate, the Centurion pondered how they could follow thestmands of the queen as efficiently as possible even in death.

    In other words, it seeked for the most effective target for their self-explosions.

    While its allied King Bees were dying, out of several hundreds of pheromones that were ryed through mana,

    The one remaining Centurion found the answer.

    *

    There was arge mechanical device.

    This artifact with a cylindrical shape resembling both an airship and a whale was a gift to Anum and the World Tree that had been given by an existence called a ¡®Prophet¡¯ who hade from a different dimension.

    A flying ship.

    While the King Bees and spirit beasts were having an intense battle of life and death, one King Bee who managed to squeeze in through the gap reached the device and checked what was inside. It discovered that there was a strikinglyrge number of spirit beast eggs inside it.

    Before the gold dragon headed to battle, hundreds of spirit beasts including the baby chicken Chirpy had gathered all sorts of eggs to that ce in preparation for the worst case scenario; the destruction of the World Tree. It was under themand of the mythical creatures.

    Even if the World Tree were to be scorched; even if all the spirit beasts and beastmen here were to die, their race would live on in a different world, wherever it may be.

    However, that decision was now proving to be a mistake.

    Chirararak¨C!

    The Centurion screeched out loud with the voice unique to an insect-type monster. There was no longer a need for a chemical transmission of information.

    What it wanted was simple, and was also intimidating.

    [Destroy thatrge ¡®whale¡¯.]

    The shout of the Centurion struck the minds of the King Bees who had fallen into confusion after losing theirmanders. Their flights gained direction and the King Bees flew straight towards the flying ship like missiles.

    The beastmen were appalled. The eggs inside the flying ship were the children of their brothers and sisters, and were no different from their own.

    ¡°No¡­! Nooo!!¡±

    ¡°Stop them! Do not let them break through!¡±

    ¡°Their goal is self-explosion! Do not let them approach!¡±

    The King Bees were out of their minds. They added more and more poison into their bodies and their stomachs soon bubbled up into hideous balloons. Hundreds of King Bees fell from the sky.

    ¡°We must send the ship outside the barrier right now!¡±

    ¡°Is it still not ready to move!?¡±

    Some of them asked, why wasn¡¯t it moving yet? But it was because things were changing too rapidly.

    ¡°Move it right now! We can¡¯t fight them head-on anymore!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost ready! Just¡­ just a little bit more!¡±

    The bees did not run away from theyers of soldiers that were standing in front of them. Even if they were to die, the ones behind them would have an easier time reaching the airship if they were to destroy the obstructions.

    On the other hand, the spirit beasts had no choice but to throw their bodies in to stop them. Because behind them was their future.

    Their convictions resulted in casualties on both ends.

    Meanwhile, the Regressor watched Kaeul from the sky.

    She had overusedbat magic, interdimensional spells and healing magic, on top of the continuous use of Dragon¡¯s Voice. All those spells had been disyed at an output that far exceeded the norms.

    Because of that, Kaeul was currently on her knees on one of the tree¡¯s branches, gasping for breath and bleeding from her mouth.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The original n for Yu Jitae was to intervene at this moment.

    Kaeul had ovee her self-hatred and had aplished more than enough as a guardian deity so it was fine to help now.

    However, he did not intervene.

    Kaeul raised her head despite it wavering from exhaustion.

    <The existence, [Yu Kaeul] looks at the enemies.>

    If he treasured the World Tree and Anum even slightly more than Kaeul, he would have intervened and helped immediately. But that one dragon was iparably more precious to him than thousands of beastmen and spirit beasts.

    <The existence, [Yu Kaeul] tries to stand up.>

    Her legs failed her and she fell back down but despite vomiting mouthfuls of blood, she tried to stand up again.

    And seeing that, he realised that this wasn¡¯t a ce for him to chime in and provide help.

    Kaeul staggered and raised her knee against the branch of the tree.

    <The existence, [Yu Kaeul] tries to stand up.>

    Alright.

    Let¡¯s see you stand up on your own feet.

    <The existence, [Yu Kaeul] tries to stand up.>

    It was you that started it and you that pulled it off.

    So tie the knot with those tiny hands of yours as well.

    <The existence, [Yu Kaeul] tries to stand up.>

    However, Kaeul could not stand up properly. She staggered and fell to the side as her golden hair messily scattered across.

    He inwardlymented.

    Should he step in and take care of it after all¡­?

    But as if trying to go against his thoughts head-on, a new message floated back up.

    <The existence, [Yu Kaeul] is furious at being unable to stand up.>

    Kaeul did not give up. With her small fists, she struck the tree. Unable to hold her emotions in, she endlessly struck the tree branch.

    Despite stumbling and limping, Kaeul tried again and again and atst stood up. Staring up at the battlefield with eyes filled with killing intent, she squeezed out mana thatid at the very bottom of her [dragon heart].

    Seeing Kaeul finally stand firmly on the ground with her two feet, Yu Jitae felt his heart ringing from the depths. It felt like a small drop of water causing a big ripple.

    That was when an unexpected message appeared in his mind.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] has confirmed the met requirements of an emotion.>

    <Filled Emotion: Anxiety>

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states that the [Obelisk of Anxiety] located in the [Basement of Vintage Clock> has been cast with light.>

    His eyes twitched.

    He thought he was cheering for her but it seemed that he had wrongly analysed his own emotions. Had he been anxious for Kaeul?

    Is that so¡­

    Afterbelling his emotion as anxiety, he suddenly remembered memories from the past. It was on things that had happened near the end of the 4th iteration.

    ¨C You should have brought something sweet¡­

    If, what if,

    What if thest thing she so desperately wanted failed? Wouldn¡¯t she be powerless again? It was the anxiety and concern of the one who had instigated this whole situation.

    However, his concern didn¡¯tst for long.

    When the huge body of the airship finally rose to the sky, everyone considered things to be over. The core was operating without a problem and there was also a new protectiveyer that had formed around the outside of the airship.

    But thest Centurion proved otherwise. The brutally huge bee reaching 10 metres in height crunched at the protective barrier with a powerful chin that could munch through steel tes.

    Crkk¨C

    Pushed away by the barrier, its shells cracked.

    Its eyes bursted as its feelers snapped and dropped. Its fluids began to drip as the grotesque interior of the insect monster was in full disy.

    Despite that, the Centurion did not stop. Even after losing half of its head, it pushed its chin forward and atst destroyed the core that was protruding out of the ship.

    Kwaannng¨C!

    With an explosive thud, the Centurion¡¯s head exploded and it fell.

    The airship lost its power supply but the problem was that it was already 300 metres away from the World Tree. After losing the power, the ship slowly tilted before gradually shifting its direction¡­ gradually towards the ground.

    ¡°Damn it¨C!¡±

    ¡°Nooo!!¡±

    People screamed. The precious sons and daughters of their neighbours ¨C the future of Anum had begun to fall in front of their eyes.

    The airship was unreasonablyrge and wasn¡¯t something people could dare support or carry.

    ¡°Nooooooooooo¡ª!!¡±

    Some of them could not help but look away and close their eyes.

    It felt as if time had stopped.

    Or rather, did it really stop?

    No matter how much time passed, the sound of the ship crashing into the ground could not be heard. When they carefully sneaked a peak with teary eyes,

    They found the once descending airship drawing a parab back up towards the sky.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Golden forks of lightning sparked from the broken core.

    It was the gold dragon.

    The gold dragon was supplying the ship with power in the stead of the power core!

    The shing sparks of gold protected the airship and sustained it in the air without making it fall and caused the huge aircraft to fly back up.

    That ridiculous and absurd scene caused all the spirit beasts and beastmen of the World Tree to shiver with astonishment.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    The whale was flying through the sky.

    ***

    The remaining King Bees were ripped to death by the beastmen. Dozens flew towards the airship but died after crashing into the protective barrier.

    Before long, the flying ship slowly descended andnded safely. The moment she confirmed the safety of the airship, Kaeul fainted.

    The eggs were safe and the war had atst ended.

    She only woke back up after a very long time.

    ***

    Sitting on a chair, Yu Jitae looked at Kaeul.

    Even though she was young, she was still a dragon. A human would have been severely injured and could have died from a shock considering all the mana she had squeezed out but Kaeul had almost fully recovered.

    Listening to the sound of her heart, it was about time for her to wake up but¡­ it had already been three days since he first thought that.

    Without moving a single inch, Yu Jitae sat next to her during all that time and waited for her to wake up. He injected mana into her body to help with her recovery as well.

    However, even Yu Jitae who was usually dense with time became slightly worried after sitting on the same spot for 72 hours.

    Why isn¡¯t she waking up.

    <[Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)]: ?(?`^¡¯?)? >

    That was when a message floated up following the awkward systematics of himself as an authority.

    Oh, so this is how it works.

    It seemed that emotions turned into letters and were expressed as an image. Since he had never watched over an existence before as an ¡®authority¡¯, it was the first time he saw it.

    It was quite an intriguing addition to his otherwise boring wait.

    Did this mean the Vintage Clock would have gone through such emotions like him at a distant ce somewhere? While waiting for Kaeul to wake up, Yu Jitae decided to try expressing other emotions.

    However, it was not easy. Even though he wanted to express sorrow, he could not feel sad and there was thus no emoticon of sorrow.

    The same was for joy.

    Looking back at his happy memories¡­ so thinking back at the pleasant times he had spent with the kids, he did find themfortable and nice but that was the end and those memories failed to connect to a specific emotion.

    Anyway, why aren¡¯t you waking up.

    <[Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)]: ?(?`^¡¯?)? >

    Perhaps human emotions were just a device made to better memorise unique moments. A photo was just a photo but with matching filters applied to them, they could hold more than just a visual record.

    Simrly, even though events were just events, maybe it was ¡®emotions¡¯ that people applied to those events to assign more meaning to it. That was the sudden trail of thought he had.

    Because things be faint with time, it might be natural that momentary emotions that abruptly pop up are more dramatic in naturepared to past memories. Thinking along the lines of that, he remembered how Yeorum had grumbled in the past.

    ¡®Ah this retarded manga is so annoying. How many volumes of past recollection are there?¡¯

    ¡®I have absolutely zero interest in whatever yous did in the past so just develop the plot!¡¯

    ¡®Ahh, so when are they having sex huh!?¡¯

    Was that a simr case? He wondered.

    However, there was something that wouldn¡¯t make sense in that case. Although very rare, [Vintage Clock] tended to send messages as if it were reminiscent of the past. Even during those moments of recollection, it sent plentiful emoticons of emotion.

    It was impossible for normal humans to do so. He even wondered that Vintage Clock might be an ¡®existence¡¯ that vividly remembered the past memories and the past emotions. In fact, even the fact that it expressed emotions was strange.

    But it was most likely a wrong idea.

    Since there was no way that ¡®authorities¡¯ would be ¡®existences¡¯.

    He himself was an example of how ¡®existences¡¯ could not be ¡®authorities¡¯.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    It was then.

    Kaeul slowly opened her eyes and turned towards him with a dull gaze. She blinked her unfocused eyes.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Yu Jitae greeted her first as Kaeul slowly replied.

    ¡°Uun. Hi¡­?¡±

    Kaeul had received arge amount of shock to both her head and her heart and had already slept for several days. Due to that, she was in a half-nk state right now like a human who had just woken up from anaesthesia.

    Perhaps that was why.

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s Bom-unni¡¯s boyfriend¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±

    Words outside his expectations left her mouth.

 Chapter 313 + Yu Kaeul Illustration: Umbrella (8)

    <h4>Chapter 313 + Yu Kaeul Illustration: Umbre (8)</h4>

    ¡°You know, by the way¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    There was a beastman watching from the side. When Yu Jitae gave him a nod, the beastman left the room.

    ¡°That thing just thenn. Was that a dream¡­?¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡±

    Her brain wasn¡¯t processing information properly.

    ¡°What was it againn¡­?¡±

    Being referred to as Bom-unni¡¯s boyfriend was slightly surprising for Yu Jitae, but at the same time, it wasn¡¯t the most surprising thing in the world.

    Although Bom only teased him when they were alone together, the other kids were also dragons. They had excellent eyes and ears so it was possible that they had noticed something. Or it might be that Bom had told them already.

    He let it be since it would be strange to interject just to correct her misunderstanding and besides, Kaeul should wake up any time soon anyway.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    ¡°Do you remember now?¡±

    ¡°Unn uun. I was like, like¡­ papabak¡­ pabak¡­¡±

    Kaeul uttered while swaying her hands left and right. Yu Jitae was amused by her clumsy gestures so he decided to tease her a little.

    ¡°What kind of weird dream was that?¡±

    ¡°Ehng. Was it really a dream¡­?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    ¡°Ah. No wonder¡­ So I, just jumped out huh¡­?¡±

    She appeared to be talking about when she had jumped out of Unit 301.

    ¡°Uung. That¡¯s weird though¡­? I thought, I¡¯d be safe jumping off from that height though¡­¡±

    Kaeul then gave a wide smile that made her truly look like a dull simpleton. Her outstretched hands slowly came down and reached her hair and she continued with her words while twirling the ends of her hair.

    ¡°Did I drop head first¡­?¡±

    Muhuhu, sheughed and it supplemented her foolish smile to make her appear twice as foolish.

    She seemed to be trying her hardest to think despite her head refusing to. He was about to stop teasing her but that was when she added more words.

    ¡°What would you, have done if I died¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I should be asking you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Why didn¡¯t you, put iron bars on the window¡­?¡±

    ¡°At that point, you might as well ask for shackles.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    Kaeul was about to raise her body but Yu Jitae dissuaded her by waving his hand.

    ¡°Stay on the bed. Don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡±

    ¡°Uung¡­¡±

    She obedientlyid back down. Kaeul rubbed her head into the pillow as her long hair then covered her face, and seemingly finding that unpleasant, she ran her fingers through her hair.

    In the meantime, she mumbled.

    ¡°But still, thank goodness I¡¯m alive¡­¡±

    Those words touched a sensitive part of the Regressor¡¯s mind so he waited for more words in silence.

    Soon, Kaeul had a nk look on her face while seriously contemting something. She thought on and on.

    Although Kaeul wasn¡¯t good at reading the mood, she was the type to try her best in reading the mood and although she wasn¡¯t very thoughtful, she tried her hardest to think as much as possible.

    Even now, she was working her small head as diligently as she could.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit strange right? I nevercked anything but¡­ life had always been hard¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been that way for several years so¡­ it should be time, for many good things to happen¡­ so it would be a waste to die so early right¡­?¡±

    ¡°So why did you jump out then.¡±

    ¡°Uun sorry¡­ but, there was a good side to jumping down¡­¡±

    ¡°What was it?¡±

    ¡°I had a dream¡­¡±

    With her eyes still out of focus, she looked at the ceiling.

    ¡°It was a really good dream¡­ I met Chirpy again. There were bad monsters so, I flew around a lot, shot spells from my hands, saved people that were in danger. And there was like, someone helping me¡­¡±

    Like a drunkard, she mumbled on.

    Regardless, it fortunately seemed that it had indeed remained as a very positive memory. Even though her eyes were still out of focus and vacant, her hazy expression gradually became brighter.

    ¡°I also healed injured people¡­¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Uun. They all became healthy¡­ like, they could walk again¡­¡±

    ¡°Must have been nice.¡±

    ¡°Uun. I also defeated the very bad guy¡­¡±

    ¡°Good job.¡±

    ¡°But, there were also a lot of people that died¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh no.¡±

    Kaeul shook her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s sad, but it¡¯s impossible to save everyone¡­ Actually someone told me before¡­ that you could carry through with your conviction with power¡­ in my dream I wanted to help everyone¡­ and you know what¡¯s really insane¡­?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    She threw her arms wide open.

    ¡°I helped eeeveryone¡­¡±

    ¡°Good on you.¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­ but that was all a dream huh¡­¡±

    Saying that, she pulled her arms back in and suddenly turned away from him. Looking at the child¡¯s back, he asked.

    ¡°Are you disappointed?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul replied after a short hesitation.

    ¡°Yes but¡­ one day, I might be able to do that¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Maybe.¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­ but it will be difficult for me¡­ I¡¯m stupid¡­ and I can¡¯t do anything properly¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Uun, but, I will try my best¡­ I got some courage after having that dream¡­ maybe I¡¯ll be able to do that in the future¡­? Helping and saving people¡­¡±

    Kaeul turned towards him again with her vacant eyes staring at his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I decided to not cry anymore¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about that? That you won¡¯t cry anymore.¡±

    ¡°Of course¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you promise me?¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­!¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s make a vow on that promise.¡±

    ¡°Ohh. I know that¡­! I¡¯ve done that before¡­ I know the rules as well¡­!¡±

    She clumsily raised her hand above her head while still lying down on the bed and murmured to herself, ¡®I am the daughter of the gold dragon, Kkisias, of East Askalifa¡¯s Vien penins¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t exactly hear what she was saying due to all the mumbling.

    ¡°¡­I hereby vow to not cry.¡±

    Saying that, she awkwardly gave a bow.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Yu Jitae caressed her forehead. Following the lines of her hair, he patted her by the side of her forehead.

    ¡°Feels good¡­¡±

    ¡°Does it?¡±

    ¡°You do it just like our ahjussi¡­¡±

    She suddenly blinked her eyes after saying that.

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    Kaeul slowly turned around to face Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Eh¡­? Bom-unni¡¯s¡­ huh!?¡±

    ¡°Why. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    She slowly woke up from her confusion. Yu Jitae felt amused seeing her hazy eyes gradually regaining their focus. It was seemingly followed by a sudden headache as Kaeul frowned while cing her hands on her forehead.

    ¡°Are you okay now?¡±

    ¡°Uun? Uhh, yes¡­? What did I say just then¡­?¡±

    Kaeul btedly checked her surroundings again. What she had thought was her usual pillow was actually a bundle of straw and the bed she had consideredfortable was in fact a rugged bed crafted out of some animal fur. She slowly realised that this wasn¡¯t her room at Unit 301 but even then, she still couldn¡¯t discern whether the events from before was a dream or not and she thus continued thinking with a dazed look on her face.

    Vuuuuung¨C!

    That was when the sound of a warhorn was heard from outside.

    ¡°Mommy¡­! That scared me¡­¡±

    It had been 2 weeks since she had fainted.

    The spirit beasts and beastmen had begun restoring the World Tree after burying all the corpses and carrying out a group funeral. They were slowly starting to bustle again with energy.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    Holding the child by her hand, Yu Jitae raised her up from the bed. With wide eyes like a rabbit, Kaeul was still bewildered and had trouble believing it was all true. He walked forward hand-in-hand with the child as she limped after him.

    ¡°Did you have a very good dream?¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    The warmth that was being transmitted over his hand steadily brought her back to reality.

    ¡°Time to wake up now.¡±

    The moment Yu Jitae opened the curtains of the window, all the countless beastmen and spirit beasts that had gathered at the za in front of the building raised their voices and bellowed.

    ¡°¡°Waaaaaaaaahh¡ª-!!!¡±¡±

    Their growls and their voices resonated the entire dimension. Those who had heard the name of the gold dragon from Yu Jitae began calling out her name ¨C the name of their guardian deity who had saved their world and the World Tree.

    ¡°¡°Yu Kaeul¨C! Yu Kaeul¨C! Yu Kaeul¨C!¡±¡±

    As the faint barrier hindering her cognition crumbled down, Kaeul atst realised that all the dreamy events had in fact been real. She felt goosebumps all around her body. Every moment of what she had considered a dream; all those moments that seemed impossible at a nce were all real.

    And it was she herself that had done it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Freezing stiff from the overwhelming emotions, Kaeul used both her hands to cover her face. Her vow was already broken.

    ¡°They¡¯re all waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Wave back at least.¡±

    But hearing Yu Jitae¡¯s words, she lowered one of her hands and looked at therge tree that she had protected, and at the world in front of her.

    As soon as Kaeul raised her hand,

    It was followed by a thunderous roar of cheers.

    ***

    Under the radiant sunlight, the animals hummed songs.

    Receiving the endless cheers of the beastmen and the spirit beasts, Kaeul walked out onto the streets. The mythical creatures weed her and guided her forward as the World Tree moved its gigantic body to convey its gratitude. The gentle breezes spread a peaceful scent of nature and colourful flowers wereid in front of her path like a red carpet.

    Before anything, she headed to the grave of the dead spirit beasts and beastmen. There was a cemetery built with people crying inside. Going into that ce, Kaeul offered her condolences to the buried spirit beasts and beastmen. Although she had never met them before and did not have any connection with them, she still sincerely empathised with the sorrows of the ones present and wept with them. It was her inborn nature.

    After that, she went to meet the baby chicken Chirpy and also met some spirit beasts that served him as a boss. She fiddled with his chubby belly for a bit but Chirpy soon led her to a different ce.

    Kaeul turned stiff upon arriving there.

    In that ce were spirit beasts who had hatched in the span of 2 weeks that Kaeul had fainted for. Most of them were babies of bird spirit beasts and looked like tiny baby chickens. Their parents wererge hens and roosters who came up and asked for the blessings of their guardian deity.

    In that warm forest of blooming flowers, surrounded by roosters and baby chickens, Kaeul gave various pleasant words.

    He watched all that unfold from behind. Seeing that suddenly aroused a prophecy Bom had given on a certain night regarding Kaeul¡¯s future.

    ¨C Hmm¡­ There were a lot of roosters and chickens. A lot of baby chickens¡­

    Perhaps this was the future she had seen.

    After spending three days in the World Tree, it was finally time to go back.

    In truth, Kaeul looked reluctant throughout the three-day period. She wasn¡¯t pleased with the idea of leaving behind a world she had saved since the world also wanted her to remain here.

    However, Yu Jitae had to take Kaeul back and this was something that could not bepromised on by any means and she also knew that to some extent.

    That day, Yu Jitae and Kaeul walked on top of a branch that was near the top of the World Tree. She had something that she wanted to request from him.

    ¡°Please persuade me,¡± she said.

    ¡°Persuade for what.¡±

    ¡°Please persuade me at least, to go back home¡­ otherwise I don¡¯t wanna go back.¡±

    In response, Yu Jitae took the pocket watch out from his pocket and opened it. He then took out the note that Kaeul had given him as a present in the past during his birthday party.

    [Wish Card ?]

    ¡°Ugh¡­ that¡¯s not supposed to be used now¡­¡±

    Kaeul said with a pout as her golden eyes resentfully red at him. Yu Jitae returned a faint smile and the two of them walked for a long time without saying anything else.

    When the branch became narrower, Kaeul stumbled and was about to fall so Yu Jitae held her back.

    Sitting at the top of the world, they turned their gazes to the spirit beasts on the ground that were now miniscule and hardly visible. Due to feeling all the emotions and thoughts that surged up from watching the town of beastmen and spirit beasts, they didn¡¯t share any conversation for quite some time.

    It was Kaeul who broke the silence with a question.

    ¡°What if¡­¡±

    She mumbled with a calm face that he had never before seen from her.

    ¡°What if there was a world without farewells. How would it be?¡±

    He realised the child was sincerely concerned about the topic, and because that concern was something everyone had inmon; and also because it was an unfortunate question that did not have a beautiful and idealistic response to it, he honestly shared what he himself thought.

    ¡°Then the time you spend together won¡¯t feel special.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±

    There is nothing eternal in this world. That was the conclusion he drew with his dry voice.

    ¡°It is because there are farewells that we try our hardest during the time before the farewell.¡±

    ¡°And make good farewells too?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Looking at his face, Kaeul deeply pondered so Yu Jitae looked back and simrly contemted.

    <[Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)]: ¡­>

    That was when a message like that appeared in Kaeul¡¯s mind.

    In that instant, Yu Jitae realised he had made a mistake but Kaeul didn¡¯t seem to have noticed it. Therefore, as naturally as possible, he retrieved the [Authority Adaptor] bracelet from the child.

    ¡°Oh right, by the way, when did youe here ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°After you finished everything.¡±

    This was an extremely important question, and was a question that Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t give an honest answer to. Fortunately as always, Kaeul trusted him.

    ¡°Were you worried a lot?¡±

    ¡°No. Not much. Should we go back now.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    The two of them stood up.

    The sun had already set beyond the horizon and it was nighttime. Dense clouds that could be spotted through the veil of night approached from a distance as raindrops started to fall.

    After telling the mythical creatures and the representative of the World Tree that she would go back and that she would sometimese over, Kaeul bid farewell and walked outside with Yu Jitae.

    Waiting in front of an alleyway was the baby chicken. With nk eyes it looked up after seemingly sensing something.

    Chirp!

    ¡°Un un.¡±

    Kaeul walked to the baby chicken, Chirpy, and took an umbre out of her dimensional storage to cast over the baby chicken. It was raining quite heavily.

    Crouching in front of the baby chicken, she reminisced on memories of the past.

    She could remember the small and dusty furry ball, wandering around the streets injured, pushing its beak through dirt in hunger.

    At first she had approached it with Yu Jitae, gave food and had watched over it with concern and yet that same baby chicken was now so much bigger, ready for a full farewell.

    They had danced together in times of joy and had consoled each other through hardships. Every morning they sang songs and every night they hugged each other to sleep. The baby chicken was the one that made her realise she could do something, and was also the one who made her realise that her value was in giving love instead of receiving it.

    With a myriad of thoughts shing past her head, Kaeul crouched in front of the baby chicken for a very long time.

    ¡°You have to stay healthy.¡±

    Chirp¡­

    A final smile should be a better farewell.

    With that in mind, Kaeul did not cry.

    ***

    After leaving the World Tree, while walking together with Yu Jitae towards the interdimensional fissure, Kaeul went through the events that had happened once again.

    From time to time there was someone that had provided her with help. It was a being that she could never have assumed to be a human.

    Kaeul felt goosebumps the moment she realised it was Yu Jitae from the conversation she had with him just then despite not showing it on the outside.

    When she was frightened about the idea that she had to endure hardship by herself, that ¡®transcendent authority¡¯ helped her stand back up again and again. And she now realised that that had been Yu Jitae all along.

    Kaeul was surprised by the fact that he was such an incredible being that could rival the authorities of the Ancient One and was also surprised by how it had been him who helped her stand firmly in times of uncontroble anguish.

    It was raining heavily on their way back. Carrying an umbre, Yu Jitae walked next to her.

    This weather and this scene appeared like a representation of her life. It had always been raining in Kaeul¡¯s world, and who was it that had been stopping all those rains for her?

    Looking back, surprisingly enough,

    It had always been just one person.

    So in the middle of their way back, Kaeul stopped her feet and hugged Yu Jitae. Yu Jitae hugged her back with one hand while holding the umbre with his other hand.

    The world of my weak-hearted self had always been dripping with heavy rain.

    Whenever it was raining,

    The person who always stood by my side,

    To protect me and keep me safe from the rain.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    You, are the one over my head; my

    Episode 94: Umbre

    End

 Chapter 314: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (1)

    <h4>Chapter 314: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (1)</h4>

    He returned to Unit 301 with Kaeul. Bom, Yeorum and also Gyeoul who waster called up, all came to the front door after receiving the news from Clone 2.

    ¡°Oi Goldie!¡±

    ¡°Kaeul. You did great.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Since it was her first time seeing Kaeul in a long time, Gyeoul dashed into her arms as Kaeul raised her up into the air and Bom followed suit by hugging Kaeul and raising her up. It was Doonga Doonga time.

    Once to the left, and once to the right.

    Kyahaha, theyughed.

    Despite being d for her return, Yeorum pondered whether she should join that stupid Doonga Doonga thing or not.

    ¡°No. I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Why? Unni. Come here and join.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fucking fine. It¡¯s great to see you back but I just can¡¯t make myself do that¡­¡±

    It was apparently so childish that it gave her goosebumps. In any case, after that, the kids chatted about what happened when Kaeul was away.

    Meanwhile, Clone 2 who was standing next to the protector in the living room, quietly walked out. After a respectful salute to Yu Jitae, Clone 2 was about to leave Unit 301 but suddenly stopped. Yu Jitae sensed his thoughts through their mental connection and noticed that he had something he wanted to say.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    Yu Jitae asked after bringing Clone 2 outside.

    ¡°Yes. My lord¡­ Aren¡¯t you going to ask about what happened with Miss Ha Saetbyul?¡±

    ¡°Why would I.¡±

    Since he had cut off the memory regarding the whole matter, he didn¡¯t exactly know what happened but wasn¡¯t interested in it either. The one thing he was certain about was that Ha Saetbyul would escape the agony she had fallen into due to being involved in his matters and will live a happy life elsewhere.

    ¡°You sound like you are itching to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°N, no. That¡¯s not¡­¡±

    ¡°Right. So what happened.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clone 2 replied after some hesitation.

    He listed the things that had happened. By finding a new house together, helping her work at the new workce as a teacher and helping her meet new people, he had an emotional exchange with her which Yu Jitae had allowed.

    Listening to the stories of the clone, Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    In the 1st iteration, Yu Jitae was raised at an orphanage after losing his family and had seen bad examples of orphanage teachers so that might be why he was attracted to Ha Saetbyul, a genuine teacher, in the 2nd iteration.

    It was a fresh take on those memories of a distant past.

    ¡°Those were the things that happened¡­¡±

    There was actually one thing he was curious about.

    ¡°Did you sleep with her?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Sorry? N, no. I did not.¡±

    Clone 2 replied in a fluster.

    ¡°Things did go slightly strange as we got drunk but, there was a feeling that we shouldn¡¯t do it¡­¡±

    ¡°Who thought that first,¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure which of us felt disinclined first.¡±

    Clone 2 conveyed his memories to Yu Jitae.

    Ha Saetbyul¡¯s lips were right in front of his eyes. Their lips were millimetres away from ovepping. As they smelled the dense scent of alcohol from each other¡¯s breath, Clone 2 froze on the spot while Ha Saetbyul gave a smile.

    ¨C We might do something bad at this rate¡­

    Clone 2 hurriedly distanced himself and straightened his clothes.

    ¨C I¡¯ll be on my way now¡­

    ¨C Yes. I took too much of your time.

    It wasn¡¯t a short encounter. In front of the door where they would separate again, Ha Saetbyul asked Clone 2.

    ¨C Will we, meet again in the future?

    Clone 2 opened his mouth.

    ¡­That was when the memories paused.

    ¡°Ah, sorry¡­ th, the thing is¡­ it¡¯s because I actually had something I became curious about.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°If you separate with someone, will you definitely be able to meet them again?¡±

    With a sincere voice, Clone 2 asked Yu Jitae. Even though he was made based on the young Yu Jitae of the 1st iteration, it wasn¡¯t something an existence created by a concept rather than by nature would usually ask.

    And thus, this in fact added another evidence to Yu Jitae¡¯s experiment.

    ¡°How can you restrain hearts from walking away, when you can¡¯t even control your own,¡± he replied.

    ¡°But can¡¯t you approach the one you have separated with as long as you want to?¡±

    ¡°Can it be called a re-encounter if you¡¯re the only one doing it? Trying to selfishly hold other people back is greed.¡±

    In other words, he meant that meeting again after a separation was out of one¡¯s control. The old proverb, ¡®Those who meet must part and those who part shall meet,¡¯ was one that he didn¡¯t necessarily agree with.

    Soon, the memories of Clone 2 started ying again. Clone 2 said, ¡®Yes¡¯ to her before turning around. Yu Jitae was quite intrigued by that response because it meant that was probably how he himself would have answered in the past.

    ¡°But if you long for them, they sometimese out in your dreams.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave awkward words of constion.

    ¡°Thank you, my lord¡­¡±

    Leaving those words behind, Clone 2 left Unit 301. It was now time to meet the Witch.

    Clone 2 understood the reply that ¡®no-one knows whether you will meet again or not¡¯ because he knew about Yu Jitae¡¯s past. It was in fact quite an obvious answer for his lord because not a single thing that left him had returned in its original shape.

    But after thinking through Yu Jitae¡¯s words, he started feeling more and more sorry for his lord.

    Theye out in your dreams if you long for them?

    Yu Jitae hasn¡¯t been able to sleep in the past 200 years though¡­

    ***

    [Release Output Amplification Core]

    It all started from this shining sphere that was as small as a ping pong ball.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum red at the ball.

    Mana core. It was like a supportive battery of an artifact and amplified the output capacity of the user to allow a smoother battle.

    ¡°Why did you buy that? I thought you always wanted to fight using only your own strength, unni.¡±

    Yeorum frowned in response to Kaeul¡¯s question.

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°Did you change your mind?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Yeorum had been going to Europe these days to apply for duels withrgebat guilds. Her winning streak was then smashed by a stronger opponent.

    There were still many superhumans in the world that were stronger than Yeorum.

    ¡°Then why?¡±

    ¡°Look. Even 4 digit rankers put their lives on the line in duels and dope their weapon, dope their bodies and freaking do everything they can to fight. Isn¡¯t it unfair for me to fight bare-handed against them?¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­ but there are people that still don¡¯t use them right?¡±

    Doping one¡¯s body had a high likelihood of causing idents. There were many people that ended up in bad states due to trying to reach above their abilities through those means.

    That was why there asionally were ¡®natural superhumans¡¯. They were those that refused to dope their bodies and solely relied on their given abilities and blessings to fight. Yeorum was closer to this group.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But Yeorum frowned again.

    Kaeul became slightly nervous. She knew Yeorum was quite sensitive these days due to the constant losses she was suffering.

    Hehe. Did I make a mistake?

    Worried, she looked back at Bom who shook her head in response, suggesting she stay quiet and read the mood.

    Noo, did I make a mistake¡­?

    ¡°Ah, fuck.¡±

    Mommy..!

    ¡°Ah, whatever. This is so unfair. Do you think I can¡¯t do the same? Fuck it. I¡¯m gonna dope myself as well. I¡¯m gonna add a battery to my sword and also take those pills.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Y, yes! There¡¯s also cigarettes apparently¡­!¡±

    ¡°Whaat? Cigareettess?¡±

    ¡°You know, those doping cigarettes¡­! Sirdo Leo sticks two of them into his nostrils right!¡±

    ¡°Haigo~ fuck. Two is nowhere near enough. If I was using them, I¡¯d stick it into my mouth, my nose, ears¡­¡±

    She then started listing all sorts of holes. ¡°Uahh! Don¡¯t say that!¡± Kaeul said with a fright while Bom quickly covered Gyeoul¡¯s ears.

    Her outrage stopped at a cute level without going too far. Fortunately, it seemed that she was only frustrated despite the loss.

    ¡°And you. Goldie.¡±

    ¡°U, unn?!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t lose. You get that?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes¡­!¡±

    ¡°Repeat after me. I have to suffer due to being a natural.¡±

    ¡°H, have to suffer due to being a natural¡­!¡±

    Without stopping there, Yeorum flicked her head to re at Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­Have to soffer¡­ a natural.¡±

    Gyeoul also returned a cursory nod and said what she wanted to hear with a sigh. Even though Yeorum didn¡¯t show it, she seemed quite content by it.

    ¡°Anyway, so you¡¯re going to be opening those cores now right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Fortunately they released a whole stack of them a few months ago, so I used up all my fortune to buy 5 of them.¡±

    The kids turned their eyes towards the small spheres.

    [Release Output Amplification Core]

    They were highly expensive cores that reached hundreds of thousands of dors each. By using up all the money she earned at Las Vegas, she bought five of them. They were cores that could be attached to artifacts and weapons to support their output.

    But there was something unique about these cores¡­

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the one?! Where they increase in output as you crack more seals¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    These cores that had a total of 10yers of seals around them unleashed more power as more and moreyers were opened with mana.

    That was why they were also referred to as ¡®onion cores¡¯.

    ¡°Apparently the chance to have a higher output when you crack eachyer is 20%.¡±

    ¡°Then what happens in the remaining 80%?¡±

    ¡°You get fucked. That¡¯s all.¡±

    The problem was that the forme of these cores werepletely [random]. They were random and undecided at birth so there was not a single technique or magic that could allow one to see the end result beforehand.

    If they had some sort of internal mechanism, Yu Jitae would be able to foresee the end result but they didn¡¯t have any mechanism at all.

    As a solution to that problem, Yeorum bought 5 of them.

    ¡°Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°20% means one out of five is definitely going to be a hit right.¡±

    ¡°I guess?¡±

    ¡°And because I¡¯m on the luckier side, two of them should be a good pull at least.¡±

    What was that about? Bom tilted her head while Yeorum handed a core each to Yu Jitae and the kids.

    ¡°Let¡¯s crack them open. Just twoyers will do.¡±

    ¡°The chance is too low though. The possibility of getting two in a row is 1 out of 25. Even if we try with 5 cores, that¡¯s less than a 20% chance.¡±

    ¡°Sounds very doable.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    In any case,

    Going straight to work,

    ¡°I¡¯m doing it right now.¡±

    Yeorum started off by pulling ayer of mana surrounding the core.

    Pasasak¡­

    It was a fail.

    The ambient light of the core immediately turned dark.

    ¡°Ah fuck.¡±

    Hundreds of thousands of dors evaporated into nothing right before her eyes.

    ¡°Aoh, my money¡­¡± Yeorum wasmenting with a frown when the core in Gyeoul¡¯s hands also dimmed out with a crumbling sound. Surprised, Gyeoul dropped the core.

    ¡°Oi, oi! You should¡¯ve said something before opening it. Why would you do it like that?¡±

    ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t, mention that.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯smon sense, you idiot. Do you know how important these things are? Ahh, it¡¯s two down already. I should¡¯ve done it myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­Do it, ¡­by yourself then.¡±

    ¡°What did you say, you brat?¡±

    Yeorum and Gyeoul growled at each other when Kaeul quickly chimed in and waved her hands.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fight¡­! I, I, I¡¯ll try it. I¡¯m good at things like this!¡±

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t do it. Just give it to me. I¡¯ll probably me you guys if you do it so just let me open all of them.¡±

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t you trust me? There¡¯s been tons of great things happening for me recently right¡­!¡±

    It was true. Kaeul was indeed quite lucky these days.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright. I¡¯ll trust you then. Go, Goldie!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s gooo! Aht, wait¡­!¡±

    Kaeul popped the core into the nket that was covering her legs and cut off both light and sound. She widened her eyes as Bom and Gyeoul, let alone Yeorum, all looked and waited for her reaction.

    ¡°Did you open it?¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­!¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d it go? Did you seed?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­!¡±

    The answer should be inside the nket. Kaeul slowly stood up, leaving the nket on the ground, as Yeorum slowly took a deep breath in and out.

    In that nerve-wracking situation, where even Gyeoul became nervous upon realising that it was very expensive, Yeorum quickly lifted the nket.

    Lying inside was a ck core.

    ¡°Oi! Yu Kaeul!¡±

    It was another fail! Yeorum shouted looking for Kaeul but she had already escaped out of Unit 301 with a blink.

    ¡°Oiii! Where did this freaking goldie fool go¡ª!¡±

    Yeorum furiously shouted in distress. Gyeoul giggled from the side but soon quietly avoided eye contact after being red at by Yeorum. She had a fit for a while before snatching the core that was in Yu Jitae¡¯s hand.

    ¡°I wanted to do it though.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m gonna do it myself. Let¡¯s goo¨C!¡±

    The result was the same as always. It was another fail.

    ¡°Is this rigged or what¡­ Why can¡¯t I get a single sess!?¡±

    Looking at thest remaining core, Yeorum sweated profusely. Has the wall of 20% always been this high? How could she possibly open four and fail all four of them?

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t one of them be a good pull at least?¡±

    ¡°¡­You still, have one left?¡±

    ¡°You, be quiet and shut up.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hing.¡±

    In any case, thest one was in Bom¡¯s hand and after reminding her to not open it at any cost, Yeorum went outside for a bit. ¡°Oh no, she¡¯s going to kill Kaeul.¡± Worried about Kaeul, Bom sent her a message but fortunately that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. When Yeorum returned home, she brought with her the smell of a cigarette.

    ¡°Huu, huu¡­¡±

    Thest core was in the hands of Bom, who said while handing it over to Yeorum.

    ¡°Here. At least this should work.¡±

    ¡°No. I thought about it outside but I think you should open this one, unni.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not that lucky with things like this.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything you can see by any chance? Don¡¯t you see this and that everyday?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Bom continued with an awkward smile on her face.

    ¡°You do it. Ever since I was young, I was really unlucky when it came to gachas like this. You remember right; how the fruit I got from the Spirit Tree looked when we went over to y at Peace City?¡±

    This was something Yu Jitae was also curious about. The dancing Spirit Tree that only stopped when someone was nearby ¨C when staying still, it would collect the voices of the people nearby and form corresponding fruits.

    Back then, Kaeul got a soft and moist fruit, Gyeoul got a sour and bitter one while Yeorum¡¯s was extremely spicy. He heard how it was as spicy as a chilli pepper.

    However, he never got to hear what Bom¡¯s fruit was like.

    ¡°What did you get.¡±

    Yu Jitae asked but Bom again shook her head with an awkward smile, but this time, Yeorum gave her no way out and exposed her.

    ¡°It was a rotten fruit. With fungus on it.¡±

    ¡°Hey. I asked you to keep that a secret¡­¡±

    ¡°You should all watch out. Yu Bom has a terrible personality it seems.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ I looked it up. Apparently one out of a thousand fruits of the Spirit Tree immediately turns bad. I was just unlucky¡­¡±

    It seemed that Yeorum thought otherwise.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that good in fact? It means you pulled a 0.1% chance right?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be considered unlucky?¡±

    ¡°No. 0.1% chance. Let¡¯s see¡­ that¡¯s more than enough for 4 consecutive sessful cracks!¡±

    Yeorum pped her hands as Gyeoul simrly flickered her eyes from the side. Wasn¡¯t this an expensive artifact that got more and more expensive with more sesses?

    ¡°You should try it. I bet you can do it, unni.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have money. I can¡¯t pay you back.¡±

    ¡°I swear I won¡¯t ask for anything. And you know what, I always thought the green race was a perfect fit for things like this.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, that¡¯s not the case¡­ I haven¡¯t talked about it but I¡¯ve been mysteriously unlucky ever since I was young.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, just put your tongue on hold and open it. Hurry up!¡±

    Because of the constant rush, Bom curved her eyebrows in displeasure. She turned towards Yu Jitae but he simply gestured for her to try and she received a simr response from Gyeoul.

    With a worried look on her face, Bom heaved a deep sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault¡­¡±

    She pulled out ayer of the core¡¯s mana.

    Panng¡ª

    Fragments of light resembling stars scattered as the light turned slightly brighter. The kids widened their eyes in shock.

    It was a sess..

    ¡°We did itt! Yesss! Look! What did I tell you!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why is this¡­¡±

    ¡°Unni. Let¡¯s have sex! Ahhh! I love you so fucking much! Come here, let me give you a kiss!¡±

    ¡°No, wait¡ª¡±

    Chuup, chuup! Yeorum jumped on top of Bom and hugged her. ¡°Uakk¡­!¡± shouted Bom after dropping the core as she struggled to save herself from Yeorum¡¯s lips. Gyeoul sneakily snatched the core and gazed at the ¡®expensive object¡¯ that had jumped several-fold in price.

    ¡°Ahahaha! We did it¡ª!¡±

    However, the first sess was just a starter.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    After exactly 5 minutes,

    Unbelievable things started to happen.

 Chapter 315: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (2)

    <h4>Chapter 315: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (2)</h4>

    Looking at the ¡®onion core¡¯ that became slightly brighter than before, two pairs of eyes were filled with greed. The two of them suddenly turned their gazes to their watches and looked up something.

    ¡®So the output increases by 20% every time you crack a seal huh¡­ twice is 44% and three times is 72.8%?¡¯

    One of them was Yeorum who couldn¡¯t be satisfied by just one gacha.

    ¡®¡­Uwah.¡¯

    And the other was Gyeoul who checked on the inte that an onion core with one unsealedyer jumped up in price by four times. It meant that Yeorum had made up most of the loss she had suffered with just one fortunate pull.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae turned towards Bom. With a nk gaze she was looking at the core and it seemed to be a continuation of her anxiety from before.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong,¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look very good.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ it¡¯s nothing. I wasn¡¯t expecting it to work so I was just a little surprised by it.¡±

    Bom soon returned to her nonchnt expression but after all the time they had spent together, Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t help but think that her current apathetic expression was a very forced one.

    ¡°Here, Yeorum. Take it back.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Thank goodness it worked. I¡¯m really happy for you.¡±

    ¡°No no no.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only the beginning. Let¡¯s do it one more time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s obviously going to break.¡±

    Yeorum, who was still on top of Bom, suddenly grinned and gave a very warm smile.

    ¡°Unni¡­?¡±

    With a coquettish voice, she whispered as Gyeoul freaked out from the side.

    ¡°Just once¡­ Nnnn?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Bom was resolute.

    ¡°Ahh whyy~ Just once. Unni. Just one more time for this cute sister Yeorumm!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you¡­¡±

    Bom shook her head as if she was being asked to catch a bug with her bare hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay even if it breaks, so just one more time. Okayy? This is gonna work for sure. I can feel it!¡±

    ¡°No. Go away.¡±

    She tried to push her away but was no match to Yeorum in terms of physical strength. ¡°Move¡­!¡± she shouted but Yeorum resisted while crying, ¡°Ahhhnngg!¡±. The two of them pushed and pulled each other but Bom was soon pushed down onto the sofa with both of her arms suppressed.

    This time, she used telekinesis to move her away but it was also futile as Yeorum endured it like a big rock. She had be a lot stronger than before.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Yu Yeorum. Go away right now!¡±

    ¡°Just one more time, unni. Nn? Just once! The output goes up by 44% you know!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to shoulder the burden when it fails okay? The problem isn¡¯t me taking responsibility or not. I would just be breaking something that workspletely fine.¡±

    ¡°Uuuiiingg I dun no I dun no~. Pleasee do the gacha for meee~!¡±

    ¡°Ugh, so annoying.¡±

    While Gyeoul was retching at the back, Bom tried to endure it as much as possible before sending a gaze towards Yu Jitae asking for help, but Yeorum covered her eyes in response.

    Bom raised her knees up in surprise and identally kicked Yeorum in her crotch. ¡°Uhhkk!! Aigo~ Yeorum¡¯s little V is getting smashed¡­!¡± Even though it didn¡¯t hurt in the slightest, she pretended like it hurt and whinged, ¡°Cute Yeorum can¡¯t have any children now¡­!¡± in an attempt to make Bom gacha out of guilt.

    They¡¯re sure having a fun time, thought Yu Jitae. On the other hand, it also made him wonder why Bom was so reluctant to do it.

    ¡°Uuunng. Do it for Little Yeorum. Pretty pleaaasee!¡±

    ¡°No¡­!¡±

    Bom was on the selfish side and had a clear distinction between her own and others¡¯ belongings. That wasn¡¯t necessarily bad or anything but it was thus strange that she would be so reluctant to gamble on someone else¡¯s belongings because she had the tendency of only taking care of her own stuff.

    ¡°Oi, oi. Put that thing down.¡±

    Meanwhile Yu Jitae had to stop Gyeoul froming up with a golf club. Where did she get that from?

    ¡°Right. I shouldn¡¯t be the only one doing this. Oi, Yu Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­What.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 50 bucks every time this seeds.¡±

    In other words, she was asking Gyeoul to beg with her.

    But in response, Gyeoul red at Yeorum with a displeased look on her face. Was she looking down on the pride of the blue race? There was no way that money would ¡ª

    ¡°100 dors.¡±

    Gyeoul dropped the golf club. She then gazed up at Bom with sparkling eyes.

    Yu Jitae also added.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal is it. Don¡¯t be too stressed and take it easy.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I can help you if there¡¯s a problem,¡± he said and Bom immediately stopped having a fit as if the previous struggles had been an illusion.

    Bom looked at Yu Jitae like a puppy who was made to take a loathsome prescription, but soon heaved a deep sigh before giving a nod.

    ¡°Yeorum. This will not be my fault.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes.¡±

    ¡°But, you should know this. That just then¡­ was actually the first time I did well on a gacha in my entire life.¡±

    ¡°Is it that bad?¡±

    ¡°Have you seen me do anything simr during my Amusement? It¡¯s because things went bad every single time I tested my luck.¡±

    Bom murmured, ¡®Ever since I was very young¡­¡¯ before carrying the core in her hands. Then, she grabbed the 9th seal of the onion core with her hands.

    ¡°Don¡¯t me me¡­¡±

    However,

    There was no reason for Yeorum to me her because the core gleamed brightly the moment the seal was undone!

    ¡°Uaaakkk! We did it¡ª!¡±

    Breaking through 20% chance, it was the second sess in a row.

    In a fright, Yeorum grabbed Bom by her cors and shook her back and forth. Despite being shoved back and forth, Bom¡¯s startled eyes were fixed on the core. Even Gyeoul who slowly reached forth to take the core had the same sparkling eyes as Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    This core had be four times more expensive in that one short moment.

    ¡°Thank goodness¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much, unni. Thank you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Luckily it did work out well.¡±

    ¡°Nn nn!¡±

    Bom retrieved the core from Gyeoul and handed it over to Yeorum, who quietlyid her hands on top of the core before giving another sneaky grin.

    ¡°But you see¡­¡±

    In that instant, Bom realised what Yeorum was trying to do. Seeing Yeorum throw constant nces at her while biting her tongue and acting cute, Bom gave a frown.

    ¡°You. You just don¡¯t n on listening to me at all, do you¡­¡±

    ¡°Noo. That¡¯s not it! Unni, listen.¡±

    Yeorum began persuading Bom like an uncle who found a great market to invest in. Exining about the possibility and the flow and whatnot, she continued talking about how she would forever respect her as a sister if she were to do it just one more time.

    Perhaps she had felt certainty seeing Bom seed twice in a row in the midst of repetitive failures. Bom was a green dragon after all.

    However, Bom remained silent and did not have a very good look on her face.

    Yu Jitae had never seen such an expression on her face before. She was neither angry nor sad and instead appeared worried and agitated. Her eyes rolled around left and right and her hands were even more fidgety.

    Bom looked anxious.

    And it seemed that she was conscious of it herself, judging from how she soon ced both of her hands underneath her bum and lowered her head.

    ¡°You know how you were unlucky from ages ago. Maybe that luck was all for this moment for this onion core? So all the misfortunes until now should mean¡­¡±

    ¡°I get it. I get it. So stop, and please shut your mouth.¡±

    When Bom raised her head back up, there was a very stern look on her face. If Yeorum had a tail it would probably be swaying in a servile manner.

    ¡°Yes, unni.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it onest time.¡±

    She turned all the more serious as more and more anxiety was added into her gaze.

    ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no way it will happen three times in a row. Even if all my misfortunes from youth werebined for this gacha, it will never work. I know myself the best.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s no guarantee that it won¡¯t work. It¡¯s just a gacha right? If it cracks here, it will be a little sad but it¡¯s fine~.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not fine¡­¡±

    ¡°Like, is there something wrong? What is it? How grandiose of a thing is it that you are being like this?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. You are being really annoying, you know that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Silence befell the living room in an instant.

    There was still a serious look on Bom¡¯s face and Yeorum had to read her mood. Not because of the asional confrontation of emotions they had, but because the anxiety in Bom¡¯s eyes was now so obvious that even Yeorum could see it.

    ¡°When I was young¡­¡±

    In the middle of her speech, Bom cut her words off and clenched her lower lips with her fangs protruding out. She looked angry so Yeorum gave an awkward smile and approached her with an apologetic gesture but Bom used the back of her hand to flick her arm away.

    That touched Yeorum¡¯s temper a little but she endured it and returned another servile smile, because there seemed to be something going on.

    ¡°Unni, are you angwyy¡­? I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway, so you still want me to do it, yes?¡±

    ¡°No no no. I was going too far.¡±

    ¡°If this works again, then there¡¯s a high chance that this is in fact an unlucky core. Something bad might happen to you but you still want me to continue, yes?¡±

    ¡°Wait, no. I told you it¡¯s fine to stop¡­¡±

    Her breathing noise turned coarse.

    ¡°I¡¯ve warned you already, and now I¡¯m going to break this.¡±

    ¡°No, unni. I¡¯m sorry, okay? Let¡¯s calm down and pretend this never happened. Nn¡­?¡±

    But before Yeorum could even stop her, Bom began ripping the seals around the onion core. At the same time, miraculous things began to happen.

    ¡°Wait! Wait¡­!¡±

    Paang¨C

    ¡°Uhh¡­? Wait a minute. I, I think it¡¯s a ses¡­¡±

    Paang¨C

    ¡°Ahhhk! We did it! Unni unni unni! Please stop! You can stop!¡±

    Paang¨C

    ¡°Gyaaakk! It¡¯s another sess! This is more than enough! Absolutely enough! Unni, this is insane. You got 5 sesses in a row! But apparently from the 6th seal, the chance drops by a half¡­! 10% is too low right? Haha!¡±

    The core was still in Bom¡¯s hands, and she looked more irritated than ever.

    Yeorum on the other hand was tremendously excited. 5 sesses in a row meant the onion core¡¯s output was now 2.5 times greater than the original. 250% increase in output was truly a shocking number.

    At the same time, Gyeoul also froze in shock. Because the money earned in this short moment was thousands of timesrger than all the fortune she had umted in her life.

    Maybe life really was all about one big sess!

    In the middle of all their attention however, Bom did not release the core and her hand was on the nextyer.

    ¡°U, unni¡­?¡±

    Yeorum doubted her eyes. Was she really going to go even further?

    Immediately, she felt as if someone had poured a bucket of icy cold water above her head in the middle of winter.

    The chance to get 5 sesses in a row was 0.032%. Although it wasn¡¯t an impossible feat to pull off, it was still a tremendously low chance.

    And yet the probability of sess starting from the 6thyer was 10%. There would now be a 90% chance of the core crumbling into nothing.

    90%

    It was way too high.

    All the fortuneing this far would vanish with one mistake and Yeorum had to stop this.

    ¡°U, unni? Bom-unni¡­?¡±

    Bom remained silent facing the ground. With an awkward smile, Yeorum lowered her body to look into her eyes but felt fear for the first time in her life.

    Her eyes weren¡¯t the eyes of a sane person.

    ¡°Unni¡­ unni! L, let¡¯s put that thing down first¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­? Please let¡¯s just put it down. Huh? We were very lucky till now so it would be a waste to break it now. R, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please¡­ I¡¯m insanely excited right now to be using a super strong weapon. If that breaks, I¡¯m gonna kill myself. For real.¡±

    Gyeoul also nodded from the side with a worried look on her face.

    In that living room filled with tension, Yu Jitae was the only one who could control the situation. He was actually going to leave them be, seeing how the kids were enjoying themselves and ying with each other, but it now seemed that Bom was clearly not in a good state.

    She was ring at the core as if she wanted to crush it into pieces.

    Therefore, he walked up, lowered his body and looked into her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    Slowly her eyes moved away from the core and shifted towards him, and atst, her eyes regained their focus.

    ¡°Bom. Are you alright.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    The convulsing and trembling around her eyes also finally came to a stop.

    ¡°Calm down. So you don¡¯t make a mistake.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Bom looked into his face with a slightly nk look on her face. Her fingers stopped shaking and the pace of her breath returned to normal. The tension that had been surrounding the living room vanished in an instant.

    Rxing her anxious heart, Yeorum gave him a double-thumbs-up, and Gyeoul added another thumbs-up from the side.

    ¡°Why do you think this is not breaking,¡± Bom asked.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a lucky day like Yeorum said. It¡¯s fine now so just put that down. You¡¯ve done more than enough already.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s strange. The odds are so low¡­¡±

    Bom continued murmuring, ¡®Why isn¡¯t it breaking¡¯, ¡®Why does it keep seeding,¡¯ as Yeorum carefully tried to retrieve the core from her hands.

    ¡°It needs to break though¡­¡± That was when Bom suddenly added more power into her fingers to pull out anotheryer!

    ¡°Waittt¨C!¡±

    ¡°¡­Aht!¡±

    Even Gyeoul was surprised and let out an audible gasp.

    It was unstoppable ¨C theyer slowly separated itself from the core. Every second felt like 10 minutes. Yeorum pushed Bom away and snatched the core from her hands, and Bom fell back onto the sofa as Yu Jitae made sure she didn¡¯t get hurt.

    ¡°Noooo¨C!¡± Yeorum shouted as the seal was lifted. Her heart dropped seeing the core gradually lose light.

    However, the weakened light intertwined with each other near the core, and after breaking through the odds of 10%, they gathered at one ce to revolve in a stable manner.

    Paanng¨C

    It then gave off a bright radiance.

    A sess!

    Bom had seeded in opening the sixth seal!

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!!¡±

    ¡°¡­..!!¡±

    Yeorum was astonished to the point that ¡®dragon fear¡¯ identally came out with her shout as Gyeoul also grabbed her by her pants in shock. Soon, the two of them hugged each other and jumped up and down.

    Even Yu Jitae felt slightly surprised by it.

    Soon, he gazed down at Bom who was half lying down in his arms. She was covering her eyes with her fingers; her lips were smiling but that smile didn¡¯t really appear like a genuine smile.

    ¡°This is driving me crazy¡­¡±

    She whispered with a sorrowful voice.

 Chapter 316: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (3)

    <h4>Chapter 316: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (3)</h4>

    ¡°Kyahaha! Ahh I¡¯m so happy!¡±

    Hehehe! Me too me too!

    ¡°6 in a row on an onion core? That¡¯s nuts!¡±

    300 dors in 10 minutes¡­!

    ¡°Ah, sorry but I don¡¯t think I can give you 300 dors.¡±

    ??,,

    ¡°Because I¡¯ll be giving you 400 dors instead! Kyahahaha!¡±

    Aha¡­

    ¡°But seriously, you freaking money-addict. I saw that straight face you made just then alright? Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me, who¡¯s being so nice to you?¡±

    ¡°¡­I love you.¡± 400 dors!

    ¡°Ahak! You crazy little kid. ¡®I love you¡¯, lol. Kyahahahaha¨C!¡±

    Ehehehehe¨C!

    Doonga doonga~. Gyeoul was carried by Yeorum and was moved left and right.

    While that was happening, Gyeoul saw something behind Yeorum¡¯s back.

    Yu Jitae was looking at her. Usually she would have given a bright smile as soon as their eyes met but this time, she didn¡¯t. Instead, her gaze headed towards Bom who was half-lying-down, and leaning on Yu Jitae¡¯s arms.

    Bom had created a gap between the fingers that were covering her eyes and was looking up at Yu Jitae¡¯s face. With her anxiously crooked eyes, she gazed at his face for a few seconds.

    When Bom suddenly began ripping out theyers of the onion core, her breathing had been very deep and coarse. That still seemed to be the case, as the tight t-shirt revealed her stomach moving up and down.

    However, the pace of her breath gradually slowed down as she deeply gazed at Yu Jitae¡¯s face. Even her crooked eyes returned to normal at a visible rate, which Gyeoul found to be quite intriguing.

    Bom tended to face Yu Jitae with such eyes very often. It was simr to the gaze Myung Yongha had been facing his wife with; also simr to his wife¡¯s gaze towards her sons at the vacation in the past.

    Right as Yu Jitae was about to lower his gaze, Bom moved her fingers to cover her eyes again. Then, she lifted her body up from his embrace with a normal look on her face.

    That was also when Yeorum returned to her senses.

    ¡°Oh right, so. Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Nn. Sorry for acting strange for a bit. I became a bit emotional. It¡¯s fine now.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you like, going to talk about something that happened when you were young?¡±

    ¡°Just something unlucky that happened with gacha.¡±

    ¡°Is that seriously just it? To be honest, your eyes just then were on the same insane level as theptop incident.¡±

    Bom smiled in response.

    ¡°It¡¯s too embarrassing to talk about¡­¡±

    At that point, it was difficult to ask any more questions.

    In any case, what was important was that the 6th seal of the core had been lifted, and that it could now give off close to 3 times the output of the original core. In truth, the [Release Output Amplification Core] was only a second-grade item out of supplementary cores and there were tons of better ones out there.

    However, things were different as soon as it reached 3 seals where it would give off 1.7 times its original output. Even a slight difference in output mattered tremendously for supplementary cores, meaning that onion cores had vastly superior potential.

    And that was why onion cores above 5 lifted seals were usually shared to the public by broadcastingpanies.

    In addition, Yeorum¡¯s quick research about the number of onion cores with 6 opened seals told her that there were only 4 of them in the entire world.

    And yet that has now be 5¡­

    So which [Release Output Amplification Core] has the most number of cracked seals and who has it?

    It was none other than the Witch, Valentine, who possessed the onion core with 7 openedyers. It was well-known for being used by Valentine whenever she was using dimensional spells and even had the name, ¡®Lucky Onion¡¯.

    With a gulp, Yeorum looked down at her two hands; at the core that was one level below the one possessed by that renowned ¡®Witch¡¯.

    If I have this¡­

    Reflecting on the things that had happened in the past few weeks, Yeorum clenched her teeth.

    ***

    [(Breaking News) ¡®Super fresh superhuman¡¯ Yu Yeorum visits France.]

    [Yu Yeorum defeats Rank 103 Sephrine, famous for her strong 1:1 duels as she aims for 1 digit rankers!?]

    [A fierce battle with Rank 83, Laurent uviere. Yu Yeorumes out victorious after a 2-hour duel. However there are criticisms that she is masking intentional defamation behind the mask of duels¡­]

    [The next target is Rank 72, Sim Lung. A duel against the firm defence-oriented superhuman. But shockingly enough¡­ ¡°The experienced veteran could not defeat the passionate youngster¡±]

    He checked the current affairs section of the international superhuman news. Since a cadet that had just graduated from Lair had be Rank 93 in an instant, everything Yeorum did was shared as a news article. And besides, her insane obsession for duels was one that was extremely eye-catching.

    In the standards of normal superhumans living on Earth, it was a rather unfavourable thing to do. Ever since the New Era, superhumans had be a portion of the economy and served as a type of brand. Superhumans that indiscriminately caused fights not only ruined their own public image but were also ostracised by other superhumans in the long run due to the same reason.

    If Yeorum were to win, the opponent¡¯s brand image would fall, and if she were to lose, her brand image would deteriorate.

    Because of that, Yeorum was like fire to the current era and her constant victories added oil to the me.

    [Summer, a season of humiliation]

    [A red mad bulldozer on the run! Who¡¯s Yu Yeorum¡¯s next opponent?]

    [Rankers constantly suffering a loss from a young 20-year-old superhuman¡­ Superhumans that have becent after the Great War ¨C ¡°Remember why the red light is a warning sign,¡± criticises Petrovic.]

    Eventually, the rankers became not only rmed but also hostile. The rankers of France who had been the constant targets of Yeorum openly dered a reproachfulment against Yeorum.

    [Rank 29, Saviour of Gallia, Simon Abkarian, condemns the young and disrespectful child.]

    [Yu Yeorum replies, ¡®Eat shit¡¯. A raw message in return.]

    After that, Yu Yeorum went to fight the strongest ranker of France, Simon Abkarian, and¡­

    [Finally, a stop. Yu Yeorum loses in a duel against Simon Abkarian in just 15 seconds.]

    She crumbled before the wall called Rank 29.

    [The end of an immature act ¨C the wall of a true hero was unable to be ovee]

    [Yu Yeorum suffers another defeat. This time, the victor was decided in just 12 seconds.]

    [Yet another defeat for Yu Yeorum. A short 9-second duel decided in one blow.]

    [Endless criticisms against Petrovic on the SNS]

    [Simon states, ¡°A fearless fool that rushes in will die before angels,¡± as a warning to stop the indiscriminate duels]

    [Yu Yeorum gets her additional duel requests ignored by Simon Abkarian¡­ A shameful return.]

    That was why Yeorum had been quite sensitive these days.

    Simon Abkarian¡­

    It had been a while since hest heard his name. He was the representative of the organisation, Superhuman Without Borders, and at the same time was one of the members of the Grand Natural Society, who had been trying to contain Yu Jitae in the past. Since he was quite annoying, Yu Jitae had pondered whether he should kill him off in the 7th iteration or not but an old and wise assistant had helped save his life.

    The man had big ambitions, condescendingly looked down at the world and lowered others to raise himself up. Even in his 1 on 1 duel against Yeorum, at the end of the fight, he intentionally put his foot above her head as she was lying down. That was exposed to the media by reporters and became the number 1 embarrassing photo for Yeorum.

    Yu Jitae was checking the news on his watch when Gyeoul, who was cuddling right next to him, gave a frown.

    ¡°Why,¡± he asked.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s, annoying.¡±

    ¡°What is.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Like¡­ why is she getting bashed up? ¡­Like that¡­¡±

    In truth, Yu Jitae didn¡¯t really think much about Yeorum¡¯s embarrassing photo because it was a fight with their pride on the line in the first ce. Besides, doesn¡¯t Yeorum do something simr herself when shees out on top?

    ¡°You don¡¯t like seeing Yeorum get bashed up?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°I thought you guys weren¡¯t on good terms.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Like¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter, if I¡¯m doing it¡­ Why does she do that outside¡±

    Was this what it was like to have a rtionship of both love and hatred? Yu Jitae, who did not have an actual family before, could not really understand Gyeoul¡¯s feelings.

    In fact, fights like this that were known to the public were just the tip of an iceberg because rankers tended to have duels in secret. Articles like this being made once every 2 weeks was only because both parties had agreed to making it a public fight.

    In other words, she probably would have fought someone between Rank 72 and Rank 29 in the meantime, and considering how she had lost to Simon in 15 seconds, she probably would have lost to others from that range as well.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s opinion was that Yeorum was especially strong at interpersonal 1 on 1 fights rather than group fights and fights against monsters, and he assumed her rank to be around 50.

    She was still considerably weaker than her final goal, ¡®Javier Karma¡¯.

    That was when Gyeoul asked with a worried look on her face.

    ¡°¡­Can you please, help her?¡±

    ¡°Well. I don¡¯t think that would be a good idea. In the end, if I help her beat Rank 29, she would stop again at around Rank 25, and even if I do help her again, she won¡¯t make it past Rank 20.¡±

    ¡°¡­But what if, you help her again, and again?¡±

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t like it though.¡±

    ¡°¡­But, ¡­what if.¡±

    Gyeoul raised an extremely sensitive question. From hereon was in fact Yu Jitae¡¯s greed ¨C a greedy hope that the dragons would lead a good life even after their Amusements. That ¡®greed¡¯ was actually changing his initial n of how the 7th iteration would look.

    That greed was why Yu Jitae had gone through unnecessary acts to help Kaeul stand firmly on her two feet. And that hope was also why he was supporting Yeorum from a step back so that she would not be overly dependent.

    All the above was in fact something that interfered with the Regressor¡¯s dream.

    He decided to give a sincere response to that sensitive question because he did not consider her a baby anymore.

    ¡°If I did help now and if Yeorum were to ovee all these problems with my help, she would not learn how to deal with problems by herself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You guys have to go back and there will be hardships when you¡¯re back. Those problems will continue all the way until you be adults and I won¡¯t be by your side then, will I.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul nodded.

    But that was when something outside his expectations urred ¨C Gyeoul suddenly started wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

    He immediately realised that he had been too specific when referring to the farewell.

    Fortunately at least, he now knew how to console crying children. He reached his arms out as Gyeoul naturally reached her arms forward in return. Hugging the child, he slowly tapped her on her back.

    ¡°¡­Will you help, if she asks for help?¡±

    ¡°Who, Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I would. Firstly, she probably wouldn¡¯t ask for my help and secondly, I still stand by what I said. She needs to learn how to solve problems with her own power.¡±

    The Regressor considered Yeorum to now be a perfect exemr of how a hatchling should be like. There was only one thing at this point, that he might teach Yeorum.

    It was her anger management problem that she still could not properly control.

    Even though Yeorum was currently using all sorts of expedients to go around the problem of being swept by her emotions, that instead further proved how she wasn¡¯t able to control her temper even now.

    Yu Jitae would provide help if that were to be a problem in the future, but he had no ns of helping her aside from that.

    ¡°¡­Can you please, help her?¡±

    ¡°Why. I told you. Don¡¯t you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nnnn.¡±

    Gyeoul raised her head from his chest.

    ¡°¡­If unni asks for help¡­ please help her.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Because, she needs to learn.¡±

    The child looked into his eyes for a bit, before burying her head back into his chest.

    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s time for her to learn how to solve problems by herself.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s, something she does by herself.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­That means, she can do it after we go back.¡±

    Her following words struck Yu Jitae in the back of his head.

    ¡°¡­But, if we go back¡­ she can¡¯t learn from ahjussi¡­ anymore.¡±

    When the words of the child seeped into his ears, it caused a ripple in his emotions.

    Can¡¯t learn from me after they go back?

    Those words put more emphasis on himself than the act of learning.

    It was strange.

    He had never desired to be loved before. Never had he wanted to remain as a meaningful or special existence in the minds of the kids and that was also the fundamental reason why he had put a distance between himself and Bom.

    The reason he forced these kids into one ce was because he wanted them to live happily without dying. That was the only wish Yu Jitae had for the hatchlings.

    Do not die. Be happy. That was it.

    What they thought of him as in that process was something he wasn¡¯t interested about.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] gazes at you.>

    Since that had always been the thought in his mind, Gyeoul¡¯s words surged a strange emotion in his mind.

    But how is that important? Everything would be in the past already anyway. You guys would live for thousands of years and the time you¡¯ve spent with me would be less than 1% of that time, would it not?

    That was what he wanted to ask.

    However, he knew those questions weren¡¯t suited for the current situation so he buried those questions in his mind. Judging from the context, Gyeoul would probably be sad if he were to return such questions.

    In the end, he had no choice but to console the kid because the child¡¯s mood was the most important in the world.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. If Yeorum asks for help, I will help her.¡±

    Gyeoul finally looked a lot better as she looked at him and gave him a nod.

    After sending the child off, he noticed his shirt was wet around the chest and looking at a mirror, he realised his gray shirt had turned darker around that area.

    It was a lot despite her small eyes.

    Perhaps because she was a blue dragon.

    *

    ¡°Dear. Are you sleeping?¡±

    That same dawn was when Yeorum came looking for Yu Jitae.

 Chapter 317: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (4)

    <h4>Chapter 317: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (4)</h4>

    Dawn ¨C about time for the darkness to slowly dissipate. It was also the time for Yeorum¡¯s day to start.

    Ever since the newborn superhumanpetition, Yeorum started waking up at dawn to train by herself. She would return drenched in sweat, take a quick shower (like a protagonist of a drama) and have breakfast together.

    But today, the sound of her footsteps came closer towards Yu Jitae¡¯s room. She asked, ¡®Dear, are you sleeping?¡¯ after opening the door a little.

    However, there was a problem.

    The problem was that Bom hade to his room 5 minutes before her, saying that she had trouble falling asleep today.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Yeorum was startled after opening the door. Since they killed their own presences at home, she had no idea she was here.

    ¡°Uhh, uhh? Yeah. Good morning¡­!¡±

    ¡°But what do you mean ¡®dear¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing~. I was just trying to be closer to my dear teacher ?¡±

    Fortunately, it didn¡¯t escte into a big problem. Bom nodded before quietly leaving the room. When it was just the two of them in the room, Yeorum grabbed her chest and heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°That was fucking dangerous¡­¡±

    But she suddenly blinked her eyes.

    ¡°Wait? Why is she here though?¡±

    ¡°Apparently she couldn¡¯t fall asleep.¡±

    ¡°So did she want to sleep with you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He replied with a straight face.

    ¡°Just to have a chat about the Association. So why are you here.¡±

    Yeorum shook her head to get rid of all the obscene thoughts that rose up in her mind. She was about to open her mouth but quickly turned towards the door in doubt. Is she watching from nearby? She thought, but there was nothing strange nearby that she could sense.

    In any case, now wasn¡¯t the time to worry about such things.

    After emptying her mind, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°You know my godlike 6-unsealed core. It was very good.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°The output¡¯s insane. It has a beautiful glitter and it¡¯s ridiculous¡­ but you see. It¡¯s slightly ufortable to use.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°Like, you know. I¡¯ve never used things like this before have I?¡±

    In other words, she was asking him to teach her how to use it.

    ¡°True. It¡¯ll obviously be hard to use at the start.¡±

    ¡°¡­So I¡¯m not the weird one, right?¡±

    Real-life doping was different from buffs in rpgs. Life would be easy if it was as simple as drinking a potion to directly increase your stats, but that wasn¡¯t the case in real life.

    So how does it work in real life?

    It was like the following.

    1. Consume a drug or an elixir.

    2. It then affects the hormones of the physical body as well as the internal mana.

    3. The sympathetic nervous system gets stimted. The heart beats faster and rapidly pumps blood into the body as the lungs naturally crave for more air. That physical arrangement was to harness more mana inside the body.

    4. The dantian gets overheated. The mana inside the body gets amplified and moves to the body to reinforce muscles. If unable to be controlled properly at this stage, the mana might rupture muscles.

    5. But if they do get controlled, it results in an increase in the overall power.

    The same was the case for onion cores. Simply attaching the core to a weapon would not immediately increase the weapon¡¯s output.

    Superhumans incorporating mana into a weapon was something normalised as a habit. Sharp when attacking, flexible when blocking, light when swinging¡­ The characteristics of the mana had to be constantly modified and this was a rtivelyplicated process.

    Making that process a habit through repetitive practice was what was referred to as ¡®taming one¡¯s weapon¡¯. But with the addition of an extra core, it was like having two cooks making a broth because ¡®something foreign¡¯ would be constantly adding mana into the weapon.

    Since that was the case, the user had to manipte both sources of mana properly in order to properly make use of the extra core.

    ¡°It¡¯s freaking heplicated; it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    And when it came to control over mana, Yeorum¡¯s talent was at the top 10 percentile of the Earth¡¯s superhumans.

    In other words, she was ghastly ungifted in the standard of dragons.

    ¡°I made Yu Bom try it since she¡¯s good at using her head, and she could use it fine so I was starting to think I was the weird one.¡±

    Well that was because Bom had the best talent in regards to the maniption over mana out of every existence Yu Jitae had seen in his entire life.

    ¡°Did Kaeul try it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But she couldn¡¯t do it.¡±

    It was different from Kaeul who only had ridiculous output.

    In any case, Yu Jitae was quite amused by Yeorum¡¯s indirect way of speaking. It seemed that the child was still finding it hard to voice out, ¡®please teach me¡¯ even to this point.

    She still had such high pride.

    Even though he always respected her pride, independence and identity, this was a different issue. Yeorum was trying to ask him for help despite being able to do it by herself.

    A situation like that naturally called for a clear request because after all, he was not a vending machine.

    ¡°Hmm. I see. And?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°And what.¡±

    ¡°Uh. No, nothing. That¡¯s just how it is.¡±

    ¡°Are you done talking?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, I guess?¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Eeng? Is that all?¡±

    He felt more and more amused as time passed, so he decided to tease her a little.

    ¡°You said you were done talking.¡±

    ¡°Wait, fuck. What do you mean. You know what I¡¯m trying to say, don¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say.¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to be like this?¡±

    ¡°Like this?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®this¡¯.¡±

    ¡°AHHHH! Aaaaaahhh! Like, why are you doing this? Do you really not get what I¡¯m trying to say?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    He returned a crooked reply as Yeorum curled her lips up and revealed her fangs.

    Yu Jitae felt even more amused.

    She opened her mouth trying to say something but hesitated, before reopening her mouth, only to exhale deep breaths.

    ¡°Hah, fuck¡­¡±

    Soon, she heaved a deep sigh before murmuring with a crawling voice.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°So.¡±

    Only when her diminishing voice reached the sound of a mouse¡¯s heartbeat did she finally say the main topic at hand.

    ¡°Please teach me how to use a core¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t even meet his eyes. Fortunately, Yeorum was at least somehow able to say it so she heaved a sigh of relief¡­

    But that was when he replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to though.¡±

    After a few seconds.

    Yeorum became extremely sulky and was about to leave the house so he had to calm her down.

    ¡°Whatever. I wasn¡¯t that curious anyway.¡±

    ¡°Alright. My bad my bad.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t do it. You don¡¯t want to? Cool, because I didn¡¯t want to do it either! I¡¯ll do it by myself!¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will teach you.¡±

    ¡°Let go! And go away! I freaking hate you!!¡±

    ***

    In any case, he calmed her down and nned for the lesson.

    That morning, Yu Jitae took Yeorum and headed for the academy district after having their breakfast. It had been a while since he hadste to this ce. Yeorum was a full-on celebrity now and everyone tried to greet her after seeing her.

    ¡°This is why I do it at dawn¡­¡± Yeorum grumbled irritatedly.

    They soon walked into arge training room.

    But¡­ why was she following?

    ¡°Nn? I just wanted to watch our little Yeorum work hard¡­¡±

    Bom said with an awkward smile. And she really did nothing but watch while hugging her knees in a corner of the training room.

    It was time for the actual teaching to begin.

    ¡°The core thing to focus on is multitasking with mana.¡±

    ¡°Multitasking with mana?¡±

    Mana was the manifestation of will and one existence could only have one will at a time. However, a trained musician could sing a song while ying a piano at the same time. It meant that one will could allow two processes to ur.

    ¡°How does that work though?¡±

    How could one y a piano and sing at the same time? How do they induce their bodies into doing two things at once?

    ¡°It is done by grouping two into one category.¡±

    ¡°A category?¡±

    The first task would be pressing a key of the piano with one finger. ying the piano with five fingers of the same hand would make that into one category, and ying the piano with two hands would group the tasks further into another category.

    Adding singing to that would create another category.

    Going further on, people would eventually even be able to sing and dance on top of ying the piano. Everything was possible despite theirplexity as long as they were grouped into one ssification.

    The same was the case for utilising two or more cores.

    After listening to his exnation, Yeorum blinked her eyes.

    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s pretty interesting. So what am I supposed to do now?¡±

    The answer to that question was rather extremely simple because as always, practice makes perfect. Even if Yeorum was to learn how to manipte two cores at once by herself, she would have mastered it in no more than one year.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so though¡­? That thing wasn¡¯t that easy. Because the seal was lifted six times, the will incorporated inside the core¡¯s mana is he strong and it bounces up and down by itself.¡±

    Even then, one year would have been enough since she was still a dragon.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Yah.¡±

    ¡°If learning it the hard way would make you learn it that much faster, how hard do you want it to be. Choose from 1 to 10.¡±

    ¡°170.¡±

    ¡°Your height? Be serious.¡±

    ¡°I am serious. 170. Time is gold for me, as you know. If I can learn it in a day, I¡¯m even fine with torture,¡± she replied with a serious voice.

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    In the past, he too had trained by himself in order to manipte cores.

    One, two, three¡­ He trained for over 20 years after closing himself in a mountain and could atst incorporate up to 177 cores into one category.

    There was a tip he acquired by himself from that process.

    ¡°Simple repetitive practice is, in the end, a matter of concentration.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°That means you will learn faster if you concentrate more.¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡±

    ¡°Then, when do people concentrate the most in your opinion.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ when they¡¯re fighting?¡±

    ¡°Right. But more specifically?¡±

    It was when their lives were on the line.

    Yu Jitae was contemting about the set-up when his eyes met with the green pair of eyes. Ah, that seems like a decent n. Thinking that, he called Bom from a distance.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Can you help me a little.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    ¡°Can you form mana into thin strings and connect from this side of the room to that side?¡±

    ¡°Thin strings?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Very thin. Weave four of them together, and for the form, add [Detect], [Harmonise], [Instability], [Rip] and [Recover]. Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°Sounds a bitplicated, but I¡¯ll try.¡±

    Bom groaned, ¡°Nnnnnn¡ª¡± while racking her brain but soon came up with strings that were a lot better than he had expected. Meanwhile, Yeorum was blinking her eyes, seemingly trying to guess his intention.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. Take your shoes off.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Just take them off. Your socks as well.¡±

    When the strings wereplete, Yu Jitae ced Yeorum on top as she was suddenly made to stand bare-foot on top of the thin strings.

    Underneath, he used his killing intent to form spikes asrge thorns began to cover the ground andstly, he bound her heart using [Chains of Hell] to ensure she couldn¡¯t use much mana.

    Yeorum gradually became more and more flustered.

    Fortunately, she was still being supported by Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Am I¡­ supposed to focus on the two cores in this state?¡±

    She was standing on top of the thin strings.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard enough to bnce myself here though¡­?¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the end. She had to use both mana cores at once and if she couldn¡¯t send mana into the strings at once, the strings would snap.

    ¡°Wait wait wait. Wait. Isn¡¯t this too dangerous?¡±

    The ground was densely covered with thorns that were made by Yu Jitae, and each of them was at least a metre tall.

    Pain or injury wasn¡¯t even the main problem. Her heart was already being bound by the chains that would immensely slow down the recovery speed. If she were to be pierced by thorns that were created using Yu Jitae¡¯s killing intent in a state like that, she might even end up with an irrecoverable wound or a disability.

    ¡°Listen. Wait wait wait! I said I was fine with torture but I never said I was fine with getting a disability¡­!¡±

    Yeorum asked Yu Jitae who was holding her by her nape, but he remained silent.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    She still had some doubt in mind.

    C¡¯mon.

    Of course he will catch me if I fall. There¡¯s no way he would just watch me lose a leg right?

    But the moment she turned around and looked into his eyes, Yeorum felt a chill going down her spine. There was a serious and stern look on his face.

    ¡°I will not help you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Huhh? Wait. No! Please no. Fuck¡­!¡±

    Yeorum was seriously flustered.

    Every training she had with him was always extreme but none of them was extreme enough to result in a disability with just one mistake. It was because he was always there to help.

    ¡°No, no! I can¡¯t do this! Have you seriously gone insane?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that wanted this.¡±

    ¡°Even then, this is¡­!!¡±

    His gloomy voice stabbed through her ears.

    ¡°Be responsible for your words.¡±

    Yu Jitae released his grip with those words.

    ¡°Aht¡­!¡±

    Yeorum felt her hearting crashing down. She was startled but still somehow managed to bnce herself above the string. However, that was when the strings began to fade ¨C she had focused too much on bncing herself that her concentration over the two cores had diminished.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    She focused on the cores but this time, it was difficult to bnce herself. She identally missed a step as her body wobbled on top of the string. Yeorum was frightened.

    Are you really not going to help? I almost fucking fell there? I¡¯m actually gonna be fucked?!

    She turned towards him with a gaze asking for help but Yu Jitae was facing Bom and having a chat with her. He wasn¡¯t even looking at her.

    Fear flooded in.

    ¡°Oiii! Dick Jitae!! I, I, I¡¯m about to die here!¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply no matter how much she called him and she soon realised that he really wasn¡¯t going to help her.

    ¡°I, I¡¯m dyi¡­!¡±

    Pop¨C That was when one of the strings of mana that were intertwined into a rope popped. She no longer had the leisure to yell. Yeorum brought her focus back onto the rope in a fright, and bnced herself so that she wouldn¡¯t fall while simultaneously focusing on the two cores to keep the strings from fading away.

    I will die if I fall.

    I will lose a limb if I fall.

    I will be fucked.

    Whenever her body wobbled, a sense of crisis shook her heart and muddled her brain. She wanted to shout what this shit was about and wanted to pour out profanities at Yu Jitae and Bom.

    However, she could not do so. Why?

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Because she was millimetres away from dying!!!

    .

    .

    .

    This unsophisticated method of Yu Jitae was in fact very helpful for Yeorum. He did not let her down from the strings for over 24 hours and even left her behind and returned to the dormitory at one point.

    Yeorum who was intensely focused on bncing herself and utilising her mana could not voice out herints despite gritting her teeth.

    The next day when he came back to the training room with Gyeoul, Yeorum was sleeping on top of the strings. She was sleeping stably, as if she was sleeping on a hammock.

    She had managed to pull it off.

    That was when Gyeoul, who hade with him, faced therge spikes at the ground with widened eyes. They looked extremely dangerous to her.

    Gyeoul asked him.

    ¡°¡­What, are these? ¡­Real spikes?¡±

    ¡°Try touching them.¡±

    Those viciously shaped spikes crumbled like thin crackers the moment they touched Gyeoul¡¯s hand.

    ¡°They¡¯re fake spikes.¡±

 Chapter 318: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (5)

    <h4>Chapter 318: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (5)</h4>

    Yu Jitae continued teaching Yeorum on how to make the best use of a core, and how to safely handle the increased output.

    It was always the three of them whenever they were training thanks to the addition of Bom. Her spells were very handy because most of the training required specific set-ups so he involved her in the process.

    But on the other hand, he found it strange.

    Bom had been busy going around meeting her acquaintances at the Association but these days, she was following him so often that she had stopped attending those meetings.

    ¡°Ah, I told them I¡¯ll be busy for a while.¡±

    Why was she suddenly following him around? He asked her in case she was being jealous of Yeorum but she did not say anything meaningful in return.

    ¡°There is nothing for you to worry about¡­¡±

    And she always did the same thing. Crouching in a corner of the training room, Bom always quietly watched them train as if she wasn¡¯t there and stayed there until the end unless he called her.

    ¡°You¡¯re really great at this. Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, really?¡±

    Yeorum became less concerned by it after having it happen over and over again but Yu Jitae thought otherwise while looking at Bom.

    As always,

    Bom never did anything unnecessary.

    So then, why was she following them around?

    ¡°Can I go with you today as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Even though he didn¡¯t know the reason, he supposed this at least wouldn¡¯t be that big of a problem. The only reason he could guess was that she was being jealous of the rtionship between Yeorum and himself but that was highly unlikely.

    Even if the unlikely cause behind her bizarre actions really was jealousy, that wasn¡¯t anything to be greatly concerned by. Bom had always been quite sensitive about the approach of opposite genders and plus, he always drew a clear line and Yeorum too was being considerate of Bom and drawing a boundary herself.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was why he let her be but she did other strange things on top. Floating a flower above her hand with magic, she red at it with an anxious look on her face.

    It was a flower he knew about.

    [Stardrop]

    This was used as a substitute for a torch by spirits living inside dark caves because plucking a petal of the flower resulted in a fluorescent light. The spirits tended to use that to light the path in front of them.

    In addition, the spirits plucked the petals in times of difficulty to guess their future, since every flower had a different number of petals.

    It will be a problem. It won¡¯t be a problem. Will be. Won¡¯t be¡­

    Bom mumbled while plucking the petals one by one with a worried expression. After removing all the petals, her eyebrows turned crooked, making her look even more depressed.

    ¡°What are you doing, Bom. Why are you pulling the flower apart all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there something you¡¯re worried about?¡±

    ¡°Nnnn¡­¡±

    Would this be how a puppy would look when it was itching to take a dump only to find out there was no toilet nearby?

    With such an expression on her face, Bom shook her head and floated another flower. She took a deep breath in before plucking the petals again.

    He couldn¡¯t understand the reason behind her actions. Her entric actions continued without an end andsted almost three months.

    For those three months, he continued teaching Yeorum.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in too much of a rush when you¡¯re increasing your output.¡±

    ¡°Yah. Understood.¡±

    While teaching Yeorum,

    ¡°I want a dog. Arge one with jet-ck fur.¡±

    He met Myu to conduct an experiment. He sessfully analysed which parts of the Origin Fragment corresponded to which [Authority].

    Myu began to act like a queen after moving to a wider istion room. The director of the istion chambers, Thimithi, expressed her concerns but Yu Jitae permitted it. Not because Myu was pretty but because the ck race had a tendency to attach more meaning to their own territories and it could therefore be used as a good carrot. He would immediately move her out if she became disobedient.

    ¡°Hello, dear Association.

    ¡°You have all be old. 10 years have done much to your appearances.¡±

    The Witch left the deep depths of the dungeon and revealed herself at the Association as Clone 2 escorted her with a flushed face.

    ¡°Uun? When did youee?¡±

    And Kaeul, who sometimes left the house without saying anything, was found crouching at a park near the residential area. It was the ce where they had first fed the baby chicken.

    ¡°He should be healthy right?

    ¡°He sometimeses out in my dreams, and there, he was living happily¡­

    ¡°¡­Can you please pat my head.¡±

    Time passed.

    Yeorum nned for another duel with Rank 29 of the Association and demonstrated a natural maniption over the output to finally seed in defeating him. He used to be an unsurpassable wall a few months ago and it was thanks to her gaining immacte control over the 6-unsealed core.

    ¡°Yesss! Die, die¨C!¡±

    She was about to step on the head of the guy that was still on the ground so he had to stop her.

    ¡°My onion core really is the best¡ª!

    ¡°Bom-unni, I love you ?¡±

    Bom congratted her with a bright smile but could not control her eyes from twitching outside her vision.

    Yu Jitae realised that she was feeling extremely agitated.

    ***

    It was immediately after her victory against Rank 29 of the Association.

    Yeorum was overage already. She wanted to drink after winning the duel so Yu Jitae took her alongside Bom to a bar that had a decent ambience.

    ¡°Cheers, for I, Yu Yeorum!¡±

    ¡°Cheers¡­!¡±

    Bom raised her voice and clinked her bottle with hers. The kids cancelled the detoxification blessing in their bodies and poured alcohol into their mouths to get drunk as Yeorum began listing her heroic stories.

    But right when their tipsiness was about to hit the limit, Bom suddenly grabbed a spirit with 50% alcohol and chugged the bottle.

    ¡°Huhh? You¡¯re drinking the whole thing?¡±

    Yeorum giggled and followed suit but felt a sudden nausea hitting her head so she had to stealthily use mana to push the intoxication away. It was quite an embarrassing thing to do, so she did so while giving out empty coughs.

    However, on the other hand, Bom continued chugging the spirit without forcing the intoxication out with mana, as Yeorum asked in a fluster.

    ¡°Unni. Calm down. Why are you drinking so much?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s finee¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty much gone already. What do you mean fine?¡±

    ¡°I just feel like getting drunk todayy¡­¡±

    ¡°Take it slow. Or sober up a little at least. Your whole face is red right now, you know that. And plus your eyes don¡¯t look sane.¡±

    Bom did not stop. Only when she was so drunk that the entire world was revolving in her vision did she finally release her ss.

    Then, she opened her mouth with a very slow tone of voice.

    ¡°Uhh, I have something to say¡­¡±

    She began talking about the reason behind her anxiety over the past three months.

    ¡°I have been unlucky ever since I was very young.¡±

    Her luck had constantly been put to the test at home and she had always been unlucky, to the point that she even wondered whether the world itself hated her or not.

    That was why she wasn¡¯t as flustered as the other kids even when they had met the dimensional disjoint on their first Amusement.

    ¡°Ah, is that why you suddenly said sorry to us on that day when our Amusements were fucked?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ because it was probably my fault¡­¡±

    ¡°I was wondering what the heck you were suddenly about. Isn¡¯t that all just a myth?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But, although very rare, there were times when she was absurdly lucky and an example was her recent 6 consecutive sesses with Yeorum¡¯s core. The problem was that those lucky times were always followed by a ¡®reaction¡¯.

    ¡°What kind of reaction.¡±

    ¡°A separation¡­¡±

    ¡°Separation?¡±

    ¡°The first time I became lucky, my father left after a few days. It wasn¡¯t ¡®luck¡¯ at all¡­¡±

    Bom refrained from sharing the details.

    ¡°What about the second time?¡±

    ¡°I had a younger sister,¡± said Bom while grabbing the bottle with both of her hands. Her voice was very serene.

    ¡°A sister? You never mentioned that before, did you¡­?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­What?¡±

    A father and a sister. They were the beings the young baby Bom had treasured the most in the world.

    Memories of the time were too wretched and unfortunate that they could have negatively affected the entire childhood of the young hatchling, so her mother touched her memories to make them hazy. She then told Bom, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± so Bom in fact could not remember the exact details.

    However, that could notpletely erase the memory, so Bom was about to go crazy from anxiety.

    Yeorum continued bothering her, asking whether it was true after she was done with her words. It was because Bom appeared soposed despite sharing such a serious past.

    Because of that, Bom shared her memories and emotions with her. Yeorum, who had been asking things, widened her eyes in utter shock after receiving her emotions.

    ¡°Wait, fuck¡­¡±

    And could not say anything else.

    ¡°But, it¡¯s alright. My memories are hazy thanks to my mother¡¯s help. It feels like it never even happened and like the plot of a drama, it¡¯s not that painful. But¡­¡±

    Her father who had been the most precious person in the world.

    And her younger sister, who helped her endure after the departure of her father through the hard times when she was learning magic from her mother.

    She had already be distant from the two most precious people, and yet now, Bom had one more person that was precious to her.

    Bom looked into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes.

    Soon, tears budded underneath her eyes. Rather than tears of sorrow, they instead resembled the tears of a drunkard.

    Yu Jitae nodded after realising the situation.

    ¡°Ahjussiii¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to die right¡­?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Who in the world would possibly kill me.¡±

    His words were mysteriously persuasive. It was indeed hard to imagine anyone killing Yu Jitae and Bom nodded despite being massively drunk.

    ¡°But, you won¡¯t like, leave us without saying anything, before the end of the Amusement right¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t. I was the one that forced you guys toe here so why would I leave.¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem convinced and shed drops of tears with an indifferent look on her face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll die if you disappear without saying anything.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    Bom was still skeptical so Yu Jitae reached his hand out and shared a portion of his thoughts and emotions. He will not leave the dragons until the end of the Amusement ¨C only after sensing those sincere thoughts and feelings did Bom heave a sigh of relief.

    Fortunately, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t too serene despite the conversation topic due to their intoxication.

    But on the other hand, Bom crying with a runny nose was a very amusing sight. She pretended to be normal but her nose was bigger than before. Right when she became relieved, Yeorum giggled and started taking photos of her face.

    ¡°Stooopp¡­¡±

    Bom retaliated and tried to snatch the watch, but the struggles of a person too drunk to even properly move their limbs was in vain.

    ¡°Heyy. Stop taking picturess¡­¡±

    ¡°So ugly lol¡­¡±

    ¡°Still prettier than you okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can say that after seeing your photo¡­¡±

    At this point, even Yeorum was quite drunk and was out of her mind. They were stumbling, bbering about deleting the photos and whatnot when Bom ced a ball of cheese on top of Yeorum¡¯s head.

    ¡°What is thiss¡­¡±

    ¡°Emergency provisions¡­ Eat it if you¡¯re hungry at home¡­¡±

    ¡°Ohh, thanks. You really are very organised¡­¡±

    Yeorum picked up another cheese ball and suddenly pulled Bom¡¯s t-shirt before cing the cheese inside her underwear.

    ¡°Why did you put it here¡­?¡±

    ¡°You have three boobs now¡­ Easy triplets¡­¡±

    ¡°Good¡­ but why triplets? And not twins¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ehng? What do you mean¡­? You have three boobs now, you fool¡­¡±

    Hehe~ Kekek~ Theyughed.

    None of them were in their right minds.

    But fortunately, it seemed that Bom had her fun from it,

    Judging from how she tended to drink more often after that.

    ***

    Aftering to the Association for the first time in a while, Bom was meeting people and during her coincidental physical contact with Zhuge Haiyan, had a look at a portion of her memories.

    Bom¡¯s conversation topic had always been about Prophet Season and they were having a simr chat that day.

    From her touch, she realised that Yu Jitae had been frequenting the underground hazard istion roomstely.

    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s inside the underground istion chamber?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Did you not hear from the Prophet, Miss?¡±

    But upon realising that, Zhuge Haiyan refused to talk about it and Bom had to call Yu Jitae on the way back home, asking about the thing inside the istion room.

    Yu Jitae casually returned a reply.

    ¨C Just a ck dragon.

    Bom felt a piece of lead dropping inside her head. Was he talking about the ck dragon from before? That monster that was powerful enough to drop the Tower of Mages was still alive?

    For a long time, she had trouble voicing out more words and after a few seconds, she finally managed to ask a question.

    ¡°¡­Is it a female?¡±

 Chapter 319: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (6)

    <h4>Chapter 319: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (6)</h4>

    Bom lowered her head and looked at her grass-coloured hair that came all the way down to her chest.

    She was a green dragon. That was why her hair and her eyes were green.

    A ck dragon.

    They had been exiled out of Askalifa a long time ago so she had yet to meet them, but their eyes and hair would naturally follow the colour of their race once polymorphed.

    ck hair¡­ the person that would share love with Yu Jitae in a distant future after Bom. That person was the reason why Bom, who had been living a fine and happy life by herself, was pushed to the brink of anxiety from time to time.

    What was certain was that the person was a female, and that she had the form of a human female.

    That was why Bom waited for Yu Jitae¡¯s reply. He had always been a slow speaker and his response came after roughly 2 seconds, but for Bom, those 2 seconds felt like minutes.

    Bom waited while biting her nails.

    Why was there such a destined future?

    For what? Why would Yu Jitae leave her despite sharing love with her?

    What do I not have that he will throw me away like that? What does that ck-hair have instead, that she gets to be with Yu Jitae?

    Her head was slowly starting to turn nk when Yu Jitae gave his reply.

    ¨C Why are you asking that?

    ***

    Yu Jitae did not know of Bom¡¯s ¡®Providence of the ck Hair¡¯.

    The said Providence wasn¡¯t something Yu Jitae was supposed to know of, and even the other dragon races could never interfere with the Providence upon hearing it from the green race. This was due to the authority, [Protection of the Providence] that resided in the Origin Fragment, and was why even the chattery Yeorum was keeping it a secret.

    However, there was one thing he knew and it was that Bom was sensitive about his rtionships with females.

    ¡°Why are you asking that?¡±

    Yu Jitae was still teaching Yeorum. Soon, Bom¡¯sposed voice was transmitted over the watch.

    ¨C Ah, please don¡¯t misunderstand. I was just curious¡­

    ¡°Well. I never assigned any meaning to its gender.¡±

    ¨C Yes, yes. It¡¯s just¡­ you know? It¡¯s the first time a dragon came here apart from us. That¡¯s why I became curious.

    ¨C ¡­Or, is there something you are hiding?

    Yu Jitae realised that this topic was on top of a fine line.

    There was no reason to hide it because he was doing what was necessary and was not betraying the kids in any way.

    Even then, he was still reluctant to answer her question.

    Why?

    ¡­It¡¯s because it indeed was a female.

    However, hiding the truth just because it was a female also seemed strange. There was nothing he needed to hide nor was there any reason to.

    ¡°By the way, where did you hear that from?¡±

    ¨C Sorry?

    ¡°The fact that I¡¯m going to the underground istion rooms and that there¡¯s a ck dragon in there.¡±

    ¨C You¡¯re the one that mentioned the ck dragon, oppa.

    ¡°What about the question before that? About the istion rooms.¡±

    ¨C I¡¯ve heard stories here and there while supporting people as a soothsayer.

    The tone and pace of her response was veryposed ¨C even more so than her previous one. But that instead suggested that she was consciously making herself seemposed, and meant that she was in a difficult spot.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¨C Yes.

    ¡°Alright, fine.¡±

    Yu Jitae pretended to forgive her to shift the topic away from her question.

    On the other hand, Yeorum walked towards him while wiping the sweat with a towel. Blinking her red eyes, she expressed her curiosity about the content of his talk with Bom.

    ¡°A ck dragon? You mean the one that came out before right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing for you to worry about.¡±

    ¡°You did mention it was still alive, but it¡¯s locked in the Association, huh. Is it inside that istion room or whatever?¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply, and simply wondered why she was so curious about it.

    ¡°But what was the talk about its gender and stuff?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. Stop asking a bunch of useless stuff and go change. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Yah.¡±

    But on the way back to Unit 301, Yeorum had to suppress her heart from making a loud thump.

    Yu Jitae might have no idea what a ¡®ck hair¡¯ meant but¡­

    Yeorum knew what it meant.

    ¡®Holy fuck. Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    ***

    After a few hours, when Yu Jitae left with Kaeul and Gyeoul to the park,

    Yeorum knocked on Bom¡¯s door as if she would break it open.

    ¡°Oi!¡±

    ¡°Oh, hi. You¡¯re back.¡±

    Why was her voice so calm? Thinking that, Yeorum stopped on the spot. Bom was sitting in front of the desk, writing something down on a note with the usual indifferent expression as if there was nothing she was concerned about.

    Yeorum closed the door and slowly walked into the room. The room was filled with the fragrant scent of nature but it did not stabilise her mood at all.

    ¡°Can you at least knock on the door before opening it¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi oi, Bom-unni! That¡¯s not the important thing is it?¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Wait, fuck. Are you okay? I heard what you two were talking about on the phone.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. I didn¡¯t interfere with your training did I? It should have been near the end though.¡±

    ¡°How do you feel? Are you good?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Well¡­ why wouldn¡¯t I be fine?¡±

    ¡°No no no. You are not fine right now, are you? He said it was a ck dragon. It¡¯s still alive there. And what was its gender?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you know; didn¡¯t you ask?¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi changed the topic¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh fuck. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s actually a female?¡±

    ¡°No way, right¡­?¡±

    Bom was stillposed even though she should have had a panic attack 37 times at least. Seeing such an iprehensible reaction out of her made Yeorum even more frustrated.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and ask Yu Jitae.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go ask him even if you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°No, Yeorum. Don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asking him? Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±

    ¡°There must be a reason why he changed the topic.¡±

    ¡°Then did you ask why he changed the topic?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum squinted her eyes.

    This won¡¯t do.

    Even though Bom looked okay, she was definitely just pretending to be fine. Her smile with a few screws loose was the proof.

    Aftering to that judgement, Yeorum immediately stood up and approached her. Bom looked surprised but Yeorum sat on top of herp without a care.

    ¡°Bom-unni. Let¡¯s be honest.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a bit heavy. How about you move aside?¡±

    ¡°Shut up. Let¡¯s be frank enough to show our innards, yeah?¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to ask now?¡±

    ¡°You know in the Providence of the future you saw, the ck-hair was being embraced right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and?¡±

    ¡°What exactly was the situation? I don¡¯t really get it, but it should have been like an image right? Like a photo or a video.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡®Yeah¡¯ my ass. You fuck, stop cutting your words short and say it. Tell me!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Bom was about to turn to the side and slur her words so Yeorum tightly held onto her cheeks and pressured her with a low voice. ¡®Say it.¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It just¡­¡±

    ¡°Just?¡±

    ¡°Was in a human form. An adult.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°I saw her back. It was white.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­They were, naked.¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s eyes widened into circles.

    Holy fucking shit.

    ¡°Who? The ck-haired woman? Or Yu Jitae?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was when Bom¡¯s eyes began to faintly quiver.

    Even though Yeorum knew that this was the starting point of her emotional outburst, she had to hear it. And the following words struck her at the back of her head.

    ¡°Both of them¡­¡±

    Yeorum slowly stood up from herp and took several steps back. She then took out a cigarette. Even though Bom usually reprimanded her for smoking inside the house, this time she didn¡¯t say anything as the ember scorched the cigarette and smoke left Yeorum¡¯s mouth.

    This is crazy.

    That¡¯s what Yeorum thought.

    No matter how she possibly thought about it, even if she was to stand upside down and think, that most definitely would have been a sexual rtionship.

    ¡°But actually, there¡¯s nothing to really worry about right?¡±

    It was then ¨C Bom suddenly gave a smile. Her eyes were still twitching and the corners of her lips were raised onto different heights.

    ¡°M, maybe, it was just, a dream?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Or maybe like, I go out with ahjussi in 5 years, and I dye my hair ck in 10 years and get embraced. Maybe that¡¯s the future I saw with Providence. Right?¡±

    ¡°Dude, like, what kind of¡­ has that ever happened to you before?¡±

    ¡°No? It hasn¡¯t¡­? But it m, might happen in the future¡­? It was all a dream. Yes. Yes, it was all a dream, and I¡¯m just being paranoid by myself for no reason.¡±

    ¡°What kind of¡­ but there¡¯s a ck-haired dragon now isn¡¯t there?¡±

    ¡°S, surely it¡¯s a male right? There¡¯s no way it¡¯s a female. Maybe it¡¯s a male that¡¯s already married¡­ with kids. 50 sons at that! Right¡­! The ck race only gives birth once in their lifetime, right? But? They¡¯re known to give birth to a lot of kids right¡­!?¡±

    Her entire body began to tremble as she began to hyperventte.

    ¡°You freaking madman! Calm down first. Okay?! You never believe in things without seeing with your own eyes so what¡¯s wrong with you now?¡±

    ¡°AHHHHH¨C!¡±

    Bom suddenly shot out of her seat and grabbed two handfuls of her hair.

    ¡°Why is this happening to me!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down! Calm your¡­!!¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. Tell me. What am Icking¡­? Hnn? What do I not have? Are obsessive women not attractive? But I¡¯m not being too clingy. I¡¯m restraining myself a lot so ahjussi doesn¡¯t feel ufortable! Should I really just step up and make him only face me? Without thinking about you guys at all? And be selfish?! I think I can do that! I have the confidence to do that better than anyone else!! But¡­!¡±

    ¡°Oi, oi! Yu Bom!!¡±

    ¡°I, I can¡¯t live like this anymore¡­!¡±

    She suddenly opened the window and crawled onto it.

    ¡°Oi, oi! What do you think you¡¯re doing, you madman!!¡±

    But was stopped by Yeorum.

    ¡°Let go¡­!¡±

    ¡°You let go!¡±

    Bom clenched her teeth and tried to escape but could not beat Yeorum in strength. She even resorted to trying to use [Teleport (S)] to escape but it was interrupted by Yeorum and she was thrown back onto the floor.

    ¡°Calm down, you crazy bitch! Nothing will get resolved even if you get agitated like this! Weren¡¯t you the one that always told me to beposed¡­!?¡±

    Even though she was thrown on the floor, Bom seemingly did not care about it. With quivering eyes, she morbidly repeated murmuring to herself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be thrown away¡­! After I give ahjussi both my body and heart¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi. You¡¯re really going to die at this rate¡­! Try cutting your feelings for him off at least!

    ¡°How can I when I like him so much it¡¯s driving me crazy¡­ I can¡¯t. It¡¯ll be faster for me to die¡­¡±

    ¡°Then what are you going to do? Providence is unchanging, no!? It¡¯s been destined already!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why it must be a dream¡­! R, right¡­! Actually, can you guys just give me five years of time? Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°W, what?¡±

    ¡°I will kidnap ahjussi and run away to a different ce¡­! Take him to a ce no-one cane to. R, right. Like a deserted ind¡­! I can feed him food, give him everything he needs, get married and lock him up in a ce only I can see¡­ I¡¯ll be too anxious to give birth but if I can have ahjussi only for myself¡­? T, that won¡¯t be a problem right¡­? Hehe.¡±

    Yeorum was lost for words. Bom lookedpletely insane ¨C that clever and foxy girl had pretty much let go of her sanity and smiled and shivered like a fool.

    However, Yeorum realised that Bom¡¯s madness was aligned to self-rationalisation. It meant that the direction and target of her madness really could point towards a bad direction.

    ¡°I¡¯m a trash¡­

    ¡°An unappealing trash¡­

    ¡°A trash that will be discarded when I give my body¡­¡±

    Bom then began driving her head into the floor. Kung, kung, kung. The sound was proof of the force behind her headbutt.

    Like, what the fuck is wrong with her? Yeorum thought to herself. She knew from 2 years ago that a ck-haired woman would being out right? Then what the hell was the issue¡­

    It was then.

    Upon suddenly realising something, Yeorum turned her gaze to her waist.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    She could see the onion core attached to the Level 2 long sword artifact.

    Yeorum realised the problem.

    Bom liked Yu Jitae and wanted to be closer to Yu Jitae, both the heart and the body. However, she could not do so because of the Providence and had managed to endure it with difficulty despite feeling constantly anxious for 2 years.

    It was simr to withstanding the pain inside a burning house.

    However, things changed with the 6 consecutive sesses of the onion core. Bom mentioned that she always separated with someone precious as a reaction when she became lucky and that precious target was now Yu Jitae.

    In other words, the onion core had added oil to the fire.

    And that was why the house had now exploded.

    ¡°I¡¯m trash¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    At that moment, Yeorum realised something.

    Ignoring whether that ck dragon was a male or female, ignoring the fact that it would be on the bed with Yu Jitae and whatnot, the reason behind Bom¡¯s currently unstable psyche was none other than the onion core.

    If the problem was that she had been too lucky, wouldn¡¯t the problem be solved if that fortune was to be broken?

    ¡°Bom-unni. Look at me¡­¡±

    Bom was still doing a headbutt against the floor. Yeorum called her with a calm voice.

    ¡°I am not Bom-unni¡­ Can you please call me unappealing trash from now on¡­?¡±

    ¡°Fuck, stop with this bullshit and raise your head up, you lunatic.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and lift your head! Do you really wanna get bashed up?!¡±

    When Bom lifted her vacant gaze with a drooling mouth, Yeorum took the core out with trembling hands and handed it over to her.

    ¡°This.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s crack the seal one more time.¡±

 Chapter 320: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (7)

    <h4>Chapter 320: Lifetime Luck wasted on Gacha (7)</h4>

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Bom suddenly came to her senses. The twitching in her eyes started to subside and her anxiously murmuring lips also came to a stop. She half-rose up from the ground and asked with a vacant look on her face.

    ¡°Yeorum. Are you out of your mind¡­?¡±

    Yeorum was dumbfounded. Who was the one talking?

    ¡°I am not out of my mind.¡±

    ¡°Then why would you tell me to peel anotheryer? Don¡¯t you know how precious that is?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I wouldn¡¯t know that.¡±

    The chance to get 6 sesses in a row was 0.0032% and the output had increased by 2.98 times.

    Only 4 of the cores in the world were known to have 6 lifted seals, and Yu Jitae had exined that this core could pretty much increase an artifact by a whole level. In other words, Yeorum¡¯s Level 2 long sword artifact was close to a Level 3 artifact with the addition of the 6-unsealed onion core.

    It was very precious even for a dragon and in fact, even Yu Jitae was quite surprised when it seeded. That was how low the probability was.

    And yet Yeorum handed it over to Bom.

    ¡°Listen carefully, you green trash.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Why are you feeling so down right now. It¡¯s because of all the luck you suddenly got, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Now, you¡¯re going to be breaking that with your own hands. No matter how big of a fortune it was, isn¡¯t it all going to be worthless the moment you crush it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom could not return any words.

    ¡°Has that never happened before? You said you had two simr things happen before right.¡±

    ¡°But back then, the lucky situation had already ended¡­¡±

    ¡°What was it?¡±

    ¡°One of them was a surgery on my dragon heart. The probability of sess was extremely low so I was told I would most definitely die. I think my dad and my mum were also fighting a little back then maybe¡­?¡±

    ¡°What about the other one?¡±

    ¡°The other one¡­¡±

    Bom gave a frown.

    She could not remember the details.

    ¡°No, but this should be fine. We still don¡¯t know if that ck dragon is the ck-haired person or not, and we don¡¯t know its gender either. And this onion core is alreadyplete so let¡¯s not touch it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just being paranoid by myself and I don¡¯t want to cause you too much trouble¡­¡±

    Bom suddenly stopped in the middle of her speech due to Yeorum suddenly pulling her shirt up to reveal her stomach. On her stomach was a scratch caused by the strands of mana that had sttered when dispelling Bom¡¯s teleportation spell.

    Blood was bubbling up around the wound.

    ¡°I¡¯m like this because of your sudden fit. Are you still not going to do what I tell you to do?¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s weird how I¡¯m the one saying it but, you¡¯re going to cause a massive problem at this rate. We still have more than a year or two left for our Amusement. And besides¡­¡±

    Even if,

    ¡°Honestly, even if this gets broken, wouldn¡¯t Yu Jitae do something for us?¡±

    Yeorum realised it was a very careless statement the moment she said it out loud and she in fact didn¡¯t even think so. He would probably not rece it for her nor did she want him to, but that was the only way to calm Yu Bom down in her opinion.

    But instead, something outside her expectations happened. The instant she heard Yu Jitae¡¯s name, Bom¡¯s eyes suddenly wavered like a magnitude 5 earthquake.

    ¡°Right¡­?¡±

    The vibration slowly intensified. 6, 7¡­

    ¡°E, even if it fails, ahjussi will help us, right¡­?¡±

    Bom startedughing, ¡®Hehe,¡¯ as if she had given up on thinking.

    ¡°Okay. Give it to me.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh yeah.¡±

    ¡°You said it was fine, right? Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Yes I did¡­!¡±

    ¡°Oh right, was it a 20% chance to seed?¡±

    ¡°No. I told you it¡¯s 10% from the 6thyer onwards.¡±

    Bom, despite half-giving up on thinking, still surfaced a bright smile.

    ¡°Ahah! Then that should never work right¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s not easy to hit a 10%!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely going to break¡­! Is that still okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah. Fuck it. To be honest, it didn¡¯t even make sense for it to reach 6 seals, did it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re damn right! So just destroy the whole thing and drop your burden!¡±

    Bom gave a wide smile.

    ¡°Nn!¡±

    And ripped ayer of the core.

    Paang¨C

    The 7th seal, was another sess.

    ¡°Kyaaaaakkk¨C!¡±

    ¡°Uoookk! What the fuckk¨C!¡±

    Bom dropped the core and fell back in astonishment. She crawled back in shock as her head struck the table behind her. It was such a strong hit that her head immediately bent into a right angle but she did not feel a single pain from it.

    ¡°Ah, ah ah¡­!¡±

    Uukk¡­! Huuk¡­! Huuuuk¡­! She began to hyperventte again as she grabbed her chest in pain.

    ¡°What in the fucking world. Does this even make sense!?¡¯

    On the other hand, Yeorum was also frightened seeing the core on the ground. It had seeded yet again by breaking through the 10% chance!

    No, if she were to stop here, that would only stop Bom¡¯s luck at a higher level. Yeorum quickly racked her brain and decided that they could not stop here.

    ¡°Yu Bom!!¡±

    ¡°Huak, hiak¡­ I, I want to die¡­ Please kill me¡­¡±

    ¡°Oi! What are you talking about! Wake up! Yu Bom!¡±

    Yeorum constantly tapped her on her back but soon realised that Bom wouldn¡¯t be able to crack moreyers with a sober mind. She might faint from psychological stress even before trying to open the 8th seal.

    In that instant, she suddenly remembered the spirit with 85% alcohol that she had bought at Las Vegas.

    ¡°You, you stay right here! No, wait¡­!¡±

    Since she might escape in that time frame, Yeorum pulled Bom by her cor and dashed to her own room. She then grabbed onto Bom¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°Open your mouth!¡±

    ¡°Ahhk, n, no¡­!¡±

    Her hand came flying in. p p! Itnded twice on both sides of Bom¡¯s cheeks and turned them red.

    ¡°Just open your damn mouth!¡±

    ¡°What was that for¡­!¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t over yet! If you stop here you¡¯re only going to be stopping at a high roll! Shouldn¡¯t you crack moreyers and break the damn thing!?¡±

    Maybe she¡¯s right?

    Bom widened her eyes.

    ¡°But can you do this with a sober mind?! Huh?¡±

    She rapidly shook her head in response. Simply looking at the core made her freak out and caused the world to revolve around her. Suppressing the urge to vomit, she covered her mouth and began to whine.

    ¡°We are never going to do this with a sober mind, so hurry up and open your mouth. And turn off your detoxification!¡±

    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±

    At this point, it was double or nothing.

    Bom disabled the detoxification blessing inside her body. As soon as her body became simr to a normal human¡¯s, Yeorum opened the lid of the spirit and poured the liquid down Bom¡¯s throat.

    ¡°Drink. Drink!¡±

    ¡°Uhp¡­¡±

    Even Yeorum was stimted beyond her limit at this stage and felt like going crazy. Bom began coughing afterpletely chugging a whole bottle so Yeorum used one of her hands to block her mouth so that she wouldn¡¯t vomit, and used the other hand to pour the same spirit down her throat.

    Her mind suddenly turned hazy as the world began to turn in front of her eyes.

    She seeded in getting drunk in one go¡­!

    ¡°Huhu! Yu Boooomm? Have you prepared yoursellff?¡±

    ¡°Nnn¡­ ?¡±

    ¡°For the 8thyer, we goooooo!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s gooo ?¡±

    The two hatchlings followed with their n.

    10%.

    It was hard to be at the top 10% wherever it was, so the 8thyer should obviously be a fail.

    That¡¯s what they thought but,

    Paangg~

    The 8thyer was another sess.

    Bom did not stop and,

    Paaangg~

    The 9thyer was yet another sess.

    However, Bom still did not stop and, moved her hands for the final 10thyer¡­

    ¡°Ooooi! Waitttt¡ª!¡±

    ¡­But was restrained by Yeorum.

    ¡°Nnnn¡­? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°W, w, why isn¡¯t this¡­ anyway, just wait for a bit¡­!¡±

    ¡°Why¡­? We haven¡¯t failed yet¡­?¡±

    ¡°J, just wait for now! Damn it!¡±

    p! Bom got pped and the core was soon snatched away from her hands.

    The moment Yeorum felt the core¡¯s mana with her bare hands, she felt as if the alcohol she had consumed would leave through her nose.

    What is this.

    What in the world just happened?

    A core with 9 cracked seals was ced in front of her eyes.

    9 seals?

    An onion core with 9 openedyers?

    Not 6, and not 7 which was currently the best one in the Witch¡¯s hand.

    But 9¡­?

    On the other hand, Bom¡¯s already unstable mind pretty much copsed after bing drunk.

    ¡°I, am trash¡­¡±

    That was evident from how she was trying to shove her head into the rubbish bin inside Yeorum¡¯s room.

    Yeorum was trying her hardest to remain sane and that caused all the intoxication to fly away.

    ¡°Huuk! Uahhhk¡­!¡±

    An increase in output by 5.15 times.

    It in fact was yet to be confirmed, because there had never been an onion core with more than 8 cracked seals recorded in history. 5.15 times¡­ depending on the weapon, it might even allow a Level 2 artifact to reach a Level 4 artifact.

    With this, it would be possible for low-ranked superhumans to defeat 3-digit superhumans, and a 2-digit superhuman might even be able to kill Rank 2, BM, with a decent weapon in hand.

    A single core with an output like that was ridiculous, and that was how insane of a high roll this was.

    The probability was only 0.0000032% ¨C approximately 3 out of 100,000,000. Choose 30 million people and only one of them would seed, and yet there were less than 50,000 onion cores in the entire world.

    Unprecedented, unheard of and revolutionary.

    Whatever the case, it was an extremely precious core¡­!

    Sitting on Yeorum¡¯s hand was an onion core with 9 cracked seals that had managed to fight against the odds.

    ¡°This is too amazing now right¡­?¡± said Bom.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Should we stop now¡­?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, no.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really fine¡­ it was just a superstition¡­ it might just be a coincidence right¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Despite being drunk and half out of her mind, Bom made a rough estimate of the core¡¯s value and suggested they stop, because there was no reason for Yeorum to suffer so much.

    ¡°If ahjussi throws me away in the future, that must be because I did something wrong¡­ I must have hurt his feelings, and done something bad¡­ Nn. In that case, I can understand why¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you on about! Stop trying to force yourself to understand!¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Why would he throw me away? What am Icking? How could he do such a thing¡­? A female dragon like me, is hard to find. Right¡­? I¡¯m a virgin¡­ pretty¡­ kind¡­ and I can even match my physique to his preference¡­ As long as he loves me back¡­? I can give him everything including my soul¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah fuck. This shit again.¡±

    Bom started whining like a drunkard again so Yeorum shook her head. In any case, the reason Yeorum stopped was not because of the value of this 9-unsealed core.

    ¡°Oi. Yu Bom you trash.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I am trash Yu Bom¡­¡±

    ¡°Take this, you trash.¡±

    With a stern look on her face, Yeorum handed the core back to Bom.

    ¡°This, is yourst chance.¡±

    This was the reason she had stopped.

    There were only 10yers of seals around the onion core. If they were to seed one more time, it would nowpletely get rid of their ¡®chance to fail¡¯.

    ¡°If you seed this as well, there¡¯s no turning back from your superstition.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a 90% chance to fail though. Yeah? 90%¡­¡±

    Bom slowly nodded her head.

    ¡°What was the chance of failure again?¡± Yeorum asked.

    ¡°90%¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah fucking 90%. So crush it real good. Please. Okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Repeat after me! W, we can do it!¡±

    ¡°We can do it¡­!¡±

    ¡°We can, fail the honing!¡±

    ¡°We can fail¡­!¡±

    ¡°90% chance to fail! Let¡¯s gooooo!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s gooo¡­!¡±

    Bom opened the 10thyer.

    With a crack, theyer of seal around the core dropped. All theyers were now gone leaving behind a single kernel inside as the core began to vibrate. Kugugugugung¡­ Its vibration was strong enough to resonate with the air inside the room. Seeing a different reaction caused both Bom and Yeorum to widen their eyes and re at the core.

    Please! Please crack¡­!

    Yeorum gulped while sweating from her tight fists.

    That was when a sudden crevice appeared on the onion core that was shaking left and right as it began to divide into two separate parts. At the same time, the light dimmed out as the outer side of the core rapidly withered and shrunk.

    ¡°Hukk! Is, is it a fail? Did we fail¡­?!¡±

    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±

    ¡°It looks like a fail! Dude! We finally did it¡­!¡±

    That was the scariest 90% chance in the entire world. Thinking that, Yeorum was about to hug Bom in surprise but that was when the core cracked open like a nutshell.

    Revealed inside the withered shells of the onion core was a small yet iparably forceful kernel. It appeared like thepressed version of the Sun. The moment it shook the nearby atmosphere and disyed its overwhelming mana to the hatchlings, Yeorum realised it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This too was a sess.

    She was so dumbfounded that she couldn¡¯t say a word. Feeling as if she would vomit out blood, Yeorum turned towards Bom wondering why she was so quiet in the face of such a shocking turn of events. But upon seeing her face, Yeorum immediately understood the reason.

    It was no wonder, because Bom had already fainted!

    ¡°H, holy fuck¡­¡±

    Yeorum murmured before turning to the core with trembling eyes.

    She then thought to herself.

    A core with 10 cracked seals. With such power in her hands¡­

    After thinking up to that point, she took the core into her arms, opened the window and jumped out.

    She ran away.

 Chapter 321: Another Peaceful Day (1)

    <h4>Chapter 321: Another Peaceful Day (1)</h4>

    ¡°Hello¡­?¡±

    Yeorum weed Yu Jitae with an awkward smile on her face. She was underneath one of the bridges that were in the restricted area of Lair. There was an enormous amount of mana surging into all sides and the source of all that mana was on Yeorum¡¯s waist.

    ording to the protector, it seemed that Yeorum had abruptly left the house after having a sudden quarrel with Bom and she had already hidden her presence by the time he began looking for her. It was different from her usual outing but that didn¡¯t mean she could hide herself from him.

    ¡°What are you doing here.¡±

    ¡°Nn? Nothing. That was quick though. It¡¯s only been half a day since I ran away.¡±

    She gave it away with her own mouth. ¡®Ran away¡¯?

    ¡°Why did you run away.¡±

    ¡°Just puberty stuff, you know.¡±

    Yu Jitae twitched his fingers.

    ¡°Stop talking gibberish ande here.¡±

    ¡°Okayy.¡±

    It was time to return home.

    As soon as Yeorum came and stood next to him, he threw his gaze towards her waist. No matter what he thought, it was strange. Why was that core so much stronger now?

    In response, she slightly curved her body and hid it while stealing a nce at his face. She seemed very conscious of it so he asked her.

    ¡°What is that.¡±

    ¡°Little Yeowum¡¯s bott ?¡±

    ¡°Bott?¡±

    ¡°Butt.¡±

    ¡°No, not that. I mean what¡¯s with the core on your waist.¡±

    ¡°What about the core?¡±

    Why was she pretending to be clueless?

    ¡°Why¡¯s the output so high? It feels a lot different. Did you remove moreyers or something?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum looked at him with a pout before scratching her hair.

    ¡°Can¡¯t hide anything. Fucking hell¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°N, nothing. Nn. It is the same core. Did a few more gacha and they actually all went well.¡±

    ¡°Why are you hiding it then.¡±

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s a treasure so why wouldn¡¯t I hide it. Anyway, what is Yu Bom doing right now?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic. Why did you run away all of a sudden, and why did you fight with Bom.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Is that what she said?¡±

    ¡°No. She¡¯s just staying holed up in her room.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not like, angry or anything right?¡±

    ¡°Why; did you hit her?¡±

    She refuted.

    ¡°No I did not¡­! So how is Yu Bom? Is she mad?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t look particrly upset.¡±

    ¡°Really? Ah, and we didn¡¯t fight or anything. We just drank a lot and ran a few more gachas¡­ but they worked unexpectedly well so I wanted to sneak away with the core while keeping it a secret from Bom-unni.¡±

    ¡°What a nice personality.¡±

    ¡°Just an average red dragon, thank you very much.¡±

    His feet came to a stop. Yu Jitae pondered for a bit, before throwing her a question.

    The output he was feeling from the core was impressive even by his standards, and was not just one or two stages above the 6-unsealed core she had before. It was either 9 or even beyond that¡­

    Of course, it was nothing useful for him. Adding a water tank filled with water into the ocean wouldn¡¯t result in much but it was definitely significant for hatchlings and he also realised that Yeorum was trying to hide something.

    Should he intervene or should he trust them?

    He asked at the end of a long contemtion.

    ¡°Is that something I don¡¯t need to know about?¡±

    Since it was something he wasn¡¯t supposed to know about, Yeorum gave a nod.

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    And Yu Jitae decided to trust her.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    On the other hand, Yeorum was slightly curious about Bom¡¯s state because she seemed to be fine ording to Yu Jitae. It was surprising enough that she had be sober so fast after all that but it was even more mysterious that she didn¡¯t make an uproar after waking up from the intoxication.

    How would she be feeling right now? Yeorum could not even begin toprehend her emotions.

    It might be because she was drunk that things had ended with her simply fainting. Bom wasn¡¯t in a good state before, so much so that she could have killed herself upon seeing the 10th sess if she had been doing it with a sober mind.

    However, it seemed that she was now meekly staying in her own room ording to Yu Jitae, so Yeorum was curious about her condition throughout their way back home.

    Opening the door of Unit 301 was as intimidating as opening the pandora¡¯s box. If Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t waiting behind her with a doubtful look in his eyes, Yeorum would have spent a few more minutes hesitating in front of the door.

    After opening the door, Yeorum stared at her own room and Unit 301 that had now been cleaned, before heading towards Bom¡¯s room.

    ¡°Onnii¡­¡±

    She stealthily pushed the door open and found Bom sitting on the windowsill gazing outside. She seemedpletely sober.

    Bom was indifferently staring outside at the sunset and her calmposure was soon transmitted to Yeorum.

    ¡°Bom-unni.¡±

    When Yeorum called her once again with a calmer voice this time, Bom turned around.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Bom came down from the windowsill. After making sure the door was closed behind her, Yeorum walked towards her.

    She didn¡¯t run away from home for no reason.

    ¡°You remember everything, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°What are you gonna do now. The core has finished upgrading already.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to give up on Yu Jitae?¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah fuck it. Is Yu Jitae the only male in the world? There are tons of dicks out there.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Right? Take it easy. We are not going to be spending time here forever and we have to go back anyway once it¡¯s all done. We¡¯re destined to part ways in the first ce, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Or you can do it with me when you¡¯re bored.¡±

    Yeorum grinned while tapping her own crotch but Bom did not smile in return. In fact, she had a nk look on her face let alone a smile, as if she waspletely detached from the current situation.

    The smile soon vanished from Yeorum¡¯s face.

    ¡°Yu Bom. Give me your hand.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll lend you this.¡±

    Saying that, she took out something that was on her waist. The weapon resembling a revolver gleamed beneath the sunset and showed off its golden lustre.

    [Dragon yer]

    A top Level 2 revolver artifact, that had the best performance out of magic guns. Yeorum used up all her funds that she had earned by working as a superhuman to buy the revolver after leaving home.

    Naturally, it had not actually killed a dragon before and it was just a name, but it was a fairly powerful name regardless.

    An average Level 2 revolver wouldn¡¯t be that much stronger than Bom¡¯s magic but what was important was the ambient golden glow around the gun. Embedded on the gun was the onion core.

    ¡°I thought about it, but looking at you right now, you¡¯re probably going to do it with Yu Jitae in the near future.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But the problem is whates next right? If that ck dragon really is that ck-haired woman, and if that bitch tries to steal Yu Jitae away from you¡­¡±

    Yeorum slowly gripped her hands and ced the gun above her palm.

    ¡°Shoot it.¡±

    However, Bom shook her head in response.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to give me this. Did you buy it at a Swiss armoury? Let¡¯s take the core out and quickly refund it.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°I seriously don¡¯t need this. More importantly, this is too dangerous.¡±

    Yeorum felt mysteriously ufortable with Bom¡¯s current voice, and her unfocused eyes were even more unpleasant.

    She felt a chill going down her spine. She had been thinking that Bom was mysteriously calm but that was wrong ¨C Bom was by no means calm.

    Her eyes were the eyes of a dead person.

    ¡°Before, I had a really bad urge for a bit.¡±

    ¡°¡­What? Dude, are you sure you¡¯re fine?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I did be better after seeing ahjussi¡¯s face so I¡¯m fine now. But, ahjussi won¡¯t be near me all the time and if I have this in my hand, I don¡¯t know what will happen.¡±

    Yeorum gulped.

    They really were alike.

    That face.

    It was the same expression that she sometimes saw on Yu Jitae¡¯s face¡­

    ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s simple. Just shoot.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s moreplicated than that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who I might end up shooting.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Something like this?¡±

    Bom said while pointing the gun at her own temple.

    ¡°Oi, you freaking¡­!¡± In a fright, Yeorum pushed her away and hurriedly snatched the gun away from her hands. Bom fell back like a stringless puppet and sat down on the bed.

    ¡°Yu Bom. I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t you dare do anything strange, unless you want to get bashed up. Do you get that?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°What are you gonna do without this though?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even need that. I¡¯m a lot better at using magic than you think. I can use a decent spell as long as I prepare beforehand even without a gun like that.¡±

    Bom appeared extremely unfamiliar. Yeorum had no idea what the reason was, but she appeared very different.

    ¡°¡­Are you okay in the head right now? Fuck, what in the hell is wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°Why are you so mad? Am I that scary?¡±

    ¡°Scary? You¡¯re freaking creepy right now. Don¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Bom vacantly gazed at the stern look on Yeorum¡¯s face before slowly lying down on the bed.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Rumpled pyjamas and dishevelled green hair. With a gaze that was difficult to read, she stared at the dream catcher on the ceiling as it shook from the spring breeze and let out a ringing noise.

    ¡°I¡¯m also quite scared.¡±

    ¡°¡­What are you scared about?¡±

    Bom slowly continued with a voice dry enough to resemble a dusty ground.

    ¡°I have no idea what I might do.¡±

    ***

    After that however, Bom was mystifyingly normal.

    In the morning, she would return home with Yu Jitae carrying food or sometimes cook food at home, y outside with Kaeul and apany Gyeoul to her school as her guardian.

    Yeorum, the only one that knew everything, observed her from time to time but could not find anything strange. She had an indifferent look on her face and sometimes smiled but that was all.

    ¡°Oi, Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°Does she look okay in your opinion?¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­¡±

    Kaeul nodded.

    ¡°Uun! Whyy?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she look strange at all?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    Even Gyeoul, who was next to them, tilted her head wondering what that was about. It was expected for the dense Goldie to be clueless but the blue kid was quite sensitive to people¡¯s expressions and it meant that Bom¡¯s facade was extremely natural to the point that even the kid couldn¡¯t catch it.

    What did it mean for her to look normal in a situation that was far from normal¡­?

    ¡®Fucking hell.¡¯

    Yeorum was slightly frustrated since there was no-one to share the secret with.

    But regardless, daily life continued as per normal.

    Looking at Kaeul and Gyeoul who were sitting right at the front entrance, Yeorum suddenly felt odd. Weren¡¯t they sitting there the whole time ever since morning?

    ¡°By the way, what are you guys doing there?¡±

    ¡°Un un. We are waiting for Gyeoul¡¯s delivery.¡±

    ¡°Delivery? For what?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a super suuuper important delivery. Right?¡±

    ¡®¡­Nn nn!¡¯ Kaeul and Gyeoul looked into each other¡¯s eyes and shared an inside conversation that only the two of them knew about.

    ¡°What is this about, you idiots.¡±

    ¡°You see, Gyeoul ordered something second-hand for ahjussi¡­¡±

    That was when Gyeoul brought her fingers to her lips and went, ¡®Shhhh!¡¯ as they then chuckled out loud among themselves.

    ¡°Far out¡­¡±

    Second-hand?

    It seemed that the fools were doing something foolish again. She was about to ignore it and walk away but that was when she started to hear the ringing footsteps of the courier outside.

    Yeorum usually did not understand the world of fools nor did she feel the need to, but she had never seen Yu Gyeoul anticipating a delivery this much so she became slightly curious.

    Crossing her arms, she waited with them wondering what it was.

    ¡°It¡¯s here, it¡¯s here¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The idiots giggled, ¡°Hihi¡± and stood up from the ground as they waited for the courier like puppies wagging their tails.

    ¨C Delivery~

    ¡°Yess!¡±

    After receiving the box,

    Gyeoul nervously raised a cutter knife. With an empty cough, ¡°Khmm,¡± Yeorum stood behind them and curiously watched them open the box. Kaeul soon cracked the protective spell that was cast on the post as the box began to open by itself.

    Revealed inside was¡­

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Unn?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Gyeoul, Kaeul and Yeorum all raised a question mark above their heads. Gyeoul lifted the thing that was inside the box in surprise.

    It was rectangr, hard, orange and had three holes on it.

    ¡°¡­¡­Nnnn!?¡±

    It was a brick.

 Chapter 322: Another Peaceful Day (2)

    <h4>Chapter 322: Another Peaceful Day (2)</h4>

    ¡°Idiots. You got scammed.¡±

    Gyeoul rolled her eyes in response to Yeorum¡¯s words.

    Scammed?

    Of course, she wasn¡¯t rolling her eyes because she didn¡¯t know what the word meant. It was just that she only knew it as a word and had yet to be introduced to the concept. It simply did not feel realistic.

    ¡°¡­Then, what about my item?¡±

    ¡°Of course you can¡¯t get it. You got scammed.¡±

    ¡°¡­Refund?¡±

    ¡°You think they¡¯ll do it? Didn¡¯t you already send the money to that seller guy? They probably ran away with the money already.¡±

    That was when Kaeul became startled instead, and Yeorum immediately realised who it was that had sent the money in the stead of Gyeoul.

    No item nor money and in the end, the only thing in her hand was a brick. Only then did Gyeoul realise how much of a ridiculous situation she was in.

    ¡°¡­T, this can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    She crumbled down.

    Yeorum apathetically clicked her tongue. There was nothing she knew about the situation so she didn¡¯t really feel like teasing them either.

    ¡°What did you buy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Something important.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°¡­A secret.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of a stupid secret at this point?¡±

    Gyeoul refused to say it and continued shaking her head. Yeorum looked to the side and found Kaeul with a simrlyplicated look on her face, looking like she wasn¡¯t keen on saying it either.

    ¡°Ah, like what is it. Is this how you¡¯re going to be like? At least I need to know what it is that you ordered to help you, right.¡±

    Yeorum stubbornly demanded for the answer so Kaeul had no choice but to open her mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just a memory crystal¡­¡±

    A memory crystal was an artifact with a limited use that recorded or sustained the information with mana.

    Why would Yu Gyeoul buy such a thing?

    Well, that wasn¡¯t the important question for the time being.

    ¡°We uploaded a post looking for sellers.¡±

    ¡°On what, a second-hand transaction site?¡±

    ¡°Unn unn. We said we were looking for a 5Y memory crystal and we got a message. The person said they would be selling it at a cheaper price¡­¡±

    ¡°And how much was that?¡±

    Until now, Yeorum was quite rxed. A kid was buying something second-hand on the inte so how expensive could it be? That was what she was thinking, but the price that left Kaeul¡¯s mouth immediately changed her mind.

    ¡°3,500 dors.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°3,500 dors! That was Gyeoul¡¯s entire fortune¡­!¡±

    ¡°You idiots! Are you dumb? And you got scammed!?¡±

    Yeorum shouted out loud.

    $3,500

    It was arge amount of money for an average person, and it was an especially more significant sum for Gyeoul.

    Yeorum knew all the things Gyeoul had done in order to earn money. She always dried bananas and sweet potatoes on the terrace with the protector and always bought more umbres and coloured papers than necessary. That would have probably given her a few dors a day.

    The prize she got from the school captain incident plus the 400 dors Yeorum gave her tomemorate the onion core¡­ All that money she had earned diligently over the past few years was gone in a sh.

    Like, why did this stupid retard have to get scammed? Why didn¡¯t she ask Yu Bom or Yu Jitae for help if she was going to spend such arge amount of money?

    Yeorum became pissed off the more she thought about it. It would have been fine if she was the one stealing all that money, but the fact that it was stolen by someone random gave her the urge to spank Gyeoul.

    ¡°Yu Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the seller¡¯s fucking phone number.¡±

    ¡°Ah. This one¡­¡±

    Yeorum called but,

    Beep, beep, beep¡­

    As expected, the opponent did not pick up.

    ¡°Unni, unni. Should we tell ahjussi?¡± Kaeul asked but he was currently in the middle of a conversation with Yu Bom. Yeorum judged after eavesdropping that it was a fairly important conversation so she felt disinclined to interrupt them.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it myself for now. Do you still have the post? The guy wrote ament on your post right?¡±

    ¡°Uun. This is the list of posts I made¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me have a look.¡±

    But thement was already deleted.

    ¡°Ah, I remember seeing the ID¡­!¡±

    Kaeul suddenly pped out loud and immediately spelled the user ID number of the scammer. Even though both Yeorum and Kaeul were bad with the inte, they still managed to find the person after working together for some time.

    Using the ID number, they looked up the opponent¡¯s list of postedments while uploading a scam report on the [report forum].

    [Manager: Hello.]

    At the same time, Yeorum talked to the manager of the scam report forum and looked up the phone number on the inte for any other scam reports. The person indeed was a scammer with two other instances under their name.

    ¡°Unni, I found the posts that person uploaded¡­!¡±

    ¡°Let me see.¡±

    However, all the posts on the list had thebel, [Sessful Transaction] and it seemed that every other deal had been made sessfully. Then what was up with the brick they received?

    ¡°Why do all the other ones look fine? They even have the buyer¡¯sment.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we were the first to get scammed¡­?¡±

    But after talking about it with the manager, they realised that fake transaction posts could be created to add credibility.

    Yeorum clicked her tongue.

    ¡°Oi Yu Kaeul. Do you have a picture of the messages you sent them? The scam report manager wants to have a look at it if we got one.¡±

    ¡°Uun? Ah, here! Gyeoul talked to him directly!¡±

    Her eyes naturally went first to the profile picture. It was a picture of a house with a young baby.

    ¡°What the fuck? What kind of a freaking guy with a baby scams people online with second-hand stuff?¡±

    ¡°I know right! That¡¯s why Gyeoul and I trusted him¡­!¡±

    It seemed to be an intricate method to induce trust.

    1. A lower price than others,

    2. The posts all seem to be of sessful transactions,

    3. A profile picture of a cozy house and a baby and;

    [JunYungKwon: Hello ^^~ I would like to sell a memory crystal. Are you still looking for one by any chance?]

    4. He sounded like a nice person

    It was no wonder that Yu Gyeoul was scammed.

    [Me: Aht]

    [Me: Yes¡­]

    [Me: Hello¡­]

    Disyed on the screen of the watch were messages Gyeoul had sent.

    Yeorum continued scrolling down.

    [JunYungKwon: Thank you for replying T.T. In fact, I was in a hurry trying to sell it because I¡¯m in need of a big lump of money, but no-one wanted to buy it.]

    [Me: I see¡­]

    [Me: Memory crystals aren¡¯t that popr after all.]

    Why was this stupid Yu Gyeoul calmly having a conversation with him?

    The opponent had a decently urgent excuse as well. He said his child was sick but they didn¡¯t have enough money to pay for the hospital fees.

    [Me: Oh no¡­ Q.Q]

    A 5Y memory crystal¡¯s market price was around $6,200 and second-hand goods were usually sold at $4,500 a piece so Gyeoul was probably delighted by the cheaper price.

    [Me: T.T¡­]

    [Me: Hope the baby bes healthy again very soon.]

    [JunYungKwon: Thank you T.T]

    And here Yu Gyeoul was consoling the freaking scammer.

    ¡°Like¡­¡±

    After reading that far down, Yeorum had to swallow all sorts of profanities that were threatening to leave her throat. She was feeling more and more irritated but that was when Gyeoul tried to snatch the watch back.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°¡­Give me, my watch.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this about? I haven¡¯t finished taking a picture yet.¡±

    ¡°¡­Give it back.¡±

    Kaeul had to calm her down by saying, ¡°Gyeoul, let¡¯s stay still.¡±

    On the other hand, Yeorum wondered what was wrong with the kid. Gyeoul had an extremely gloomy look on her face and gave off a strong feeling that she was embarrassed about her mistake.

    It was all out in the open already so what more was there to be embarrassed about?

    In doubt, Yeorum scrolled all the way down to the recent messages.

    [Me: Thank you so much for selling it at a cheap price¡­]

    [Me: ([MM Supplement] x 1 ¨C The gift has been sent sessfully!)]

    [Me: This is a present¡­]

    [Me: You must be exhausted looking after the baby T.T¡­]

    Gyeoul sent a supplement that was worth 50 dors as a gratitude but the opponent did not even say anything in return. Yeorum felt like her blood was flowing in the opposite direction.

    ¡°Aoh, you freaking fool¡­¡±

    What was below was even worse.

    [Me: Hello.]

    [Me: Umm¡­]

    [Me: You are sending it tomorrow right?]

    [JunYungKwon: Yes, I will.]

    The opponent suddenly changed his attitude.

    [Me: It didn¡¯te today¡­]

    [Me: Excuse me¡­]

    [Me: ??]

    [Me: Excuse me T.T]

    [Me: It hasn¡¯te yet¡­]

    [Me: When is iting?]

    [Me: Hello? When is iting?]

    [JunYungKwon: Just wait, there¡¯s an error with thepany]

    [JunYungKwon: Will send tomorrow]

    And the opponent continued postponing it. After reading that much, Yeorum could not control her anger anymore and asked.

    ¡°Oi, Yu Kaeul. Did you not know about this?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul also had a fairly upset look on her face, so Yeorum¡¯s arrowhead of fury soon pointed at Gyeoul.

    ¡°Oi, Yu Gyeoul. You pretend like a smartass everytime so why¡¯d you do something so stupid? Why did you do such a stupid freaking thing while hiding it from us and ahjussi. Huh?¡±

    ¡°Unni! Don¡¯t be so mean to Gyeoul¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I only sent the money for her. This was an extremely important thing for her, and there¡¯s a reason why Gyeoul was trying to do it by herself¡­¡±

    When Kaeul whispered the reason into her ears, it really was an important reason so Yeorum unknowingly heaved a deep sigh.

    ¡°Ah, for fuck¡¯s sake¡­¡±

    In any case, she could no longer be satisfied by just reporting it as a scam. Yeorum was so angry that she would rip the limbs off and pull the eyeballs out of the scammer if he was standing in front of her right now.

    She was annoyed at Yu Gyeoul for being so nice to the scammer like a fool, but the fact that her act of kindness had been betrayed made her even more irritated.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    While Yeorum was trying to let off steam by herself, Kaeul knocked on Yu Jitae¡¯s door as the representative.

    *

    ¡°What?¡±

    Gyeoul had aplicated look on her face and both Yeorum and Kaeul also looked extremely unhappy. After listening to their story, he realised why.

    If she needed more money, she could have just asked him for more money, but it seemed that she had gone to an unfamiliar second-hand transaction website so that she could do it with her own hands.

    Yu Jitae looked at Gyeoul. The child couldn¡¯t even look back into his eyes as if she had done something terribly wrong.

    ¡°So you see? I helped Gyeoul send the money. But¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I see.¡±

    ¡°¡­I, didn¡¯t want, the baby to be sick¡­¡±

    ¡°You did well.¡±

    ¡°I talked to the manager of the scam report forum about it. That fucking shithead¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Okay.¡±

    The children surprisingly began to feel more rxed as Yu Jitae calmly listened to their stories.

    It was strange. Was this not that big of a deal? Seeing Yu Jitae listening to them speak as if the whole thing wasn¡¯t that big of a deal, they began to doubt themselves for being so frustrated over something so insignificant.

    ¡°But why do you look so down. Yu Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry?¡±

    ¡°You did nothing wrong so why are you feeling down?¡±

    ¡°¡­Because I didn¡¯t know¡­ and I got scammed like a fool.¡±

    Gyeoul replied while pushing her index fingers together.

    What would Yu Jitae of the past have said in response? He wondered, but couldn¡¯t exactly find the right answer. Regardless, now that he was retrieving his daily life, Yu Jitae found her reply to be very peculiar.

    ¡°What a very strange thing to say. It¡¯s the scammer¡¯s fault for deceiving you.¡±

    ¡°¡­But, ¡­if I did better.¡±

    ¡°No. Even if you were clumsy, it¡¯s still the deceiver¡¯s fault.¡±

    Gyeoul blinked her eyes. He simply threw those words out without thinking too much about it but it was a mysteriously consoling sentence for Gyeoul.

    But even then, the situation at hand was still a very frustrating one.

    ¡°Then, uum, what should we do now¡­?¡±

    Kaeul asked carefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t the type to abuse his abnormal authority for things that happened inside the spectrum of a normal daily life. However, he made this an exception because the opponent had ruined Gyeoul¡¯s daily life.

    The opponent was a Korean and had used a Korean number to message Gyeoul.

    Yu Jitae turned on his watch and gave a call. Several urgent beeps that were unique to a special hotline rang as the kids nervously waited by the side.

    ¨C Central Security Agency speaking.

    Soon, the top intelligence agency of the International Association of Superhumans picked up the call.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. There¡¯s something I want you to do for me in secret.¡±

    ¨C Yes, Chief. Please give us themand.

    And within merely 30 seconds,

    Every bit of information about the scammer including their full name, education level, family register, current address, family condition, national registration number, phone number, interpersonal rtionships, inte cookies and SNS interactions were sent to Yu Jitae¡¯s watch.

    The scammer¡¯s identity revealed was like the following.

    Name. Jun Yungji.

    Female.

    Residence in Seoul.

    Up to there was normal but¡­ there was something astonishing about the scammer¡¯s identity.

    ¡°Huh, wait what? Is this actually the scammer¡¯s face?¡±

    ¡°Apparently.¡±

    Yeorum frowned after seeing the photo.

    It was a kid.

    The scammer was underage no matter how you saw it, and she looked to be around the same age as Gyeoul. She looked just like a random kid that would chat with her friends and carry her bag to a school.

    ¡°How old is she?¡±

    ¡°13 years old.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. She speaks like a freaking bitch and she¡¯s only 13 years old?¡±

    ¡°Oh wow¡­ why would such a young child do such a bad thing?¡±

    Yeorum and Kaeul focused on different aspects after hearing her age.

    The world was wide and there were all sorts of unique people everywhere.

    The problem was that her residence was in Korea. Even after the New Era, Korea had a juvenile protection act for those above 10 and below 14 in age. In other words, minors could still breach thew and go practically unpunished.

    So although they could physically bash her up and snatch the money back, it was impossible to give the child a legal punishment through thew. Yeorum and Kaeul were dumbfounded about the legal system whereas Gyeoul had a slightly astonished look on her face.

    ¡°¡­Then, ¡­we can¡¯t get the money back?¡±

    ¡°No. Of course you can get the money back.¡±

    It was possible to get it back ¨C thinking that, her expression finally eased a little.

    But wouldn¡¯t it be frustrating to be on the receiving end of such an hical incident only to have the same amount of money back? After some contemtion, Yu Jitae added more words.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°The kid made another post on a different second-hand websitest night. Do you want to have a look?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, yes.¡±

    ===

    (Buying an artifact)

    ¨C Looking for the semi-perpetual perfume, ¡®MX12¡¯

    ¨C Price: [Beneath $4,000]

    ¨C Note: Please contact me only if you are okay with a negotiation

    ===

    Simply put, she was a young girl who diligently used up the money she earned through scamming to decorate herself.

    ¡°How about you sell it to her.¡±

    ¡°¡­But, ¡­I don¡¯t have, this perfume.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    He lifted the brick.

    ¡°You have one right here.¡±

    Yeorum immediately floated a bright smile as if she imagined a brilliant oue while Kaeul was surprised. Matching a scam with another scam? That was what her eyes appeared to be saying.

    What was important here was Gyeoul¡¯s opinion. She had a slightly brighter look on her face after understanding his words but turned gloomy again after a while. She appeared hesitant.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­But, 4,000 dors, ¡­ is too much.¡±

    Even though it was only 500 dors more, she was reluctant.

    For Gyeoul, it seemed that those 500 dors were a very important issue. Worrying about such a thing¡­ It really suited her, who never crossed the line despite her wants, who wanted Yu Jitae to be a ¡®good person¡¯.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to take the whole money.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t this girl sell it at a cheaper price? You can do the same. Sell it for the 3,500 dors that you lost.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    It was a remarkable solution.

    Gyeoul gave a bright smile.

    *

    [Winter: Hello ?? I saw your post on the second-hand marketce. I¡¯m looking to sell the semi-perpetual perfume, ¡®MX12¡¯ in a hurry.]

    [Me: Oh wow! Hello! How much are you thinking of?]

    [Winter: I can bring it down to 3,600 dors.]

    Kaeul and Yeorum giggled seeing her small revenge.

 Chapter 323: Another Peaceful Day (3)

    <h4>Chapter 323: Another Peaceful Day (3)</h4>

    Five pairs of eyes looked into Gyeoul¡¯s watch.

    ¡°Gyeoul Gyeoul. Don¡¯t be too nice to her. That person was so mean to you in the end so let¡¯s not be too kind, okay?¡±

    Hearing that, Gyeoul typed a message.

    [Me: There won¡¯t be any more negotiations.]

    ¡°What do you mean, you stupid Goldie. Of course you have to be nice.¡±

    [Me: But I can definitely promise you that the transaction will be done asap¡­ :)]

    ¡°Uun? Why?¡±

    ¡°You only know one and not two. Listen. Which do you think would be more annoying: starting off with swear words or getting closer by pretending to be nice and then back-stabbing them?¡±

    ¡°Oh wow¡­¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Wouldn¡¯t it be more shocking if we start politely and then swear at the very end?¡±

    ¡°Unni, you really are evil¡­¡±

    [Scammer: I also love quick transactions. ^^ And I think $3,600 is a good price for me as well.]

    [Me: Thank you :)]

    It was Gyeoul who had personally saved the opponent¡¯s number under the name, scammer.

    At this point, Gyeoul was nervous because there would be a little authentication process now ording to Yu Jitae. She knew that deceiving a scammer would not be easy regardless of the scammer¡¯s age, not because that person was cleverer than her, but because those that were cautious of others¡¯ doubt were always more skeptical themselves.

    [Scammer: :)]

    [Scammer: May I please see a photo of the item?]

    As expected, it was here.

    But everything had already been prepared beforehand.

    ¡°Unni! She wants the photo¡­!¡±

    ¡°Nn. Here you go.¡±

    One of Bom¡¯s ¡®friends at the Association¡¯ who was interested in decorating herself had the following perfume and Bom had already received the picture from her.

    [Scammer: Wow ?? It¡¯s pretty much new!]

    That was because the picture was taken at the time it was bought.

    Gyeoul widened her eyes hoping it worked but that wasn¡¯t enough to answer the scammer¡¯s doubt.

    [Scammer: Can you please write your nickname and today¡¯s date and show it together?]

    [Scammer: There are too many scammers these days you know T.T]

    ¡°Fucking bullshit. Wish I could rip her tongue out.¡±

    ¡°Uugh, so shameless¡­¡±

    It was Bom¡¯s job to make the fake proof and she was the best-suited for tasks like this. Naturally, the image matching that requirement had already been prepared.

    [Scammer: Thank you, it definitely is real! :)]

    [Scammer: ^^ Thanks for letting me have a look!]

    Okay! Gyeoul raised her thumb and gave her a thumbs-up so Bom returned one back.

    [Scammer: By the way, did you like the perfume when you used it?]

    [Me: Yes I did.]

    [Me: I used it only once to try out the smell but I really do think it¡¯s a great perfume. The smell also stayed there until I removed it :)]

    [Scammer: But if it¡¯s new and you liked it, why are you selling it at such a cheap price?]

    [Me: Ah, that¡¯s¡­]

    Gyeoul stopped her fingers and hesitated.

    Now was the time to get close to her as Yeorum had suggested.

    Gyeoul contemted. What should she write? Since all of her rtionships till now were formed by others approaching her first, she did not know how to approach someone else. She told her sisters that she did not know what to say, and the kids immediately turned their gazes to Bom.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±

    ¡°Unni. You¡¯re super great at that!¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, yes.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not really the case but¡­¡±

    Bom thought for a bit, before adding more words.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Gyeoul. How about we add a beautiful story to the perfume?¡±

    A story?

    [Scammer: But if it¡¯s new and you liked it, why are you selling it at such a cheap price?]

    [Me: Ah, that¡¯s¡­]

    [Me: It¡¯s going to be a long story but¡­ would you still like to hear it? Haha¡­]

    [Scammer: What is it? I am curious.]

    [Me: Until recently, I couldn¡¯t get a job.]

    [Me: I really wanted to work but, I couldn¡¯t find a job for nearly 2 years. Because my qualifications are all quite mediocre¡­]

    [Me: I had 50 interviews at least¡­ and failed all of them. It¡¯s hard to find a job these days¡­]

    [Me: But our house is not financially well-off so not being able to find a job for 3 years made it ufortable to sit around at home. I had no other choice so I took an interview for a job at the red-light district but I just couldn¡¯t tell the truth to my family so¡­ I told them I might find a job in retail haha¡­]

    [Scammer: Ah¡­]

    [Me: But my parents were so d that their daughter could finally get a job, and they gave me a present.]

    [Me: They gave me this expensive perfume¡­]

    [Scammer: Ahh¡­ T.T]

    [Me: But something amazing happened.]

    [Me: At noon of the first day of my work at the red-light district was my final interview at a differentpany. So I put on the perfume and went to the interview.]

    [Me: And like a miracle, I passed it¡­]

    [Scammer: Oh wow really?? T.T]

    [Scammer: Woww T.T]

    [Me: Yes ?? ¡­ But the new job I found has nothing to do with meeting customers, so I decided to sell it. So that I could do something better for my parents with that money.]

    [Me: I believe it¡¯s a perfume that brings in luck ^^]

    [Scammer: That¡¯s amazing unni TT.TT]

    [Scammer: I¡¯m so happy for you T.T]

    [Me: Thank you T.T]

    That was the end.

    Bom, who had been giving the lines to Gyeoul with her eyes closed, slowly opened her eyes and found Yeorum, Kaeul and even Gyeoul looking at her with a strange look on their face.

    ¡°¡­My word.¡±

    ¡°What a freak¡­¡±

    ¡°Uahh¡­ I got goosebumps¡­¡±

    Bom giggled in return.

    ¡°Was that okay?¡±

    ¡°Unni, you are a bit scary¡­ Your liese out like you¡¯re a vending machine¡­!¡±

    ¡°It was something random I made up. Seems it was okay.¡±

    Yu Jitae was also quite amazed.

    Re-selling was generally the result of some sort of dissatisfaction so answering the question, ¡®Why are you selling such a good item?¡¯ was not an easy task. It forced the seller to point out the negatives of the item, but Bom decorated the reason with ¡®filial love¡¯ instead andbelled it as a ¡®lucky item¡¯.

    At this point, even the buyer would consider the perfume special and it was a truly exquisite lie considering it had been made up in just a few seconds.

    ¡°Scary bitch¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, Yeorum was ufortable for a different reason as she continued ring at Bom. Soon their eyes met and Bom returned a faint smile with a wink so Yeorum felt even more ufortable.

    In any case, the scammer became a lot more friendly thanks to that.

    [Scammer: Yes T.T. Unni, it¡¯s really great that you managed to find a good job TT.TT. Congrattions T.T]

    [Me: Thank you ^^¡­]

    [Me: Hopefully it will bring luck to whoever¡­]

    ¡°Ah, Gyeoul. Let¡¯s add a heart at the end.¡±

    [Me: Hopefully it will bring luck to whoever buys it ?]

    All the preparations were now over.

    *

    On the other hand, there was a doubt that struck Gyeoul¡¯s mind as she was about to ce the brick into the post box. She asked her unnis whether doing a revenge on someone that has done a bad thing to you was also a ¡®bad thing¡¯ or not.

    The children showed mixed responses.

    ¡°Uum, I¡¯m not too sure. It does seem to be a right thing thinking about all the shock we got, and how that person would be feeling happy from stealing our money but¡­ if we have a way to get the money back and if the opponent regrets it, isn¡¯t forgiving them always a more correct choice¡­?¡± Kaeul expressed her doubt.

    ¡°Nonsense. Of course you need to return it tenfold. If it was me, I would have taken 10 times the money she stole from me, crushed her legs and burned her house down. I¡¯m not even joking. Honestly, I¡¯m not that happy with what you¡¯re doing right now.¡± Whereas Yeorum agreed with the revenge.

    ¡°Gyeoul. How did you feel when you got scammed?¡± Meanwhile, Bom asked her a question instead.

    When I was scammed?

    Gyeoul thought the world was crumbling before her eyes. The stolen money swam in front of her vision and the animosity of someone she didn¡¯t even know was painful.

    Of course, she loved money as well but did not like it so much that she would rely on such evil methods to earn money. How could she proudly call that ¡®her money¡¯?

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the scammer at least have an idea of that feeling as well?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°So what you are doing right now isn¡¯t revenge, but punishment.¡±

    ¡°¡­Punishment? ¡­Different from revenge?¡±

    ¡°It is. A punishment is them paying for their sin, and a warning for them to stop doing such bad things.¡±

    It was a difficult topic without a clear answer. Gyeoul had to ponder deeply for a long time before finallying up with a conclusion. She decided to punish the scammer,

    ¡°¡­¡±

    So that there will no longer be victims like her.

    ***

    Bom¡¯s made-up story made the whole case more efficient and Gyeoul received the entire payment up-front. The opponent trusted her so much that she would rather do that instead of using a safe transaction site to avoidmission fees.

    And in Seoul, Korea.

    At a certain elementary school, the scammer Jun Yungji bragged to her friends, telling them that she bought ¡®that perfume¡¯.

    ¡°What? Really?¡±

    ¡°The same perfume that Kyuchan-oppa used in the drama?¡±

    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s amazing¡­ I¡¯m so jealous!¡±

    Seeing envy dripping from the eyes of her friends, Jun Yungji who was quite clever for an elementary school student, wanted to spread this even further.

    Therefore, she chanted the magical words that would spread the news far and wide.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±

    It was done. Everyone should know it by tomorrow.

    Meanwhile, some of the friends expressed their doubts wondering how she had managed to buy such an expensive perfume.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, well. You know, my house is quite well-off right?¡±

    ¡°Did your mum buy it for you?¡±

    ¡°P, pretty much yeah.¡±

    In fact, Jun Yungji¡¯s household was extremely normal. It was an average household that would consider it ridiculous to buy a $4,000 perfume for their primary school daughter. However, Jun Yungji had to lie about it to hide her scams.

    ¡°Wow¡­ I¡¯m so jealous. My dad told me no.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Actually, can you lend it to me just once?¡±

    ¡°Wait! Me too, me too!¡±

    The perfume artifact took quite some time to use but the merit was that a fragrant scent would be left behind tost almost perpetually like body odour.

    ¡°Do you guys not know how much it is?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°50 dors.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°For one use.¡±

    The clever elementary student Jun Yungji considered this an opportunity. She judged it would sell considering how it was a new product that wouldst a long time after using once.

    The next day, when all her friends got to hear the news, some of the famous students of other sses came to her with money in hand. Using the perfume Kyuchan-oppa had used for just 50 dors was a plus for them.

    Before long, Jun Yungji collected 500 dors with a bright smile. Although the perfume would be used quite a bit, it wouldst a long time with one use anyway so it wasn¡¯t a bad business by any means.

    ¡°Hey. I heard you bought that perfume.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting it first.¡±

    After a few days, even the scary unni that repeated a grade came and gave her 60 dors to secure the first spot of the reservation. This unni was one year older than her: she was 14 years old¡­!

    Jun Yungji had long wanted to be friends with her but couldn¡¯t approach her because of the intimidating aura she had so it was a fortunate turn of events.

    The 13-year old scammer, Jun Yungji, vowed to herself.

    Everything was going the way she wanted.

    It was easy to earn money by deceiving the innocent fools.

    Things would be different if she were to get caught after turning 14 years old, so she simply had to save up a lot of money beforehand.

    Right¡­

    So now all she had to do was wait for the delivery but¡­?

    [Me: Unni~~!]

    [Me: Winter-unni :)]

    [Me: Are you at work??]

    This woman.

    She¡¯s replying kind ofte today¡­

 Chapter 324: Another Peaceful Day (4)

    <h4>Chapter 324: Another Peaceful Day (4)</h4>

    [Winter: Ah, :)]

    [Winter: Sorry haha I¡¯m at thepany right now, you see]

    [Me: Ahh T.T Are you at work???]

    [Me: I was just curious when you¡¯d be sending the perfume!]

    She didn¡¯t get a reply.

    Even until the end of that lesson,

    And the end of the lesson after that;

    Until lunch time, she did not receive a single message back.

    [Me: Unni?]

    What time does apany usually end?

    The elementary kid Jun Yungji looked it up on the inte. It said 6 o¡¯clock on the web so the reply message shoulde around then.

    Even though she thought that, there was still doubt rising in a corner of her mind.

    Don¡¯t tell me¡­ there¡¯s no way¡­

    [Winter: Ah, sorry. Sorry for thete response.]

    [Me: It¡¯s okay. You just entered a newpany so of course you¡¯ll be very busy T.T]

    [Winter: Thank you. I¡¯ll send the post tomorrow. Tomorrow¡¯s a weekend so there¡¯s finally no work haha]

    It will arrive by the day after that if it was sent tomorrow. Jun Yungji¡¯s future customers of the perfume would be borrowing the perfume after 4 days so there was still enough time.

    However, Jun Yungji still couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious.

    [Me: Hehe unni, good morning! Did you have a good sleep?]

    [Me: Unni~~~]

    [Me: Unni?]

    [Me: Winter-unni? Are you sleeping in?]

    [Me: It¡¯s already noon¡­]

    Because it was taking longer and longer to get a reply.

    *

    Was I scammed? Winter-unni didn¡¯t seem like the person to do such a thing though¡­

    Even though she had no evidence to support it, that was the impression she got from those numerous interactions ¨C it was that she was a nice person with a kind heart.

    Why would such a person scam me?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Every passing hour made her lips drier than before.

    Jun Yungji had already sent the money.

    The young scammer wasn¡¯t that experienced with spending a lot of money yet. It was the first time she had spent thousands of dors at once and she could easily remember how nervous she was when sending the money in.

    A 3, followed by a 6 and two 0s?

    Her hands had been trembling when she saw her bank ount dropping down in a sh after pressing the OK button. All the money she had earned thus far had already been spent on things like a wallet, clothes, shoes and make-up.

    But unlike how she had usually been scamming people for products worth ten or twenty dors, the recent case that was worth 3,500 dors was one that had required months of preparation and hesitation. And $3,500 was the borderline she decided on because too much money would move the police ¨C she had earned all that money through such hard work and research and yet¡­

    [Winter: What should I do T.T?]

    [Me: Hwy?]

    [Me: Why?]

    [Me: Did somethign happen?]

    [Winter: It seems I can¡¯t use my main bank ount today because of a system security update T.T]

    [Me: What???]

    [Me: Unni, I don¡¯t really know a lot about it but,]

    [Me: How is that rted to sending the post?]

    [Winter: I can¡¯t pay for the delivery fee¡­ T.T]

    [Winter: Can you perhaps pay for me instead?]

    It increasingly felt odd.

    The elementary school scammer, Jun Yungji, did not know much about the main bank ounts, security system and whatnot, but she could still feel that something was off.

    [Me: Yes yes. I¡¯ll pay for it.]

    Like that, she had to pay 20 dors for the international post fee.

    [Me: Unni?]

    [Winter: Ah, I live in the countryside, and public transport is already closed for today¡­]

    [Me: Sorry?]

    [Winter: I should have messaged you earlier¡­ but the delivery fee has been paid so I can send the post straight away tomorrow morning!]

    [Me: But¡­]

    [Winter: Or can you maybe lend me 20 more dors? I can order the delivery drone toe pick it up. I will pay you back immediately as soon as the bank update is over!]

    Jun Yungji no longer had any money.

    [Winiter: Ah, it¡¯s okay ^^¡­ I¡¯ll send it tomorrow straight away¡­ Haha]

    Weird.

    Something was weird¡­

    Something was very very weird.

    Jun Yungji¡¯s doubt budded like a flower,

    [Winter: I suddenly got into a car ident and I¡¯m in the hospital now¡­]

    And it atst bloomed into one.

    [Me: Unni, you¡¯re not lying are you?]

    [Winter: ¡­ T.T I¡¯m serious.]

    She soon received a photo of ady sitting in the hospital with her face covered. Jun Yungji searched for the image online but couldn¡¯t find any duplicate.

    It seemed that the photo really was taken by herself but even then, Jun Yungji could not get rid of her doubt.

    How could all these things happen in the span of a few days? Does that even make sense?

    [Me: Unni.]

    [Me: Unni?]

    [Me: Tell your family to send it instead.]

    [Me: It¡¯s worth 3,600 dors. How can you draw this out so long?]

    [Me: I really need it right now.]

    [Me: Unni?]

    [Me: Why aren¡¯t you responding?]

    [Winter: Hukk! T.T I¡¯m sorry Q.Q]

    But even at this stage, Winter continued with her sincere apologies.

    [Winter: I¡¯ll send it to you tomorrow T.T]

    So Jun Yungji felt like going insane from all the frustration.

    The person in question was saying she would send it, so why was it that so many incidents were interfering with it? And she couldn¡¯t rush or get mad at someone that was in a hospital either, so she felt like going crazy.

    ¡°Serves you right.¡±

    On the other side, Bom bit her tongue and smiled.

    ***

    ¡°Yungji. Is the perfume here?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Well¡­¡±

    Jun Yungji broke out into a cold sweat but still managed to force a smile on her face. Four days had passed already due to bank problems, transport issues and car idents all happening at the same time and the post was naturally yet toe.

    But fortunately on the fifth day, Winter sent a receipt of the delivery post, so she only had to wait out one more day¡­

    At this point, Jun Yungji was so pissed off regardless of whether Winter was being honest or not and had even thrown a bowl of rice at the ground at home which led to a massive fight between her and her mum.

    ¡°You¡¯re lending it to us from today right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hide it and just show it to us.¡±

    ¡°Me too. I bragged about it to my friends already.¡±

    They came flooding her with queries but she had already prepared her lines beforehand.

    ¡°Oh yeah. I was going to bring it today, but my mum wanted to use it for one day so it¡¯ll have to be tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Ehng?¡±

    ¡°Wait, so you don¡¯t have it today?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I told you my mum bought it for me right? So I had no choice.¡±

    The clever child Jun Yungji knew how people would readily swear at the person in front of them but would still be reluctant to swear at their parents.

    If they don¡¯t swear at her parents, it would be an easy way to earn one more day.

    And if they do swear? All her friends will immediately gang up on that person for bad-mouthing someone else¡¯s parents.

    Even though she was still sweating profusely, she was inside the delusion that her clever self could control them any day.

    Kwang!

    But that was when the wooden entrance of the room was kicked open with a loud thud as girls walked in. They were wearing such thick make-up on their face that they resembled Kabuki actors and had frightening eyes due to their eyeliner going all the way to their temples.

    And standing at the centre of those girls was the unni that repeated a grade with lips so vibrant as if she had been eating raw meat till now.

    The smell of cigarettes spread across. While Jun Yungji nervously tried to pacify herself, the unni that repeated a grade ced a foot above her table.

    ¡°Oi. Perfume.¡±

    ¡°Yes, unni. How are you¡­?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe to me. I gave you money. Do I have to look for you on top of that?¡±

    ¡°Ah, the thing is¡­ the perfume is here but my mum¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hahahaha! Theyughed out loud. ¡°Mum! Mum she says!¡± ¡°Hahaha¡± ¡°Is she a kid?!¡± ¡°Are you shitting us right now? Oi!¡± They simultaneouslymented as four of their thunderous voices dug into her ears. Jun Yungji bit her lips.

    ¡°I will lend it to you tomorrow for sure, unni¡­! I¡¯m really sorry¡­!¡±

    ¡°Of course you will lend it to me. But are you not going to pay me back for breaking your promise?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Give me back my 60 dors.¡±

    ¡°T, then the perfume¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait till tomorrow for you.¡±

    She was one hell of a bully, but Jun Yungji had to nod with a servile smile on her face because her elementary school life would be over if she were to make a straight face here. She inwardly poured out curse words at Winter while returning those 60 dors but it did not make her feel any better.

    That was when she suddenly realised something.

    Bring the perfume tomorrow?

    But doesn¡¯t the deliverye after the school starts?

    ¡°No¡­ My life will be over then¡­¡±

    That night, Jun Yungji had to urgently call the deliverypany to change the delivery address to the school.

    Won¡¯t this make everyone know how this was a second-hand product? Wouldn¡¯t they notice how it was a lie that her mum had been using it for a day? Thinking that made her scared but there was no turning back at this point and she had toe up with another lie.

    It was well-known how the ss representative defied the unni who had repeated a grade and became ¡®fermented¡¯st month¡­ Them finding out that this was a second-hand item was not the main problem now and she had to lend the perfume tomorrow.

    ¡°Fuck fuck¡­¡±

    But thanks to pulling an all-nighter, she managed to think of an excuse.

    The next day, as she was fretting about the delivery that had yet toe while worrying about the unni who coulde to her ss anytime¡­

    Atst, the watch of the elementary school scammer, Jun Yungji, who even at this point had zero regard for the victims she had deceived, rang.

    [Korean Post: We have arrived at the front of the school.]

    [Me: Please leave it there!]

    It was then.

    Kwang! The door was pushed open with a thud as a group of girls entered the ssroom while noisily chattering to themselves. The smell of cigarettes spread as the girl at the centre shouted,

    ¡°Oi. Perfume¨C!!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! Unni¡­! It¡¯s here!¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    My mum suddenly went overseas on a trip and posted it to me yesterday! Fortunately, it arrived at the school just then!

    That was Jun Yungji¡¯s excuse.

    It was lunch time right now. Ignoring their gazes of disbelief, she went to the front entrance and received the delivery post.

    She could finally rx herself a little. There was a fair bit of weight to the post and written on the box was the word, ¡®Perfume¡¯. Although the surname of the sender was ¡®Yu¡¯ and was different from her ownst name, she could say it was the maiden name of her mother! It was a genius lie.

    ¡°Uh? It¡¯s finally here!¡±

    ¡°Oh wow.¡±

    ¡°Your mum must be really busy¡­!¡±

    Her doubtful friends slowly gathered one by one.

    It was there.

    That perfume, which Kyuchan-oppa had been using inside the drama¡­!

    Inside that very box!

    ¡°Oi. Hurry up and open it.¡±

    The unni that repeated a grade rushed her with eyes dripping with greed. However, Jun Yungji knew she would be the weaker one the moment she handed this to her. It was well-known how the friend next door lent her a sticker which was now being ¡®borrowed perpetually¡¯ against her will.

    ¡°Unni. This, is really expensive.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a few dors. You have to give it back after you use it.¡±

    ¡°Do I look like a thief to you?¡±

    ¡°Please make a promise.¡±

    She had to make a promise while she was the one with the upper hand. Her tough outburst gathered the eyes of her nearby friends who would serve as clear witnesses.

    ¡°Far out. Quite daring, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Jun Yungji was frightened but;

    ¡°I get it so hurry up and just open it¡­¡±

    Even the unni that repeated a grade had to lower her head a bit.

    Atst, Jun Yungji ripped the box open and,

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Inside the box,

    Was naturally the priceless perfume artifact MX12.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Right.

    That was right. That had to be the case.

    Even though it was oddly red, had three holes, and looked like a rigid rectangr prism of stone¡­

    Even though it was stunningly simr to the red brick she picked up at a nearby construction site on her way back home to send to someone else¡­

    It most definitely had to be MX12.

    Jun Yungji, who was half out of her mind from the nervousness, raised the brick. She then handed it over to the unni next to her.

    ¡°You have to¡­ bring it back by tomorr¡­?¡±

    Immediately after that, the unni that repeated a grade picked up the brick and raised it into the sky so the friends had to intervene and separate the two of them.

    *

    That day was the most shocking day in her entire life ¨C the unni that snatched her sses and demanded for her cheek; and her friends who faced her with scornful eyes despite pretending to be standing up for her¡­ After those times of shock and fear, she left school early to escape and found several new messages on her watch.

    [Winter: Haha]

    [Winter: It felt good when you were scamming other people for money right?]

    [Winter: How does it feel to be on the receiving end of it?]

    Even at this point, the elementary school scammer wrote a message saying she wanted either the perfume or the 3,600 dors back but could not send it. She was blocked.

    Another message came as she was about to turn the watch off.

    [Winter: Try doing something like that again :)]

    She wrote another message but could not send that either.

    The memory of that day became a trauma and ever since that, Jun Yungji could not scam other people until the day of her death.

    ***

    ¡°Here¡¯s your 3,560 dors.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Gyeoul received a bunch of notes with a bright smile on her face.

    There was a small incident but that was in the past already.

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±

    Bending her back in a right angle, Gyeoul gave Yu Jitae a deep bow. While she was at it, she went around the living room and bent her back to all her sisters that were sitting on the sofa.

    That was when Yu Jitae asked something out of curiosity.

    ¡°But why were you trying to buy that online?¡±

    A memory crystal. A device that records down mana and saves it.

    With a shivering pair of eyes, Gyeoul turned to her sisters. Yeorum and Kaeul also looked back at her with a flustered gaze before stealing a nce at him.

    He wondered what was suddenly wrong with them but that was when Bom came out to clear up the situation.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing that big.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember what happened when Gyeoul was quite young? We went with the ranker, Mr. Myung Yongha, on a trip together to see the stars.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°That seemed to have left quite the impression on her; she wanted to go stargazing again in the future, and the device is to leave that as a record.¡±

    Hearing that, Yu Jitae turned towards Gyeoul who quickly nodded back with mismatching eyes that looked like ¡®O.o¡¯.

    For some reason, it was a slightly strange reaction but¡­

    ¡°Alright. In that case, it will be better to see prettier stars instead of gazing at the sky here right?¡±

    ¡°I guess?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into it.¡±

    Gyeoul had spent her entire fortune to buy it. Since that was how much she liked stars, it seemed that he would have to n for a trip and look for a good ce.

    *

    That was the end of the incident.

    After that, Yu Jitae watched a movie with the kids. He could hear themughing, whispering, caressing someone else¡¯s hair, as well as the humming sound of the cleaning protector.

    The smell of the cooked rice and the fragrant scent of the blooming flower gently filled the house, as the stars flickered brightly on the night sky outside.

    Gyeoul buried her head into his chest and stored the memories of the recent events into a corner of her head.

    It was yet another peaceful day at Unit 301.

 Chapter 325: One Sweet Holiday (1)

    <h4>Chapter 325: One Sweet Holiday (1)</h4>

    ¡°When I was young,¡±

    Bom started off with a calm voice as her vacant eyes rested on the teacup. The flower petal floating on the clear tea moved left and right from the ripple created by her breath.

    A ray of sunlight was shining through the heaven-reaching trees, lighting up half of her face as her eyes glimmered with the colour of nature.

    ¡°I liked my dad a lot.¡±

    The olddy, Li Hwa replied.

    ¡°First time hearing a story about your parents. Your dad must have been an amazing person I assume.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Dad was a really cool dragon. He was the most acknowledged out of the entire race and was a very romantic person. Although I can¡¯t remember it that clearly now¡­¡±

    Li Hwa lowered her cup. She wasn¡¯t confused by the word ¡®dragon¡¯ since Bom had already told her about it.

    The olddy leaned her ear to the story of the young dragon.

    ¡°My mum was a very greedy person. ¡®There is a Grand Schema, and you are the ones that will achieve it,¡¯ is what she always told me and my younger sister. She trained us everyday ever since we were born.¡±

    ¡°I thought they generally don¡¯t teach anything to young dragons. How great of a n was it for her to do that?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember the details. My mother turned my memories hazy after something bad happened.¡±

    ¡°Something bad?¡±

    ¡°¡­It was probably the death of my sister.¡±

    Bom drank her tea and wetted her lips.

    ¡°I think my mother was too greedy back then. Our race had a lot of things broken down and everyone was exhausted. For example I lived a very hard life due to being forced to learn magic and my sister was less talented than me, so hers was even harder¡­

    ¡°My dad always tried to stop her. Sometimes he got mad or tried to persuade her and pleaded with her to stop. However, my mum was stubborn and refused to do so. One day, they had a big fight.

    ¡°Dad cursed mum and insulted her. I can¡¯t remember the details, but I think he also hit her quite severely. My mum was greatly hurt and bled.

    ¡°Back then, I was surprised dad would do such a thing but I also found my mum strange.¡±

    ¡°And why is that?¡± Li Hwa asked.

    ¡°Why is it that she would ignore the condemnation of herpanion, whom she had spent thousands of years with, to stick to her goal? How important was this n for her that she would stubbornly hold onto it? That was what I thought back then¡­¡±

    ¡°It seems your mother did not stop until the very end.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Her mum did not stop.

    ¡°¡­Even when dad met a different female dragon and left us.¡±

    Even though a green dragon spends their entire life with only onepanion.

    ¡°My mum cried when she was left alone.¡±

    Back then, her mum was like a king to Bom ¨C a giant who would stand firmly in front of a big battle without wobbling even in the face of bloody hardships. Her crying, and the overflowing emotions of sorrow were a great shock to Bom.

    Those were the things that happened to the young Bom straight after a big fortune.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Lowering her cup, Bom wrapped her arms around her knees. Clouds moved beneath the sun and dimmed the light that had been brightening up the forest.

    Bom¡¯s household began to crumble after that.

    Due to the increasingly difficult education of the maddened mother dragon, Bom and her sister were locked up. She could remember through her hazy memories how those times had been very difficult to endure.

    ¡°Did you resent your dad?¡± Li Hwa asked.

    Bom replied with a gloomy voice.

    ¡°No. I resented my mum instead.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Dad left because my mum was the problem.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you say your mother loved you guys?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then you should have at least consoled her and loved her back. Your dad even hit her, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Is that not considered wrong for dragons?¡±

    ¡°No. It is a wrong thing. I know that in my head but¡­¡±

    Bom looked at her two feet. Her white bare feet were the exact copy of human flesh and she still found them slightly awkward at times. Being distracted by other things like this was because the memories of the time weren¡¯t fully intact.

    ¡°Even then, I still found my mum more resentful, and not my dad.¡±

    After ruminating through the hazy fog of memories, Bom managed to remember what she had been thinking back then as a child.

    ¡°Mum did not actively try to stop dad.

    ¡°She was discarded for having no more charm but she did not try.

    ¡°Even when dad was meeting another female, she did nothing but watch.

    ¡°¡­ I know this is not the right way to see things but,

    ¡°I still think it¡¯s all mum¡¯s fault.¡±

    She continued.

    ¡°If she didn¡¯t want him, then she shouldn¡¯t have cried in the first ce but she did, meaning she wanted dad.

    ¡°But she did nothing but cry on her knees when dad left. Foolish and crude.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she like a loser? I hated her sobbing sound. Probably because she cried for years without an end.¡±

    Bom serenely confessed her emotions of the time.

    ¡°If she was that sad, she should have thrown away the likes of Grand Schema and begged on her knees. She should have cried and begged him to not leave. Tell him, ¡®I can¡¯t live without you,¡¯ desperately in front of his face, not to us young kids who knew nothing.

    ¡°If not, then she shouldn¡¯t have cried in the first ce. We are green dragons so mum should have known it all beforehand. It all crumbled because mum began crying like that. The Grand Schema she chose also wobbled, and we who were at the centre of that n also became miserable.¡±

    Silently, Li Hwa observed Bom¡¯s face.

    Bom had a soft personality and rarely had a strong opinion. Like water in alcohol; alcohol in water, she was the type to let herself flow in the current.

    This was the first time Bom was showing such a strong opinion.

    ¡°I see. So what happened after that?¡±

    ¡°So¡­ I hugged my sister who was even younger than me, and I think this was what I told her.¡±

    ¨C My dear sister. When we get older,

    ***

    [2317. Let¡¯s not be like mum.]

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ???]

    ***

    ¡°Has the experiment daye already.¡±

    Myu was lying down on arge ck dog.

    She seemed quitefortable in the new expanded istion chamber. Myu read to her heart¡¯s content, exercised in a corner and raised arge dog like a queen.

    Besides, she also had Grade 0 agents waiting and serving her like servants. ¡°I am thirsty,¡± she would say and one of the agents would politely give her a cup of fresh water.

    ¡°You guys step outside.¡±

    The Grade 0 agents left the room. Hermands were extremely natural as expected of an adult ck dragon.

    He looked around the messy istion room before opening his mouth.

    ¡°Seems this new room isn¡¯t that bad to live in.¡±

    ¡°What kind of summer faeces of an ogre is this about¡­ Is that something to say to a person locked away from freedom?¡±

    She nced at him with a disgusted gaze making him have a sudden urge to pull those eyeballs out. However, it was him who had locked the ck dragon of freedom and liberty so he understood where she wasing from at least.

    ¡°Alright. Get up. We¡¯re heading to theb.¡±

    As Myu stood up from the ground, therge dog spirit beast also raised its body and started wagging its tail and whimpering at its owner.

    ¡°Shhh. Stay still.¡±

    Myu pushed the dog away with her hands but the dog wagged its tail again without giving up. This time, Myu pushed its face away with her foot.

    ¡°I told you to stay still. Season, you fool.¡±

    What¡­ The Regressor turned around but Myu was still staring at the dog.

    Therge dog spirit beast clinged onto her and whimpered while acting cute. Wearing a frown, Myu raised her foot and stepped on the dog¡¯s foot that was asrge as a frying pan. The big dog jumped up in fright and yelped in pain.

    ¡°You have ears to hear butck the intelligence to understand my words. Season. If you run at me one more time, I will crush your two front legs and make a stew out of them.¡±

    Only then did the dog spirit beast steal nces at her and crawl on the ground. Myu turned back saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± while Yu Jitae dumbfoundedly asked her.

    ¡°What is this about.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Ahh, are you talking about ¡®Season¡¯?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Season is the name of that dog. He¡¯s stupid and dense. An animal that can¡¯t understand anything I say.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I wanted that instead of a puppet, but he¡¯s so disobedient that I gave him a name. I at least expected a lowly son of a bitch to quietly wag his tail but to think he would be that moronic¡­ Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m talking about Season, not you.¡±

    He was lost for words and did not feel like discussing it any further.

    In any case,

    Today was the third day of the experiment.

    She found it unpleasant to have her body ripped apart lying down, so this time, he made her sit while leaning back for the experiment.

    Myu dropped the gown she was wearing and revealed her naked body. Yu Jitae covered her eyes and took out a box of tools.

    The experiments themselves were quite straightforward.

    First experiment:

    He vivisected the [Origin Fragment] and confirmed the location as well as the operation of the authorities that were hiding behind the cracked shield, [Will of the Ancient One].

    Second experiment:

    Out of them, he identified the authorities that were essential for sending the baby dragons back: [Long-distance Dimensional Intersection], [Emergency Summon] and [Infant Dragon Protection] and where they were.

    And today, the third experiment:

    Yu Jitae was nning on having a deeper look at the two functions, [Emergency Summon] and [Long-distance Dimensional Intersection] to see what it was that allowed such a long-distance travel, as well as the urate coordinates of the other world, ¡®Askalifa¡¯ located in the distant dimension.

    Yu Jitae ced his hand on top of her skin, and confirmed the location of the heart.

    ¡°Knife going in.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply.

    Like a stringless puppet, she stayed still and endured the experiment without saying anything as always.

    ¡°Opening the bone.¡±

    Her breaths weren¡¯t equally paced. Whenever there was a ripple in her breath, Yu Jitae stopped his hands and waited a little.

    ¡°You¡¯ll feel a prick on your heart.¡±

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Dragons could erase their physical senses but could not ignore a direct impact to the dragon heart and the Origin Fragment. Her breath would asionally pause from pain but it was something unavoidable despite his consideration.

    In any case, Myu calmly withstood the pain like the other experiments and thanks to that, he was able to cut open the parts that were hiding the [Emergency Summon] and [Long-distance Dimensional Intersection] with ease.

    However, there was a problem.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The [Will of the Ancient One] was protecting the two organs like a barrier. The overall Will of the Ancient One covering the Origin Fragment was cracked, but the organs that were linked to the hatchlings were still enclosed.

    It was like the front entrance of a house being open but with the rooms locked.

    Why was it like this?

    He wondered and soon came up with a hypothesis.

    It was because Myu was an adult dragon. The organs that had been functioning properly when she was a hatchling closed after bing an adult, while the Will of the Ancient One protecting the entirety of the Origin Fragment cracked some time after that.

    ¡°But, this looks breakable¡­¡±

    He murmured.

    Unlike the Will of the Ancient One that protected the entire Origin Fragment, the Will that was covering the two small organs wasparatively smaller and had a significantly lower status.

    Yu Jitae tried all sorts of methods to destroy the mini [Will of the Ancient One].

    The experiment continued for three to four hours. He used a hammer, a chisel, a knife and poison but the Will of the Ancient One remained tough.

    ¡°My Nemesis.¡±

    It was then.

    Myu, who had been staying still like a dead person, suddenly opened her mouth. Raising his eyes, Yu Jitae looked at the blindfolded test subject.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°It is taking a lot longer than usual. By far.¡±

    ¡°Not your business.¡±

    Yu Jitae cut her words off and moved his hands again.

    That went on for another three to four hours. He used an electric saw, fire, explosion and other methods to break it but they all failed.

    However, he did seed in finding the method that would destroy the Will of the Ancient One.

    The issue was with the protective system which human brains could not understand.

    But Yu Jitae had an authority that could allow humans to understand iprehensible concepts. It was the authority, [Conceptualisation (SS)] which he had stolen from the ck dragon lord ¡®Lugiathan¡¯.

    If he used this to change an iprehensible concept into aprehensible concept, and solve the problem there, it would crack the ¡®Will of the Ancient One¡¯.

    ¡°My Nemesis.¡±

    ¡°What now.¡±

    ¡°When is thising to an end?¡±

    He was too focused on the experiment that he neglected her. Myu barely uttered those words while gasping for breath.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°Make it quick.¡±

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. And a little annoying.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. But there¡¯s still some left.¡±

    That was when Myu¡¯s small arm came over and pushed his face away. Her fumbling fingers found his ear and grabbed it.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, you detestable one.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing. Let go.¡±

    ¡°I will not let go. How could you make it 8 times longer than the two previous experiments? It is painful.¡±

    ¡°Stay still. This will only stall the experiment.¡±

    However, he couldn¡¯t concentrate on the experiment after that due to Myu constantly twisting her body while pushing him away with her hands.

    ¡°Stop. Go away now.¡±

    ¡°Calm down.¡±

    ¡°Calm down? Get this blindfold out of my sight. There is a line to everything.¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Did I not ask you to not abuse me more than necessary? And you agreed. No matter how I see it, this is over the top. I¡¯m telling you to go away¨C¡±

    She desperately tried to push him away and the power of an adult dragon was nothing to scoff at. He wanted to give her a p but that might result in a big injury so he couldn¡¯t even do so.

    Yu Jitae tied her two hands and held it in the air while using his other hand to press her thigh down. She retaliated so much that it made him consider tying her up at the start of every experiment from now on.

    It would waste his time if her wound was to close right now, so he had no choice but to give her a carrot.

    ¡°Look. I got it.¡±

    ¡°What do you get.¡±

    ¡°I will make the next outing longer than usual.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So hold on a bit more. It¡¯s almost done.¡±

    ¡°Four days.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Give me 96 hours. Don¡¯t tell me you think four days is too much? Aren¡¯t you making me suffer 10 times more than usual right now?¡±

    ¡°¡­Tch. Alright.¡±

    Only then did Myu turn still.

    Her body sometimes shivered but those were just instinctive wriggles ¨C the body was simply wriggling from the pain on reflex like a knee jerk.

    After 10 hours of experiment, Yu Jitae came to a conclusion.

    This is impossible to break without [Conceptualisation (SS)].

    In other words, it was breakable with Conceptualisation¡­ but it would probably take quite a long time.

    *

    After recovering from the experiment, Myu requested for a 4-day vacation to Yu Jitae. Unlike the kids who were leading a stable daily life right now, Myu required a closer supervision and was not someone he could leave to the clone.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae sent Clone 1 to the dormitory, while he himself would be observing Myu¡¯s holiday.

    Damn it. Spending 4 days together with a disgusting ck dragon¡­

    He could imagine the dreadful future waiting ahead of him.

 Chapter 326: One Sweet Holiday (2)

    <h4>Chapter 326: One Sweet Holiday (2)</h4>

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    In response to Yu Jitae¡¯s voice, the purple pair of eyes turned towards him.

    ¡°About your vacation, how about you go a week after.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Your body is currently in a rtively bad state. This experiment was long and strenuous. It must have been quite a burden on your body and your dragon heart hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet, meaning you practically can¡¯t use any mana.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying I might get injured if I leave on a vacation now?¡±

    ¡°That probably won¡¯t happen, but your body is no different from a human body right now. There is a small possibility of a problem.¡±

    Myu raised her middle finger in response.

    ¡°I <i>will </i>be going out.¡±

    He was feeling bitter on the inner side of his tongue when Myu suddenly began tough.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny.¡±

    ¡°My Nemesis, you were the very one that personally used those hands of yours to shred my heart with a knife and yet you are pretending to be worried now? Do you have the right to be worried?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Your detestable words were so disgusting they made meugh.¡±

    Yu Jitae turned and observed the room. Unfortunately, there was no hammer or anything like that.

    ¡°Leave this room now. There are plenty of things I must prepare.¡±

    ¡°Prepare for what.¡±

    ¡°It has been several months since I¡¯ve been locked in this ce and this will be my first time going outside for an extended period of time. The mere thought excites me.¡±

    Finishing her words, Myu turned around and gave severalmands to the Grade 0 agents that were waiting silently in a corner of the istion chamber. Seeing Yu Jitae who was still waiting in the room, she scoffed at him and said, ¡°Are you not leaving? But then again, there is no way you would understand how it feels to be locked up.¡±

    He knew far too well how it felt.

    After having the Grade 0 agents leave the room, Myu looked back at Yu Jitae with her hands carrying a dress. It was the one-piece dress she had bought in her second outing, which she found interesting, because she had not seen simr clothing in other dimensions.

    Yu Jitae was still inside the room when Myu suddenly began to lower the gown. She stopped for a little before asking,

    ¡°Are you nning to watch?¡±

    Her clothes started to drop again so Yu Jitae turned around and walked out of the room.

    *

    He didn¡¯t tell the kids about the 4-day holiday because Bom didn¡¯t seem to be in a good shape. Yu Jitae knew she was in an unstable state right now.

    To be exact, he noticed something was off by observing Yeorum ¨C Yeorum tended to look at Bom with anxious eyes from time to time. It must be rted to the onion core, meaning that Bom was probably worried about him leaving.

    How would she react if he were to spend 4 days outside with a female (which Bom would be concerned about) dragon? She would probably be put in a very bad mood.

    ¡®There is one problem however, my lord.¡¯

    What is it.

    ¡®Gyeoul seems to be able to distinguish us two.¡¯

    Oh no.

    Right ¨C when he was at the Tranquil Sea with Yeorum, Gyeoul was able to tell that Clone 1 was a fake. Bom was considerably more quick-witted than other dragons so something Gyeoul noticed would not be able to escape her eyes.

    Yu Jitae had to make Clone 1 more like Yu Jitae.

    That was why he modified the clone a few days ago.

    [Shadow of an Archduke (SS) ¨C Second Form]

    [Complete Imitation]

    By killing more of the personality that each of the clones had, it would make them act and think more like Yu Jitae. The downside would be that the transmission of memories and a voicemunication would be impossible with theplete imitation form on, but Earth was a world with a generalised real time electronicmunication method.

    Yu Jitae notified the clone with his watch.

    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±

    ¨C Yes sir.

    ¡°Call me anytime when there¡¯s a problem.¡±

    ¨C Understood.

    ***

    ¡°What I would like to do now is observe humans.¡±

    Like how she had been curious about the history of scientific development, Myu again showed interest in something that was simrly strange at a nce.

    ¡°I have been alone for a very long time and am curious to see how the rtionships of humans living on Earth function. Let me see them in action.¡±

    It was a difficult request. Trying to see the rtionships of humans out of curiosity? It made him wonder if Earth was but arge zoo in the eyes of dragons.

    To observe humans, it had to be an urban area and tourist attractions were the ces with the most number of people. Therefore, Yu Jitae took her and headed to Paris, France ¨C the centre of Europe¡¯s tourism.

    Yu Jitae dropped her there.

    ¡°I¡¯ll warn you ahead of time. If you cause a fuss, bewitch people, kill, or do anything of that sort, your holiday will immediatelye to an end regardless of the remaining time. I will take you back to the istion chamber and lock you up again.¡±

    ¡°Regardless of the remaining time?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean it is fine to kill people 1 minute before going back?¡±

    Yu Jitae frowned after hearing her words. She then slowly poked her tongue out and showed off her red tongue in a seemingly teasing manner.

    ¡°My amusement is none of your business.¡±

    Then, she began to calmly walk down the street and even though he was discontent, he nheless followed from behind with a step in between them.

    Myu¡¯s tour was simr to everyone else¡¯s tour, but unlike other tourists, the target of her observation were humans.

    Her eyes were on the tourists even when walking between the tall and antique buildings,

    She watched the artists and spectators in streets filled with beautiful artworks,

    And even when buying an ice cream at a street stall, Myu gazed deeply at the stall keeper.

    As they nkly looked into each other¡¯s eyes, the white man working at the stall suddenly started absent-mindedly staring at her face after handing the ice-cream. He seemed bewitched.

    m!

    Something suddenly struck Myu on the back of her head and she almost dropped the entire ice cream.

    Myu, who had been smacked on the back of her head, slowly raised her head and turned towards him.

    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°That is my question. What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°What did I do?¡±

    ¡°I told you to not bewitch humans.¡±

    ¡°I have not done such a thing.¡±

    ¡°Then why was the man looking at you like that.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m a dragon.¡±

    Yu Jitae hurriedly cut off the sound as Myu bbered without any restraint.

    ¡°Male dragons are handsome while females are beautiful and that is why merely looking at our faces is a bewitching experience. That is what polymorph is intended to be like.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying the stall keeper was staring at you because you were pretty?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    A dragon¡¯s authority and their ability to convey memories was extremely secretive and difficult to sense.

    However, he could sense the truth behind her words so Yu Jitae opened his mouth with a sigh.

    ¡°Let me apologise.¡±

    ¡°No. I do not need apologies.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Myu suddenly walked up to him. He stayed still trying to see what she was trying to do as Myu began to rub the soft serve ice cream onto his shirt. It dyed his ck coat into white.

    ¡°Because I will not apologise either.¡±

    Without stopping there, Myu threw the ice cream cone up towards his chin so he tilted his head to avoid it. In that instant, he looked around. A hammer, a brick, fire extinguisher, steel chair ¨C whatever it is, he needed some tool that wouldn¡¯t kill her.

    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t find such a tool so he had to suppress that urge and endure it.

    However, he could still move his foot to trip Myu as she was about to walk past him.

    Startled, Myu thrashed her arms around while falling down. Her head was the first to hit the ground and it resulted in a louder and heavier thud than he had expected.

    He had overlooked how her body was pretty much broken and couldn¡¯t use mana. The issue was that she did not know how to react when falling down because dragons in general would never fall down in their lives.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For a long time, Myu stayed lying down with her face buried on the ground. She slowly raised her body and shook her head left and right to drop the dust.

    She looked back at him with blood flowing from both of her nostrils.

    ¡°¡­ This will warrant an apology.¡±

    There was imminent killing intent gleaming in her eyes. Something was bound to happen considering the temperament of the ck race.

    Even though a being at her level creating a problem wasn¡¯t anything to be bothered about, he still apologised following the boundary of daily lives.

    ¡°I do apologise.¡±

    Only then did Myu point at the fountain nearby with a slightly moreposed expression.

    ¡°Go drive your nose into theke and kill yourself.¡±

    Her nose did not recover by itself since she still couldn¡¯t operate her mana.

    Yu Jitae made her sit next to the fountain and took out the guardian¡¯s first-aid set from his dimensional storage before handing it over to Myu.

    However, Myu merely blinked her purple eyes with the ointment and bandage in her hands.

    She did not know how to use an ointment nor a bandage.

    ¡°Do you not even know how to use this?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve never needed them.¡±

    ¡°At least you should know how to use an ointment.¡±

    ¡°How do you open it; do I rip it apart?¡±

    Myu grabbed the ointment with both of her hands and began to twist it but there was no mana to support her strength. She naturally had insufficient power to break the case of the ointment that was made with metal.

    ¡°Oi. Are you really stupid or something? Do you not see the lid on top?¡±

    ¡°I do. But it does not open.¡±

    This time, she tried to pull the cap open.

    ¡°Why are you pulling that.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡±

    ¡°Twist to open it. You fool.¡±

    When he irritatedly heaved a sigh, Myu stopped her hands. She looked at him with a stern look on her face and with eyes dripping with hatred.

    Soon, she lifted the ointment into the air and threw it into the water.

    Ssh!

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°Whose fault is this to begin with?¡±

    ¡°Pick it up. Before I get mad.¡±

    ¡°Will you harass me again if you get mad? Try it. Try it. Why do I have to be called a fool because of someone and this damn lid, ub ubb.¡±

    She could not continue her words anymore.

    Myu seemed extremely upset. Due to her rising blood pressure, her nosebleed intensified and flowed into her mouth.

    She began spitting the blood onto the bright beige-coloured road, causing the passersby to nce at them.

    There was no other option.

    Left with no other choice, he picked up the ointment from theke, twisted the cap open and put a heap of cream onto a cotton swab and brought it closer to her face.

    ¡°Stay still.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do.¡±

    Myu slightly pulled herself back.

    ¡°You need to put this ointment on to heal yourself.¡±

    ¡°Will that really close the wound?¡±

    ¡°Yes. So just stay still.¡±

    ¡°Wait, it has a very different smell to the one I know.¡±

    Myu, who had been calm even when there was a knife cutting her chest, twisted her head and avoided the white ointment that had a peculiar scent to it. She appeared to be repulsed by the unknown substance.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He felt irritated once again. It would be so much easier if he grabbed her by the hair and applied the ointment but that would cause her blood pressure to rise again and make her nostrils into broken faucets.

    Yu Jitae pondered for a bit. How do you make people do things they do not like? After ruminating on the topic, he soon remembered what happened with Yeorum in the past.

    He lifted his killing intent to shape it into a dagger and shed at his own hand. It shed the skin open as blood oozed out.

    Myu¡¯s gaze appeared to be questioning what he was doing as he applied the ointment onto his hand. The wound quickly began to close.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seeing that, she finally turned quiet.

    Moving his extremely reluctant hand, he applied the ointment on the bridge of her nose which had arge scratch and covered it with a bandage. Myu had her eyes closed tightly and appeared to be holding in her displeasure. He was the same ¨C he wasn¡¯t doing this because he wanted to.

    But after all that, as he was about to retrieve the first-aid kit, Myu reached out.

    ¡°That thing, give it to me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Give me that thing with the strange smell.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave her the ointment.

    Twist twist¡­

    No matter how much she twisted it, the cap did not open.

    ¡°Why is this not opening?¡±

    ¡°You have to press it.¡±

    ¡°The cap? Why do I have to press on the cap?¡±

    ¡°So that kids don¡¯t open it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mmable, dangerous and expensive.¡±

    ¡°What a mysterious design.¡±

    At that moment, Yu Jitae felt strange.

    Why was he kindly exining all these things?

    It seemed to be a habit he earned due to answering the questions of Kaeul and Gyeoul all the time.

    In any case, this time Myu pressed on the cap while twisting it at the same time and something remarkable happened ¨C the lid which had remained firm regardless of everything she had done opened all too easily.

    Her purple eyes widened a little.

    He was about to take it back from her but that was when she suddenly stood up.

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But not too closely.¡±

    Myu faced Yu Jitae with the same disgusted gaze but she seemed to have taken a liking to the ointment. Her one-piece dress did not have any pockets and she couldn¡¯t use mana to open the dimensional storage, so Myu walked with her hand tightly holding onto the ointment;

    All the way until they found a ce to sleep in at night.

 Chapter 327: One Sweet Holiday (3)

    <h4>Chapter 327: One Sweet Holiday (3)</h4>

    ¡°Ahjussi, we received a newsletter from Gyeoul¡¯s school regarding the student council training excursion.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Who do you think will be the best opponent for Yeorum¡¯s next fight?

    ¡°Ahjussi. Kaeul¡­¡±

    That day, she looked for Yu Jitae more often than usual.

    He was the same as always ¨C with a hazy look on his face, he gave dull replies and made appropriate judgments. Even though none of the other baby dragons found anything strange about him¡­

    Bom vacantly stared at Yu Jitae.

    *

    In the evening, she and Kaeul had something to ask him for.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go outside for a bit with Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Go where.¡±

    ¡°There was a ce Kaeul had been wanting to go to for a while. It¡¯s a cherry blossom festival and it looks like there will be a lot of spirit beastsing to the festival.¡±

    ¡°How about you go three days after instead of the next few days.¡±

    ¡°The cherry blossoms have started withering already, and it¡¯ll be hard to see them after 3 days.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. No. Stay at home for a few days.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Just stay home.¡±

    Kaeul turned to Bom with blinking eyes, while Bom nonchntly gave a nod.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Bom took Kaeul and was on the way out of Yu Jitae¡¯s room, but she suddenly stopped and opened her mouth.

    ¡°By the way, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re looking at your watch a lot today.¡±

    The two of them looked into each other¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things.¡±

    After returning to her room, Bom bit her finger nails.

    Chomp, chomp¡­ she had been skeptical all morning but that just then made her certain.

    That, is not Yu Jitae.

    Every moment and time she had spent with Yu Jitae was arranged in her mind in chronological, locational and behavioural orders. It was a habit she had picked up ever since she nned on making him back into a human, and she became ever so sensitive after he started holding affection for her. Bom was assured based on all those reasons, that Yu Jitae would never touch his watch as often as today.

    In fact, he was even fidgeting with the watch right when she left the room, and he appeared to be contacting someone.

    Is it a big deal to touch a watch formunication? Others might think that and gloss over it and in truth, Clone 1 found nothing wrong with his own actions despite having the memories of Yu Jitae.

    However, Bom certainly felt something was off. In certain areas, she knew more about Yu Jitae than Yu Jitae himself.

    Yu Jitae was a transcendent. Even though he might be temperamental at times and act based on his mood, his actions at times that are not affected by his emotions are precise and equal like the cogs of a machine. His breath, stride, pulse and so on.

    So connecting straight to his watch every time he ended a conversation with the kids despite there being no outside factors like emotions in this normal daily life ¨C how isn¡¯t that bizarre?

    Bom thought to herself.

    Then who is that person who looks like a spitting image of oppa? He was probably his substitute, who used to asionally appear at Unit 301 in the past. Oppa¡¯s substitute who had been eating the tasteless food in his stead¡­

    The reason Yu Jitae left the substitute here without saying anything, must be because he had to leave for a bit, and there is most certainly a reason why he had to leave.

    Whether he was alone or with someone else,

    There also has to be a reason why he kept it a secret.

    After finishing her line of thought, Bom pulled open the curtains which she had left closed for a long time and gazed off into the distance.

    She could see a full moon. The sky was clearer than usual and was especially brighter than normal with countless stars embroidered on the sky. There would usually be clouds covering parts of the sky but there was not a single obstacle hiding the moon tonight.

    In her eyes, it looked quite romantic,

    So much so that it would be a waste to stare at it alone¡­

    In that instant, Bom stood up from her seat.

    ***

    Hotel room ¨C 10 pm.

    Yu Jitae was checking the messages from Clone 1 when Myu murmured with her eyes staring outside the window.

    ¡°The moon is beautiful.¡±

    She was sitting on the chair, staring into the bright moonlight. He had never considered the moon pretty but if the kids were to see the moon tonight, they probably would have called it beautiful.

    ¡°Are you really going to spend the night here?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°I am sure I told you to get two rooms.

    ¡°Are you going to sit there the whole time?

    ¡°It is so unpleasant to my eyes that I cannot fall asleep.¡±

    He was in the same room to supervise Myu. Although it wasn¡¯t impossible to supervise her even if he was in a different room, it was small elements like these that connected directly to one¡¯s attitude.

    ¡°Go to sleep already. It is night time.¡±

    ¡°Do not tell me what to do. I will do so when I feel like it.¡±

    It was an irritating day for him.

    If the one in front of him wasn¡¯t the ck dragon with a cracked Will of the Ancient One, Yu Jitae would have smashed Myu to death multiple times.

    Yu Jitae red back at Myu who scoffed in response.

    ¡°My Nemesis, you sure do consistently hate me.¡±

    ¡°Stop speaking and go to sleep.¡±

    But Myu wasn¡¯t happy about Yu Jitae¡¯s consistent attitude throughout the whole day either. Tucking her ck hair behind her ear, she continued on.

    ¡°Truly strange is it not¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Your hatred when we first saw each other was over the top, and despite harassing me already, you look keen to hate me even more.¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply back.

    ¡°You said you hated our entire race. Right, some world got destroyed by a ck dragon, was it? That¡¯s the nature of a ck dragon and that¡¯s why you hate any dragon of the ck race ¨C was that what you said?¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth and sleep.¡±

    ¡°No, I will not sleep. Think about it. Is that enough of a reason to hate me?¡±

    Yu Jitae, who had been quietly looking at his watch, frowned. His eyes filled with irritation looked up and reached Myu.

    ¡°The way you treat me is beyond cruel. I am too frustrated to fall asleep and am discontent with this situation. Thus my question.¡±

    ¡°Sleep.¡±

    ¡°If you tell me, I will. So speak. Even if you hate our race, is that a reason for me to be detested by you?¡±

    Myu closed her mouth tightly after stopping her words. Yu Jitae¡¯s expression as he red at her suddenly made him look like a mass murderer.

    He didn¡¯t reply as the room turned oddly silent and Myu could not guess what was going through Yu Jitae¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Myu. I will say this onest time. Lie down, put your nket on and close your eyes.¡±

    Her eyes widened as her heart began to beat faster. But even then, she retaliated without falling back.

    ¡°Is overbearingly forcing me the only thing you can do? Are you just a poor talker or do you have nothing to say to rebut my logic.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You cannot even reply, and I will just be harassed by you because of your petty, narrow-minded and stereotypical way of thinking. Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ how many poor existences there must be that got their lives ruined by you.¡±

    It was then. Yu Jitae dashed forward and grabbed Myu by the hair as she groaned, ¡°Ugh!¡±

    ¡°What is this for! Let go!¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    Yu Jitae pulled her hair and walked forward. She helplessly got pulled over with her bum dragging across the floor.

    He fully opened the curtains and pushed her head towards the ss window of the hotel room.

    They were on the 24th floor and a forest of buildings was revealed in front of the superhuman and the dragon.

    ¡°Let go! You detestable human!¡±

    ¡°Do you see it?¡±

    ¡°See what!¡±

    ¡°Look.¡±

    Myu had an increasingly bigger fit so Yu Jitae dropped her hair. Crumbling down onto the floor, she finally turned her gaze outside the window.

    4th District ¨C H?tel de Ville. Therge road connecting from the rivers of Seine were filled with starlight ¨C they were people that were each raising a torch.

    Seeing that, Myu frowned.

    ¡°What is¡­¡±

    The gxy on the ground connected all the way to H?tel de Ville, the city hall of Paris, and hanging on the city hall alongside the French g was the g of Australia.

    [Forever Australia]

    The incident that had shocked the entire world a few months ago.

    The Catastrophe of Australia.

    ¡°Did you say putting you on the same level as other ck dragons and harassing you is a wrong thing to do? I¡¯m ¡®narrow-minded¡¯, was it?¡±

    Hundreds of thousands of casualties, billions of dors in human and material damage. Paris wasn¡¯t the only city with this assembly. People gathered once every month ever since the incident all around the globe to cherish the memories of the victims of the Australian disaster.

    Yu Jitae replied with an apathetic voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡±

    Myu red at him with a venomous look on her face but Yu Jitae merely looked down at her with the same hazy expression.

    ¡°875,000 deaths and 170,000 destroyed households. Those are the people you have wretchedly killed.¡±

    ¡°And what about it?¡±

    ¡°You killed them, but it has nothing to do with you in your mind, does it? That¡¯s what every other ck dragon was like. So then what is the difference between you and them.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°From my experience, all the ck dragons were the same as you. They kill people, devastate thend and pretend like it¡¯s the most natural thing for their race. However, I wished that wasn¡¯t the case for you when I first saw you.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Did you think making you like this had been my initial goal?¡±

    Bewitching people with brainwash?

    Shooting the Downfall to attack the Association as Q?

    Destroying the Tower of Mages?

    Those were fine. He was only interested in the survival of the entire humanity and had no interest in the deaths of individuals.

    ¡°I was going to overlook it.¡±

    Was it because she had purple eyes?

    Maybe.

    Was it because of the daily life he learned while living with the baby dragons?

    Perhaps that was the case.

    ¡°It was on a whim.¡±

    Myu was given a chance to be treated as a person from Yu Jitae.

    ¡°But wasn¡¯t it you who ruined it with your own hands?¡±

    However, Myu didn¡¯t seem convinced.

    ¡°Then how are you any different from us, ck dragons, huh? Thisnd was supposed to be my nest. You ruined my n, and all I did was damage my nest a little in a fit. What is the issue there?¡±

    Words alone wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    Yu Jitae once again grabbed Myu. Her sloppy gown was about to be undone but neither of them were interested in something like that.

    Raising Myu, he jumped out the window. Feeling the descent, Myu groaned.

    ¡°Open your eyes.¡±

    In a sh, Yu Jitae and Myu were standing in the middle of the assembly. Although Myu was wearing a gown and standing bare-foot on the road, none of them spared a nce at her.

    Even though only the torchlight had been visible in a distance, there were also signboards in this ce and written on them were messages such as ¡®We loathe monsters¡¯, ¡®We will not forget the war¡¯ and ¡®We will grieve with Australia¡¯.

    Some of them were even carrying portraits of the deceased. It had the names, faces and ages of the unfortunate victims that were announced by the Australian federal government, and there were also short descriptions about them next to their pictures.

    Pushing her face in front of the portraits, Yu Jitae whispered into her ears.

    [Polchesky, who was concerned day and night about making the best clothes: Hope the angels of the sky cover you with their garment.]

    ¡°You guys are always the same. Every one of your actions lead to destruction.¡±

    [Smith of the blueberry farm who had worked diligently on the farm: The seeds you have sowed this summer will bloom next year without fail.]

    ¡°Like a virus nted by nature. You pollute everything you touch and kill it.¡±

    [Our little angel Hariban who just started to walk: It was too early for those wings but wish you can fly freely over there.]

    ¡°And yet when I rip their limbs and half break their necks and ask them, this is what they always say,

    ¡°Have a look at my memories.¡±

    [Devoted daughter, Flera, who quit the college of her dream to help her sick mother.]

    ¡®The dwarves of thend attacked me first.¡¯

    [Mother Alisha who had always felt sorry for her daughter.]

    ¡®Those elves made me angry first!¡¯

    [May your family live happily in the painless heaven.]

    ¡®It was to protect myself.¡¯

    Seeing those memories;

    And in the face of the tragedy she had caused.

    The voices of the ck dragons she knew nothing of that she could see inside Yu Jitae¡¯s memory, were awfully simr to her own.

    ¡°Do you still think you are different from other ck dragons?¡±

    ¡®I attacked Earth because I was in a bad mood,¡¯ was not a valid excuse.

    Revealing her fangs, Myu turned her face away with a face resembling a devil. However, Yu Jitae grabbed her chin and cheeks with a tough grip.

    ¡°Don¡¯t turn your face away.¡±

    ¡°Let go¡­¡±

    ¡°Look closely, at what you have done yourself.¡±

    Even at this moment, this ck dragon had no sense of guilt. She was just annoyed by the fact that she had to look at the consequences of her actions.

    Why?

    There was no reason.

    It was simply because Myu was a ck dragon.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your position, Myu.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You were long supposed to die and yet I¡¯ve kept you alive. You were discontent with the istion so I moved the room for you, and I let you leave every time you want to. I give you an inch and now you whinge for a mile?¡±

    The reason he was treating her this nicely was because of the daily life he learned by living with the baby dragons.

    However, this was not Yu Jitae¡¯s original method.

    ¡°You, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Try babbling nonsense one more time. I will chase you out of your nest, skew your hands and feet on a stick and leave your flesh inside out for an experiment anyday.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You will wish to regain these privileges when that happens, but won¡¯t ever be able to retrieve them.¡±

    But it was then. Yu Jitae suddenly looked off in the street after sensing something ¨C from a ce not so distant from where he was at, he could sense Bom¡¯s aura.

    Yu Bom?

    Why is she¡­

    He frowned in thought but that created a tiny gap.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh¨C!¡±

    A ¡®dragon fear¡¯ powerful enough to shred one¡¯s ears resonated across. The people forming the assembly turned towards her in surprise and found Myu kicking a nearby incense after escaping from his grip. The portraits of the deceased, the heartfelt gifts and letters written in tears all scattered and fell.

 Chapter 328: One Sweet Holiday (4)

    <h4>Chapter 328: One Sweet Holiday (4)</h4>

    The impulse was greater than usual and bitterness rolled beneath his tongue. His chin clenched as he repeated opening and closing his hand to control the power behind his grip. If he were to move based on his mood, he might end up killing Myu.

    His attitude towards her had been that way from the start and there were too many reasons why this peculiar rtionship might go south. He had learned how to control his emotions to achieve his goal but in the face of uncontroble impulse, he was no different from a beast who had to suppress its instinct.

    ¡°What about all this! Huh? So what if these pathetic insects die! How dare you try to make me submit just because of something so insignificant¡ª!!¡±

    Myu yelled as if she had gone insane. A kick made the table fly off as the watchers slowly began to wake up from their shock.

    ¡°T, that woman!¡±

    ¡°Oi! Are you not sane!? Stop it right now!¡±

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing!¡±

    She reached her arm out but could not use any magic so instead, she raised a broken piece of a vase to threaten the surrounding astonished people. She was driven mad already. Even though her body refused to move ording to her will, she still tried to attack them.

    ¡°Do you not hear me telling you to go away? You damn bugs!!¡±

    He was still overly stimted.

    This was the first time in the 7th iteration that he had been so annoyed. The impulse didn¡¯t subside with ease and he wasn¡¯t confident in not killing her.

    ¡°Please stop!¡±

    ¡°Is she on drugs?!¡±

    ¡°This youngdy has gonepletely insane¡­!¡±

    When the senseless ones threatened Myu by raising their voices, she held the vase piece tightly with her two hands. Her eyes sunk and without any omen, she suddenly began rushing towards them.

    The vase knife closed in.

    Is she going to stab me?

    Is she?

    ¡°Uhhh?¡±

    ¡°Hukk¡­!¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae stood in front of Myu firmly like a wall of steel. With the vase piece still in her hands, Myu fell back and rolled on the ground.

    Myu was like a sugar cane to him ¨C a sugar cane shaking violently. He wasn¡¯t confident in not crushing it with a touch.

    ¡°You ursed human¨C!¡±

    Copsed on the ground, Myu shouted.

    ¡°How are you any different from our race, and how are you different from me? Aren¡¯t you also harassing me to obtain what you wish? The one to me for everything I¡¯m doing is you. And yet you dare judge me? How do you ever have the right to do so ¨C by what right, do you dare judge me¡ª!!¡±

    His eyes twitched, but his mouth remained closed.

    ¡°I do not care about my race or anything anymore. I cannot continue living like this and will instead die. By my hands!¡±

    She had no mana and could not stop her own heart. Myu thus lifted the vase piece and pointed it at her own throat and Yu Jitad had no choice at this point but to move.

    In order to not kill her, he rxed his hand as much as possible.

    [Knifehand Strike (D)]

    Bamm! Myu¡¯s body came to a stop. At the same time, she started falling back; towards his body, about to be embraced.

    That was when mana began to gather in a dot in mid-air. Myu¡¯s [Dragon Fear] had reached and resonated way too far and Bom¡¯s presence that had been nearby rapidly closed in.

    Immediately, Bom appeared in front of them.

    It was [Teleport (S)].

    Yu Jitae was supporting a ck-haired woman with his arm in front of Bom¡¯s eyes.

    Her gaze shifted from Yu Jitae to Myu;

    And back to Yu Jitae.

    ***

    He brought Myu and Bom and returned to the hotel. There were three mouths but none of them said a single word and the room was therefore silent.

    Myu asked him,

    How do you ever have the right to do so?

    He did not answer herst question. In fact, there was nothing he could say in response because there was nothing wrong with Myu¡¯s words.

    Those who condemn must be sinless. Those who strike others for being a sinner must be clean themselves ¨C at least that¡¯s how it must appear to those seeing it.

    And in that regard, the Regressor had no right to condemn someone. His life was no different from Myu or the ck dragons ¨C he obtained what he wanted to obtain, and unhesitatingly carried out actions that might seem sinful in that process.

    Myu killed people,

    But the Regressor killed even more people.

    ck dragons destroyed worlds,

    But the Regressor destroyed even more words.

    And yet here he was condemning Myu and had not been feeling repulsed by such a paradoxical deed. He simply thought to himself upon realising it, that he was yet again doing something contradictory.

    In the past, he didn¡¯t want to live like this but he had been living this way for far too long already. Regrets do not bring anything back and he wasn¡¯t the type to linger on things that cannot be retrieved.

    However, such emotions tended to arise at times after starting to live a daily life. These things called ¡®emotions¡¯ were exceedingly outside his control. Whenever it rose up, he had to close his eyes and muddle his thoughts;

    Like what he had always been doing.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He reopened his eyes and saw Bom.

    Bom was sitting on the sofa of the hotel room without leaning on the backrest or twisting her legs, and merely had both of her hands resting on herp with her eyes fixed on the ground. She was wearing an outstretched t-shirt, shorts, slippers ¨C everything she usually wore at home.

    He had just asked Clone 1 for an exnation.

    ¨C There was a flower blooming in Yu Bom¡¯s room.

    ¨C It was a flower that had existed from the first time I had stepped into Unit 301 and had an abundant amount of Yu Bom¡¯s aura. She seems to have saved a lot of her aura inside it over the past 5 years.

    ¨C Although it was remarkably crafted, it has now withered.

    A highly precise maniption of mana so brilliant it even deceived the Shadow of an Archduke for a split second. Even though she had been preparing for 5 years for this one moment, it was nheless a masterful feat.

    That was why the Regressor had to face a situation he had not been expecting.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that flower.¡±

    Bom slowly opened her mouth in response as her voice echoed resembling a breeze flowing past the grass.

    ¡°It¡¯s something I started growing from the first day I was kidnapped¡­ to run away.¡±

    ¡°You got me. Even though I knew you were a genius at using mana, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be able to deceive me.¡±

    Power had an endogenous origin and it was hard to clearly see through it before being released

    Honestly, he was quite impressed. He had always considered Bom a genius at magic but he had to edit his opinion a little today ¨C Bom¡¯s talent had exceeded the normal threshold.

    He wasn¡¯t trying to me her however.

    Bom stayed silent so he continued.

    ¡°So why did youe here.¡±

    ¡°I came because I was worried.¡±

    ¡°Because of the onion core?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I told you there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±

    Bom slowly shook her head in silence.

    ¡°And how did youe here.¡±

    ¡°I saw Providence.¡±

    Soon, her gaze slowly travelled up from the ground to Myu who was lying down on the bed. He remembered the things that had happened with Carrot Girl in the past. There was nothing he was guilty of but he still felt the need to exin the situation.

    ¡°That is the ck dragon you know. And as you said, it¡¯s a female.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Usually it¡¯s kept isted at the Association¡¯s underground istion room and is used as an experiment subject. It gets a short vacation after every experiment because the ck race has trouble staying in one ce. And this holiday will go on for four days including today.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an adult. Around 500 years old and the name is ¡®Myu¡¯ with a dirty temperament like every other ck dragon. However, it¡¯s crucial for an experiment so it has to be kept alive. And that is why it gets treated humanely, although limited.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I am here as a supervisor. It is such a dangerous entity that I¡¯m the only one that can do it. So there is nothing to misunderstand here. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She turned her eyes towards him. Her head slightly tilted to the side as her grass-coloured hair flowed down from her shoulders.

    Yu Jitae observed the muscles around her eyes ¨C there was no quivering and it meant that she wasn¡¯t anxious.

    ¡°Did you really understand everything I told you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He looked at her opened mouth ¨C she didn¡¯t lick her lips, meaning that she wasn¡¯t nervous.

    ¡°Are you less worried now about what happened with the onion core?¡±

    However, she did not reply to this question.

    Bom simply stared back and as always, she appeared as if she was trying to gaze deeper into him. It was the same eyes he saw when he first met her that was quite different from an average young dragon¡¯s gaze.

    It would now be a question time from Bom.

    The Regressor realised that the 7th iteration was about to twist out of his intention once again in front of his eyes.

    And he would have no choice but to lie.

    Experiment.

    She might ask what the experiment on the ck dragon was. However, no-one in the world knew what this experiment was and he naturally had no ns of telling Bom about it either. He had alreadye up with a decent excuse.

    Why didn¡¯t you tell me? She might ask and he already prepared an excuse which Bom would certainly be convinced by.

    Whatever question she interrogated him with will all be met with lies.

    However, Bom¡¯s following question was way beyond what he had predicted.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡­¡±

    Bom asked very slowly, with an extremely prudent voice.

    ¡°¡­Your rtionship with her?¡±

    Yu Jitae turned silent for a bit.

    There must be a lot of questions weighing in her mind including the ones he had thought of but her first question was nheless about their rtionship.

    This question was extremely important for Bom, so he had to give a definite answer.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Her hazy eyes regained its focus and her half-dead expression rxed a little.

    ¡°When you say nothing, do you mean you are not close to her at all?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you are far from her outside of work?¡±

    ¡°Very far.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s your personal opinion aside from your position as a supervisor and a test subject?¡±

    ¡°I hate it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see. There are a lot of reasons but first and foremost, it¡¯s a ck dragon.¡±

    There was slightly more vitality in her eyes.

    ¡°What if, you are starving to death and that dragon gives you bread? Will you not eat it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather die.¡±

    ¡°What if that dragon was actually your younger sister. Will you still hate her that much?¡±

    ¡°The name must stay removed from the family register then.¡±

    ¡°What if the ones that are very precious to you, like¡­ umm, if Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul all love that dragon and want to live together, will you still not bring her in?¡±

    ¡°Never.¡±

    ¡°What if I ask?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Please. Let¡¯s take her into our house and live together.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I wanted to be friends with a ck dragon ever since I was young. I had a big injury when I was young and a ck dragon acquaintance helped me¡­¡±

    ¡°No. Stop. It¡¯s a ¡®no¡¯ whatever your reason may be.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®why¡¯. Because I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you kidnap us even though we didn¡¯t want toe¡­?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not the same as you guys.¡±

    Bom still had an indifferent look on her face but there was a slight difference. Unlike before, her eyebrows appeared a little moreposed.

    ¡°Lastly, let¡¯s say you¡¯re a normal person ahjussi, and the world ising to an end with you and that dragon being the only survivors. Will you still not get close to her?¡±

    ¡°Why would I ever get close to her.¡±

    ¡°You know, it¡¯s dangerous and lonely to stay by yourself. You will need someone to talk to, and someone to keep the fire going. And, if there are no humans, then umm, have a rtionship¡­ for descendents¡­¡±

    ¡°Bom. Stop saying something so disgusting.¡±

    He gave an irritated remark but Bom showed an expression that didn¡¯t suit the current situation. She had a rather moved look on her face for some reason.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    And she didn¡¯t look sorry in the slightest. He didn¡¯t know why, but she appeared to be feeling morefortable now.

    ¡°Just then I saw that woman lose her temper and damage the surrounding people. So will you end the vacation here?¡±

    That was a different topic altogether.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk to her after she wakes up, but I will try to guarantee the holiday as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Reward and punishment was a system and an unwavering system had the power to act as a cage around an existence.

    Yu Jitae had promised for a four-day vacation with Myu. Only when she gets this reward properly will Myu have the power to endure the remaining experiments ¨C no matter how painful they are, she will gain the strength by looking forward to the next holiday.

    That was the cage Yu Jitae made and Myu will slowly adapt to it regardless of whether she was aware of that or not, like a prisoner feeling better from just the breeze and the sunlighting through the tiny window of the prison.

    ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    Bom nodded in response.

    The faint tension in the air finally dissolved. It seemed that she had been misunderstanding him regarding something until just then. Since Bom was the most unstable factor in the 7th iteration, it felt like a small storm had just passed by.

    He thought it was all over but that was when Myu turned in her sleep while murmuring, ¡°Nnnn¡­¡±. In that instant, Bom flicked her head.

    With her eyes out of focus, Bom nkly stared at Myu ¨C for a long time with the eyes of a seemingly dead person.

    Before long, the muscles around her left eye began to tremble a little.

    ¡°You said there were still three days left for the vacation.¡±

    He had misunderstood something.

    Nothing was over yet.

    ¡°Let me go with you.¡±

 Chapter 329: One Sweet Holiday (5)

    <h4>Chapter 329: One Sweet Holiday (5)</h4>

    If Myu had continued talking some mindless nonsense after waking up, Yu Jitae would have cancelled the remaining three days of the vacation without mercy. However, Myu after waking up was far from angry and calmly reflected on her position.

    ¡°I have made a mistake.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°My emotions have erred me into making a blunder.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you wish to end the vacation now, do so. I will follow what you say.¡±

    Myu gave words that were no different from an apology.

    It was bizarre. He did not wish for an apology and in fact, there was no reason for her to apologise to him in the first ce. An apology to him was a meaningless act because asking for forgiveness did not change the events of the past.

    However, it nheless allowed him to see that she wouldn¡¯t create any more uproars. That was more than enough for him.

    ¡°Do not waste your energy on a precious vacation.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying?¡±

    ¡°There are still three days left. I will guarantee the promised holiday so just behave yourself.¡±

    ¡°Even though I¡¯ve created such a fuss.¡±

    ¡°Or we can go back if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Her purple pair of eyes twitched as Myu powerlessly scoffed.

    ¡°Are you scared that I might kill myself?¡±

    Yu Jitae was silent in response.

    That was actually part of the reason why he wanted to guarantee the holiday as much as possible. Myu had an emotional attachment to the ck race and that was what Yu Jitae was using to control Myu, who had limited interest in her life.

    However, she could still stop her own heart if the pressure was to exceed a certain threshold. She was using a piece of the vase yesterday only because her heart had yet to fully heal.

    Yu Jitae had to control Myu the way he wanted but to a degree that she wouldn¡¯t die, whereas Myu used her own life to make a deal with Yu Jitae.

    They had a loose grip over each other¡¯s wants and that was the strange nature of their rtionship.

    ¡°I will not say thanks to such limited freedom, but let me ept your goodwill.

    ¡°But by the way¡­¡±

    Myu turned her eyes to Bom who was standing next to Yu Jitae. Their eyes crossed in mid-air as the purple and the green pairs of eyes looked into one another.

    Wearing a frown, Myu nced across Bom from top to bottom.

    Bom had changed into her favourite off-shoulder frill one-piece dress, neatly brushed her hair and had also applied some makeup before Myu woke up.

    March. The bright sunlight was warmly shining upon the Notre-Dame Cathedral outside the hotel room where Bom had fully dressed herself for the first time on Earth.

    There was a doubt in Yu Jitae¡¯s mind while she was applying make-up and brushing her hair on the side.

    What was this child thinking about?

    He had no idea.

    Even though he met her hundreds of times and was now even holding romantic feelings for her, he still could not fully understand what Bom was thinking.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    It was Myu who started it off.

    Without saying anything in response, Bom gazed back at Myu who soon frowned in displeasure.

    ¡°You are an infant dragon. Yes?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What brings a child of the green race here?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to say anything? Well, all the green dragons I saw were sick in the head. Of course you won¡¯t be any different. So, did you run away from home?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°To think you would meet a human like that even though you ran away from home. How pitiful. Don¡¯t you find your life hard?¡±

    Only then did Bom open her mouth.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Her voice was calm and her face wasposed and at a nce, she even appeared lethargic. But for him, who was staring on from the side, it mysteriously seemed slightly different.

    ¡°Kid.¡±

    It seemed that Myu had felt the same way.

    ¡°What¡¯s with those damn eyes huh? Do I know you? This little brat ¨C how dare you¡­¡±

    As an adult dragon, she naturally had a condescending attitude but Bom was silent in response. When Bom was putting on the choker before, this was the conversation she had shared with him.

    ¨C What¡¯s your role, oppa?

    His answer to her question included the words supervision, safety and regtion. From now on, Bom would act as his assistant.

    ¨C But even though it¡¯s okay for you toe with us, don¡¯t stand out too much.

    ¨C This is a vacation permitted by me. This period of time has to be solely for Myu.

    ¨C If you be an obstacle during the vacation, I might have to send you back home.

    And to his words, Bom replied. As always,

    ¨C Okay.

    ¡°Do you know how to speak?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t care about me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You seem to be out on your holiday. Please do what you want to do. I¡¯m just an assistant who will help Season regte you.¡±

    ¡°Regte? You? Me?¡±

    Myu dumbfoundedly took a step closer in with the vicious killing intent of a ck dragon swarming around her body. She had regained a small amount of her mana back after sleeping for a whole night.

    Yu Jitae stepped in between them and blocked her with his eyes gesturing to her to go and mind her own business. Myu, who had been ring at Bom as if she would devour her any time, looked back and forth between Bom and Yu Jitae.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    She scoffed.

    ¡°Kid. You got lucky this time.¡±

    Myu turned around as Bom closed her mouth which had been open. What was it that she was about to say? He wondered.

    It seemed that Bom was anxious due to the aftermath of the onion core and was trying to keep him by her side, but sending her back regardless of her uneasiness might have been the right call.

    Thinking that, he followed Myu and carried his feet.

    ***

    That day, Myu headed to the North of Paris to observe more people.

    Montmartre.

    This hill with the Basilica of Sacr¨¦ Coeur at the centre was a historical repository of culture. There were all sorts of beautiful buildings and unique statues with tourists all across the hill.

    Like other tourists, Myu walked around but her eyes were set on the people. From time to time, they came across signboards that cherished the victims of the Australian incident but she showed an indifferent attitude as if nothing happened yesterday.

    ¡°My Nemesis? This.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Buy me one.¡±

    It was evident from how she was nonchntly buying a crepe at a street stall next to the signboard [With Australia].

    Until then, Yu Jitae and Myu were walking with around 3 metres in between. It was bustling with people and they were bound to crash into others while walking.

    But that was when a woman screamed out loud. The following cracking sound was that of a human bone.

    ¡°Ahhhhk!¡±

    The woman¡¯s hand was on the bag that was hanging on Myu¡¯s waist ¨C the bag which Yu Jitae had bought for herst night before entering the hotel.

    It was a pickpocket, which was a fairlymon sight near tourist attractions.

    ¡°Howughable. I¡¯ve really be a lot weaker.¡±

    Myu murmured to herself but her grip remained firm. It was difficult to resist because a portion of her power had returned with the recovery of her heart.

    ¡°Ahhk, auuk!¡±

    ¡°You dare crave for my belonging?¡±

    ¡°It, it¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­!¡±

    The pickpocketer had a partner.

    The other person hurriedly grabbed onto Myu¡¯s arm while shouting, ¡°What is this for!¡± and gathered the eyes of the surrounding people. Their n was to make a big fuss and run away behind the chaos but Myu pushed her head away as the woman copsed on the ground.

    ¡°Kuhk¡­!¡±

    Myu moved her hand and this time grabbed onto the pickpocketer¡¯s throat. Even though she had be weaker, it was still the grip of a dragon and breaking the feeble neck of a human was nothing difficult.

    That was why he had to step in.

    ¡°Myu. That¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°What? Is this not self-defence?¡±

    She red at Yu Jitae with the eyes of a venomous snake.

    ¡°It is not, so let go of your hand, and let¡¯s move on. You¡¯re being excessive.¡±

    ¡°Excessive? I do not understand. This human dared to covet my bag. This bag, which you gave to mest night.¡±

    ¡°Let go.¡±

    With her eyes still ring at him, Myu slowly released her grip. Crumbled on the ground, the woman sobbed on the spot looking at her broken hand.

    The surrounding people misunderstood Myu as a superhuman and weren¡¯t willing to step up while she calmly walked towards him. Standing in front of him, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°My Nemesis. I really cannot understand.¡±

    ¡°Now what.¡±

    ¡°What is it about this world that makes you fit yourself into the rules formed by these pathetic insects?¡±

    He wondered what retarded bullshit she was asking this time and didn¡¯t reply, so it was Bom who replied in his stead.

    ¡°If you want to belong to a world, you have to conform to it.¡±

    A frown appeared on Myu¡¯s white face, but her eyes were still fixed on Yu Jitae.

    ¡°You are the same as me. Even though you are a human, you have a greatness that exceeds your race. In truth, the authorities in your hands already overwhelm these bugs.¡±

    ¡°Is being a dragon that big of a deal?¡± Bom interjected.

    ¡°Why is it that we have to follow every single rule of such deplorable little humans? Why?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then maybe you should live by yourself in a different dimension?¡± Every time he was about to open his mouth, Bom intervened and replied instead. There was no way she could ignore it anymore so Myu replied by murmuring to herself.

    ¡°What¡¯s with this bug that¡¯s constantly bothering me¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re saying strange¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway, why are you silent?¡±

    ¡°¡­things that I¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you say anything to refute my words?¡±

    ¡°¡­Can you hear what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°As much as you know me, I know you very well. Season.¡±

    It was then.

    ¡°Pfft.¡±

    A faint scoff left from Bom¡¯s mouth. She was probably finding it funny how she was saying she knew him very well without even knowing his actual name.

    The scoff seeded in touching Myu¡¯s temperament which had remained tough even when she was being interrupted every time. Myu slowly turned her stiff face towards Bom.

    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±

    Seeing the angry look on her face, Bom apologised apathetically.

    ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t hear me.¡±

    That was clearly not an apology. Even though Bom appeared indifferent, even Yu Jitae could tell that her words were grinding at Myu¡¯s nerves.

    Yu Jitae was slightly flustered on the inside, because it was his first time seeing Bom intentionally trying to anger someone.

    ¡°Where did this rat that¡¯s more garbage than Season crawl out from¡­¡±

    After murmuring to herself, Myu revealed her fangs.

    ¡°Listen. Kid.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to die?¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae hurriedly escaped from the area with the two of them in hand.

    There was a police siren ringing nearby.

    *

    After that, Myu continued creating both small and big incidents on the way up the Montmartre hill and Bom intervened every time to annoy her.

    ¡°You. Come here for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Come here. Before I truly get mad.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯lle to you.¡±

    Whenever Myu was unable to control her irritation and dash towards her, Yu Jitae stood in front of her to stop her rampage and Myu had to hold her anger back.

    On another note, Bom¡¯s actions showed Yu Jitae a new possibility. When trying to regte someone, he would hit, tie them up and instil fear. His method would always result in violence.

    However, Bom was different. She was purely acting the role of a supervising assistant. Even though her method was not at all violent, she still urately pointed out everything wrong that Myu did.

    Around noon the next day was when the supervising assistant mask, which she had been thoroughly keeping, finally cracked for the first time.

    ¡®ce du Tertre¡¯

    A small world of the artists of the past who had rejected restrictions and had dreamed of freedom.

    The road was covered with pebbles and the small za had a bunch of cafes. Nearby were portrait painters, street musicians and performers who were brightening up the mood.

    In that ce, Myu came across a performer who blew into a long balloon to make miniatures. The man would fold a long pack of air a few times to make something resembling a puppy, a sword and a flower in a matter of few seconds.

    ¡°It truly is mysterious¡­¡±

    After muttering that, Myu asked Yu Jitae to buy some balloons, but the first obstacle in making a miniature was the blowing of the balloon. She ced it between her lips and blew into it but it only created a blowing noise and the long pack of rubber refused to expand. She tried using her tongue and tried both sucking and biting it with her teeth but the result remained the same.

    For thirty minutes she tried all sorts of things and yet failed at blowing the balloon and by that time, the balloon performer was already long gone.

    With a big scowl on her face, Myu walked up to Yu Jitae and handed him the balloon.

    ¡°This. How do you inte this?¡±

    Even though he was irritating, it was always him that showed her how things were done whenever she was clueless.

    ¡°You blow it and show me an example.¡±

    Yu Jitae was about to grab the balloon but that was when a hand suddenly shot out from the side to snatch her balloon ¨C it was Bom.

    Myu frowned back.

    ¡°What do you think you are doing.¡±

    ¡°You bit on it and it¡¯s broken now.¡±

    Bom threw the balloon into the rubbish bin. Seeing that, Myu squinted her eyes a little. The way this damn little girl acted was strange.

    She felt skeptical.

    She needed a confirmation.

    Fortunately, there were still a lot of balloons left. Myu took out another balloon from the pack and ced it in her mouth. She pushed it deeper into her mouth and pretended to blow into it before giving up and handing it over to Yu Jitae while saying;

    ¡°Well, this one is not broken.¡±

    With her eyes staring at Bom.

 Chapter 330: One Sweet Holiday (6)

    <h4>Chapter 330: One Sweet Holiday (6)</h4>

    Bullshit.

    That¡¯s probably what Yeorum would have said if she was here.

    It seemed he had indeed be quite used to daily lives, considering how a nonchnt action of Myu made him feel a sense of danger. The arrow was pointing at Bom but that was no reason for him to stay out of it.

    ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s start moving.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you to blow it.¡±

    ¡°Even if I do blow it, how will you make a flower.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the man just twist it a few times?¡±

    ¡°Would there be a crowd watching him if it was that simple? The performer¡¯s gone already so it¡¯s impossible. Let¡¯s get moving.¡±

    Myu reluctantly turned her body but soon grinned after seeminglying up with a good idea.

    ¡°Let us buy some clothes then.¡±

    ***

    She knew a day like this woulde.

    She had seen the future shown by Providence once.

    It was a vivid memory but she didn¡¯t want to remember it so she lived while consciously looking away from it.

    However, she couldn¡¯t stop her unconsciousness from disying it in a dream.

    How many times had she woken up in the middle of the night in a fright? Every time, she would wipe the cold sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand while gasping for breath.

    Her heart would thump like crazy.

    She was too anxious to do nothing but watch. Yu Jitae had his own field of activity and there were unfortunately a lot of ck-haired women within that area. Therefore, Bom vowed to herself to be friends with all the ck-haired women.

    The people she had gotten close to in the Association including Zhuge Haiyan and Kang Ahjin all had something inmon ¨C it was that they were Asian and naturally, they both had ck hair.

    She had added those uncertain elements into her own world, hoping to have some level of control over the uing future.

    In the process, she also made everyone see how Yu Jitae was hers. Fortunately, the default marriage trend in this world called Earth was 1 on 1. Bom had been trying her hardest within the scope that wouldn¡¯t interfere with Yu Jitae¡¯s life.

    After trying it, she realised it wasn¡¯t difficult to befriend them. Her uneasiness of how anyone might betray her anytime increased over time as she got closer to them, but it was bearable.

    Even if there were other ck-haired women in the future, Bom thought it would be possible to easily befriend them.

    That was until she saw Myu.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Due to the suffocatingly repulsive feeling that constantly rose up, Bom simply couldn¡¯t smile like usual and be friends.

    This ¡®vacation¡¯ was a part of Yu Jitae¡¯s job and he had talked of how important this was. She could not afford to make a single mistake but the moment she saw the white hand reaching out with the balloon, she became emotional and made a mistake.

    It seemed that Myu had noticed her rtionship with Yu Jitae.

    Adult ck dragons are addicted to chaos and every one of their actions lead to chaos. They break rtionships, destroy worlds and kill existences. That was what she heard from her father when she was young.

    It was clear what Myu would try to do, now that she saw through their rtionship.

    At a clothing store in Paris, Myu took several one-piece dresses and walked into a dressing room.

    Soon, she called Yu Jitae.

    ¡°My hand does not reach my back and I cannot raise the zipper all the way up. Plus, my mana has not recovered enough to use telekinesis yet.¡±

    ¡°So what do you want.¡±

    ¡°Come and lift the zipper for me. Just a few times will do.¡±

    Yu Jitae frowned in response while Myu irritatedly opened her mouth. ¡°Hurry up,¡± she said. ¡°How can you waste my precious holiday like this?¡±

    And Yu Jitae on the other hand, was temperamentally refusing to do so.

    However, Bom¡¯s eyes were fixed on his hand. Imagining that hand touching the zipper, that¡¯s low down the dress Myu was wearing¡­

    It ovepped with the image of Yu Jitae¡¯s hand touching the white back of a ck-haired woman.

    His hand touching the shoulder des of the woman; his cuddling arm; his face as he looked up at the ck-hair.

    It happened in an instant ¨C Bom was moving by the time she realised it. She grabbed Yu Jitae by his arm to stop him, and walked past him to enter the changing room.

    ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    Feeling the strange atmosphere, Yu Jitae grabbed her arm back and her body turned with a flick. He looked at her face.

    Bom couldn¡¯t even guess the look that was on her face but Yu Jitae released her arm after seeing her expression.

    She closed the door of the dressing room behind her. Bom had to stay in the tiny room right next to the ck-hair, even though she did not even want to spend 1 second together.

    Seeing her face, Myu scoffed.

    ¡°I knew it.¡±

    As expected, she had seen through it.

    Bom avoided looking into her eyes and waited, so that she could raise the zipper the moment she turned around, but Myu did not turn.

    ¡°I knew something was off from the start.¡±

    With a coquettish voice, she continued.

    ¡°I can understand you hating me, because I¡¯ve also been hating you from the time I opened my eyes.¡±

    ck dragons were expelled from Askalifa, and the current owner of Askalifa was a green dragon. The hatred between the two races was evenrger than the animosity between the blue and the red race.

    ¡°But I could not understand why you were constantly nagging me, but now I do¡­¡±

    She raised her hand and grabbed onto Bom¡¯s chin. Bom raised her chin and shook the hand off as Myu lifted the corners of her lips in response.

    ¡°You must be intimate with that male. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s truly bizarre. How can such a thing happen? Infant dragons cannot hold an affection for a human. It cannot be done and should thus be blocked by the Origin Fragment.¡±

    The emotion of first love was powerful enough to jolt the whole life of an existence and dragons were beings that were unable to forget such emotions.

    ¡°There¡¯s a ck-haired slut next to the male you love, and that¡¯s what¡¯s making you nervous right? You¡¯re still quite immature. Do you not realise you are interfering with his work?¡±

    ¡°I am not.¡±

    ¡°Really? Season¡¯s job is to make my vacation more amusing, but aren¡¯t you interrupting with that and making it annoying instead?¡±

    Bom did not feel the need to share any more words. She was conscious of it herself and knew that she hadn¡¯t crossed the line yet.

    ¡°Please turn around.¡±

    ¡°For what? Will you strangle me by my neck?¡±

    ¡°¡­So that I can raise your zipper.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Strange me all you wish.¡±

    Bom knew what she was thinking. Myu was trying to cause an incident, and thus send her off so that she couldn¡¯t annoy her in the remaining time of the vacation.

    ¡°Right now is your chance. My body has been weakened from the aftermath of the experiment and cannot use mana, so my neck might break from your grip.¡±

    Along with such words of provocation, she turned around.

    Her dress was open from the waist up.

    The line around her waist, her long spine, the shoulder des next to it, the white back and the white neck above.

    Bom could feel her eyes twitching.

    There was not a single blemish on her white back.

    Bom wanted to lower the dress a little to confirm whether this back was the same as the one she had seen. Even though there were no specific elements like moles or scars, she could still tell based on the overall shape of the back.

    But if it really was the same, Bom was scared that she might not be able to recover herself. Therefore, she used her trembling hands to raise the zipper.

    Zipp¨C

    Myu clicked her tongue.

    ¡°But you are quite pitiful yourself.¡±

    She then murmured while looking at the reflection of herself in the mirror.

    ¡°To think you would hold an affection for a devilish male like him out of all humans.

    ¡°And besides he¡¯s a human regardless. No matter how strong he is, a human is a human and he will definitely die a lot before you. Are you thinking that far ahead?

    ¡°¡­Of course not. What does an immature kid know? That must be why you opened your heart up to a human like that who¡¯s more treacherous than the ck race.¡±

    Honestly, she found it quite difficult to control her emotions when she heard that. It didn¡¯t matter if she was the one getting sworn at, but Myu was bad-mouthing Yu Jitae.

    But somehow she managed to hold it in. Bom nkly thought to herself.

    You kept the line properly.

    You held it in very well.

    Her mind was a lot tenser than usual, even more so than the balloon before, but she nheless seeded in controlling her emotions.

    Well done Yu Bom. Well done¡­

    As if to prove her sess, Myu soon gave a frown. She couldn¡¯t chase her off because Bom hadn¡¯t done anything.

    But the final advice Myu uninterestedly gave while walking outside wearing the one-piece turned the situation upside down.

    ¡°Kid. It is so frustrating that you have no eyes for people. Should I give you one piece of advice as an adult? You better mentally prepare yourself beforehand.¡±

    To be exact, it was thest sentence that snapped her patience.

    ¡°Because you will be discarded for sure.¡±

    ***

    Either probably, or most likely. There was a high chance that her words were unrted to the vision. It just meant a separation in a male to female rtionship but Bom, whose mind was fully upied with the scene of the Providence, had a hard time making a rational judgement, and she could not get rid of Myu¡¯s words from her brain.

    She will be discarded:

    Discarded after giving her heart.

    Discarded after giving her body.

    And what about after discarding me? Who will Yu Jitae meet after that?

    A white back under the wide-open one-piece was vivid in her memories. On top of that was the ck hair fluttering left and right.

    Bom once again felt stifled.

    In the midst of such thoughts came dinner. Stopping her hands that were cutting Boudin, a French-style sausage, Myu raised her fork to point at Bom.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need her.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this about now,¡± Yu Jitae replied.

    With an irritated gaze, Myu looked at Bom.

    ¡°Do you not understand what I mean? Make her go back. She is nothing but an interference to my vacation.¡±

    There was no longer any patience left inside Bom.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t do anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have. You constantly nitpick on my words and re at me with the eyes of a corpse. It is very unpleasant.¡±

    ¡°Have I done anything over the top?¡±

    ¡°There is still a limit to ruining someone else¡¯s mood. Where did this vagrant kide from¡­¡±

    Bom twitched her eyes.

    ¡°It was you who was always trying to break thew.¡±

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    Yu Jitae called her, telling her to not bother dealing with a rabid dog. Hearing his voice, Bom obediently closed her mouth.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough for you as well, Myu.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s enough? I have never said it is fine for something like that to intervene and ruin my vacation.¡±

    ¡°However, you did promise to not create a social chaos. And everything you have done is all problematic.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    Myu growled with the fork in hand.

    ¡°I cannot stand someone inferior telling me what to do in front of my eyes. It¡¯s okay if you do it, but who is that little kid to dare try to control me?¡±

    ¡°Watch your words. Unless you want your vacation to end right now.¡±

    Revealing her fangs, Myu turned the arrowhead at Bom.

    ¡°Kid. Can you not read the mood?¡±

    An adult dragon was resolutely exerting its killing intent. Even though she had yet to fully recover her mana, it was enough to pressure Bom.

    ¡°Do you not understand I¡¯m telling you to go away?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you have no ears? Or perhaps no brain?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Kid. Are you deaf now?¡±

    ¡°I told you that is enough, Myu.¡±

    Yu Jitae opened his mouth but Myu continued flooding out her hatred against Bom without any regard.

    ¡°How dare you face me with that dirty look. Go away right now!¡±

    Her oppressive attitude made Bom feel like her brain was being tightened into a string.

    ¡°What if I say no?¡±

    ¡°This random bitch. It seems words alone aren¡¯t going to be enough. Huh¡ª?¡±

    It was then. Myu suddenly raised her bowl of soup and threw it at Bom. She had regained arge portion of mana and it thus happened in the blink of an eye. Although the bowl was blocked by Yu Jitae¡¯s hand, the soup sttered on Bom¡¯s clothes and tainted the white frill in orange.

    Even then, Bom could hold it in.

    She had to.

    ¡°Myu. Your vacation will end as of now. You are truly like a beast that cannotprehend words.¡±

    ¡°Do not utter nonsense at me, you damned human! I¡¯m telling you to get rid of that. How many times do I have to say it? You are the only one that needs to be here!¡±

    But the moment Myu said the likes of, ¡®You are the only one I need,¡¯ and threw a sausage at Yu Jitae¡¯s face,

    A string that had been barely holding on in her head snapped.

    Shooting out of her seat, Bom grabbed the sausage that was flying towards Yu Jitae¡¯s face.

    She was out of her mind. By the time she came to herself, her body was already on the move with the sausage in her right hand.

    m!

    It seemed as if she would p her with a sausage, but no ¨C Bom insteadshed a fist at Myu¡¯s face.

 Chapter 331: One Sweet Holiday (7)

    <h4>Chapter 331: One Sweet Holiday (7)</h4>

    The sausage flies and Myu¡¯s head would turn after getting hit.

    If she got double nosebleeds, it would be even better.

    But, how do you punch someone again? There was a time when she almost got hit by Yeorum in the past. If she were to copy what she had done¡­

    No. Instead of punching for the first time, how about swinging a fork? Because a knife would have a different nuance.

    Fork ¨C not bad. A fork is something that can be swung in a fit.

    So,

    Like this¡ª-

    ¡­That was when something flew up from her fork and touched her on her cheek. It was a small piece of tomato.

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing with that nk look on your face.¡±

    ¡°¡­Practising how to swing a fork.¡±

    ¡°And what do you mean by that.¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you mean? Because a fork is at least better than a fist¡­¡±

    Her vacant senses finally returned to reality as Bom stared at the napkin in Yu Jitae¡¯s hand. Her body froze and the trembling around her eyes stopped.

    ¡°Bom. Are you feeling okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been doing nothing for a while now. Wake up.¡±

    Yu Jitae used a napkin to wipe the piece of tomato from her cheek. The soft texture of cotton touching her face brought her mind back to reality.

    ¨C What about you unni? How do you not be nervous?

    Some time in the past.

    Kaeul had asked Bom such a question with the group presentation ahead of her, and Bom¡¯s reply was this.

    ¨C You simply have to mentally prepare yourself.

    A mental preparation.

    That was the reason why dragons of the green race were able to stay calm in the face of every situation, as well as why they could deal with more stress than others; the reason why Bom was possibly able to tease Yu Jitae and was also why a green dragon had be the Lord over all the dragons.

    Back then, Kaeul had curiously asked.

    ¨C How do you mentally prepare yourself?

    ¨C You imagine beforehand a possible awkward situation.

    ¨C For example?

    ¡°My Nemesis?¡±

    Myu raised a red lobster from the table.

    ¡°How are you supposed to eat this? I have no clue.¡±

    Like a fox, she amiably smiled and asked him. It wasn¡¯t strange because Myu had a lot of things that she was unfamiliar with.

    Her smiling face was quite pretty because she was still a dragon, but both her eyes and lips appeared absurdly debaucherous as if she couldn¡¯t wait to devour males.

    In response, Yu Jitae raised the lobster despite the frown on his face. He did not need a hammer. After he easily breaks the outer shell with his thick fingers, it would reveal the wet inside of the lobster.

    ¡°Hoh. And do I put that into my mouth?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Give it to me. Ahhng¡­¡±

    Myu naturally opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, intentionally for Bom to see. The dense Yu Jitae would push the meat forward while Myu would slowly wait for the lobster to reach inside her mouth before slowly biting down. Her breath would touch Yu Jitae¡¯s fingers while her eyes would nce at her.

    Then, what should I do?

    1. It would feel great to stab her tongue with a fork before she could eat it, but it would cause harm to Yu Jitae.

    2. Snatching the lobster and exining how to eat a lobster instead of Yu Jitae, wasn¡¯t something she was that willing to do either.

    3. So before Myu could be interested in the lobster¡ª

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    Once again, her mind returned to reality.

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°Get up. It¡¯s time to go.¡±

    ¡°¡­What about the lobster?¡±

    ¡°We finished it a while ago. You seriously have to wake up.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s hand touched Bom on her cheek as he gave her a pinch.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    She immediately came to herself. It felt as if her face had been driven into cold water.

    Bom was back to reality and could feel the warmth in his hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go now,¡± he said while getting up and Bom quietly stood up from her seat to follow him from behind.

    Myu did not shout at him to chase Bom away, nor had she lustfully asked for the lobster. All she did was hum while cutting the meat and throwing them into her own mouth and in fact, the three of them almost did not share any conversations during the meal.

    So everything that had happened just then was all a part of Bom¡¯s imagination. It initially stemmed from a ¡®If this happens, let¡¯s do this¡¯ mindset but she was so nervous that she constantly came up with too many scenarios.

    Back when Kaeul was preparing for the group presentation, she asked another question after hearing how Bom¡¯s method to deal with nervousness was a ¡®mental preparation¡¯.

    ¨C How many situations do you have to roughly think of?!

    Around 200 to 500, was her reply.

    On the way out of the restaurant, Bom went through all the ¡®predictions¡¯ she had thought of. How many situations had she predicted during the meal?

    Labelling each situation one by one, she soon realised that there were more numbers than usual ¨C a lot more than she had expected.

    No wonder her head felt like it would crack open.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    1,271.

    This number was enough to overload even an adult dragon¡¯s brain.

    Her mind was dizzy.

    Her fingers quivered.

    The ¡®mental preparation¡¯ she had always been doing as a habit was no longer her tool. Like a snuff film, it constantly harassed her mind regardless of the time.

    It wasmon to see a fair amount of cruel and repulsive situations through Providence. Even though she was somewhat used to seeing things that she didn¡¯t want to see, the image of him sticking close to the ck-hair was one she could never get used to, no matter how many times she saw it.

    Walking down the alleyway, Bom looked down at her hand. There was a circr rune drawn on her palm.

    [Memorise (S)]

    A self-defencebat spell which she had made just in case was saved on her palm. It was the ¡®spell that could even kill a ck dragon¡¯ that she had talked about with Yeorum.

    It was a dangerous spell ¨C perhaps the most dangerous out of every spell she had made in her life. She couldn¡¯t guess what was going through her head when she did this. By the time she came to herself, she had already made this spell and had already saved it into her body.

    Even though she should probably get rid of it, she constantly hesitated before making the decision because ¡®that¡¯ was in front of her eyes. The ck-hair that had only been breathing inside her head was now right next to her.

    The weapon was a ballista. It had a [Magic Arrow] which Bom had crafted by exquisitely intertwining all the magic equations she could use, and a [Dock] which could make the arrow fly faster than a dragon breath.

    The principle was simple ¨C she simply had to pull the trigger at the opponent. The spell that was the same as apressed breath would fly through the heart as an arrow and destroy it. There were no safety devices but there was no way she would use it by ident. Using it would definitely be by her own will. Now that it was weakened was the best time to kill it without fail, because an adult dragon after regaining its power wouldn¡¯t die in one hit.

    But that was why she had made 3 arrows with 1 spare. Of course, using all those spells at once would be a burden to her heart but it was okay. What could possibly be the problem as long as she could change the destined future? If the ck-hair was to be embraced by Yu Jitae in front of her eyes, Bom would shoot the three arrows to kill the ck-hair and shoot the spare at her own head. The reason why she would kill herself is because Yu Jitae was not at fault. Being discarded would be because of her own mistakes. However, out of her wish for him to remember her for as long as possible, she would shoot it at her head rather than the heart¡ª-

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    It was then.

    Bom, who had been walking with her face staring at the ground, raised her head to stare at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    Huh? She soon looked around with trembling eyes. They were in Paris just a while ago, but wasn¡¯t this the Association?

    ¡°Good work.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s words finally brought her back to reality. It was so dumbfounding that she instead smiled.

    ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡±

    The vacation was already over.

    ***

    After four days of vacation, Yu Jitae isted Myu once again in the basement.

    There was nothing incredible he had done but it was nheless an exceptionally tiring period of four days.

    Only after confirming Myu¡¯s mental state and her health did he finally leave the Association. Regardless of the things that had happened, Myu still seemed satisfied.

    It was in fact Bom whom he had been the most worried about. Ever since the second night, Bom started acting strange and was like a stringless puppet all the way till the end of the vacation.

    She would say something strange whenever he talked to her and also stayed up all night.

    Fortunately, the vacation was now over and Bom could now be separated from Myu.

    She had been thinking about something when they were on the way to Myu¡¯s istion chamber with a sober mind, which he could tell due to the life in her eyes. But whatever that was, everything was now over and it was time to go back.

    ¡°Good work. Should we go back now?¡±

    However,

    Bom did not move her feet. Looking slightly exhausted, she gazed up at him. She looked into his eyes for a few seconds before suddenly talking about something strange.

    ¡°Right now, the other kids will think they are with oppa right.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Because there is your substitute.¡±

    ¡°¡­Everything would be the same apart from the fact that you aren¡¯t there.¡±

    ¡°Nn. I actually told them I would go out somewhere to y under your permission before leaving home.¡±

    ¡°I thought you just came out, but well done.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I told them I¡¯d be away for a month but none of them will find that strange. You know. I used to travel all around by myself.¡±

    ¡°Why did you tell them you¡¯d be away for a whole month?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her silence added some context to the simple conversation.

    This was what Bom was basically trying to say.

    1. The kids won¡¯t have a clue even if Yu Jitae did not return.

    2. The kids won¡¯t find it strange even if Bom did not return for a month.

    So¡­

    ¡°How about we, go somewhere for just one month?¡±

    She said with a gloomy look on her face. Was this what she was thinking about aftering back to herself?

    ¡°To where.¡±

    ¡°Anywhere. Somewhere that¡¯s quiet with not many people.¡±

    ¡°To do what.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Should we have some food together? Swim if there is water nearby and go out on a walk if there¡¯s a mountain. We can look at stars at night and talk before going to sleep¡­¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. But aren¡¯t those things doable even if we don¡¯t leave?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    He threw the fundamental question.

    ¡°Then, why?¡±

    Hesitation loomed around her lips.

    Was she uneasy about what happened with Myu? Was that why she was trying to make time for just the two of them?

    What she said in response was slightly different from what he was expecting.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been having a hard time for the past four years and a half after meeting us so¡­¡± She slowly opened her mouth.

    Having a hard time for the past four years and a half?

    ¡°Where did this suddenlye from.¡±

    ¡°You know, it just suddenly popped up in my head. You do everything for us everyday by sacrificing your life. The kids and I all know it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not a sacrifice.¡±

    ¡°Of course it is. They say raising one kid is hard enough already¡­ and yet you¡¯re taking care of four. How can there be such an unprofitable task.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about. You don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    He said in a half-joking tone while tapping her forehead with his middle finger. Bom tightly closed her eyes and waited until he pulled his fingers back before carefully opening them again.

    ¡°I do know¡­ and I always feel sorry.¡±

    ¡°¡®Sorry¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Because. It would be great if we could give something back but oppa, you¡¯re such an incredible person that there is nothing we can give you. I feel like I¡¯m in debt.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same even when you do asionally leave home. Some days you have to fight demons and these past few days, you had to deal with some strange ill-tempered olddy. I thought about it, but I think it must be tough for you. We learned at Lair that bing a superhuman doesn¡¯t harden your mentality or anything¡­¡±

    ¡°That is indeed true.¡±

    ¡°Yes. And that¡¯s why oppa, you¡¯re also a normal person.¡±

    A normal person.

    It felt like an extremely off word.

    ¡°What is a normal person.¡±

    ¡°Someone that wants to take a rest when tired.¡±

    He thought for a bit, before replying with a dry voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re right then. I guess I am.¡±

    Bom walked towards him, into a suggestive proximity and opening her arms wide, she wrapped them around his ribs. Even though she was tightly wrapping those feeble arms around his body, those arms that looked as if they would break from an idental grip did not pressure him in the slightest.

    However, he was still troubled by this distance. It had been a while since he was this close to her.

    ¡°That¡¯s why, we should go on a vacation with just the two of us. Nnhn?¡±

    He returned a nod. Bom indeed needed some time to stabilise her mind again.

    ¡°But a month is too long. Four days was already long and that¡¯s why I put a substitute in my stead.¡±

    ¡°Then what about three days?¡±

    ¡°Three days should be fine.¡±

    Bom raised her hands and rested them around Yu Jitae¡¯s corbone. Slowly she began undoing his tie.

    ¡°But, no acting like a guardian during the vacation.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    He thought to himself. There must be another reason why Bom, who had been anxious about Myu¡¯s incident, would suddenly say such a thing.

    In the end, it would be just the two of them.

    What was this child trying to do?

    *

    [2430. It¡¯s time¡­]

    [What should I do¡­]

    [If the diary ends here, Yu Bom would have long be fish food at the bottom of the Pacific so please do not look for me. Think of the observation diary as a hobby of someone with a strange personality ¨C don¡¯t bother reading it and just burn it please.]

    [Yes¡­]

    [¡­T.T]

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ???]

 Chapter 332: One Sweet Holiday (8)

    <h4>Chapter 332: One Sweet Holiday (8)</h4>

    It waste summer when he had taken in Bom, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul who was attached to the ne. And right now it was nearing the end of Spring.

    Roughly 4 years and 9 months had passed since the start of the 7th iteration, and it was the longest period of 4 years and 9 months he had spent ording to his memory.

    Their life at Lair had alreadye to an end. There was no reason to live at Lair anymore except for Gyeoul¡¯s elementary school ¨C Yeorum and Kaeul had early graduations whereas Bom had quit school.

    Had he been fully faithful in the 7th iteration?

    He wasn¡¯t sure.

    However, he could still say with certainty that he had tried his hardest, just like every other iteration.

    It was rough at the start. Daily life was like a flower-bed while he was a horrendous rotten statue. As the odd one out, he stood out a lot and he thought it would be extremely difficult to mix in.

    However now that 4 years and 9 months had passed by, it surprisingly formed a somewhat decent-looking picture. Stems of various colours were wrapping around the statue, rising up with budding flowers as the abundant leaves provided a cover for the sharp contours of the statue.

    He wasn¡¯t the reason why the 7th iteration was faring without a problem. It was only because the baby dragons were following him nicely.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

    USA. State of Ohoma.

    They were in a small hotel built in the outskirts of a town.

    The reason they chose this ce was because this was the ce where Yu Jitae had received his military education in his early 20s ¨C back when he still had some leisure.

    Bom, who had brought him here after hearing his story, was now carrying shopping bags in both of her hands as she walked back into the hotel room.

    ¡°Shall we undo your tie before anything?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Who goes on a vacation wearing a tie?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it makes me feel stuffy as well.¡±

    For now, he decided to follow what she said.

    ¡°While you are at it, let¡¯s take your business shirt off and change into morefortable clothes.¡±

    ¡°This isfortable.¡±

    ¡°Come on¡­¡±

    He obediently took his business shirt off as Bom handed over a new t-shirt she just bought. It was a white t-shirt.

    Yu Jitae was thus made to wear a t-shirt on top and a pair of jeans underneath. Thanks to the [Inherent Customisation (S)], they were immediately modified into fitting his body.

    Although it wasn¡¯t ufortable, it still felt awkward.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Throughout the process, Bom nkly gazed at him. When he turned around and faced her, her eyes curved into crescent moons.

    They had a normal burger set for breakfast. This too was something Bom bought because it was his favourite food from youth.

    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your hobby, oppa?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°We need to know what your hobby is so that we can spend a rxed holiday.¡±

    He tried thinking about it but could not think of anything off the top of his head.

    ¡°Did you lose interest in your hobbies as you turned older?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably it.¡±

    ¡°Then what about when you were young? Anything you liked doing?¡±

    When I was young?

    ¡°Take your time thinking about it.¡±

    He looked back at his hazy memories. Like old photos, they were crumpled and kept at a corner, so he needed to take a closer look at them to remember his past.

    The start of his memories was at a group funeral.

    He was standing in front of his parent¡¯s portraits but their faces on even those photos were hazy.

    People were weeping all around him, but he was there nkly staring at the photos without any tears in his eyes.

    After that, he remembered living as a street beggar scavenging for food everyday and the middle-aged woman who gave a burger as an encouragement to his life.

    His next memory was around when he was 12. He was at an orphanage alone without any friends due to his sharp personality, feeling a blunt knife cutting into his heart without realising that was what loneliness felt like.

    He thought going to a school would solve the problem but the child without any conversational talents could not fit into any group, and soon noticed how therger crowd made him feel even lonelier.

    Time spent with his eyes open equaled the time spent alone.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is identifying the target¡­>

    <Identification Complete!>

    It happened on one of his sleepless nights.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] greets you!>

    Yu Jitae made his first friend.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: o(?¡¯¨Œ¡¯?)/¡î¡ã¡¯>

    Looking through his memories one by one, he remembered something.

    Vintage Clock was a clever friend.

    Whenever there was something Yu Jitae was curious about, Vintage Clock would teach him like a teacher.

    Even for boring questions like, ¡®How do you make friends?¡¯ and, ¡®How do you turn down people who want to borrow my stuff?¡¯ the Vintage Clock gave sincere replies.

    To Yu Jitae, who had spent 12 years of his life by locking himself up in his own inner world, Vintage Clock was a parent; a friend,

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] alerts you that a motorbike is too dangerous!>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX): ?(?`^¡ä?)?>

    And sometimes even acted like a guardian.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t the type to listen to others.

    Right,

    Motorbike.

    *

    He rented a motorbike from a nearby store.

    ¡°Did you really ride something like this¡­?¡±

    Bom looked surprised because it didn¡¯t suit her image of Yu Jitae.

    His youthful heart in the past had found it cool.

    He had bought it around the time he entered high school. That was near the end of the East-Asian Great War, and Yu Jitae could travel to various ces thanks to the re-stabilisation of the roads.

    Right now, he didn¡¯t think much of it and would even discourage people from riding it.

    ¡°I heard these were dangerous. Apparently you die with one mistake¡­¡±

    Ever since the New Era, motorbikes were considered even more dangerous. A motorbike-driver had 3 times the likelihood to die than a sedan-driver. Although healing magic could recover broken limbs, it could not revive dead people.

    ¡°Right. I was injured as well. I kind of remember slipping on a wet road and driving into a brick wall.¡±

    ¡°Gosh. Were you injured a lot?¡±

    ¡°Probably. It was like a fairly low wall and I think my body was going over it when my leg got caught.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­?¡±

    ¡°Leg, knee, pelvis, intestines¡­ I don¡¯t remember clearly but my lower body was probably all ruined. And I think the motor exploded and my leg caught on fire.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be healed with the medical skills back then so I was deemed disabled but that¡¯s all in the past.¡±

    ¡°¡­My word.¡±

    Bom nced back and forth between Yu Jitae and the motorbike in fright.

    And you¡¯re saying we will be riding that?

    That appeared to be the question behind her gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We won¡¯t get injured.¡±

    ¡°But even then¡­ So did you stop riding it after that big injury?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    ¡°I went slower.¡±

    With a stupefied gaze, she red at him.

    ¡°But I was quite frustrated back then.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I was 22.¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    It was straight after he finished his mandatory military duties.

    In any case, by the time she realised it, Bom was sitting on the rear seat of the motorbike with the helmet artifact cast over her head.

    ¡°I want to get off. I don¡¯t feelfortable riding this¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re starting.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, do it by yourself please. I¡¯m getting¡ª¡±

    Vruuung. The engine explosively picked up as the motorbike bounced off the ground. Startled, Bom grabbed whatever she could.

    ¡®Nn?¡¯

    She soon opened her eyes but¡­

    Is this it? She thought, because it was a lot slower than she expected. It was natural since no matter how fast a two-wheeled vehicle was, there was no way it could be faster than a dragon who could soar through the skies to cross continents.

    ¡®Wait, it¡¯s not that fast¡­¡¯ thought Bom in relief but she suddenly flinched.

    Carrying the two of them, the motorbike continued racing for a long time. Going far into the distance, it went on ignoring the unpaved road beneath it.

    Riding through the wind, he reflected on the time he first started living his life in this world.

    As expected, he couldn¡¯t think of much.

    The only things he could remember were all linked to the Vintage Clock because the Vintage Clock had always been with him through the important moments of his life.

    Aftering to a stop, he asked like an old man.

    ¡°How¡¯s the scenery?¡±

    However, he then noticed the bitter look on Bom¡¯s face. There was a frown on her forehead, and her eyes were slightly out of focus.

    Was she surprised by the motorbike being unstable?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong,¡± he asked.

    ¡°Ah n, no? You¡¯re right¡­¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Quite pretty, yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Pretty?¡±

    There was one unpaved road going through a barren wastnd. He was asking whether she liked the deste mood of the countryside or not.

    Was there anything pretty here? There weren¡¯t even clouds in the sky.

    Bom vacantly looked at her hand, before following him from behind.

    *

    That was probably back when he was 23 years old. After finishing his mandatory military duty and returning to the superhuman school, he received military education in the USA for 1 year as an exchange student.

    Back then, Yu Jitae¡¯s eating habit was pretty much a mess. Despite turning old and having money, he did not bother getting good food. He only ate food that was cheap and essible.

    He had a rather obsessive mindset that no matter how expensive food was, it would disappear the moment it entered the mouth. Yu Jitae considered food to have the most terrible depreciation in value.

    So he would always shove fast food ¨C ones that were especially low quality even from the mix ¨C into his own mouth and the Vintage Clock would always tell him off.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] notifies that everything you eat and drink forms the existence, [Yu Jitae]!>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] rmends having better food!>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] notes the food in front is no different from garbage! States you should have fresh vegetables and meat!>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX): [$(??¦Ø? ?)$] x 55>

    He checked his pocket and found 55 dors.

    So what.

    Burgers are the best.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX): (<strong>???</strong>¥í? ??) ¡°ºÈ!!!¡±>

    .

    .

    In the middle of nowhere after getting off the bike,

    The two of them found a nameless restaurant. It had a board at the front, but the letters became one with the dust and was no longer legible.

    They could smell the artificial ingredients and the smell of oil from a distance ¨C the venttion system was trash.

    ¡°What is this ce?¡±

    ¡°I came here a few times when I was young.¡±

    Bom pulled his sleeves.

    ¡°But, oppa. The smell is¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t even continue her words.

    ¡°It¡¯s not great. I came here because of my past memory, but you don¡¯t have to force yourself to eat here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Did you usually have food at a ce like this in the past?¡±

    ¡°It does have its ups, but you don¡¯t have to eat here. Let¡¯s go to a good restaurant together at night.¡±

    Bom nced across the shabby restaurant with a murky gaze. The dust-filled windows made her wonder whether they even cleaned those windows or not. In fact, some of the windows were even broken and had wooden tes covering them.

    Walking inside, the rotten smell of soybean oil rushed into her nose.

    She was slightly surprised to find worn-out workers of various nationalities nonchntly smoking and having their meal. They were simrly surprised to see Bom, but they hurriedly turned their gazes away after meeting eyes with Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What brings a clean man and a youngdy here.¡±

    A worn-out female staff, who appeared a lot older than her actual age, casually tossed a dirty piece of paper at their table before walking away.

    It was the menu.

    Going over his faint memories of the past, he ordered a corn soup, bread and a cheap sausage pizza with fries.

    The old workers sitting at the table nearby were bbering about strip clubs and the likes.

    It certainly wasn¡¯t the best ce to bring kids to. He usually would have nevere to a ce like this.

    Before long came the food.

    Bom looked at it with a rigid look on her face, and very softly whispered into his ears.

    ¡®Did you have to eat something like this¡­?¡¯

    ¡®What¡¯s wrong.¡¯

    ¡®The smell¡­ is definitely not that of normal food¡­¡¯

    ¡®Probably better than the one you make.¡¯

    He joked but Bom frowned in response.

    ¡®Anyway don¡¯t eat this. Let¡¯s just go.¡¯

    ¡®You want to throw this away?¡¯

    ¡®Nn. Let¡¯s go¡­¡¯

    ¡®You said it was my vacation though.¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s true. It is.¡¯

    Unable to say anything else, Bom could only pout but she still looked unhappy. In any case, Yu Jitae ced the meat into his mouth.

    He continued with the meal but felt rather strange.

    ¨C These 55 dors; it¡¯s for my hospital.¡¯

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??ÈË??)>

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can go back to the hotel first if you don¡¯t want to eat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m staying here. I¡¯ll eat it as well then¡­¡±

    ¨C ¡®Didn¡¯t I tell you I like eating by myself?¡¯

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] firmly stands its ground.>

    ¡°I¡¯m curious about the taste.¡±

    <It notifies that it is curious about the vour.>

    Strangely enough, he saw a slight ovep in the thinking process of Bom and the past Vintage Clock.

    He even thought to himself that perhaps this was why he was suddenly feeling romantically attracted to Bom.

    Naturally, it did not make any sense.

    It was when Yu Jitae and Bom were slowly putting the junk food into their mouths. Bom let out an awkward smile while having a spoonful of the soup ¨C the astonishingly unhealthy vour made her lips quiver.

    ¡°Oi. You folks. What¡¯s with all that nibbling crap.¡±

    A man sitting two tables away suddenly raised his voice. His hollow eyes, the scar going all the way up from his neck to his forehead and the Chicano-style tattoo on his bare upper body all suggested he was a part of a gang.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with you debonair-looking blokesing in and ring at food like fodder, huh?¡±

    The man lifted his body and began walking towards the two of them. He had in fact been throwing nces at them ever since they had entered the restaurant.

    ¡°Oi, Jose. What are ya doing in the middle of a fucking meal?¡±

    ¡°Jose. Calm down, for fuck¡¯s sake.¡±

    People that looked like his acquaintances pulled him by his arms and tried to stop him. They looked like they were used to things like this already.

    ¡°Fuck, let go! Those fuckers are looking down on our food like it¡¯s some Chinese crap.¡±

    ¡°No-one did. You¡¯re just drunk, buddy!¡±

    ¡°Drunk my ass! I hate those rich ass bastards. It feels shit enough already to see rich idiots like theming to a ce like this to watch beggars, and yet look ¨C they¡¯re having food like it¡¯s dog crap!¡±

    The man had an unstable breath and appeared intoxicated in both alcohol and drugs. Startled, Bom drew herself closer to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Oi. You criminal-looking fucker. Tell me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Does this look like dog food to you?¡±

 Chapter 333: One Sweet Holiday (9)

    <h4>Chapter 333: One Sweet Holiday (9)</h4>

    ¡°Oi. Brother. Listen!¡±

    ¡°Jose, you¡¯re gonna create more trouble for yourself again.¡±

    The acquaintances rushed in trying to stop the drunkard.

    ¡°Let go, you fuckers!¡± shouted the man.

    Yu Jitae faintly remembered going through such things in the past.

    Despite the shift in the era, some extreme nationalists in the USA still discriminated against Asians. Even aside from that, because of various other reasons like the social atmosphere after the Great War which tended to see superhumans as murderers and his gloomy countenance¡­ People picked a fight with Yu Jitae quite often regardless of the reason.

    He was young and full of pride so he would immediately throw a fist when he felt looked down on.

    But now?

    Tiny ants screaming ¡®Dirty capitalists¨C¡¯ and the likes in fury did not make him think much.

    It did, however, bring his mind back to the past.

    What did Vintage Clock say back then?

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states you must avoid unnecessary fights!>

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go¡­¡±

    Bom said, while pulling Yu Jitae by his arm. She looked quite ufortable.

    ¡°Why should we just leave, when they¡¯re picking a fight.¡±

    ¡°There are weird people everywhere, and there is no need to get involved with them¡­¡±

    ¡°But they are ruining the vacation.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t feel that good either but, ¡­what are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°Hit him once and he¡¯ll be quiet.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    After some thought, she once again pulled him by his arm, while saying, ¡®I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s just go¡­¡¯

    He was about to turn around when a loud yell suddenly echoed from behind.

    ¡°Stay right there you randoms!¡± the man bellowed while throwing leftover corn at Bom.

    ¡°Aht,¡± Bom twisted her body in a hurry to dodge it, but this slightly annoyed Yu Jitae for the first time because the ant was now trying to bite Bom.

    It seemed that Bom was thinking the same thing, judging from how her eyebrows were forming a frown.

    ¡°Do you still want to just leave?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hostility appeared in her eyes.

    They had yielded once and yet the opponent was crossing the line ¨C what did Vintage Clock say in times like this?

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wants you to hit them once!>

    ¡°Oi! Where do you think you¡¯re going you dark-ass bastard! Don¡¯t you hear me talking to you?¡±

    ¡°What should we do.¡± Ignoring him, Yu Jitae asked Bom.

    ¡°What was that, you fucker? Answer me! Dude, let go!¡±

    ¡°Jose! You idiot!¡±

    ¡°The madam¡¯s looking displeased!¡±

    ¡°And what?!¡±

    ¡°Talk it out¡­¡± Bom replied.

    ¡°What are those arrogant pigs bberin¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re like that. Words won¡¯t go through.¡±

    Bom handed him a cheap ss bottle. This indeed would be a good way to talk it out.

    Yu Jitae grabbed the ss bottle with his hand as the thug raised a gun from his back pocket. The next instant, Yu Jitae crushed the ss bottle with his bare hand.

    Crack! Crack¨C Crakkkk¡ª

    The ss shattered and crumbled like grains of sand as the one holding the gun froze stiff. A human that can crush a ss bottle into powder with bare hands, would never be the same breed of humans as them.

    ¡°Hukk!¡±

    ¡°A s, superhuman¨C!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a superhuman Jose! Hurry up; drive your head into the ground and say sorry!¡±

    The people nearby shouted in shock but the thug was severely intoxicated.

    ¡°D, damn it¡­ All of you, shut up!¡±

    Bang¨C!

    The man shot the gun at the ceiling. ¡®Damn it!¡¯, ¡®He¡¯spletely out of it!¡¯ shouted the surrounding people in shock. Some of them tried to escape while Bom frowned from the noise and Yu Jitae stood up from his seat with a steel spoon in his hand.

    He then walked towards the crowd. As the people made way in surprise, he silently smacked the drunkard by his cheek with the spoon.

    m!

    The man with a rotated chin fainted straight away and fell on the floor as the nearby crowd then carefully approached him while throwing nces at Yu Jitae. Raising their hands, they murmured the likes of, ¡®Hey brother, let us apologise in his stead¡¯.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The food didn¡¯t even have the same taste as the one in the past.

    What he had remembered was probably the time ¨C the time when he was psychologically pushed to a limit due to hunger and poverty, which he could no longer feel now that he was full and rich. Those were the times when a low-quality meat worth 2 dors could satisfy him.

    On the way out of the restaurant, he realised Bom was smiling with a satisfied look on her face.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°That just felt refreshing. If someone doesn¡¯t listen to me next time, I¡¯ll use a spoon as well.¡±

    She said while humming to herself.

    This too gave Yu Jitae a sense of deja vu.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is pleased by the flying side kick!>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?¡¯¨Œ¡¯)?~ (?¡¯¨Œ¡¯)?~ !>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ?( ? )?~ ?( ? )?~!>

    They seemed quite simr.

    Well, it was in fact a situation that would have pleased anyone. If it was Yeorum, she might have instead taken a step forward to give a flick to his forehead.

    Thinking along the lines of that made him think about Vintage Clock. He had asked Oscar Brzenk to look into its traces, but had yet to receive any word from him.

    Where did the Vintage Clock go?

    His line of thought met a quick end.

    ¡°I want to drive on the way back.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Because this is your vacation, oppa. I will be like your driver.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a licence?¡±

    ¡°I got one already, in preparation for times like this.¡±

    ¡°A motorbike is a little different though.¡±

    ¡°I remember how you drove.¡±

    Bom confidently sat on the driver¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Will that be enough?¡±

    ¡°Oppa. I¡¯m Bom, you know that.¡±

    It was therefore decided that Bom would be driving the motorbike on the way back with Yu Jitae sitting behind her.

    Vrunng¨C

    She pressed hard with her tiny feet as the bike travelled forward with the rotating sound of the motor.

    It was his first time sitting in the rear seat with someone driving the motorbike. Thanks to that, he was able to feel the refreshing breeze with leisure and appreciate the scenery.

    The deste world was a fairly good sight to behold.

    His peaceful time¡­ Kung!

    That was when Yu Jitae shook up and down.

    ¡°Sorry. Were you surprised?¡±

    ¡°What was that.¡±

    ¡°There was a pebble.¡±

    Driving after seeing it once was not an easy feat because one had to get the hang of it. That was why the motorbike continued wobbling throughout the way back.

    The road wasn¡¯t that good either. There were pebbles and dust being carried everywhere by the wind and the road maintenance in this countryside was rarely done.

    Kung! It shook once again and Yu Jitae could no longer hold back hisments.

    ¡°Bom. You need to go on the paved side.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing right now.¡±

    A motorbike tended to constantly carry its instability after bing unstable once. He grabbed her by the shoulders in order to not fall.

    Kung¨C!

    ¡°Come on. Go to the paved side.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°More.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°More. More to the left.¡±

    Will they be able to go back to the hotel in one piece?

    That was the sudden thought in his mind.

    ¡°More.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Go more.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? That would be a differentne.¡±

    ¡°Do you see any cars here? Just cross to the otherne.¡±

    ¡°But that would cost marks in a test.¡±

    ¡°Stop saying nonsense and just cross.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Kung¨C

    ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    Bom turned her head and stared at him. He couldn¡¯t see her face because of the helmet, but there would most likely be the usual pout which he had seen quite often.

    ¡°¡­I am trying already,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°And here my butt is being crushed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®it¡¯s not¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Your butt¡¯s resilient.¡±

    ¡°Most of my abilities are off right now.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because that way, you can feel the speed better.¡±

    Kung!!

    ¡°Kyaa¨C!¡±

    ¡°Open your eyes properly!¡±

    ¡°Wait, oppa. I can¡¯t focus on the road because you¡¯re talking to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Look straight. Do you not know how to go straight?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing that already.¡±

    ¡°Wait, Bom. There¡¯s another unpaved road at the front. What are you going to do.¡±

    ¡°Huh, uhh¡­?¡±

    Kung! Kugugung! Dududuk!

    This time, he really was about to bounce off so he locked his legs around the vehicle and tightly grabbed onto her shoulders with his hands. It was a great fortune that the vehicle did not flip.

    Due to the uneasiness that he might fall, Yu Jitae grabbed her waist.

    Suddenly, the bike wavered and Bom trembled. Her shoulders turned tense and rose up.

    What¡¯s wrong this time. Is it another unpaved road?

    It wasn¡¯t.

    She continued driving while Yu Jitae continuedmenting from behind. Strangely enough, her driving turned increasingly unstable.

    ¡°Bom. Do you have some sort of problem.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry?¡±

    ¡°What is wrong with you all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Or is there something you¡¯re unhappy about? Like the time you were cooking?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°But look. Howe you can¡¯t avoid it even when I tell you beforehand?¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I get it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you get it. Then why are you driving like this? Look ahead. There¡¯s a speed bump in front. What are you gonna do now.¡±

    ¡°Ah, oppa. Please.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me when I¡¯m driving.¡±

    He was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Oi. How can I not talk when you¡¯re driving like¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahhh. Nnnnnnn¡ª¡±

    Bom let out a whine to stop him from nagging. She was needlessly stubborn at times.

    He could see the back of her neck tainted in red. It seemed that she was embarrassed by her constant mistakes.

    It was an ufortable journey all the way to the supermarket, where they stopped by to buy some snacks. Hearing Bom carefreely saying, ¡°So that¡¯s why there are so many idents,¡± Yu Jitae thought to himself that he should drive the remaining distance.

    ¡°What did you buy.¡±

    ¡°Chocte.¡±

    She replied with her hand carrying some chocte.

    Now that he thought about it, all the dragons liked chocte. Let alone Kaeul and Gyeoul who obviously loved it, Yeorum tended to have chocte whenever she was nervous and Bom also frequently looked for chocte.

    Perhaps it was because they were young.

    ¡°By the way, oppa.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I think I found a new hobby. I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be so fun¡­¡±

    What?

    ¡°You know, driving a motorbike.¡±

    Oh dear.

    *

    Writing, drawing and sculpting.

    He thought those were the only things she was bad at, but there was another addition to the list.

    Bom was bad at driving.

    ¡°Ahaha!¡±

    It was no longer a question about how thrilling it was ¨C he had to reactivate his blessings and abilities to protect his body because otherwise he might get greatly injured. Getting off the motorbike, Bom turned to Yu Jitae and giggled.

    That wasn¡¯t the end of the problem. When he anxiously looked around, he realised they were at a ce they had never seen before.

    The two of them were lost by the time they realised it.

    ¡°Is it funny?¡±

    ¡°Kyaa¨C Ahahahahahh¨C!¡±

    Bom bursted out intoughter with her hands on her stomach.

    It was bizarre how she could lose her way on the road by just driving straight.

    ¡°Bom. Your driving skill is truly one hell of a mess.¡±

    ¡°Bee-beep¨C It is normal¡­!¡±

    ¡°Is it normal to be lost on a vacation?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right. Yes, sorry. Should we go back now?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But first off, no more motorbike.¡±

    ¡°Actually, we can¡¯t even go back with the motorbike.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s broken.¡±

    She giggled while slightly biting her tongue, so he pressed on his temples to relieve his headache. Seeing that, Bom startedughing yet again.

    That was how they spent their time.

    In a barren wastnd where spotting a single tree was a miracle,

    Behind Bom who wasughing all by herself was the setting sun.

    ***

    Of course, returning wasn¡¯t an issue thanks to teleport.

    After that, Yu Jitae went around eating food with Bom for the next two days.

    Time went by extremely fast, and it was already thest night of the vacation by the time they came to themselves.

    Bom always bought chocte whenever they asionally visited a supermarket. Once on the first day, another around noon the second day, and another one on the third night.

    He asked a question out of curiosity.

    ¡°Since when did you like that so much.¡±

    ¡°You mean chocte? I always eat it quite often.¡±

    ¡°Is it that delicious?¡±

    ¡°Oh right. You don¡¯t eat sweets very often do you, oppa? Have a try.¡±

    Raising her hand, she handed him a block of chocte. He received it with his hand as the rectangr piece of chocte reeked with a sweet scent.

    It was nothing much ¨C it tasted just like a chocte would.

    ¡°Something that came up in our conversation was how chocte is like a panacea to us. It¡¯s strange but it relieves our tension and brightens up our mood when we¡¯re feeling down. Of course, it¡¯s also very tasty.¡±

    Is that so, he thought. Looking back, Yeorum had indeed eaten some chocte before raiding an important dungeon or before a test. Plus, Kaeul had chocte before her presentation and had also demanded something sweet in the distant past before killing herself.

    He tried another small piece of chocte by putting it into his mouth, but it did not have any real effects on him.

    Night time.

    Around the time for the dusk to settle.

    Bom could not fall asleep with ease, perhaps because it was thest night.

    These past several days had been a vacation for him but he still could not sleep for a single moment. He simply watched over Bom who would quietly snore in her sleep.

    Fortunately, Bom was no longer feeling as anxious. He could remember how Bom could not sleep at all at night when it was the three of them with Myu, and hoped this period of time had been a pleasant one for her.

    ¡°You have trouble falling asleep?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But you need to.¡±

    ¡°Are you not sleeping, oppa?¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t usually sleep.¡±

    ¡°When you were young and you couldn¡¯t go to sleep, what did you do?¡± She asked.

    Yu Jitae groped through his memories.

    He had another hobby aside from motorbikes. To be exact, it was the hobby of someone else, who out of the five senses he shared sight and hearing with ¨C the Vintage Clock.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that it wishes to watch a movie!>

    ¡°I think, I probably watched a movie by myself.¡±

    ¡®A movie¡­?¡¯ Hearing that, Bom rustled on the bed and slowly raised her body. She then leaned on therge pillow of the hotel.

    With her eyes staring at him, who was still sitting on the chair next to the bed, Bom licked her lower lips with her tongue in a way that resembled the movement of a feline tongue.

    And asked with a significantly softer voice.

    ¡°¡­¡­Shall we watch a movie together?¡±

    She asked with a very cautious tone of voice.

    He was curious because the beating sound of her heart was turning slightly more rapid. Therefore he asked, ¡°What movie,¡± and in response, Bom nced at the chocte ced on the side table with a little more nervousness on her face.

    Soon, she whispered very softly.

    ¡®A lewd one.¡¯

 Chapter 334: One Sweet Holiday (10)

    <h4>Chapter 334: One Sweet Holiday (10)</h4>

    Inside the screen, a pair of loving male and female looked at each other with a caring gaze.

    He couldn¡¯t sit on a chair for the movie so Yu Jitae sat next to Bom on an angle as the actors began bbering about destiny ardently, as if they were Romeo and Juliet.

    It was unclear what the trigger was.

    Something tickled the back of his hand. That extremely faint touch carried with it a not-so faint implication. Turning to the side, he could see her eyes were still on the movie.

    Ever since he bore romantic feelings for her, oftentimes he would feel the urge to be closer but he did not.

    It was because the child felt burdened by a rtionship that was too close.

    [We are destined to be apart. Please, do not look for me.]

    The voice of the actor put an end to their tranquil breaths.

    ¡°They really love destiny, don¡¯t they.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe in fate, oppa?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Bom turned silent.

    He likewise stayed silent as her tiny hand slowly began to wrap over hisrge hand. Slowly, she locked her fingers in.

    ¡°¡­Same.¡±

    *

    ¨C A dragon with the blood of the green race must obey destiny, no matter what it may entail.

    Those were the words of her father; the person who had been the most precious in the world.

    ¨C ¡­Do we have to?

    Asked the baby Bom.

    You have to, he replied.

    Leaning on his chest in his arms, Bom shook her head. Her father continued trying to persuade her, but she stubbornly refused to listen.

    Because if she had to obey destiny,

    Her father would definitely leave her soon.

    Remembering that unforgettable scenery gave the little Bom goosebumps. It was loathsome and upsetting, but was also depressing, heart-wrenching and extremely frightening.

    That was when Bom was 3 years old.

    She, who would gaze at Providence a lot more frequently and in more depth than other dragons, had seen beforehand countless unfortunate events that would soon happen to her.

    Bleeding while learning magic from her mother;

    Drinking humans who were alive solely for her ¡®education¡¯.

    The death of her precious younger sister who was concurrently snoring in her sleep next to her.

    The scene of her most-precious father abandoning her most-precious mother and wrapping his arm around the waist of a different female dragon.

    And herself, who would stay locked up in a small, dark, cold and lonely area all throughout those events.

    Bom in her youth questioned herself. Is destiny something that really has to be obeyed?

    Really¡­?

    Thinking that, the baby Bom became very afraid of the fact that she still had to live in this world while knowing all the uing tragedies.

    She had to retaliate.

    Ever since she was born, she was kept separate and locked in a small room. It was to achieve the Grand Schema.

    The only thing the infant dragon could do in that area was obediently follow her mother¡¯s education.

    Bom tried her best.

    From time to time, she vomited blood. She was close to death multiple times and reached where she was right now only thanks to the sacrifice of others. Many things were taken from her and she cried a lot. It was very obvious that she was soon hated by her mother.

    Despite the powerless baby dragon refusing to obey destiny, there was nothing that could be changed within the scopes of the world¡¯s Providence.

    Reality was brutal.

    1 out of 100,000,000. Breaking through that low probability, Bom finally seeded in activating a spell that reached the level of an authority and bloomed a flower on her fingertips,

    But that was when her sister, who was going through the same education as her, died from a sudden mishap.

    Destiny was unable to be disobeyed.

    There was a risky surgery which from ancient times had been frequented by dragons who wanted to gain more strength. Her mother said she had to take that surgery for the Grand Schema but her father was against it, because none of the dragons were able to survive through that surgery.

    However, Bom was alive;

    And her father discarded her family.

    All the future she had seen became reality.

    Destiny was a rope that tightened day after day around her neck ¨C it was like a ceiling and a wall that constantly drew closer in that forced her to twist her body to fit in.

    ¨C When I was young, I gave my younger sister all the toys whenever she wanted them.

    ¨C I didn¡¯t feel bad even when my whole life was stolen by someone.

    Of course she had greed at the start.

    However, after realising that it was ¡®destiny¡¯ that decided whether something would belong to her or not regardless of her desire,

    Bom let go of her greed.

    ¨C Besides, I don¡¯t need connections. I don¡¯t feel lonely so there is no need to build any rtionship.

    ¨C Do you think precious rtionships or whatever breaking apart matter to me?

    She had a lot of precious things.

    But regardless of whether she considered them precious or not, it was in the end ¡®destiny¡¯ that decided whether it will approach or distance away from her

    So Bom gradually began to create a gap between herself and her precious things.

    Both objects and rtionships ¨C everything went further away against her will.

    Nothing changed no matter how much she tried. Retaliation did not work.

    I can¡¯t do anything¡­

    Bom lost to destiny and was deprived of the ability to fight back. She wanted to escape from the life of a marite to walk on her two feet, but her legs were crushed before she could even take a step forward.

    Powerlessness squeezed her heart and took control over her emotions.

    20 years wasn¡¯t a long time but that was the entire period of the existence¡¯s life from its birth. Leaving the tiny prison into a bright world did not result in any freedom. Crawling with her crushed legs did not lead to any paradise.

    Sometimes, she even thought to herself that if the final destination of life was death, that she was dying more and more everyday.

    As she was lethargically thinking of such things on the ground on a certain day.

    ¨C Hi.

    Someone reached forth a hand drenched in blood.

    *

    Bom held his hand.

    Lifting her finger nails up, she scratched the back of his hand. Was it ticklish? He sneakily tried to pull it back so she slowly wrapped her fingers around it, bidding him to stay. His hand still retreated but his thumb remained in her grip.

    He could not pull that away.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The movie reached its climax.

    In search of the woman who was exiled from thend, the son of the feudal lord ¨C the main character ¨C left the castle. His intimidating father utilised the military while the son met countless risks including bandits, before atsting across the woman who was living by herself in the depths of the mountain.

    As the lips of the two drew closer,

    Yu Jitae was suddenly made unable to watch the movie ¨C something was blocking his vision.

    Bom was sitting on hisp.

    The atmosphere wasn¡¯t as usual. There was not a sliver of mischief in her expression but it was also not that serious.

    She looked slightly sad, and rather lethargic.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    He stayed still as Bom reached out andid her hand on his chin, before caressing his coarse skin.

    It was troubling ¨C even more so than everything that had happened until now.

    ¡°Come down. You¡¯re blocking the screen.¡±

    Bom did not say anything in response. Instead, she brought her face closer and simply stared deeply into his eyes.

    Then, she leaned on his chest and rested her head on his corbone. He felt increasingly more perplexed and felt like he had to push her head away but that was when she opened her mouth to ask a question.

    ¡°Am I being too pushy?¡±

    He replied, ¡°I think so,¡± but what came back was a nasal sigh.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not pushy, I would never be embraced.¡±

    He stayed silent. Her hair right underneath his chin gave off her scent.

    The movie continued. After putting their lips together, the man raised the woman into the air andid her down on the bed as the two revealed more of their skin.

    That was when Bom said, ¡°Sorry.¡±

    The moment he replied, ¡°About what,¡± she lifted her body and brought her lips to his neck. The touch felt soft yet burning as if it was being torched.

    He couldn¡¯t understand it. She should be feeling burdened by physical contact, and yet here she was, initiating the contact.

    Her lips soon departed from his neck. It then travelled up andnded on his chin with a chu. A little bit more above would be his lips.

    Frozen stiff from the perplexity, he could only stare at her face. Bom couldn¡¯t even meet his eyes and had her eyes facing down feeling even more perplexed than he was.

    With a flushed face, her face came right up to his nose as her lipsnded over his own. Her ticklish breath seeped out from her twitching lips.

    He was about to open his mouth after she raised her head but Bom brought a finger to his lips. ¡®Shh¨C¡¯ After a very soft whisper, her face drew closer yet again as her lips parted mid-way. Only after sharing another deep kiss did the two separate.

    With quivering hands, Bom grabbed onto his cheeks and whispered with a tiny voice.

    ¡®¡­¡­Am I pretty?¡¯

    This question was for her to verify whether he had romantic feelings for her or not.

    Heid his hand on her face in response. Realising that was a ¡®yes¡¯, she felt her heart skip a beat. Bom couldn¡¯t even look into his eyes so she lowered her gaze to his chest.

    Even then, she couldn¡¯t help but open her mouth.

    ¡®You have to know that oppa,¡¯ she whispered.

    ¡®Know what.¡¯

    ¡®You weren¡¯t like this at the start¡­¡¯ Her face came closer yet again as they shared another deep kiss.

    ¡®I¡¯m the one that changed it.¡¯

    As their lips regrettably parted, the child slowly reopened her eyes. Her grass-coloured eyes appeared evenrger today.

    ¡®I¡¯m the one that made oppa like this¡­¡¯

    Bom demanded for a hug before wrapping her arms around his neck. Habit was a scary thing ¨C by the time he realised it, he was already hugging her back. Her heated breath touched the side of his neck.

    She let out only a sliver of her honest thoughts which she could not fully share.

    ¡®Why is it that it makes me feel so anxious¡­¡¯

    Providence which had driven her life to the gutters every single time naturally did not miss its target this time either.

    ¡®Please don¡¯t leave me¡­¡¯

    A ck-haired woman would share love with him, leaving her powerless and deprived. Just like how her sister had died. Like how her father had left them.

    However, Bom did not want to lose it anymore.

    ¡®I¡¯m the one that did it¡­ This Yu Bom was the one and yet¡­¡¯

    Yu Jitae.

    He was the one that she ¡®wanted to obtain¡¯ that she had atst discovered, and was ¡®precious¡¯ to her. Her desire to possess and her love was powerful enough to tremble her mind.

    This was one thing that she did not want destiny to steal.

    ¡®Please don¡¯t find other people pretty with those feelings¡­ If you do, I might cry myself to death¡­¡¯

    Bom serenelyid her emotions out.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He felt dizzy.

    There was something that popped up in his mind.

    In the past, when he was drawing with Bom, there was something she had said while creating a pink flower on the dark painting.

    ¨C You see, even though a flower may look small and fragile¡­

    ¨C Even for a tiny period of time¡­

    He realised what Bom was trying to say and the words that left after she opened her mouth made him all the more certain.

    ¡®If you think I¡¯m pretty, please love only me.¡¯

    Bom wanted to be the only flower for him. She wanted toy her roots down.

    ¡®If you have to embrace someone, please embrace only me.¡¯

    The child needed a verification to push away the thoughts that were making her anxious.

    ¡®Please embrace me, till I break¡­¡¯

    Her whispering voice quivered. A strand of tear travelled down her cheek.

    ¡®¡­Before I break down.¡¯

    Yu Jitae pulled her closer into his embrace.

    Ovepping their lips again, and feeling the rapid sound of her heart and the warmth behind her hand,

    As Bom uncontrobly shivered and suddenly felt suffocatingly frightened of hearing his reply,

    He finally opened his mouth.

    ¡®Alright.¡¯

    Bom felt her mind being erased clean.

    ¡®I¡¯ll love only you.¡¯

    *

    She was once again embraced by him.

    There was one problem. Her nervousness became so severe that she was about to explode. Thest bastion had to be protected and she could not go any further in this physical rtionship, but she was about to lose her mind first at this rate.

    Bom needed chocte.

    Due to both her body and heart melting from the kiss, Bom had trouble using magic and had to slightly twist her body to grab the chocte. However, she couldn¡¯t reach it. She tried again, but her arm still did not reach it.

    She was still in his arms, and could only reach the chocte if she were to escape from his arms but she did not want to, nor did he let her go. Bom repeated closing and opening her hand in mid-air a few times but Yu Jitae soon noticed it and reached out to grab the chocte.

    Raising a block of chocte, he gave it to Bom. Her lips that had been craving for his lips until now slightly parted as her tongue crept out ¨C she was asking him to feed her.

    This situation was still quite troubling for Yu Jitae and he needed some mental relief so he decided to ventte his mood by teasing the child a little. He let the chocte touch her tongue slightly before pulling it out. Closing her mouth, Bom looked at him with her eyebrows in the shape of °Ë.

    In another bout of deep kiss, Bom could not have the chocte. Her mind went further and further away. Her eyes constantlynded on his corbone; his thigh that was touching her own; his muscles that she could reach with a slight shift; hisrge hands and his Adam¡¯s apple, and her sight continued giving rise to bad thoughts. Thoughts that would in the end drive her toward destruction.

    That was why she had a gloomy look on her face. Give me the chocte. Please just put it into my mouth. She red at him with such thoughts behind her gaze.

    Yu Jitae took the chocte into his hands again with an amused look on his face. He suddenly appeared very infuriating but Bom knew she was the one on the losing side. She brought her tongue out once again but what came instead was his thumb that blocked her mouth and pressed on her tongue.

    It seemed that he wasn¡¯t intending on giving it to her. Left with no choice, she started licking the chocte off his finger. A restless breath and a plea simr to a moan continued as bad thoughts rose all across her body. Bom was close to losing her mind.

    Atst right before she was about to lose control of herself, he took his finger back and ced the chocte above her tongue. The thick and mind-numbingly sweet vour immediately filled her mouth. After finally receiving what she wanted, Bom closed her eyes and diligently melted the chocte.

    Soon, she turned her head and looked at him;

    Hoping he could feel the same vour as her.

 Chapter 335: One Sweet Holiday (11)

    <h4>Chapter 335: One Sweet Holiday (11)</h4>

    Bom finally separated herself after the end of the movie.

    Then, she started nibbling on the chocte. With her arms wrapped around her knees, she ate one block of chocte at a time.

    Her vacant eyes were out of focus and she looked slightly mental at a nce. Her heart was still beating fast and her hands that were carrying the chocte to her mouth were also trembling. She was so out of it that she didn¡¯t even notice a piece of melted chocte dropping onto her gown.

    He decided to not worry about it. A romantic feeling was a normal everyday emotion and was only a fragment of the countless emotions that budded while spending time with the hatchlings. It was nothing special or incredible, and was just slightly more stimting than others.

    Despite his emotions that were running amok, he did not forget his position nor his decision on how he should treat Bom. He had no ns of desiring anything more than this.

    However, seeing her trembling hands that constantly dropped half-melted chocte, he decided to clean them at least. It was by habit, like how he would wipe the biscuit crumbs off of Gyeoul¡¯s face.

    With that in mind, he touched her gown and that was when her vacant eyes regained its light. She slowly turned towards him with her eyes widened into circles.

    It made him wonder what was so surprising about his actions. He reached his hand out a little further and she closed her eyes in response. She then turned tense and her shoulders rose up in nervousness as if there was a gun ced against her head.

    What¡¯s wrong with her? Upon some thought, he realised that she might have misunderstood his intention and retrieved his hand. She slowly opened her eyes with a squint and looked at him before heaving out a quivering sigh.

    ¡°¡­I know everything and yet I¡¯m still like this.¡±

    What?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom ced one of the pillows in between her legs and closed them. Silence befell the room for a little. He wanted to ventte his emotions in the meantime but that was when Bom carefully opened her mouth.

    ¡°Oppa. I know but I¡¯m still worried so please let me say it¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­You can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t what.¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    He pretended like he didn¡¯t know what she was talking about as doubt appeared on her face.

    ¡°Anyway, you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do what?¡±

    ¡°If you do, my life will be over¡­¡±

    ¡°Like I said, what are you talking about.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She looked very discontent. Suddenly, she threw her hand into the dimensional storage ced around her waist and took something out.

    It was a pair of scissors. With that in hand, she red at him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What.

    ¡°I know you fully understand what I¡¯m talking about.¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what you are on about.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean. Of course there is no way you don¡¯t have those, and, that kind of thoughts at all in your mind, right?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about chocte?¡±

    He replied while tasting the remaining sweetness on his tongue. He wasn¡¯t expecting her to suddenly start such an open conversation with that as the topic but it was slightly dumbfounding that she had even prepared some scissors for it. On the other hand, he again felt another sense of deja vu because that just happened to be scissors.

    ( ??¦Ø?)?

    Why was it scissors out of all things?

    ¡°Come on.¡±

    Bom continued with a whine.

    ¡°Why are you pretending like you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about?¡±

    ¡°I know chocte.¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to continue doing that? I¡¯m talking about something really serious here.¡±

    ¡°Serious? Do dragons get diabetes as well?¡±

    ¡°Ahh.¡±

    Bom rolled her tiny hand into a fist and hit her chest a few times out of frustration. The slight moment of amusement helped him refresh his mood more.

    ¡°You know, that thing.

    ¡°That¡­

    ¡°The thing that¡­¡±

    With one beat in between, she continued saying ¡®that¡¯ but he was still silent so she heaved a sigh and dropped the scissors. She nkly murmured, ¡°What am I even talking about¡­¡± and she seemed to be feeling slightly tired.

    But she suddenly remembered something as tension disappeared from her face. She abruptly came closer towards him.

    ¡°Back then,¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°When we first kissed.¡±

    She was talking about the thing that happened at the lounge on the way back from the ruined ceremony.

    Bom whispered with a suggestive voice, ¡®Why did you take my clothes off?¡¯

    Words disappeared from his mouth. He still had an indifferent look on his face but her eyes curved as if she had finally caught onto an opportunity.

    In fact, Yu Jitae back then had no intention of doing anything. Him taking her clothes off was a process to confirm whether the emotions he had been feeling back then was that of a romantic one or not.

    Of course, she probably wouldn¡¯t believe him even if he were to say that.

    ¡°What were you trying to do?¡±

    So he didn¡¯t know what to say in return when Bom drew closer in and whispered after resting her chin on his shoulder.

    ¡®What were you going to do after stripping me¡­?¡¯

    The whispering made it even harder to reply. It was clear that she was teasing him but that was fine. She would probably separate with a smile if he were to change the topic a little.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but you should get some sleep. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired.¡±

    But in response, Bom gave an indifferent pout. The words that soon left her mouth included a word which had beenpletely out of his expectation.

    ¡°Are you castrated?¡±

    He frowned. His expression was literally that of a question mark and Bom giggled after finally catching him off guard.

    ¡°You understood what I was saying right¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why do you pretend like you don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    The cover was blown.

    Yu Jitae realised that acting clueless would no longer serve any purpose but at the same time, the doubt he had about Bom regarding that topic also strongly rose back up. He found the need to research into the somewhat strange action system of Bom.

    Bom had romantic feelings for him.

    Bom had no qualms with distance to the point that she would unhesitatingly be the one to initiate a kiss.

    However, Bom felt very burdened about a sexual rtionship.

    Until now, he thought she was just afraid of the inexperienced field. But from what she was now saying, it seemed that going further would result in a big problem.

    ¡°So, what is this serious thing that you were talking about.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°You said the thing is not allowed. Why is that.¡±

    That was when Bom once again regained a nervous look on her face. However, she asked him something else instead of answering his question.

    ¡°Why are <i>you</i> trying to avoid it?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because you¡¯re feeling troubled by it.¡±

    He expressed his thoughts but it was then. With a more profound gaze, Bom looked deeply into his eyes. The atmosphere around her eyes changed as her breath turned quiet.

    ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s more like you can¡¯t, right?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Thinking it was a continuation of that ¡®castrated¡¯ stuff, he was wondering how to reply.

    ¡°I know there is something you are hiding from us oppa.¡±

    But that was when Bom suddenly talked about something he hadn¡¯t even expected.

    He gave a frown.

    It was difficult to guess what she meant by ¡®hiding¡¯.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything.¡±

    ¡°You can deceive everyone else but not me.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°You see, I can look at one thing and understand a lot more than you might expect.¡±

    ¡°Bom. You know how much time we¡¯ve spent together, and we¡¯re always next to each other. What is there for me to deceive you guys on.¡±

    The provocative atmosphere was long gone and the feeling given off by the surrounding air was that of a rtively sharp de. With a sunken look on her face, Bom gazed at his hands before grasping it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been finding it strange for a long time now.¡±

    ¡°Finding what strange.¡±

    ¡°Actually, you weren¡¯t like that at the start. Oppa, you would always look at us as if we were things but that waspletely normal. You were a dangerous person and for other people, you didn¡¯t even see them as things.¡±

    It was an ufortable topic to talk about. He tried to pull his hand out but Bom resisted by clenching tightly with both of her hands.

    ¡°Why are you like that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. Stop saying something weird and let go.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea, do you? The face you sometimes make after you started treating us like people and not things?¡± Bom bursted out with questions.

    ¡®What is this about¡­¡¯ Saying that, he nonchntly pulled his hand out. However, that wasn¡¯t the end ¨C Bom suddenly stood up and fell on him. She opened her legs wide, sat on top of his stomach and pressured him from above. The weight, however, was meagre and it was simr to a cat staying on top of him but pushing her down would make it seem even weirder so he calmly stayed there gazing up at her.

    As if she couldn¡¯t understand it, Bom looked at him with a slight frown and asked.

    ¡°Why do you look so sorry when you are looking at us¡­?¡±

    Carried by an anchor, his emotions dropped. Those words struck at his eardrums and pierced through his brain.

    ¡®Why do you look so sorry?¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t even think of a response.

    Her words ording to the [Eyes of Equilibrium] were true.

    ¡°That¡¯s nothing but an excuse right. Me feeling burdened, and that being the reason you don¡¯t crave for me. To be frank, that¡¯s just an excuse, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The words he had been telling himself in order to deceive even himself started being crushed by Bom. It had beenpletely outside his line of thought.

    He had only been observing others¡¯ expressions and had never taken his own expression into consideration.

    Since when?

    Since when did he start facing the kids with such an expression?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±

    The only excuse he could give was a short one. His crude words were resolute but Bom did not buy it.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Will you continue denying it like that?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then, do you want me to prove it?¡±

    ¡°Prove what. I¡¯ve never done such a¡­ Oi.¡±

    Yu Jitae hurriedly tried to stop her.

    Bom ced her hands on the cors of her gown with her two cheeks flushed deeply in red. Despite also feeling troubled by the embarrassment, she moved her hands in order to find out the truth.

    ¡°Yu Bom. Stop.¡±

    She refused to stop. Her gown dropped behind her and revealed her body, which was not wearing any underwear. From mid-way she used her arms to support the gown to stop it from falling further down, but the top half of her body and the contours of her body connecting down from her corbone was already on disy. In that state, Bom pushed her body forward a little.

    ¡°Here, oppa. This is all yours¡­¡±

    He turned stiff.

    Because she¡¯s young. Because she¡¯s inexperienced. Because she is scared of sexual rtionships and because she feels burdened by it. Since that had been the thought in his mind, he wasn¡¯t expecting her to do this at all.

    In fact, she did seem troubled by it. Despite acting all brave, Bom could not even look straight into his eyes after actually dropping her clothes. But nheless, she did not seem to be nning on stopping with her ¡®proving¡¯ process.

    As if telling him to touch her, she used one of her hands to lift his hand by the wrist but he just could not cross the line any further.

    Bom was right.

    He had been trying to deny his emotions under the pretext that ¡®Bom was feeling burdened by it¡¯.

    Yu Jitae knew it better than anyone himself.

    He was only in this state because the thing called emotion was outside one¡¯s control, and he simply did not have the qualification to hold romantic feelings for her.

    Because of that, he stopped his hands and retaliated no matter how much Bom tried to pull his hand up. ¡°See,¡± Bom opened her mouth with a slightly gloomy look on her face.

    ¡°¡­You can¡¯t.¡±

    He could not continue this conversation any further. He did not know how to reply when being interrogated in this kind of rtionship so he resorted to blocking her mouth. That was still within the boundary that he had drawn.

    ¡°So what is it? Why do you look so sorry when you¡¯re¨C¡±

    Yu Jitae pulled her by her wrists.

    ¡°Uhb¡­ Nnn¡ª¡­¡±

    Bom could not add any more words. Her mouth was blocked.

    After the deep kiss, he calmly raised the sides of her clothes and dressed her back up. Bom was covering her face with both of her hands with a heated breath.

    She was lost. This was not something that should be glossed over. It wasn¡¯t. Even though she knew it wasn¡¯t, Bom just could not make herself ask any more questions.

    There was no longer any leftover chocte.

    *

    It was morning.

    The two of them did not say anything to each other even as they checked out of the hotel. Bom did not say anything so Yu Jitae likewise stayed silent.

    This was a sort of escape but there were some things in this world that had to be avoided, at least in his opinion.

    Only after grabbing his hand to [Teleport (S)] back home did Bom open her mouth.

    Anything would be fine.

    He had already thought of multiple possible excuses but Bom once again spoke of something that was outside his expectation.

    ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t talk about it with the other kids.¡±

    With a refreshing look on her face, she gave a bright smile.

    He felt something dark crawling up inside his heart. It soon became a drop of poison that seeped into his veins.

    ¡°You¡¯ve always given us good things, so we can trust you.¡±

    If he said something here, would anything have been different?

    ¡°So after we go back, stop feeling so sorry to us. Okay?¡±

    However, he did not say anything. He could only habitually hug Bom, who had naturally walked into his arms.

    The Regressor had to protect the daily lives.

    ¡°¡­We will always believe you.¡±

    Even if it was full of deceit.

    ***

    [2431¡­ Hehe, the diary is not over yet]

    [Yu Bom hasn¡¯t be whale food yet haha;]

    [¡­hehehehehehe;;]

    [////?

    ////]

    [2432. That was the sweetest vacation of my life¡­?]

    She drew another heart at the front page before closing it.

    [Ahjussi Observation Diary ????]

    But after pondering about the thing she saw from the side of her vision, she noticed that there was something written on the next page.

    Tilting her head, Bom turned to the next page. The moment she saw the words written in a messy handwriting, her face turned red like a radish.

    [Thanks for the interesting read lol]

    [SEX]

    After a few seconds, a loud roar going ¡°Yu Yeoooruuuummm¡ª!!¡± echoed all across Unit 301.

 Chapter 336: Difference in Height (1)

    <h4>Chapter 336: Difference in Height (1)</h4>

    Looking at the mirror, he could see a face stained with exhaustion.

    Let¡¯s try smiling.

    He forced the corners of his lips up, but it appeared awkward. Even when he tried curving his eyes, it was the same ¨C it was not natural.

    There was always a re in his eyes, and because of that, his smile even appeared a little threatening.

    ¡®Why do you look so sorry when looking at us?¡¯ That had been Bom¡¯s question. Her words became a piece of rock that dropped in his head causing a not-so small ripple.

    It had never urred to him that he should control his expression, and that was the problem.

    Emotions were automated devices that allowed a broader perspective into a situation while expressions were automated systems stemming off of emotions that expressed one¡¯s condition. He should have predicted that by living through daily lives, his expression would also change depending on his emotion. It was his fault for not recognising that.

    That was why Bom realised upon seeing his expression that he was feeling sorry and with that tiny glimpse into his emotions noticed something strange about his attitude. She even seeded in proving that.

    It was fortunate that she had a mellow mindset for him and it could have be the starting point of a massive problem. In that short moment, he felt as if a bullet had scraped past his ear.

    The starting factor of all those problems had been his own expression. Therefore, he looked at himself again through the mirror.

    What expression was I making, he wondered.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    It was then. Someone walked up to his knees ¨C it was Gyeoul. In her hand was a 50 cent coin, which she excitedly swung left and right.

    ¡°What is that.¡±

    ¡°¡­I picked it up ¡­at the streets.¡±

    Hehe, she smiled.

    Her eyes were curved and so were her lips.

    Gyeoul was the one that smiled the least in Unit 301 and she almost always had a pout on her face. Even then, her smile was a lot more natural than his.

    ¡°Yu Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°Come here for a bit.¡±

    She obediently followed him. Soon, he lifted her up and sat her on a chair.

    ¡°Can you try guessing my expression?¡±

    ¡°¡­Your expression?¡±

    ¡°Look at my face and try guessing how I feel.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    Gyeoul replied with a nod.

    He thought of something amusing that had happened recently with Yeorum. Back when she was asking him to teach her how to use the core, he mischievously teased her by saying he didn¡¯t want to and Yeorum turned sulky in response. It was quite an amusing sight that made him smile.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    However, Gyeoul tilted her head.

    ¡°How was it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm, something else please.¡±

    Was that expression a bit difficult to guess?

    Thinking that, he tried reflecting on other situations. Those included the times when he had felt irritated by the actions of the demons as well as when he was hoping Kaeul would stand back up from the ground.

    Gyeoul vacantly looked into his face for a while before giving a confident nod.

    ¡°Do you get it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°How did I look.¡±

    ¡°¡­Looking, handsome.¡±

    Not that.

    Gyeoul, however, did nothing but give an innocent smile in return.

    That was when they heard a loud noise from Yeorum¡¯s room.

    ¨C Kyaaaaakkk!! Unni, unni!

    ¨C I was wrong! Sorry, please¡­!

    He wondered what this was about now. The door of Yeorum¡¯s room was pushed open with a thud as Bom walked out with a serious look on her face like a dictator who had just shut down the democrats. Beneath her feet was Yeorum crawling on the ground grasping onto her legs.

    ¡°Unni. Bom-unni. Please¡­!¡±

    ¡°Let go right now.¡±

    ¡°Ah, unni! That¡¯s more precious to me than my life¡­!¡±

    ¡°I thought you were giving it to me?¡±

    ¡°Like, c¡¯mon. You said you wouldn¡¯t take it¡­!¡±

    The centre of the situation seemed to be Yeorum¡¯s long sword ¨C or rather, the onion core with 10 lifted seals that was added onto the sword.

    It was extremely rare for Bom to be that mad but fortunately, she wasn¡¯t out of it and her degree of anger still appeared to be within the controble margin.

    But even so, she seemed exceedingly infuriated.

    Bom took the core out of the sword and floated it in mid-air before bringing out a pair ofrge electric scissors and carrying it next to the core. Therge scissors used for gardening looked quite vicious.

    ¡°Wait! Wait! Chotto Matteee!¡±

    ¡°Anyst words?¡±

    ¡°Unni, for real! Do you want to see me kill myself!?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Go kill yourself.¡±

    ¡°Unni unni¡­! Even though I did see your diary! There was so much gibberish I stopped reading mid-way! I didn¡¯t finish reading your ahjussi observ¡­¡±

    Her voice immediately came to a stop as Bom and Yeorum turned their heads at the same time. Yu Jitae and Gyeoul were listening from the side.

    Ahjussi observe what?

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    Bom said with a smirk. Her mind that was barely holding on seemed to have crossed the line.

    ¡°I told you not to touch my stuff. Didn¡¯t I.¡±

    Yeorum had to beg desperately for her forgiveness.

    ¡°Great unni please. Bom-unni. Goddess Bom. Little Yeorum¡¯s heart is aching in pain and it hurts so much right now¡­ If that breaks, Yeorum¡¯s heart will break at the same timmee¡­¡±

    As she was on her knees rying her apology, there was one specific phrase that rang louder in his ears. ¡®It hurts.¡¯ Hearing those words with Yeorum¡¯s voice was something that made him feel ufortable.

    That was when Gyeoul pulled him by his pants. When he turned to her, she opened her mouth with a bright smile.

    ¡°¡­Looking, sorry.¡±

    His facial muscles faintly flinched.

    ¡°¡­Uhh? ¡­Looking, surprised.¡±

    ***

    ¡°But you know. In the end, doesn¡¯t that belong to Bom-unni?¡±

    Kaeul said with a smile. Frozen stiff, Yeorum stopped her chopsticks.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s true, right? Bom-unni did all the gacha so doesn¡¯t that mean it should belong to her?¡±

    ¡°You think that makes any sense?¡±

    She denied it but not with a loud voice, because it did make sense.

    Yeorum frowned. Kaeul was looking at the 10-unsealed core with a flickering gaze. After receiving the same military education for a long time just like her, Kaeul naturally also knew the value of that core.

    ¡°Oi. What do you think you¡¯re looking at?¡±

    ¡°Unni unni. Can you lend it to me for just one week?¡±

    ¡°No. Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Why? Why? I also want to use super strong magic! It would be amazing if I put that on my staff!¡±

    ¡°Never.¡±

    Kaeul still grumbled and wanted to use it for a few days so Yeorum eased her expression with a bright smile.

    ¡°Do you want to use it?¡±

    ¡°Uun!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yess!¡±

    Yeorum suddenly stood up from her seat before throwing the core into her pants. ¡°Take it,¡± she said while pushing her lower body forward as Kaeul frowned as if she had seen human faeces on the street.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take that¡­!¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you? You can borrow it as long as you take it!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so dirty unni¡­?¡±

    Hahaha!

    Herughter abruptly came to a stop and Yeorum turned around in surprise. Gyeoul was grabbing onto the waist of her shorts and slight tension filled the room as they gazed into each other¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What you looking at.¡±

    ¡°¡­If I take this, can I, really use it?¡±

    ¡°What are you even going to do with it.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s expensive.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Really? But oh no, what should we do? You have to go through my leggings and my undies as well!¡±

    In the end, Gyeoul could not take it either because it was just way too disgusting of a thing to do. It seemed that grabbing onto her pants was already displeasing enough as she immediately went to the bathroom and used both soap and magic to wash her hands.

    The value behind the 10-unsealed core was so immense that even Kaeul and Gyeoul, who had no prior interest in it, were greedy for a try.

    On the other hand, Yu Jitae had mixed thoughts looking at the core.

    In his mind was a memory of the mana that the Witch¡¯s 7-unsealed core had been giving off.

    The impression he got back in the 4th and the 5th iterations when he was weaker than his current self as he saw her spell was that a normal [Fireball (B)] would be like a pitcher¡¯s throw while the Witch¡¯s was like a cannonball.

    That was good and all, but there was actually a side effect to the ¡®onion core¡¯. It increased as the core had more and more seals removed, and was a side effect that was all the more detrimental to Yeorum.

    ¨C The core touches a part of the user¡¯s emotions.

    ¨C In those times of war, I had always yearned for more power. After living with it the whole time, I thought I had it fully under my control.

    ¨C But no.

    ¨C It suddenly became difficult to control when my emotions were in turmoil.

    ¨C You see, it¡¯s not like I ever wanted to kill both children and adults; humans and animals.

    Some time in the distant past, the excuse Valentine had given as she was about to die in his hands was not a lie. On the day of the 724 Revolution of Quebec was when Valentine killed 7,000 people and became the true ¡®Witch¡¯.

    Of course, Yeorum was not as efficient as the Witch in terms of control over the core. It meant she was still rtively free from the side effects as of yet and that was also why he hadn¡¯t kept a close eye on Yeorum yet.

    At least that had been the case.

    But now, it was about time to start keeping a close eye on her use of the core. After realising that her power had reached a certain level, Yeorum began preparing for a bloody revenge.

    ¡°Dear.¡±

    That night was when Yeorum came to him with a request.

    ¡°Can you schedule a duel for me?¡±

    ***

    It was way too important of a thing to be regarded as a daily matter so he borrowed the name of the Association to carry it out.

    Yu Yeorum is one of the superhumans the Association is deeply interested in, so have another duel and check it for us ¨C that was the pretext which he used to request for another duel with Simon Abkarian.

    Simon Abkarian.

    The Saviour of Gallia, the Hero of France, the representative of Superhuman Without Border.

    World Rank 29.

    He was the master of the [Great Gallian Swordy] and was the one who had recently smashed Yeorum to pieces.

    ¡°Ehng? Unni lost¡­?¡±

    ¡°She did.¡±

    Kaeul was curious so he showed her the news articles of the past.

    [Finally, a stop. Yu Yeorum loses in a duel against Simon Abkarian in just 15 seconds.]

    [The end of an immature act ¨C the wall of a true hero was unable to be ovee]

    [Yu Yeorum suffers another defeat. This time, the victor was decided in just 12 seconds.]

    [Yet another defeat for Yu Yeorum. A short 9-second duel decided in one blow.]

    [Simon states, ¡°A fearless fool that rushes in will die before angels,¡± as a warning to stop the indiscriminate duels]

    [Yu Yeorum gets her additional duel requests ignored by Simon Abkarian¡­ A shameful return.]

    One of those articles even included a photo of Yeorum¡¯s head trampled under Simon¡¯s foot.

    ¡°Uwah¡­ Yeorum-unni must have been super frustrated. Howe I didn¡¯t notice it¡­?¡±

    It was because she didn¡¯t show it on the outside. Unlike the past, Yeorum no longer ruined everything by being pulled around by her ego. However, the fact that she no longer gets pulled around by her ego did not mean her ego had disappeared.

    She must have been quite disheartened on the inside.

    ¡°How does she look to you these days,¡± he asked.

    ¡°Who, Yeorum-unni? She¡¯s a lot softer now¡­!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Un un. Even yesterday with the core ¨C if we did that when we first met, she would have made a straight face for sure! Insist it¡¯s hers and¡­ like, push me down on the floor and harass me¡­¡±

    As if she had a PTSD attack, Kaeul touched the goosebumps that had crawled up her arms.

    Now that he thought about it, that did seem to be the case. Yeorum was trying her best to contain her personality in order to fit into the daily lives. It was quite shocking how soft her personality had bepared to how she used to rush in and throw a fist whenever there was something she was dissatisfied with.

    In any case, after a few days they received a positive reply from Simon Abkarian.

    Therefore, leaving behind Bom who had gone to meet Li Hwa and Gyeoul who had to go to school, he headed to France with Yeorum and Kaeul.

    Yu Jitae and Kaeul dressed themselves up a little for a disguise. Going with Kaeul¡¯s taste, they wore a fedora, a fake moustache and a pair of sunsses as they followed Yeorum from behind.

    ¡°Why are you, as a girl, wearing a moustache.¡±

    ¡°Uhehe. I wanted to try this once¡­!¡±

    Anyway,

    Yu Yeorum who was referred to as the history¡¯s greatest newborn superhuman, and the Saviour of Gallia, Simon Abkarian ¨C their duel was prepared at the [Gallian Superhuman Arena].

    Some of the superhuman broadcastingpanies sent reporters and a filming crew as soon as they came across the news to broadcast their duel under the permission of both Simon and Yeorum.

    However, their expectations were very low as Yeorum had already suffered several hopeless defeats.

    They were more interested with how Yu Yeorum, who was famous for having a dirty temperament, would behave in the fight as well as her appearance after her loss.

    ¡°Do you think she¡¯llst 10 seconds this time?¡±

    ¡°Probably not. The past 3 records were 15, 12 and 9 seconds¡­¡±

    ¡°But there has to be a reason why she applied for another duel after a few months right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say she¡¯s just immature. Think about it. Simon¡¯s a veteran who¡¯s experienced various wars right? He knows how to deal with little kids and that¡¯s why the fights aresting even shorter over time. The depth in their ability to deal with situations is just too far apart.¡±

    The reporters whispered to themselves but their opinions represented the thoughts of everyone that was interested in the superhuman industry.

    Soon, the superhuman acting as the judge yelled for the entry of thebatants as Yu Yeorum and Simon Abkarian walked up to the middle of the arena.

    ¡°15, 12, 9¡­ this time it should be 6 seconds then.¡±

    Oblivious to the existence of the 10-unsealed onion core, the audience had in mind what they thought was a very obvious oue. The bell rang and marked the start of the fight.

    Soon, they were met with a shocking turn of events.

    <i>TL: There was a mistrantion in chapter 318. It was Rank 39 not 29 :/</i>

 Chapter 337: Difference in Height (2)

    <h4>Chapter 337: Difference in Height (2)</h4>

    Before the bell rang,

    Around 2 hours before the start of their duel, Yeorum was already warming up at the arena. Crouching down, she rxed her legs, shook her arms off and turned her head¡­ She repeated those actions which in general were only done by humans, whose muscles tended to freeze with tension.

    It was because she was nervous.

    3 times was the publicised number of her defeats but Yeorum had actually lost to Simon 9 times, but even in those unknown duels, she had neversted for more than 20 seconds.

    ¨C Your sword is too heavy. Swinging a pickaxe at a mine seems better suited for you.

    ¨C Those are some unusual skills you are using. Did you catch others off with those skills? Nothing but a petty trick.

    ¨C I see you are relying on petty tricks to make up for yourck of foundation. You fool. Do you think techniques will help cover yourck of basicbat skills forever?

    With a natural condescending gaze, he tried to teach her.

    She was dumbfounded. Who do you think you are? And besides, all of his words were wrong and there was nothing to learn from him.

    However, that was still fine. The frustration was bearable and she constantly thought about the realistic way out.

    The problem was simply in herck of output. In gaming terms, her basic stats were just toocking that she couldn¡¯t do anything no matter how she tried. But even then, she had the mindset that it will work one way or another by observing him and finding a weak point.

    But the 9th defeat put a stop to her easygoing mindset.

    ¨C Huh, you weren¡¯t even doping anything?

    Simon, who had been strict until now, sneered at Yeorum for the first time.

    ¨C How truly preposterous¡­

    Trampling on her head and pushing it into the ground, he continued.

    ¨C An unqualified oneying their hands on power that is beyond their capability ¨C did you think the world was in your hands after defeating a few high rankers at a young age?

    ¨C Damn it. This is why the media is the cause of all problems. A young kid acting so arrogant like they are the king after being boosted a little by the media. What kind of superhuman tries to fight a stronger ranker without even doping, huh?

    ¨C This is the end. You are not even worth my time.

    ¨C A sloppy kid like this with a talent on a simr ground with Oscar Brzenk huh¡­ Seriously, you¡­

    Hearing the next words that came out of his mouth shook the conception she had on doping. There was something in his words that made her suddenly feel very upset.

    ¡®I¡¯ll win for sure¡­¡¯

    At least there was now a chance to win.

    [Release Output Amplification Core + 10]

    This day, and this ce will mark the debut of the absurd and unprecedented power behind this monstrous core.

    Her heart, however, was not at ease.

    Since it felt like she was relying heavily on the weapon, it was actually very distressing.

    However, Yeorum no longer became upset and filled with uncontroble fury from little stuff like how she used to in the past. ¡®To win a war, you must be able to control your emotions¡¯ ¨C the advice she got from Yu Jitae was securely kept within her heart like a sharp de.

    In any case, while rxing her muscles at the arena, Yeorum prepared herself for the 10th duel with a serious yet nervous mind. Before long came Simon and his attendants. With a face full of irritation, he wore his equipment and stepped onto the arena.

    Ding¨C

    The bell rang and Yeorum raised her longsword.

    A sharp light released from the sword covered the world with its brilliance.

    *

    ¡°Huhh? Wait, huh?¡±

    ¡°What is¡­¡±

    The voices of the audience were infested by confusion. The light shone brightly like the sun, and was followed by a 4-metre long sword aura soaring up from Yeorum¡¯s sword into the sky.

    A long length did not always equal strong power but it was a different story if something that long was fluctuating with mana that was sharp enough to prick at the skin. Following a ferocious path, the sword fell heavily as Simon raised his greatsword to block the onught.

    Kaang¨C!

    ¡°Hoh!¡±

    ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­!¡±

    Simon widened his eyes just like the surrounding crowd.

    The sword he had reprimanded for being heavy felt way too heavy now. He had suggested the use of a rapier since she was a girl with a small body and feeble strength but that was no longer the case.

    Yeorum struck down with her sword. Following the trajectory of the sword were bits of me creating an afterimage in its path.

    Kaangg! Another thud. Simon clenched his teeth feeling the shake in his finger bones.

    Kaang! Kaaang! Each and every strike pushed him back by a step.

    Simon put all his strength into parrying her sword before distancing himself.

    What in the world was happening?

    What sort of mysterious phenomenon was it that could result in such a heavy load of mana? There was no way a mana capacity could be increased by that much in just a few months!

    It was unbelievable.

    In any case, he had to ovee it.

    With all his strength, Simon struck down his sword flickering in blue. Carried within the strike were his supernatural abilities. His greatsword, as big as a human body, fell down like a piece of heavy lead.

    At the same time, Yeorum swung her sword up from the ground. mes enveloped her legs and rode her waistline up as it surged into the sky.

    Kaaaangg¨C!

    The aftershock of the strike pushed Simon back.

    Yet again he was stunned.

    His eyes looked at her sword.

    Although it looked the same as the previous one, it had apletely different weight to it and was evidently a different weapon.

    Yes. That sword. That sword must be the problem.

    He heard the Association was sponsoring that kid, and it now seemed that they had given her a top notch sword artifact.

    They had made him a guinea pig for this experiment.

    ¡®Association. Those damned bastards!¡¯

    Kaaang! The sh of their swords created an explosion that greatly shook his hands. In truth, an explosion of a bomb on the de would result in a weaker impact than this. He knew this because he had blocked an explosion with his sword before.

    A longsword was overwhelming a double-handed greatsword. That was despite the greatsword being a fairly strong weapon among Level 2 artifacts.

    As they continued the bout, Simon who could do nothing but defend was slowly pushed into a corner.

    ¡°S, Simon¡¯s about to fall off the arena¡­!¡±

    ¡°No. He¡¯s about to drop his sword before that¡­¡±

    The reporters were shocked while the observing superhumans were appalled.

    Simon ¨C he was a hero of the Great War; a French superhuman who had protected Gallia from repetitive fissure outbreaks.

    And yet here, that same Simon was being pushed back by the sword of a young girl who had just reached 20.

    This was outside the realms of possibility. However, the onught did not end and time passed without paying any regard to their disbelief.

    The crimson eyes were tainted in madness as the mes in Yeorum¡¯s sword reached an even greater height.

    Baaangg¨C

    But that was when the sound of a warhorn echoed across. The ¡®dueling system¡¯ of the Gallian arena hadmanded a stop in their duel.

    High rankers immediately jumped onto the stage after the horn and stood between Yeorum and Simon. Yu Jitae was in the mix and he stood firmly in front of Yeorum.

    ¡°What! What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°The duel¡¯s been forced to a stop!¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Is it because of their output?¡±

    ¡°That seems like it¡­ their fight just then was a little excessive for a duel.¡±

    While the fast-thinkers were analysing the situation outside the arena, Yeorum was trying her hardest to contain her rushed breath.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    She nodded to his question but could not look directly into his eyes. When he took the sword off of her hand, Yeorum created a fist out of her shivering hands.

    ¡°Oi. Are you okay.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her hands remained trembling.

    Looking closely, he could also see that her heart was pumping at an excessive rate.

    Was she being swayed by the colossal power?

    Going closer in, he held her hand. He immediately gave a frown the moment he felt the flow of mana inside her body.

    He knew what this flow implied¡­

    ¡°Let us call it off.¡±

    That was when Simon¡¯s low voice echoed across. Hearing that, the eyes of the reporters turned sharp.

    ¡°What do you mean by that, Simon?¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s guide sent by the Association opened his mouth with a question.

    ¡°Call it off? That just then was but a temporary stop to the duel due to the excessive amount of output. We have yet to even see the result of it.¡±

    Yeorum also had a scowl on her face. Victory was right in front of her eyes. Of course, Simon probably wasn¡¯t fully serious, but the chance to defeat him had finallye after suffering 9 losses.

    And yet he wanted to cancel that now?

    ¡°Mister. What¡¯s your grade as an agent?¡±

    ¡°I am a Grade 3 agent, named Dolph Worshamton.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is a bit too much?¡±

    Simon clicked his tongue.

    The reporters squinted their eyes. The representative of Superhuman Without Borders was picking a fight with the Association. It was a big scoop.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It feels very ufortable seeing you treat our organisation like your employees. Even though I am no longer a part of the Association, don¡¯t you think sacrificing my prestige just to test out a new weapon is crossing the line?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°So what level is this one? 4? 5? It doesn¡¯t seem any weaker than that Witch¡¯s [Karma Vessel]. Is this another Level 5 artifact?¡±

    His words caused everyone to turn their gazes to the longsword in Yu Jitae¡¯s hand.

    It was a shocking statement.

    A Level 5 artifact? That thing?

    The reporters quickly came up with headlines. [The Association unting their military reinforcement with a Level 5 artifact.] [¡°Using me as a guinea pig?¡± The hero of Gallia rebukes the Association.]

    ¡°What do you mean by that, Simon!¡±

    Seemingly in a bad mood, Simon tapped the floor a few times with his sword.

    ¡°It was 9 times.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The number of times I have struck down that red dog. 9 times including the unofficial duels. Add all those times together and it is still going to be less than 3 minutes. But look. How is it now?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Will you still persist that I¡¯m wrong?¡±

    ¡°B, but¡­ No matter what, it is not true that we were testing a weapon or anything!¡±

    ¡°Quiet!¡±

    Simon abruptly shouted with a voice loud enough to shake the arena.

    ¡°There is a limit to how much of a fool you can take me for. A damn kid full of herself and egoistic! The entire world knows they are giving the kid some new weapon to try to put her on the same level as this Hero of Gallia! If this is not a circus trying to lower me to glorify the weapon, then what is it!¡±

    Seemingly displeased, he kicked off the ground and turned around with a flick. Yeorum felt insulted and she bit on her lips as her hands trembled even more.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    But regardless of what was happening around him, Yu Jitae fixed his eyes on Yeorum and tightly held onto her hand.

    ¡°Control it.¡±

    She was having difficulty in controlling her emotions. Her shivering was not because her muscles were shocked by therge output in power ¨C it was instead the result of her muscles trying to contain an even greater output.

    In other words, Yeorum was excessively stimted right now.

    Her personal feelings were injected into the duel.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Control it.¡±

    The flow of mana rotating inside her body right now was simr to how it was back when she had rushed towards Sophia during the Azure Dragon study group interview after the admission.

    She was overly excited and was trying to suppress it herself.

    ¡°Yeorum,¡± he said with a voice more serious than before.

    As if talking to a baby tiger who had identally used its fangs for the first time, he spoke to her.

    ¡°You must contain it.¡±

    The Witch, Valentine, had a younger brother. A younger brother who had apanied her all her life after they lost their parents at a young age.

    Immediately after she was enlightened, she was pushed into the battlefield. Around that time was also when sheid her hand on the onion core.

    She had kept herposure throughout bothrge-scale and small-scale wars but lost control of herself after losing her younger brother from a military revolution that happened at Quebec, Canada ¨C her homnd.

    The number of humans she killed back then was 7,000. It was a massacre of both civilians and soldiers.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t control it, you have no right to use it.¡±

    As a dragon, Yeorum was able to stop the interference of outside factors a lot better than humans. Besides, she had been sessfully controlling her emotions in the recent battles.

    That was why he thought she would be able to control it, but it might have been too early.

    On the other hand, he was curious.

    Why was Yeorum this upset?

    Is it just because of those 9 defeats?

    It was strange for that to be the case. Yeorum had a history of countless defeats. Even when she had lost to the Great Orc Warrior over a hundred times in the span of one week, she wasn¡¯t this upset.

    ¡°Sorry. I was just thinking about something and it made me a little mad,¡± Yeorum said after calming herself down.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Looking away from his eyes, Yeorum said with a soft voice.

    The following words allowed Yu Jitae to understand her feelings.

    ¡°¡­Well, he said I was lucky.¡±

    ¡°When was this.¡±

    ¡°Last time¡­¡±

    Yeorum reflected on the past.

    ¨C Seriously, you are only born lucky, aren¡¯t you.

    Those were the random words of someone who knew nothing about her, but it was more than enough to stimte the thought that was wriggling deep inside her heart.

    As well as resurfacing some disgusting memories.

    ¡°When I heard that, I thought there¡¯s no way but¡­¡±

    The onion core was the result of Bom¡¯s lifetime fortune, but having a good friend who would readily give away such a good item was her own luck.

    ¡°¡­Now that I think about it, he might be right.¡±

    A wall that had stood firmly for a few months despite trying 9 times was now crumbling by itself despite her putting in zero effort. It was ¡®luck¡¯ that was bringing her to victory.

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true right. Even if I win here, can that be called my victory in the true sense of the word?¡±

    Yeorum said while avoiding his eyes and lowering her gaze.

    They didn¡¯t have much time in their hands so Yu Jitae decided to persuade the child in a short period of time.

    ¡°You just got enough luck like others.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Why was your oldest unni strong. Isn¡¯t it because she got lucky and was born before others?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah but¡­¡±

    ¡°Think of it this way. It waste but you finally got your share of that same luck.¡±

    ¡°What the hell is that.¡±

    His words did not sound great in her ears.

    ¡°That¡¯s just forcing yourself to think that way. That¡¯s stupid¡­¡±

    Yeorum said that but after ruminating over his words, it surprisingly did make her feel a little better.

    Right. What is there I can do. I was just bornte like a retard. But maybe this is what I get aspensation?

    Those were the thoughts going through her mind but that wasn¡¯t the mindset Yu Jitae wanted her to have.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    He opened his mouth with a heavier voice.

    ¡°¡­What.¡±

    ¡°Think one more time on what¡¯s actually important. Why did you train with me. Was it to get stronger?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum pondered. Was she training to get stronger?

    No.

    The hatchlings of the red racepete against each other. It¡¯s not the strong dragon that gets chosen ¨C only the survivors.

    She was training with Yu Jitae in order to survive.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of using whatever you can to survive.¡±

    Those words struck her heart.

    This was apetition for survival, and not a sport.

    She should have long known it herself. Wasn¡¯t that what she had been telling herself in the first ce? However, it seemed that in a corner of her heart, she had been decorating her effort as if it was something sacred and special.

    It made her realise that looking down on luck just because it was rted to her trauma was an arrogant attitude in that sense.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t, that¡¯s fine. We can go back and you can calmly train yourself again.¡±

    That was when Yeorum suddenly raised both of her hands and pped both sides of her cheeks. pp¨C! It was so loud that the crowd turned towards her in surprise and looked at her flushed cheeks.

    Simon frowned and said, ¡°In any case, I shall still pray for the future of the Association,¡± with a solemn voice before turning his body.

    ¡°Why are you pping your own cheeks all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°¡­This can also be ovee with training right?¡±

    ¡°Which one.¡±

    ¡°¡­Anger management problem.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I know how.¡±

    There was a slightly cruel yet certain method.

    ¡°So, do you want to continue?¡±

    He asked while looking into her eyes.

    The moment her red eyes resembling rubies slowly rose up and met his eyes, he came to a decision. ¡°Can you stop me if I can¡¯t control myself¡­¡± And her following request gave him certainty.

    ¡°Simon.¡±

    When Yu Jitae¡¯s low voice resonated across the arena, the man who was hurriedly escaping from the area with his attendants stopped his feet.

    ¡°Please wait one moment.¡±

 Chapter 338: Difference in Height (3)

    <h4>Chapter 338: Difference in Height (3)</h4>

    ¡°What is it. Are you also from the Association?¡±

    ¡°Name is One. A Grade 5 agent.¡±

    Grade 5 agent ¨C ¡®One¡¯.

    Yu Jitae used the fake identity of Clone 1.

    He didn¡¯t need to verify himself. He revealed his ability by instead killing his presence to that of a civilian in front of rankers. A crack appeared on Simon¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Right¡­ One, huh. I¡¯ve heard that name before. So what is it?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have another fight with different gear this time.¡±

    Simon twitched his eyes.

    ¡°Nothing changes even if we were to use different weapons. I think the problem is with the Association¡¯s way of dealing things.¡±

    ¡°It is a misunderstanding. The output of the duel exceeding the standard of a duel and doubting the intention of the Association is all in the weapon, so let us change them to sparring weapons. Please give the Association a chance to wash off the misunderstanding.¡±

    He had been iming that the new weapon of the Association was the thing that was making the situation disadvantageous. In other words, he was saying it was due to the difference in gear so changing the weapon would remove any possible excuse he coulde up with.

    Fortunately, Simon eased his expression and agreed. It seemed that he really thought the weapon was the cause.

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    But hisposure didn¡¯tst long.

    The bell rang.

    Vuung¨C

    Her heart flooded out with mana. At the same time, the core embedded into the longsword was filled with mana, and like an organism it twitched while gushing forth a stream of mana.

    [Ember]

    Yeorum activated the Karl-Gukwa stand-up martial art. The air exploded beneath her feet and the tremendous force pushed her body forward. Like an arrow, her body flew forward and travelled through 30 metres in the blink of an eye.

    Using every bit of mana through the core, she embedded mana into the sparring longsword.

    Her n was to demonstrate her power with one strike. mes erupted around the sword with more intensity than what she expected.

    The amplification multiplier of 6.2, which was two or three times greater than other prominent supplementary cores allowed an absurd amount of mana flow that supported the movement of her sword.

    Yeorum felt her blood racing towards her head. A warning bell rang inside her brain.

    Her hand shivered as fury reared its head.

    However, her attack had already been executed and it was no longer stoppable. Reporters and civilians of the audience had yet to even sense anything, and only the powerful superhumans could sense the iprehensibly ridiculous output.

    As a sword aura of me reaching 5 metres in height reached out from the tip of her sword;

    The de after being elerated by the explosion shed, drawing an afterimage in its path.

    Soon, the entire crowd widened their eyes in shock as if their eyeballs would burst out, and Simon likewise watched the approaching sword with his eyes forming circles.

    He was astonished,

    And before long,

    sh¡ª

    An intense burst of light covered the arena.

    *

    [(Breaking News) Yu Yeorum defeats Simon Abkarian in a duel]

    [Yu Yeorum. From the top of Lair to the top of the world? A shocking result to the duel! Simon Abkarian defeated.]

    [The wall of a ¡®Hero¡¯ broken by a 20-year old. A newborn superhuman that will drive the world into shock!]

    [Another look into the critic Petrovic¡¯s ¡°Finding the Rank 1 candidate of the future¡± from 3 years ago¡­ ¡°The rebutters should all go die.¡±]

    [The buzzing A&R Industry¡­ The head of M&D Headhunting Firm, Maree Yuska, ¡°Yu Yeorum¡¯s worth expected to reach 150 billion dors. Should be considered to be on the same level as the young Oscar Brzenk¡­¡± (Shocking News)]

    [The Association raises another ¡®monster¡¯ after the Witch, Valentine, and the Returnee, BM.]

    [(Top News, Image) The Saviour of Gallia on the ground with a trampled head. What goes aroundes around¡­]

    [Yu Yeorum after the victory, ¡°Weaker than expected.¡± Completely outside themon realm of etiquette.]

    [French civilians in shock and dejection¡­]

    [The question of a reporter from the Public TV France, ¡®F6¡¯, ¡°Something you have learned from the duel against him?¡± receives a stunning reply, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you ask that to the loser?¡±]

    [French soldiers after the defeat of the hero. A mass desertion of soldiers from the helplessness¡­]

    [International Press, Yu Yeorum¡¯s next opponent, ¡®Javier Karma¡¯]

    ***

    The world was in a mess, but it was normal for the world to be chaotic whenever Yeorum did something.

    However, the scale of the fuss was a lot greater this time. Even though it was a friendly duel with the victor decided by a judge, a world ranker at Rank 29 one-sidedly defeated by a twenty-year old girl was nheless shocking news.

    The Association and the SWB appealed to the media,

    Yu Jitae made sure Yeorum was careful with her words,

    And Simon Abkarian uploaded some random congrattory message, ¡®Happy to see the new era being led by the great Association with my own eyes~¡¯ to decorate himself as a generous man. It would be unseemly to say he had been careless but he also didn¡¯t want to raise Yeorum up, so he was praising the Association instead.

    Since Yu Jitae was a figure with authority inside the Association, there was noment or any restriction on Yeorum¡¯s behaviour or her affiliation. There were only rumours being spread on the inte and the media.

    On the other hand, Yu Jitae when he returned to Unit 301 after finishing his work did not have a very bright look on his face. He did not miss the small stop in the child¡¯s movement when she was using the core at its highest capability.

    That was despite his warning.

    In the end, Yeorum was able to hold her anger in and there were no issues until the very end. Yeorum was improving on her own. She had probably thought of ways to suppress her fury beforehand and had most likely gone through several practices to make it work.

    Even then, his face didn¡¯t look very good.

    A strange emotion that he started having quite recently was weighing his heart down.

    Emotions were always automated. He had to find the cause after feeling one, but he had no idea what the cause was no matter how much he contemted.

    There was nothing wrong with Yeorum.

    So why was it that his heart was feeling so ufortable¡­?

    ¡°Hey hey. You guys, watch this.¡±

    It was during dinner.

    Yeorum wasn¡¯t the type to brag about her duel regardless of the opponent, whether she won or lost.

    This too was something that originated from Yu Jitae¡¯s advice. No-one brags about the fact they are walking on their two feet down a path, so Yeorum tried not to be too happy or too sad over each and every aplishment.

    That was why her showing off today was an extremely rare exception.

    Using the hologram option of her watch, she floated her duel against Simon Abkarian and shared the clip with the kids.

    ¡°Uwah, uwah¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­Awh.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    Kaeul, Gyeoul and even Bom watched the video in surprise. Flickering embers of me and Simon retaliating with his blue mana ¨C despite using weapons that limited their ability to 20%, the fight between the two rankers were stunning and mind-blowing.

    One would disappear from the screen before reappearing dozens of metres away on the other side of therge tform. Each of their strikes would explode the surrounding air and shake the dimensions. It truly was an intense battle.

    Is this how it would look if the god of me was to flip arge cauldron upside down and pour out mes? Yeorum¡¯s use of Karl-Gukwa martial skills enveloped the arena and overflowed.

    ¡°Unni. You are actually super cool¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh yah?¡±

    ¡°I heard you lost 3 times, but you actually managed to beat him. That¡¯s amazing.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Pretty cool yeah?¡±

    Even Gyeoul gave a little nod despite having a displeased look on her face, and the baby dragon that was born with the smallest body twitched its shoulders. ¡°Kuhahahak!¡± Sheughed in a very good mood.

    Yu Jitae, however, still felt ufortable. He could not look at the innocently rejoicing child with afortable gaze. It¡¯s not like the burden was immense to an unbearable degree, but there was something that constantly irritated him like a piece of pebble stuck in the shoes.

    What is it? Is there a problem with Yeorum?

    He contemted deeply, looking for an answer.

    ¡°By the way, Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Hung?¡±

    ¡°Is this okay?¡±

    ¡°Which?¡±

    Bom stopped the video, and went through Yeorum¡¯s abnormal actions.

    ¡°Your hands were shivering here. And¡­ here. You lifted your foot after Simon copsed and¡­ ah, here as well. Ahjussi was in front of you but you were still clenching on your sword.¡±

    ¡°Huhh? Uh¡­ Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this, because you were angry?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Yeah.¡±

    ¡°It is?¡±

    Yeorum awkwardly scratched her head.

    ¡°Umm, like, a side effect of the core? Something like that¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    She nced at the kids and scratched her cheeks before opening her mouth as if it was nothing serious.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. Apparently when using a high quality onion core, it¡¯s difficult to control your emotions.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that okay? That sounds extremely dangerous.¡±

    ¡°How is it any dangerous? It¡¯s just getting a little heated up.¡±

    Is that so? Kaeul tilted her head, but Bom had a different perspective despite hearing the same words.

    ¡°That sounds way too dangerous¡­¡±

    ¡°Uun? Why why?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no limit to the action or magic but it¡¯s affecting your emotions instead. What¡¯s the point in getting stronger, if you can¡¯t control your mood and do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Uun? I, is that so?¡±

    ¡°Kaeul. Think of it as a mind-rted magic.¡±

    ¡°Aht, oh wow¡­¡±

    Any magic that directly touched the ¡®mind¡¯ was immediately seen as an S-grade spell. It was the most difficult and the most dangerous out of every magic so it was deemed an international taboo alongside ¡®human-type chimera production¡¯ by the Association.

    A dark cloud appeared on Kaeul¡¯s expression after realising the seriousness of the matter but Yeorum scoffed instead.

    ¡°Aye. You guys are overreacting. There is zero problem.¡±

    ¡°Why, why? Why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Yu Jitae said it, okay? He said he knows how to deal with all~ of that.¡±

    The kids turned their eyes to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Right? Teacher?¡±

    Yeorum asked with a bright smile on her face.

    Closing his mouth, he pondered for a bit. There was not a sliver of doubt in her words. She was trusting him because of the bond that had been built up over a long period of time through bickering and working together.

    However, he felt slightly more ufortable at this moment for some reason and still could not clearly tell what the reason was, so he fell deeper into thought.

    ¡°Huh? Wait, can you not?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Didn¡¯t you say you can? I thought there was a way to deal with anger problems.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah. There is.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure it will work? You¡¯re looking quite dubious.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll definitely work.¡±

    That much was certain, because it was the method he came up with in the 5+ iterations through experiments.

    ¡°Really? I¡¯m curious. How do you teach how to deal with anger management?¡±

    ¡°Rightt! For none other than the¡­ uhh¡­ red dragon¡­ race¡¯s¡­¡±

    Kaeul slurred her words, pondering how much she should say to make sure it wouldn¡¯t be a racistment.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae slowly began to realise the identity of this emotion that was making him feel ufortable.

    His chin turned tense.

    Bom asked Yeorum.

    ¡°Do you know the method?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that? Why did you say it wouldn¡¯t be a problem when you don¡¯t even know how to fix it?¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon~ fuck it. What about it? Whatever it is, Yu Jitae will do something. He alwayses up with the right answer whenever there¡¯s a problem.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is. Don¡¯t you think so? It¡¯s not the first time this has happened.¡±

    Yeorum said with a grin.

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt anymore.¡±

    Again, it was a voice overflowing with infinite trust.

    ¡°Hmm. But it does make me quite curious. Even though I look like this, I have a fairly dirty personality. How do you even fix this? I asked before and it looked like my parents didn¡¯t even fix theirs.¡±

    Turning towards him, she asked.

    ¡°So, how does it work?¡±

    *

    5th iteration.

    At the end of a long imprisonment.

    It happened while the man was away.

    A poor hatchling of the red dragon burned its own heart as fuel for power.

    The entity broke out of the undergroundbyrinth that had kept it locked for close to 20 years, and unable to control its fury, it flew around destroying everything. It breathed out mes by sacrificing its own life. Through fury, it expressed its frustration and pain.

    The entity caused wars and endlessly wreaked havoc toter be the enemy of all of humanity. By the time he returned after btedly hearing the news to stop it, the hatchling¡¯s body was already ripped to pieces, broken and crushed beyond repair.

    That entity, who had never onceined about pain during imprisonment, looked at the Regressor with one remaining eye,

    ¨C It hurts.

    ¨C My chest, hurts.

    It moved its broken chin to ask him for a favour.

    ¨C Please, kill me¡­

    Back then, the man thought this red entity would continue holding him back in the future. Unlike the gold entity that caused trouble due to dying from every trivial stuff like an ocean sunfish, the red entity could not control its own anger.

    Even though it first became a problem in the 5th iteration, simr problems would inevitably be brought to surface with more iterations.

    Until then, there was an unwritten principle that he had applied to himself.

    It was that he should not kill the entities.

    ¨C It hurts. It hurts¡­

    But seeing those tears mixed with blood travelling down the cheeks, he changed his mind.

    The Regressor snapped the entity by its neck.

    For the first andst time, he had killed a baby dragon with his own hands. Afterwards, he immediately killed himself to preserve the information inside the Vintage Clock.

    Thus, information on the red entity became a fragment that resided within the extensive history of the Regressor.

    Thus, the Regressor learned the red race¡¯s way of breathing, their martial arts and their mana pulsation.

    And due to that, in the following 5+ iterations, the Regressor experimented on how to restrict the red dragon.

    27 experiments.

    The process of the red entity¡¯s fury had a fundamental difference to that of a human¡¯s. Their anger was a reflex action to outside pressure, and happened even in their unconsciousness. Rather than some sort of emotion, he realised that it was a reflex action that was simr to a hereditary disease.

    For example, they could have fun pping each other on the back of their hand but then suddenly hurl a fist if the shock was to exceed a certain level. It was a fury beyond their control so the end result did resemble a human with an intermittent explosive disorder.

    However, there was a difference. Upon a close inspection to the dragon¡¯s manaposition, funnily enough he discovered a form for ¡®submission¡¯ alongside others and this meant that repetitive training could significantly lower the chance of a reflex action.

    That was why he experimented and at the end of several failures, he finally found the answer. He was certain after 27 experiments.

    The method was rather simple.

    It was something like this:

    ¡°Nn? What is it?¡±

    Wedge it down so that it can¡¯t move a single inch.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong huh? And what¡¯s with that look on your face?¡±

    Make the entity recognise its powerlessness,

    ¡°Why do you suddenly look so serious?¡±

    And hitting it.

    ¡°Ahh c¡¯mon, why aren¡¯t you saying anything~!¡±

    Until the ¡®anger reflex action¡¯ disappears from the entity.

 Chapter 339: Difference in Height (4)

    <h4>Chapter 339: Difference in Height (4)</h4>

    Why am I feeling ufortable.

    What is it that¡¯s making me feel ufortable.

    He found a clue to the bizarre emotion that had been harassing him these past few days.

    A long time ago, ever since the first time he met Yeorum, he had been vaguely assuming that ¡®that day¡¯ would some timee. And if ¡®that day¡¯ was toe, he knew he would have to utilise all his violence to rectify Yeorum.

    He had never doubted the need to do so because it was a natural thing to do. Those entities called red dragons were meant to be treated that way.

    That should have been the case but now that he actually needed to do it, he noticed there were a fair amount of things that were outside his initial n.

    The unpleasant mood gradually grew bigger.

    That was when he found a pair of grass-coloured eyes looking straight at his face.

    ¨C Why do you look so sorry?

    Her voice brushed past his ears.

    There were four pairs of eyes looking at him. He needed time to censor his own expression.

    Turning his eyes, the man nced around.

    What expression do I have right now?

    Despite looking around, he found nothing that could serve as a recement to a mirror so his gaze soonnded on his spoon.

    He looked at the reflection of his face through the spoon and looked at the dim eyes that were looking back into his eyes through the distorted worldview. It looked indifferent and inorganic as usual. Those eyes did not feel like his own and felt like someone else¡¯s, thus the addition to the number of gazes that were on him.

    A subtle shift in emotions had a tendency to be revealed from the gaze rather than muscr movements of the face. He had already confirmed the standard of a ¡®sorry look¡¯ through Gyeoul.

    Comparing his look to that standard, it looked okay. He came to the conclusion that his face was quite normal.

    With that certainty in mind, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing incredible. Just pushing you to situations that might cause you to be emotional, and helping you withstand it.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Is that it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to say. That is everything.¡±

    ¡°That was unexpected¡­ So it¡¯s easier than I thought. Well I guess the solution is always simple no matter how difficult the problem looks.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not going to be that easy.¡±

    Yeorum giggled in response.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Fuck, who could have guessed finding a g underwater would be something like that¡­¡±

    Shaking a piece of thick bacon with her fork, Yeorum entered deep thought.

    ¡°Anyway, I was quite surprised,¡± said Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°It seemed you were controlling your emotions better than I thought.¡±

    ¡°You are the one that told me to control it to win in a fight. I¡¯m just doing what I¡¯m told.¡±

    ¡°Do you do some training for it?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, well yeah¡­¡±

    Bom, Kaeul and Gyeoul listened on from the side with blinking eyes.

    The kids did not know much about the intensity of Yeorum¡¯s training sessions. They could only guess from seeing some fragments how it would probably be very difficult.

    Would those kids be able to understand Yu Jitae personally using violence for education?

    Probably not. If they were to start the anger management training, it was best for the kids to not know about the content of the training.

    ¡°Let me see your training tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you and have a look. I¡¯m just curious what you do by yourself.¡±

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Yeorum waved her hands trying to stop him.

    ¡°What is it that you¡¯re doing,¡± he asked.

    ¡°Aye, it¡¯s obvious what someone training how to control their emotions will do by themselves right. Meditating, image training, and stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t meditate when using a core can you?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ Anyway, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯te.¡±

    He just wanted to create room for the two of them but Yeorum constantly tried to change the topic. And that seemed slightly suspicious.

    ¡°Do note.¡±

    ¡°See you tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te okay?¡±

    Unfortunately for Yeorum, Yu Jitae was slightly more stubborn than her.

    *

    Next morning.

    Yeorum tried to sneak outside without telling him but saw Yu Jitae leave the room immediately after her as if he had read her mind, and said with a frown.

    ¡°¡­Are you really gonnae?¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason I shouldn¡¯te?¡±

    ¡°What if I just don¡¯t want to show it to you?¡±

    ¡°Am I not your teacher?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah. If you were going to teach me something, I would dly learn but why the heck are you trying to watch me train by myself?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all part of the necessary process.¡±

    She had indeed seeded in somewhat controlling her actions and emotions which had been impossible in the previous iterations. He needed to know the principle behind it.

    ¡°But like¡­ Ah fuck.¡±

    Yeorum scratched her head. She looked at him with a dissatisfied gaze before wearing her runners and leaving Unit 301. He followed her from behind.

    Running down the road, she sprinted out of the academy district. Due to being a graduate, she could no longer use the services at Lair but as a high ranker, she could use the facilities at Hayting as a VVIP.

    The ce she arrived at was a personalised dimensional training room. Going into the small room and activating the dimensions opened up a white cubical room with the width of 100 metres. There were also various training equipment inside.

    Doing this and that, she stretched her body and loosened her muscles before starting her personal training session. Pulsation, breathing, walking¡­ Most of them were a continuation of what she had learned from Yu Jitae.

    After a while, she gradually began throwing more nces his way and soon, she irritatedly dropped her water bottle with a deep sigh.

    She walked up to one of the equipment. It was a machine that punched out but the unique characteristic of it was that it had 12 arms.

    Infusing the machine with her mana, Yeorum activated it.

    In that instant, the machine began throwing an array of fists and Yeorum twisted her body to dodge them as much as possible without creating a gap. However, there were just too many hands.

    One strike to her stomach messed up her pace, and another strike to her knee pushed her feet back. Screech! The smooth floor shrieked after being rubbed by the bottom of her shoes.

    Each of thosended strikes ruined her pace more and more and before long, her entire body became a sandbag for the fists. It instinctively made her irritated.

    Clenching her chin, Yeorum held it in.

    No, she wasn¡¯t holding in¡­

    Yu Jitae gave a frown. She was raising her teeth to bite on the inside of her mouth. The soft inside of her cheeks and her tongue were either torn or smushed.

    That wasn¡¯t enough to calm her down. Her hands began to tremble as a sharp re appeared in her eyes. Soon, she left the punching range of the machine and shrunk her body after interlocking her fingers and going down on her knees as if in a prayer.

    She seemed to be suppressing her urge to immediately rush out and crush something.

    But even that wasn¡¯t enough, it seemed. Yeorum suddenly sat up straight before punching her own thigh with her fists.

    m! m!

    He could see her muscles being torn from each punch and her thighs being bruised. It was quite an astonishing scene but he watched on without leaving the room.

    He could finally understand how Yeorum was controlling her anger and the method she used to train herself. It was calming herself down by expressing that explosive urge in a different direction, and the conclusion she came to after pondering about that direction appeared to be ruining her own body.

    ¡°Haak, haa¡­ haa¡­¡±

    As her mood finally settled, Yeorum crouched while gasping for breath but even then could not stop raising her fingernails and scratching her arms.

    That was why Yu Jitae identified the belligerence of the red race as a hereditary disease.

    In other words, the red race¡¯s aggressiveness was a type of functional disorder.

    *

    Unfortunately, the method Yeorum had been using by herself to train her emotions was wrong.

    Not different to the one he had, but wrong ¨C it was an incorrect way to relieve the urge.

    Shifting the target of her explosive urge to her own body was by itself already a proof that she could not control the impulse. Even though the result may be different, the amount of stress she gets will be the same and it will no longer be helpful if the situation were to be more extreme.

    She couldn¡¯t kill herself because of that could she?

    ¡°You saw that?¡±

    After recovering her body she opened her mouth with a blunt voice.

    ¡°I look retarded don¡¯t I? But this does help me control my temper.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Tch. This is why I didn¡¯t want to show it to you¡­¡±

    Yeorum asked once again after cutting her words short.

    ¡°¡­Did I look super retarded?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    ¡°But let¡¯s not do that anymore.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really help.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She nodded with a slightly frustrated look on her face.

    ¡°Then what? Like you said, when I try to increase the output with the 10-unsealed core in hand, it makes me even more agitated. What should I do?¡±

    He thought to himself for a bit.

    What should she do? She had to go through the training that would allow her to control her anger management issue.

    However, thinking about doing that training soon made him feel stuffy. The thing that had constantly been nagging at his heart appeared to have increased in size, and now filled his heart up to the brim.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Yah.¡±

    ¡°How about you give up on the core.¡±

    ¡°You crazy? No. This is my number 1 treasure.¡±

    An onion core with 10 lifted seals.

    A core with an output multiplier had 0.1 as the unit for its function and value. It was because the output was multiplied proportional to the user¡¯s capability.

    The most powerful core in this current era was the Witch¡¯s ¡®Lucky Onion¡¯. The core with 3.5 times as its multiplier was twice more expensive than a core that amplified the user¡¯s ability by 3.3 times.

    And yet Yeorum¡¯s core with 10 lifted seals had a shocking multiplier of 6.2 times. This was what made Yeorum overwhelm Simon, who would have required her to put in 10 years of strenuous effort to barely reach a simr level.

    ¡°Definitely not. Never! Don¡¯t even say that as a possibility. This is a lucky item that will never appear in my life again.¡±

    Yeorum was stubborn. She already had a thickyer of affection for it and it meant that she would have to deal with using the core.

    ¡°We can just train if there is a way to, right? Get rid of mine since you¡¯re saying it was wrong, and, you know, can¡¯t you just teach me the one you mentioned?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Strangely enough, he felt repulsed by simply thinking of that method.

    ¡°You said all I have to do is withstand right? How does it work? Tell me. I¡¯ll try my freaking best.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    ¡°Ayo, far out. You¡¯re looking down on me again.¡±

    ¡°This one has a slightly different nature to it.¡±

    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m the one that picked up a transparent g and crawled up from that hellish water. I¡¯m that cockroach of a bitch¡­ And you know what? I haven¡¯t fapped in three months. There is nothing impossible for me.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t easily open his mouth.

    A disgusting, murky and sticky cluster was stuck in his throat like a lump. The nature of the emotion that was suffocating him wasid in front.

    However, he tried his best to suppress it.

    In any case, it was an experiment that was necessary for Yeorum. He had done it several times so he was used to it, and its effectiveness had already been proven. It would allow her to be stronger faster than any other method so there was no reason not to do it.

    With that in mind, he exined the details to Yeorum as her eyes widened little by little. In the end, she even had her mouth open.

    ¡°¡­You serious?¡±

    As if she couldn¡¯t believe it, a frown appeared on her face.

    ¡°I am serious.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ve never hit me before.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°¡­And yet you¡¯re saying that¡¯s the only training method? Binding me when I lose control over my body, hitting me to instil powerlessness and reducing the aggressiveness that way?¡±

    There had been numerous experiments and that was the most perfected one. Even though it couldn¡¯t be called the best, it was still the most optimal method.

    However, he couldn¡¯t say that to her.

    There was a frown on her face.

    Are you scared?

    If you¡¯re scared, tell me you won¡¯t do it.

    Because then, I won¡¯t.

    That was what Yu Jitae was hoping for before he even realised it.

    ¡°But like, fuck¡­¡±

    Yeorum appeared confused.

    ¡°From what it sounds like, it¡¯s not even like a punishment is it?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°So you mean you¡¯ll just bash me up like there¡¯s no tomorrow. Beating all the dust out. Like, smacking my head, my stomach and like¡­ Yeah? Is that what the training is?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°My word. For farrk¡¯s sake¡­ Even though I am good at withstanding pain¡­¡±

    Throwing her hand into her pocket, she took out a cigarette and ced it in her mouth. She lit it up and breathed out a mouthful of smoke, trying to bring her disordered mind back under control.

    Before long, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­You know, dear. I¡¯m just a little curious but¡­¡±

    Yeorum asked after slight hesitation.

    ¡°Can you even hit me?¡±

 Chapter 340: Difference in Height (5)

    <h4>Chapter 340: Difference in Height (5)</h4>

    Pulling it by the hair, he dragged it towards him.

    He threw it into the corner of the room as the red entity shouted out a question.

    ¨C Answer me. What are you trying to do to me!

    He wasn¡¯t the type to have a chat and he usually would have ignored those words. But perhaps because of the perfect solution he gained at the 27th experiment, he opened his mouth before the 28th experiment. From now, I will do this to you, and carry out an experiment like this. That strange process was like telling his own self that this is what he will do from now. The red entity looking at him must have felt fear.

    ¨C You dare say you will hit a red dragon?

    That wasn¡¯t particrly the case if he were to delve deeper into it, but he did not feel the need to go on with a mouthful exnation.

    His reply was thus short.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Hearing that, Yeorum looked slightly hurt and pursed her lips. She looked up into his eyes but soon let out a smile and nodded while tapping his arm a few times.

    ¡°Okie. Then let¡¯s start straight away without wasting any more time.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°What do I do? You wanna tie me up first?¡±

    Saying that, she held out both of her hands. Her wrists were right next to each other as if she was handcuffed.

    ¡°Ahh, I was curious how it would feel to get tied up for a while now.¡±

    There was no tension in the air. She giggled and lightheartedly opened her mouth.

    He quietly looked at her wrists before shaking his head. Mindlessly hitting her wouldn¡¯t solve the problem. The rectifying process was also strictly a part of the education and it required a systematic approach.

    Firstly, he called for a helper. He needed someone who will receive the aggressiveness and the violence to record it all down. There were several more things he needed to prepare even aside from that.

    Even though she pretended to be in a light mood, she couldn¡¯t hide the slight look of nervousness that was on her face.

    ¡°¡­Is it that hardcore?¡±

    Therefore, he had to reassure her.

    It¡¯s okay.

    ***

    Clone 2 participated as the helper. With a rigid look on his face, he saluted Yu Jitae before walking to Yeorum and lowering his head.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you madam. I have been assigned to the helping role of this rectifying education.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the helper?¡±

    Yeorum walked closer and observed his face with a small grin.

    ¡°Looking quite cute aren¡¯t you? Look at these chubby cheeks.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for yourpliment.¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    Clone 2 walked even closer as Yeorum began fidgeting with his cheeks.

    ¡°Hmm. How interesting. You look oddly familiar¡­ have I seen you before¡­?¡±

    The clone remained silent.

    The necessary equipment he prepared entailed a stick and a whip that had an ample amount of the red race¡¯s mana embedded inside, as well as a rope made by intertwining the artifact, [Chains of Hell]. They¡¯ll be used to block her actions from going out of control, and will help regte her.

    After preparing everything,

    Yu Jitae took Yeorum and headed back to the individual training room. There, he diffused his mana to the surroundings to ensure what happens here wouldn¡¯t affect the dimension.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to endure it.¡±

    She stayed still after saying those words.

    Like what she had said several times, she was trusting him. Without even voicing it out into words, she was proving that trust with her entire body.

    He decided to set aside his feelings that were going into disorder.

    The rectifying process that he now had to do was an extremely delicate task, but he was a veteran at such operations.

    Walking up to Yeorum, he wrapped the string made of [Chains of Hell] around her neck. He added mana into it to make sure it wouldn¡¯t snap, removed the sharpness so that it wouldn¡¯t hurt Yeorum and made it tight so that it would nevere off.

    Yeorum touched it with her hands as if she was feeling stuffy.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    He handed the rope to Clone. Like an owner of a dog, Yu Jitae gave themand.

    ¡°Walk.¡±

    *

    The clone started to walk. Pulled by the leash, Yeorum followed after him. She looked ufortable because the rope was formed by weaving 70 of the strings together.

    Without saying anything, the two went threeps around the training room. Her expression gradually crumpled more and more and her obediently treading feet slowly turned unstable.

    Compared to how she had suffered when there were 5 strands around her heart, there were 65 more strands and even though it was around her neck this time, she was still somehow managing it.

    That was how hard she had tried. Yeorum had progressed a remarkable amount in a short period of time.

    If this training was something that had to be done one day, he wanted to have it done for her as early as possible. It was unclear how long the Amusement wouldst, but it was simr to how it was better not to dy homework until the end.

    Restricting the heart to open the closed foundation of progression;

    Driving her underwater to increase the maximum capacity of mana;

    Raising the tension to the max to allow a delicate control over mana;

    This right here was the end of all that training, and this was thest homework she had to finish. As long as she was done with this, there was no more need for Yeorum to be forced into pain.

    This was thest.

    Thest one¡­

    Taking anotherp around the room made the pace of her breath uneven. Hukk, hukk. She gasped. The pulsing rate of her heart was simrly unstable and her eyes also nced around without a clear focus.

    Her emotions were in turmoil.

    Back when her heart was restricted, the objective of the chains was clearly to represent a ¡®hardship¡¯. It was there for the purpose of being ovee.

    But this time it was different. Yu Jitae changed the form of all the chains into [Restriction]. Therefore, the objective this time was ¡®suffocation¡¯.

    Yeorum had to feel stuffy.

    She would start to wish the helper would walk a little faster. Or perhaps sit down and take a rest. Whatever it may be, she would want a change outside the scope of the repetitive act of walking. However, that wouldn¡¯t happen, and inducing that frustration was precisely the goal.

    Threeps.

    Fourps.

    Fiveps¡­

    Her feet were shivering let alone being unstable.

    Yeorum who had been walking the whole time suddenly came to a stop as Clone 2 turned towards her. Stopping there, the child closed her eyes and lowered her head. ¡®Hukk, hukk, huu¡­¡¯ While collecting her breath, she tightly held onto her chest through the t-shirt.

    What are you stopping for.

    Go on.

    After receiving his will, Clone 2 continued pulling the leash. Yeorum retaliated ¨C it was her first act of retaliation.

    However, she had to go. Clone 2 pulled the leash yet again as Yeorum resolutely stood her ground.

    ¡°We have to go.¡±

    ¡°Hukk, hukk¡­¡±

    ¡°You muste with me. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The clone continued pulling as her body rocked back and forth. Yeorum removed her trembling hand from her chest. Because of her uplifted nails, her clothes were torn and something red began to ooze out of her ripped skin, colouring her white t-shirt with its colour.

    ¡°You can still walk a little bit more. You must continue.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just a little,¡±

    ¡°We have to go. Hurry.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just a little, rest.¡±

    ¡°No, you cannot. You have toe.¡±

    ¡°Let me just take a quick breather. Okay? ¡­Just a little.¡±

    Clone 2 had a stiff look on his face.

    He could sense the beginning of trouble but the voice of his lord resonating in his head was absolute. ¡®Go¡¯ ¨C that was themand ringing in his mind.

    Thus, Clone 2 put more strength into his arms and pulled Yeorum by her neck.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Yeorum, who was retaliating by leaning her body back, lost her sense of bnce from the sudden pull and fell forward. Should I support her? Clone 2 asked but the reply was a no, and Yeorum fell t on the ground.

    Anothermand came from the Regressor.

    Pull.

    Make her walk.

    Clone 2 began pulling Yeorum as she stayed t on the ground but she resisted the drag by driving her sharp fingernails into the ground. With one hand, she grabbed onto her own leash and revealed her fangs with arge scowl on her face.

    But after the test of strength, Yeorum stood back up by herself and walked.

    He was slightly surprised because her level of self-control had reached a fairly high extent.

    If;

    If Yeorum simply let out an irritated remark saying that it was painful;

    Or if she did nothing but im that she would rather stop;

    If her reflex action when her displeasure exceeds the threshold was like that of a normal person, a training like this would not be necessary.

    However, after going through anotherp, Yeorum fell for the second time and held onto her leash with her knees on the ground.

    ¡°Ah, fuck¡­¡±

    She let out profanities as Clone 2 turned towards him, looking for advice.

    Pull.

    ¡°Ah, fuck. For fuck¡¯s sake.¡±

    Yeorum thrashed her arms and resisted.

    Pull.

    ¡°Oi you fucker. Just let me take a little rest.¡±

    Clone 2 hesitated once again.

    Pull.

    ¡°Ahh! You fucking dog bastard. Can¡¯t you hear what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°Uht¡­!¡±

    ¡°This fucking retarded dick! I¡¯m telling you. That I want some rest! Huh?¡±

    In a fit, Yeorum pulled the chains with her nails lifted high. She iled like a fish by the shore.

    ¡°Ahh!

    ¡°Ahh! Fuck!

    ¡°Aahkkk! So annoying!¡±

    Her risen fingernails instead became the problem ¨C unable to tear through the rope, her nails broke. Each time she thrashed her arms around, a red line was drawn along the white floor.

    Listening to hismand, Clone 2 tried to push her body down from above.

    ¡°AHHHHHHHHKKKK¨C!!!¡±

    Suddenly, Yeorum dashed towards Clone 2, pushing forth her fangs with her nails and fists ready for a fight.

    But even though the clone was young and feeble, he was still a duplicate crafted based on Yu Jitae. Following the training he receivedst night on how to fulfil his role as a helper, Clone 2 quickly woke up from the initial shock and pushed Yeorum away with his arms to protect himself. He could not allow any possibility of violence.

    Yeorum then threw her fists high into the air and began mming the floor of the dimension instead, but Clone 2 stopped her. ¡°Let gooo¨C!!!¡± In the process of stopping her arms, he almost got bitten on the back of his hand. Clothes were ripped and the cap was flung off by a passing fist.

    She knew it was part of training.

    It was her, who said she will try to endure it.

    But in the end, she could not withstand it.

    Yeorum was angry.

    The problem was that her anger had crossed the ¡®line¡¯.

    An anger for the purpose of defeating enemies was okay to have. The fury of an avenger was also okay. There was no problem with the act of getting angry itself, but the wrath of the red dragon race always crossed the line.

    And that was a problem.

    Line.

    This ¡®line¡¯ was what made this training necessary. In order to understand this concept, one had to know about the identity of the red dragon race.

    Some time in the distant past, red dragons were living in arge desert of Askalifa. Thend covered in red sand had no water, had thinyers of mana and was a devastatingnd to live in. To survive in such an environment with limited resources, red dragons had to destroy others and ingest them.

    That went on for hundreds of thousands of years.

    Life bloomed even in such barrennds. Countless species other than dragons also demonstrated their tough vitality by surviving in suchnds. Even a mouse had to bite a cat to survive because only death awaited them if they were to not attack as a group.

    In a world like that, the red dragons needed ¡®entities that would survive¡¯ for the continuance of their race. Thus, the surviving entities were made to be aggressive, active, and with a quick-witted response to hazard.

    Defeat in a fight meant death and an escape equalled starving to death.

    Every moment was a fight for survival.

    Because of that, red dragons could not be powerless at any moment. With every generation, they changed to be less and less powerless. An outside pressure called for the need of a fight and their uncontroble emotions strengthened their actions.

    Back then, it was necessary for their survival.

    However, times had changed and so did the world. The red dragon race that had wandered through the red desert in the past left it and formed a society, and the temperament flowing in their blood became something that did not suit the new epoch.

    Now, the world was one that did not require them to fight ording to their instincts.

    The process of civilisation was also simr in Askalifa.

    However, the instinct for a fight that was deeply engraved in their veins over the period of hundreds of thousands of years still stubbornly continued even to this day. It was now being manifested inside Yeorum who was living in a society of people.

    And that was constantly making her cross the line.

    ¡°Fuck. Let go of me right now! You son of a bitch¨C!!¡±

    ¡°Kuhk! Please calm down! I am not your enemy!¡±

    ¡°Release me right now! Release me! Let gooo!! Let me go before I rip you to pieces! Get rid of this shit on my neck¨C!¡±

    ¡°Please stop. You are in the middle of training!¡±

    ¡°GET RID OF THISSSSSSS¡ª-!!¡±

    Yeorum charged towards Clone 2 in a fit. The clone suppressed her from above, but she began throwing punches again. Her fists did not go through the blessings covering the clone¡¯s body and her hands will probably be broken after punching him several times. However, that violence will start to relieve the thing inside her and that would fade the meaning of this rectifying education.

    That was why the Regressor intervened and grabbed Yeorum by her nape. He then reprimanded Clone 2.

    ¡°Why do you have so much trouble holding on. Huh?¡±

    ¡°U, uhkk¨C¡±

    ¡°Did I not tell you to do it harder.¡±

    ¡°Sorry sir¡­ The thing is, I suddenly felt¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth. Pull the rope tight.¡±

    He ced his hand on top of Yeorum¡¯s roaring mouth and threw the child on the ground before pressing her down with his weight.

    Her bloody eyes were overflowing with fury despite it being Yu Jitae in front of her eyes. When he loosened the grip he had on her neck, a fist immediately came flying his way and struck his chin.

    Bam¨C. Since he had released most of the blessings on his body, he felt a sharp pain on his chin.

    It was okay for her to punch like this. Both Yu Jitae¡¯s body and Yeorum¡¯s hands were fine. She would not be feeling her punch going through so it would not resolve her desire for violence.

    But on the side, his chin still did hurt. The impact was so strong that kicking an elephant with the same force would crush its skull and kill it on the spot.

    Despite the bond they had built up.

    Despite the tremendous difference in power.

    Yeorum thrashed around as if she couldn¡¯t wait to rip him to pieces. The power and killing intent oozing out of her body had exceeded the norm.

    Thus, he grabbed both her wrists and pushed them down her chest. A few of the strands around her neck loosened before tightening around her wrists.

    ¡°Release me! Let me go! Right now¡ª!!¡±

    Her aggressiveness stemmed from the system that tried to preserve the red dragon race. It was an extremely rugged self-defence system and like how it had control over every other red dragon, it was doing the same with Yeorum.

    Therefore, he had to let it know.

    ¡°Is it frustrating?¡±

    Not Yeorum, but ¡®that thing¡¯ that resides in her blood ¨C to that foolish ¡®aggressive instinct¡¯ that had fallen behind the era, he spoke.

    ¡°But too bad.¡±

    You are not important anymore.

    ¡°There is absolutely nothing that you can do here.¡±

    There is no room for something like you to act up.

    In response, Yeorum opened her mouth wide open with the face of a devil. It was so wide that her cheeks were about to rip down the corners of her lips.

    Mana gathered.

    Even though she was not in the form of a dragon, the draconic mana soared up from her heart. She was about to shoot a dragon breath.

    He thus squeezed her neck that was thinner than his grip and pressed it down. She choked for breath and widened her eyes.

    Yu Jitae spoke to ¡®it¡¯.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve always done whatever you wanted to do.

    ¡°It must have been easy having control of everything. Yeah?

    ¡°How about you try doing something.¡±

    With his hand still pressing down her throat, he raised his shoulder.

    His other hand soared high into the air.

 Chapter 341: Difference in Height (6)

    <h4>Chapter 341: Difference in Height (6)</h4>

    ¨C Can you even hit me?

    In that moment, her words shed past his ears.

    Her lips that pursed immediately after him saying, ¡®Yes¡¯;

    And her fangs that protruded out with displeasure.

    A short sentence from Yeorum had caused a ripple in his chaotic emotions.

    And now, Yeorum was pinned beneath him yelling with her fangs in full disy. He had just raised his hand to p the child on her cheek.

    The emotions that he had forced down and turned away from with the start of the education were yet again trying to raise its head.

    It is something that had to be done one day.

    Yeorum had to go back.

    She had to go back, defeat her nemesis and survive.

    It would probably be possible to put a nket over her temperament and let it pass. It would also be possible for him to ignore it and let Yeorum find the method herself. However, in this world there were problems that could not be solved in such a way.

    Giving nothing but affection to a lovely child is not the role of a guardian. That is neglect; something ipetent people would do.

    Every growth is naturally apanied by pain.

    Even if it hurts momentarily, pain would help the existence grow.

    He continued his line of thought. He ced several barriers around his heart. Like a steel breastte, it then stopped the things that were poking his heart and settled his ufortable mood.

    p¡ª

    A pnded on her cheek.

    Her head turned to the side as her eyes turned nk for a bit from shock. But Yeorum quickly turned her head back towards him, shouted and thrashed her arms around. She twisted her shoulders and her waist, all for the sole purpose of attacking Yu Jitae. The instinct embedded in her blood was still misunderstanding things. ¡®Get more upset to ovee the situation.¡¯ That was themand being given to the red dragon.

    pp¨C

    Even though the shackles were made as blunt as possible to protect her skin, her exceedingly violent actions resulted in red lines being drawn on her wrists and her neck. It wasn¡¯t because of a cut ¨C her skin had been smudged into being ripped.

    From her repetitive training, Yeorum earned the habit of introspecting her emotions if there was blood in her mouth. It was because she tended to bite her tongue and the inside of her mouth when upset.

    However, that training was proving to be fruitless in a time like this, evidently so from how she spitted out the blood flowing in her mouth at Yu Jitae.

    ppp¡ª!

    Her tiny head contorted from the shock and pain.

    His hand came to a faint stop.

    But he couldn¡¯t stop here. Her frustration had to keep going up exponentially. Only when it reaches a certain level will the entity feel powerless.

    With both of his hands, he pressed down hard onto her neck.

    ¡®Kuhk, ugh¡ª¡¯

    Every part of her upper body including her shoulders, her neck and her head shrunk from pain as her hands that were gathered around her chest gripped onto Yu Jitae¡¯s arm. The small hand that could not even fully wrap around his wrist shivered, and soon, she raised her nails to start gnawing at his wrist.

    ¡°Kuhk. Uhh.¡±

    ¡°It is okay to get angry. But you cannot be controlled by your emotions.¡±

    ¡°Uht¡­¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you see? Even when you are controlled by your emotions, nothing will change.¡±

    He could feel a strong vitality trying to push him away. This was the vitality of the thing wriggling inside her blood vessels, and not Yeorum.

    ¡°Kuuuukkk¡­!¡±

    ¡°You can do nothing but get bashed up. Like right now.¡±

    Yu Jitae talked about the rules. He told it that the times had changed. It was through this process that he was making it learn powerlessness.

    ¡°Uhhhkkk¡­ Kuhuk, kuaaaakk¡­!¡±

    It resisted. His wrists were torn. Through the flowing blood, Yeorum¡¯s nails invaded deeper in through the muscles and the veins and reached the ligaments.

    ¡°My lord¡­¡±

    ¡°Stay there.¡±

    ¡°B, but your wound.¡±

    ¡°Stay!¡±

    He shouted and Clone 2 turned frozen stiff.

    The education wasn¡¯t one that would end in just a few minutes. After around 10 minutes, Yeorum began to desperately shout again.

    ¡°Let go, let go!¡±

    As if she was trying to kill herself, the movement inside her mouth was abnormal ¨C she suddenly bit onto her entire tongue. Her goal seemed different from the usual one, where she would bite her tongue to control her emotions. He smacked the child by the head and gripped onto her jaws and her cheekbones.

    ¡°No you can¡¯t.¡±

    Yu Jitae unhesitatingly shoved his finger inside her mouth the moment she opened it. No matter how hard she crunched down on it, his finger remained intact.

    Her instincts had to forget using violence as a stress relieving method.

    20 years. Those were the times Yeorum had spent while being controlled by her emotions. Solving that in one go was nothing but greed.

    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±

    He once again raised his hand.

    It will be a tough time.

    Yeorum turned quiet only after roughly 10 hours of a test of strength.

    She was constantly angry but her struggles failed to lead to any result. She should know it in her head, and from time to time she would close her eyes and clench her teeth aftering to her senses and look at Yu Jitae with a slightly apologetic gaze.

    However, her instincts continued inviting her to get angry and Yeorum was constantly swept away by her emotions.

    In this instant, Yeorum was a victim.

    At one point, she could no longer struggle after being drained out and could only gaze up at him. Despite having trouble breathing, she looked straight up at his face with her bruised eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clone 2 on the other hand did not know what to do and restlessly moved around. He would repeat walking up to him and walking away but did not dare start a conversation, and could do nothing but anxiously observe them.

    Atst when tears started to flow out of her eyes looking up at him, Yu Jitae stopped his hand.

    The moment of anger had passed already. Yeorum was feeling powerless.

    Standing up from the ground, he passed the leash to Clone 2.

    ¡°Walk.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes sir.¡±

    The clone calmly made Yeorum stand back up and began to walk. The [Chains of Hell] were still actively sucking power out of her body and this would be a continuation of her frustration.

    Yu Jitae walked up to the child who was arduously pushing her feet forward. She turned her head to look at him.

    But that was when Yu Jitae tripped her foot. Powerlessly, Yeorum crumbled and fell on the ground.

    While slowly lifting her body back up, she raised her head and red at him. Her fidgety mouth soon let out a word.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    She was swearing, but there was no sharpness in her voice.

    ¡°Walk.¡±

    After giving thatmand again, he watched Yeorum walk. This time, he pushed the child, who was limping due to the Chains of Hell, and she fell to the side.

    ¡°Stop pushing me¡­ So annoying¡­¡±

    Once again, those were the only things she said while looking away from him.

    He looked deeper in and identified the pulsation of her heart and the mana form.

    She wasn¡¯t scared. Yeorum was still angry but was epting the situation with a powerless heart. Suppressing his mixed feelings, he heaved a sigh.

    The first training was a sess.

    ***

    However, that couldn¡¯t stop Yeorum from bing sulky. The moment he said, ¡°Good work. It¡¯s break time,¡± Yeorum pushed out her wrists and her neck, demanding him to release her. He quietly untied them as she turned her feet and walked off into the distance.

    ¡°Ah, excuse me¡­¡±

    Clone 2 followed after her in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯te,¡± said Yeorum.

    ¡°Umm, it¡¯s not fully over yet.¡±

    ¡°Leave me alone.¡±

    ¡°You cannot go yet. It has toe to an end today.¡±

    Yeorum flicked her head and red at him with eyes full of irritation.

    Thinking that she might explode again, Clone 2 turned stiff but she silently turned around and headed straight to arge training equipment before crouching down behind it. She was hiding her body.

    ¡°Is that okay sir?¡±

    There was nothing he could do about that.

    Yeorum had been the king wherever she was. She was like the head of a pack and most of the time had been the one in control of the flow.

    It was because that was the rule her instincts were telling her.

    ¡®I am the best here.¡¯

    ¡®You must listen to mymands.¡¯

    ¡®I will do whatever my heart desires.¡¯

    ¡®No-one can dare put restrictions on me.¡¯

    Those were the shouts of her instinct. The reason it didn¡¯t show on the outside was because Yeorum was a person, not a beast.

    However, those principles that had been built up inside her had just been countered head-first by Yu Jitae.

    ¡®You are not the best.¡¯

    ¡®Times have changed and you must be able to fit into the surroundings.¡¯

    ¡®There are things that cannot be changed even if you do get angry.¡¯

    ¡®You can be restricted whenever.¡¯

    Since he couldn¡¯t directly convey those words to the imaginary ¡®instinct¡¯ residing in her blood, Yeorum had to take the entire consequence herself.

    It was understandable for her to be in a bad mood.

    She would probably be feeling quite sad. It perhaps could have been a big shock to her because something must have snapped inside her heart.

    ¡°It is fine so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    ¡°You go step outside and take a breather as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clone 2 was also in an extremely gloomy mood. After meeting his eye for a split second, he gave a salute before leaving the training room. Yu Jitae watched his back before turning around.

    Hiding behind the equipment, Yeorum had her body curled up with a cigarette in her mouth. She appeared very exhausted and the wounds around her wrists, her neck and her cheeks had yet to fully recover.

    When he walked up to her, Yeorum raised her body in a fright. She was clearly nervous.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. The first training is over.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You can sit down and rest.¡±

    With adequate distance in between them, he stood in front of Yeorum as she gasped for breath with an unlit cigarette between her lips.

    Was it very painful for her? The thought weighed his heart down.

    It was the only and the most effective method out of everything he knew. That was the conclusion he had drawn based on the data from several various experiments.

    But if that was the correct solution, why was it that looking at Yeorum crouching down on the ground made his heart feel even heavier?

    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    That was when Yeorum opened her mouth. Her cigarette caught fire as the child¡¯s sigh entered his sight.

    ¡°I was just a little surprised. I know it was necessary and it does feel like something has changed. It felt like I was going to lose my mind but not being able to move instead made mee back to my senses.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you say this was the first training?¡±

    ¡°There is one more left.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m curious how that will harass me this time.¡±

    ¡°Was it painful?¡±

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t worry too much about it. There¡¯s no problem. I can do it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The smokeing out of her mouth settled down on the floor.

    ¡°But, you see¡­ I, was a bit¡­¡±

    Yeorum covered her face with both of her hands and wiped her face. He tried to go closer to meet her eyes but she immediately turned her head.

    ¡°Don¡¯te.¡±

    ¡°Sorry if I surprised you.¡±

    ¡°What ¡®sorry¡¯. There¡¯s no need to be sorry. You were doing it because it was necessary, and it¡¯s something I asked for as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I should be sorry instead for making you do something you didn¡¯t want to do. But¡­¡±

    What remained after the disappearance of the zing anger was a coldyer of freezing fury. He could sense displeasure in her gaze that was very simr to the one he found from Myu¡¯s voice.

    Those were the eyes of a person who had despaired from many things.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not saying this because I hate you.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much, but it¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m a little surprised¡­

    ¡°So can you just go away for now.¡±

    Did something snap inside her heart, he wondered as it gave him the feeling that the child disliked him.

    ¡°¡­Out of my sight.¡±

    ***

    He knew this might happen. There was no way having something snap in your heart would be a good feeling.

    The reason he didn¡¯t do this earlier was because doing such a thing with not enough bond built up between Yeorum and him could leave this memory like a trauma that makes her unhappy.

    Even though he thought there was enough bond at this point, the child being displeased from a shock this big was perhaps something that was to be expected.

    Something simr had happened in the past.

    ¨C You fucking dick¡­

    It was simr to how it was with the red entity who loathed him from the bottom of her heart more so than when she was locked up. It was natural because they were the same being.

    ¨C You will be punished even after death¡­

    Back then, he ignored it because it was a necessary part of the process.

    However, he now couldn¡¯t ignore it with ease.

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes. He could feel a crack being opened inside the heart he had forced to a close. Like a spring, the chaos that he had suppressed was in full tension, ready to burst out at any moment.

    It was because behind thatrge training equipment;

    Yeorum was wiping her tears with her wrists.

    He was striking the dirty instinct inside her blood and was trying to snap it¡¯s will. However, the one that had to bear the brunt of it was Yeorum; it was Yeorum who had to go through pain and it was also Yeorum who would hate him with a leftover emotional wound.

    His heart was in distress.

    This was the same rectifying process as the one he had done in previous iterations.

    That was what he had been thinking till now.

    However, the context was different from back then. In the emotional side, he was no different from a young kid because his heart had been dead once and had only revived very recently. In a situation like that, thinking about the bond he had built up with Yeorum shattering to pieces made his heart feel uncontrobly ufortable.

    The problem was in opening his heart to live the daily lives in the 7th iteration. The issue was in his bond soaring into the sky unafraid of the scenery below. The impact created from the drop was not small.

    This was what was different from the 5+ iterations.

    The situation was the same as before,

    But there was a difference in height.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m here¡­¡±

    Even then, he could not stop here.

    This was something that had to be done. It waspulsory.

    Even if it were to grind at something inside the child¡¯s heart, and even if it were to create an irrecoverable crack on the painstakingly built-up rtionship,

    He had to do it.

    ¡°How do you feel.¡±

    ¡°Nn. I feel a little better. Sorry for acting up like a retard all of a sudden. I was a little surprised¡­ It seems there¡¯s still an immature side in me.¡±

    Yeorum hesitantly came to him after changing her blood-stained t-shirt into a training vest.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s do the second one¡­¡±

    But unfortunately for her,

    The second training would be a lot more painful than the first one. It was about controlling one¡¯s emotions even in extreme situations and the most extreme situation for a red dragon was obviously¡­

    ¡­When there was death looming in front of her eyes.

    The single crack continued branching off into creating more crevices. As his heart felt increasingly more distressed, he raised a sharp, gleaming de from his waist.

    ¡°Take out your core, put it in your mouth ande here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    It was something that had to be done.

 Chapter 342: Difference in Height (7)

    <h4>Chapter 342: Difference in Height (7)</h4>

    The attacking instinct of a red dragon flowing in her veins sessfully learned powerlessness to some extent. It was now time to take a step further, and make sure she could control herself in even more extreme situations.

    ¡°What¡¯s this knife for?¡±

    Yeorum blinked her eyes looking at the knife he gave her.

    ¡°It¡¯s for stabbing me.¡±

    ¡°But why are you giving this to me? You want me to stab you or something?¡±

    Carrying a knife each, Yu Jitae and Yeorum were facing each other at a close distance. It was time for the second training.

    The training was simple.

    1. Yu Jitae and Yeorum both carry a knife.

    2. With their bodies restricted, the two of them face each other, and Yeorum had to put the core in her mouth on top of that.

    3. They will both point their knives at each other¡¯s heart so that they could stab through and kill the opponent at any given time. Yeorum was restricted but she could move her arms.

    4. Yu Jitae will slowly push the knife deeper into her heart.

    5. On the other hand, Yeorum had to refrain from stabbing Yu Jitae¡¯s heart and control the urge to attack even at the face of death.

    Yeorum frowned. She asked, ¡°Will you even get stabbed even if I try to?¡±

    That was why there was point number 6.

    6. Like the first training, Yu Jitae will undo a portion of the authorities and blessings so that Yeorum could relieve her urge for violence by stabbing him. At the same time, their remaining hand will be sped together for her to receive Yu Jitae¡¯s emotions in real time.

    While the first training was a forced injection of powerlessness, Yeorum¡¯s job this time was to endure it with her own willpower.

    That was the only difference.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with the look on your face. This is the most certain method.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you or anything¡­¡±

    Yeorum did not look very good.

    ¡°But like, how is that a proper education?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°It, like, feels super strange.¡±

    ¡°What is.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s way too extreme?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°To be frank, it feels as if killing a parent and a child might also be a part of that training curriculum as long as it¡¯s effective¡­¡±

    He shook his head in response.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I won¡¯t die unless you stab as deeply as possible.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There seemed to be something she wanted to say.

    As ufortable as it was for her, Yu Jitae was also feeling ufortable but there was nothing that could be done about it. It was something that had to be done.

    ¡°¡­So. Are we starting? Right now?¡±

    ¡°Do you need time to prepare yourself?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it but¡­ What about that cutie that went for a breather?¡±

    ¡°I just sent him off.¡±

    There was actually a reason why he brought Clone 2.

    Yu Jitae was inexperienced with emotions. Even with a certain emotion in his heart, he couldn¡¯t precisely identify it so he used Clone 2 to verify a few things.

    But that was not necessary in the following training.

    ¡°So are you prepared.¡±

    Yeorum took a deep breath to prepare herself and soon nodded with a stiff look on her face.

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ***

    Bound by the [Chains of Hell], Yeorum was hanging in mid-air. Like spider webs, there were several ck strings wrapped around her head, neck, waist, shoulders, pelvis and knees. Her two arms were the only things that were free.

    Yu Jitae stood in mid-air in front of the child and faced her.

    With the start of the training, Yeorum ced the core that was the size of a walnut kernel into her mouth. She grabbed his one with one of her hands, and used her other hand to hold the knife at his chest. Yu Jitae likewise had his body tied up with the Chains of Hell and the two of them looked like insects that had fallen into the traps of a spider.

    From this point onward, Yu Jitae would not move even if Yeorum was to stab him.

    ¡°We¡¯re starting.¡±

    ¡°Yah.¡±

    The tip of the gleaming steel de touched her skin.

    ¡°It might sting.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As he added a very faint amount of power, the de began to pierce through her skin. Something red oozed out and budded into a drop.

    ¡°You have to hold it in.¡±

    Yeorum tried to manage her expression but could not stop her eyebrows from curving into a small frown. This training will be even more painful than the previous one and will also be a lot more cruel.

    From now, he will be hurting Yeorum even more.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s bearable ¡­Go on.¡±

    He pushed the de deeper in.

    Yeorum bit her lips.

    At the start, he felt ufortable when he thought their rtionship might be shaken. But on second thought, it wasn¡¯t something that would serve to be a problem.

    To him, the thing called rtionship was something futile.

    Their rtionship was bound toe to an end with the end of the Amusement. They won¡¯t be spending their entire life together either so what was the issue even if she were to hate him a little bit?

    Despite having that thought in his head, it seemed that his heart had a different perspectivepared to his brain.

    Perhaps, quite possibly, it might be that he wanted to remain a good person in Yeorum¡¯s memories.

    Truly,

    It was an insane thought¡­

    The reason he was living a daily life was to send the baby dragons back home happily, because that will in turn shed light to the path going towards his dream.

    However, it seemed that he had be drunk in that warmth instead. Emotions had begun fading the foundation of all the rtionships.

    There was no need for him to be a good person and naturally, there was no need for him to be remembered as a good person either. In fact, it was more correct to say that he had no right to be remembered as such.

    Sending the baby dragons happily back home was his objective. Him being remembered as something and whatnot was not the important factor there.

    Stabb¡­

    Therefore, he pushed the knife deeper in.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He could see her breath pausing in between.

    The de dug half-way through her chest. Piercing through the skin, it dug through the fat and the muscles, through the ribs and was about to touch her heart. Blood was gushing out of the wound, wetting her clothes.

    The onion core was fluctuating and she was drooling through her half-opened mouth. Yeorum had a somewhat nk look on her face as she closed her eyes and tried to hold in her anger.

    It wasn¡¯t a simple stab ¨C Yu Jitae was pushing forth an unpleasant mana that contradicted and provoked the mana of the red race.

    The dagger of a treacherous enemy was piercing through her heart. Her instinct should be letting out loud warning signs that she will die at this rate but Yeorum was holding it in with her consciousness.

    It was amendable feat but now was the true start.

    I want to kill you.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    His thought rode through her hand and was conveyed into her body. In shock, Yeorum widened her eyes into circles and red daggers at him with eyes filled with disbelief.

    There was something called [Combat Immersion]. This blessing that every red dragon had was one that allowed them to be more sensitive to life-threatening situations. That was why Yeorum was taking the killing intent seriously despite the prior agreement of the training.

    He continued thinking.

    I want to kill you.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Yeorum seemed slightly more upset from his thought. Feeling powerless did not mean her anger had been removed. In a situation that made her feel extremely close to death, Yeorum felt endangered and faced him back with killing intent, but it was a truly miniscule and petty amount in his eyes.

    It would be better if you were dead.

    ¡°¡­!!¡±

    Snap¡ª

    Looking like she would stop breathing anytime soon, Yeorum shook her head. With an infuriated expression she sent a gaze demanding him to cancel that thought.

    He didn¡¯t react, nor did he cancel it. In fact, even this was sloppy and was not enough to make Yeorum think that she might really die.

    Why?

    Because this was a part of training.

    Her consent at the start was acting as a safety device inside her heart. She had to feel the emotion of looming death and ovee it but she was aware this was training and thus could not feel death. It would simply put her in a very bad mood.

    But of course, that was something he had already taken into ount.

    So what he was about to do now might really hurt Yeorum.

    Even though he really didn¡¯t want to do it, it was something that had to be done one day;

    And that day was today.

    He retrieved the knife that had dug half-way down her chest and stabbed her cheek.

    ¡°Uhk¡­!¡± Yeorum frowned in surprise.

    He created a long cut down the white cheek all the way to her ears with a thought in mind.

    I was actually, sincerely, hoping for your death.

    Perhaps because this was somethingpletely outside her expectations, the fury was momentarily wiped clean off of her face.

    As if something heavy had dropped inside, she looked at him. How could you say such a thing to me? That was the look on her face.

    Her left hand clenched tightly onto his hand as veins protruded out of her right hand that was holding the knife. The veins went all the way from her hand to her feet. Yeorum could not believe what he was thinking and at the same time felt the urge to stab him.

    This should be painful enough but he couldn¡¯t stop here and turned his gaze to other parts of her body. The shoulder should be fine ¨C thinking that, he pierced the dagger through her shoulder and messed the joint up with the tip of the de.

    ¡®Ahk¡­!¡¯ A weak shriek left her mouth as Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    I¡¯ve been wanting to kill you every time you showed that stupid attitude of yours. How great that I can finally kill you today.

    Yeorum, who had been writhing from pain, once again turned nk. Her hand holding his hand released its grip ¨C she instinctively wanted to look away from the unbelievable thoughts in his mind.

    But that was something he couldn¡¯t allow her to do, so he tightened his grip as Yeorum twisted her arm and retaliated.

    What¡¯s wrong?

    He pierced the knife deep into her stomach and let it bleed. At the same time, he looked straight into her eyes. It was instead Yeorum that tried to turn away from his gaze. The emotions revealed from her mana were shock, fury, horror and a feeling of being betrayed.

    But even this wasn¡¯t enough.

    He repeatedly created false hatred and said it over and over in his mind.

    Born with a trash talent.

    You could do nothing but be swept away by your emotions and get mad.

    Why don¡¯t you try doing it again?

    You are the best at it aren¡¯t you. Trashing on people for no reason, getting mad, annoying people, shouting with a loud yet empty voice, making other people tired to put only yourself at ease.

    Try it.

    Isn¡¯t that your forte?

    With such thoughts in mind, he stabbed her neck. Soon, the nk shock became fuel for an even greater fury as her entire body trembled from an unbearable sense of betrayal. Her face that had turned vacant from shock suddenly turned into one of zing anger that could explode at any time.

    Right. This was supposed to be the look on her face.

    Looking like she would immediately run in and rip someone to pieces.

    Looking like she would blend the enemy into a juice and drink it.

    Since this expression was finally being revealed on her face, it was almost there. But that in turn meant that it was still slightly insufficient.

    Yeorum will have a frontal fight against her oldest unni after going back. Without fixing her temperament, she would be even more upset than now during the fight since there was no reason why she wouldn¡¯t be more mad.

    That was why this had to be controlled.

    He pushed the knife into her mouth. As the de touched her tongue, Yeorum clenched down on it with her fangs.

    Yu Jitae decided to hold even worse thoughts in his mind.

 Chapter 343: Difference in Height (8)

    <h4>Chapter 343: Difference in Height (8)</h4>

    Are you angry?

    You are, right?

    Right. Of course you are.

    I¡¯m insulting your personality and betraying you like this. Of course you should be mad.

    Isn¡¯t it the same as how your oldest unni used to insult you in the past?

    That is how I, who you apparently trust the most in this world, actually thought of you the whole time.

    It was annoying having to hold all that in till now.

    Do you know how ridiculous I found it looking at you with such a feeble body and an actually weak heart trying to desperately press others down?

    Howughable it was seeing you rejoice from a simplepliment.

    It¡¯s not like I wanted to look after you.

    Think about it. Who in this world would try to look after someone so weak, small and useless like you?

    Unless they¡¯re crazy.

    He flooded out words of hatred that would grind at her heart as soon as he could think of them.

    At the same time, he stabbed various ces around her body to create deep words.

    As her teacher, he focused on the given role and had forgotten the cruelty of the process; and was thereforete to notice the dark thing inside his heart crawling up.

    While trying his best to ignore that wriggling darkness inside and provoking Yeorum,

    At one point, everything started to flip.

    When was it¡­?

    Was it when Yeorum thrashed her body around trying to escape from his grip?

    Or was it when she grabbed onto the de of her dagger so that she wouldn¡¯t stab with it, and have all her fingers bleed?

    Or if not the above, was it when tears mixed with blood budded beneath those crimson eyes that were ring at him?

    ¡°Hkk¡­¡±

    The small and feeble child helplessly sobbing by herself¨C

    Was it, perhaps then?

    Falling¨C

    He was falling.

    Looking around, his body was still there.

    So what was falling was probably his heart.

    By making Yeorum this mad, Yu Jitae had achieved his objective. Her body was a bloody mess and her emotions were probably in an even greater disorder.

    There was a sharp bloodthirsty re in her eyes. It was the gaze of a beast that couldn¡¯t wait to bite a person to death. The uncontroble fury was agitating her emotions and making tears drop from her eyes.

    She was drooling from her opened mouth and even that was mixed with blood. It was probably because she was biting so hard onto the core that her gums would break. Was that why? The core was still running amok trying to shake her emotions.

    She was already mad and that core was making the process of controlling her emotions even harder by several-fold.

    Now was the time to test it by stabbing her heart with the knife.

    Raising the knife one more time, he ced it at her heart as tears endlessly dropped from her eyes. Hatred seeped into the eyes of Yeorum who had been ring at his eyes the whole time.

    You probably hate me, but there¡¯s nothing that can be done.

    There was no mercy in his hand.

    Stabb¡ª

    ¡°Hkk¡­¡±

    A groan left through her tightly clenched fangs.

    It was the same with the red entity.

    Things were exactly the same. The entity was as angry as now and was looking at him with the same eyes of hatred. When he stabbed its heart with the knife, the red entity was able to control the impulse but still attacked as a self-defence.

    The hazy memories of the time clearly resurfaced in his head.

    ¨C You called me, a test subject.

    With a deep voice as if it would vomit out blood at any time, the red entity said to him.

    ¨C Are you going to do what you did to me, to another dragon in the future?

    ¨C I hope that dragon is not a precious dragon to you.

    ¨C Because they will curse you and hate you from the bottom of their heart

    He had long forgotten the words of the red entity. Why was it that those memories wereing back to the surface now?

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] gazes at you.>

    A familiar gaze could be felt from above. This meant that his emotions were being shaken tremendously, which he couldn¡¯t deny.

    Vividly came back the memories of the time he had been red at by the red entity, who looked the same, had the same gaze and had the same voice as the ever-so-precious Yu Yeorum.

    ¨C Has this proven things now?

    ¨C I am in full control of myself.

    ¨C But I still must stab you at least once.

    Saying that, the red entity took the knife away from his heart and stabbed it through his neck. It deeply pierced through his throat and cut the main artery on the right.

    He was going to kill himself with a sessful experiment anyway, so Yu Jitae epted his death.

    Sin seeped deeply into his heart.

    Many things came back with those memories. It was the countless types of sin that had beenmitted on the red entity.

    He felt his breathing to a stop. Every one of them was something he had done himself.

    It was still in the middle of training. If Yeorum did not stab his heart and could fully control her anger, that would mark a perfect sess to the training, but her emotions right now were jumping around like crazy.

    She still couldn¡¯t hold her anger in.

    But, it was then.

    A peculiar thought popped up in his mind.

    He suddenly hoped Yeorum would stab him. Without withstanding the urge, it would be better if she were to instead stab his heart or his neck.

    That was the abrupt thought he had.

    In fact, she could do even more than that.

    He hoped Yeorum would run in and attack him with the goal of half-killing him. If she were to do so, he would let it happen without doing anything.

    A life that he had harmed and harassed.

    The 28 experiments that had been conducted with the red entity was only a fraction of the whole thing. However, it seemed that he had forgotten all the built-up past. The rtionship was glued together with falsehood and was making him feel the likes of a bond.

    He found Yeorum precious.

    He wished Yeorum wouldn¡¯t be in pain.

    He hoped Yeorum would not die after going back.

    That was what he wished for from the bottom of his heart, with all his heart.

    That much was possible. But the thought of not wanting to be hated by Yeorum was, no matter how he saw it, extremely hical that gave rise to his self-hatred.

    Even though there was a reason, and even though he could use the excuse that he had never once wanted to do such a thing, it was an undeniable truth that he had pushed the red entity into the gutters of despair time after time.

    Wasn¡¯t it this me,

    That forced countless ¡®Yeorums¡¯ into misfortune?

    Once, there was something the Vintage Clock said. Things have passed so treat them as if they had never existed because that will put you at ease. He replied yes and he really did so by telling himself that.

    Things have passed. They had never existed.

    But can they truly be considered as things that had never happened just because they were in a different time frame?

    Even though it¡¯s so vividly here in my memories?

    Something dark was crawling in his heart, leaving behind a disgusting trail and sediment. Before long, it reared its head and looked up at him.

    The dark thing revealed its horrendous teeth with a wide smile.

    It¡¯s fine. A disorder like this in his emotions was an impulse that was bound to leave soon. However, Yu Jitae still wanted Yeorum to stab him. In the stead of the red entity that could do nothing but be on the receiving end of the pain, he wanted Yeorum to carry out the revenge on him.

    So if Yeorum would leave an injury that was close to death on him, the chaotic emotions that had risen inside him should be soothed albeit a little.

    He wanted to get rid of the dark thing in his heart as quickly as possible.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] gazes at you.>

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] pitifully looks at you.>

    He let go of her left hand because there was no more need to convey his emotions.

    Soon, Yeorum clenched tightly onto the knife in her right hand. Blood seeped into her eyes.

    Her shoulders and arms slowly began to move.

    And her wrist;

    The dagger held tightly in her hand¨C it slowly started to move.

    Yes.

    Lift that up and stab me.

    Stab through my heart to let it bleed; pierce through my neck and crush the bones and the spine.

    That will put me at a slight ease because that will let me pay for a tiny bit of the sin.

    He wanted to atone for his sins with that no matter how fake it might seem.

    Her red eyes were in front of his eyes.

    She was such a precious child. That must have been the case even in the past.

    Although she had trouble controlling her emotions, had a coarse mouth and would sometimes antagonise or irritate him, she was such a kind and affectionate child. An ever so normal baby dragon who could show him so much trust.

    It was him, who had shoved the life of a child like that into despair multiple times.

    It was none other than him.

    So hurry up and stab me.

    Stab me and injure me.

    Hurry up.

    ¡®Ah, fuck¡­¡¯

    Soon, Yeorum murmured.

    Her right hand holding the knife came towards his head,

    And then, he was met with an iprehensible turn of events.

    ¡®It¡¯s over, hehe¡­¡¯

    Yeorum smiled.

    He was waiting for her to stab, but Yeorum wrapped her two arms around his neck instead.

    Yu Jitae was engulfed in arge chaos.

    What are you doing.

    You have to stab me.

    Like what the red entity did, you must stab through.

    Why aren¡¯t you stabbing me?

    Didn¡¯t the red entity say it? That the dragon would detest me?

    But from the voice that flowed out of her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, he could not spot a sliver of hatred.

    ¡®It¡¯s all, over. Right?¡¯

    Her voice that seemed to have a lump in the throat rested near his ears and flowed out with difficulty.

    ¡®I, held it all in. It¡¯s all done now right?¡¯

    Sniffing her nose, she said with a whimper.

    Yeorum wrapped her arms even tighter around his neck and leaned her body in. The knife was still stabbing through her heart and he could thus feel something round touching his chest.

    ¡®By the way, what you said just then.¡¯

    ¡®You were just saying random things right?¡¯

    ¡®They were so harsh that I was shocked, but on second thought, there¡¯s no way you would say something like that to me¡­¡¯

    ¡®¡­Right?¡¯

    At this point, he really wanted to run away from this ce. The dark thing inside his body grew even bigger. It was different from the experiments with the red entity. As he was left unable to even utter a word in response, Yeorum followed through with words that shattered the barriers he had forced around his chest like ss.

    ¡®I, trust you¡­¡¯

    Even in a situation like this, Yeorum was trusting him.

    ***

    ¡°Ohh. Look, look!¡±

    After half a day, afterpletely recovering both her body and mind, Yeorum inserted the core into the longsword and released a ming sword aura that reached 9 metres in height.

    ¡°Woah fuck. This is so cool! I don¡¯t feel any impulse right now!¡±

    She hopped up and down while swinging the sword. Arge aura of mana that she couldn¡¯t even dare use before fluttered. It was the result of using an onion core with 10 lifted seals to the full extent.

    ¡°Dear. Can I hit that wall over there?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    Without any hesitation, Yeorum added the breathing method of Karl-Gukwa into her sword and struck the wall of the training room.

    Kwaaaanggg¨C!

    A ray of light on a simr level to a dragon breath shot out from the edge of the sword that crashed through the dimensional walls and through the ceiling of the building, that then soared through the skies into the clouds above.

    ¡°Kyahahahaha¡ª-!!

    ¡°What a refreshing hole!

    ¡°Little Yeorum the bulldozer~!¡±

    However, Yu Jitae could notugh with her.

    If a heart was ake, his was a quagmire.

    Weathering through the four seasons slowly lifted the murkiness. As the muddyke gradually turned clear, the dark horrendous forms that had been buried deep inside the water were slowly revealed. His long sins that had remained invisible when it was a quagmire; the carcasses of birds locked in cages were slowly being uncovered.

    A red bird flew above.

    With a bright smile on its face, it chirped and sang.

    ¡°My teacher is really the best. Yeah?

    ¡°I just have to do what you tell me to and it all works!

    ¡°So why would I not trust you! Why would I not like you!¡±

    A red light was shing in his head.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] pitifully looks at you.>

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states that such an emotion is called [Guilt].>

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)], however, notifies that none of the obelisks have newly been lit up.>

    Yeorum jumped towards him and gave a big hug.

    The red bird will always look at the clear sky and chirp, but the object it was stepping on, and the inside of the quietke had a different look.

    At this point, he could no longer even try to deny it.

    ¡°Dear. I really really love you ?¡±

    That his guilt was slowly being exhibited.

    TL Reminder: Four seasons, Bom Yeorum Kaeul Gyeoul.

 Chapter 345: Discussion Topic: Lies (2)

    <h4>Chapter 345: Discussion Topic: Lies (2)</h4>

    Bom came back carrying a small box with her hands and appeared to be in a good mood as she hummed on her way in. Yu Jitae and Kaeul were standing awkwardly in the living room as they weed Bom. Kaeul said, ¡°W, we, wee backkk¡­!¡± and was confident it was naturally done.

    ¡°Nn nn. What are you two doing in the living room?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. The weather¡¯s just very good¡­!¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    Bom replied with a smile as Kaeul asked another question.

    ¡°W, what is that?¡±

    ¡°Oh this? It¡¯s something I ordered online.¡±

    ¡°What did you order?¡±

    ¡°A flowerpot. It¡¯s a gift for someone.¡±

    ¡°W, who¡­?¡±

    In response to her repetitive questions, the green pair of eyes quietly looked into the golden eyes. Her eyes turned out of focus for a little, seemingly in a deep thought.

    ¡°Just someone.¡±

    After replying with a faint smile Bom went into her room. Seeing that, Kaeul turned towards Yu Jitae and very slowly gave a firm nod.

    What.

    What¡¯s that nod for.

    ¡°T, thenn~ Aii am going back to my roohoom~~?¡±

    Kaeul headed back to her room with soft steps like she was on the runway of a fashion show. The funny thing was that despite the situation at hand and her rigid steps, her walk would still make for a fine painting.

    Since he wasn¡¯t used to situations like this, he needed time to organise the situation in his mind.

    ¡­

    It seemed that Kaeul was trying to gloss over it and pretend like she knew nothing about it.

    He decided to go along with it to an extent. It was when he returned to his own room to wear a business shirt and wrap a tie around his neck.

    [Kaeuli?: Ahjussi]

    [Kaeuli?: Ajhsusi]

    [Kaeuli?: Ahjussi TT.TT TT.TT]

    He got messages from Kaeul.

    [Me: Ye]

    [Kaeuli?: It shuld bee fien rihgttt??????? TT.TT]

    [Me: It should be]

    [Kaeuli?: Right? T.T We didn¡¯t look at the book did we T.T. I think the water did go in a little but it might actually be quite dry right??]

    Kaeul started trying to think about it as positively as possible.

    That was probably not the case, but having a rxed mind until the actual uncovering of the truth is always the best so he went along with it.

    [Me: You¡¯re right.]

    [Kaeuli?: Right? Wow]

    [Kaeuli?: Am I a genius?]

    [Kaeuli?: That makes so much sense!! Yes yes???]

    [Me: Yes]

    [Me: You never know]

    [Kaeuli?: That¡¯s correct! You never know!]

    [Kaeuli?: No-one knowss hehe!]

    [Me: The daughter-inw doesn¡¯t know]

    [Kaeuli?: You¡¯re right. Gyeoul doesn¡¯t know either!]

    [Me: And Yeorum also doesn¡¯t know.]

    [Kaeuli?: FR FR lololol]

    [Kaeuli?: Lolololololololololol~~~]

    [Kaeuli?: As long as nothing happens here, it will be a secret only the two of us will know of in the entire world ?]

    That was when Bom¡¯s voice echoed from outside the room.

    ¨C Kaeul. Yu Kaeul.

    ¨C Are you in your room?

    The noisy reply messages came to a sudden stop.

    Unfortunately,

    Neither the daughter-inw, Yeorum nor Gyeoul knew about it, but Bom did.

    ***

    ¡°Kaeul. Look at this.¡±

    Kaeul rolled her eyes around as he sneaked out into the living room and sat on the sofa. It was because he got a final SOS message from Kaeul but he watched the situation unfold for now without chiming in from the start.

    ¡°U, uuun~?¡±

    Bom opened the notebook.

    The letters were all smudged in water.

    ¡°The water spilled and now the entire diary is wet.¡±

    ¡°I, is that so¡­?¡±

    ¡°Do you know anything about this?¡±

    Kaeul rolled her eyes. Since a silence too long would seem suspicious, Yu Jitae was thinking about intervening when Kaeul opened her mouth.

    ¡°Hmm. Who knows¡­?¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah. Maybe Nom Nom identally hit the ss and spilled it while catching some bugs?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul made an expression that read ¡®Maybe?¡¯ on her face while sweating buckets.

    However, Bom had a very serene look on her face. Looking at the notebook with all its letters smudged and illegible, she murmured, ¡°What should I do. This is a big problem¡­¡±

    She looked very concerned instead of being angry and Kaeul asked after finding it strange.

    ¡°Why why? Was there something important written inside¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°But, can¡¯t you restore it with magic?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why? O, or maybe you can write down what you remember into a new book?¡±

    ¡°The problem is that I can¡¯t do that. You see, this is not my diary.¡±

    ¡°Uinng¡­?¡±

    Kaeul blinked her eyes.

    Bom exined the situation.

    Zhuge Haiyan of the Association had gotten a boyfriend, and tomemorate their uing 100 days together, Zhuge Haiyan was writing a diary entry each day regarding love. But since she was inexperienced at male-to-female rtionships and thus bad at writing beautiful sentences, she had been asking Bom for help regarding how to write them.

    ¡°Ehng? Is that how it is? It, it looks the same as your notebook though¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I bought her the same one as mine as a gift.¡±

    ¡°Hukk¡­¡±

    No wonder. The original cover page had something written on it but this one only had a single heart instead.

    ¡°What do I do¡­¡±

    Bom said while heaving out a deep sigh.

    ¡°Today is their 99th day together¡­¡±

    ¡°S, so tomorrow¡¯s the day?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    The situation felt more painful for Kaeul than before.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault for being too much of a fool. Why did I go outside with a ss of water next to Nom Nom? It¡¯s also my mistake that I only read half of it for their privacy¡­ I should have read the whole thing beforehand just in case¡­¡±

    Bom raised her hands and covered her face.

    ¡°¡­How am I supposed to tell her this?¡±

    Kaeul turned nk.

    She faced Bom with blinking eyes for a little and soon, the child wriggled her toes as well as her fingers. Anxiously, she fidgeted with her left index finger using her right hand.

    ¡°Oh right. Sorry for interfering with your rest, my dear. You should head back to your room.¡±

    After caressing her hair, Bom turned around with Nom Nom¡¯s flowerpot and the diary in her hands.

    While she was on the way back to her room, Kaeul endlessly fidgeted with her fingers before slightly turning her head to throw a nce at him. Yu Jitae returned her a nod after seeing the anxiety hanging on her face as Kaeul then went up to Bom while calling out, ¡°Unni.¡±

    Bom turned around.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°I did that¡­¡±

    Her eyes widened into circles. But at the same time, her lips also curled up as Bom smiled with a mischievous look on her face.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Those unexpected words made Kaeul turn nk. With a slightly brighter look on her face, Bom gathered mana at her fingertip.

    ¡°You know, this is actually restorable.¡±

    Before long, the water started to leave the book. The wrinkled papers returned to being stiff as the smudged letters also returned to normal.

    Slowly Kaeul¡¯s face started to turn dark. Bom had been pretending to be clueless despite knowing everything.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    She knew what question would soon leave Bom¡¯s mouth, and that question would be a very very scary one.

    ¡°Why did you lie to me?¡±

    ***

    Kaeul came out honest.

    It¡¯s because I was very surprised. I¡¯m sorry.

    She honestly revealed everything since she was caught anyway. With a slight grin, Bom pinched her cheeks and pulled them out like rice cakes.

    ¡°You did something wrong. Yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°You need some punishment.¡±

    She was sentenced to holding her arms up high on her knees, so Kaeul had to kneel at the corner of the living room (the protector¡¯s ce of exile) with her hands in the air. Bom ced Nom Nom¡¯s flowerpot on top of her outstretched hands which she wasn¡¯t allowed to drop. Kaeul nodded with a sunken look on her face.

    ¡°But still, thank you foring out honest.¡±

    ¡°Uh, really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put your hands down though.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    Kaeul constantly heaved deep sighs with a dark expression with her hands in the air.

    Soon, the members of the house began toe back.

    The protector aftering back from hiking tilted its head wondering why she was in the area of exile instead.

    Gyeoul returned from school and observed Kaeul, before taking a piece of banana and feeding Nom Nom on top of her hands,

    And Yeorum teased Kaeul by poking her ribs and armpits with a chopstick.

    Even though things had seeminglye to a good conclusion, Kaeul still did not have a very bright look on her face and looked quite gloomy. Was she feeling guilty even after being forgiven? Thinking that, Yu Jitae took her outside after the punishment had ended.

    What should we have today? He asked and Kaeul shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t feel like eating¡­¡±

    Okay. Then how about a red velvet cake at a nearby cafe?

    ¡°¡­Why is it tasty.¡±

    Red velvet cake ¨C the moment she had a taste of that sweet cream cheese, Kaeul widened her eyes. A cheese cake and a chocte crepe¡­ after having several sweet desserts, Kaeul returned to her bright self.

    ¡°Ahjussi. As expected, when you¡¯re feeling down¨C¡±

    ¡°Sweet stuff is the best.¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­!¡±

    Kaeul chuckled out loud with cream on her lips. But suddenly, she widened her eyes from a sudden trail of thought and looked at him.

    Blink, blink.

    She continued thinking while blinking her eyes and soon tilted her head with the fork still in her mouth.

    ¡°You know what? Sometimes, ahjussi, you are very amazing.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°How do you know me so well?¡±

    ¡°Do I.¡±

    He was wondering what idle talk this was going to be and quietly drank the coffee but Kaeul continued with a slightly more serious voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s to the point I can¡¯t understand¡­ Look. When I was lying just then and asked you to turn a blind eye to it, you were on my side right? When I was in my room feeling nervous and not knowing what to do, you said it was fine, yes? Staying next to me when I was about to be scolded by unni was to be on my side right? And after it¡¯s all done, you are cheering me up as well!¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s as if you know how to make me feel the mostfortable.¡±

    ¡°Of course I should. How much time have we spent together.¡±

    As if she had discovered something intriguing, Kaeul pped her hands.

    ¡°Wait, wow. No. It¡¯s not because of the time we spent together¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not! It¡¯s from the first time we met. Honestly, we weren¡¯t close back then but you still bought macarons and bread for me.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s because kids all like that.¡±

    ¡°Who buys bread when first meeting someone? With every one of them being sweet? And things that I like? And, uuum, since when was it? There¡¯s been this thought that was constantly on my mind you see?¡±

    It seemed that the small child from back then had turned quite clever now.

    He shook his head before raising the tes from the table to go back home. That was when Kaeul said with a bright smile.

    Ahjussi,

    ¡°Did you, by any chance, know me beforehand?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Do you think what you¡¯re saying is possible?¡±

    He avoided a direct answer.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He was about to get up but Kaeul chuckled while pulling his arms back down.

    ¡°Can I have one more cake?¡± she asked. Even though he felt ufortable, he did not turn her down.

    This time, she had a strawberry shortcake and stabbed her fork through the soft cream, strawberry puree and the raw strawberries to munch through them.

    ¡°Mhmm, so nice.¡±

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae quietly sat there with an indifferent look and gazed at her.

    The emotions that he had managed to push aside a little by forcing himself away from Unit 301 began to rear its head again.

    He felt like asking her a question.

    It was perhaps because it was Kaeul he was talking to, that his heart was slightly more rxed.

    ¡°Why¡­¡±

    He carefully opened his mouth.

    ¡°Why did you confess that it was a lie?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°You were trying to deceive Bom. Why is it that you told her the truthter on. Was it because you found her pitiful?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Mumbling with the fork in her mouth, Kaeul gave an embarrassed smile.

    ¡°¡­Actually, I wanted to say everything honestly from the start.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°But I couldn¡¯t do that because I was very scared. I was scared that unni would be angry¡­ but lies are bad.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a trigger that made you change your thought though?¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­ It felt like she would notice it. And I can¡¯t have Bom-unni be in trouble because of me right¡­?¡±

    Kaeul¡¯s choice was, in the end, the best choice because Bom had known everything from the start.

    But,

    ¡°What if Bom did not know about it.¡±

    ¡°Hnn?¡±

    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t you have just caused trouble for yourself?¡±

    ¡°Uum, I guess?¡±

    ¡°What if it was Yeorum¡¯s diary and not Bom¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°I probably would have still said it.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Because lies are bad¡­¡±

    The ufortable feeling inside urged him to add more words.

    ¡°What if it¡¯s not a lie?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Without telling a lie, you can still say less of the truth right?¡±

    ¡°For example?¡±

    So instead of saying ¡®I didn¡¯t do it¡¯;

    Going with ¡®Whoever did it must be a terrible person¡¯.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a lie is it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In response to his question, Kaeul looked up at the lights of the cafe with blinking eyes.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it in the intention though?¡±

    ¡°The intention?¡±

    ¡°If your intention is to deceive someone, then saying less of the truth will still be a lie¡­!¡±

    ¡°What if there¡¯s a good intention behind it?¡±

    ¡°You mean a white lie?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul looked directly at him with her undisguised, undeceiving and innocent gaze.

    In this moment, he found her gaze to feel extremely burdensome ¨C even more so than Bom¡¯s eyes that looked like she was seeing through everything.

    ¡®Uum¡­¡¯ While Kaeul was contemting the answer, Yu Jitae thought about what she might say. Would Kaeul say it¡¯s okay to tell a white lie, or not?

    In the end, he decided to not put too much significance in whatever she would say. If ¡®yes¡¯, that would mean she is putting emphasis on the goodness behind the lie, and in the case of ¡®no¡¯, that would mean the truth is more important to her. Like that, he pre-determined the intent of her response without even hearing it.

    However, her reply crushed apart those thoughts of his.

    ¡°Is it an important lie?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Lying like that must mean there are circumstances right?¡±

    ¡°So, do you mean it¡¯s okay to lie?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul looked into his eyes before carefully asking back.

    ¡°What do you think, ahjussi?¡±

    In reply, he said what his heart told him.

    It was mainly linked to his sense of guilt.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should.¡±

    ¡°Uum, why?¡±

    ¡°Because deceiving is a bad thing to do.¡±

    ¡°But I actually think it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°A white lie means the speaker is aware that a lie is bad right. And they¡¯re telling a lie despite knowing they¡¯re doing a bad thing, yes?¡±

    ¡°But the one who got deceived would feel hurt after knowing the truth though.¡±

    ¡°That is true¡­¡±

    ¡°So it shouldn¡¯t be done.¡±

    In the end, a rtionship built with deceit should not exist. That was the conclusion Yu Jitae had drawn and it was a trail of thought that had stemmed from his mind that wished to condemn himself for his own sin.

    However, it seemed that Kaeul thought otherwise.

    ¡°But, what about the one who lied?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like the person likes lying, right. They¡¯re not lying because they want to, and they¡¯re lying while epting the fact that it will make them a bad person right?¡±

    ¡°What about that. How is the mind and the thoughts of the liar any important?¡±

    ¡°How is it not important?¡±

    Her golden eyes looked straight into his eyes as if they would pierce through it.

    ¡°They¡¯re hurting the hearts of the people that are being deceived.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not always the case,¡± Kaeul rebutted.

    There was a type of innocence in this world. One whose cleanness was sometimes sharper than spears and swords of hatred.

    ¡°It might hurt more for the one who lied right¡­¡±

    And Kaeul¡¯s reply was one of them.

 Chapter 346: Discussion Topic: Lies (3)

    <h4>Chapter 346: Discussion Topic: Lies (3)</h4>

    The time they had spent together was 5 years.

    For him, who could no longer calcte his years after living over hundreds of years, it was but a passing moment, but it was 30% of her entire life for Kaeul. It seemed that she had learned, felt and considered many things in that span of time.

    ¡°Is that what you think?¡±

    ¡°Uun? Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Since when did you think like that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Looking away from his eyes, Kaeul twirled the ends of her golden hair with her fingers and tried to specify the exact period of time from her unforgetting memories. But soon, Kaeul opened her mouth with an awkward smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just came naturally some time in my life, I guess? Why?¡±

    ¡°Just a little surprised that you were able to say things like that.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    He looked at her bowl.

    The bowl that was empty for knowing nothing about the world was no longer there. Over the period of 5 years that they had lived together, Kaeul had been diligently filling up her bowl with things. She was no longer the immature and innocent child.

    However, all the things inside her bowl were good-natured, with not a sliver of greed, selfless and considerate. It was like water and the bowl was therefore clear despite being full.

    Kaeul was no longer naive,

    But even then, she was still pure.

    That was why there was a lot heavier weight behind her words. She wasn¡¯t thoughtlessly throwing out good words. The thoughts she had throughout her life were filling her bowl, and her conclusion was one that was drawn after basing it on her values and judgement that had been perfected through experience.

    ¨C It might hurt more for the one who lied right¡­

    And the conclusion she came to was that it might hurt more for Yu Jitae.

    Until now, he had always been telling himself that he was a sinner. I am deceiving you guys, so am I not a sinner? That was the question he asked Kaeul and he hoped she would swear at sinners.

    However, Kaeul gave a different response. Despite somewhat understanding the world, this innocent child was still trying to console him. Even though he might be jumping to conclusions, that was at least the feeling he had received.

    But absurdly enough, getting consoled multiplied his sense of guilt instead.

    This was how innocent the child could have been. The child could have grown as nicely as this, and could have harboured such pure thoughts in her mind.

    The countless ¡®Kaeuls¡¯ of the past years shed past his head.

    Yu Jitae ced his hand on his forehead, and slowly wiped his face a few times.

    He had to calm down.

    And forget about it.

    These emotions would serve to be the biggest problem for the mostplete conclusion of his dreams.

    Hadn¡¯t he been doing fine till now?

    Wasn¡¯t it obvious that those happenings of the past woulde back in the future as his sin?

    What has passed cannot be changed.

    Focusing solely on what can be changed was hard in itself already. Looking back at what cannot be changed and regretting it was a foolish thing to do.

    The Regressor had a dream,

    And he had to fulfil it.

    Therefore, he desperately tried to control his jumpy emotions.

    It wasn¡¯t easy and suddenly, by the time he realised it, his mind felt distant.

    It felt as if something was going further away from him, simr to how he was suddenly falling from the world when Yeorum sobbed from the pain.

    He suddenly remembered the golden girl lying down on the reddened bathtub, wiping the flowing tears with her wrists.

    ¡®But you¡¯re no good either¡¯

    Once again,

    ¡®If you wanted to persuade a problem child like me¡­¡¯

    His heart,

    ¡®¡­You should have brought something sweet.¡¯

    Began to fall¡­

    Clink¨C

    It was then. A small rustle woke him up from his daze. It was the sound made from Kaeul eating the strawberry cake.

    He nkly looked at the child. The sense of distance that had been going further away felt closer again, as the sound that had been echoing as if he was in a deep cave returned to being clear. Slowly, the mumbling pink lips and the white cream next to it entered his sight.

    ¡°Uhuhuhh¡­ So tasty.¡±

    Kaeul was nomming down the cake with cream all over her lips, and when their eyes met, she went, ¡°Uun?¡± as she scooped up the cake with her fork and gave it to him.

    ¡°Here you gooo.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking for it.¡±

    ¡°I know. But hereee. Hurry up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You have it.¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi. As expected, when you¡¯re feeling down,¡±

    Sweet stuff is the best.

    He was about to say that but stopped, and checked his expression. There was an indifferent look on his face ¨C it seemed that he was just thinking things.

    When he tried to take the fork from her hands, she pulled her hands back.

    ¡°Uuunn, you¡¯re being so cold!¡±

    ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    Kaeul dodged his hand and made him grab nothing but thin air. He tried to take the fork again but she kept pulling her hands back.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Here!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating now.¡±

    ¡°Ahh~ Why why!¡±

    ¡°You eat it.¡±

    ¡°Ahhnnng~~ I¡¯m sorry. Eat it, eat it. Okay? Nn?¡±

    He snatched the fork away as Kaeul grumbled, ¡°Seriously, being so cold!¡± in response. He put the cake into his mouth but it did not make him feel anything special. The story about sweet food making you feel better was something he still couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°How do you feel, how do you feel? It like, makes you feel much better right?¡±

    With flickering eyes, Kaeul pressed him for a reply.

    Does it make me feel better?

    No idea.

    But the expectation overflowing out of her eyes was too much for him to reply with something like that, so he said what he would have usually said in response.

    ¡°????.¡±

    ***

    There was something Gyeoul was recently curious about.

    Yu Jitae was strange.

    Very very slightly strange.

    He was so simr to how he had always been so she didn¡¯t know what exactly was off about him, but that was the feeling she got.

    When he returned to the dormitory with Kaeul, Gyeoul scratched her head a bit before walking up to Yu Jitae. She then tried waving her hand left and right. ¡°¡­Hello?¡± she said and he waved back after resting his eyes on her.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul carefully observed everything including his face, voice and gesture.

    He¡¯s the same as always!

    Then why is it that I¡¯m feeling like this?

    Looking at him, she reached her arms out as he naturally bent his knees and his back while outreaching his left arm. Gyeoul sat with her bum on his arm as he raised her up in a sh. She tried cing her nose on the business shirt he always wore. He smelled like him ¨C the smell of urban alleyways after the rain.

    This too was the same.

    Going to the sofa, he ced her down next to Bom and returned to his room. Gyeoul turned towards the only one with her on the sofa, Bom, who was reading a book.

    She threw a nce at Yu Jitae¡¯s room before carefully opening her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Unni.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t he ¡­slighly strange?¡±

    Bom turned her eyes and faced Gyeoul.

    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Gyeoul exined her recent thoughts to Bom.

    Yu Jitae was slightly strange, but upon a close inspection, he wasn¡¯t that different from how he usually was. It¡¯s not like he appeared as if he was being chased by something like before either¡­ or like, unstable or anything like that?

    Ahh I don know, but anyway, he was strange!

    Bom blinked her eyes after listening to her words. She then carefully opened her mouth with a cautious voice and word choice.

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Nn. He must be quite busy. There are a lot of things happening at the Association recently.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Is that so?

    After that, Bom chose words that would put Gyeoul at ease and the child felt a little morefortable after being half-convinced by her words.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn nn.¡±

    *

    But still, let¡¯s just ask.

    With that in mind, Gyeoul knocked on Kaeul¡¯s door. ¡°Uung~¡± Her voice echoed from inside so Gyeoul walked in and found her swirling a magic h hoop.

    ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Exercise! What¡¯s wrong? Is there something to say?¡±

    Gyeoul shared the same concern with her. Ahjussi is somewhat strange, but is actually not strange and that was just the feeling she got ¨C after hearing that, Kaeul ced her finger on her lips and appeared to be deep in thought.

    ¡°Is it like when our ahjussi suddenly turned super strange before?¡±

    ¡°¡­A little, different, to that.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Kaeul contemted while twirling her golden hair. She was wearing a frown and a pout on her lips as if she couldn¡¯t think of something concrete.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°¡­Was there, something strange, recently?¡±

    ¡°Just¡­¡±

    That was when something shed past her mind ¨C the conversation she had with Yu Jitae just then at the cafe and his questions that were slightly unusual.

    What was different? Kaeul contemted and found the answer.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s usual conversation had no objective. It was rare for him to interrogate about or probe into something in his everyday conversations but this time, he seemed to have had a clear ¡®objective¡¯ as he asked various questions.

    Why was ahjussi curious about my thoughts on lies?

    ¡­Why?

    There definitely were certain aspects that weighed on her mind the deeper she thought about it. There was also that oddly gloomy look on his face.

    ¡°Uum. No clue¡­¡±

    But Kaeul decided to not talk about it. If he had something he was concerned about and wasn¡¯t telling Gyeoul about it, it wouldn¡¯t be right for her to chat about it with Gyeoul.

    That was what she learned from seeing and hearing his actions and words during their time together.

    Kaeul understood the world by seeing Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    Thus, she kept his secret to herself.

    Like how he would sometimes keep her secrets to himself.

    *

    As she had expected, she got nothing but constion. Bom and Kaeul said it was fine and that there was nothing to worry about.

    It put her mind at a slight ease. But on the other hand, there was still doubt remaining in her mind and the desire for knowledge that had stemmed from that doubt had yet to be fulfilled so Gyeoul knocked on Yeorum¡¯s door.

    Aht, she wasn¡¯t back from training yet.

    So Gyeoul had to send her a message.

    [Me: Unni]

    She got a reply after waiting for a long time.

    [Yu Yeorum: Yo]

    Gyeoul suddenly didn¡¯t feel like asking her but held it in and asked if she found anything strange about ahjussi recently.

    Meanwhile,

    At a certain VVIP personal training room at Haytling, Yeorum who was washing her face after her training session went thinking for a while.

    Was Yu Jitae strange¡­

    ¡­

    Looking back, there indeed was something strange about him.

    An example was during the reflex anger management training a few days ago when he was pouring out false hatred at her.

    His eyes looked as if there was something he hoped from her as she got more and more angry.

    Was that the eyes of a teacher looking at the growth of their disciple? You know, like how readers want to cheer for the protagonist of a manga¡­?

    She glossed over it back then since that was what she thought.

    But when she actually did control the aggressiveness, he appeared slightly flustered. Even though it was only for a split second, it was a gaze she couldn¡¯t understand and had remained in her memories as a rather bugging situation.

    1. Yu Jitae wanted something from her.

    2. She thought it was the growth through her control over emotions that he wanted but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    3. Thus, he looked quite disappointed / flustered.

    4. Then what? What should I have done for Yu Jitae?

    Yeorum scratched her head after a deep thought.

    Oh well whatever¡­

    Like he said, she seeded at the training, and could now use the onion core with 10 lifted seals freely and he was happy for her sess.

    In such a thick period of everyday life, Yu Jitae, a man whom she thought she had gotten super close to who was yet still difficult to understand, showing an odd response for a split moment was not that big of a deal.

    What about it? He¡¯s just that type of person.

    Yeorum fully trusted him now.

    [Me: Idk]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: -.-]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: I¡¯m serious]

    [Me: I¡¯m telling you I have no idea]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: Really? There¡¯s nothing?]

    [Me: Ye]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: So I don¡¯t have to worry about anything?]

    [Me: No]

    [Me: You can worry about everything by yourself lol]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: -.-]

    [Me: But like, what¡¯s with this shit]

    [Me: Get rid of those emotes alright? Stop pretending to be cute]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: o.o?]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: What¡¯s wrong o.o]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: What¡¯s wrong with this O.O ¡­]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: O.O Lol]

    [Me: Goodbye]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: Soz soz¡­]

    [Idiot with a Blue Future: O.O;;]

    ¨C You have blocked Idiot with a Blue Future ¨C

    ***

    There was one thing that was strange.

    Yu Jitae pondered about what hest said to Kaeul beforeing back to Unit 301.

    Kaeul asked him whether eating a cake made him feel better or not. Since she had been looking for something sweet even at the brink of death, there was probably a sense of expectation inside her that wanted him to feel the same way as her.

    He actually couldn¡¯t empathise with her at all but since there were things he had learned throughout the daily lives, he gave a suitable response, at least from what he could remember.

    It was like, ¡®????¡¯¡­

    He couldn¡¯t remember it no matter how much he tried.

    One thing that was strange was that it mysteriously settled his ufortable mood and made him feelfortable.

    What was happening here.

    What did I say back then¡­

    It was when he was pondering like that while looking at the mirror. Gyeoul walked out of her room before starting a conversation with him.

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    ¡°Why are you saying hello again. You did that already.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why not. Hello?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Hello.¡±

    Gyeoul walked in front of Yu Jitae¡¯s legs and faced the mirror. She then yed around with her own chubby cheeks with her two hands before gazing up at him through the mirror.

    Then, she carefully threw him a question.

    ¡°¡­Are you feeling okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­Did, something happen recently?¡±

    ¡°Why¡±

    Gyeoul slightly turned her eyes away from his eyes before asking with a voice filled with concern.

    ¡°¡­It just, felt ¡­like there was something.¡±

    It might be that the quick-witted Gyeoul had sensed something strange just like Bom who could naturally see through things. But oddly enough, he was feeling okay now and he had to calm the child down.

    After thinking of the correct response in a time like this, he let it out of his mouth.

    ¡°?¡¯? ????. ???¡¯? ?????.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    He hesitantly paused before reopening his mouth.

    ¡°???.¡±

 Chapter 347: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (1)

    <h4>Chapter 347: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (1)</h4>

    Words were censored as if such words had never even existed in his mind.

    He finally realised the situation he was in.

    Something simr had urred in the past.

    In the 2nd iteration, the precious woman whom he had promised the future with was killed by a demon in his stead. Back then, he ended his life from shock and dejection bymitting suicide.

    And at the start of his next life, the word ¡®Ha Saetbyul¡¯ had turned into a long nk for Yu Jitae. He hadpletely forgotten the very existence of Ha Saetbyul.

    In the 3rd iteration, on a certain day as he vomited on top of a monster¡¯s dead body, crumbled on the spot with fingers cut off in his battle against a demon, he sat down on the field all by himself gazing up at the sky.

    He asked himself. What am I doing here? The name floating up in my head, ?? ???????? ¨C who is that person?

    The same thing was happening again.

    Born a human,

    Who started to go beyond the boundary of a human through the 3rd iteration.

    Yu Jitae noticed that the state of a mental illness stemmed from daily life.

    Going further beyond a superhuman and by bing a true superhuman in the true sense of the word, and after covering his ss-like mental state with a barrier of metal, he became distant from all sorts of mental diseases.

    That should have been the case but¡­ He could not have guessed that it would remanifest inside his mind after retrieving the lost daily life.

    He decided to conduct an experiment.

    Yu Jitae called Gyeoul and made her sit in front of him.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°I hope you live a happy life.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Gyeoul nodded with a smile on her face.

    His words were properly delivered without fail up to here, because those were his sincere thoughts.

    ¡°And I wish you and I would ???? ???????? ???????.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    After that, he let out words that werepletely against his actual thoughts. Both during and after the speech, he couldn¡¯t clearly guess what it was that he was saying.

    But Gyeoul was surprised in return and looked back at him with circr eyes. She then gave a bright smile as she approached him and wrapped her arms around his belly.

    While repeatedly bumping her head into his belly, she replied.

    ¡°¡­Me too.¡±

    As expected, it did convey the meaning.

    He wasn¡¯t talking gibberish and that was why Gyeoul was showing him gestures of affection.

    It was an intentional lie and those would have been the best words for Gyeoul. He was intentionally trying to say such words and that meant that the meaning had gone across, but not knowing what he was actually saying might be a big problemter on.

    Lowering his body, he met his eyes with the child and asked.

    ¡°What did I say just then?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Please repeat what I just said to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah. ¡­That you wish, you, and I would ????¡­ ????????, ???????.¡±

    The simple method did not work and each of the sybles she was saying sounded squashed. Even though it was through the mouth of someone else, his brain filtered the information the moment it realised it was his own words.

    ¡°Can you try writing it down.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry? Why?¡±

    Gyeoul looked at him as if he was strange.

    ¡°I ???? to ???? ????¡­¡±

    Trying to give a false excuse immediately made it impossible for him to check his own words. He stopped his mouth and pondered a little before saying a sentence that did not contain any falsehood.

    ¡°Please. I want to see it in your handwriting.¡±

    This one worked just fine.

    Gyeoul disyed the watch¡¯s hologram in the air and started writing letters with her finger.

    [You and I ????¡­]

    The words were dim and hazy.

    This much was within his expectations.

    But his intention was in seeing the trajectory of her fingers which might allow him to understand what was being written. That was the objective of this experiment.

    However, this too did not work. Even the pathing of her fingers was wavering. Her fingers should be moving in a certain pattern if she was writing letters but the flow was very unnatural as if everything was going in a different order. It appeared like aputer screen with low frames per second.

    There was no way Gyeoul¡¯s fingers would be moving like that so it must be the process of his brain deceiving him.

    It was telling him to stay unaware.

    ¡°¡­Is dat okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply and instead he simply caressed her head.

    Gyeoul then used her watch to look up the prices of houses on the inte. Her startled face was the result of the search.

    Why was she looking up houses?

    He was put in a tough spot. No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t tell the reason¡­

    His head turned heavy. Like wetted cotton it weighed down.

    All the rtionships were forged on falsehood.

    The moment those lies crumble would be the moment everything he had strenuously built up in the 7th iteration woulde crashing down. That was why he faced away from it. He denied it and ignored the truth.

    But the issue was that the sense of guilt he had beenboriously turning away from hade to the surface through Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul.

    His world shook. His built-up history started to push him off the cliff.

    His mind after feeling the crisis obstructed falsehood from him from the very foundation, like how it did with Ha Saetbyul of the distant past.

    ¡°Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±

    ¡°Can you help me a little.¡±

    After various other experiments, he had no choice but to admit it.

    ¡°Thanks for helping me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is dat everything? ¡­Is it enough?¡±

    ¡°???.¡±

    He could no longer control his lies.

    *

    Despite everything, he wasn¡¯t in a bad mood.

    In fact, it was making him feel quitefortable.

    The reason his mind was trying to deceive him like this was to settle his emotions. It was a struggle for survival from impending death.

    If the reality is unchangeable, then deny it altogether ¨C it was a decent self-defence mechanism.

    ¡®Every issue is due to the sense of guilt which exists due to ¡®lies¡¯ so Yu Jitae that does not know of lies does not need to feel any sense of guilt.¡¯

    This ridiculous hoax of his unconsciousness was untangling the sense of guilt that had been binding him up. There was nothing more unproductive than being pained by one¡¯s own hypocrisy so he left his unconsciousness to do what it wanted to do.

    You will definitely be happy.

    That was what the Vintage Clock had told him and that was the only thing he could trust in.

    His mind was still chaotic but before long, guilt and whatever no longer became any important. An event that would shake Yu Jitae¡¯s long life from its core happened after a few days.

    It was at Myu¡¯s underground istion room.

    ***

    It was on a certain summer day as thend had a gentle breeze with warm sunlight shining from above. The sky immediately after the rain contained a clear and beautiful rainbow.

    Beautiful like the sign of a covenant from someone.

    At the Association;

    At a nearby park were children who had followed their parents ying among themselves in groups. Their pleasant chuckling voices echoed all across, as low grade agents exhausted from work watched the peaceful scenery with smiles.

    One agent who suddenly felt emotional opened his mouth.

    If a miracle would happen to someone one day, wouldn¡¯t today be the day?

    The agent was scolded by his superior who condemned him for having flowers in his head.

    But in truth, the day was proving to be a miraculous day for someone.

    At the underground istion room of the Association, [Shapeless Sword] was rotating as a small electric chainsaw and cut through the tough ribs of the dragon. The ambient dragon heart shaped like a gem was ced within theplex array of organs in the same ce as a human heart which it was mimicking.

    Myu opened the eyes she had closed and faced the man. She could see a pale skin underneath his tidy hair as well as his focused and unblinking eyes.

    Today¡¯s experiment was unusual and different. His hands were delicate with deep consideration within.

    In her eyes, he was quite strange these days. He was still as brusque as before on the outside but the experiments changed every time. Once he would hurriedly move his fingers as if he was in a bad mood and would sometimes move them joyously as if he was in a good mood.

    And yet today it was different altogether.

    Thinking that, Myu whispered.

    ¡°How bizarre, My Nemesis.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Have you found something? You have be very careful as if you are doing a surgery on your baby puppy.¡±

    He moved his hands without replying back.

    As expected, his hands were very cautious. He had always been as precise as a machine but the method was a lot different.

    It was as if he was treating her as someone precious. It was such a big difference from before: so delicate and precious to a slightly shocking degree that it made her feel as if she was receiving affection. Would this be the hands of a devoted husband doing a surgery on his wife?

    ¡­Why am I thinking such things while my heart is being ripped apart? How disgusting.

    Thinking that, Myu clicked her tongue.

    ¡°Tch¡­ I am not in a very positive mood.¡±

    ¡°What now.¡±

    ¡°Since when were you so considerate of me? It is unpleasant that you are pretending to be delicate after all this time. And thinking of all the experiments you have done coarsely when you could have done it like this from the start irritates me even more.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Because of that, you are ruining my mood right now.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Anything to say to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah. My bad.¡±

    Myu was slightly surprised and frowned, wondering what was seriously wrong with this lunatic.

    ¡°Is there something inside?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Have you found something from my heart?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae remained silent.

    ¡°Say something. Am I not talking to you right now.¡±

    It was the same even when Myu irritatedly grabbed a handful of his hair. His hair remained intact and he stayed still like a statue.

    Is he ignoring me?

    Or is hepletely mental now?

    But Myu soon realised that he was in an outrageous level of concentration right now. The procedure of the experiment was not much different from how it always was but the result seemed to have been different this time.

    Therefore, Myu quietly released his hair.

    What did this lunatic find inside the heart?

    Even she was curious at this point.

    .

    .

    .

    But his concentration continued to a crazy extent. This experiment was unlike the usual experiments that ended at around 4 hours and 8 hours at max.

    For almost 3 entire days, he continued staring at Myu¡¯s heart with repetitive experiments. His eyes nor his expression changed in that span of time and from one point, even his breath came to a stop.

    Myu was starting to feel frustrated.

    What was so different this time that he was doing something like this?

    ¡°Hey, My Nemesis.

    ¡°How long are you going to continue doing this?

    ¡°It is time for me to feed my dog. How about you stop here?¡±

    Her questions were met with silence.

    ¡°You should be fully aware that this will only prolong my vacation. Did you not shout at me from a mere 3-day vacation just because you did not like it?¡±

    Silence yet again. It seemed that Yu Jitae could not even hear her voice. In fact, it even seemed at a nce that he did not even exist in this ce.

    Immersion.

    A ridiculous level of immersion was controlling both his body and mind.

    ¡°I truly have gotten as unlucky as I could have been¡­ This reminds me once again.¡±

    Although the experiment was done kindly with the pain being less than a quarterpared to the usual ones, it was still the process of ripping through flesh, crushing bones and twisting the mana out of ce. Her body resembling a human had its nerves sensitively rising up. The skin all across her body turned red as her body shivered. She was starting to feel cold due to the malfunctioning nerves.

    Spending five days in that state was enough to gradually push even Myu to mental fatigue.

    ¡°I cannot withstand this anymore,

    ¡°I will have to go to sleep.¡±

    One week after the start of the experiment, Myu could no longer withstand it and closed her eyes.

    Closing her eyes she could see a sweet dream in front of her.

    Because there will be a one-month vacation waiting for her to wake up.

    .

    .

    .

    But Myu was appalled when she woke up from her long slumber.

    Yu Jitae was still continuing the experiment.

    The dragon looked over its mental clock ¨C it had been almost 2 weeks already. How was the experiment still taking ce? At this point it was dumbfounding let alone frustrating.

    ¡°Hey.

    ¡°My Nemesis.

    ¡°Have you seriously gone insane?

    ¡°How long are you going to continue with this, hnn?

    ¡°Tell me, why is it that it is noting to an end!

    ¡°Do you not hear me?¡±

    Myu rolled a fist and struck Yu Jitae by his head.

    Her fist was the one that hurt instead.

    Seeing that Yu Jitae was still motionless, Myu could no longer endure it and lowered her hand to grab onto his hands. With her other hand, she covered her opened body in an attempt to interfere with the experiment.

    Slowly, his eyes that were nkly immersed in the experiment regained its focus.

    Yu Jitae looked at her hand with a hazy gaze, and looked at the wrist connecting on from that hand, before slowly carrying his gaze across the arm and the shoulder to atst reach her face.

    Their eyes met. The movement of a non-human imitating a human ¨C that inorganic movement of gaze gave her goosebumps.

    ¡°Get rid, of your hand.¡±

    He replied with an inarticte voice.

    That short interaction damaged her pride. She had never felt such fear ever since she was born as a dragon.

    However, upon closer inspection, she realised that his reaction was slightly strange. His gaze was shivering and so were the hands that were forced to stop the experiment after being grabbed by her own.

    He was shuddering.

    A shudder¡­

    Simr to trepidation even.

    Such was the nature of the shivering she could feel from his hands.

    ¡°Your hand.¡±

    Something exceeding madness could be felt from his gaze and it made her think that there would be nothing odd even if she were to be killed right at this moment. Even though she still had an indifferent look on her face, this time she was truly frightened and had to remove her hands while ncing at his face.

    Why in the world was he like this?

    .

    .

    .

    It was only after another day that Myu finally understood it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After finishing the experiment and carefully healing the opened chest, he interlocked his fingers as if in a prayer with his eyes gazing down at her. Myu asked, ¡®So what in the world is it? You damn lunatic,¡¯ and Yu Jitae softly muttered with shivering lips.

    ¡®I found it¡­¡¯ was what he said.

 Chapter 348: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (2)

    <h4>Chapter 348: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (2)</h4>

    He opened his eyes.

    In front he could see the face of Myu who had fallen back to sleep. After covering her body with a gown, he ced a nket over her body.

    Despite having finished the experiment, he did not leave. As if stapled on the ground with a nail, he stood still for a long time.

    Even though he wanted to walk forward, his feet refused to leave the ground and his nk mind did not know where he was supposed to go.

    Passing through his mind were many things.

    In the distant past, there was a time when he had dreamed of this instant; that there woulde a day where he would discover how to send the baby dragons back home; that strenuously trying to the brink of death would some time end this loathsome regression.

    That was what he used to think in the past,

    But that day never came.

    Later he was lost, thinking that such a moment would nevere to him. It was when a failure was followed by another failure as a sense of defeat was built upon defeat.

    In those times, even the dreams during his sleep would tell him that such a moment would nevere. Waking up, he would show resentment at the non-existent gods. How wretched is it, that I cannot even achieve what I want in my dreams?

    Getting angry changed nothing.

    After that, he no longer felt a sense of defeat even from failures. Itter made him think that cutting the chain of regression was something that cannot be done by a mere individual human.

    His heart no longer felt rushed after letting go of his greed and emotions. Some time in the future ¨C whether it was possible or not no longer mattered ¨C something would surelye up along the road. He started to bear such carefree thoughts in his mind.

    But nothing came up along the road.

    His life was a voyage.

    The world surrounding him was a vastlyrge and wide ocean, and a night sky of the first lunar phase with not a single twinkling star. There was no current in the water with everything beyond a one-inch mark being dark; crying out one¡¯s loneliness was not even met with an echo; and shivering through the endless coldness of the night waiting for a non-rising sun in vain.

    It was a wintery night at the ocean.

    Even the direction to head in was vague. No-one in the world told him anything.

    He was all alone.

    But even then, he proceeded on.

    Inside the dark world, soaked by the storm, knocked apart in the tempest, and sometimes withstanding the tackles of the enormous monsters.

    He proceeded forward. He had to go forward.

    And today, just then.

    His partially wrecked ship managed to reach a port.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae looked down at his two hands and tried moving each of his ten fingers.

    It wasn¡¯t the time to be excited yet¡­

    There was still a long road ahead of him. It was still night outside and some things could not be seen through the veil of darkness.

    It wasn¡¯t the time to rush things, and there was no reason to create a fuss.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sitting next to Myu, he closed his eyes. He restarted his stopped heart and also began pumping his paused lungs.

    He went over the situation again.

    There were a total of 9 ¡®authority organs¡¯ inside the [Origin Fragment]. From those, the two most important organs in sending the baby dragons back home were [Emergency Summon] and [Long-distance Dimensional Intersection].

    [Emergency Summon] contained the coordinates of the other world, Askalifa and the [Long-distance Dimensional Intersection] contained the ¡®power¡¯ that could force an intersection between the distant dimensions.

    Easier put, [Emergency Summon] was the navigation while [Long-distance Dimensional Intersection] was the engine.

    However, the two organs were being protected by the [Will of the Ancient One] and this was something that could not be broken that easily. But in this experiment, Yu Jitae had finally managed to crush through the Will of the Ancient One that was protecting the [Long-distance Dimensional Intersection].

    Something strange was that it wasn¡¯t broken purely thanks to Yu Jitae¡¯s abilities. The Will of the Ancient One blocking the road to [Long-distance Dimensional Intersection] had a crack on it already.

    This was presumed to be due to Myu being a mutant dragon.

    Thanks to that, he now knew the operating principle of the engine that would send the baby dragons back home as well as its functioning mechanism.

    However, his attempt at crushing the [Emergency Summon] using the same method was met with a failure. The [Will of the Ancient One] protecting it was as tough as usual and could not be broken with ease.

    All he had to do now was break through the [Emergency Summon] to find the coordinates of Askalifa where the baby dragons would be returning to and¡­

    He knew how to approach the problem.

    Now he needed to find a day to change the powers protecting Myu into aprehensible shape using [Conceptualisation (SS)] and dive into the world.

    This was something he had already mentioned to Myu.

    And in that world, if he could sessfully untangle the [Will of the Ancient One], that would mean both the navigation and the engine would be ready.

    And, that would in turn mean¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A night sky faded by the curtain of darkness. At the tip of the horizon, he could finally see something ¨C not the countless ports of deserted inds that he had seen multiple times but something definite that was urging him toe.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was when he was sitting on the spot quietly imagining the future that a message was sent to his watch.

    [Oscar Brzenk: Do you have time?]

    It was the message of the long-awaited guest.

    ***

    A man with blonde hair and blue eyes walked into the office with light enveloping him.

    He was world¡¯s official Rank 1, Sovereign, Oscar Brzenk.

    A few months ago, Yu Jitae had asked him to look for the Vintage Clock, which had disappeared somewhere, because a sovereign was the one chosen by Providence and was the only existence that could enter the [Temple of Providence].

    Like a knight being granted the title by a king, a superhuman would be granted the position of a sovereign by Providence at that ce. Yu Jitae had also be a sovereign once in the past and that was why he knew about that area.

    The [Temple of Providence] was an extremely lusive location that even Yu Jitae could not approach. Therefore, Oscar Brzenk was the only one in this current time that could look for the traces of the disappeared Vintage Clock.

    They shared simple greetings but Oscar Brzenk did not have a good look on his face.

    ¡°The Judges of Providence were blocking the entry to the Temple.¡±

    Judges were the ones protecting the Vintage Clock.

    It was a bizarre turn of events.

    ¡°Judges blocking the entry to the Temple?¡±

    The Judges were the ones that decided on the right and the wrong within Providence and what was wrong would be given to the sovereigns to take care of. They were like teachers giving homework.

    There should have been no reason for them to interfere with the entry to the Temple.

    ¡°Seems they really don¡¯t like someone.¡±

    Despite saying that, Yu Jitae was quite puzzled because Oscar Brzenk was like a model student as a sovereign.

    ¡°Yes. They really don¡¯t. Those inflexible guys ignored the procedures, threw things at my face and fought between themselves. They even expelled me to an outside dimension for three months telling me to not get involved in this matter. It is not easy to be hated like that¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae, who knew the workload of a sovereign, gave a hazy smile. Those that knew about everything would even say as a joke that after ves at a corn farm and PhD studentse sovereigns.

    However, Oscar Brzenk added with a serious look on his face.

    ¡°Not me, but you.¡±

    ¡°What? You mean me?¡± Yu Jitae replied.

    ¡°Yes. What in the world have you done?¡±

    ¡°Are you saying your entry to the Temple was blocked because of me?¡±

    Oscar Brzenk turned all the more serious.

    ¡°As I¡¯ve said, I¡¯ve been in exile for 3 months thanks to someone. The Judges were, as ismonly said, out of their minds. I know the ¡®Lord of Time Providence¡¯ cherishes you so I¡¯ve never brought this up but now I must. What in the world are you?¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a slight frown. Slowly, he swept through his lower lips with his fingers.

    ¡°Time traveller.¡±

    ¡°Damn it. This is not the time for jokes.¡±

    Oscar Brzenk smiled as if it was absurd.

    A few seconds went by.

    Yu Jitae still had an indifferent look on his face, and Oscar Brzenk¡¯s smile turned rigid with time.

    ¡°¡­¡­Who is aware of this?¡±

    ¡°I have said it to the houseowner.¡±

    ¡°Chaliovan? Did that gossip-lover stay quiet?¡±

    ¡°Even a stray dog knows how to value its life. More importantly, I want you to share more stories about the Temple of Providence.¡±

    Chaliovan does not die, and that was the reason he had a loud mouth. Yu Jitae was implying that he could kill him so Oscar Brzenk had to swallow his curiosity to continue.

    ¡°There is nothing much else to say. The road to the Temple of Providence was blocked so there was nothing I could find.¡±

    ¡°How meaningless of a time have you spent. Is that the conclusion after several months of searching?¡±

    ¡°Three months of which had gone to waste thanks to someone.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me a little more about that at least,¡± said Yu Jitae.

    ¡°About which?¡±

    ¡°It is true that I¡¯ve done things here and there that would incite hatred, but none of it should have affected the Judges.¡±

    Oscar Brzenk shook his head.

    ¡°I have no idea about the details. But the feeling I received¡­¡±

    He carefully chose the right words and added.

    ¡°¡­They seemed ¡®infuriated¡¯ in the literal sense of the word.¡±

    ¡°How does it make sense for a Transcendent Authority to be infuriated?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I am getting at. They do not have a personality, and yet they were angry as if they did.¡±

    It was strange.

    A ¡®Transcendent Authority (EX)¡¯ was different from an existence.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] agrees.>

    Even though they might act as if they have a personality, it simply does not exist in their design. An authority was shaped like an artictely crafted machine and was different from an existence.

    To be exact, if one wanted to be a ¡®Transcendent Authority¡¯ even for a split second, they had to erase everything they had as an ¡®existence¡¯. That was one of the reasons why Yu Jitae could not be a Transcendent Authority.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] admits.>

    So the one called Key bbering right now was not actually the ¡®Key¡¯. Same was with the one that appeared in the shape of a ck cat ¨C they were not [Key (EX)].

    It was the same for the ¡®white bird¡¯ who flew across the Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop, endlessly conveying its will to Yu Jitae. That too was in fact not [Vintage Clock (EX)].

    This was something he realised a long time ago.

    ¡®Transcendent Authorities¡¯ were the ones supporting the world¡¯s Providence. There was no way that such existences would act like a child, like a friend or like a parent or a teacher.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] consents.>

    Then what are you?

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] keeps it to itself.>

    That was how it was always like. Even the Vintage Clock was the same.

    In any case, those ¡®existences¡¯ that represented the personalities of the authorities while living off them tended to affect the surroundings as well. Looking back at the time he was a sovereign, that was probably the case.

    So why in the world were the Judges angry?

    What made the subordinates serving the king infuriated¡­

    Going down his line of thought.

    His intuitions led him,

    To the worst possible scenario.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His hazy gaze lowered down to the table in front. Drenched in an icy bucket of cold water, his emotions sank as he felt blood flowing out of his head.

    Something that should never have happened might have urred.

    As delicate as the topic was for Yu Jitae, so was it for Oscar Brzenk who had be a sovereign by being granted the title from Vintage Clock.

    The middle-aged man with gold hair and blue eyes in his 40s groaned, thinking of the unthinkable result that might be within the Temple of Providence. Without saying anything, and without any expression, he was furious despite not being moved by his emotions.

    There was no target for his fury. It might be because of Yu Jitae, or the Judges, or perhaps some other being outside of hisprehension.

    Fury without a direction was like a void. The sovereign dispersed his emotions with a long sigh.

    The subordinates serving the king revolting as a group:

    It might be because something had happened to the king who taught them personalities.

    There was nothing certain yet.

    ¡°I shall look into it once again. I will contact you as soon as I return.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to y around for another 3 months?¡±

    ¡°Damn it. Stop saying such a horrendous thing. It felt as horrid as being soaked in some disgusting garbage. I would love to face away from this but there is nothing else that can be done.¡±

    Yu Jitae called him as he was about to stand back up.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Head to the dimension, [Hill of Stars] and take the [Key to the Mechanical Garden].¡±

    ¡°Key to the Mechanical Garden?¡±

    ¡°Think of it as a master key for the Temple of Providence. You should be able to recognise it immediately since it is an incredible artifact.¡±

    <[Key (EX)]: ME?>

    No.

    <[Key (EX)]: SAD.>

    ¡°¡­At least it will be able to open the back door of the Temple for sure, so use that if you must.¡±

    ¡°How do you¨C¡±

    It seemed that he was about to ask how he knew all that but changed his mind after remembering the word ¡®time traveller¡¯. Waving his hand, Oscar Brzenk disappeared into the golden veil of light.

    Left alone, Yu Jitae slightly felt something resembling a sense of loss.

    In his mind floated the white bird who was flying across the Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop. The small and white bird who had be his friend from his youth. The guy disappearing meant that Yu Jitae had lost his oldest friend.

    This was what Vintage Clock said immediately before it disappeared.

    [You will. Definitely. Be happy.]

    What did it know, and what did it see?

    Since it had been with him for a very long time, Vintage Clock should know the form of ¡®happiness¡¯ that he was yearning for. However, the standard of happiness was something that differed for every existence.

    Then what was the ¡®definitely happy¡¯ Yu Jitae in Vintage Clock¡¯s vision looking like?

    Ending his line of thought, Yu Jitae raised his body.

    It was now time to go find the answer to that question.

 Chapter 349: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (3)

    <h4>Chapter 349: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (3)</h4>

    The power with its own will that can analyse everything abstract and substitute them into somethingprehensible. The authority that allows one to ovee humanity¡¯s limit in insight.

    [Conceptualisation (SS)]

    It worked like this.

    [Conceptualisation (SS): Comfort]

    Adding a target into it immediately flipped Yu Jitae¡¯s world upside down.

    At the same time, the baby dragons appeared in front of his eyes. Sitting around the table together having a meal: mouths chirping with sound; hands trying to feed him food and eyes asking him how to eat some of the food they were unfamiliar with¡­ Time went by with them whispering and chattering to each other.

    This was the mirror image of fort¡¯ that was seen through the lens of [Conceptualisation (SS)].

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was a dark night that day due to the moon hiding its presence.

    Sitting down at the highest ce of the residential area, the clock tower, he gazed down at the world.

    He activated Conceptualisation,

    And entered a few words as the target.

    [Conceptualisation (SS): My Dream]

    With him at the centre, everything ranging from the distant skies to the nearby objects turned upside down. Before long, a dark world appeared all around him as he was sitting down on top of a certain boat.

    He could hear the calm sshes of the ocean but his eyes could not find anything in this world no matter how far they faced. Looking up did not let him find any stars nor the moon and there was nothing but void in his eyes.

    From time to time, the authority Conceptualisation tended to direct its user towards the answer. However, adding ¡®my dream¡¯ into Conceptualisation was unable to show him any solution.

    That was how it used to be.

    For several times, and several dozens of times but¡­

    Leaving the port, the boat was once again floating adrift but the immense basis called ¡®Myu¡¯s heart¡¯ had started directing him towards a path for the very first time.

    Raising his eyes, he gazed off into a distance.

    Look. Off in the far distance somewhere within the darkness ¨C isn¡¯t there something definite that was even darker standing tall oozing with presence?

    As if telling him toe¡­

    *

    Things wouldn¡¯t end in a day or two after going inside.

    The flow of time might be different. Although at least it wouldn¡¯tst several years, it might reach a few months if drawn out.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae summoned the highest executives of the Association and made them aware of his absence.

    Various preparations had long been finished all for this moment. Chaliovan the head of the Association, Valentine the Witch and BM, as well as Clone 2 who had now absorbed roughly 10% of Yu Jitae¡¯s power, that was now as strong as the addition of the Witch and BM. The military might of the Association was enough to protect the world even if the Last Night was to befall them.

    ¡°I will trust you all.¡±

    Even though the damage might be immense, they won¡¯t be annihted.

    For him, that was more than enough.

    After ending the conference at the Association, he returned to Unit 301. He told them that he would be away for a month or two. The mature Bom and Yeorum simply bid him farewell but Kaeul continued whinging that 2 months was too long while Gyeoul looked as if the world had crumbled in front of her.

    ¡°¡­Do you have to go?¡±

    He had to.

    There would be no problem in terms of safety because Clone 1 and the protector will be their guards. With the two of them here, no-one in this ce would die even if the catastrophe-ranked demons were to alle at once. Never.

    For him, that was more than enough.

    ¡°See you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Right before leaving the dormitory, Gyeoul reached her two arms forward. He raised her up into the air as Gyeoul wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡®¡­Can we, go together?¡¯ She still seemed reluctant but he said no in return. ¡®¡­Wait.¡¯ Saying that, Gyeoul went into Yu Jitae¡¯s room and came out carrying the music box that was decorating the desk.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Since it was her gift, she was telling him to y it whenever he thought of her so he received the music box from her.

    Walking out of Unit 301, he was about to face his feet once again to the Association but that was when Bom started walking towards him from the other side of the corridor.

    With an emotionless look that seemed like a slight pout at a nce,

    Bom walked towards him,

    And raised her heels.

    He embraced her as Bom matched her lips with his. After a light and soft kiss, Bom retreated a little and said with her eyes looking up at him.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be lonely.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡±

    ¡°You have toe back four times faster. Only one person is leaving but there are four people waiting so if youete, it will be a sea of tears.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I wille back immediately once the task is over.¡±

    Bom opened her mouth with a calm yet slightly bitter voice.

    ¡°Do you know why no-one asked about the reason?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    It was something he hadn¡¯t thought about.

    ¡°Recently, Gyeoul said that something was slightly strange about oppa. And she went around asking me, Yeorum and Kaeul if there was anything off about you.¡±

    He gave a curt reply.

    ¡°And what happened.¡±

    ¡°I listened to them in secret and all three of us said we had no idea. Funny isn¡¯t it. All four of us knew but three of us told the same lie as if we had discussed it beforehand to console one young child. Everyone now trusts that there has to be a reason why you have to leave, and that you will return for sure even if you do leave.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I won¡¯t be toote so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t feel burdened by us and finish your work. Gyeoul should be fine if I soothe her well.¡±

    He faintly smiled as Bom returned a simr smile while murmuring, ¡®Or not.¡¯

    ¡°¡­Maybe Gyeoul should be the one soothing me.¡±

    In that awkward situation, he caressed her cheek with his fingers and used his thumb to wipe the glistening saliva off of her lips. Bom, who was driving him into a corner, looked slightly away from embarrassment.

    But she still opened her mouth to ask a question.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you want to leave, right?¡±

    It was a difficult question to answer.

    When he remained silent, her red lips opened once again demanding him for a quick reply but instead of giving her what she wanted, he gave her a kiss. Bom opened her eyes wide in surprise before gradually easing her expression.

    Slowly, her eyes came to a close.

    *

    Once again, at the Association.

    All the preparations were now over.

    He headed into Myu¡¯s istion chamber. She had yet to fully recover and was lying there unconscious. The two Grade 0 agents waiting nearby rolled their eyes around so he sent them outside.

    That was when arge and ck dog spirit beast raised its body to stare at Yu Jitae. It was the guy called ¡®Season¡¯.

    It had been a while since Yu Jitae had stepped into the istion room. Season the dog was wearing a harness on its chest and looked a lot tidier than he expected.

    ¡°You should go outside as well.¡±

    Like the Grade 0 agents, the dog rolled its eyes trying to read the mood.

    ¡°What are you doing. Do you not understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    The dog lowered its tail and its head while walking around in a circle.

    Growl¡­ Wong, wa uunng¡­

    That was what the dog said in response.

    ording to [Fallen Babel (S)], it was saying, ¡®No I don¡¯t want to. Please let me stay.¡¯

    This was outside his expectation, and the way it looked was not simply better, but a lot better than what he was expecting. Taking a closer look, he could see that the dog was actually quite plump and fat. He thought Myu had taken it in to abuse and vent her anger so this was quite unexpected.

    ¡°You can¡¯t stay here. You will be a hindrance to an important task.¡±

    ¡®Season¡¯ started to growl sorrowfully as if this was a lifetime farewell with its owner and resisted by chewing on Myu¡¯s clothes with its teeth.

    Uuuwoong auunauuunn wooong¡­

    ¡°Leave.¡±

    In any case, he smacked it on the butt and pushed it outside leaving behind only Yu Jitae and Myu inside the istion room.

    He stood in front of the sleeping ck-haired woman.

    Living through the daily lives, he learned how to match himself to the surrounding mood and it was thanks to that that it wasn¡¯t obvious. In truth, he was a lot more serious right now than any other time ever since the start of the 7th iteration.

    It will be a start to a very difficult journey because the target of Conceptualisation this time would be the protective authority made personally by the ¡®Ancient One (EX)¡¯ who had managed to be a transcendent authority.

    Things will be differentpared to simple concepts like fort¡¯ and ¡®my dream¡¯. He was sure he wouldn¡¯t fail but it would not be anything simple.

    He had to be cautious.

    From his experiments, he found a form for [Magic Antigen] inside the Will of the Ancient One. If he failed from this ¡®Conceptualisation¡¯ bynding a weak hit on the Will of the Ancient One, it would earn the power to reject the next Conceptualisation by gaining immunity.

    Therefore, he only had one opportunity.

    Yu Jitae used the authority.

    [Conceptualisation (SS): Origin Fragment]

    The authority inside Myu¡¯s heart that was iprehensible and thus unbreakable reacted to Yu Jitae¡¯s authority.

    The world flipped and cut off Yu Jitae¡¯s consciousness.

    ***

    He was at a foreign vige by the time he reopened his eyes.

    Like a countryside town of a foreign dimension, it had crudely built houses lining up with children running around the river. A blue butterfly unhurriedly pped its wings in front of him andnded on a flower blooming within the bush.

    For a split second, he felt doubt.

    He was at a high altitude ¨C it was a small vige located in the middle of a mountain. Standing still, he waited as his authority started floating messages after finishing its analysis.

    +++

    [Conceptualisation (SS)]

    ¨C Target: [Origin Fragment]

    +++

    This vige.

    It was the interpretation of Myu¡¯s Origin Fragment analysed by Yu Jitae¡¯s authority. At the same time, because the mana attributes embedded within the Origin Fragment had affected the materialisation of this location, this was the world form that Myu was wishing for in her dreams.

    The ce appeared quite peaceful, unsuitably so for Myu of the ck race, a cruel massacrer and a filthy garbage of the dimensions.

    Soon, a crevice reaching several hundreds of metres in length appeared in the achromatic sky. A horrendous sound like that of ripping flesh resonated all across as the eyelids opened, revealing the red eye within.

    The red eye scanned across the world and fixed its gaze on Yu Jitae after discovering him. The orange-coloured iris wriggled and set its focus on him.

    The guy was staring at him.

    <[Will of the Ancient One (SS)] finds the foreign being suspicious.>

    There was no way that the great transcendent authority would ignore an infiltrator.

    <The use of every authority and ability including S+ and above are restricted.>

    <Low-grade blessings and abilities that can avoid suspicion can be used.>

    As he had expected, the countless blessings and abilities protecting him seeped out. He wasn¡¯tpletely removing them and was just turning them off for a moment to escape from the doubtful gaze of the eye.

    Up to here was the exnation on the background and his current situation and thest message was rted to the destination.

    <Somewhere within the [Origin Fragment] interpreted into the shape of a vige lies the ¡®mirror images¡¯ of the 9 sub-authorities included within the [Will of the Ancient One (SS)].>

    <The mirror images are the mana forme interpreted by [Conceptualisation] into forms and if this is broken, so will the [Will of the Ancient One (SS)].>

    In other words, it meant that the authority was changed to either people or furniture, and that the mana forme that cannot be broken from outside can be physically crushed inside this ce.

    <Find the hiding mirror image of the [Will of the Ancient One (SS)].>

    Yu Jitae lowered his gaze from the sky towards the vige. Hundreds of existences were walking around living an entangled life. Everything revealed in front of him shaped like a human, animal or a piece of furniture were all ¡®authorities¡¯, ¡®abilities¡¯ or ¡®blessings¡¯. This was the sheer number of magic that existed in the heart of an adult dragon.

    Them talking to each other or sharing food appeared to be an interpretation of the process of giving and receiving mana organically within one body.

    The ¡®mirror images¡¯ would all be acting ording to their nature.

    As if to prove that, a short boy with arge nose ran up to Yu Jitae from a distance. He waved his palm and carefully greeted him.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    ¡°Who are you mister?¡±

    <You can confirm the identity of the following ¡®mirror image¡¯ through physical contact.>

    Yu Jitae reached his hand out to the boy. In return, the boy held his hand and smelled it. A few seconds passed and Conceptualisation floated a message after identifying the boy¡¯s identity.

    <The following mirror image is not the [Will of the Ancient One (SS)].>

    <Target: [Olfactory Identification (C+)]>

    The name of the boy appeared in his mind. Therge-nosed boy in front of him had the name of the blessing that allowed one to identify an existence through the sense of smell.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a familiar scent¡­¡±

    Immediately the boy turned his body around with a flick and started running to the vige ¨C he was trying to ry Yu Jitae¡¯s information to others. Yu Jitae sneakily followed the child from behind.

    What he had to do now was simple. Firstly he had to find ¡®Myu¡¯ in this ce.

    To be exact, even though it would be a spitting image of Myu, it wasn¡¯t Myu. It was the mirror image representing Myu¡¯s ¡®personality¡¯ that he had to find.

    From now, Yu Jitae would have to give the inside of the Origin Fragment several stirs bothrge and small. Some might get hurt or die in that process. Although it was fine for other authorities and abilities to be damaged during that, Myu¡¯s personality was something that had to stay unharmed, because a personality being injured was not much different from death.

    Therefore, he had to find Myu¡¯s personality and make it stay next to him.

    Going into the vige, he could see the town had suffered from some damage. A few of the buildings had fallen apart and he could also spot arge beast that had bandages wrapped around its seemingly wounded head.

    This too was something interpreted into something Yu Jitae could understand and that was why a modern bandaging system that was unsuited for an otherworldly countryside vige like this was being used to heal the head of therge monster.

    Those symbolised the parts of the [Origin Fragment] that had been damaged from his experiment.

    The experiment itself had been conducted under Myu¡¯s permission and that was why the authorities, blessings and abilities weren¡¯t really hostile to him despite seeing him.

    They simply ignored him and looked away.

    So where was Myu?

    Throughout his life, he had used [Conceptualisation] multiple times and knew most of the areas that a personality would be located in. They would usually be at the highest, fanciest and the most noble areas because an individual¡¯s personality came before authorities and whatnot.

    However, going through the vige for several hours, scavenging through the probable buildings and visiting ces filled with groups of mirror images did not let him find Myu¡¯s personality.

    In doubt, he headed to other areas.

    Was the personality not being treasured in this ce? Or did ck dragons not have a personality in the first ce?

    He was lost because it was his first time using Conceptualisation on the heart of a ¡®mutant dragon¡¯.

    After another hour, Yu Jitae coincidentally came across Myu¡¯s personality at a ce outside his expectation.

    It was at a certain dumping ground behind the vige.

 Chapter 350: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (4)

    <h4>Chapter 350: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (4)</h4>

    It was by sheer coincidence that he went to the back of the vige.

    As he was peeking his head into all the ces around the vige, someone that was in the za came up to him.

    ¡°Even though this vige may be peaceful, it is not a ce for you to behave without discretion.

    ¡°How about you stop digging up every ce?

    ¡°You are slowly starting to get on my nerves.¡±

    <Target: [Status]>

    Therge metal humanoid said a mouthful to Yu Jitae as the ones gathered around it added a few words each.

    ¡°He¡¯s been at it for a while now.

    ¡°Very ufortable indeed¡­¡±

    <Target: [Mana Tracking (B+)]>

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem evil or useless so how about we let him be. Even though our lord does hate him, there seems to be a reason why he has to be here and it does not seem like our lord is willing to chase him out immediately as of yet.

    ¡°However, you too must be aware that many are feeling ufortable because of your presence.¡±

    <Target: [Existence Discernment (A+)]>

    ¡°If there is something you wish, say it to me.¡±

    <Target: [Sovereignty (S)]>

    Respectively, it was a monkey wearing sses, a man in ck and white clothes and a young woman wearing a crown that spoke to Yu Jitae. The first was an ¡®ability¡¯ thatprehended the trajectory of mana to predict its future path; the second was a ¡®spell¡¯ that helped with identifying the opponent and the third was a ¡®blessing¡¯ that granted an absolute position over one¡¯s subordinates.

    He asked them, ¡®I am looking for the ¡®personality¡¯ that should be around this ce. Have you seen it somewhere¡¯

    But the word ¡®personality¡¯ was made due to Yu Jitae¡¯s interpretation so the blessings and authorities and whatnot did not understand his words.

    ¡®No idea¡¯ was their reply.

    ¡°Whatever it is, I wish you would stop roaming around making noise in my ears. And also, do not speak to the bird flying across the sky if possible.¡±

    The metal amour, [Status], murmured.

    Now that he thought about it, there indeed was a bird restlessly flying in the sky. It had a thick beak like a pelican with rounded eyes that seemed rather fussy. He went to it and started a conversation and immediately understood why [Status] had said that.

    ¡°Ohhng. What is it? What do you want to know?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but I¡¯m already very curious!¡±

    Its name was [Curiosity] ¨C a fairly important device that allowed Myu to understand the world. This was neither an authority or a blessing, and could be seen as a mirror image of her ¡®disposition¡¯ embedded within the mana.

    ¡°Personality? What is that? My gosh! That word is so foreign to me! Tell me what it is!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know either?¡±

    ¡°You seem to know it. How about you introduce it to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In the end this guy wasn¡¯t that helpful either, but its final words scraped past his ears.

    ¡°Ahh! If no-one knows about it, then maybe it¡¯s at a ce where no-one is at!¡±

    ¡°What does that mean.¡±

    ¡°There is something I¡¯ve always been curious about! I¡¯ve never been to the dumping ground behind the vige! I was scolded whenever I tried to go there. That ce is like a taboo of our vige. How about you go there?¡±

    ¡°Can I go there?¡±

    With sparkling eyes, [Curiosity] used its wing to point somewhere. Turning his eyes he could see on the other side of the vige an extremely tall cliff that appeared to have been made by cutting a mountain. Curiosity was pointing at a small structure that was ced on top of the hill ¨C it was a pole with something resembling a bird ced on top that was looking down on the vige.

    The red eyes of the bird on the pole flickered.

    ¡°You just have to avoid that gaze.¡±

    Without even having to check its name, he could guess its identity because he had seen simr devices when conceptualising other existences.

    The name of that bird on a pole was probably [Rationality].

    ¡°That guy is damn strict. It always tells everyone to stop doing this and that.¡±

    It was a guy that always gazed down on the entire world, trying to tune everything ording to its will.

    Yu Jitae looked at that ce. From the top of the tall and carved cliff, Rationality gazed at him, looking straight into his eyes.

    In the sky was the red eye still staring at him.

    There were now two gazes facing his way.

    *

    Merging into the shadow to avoid one gaze would only end up with the other red eye opening into a circle. And this is probably the message that woulde up in his head.

    <[Will of the Ancient One (SS)] finds the foreign being suspicious.>

    Therefore, Yu Jitae had to physically hide his body. There was a method, although it wasn¡¯t the most elegant one.

    He simply had to wait a little.

    Several hours had already passed and soon came the nighttime at the vige. The source of light shining above from the sky disappeared as darkness came down like a fog. At the same time,rge ¡®paper boxes¡¯ began to appear in the surroundings. They looked just like post boxes.

    <Target: [Unconsciousness]>

    From time to time, the ¡®dispositions¡¯ tended to ride these to visit restricted areas. Yu Jitae secretly opened the post box and entered it, before popping holes and heading to the dumping ground.

    It was small so he had to crawl on all fours.

    The dumping ground didn¡¯t have actual garbage and was giving off a gentle ambience. From there, Yu Jitae found the mirror image of ¡®Myu¡¯ buried inside the trash. To be exact, it was Myu¡¯s ¡®personality¡¯ that he found.

    He slowly walked towards it to ensure it wouldn¡¯t be startled by his approach. Myu opened its purple eyes to look at Yu Jitae.

    In front of him was the mirror image of her ¡®personality¡¯, that shared the most number of thoughts and intentions with Myu.

    His job now was to take it with him.

    He carefully came closer but did not rashly reach out or anything. Keeping a safe distance, he simply met its gaze for a few seconds and before long, Myu raised its body from the ground.

    ¡°You. What brings you here¡­?¡±

    ¡°I am here to do the experiment that I told you about.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go together. So that you don¡¯t identally get hurt.¡±

    Myu blinked its purple eyes. The personality was being linked to the awareness.

    ¡°Come on¡­¡±

    Myu scratched its messy hair.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even fully healed yet. And yet you started the experiment already just like this?¡±

    ¡°It was urgent and there was no way around it.¡±

    ¡°How about you put yourself into my shoes. I am exhausted from the long experiment and I really really wanted to go on a vacation. That was the only thing I was looking forward to.¡±

    ¡°I will double your vacation once this is over.¡±

    Even though that was what he said, he wasn¡¯t sure if it would work. He was concerned that it might instead get infuriated and gather the eyes of the surroundings.

    But unlike what he was worried about, Myu widened its eyes into circles and carefully returned a question.

    ¡°Really? Oh right, you did say it was urgent¡­¡±

    It was empathising with him. The usual ferocious expression and the disgusted gaze was no longer there ¨C this too was quite unexpected.

    Personality represented the existence¡¯s intellectual, mental, volitional and physical situation. Thanks to that, inside the mental world interpreted through Conceptualisation, it was the most free and the most honest.

    And yet such Myu was buried inside the dumping ground,

    And was a lot more amiable than he expected.

    ¡°Alright. I shall trust you.¡±

    Myu obediently raised its body from the pile of trash. Unlike the real Myu that was always clean, this Myu was very dirty.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. He waste in realising it because it was buried inside the trash, but Myu¡¯s mirror image had its right arm amputated.

    ¡°I can walk just fine so ignore it.¡±

    That was what Myu said in response after feeling his gaze.

    Without even realising it, he wiped the dirty filth from its face and paused after realising what he had done. It was a habit formed from constantly wiping the blood off of Yeorum¡¯s face.

    ¡°What should I now help you with?¡±

    ¡°Is there by any chance a ce like a library in this vige?¡±

    ¡°A library?¡±

    ¡°The ce all the mirror images go to when Myu looks for something that has passed ¨C the area that stores memories.¡±

    The personality understood Yu Jitae¡¯s figure of speech, his exnation and the proper nouns used.

    ¡°If you are talking about that, I do know where it is located. But what about that ce?¡±

    No matter which dragon, the [Will of the Ancient One] was never breakable. Yu Jitae discovered that this uncannily tough authority that protected the [Origin Fragment] continued its existence by living off of something, but nothing could be found out about the host from outside.

    Never.

    Therefore, breaking the Will of the Ancient One was several times more difficult than killing a dragon.

    ¡°Since dragons remember even their childhood, there should be a memory of the ¡®authority given to them during youth¡¯ when they were born as an egg. We have to have a look at that memory now.¡±

    Not knowing that, [Conceptualisation] suggested he check every individual thing to find the host, but he chose a better method based on his experience.

    ¡°Ahh, right. I think something like that did exist.¡±

    Arriving at the library and going through the memories of the past will reveal the host of the [Will of the Ancient One]. And killing the host will kill the eye floating in the sky.

    ¡°But you see, there is a problem,¡± said Myu.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°I cannot go into the vige. I¡¯ve been exiled.¡±

    ¡°Is it rted to your arm?¡±

    ¡°Yes. When the vige was being filled with new residents, I was bashed up and chased out, and lost all of my limbs. One of my arms and my legs came back, but this one didn¡¯t.¡±

    Myu swung her arm that was blunt mid-way down.

    ¡°Why were you exiled,¡± he asked.

    ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t necessary.¡±

    ¡°A personality? Unnecessary?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Necessary.

    Yu Jitae knew what this adjective implied when used in a conceptual world. Even more so than personality, rationality and consciousness¡­ there was something at the very centre of everything that formed an existence, that was of the most priority.

    It was none other than ¡®Dream¡¯.

    Every existence moved forth towards the ideal whether it be reproduction, sess as an individual, happiness or anything it may be. In addition, going higher in terms of status as an animal made this pursuit for the ideal moreplicated and detailed.

    Like how Yu Jitae came to this foreignnd to achieve his dream, Myu would have had something simr for herself. And it meant that her personality was not needed in achieving that ¡®dream¡¯.

    ¡°Still, did they hit you just because of that? Your owner will also be in danger if you die.¡±

    ¡°Am I not alive like this?¡±

    ¡°But what if you personally wish for death?¡±

    ¡°You see, I want to live.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He reflected on the past stories ¨C what was the thing Myu had wanted the most?

    Wasn¡¯t it to have her own personal space to live a settled life? That was simr to craving for a daily life.

    However, it didn¡¯t really make sense to see that as Myu¡¯s dream. His thought was that a rounded personality and disposition like the one in front was instead more suitable for daily lives.

    But whatever the case, that was none of his business.

    ¡°¡­Alright. So where is the library of memories located.¡±

    In response, Myu pointed at the ground with her finger.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s here. It is beneath the ground.¡±

    Myu then began digging the ground under the pile of trash with her only remaining hand.

    Was it really under this ce? With that doubt in mind, he picked up something resembling a shovel and helped dig the ground.

    Less than a metre in, he felt something stopping the tip of his shovel.

    It was quite surprising. Underneath was a door made with steel.

    ¡°Do you want to see?¡±

    Myu opened the door.

    The entirety of the interpreted world had an ambient light source and the underground library was also the same.

    Yu Jitae widened his eyes after seeing the stunningly enormous library. The end of the bookshelves was reaching all the way to the horizon.

    Dragons did not forget. All their unforgetting memories were stacked like this to be wide enough to form the foundation of a world.

    But even then, it was very massive.

    He had used Conceptualisation on the Origin Fragment a few times in the past but it was his first time seeing such arge library. Myu¡¯s library was outrageously huge even whenpared to other adult dragons.

    ¡°Off you go. By yourself.¡±

    ¡°No. You have toe with me.¡±

    ¡°Did I not tell you. It would be a big mess if they find out I have left the dumping ground. Can you not imagine what will happen when you see the current state of my arm?¡±

    Myu waved her arm again but Yu Jitae shook his head in response.

    ¡°This ce is bound to be a mess soon anyway. If it gets worse, they might start bombarding this ce. Even if you stay at the dumping ground away from other¡¯s sight, you won¡¯t be able to stay safe.¡±

    Myu shook her head.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what happens to me. It will be dangerous for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°It is. You are saying that because you do not understand this ce. This ce has the foundation of an adult dragon¡¯s strength gathered inside. There are even powers reaching the level of an authority.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Myu continued its words with a worried expression.

    ¡°No you do not. It is already a mistake for you to crawl here with a feeble body like that, telling me to leave this ce. Did you not see the dragonite with a very big head when you were at the vige? That child is [Dragon Breath]. It shoots a tremendously vicious ray of poison. Do you think you can stay safe after being hit by that?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°No you are not. You will be greatly hurt. You don¡¯t belong to our world so you might not be able to recover your broken body.¡±

    ¡°How absurd. Are you worried about me?¡±

    ¡°No? Uhh¡­¡±

    Myu¡¯s mirror image immediately said no and pondered before adding more words.

    ¡°If you get hurt, I can¡¯t go on a vacation¡­¡±

    It was then. He could sense a presence drawing near from outside the dumping ground.

    Someone wasing. It was probably a mirror image on patrol after finding a foreigner like him suspicious.

    The ground was already dug out, and it was toote to cover it again. They would be immediately discovered if that guy was toe here.

    He no longer felt the need to talk this out, and grabbed Myu¡¯s remaining hand before pulling it into the library.

    ¡°W, wait¡­!¡±

    Myu¡¯s personality still did not know Yu Jitae¡¯s capability. It could only feel as much as other mirror images because Yu Jitae had hidden himself to an exceptional level.

    There was no way that an existence that could go into another¡¯s consciousness would be feeble and easily crushable, was there?

    When the personality was about to yell out after being pulled by his arm, Yu Jitae covered its mouth with his left hand. He then flowed his will that could rival that of a transcendent authority into Myu¡¯s mind.

    <The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] wishes you to be silent.>

    In surprise, Myu widened its eyes into circles. It was feeling suppressed by the unprecedented level of presence that was located right beneath the EX rank ¨C the level of a transcendent authority.

    Unable to read the mood, Myu¡¯s personality was again about to open its mouth but was silenced by the irritation of the ¡®immense presence¡¯.

    <[Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)]: ?(?`^¡ä?)?>

    <[Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)]: Shh.>

    Myu carefully gave a nod.

    Yu Jitae opened the post box which he had previously neatly folded to ce behind his outer garment. It was [Unconsciousness]. He reopened Unconsciousness and covered the entrance of the library.

    He carefully waited as the human wearing a mask unhurriedly walked past the box and disappeared into the distance.

    They were good for now.

    ¡°Does someonee to the dumping ground as often as this?¡±

    ¡°Not really¡­¡±

    Unconsciousness disappears during the day and reappears at the same ce at night. They would be discovered if someone was toe to the dumping ground during the day or if they were to remove the box at night, but it will buy them some time until then.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go down.¡±

 Chapter 351: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (5)

    <h4>Chapter 351: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (5)</h4>

    The bird on the pole gazed down.

    The red eye kept a close eye on the [Origin Fragment].

    Even though Myu¡¯s real body was unconscious, the mirror image of [Rationality] thought to itself.

    There was a foreign existence.

    Although it was normal for foreign mana toe and go, the opponent had an evidently strange course of action. Wasn¡¯t it going around the vige as if it was looking for something?

    Every mirror image moved based on its ¡®instinct¡¯ and that was why instinct was the only disposition that did not exist as a mirror image. The one that always had to control all the selfish mirror images was [Rationality] and Rationality knew it had to hurry in an odd situation like this.

    The issue, however, was that [Rationality] could not sense [Unconsciousness].

    ¡°Could not find it anywhere.¡±

    The mirror images that had left to find the traces of the disappeared existence returned empty-handed.

    ¡°Cannot see it anywhere.¡±

    ¡°It seems to have disappeared.¡±

    Among them was an expert at tracking an organic change as well as an expert at tracking mana but none of them managed to find it.

    [Rationality] found this to be an increasingly more dangerous sign.

    ¡°Maybe it left?¡±

    It was because not a single existence had left yet.

    Even though it was the first time that existence hade here, it knew how to make use of Unconsciousness. It must have gone into other worlds several times so after a deep thought, [Rationality] let out a warning sign.

    Beeeeeep¡ª A loud rm echoed all across the vige.

    ¡°An infiltrator is here!¡±

    ¡°An infiltrator! Is it that strange guy from before?!¡±

    Some shouted.

    Immediately after ringing the bell, Rationality called for the strongest soldiers that existed inside its memory.

    ¡°Have you called, Esteemed Overseer.¡±

    The dimensions cracked open in the sky as ck ¡®bomber aircrafts¡¯ and ¡®drivers¡¯ appeared from within. There were 7 of them. The 7 drivers bowed at the bird on the top of the tall pole.

    Their name was [Memory Maniptor].

    Out of all the dragons, the ck race was the only ones that could manipte memories and convey their wills. As such, they were the strongest and the most horrendous subjugation force that only existed within the mana of ck dragons.

    No matter how disgusting the infiltrating mana and no matter how disgusting a memory, the [Memory Maniptors] could return all of that to nothing.

    Their power had no limit. They could even rampage through other worlds let alone their own.

    Rationalitymanded them.

    Bombard it as soon as you find a trace. It does not matter who dies in the process.

    The [Memory Maniptors] revealed their doubts in response because there had never been such an extrememand yet.

    ¡°What if the guyes to this ce.¡±

    It does not matter. You guys can bombard me and kill me in the process. That was what Rationality said in response and the Memory Maniptors that always heeded to its call returned a bow.

    Not one of them revealed any more doubts, because everyone in this Origin Fragment knew except for one person.

    The fall of this world was destined to be from self-destruction.

    From a very long time ago.

    ***

    Memory was written into a book in an order and disyed on the bookshelves.

    ¡®In an order¡¯ ¨C that was the important part.

    Immediately after birth, dragons receive authorities such as [Will of the Ancient One] through the [Will of the Ancient One] of their parents. Therefore, the memory of receiving that authority should be located at the end of this enormous library.

    Yu Jitae walked.

    His feet were fast and it was not much different from running.

    Even though he had been running for four days and nights straight, he was walking like this now because Myu¡¯s personality was tired.

    ¡°Hukk, hulk¡­¡±

    While staggering, Myu followed him from behind. Despite theck of enthusiasm on its face, it diligently walked forward.

    Therge library was empty and cold. Since it wasn¡¯t physically cold, this meant that the entirety of Myu¡¯s life throughout her memories was cold.

    The temperature was fairly low and even Yu Jitae was feeling cold from it.

    Naturally, Yu Jitae was not concerned about the temperature of Myu¡¯s memories. For him, Myu was just a ¡®mutant experiment material¡¯ ¨C nothing more and nothing less.

    During the process of going back through the memories, he reached out to the books that were especially more frozen and used [Conceptualisation] on them. His authority analysed the phenomenon into specifics.

    <Target: Wandering Memory #8281>

    All those memories were that of a roaming life. He thought it was to be expected from a ck dragon that wandered through the dimensions their whole life, looking for a ce to settle.

    He didn¡¯t bother checking those memories. He had no time to waste doing such useless things.

    .

    .

    .

    <Target: Wandering Memory #7449>

    After 5 days, the concept of time became vague.

    <Target: Wandering Memory #6051>

    Even after a week, the two continued walking without saying much to each other.

    <Target: Wandering Memory #5230>

    10 days passed with only the sound of their breaths resonating across.

    <Target: Wandering Memory #4771>

    <Target: Wandering Memory #4106>

    <Target: Wandering Memory #3699>

    .

    .

    .

    <Target: Wandering Memory #3316>

    After walking for almost 2 weeks, Myu¡¯s personality atst crumbled onto the ground from fatigue.

    ¡°C, can we take a quick rest before moving on?¡±

    He stopped his feet as he too exhaustedly inhaled for a deep breath. He realised that his body had been drenched with sweat and stopping once made all the fatiguee flooding in.

    The mirror image of the personality repeatedly tried to tuck the drenched hair behind its ear to stop them from covering its face. Seemingly frustrated, it moved with rushing fingers and its breath was even more rushed.

    ¡°We are only half-way there.¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry. I always spend my time lying down so I do not have enough energy.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back up.¡±

    ¡°I cannot.¡±

    ¡°You can walk a bit more.¡±

    ¡°How would I walk anymore than this? It¡¯s already so tiring¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you you can.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. Please let me rest a little. After a quick rest, I will try my best to stand back up.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What about you? Are you not exhausted?¡±

    Without saying anything in response, he turned his body.

    Ever since a few days ago, he had been hearing some extraordinary sounds from above the ceiling.

    The warning bell was well within his expectation but that wasn¡¯t the case for the engine and the propeller noises. It was even more of a problem that there were quite a few of them.

    ck dragons had the [Authority] to eliminate, manipte or substitute memories.

    It was probably them that was on the move ¨C the situation was a lot more pressing than he expected.

    ¡°In any case, it seems that the entrance of the dumping ground we have blocked with Unconsciousness is still undiscovered,¡± eximed Myu.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That is truly a relief¡­¡±

    Was it a relief?

    He had a different approach.

    This was a rather strange response.

    If something were to happen, ¡®personality¡¯ was one of the first existences that had to be found. They should have found personality after three or four days at thetest.

    However, they did not look for personality.

    How neglected was personality in this world that the search for it was this dyed? Despite experiencing various worlds through Conceptualisation, it was the first time this had happened.

    Neglecting the personality to the extreme and killing it; plus the rationality that had an unusuallyrge authority that seemingly had the ability to inspect the entire world.

    This meant that Rationality would affect every course of action and words instead of Personality.

    It was a familiar phenomenon.

    ¡­Was this not a copy of Yu Jitae¡¯s own circumstances?

    He ended his line of thought. In any case, if it was exhausted from just this, it was unknown how many more times they would have to stop on the way.

    ¡°What, are you doing right now?¡±

    There was no other way around it.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time.¡±

    ¡°You, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Stay still. It will only get harder if you move.¡±

    Saying that, he raised Myu up straight into the air and began running once again. Even though they were very close, there was nothing to really worry about. Both Yu Jitae and Myu¡¯s mirror image didn¡¯t feel anything special about each other. It would in fact be rather strange to feel that way and Yu Jitae was only slightly displeased by it.

    It was just that ¡®Myu¡¯s personality¡¯ had a weird look on its face as it looked at Yu Jitae.

    While he was still running down the library,

    Myu said to Yu Jitae.

    ¡°We, have been running for a long time, haven¡¯t we.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You are feeling cold and exhausted.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°For that to be the case, there is too much sweat on your arms. You are also panting right now.¡±

    He remained silent as Myu threw him a question after slight hesitation.

    ¡°For what purpose, are you running through this ce?¡±

    It was quitete for that question.

    It¡¯s not like he was hiding it, and he hadn¡¯t mentioned it yet, only because the topic had never been brought up until then.

    ¡°Because I have a goal,¡± he replied.

    ¡°A goal? What is it?¡±

    ¡°My dream.¡±

    ¡°Dream¡­ So, are you saying your dream is at the end of this library?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡±

    Myu entered a deep thought.

    ¡°How interesting. I¡­¡±

    It was when Myu was about to say something that Yu Jitae suddenly stopped on the spot. ¡°Ah!¡± Myu gasped in surprise as Yu Jitae quickly hid themselves behind a table.

    ¡°What, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Myu asked in confusion and Yu Jitae returned a quick reply before stopping even his breath.

    ¡°Shh.¡±

    Myu simrly stopped its breath and gazed around. From the distance, red gazes started to appear. It seemed that they discovered that Myu had disappeared from the dumping ground.

    One by one, the red eyes drew near, revealing the grey fur and heavy feet. Fiverge wolves as big as a monster appeared from the darkness.

    Yu Jitae observed the wolves.

    Each entity had two heads attached with the secondary head being near the tail. It was the mirror image of a ¡®disposition¡¯ that evaluated oneself by looking at the surroundings and not at oneself.

    He had an idea of what they were. They were probably [Self-censorship] ¨C one of the special forces led by [Rationality].

    Monsters that travelled across everywhere including the memories, judging whether they were logical or not and mercilessly chewing off anything irrational¡­

    Yu Jitae nced back and observed Myu. Because of the violent oppression of [Rationality], Myu¡¯s personality had been crushed.

    A broken personality was weak, meaning that it would no longer have the power to endure the vicious oppression of Rationality. Proving that was Myu¡¯s mirror image shivering while looking at the wolves through the legs of the desk.

    <The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] asks if you are feeling okay.>

    Myu turned to him and gave a nod gesturing that she was okay, but the shivering chin deducted the persuasiveness of the nod.

    However, that nheless meant that it was still somewhat bearable.

    Yu Jitae raised the sword from his waist. He had to deal with the [Self-censorships] before they were to make a bigger fuss.

    It wouldn¡¯t be an easy task. There were five entities and ten heads in total. If one was to start barking, the other heads would follow suit and their voices would reach the ears of the [Rationality] sitting high above.

    But that was when Myu whispered.

    ¡®I know how to deal with them.¡¯

    What?

    ¡®Those scary things, really love my shards.¡¯

    What in the world are shards.

    Suddenly, Myu raised its nails and ripped off the remaining half of the amputated arm as the wound started to shatter like ss. Myu threw the detached arm in front of them as Yu Jitae watched with a frown.

    What would throwing something like that do?

    However, something remarkable happened. The closest [Self-censorship] mindlessly ran in and started gnawing on Myu¡¯s broken arm.

    Realising this was an opportunity, Yu Jitae dashed forth like a lightning bolt and ended the wolf¡¯s life with his sword. In response, the mouth at the tail opened wide to let out a scream but he knew it would do that and kicked it before it could scream. With his foot, he crushed on the neck of the head at the tail to ensure it couldn¡¯t make any noise and decapitated it.

    The growling beast gasped for breath but it soon came to a stop. Like Myu¡¯s wound, the dead [Self-censorship] disappeared into shards of ss.

    Not bad.

    He looked at Myu with that in his gaze as Myu returned a nod.

    Using the same method, he killed three of the remaining wolves. Mysteriously enough, they reacted vehemently to Myu¡¯s arm like drug addicts suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

    The detached arm was still recyble. It seemed that Personality had meant it when it said, ¡®I want to live,¡¯ despite being discarded at the dumping ground.

    As they were about to hunt thest wolf, a sudden thought popped up in his mind as he decided to change his method.

    This time, he threw the bait towards the back head of Self-censorship and the thoughtless head at the back mindlessly moved the body towards it. When it was right in front of them, Yu Jitae pierced the throat with his sword and crushed it. ss fragments shattered as the back head immediately died. The front head was frightened from the sudden emptiness on its butt but that was when he immediately jumped up and choked it by the neck with his arm.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s thick arm choked the wolf by the neck as hard as possible. Pressing hard on the glottis, he made it unable to create a sound without actually killing it. The wolf jumped up and down trying to bounce him off of its body but he stubbornly stayed on it like a bullfighter.

    ¡°Come here!¡± He shouted at Myu.

    When Myu walked towards him despite shivering from fear, he forced therge wolf to stay down with his force. Strength-wise, [Self-censorship] was no match for Yu Jitae.

    Grrrr¡­

    It could only continue to growl as he made Myu ride on the back of the wolf before jumping on it as well. He then stabbed Myu¡¯s fallen arm with his sword and hung it in front of the wolf.

    In that instant, despite the situation, [Self-censorship] lost its mind. It began sprinting towards the delicious bait located in front of it..

    ¡°Huh? Uhh?¡±

    Myu flinched and almost fell so he quickly supported Myu and made it sit tightly in front of him.

    ¡®Self-censorship¡¯ was a four-legged beast because it was a very rushed ¡®disposition¡¯. Thanks to that, the time it took to travel up the memories was also a lot faster. Self-censorship was astonishingly fast.

    Meanwhile, Myu¡¯s personality appeared to be finding this situation quite strange.

    ¡°Did you know something like this would work?¡±

    ¡°No. I was half in doubt as well.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    When gone to the extreme levels, Self-censorship could bite at the personality to leave a mark. It would match itself to the outside standards and me the personality.

    However, the primary purpose of Self-censorship was to confirm thecking aspects of oneself and depending on how it is approached, it can even be used in a way like this. His spection that it might work came to fruition in this conceptual world.

    Following the piece of arm hanging on the sword, the wolf dashed forward like a lunatic. Soon, the cold air of the library turned into a gush of wind pping at their cheeks.

    ¡°Is your arm alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It was too short below the shoulder anyway, so it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°I see. Thanks. We should get there soon so hold on a bit more.¡±

    Taking off his coat, Yu Jitae covered the front of Myu because the cold wind was hitting them directly from the front. With a slightly vacant gaze, Myu looked at Yu Jitae, the wolf and the ce they were headed to, before murmuring something he couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°¡­So it¡¯s possible to get this close to a dream huh.¡±

    .

    .

    .

    <Target: Wandering Memory #1274>

    <Target: Wandering Memory #316>

    <Target: Wandering Memory #54>

    They gradually approached the memories of the time before Myu started wandering around. The air gradually turned heavier and turned even colder.

    Myu was shivering to a visible degree and there was a white mist apanying every exhale. Yu Jitae too was feeling an intense chill. This would probably be how it would feel for a normal person to dive into icy water naked.

    Even though Self-censorship looked fine due to the fur around its body, that wasn¡¯t the case for the two of them.

    ¡°Hang on a bit more.¡±

    ¡°¡­It is, ¡­too cold.¡±

    Myu was trembling heavily and seemed like it might faint anytime. There was no frostbite because it wasn¡¯t physical coldness but that was the only difference.

    He had to browse the first memory as quickly as possible. Opening the ceiling and going out before that would only increase the chance of being caught by several-fold.

    Myu had to endure it here.

    ¡°Hang on.¡±

    ¡°¡­I cannot hang on.¡±

    ¡°You must. And you can pull it off.¡±

    ¡°¡­I can?¡±

    ¡°Yes. So hang on just a little.¡±

    While desperately trying to console Myu, he checked the wandering memories by the side.

    #10, #5, #3, #2¡­

    Atst, he found #1.

    The final destination should be right before them.

    He thought he would be soon reaching the ¡®first memory¡¯ of when Myu was in an egg but that was when the two suddenly came to a stop. It was because the mindlessly sprinting wolf suddenly stopped in surprise.

    An enormous ck wall.

    That wall was covering the entire library with not a single gap to be seen.

 Chapter 352: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (6)

    <h4>Chapter 352: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (6)</h4>

    Inside Bom¡¯s mind was an enclosed eye.

    This self-centred eye never listened to Bom¡¯smands. It refused to see things that she wanted to see and would forcefully open itself to show her what she did not want to see.

    However, it would sometimes show what had to be seen.

    That day was one of those days.

    It was when she was watching a movie with Gyeoul in the living room. Inside the head of Bom while she was nkly watching the TV, the Eye of Providence started to crack open.

    Until then, Bom didn¡¯t think much of it, thinking it would probably be another scenery of someone she had no interest in.

    She saw the sky ¨C blue and far-reaching.

    She could also see people. Gathered in groups of three to five, they were people that had nothing to do with Bom. Images were followed by further images and they created a pattern and a flow.

    The people raised their heads and looked at the sky.

    They then pointed their fingers at the heavens.

    Each of them looked extremely surprised.

    Soon, the following images turned towards the sky, shing in which was a brilliant source of light.

    It was a rather ominous and abnormal light.

    Before long, the golden shards of light began to gather into the clouds. As if sucking in every mana in existence, it created a tornado while gathering in one spot, carrying with it an output simr to a dragon breath.

    What is¡­

    It was when Bom was curiously staring at it.

    Tuuungg¨C!

    The gathered source of light immediately shot down, shaking the world with its aftershock. Every cloud in the sky bounced off. It swept through the heavens, falling like a hypersonic missile.

    She could hear the sharp screams of certain people.

    Where was the ray of light headed?

    Startled, Bom tightened her arms that were wrapped around Gyeoul and pulled her closer in. Gyeoul was flustered by the sudden force around her ribs and looked back at Bom but Bom was preupied by the unbelievable Providence that had been shown in her mind.

    Just then, a ray of light had enveloped the Association.

    That was the end of her vision.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°N, nothing¡­ Gyeoul, let me go outside for a bit.¡±

    After getting up, Bom quickly gave Kang Ahjin a call while racking her brain.

    It would be after a few hours from now, with the location being the Association.

    A terrorist attack.

    Before long there would be a ray of light befalling the Association but this Providence did not show the end result. Since she hadn¡¯t seen the result, it meant it was definitely stoppable depending on how it was handled.

    But there was a doubt remaining in her mind. What was the identity of that golden ray of light?

    From what Bom could think of with her 4 years of military education bybining the keywords, ¡®gold¡¯, ¡®light¡¯ and ¡®output reaching a dragon¡¯s level¡¯, she could onlye up with one existence from this entire world.

    But¡­

    He was the final defence line protecting the Earth and the Association.

    Why would someone like that suddenly do such a thing¡­?

    ¨C 5th Command Room, Kang Ahjin speaking.

    ¡°It¡¯s me! There is something urgent to talk about!¡±

    Bom dashed out of Unit 301.

    ***

    His senses took in theplicated situation outside.

    Above the ceiling of the library were thunderous footsteps and growls as the propeller echoing the ground turned even fiercer. Every mirror image on the ground was furiously looking for something.

    Kung¡­

    Kung¡­

    There were increasingly more sources of sound resonating from the distance beyond the darkness of the library. Some of them were opening the door of the library,ing inside one by one.

    A strict procedure existed in their search. After rummaging through the ground above, they were now extending the search to the outskirts of the vige as well as beneath.

    It would be a matter of time for them to be discovered.

    While things were approaching from a distance in real time, Yu Jitae continued staring at the ck wall.

    In order to understand it, he used [Conceptualisation] with the ¡®ck wall¡¯ as the target.

    It was a strange phenomenon.

    There was a block in Myu¡¯s memories. Someone, or some other foreign element had either blocked or fabricated her memories.

    But wasn¡¯t blocking and fabricating memories the unique ability of the ck race?

    Then were these memories being intentionally blocked by someone? By another ck dragon?

    Why?

    The following message increased Yu Jitae¡¯s doubt.

    <The Authority, [Conceptualisation (SS)] has failed at interpreting the [ck Wall].>

    <The [ck Wall] is an authority formed at a higher rank than [Conceptualisaton]. Conceptualisation does not have the required authority to interpret the [ck Wall].>

    Yu Jitae gave a frown.

    Whose authority was [Conceptualisation]? It was the authority of [Lugiathan], who was at the level of a ¡®chief¡¯ among the ck dragon race.

    If such a high-ranked authority could not interpret it, did that not mean that the dragon who had ced the ck wall on Myu¡¯s heart was at least at the level of a ¡®Dragon Lord¡¯? Why would that smug lord of dragons bother manipting the memory of a mutant ck dragon?

    For the time being, he decided to push away the rising doubts.

    ¡°Hukk, hulk¡­¡±

    Myu was shivering from the cold by his side and was not in a good state. Rather than focusing on what was iprehensible, he had to focus on the things that could be done.

    By modifying the mana equations, he changed the direction of the interpretation.

    <The Authority, [Conceptualisation (SS)] changes the target of interpretation to solely analyse the data regarding the [Will of the Ancient One] within the ck Wall.>

    They were physically close to the first memory.

    It seemed that the time they had spent running up hadn¡¯t been a waste. Fortunately, this method worked.

    <The target of analysis has been identified.>

    <The analysis will now begin.>

    However, the estimated time of analysis made him yet again heave an inward sigh.

    <Remaining time¡­ [24 hours 15 minutes].>

    It was way too long.

    He turned his gaze to other parts of the library. Ever since a certain point, there were nothing but frozen books in his surroundings and this ce was no different. The books were in a very bad state, looking like they would shatter the moment they were touched.

    The two of them felt like they were in arge refrigerator. Myu was almost about to lose its consciousness from the cold ¨C this coldness was something that couldn¡¯t be defeated by the likes of a fire.

    Every entity inside the conceptual world had to endure everything with their willpower. This was the foundational power of an existence that could not be supplemented with mana.

    In the end, that meant Myu¡¯s personality had to hang on with sheer willpower.

    ¡­For a whole day.

    After a day of analysis when the interpretation was over, he would finally get to know what mirror image was the host of the [Will of the Ancient One]. However, the ck dragon¡¯s heart was not as lenient as to do nothing but wait for such a long period of time.

    Kung¡­

    From the other side of the darkness were echoing footsteps starting to draw near.

    The beasts, wereing.

    *

    Yu Jitae collected his breath.

    He had just killed the beasts that were on the search. Four-legged beasts fell in front of him. Shattering into fragments, they soon disappeared from his sight.

    The fight wasn¡¯t easy. He had to kill them quickly before they could send a signal outside. Regardless of the risk, he had to push himself to end their lives in one hit and was wounded during that process. His shoulder was crushed like ss and his ribs scattered into conceptual fragments.

    Hiss¡­

    That was when a new enemy appeared before him.

    Hiss¡­

    A quiet noise echoed across. An unpleasant breath that seemingly licked the entire dimension continued as arge snake slithered out from the darkness.

    [Doubt]

    Thisrge snake with purple stripes reaching 10 metres in length could wrap its body around a mirror image to paralyse its function. It was fortunate that this guy couldn¡¯t make that much of a noise but it wasn¡¯t looking too favourable for him either.

    Hiss¡­ hiss¡­ hiss¡­

    There were more than five of them here.

    *

    He came out victorious from the intense round of battle.

    Yu Jitae gasped for breath. The shattered snakes left nothing behind after their death.

    The situation was going further and further to the south.

    Since it was the memory of a vagabond ck dragon, it was obvious that it would have been a lonely life. Some level of coldness had been within his expectations.

    However, Myu¡¯s memories were a lot colder than he had anticipated to a point that it was dumbfounding.

    But it was okay. If things had gone ording to n, they would have already arrived at the ¡®first memory¡¯, and all they would have had to do then was find what was needed and leave this ce before they froze to death.

    And yet there was this ck wall blocking his approach. This was again outside his expectation.

    He was annoyed.

    Even though Myu was a mutant, it was still unthinkable how she always jumped beyond his expectations. There was not a single thing that worked ording to n.

    After finishing the fight, Yu Jitae wiped the conceptual shards that were flowing down instead of blood. Those things resembling ss fragments scattered into thin air like gas.

    That was when Myu twitched from its unconsciousness. He quietly waited as it slowly opened its eyes.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn? You.¡±

    Myu frowned.

    His leg was weird ¨C the flesh was dug out to the point that his femur was visible.

    ¡°¡­Are you in the state to ask me that? What happened to you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°But even so.¡±

    Since there was no blood from the wound, there was no risk of bleeding to death but what was lost into conceptual fragments were unable to be cured.

    Yu Jitae walked towards Myu with a limp.

    ¡°Come here. Sit and take a break.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. More importantly, you shouldn¡¯t stay down for too long.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°The vige isn¡¯t that big and yet the scouts have disappeared from the undergroundbyrinth four times already. They might send faster entities soon after sensing something¡¯s off. We might have to move and lying down in the same ce will cause your body to freeze from the coldness.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Get up and move your body a bit.¡±

    .

    .

    .

    Eight hours went by.

    It was cold.

    Even for Yu Jitae, it was cold.

    It was a different type of coldness to the one that was blockable with an outer garment. There was no way to ry warmth to someone else in this conceptual world and even if there was, it was something he wasn¡¯t aware of.

    Myu would lose consciousness from time to time. Lying on the ground, it would gasp for breath when awake and turn from pain in its sleep. Thisrge fridge was freezing both him and Myu in real time.

    <Remaining time¡­ [16 hours 25 minutes].>

    There was still a lot of time left but it was at least thanks to this that he could tell the flow of time. He got up and tapped Myu.

    ¡°Oi. It¡¯s time. Get up and move.¡±

    ¡°¡­It is difficult to move.¡±

    Myu was shivering and had a hard time moving.

    ¡°The coldness of a memory has the power to stop an existence¡¯s vitality. If you don¡¯t move, you will only continue to freeze. You must move your body from time to time.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to. It is too cold.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    He scolded and Myu had to forcefully get up before doing a light exercise under hismand.

    ¡°Is that over? What a funny set of movements.¡±

    ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°I am done.¡±

    ¡°Good work. You can rest again.¡±

    Myu crumbled down,

    And soon fainted.

    Myu continued waking up and fainting once every hour. Yu Jitae made Myu move whenever it woke up but the severe coldness had unfortunately shrank its body. Even a small movement was burdensome and Myu would gasp for breath after a light exercise before losing consciousness.

    <Remaining time¡­ [12 hours 25 minutes].>

    From a certain point, ¡®fragments¡¯ started to fall out of Myu¡¯s body whenever it was conscious. This was the same as a mirror image losing its vitality.

    Myu was slowly starting to die.

    .

    .

    .

    Myu would sometimes wake up,

    And unconsciously close its eyes,

    Before opening them again after a while.

    Every time it opened its eyes, it would see new wounds on Yu Jitae.

    Myu¡¯s personality apathetically watched the situation unfold whilst simply following Yu Jitae¡¯s words. He constantly made it do a strange exercise so it did and would close its eyes when fatigue came crashing in.

    It was when Myu reopened its eyes again.

    Half of Yu Jitae¡¯s face around his cheek had been dug out.

    .

    .

    .

    After Myu had fallen back asleep, he heard the sound of echoing footsteps.

    Left, right, left, right. There was a pattern ¨C it was highly likely for it to be a two-legged mirror image.

    Quietly he waited after stopping his breath as the guy slowly came closer. He confirmed the outline of the body that was slowlying out of the darkness and saw that it indeed was a humanoid mirror image after seeing its silhouette.

    These guys warranted a stricter vignce than four-legged animals.

    ¡°Ah, I have finally reached the end.¡±

    The guy murmured to itself. It had an amiable countenance and the face of a handsome man.

    ¡°Mister outsider. Aren¡¯t you around this ce? Pleasee out and have a chat with me.¡±

    It carefully asked but Yu Jitae did not reply. He was hiding behind arge desk and was thus hidden from sight.

    ¡°I am not a bad concept. I will not hurt you. I am here to give you help.¡±

    Flipping its pockets inside out, it folded its sleeves, expressing that it wasn¡¯t dangerous. As if trying to show that it was not being cautious, it slowly started to walk forward with its arms in the air.

    He waited for the right timing and as soon as the guy was at a location that he could reach in two steps¨C

    Like a lightning bolt, he dashed in.

    Grabbing onto its neck, he pressed down on its upper body with his legs. Due to the weight from above, the guy fell back.

    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±

    He strangled it by the neck. Through the contact, [Conceptualisation] began to analyse the identity of the mirror image.

    <The following mirror image is not the [Will of the Ancient One (SS)].>

    <Target: [Self-adtion]>

    Self-adtion. It was the mirror image of a ¡®disposition¡¯ that by nature protected the [Personality] inside a conceptual world. Did that mean it was here to find and protect Myu?

    ¡°Kuuk, w, wait¡­¡±

    There seemed to be something the guy wanted to say. He ced the tip of the knife between its eyes and poked a small wound before stopping his knife and slightly releasing its neck.

    It gasped for breath.

    ¡°Huuk, huuuk¡­ P, please do not kill me.¡±

    ¡°What are you.¡±

    ¡°Is, is the girl that was lying down in the dumping ground here by any chance?¡±

 Chapter 353: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (7)

    <h4>Chapter 353: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (7)</h4>

    ¡°What if she is.¡±

    ¡°Is she here? It is extremely chaotic outside. I am here to help her in a situation like this. I will most certainly be of help.¡±

    ¡°What if she¡¯s not here.¡±

    ¡°T, then please let me live¡­ I¡¯ll go back¡­ I cannot die yet. The girl is so spoiled and we have been l, living a hard life.¡±

    Every little help mattered in the current situation. He pondered for a bit, before asking a question.

    ¡°Where have you been, and why did you crawl out only just now.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Why did you discard the girl in the dumping ground ande thiste saying you¡¯ll protect her.¡±

    ¡°D, did I not tell you? The situation outside is chaotic! It is in dangerous situations like this, that I must guide the girl into walking down the correct path.¡±

    This was a reply that seemed like what [Self-adtion] would say.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Y, yes¡­¡±

    Seeing that Yu Jitae was a little softened, the guy heaved out a sigh. Yu Jitae pulled the knife away from its nose a bit.

    ¡°Huu. Thank you. In any case, I hoped this world would never get as chaotic as this but, it¡¯s all my fault for havingcking skills.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Life is already very cruel, but isn¡¯t that something that applies to all of us? I should guide her down the correct path althoughte.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    The mirror image blinked its eyes while staring at Yu Jitae. It appeared to be finding it slightly strange.

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    The guy twisted its body left and right before asking a question.

    ¡°Umm¡­ can you please move aside now?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°W, why?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange?¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°I thought about it, but I¡¯ve never seen this immature ck dragon ever finding herself precious.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I¡¯ve always been under someone¡¯s surveince¡­ You know? The observer on the highest mountain.¡±

    It appeared to be talking about [Rationality].

    Right. Rationality could block Self-adtion from expressing itself but that wasn¡¯t the end of Yu Jitae¡¯s doubt. He had in fact felt certain already from its response.

    The guy continued considering Myu pitiful and even ignorant.

    That wasn¡¯t what the true [Self-adtion] would do.

    ¡°Now this is a first.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, ahhkk¡­! Uhpp!¡±

    Blocking the guy¡¯s mouth, Yu Jitae tightly grabbed on its two cheeks and started ripping its face out. The skin of the amicable face started to get ripped out.

    It was as he had expected.

    Behind the ripped face was an expression crumpled with fury.

    <Error found!>

    <The target is not [Self-adtion].>

    <The adeptly hidden identity of the target has been revealed!>

    A disposition that usually stays below the calm surface of the water, that distressfully approaches during the hard times to gnaw at one¡¯s own personality.

    A power that pretends to hold an objective perspective, making one falsely believe that it will lead the personality to a better direction. Depending on the people, it even had the power to sneakily kill a personality.

    <Target: [Self-hatred]>

    The distorted expression apathetically murmured.

    ¡°Got, found out huh.¡±

    Despite being deeply flushed from suffocation, the guy nheless bbered.

    ¡°What, will you do¡­ after taking her¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve been, watching her for a long time¡­ That bitch, is garbage¡­

    ¡°C,pletely, worthless¡­ a trash¡­ that got discarded by the race¡­¡±

    Self-hatred began pouring out words of hatred. It would have run up to kill Myu if he had been deceived by it.

    There was no need to bother asking questions. It wouldn¡¯t know the answer to any of his questions anyway.

    Yu Jitae crushed its neck.

    .

    .

    .

    His sigh spread as a white mist.

    <Remaining time¡­ [6 hours 18 minutes].>

    Yu Jitae checked the remaining time.

    Myu wasn¡¯t in a very good state, evident from how the time it took for it to wake up after falling asleep was getting increasingly longer. Its ability to exercise was also in a gradual descent ¨C unable to withstand the fatigue, the movements were turning more and more rigid.

    It meant Myu¡¯s personality was slowly dying.

    ¡®Dying buried in the past memories.¡¯

    Perhaps that was how the current concept could be understood as.

    He thought of something after meeting [Self-hatred].

    There were some people in the world that lived their remaining life as if it was but an extension ¨C their heart may still be pumping and they could be breathing, but living only because they did not, or could not give up on life.

    In a world like this, there were quite a lot of such people.

    Those memories would go deeper and deeper the more they tried. Like a bottomless pit, it would pull the existence to the endless depths. It would then whisper into their ears, ¡®This is what you are.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t know what it was that had happened to Myu. Because of the ¡®ck Wall¡¯ blocking the path, no-one would ever get to know it, and that was in turn slowly killing Myu.

    Once again, Myu woke up but this time, it was practically frozen and could not even get up from the ground. It was unknown when it would wake up again after falling asleep this time.

    ¡°Haa, haa¡­¡±

    A rugged breath could be heard from the side.

    If left outside, it could have died anytime because he was muddying the currents of the conceptual world. He was the one that had brought it here to keep it alive, so he could not afford to let it die from the cold.

    ¡°Haa, haa¡­¡±

    A personality¡¯s death was no different from Myu¡¯s death. She would be like a stringless puppet.

    That might thwart his ns.

    ¡°Haa, haa¡­¡±

    Thus, he thought to himself.

    There was an existence next to him, shivering from the cold, slowly heading towards death. What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?

    Suddenly, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    The reason behind his opened mouth, was because he had spoken to someone in the past when something simr had been happening.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    The reason he hesitated after hearing the response, was because he had simrly hesitated in the past. Both now and then, a conversation beyond the purpose of conveying information was very difficult for him.

    But at least it was something he had done before.

    ¡°Have you thought of what to do,¡±

    He asked a question about a topic that he wasn¡¯t particrly interested in.

    ¡°When you go out on your vacation?¡±

    Myu, who was curling up like a prawn, looked up at his face.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t know. ¡­Not yet.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to experience the world, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°¡­I did.¡±

    Myu breathed out a white mist. The breath here was a lot longer than in real life, and it slowly permeated across like a cloud.

    ¡°What will you do this time.¡±

    ¡°¡­No idea.¡±

    ¡°How about you take a rest at a warm ce.¡±

    ¡°Not, bad.¡±

    ¡°It would be great if you were as docile as this.¡±

    ¡°¡­So, so.¡±

    The lips and the tongue were shivering to an uncontroble extent. Alongside the sound of chattering teeth, Myu let out its voice.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    He furrowed his brows.

    ¡°Just act like you¡¯ve always been doing. Stop doing something unnatural.¡±

    ¡°¡­What.¡±

    ¡°Why are you being this docile, is what I¡¯m asking. Just get upset, get mad and throw every gift you get like you always do.¡±

    ¡°But you, don¡¯t like that.¡±

    ¡°But it will help you recover your energy at least.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Myu shook its head.

    The sweat that had been raining down its face was frozen from the coldness. The girl did not even have the power to move the stiff hair away from the face.

    The icy pale lips were cracked like a barren wastnd and so was the skin. Frozen tears were sparkling beneath the eyelids with a truly forlorn glitter.

    Their conversation was about to end with every exchange so he contemted. A topic that Myu was interested in might be able to actively light a fire inside.

    However, Myu was way too powerless for that to be the case.

    ¡­Right. Looking back, that was very strange.

    Myu was way too powerless.

    He knew it was because the entire vige of concept had pushed the personality to powerlessness but this was over the top. It even made him wonder how an individual¡¯s personality could be this lethargic.

    Self-hatred said that it was like that for a very long time.

    He went through his memories. As a proof, whenever Yu Jitae said, ¡®You can do it,¡¯ to Myu¡¯s personality, it would always reply by saying the likes of, ¡®Me?¡¯ or ¡®Really?¡¯ The personality seemed to be finding it strange how it could actively do something.

    Yu Jitea pondered on.

    1. Most of the cold memories were the ones rted to her wandering life.

    2. Myu appeared to have continued wandering ever since she was born. In other words, she almost never settled down in one ce.

    3. Thus, she was curious about the new world and always asked him to experience new things outside.

    ¡°Did something happen to you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°¡­Like?¡±

    ¡°When you were young.¡±

    ¡°¡­How would I remember that?¡±

    Well, that was true. Proof was the ck wall behind them blocking their path.

    ¡°I, I, was floating adrift in the dimensions, ever since, I came to myself.¡±

    ¡°What happened after that?¡±

    ¡°I was always adrift¡­ For a very, long time. Sometimes, Inded in several areas, and spent time, ¡­but that was it.¡±

    ¡°Did you not settle in any of them?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t allowed to settle.¡±

    ¡°By who.¡±

    ¡°¡­My instincts.¡±

    Their conversation was cut off once again, as he was lost as to what to say.

    But during their short conversation, the rate of the white mists had decreased and the trembling body was in a slightly better state than before. A conversation indeed had the ability to boost mental power.

    What was he supposed to talk about this time with this unpleasant ck dragon?

    He didn¡¯t feel like throwing ame joke, nor did he think those would work.

    It was when he was deep in contemtion.

    ¡°¡­There is, something I am, curious about.¡±

    Myu turned from its prawn-like posture towards Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Ask anything you want.¡±

    ¡°You always, seem to have a goal.¡±

    Keeping his mouth closed, he gave a nod. Whatever the topic, he wanted to have Myu keep speaking.

    ¡°Whatever it was that you did, there was always a goal. Is that, correct?¡±

    ¡°What made you think that.¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­ but that was the feeling I got. Keeping me alive, isting me, in the basement, abusing and, giving me a vacation¡­¡±

    It collected its breath and continued.

    ¡°In every action and conduct, rted to me, you always seemed to be, looking for something specific¡­¡±

    Moving the frozen mouth, Myu diligently continued speaking as he once again gave a nod.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone do that though.¡±

    ¡°Even though I have been roaming all my life, I have seen my share of humans. There was not a single human like you among them.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    ¡°And looking back¡­¡±

    Myu used the shivering hand to sweep the hair.

    ¡°I thought you were only, doing that to me, but that was actually not the case¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking, about what happened at Paris.¡±

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°It was the same, even when you were dealing with the green-haired girl. Although you appeared kind, it was businesslike, and although you appearedfortable, you were always systematic.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It was truly a bizarre rtionship¡­ So even though I was outside to observe human rtionships, it was the two of you, that I was observing the most.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What I felt here and there, was that you were putting in a tremendous amount of attention¡­ to that impudent girl.¡±

    ¡°Was I.¡±

    Myu¡¯s hazy gaze regained its focus. The eyes had Yu Jitae¡¯s face as the only target.

    ¡°¡­That kid wouldn¡¯t know. If she was always under that much attention, she would probably find it normal¡­ because baby dragons, are quick at adapting to situations. But I am different. I ended up seeing it.¡±

    ¡°What did you see.¡±

    ¡°You lending a close ear on every one of her breaths and each noise of her heart.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He shut his mouth. Myu wasn¡¯t wrong.

    ¡°At the start, I thought it was because of me. Because I might have affected something. You know, that girl appeared to be treasuring you quite a lot so perhaps it was out of concern that she might be jealous?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­But, that was wrong. It was the same even when it was only the two of you. This is something I can tell from being a mutant, but you were listening to that impudent green-head¡¯s heartbeat, and observing her breath¡­ like a habit¡­ meaning you¡¯ve always been doing that.¡±

    In fact, it wasn¡¯t only Bom. Whenever they were together, Yu Jitae would observe the gazes of the children, and lend an ear to the breaths and the heartbeats.

    This entrically sensitive behaviour had already be a habit.

    ¡°¡­You guys seemed to have been together for a very long time. And yet even so, to the point of questioning the possibility of keeping such a close look on her, you were pouring attention at the green dragon to a burdensome degree¡­ Is that correct?¡±

    He usually would have told a lie by saying, ¡®No,¡¯ but lies were currently out of his control. Besides, the dragon in front of him was not his baby dragon so he deemed it okay to say the truth.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Why do you look so surprised by it. It¡¯s nothing that great.¡±

    ¡°¡­Of course it¡¯s surprising. Of course it is.¡±

    With a little more energy, Myu continued.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s the same even in this ce. ¡­Your ability is not much different from my own. Even though you probably have something, I am correct.¡±

    He remained silent.

    As Myu had said, Yu Jitae¡¯s current body was not too different from the countless mirror images of this ce, because that way, he would avoid the suspicion of the [Will of the Ancient One].

    ¡°But, until just then, I had, no idea¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae gave another nod but not for the sole purpose of inciting more words.

    Myu asked with a doubtful voice.

    ¡°¡­I am very curious. Do you, not feel tired?¡±

    ¡°What is there to get tired about.¡±

    ¡°Moving in this world eats at the mind quite a lot. Running with me in your arms, fighting¡­ and withstanding the cold to stay conscious should all gnaw at your mind¡­ Even though you are a superhuman, is that possible for a ¡®human¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Why would it be impossible.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, what a dreadful, human¡­¡±

    He observed Myu¡¯s breath. It was slightly more stable than before, which was a considerable progresspared to how it had been lying down for several hours.

    That was when he suddenly felt strange.

    Was it because Myu was slowly regaining its breath? Or perhaps because it was after confronting [Self-hatred].

    Or perhaps it was because the end of the long voyage was finally within sight. The daily emotions that he had retrieved in the 7th iteration made him open his mouth on a whim.

    ¡°A few days ago, I tried calcting it. Although the number might not be precise, I think it took around a thousand years.¡±

    ¡°Doing what?¡±

    He himself knew how his following words would be unnecessary, meaning every conversation hereon was all nothing but his whim.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been expecting a time like this toe eventually. But I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be at a foreign ce like this, with someone like you next to me.¡±

    Even though it was half a joke, Myu slowly widened its eyes while listening to his words.

    ¡°That, seems to be about the ¡®dream¡¯ that you¡¯ve told me about before¡­¡±

    ¡°You remember?¡±

    ¡°I do not forget anything. You said it on the way. That dream of yours that is beyond this wall.¡±

    Myu said while tapping the wall with the back of its head.

    ¡°¡­You mean the dream you have had for a thousand years is in front of this ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It has been a very long time.¡±

    ¡°That is crazy. Seriously¡­¡±

    ¡°Why. Is there anything wrong?¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Or is there anything strange about my words? I want you to understand. I¡¯ve never said this to anyone before.¡±

    Sitting on the spot, Myu shook its head and asked with a wider pair of eyes.

    ¡°Would you mind telling me the story about your ¡®dream¡¯?¡±

 Chapter 354: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (8)

    <h4>Chapter 354: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (8)</h4>

    A flustering request it was.

    He wasn¡¯t used to talking about himself, nor was he the type to go on and on about something. An unnecessary conversation was better left unvoiced.

    <Remaining time¡­ [2 hours 03 minutes].>

    However, there was still a considerable amount of time left and Myu¡¯s temperature had risen by a bit. More than anything, Myu seemed more energetic than before just because of the topic.

    There must be a reason the always-lethargic mirror image of the personality was throwing such a question at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing great but¡­¡±

    He opened his mouth.

    In a way, this could be considered a bizarre turn of events. Myu had a lot of attachment to the ck race and Yu Jitae was an existence who had massacred a fair bit of ck dragons.

    And yet Myu was curious about Yu Jitae¡¯s story, so he decided to share his life after slight adjustment.

    1st iteration. Story of the young Yu Jitae, with not a single thing he was skilled at, going through his first life and learning how to stand by himself.

    2nd iteration. Spending the time to head towards a better life. The first time he loved someone ¨C a story that however ended with despair.

    3rd iteration. Mindlessly wandering around the world seeking for power, thinking strength was the solution to all.

    While moderately cutting down on details that Myu would be ufortable about, Yu Jitae continued talking about his life. Naturally, he also glossed over the regression and vaguely added them into one time frame.

    As Myu quietly listened to his story, energy slowly began to enter its gaze. It was quite different from how it used to gasp for breath as if it would die any time soon.

    There was a funny aspect to the mind of an existence. There was a tendency to feel oddly consoled by watching someone else¡¯s despair.

    It was a natural form of emotion for any existence, so Yu Jitae was not that displeased even if Myu were to gain strength with his despair as the basis. Whatever it was, he was fine as long as Myu became energetic again.

    ¡°Truly, dreadful and, heartbreaking¡­¡±

    Myu¡¯s reply in the empty library soon vanished without even leaving behind an echo.

    ¡°I cannot even dare imagine it.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°I am a dragon and was born with an honourable blood. However, not once have I craved something as much as that¡­ You, are a truly mysterious person¡­¡±

    Myu murmured like a child.

    Suddenly, he remembered how Myu would sometimes act sensitively like a hatchling despite being an adult. It was understandable now that he knew how Myu had been living a roaming life ever since she was born. He could finally understand one of the principles behind her actions.

    But that instead made him feel weirdly ufortable. Deceiving the baby dragons was enough of a deception already.

    ¡°There is no reason to get that excited is there?¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because I am the nemesis of your race.¡±

    ¡°Right. That much is definitely true.¡±

    Myu¡¯s personality still had a fair bit of excitement in its expression.

    ¡°However, what I was in awe of was not you as a person, but your ardent desire for your dream.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Listening to you speak makes me wonder. How great of a dream must it be, that you are willing to go to such miserable lengths to achieve it?¡±

    ¡°You can tter me all you want, but you won¡¯t be getting anything in return.¡±

    ¡°I am not trying to tter you, see? Life without knowing the reason, and wandering without knowing why, is my story. Maybe that is why. The stories of your dreams are, seriously¡­¡±

    Using the only remaining hand, Myu tightly gripped onto its chest as the tiny hand clenched into a fist.

    The venomous gaze he was used to was nowhere in sight. The energy overflowing out of its eyes was wondrous even for him.

    ¡°¡­¡­Truly, marvelous are they not?¡±

    With a dreamy voice Myu whispered.

    After a few seconds of silence, Myu carefully reopened its mouth.

    ¡°¡­You see. I was born in order to help someone.¡±

    A story he had never heard before was flowing out of this foreign dragon¡¯s mouth. There was evidently more energy in its eyes than before so Yu Jitae decided to lend an ear to that story a little.

    ¡°What the task was, and who it was that I was supposed to help ¨C everything was beyond what I could remember. So floating adrift all around, my life couldn¡¯t help but end up bing neither one thing nor the other, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why am I alive. That was the asional question I had in my head.¡±

    ¡®Funny right? Even though I was definitely supposed to help someone.¡¯ Myu murmured.

    ¡°Our race was chased out a very long time ago and we had to stray around the outer dimensions without any ce to settle in. Because of that, I thought my job was to help everyone of my race.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you were trying to coil up on Earth?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why you killed people?¡±

    ¡°Well, that is not too far from the truth.¡±

    ¡°How nasty.¡±

    ¡°Right. Although it was with sloppy passion, I wanted to do something that included killing people. And I did. However, shouldn¡¯t you empathise with my cause? Since you have also killed my kindred to achieve your dream.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His silence caused Myu¡¯s lips to curl up a little. After some time, he agreed.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Myu started letting out a louder chuckle.

    Sitting there was a pair of dirty male and female. Two people who had drawn an unforgivable path in their life were sitting down talking to each other. That was what Yu Jitae thought at the very least.

    Even a sinner had an ongoing life. Even though no-one would be curious about it, a life that could note to an end would continue no matter the form. Those two disgusting stories shamelessly went further out and managed to reach this ce, and were now being tangled up.

    ¡°Then, since things have turned out like this anyway, would you mind giving an honest answer as fellow disgusting ones.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to know.¡±

    ¡°Can I, also be like you?¡±

    Myu asked with an innocent and frank voice.

    ¡°Will a daye where I finally help that someone? And fulfil the reason for my birth?¡±

    Before giving a reply, Yu Jitae reflected on the words of [Self-hatred]. The guy said Myu had been chased out from a very young age due to being worthless.

    Yu Jitae replied with a question.

    ¡°You. When you were discarded at the dumping ground.¡±

    ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°That was when there were new mirror images arriving at the vige, was it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And?¡±

    ¡°If you were born to help someone, does that mean those mirror images entering your body are in ordance with the reason for your birth?¡±

    Myu returned a nod.

    All the ones above ground right now were born in order for Myu to help someone.

    ¡°Then why would it be impossible to help.¡±

    ¡°You mean I can do that as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ve never helped anyone for over hundreds of years though?¡±

    ¡°You have everything prepared.¡±

    ¡°But, I am not confident¡­ I¡¯m scared. Because I¡¯ve never done anything the way I wanted to.¡±

    That was as expected of what a personality dumped with the trash would say. But from their conversation, Yu Jitae realised something.

    ¡°You need to do it,¡± he said.

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°If there is something to help with, you have to step up to help.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you being pushed around your whole life? Coming to Earth was by pure coincidence, and you were trying to lead a passive life here as well. That won¡¯t do. You have to take a step forward by yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­If only there was a way to justify it.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to be like me, was it?¡±

    ¡°I do want to be like you.¡±

    ¡°Then just do it.¡±

    Although he had been sprinting for a thousand years to reach this ce, it wasn¡¯t like there was some kind of grandiose reason behind it.

    There was something he wanted; something he wanted to aplish.

    And that was why he had been running for a thousand years.

    Myu blinked its eyes after listening to his persuasion.

    ¡°Is it really that simple? You mean I can be like you with only that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Myu¡¯s personality widened its eyes. Looking at someone else who despite being ced in a simr situation had created a different result, and listening to his advice seemed to have created some type of resonance in its heart.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Their conversation had a normal everyday aspect to it, so he marked the end in a normal manner.

    ¡°And kill as few people as possible if you can.¡±

    He gave a hypocritical remark to mark the end as Myu dumbfoundedly replied with a smile.

    ¡°¡­There is a condition.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°When we leave for this vacation, let me do some volunteer work. I will try helping someone.¡±

    Even though he nodded, he knew it was aughable conversation they were having.

    ¡°There will still be an observer so keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°How about youe with me and volunteer by my side?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to think about that.¡±

    Like that, the two talked about volunteer work. He talked a little about his campusmunity work that he had done with Yeorum and Myu¡¯s personality gave a nod in surprise.

    ¡°¡­How mysterious.¡±

    It¡¯s no longer cold is it?

    That was what Myu said.

    And it was the same for Yu Jitae.

    .

    .

    .

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 3 minutes].>

    ***

    However, the 7th iteration never went ording to n.

    If there truly was a guy called the god of fate, Yu Jitae would rip its limbs to pieces and kick it to a corner and throw questions at its face.

    Over a thousand years I have lived to atst reach this moment.

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 2 minutes].>

    That 1 minute,

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 1 minute].>

    Why couldn¡¯t you wait for just 1 minute.

    Kugugugung¡ª¨C!!

    Kugugugugugugugugung¡ª¨C!!

    It was sudden.

    The world started to shake. ¡®Ahhk!¡¯ shouted Myu in fright. It was about to bounce off and crush into the ceiling, so he held tightly onto Myu and withstood the shake byying his body low.

    Over time, the shaking turned all the more intense.

    Jumping up and down, it swallowed the library like a tidal wave. Some of the books fell from the bookshelves onto the floor before scattering into conceptual fragments.

    He thought to himself.

    Ants could jump around all they want inside a bowl, with the bowl never shaking an inch.

    Therefore, an existence that could shake the bowl like this was highly likely to be outside.

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 0 minutes 52 seconds].>

    Soon, Yu Jitae realised that someone in the real world was trying to shake him and Myu. With a ferocious gush of mana at that!

    The ceiling of the library came crumbling down and their heads suddenly turned bright. Dirt fell into the library as Myu closed its eyes with a scream.

    It was only a matter of time for them to be discovered so it was more important to find out the cause behind this incident instead of trying to hide themselves.

    <[Will of the Ancient One (SS)] finds the foreign sense of mana suspicious.>

    Regardless of the suspicions he had to do it. By immediately flooding out the mana he had hidden inside, he reached out to the outer world.

    At the same time, he let out an irritated roar in his mind looking for the clone. It was a furious shout demanding an exnation.

    ¨C Sov¡­

    Ringing in his head was the urgent response of Clone 1.

    Words were being cut off here and there because the string of mana was just too thin. But expanding it without a thought would only cause him to get chased out of the conceptual world by the Will of the Ancient One, so he patiently waited for the reply.

    ¨C Oscar¡­ suddenly¡­, ¡­attacked¡­

    Oscar?

    Oscar Brzenk?

    Since he was at the basement of the Association, it would mean he had suddenly attacked the Association.

    That made some sense. If Oscar Brzenk had suddenly attacked the Association, it was understandable for the explosion of mana to be able to shake even the underground istion room.

    However, there was still something that did not make sense.

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 0 minutes 44 seconds].>

    Why would Oscar Brzenk suddenly do such a thing?

    Did going to ask the Judges of Providence somehow end up making things go in a bad direction? That was the only thing he could guess as of now.

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 0 minutes 31 seconds].>

    Above the sky, his eyes caught sight of the dark bomber aircrafts ¨C the [Memory Maniptors]. One of them met their eyes with Yu Jitae.

    In that instant, irritation surged all the way up his head.

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 0 minutes 25 seconds].>

    He was almost there.

    Atst after a thousand years, the moment was right before his eyes.

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 0 minutes 21 seconds].>

    He had taken everything in consideration, so why was it that the thing called life never went the way he wanted it to;

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 0 minutes 19 seconds].>

    Why did it so desperately want him to fail?

    <Remaining time¡­ [0 hours 0 minutes 17 seconds].>

    Seven entities that had been circling around several kilometres above the sky finally gained a sense of clear direction.

    Even though they were bomber aircrafts, they weren¡¯t actual bomber nes. They were the incarnation of the ¡®authority¡¯ that was made to the most easily understandable target based on his [Conceptualisation].

    Following a peculiar urge, he pondered to himself. After defeating all those hardships and standing in this ce, this guy called god of fate was standing before his eyes choking his neck.

    This seemed to be the thing it was shouting.

    Are you still not going to give up?

    Still?

 Chapter 355: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (9)

    <h4>Chapter 355: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (9)</h4>

    The aircraft swiftly turned in mid air. They started falling straight down in a sudden drop aiming straight for that one target.

    ¡°Ahh¡­!¡±

    Myu screamed.

    The ¡®bomber aircrafts¡¯ simultaneously started shooting objects that were interpreted into irond missiles.

    elerated even further due to the rapid drop of the ne, the bombs travelled faster than streaks of rain.

    Dozens of missiles were falling towards Yu Jitae.

    It was more than enough to create a crater of dozens of metres in radius in this library of memories, and a quick calction told him it would destroy the nearbynds and wipe it off the face of this world.

    They acted with not a single reserve, even though the personality was in this ce!

    ¡°W, what should we do? At this rate we will end up dying!¡±

    In the middle of the shout, the first missilended on the ground 10 metres away from them creating arge explosion of light.

    ¡ª-!

    A deafening noise filled their eardrums. The sound waves reached a critical level, making it unable to differentiate each source of sound. The world was shaking with Myu crouching down and screaming inside it.

    ¡ª-!

    The next missile was slightly closer; approximately 5 metres away from them.

    Even though only the noise and the shockwave had reached them, a portion of the fragile mental concept of personality turned into conceptual shards that shattered and scattered like ss fragments.

    Thus, Yu Jitae hugged Myu in an even tighter grip.

    ¡ª!

    ¡ª¨C!

    Even in the following explosions, all he could do was clench his teeth and endure.

    Myu had already been pushed to the pit of despair once in this world. Drenched with fear, Myu¡¯s body shook heavily like there was no tomorrow as its fragments fell piece by piece.

    At this rate, something terrible might happen to Myu¡¯s personality even before the missilesnded on them.

    ¡®It¡¯s alright!¡¯ He shouted but his shout was buried in the surrounding noise, unable to reach its ears. Even so, Myu nervously gazed up at him so he shouted yet again. ¡®It¡¯s alright! You can do it! We can leave this ce together!¡¯ He didn¡¯t know how much of his words had managed to go through but Myu hugged him a little tighter in response.

    The crumbling of the body began to cease.

    What supported a concept was its mental power. The reason Yu Jitae could fight the monsters and bear through the cold despite having the same physical condition as the mirror image of Myu¡¯s personality was, in the end, due to the difference in their willpower.

    ¡ª¨C!

    ¡ª¨C!

    Atst, a missilended above Yu Jitae.

    That one strike quivered both his head and his entire body. He had to endure the bombardment with his bare body.

    Wounds were added upon wounds as his body bursted out into shards. His legs were crushed with bones being visible but he could not powerlessly lose like this.

    He had to endure it.

    Even if it was to eat at his mind and even if his body was to gradually crumble down, he had to endure through it.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª!!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª!!

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª!!

    Before long, the true round of bombardment began. His vision was painted in white as he tightly wrapped his arms around the screaming Myu.

    He could feel the heavy quivering of the body ¨C the personality was starting to be erased despite the existence¡¯s mental power. Those guys were bombarding this ce no matter the cost, as if trying to destroy this entire world.

    He did not close his eyes.

    In a world devoid of sound, his sense of touch became ever so distinct. His entire body felt scorching hot as if it was on fire. The world in his sight had already turned white and those opened eyes also felt like they were in a pit of me but even then, he did not close his eyes.

    With his open eyes, he gazed at the sky. As his willpower slowly started to dwindle, he opened his mouth to shout in a voice he could not hear.

    After a thousand years I have reached it.

    You think I will fall in such a lowly world

    From a trial as lowly as this?

    Who can dare make me fall.

    Who, dares¡ª-!

    Like a beast, he roared. Using his body to stop the rain of dirt and rocks that were scorching red after the explosion of light, Yu Jitae furiously bellowed in a fit of burning rage.

    Although his ears picked up not a single sound, he had to gather his disordered mind into one. His entire body burned and shattered into pieces, but he nheless withstood it.

    All the way, until the bombardments came to an end.

    *

    His unclosed eyes could see nothing but light, with the world erased from his sight. However it was fine and he thus did not close his eyes.

    After some time, the curtain of light was lifted but he still could not see the front and had be like a blind person.

    But reaching out with his hand, his fingertips touched something deste.

    The sense of touch was unreliable. The skin had already melted to nothing and the flesh was all scorched. It was the same even for his senses that existed as a concept ¨C he could feel nothing with his fingertips.

    However, the remaining finger bones were attached with his willpower and it was certain that there was something stopping the approach of his fingers.

    His body was half shattered and charred but he was still alive. In addition, his body hadn¡¯t scattered yet.

    Even though he currently had no way of knowing it, the conceptually crafted [Origin Fragment] had long been half demolished. More than half of the conceptual world was gone.

    The enemy had exploded themselves to death and even [Rationality] was destroyed in the process.

    That was how extreme the [Memory Maniptors] were with the bombardment. More than 70% of all the mirror images of this world were dead and the ones alive were on their knees kissing the ground, trembling on top of thends that hadn¡¯t crumbled down yet.

    However, the conceptual world supported by his willpower still had a cliff remaining that could be climbed up. The ck wall that even [Conceptualisation (SS)] could not interpret and the memories within it were also safe from the [Memory Maniptors] and were left on top of the cliff.

    Now that the library was gone, the wall looked like an extremely enormous ck container.

    Fortunately, the ¡®mirror image of personality¡¯ lying in his arms was also still alive. Its lungs moving along its breath was reaching his ribs. With that, he was certain it was still alive.

    Even though he still could not hear anything due to the aftermath, a part of his vision slowly came back. One of his eyes waspletely shut and the remaining eye had about 30% of its previous visibility.

    He was forcibly using his half-crushed eye to look at the front, but that much was more than enough.

    Firstly, he looked at Myu. Even if every mirror image of this world was to disappear, the personality could not. As long as the personality was alive, everything else could eventually be made again even though it might take some time.

    Myu was slowly dissipating in his arms so he had to open his mouth which he doubted was working properly to calm Myu down.

    It¡¯s alright.

    It is all over.

    When he diligently tried to convey that, Myu carefully raised its head to look at him but there was soon a look of extreme shock on its face. Looking deeply into Myu¡¯s eyes, he could understand the reason behind that expression.

    It was no wonder one of his eyes couldn¡¯t see.

    Half of his entire head was crushed so that was to be expected.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Immediately after that, Myu lost consciousness. In order to survive, the personality was instinctively trying to withstand until thisrge shock was to pass by.

    He turned his gaze to the surroundings.

    This ce which had seemed like a peaceful vige of the mountainous countryside now appeared like a floating ind after the arrays of bombardment. It now resembled a donut-shaped ind with a hole in the centre.

    Even the bottom ground was all crushed and beneath the ground was of the same colour as the sky. In the centre of that world, Yu Jitae and Myu were on the bottom of a cliff.

    The cliff was floating in mid-air. Yu Jitae¡¯s willpower had protected not only his body and Myu but also this much of thend from the bombardment.

    He turned his eyes to the remaining donut-shaped ind. There was a small cave nearby. That cave was probably [Impulse] where every primeval actions were carried out alongside reflex responses.

    It was a cave that could usually only be reached by going endlessly down to the basement covered in [Unconsciousness].

    Yu Jitae climbed down the cliff with his quivering legs and ced Myu down in that cave before once again returning to the cliff.

    The only remaining task was the most important one.

    Using his bony arms and ck, scorched legs, he began to climb the cliff.

    Unable to grip properly, his hands slipped. Once, he even rolled down from the cliff because there was not a sliver of energy left behind in his body.

    However, he went to the cliff and climbed it regardless.

    He was swept away in an indescribable emotion. A message that floated up even though he had yet to fully climb the cliff incited his emotions even more.

    <The target is the [Will of the Ancient One (SS)].>

    At the very top ¨C at the end of the library of memories surrounded by ck walls was the clue to solving the [Will of the Ancient One (SS)]. As long as he could destroy it, he would be able to discover the coordinates of ¡®Askalifa¡¯ in the distant dimensions.

    He would be able to send the baby dragons back home.

    Atst, his long-aspired dream was right before his eyes.

    How much had he been longing;

    For this moment to arrive.

    How much have I been longing for it¡­

    From the bottom of his dead emotions rose up memories of the past flowing through his mind.

    How immensely long of a voyage had it been¡­

    [Conceptualisation] was still activated and it started to show an image inside his mind.

    With him in the centre, the world flipped upside down from the tip of the distant sky. Revealed around him before long was a dark world. He was sitting on top of a certain boat.

    He could hear the calm sshes of the ocean but his eyes could not find anything in this world no matter how far they faced. Looking up did not let him find any stars nor the moon and there was nothing but void in his eyes.

    The ship leaving the port was once again floating adrift,

    But the end of that journey wasing.

    Raising his eyes, he looked into the distance.

    Look. Off in the far distance somewhere within the darkness ¨C isn¡¯t there something definite that was even darker standing tall oozing with presence?

    As if telling him toe¡­

    He crawled up.

    Going one step higher.

    One hand above.

    He climbed higher and higher, before atstying his hand on the scorchednds next to the ck wall.

    A gush of bright light started to envelope him.

    The light was intense enough to blind his eyes once again, but it was an indescribably holy and lofty light different from anything of this world. With his broken face he smiled. Only half of his face was remaining so the smile was also half-crooked.

    He simply could not control himself. Feeling the sense of fulfilment overwhelming his body, he gave a wide smile in quiet anticipation.

    At the end of the 1,000-year-long voyage,

    He finally reached the lighthouse.

    ***

    The Regressor stood at the top of the world.

    From a small gap in the middle of the [ck Wall] came out a piece of paper. This was the information regarding [Will of the Ancient One] that had been analysed by [Conceptualisation] over the period of 24 hours.

    Slowly, the mirror image that was the host of the [Will of the Ancient One] was starting to be revealed.

    Even now, when looking up at the sky, he could see the immensely foolish red eye looking down at the world. Yu Jitae had never used any ability that exceeded the threshold and therefore, the guy followed its principles and overlooked everything despite the world crumbling down to this state.

    The mirror image that [Will of the Ancient One] was surviving by leaching off of was still alive somewhere and that was why the eye was still hanging in mid air. It would be among the living ones and he simply had to go up and kill it.

    A page among Myu¡¯s sealed memories came out to Yu Jitae. It was folded in half but he unhesitatingly spread it open.

    Well, whoever it was was not that important, because everything was almost over.

    Thinking that he opened the paper and,

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He immediately froze on the spot.

    *

    At some point in time, Myu¡¯s personality woke up from its sleep.

    How long has it been, it wondered.

    Light was seeping into the barren cave of the barren world. The sun was rising so a night must have gone by already. Apathetically calcting the time, Myu realised that quite a bit of time had passed.

    Sitting nkly inside the cave, Myu¡¯s personality gazed at the barren world.

    Everything was wiped off of the conceptual world. But the risk of another explosion was still there so a few of the surviving mirror images on top of the ground still had devastated looks on their faces.

    Suddenly, Myu felt rather uneasy. There was not a particr reason, but what flowed out of the tiny speck of a hole on the [ck Wall] was a part of Myu¡¯s memories of the youth that she had forgotten and that was also conveyed to ¡®Myu¡¯ of the conceptual world. It was because the mirror image of the personality in this conceptual world was the only existence that shared the memories and senses with Myu¡¯s true body.

    It was when Myu was nkly looking at the ground of the empty cave.

    Something blocked the lighting into the cave.

    Raising its head, Myu saw Yu Jitae standing at the entrance.

    His body was still a mess. Crushed head, scorched body, arms with only bones and a bizarre pair of legs.

    ¡°Ah, are you back?¡±

    Myu weed him with a slightly brighter look on its face but he stood quietly at the entrance of the cave, silently looking back into its eyes.

    ¡°Why did you not wake me up. I think it has been around four days already.¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    Like the first time they met,

    There was no expression on his face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The uneasiness inside became a little bigger.

    On the other hand, Myu was curious why it was weing him with such a happy tone of voice. Was it because of the time they spent chattering in the cold? Or perhaps it was because of the content of the conversation they had that Myu was feeling a little more attached.

    If not, it could also be because the advice he gave had left an impression in its mind. To Myu¡¯s lethargic question, he replied, ¡®You can be like me¡¯.

    So, even though it might only be a little¡­

    ¡­Myu thought they had gotten a bit closer.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was why Myu felt a little more uneasy.

    Myu was a dragon.

    Dragons did not forget, and the mirror image was also Myu.

    Soon, after walking closer, he dropped a piece of paper on the ground. The uneasiness was turning into reality.

    With trembling hands, Myu picked up the paper.

    Myu immediately recognised the faded picture and the words written on the dirty piece of paper. On it was an exnation and a picture of the mirror image that [Will of the Ancient One (SS)] had chosen as the host.

    The identity of the host inside the picture¡­

    Crouching down on the ground, Myu raised its vacant eyes to stare at Yu Jitae. Even though he was right before its eyes, he was there with the light behind him with his expression unable to be discerned.

    Myu gave an awkward smile.

    Its lips were probably raised up.

    Thinking it was a little awkward, it erased the smile off of its face and looked back down.

    1,000 years.

    A thousand years huh¡­?

    How long would a thousand years have been to a human¡­?

    Thinking about that created another smile on the lips. This time, even its eyes were in a curve.

    Myu gazed back up at his face.

    ¡°¡­ How, ¡­unfortunate.¡±

    Myu couldn¡¯t stare at his face for too long, so lowered its gaze again.

    ¡°I was really looking forward to this vacation¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    Myu clenched its lips a little before giving a light shake.

    ¡°Why did you bother waiting for me to wake back up¡­

    ¡°Have you not been waiting for a thousand years?

    ¡°What; did you be soft after all that time or something?¡±

    Raising its head again, Myu looked at him. Staring at his face that was still very difficult to see, Myu gave a faint smile.

    Hanging in his hand was a sword.

    Suddenly, the conversation shared with him came back up to the surface.

    If there is something to help with, you have to step up to help.

    The voice that was vivid in its memories despite the cold taking away from its concentration.

    ¡°Is this the right way to help?¡±

    Myu reached out to grab the de of the sword. However, he did not let go of it.

    ¡°Ah, is it not?

    ¡°Please understand.

    ¡°This is my first time stepping up to help someone, so I might be unskilled.¡±

    When Myu released its grip, he too rxed his hand for some reason. The tip of the de quivered. He seemed to have felt some kind of emotion and Myu felt something as well.

    Myu once again grabbed the de. After some resistance, he released his grip.

    The entity carried the de in its two hands.

    ¨C You mean I can be like you?

    He had replied, yes.

    ¡°I really wanted to go on this vacation¡­¡±

    Myu said with trembling fingertips.

    ¡°But still, I am d that I could help someone despite the method.¡±

    As the conversation they had regarding their dreams resurfaced in its mind,

    ¡°I have finally managed to fulfil my dream. It is thanks to you.¡±

    The existence that only knew how to be powerless,

    ¡°So, My Nemesis¡­¡±

    Pointed the tip of the de at its own neck.

    ¡°¡­I hope you achieve your dream as well.¡±

    .

    .

    .

    Light dissipated, brightening up the cave.

    Walking outside, he stared at the sky.

    Fragments were scattering down from the sky, covering the world with its light.

    The world was dazzlingly bright even for half an eye to see.

    Therefore, his shadow was all the more darker.

 Chapter 356: Episode 101: Chicken Box (1)

    <h4>Chapter 356: Episode 101: Chicken Box (1)</h4>

    Myu died.

    To be precise, Myu wasn¡¯t dead.

    Her physical body was still alive but the unique character and identity that had been with Myu ever since her birth had just then vanished from this world.

    Turning his head, he looked at the paper on the ground; at the dirty piece of paper and the picture and words written on it.

    The mirror image selected as the host by [Will of the Ancient One (SS)] was none other than the mirror image of [Personality]. In order to break the Will of the Ancient One, Myu had to die.

    So to be precise, Myu wasn¡¯t dead.

    He killed her.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He turned around and quietly observed the world. Conceptual fragments that had once filled the sky were falling endlessly, flickering in its path.

    A few of the fragmentsnded in front of his eyes as he extended his hand to let the falling shards rest on his palm. He then gazed at them deeply, until they dissipated into nothing.

    Everything in this world would return to such fragments after losing their concept. Since concepts do not exist in reality, they could not be retrieved once they disappear.

    Myu will never be able toe back now.

    The conceptual fragments on his palm gave off itsst glitter before scattering into the air. Like a pile of dust they gradually flew off, and it was impossible to even tell its path.

    He moved his feet. His feet were in quite a rush.

    Once he cancelled [Conceptualisation (SS)], Myu¡¯s world that he had resided in for a not-so-short time started to crumble. On the way back to reality, there was a time where he was unable to see nor hear anything.

    In that ce, he organised his thoughts.

    It was quitemon.

    Locked dimension; an enclosed period of time. That was something anyone was bound to experience several times when living a disgusting life for a thousand years.

    There should have been nothing new in his emotions.

    But his mood betrayed that preconception.

    He felt something concurrently twitching in the depths of his mind. The dark thing that reared its head time after time was looking up into his eyes.

    He was in a hurry.

    The 7th iteration was the cause of all problems.

    This wretched iteration that had an especiallyrge number of variables was constantly throwing problems at his face. Things that must happen ording to his anticipations ¨C all those events he had nned over the long time frame were subtly steering away from his ns.

    How nasty of an iteration this was. How hateful of a life.

    It repeatedly threw tedious and miserable things at his face and towards the end it was now throwing in a variable that overturned all the previous iterations.

    Being made to walk through a desert for a thousand years, it was natural to expect thest day to also be through a desert. So why was it that his path was filled with thorns all throughout?

    Variables.

    That was instigating his irritation.

    Or was it really irritation?

    Can this be justbelled as ¡®irritation¡¯?

    Maybe he was anxious?

    No. That can¡¯t be. He refused to believe it. Anxiety was the emotion of a weak existence. He didn¡¯t even know when thest time he felt such an emotion was.

    However, his mind was still in a rush. It felt as if a ball rolling down a smooth path had suddenly met a wrong slope.

    After a thousand years he had finally found the answer. Though there may be some trivial matters along the road still, this was practically the end.

    All he had to do was use the coordinates of the outer dimension which he would soon find and send the baby dragons back to that ce.

    Even though there was his personal greed, spending more time with the kids was only going to expose them to more unnecessary variables of the 7th iteration. Despite his presence, thisnd might be dangerous because there were still unidentifiable variables including the [Hostility].

    In the vastly empty and silent world, he reflected on the words Vintage Clock had conveyed.

    [You will. Definitely. Be happy.]

    ¡­It was a somewhat strange statement.

    With his mind pushed into a corner, Vintage Clock¡¯s words felt even more significant than before.

    His mind was burning.

    He had to find the Vintage Clock as soon as possible.

    He had to ask what its definition of ¡®happiness¡¯ was.

    ***

    Yu Jitae was back in the real world when he opened his eyes.

    It had been around a month since he had entered the conceptual world. He had been sitting still next to Myu for a whole month.

    Myu was lying down on the ground. She was breathing; there was blood flowing in her body and her eyes were half open.

    There was a part of him that thought, maybe. He brought his hand to her eyes and slowly waved it up and down.

    Her faintly opened eyes showed not a single response.

    This time, he used his watch to shine light into her eyes. The pupils contracted ¨C the reflex system was still there, but he could not find any conscious response.

    She was no different from a stringless puppet.

    He closed her eyes,

    With his hands trembling.

    First off, he decided to finish the experiment.

    Because of the firm lock on the door, no-one hade in but it seemed that the room had been shaken, evident from the fallen chair and experimental tools rolling around the floor. One of Myu¡¯s legs was also falling down the bed.

    After having her sit properly, he raised his knife.

    The barrier under the name of [Will of the Ancient One (SS)] had already been cracked open. Now, he could dissect the authority organ, [Emergency Summon], and find the form for the long-distance dimensional intersection.

    This too was written in words that could not be seen on Earth but there were no problems as he had an ability that could understandnguages and letters of other worlds.

    <The skill, [Fallen Babel (S)] analyses the magic equations of the distant dimension.>

    <Current state of Analysis: ¡­0%>

    The percentage slowly rose up. Even though his proficiency at the skill had reached the limit, he still had to wait several weeks at this rate.

    It was always like this. Anything rted to the dragons would always take a long time with zero exception.

    He had been waiting for a thousand years. Waiting for an extra month or two was not that big of a deal.

    At least that should have been the case.

    Maybe he was in a rush, but the extra required period of a month made him feel very uneasy.

    In a rush? Me?

    He did not want to acknowledge it.

    But more importantly, what was taking this damn number so long to crawl up?

    <Current state of Analysis: ¡­1%>

    His senses were sharpened like the edge of a sword.

    Even then, he had to hold it in.

    Once this analysis was over.

    He would finally be able to send the baby dragons back home.

    ***

    Regardless of what had happened to Myu, and regardless of whether he had to send the baby dragons back home or not;

    There was something more important for him to do. He had to find the Vintage Clock, and his mind quickly thought of a clear method that could make that happen.

    Leaving the underground istion room, he headed to the ground with rapid steps.

    The shockwave that had shook the conceptual world;

    The power that tried to ruin the end of his long voyage.

    The Regressor clenched his jaws. The surging irritation had with it a force of inertia as it elerated even further over time. He had never felt this irritated recently.

    He would now head somewhere, and would find whoever possible. He would then ask them questions about this incident.

    Whoever it may be, they would have to give a satisfactory reply.

    All sorts of messages and contacts had been flooding his watch ever since he turned it on. Most of them were from Jefferson and Kang Ahjin and there were also several from other agents but he did not bother checking through them.

    He went up to the ground. People saluted after seeing him.

    ¡°Chief!¡±

    ¡°Aht¡­¡±

    Ignoring their salutes, he carried his feet forward.

    Despite the unwavering gaze of his eyes, he scrutinised everything near him. With the eyes of a snake, he scanned through everyone; their faces, eyes, weapons and postures, andstly he ced the value of their existence on the scales of [Eyes of Equilibrium].

    Those that looked into his eyes froze from the unfamiliar sense of fear.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for you! Season.¡±

    Hearing the news of his arrival, Jefferson urgently ran up and started walking by his side as he began reporting the things that had happened recently.

    However, Yu Jitae shook his hand to make him shut up.

    His watch rang ¨C he was getting direct calls from various executives including Zhuge Haiyan but he ignored all of them.

    ¡°¡­Are you okay sir?¡±

    Jefferson, who had received the order to make sure there weren¡¯t any problems until his return, asked nervously due to his failure at following through with hismand.

    ¡°Return to your office and look after your own work.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes sir! Certainly.¡±

    Yu Jitae did not me him and instead continued walking forward with rapid steps. There was nothing wrong with Jefferson ¨C he had been moving in ordance with Yu Jitae¡¯s ns.

    He lent his ear to the urate information being ryed in real time by Clones 1 and 2.

    ¨C The one who has attacked the Association was Oscar Brzenk.

    It was as expected.

    ¨C The target used every bit of authority as a sovereign to push the Association into confusion and constantly tried to head towards the underground istion chambers.

    As he had expected, it indeed was an action that was aimed at him.

    ¨C Currently, Brzenk is 7 days into istion, and is locked up in Room 27. However, the Brzenk Family is protecting his equipment including the Level 5 artifact!

    Now what the heck was this about.

    He once again felt irritation surging inside.

    ¨C This is regarding the current extent of damage.

    ¨C 415 injured civilians, 177 injured superhumans, 2 civilians and 1 superhuman dead. Chairman Chaliovan had activated the [Force Field of Life] to decrease the number of casualties.

    ¨C 12% of the defence facilities have been damaged, 35% of which were destroyed beyond repair.

    ¨C Something else that might be of importance, is that the ¡®Returnee¡¯, BM, alongside the ¡®Nuclear Bomb¡¯, Jeanie Inssirem, have been hospitalised due to a serious injury.

    ¨C It was thanks to the sacrifice of the two that the human casualties could be minimised and in the meantime, I borrowed the power of the Witch to capture the target alive.

    ¨C Since this is a unique situation different from normal terrorist attacks, the target has been handed over to the Association¡¯s administration.

    This too was a report that gnawed at his mood.

    It was a [Sovereign] attacking the Association with determination and yet the number of casualties were irritatingly few.

    No matter how Clone 1 was to retaliate, if Oscar Brzenk had used even a tiny bit of his brain to attack while jumping across the dimensions, he should have been able to kill 30% of the Association¡¯s military without difficulty.

    ¨C Yu Bom had predicted the situation.

    He furrowed his brows.

    Bom did?

    ¨C Yes. An urgent conference was gathered under Chaliovan¡¯s lead. Although it was met with severe opposition, she managed to cleverly persuade them.

    ¨C I will now send memories rted to that.

    Images appeared in his mind. Central Conference room ¨C the room was filled with loud voices criticising Bom¡¯s words for being ridiculous. Bom persuaded them by putting her prestige on the line and it worked.

    ¨C Chairman Chaliovan has fallen asleep after using all his power in activating the [Force Field of Life], and it is currently the acting chiefs of each department that are givingmands in his stead.

    He usually would have looked for Bom to check her condition.

    However, Yu Jitae cut themunication off for a while.

    Although the result wasn¡¯t that bad, the process was very unpleasant. He had never requested Bom to do such a thing.

    A frown appeared on his face.

    This was clearly a ¡®variable¡¯.

    It felt as if someone had peeled his hangnail off.

    The military prepared by Yu Jitae was on standby at the Association. They would have been able to protect themselves even if Oscar Brzenk was to carry out an ambush. Although they would have suffered a greater loss, there would have been zero problems to their continuance.

    But if Bom came into the picture and shook themand centre, things might have turned worse.

    Both the result and the reality did not matter. This was a matter of ¡®uncertainties¡¯.

    A matter of ¡®variables¡¯ which irritated him significantly.

    It was when a fair amount of irritation was impulsively gushing out of him when Bom¡¯s aura just happened toe nearby.

    Before long, Bom walked out from the other side of the corridor. She appeared to have used [Teleport (S)] on repeat to follow his hazy tracks from a distance and had a slightly rushed breath.

    It was a re-encounter after a month but he was not happy.

    In fact, he was close to getting angry.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Collecting her breath, Bom looked at him. She was forcibly suppressing a bright smile from showing on the outside.

    But the moment their eyes met was when the smile slowly began to disappear from her face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Silence.

    The two quietly looked at each other.

    Bom gazed deeply at his face and his eyes to read his mood, before carefully opening her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°Wee back¡­¡±

    In the face of the nonchnt greeting, he closed his eyes for a bit. He had to soothe his anger.

    From now on, he had to tell as few lies as possible. Words had power, and he knew how absurdly strong they could be. Lies that cannot be regted outside of his mouth would continue rolling like a snowball, bing an even bigger problem over time.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t bear saying to the child, ¡®Why did you do something unnecessary that I didn¡¯t even tell you to do¡¯¡­ Because the result was good despite it being outside of his words¡­ Because she was a precious child despite her irritating actions¡­

    Whatever it was. For whatever reason it may be.

    Yu Jitae restrained his expression as much as possible.

    He opened his mouth.

    ¡°Go home.¡±

 Chapter 357: Episode 101: Chicken Box (2)

    <h4>Chapter 357: Episode 101: Chicken Box (2)</h4>

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom widened her eyes.

    ¡°Go home, and don¡¯te out. Until I tell you to.¡±

    Her expression rapidly changed. The widened eyes of shock became narrower as the opened mouth gradually came to a close.

    At the same time, Clone 1¡¯s voice resonated in his mind.

    ¨C My lord. Yu Bom has been waiting at the Association for a week after the event waiting for your arrival.

    And what about it, huh?

    It was when he was about to rebuke the clone.

    ¡°¡­Where have you been?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask and just go.¡±

    ¡°Can you please tell me? I¡¯ve been waiting for a while.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter, so go.¡±

    ¡°¡­Where you had been, and what you were doing ¨C please just tell me that.¡±

    Bom said with a pout. She refused to listen to his intent.

    He was telling her to go, so why wasn¡¯t she going.

    This was an oue outside his prediction. Perhaps because of his extremely temperamental mood, even this felt like a type of uncertainty.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±

    ¡°Leave.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    His facial muscles twitched as Bom clenched her lips. Her shoulders shrunk in nervousness.

    Maybe she was scared of him like the first day they met.

    Everything might go back to how it was at the start, but that was still better than her bing a variable that ruins the 7th iteration.

    ¡°Are you not going to listen? Behave like you normally do.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Bom. I¡¯m in a very bad mood right now, and I don¡¯t feel like messing around.¡±

    ¡°So, why is that¡­?¡±

    ¡°What can you do after knowing about it huh? Just leave.¡±

    He growled and Bom closed her mouth.

    ¡°Do what I tell you to do. If you do not listen to me, I would have to make you listen by force. I¡¯m in a disgusting mood right now so don¡¯t be an addition to it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why? ¡­Why are you in a bad mood? Can you please just tell me that¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something to talk to you about. You just stay still. Do not needlessly step up and go home. Go and wait for me toe back.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That is all you need to do. Do not make things any more tedious for me. I¡¯m close to getting tired of you.¡±

    Bom fiercely bit on her lower lips, as her front white teeth became wet with blood.

    Shock filled her circr eyes.

    So what if she had been waiting for him at the Association for a week? That failed to ring his heart in any way. It would instead be better for her to sob like how she did in the past because with a crumbled heart, Bom would go back home and stop being a nuisance.

    Bom licked her lips with her tongue. She slowly wiped the blood before asking him a question.

    ¡°¡­Do you even find me pretty?¡±

    It was a question trying to test his affection and absurdly enough, even in a situation like this, Bom still looked pretty.

    He had no idea what meaning there was to this garbage romantic emotion at this point. This too was an element he had never wished for ¨C it was another uncertainty.

    However, this alone was something he couldn¡¯t tell the truth for. He opened his mouth.

    ¡°??.¡±

    Bom silently looked into his eyes.

    She then walked up to him and rested her head on his chest. He decided against pushing her away, because the rugged sound of her exhale was way too coarse forfort.

    ¡°You know. Ever since the first day we met¡­¡±

    Bom said with a lump in her throat.

    ¡°I thought there was no reason for me to know everything about you¡­ Because you didn¡¯t seem to want that¡­ I thought living in ignorance would make us happy¡­¡±

    What in the world was she bbering about, he wondered.

    ¡°¡­But not anymore.¡±

    It was an rming set of words.

    Because she was leaning on his chest, he could not see her expression. After that, she immediately turned around and hurriedly began to distance herself.

    ¡°Oi. Yu Bom.¡±

    He tried to grab her but Bom disappeared in the middle by traversing through the dimension. He did not bother breaching the spell.

    An odd emotion urged him on, telling him to chase after her to ask what she meant.

    But he thought about it after suppressing his hasty emotions. Even if Bom were to hear something from someone on Earth, would that serve to cause any problems?

    He went through the list by the process of elimination. Ha Saetbyul lost her memories; the clones were loyal to Yu Jitae; Chaliovan was in deep sleep and the Witch knew nothing. There was no information in the undergroundbyrinth; Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul werepletely oblivious and the most problematic Myu had her personality gone.

    Therefore, Bom would not be able to discover anything.

    After bing certain, he moved his feet.

    ***

    His feet were headed to the central building of the Association ¨C at the unique room reaching 5 metres in both length, width and height, located at the 9th floor, the highest floor of the building.

    It was a distinctive prison-shaped artifact aimed at imprisoning extraordinary criminals. This Level 4 artifact was the only ce that could even confine an adult dragon despite having to meet a few conditions.

    Room 27 of the central building.

    However, there were agents of the Association gathered two floors beneath on the 7th floor. Each of them were whispering to each other with their uneasy gazes looking up the staircase.

    When Yu Jitae appeared behind them, those that recognised him quickly saluted him.

    ¡°Respect to the Chief!¡±

    He continued walking without saluting them back when someone voiced out their concern in surprise.

    ¡°Ah, Season¡­! Please wait one moment.¡±

    He stopped his feet.

    ¡°Currently, the 8th floor is packed with the Brzenk Family, and we cannot reach the 9th floor. They are standing firmly there.¡±

    ¡°¡­And,¡±

    ¡°For now, they are insisting that we cannot even visit him without getting permission from the Chairman¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright. Move aside.¡±

    ¡°Ah, please wait one second! We are currently in contact with themand centre. This is an issue that warrants a more cautious approach¡­¡±

    He closed his eyes.

    What was the cause of all these problems, he wondered. Now, some random thing was going against his intent trying to create an uncertainty.

    Tension was added to the trigger ¨C his impulse was numbing his finger.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir?¡±

    ¡°Oscar is currently a rebel, a terrorist and a prisoner is he not.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. That is correct sir¡­¡±

    ¡°And what is my job.¡±

    ¡°G, giving advice on the Association¡¯s military movement, nning operations and dealing with emergency situations¡­, ¡­sir.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Dealing with military emergency situations is the role given to a chief advisor. And that chief advisor is here trying to meet an anti-Association terrorist. The chief advisor will be carrying out an inquisition; interrogate the problem and find the source of the issue.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yet you are stopping me, and telling me that a ¡®visit¡¯ with a terrorist, requires Chaliovan¡¯s ¡®permission¡¯. Is that correct?¡±

    ¡°I, I, I was¡­¡±

    Barely suppressing his impulse, Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°Who do you think you are.¡±

    It seemed as if he would kill him depending on the response.

    ¡°Ah, uhh¡­¡±

    The guy began to tremble as if his spine was caught on fire.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you.¡±

    The agent fainted on the spot. His body fell back as the ones in the surroundings startledly supported the falling agent. It then revealed a path in front of him.

    He closed his eyes, and pulled the impulse to trap it inside.

    Without a word, he headed to the 8th floor.

    *

    The 8th floor was truly a sight to see. More than 10 superhumans blocking the staircase heading to the 9th floor and standing firmly really was an absurd sight.

    Carmae the agent was fighting them out. This ck woman was the deputy minister of the Association¡¯s administration, a Grade 5 agent and a high executive.

    ¡°How many times do I have to say it? Chairman Chaliovan is in a slumber because of his illness, and the administration has the authority to deal with postwar adjustments in the case of the Chairman¡¯s absence!¡±

    ¡°Well, but that¡¯s only during a war! Do you think I don¡¯t know the regtions of the Association or something?¡±

    The ones blocking them were of the ¡®Brzenk Family¡¯, an organisation of high rankers personally selected by Oscar Brzenk to be granted the name, ¡®Brzenk¡¯.

    They were a transnational mercenary group of rankers.

    ¡°How can you treat this the same way as a war? No-one knows what was going inside Sir Oscar¡¯s mind when he did this!¡±

    ¡°What kind of cow poo is that? He, attacked, the Association! God damn it, he attacked the Association. Is he still the same sovereign we know?¡±

    ¡°What do you even know about the works of a sovereign?!¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me if you know it so well? For what reason did he attack the Association which yearns for the peace of the world and humanity?¡±

    ¡°Who can dare represent the will of the sovereign! We are only requesting for some time of recovery for him so that we do not get misinformed about his will!¡±

    ¡°Whether he is given time for recovery or not, will be decided by the Association!¡±

    There was a sharp edge to their conversations, enough so for them to burst out at any given moment.

    It was then. The vice leader of Brzenk Family, Rank 26, the ¡®Robust¡¯ Redwood Brzenk stood in front of Carmae. He was two heads taller than the short Carmae, and she flinched before taking a few steps back.

    The superhumans of the Association nervously stood in front of Carmae to protect her. One of them was Myung Yongha taking a step further to confront Redwood.

    ¡°What are you trying to do.¡±

    Myung Yongha¡¯s words kindled a fire to the tension.

    ¡°And what do you think I¡¯m trying to do, hmm?¡±

    ¡°Step back. It¡¯s yourst warning.¡±

    Everyone stared at the two whilst holding their breath. This could mark the start of a tremendouslyrge strife.

    But none of them could step up to settle the situation or instigate it, so every second felt like an eternity.

    Clomp.

    The heavy sound of dress shoes echoed across the quiet corridor.

    Clomp.

    A few of them turned their heads from the unusually noisy footsteps.

    Clomp.

    Their gazes were contagious. Slowly, more and more people turned their heads towards the source of the sound, and every high executive of the Association within this ce froze on the spot.

    Clomp.

    On the other hand, neither his face nor his data were well-known outside the Association, so the members of the Brzenk Family had confusion written on their faces as they looked at the man, wondering who this guy was that was causing so much fuss.

    Clomp.

    Atst, after walking up to them, Yu Jitae looked around with a slow gaze. He looked at the chairs for the dozen of Brzenk Family members, their tables and protective artifacts. On top of that, they were in full armours.

    ¡°Are you carrying out a riot here?¡±

    The man asked.

    ¡°What? What kind of¡­¡±

    ¡°You must be out of your mind. Standing in front of a terrorist¡¯s prison, causing a fuss, stopping the admistration executives froming in. Why not use a card to justify your cause or something.¡±

    ¡°T, this treacherous fool! It looks like you have some title to your name or something, but fuck off when I¡¯m being nice!¡±

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes once again.

    The uncertainty brought about by Oscar Brzenk was now making things tedious for him in such a form.

    Some trivial random nothing, was stopping his path trying to throw in variables at his face; like how the entire world used to sabotage him in the distant past.

    It was easy for things to go south. The world was organic, and butterflies pped their wings everywhere.

    One human who was locked in such a life for over thousands of times, pledged to himself after around two thousand iterations.

    If the pping wings of a butterfly was the problem,

    Then might as well cut off every wing of a butterfly in sight.

    Kwaang!

    Yu Jitae kicked the table. The high-end wooden table flew off like a cannonball as one of the members of the Brzenk Family crashed into the wall.

    ¡°You dare!¡±

    One of the other members stepped forward after a shout but his sight was immediately reced with a sh. When the man came to himself, he was already flying through the air after an intense crash ¨C it was from the chair Yu Jitae had thrown.

    ¡°You are asking for death!!¡±

    In that instant, someone unsheathed their sword and ran in. At the same time, the Association¡¯s superhumans also nervously dashed forward.

    Yu Jitae smacked the face of the one at the front. With a thud, the man¡¯s face dented in. His upper body was flung off like a human in a car crash and rotated in the air and his head exploded the moment it touched the ground.

    The man immediately died on the spot.

    ¡°Impossible¡­!¡±

    ¡°H, he¡¯s dead!¡±

    One of them shouted.

    ¡°Y, you fucker!¡±

    Controlled by fury, the humans came sprinting in. It was more so because they were recently being heavily pressured mentally due to Oscar Brzenk¡¯s actions.

    Their wings had to be cut off. A transparent aura gathered at Yu Jitae¡¯s fingertips before soon forging into the shape of a de.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    He gripped killing intent.

    An unprecedented killing intent; waving mana; astonished eyes.

    Desperate bodies; lips trying to scream; scattering blood.

    Crushed armours; revealed necks; hiding arteries.

    Piercing de; heads struggling from pain. Lips, tongues, eyes. Livesing to an end.

    That day, Yu Jitae killed all the mercenaries of that ce. The humans who had been breathing alive just a moment ago, were now on the floor as gruesome corpses.

    It was an unexinable event. Not a single scream was heard during the fight.

    None of the present ones could dare try to stop him. He moved his feet as the soldiers cowered back and created a path.

    However, Yu Jitae had to feel a burning emotion in his mind again after reaching the 9th floor.

    Oscar Brzenk was nowhere to be seen in [Room 27]. To be exact, only the trails of his blood could be found inside the room.

    The walls of Room 27 weren¡¯t broken or anything. The back door was simply wide open.

    Aftering back down to the 8th floor, he said to the ones who couldn¡¯t voice a single word due to their astonishment.

    ¡°Oscar Brzenk is gone. He is not there.¡±

    Every one of them meeting his gaze froze stiff. Something was different about him today ¨C they could all feel it.

    ¡°Looking at the traces, it seems to have been four days since he disappeared. Looks like none of you has checked the internal state of Room 27 during their riot. It is extremely disappointing.¡±

    An existence transcending the threshold was talking to them. No-one could reply to the words falling from above the sky so they could only rigidly listen to his words.

    ¡°¡­What are you doing. I¡¯m telling you a prisoner has escaped.¡±

    There was only tension and still no wordsing back.

    Seeing that, he scowled ferociously.

    He had to hold back his impulse and thus, he roared like a beast.

    ¡°GO FIND HIM¨C!!¡±

 Chapter 358: Episode 101: Chicken Box (3)

    <h4>Chapter 358: Episode 101: Chicken Box (3)</h4>

    The superhumans quickly began to dash in each direction as Yu Jitae also hurriedly carried his feet.

    Oscar Brzenk had disappeared. With quite an exquisite method at that.

    Exquisite here was exquisite in Yu Jitae¡¯s standard.

    Such a thing was impossible for a human, and it meant there was an involvement of something that was not human.

    Finally, Yu Jitae could somewhat understand this whole situation. The reason Oscar Brzenk suddenly attacked the Association like a madman, the reason Oscar targeted him of all people as well as the reason Oscar Brzenk disappeared after bing imprisoned.

    If Yu Jitae¡¯s intuition was correct, this was a type of ¡®fishing¡¯. Although it was possible to stay still without biting the bait, he currently had to take the bait no matter what.

    It was because he had to find the Vintage Clock, and the Vintage Clock was unable to be found anywhere underwater. However, there was still a problem even if he wanted to take the bait. The four days he had spent standing nkly, unable to kill Myu, wasing back to bite him.

    There would most certainly be not enough time.

    He used his watch to call someone.

    ¨C Hello.

    A sluggish voice resonated along with a gulp. The one on the other side of the call was the Witch, Valentine, so it was probably a strong alcohol that she was gulping.

    ¡°This is an urgent matter. Look up for me if there has been a trace of an outer-dimensional fissure rted to ¡®Providence¡¯ and ¡®light¡¯ being forced open on Earth.¡±

    ¨C ¡­

    Even though he suddenly started it off with amand, she had already decided to cooperate with Yu Jitae. The mana surrounding the Association wavered for a bit as a reply came back through the watch.

    ¨C There is one.

    ¡°Location?¡±

    ¨C I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s been veiled.

    ¡°How long has it been open for, and how long will it stay open.¡±

    ¨C Looks like it¡¯s been around 10 days since it has opened and¡­

    That was simr to Oscar Brzenk¡¯s time of appearance. He carefully listened to the next words because he knew fissures rted to the Temple of Providence would usually be closed after around 10 days.

    ¨C ¡­It will close in 1 hour.

    But fortunately, he wasn¡¯tte yet.

    [Temporary Pursuit Team 1 reporting. Currently we are headed to [Brzenk Family¡¯s 1st branch].]

    [Temporary Pursuit Team 2 reporting. We are currently headed to [Brzenk Family¡¯s 4th branch].]

    Various reports came in at the same time. Around 13 pursuing teams had been temporarily arranged and had just departed. Riding the warp station, they would now attack each branch of Brzenk Family¡¯s troops located across the world.

    This was something that had to be done a lot earlier but was postponed because Oscar Brzenk was the Sovereign of humanity, and because Chaliovan had fallen asleep at the same time.

    Even though it was a correct decision in a realistic sense, it was nheless very deplorable in Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes.

    A closer inspection would have allowed rankers to find the trace. So all they had to do was ask the Witch immediately after receiving the report to jump through dimensions.

    In any case, he travelled to the [17th branch], located in the northern regions of Africa.

    Even though it was the smallest and the most insignificant branch, it actually had Oscar Brzenk¡¯s [Safe] located inside it.

    A month ago, after meeting with Oscar, he had sent Kang Ahjin to that branch in case something were to happen.

    He checked her message ¨C it seemed that the door to the [Safe] had been opened around 3 days ago.

    Yu Jitae gave a call to Kang Ahjin.

    ***

    ¡°Uhihi,¡±

    Kang Ahjinughed.

    The salty scent unique to deep-fried food permeated far and wide. The warmth being conveyed up the stic bag made it even better.

    Smelling the lean scent of well-fried chicken after smelling the dry desert dust the whole time lifted the corners of her lips.

    It was a rare smell in the northern regions of Africa. Kang Ahjin had even used a thermos container to keep it warm while using the portals all the way from Korea.

    And the name of that food, was chicken!

    Did she bring it here to eat by herself? No ¨C Kang Ahjin was going to give this to someone as a present.

    North Africa. Brzenk Family mercenary group¡¯s 17th branch.

    It had been close to a month since she had been dispatched to this ce.

    Unlike the troops of other branches, this 17th branch was made by employing the war refugees of Africa. Oscar Brzenk had gathered the people who had been living with neither food nor water to this ce, and provided them with clothes, food and a house for their families to live in.

    Because they had been granted a new life from their desperate situations, their mentality was different from other soldiers.

    They did everything by the book.

    Some would call that a proper soldier mentality and that was what Kang Ahjin thought as well. They put their due diligence in every task and never cut corners no matter how simple their given orders were.

    That was why Kang Ahjin, who was always affectionate and could easily befriend anyone, was finding it difficult to get close to the soldiers of this ce.

    Then was she supposed to stay distant?

    When Season was sending her to this ce, he told her it was an indefinite dispatch. She was to stay in this ce, identify the situation and report anything unusual until there was an order to return.

    It wasn¡¯t her style to stay distant and unfamiliar with them when her returning date wasn¡¯t even clear. That was why she had prepared this.

    ¡°Hello good sirs?¡±

    With a curt greeting, Kang Ahjin approached the four soldiers that were standing on guard. There were 2 male and 2 female soldiers.

    ¡°What a great afternoon.¡±

    They treated her like they didn¡¯t even see her.

    Observing the far and barren African desert, they couldn¡¯t even spare the time to throw a nce at Kang Ahjin. It was remarkable even after seeing it on repeat for a couple of days. As long as there was nothing hindering their work, they would only focus on their task without greeting anyone even if their family members were toe by.

    However, Kang Ahjin was certain that they would be able to get a little bit closer today. She had already tried a conversation a few days ago using chocte.

    The white smoke was spreading the scent.

    This is impossible to withstand! With a smile, Kang Ahjin ced the bag of chicken next to them.

    ¡°You are standing on guard for 12 hours a day. Don¡¯t you think you can take it a bit easier?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    They didn¡¯t reply.

    She might be crossing the line here. However, the troop¡¯s work was very intense due to theircking numbers, and the schedules were even suffocating so there was no other option than this for her to get closer to them.

    In any case, the smell of chicken ruled.

    When the rising scent touched one of their noses, the soldier who had a weak breakfast stealthily turned his head. And Kang Ahjin did not miss it.

    ¡°Come here and have food one by one! I can be on the lookout instead.¡±

    ¡°Miss Dispatcher. Please stop¡­¡±

    ¡°Huhu. Why?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know the captain regrlyes out on a stroll. If we get caught out by the captain, we will be in great trouble.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know that. I sneaked a peek at today¡¯s schedule just then, and I confirmed how both the captain and the 1st vice captain will only return by 8 at night today from an external delegation!¡±

    Really? One of the other soldiers nced back with doubt in their eyes. Kang Ahjin smiled like a puppy with a nod.

    .

    ¡°Hurry up! This won¡¯t be as tasty when it gets cold.¡±

    ¡°But still, it¡¯s okay. Miss Kang.¡±

    ¡°It will be super delicious if you have it now!¡±

    ¡°Kang. Please just stop.¡±

    Grrrl¡­ The sound wasing from the stomach of the female soldier who had just rebuked Kang Ahjin. Her words were no longer as persuasive.

    ¡°Did I hear something just then?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Unwillingly, the soldier turned her head.

    She had actually been extremely hungry from early in the morning. In the desert, the procurement of supplies wasn¡¯t always smooth and there tended to be days with little distributions of food. Today was one of those days.

    In other words, all four of them were in a simr situation.

    ¡°¡­Is the captain really noting?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, trust me. Come on.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Hmm, what is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s chicken. Deep fried chicken.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I know these. Oh wow. It smells absolutely insane¡­¡±

    ¡°Right right¡­! Have some. I can be on the lookout.¡±

    They changed positions as the soldier hurriedly opened the stic bag and began ripping through a drumstick.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    She started eating without even breathing but the crispy sound of fried chicken was still unable to be hidden. The other soldiers watched with eyes flickering from jealousy as the soldier opened her mouth while stuffing chicken into it.

    ¡°I gave the choctes you gave me to my kids the other day.¡±

    ¡°Oh wow, really?¡±

    ¡°Such supplies are very umon in this ce. They all loved it. Thank you¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s nothing that great.¡±

    ¡°As a thanks, my girl brought some green vines from somewhere, dried it and made a bracelet out of the vine.¡±

    ¡°Wow, really?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I was actually going to give it to you after the work was over but,¡±

    With an awkward smile, the soldier handed something to Kang Ahjin. It was a thin bracelet made of dried vines.

    ¡°Oh my. So pretty.¡±

    Kang Ahjin was satisfied. She started conversations with them whenever possible, asked if there was anything they needed, gave choctes and helped with the missions. It felt as if all that hard work was finally paying off.

    She put it around her wrist but it was slightly too big.

    ¡°Ah, she didn¡¯t know Kang was a female. It¡¯s a bit too big right?¡±

    ¡°Not at all! It¡¯s perfect and I love it.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for saying that. The child will be very happy.¡±

    After finishing her share, the soldier stood up as another soldier stealthily walked away and traded positions with her while mumbling, ¡°Aww, this smell. Damn it¡­¡±

    Yes. It¡¯s impossible to resist! Thinking that, Kang Ahjin chuckled.

    That was when she received an international call from someone.

    ¡°Grade 4 agent, Kang Ahjin speaking.¡±

    ¨C It¡¯s me.

    It was Season. Kang Ahjin happily greeted him.

    ¡°Is this concerning my return, by any chance sir?¡± She asked with a tiny bit of sorrow in her voice.

    However, the words that soon came to her through the watch, were somewhat strange

    ¨C I am headed to the 17th branch right now. There is a mission ¨C the door to the [Safe] has to be opened within 5 minutes. How is the current situation looking?

    He asked with a normal tone of voice, but there was something off about the question.

    [Safe] was something that was being protected by the 17th branch. It was the biggest and the most powerful armoury owned by Oscar Brzenk, so under what authority could Season open this?

    Despite feeling doubtful for a little while, Kang Ahjin stayed faithful to her role.

    ¡°It is currently peaceful sir.¡±

    ¨C Alright. Leave the area ahead of time. You¡¯ll be a nuisance.

    ¡°Leave¡­ the area, sir?¡±

    ¨C Yeah. Let¡¯s meet at around Eo1-13.

    She thought about the tone of his voice, and the hidden context. Kang Ahjin had to rethink time after time whether her interpretation of the situation was correct or not. It was because his words were way too strange.

    Leave the area ahead of time?

    ¡­You¡¯ll be a nuisance?

    A strange feeling struck her mind.

    It can¡¯t be.

    There¡¯s no way.

    Despite thinking that, she had to move her feet and follow themand to leave the area. Anxiously, Kang Ahjin touched the bracelet around her wrist.

    That can¡¯t be¡­ Even though Season is scary, he¡¯s not that type of person was he?

    ¡°Sorry. I have a different mission so I¡¯ll be on the way.¡±

    ¡°That is okay. We will just have the rest of them eat together.¡±

    ¡°The chicken was so nice. Thank you, Kang.¡±

    She waved back,

    With a forced smile on her face.

    It happened when she was waiting at the designated area.

    Kang Ahjin¡¯s watch began to ring.

    +++

    [(!) Urgent News]

    ¨C Danger Level: [R3]

    ¨C Time: 7 days ago. 8:12 pm. (UTC+02:00)

    ¨C Content: Oscar Brzenk, terrorist attack on the Association.

    ¨C Casualties: 595 confirmed in total.

    +++

    Atst, the restriction on information was lifted, revealing the Association¡¯s conflict with Oscar Brzenk.

    For a second, Kang Ahjin felt her breathing to a stop.

 Chapter 359: Episode 101: Chicken Box (4)

    <h4>Chapter 359: Episode 101: Chicken Box (4)</h4>

    A heavy piece of lead dropped inside her heart.

    R3. This signified a semi-war ¨C it meant the Association had suffered damage and that they might retaliate by doing something.

    There was a video sent alongside the urgent message. Kang Ahjin gulped with sweat falling down her cheeks. She carefully lifted her fingers. Even though she really did not want to click it, she was a soldier and there was no way around it.

    Click¨C

    The video started. Oscar Brzenk, enveloped in gold, was indiscriminately attacking the Association. Her acquaintances were injured lying down on the floor; some of them were crying with amputated arms.

    This did not feel realistic in the slightest.

    Kang Ahjin could not believe what was going on¡­

    ¡°What are you doing.¡±

    Someone woke her up from her nkness. A man who had appeared out of nowhere was gazing at her.

    ¡°Season?¡±

    ¡°Your mission is over. Go to the warp station immediately and return to the Association.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kang Ahjin unknowingly shook her head. She then used a word which she had never used ever since she became a soldier, affiliated with the 5thmand room.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    Season furrowed his brows.

    ¡°What kind of question is that.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Wake up. Hurry up and go. Using that warp station will be restricted in a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Slowly, she observed his outfit. Because of her rushed mind, she btedly realised it and looking at his clothes put a stop to her breath.

    He, who had always been wearing a suit, was for some reason wearing a military uniform and boots today.

    Kang Ahjin froze. She stood there nkly but her wrist suddenly felt itchy.

    The bracelet¡­ the bracelet did not leave her sight.

    ¡°S, Season.¡±

    By the time she came to herself, he was already gone.

    ¡°Season!¡±

    In great shock, Kang Ahjin began to run while pulling out all her mana. She wasn¡¯t too far away from the military base ¨C climbing over one mountain of sand, she looked at the 17th branch.

    Over the hill, she looked at the branch. For now, everything including the watchtower were looking fine.

    Walking in the midst of the darkening desert was a man with his back turned towards her. He appeared to be walking normally but was so mysteriously fast that she could not dare catch up to him. Why are the sentinels not preventing him? Although it was terrible, that was still the doubt in her mind.

    With no other choice, Kang Ahjin quickly gave Season a call.

    He stopped on the spot.

    ¨C What.

    ¡°Please wait one moment, Season. Can I¡­¡±

    She organised her words.

    ¡°¡­May I ask about the current operation?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply immediately.

    Kang Ahjin felt the insane rate of her heartbeat.

    ¨C Did I not tell you to leave.

    His voice that soon entered her ears was a lot colder than usual. Feeling the chill numbing her fingertips, Kang Ahjin endured the urge to let out a scream.

    She had to think of words that were the most suitable to the situation.

    ¡°¡­I had been under the impression that the [Safe] was the armoury located at the 17th branch.¡±

    ¨C And.

    ¡°And the mission of opening that, I could not, really¡­ understand what it¡­¡±

    It was a mistake ¨C her emotions had gotten the best of her during her speech.

    ¨C Oi.

    Her heart once again thumped as if about to burst.

    ¨C Did you not get the urgent message?

    ¡°I, I have received it sir.¡±

    ¨C Then go. Stop being a bother.

    The time they had spent together was only a month.

    It hadn¡¯t even been that long since they had opened their hearts.

    Although Kang Ahjin was an affectionate person, she still knew that public matters had to be separated from the private ones.

    However, she just could not step back without even knowing the reason herself. Maybe it was because of the bracelet tickling her wrist¡­

    ¡°What if they try to stop you?¡±

    ¨C ¡­

    ¡°If they stay faithful to their mission, what will you do sir?¡±

    ¨C ¡­

    ¡°Is, isn¡¯t that a possible oue? Them being faithful to their mission? T, they appeared to have no idea about the urgent message yet either. And they won¡¯t even retaliate against you, Season, because of your position at the Association!¡±

    ¨C Kang Ahjin.

    He called her name from the other side of the line.

    Her breath came to a stop.

    ¨C What are you trying to say.

    ¡°¡­Could you please spare one moment if you have time?¡±

    ¨C I don¡¯t.

    ¡°O, one moment will do. Just a bit of time. Haven¡¯t we been talking for almost 3 minutes already?¡±

    A faint sigh was heard from the other side.

    ¡°A little bit, sir. Please. Just a tiny bit of time. Those people; they are all poor people living a hard life. They have to raise their whole families with this rare opportunity that finally came to them. T, they don¡¯t even have many people so they have to work without any rest even when they¡¯re sick.¡±

    ¨C ¡­

    ¡°They have to stay alive. Every one of them are desperate. V, Vanessa gave birth to a daughter two days ago. She became a mother. Her first and second babies were stillborn and she finally got her third. A healthy girl at 3.2 kilograms. And Kathu¡­¡±

    Kang Ahjin was crying by the time she realised it. Remembering the times they spent together, how they shyly spoke about themselves and the conversations she barely continued with them, she tried to persuade him.

    When the dam broke once, she could no longer control her tears. While she was exining with a sob, he opened his mouth.

    ¨C What¡¯s your suggestion then.

    ¡°If you give me a little bit of time, I, I will go persuade them. I will persuade them to open the doors of the [Safe]. T, the executives should know about your name, sir. Please give me some time. Even a little bit¡­ please¡­¡±

    ¨C You have 10 minutes.

    Kang Ahjin knew these 10 minutes was the only remaining time she had.

    He disappeared from the barren desert.

    Immediately, Kang Ahjin wiped the tears off with her hands and started to sprint. Each of her strides scattered the dust beneath as she dashed across the desert.

    Before long she was right in front of the base. She was now one of the suspicious people. The lookouts ¨C the ones that had been eating the chicken just then ¨C stopped her. Following the procedures, they carried out a formal conversation.

    Reveal your identity. Reveal your business.

    Kang Ahjin stopped her tears and shouted.

    I am the Grade 4 agent, Kang Ahjin, wishing for a return to service.

    Atst after they confirmed her identity with the watch, one of the soldiers opened her mouth. ¡®Why are you crying, Kang,¡¯ she asked with a voice dripping with concern.

    Kang Ahjin did not even have the time to reply, and started sprinting once again. Entering the camp, she looked for themanders.

    Although the captain and the vice captain weren¡¯t there, a few of the othermanders were on task. They were also people who Kang Ahjin met and talked to everyday.

    ¡°What is wrong, dispatcher.¡±

    She had a rugged breath due to rushing all the way here. The soldiers who had been upied with their task curiously asked her a question, with gazes that showed their affections for her hidden behind the curtains of formality.

    Kang Ahjin bit her lips.

    She didn¡¯t know what to say,

    But she had to say it.

    ¡°A high executive ising from the Association.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°He is a Grade 5 agent. The chief advisor, and my direct superior.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Themanders looked at Kang Ahjin with questioning gazes, and the 2nd vice captain even lowered his sses with doubt in his eyes.

    Kang Ahjin felt a lump in her throat. She wasn¡¯t confident in being able to persuade them at all.

    ¡°Please listen carefully to what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    But even then, she had to.

    There were things in the world that just had to be done¡­

    ¡°He will try to open the [Safe].¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    She could hear their morous voices.

    ¡°You have to open it. Before he attacks the 17th branch.¡±

    There was moisture in Kang Ahjin¡¯s voice and they immediately knew she was telling the truth. Tilting their heads in confusion, looking at Kang Ahjin with disgusted gazes and facing her with dumbfounded expressions: they each showed a different reaction.

    ¡°Please listen to me! You guys can survive. Please just let him open the Safe.¡±

    ¡°Listen.¡±

    ¡°This woman¡­¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time! 10 minutes, no, we only have 7 minutes now! Guys. He is a very strong superhuman. Even if you try to stop him, he will still open the safe!¡±

    ¡°What kind of nonsense is this, Kang!!¡±

    The 2nd vice captain shouted.

    In return, Kang Ahjin began to weep from her uncontroble emotions.

    ¡°Open the doors of the fortress! Otherwise, you might all die!¡±

    ¡°Men! Drag Kang out!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir¡­!¡±

    It was then.

    The watches of every soldier inside themand centre rang. Kang Ahjin, who had been yelling while being pulled out by someone, knew this was an opportunity. She had managed to take a glimpse at the message that was on the arm of the one who was dragging her outside.

    It was about the ¡®strife¡¯ between Oscar Brzenk and the Association, and a message telling them to be on the lookout for a possible attack of the Association.

    ¡°Let me go!¡±

    Kang Ahjin shoved the soldiers that were dragging her arm. Her words would finally be persuasive and everything would be over if she missed this opportunity.

    ¡°It¡¯s this. This is the problem. We have to do something. You have to open the door and make a path for our Chief to ess the [Safe]. W, we can all survive then! We have to live, don¡¯t we? We can¡¯t die like this! Right?¡±

    The silence continued.

    ¡°You might think I¡¯m weird for doing this all of a sudden. But I know how everyone treated me nicely this past month! We all have families right! There are people waiting for us at home! We cannot die here right!?

    ¡°We have to survive! We all have to live on!¡±

    She let out a blood-boiling scream.

    Kang Ahjin believed it.

    They should have fully understood their situations now. Despite the urgency of the matter at hand, the message had managed to arrive in time.

    Her words should be persuasive enough.

    And there was still time left.

    So¡­

    However, the moment her eyes met with themander¡¯s.

    Kang Ahjin suddenly remembered something.

    What was the reason she, who could easily befriend anyone, had so much trouble getting close to them?

    The soldiers of this ce put their due diligence in every task and never cut corners no matter how simple their given orders were.

    Some would call that a proper soldier mentality and that was what Kang Ahjin thought as well.

    Maybe it¡¯s because they had been granted a new life from their desperate situations¡­

    ¡°We are not leaving.¡±

    Themander¡¯s words froze Kang Ahjin on the spot.

    ¡°Who¡¯sing? An executive of the Association? And what.¡±

    ¡°Y, you might die¡­¡±

    Kang Ahjin¡¯s words were in vain.

    ¡°We are soldiers.¡±

    All their eyes had the same glitter.

    As if they had been printed by the same printer.

    ¡°Our job is to carry out our givenmands.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you done with your nonsense? I had a good impression but today¡¯s fuss was extremely unpleas¡ª-¡±

    ¡ª-

    The 2nd vice captain¡¯s voice stretched out.

    Kang Ahjin felt the world shaking.

    Something,

    Something was crumbling inside her heart.

    ¡°¡ª-So we.¡±

    The talking mouth came to a close.

    Kang Ahjin felt a presence immediately filling the entirety of themand centre, as well as the weight in the air provided by that presence. When she turned her quivering head, standing there was a very familiar man.

    .

    He whispered.

    ¡®Leave.¡¯

    As if time had stopped, with everyone else frozen stiff, Kang Ahjin btedly realised her role and turned her body. When she walked out of themand centre, the doors closed by itself.

    Kang Ahjin raised her eyes. Her dizzy gaze made the world foggy as if she was wearing a cloudy pair of sses.

    She mindlessly carried her feet. The unbelievable reality was driving her mind into a mess, and she walked on and on without an end.

    When she came to herself, she was at the main entrance. Kang Ahjin, who had been walking with her eyes stuck on the ground, closed her eyes and lifted her gaze to look at the sky. She simply did not have the courage to face the reality.

    But when something loose slid down her wrist, Kang Ahjin instinctively lowered her head,

    And faced an unbelievable sight that made her feel like she was shot in the head.

    There was a chicken box.

    Drenched in blood.

 Chapter 360: Episode 102: White Bird (1)

    <h4>Chapter 360: Episode 102: White Bird (1)</h4>

    Bom recalled Yu Jitae¡¯sst sentence.

    ¨C No.

    He was saying he did not find her pretty.

    It was a lie.

    She could tell by looking at his eyes that he was still considering her pretty. Despite thinking that, he told a lie.

    It felt as if some poisonous substance was bubbling inside. An ominous feeling struck her, making her think that something was going terribly wrong.

    That was neither due to the Eye of Providence nor a green dragon¡¯s ability to discern the situation. It was solely based on her instinct as an existence.

    Bom called Jefferson and asked if something had happened at the Association.

    ¨C The thing is¡­

    And she heard a shocking set of words. It was that Yu Jitae had massacred a group of soldiers from the Brzenk Family.

    Unable to believe it, she personally returned to the Association and headed to the 8th floor. There, Bom came across corpses of the Brzenk Family soldiers that were yet to be removed.

    It was horrendous.

    Indescribably so¡­

    This was not Yu Jitae¡¯s way of doing things that Bom knew about.

    Even though it might be possible if the opponents were demons, the Brzenk Family was undoubtedly an organisation protecting humanity. And yet he had killed them all, just because they were stopping him from reaching the 9th floor¡­

    Immediately after that, Bom dashed to themand centre and looked for Zhuge Haiyan.

    ¡°Haiyan-unni, you know, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You know where the Chief Advisor had been to.¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan awkwardly shook her head in response to her question.

    ¡°That is restricted information.¡±

    ¡°Please tell me. It¡¯s important.¡±

    ¡°My apologies, Miss. It is restricted personally by Chief Season.¡±

    She should have asked.

    Bom thought to herself ¨C she should have asked when he was leaving. She should have asked a long time ago why and where he was going.

    She did not ask because of her trust ¨C it was a naive decision. Aftering back, he looked even more rushed and cornered.

    Although he was irritated at her, that did not hurt Bom as much. Getting angry was normal for anyone in a bad mood, and even she was the same.

    That was not the important part.

    Yu Jitae was the only one who had recently met Oscar Brzenk. It was when the Tower of Mages came crumbling down; back when the ck dragon had attacked the entire world. They might have even met again after that.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s recent condition was far from good. His face, gesture and everything weren¡¯t too different from before, but his manner of speech was oddly different and most importantly, he gave off a different ¡®feeling¡¯.

    She could tell because of all the time they had spent together that something had happened to him.

    In fact, when Yu Jitae returned after Oscar Brzenk¡¯s attack at the Association and pushed Bom out of his personal boundary, she felt her head being smacked by a hammer.

    She had experienced something simr before.

    In the distant past,

    Within the hazy final memories.

    ¨C I¡¯m sorry, my dear girl.

    It was when her father left her.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her breath suddenly turned coarse. Pressing down on her heart, her breath abruptly left with a retch.

    ¡°H, Haru!¡±

    Zhuge Haiyan and other attendants ran up to Bom in astonishment but she shook her hand and stopped them.

    Bom remembered the day her father left.

    The onion core was still being used fine by Yeorum.

    And Yu Jitae was acting strange.

    It wasing.

    Something was flooding in.

    Like a tsunami, it would sweep through her and shake her by the core, ignoring her retaliation and struggle.

    The ominous feeling made her clench her lips, and the numbing coldness of her fingertips urged her to massage them.

    Bom could not do anything when her father left. And on another day, even when her precious younger sister had suddenly disappeared, Bom only realised it btedly after hearing the news.

    Looking back, those days were filled with nothing but regret.

    I should have persuaded mum back then.

    I shouldn¡¯t have said that to my sister.

    I should have been on my father¡¯s side a lot earlier.

    Why was I standing doing nothing like a fool, instead of trying something?

    Bom¡¯s sin was that she was too small, young and ignorant, but she was now different.

    After collecting her breath, Bom lifted her eyes and looked at Zhuge Haiyan.

    ¡°¡­You won¡¯t tell me no matter what I say, is that correct?¡±

    Though she was surprised by Bom¡¯s gaze, Zhuge Haiyan did not forget her role as a soldier. ¡®Sorry. I cannot¡­¡¯ As soon as she said that, Bom turned her feet, ignoring the flustered voices behind her, ¡®Haru!¡¯ ¡®Soothsayer¡­!¡¯.

    Wherever Bom went, she was met with nervous soldiers saluting her from the side. Seeing that, Bom would rx her stiffened expression and return their salutes with a smile.

    She got used to it these past few days.

    Ever since she prevented arge incident with her prediction, the gazes she received inside the Association changed dramatically.

    Before, they would nce at her as if they were looking at a flower, or peek at her due to her rtionship with Season. It wasn¡¯t very pleasant. She was still a dragon, and yet everyone was treating her like some expensive piece of gem.

    But now, it was different.

    It was when Bom was going through a garden.

    Someone in a wheelchair shouted out loud.

    ¡°Haru¡­! You are my hero!¡±

    The people that were with him hastily gave her a respectful salute.

    The man¡¯s badge looked like a round dome ¨C he belonged to the battalion operating the protective barrier. He was a soldier that came out alive from the sudden terrorist attack on the Association. He marriedst week or something and¡­ without her prediction, he would have died for sure.

    ¡°You are everyone¡¯s hero.¡±

    ¡°You saved everyone that would have died, and my family.¡±

    Holding her hands, the man started to cry.

    Bom consoled him, by saying it was fortunate that he wasn¡¯t greatly injured, before carrying her feet again.

    Her title as a soothsayer of the Association had proven its value and she now had some level of power as a result of that.

    However, it was still far too insufficient. Bom was way too bare-handed.

    She needed a tool.

    Arriving in front of arge gate, Bom stopped her feet. She knocked on the door as a sluggish voice resonated from inside, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Bom entered the room as the Witch Valentine weed her in. Wearing the same revealing red gown, she smiled while smoking her cigar.

    ¡°It is you¡­ So, for what have youe looking for me?¡±

    ¡°There is something I would like to ask you to do.¡±

    ¡°¡­Something you want me to do? Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Have you not heard stories about me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard plenty.¡±

    ¡°Listen, girl. I¡¯m not some olddy of the town that listens to a random child¡¯s request.¡±

    ¡°I need to know the recent actions of the Chief Advisor, Prophet Season.¡±

    With an indifferent expression, Bom started selfishly talking about her own needs.

    Wearing a frown, and with a trail of smoke leaving her mouth, Valentine slowly licked her lower lips with her tongue.

    Prophet Season, huh¡­

    There was a message rted to him that hade to her through the VVIP hotline a few minutes ago.

    ¡°I have also been reported about the thing that happened just then.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Girl. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know what it is, that you are asking me to do right now, yes?¡±

    ¡°I definitely do know what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    ¡°If you do, then off you go. Stop bothering me.¡±

    The door of the office opened by itself as soon as she said that. Despite the gesture telling her to leave, Bom started talking again with an apathetic expression.

    ¡°¡®Something I want you to do¡¯, is what I said. I¡¯m not here to make a request. I¡¯m here for a deal.¡±

    ¡°A deal?¡±

    The witch smiled.

    Letting out a deep fog from the cigar, she asked.

    ¡°Do you really wish to go to such lengths to betray him?¡±

    ¡°Unni. I don¡¯t want you to have such a narrow-minded idea about my words.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°This is not a betrayal. It is all for him.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±

    There seemed to be some kind of reason, thought the Witch.

    But in any case, if the target that had to be deceived was that monstrous ¡®Chief Advisor¡¯, then even Valentine had to shoulder some risk.

    Even though he normally pretended otherwise, he was definitely a dangerous existence. Valentine even thought that he might be a new type of demon.

    What happened just then was something that could have simply happened at any time.

    ¡°A deal¡­ a deal huh¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t think the girl in front of her was just here for some romantic prank. The girl did not appear like the type to do such a thing.

    A deal.

    ¡°However, I do not think you have anything with you that can satisfy me.¡±

    ¡°What do you want? A cute and healthy boy?¡±

    ¡°Seems like you know one thing or two. But I¡¯m no longer interested in that. A living flower is so pretty that I only want to watch over it, so there is nothing I really want. Even if there was, I wonder will you have that thing which I do not even have?¡±

    Bom, who had been quietly listening to the witch¡¯s words, slowly opened her mouth. She knew why Valentine was called the ¡®Witch¡¯.

    ¡°My life.¡±

    She knew that the Witch absorbed someone else¡¯s life to keep her youth and prolong her life.

    ¡°¡­¡­Hah.¡±

    Valentine faintly gasped in response.

    Bom and the Witch looked into each other¡¯s eyes, identifying one another. It was dumbfounding, but the Witch apathetically continued breathing out smoke, as Bom lifted the Witch¡¯s wine ss from the table and started twirling it.

    ¡°Unni. Do you still think I¡¯m here to mess around?¡±

    ¡°I thought you were a quiet and gentledy, but I guess it¡¯s quite the opposite¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no other choice. People don¡¯t understand if I beat around the bush; they can only understand what they see.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I was indeed looking down on you.¡±

    Bom brought the alcohol to her lips.

    It was a severely strong alcohol that burned her mouth as soon as she rolled it around with her tongue.

    The taste, however, was not too bad.

    Immediately, the bottle of alcohol floated up by itself and poured the liquid inside to fill the ss ¨C it was the Witch¡¯s spell. Bom raised the ss and twirled it to mix the air into the alcohol.

    ¡°Your life does sound quite tempting, since you have a ton of very unusually clear and mysterious mana within you.¡±

    Swirl, swirl.

    ¡°How much of my life should I give for a help in return,¡±

    Bom asked while twirling her ss.

    ¡°50 years,¡± said the Witch, putting a pause to the swirling liquid.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die before 40 though¡­¡± In response to Bom¡¯s words, the Witch lifted the corners of her red lips into a crescent.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh, girl. A kid shouldn¡¯t try to y with an adult.¡±

    The tongue beneath her tall fangs lustfully scraped past her lower lips.

    ¡°I¡¯ve long known that you¡¯re not a human.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you give 50 years of your remaining life to me, I will tell you everything you want. Otherwise, you can go away.¡±

    Bom did not smile. It was within her expectations and still within her n, but using only this much to control the Witch however she wanted would be a difficult feat.

    ¡°How about 100 years.¡±

    Therefore, Bom decided to make it more certain while she was at it.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 100 years of my life. But you need to help me twice.¡±

    Valentine twitched her eyes. Hearing the sudden twofold jump in price, she started calcting the risk between helping once and helping twice.

    Earning that unprecedentedly clean mana of Bom; 100 years of her life¡­

    The Witch opened her closed eyes.

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ No, never mind.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°100 years is too little. Actually, there are quite a lot of things that I need. Of course, I also have a lot of things to give.¡±

    ¡°And that means?¡±

    There was an increasing sense of doubt in the Witch¡¯s mind. To that, Bom added the finishing touch.

    ¡°500 years.¡±

    In that moment, the Witch despite having lived for a long time could not help but be baffled.

    She suddenly wondered if this girl was out of her mind or something. There weren¡¯t many races that could put 500 years of their life on the table for a negotiation. It was of absurd value even to the Witch, to the point that it gave rise to an intense amount of greed that she hadn¡¯t felt for over hundreds of years.

    In an instant, the hierarchy within the negotiation changed. The one with more things in their hands could shake them more, and it was always the more desperate one that was at the bottom.

    Only then did a smile appear on Bom¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Why, is it too much?¡±

    ¡°How impudent¡­ Do you think you can stay alive after giving 500 years away?¡±

    ¡°Dying today with both hands full is a better life than living perpetually with empty hands. At least that¡¯s what I think.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom giggled.

    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, I won¡¯t die soon so it¡¯s okay. I have a unique constitution, you see.¡±

    There was no way she would lie about something that would be revealed in just a few more minutes.

    ¡°Interesting¡­ is that something you can tell by seeing the future¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s something you don¡¯t need to know about.¡±

    Valentine breathed out a mouthful of smoke alongside a deep sigh. She was pushing the greed away from her red eyes.

    ¡°The conditions are out of bnce yet again. Girl, you already had this in mind when you came here, yes?¡±

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    500 years was definitely not a short period of time even for a dragon. However, Bom still decided to give 500 years away.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re honest. ¡­Hmm, ¡­your sweet life is on the line so I can¡¯t refuse the deal either¡­ Alright. So what do you want from me?¡±

    Bom thought to herself in response.

    There were a lot of things that she had glossed over simply because of her trust. There were a lot of things that she had looked away from just because of her love. However, it reached a point where she could no longer disregard it.

    The child that was too young to do anything was no longer here ¨C that child had died a long time ago.

    The baby dragon that had to discard everything for that one ¡®Grand Schema¡¯; the child that therefore was too afraid of getting anything new, finally found something that she wanted to grasp after a long period of time.

    ¡°There are a lot of things that have to be unveiled. I want you to help me gather information and I know you are the best at it.¡±

    ¡°And what is it that you want to know?¡±

    After whispering words of love to him at the end of the sweet vacation, Bom had always been telling herself something:

    ¡°Everything.¡±

    That she won¡¯t be as powerless anymore;

    ¡°Everything, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    That she won¡¯t lose her precious one ever again.

 Chapter 361: Episode 102: White Bird (2)

    <h4>Chapter 361: Episode 102: White Bird (2)</h4>

    ¡°A long, long time ago.¡±

    The Witch spoke, like a grandma telling fairy tales to her grandchild.

    ¡°When the New Era started and when monsters came hoarding in, there was no central force in the world and local wars were happening all across the globe. Humanity did not know how to deal with monsters but the damage was actually a lot less than expected. Do you know why?¡±

    Bom gazed up at her and shook her head. The Witch replied with an indifferent tone of voice.

    ¡°Because in fact, only 10% of the outer dimensional species survived aftering to Earth. 9 out of 10 that managed toe over died by themselves.¡±

    ¡°That much?¡±

    ¡°Now, there¡¯s mana from Earth spread across the outer dimensions but back then it was different. Monsters couldn¡¯t deal with the sudden change in environment and were weakened. Thanks to that, the early monster attacks were quite stoppable.¡±

    ¡®Don¡¯t they teach this at school?¡¯ In response to the Witch¡¯s sudden question, Bom replied, ¡®No, we learned about the sacrifice of humanity though¡­¡¯ which received the response, ¡®What sacrifice, the monsters all just died by themselves.¡¯

    The Witch continued.

    ¡°However, they would adapt more to the environment the longer they stayed on Earth. That was why Chaliovan used to say this all the time.¡±

    ¡°What was it?¡±

    ¡°Nothing can be excessive in the initial response.¡±

    Now they were doing searches and backtracking and whatnot, but the past Association was a lot different.

    Whenever there was a fissure, they would hurry over and wait for the fissure to open. After opening, they would go in and kill the monsters before they came out.

    Because it was best to be as excessive as possible for the initial response to danger.

    ¡°Chaliovan and I reformed the superhuman¡¯s response system and tried our best to change the impression people had with fissures. It was after decades of such hard work, that the Association¡¯s ¡®Monster Outbreak Initial Response Manual¡¯ started being used like an international textbook.

    ¡°We superhumans are sensitive to both time and outbreaks. That is why there is an inevitable tendency for the military¡¯s ¡®authority¡¯ to soar up in times of crisis¡­¡±

    The Witch said with sharp eyes.

    ¡°¡­And that is the Association¡¯s weak point.¡±

    ¡°Ah. So you mean¡­!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    A shocking change urred as soon as the Witch finished mumbling that.

    The sky as well as the ground began to shake. A fluctuation cracked open the barrennds as pebbles and dust rose up from the quake.

    Soon, the air started to tear open.

    Buzz¡ª The dimensions collided as sparks bursted out in all directions. Something dark was slowly opening its dirty mouth.

    A fissure reaching 35 metres in length. A resonance of mana estimated to be of an SS- rank.

    An enormous fissure was opening itself on Earth. It was enough to astonish the entire world let alone the Association.

    ¡°If you want authority, you simply need to make a crisis.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too dangerous?¡±

    ¡°No. It only looks grandiose on the outside and there¡¯s nothing much on the inside.¡±

    That was the fissure the Witch had prepared

    ¡°It will smell ¨C dogs will start to bark in anger. They will whine and ask for them to be unleashed but the one holding the leash is not a person, but the ¡®system¡¯.¡±

    ¡°And the system will definitely unleash the dogs for a fissure this big¡­¡±

    ¡°That is correct.¡±

    Soldiers had more ¡®authority¡¯ than usual during the emergency, and it was more so for the soldiers of the Association.

    That might include grouping the ¡®transcendents¡¯ of the Association into one group for them to move by themselves¡­

    Or maybe even interrogating Zhuge Haiyan about the suspicious ¡®past actions¡¯ of the Prophet¡­

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could make a fissure that big.¡±

    The Witch returned a question with a smile.

    ¡°Girl. Do you know who the biggest hunting dog of our house is?¡±

    She was probably referring to herself, but Bom thought for a bit before looking up at the Witch with a smile.

    ¡°Season.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The Witch leered at Bom with a disgruntled expression.

    In any case, it was surprising even for Bom that a mage at this level could exist for a human. She had been skeptical when reading about the works of the Witch in a book but the things written in the book were less than half of what the Witch could pull off.

    Thanks to that, things had started on the right foot.

    The fissure cracked wide open. It added a dense cluster of mana to the atmosphere and the intense pressure even numbed Bom¡¯s skin.

    Soon, an emergency bell rang from her watch ¨C it was an urgent notice sent after sensing the fissure.

    ¡°¡­Valentine. You are doing your money¡¯s worth.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Since I¡¯ve received 500 years of something so precious.¡±

    ¡°Then maybe you should speak politely to me?¡±

    ¡°Why not ask for me to suck your toes or something, hnn?¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    ¡°If you take your shoes off, I will.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    Bom replied with a light smile. She didn¡¯t really hate the banter ¨C they were on the same wavelength to some regard.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Bom.

    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s hurry. We do not know when Season wille back.¡±

    But after turning her body, Bom erased the smile from her lips. Even though she had been giving a rxed smile till now, she had to be on her toes now. She had to be very careful

    If Yu Jitae was to find out about this, things might go very wrong;

    Worst case scenario, it might cause something irrecoverable.

    ¨C Go home.

    ¨C Do not make things any more tedious.

    ¨C I¡¯m close to getting tired of you.

    His irritated voice swept past her mind as Bom felt a sharp de slicing through her heart. Even if she were to finish it without him discovering it, this was still something he did not want from her.

    Will I be okay even if he were to hate me¡­?

    It was when she was thinking that, that her watch began to ring.

    [Ahjussi (Fake): Where are you.]

    Her eyes twitched after seeing the message. It was a message from Yu Jitae¡¯s clone.

    She stopped her fingers that were about to type back [Why?].

    Bom decided to ignore the messages.

    [Ahjussi (Fake): There has been amand to keep you with me.]

    [Ahjussi (Fake): Tell me where you are. I will go pick you up.]

    [Ahjussi (Fake): Let¡¯s go back to Unit 301.]

    Bom licked her lips.

    Until now, she had never retaliated against him head-first.

    However, her opponent now was Yu Jitae.

    [Ahjussi (Fake): Contact me immediately after you see my messages.]

    She had long known that this wouldn¡¯t be that easy.

    ***

    He walked to the [Safe].

    Right now, Yu Jitae was in the basement of the 17th branch. Lying in front of the safe protecting it was arge beast. It was a North African spirit beast that resembled a tiger.

    The [Safe] looked like a container just like what its name would suggest. This silver cube going 4 metres long in length, width and height was emanating an ambient prised light.

    Even though this light was invisible to a normal person¡¯s eyes, Yu Jitae could tell its colour and shape.

    It was an unstable golden light.

    The safe was half-buried in the ground and the path leading to the Safe had a slight slope. The ground supporting it had caved in because it had turned extremely heavy just recently.

    In other words, it meant that something that was heavy enough to push the ground down like y had entered that thing.

    And it was impossible for that thing to be a human.

    He had already killed the keeper of the Safe. The overflowing blood had overtaken him and was gathered in front of the door to the Safe.

    His military boots waded through the pile of blood.

    Ssh, ssh¡ª

    Standing in front of the door, he waited for a bit. There was about 15 minutes left ¨C there was still some time.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Killing his impulse, he settled his jumpy emotions. Heaving out a deep breath, he controlled his heart rate.

    From now on, he had to be more cautious than ever before.

    Yu Jitae calmly organised the situation.

    Inside the Safe had to be Oscar Brzenk.

    In fact, it was probably not the real Oscar Brzenk. The Oscar Brzenk he had seen in the video had his eyes glistering in gold with the iris unable to be seen, which was a phenomenon that urred when one¡¯s physical body was in someone else¡¯s control.

    Even though he hoped this wouldn¡¯t happen, it seemed that Oscar had been discovered during his attempt to sneak in through the back door of the Temple.

    It was most likely the [Judges] of Providence that took control over his body.

    Judges were the legal ideologists of [Vintage Clock (EX)] that wielded strong authority in things rted to legition and jurisdiction to protect Providence.

    They were the ones that were dissatisfied with Yu Jitae.

    Without Oscar Brzenk¡¯s [Safe], there was no way to bring Yu Jitae into the Temple of Providence. At the same time, there was no existence in the world that could know that the [Safe] was the only Level 6 artifact in existence on Earth without going back in time.

    Therefore, Yu Jitae was the only one in the entire world that could guess this ce to be Oscar Brzenk¡¯s hideout.

    And in other words,

    This [Safe] in front of his eyes was a trap targeting him.

    He created a hypothesis.

    If he didn¡¯t have a clear idea of what was happening, he would have opened the door to the Safe and gone in immediately. Oscar Brzenk¡¯s corpse would either be not here or would have long been torn apart to pieces, leaving behind only the heavy power of Providence pulling him inside.

    1. Get pulled inside -> Since he was being pulled inside, he would be pulled into the pace of the Judges and suffer a loss.

    2. Don¡¯t get pulled inside -> The dimension connected to the Temple of Providence will close in 10 minutes and would be unable to be opened again from this side. He would not be able to find the disappeared ¡®personality¡¯ of Vintage Clock, and he would therefore be suffering a loss.

    He would be suffering a loss no matter what.

    However, he knew this was the case even beforeing to this ce. Therefore, he had already contacted his two clones beforeing here.

    He sent Clone 1 to observe the suspicious Bom,

    ¡°¡­Sorry for beingte. I have just arrived.¡±

    And called Clone 2 to this ce.

    The confrontation with the Judges that will now begin was far from important. They would probably open a public trial and pressure him but he didn¡¯t care about that.

    The important task was to discover the Vintage Clock¡¯s personality which had suddenly gone somewhere.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    Nervously looking at the pile of blood beneath him, Clone 2 walked up. Yu Jitae ced his hands above the boy¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°You will now return to the ¡®shadow¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°When I open this door, something will grab me and fly off and we will be caught in a flood. I will give you a signal during that and that is when you have to leave. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what your job is?¡±

    ¡°It is to find the white bird.¡±

    ¡°Right. Ourmunication is limited inside the Temple. You can only contact me once because the Judges will notice it from then on. And I can¡¯t give you any signal either, so just don¡¯t bother sending any signal if you cannot find the Vintage Clock. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°Your job is extremely important. They will open a public trial to punish me. We do not have much time; and you have to find it fast.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you do it?¡±

    Clone 2 looked up into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes, and nkly murmured a question.

    ¡°Will this, lead to the road to your happiness, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    When he apathetically gazed back, Clone 2 clenched his teeth and replied.

    ¡°I will do it no matter the cost.¡±

    Finishing his words, Clone 2 returned to [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)] and became one with Yu Jitae.

    Yu Jitae approached the [Safe], and opened itsrge doors.

    Kugugung¡ª

    Kugugugugung¡ª

    Brilliant light flooded his eyes. As if an enormous container of light had exploded, his entire vision was filled with light with nothing being visible inside the [Safe].

    ring open his eyes, he met the flood of light face-on.

    Within the world full of light, something immense wasing towards him. It was as big as dozens of apartments clustered together, and the presence given off by its height and size was tremendous.

    A great flow struck him, carrying with it a tornado. Trembling the surrounding air, it shook the ground beneath. The flow was suppressing the entire world.

    Front, right, left, back. That ¡®something¡¯ was everywhere, extending its grasp towards him from all sides.

    He did not avoid it and instead, he took a step forward.

    His boots soaked in blood stepped through the world of brilliant light. Before long, a tremendous gravitational force grabbed him and started pulling him above the world. There, he simply left his body to follow the flow carrying him to the Temple of Providence.

    In the process, he sent a signal to Clone 2, and Clone 2 sessfully took in the signal to escape from the ¡®flow¡¯.

    That was the end of his memories.

    The world in his eyes turned pitch ck.

 Chapter 362: Episode 102: White Bird (3)

    <h4>Chapter 362: Episode 102: White Bird (3)</h4>

    A storm of light and a hail of flow started separating Clone 2 from Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­Kuuk!¡±

    Flung off by the storm, Clone 2 closed his eyes and recalled the coordinates he had received from his lord.

    +++

    [Conceptualisation (SS)]

    ¨C Target: [World of Providence]

    +++

    That was when an authority was activated by itself ¨C it was the authority Yu Jitae had pre-activated inside Clone 2¡¯s mind.

    The ¡®World of Providence¡¯ that they were about to soon enter also did not exist in real life. However, the authority would interpret that abstract world and show it to them as an image.

    Before long, the curtain of light was unveiled.

    And by the time he came to himself, Clone 2 was standing on a hill.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    It was a green pastel-coloured hill. The beautiful stalks of grass were reaching all the way up to his knees and every tree had red or yellow fruits as the soothing breeze gently tickled his cheeks.

    If there was a garden in heaven, wouldn¡¯t this be it? That was the thought in the clone¡¯s mind.

    ¡®So this is the World of Providence¡­¡¯

    And ording to Yu Jitae, this was outside [Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop].

    Off in the far distance, over several more hills was arge building resembling a temple. The authority embedded in his head told him that was the [Temple of Providence], where Yu Jitae would have been dragged to by now.

    Next to that in the far distance again was an enormous clock tower made out of bricks and piles of wood. That tower was the [Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop]. Since the white bird apparently treated that workshop like its own house, it was highly likely for it to be near the workshop.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡±

    From now on, Clone 2 had to find the personality of Vintage Clock, the ¡®white bird¡¯, as soon as possible.

    *

    The [World of Providence], a world full of warm breezes.

    Climbing over the hills, the clone came across a small vige. There was a path going up the stairs to the Temple, and the well-adorned trees that made the vige seem like arge garden was a delight to one¡¯s eyes.

    People were either looking after flowers or sitting by the flowerbed, sharing conversations.

    They didn¡¯t give off an unfriendly aura in the slightest so Clone 2 approached them with a light heart and asked a question.

    ¡°Excuse me. There is something I¡¯d like to ask.¡±

    ¡°A young man I¡¯ve never seen before. And, what is your question?¡±

    ¡°Have you seen the white bird living in that clock tower by any chance?¡±

    The people shook their heads.

    ¡°When you say white bird, you are probably talking about ¡®personality¡¯. It used to fly around sometimes but it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯vest seen it.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean it almost never left recently?¡±

    ¡°¡®Recently¡¯? The ¡®personality¡¯ of Vintage Clock always stays inside the clock tower. It rarely ever leaves.¡±

    ¡°Then will I be able to find the white bird if I head to the clock tower?¡±

    ¡°No. It will be difficult. The clock tower is always firmly locked. It is closed shut and generally never opens.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s locked¡­? Do they not ept guests?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    This was different from what he had heard from Yu Jitae. Yu Jitae¡¯s guess was that the workshop¡¯s door was open and that the Vintage Clock had left by going out through the door.

    ¡°Then has the door of the Workshop opened recently?¡±

    ¡°That is something I do not really know. Ahh, what about you?¡± the existence asked another being that was next to it.

    ¡°You mean me? Well, I did see someone visiting the Workshop a few times but¡­¡±

    ¡°I do remember them going back after seeing the locked door.¡±

    Someone had visited the workshop before ¨C the clone etched that into his memories.

    ¡°It used toe out quite frequently and chirp in the past but¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It was a cute bird.¡±

    They talked between themselves before each shaking their head, gesturing that they had no idea. That was when Clone 2¡¯s ears picked up someone else¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Hmm, but the Temple didn¡¯t seem to like the personality that much. If I remember correctly, there were probably also some fights.¡±

    Even though he glossed over other sentences, this one induced his curiosity.

    ¡°Why would the Temple of Providence dislike the white bird?¡± Clone 2 asked.

    ¡°Of course they wouldn¡¯t. After all, it uses the power of a transcendent authority on its own ord, and refuses to be controlled.¡±

    ¡°Controlled? Is the white bird a subordinate that has to follow the orders of the Temple?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not really the case but¡­ they at least wanted to get some respect I guess, because the white birdpletely ignored all the Judges¡¯mands. A proof of that would be how it locked the doors of the clock tower.¡±

    Asking more questions unfortunately did not result in any more useful information. Carrying his feet, Clone 2 summarised what he heard.

    1. ¡®White Bird¡¯, after suddenly appearing out of nowhere, entered the workshop (clock tower) and started living however it wanted to.

    2. The Temple of Providence does not like the existence of the white bird.

    3. Someone goes to the clock tower from time to time but cannot go in because of the locked doors.

    There wasn¡¯t enough information. Since this wasn¡¯t enough for him toe to a concrete conclusion, Clone 2 started going across other ces of the vige asking various more questions.

    .

    .

    .

    The clone moved.

    ¡°Did you¡­¡±

    Going past theke,

    ¡°Was there someone who recently came to the¡­¡±

    Crossing the bridge to a nearby garden,

    ¡°May I please ask something. It¡¯s about the white bird of the clock tower¡­¡±

    And in front of the stairs heading to the Temple.

    He went around asking every sort of question without getting a satisfactory answer.

    It was when he was slowly starting to feel fatigued due to having no sess ¨C he finally received a rather serious reply from someone.

    It was from an olddy.

    ¡°I look at the clock tower quite often, and I have never seen anyone visiting it recently. You can say there has not been a single visitor.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    But didn¡¯t someone else say there was a frequent visitor at the workshop?

    ¡°When you say recently, how long is it?¡±

    The olddy opened her five fingers.

    ¡°5,000,000 years.¡±

    ¡°Hukk¡­! Five million years?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Or maybe fifty million years, or perhaps even five hundred million years. An evesting epoch is so long it is hard to discern the exact time after some point.¡±

    50 million? 500 million? Clone 2 was shocked by the astonishinglyrge number.

    That meant no-one had entered the clock tower recently! And that in turn meant that he couldn¡¯t enter the clock tower either.

    That was when someone next to thedy said with a deep sigh.

    ¡°You see, young man. Please understand.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°She has Alzheimer¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Clone 2 flicked his head and red at the olddy. ¡®Or maybe 5 billion¡­ or even 50 billion¡­¡¯ The olddy mumbled with hazy eyes.

    My word. The clone unknowingly heaved a sigh. He wasn¡¯t expecting Conceptualisation to even interpret something like that.

    ¡°However, I¡¯ve also never seen anyone going to the clock tower during the day for the past few years.¡±

    ¡°But, someone else said there was someone who visited the clock tower,¡± Clone 2 rebutted.

    ¡°Then that would be during the night, and not the day.¡±

    ¡°Night?¡±

    This ¡®World of Providence¡¯ also had a day and night, and it seemed that most of them were back in their houses during the night.

    ¡°Wait a minute. I also do remember someone going to the clock tower at night and knocking on the door quite recently.¡±

    ¡°When was that?¡±

    Clone 2 asked in surprise.

    ¡°Who knows¡­ we only know day and night, and as for a specific concept of time¡­¡±

    ¡°Or maybe, can you at least tell me what time it was?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, we do not have a clear concept of time. Ah, wait! I think it was around 12 at night.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Didn¡¯t you say you had no concept of time?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m sure. It was probably 12 o¡¯clock.¡±

    Clone 2 was ruminating over those words when the adults and the olddy started chatting to themselves.

    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t ask around too much. I do not know what brings an outsider to this ce, but you might be picked on by someone if you cause too much fuss. The Temple¡¯s atmosphere is not looking too good.¡±

    ¡°The Temple¡¯s atmosphere¡­?¡±

    ¡°Apparently there will be a public trial soon.¡±

    Public trial.

    Clone 2 nervously listened in as the existences talked with each other.

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a shame whoever it is.¡±

    ¡°A public trial. How long has it been¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly how long, but it has probably been around thousands of years since thest one right? How truly unfortunate.¡±

    ¡°Ten thousand¡­ Hundred thousand¡­¡±

    ¡°It seemed like a tremendously important agenda. The Temple was filled with Judges.¡±

    ¡°There is probably no chance of it being cancelled¡­ Don¡¯t know who it is but it will be very tragic for them. How pitiful.¡±

    Clone 2 felt goosebumps going down his spine. From their conversations, it was clear that the existences were considering the public trial as something extremely negative.

    One of them said with a sigh.

    ¡°Of course it won¡¯t be cancelled. Never. In the first ce, I have no idea why they are calling this event a public trial. It¡¯s more like a predetermined trial.¡±

    ¡°Ey. Buddy. Be careful with your words.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not wrong am I? Out of the past 27 public trials, is there anyone who managed to escape the punishment? And it¡¯s not even public. It can¡¯t be a public trial when there is a 100% chance of being convicted.¡±

    The clone rolled his eyes in a panic. 100% of being convicted? Doesn¡¯t that mean he will be proimed guilty no matter what?

    ¡°We cannot avoid having sacrifices to maintain Providence.¡±

    ¡°I understand that, but it is so frustrating to watch. Frustrating and¡­ also, this time it is a little different.¡±

    ¡°Nnn? How is it different?¡±

    ¡°I went to the Temple just then and saw something; do you know how many Judges have returned to the Temple?¡±

    ¡°How many?¡±

    ¡°Five?¡±

    ¡°Things are looking weird, so maybe seven?¡±

    The existence continued after shaking its head with a bitter expression.

    ¡°It was eleven.¡±

    ¡°My word¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Eleven? Why would there be that many Judges gatheri¡­¡±

    It was then. Light flickered above the sky.

    The existences all turned their gazes to the sky and saw a sparkling pir of brilliant light shooting into the Temple. It was another Judge entering the ¡®Temple¡¯.

    ¡°How could this be¡­¡±

    ¡°That makes them twelve.¡±

    ¡°Is twelve, a lot?¡± Unable to hold back his curiosity, Clone 2 intervened with a question.

    One of the beings replied.

    ¡°Mhmm? It seems you really know nothing. What do you mean, ¡®Is twelve a lot¡¯¡­¡±

    Clone 2 awkwardly smiled as the existence added.

    ¡°That¡¯s all the Judges.¡±

    That was the end of the conversation. Ignoring Clone 2 who was bothering them, the existences began talking to each other. Their conversation continued on and on before soon leading to a topic unrted to the white bird.

    Clone 2 quietly listened to them a bit more.

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s great that it¡¯s quiet these days.¡±

    ¡°True. The clock tower used to be quite noisy after all.¡±

    Maybe there was some hammering noise or something since it was the workshop of the Vintage Clock. They continued sharing meaningless conversations, so Clone 2 stood up after judging that there was no value in listening any further.

    He could only continue carrying his feet without a solid n.

    While moving once again to find hints about the white bird, Clone 2 had to withstand the urge to convey this truth to Yu Jitae. A trial with 100% chance of being convicted ¨C that was their impression of the public trial.

    But since he could only contact him once, his lord told him to contact only after finding the white bird and thus, Clone 2 could not tell Yu Jitae about the information he discovered.

    It was driving him crazy.

    *

    ¡°Nn? That boy is gone.¡±

    ¡°A rare outsider that seemed very busy¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway, so what¡¯s the reason they¡¯re holding this trial?¡±

    They all turned to one existence, who was the only one that could enter the Temple.

    What was the purpose of this ¡®public trial¡¯?

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing too crazy. You all know, that the current time providence of Vintage Clock is drawing its 7th orbit, yes?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? What about it?¡±

    The existence concluded as if it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.

    ¡°The Temple appeared to be wishing for the 8th orbit.¡±

    ***

    Something could be heard from the midst of his hazy mind.

    ¡­ke up¡­

    Someone was talking to Yu Jitae, with an urgent tone of voice.

    ¡­Wake¡­ up¡­

    His mind was as heavy as wet cotton, but it was fine. Yu Jitae had dozens of blessings that protected the mind and the body.

    One by one, he activated the ones that he had previously locked in order to be pulled by Providence. Slowly, his senses that were submerged beneath the surface of the water vividly returned to his body.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    Light entered his eyes.

    He was sitting in a dark world, and the man who had been calling him was Oscar Brzenk.

    ¡°Ah, hey! Have youe to yourself?¡±

 Chapter 363: Episode 102: White Bird (4)

    <h4>Chapter 363: Episode 102: White Bird (4)</h4>

    Oscar Brzenk looked fine. Even though his physical body was taken by the Temple of Providence, it seemed that his mind was safe.

    Yu Jitae nonchntly opened his mouth.

    ¡°¡­This appears to be inside the Temple.¡±

    Hearing normal wordse out of his mouth, Oscar heaved a deep sigh despite being somewhat curious.

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re sane. Yes, this is the Temple of Providence and you are currently locked in something simr to a detention centre. I know this might be confusing but you have to listen carefully. There¡­¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the public trial starting soon, I know it already.¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Oscar replied with a deeper frown.

    ¡°I see. That will make things easier to exin then.¡±

    ¡°And the agenda?¡±

    ¡°It is about your sin.¡±

    It was as he had expected.

    ¡°About which crime specifically?¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°That is impossible to tell. Even though it has a simr convention to a human trial, it is not actually the same as one.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So we cannot tell which one of your sins they will be talking about, and what punishment they are trying to give.¡±

    Those words sounded somewhat strange.

    Which one of your sins¡­ Oscar Brzenk was talking as if he knew about his past.

    ¡°I have requested the Judges already, to be able to defend you as an attorney.¡±

    ¡°Defend me?¡±

    ¡°Even though you might be a time traveller, you¡¯ve never been at a public trial have you?¡±

    That was true. It was because Vintage Clock had stopped it from happening a few times. This too, was something Oscar should not have been aware of.

    ¡°It seems you have viewed information about me from somewhere,¡± said Yu Jitae.

    ¡°I was locked at the Temple around a month ago, and have been preparing to this day. I viewed the records of the Temple; records about you that have been personally left behind by the personality of Vintage Clock.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°How much about you is it that I¡¯ve understood with this?¡±

    If it was by reading the records of Vintage Clock¡­

    ¡°Probably almost perfect,¡± Yu Jitae replied.

    ¡°I see¡­ ording to the personality, it seems you have done a lot more than I¡¯d initially thought. Including my own death.¡±

    Hisst words had a slight sharpness to it.

    In any case, the records personally left behind by Vintage Clock were believable, because Vintage Clock was the only one who understood Yu Jitae in this world.

    ¡°Must have been a hard life.¡±

    That was when Oscar suddenly said that to him. Without replying to his statement, Yu Jitae asked about something else.

    ¡°Howe you were locked in the Temple.¡±

    ¡°Ah, as you have suggested, I headed to the Garden of Stars and found the key to enter the Temple by the back door in secret. It was a mistake. There were a lot more Judges than I expected. Thanks to that, I was caught and temporarily lost control over my physical body.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought¡­¡±

    As he had expected, Oscar had his physical body taken from him at the Temple of Providence. Since it was an authority originating from the Vintage Clock, it made sense for him to lose his body.

    Oscar opened his mouth with a tense chin after hearing the words, ¡®That¡¯s what I thought¡¯.

    ¡°There are horrible things going on in my mind¡­ Did I do something outside by any chance?¡±

    ¡°You bombed the Association.¡±

    ¡°¡­Please tell me that¡¯s a joke. Even though it¡¯s a bad one, I can let that go.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a fact. They used your body and attacked the Association to lure me out. Several people died and got injured.¡±

    Oscar exploded in anger with a tightened fist.

    ¡°These, damned bastards¡­¡±

    ¡°I will apologise beforehand. Quite a lot of rankers from your side died in my hands. They were trying to hide and protect you because of their loyalty.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sorrowfully, Oscar Brzenk closed his eyes and collected his breath. Yu Jitae waited until he pacified his emotions.

    ¡°¡­The Judges think I¡¯m on your side without a single doubt. They are very skeptical too.¡±

    ¡°Why have you taken my side,¡± questioned Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°If I were you, I would have pretended to be clueless.¡±

    ¡°Stop with the nonsense! You want me to be their dog?¡±

    He had given a rational judgement and so did Oscar Brzenk. In Yu Jitae¡¯s opinion, bing their dog wasn¡¯t that bad of a deal because a sovereign was treated no differently from a dog in the first ce.

    ¡°You seem to know a lot more than me. I think you will be able to find the Vintage Clock after this trial. Is that correct?¡±

    In response to his question, Yu Jitae gave a nod. In fact, his clone was already moving outside the Temple looking for the Vintage Clock.

    ¡°Firstly, our goal is for you to survive through this public trial. If things go terribly wrong, you will receive a great punishment and I will have my body forever taken away into a puppet.

    ¡°I will try my hardest to defend you in this trial. I have even touched the records of the Temple to prepare so please do trust me, for I will try my best to reduce your punishment.¡±

    Oscar shared his desperate thoughts.

    For Oscar Brzenk, the disappearance of Vintage Clock¡¯s personality was the same as him losing his greatest ally. Him losing his physical body was due to the same reason ¨C if Vintage Clock was here, that would have never happened.

    That was why Oscar Brzenk had the same objective as Yu Jitae.

    ¡°How much of my records have you seen.¡±

    Yu Jitae asked but that was when Oscar suddenly turned hasty. Feeling something simr, Yu Jitae gazed at the sky.

    ¡°Damn it! This is not the time to talk about that¡­!¡±

    From the very top of the sky, at the tip of the dark outer space, a golden line was starting to be drawn as if a box was being opened from outside.

    ¡°You must keep my words in mind. You have to behave prudently. The public trial is a violent event that will try to force you to be a sinner.

    ¡°Judging from your actions, you have a rather impulsive side to you as well. Things might crumble down if you say something wrong.

    ¡°So please, calm yourself and just leave it to me even if things seem unfair.

    ¡°Do you understand? Please just trust me.¡±

    Oscar Brzenk was about to continue his exnation but that was when the sky of the dark world began to crack open.

    ¡°It is about to begin¡­!¡±

    At the same time, darkness became liquid that flowed down their bodies. Darkness was then reced by brilliant light and in the midst of the continuing changes, Yu Jitae noticed his two arms and legs were confined.

    By the time he realised it, he was restricted in the air among the bright light. His arms and legs were stuck in ce as if he was crucified.

    ¡°Let me say it onest time. Trust me!¡±

    Twelve pools of light started filling the empty sky. Atst, the twelve ¡®Judges¡¯ whose faces were covered by light so that mere ¡®existences¡¯ could not see their faces were revealing themselves in front of Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes.

    12 huh¡­

    The trial was a lot bigger than he thought.

    Even in his repetitive iterations, he had never seen the twelve Judges gathered in one ce. That was in turn proving the significance of this public trial.

    One out of the twelve pools of light flew andnded near Yu Jitae and Oscar and soon, the light was unveiled showing a human-like face from within. The mouth opened carrying out a voice.

    ¡°Are you that ¡®esteemed¡¯ Keeper of the Clock?¡±

    The neutral-gendered voice was filled with hostility.

    ¡°Youck wisdom despite your years. From how you jumped at it without even knowing it was a bait.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t say anything. He wouldn¡¯t have, even if Oscar didn¡¯t stop him by reaching his arm out.

    Some time in the distant past,

    There was a time when [Vintage Clock] referred to these guys as ¡®wrongfully elected existences¡¯.

    A transcendent authority existed for the ¡®existences¡¯. Animals, nts, humans¡­ It was for all types of organisms with willpower.

    However, an authority in general did not have a personality.

    In order to maintain the Providence¡¯s system as ¡®humane¡¯ as possible, Vintage Clock had summoned ¡®existences¡¯ from all sorts of ces to make them its subordinate. The goal was to use them within the great system when ¡®humane judgements¡¯ were required. It was to keep things flexible.

    However, that decision brought about a problem ¨C it was that ¡®nonhumans resembling humans¡¯ had ended up taking their positions inside the authority.

    Under the name of ¡®Judge¡¯.

    ¡°Please go elsewhere, Judge. What is this you are doing with the public trial ahead of us?¡±

    The Judge turned its head and red at Oscar.

    ¡°Sovereign. I will ask you instead.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Even after listening to our advice, you still have decided to defend the Keeper of the Clock.¡±

    ¡°Is there any problem?¡±

    ¡°It will cause a distance. Between you and us, that is. The further you go away, the more trust you lose from us.¡±

    ¡°I said I was here to look for the Vintage Clock. Wasn¡¯t it you all that rejected me from doing so?¡±

    ¡°That too is something that loses our trust. We could not find it, so how can a mere Executor of Providence like you manage to find it?¡±

    They could hear theughing and snickering noises of the surrounding Judges.

    Light was lifted from the fake face. The face had neither the eyes, the nose nor the mouth but Yu Jitae could definitely feel the gazes that were on him.

    ¡°So foolish, ipetent and vulgar.¡±

    ¡°Please stop there and leave. Judge.¡±

    ¡°It has been unbelievably sloppy, so you will have to pay for the time that has gone by, and the Providence you have ruined.¡±

    ¡°Judge!¡±

    Oscar yelled to protect Yu Jitae. The white pools of light fluctuated simultaneously, treating him like a barking dog. They appeared amused by the situation.

    It was then.

    A strand of crimson light suddenly started to fall into the group.

    ¡°Im, impossible¡­!¡± Oscar gasped in bafflement and even Yu Jitae widened his eyes.

    There was only one existence inside the Temple of Providence that could give off a crimson light. Seeing the ¡®leader¡¯ of the twelve Judges, the crimson light, appearing within the group, Oscarmented to himself.

    ¡°P, Punisher¡­!¡±

    Oscar¡¯s neck tightened as he instinctively realised that things were already going south.

    [Punisher]

    He was the owner of the Temple.

    ording to the Temple¡¯s information Oscar had checked, the number of times Punisher had participated in a public trial among the aeon of Providence could be counted with one¡¯s fingers. Why was such a being here at this ce today?

    As Oscar watched on whilst sweating profusely, an imposing and rather solemn voice resonated from the newly appeared crimson light.

    [Silence]

    The entirety of the Temple, enveloped in light, echoed in response. Judges all returned to their positions as Oscar straightened his posture to show respect. Yu Jitae didn¡¯t have to do anything because he was restricted.

    [The following trial has converged the demands of more than three Judges under the agenda of ¡®dislocation of Providence¡¯, and has been decided to be held after a sufficient discussion.]

    ¡®Dislocation of Providence¡¯.

    That was the name of his sin that brought Yu Jitae to this ce.

    [The twelve Judges who will proceed with questions regarding the following agenda, and the scribes tasked with recording this trial shall all raise their heads to show due respect to Providence.]

    As soon as the Punisher finished its words, the golden lights of the veiled existences turned even brighter. These guys did not exist in real life ¨C since they were only a concept, Yu Jitae as a human had no way of understanding their way of showing respect.

    [This is to the main existence of the agenda, ¡®Keeper of the Clock¡¯. You mayment along with your attorney in this trial. You are only allowed to speak when replying to a question, and asking a question back is not allowed. Note that I, as the Punisher of Providence, have the power to grant you the worst sentence in case this is infringed.]

    Yu Jitae listened without saying anything in return and Oscar Brzenk replied instead.

    ¡°We will absolutely follow the rules of the Temple.¡±

    Under the tranquil air,

    A voice broke the deste silence.

    [As the Punisher of a transcendent authority overseeing Providence, I hereby vow under the authority¡¯s name that this public trial shall be unbiased and righteous.]

    The air turned as noise subsided.

    Even though the light sources of the Temple dimmed a little, they seemingly added more weight to the situation.

    [I announce the start of the trial.]

    [Judges may begin with their questions.]

    In response to the Punisher¡¯s words, one of the pools of light turned a little brighter. At the same time, a face appeared from within the light ¨C it was the one who had been annoying them before the start of the trial.

    The guy was standing in the 3rd spot from the right, so Yu Jitae and Oscar decided to think of it as ¡®Number 3¡¯.

    ¡°I will now question the Keeper of the Clock.

    ¡°Firstly, Keeper of the Clock. You should recall your encounter with the fragments of [Hostility] that reached from beyond the Horizon of Providence. They tried to ruin your life quite a bit among the Providence and such incidents were left behind as reports.

    ¡°They tried a mental attack on you. By using an existence called ¡®Ha Saetbyul¡¯, with memory and information about the previous iteration. Surprising is it not? It means [Hostility] has ess to the information of what happened before the Overseer of Time Providence reverted the time.

    ¡°But how is this possible? There has not been any outside interference on the ¡®scriptorium¡¯ of the Temple. Not a single one.¡±

    The guy raised its voice even higher while Oscar red back with a scowl.

    ¡°That means [Hostility] remembering your past iterations does not go against the Providence of Time. Whether you wanted to or not, you must have provided information to the target.¡±

    This was what the Judge was saying:

    ¡®Yu Jitae. It is you who have made [Hostility]. And it is you who have given your personal information over to [Hostility].¡¯

    ¡°And therefore, this is what I would like to ask. O, Keeper of the Clock.

    ¡°Do you have any idea about the identity of [Hostility]?¡±

 Chapter 364: Episode 102: White Bird (5)

    <h4>Chapter 364: Episode 102: White Bird (5)</h4>

    Oscar let out a groan.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    All the questions and responses hereon would be based on the documents of the [Scriptorium]. Those were the records left behind by the personality of Vintage Clock, ¡®White Bird¡¯, because the white bird was in charge of Yu Jitae.

    Oscar and the Judges all viewed the same records for the same information. Because of that, Oscar had anticipated how they would try to use Yu Jitae in the trial and had prepared for them beforehand.

    However, there was one thing that was difficult to argue against, and that was information about [Hostility] which did not exist inside Yu Jitae¡¯s memories.

    He wasn¡¯t expecting them to mention that already.

    ording to the records, Yu Jitae could not discern which enemy it was that was holding [Hostility] against him since there were too many victims he had created.

    How would anyone remember the number of bugs they had killed?

    ¡°Why are you not saying anything, Attorney?¡±

    Oscar turned and nced at Yu Jitae, who was still staying silent.

    ¡°In regards to that point, I believe it is worth mentioning that Vintage Clock¡¯s personality was fully responsible for tracking it.¡± Oscar opened his mouth.

    ¡°Are you trying to shift the me?¡±

    ¡°No. In the 7th iteration, there was the necessity to put exceptionally more effort into the baby dragons. Jobs had to be divided up. Because of that, the defendant, ¡®Keeper of the Clock¡¯ had no reason to pursue Hostility, nor did he have the time to do so.¡±

    ¡°So in the end, you are saying he ¡®doesn¡¯t know¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­I request you take into consideration the process.¡±

    The 3rd Judge and itsrge pool of light slowly began toe out to the centre of the courtroom.

    ¡°I will now begin the true question. Recently, Vintage Clock¡¯s personality had left us and vanished. Even though we, the Judges, had personally gone looking for it, we could not find a single trace.

    ¡°Like how the transcendent authority had selected us Judges from respectivends for a flexible observation of reality, ¡®Personality¡¯ must have had been a simr ¡®existence¡¯. Ahh, by the way, it was in the shape of a white bird. Ahh, how we miss it already¡­¡±

    Coming to the centre, the Judge continued.

    ¡°¡­It stayed holed up in the workshop everyday working without any rest. Even though it was always busy after being chosen as the ¡®personality¡¯ of the Vintage Clock one day, it became even more busy with the start of the 7th iteration of the Keeper of the Clock.¡±

    ¡°May I ask what it is that you are trying to ask?¡± interjected Oscar.

    ¡°O, Keeper of the Clock. Do you know where the ¡®personality¡¯ is?¡±

    Oscar heaved an irritated sigh.

    ¡°I believe that is an unsuitable question for the defendant.¡±

    ¡°Why would that be the case?¡±

    ¡°The corresponding ¡®personality¡¯ is a subordinate of the transcendent authority just like everyone here including myself. It is something even we, who are responsible for the works of the transcendent authority, do not know. So how could you ask that to an ¡®existence¡¯?¡±

    ¡°So you mean, he doesn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°I am not saying he doesn¡¯t know; it is simply impossible in the first ce. This issue is not something that can be considered with such a simple¡­¡±

    [Stop there.]

    Oscar closed his mouth as soon as the Punisher opened its mouth.

    [Attorney, do not doubt the question of the Judge itself.]

    ¡°¡­As you say, esteemed owner of the Temple¡­¡±

    With an amused smile, the Judge continued.

    ¡°Esteemed Punisher. Do you see this? This is that ¡®Keeper of the Clock¡¯. A life that should be used honourably by an existence was used seven times by him, and he wasted all of them. Even with those seven lives, he could not undo the entangled Providence.¡±

    The Judgeid out facts.

    ¡°In a situation like that, even though the ¡®personality¡¯ who should always be protected andmunicated with has disappeared, he has no idea where it has gone to, and has no idea about the reason for the rampant [Hostility] even though it was clearly brought about by himself. Because of that, the entangled Providence remains twisted, and it is now overly jumbled to the point we do not know how it can possibly be fixed.

    ¡°What does this suggest?¡±

    All the facts that had been interpreted in the way they wanted to led to one conclusion.

    ¡°¨CDoes this not prove his ipetence?¡±

    Their conclusion was that ¡®Yu Jitae was ipetent¡¯.

    It was then.

    Oscar shouted with a scowl.

    ¡°Please wait! I have an objection.¡±

    [You may speak, Attorney.]

    Oscar Brzenk knew how much pain Yu Jitae had to endure in his seven iterations of life. And he also knew how Yu Jitae had withstood them in harsh moments of life with superhuman willpower.

    ¡°He is not ipetent.¡±

    Remembering the records he had seen for over a month before Yu Jitae came to the Temple, Oscar added.

    ¡°In the 2nd iteration, he had to see the death of his lover with his own eyes. Thest several years of the 3rd iteration were horrid even though he risked his life in massacring monsters at the cost of his body and mind. And in the 4th iteration, he had to watch the suicide of an existence he had treasured for over 20 years.¡±

    Was it correct to see someone who lost in apetition as a weakling? Was it correct to see someone who couldn¡¯t achieve their goal as a loser?

    Oscar¡¯s answer to that was ¡®no¡¯.

    ¡°After that, Keeper of the Clock avoided people, distanced himself from rtionships and did not give affection to anything. He was desperate, and had struggled more than anyone out there making the most out of his given conditions.¡±

    However, the process building up to his sess, were nothing but repetitive ¡®records of failure¡¯ in the eyes of some. The Judges gave ufortable frowns.

    ¡°You have to judge based on the result. Is it not true that he has failed, Attorney?¡±

    ¡°Can you not consider that a journey to sess?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! He has had seven opportunities already, and has failed six times! What is he if not a loser?¡±

    ¡°We do not know the result of the 7th attempt yet!¡±

    ¡°5 years have gone by already! Where can you find any record of sess from those 5 years? Give me one line! If there is even one line of his sess, then please do show us!¡±

    Oscar clenched his jaws.

    Indeed, there was no record of Yu Jitae going close to sess in the repetitive iterations ording to the [Records of White Bird]. So the fundamental issue was that there was no way to rebut the logic, ¡®Didn¡¯t he fail in all of them?¡¯

    But¡ª

    ¡°This iteration is different.¡±

    Oscar rebutted.

    This time, it was different.

    He could say that with certainty.

    ¡°Pleasee out. Esteemed owner of Dimensional Providence¡­¡±

    With his murmur, a ck cat peeked out of his chest, from the gaps of his breastte.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] gazes at the Temple of Providence.>

    The ck cat was looking at the world with its yellow pair of eyes. ¡®Wait! T, that is¡­!¡¯ the Judges yelled in a fluster.

    ¡°Esteemed Punisher. I request for this personality of a transcendent authority to be the witness.¡±

    [It has been requested beforehand and will therefore be permitted.]

    The suffocating air eased a little, at least in Oscar Brzenk¡¯s opinion. He sneaked a nce at Yu Jitae who had closed his eyes by the time he realised.

    Before long, the memories of the transcendent authority were conveyed to everyone as ck fragments. It included the journey Yu Jitae had experienced after the disappearance of Vintage Clock as he headed to the final goal.

    His experiments with Myu.

    ¡°The entangled Providence is starting to be undone.¡±

    The process and results of those experiments.

    ¡°After a long journey of pain, Keeper of the Clock has managed to find the answer.¡±

    The [Conceptual World] of a ck dragon that Yu Jitae had jumped into, and the coordinates of the outer dimension that was finally revealed at the end of the experiment.

    ¡°Now, everything will be fixed in just a little bit of time.¡±

    Oscar shouted with a desperate heart.

    ¡°The Keeper is not ipetent!

    ¡°It is only that Providence is so jumbled up; the urrences that happened outside the influence of Providence became regrettable events that cut off his two legs and arms, forcing him to crawl with his body.¡±

    The Sovereign passionately defended the struggle of a human that desperately tried to reach the unreachable goal.

    ¡°Based on these records, I request the Esteemed Punisher for a reduction of his punishment!¡±

    Tension filled the air.

    First question was about Yu Jitae¡¯sck of results and Oscar had disyed the oues he had created as a response.

    [That will be counted as an appropriate response to the first question.]

    Great. It was a sess.

    Hiding his delightful mood, Oscar lowered his head.

    *

    [Key (EX)] turned its head to look at Yu Jitae. In the yellow eyes of the cat was a man who had closed his eyes a while ago.

    What was he thinking? In curiosity, the cat jumped down from Oscar¡¯s chest and approached Yu Jitae before jumping high up and sitting on his broad shoulders.

    Lowering its head, the cat slowly brought its nose to his neck. Immediately, the cat pulled its head back in shock.

    The cat could identify emotions with temperature.

    And his blood was very hot ¨C as hot asva.

    [Judges may begin with the next question.]

    The 12th Judge walked out in response to the Punisher¡¯s words.

    ¡°Let me begin. Whether he reached the objective or not at this point, is irrelevant to the current agenda.¡±

    ¡°What do you possibly mean by that now,¡± Oscar asked.

    ¡°I am saying that is beside the point. What is more important is that the Vintage Clock¡¯s personality has disappeared. Immediately after giving him a certain ¡®power¡¯, that is.¡±

    A scene shed past Oscar¡¯s mind. It was when Yu Jitae was emotionally pushed into a corner; when he was trying to distance himself from Unit 301.

    ¡°We need to focus on that point. There is a gap in the record. Around 30 seconds based on the standards of Earth. Is that correct?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°I will hereby refer to this as the ¡®30 second gap¡¯.¡±

    Oscar thought to himself.

    Vintage Clock¡¯s personality had personally visited Yu Jitae, and had shared a certain conversation.

    But that was omitted from the record.

    In addition, this was something even [Key (EX)] had no idea of. It might be that it was simply staying silent despite knowing the truth, but in any case that was how things were.

    ¡°Vintage Clock¡¯s personality had pulled in and used a tremendous amount of Providential power for the Keeper. It had flooded him with authority that was exceptionally over the top for a ¡®7th life¡¯. It is because the personality had been treasuring him too much.

    ¡°My spection is that his ipetence forced the personality of Providence to create the 30 second gap to give additional power to him. We can assume that the white bird had voluntarily used up all its energy due to that.

    ¡°That is not the end. The clock tower has stopped operating. It was locked from inside and is unable to be opened despite the constant attempts of several Judges.

    ¡°Do you know what all of this suggests?¡±

    The Judge suddenly raised its voice.

    ¡°That ipetent man, is wasting the power of our authority¨C¡±

    ***

    Clone 2 absentmindedly wiped his face.

    ¡°Huu¡­¡±

    He met a lot of Vintage Clock¡¯s subjects, and listened to a lot of their conversations but not a single one of them gave him a concrete direction about the white bird¡¯s location.

    No-one in this [World of Providence] knew anything concrete about the clock tower or the white bird.

    ¡°Ah, seriously¡­¡±

    He was in a rush.

    The clone had already been in a rush but he was bing more and more impatient.

    Since he had already been to most of the important ces, he now couldn¡¯t even tell where to go for more information. That was when a status screen of [Conceptualisation (SS)] appeared in his sight.

    <The Authority, [Conceptualisation (SS)]¡¯s owner is shaken.>

    In that instant, the world fluctuated as objects and the dimension started to wobble.

    Clone 2 instinctively noticed that something had happened to Yu Jitae¡¯s inner mind.

    ¡°Where? Where do I have to go¡­ Why does no-one know anything. Why, why, why¡­¡±

    His irritation uncontrobly rose up in a strange direction. He had to follow Yu Jitae¡¯s orders no matter what, but he simply didn¡¯t know how to approach it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, he had no time to powerlessly whine so Clone 2 headed straight to the clock tower (Vintage Clock¡¯s workshop) without holding back. Underneath the sky-reaching clock tower, he could see a small door which would barely fit one person.

    Kung kung!

    He knocked on the door, but received nothing in response.

    ¡°Hello!¡±

    Kwang kwang!

    Even though he was told not to do anything that might attract the Temple¡¯s attention, he had no other choice at this point.

    ¡°Anyone inside!¡±

    Kwang kwang kwang!

    ¡°If there is someone inside, please open this! I have things to do inside!¡±

    Kwang kwang kwang!

    ¡°Come out!¡±

    Kwang¨C!

    He kicked but there was still no-oneing out as if no-one was inside the building. To be fair, it was an enormous tower so it was possible they couldn¡¯t hear him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Suppressing his hurried mind, the clone turned his head to the sky and red daggers at the clock tower. It was tremendously enormous even when he was seeing it from a distance and naturally, it appeared even bigger when he was this close.

    How many metres would this thing be¡­

    How heavy would that swinging pendulum be¡­ it¡¯s as big as a house¡­

    It was when he was thinking about some random things that something strange entered Clone 2¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    The clock tower was obviously in the shape of a vintage clock. Beneath the sculptures that looked like a leaf, a bird and a turtle was the face of a clock, and on it was an hour hand, a minute hand and a second hand.

    So far it was the same as a normal clock¡­ This conceptual world only had a day and night, with no existence having any interest in time apart from that. Because of that, he was the only one that could tell something was odd.

    ¡­The clock looked rather strange.

    Why was the hour hand still at 1 o¡¯clock?

    Even though the minute and the second hand were moving¡­?

 Chapter 365: Episode 102: White Bird (6)

    <h4>Chapter 365: Episode 102: White Bird (6)</h4>

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Clone 2 immediately jumped up and started climbing the clock tower the moment that doubt appeared in his mind.

    A lightning bolt was shing across his head.

    There was no-one in this ¡®World of Providence¡¯ who had any interest in the concept of time apart from day and night, but looking back, there was one existence who naturally mentioned 12 o¡¯clock.

    ¨C Like I said, we do not have a clear concept of time¡­

    ¨C Ah, wait! I think it was around 12 at night.

    It was vivid in his memories because the existence had gone back on its words.

    How?

    How was that guy able to tell the time?

    ¨C Anyway, it¡¯s great that it¡¯s quiet these days.

    ¨C True. The clock tower used to be quite noisy after all.

    The answer was in the conversations of others.

    This clock had an rm system!

    But how were things now? Even though the minute and the second hands were still moving, only the hour hand was still. In other words, someone hade and broken the hour hand of the clock tower at around 12 o¡¯clock.

    The clone guessed that it would have taken around 1 hour to break the hour hand because in this World of Providence, it should be impossible for things to stop working without a valid reason!

    Clone 2 could infer the identity of the one that broke it.

    That too was within the conversations he had heard.

    ¨C Besides, only members of the Temple of Providence can enter the clock tower.

    The clone summarised the situation.

    1. Someone from the Temple.

    2. Went to the clock tower at around 12 o¡¯clock.

    3. And broke the hour hand of the clock at around 1 o¡¯clock.

    It was unclear whether it was intentionally broken or if there was some other reason to it. However, what first struck his mind was the number of ¡®entrances¡¯. Going ap around the World of Providence, Clone 2 had been under the assumption that there was only one entrance.

    But now that he noticed that the clock tower itself was strange, his vision was broadened and could now see a ¡®new entrance¡¯ he had missed.

    ¡°Ugh! Hukk!¡±

    It was then. Clone 2 almost slipped in the midst of his climb. He somehow stabilised his body by clinging to a different brick.

    He had to calm down. Everything would turn worthless the moment he fell from here so Clone 2 collected his breath while ncing at the ground beneath.

    Clone 2¡¯s eyes could now spot 2 entrances. The first was the door at the bottom that could fit one person.

    And¡­

    Above the face of the clock.

    Something resembling a door that was firmly shut.

    It was none other than the door for the ¡®Vintage Clock¡¯s cuckoo¡¯ toe out.

    The cuckoo that acted like an rm would have chirped every time at 12 o¡¯clock, and would have been silent recently because the clock had stopped at 1 o¡¯clock.

    So if he climbed up and pushed the hour hand¡­ that would most definitely allow him to go inside.

    ¡°Uhhkk!¡± he cried out, feeling intense pain from his hand. The issue was with his impatience causing him to identally grab the brick with the wrong part of his body. The finger nail of his middle finger was cracked open and lifted into the air with blood seeping out of it.

    It was unfortunate that his current body was different from the actual one. He would have already finished climbing a clock tower like this in real life¡­!

    ¡°¡­!¡¯

    Regardless, Clone 2 continued moving with clenched teeth.

    He climbed up. With a body not so different from a human¡¯s within the World of Providence, he carefullyid his feet and reached out with his hands. That was all the while trying his best not to fall and making sure he didn¡¯t lose his bnce.

    That was when a sudden doubt appeared in his mind.

    Why am I this desperate?

    Was it because this was a show of loyalty to his lord?

    ***

    Slowly, the cat removed its paws from Yu Jitae¡¯s shoulders. The blood flowing likeva and the heart pumping that zing blood away was bing even more coarse over time.

    But he still had his eyes closed with a peaceful expression on his face, nor was he moving his body.

    ¡°Seven times. He had as many as seven opportunities. However, it is clear alongside the 30 second gap that the personality had sacrificed its own life to support the Keeper of the Clock.¡±

    ¡°What is wrong with that! The reason the Temple had been supporting the Keeper is to untangle the twisted Providence. In the end, he has managed to resolve the issue, so is that not enough?¡±

    ¡°Attorney. It seems you have not understood the key point.¡±

    The 12th Judge gradually began pushing Oscar into a corner.

    ¡°Did he resolve it?¡± asked the Judge.

    ¡°It has definitely been resolved! Have you not seen the records of the Key yourself!?¡±

    ¡°Let me ask again. Was it ¡®he¡¯ that resolved it?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Oscar widened his eyes. The flow of the conversation had shifted in an explicit manner.

    ¡°Judge! You are currently casting a cloud over the argument. Are you trying to change the focus of the current agenda?!¡±

    Until now, they had been questioning Yu Jitae about the ¡®result¡¯; whether he had sessfully achieved the goal or not. Therefore, Oscar had presented the records of [Key] as proof for achieving the objective, and yet now they were interrogating Yu Jitae about the ¡®process¡¯ of the sess.

    ¡°What a strange thing it is that you¡¯re saying. What is the theme of the current agenda?¡±

    ¡°Is it not about the achievement of the objective?¡±

    ¡°Well, that is not the case.¡±

    The face of the 12th Judge enveloped in light cracked open horizontally, revealing therge fangs within.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been saying it the whole time, from the very start. Our agenda was in the ipetence of the Keeper of the Clock.¡±

    ¡°What kind of wordy is this? It was the Temple of Providence that chose this man as the Keeper of the Clock. That¡­¡±

    Oscar had to be careful with his words. In the end, the decision was up to the Punisher. Even though his following words might irritate the Judges, it was okay. All he had to do was assign the lowest sentence to Yu Jitae and find the Vintage Clock¡¯s personality.

    The white bird will protect Oscar Brzenk from the Judges, just like always.

    Everything will be solved as long as they find the white bird.

    As long as they find the white bird¡­

    ¡°¡­That was the decision of you Judges.¡±

    It is by your ipetence that you have chosen the ipetent Yu Jitae. That was what Oscar was saying to them.

    ¡°This impudent¡­¡±

    The atmosphere flipped in an instant. What was in the eyes of the Judges had exceeded the likes of displeasure and was reaching the level of killing intent.

    A sovereign was calling the Judges ipetent at the Temple, with the Punisher in front.

    ¡°Am I wrong? You have selected a human called ¡®Yu Jitae¡¯ from Earth and locked him in the cirction of regression. All because he had the strongest willpower among humans! And yet you have not supported him simply because you wanted to save the authority of Time Providence.¡±

    ¡°Shut your nonsense! Who can dare deny that a regression is already a tremendous opportunity!¡±

    ¡°Even the Temple of Time Providence could not resolve the issue. Is regression really that great a support for such an enormous problem? No. Not in the slightest. If it was that easy, you should have utilised your favourite sovereigns to do it! You should have aplished it by using me! But what about this man here? O Punisher, please have a look at him!¡±

    Oscar continued whilst pointing at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Something neither the sovereign, the Judges nor any other authority could aplish! Was done solely by him!¡±

    ¡°No! He was only lucky,¡± rebutted one of the Judges.

    ¡°On what basis are you denying my words?¡±

    ¡°The ck dragon was a mutant that arrived at Earth through the twist in Providence! It is one of the exceptions that exists in every iteration, and he just got lucky to get ahold of that exception in his 7th life!¡±

    Oscar Brzenk shouted in return.

    ¡°And how does that corrte to his ipetence? Did this man want to be the Keeper of the Clock? It was you who chose him. YOU crammed that exception to the face of this poor man. And yet now that this existence managed to grab that exception to resolve the problem, you wish to punish him? You dare!¡±

    Like a beast, he exhaled his fury. Looking at the past lives of Yu Jitae left behind by the white bird, Oscar couldn¡¯t help but get angry as a simr human being.

    ¡°You are ignorant owners of a dog! You neglected! Ignored! And discarded him! But here you are scolding the wounded dog who came back a long path, and now you are trying to punish him. How could you do such a thing? If the reason for your existence is to humanely enact the powers of the authority that does not have a will, then how can you dare try to punish this man!¡±

    ¡°Insolent fool¡ª-!!¡±

    The 12th Judge furiously roared. Although the Judge was nothing but an individual subordinate, it was still an existence that granted powers to a sovereign.

    [Be silent.]

    ¡°I have not finished yet, o Punisher. The answer to the question is yet to be¡­¡±

    [Silence.]

    In response, the Sovereign and the Judges stopped growling at each other and closed their mouths.

    It was still okay.

    His exnation was well-structured, and had sufficient appeal. In addition, the ¡®result¡¯ was definitely close to sess so his second response should also be a sessful one.

    That was what Oscar was thinking.

    [However, is it not true that the Keeper of the Clock has relied on coincidence to resolve Providence?]

    Oscar¡¯s eyes stretched wide open.

    ¡°W, what¡­ O Punisher.¡±

    A sharp voice unknowingly left his mouth. It was simply that dumbfounding.

    [Be silent. This is yourst warning.]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Betrayed.

    Oscar Brzenk couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly betrayed.

    Unlike the Judges, the Punisher was one who led the public trial. An existence that had to be impartial no matter what, was clearly standing on the Judges¡¯ side.

    However, the trial was not over yet.

    And that can¡¯t be true.

    There was no way.

    Maybe it was only for this question that the Punisher had taken the Judges¡¯ side. Oscar wanted to believe in the Punisher.

    [Judges, begin the next question.]

    ¡°Yes. I will now start the next question.¡±

    This time, the 9th Judge came to the centre.

    ¡°Even without considering the 30 second gap, there are records of modified time frames in certain ces among the ones left behind by the personality¨C¡±

    Even so, Oscar couldn¡¯t help but feel strange. He knew the public trial was to punish the defendant of the agenda, but he had not seen any record among the documentations of past trials of the Punisher giving such a prejudiced judgement.

    ¡­Wait, no records?

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Suddenly realising something, Oscar red at the scribe.

    The light of the scribe that should be recording the trial was moving faintly, creating something like a cloud. He couldn¡¯t understand the principle and function due to it being a conceptual existence, but it was clearly ¡®recording¡¯ something for now.

    ¡°Let me answer that question. Firstly¡­¡±

    Withholding his mind from turning nk, Oscar calmly gave his answers to the third question. But after replying to the question, his doubt turned into certainty.

    ¡°¡­The scribe is not recording it down,¡± he murmured.

    As if a heavy piece of lead had dropped in his mind, his brain rang out with rms. All the other previous public trials must have been fabricated by that guy.

    [All the corresponding responses will be dismissed. That toocks persuasiveness.]

    Even in the following question, the Punisher turned his reply down. Let alone feeling betrayed, Oscar now felt despair.

    When the one that had to be impartial was no longer impartial, that was no longer even a trial. This was nothing but a group relying on violence to shove a man down a cliff.

    His heart felt excruciatingly heavy.

    No matter how he were to answer the following questions, the Punisher would always stand for the Judges. There was no point in what he was doing.

    However, he couldn¡¯t sit here doing nothing.

    ¡°O Punisher. I have an objection. Please lend your ear a little bit more to our story! This is an unreasonable treatment!¡±

    [Rejected.]

    ¡°Please listen. This public trial is already considering him a sinner. He is already being considered guilty! Even the legal system of thecking human world does not deem the defendant guilty ahead of the trial! Something like this is¡­!¡±

    [Attorney!]

    Would this be how it feels for a loud amplifier to resonate from the sky? Oscar thought his ears would burst into pieces.

    [If you wish to dishonour the Temple any more than this, I as the overseer of the conference, and the strict Punisher of the trial will not stand still.]

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡±

    [Anything more you wish to say?]

    Despite the scorching heat in his mind, he knew how to settle his emotions as the sovereign of a world. The rugged words of rage lost its strength before leaving his mouth.

    ¡°¡­¡­I have none.¡±

    His reply crumbled like his mind. Despair from the bottom of one¡¯s heart tended to in fact lead to emptyughter.

    Oscar closed his mouth but could not contain the empty outbursts ofughter.

    With no hope in sight, his mind turned nk but time did not wait for his recovery. Another question followed suit marking the continuance of the public trial.

    It felt as if he was barely holding onto the clifftop. Everything he had prepared was pulverised and there was nothing else to do but wait for the predestined downfall.

    Even though his fingers holding onto the cliff were already about to loosen, there was a sudden foot trampling on his hand.

    The 1st Judge opened its mouth.

    ¡°Straight after the 30 second gap, the personality disappeared, and after skeptically delving into the issue, I have discovered information about the whereabouts and circumstances of the white bird.

    ¡°Let me provide the relevant information. Please have a look.¡±

    The records of the following Judge appeared in their minds. [Hill of Stars] ¨C it was the ce where one could confirm the current affairs of Vintage Clock¡¯s subjects.

    Among them, the blue star that represented the white bird;

    The previously bright star was coloured in ck.

    ¡°This was after the 30 second gap ording to the standards of Earth, which happened within less than a few days after the incident.¡±

    There was only one exnation for a blue star to turn ck.

    ¡°The white bird is dead.¡±

    In that instant¨C

    The atmosphere of the courtroom sank as Oscar Brzenk felt suffocation striking his heart.

    At the same time, Yu Jitae who had been staying dead still twitched his fingers.

 Chapter 366: Episode 102: White Bird (7)

    <h4>Chapter 366: Episode 102: White Bird (7)</h4>

    The white bird sang into his ears.

    Chirp chirp¨C!

    It was the only source of light brightening up the dark workshop. He was scared his surroundings would turn dark if the bird was to fly away from him.

    ¨C Come here. Quick.

    Despite him reaching out in an attempt to grab it, it slithered and slipped past his fingers¡­ and continued flying away as if teasing him.

    ¨C Hey I can¡¯t see anything. Come here. Come light everything up.

    Moments after he thrashed his arms around, the white bird approached him and diligently pped its wings. Staying in mid-air, it met his eyes.

    This time when he reached his hands out, the bird quietly rested on his palms. Emanating with radiant light, the bird lifted the darkness and brightened up the world. As long as the white bird was with him, he didn¡¯t have to worry about losing his path in this vastnd of darkness.

    Chirp chirp¨C?

    It sang yet again as he brought his face close to the bird; to his precious friend who gave him a new life.

    Knowing his intention, the small bird rubbed its head on his cheeks.

    Let¡¯s live a good life this time, he pledged to himself.

    ¡°Let¡¯s live a good life together.¡±

    Chirp chirp¨C?

    He brought his lips to the forehead of the white bird.

    It happened immediately after that. The world flipped into a brilliant one full of radiance. Even though there was no sign of darkness anywhere, the bloodstained white bird with half of its feathers gone was hurriedly flying to the distance.

    Rather, it was closer to an escape. As it was urgently fluttering its wings, something white struck the bird and in a fright, the bird responded by pping its wings even harder. It staggered but continued retaliating against the invisible force but the flows turned increasingly bigger before eventually clouding the bird.

    He shouted. Run. Dodge it.

    Fluttering wings, wobbling body, plucked feathers. Within that continuation of destruction, one of the white bird¡¯s wings was suddenly grabbed from behind. It then rotated in an angle it shouldn¡¯t.

    He watched with eyes torn open.

    .

    .

    .

    That was the end of the illusion. He opened his eyes and realised he was still at the public trial.

    Until now, Yu Jitae hadn¡¯t been focusing on the trial.

    In all honesty, he did not really feel anything no matter how someone was to reprimand him. It was true he had done bad things that were indeed worth being reproached.

    Being called ipetent also failed at ringing his heart.

    He was weak. In the 3rd iteration, he was weaker than the current Yeorum and in the 4th iteration, he was weaker than the current BM. Among the brightly shining talents of the world, it was true that Yu Jitae, who was the epitome of averageness, was ipetent.

    A new fact he learned was that he had been selected based on his willpower. The strongest willpower within the entire humanity¡­ for that to be the case, he thought he was quite weak-minded.

    But regardless,

    From some point in time,

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t help but be focused on the public trial. To be exact, it was when they started mentioning the Vintage Clock¡¯s personality.

    The reason foring into this ce was to find the personality of Vintage Clock. Even though using all the curse words in existence to swear at him was easy to disregard, mentioning the 30 second gap easily shook his heart.

    Atst when the 1st Judge¡¯s memories seeped in;

    [Hill of Stars] ¨C at the ce Yu Jitae had been to. When the blue star that the white bird used to rest on like a nest was reced by a blurry darkness like other dead stars¡­

    He felt something grabbing him by the cor, dragging him all the way down to the gutters of the abyss.

    However, since there was not enough evidence, Yu Jitae waited despite what was going on. Even though his blood was boiling within, he could still control his impulse. It was based on the thought that there was no way it would ever die ¨C Vintage Clock had never died among the countless iterations of life.

    Thus, he waited.

    Through the next question,

    And the one after that,

    He waited on and on.

    Once, there was a time when he hated the bird. He thought it was on the same side as the one who had shoved him into the cirction of Providence.

    However, Vintage Clock did not condemn him for thinking that. It was always sorry and tried to support him in any way possible.

    The Vintage Clock was the only existence he could rely on. Even when the world returned in time and the whole world left him behind to disappear, the sole reason he could avoid being alone was because the Vintage Clock had always been with him.

    It supported him whenever he was about to crumble from fatigue; it seeked him, supported him and was always willing to help.

    He had to be with it even if he didn¡¯t want to; and he could always rely on it in spite of his resentment.

    So that was most probably affection; and attachment.

    Thus, that guy dying was something Yu Jitae simply could not believe.

    That was why he waited.

    He waited for the clone to find an actual trace of the Vintage Clock¡­

    ***

    The clock tower was tall.

    ¡°Ha, haak¡­¡±

    Collecting his breath that threatened to escape through his chin, Clone 2 reached his arms out. The rugged trees and rocks pierced through his hands and legs as his body that was no different from a normal human¡¯s cried out from pain.

    More than anything, the biggest problem was that his hands were losing more and more power.

    Slipp¨C!

    The moment his hand slipped down, his other hand had to bear through a crazy amount of weight.

    ¡°Kuuk¡­!¡± Letting out a groan, Clone 2 looked down. The wide vige now looked tiny after climbing hundreds of metres.

    There was nothing to support his body and everything would be over the moment he fell. With a gulp, the clone clenched his teeth.

    Blood seeping out of his cracked nails were flowing down his fingers, his hand and the wrist all the way down to his arm. That was in turn making his hand more slippery so the clone cursorily wiped the blood off with his clothes before pushing his body up again.

    From time to time, there was a doubt budding in his mind.

    Why am I doing this?

    A Shadow of an Archduke pays infinite loyalty to their lord.

    That was an unchanging fact.

    But as an entity that could think by himself, the clone started to think that this strenuous effort he was putting in might not be stemming from such loyalty.

    On a certain day after separating from Ha Saetbyul, Clone 2 had asked him one day. It was on whether it was possible to meet someone again after a separation or not.

    This was his reply.

    ¨C How can you restrain hearts from walking away, when you can¡¯t even control your own.

    ¨C Trying to selfishly hold other people back is greed.

    There were a lot of encounters; a lot of rtionships. Those were the words of a man who had to lose the deep and broad rtionships forged through time again and again.

    ¨C But if you long for them, they sometimese out in your dreams.

    And that was why he did not go to sleep ¨C it was in order to keep those longing memories buried and away from sight.

    Clone 2 re-defined the reason behind his unbelievable desperation. Funnily enough, or perhaps insolently so, it was sympathy.

    The clone was being sympathetic to Yu Jitae¡¯s situation.

    Clone 2 found him pitiful.

    That was his impression from the very first moment of their encounter. It perhaps might be because of self-pity. Since Clone 2 was created based on the 1st iteration¡¯s Yu Jitae, his sympathy might be a result of seeing his possible future self.

    But whatever the case, Yu Jitae needed the Vintage Clock so the clone wanted to find the Vintage Clock as long as it was here.

    That was why he was climbing the clock tower.

    His arms were bursting. The ripped palms were shrieking from the constant pain while the shoulders and elbows were long disjointed, creaking with every movement.

    Even so, Clone 2 pushed his hands forward, and used his legs to support his body for the climb.

    At the end of such long and hard work, Clone 2 finally managed to reach the face of the clock.

    There was a ce to rest his feet but there was no time to rest, because his emotions were shaking fiendishly over time.

    Mana was the manifestation of will, and a swaying will had an effect on the activated authority. The world interpreted by Conceptualisation was shaking and so was the entire scenery in his eyes.

    Clone 2 therefore had to crawl. Stepping on the wooden structures on the face of the clock, he reached the hour hand that was pointing at 1 o¡¯clock. It was so enormous that the hour hand alone was bigger than Clone 2¡¯s body.

    He wasn¡¯t confident in moving this thing.

    However, there were things in the world that simply had to be done. That was what the young Yu Jitae thought.

    ¡°Uhhkk, kkuhhggg!¡±

    Using his entire body, he pushed but the heavy hour hand refused to move.

    ¡°Uggghhh! Ahhhhkkk¡ª!¡±

    Clone 2 persisted. He couldn¡¯t stop just because it refused to be pushed ¨C it had to be pushed no matter what.

    His already disjointed shoulders ripped and cracked audibly. It was the result of his sheer mentality squeezing out more power than what his body could handle.

    But even so, the hour hand did not move. His stifled breath clogged his throat and stole blood from his head but the hour hand still stubbornly refused to be pushed.

    Stopping the push, Clone 2 had to feel his entire body feeling heavier like wet cotton.

    ¡°Fuck! Please just move!¡±

    Frustration was embedded in his tears.

    Pausing the push, Clone 2 resentfully red at the enormous hour hand.

    ¡°Go! Just freaking move, you fuck!¡±

    He swore but it was all in vain.

    That was when the second hand located closely to the face of the clock came down scraping past him. The clone had to dodge it as a sudden thought shed past his mind.

    Hands of a clock only moved clockwise by nature. So wouldn¡¯t there be a bigger limit in moving anti-clockwise? With that in mind, he changed positions and tried to push the hour hand clockwise but he still could not move it because of his insufficient weight.

    The clone thought to himself.

    The hour hand, minute hand and the second hand were all stuck right next to each other. Despite the immense size, there was little gap in between.

    And the second hand was bigger than an average pir of a building and it was bound to be tremendously heavy on top of that. The power source allowing something that heavy to move must be a remarkable one.

    If that was the case,

    Between the stopped hour hand and the moving second hand¡ª

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡­If he inserted his body between them.

    Immediately after thinking that, Clone 2id his body on top of the unmoving hour hand and straightened his body perpendicrly off the face of the clock.

    It would most likely be impossible to withstand that enormous second hand with his arms, so he ced his waist at where the minute hand would go, sped the hour hand with his upper body, waiting to resist the second hand with his lower body.

    The minute hand would probably strike his waist in the middle.

    He wasn¡¯t sure whether this would work or not. A possible future of his body being crushed and broken to pieces appeared in his mind.

    It was frightening.

    Even though it was within a conceptual area, the pain in his fingertips was real. The ufortable sensation of dried blood and his coarse wrists cracking open like the barren wastnds was also real, so having his body cut in half would be as painful as death.

    However, Clone 2 waited. He waited for the second hand to go ap around towards himself.

    Click¨C

    Suddenly, the ticking sounds of the clock felt a lot louder than before.

    30 seconds. With a clicking noise, the second hand passed mid-way and started climbing up again.

    45 seconds. With another click, he could soon see the rising second hand with his eyes.

    50 seconds. Click¨C. The second hand was in full sight. With every passing second, it drew near.

    0 seconds. Click¨C! The second hand was right in front of him.

    And soon,

    The second hand approached him

    Click¨C!

    Thuudddd! The moment itnded on his body, Clone 2 almost fainted immediately.

    Therge pir came down smushing his lower body. The shock was so immense that it emptied his mind. He didn¡¯t even have the leftover strength to discern what was happening to himself.

    But time was heartless. With another passing second, the second hand came further down moving the hour hand alongside it. There was less restriction in a clockwise movement as the clone thought.

    The clone withstood it with his whole body. For the whole 60 seconds. His shoulders, his waist and ribs echoed with noisy cracks that were unbelievable to be from his own body.

    However, he endured it.

    He had to bear through it.

    Even if his body were to crumble,

    Even if he were to die here.

    Everything was for Yu Jitae who had suffered for far too long. It was not some cheap sympathy ¨C for the clone, this was his mission.

    Another colossal impact struck his waist ¨C it was the minute hand striking his body. His entire body quivered but fortunately, it remained in one piece.

    Each second felt like a century.

    While his body was slowly crumbling to pieces, the second hand did not rest and continued pushing Clone 2 as well as the minute and the hour hand.

    Like that,

    Atst when the hour hand reached 12 o¡¯clock.

    ¨C Diiiiiiinngggg¡ª!

    The clock tower began to cry aloud.

    Alongside an enormous sound wave, it quaked the world.

    The clock vibrated as the second hand paused for a very split moment. Clone 2 who had been keeping track of the time with his acute senses sessfully left the gap in that split second.

    However, this was not the end of his role.

    This vintage clock with an rm system had a unique feature. Therge firmly-shut double doors above the face of the clock were pushed wide open as some mechanical device bursted out from within.

    This world was a world interpreted by [Conceptualisation (SS)]. There had to be something Yu Jitae was familiar with and Yu Jitae was a human living on Earth.

    Therefore, there had to be a wooden cuckooing out and crying at this given time, but therge nesting out of the doors was empty.

    There was no cuckoo inside.

    Carrying his broken body, Clone 2 pushed himself forward using his arms and legs that refused to move properly to climb the face of the clock. He didn¡¯t even know how he was able to move at this point.

    Even so he climbed up, and the moment he approached the empty nest of the cuckoo¨C

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡­¡±

    Clone 2 devastatingly crumbled to his knees.

    Resting on the nest was a white bird.

    ¡°N, no¡­ No¡­¡±

    Still and breathless.

 Chapter 367: Episode 102: White Bird (8)

    Chapter 367: Episode 102: White Bird (8)

    He couldn¡¯t believe it. The crushed and bloodstained white bird with a missing wing had its eyes closed. It neither moved nor breathed.

    Clone 2 dazedly turned to the sky.

    ¨C Diiinnnnggg¨C!

    A sound of a bell ringing noisily in his ears,

    The world wobbling in his sight,

    In front of the lonely corpse of the white bird ced in the midst of all that, Clone 2 had no idea what he was supposed to do.

    It was then. Clusters of information began flooding into his empty mind.

    <A [Personality] is an existence that supports the target existence by conveying relevant information of the authority.>

    <You have discovered the inheritance left behind by the [Personality] of the Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)].>

    <Information about the killer of the Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)]¡¯s [Personality] will be revealed.>

    <Records of [Hostility] and the [Great Hostility]pleted by [Vintage Clock (EX)] will be disclosed.>

    <The final words of [Vintage Clock (EX)] will be conveyed.>

    Among those, the first he saw was the one with the least amount of information disclosure.

    Firstly, details of the one who killed Vintage Clock started flowing into the mind of the clone like an illusion. Flying through the air, Vintage Clock turned around and looked at the one enveloped in golden light.

    The outsider who had infiltrated the clock tower (Vintage Clock¡¯s workshop) used its golden radiance like outstretched tentacles to grab the white bird. It then crushed its body.

    At the same time, the golden pir of light murmured to itself.

    ¡®That¡¯s why you should have listened to my orders.¡¯

    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t have trusted the authority that much. Did you think you would live forever or something?¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s possible if you push your own self to the brinks of death. Seems you didn¡¯t know that, did you? You foolish birdbrain.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ve been waiting for you to be weakened.¡¯

    After it disappeared,

    The fractured bird raised its body and started crawling. It fell, and fell over and over again. Powerlessly and with much difficulty, the bird headed to the ¡®cuckoo¡¯s nest¡¯.

    Watching all that happen was the golden existence. Soon, the existence locked the clock tower from inside and broke the hour hand after leaving through the doors of the cuckoo.

    Clone 2 panted in an attempt to soothe his surging fury. It felt as if someone was using a blender to shred his brain; as if the world was shattering like ss windows.

    He was about to go crazy from anger. In the literal sense of the word, he could feel himself going crazy and losing his mind.

    He couldn¡¯t collect his breath and could only feel clogs of blood dizzying his sight. Even though he didn¡¯t know what that existence was, one thing was certain.

    That guy killed the white bird.

    That motherfucking trash of a bastard was the one that killed the white bird.

    ¡°Haak¡­¡±

    Clone 2 sped his chest. His mind was already turning nk but thinking of what now had to be done added boulders of pressure to his stifled heart.

    Vintage Clock was murdered.

    How was he supposed to tell him that?

    ¨C Diinngg¡ª!

    After thest sound of the bell, when the cuckoo¡¯s nest gradually returned to the clock tower.

    ¡°U, uhuk, uhbb¡­¡±

    Unable to hold it in, Clone 2 vomited outside the nest.

    The clone knew Yu Jitae¡¯s life had been a repetition of misery. Even though no-one in the world might know about it, that was definitely not the case for Clone 2, an existence created based on the memories of Yu Jitae.

    For a very long time he had been by himself and very lonely. The only existence that could understand him was the Vintage Clock. Vintage Clock was his sweet orange tree; the only one he could depend and rest on.

    The Joseon dynastysted 519 years, and Goryeo 475. The years Yu Jitae had lived was longer than the addition of those two dynasties.

    All that time was full of suffering and despair.

    Despite the countless abandonments, countless failures and unfathomably long years of pain, who was it that soothed Yu Jitae, raised him up and helped him live?

    It was none other than Vintage Clock, was it not?

    If so, then how could he, the clone, as someone who knew the entirety of the man¡¯s history¡­

    How was he possibly supposed to¡­

    Tell him all this stuff¡­?

    ¡°Uhk, uhp¡­ Uuugkk¡ª¡±

    Thus, Clone 2 had to vomit for a long time and wipe his endlessly flowing tears. His empty mind turnedpletely nk as the clone wiped his mouth, discarded his clothes and crawled on his knees to the centre of the nest. He then raised the dead white bird into his arms.

    He looked down at the tiny white bird resting on his arm.

    From the very first moment of his birth, the clone had received his memories.

    Even though every breathing moment of his life was nothing but despair, those times where he would at least give an empty smile were all those spent together with the white bird.

    Tears bursted out again and he just couldn¡¯t stop them. The young Yu Jitae apologised to the old and wounded Yu Jitae.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Because despite all that, he couldn¡¯t stay silent.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡­¡±

    He had to convey the truth.

    ***

    Standing still, Oscar gazed at the sky. The long session of questions and responses hade to an end.

    [In consideration of the responses to the raised doubts, I shall proim the final conclusion.]

    Within that world of wobbling ambience of light, he quietly despaired before even hearing the conclusion.

    [The defendant, Yu Jitae, has ruined six iterations due to his ipetence, and has hunted several sovereings of other dimensions in that process. Thus, he has indirectly influenced the dimensions outside Providence, invoking an uncertain element referred to as ¡®Hostility¡¯ that tainted the 7th iteration¡¯s Providence.]

    Oscar nced at Yu Jitae, who still had his eyes closed.

    [Even if the baby dragons caught in the disjointment of dimensions are to return home, the ¡®Hostility¡¯ will not disappear. The polluted earth will continue killing the nted seeds out of our control, and we have thuse to the conclusion that the filth must be removed.]

    Suddenly, Oscar started finding himselfughable for telling him to stay still. If he knew it was such a disgusting event with a predestined oue, he would have taken a different route.

    [We do not wish to reside in limited, insignificant, veiled and sloven Providence. Any uncertainty must be urately severed and therefore, I as the strict Punisher will assign the final sentence.]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With a myriad of emotions filling his heart, Oscar heaved a deep sigh ¨C disappointment that he had let Yu Jitae down; frustration of having all of his preparations rendered worthless; powerlessness as an attorney and all those added under the name of despair.

    [Hereon, the ¡®Temple of Providence¡¯ will sever the 7th iteration of the defendant, Yu Jitae.]

    Due to all those negative emotions, he was glued to the ground unable to proceed. Unable to respond, he remained silent and his eyes that were unable to gaze up slowly came to a close.

    His eyes no longer had to see the nauseating world of golden light.

    [Additionally, the 8th iteration will begin in consideration of his involvement in Providence. However, the Temple of Providence will promise utmost support in the 8th iteration¡­ The Keeper of the Clock may start your closing argument¡­ for your¡­ final defence¡­]

    Sound was being cut off within the darkness.

    Oscar thought to himself ¨C maybe it was because he existed currently as a concept, that feeling despair was scattering his senses.

    [¡­What are you doing.]

    But no, that was wrong. Oscar widened his eyes.

    The crimson face of the Punisher was facing them with abundant killing intent. In surprise, Oscar looked away from that re and coincidentally nced at Yu Jitae¡¯s face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was no expression on his face; only his eyes were half open. The sharpness in his gaze was the same as usual and the white parts of his eye beneath the iris were also the same.

    However, Oscar had a strange feeling the moment he looked at those eyes. It felt as if he was looking into the eyes of a corpse, not a living human.

    Yu Jitae appeared dead in his eyes.

    In alignment with the bursting explosion of the Punisher¡¯s light, Yu Jitae¡¯s ck pupils contracted. Seeing that, Oscar felt goosebumps. Something dead was moving¡­ that was the impression he received.

    [I have asked what it is that you are doing, Keeper of the Clock.]

    Oscar finally realised that Yu Jitae was spreading something into the entirety of the Temple of Providence. The aura wasn¡¯t being omitted intentionally, so it took time for him to notice it as a human with a volitional mind.

    Yu Jitae had seized the Temple.

    That was when his pale lips cracked open.

    ¡°I will start my final defence.¡±

    A weird voice resembling that of a stiff broomstick scraping past the dry asphalt left his mouth.

    ¡°First. You said I was ipetent, but looks like you guys are not that omnipotent either.¡±

    Oscar widened his eyes.

    What was he talking about?

    At the same time, the Judges also started whispering to themselves in befuddlement.

    ¡°This is not my seventh life. I have lived at least a thousand and six hundred lives from what I remember. Same for the number of regressions.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, you wretched human!¡±

    ¡°I thought about why all of you and this man here were considering this my seventh life like it is a matter of fact. It seems Vintage Clock¡¯s personality had left behind a separate record. You were hostile to the personality with no mutualmunication. The personality distanced itself from you; that exins why you wouldn¡¯t know about this.¡±

    His dry voice continued pouring out words without any intonation, which increased the confusion of those listening.

    ¡°Second. My defence about Hostility. I do not know. And what.¡±

    [Keeper of the Clock. How dare you try to y with words at this sacred temple?]

    ¡°Third. My opinion on uncertainty is the same as yours. The 7th iteration has been damaged. It is unclear how Hostility will act even if the baby dragons are to return home.¡±

    [¡­]

    Silence was hovering over the crowd. The existences inside the authority were feeling their difort rising up as killing intent. They were listening because of how absurd everything was, but the real reason they couldn¡¯t punish him was because of the strange aura permeating across the Temple. It was a gloomy, sticky and unpleasant aura¡­

    ¡­That somehow stimted their inner fear.

    ¡°But I do not agree with severing the 7th iteration.¡±

    [That is the conclusion drawn after the appropriate procedures of the public trial.]

    ¡°And how is that any important, when I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Their killing intents were growing bigger and bigger as their emotions exceeded confusion into the realms of anger. The lights of the Judges were increasingly bing brighter and the Punisher¡¯s killing intent was enormous enough to squeeze Oscar¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Kuhk¡­¡± Oscar fell with his hand gripping his chest as he then shivered like an epileptic patient.

    However, Yu Jitae was still gazing at the sky with the same hazy expression.

    ¡°It is now time for you to defend yourselves.¡±

    [What do you mean?]

    ¡°There is an existence out of the 12 Judges here, that murdered the Vintage Clock¡¯s personality.¡±

    His words were met with sudden shouts, ¡®What sphemy is this!¡¯ ¡®This insolent human!¡¯. Without listening to their words, Yu Jitae continued.

    ¡°Since you all share the same power within the World of Providence, someone must have been jealous. That must be why the personality distanced itself and didn¡¯t allow you to enter the workshop. That¡¯s why you opened a different door of the clock tower to kill the white bird inside.¡±

    He apathetically continued his exnation.

    ¡°My subordinate has found the corpse inside the clock tower and that has just been ryed. It¡¯s one of you shrewd ones that stopped the hour hand of the clock and killed Vintage Clock¡¯s personality while it was weakened by the 30 second gap. And now you¡¯re ming it on me.¡±

    Yu Jitae manipted his authority. Seemingly due to having their own doubts, they couldn¡¯t reply to his question ¨C actually, they might be replying to him right now.

    ¡°Start your defence.¡±

    In fact, Yu Jitae had been unable to neither see nor hear anything for a while at this point. Even though things were entering his sight, he had no idea what he was looking at, and he couldn¡¯t interpret the sounds even though his ears were picking them up.

    ¡°What is wrong with that! It was nothing but an attempt to remove an unnecessary existence from the Temple of Providence.¡±

    ¡°Oi¡­!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop me! Did you ask who did it? Well. I didn¡¯t do it, but what if I did, huh? What can you do there with all your limbs restricted? How dare you damn mortal do this in the Temple of¡ª¡±

    That was the end of their chance to defend themselves.

    There was no reason to listen any further.

    ¡°Are you really a judge? Do you dare say you have the right to inflict punishment?¡± Yu Jitae interjected.

    Since they were under the impression that he had only lived 7 lives, they had a wrong understanding about his power. That was why they were using such a sloppy device to restrict him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that only the qualified ones may assign punishment.¡±

    Yu Jitae reached out.

    The mana restricting him ¨C those nails of the cross started to tear apart.

    Rip¨C

    Hearing that, the Judges all turned their dumbstruck eyes to him. With another tearing noise, the ropes binding his legs started to shatter.

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    ¡°H, how in the¡­¡±

    Their astonished voices echoed in vain.

    [Bridle]

    This device in the human world would be considered either a Level 7, or a Level 8 artifact. It was an equipment thatpletely restricted an existence that could forever lock them down after being applied once.

    Even the chief of a dragon tribe wouldn¡¯t be able to move after being restricted by this device.

    Tuduk, tududuk¨C

    And yet here, Yu Jitae was tearing it down.

    ¡°But if an unqualified one may also assign punishment¨C¡±

    Trepidation and astonishment spread apart like scorching embers. Everyone inside the courtroom was astonished including Oscar Brzenk.

    He said after destroying the [Bridle].

    ¡°Then I will punish you.¡±

 Chapter 368: Episode 102: White Bird (9)

    <h4>Chapter 368: Episode 102: White Bird (9)</h4>

    +++

    [Conceptualisation (SS)]

    Target: Temple of Providence

    +++

    Soon after freeing himself, Yu Jitae activated his authority with the Temple of Providence as the target. The world that had been shining in his sight immediately transformed into a familiar form.

    He was standing in a ce that looked like apany office. The Judges and the Punisher were all inside the room looking like humans.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS)]

    Within the reconstructed world, Yu Jitae raised a kitchen knife. It was unclear why his authority had interpreted his killing intent into a kitchen knife but that was not important.

    ¡°¨C!¡±

    After a shout, one of them dashed at him with an axe in hand.

    His knife dug into the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Kuug¡­!¡± The guy was about to fall while twisting his body but Yu Jitae grabbed him by the cor to lift him back up before stabbing his stomach with the knife. He pierced it again and again. The insides of the existence interpreted into a human form were starting to pour out but Yu Jitae did not stop.

    Slowly, the Vintage Clock¡¯s subordinates began to realise that [Conceptualisation] was at work.

    An authority was a higher conceptpared to an existence, and it was hard for humans to even feel the activation of an authority. The existences here that had been leading an eternal life outside the boundary looked at Yu Jitae who had managed to jump over their fences.

    ¡°¡ª!¡±

    They shouted something out loud, but the blurry noises failed to reach Yu Jitae¡¯s brain.

    His darkened vision shattered into a mess.

    Someone ran towards him, and he was doing the same by the time he realised it.

    Madness ¨C he had already gone crazy. Not a single thing about the current situation was in his mind.

    Stabb¨C

    His precious one was going further away. Resurfacing in his mind was how he hadst treated it ¨C how he cursed the Vintage Clock.

    As he had always done; because it always epted his resentment; he thought it was naturally okay to do it.

    Regret, remorse and loneliness which he thought he had forgotten reappeared in his mind. And so did the bird¡¯s vestige and its constant words.

    And all those plentiful expressions¨C

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (¡ä??¦Ø??`)¡­>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states it is working without taking a single rest¡­>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is depressed.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: Q.Q>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is happy.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (????? ??)? >

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] hates Yu Jitae.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (???¡õ? ??) >

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] alerts you that it is on a vacation.>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (|3X[ ??? ])

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (¨p¨‘§Õ¨‘)>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (¨p¨Ž§Õ¨)>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??¦Ø?)?¨t?¨s>

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (?>?<?) Lol>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wees you.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wees you.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wees you.>

    .

    .

    .

    Stab¨C

    Stabb¨C

    Thrust¡ª

    He used to curse it a lot, ¡®Why did you trap me in here?¡¯ over and over until he was too tired to continue. At one point, he was too exhausted and dropped everything: he dropped passion, he dropped greed, he dropped emotions, he dropped hatred and he dropped love.

    Like how one does not put much meaning to the revolution of the moon, his lives had be an astronomical phenomenon making it meaningless for him to curse, resent and weep.

    Vintage Clock, who had silently taken in all his curses until he reached that point, had to hear his curses even at thest moment.

    [You will. Definitely. Be happy.]

    If I knew that was thest, I would have made it good, pretty, nice, kind and friendly so that you could feel our bond. Using what you liked the most, watching your favourite movies, eating the healthy food you wanted me to eat and as ¡®me¡¯ who you had treasured the most¡­

    Stabb¡ª

    I would have done so much more for you.

    Stabb¡ª

    Would there be happiness at the end of this life? Even if there is, will I be able to find it alone in a world without you? If I kill, kill and kill, will I manage to kill everything that I couldn¡¯t before?

    This shrewd, cowardly, doubtful,cking, ungifted me; tired from all the burdensome and exhausting problems of life; forgotten by people, discarded by the world, with evaporated connections ¨C myst resort, the only one that always came to the aid of a person like me.

    Stab¨C

    However, I cannot take you back anymore.

    I no longer have you.

    Stabb¨C

    I used to be neither this nor that ¨C too young to be called old, too crooked to be called a human, sloppy for a sinner, too exhausted to live on, too ipetent to die¡­

    And I had you to be called alone.

    From the rise of the sun to the scattering lights of the moon brightening up my room ¨C each and every moment of my life had you by my side.

    Stab¨C

    You, are my teacher, a friend, a father and a mother, a punny wagging its tail, a friend listening toints over shots of whiskey, a roommate waking me up when Iy down asleep in the midst of dirty mud, a middle-aged woman praying hand-in-hand.

    Stabb¨C

    Even though you have left, my life will go on. You will forever be a faded picture, a scar on the back of my hand, a wound in my heart;

    A windmill with a missing wing,

    A half-eaten poisonous apple,

    An ankle chopped by a trap,

    An ashtray on a rainy day; trampled soggy moss on a summer day.

    And,

    An absence of something so precious and pitiful,

    That nonguage of this world could ever express.

    White bird, oh white bird.

    How can you leave me like this.

    I haven¡¯t even conveyed all my gratitude yet¡­

    ***

    ¡°Kuuk¡­ P, please do not kill me¡­¡±

    Their predictions were off.

    Because they thought he had only regressed 7 times, and because the information had been restricted by the Vintage Clock, they did not have a clear grasp on how strong of an existence Yu Jitae was and thought [Bridle] was enough to neutralise him for the punishment.

    Yu Jitae raised his knife to the Judge¡¯s forehead. The knife soaked in blood was already as blunt as his crumbling heart, and the edge of the de was now more of a stump.

    He shed the middle-aged man¡¯s forehead with the knife. Screaming out loud, the man struggled. The blunt knife had trouble properly digging into the flesh so he had to add more power than usual.

    ¡°Kuuuaaaakk¨C!¡±

    Next, he brought it to the man¡¯s ears. He clenched his grip and moved it back and forth, using it like a saw. Even though it was too blunt to slice it neatly, it worked out after a diligent effort. Besides, a human had two ears for him to slice in the first ce.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhkkk! P, please¨C kuuk¡ª ughh¨C!¡±

    He fed the sliced ears through the mouth. The man also had a nose. Unfortunately, there was only one this time.

    ¡°Huup¨C! Huuaauk¨C! Kuaaauuhkk! Kahhak, kakk!¡±

    Stabbing the knife through the tongue, he pulled it out. He left the eyes as they were but instead, he sliced the eyelids out. The man had to open his eyes until the very moment of his death, and he would be forced to see many things because of his strong vitality.

    After finally breaking the two legs of the Judge, he raised his body.

    shing in his mind was Oscar¡¯s murmur.

    The scribe was not recording, was it?

    He looked at the scribe who was trembling heavily with a fedora on his head. After walking up, he grabbed his fingers.

    ¡°U, uuhhkk¡­!¡±

    And snapped them one by one.

    Crack¨C

    ¡°Kuhuuukk!¡±

    There was no need to keep unrecording fingers.

    Crackk¨C

    ¡°Kuuuaahk! Ahak!¡±

    He killed the man.

    Like that, he killed twelve with the Punisher being the only one alive. The Punisher looking like an old man with a white and long beard was sitting down on the same seat.

    Step by step, Yu Jitae walked towards him.

    ¡°Let me say¨C¡±

    He pierced the knife through the mouth, and rotated his wrist to kill him on the spot.

    Despite everything that was happening, [Vintage Clock (EX)]¡¯s true body that was the boss of all these beings was still neglecting Yu Jitae. For a transcendent authority, its subjects were nothing but parts of a machine. All that had to be done was find newponents to rece the vanished ones.

    Yu Jitae turned his feet, heading outside the Temple.

    Oscar Brzenk was absentmindedly sitting down and could not even think about following him. Opening the doors of the Temple revealed arge garden of the interpreted world.

    Covered in blood, he hurriedly carried his feet.

    It was easy to reach the clock tower.

    In one jump, he reached the very top and broke the doors of the cuckoo with one strike.

    He walked in. Inside, he saw the clone who was still crying on his knees. Even though he had already received the memories, verifying it with his own eyes in reality gave him a different feeling.

    Yu Jitae gazed down at the white bird resting in the clone¡¯s arms.

    The crying child looked up at him. Kneeling down, the child slowly raised the white bird towards him with both of his hands. Yu Jitae carefully took the bird, simrly, using two hands.

    The moment it touched him, after finally fulfilling its objective, the white bird started to dissipate into conceptual fragments.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)]¡¯s ¡®final words¡¯ will be conveyed.>

    Soon, a message appeared in his mind.

    It just didn¡¯t feel realistic and even Yu Jitae at this moment had no confidence in viewing the ¡®final words¡¯ of Vintage Clock.

    What¡¯s with these ¡®final¡¯ words.

    Their first encounter hazily came back.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is identifying the target¡­>

    <Identification Complete!>

    On a certain sleepless night,

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] greets you!>

    That was the night Yu Jitae had earned his first friend.

    <[Vintage Clock (EX)]: o(?¡¯¨Œ¡¯?)/¡î¡ã¡¯>

    When there is a beginning there is always an end. He knew a day like this woulde one day, but hadn¡¯t expected this day to be the one.

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes. Those final words ¨C he really didn¡¯t want to hear them but¡­ He dropped the lingering emotions in his heart as the Vintage Clock¡¯s authority then resonated in his mind as a voice.

    [It¡¯s okay.]

    Only two words.

    Again, it was babbling some iprehensible words.

    What in the world is okay?

    Nothing is okay¡­

    A dreadful sense of emptiness came flooding in.

    He stayed still not knowing how he was supposed to react. However, there were more following messages that woke him up.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] discloses thepleted records about [Hostility] and the [Great Hostility].>

    Even though white bird was dead,

    Life would continue as always¡­

    And thus he had to take a look at the messages.

    <Information about the [Last Night] will be revealed.>

    Doubt appeared in his mind. In spite of what was happening, he still knew how to think.

    It was strange that information about the Last Night was being revealed first. The Third Night shouldn¡¯t have evene yet so why would the Last Night¡­

    That was when he came up with a hypothesis.

    ¡­What if the Third Night had alreadye?

    ***

    ¡°I will block them,¡± the Witch said to Bom.

    It was after they had returned to the Association.

    ¡°You should hurry to the basement. I won¡¯t be able tost more than a few minutes. In the meantime, you go open the door with the card key.¡±

    The ce Yu Jitae had been at for over a month, was quite surprisingly the underground istion chamber. The one inside the istion room would most probably be the ck dragon.

    ¡®Myu¡¯ was it¡­

    What did Yu Jitae do with her for a month?

    Fear sneaked into her heart.

    Bom had to confirm it in order to not lose Yu Jitae.

    She had found out about his recent actions from a Grade 4 assistant of Zhuge Haiyan, and took the keys after pressuring the director of istion rooms, Thimithi.

    Other agents were in a panic trying to deal with the SS- ranked dungeon. The time it would take for the dungeon to openpletely and Clone 1 to make his way through the Witch was approximately three minutes.

    3 minutes.

    Bom quickly headed to the underground istion chambers. There were initially some people trying to stop her but due to the emergency situation and Bom¡¯s position on top of Thimithi¡¯s card key, she easily passed through them.

    Atst after removing the agents and heading to the special istion room by herself, she went through threeyers of firm doors to finally enter the istion chamber.

    [Memorise (S)]

    Just in case, she prepared the form for the ballista spell which she had previously saved on her right hand. Blue lights of mana gathered into one before creating the outline of arge ballista.

    That was Bom¡¯s strongest weapon that could destroy an adult dragon¡¯s head in one shot with just the pull of a trigger.

    Bom pulled the door open.

    On the floor was arge and ck dog.

    It was dead.

    When she turned her head from the ominous feeling hitting her heart, she found a woman sitting on the ground leaning against the wall.

    ¡°It has been a while. We meet again.¡±

    Myu added with a smile.

    ¡°Hello¨C¡±

 Chapter 369: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (1)

    <h4>Chapter 369: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (1)</h4>

    It happened some time ago.

    Unit 301.

    A golden pair of eyes was looking at Bom who was sitting on the couch in her outstretched t-shirt that constantly slid down.

    She was crouching down reading a book but Kaeul was persistently staring her way, so she slightly shifted her head to meet the gaze. Usually, Kaeul would have smiled ¡®hehe¡¯ and said hello but she was quite different that day.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Seemingly with a question in mind, Kaeul sneaked up and sat next to her on the sofa. The same gentle fragrance of grass seeped into her nose as if she was in a forest.

    When Kaeul sat next to her, Bom lowered the book and looked back at her. After a few seconds of odd silence, Kaeul raised a question.

    ¡°Unni.¡±

    ¡°Nn nn.¡±

    ¡°Do you like ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I do.¡±

    ¡°Then, do you love ahjussi?¡±

    Hearing that, Bom widened her eyes a little with a slightly open mouth. However, her expression returned to the normal indifferent one in just a few seconds.

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Kaeul tilted her head with her eyes stuck on Bom.

    ¡°How do you love him?¡±

    ¡°Hnn?¡±

    ¡°We, uhh, can¡¯t fall in love and stuff right?¡±

    Bom replied with an awkward smile.

    ¡°Who knows? I also wonder how.¡±

    Finding that response questionable, Kaeul asked back.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know either, unni? How you fell in love?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Ehng?¡±

    Bom raised her hand and rested it on her chest.

    ¡°I think this must be broken.¡±

    Kaeul blinked her eyes before asking yet again.

    ¡°Then, in that case, is there like a reason you fell in love? Ah! I¡¯m just asking because I¡¯m curious¡­!¡±

    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Nipping on the bookmark, Bom contemted deeply before shaking her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Eyy. How can you not know that?¡±

    ¡°No, really. I don¡¯t know. Actually, I thought about it a lot myself but I really have no clue. Seriously¡­¡±

    ¡®¡­How did this happen.¡¯ Bom murmured something simr to what she had previously said.

    With that, Kaeul resolved two out of the three questions she had, even though the replies Bom gave didn¡¯t fully quench her curiosity.

    ¡°And also,st question.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°A few days ago, me and ahjussi¡­¡±

    Kaeul talked about the things that happened while sending the baby chicken, Chirpy, back to his world, including how she cried in his arms on the way back.

    Although there was no need to bother telling her all this, Kaeul wanted to share them.

    She was quite nervous during her speech. She had no confidence to look into Bom¡¯s eyes and her lowered gaze was facing Bom¡¯s stretched out t-shirt by the time she came to herself.

    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s what happened.¡±

    After finishing her exnation, Kaeul carefully raised her head back up and found Bom gazing down at her with an expression she could not read.

    That in turn made her more nervous.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°A, are you perhaps angry¡­?¡±

    ¡°Do you like ahjussi?¡± Bom asked instead of replying to her question.

    ¡°Uun? Un¡­ Ah, ah! But! Not, not in the way you¡¯re thinking! Because he¡¯s a good person, and precious? That¡¯s why I like him. Not like, the things you see in a shoujo manga¡­!¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ but, still, I thought unni wouldn¡¯t like that so¡­ I just, unn¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Uinng?¡±

    Bom sounded so nonchnt that it instead made Kaeul flustered.

    ¡°You¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m totally okay.¡±

    ¡°Why? Unni, you are, umm, very sensitive with your belongings right?¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi isn¡¯t an object though, is he.¡±

    ¡°But, the¡­ umumu¡­ uhh, you know¡­ Don¡¯t you feel jea¡­ lous or something like that¡­?¡±

    After finally realising the point Kaeul was trying to make by beating around the bush, Bom replied with a giggle.

    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous at all. Well, I guess it might feel weird to see that happen in front of my eyes though.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But still, it¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? Even if someone other than me, like Yeorum-unni or Gyeoul, does something simr with ahjussi¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nn. As long as you don¡¯t cross the line.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s a bit unexpected. I actually thought unni would be super upset¡­¡±

    ¡°No, of course not.¡±

    Bom caressed her hair. Her eyes were gazing outside the window into the distance.

    ¡°It¡¯s been around 5 years since we lived together right? I¡¯ve always felt sorry, and thankful to you guys.¡±

    ¡°Unn?¡±

    ¡°Sorry because you getting involved with the dimensional disjoint might be because of how unlucky I am, and grateful because you¡¯ve never med it on me and¡­¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m quite attached to you guys after spending such a long time together. Sometimes I even wonder how I can live without you after going back. It feels great to live together¡­ When Gyeoul gets a bit bigger, I want to go to a hot spring together, go gambling with Yeorum, and buy delicious food together with you. How would I ever feel jealous?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With a pause, she thought, looking at the ceiling and the ground before turning towards Kaeul. Soon, Bom concluded her words along with a faint smile.

    ¡°You guys are so precious to me¡­¡±

    It seemed that the white bird had been continuing the analysis all by itself after ending themunication with him. The number of messages that floated up were therefore extremely abundant.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has concluded the analysis on the manifestation of Hostility: [Last Night]. The time, location and risk level will be revealed.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] haspleted the analysis on [Great Hostility]. The objective and cause for the Great Hostility will be revealed.>

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)]¡­>

    Going up the log, he viewed a message that hade up a lot earlier. He quickly looked at the information on the ¡®Third Night¡¯.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has concluded the analysis on the manifestation of Hostility: [Third Night].>

    Images formed by voices and letters were engraved in Yu Jitae¡¯s brain.

    Before long,

    He was met with the shocking truth.

    <The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has opened the records of the [Third Night] which has deviated from the world¡¯s timeline.>

    <Target: [Mutant ck Dragon Myu].>

    Blood raced into his mind.

    He did think about the possibility before.

    But after locking her and experimenting with her, he had dug into all parts of Myu¡¯s body and the Hostility did not manifest in any way even till the death of Myu¡¯s personality.

    By nature, [Hostility] tended to manifest itself even at a low level of stress. It was like a reflex system and was amon attribute that apanied [Mental Contamination].

    That was why the logical conclusion he had drawn through multiple experiments was that Myu couldn¡¯t be a host of Hostility.

    It was impossible for even a ck dragon to persevere through a [Mental Contamination] to deceive both the personality and Yu Jitae. It was simply impossible.

    However, that was when something suddenly appeared in Yu Jitae¡¯s mind.

    The extraordinary thing he had found inside Myu¡¯s Conceptual World¡­

    ¡­¡­Don¡¯t tell me.

    <Exnation: There has been an interference from an existence outside the world¡¯s timeline that is displeased about your regression.>

    <Her name is [Lugiathan].>

    <She is the chief of the ck dragon race which you have killed outside the Providential timeline.>

 Chapter 370: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (2)

    <h4>Chapter 370: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (2)</h4>

    He shed the sword at a speed that human eyes and human consciousness couldn¡¯t follow. The knife travelled parallel to the horizon of the World of Providence and crushed the shoulder tes of the Colossal Soldier.

    Kwagwagwa¡ª

    In the blink of an eye the heaven-defying body hurled something down from the sky ¨C the Colossal Soldier¡¯s arm was falling towards Yu Jitae. It was fast, oppressive and dangerous.

    Blocking would dy things. He was currently in a greater rush than he had even been in his entire life so he could not block the punch.

    After quickly twisting his body, Yu Jitae collided with the Colossal Soldier head-on. He was as small as a toothpickpared to the giant and the pressure was grinding at his Shapeless Sword.

    However, Yu Jitae still stood his ground. Even though it felt like his body was being shredded, and even though blood was wetting his eyes, he did not retreat. He crushed the whole fist of the enormous existence and continued creating a deep cut on its arm.

    .

    .

    .

    After an intense battle, Yu Jitae defeated the Colossal Soldier.

    While the entity as big as a mountain was starting to slowly fall from the sky, Yu Jitae immediately escaped the World of Providence and dashed towards the real world.

    Urgency was strangling him by the neck.

    That just then had forced him to waste his precious time.

    Until now, he had been constantly thinking that something was strange about the actions of the Hostility.

    He thought they were way too sloppy.

    Hostility had manipted reality a few times to attack him. Out of those, there were 2 instances where it did manage to put him in an extremely bad mood but that was it. The actions were rather sloppy.

    But he could now tell why that was the case.

    The reason they touched Ha Saetbyul was to confirm his ¡®guilt about the past¡¯. Even though he wasn¡¯t tied down by the past, it definitely did displease him and that information must have been sent to the true body of [Hostility].

    After that, it controlled Wei Yan to stand off against Yeorum and Kaeul, killed a girl resembling Kaeul in front of his eyes, and threatened Lair itself to shake his daily actions. All those things annoyed him quite a bit, which must have also been sent to Hostility.

    Andstly, it carried out a worldwide terrorist attack during the ¡®Second Night¡¯. It was probably to see Yu Jitae¡¯s reaction when humanity had to face danger. However, Yu Jitae had already prepared for that and the enemy was easily suppressed by the Association¡¯s military and Clone 1. It failed to sway him.

    The three targets chosen by [Hostility] were respectively ¡®Yu Jitae¡¯, ¡®Baby dragons of the 7th iteration¡¯ and the ¡®World¡¯.

    These three were the elements that could hinder the 7th iteration and after an analysis, it must have decided that the most efficient method was to touch the ¡®Baby dragons of the 7th iteration¡¯.

    And [Hostility]¡¯s judgement was precisely correct.

    Neither his distressful past nor the terrorist attack on the world were able to shake him at the core. There was only one big threat in this iteration that could seize him by the ankle.

    It was none other than the baby dragons finding out about his past.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He had done evil things.

    Kidnapping kids that were living happily at the town, he locked them inside the undergroundbyrinth for decades.

    For the sake of experiments, he tied their limbs up, dug through their flesh with a knife and crushed their bones. The unpleasant voices crying out in pain made him thrust a knife into their mouth.

    He used violence if they refused to listen to him. A struggling child was pped and a child who tried to escape had their legs destroyed. Like that, he crushed their hearts.

    All those he had continued for at least several decades.

    The chief of the ck dragon race, ¡®Lugiathan¡¯ had encountered Yu Jitae 77 times. Failing almost all of those 77 instances, Yu Jitae endlessly lost his memory fragments.

    Out of all the races, ck dragons were the only ones that could actively send memories, and dragons did not forget.

    All the countless ¡®Yeorums¡¯ that could not contain their frustration ¨C they who injured their own bodies like a madman who were then killed by him;

    The ¡®Kaeuls¡¯ who had constantly been exposed to undisguised hostility, crushed and being forced to cry by herself before eventuallymitting suicide;

    All those ¡®Gyeouls¡¯ that powerlessly decayed to death on the spot without ever being able to fulfil the mission given to them;

    Innumerable ¡®Boms¡¯ that had be an experiment subject, suffering the most pain for the longest period of time;

    All those daily lives he had ruined.

    Those memories would all be conveyed directly to the baby dragons. Not a single child would be able to withstand it.

    His instincts told him that this was not a problem limited to the 7th iteration. If this iteration was to fall to pieces, he would not be able to stand back up.

    The bond that he had built up with much difficulty would all disappear and the lighthouse that was right in front of his eyes would go further away into the distance again.

    The baby dragons of the next iteration would not be able to remember him.

    Even though he would be forgotten, that was not the issue. It was just that he wouldn¡¯t be able to forget the kids, so if they were to curse him during theirst moments, those memories would have to stay inside him for the rest of his life.

    Forever.

    .

    .

    .

    It was when he led his exhausted body to return to reality.

    Was there someone wretched and hateful enough tough while watching his misfortune? If there was, that guy must be nearbyughing yet again.

    That must be the case. Otherwise, there was no way something this dreadful could be happening to him.

    ¨C My sincerest apologies, my lord.

    Somewhere outside the outer dimensions.

    Clone 1 was stepping on a headless body.

    ¨C I have lost track of Yu Bom.

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Myu told her a mouthful.

    And Bom couldn¡¯t understand them.

    She was standing still on the spot, so Myu asked a question.

    ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡±

    ¡°You, who are you¡­? What are you sayi¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it hard to believe? Well, it probably is. Since you are kneeling on the ground in a corner, acting modest and wagging your tail in front of dog food, it might sound very strange to you.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also quite curious. I wonder what happened to you guys.¡±

    Myu had used one word to shake Bom¡¯s mind.

    And with one mouthful of words, Myu was driving Bom¡¯s life into the abyss.

    ¡°Come here. Comey your forehead above mine, and receive my memories. Then you¡¯ll be able to tell whether my words are true or not.¡±

    Bom knew that a ck dragon¡¯s ability alongside [Memory Maniption] was [Memory Transmission]. Unlike other dragon entities that could only receive memories from nearby dragons, ck dragons could one-sidedly give memories.

    When Myu started walking towards her inrge strides, Bom took a few steps back in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯te here.¡±

    ¡°Stop running away ande here. We do not have much time, so hurry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te. I warned you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in wasting time. Come before I force you to.¡±

    Despite her warning, Myu closed in.

    In one stride, when she was one arm¡¯s length away from her,

    With a flinch, Bom raised the tip of the ballista and aimed it at Myu.

    ¡°Don¡¯te hereeee¨C!!¡±

    There was a time when she thought living in ignorance was happiness. But after seeing Yu Jitae who continued walking towards a quagmire by himself, Bom realised that turning away and putting a nket over the truth was not the right solution.

    ¡°Do you want to shoot? Go ahead. It doesn¡¯t matter. I was born to die anyway so it doesn¡¯t matter who kills me.¡±

    However,

    Even though she wanted to know about him,

    These weren¡¯t the things she wanted to know.

    ¡°But, you still need to wake up from your dream.¡±

    Bom was not confident in facing the truth. If she were to receive Myu¡¯s memories here, Bom might have to face a truth that might have been better left unknown forever.

    That supposition was frightening enough to suffocate her.

    ¡°Face the truth.¡±

    At that moment,

    ck aura gathered all around Myu¡¯s body and transformed into thorned tentacles. Filling the istion room, they raced towards Bom while some of the tentacles blocked the doors of the room.

    One of the thorned tentacles gripped Bom by the neck and started pulling her while threatening to snap her thin neck.

    ¡°Ugh! L, let¡­go! T, this¡­!¡±

    Her neck was being strangled and her body was being dragged, but Bom was still directly ring at Myu¡¯s face because that was her target.

    And when Myu¡¯s face was right in front of her eyes.

    ¨C

    ¨CBom pulled the trigger.

    .

    .

    .

    The world contorted and the dimensions were shaken. Blocking her mouth, Bom copsed on the ground.

    Something was surging up her throat. It suffocated her heart the more she tried to suppress it and struck her neck. Later when the pressure was too much to withstand, Bom couldn¡¯t help but let it out of her mouth.

    ¡°Uhp¡­¡±

    She threw up what was inside.

    It was her first time vomiting after being born as a dragon.

    There were wounds all around her body. She was bleeding from her neck and her cheeks, but she wasn¡¯t in the right mind to stop the blood. Beads of blood were dropping from her chin.

    Unbelievable memories were flooding into her mind, and uneptable things were jolting her brain. The gleaming sharp de; infuriated eyes; restricting hands; the yelling voice and the hands pping her cheeks were all engraved into her mind. It went on endlessly for longer than she could imagine and was even longer than her entire life.

    After vomiting several times, Bom noticed blood travelling down her cheeks. Her tears were as red as blood.

    ¡°Uhp. Uuugk¡­¡±

    She threw up again, without even knowing what wasing outside.

    What was in her mind, and where her thoughts were headed were all beyond what Bom could perceive. Only the distant and painful memories wereying her mind to waste.

    Watching herself suffering from pain was hard. Seeing herself scream from her guts from crushed bones was horrendous but what was more painful to see¡­

    ¡­Was what had happened to her precious sisters.

    Things that were beyond believable,

    That shocking truth was shattering Bom¡¯s heart to pieces.

    A tremendous sense of betrayal was filling her heart. They took ce like a heavy piece of lead and crushed her heart which was like a ss marble.

    An emotion that her unforgetting memories wouldn¡¯t forget, that would thus be remembered forever¡­

    ¡°Uuhp¡ª Uhkk¨C!¡±

    Bom threw up again, but the sense of betrayal was so heavy it did not leave her heart. It was only the dark poison-like blood and saliva that was flowing out of her mouth.

    Unable to stand up, Bom crawled.

    By the time she came to herself, she was crawling on all fours.

    A message arrived on her watch. It was from the witch that read something like, I¡¯m gonna die, I¡¯m running away. Since there was not enough time, Bom straightened her mind while crawling on all fours.

    Light-headedly, she cleaned her mouth and wiped her tears.

    When she next came to herself,

    She was stumbling with a limp.

    She had no idea what she was seeing, what time it was and where she was headed. Bom could only stagger forward.

    There was a ce she definitely had to go to. Things that were too heavy to keep to herself were hanging in her emotions.

    While stumbling forward, her hair scraped past her eyes. Jumping over the dimensions, she started walking down a familiar corridor as an even more familiar door appeared in her sight.

    [301]

    She raised her trembling hand,

    And shivering fingers.

    She noticed that her scratched fingers were still bleeding. After pausing for a bit, she healed her body and then opened the door.

    On the shoe racks she could see the girls¡¯ shoes.

    Stumbling in, she saw the kids sitting down in the living room. Her hazy eyes had trouble seeing the kids properly so she walked a bit closer.

    The kids were all gathered in one ce, but the atmosphere wasn¡¯t a positive one. It was hard to tell why that was the case so she went a little closer.

    Yeorum and Kaeul were worriedly looking at Gyeoul who was sitting in between them. Gyeoul was bleeding from her fingers and next to Yeorum was a spiked glove which she used as training equipment.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you not to touch it!¡± Yeorum was shouting.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°This is yellow but it¡¯s not gold. How many times do I have to say it? It¡¯s dangerous so why are you touching it huh? Why!¡±

    ¡°Unni. Stop screaming at Gyeoul¡­! She already said it was a mistake¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay Gyeoul! It¡¯s okay to make mistakes. And it¡¯s not that serious so it should stop bleeding soon¡­¡±

    Gyeoul was close to tears with her finger in hand. She seemed to have gotten hurt while touching Yeorum¡¯s belongings.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Soon, Bom took a step closer to the corridor. Seeing her, the kids greeted while Kaeul asked her to heal Gyeoul¡¯s wound.

    It was a tiny wound; a small scratch on her fingertip. From just that, Gyeoul was about sorrowfully weep; Yeorum was angry that the child was hurting herself for no reason; and Kaeul was voicing her concerns.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Unlike someone else, Bom couldn¡¯t send emotions. However, it was possible for the kids to view them.

    Gyeoul walked up to her.

    She then reached her fingers out to Bom. ¡®¡­It hurts.¡¯ She whined, telling her that the bleeding wound was painful.

    Bom kneeled and carefully held her hands. Using her unstable mana, she used healing magic to caress over the wound. With a whimper, Gyeoul buried her head into Bom¡¯s chest and asked for a hug.

    When her small arms began to wrap around her body¡­ Those arms felt so heavy that they made it hard for Bom to breathe. The hazy world in her sight became even blurrier.

    How painful must it have been?

    Because of that devil¡­

    ¡°Guys. I have something to say.¡±

 Chapter 371: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (3)

    <h4>Chapter 371: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (3)</h4>

    Yu Jitae walked into the Association.

    His feet were in a hurry as he forced his way in. All the doors in his path were destroyed ¨C he had no time to wait for them to open.

    An SS- ranked fissure had cracked open outside the Association. The neutralisation of the fissure was almost finished so the inside of the Association was also returning to its former stability from the urgent confusion.

    ¡°Ah! Season¡­!¡±

    Someone saluted him but he pushed his head away. Like a man struck by a dump truck, the man ended up rolling across the floor in one cluster with the person standing behind him.

    He crushed open the doors of the underground istion chambers.

    When he headed downstairs, the director of the istion rooms, Thimithi, approached him with a shivering body. It seemed that she had an idea of what was happening thanks to the surveince cameras. She went down low and begged for his forgiveness.

    Her job was to control the istion rooms and there was no need for a soldier who couldn¡¯t follow orders.

    He pped her by the cheek. Her head turned to the side as she fainted and turned silent.

    With rushed steps he headed straight to the end of the corridor. A ck barrier was stopping his approach so he bashed it with his fist. Like ss fragments, the barrier shattered and dissipated.

    He looked inside the istion room.

    A ck andrge dog was lying dead on the floor.

    Two Grade 0 agents were dead.

    Andstly,

    ¡­Myu was dead,

    With a hole in her chest.

    She was undoubtedly dead this time.

    An emotional void was like a hole ¨C with nothing inside, there was nothing more that could be pierced. There was already a big hole in his heart and he didn¡¯t feel any dejection even when looking at Myu¡¯s corpse.

    The equation of the coordinates had already been copied and there were no problems there. However, a severe death-inducing tension was sweeping past him. This entire room was resonating with Yu Bom¡¯s mana.

    It was Bom who killed Myu.

    He turned his feet with bitterness in his tongue. A cold bead of sweat was travelling down his back.

    After meeting Bom, Myu must have said something. He didn¡¯t even consider the off chance that everything was fine ¨C things had already gone terribly wrong.

    The worst case scenario he had predicted had already been unfolded. Something was driving him into the very bottom of the abyss as the worst situations he could think of were constantly being etched into his head.

    But what was fortunate was that none of the hatchlings had killed themselves yet. That would have spread a global shockwave and he would have noticed it immediately.

    That was the only source of hope for him.

    If Bom was the only one who knew it.

    If that girl, who used to be the most stable in other timelines, was the only one that knew about it.

    Things might be okay.

    He called Unit 301 but none of the kids picked it up; not a single one did, even though he could definitely feel their presence at Unit 301. After calling several times, Yu Jitae turned off the watch. He red at the watch with wide eyes before gripping his hand.

    The metal frame lost its structure due to his grip and was crushed. When the reinforced ss shattered to pieces, he threw the watch straight into the wall. Shot like a bullet, it dug into the metal wall with a loud thud.

    Even that was not enough to satiate his irritation and impulse.

    ¡°Yu Bom¡­¡±

    He murmured, while trying his hardest to suppress the fury within.

    ¡°Yu Bom¡­¡±

    His irritation grew increasingly bigger.

    That damned bitch was the problem.

    ¡°Yu Bom¡­¡±

    Bom had somehow dragged the Witch to her side. This was hard for Yu Jitae to believe because most of the things in the world could not move the Witch.

    It meant that Bom had put something remarkable on her side of the negotiation, to make him eat shit.

    Yu Jitae knew she would cause a problem and that was why he had assigned Clone 1 for the task. However, he certainly wasn¡¯t expecting her to drive the situation into the gutters like this.

    ¡°What should I do with you¡­¡±

    He contemted. With each passing second, his irritation and displeasure towards Yu Bom increased in size.

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    In the past iteration, Yu Bom was not like this.

    She used to stand firm no matter how abused and tormented she was. In fact, she had even acted as an emotional support for the other baby dragons.

    And yet now in the 7th iteration, she was trying to ruin everything.

    An impulse.

    Rising inside was an impulse that resembled madness.

    When did all these go wrong, he wondered. Was it when that girl suddenly and needlessly started to appear pretty? If not, then was it perhaps from the very beginning? Was his choice to live a daily life wrong in the first ce?

    Maybe my n was too much for me to handle?

    Before anything, he had to check the result.

    Moving his feet that were glued to the ground,

    Yu Jitae headed to Unit 301.

    ***

    He stood in front of the door.

    Without even opening the door, he could tell that Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul were inside the house with Bom being the only exception.

    But even so, his sensitive sense of smell could urately track Bom¡¯s smell. Bom had definitely been to this ce.

    In order to open the door, he reached out. He rested his hand on the door knob but he just couldn¡¯t open it.

    Never had the door knob been as heavy as it was today.

    [Hostility] must have conveyed the memories of the past, and would have included only the dirtiest of them. It would have shown Bom the worst moments without showing the reason and previous events, and those memories weren¡¯t things that the kids could handle.

    Were the kids alive?

    For now, they definitely were.

    He could have long checked by now had he opened the door and gone in without thinking about such things, but he couldn¡¯t.

    Why can I not open the door?

    Because my sin is on the other side of it.

    It would have been better if he had firmly locked his heart before touching daily lives. Because of his half-assed mindset, he couldn¡¯t even act like a hypocrite and the nket covering what had to be hidden was way too light that they ended up flying away to the fluttering wings of small birds.

    Even so, he had to twist the knob and pull it.

    Yu Jitae opened the door, and went inside.

    Carefully he closed it behind him.

    The kids didn¡¯t notice himing in. Blue, red, yellow ¨C the primary colours resembling traffic lights were all sitting in the living room.

    He could see their backs.

    His heart dropped an inch.

    It just happened to be their backs that entered his sight.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The blue one turned her head, as the blue pair of eyes looked into his.

    Their gazes met.

    And the child;

    She gave a smile.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    With a gaze dripping with worry, Gyeoul smiled. After that, Yeorum and Kaeul also turned their heads to look at Yu Jitae. Concern was in their expressions, with a tiny bud of relief in their eyes.

    Gyeoul carefully stood up and started sprinting towards Yu Jitae, throwing her arms wide open.

    He reached his arms out as Gyeoul wrapped her arms around his neck and ced her bum on his forearm. It was a blunder ¨C he had no ns of hugging the child.

    ¡°You arete, ahjussi¡­!¡±

    While he was confused by their reactions, Kaeul asked a question with a face filled with concern.

    Why didn¡¯t you pick up, he asked. As for the tone of his voice that had asked the question, he had no idea.

    ¡°Unni told us not to pick it up!¡±

    Why.

    ¡°Bom-unni said she will leave the house for a bit because she had a fight with ahjussi¡­!¡±

    A fight with me?

    ¡°What did you fight about? Did something happen with unni?¡±

    We didn¡¯t fight.

    ¡°Then what happened? Ahjussi, don¡¯t tell me you¡­ don¡¯t like unni anymore¡­?¡±

    Yeorum scowled in response to that question and Gyeoul also widened her eyes into circles from his arms.

    He replied.

    ??.

    After running his mouth, he had to hesitate.

    What did I say just then?

    He had no way of knowing the truth.

    ¡°Please be honest. Okay¡­?¡±

    Despite his words, the kids had serious looks on their faces. When he shook his hand, Kaeul grabbed his left hand with both of her arms.

    ¡°What is it? Please tell us what happened! Unni looked really strange. She looked really serious¡­!¡±

    ??????? ????. ??????? ????????.

    ¡°Then why¡­? Why are you like this¡­? ¡­Unni¡¯s expression, voice and everything looked really terrible. And like, she also looked very hurt. Why did you fight? What happened between you two¡­!¡±

    ???????. ?? ?? ???? ?? ???? ????????.

    ¡°What? Wait. Are you seriously saying that?¡±

    It was then.

    Yeorum suddenly started walking towards him with a frown.

    ¡°Like, why are you saying that?¡±

    Every sentence had power in them. Sometimes, they had the power to flip anything in existence.

    He realised that something important had just gone wrong. Plus, he also realised that he had to shut his mouth before things became any worse.

    ¡°Dear. Be honest. What happened.¡±

    ????.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you don¡¯t know anything! This is thest time I¡¯ll ask this. Don¡¯t lie to me. What happened outside.¡±

    ??? ???? ????????.

    Yeorum reacted with a sudden shout.

    ¡°Please just stop! How long are you going to be like that!? Huh?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°How long! Are you going to see us as fucking kids that don¡¯t know shit?!¡±

    What did I say?

    What is it that I¡¯ve said, that things are going wrong even though they were kept short?

    Regardless of what they were, he had to stop speaking.

    He put Gyeoul back down. Even though the child clenched onto his sleeves after being surprised by Yeorum¡¯s shout, it was pointless. He ced her on the ground.

    Gyeoul tried to grab onto his pants again but when she looked into his eyes, she freaked out and her tiny hands stopped in mid-air.

    Her fingers closed to a fist.

    ¡°Where are you going! Hey! Where the fuck are you going!¡±

    To bring Bom, he replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re going? Just like this? I asked you how many times, and you¡¯re just going without telling us what happened?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply as Yeorum¡¯s sharp voice dug into his ears.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we a family?¡±

    He didn¡¯t reply and her shout continued without an end.

    ¡°How can you ignore your family like this?¡±

    She did not stop shouting even after the door closed in her sight.

    ¡°Fuck, I thought we were supposed to be a family¨C!!¡±

    ***

    He looked into his heart.

    Something dark had begun resting inside by the time he realised it. It was dirty, sticky and crawled along the abyss, sprinkling a bucket of pollution everywhere.

    Before the start of the 7th iteration, that thing had been veiled. The world was dark, and the dark thing reflected no light. He couldn¡¯t even tell what horrendous being there was inside him, nor how he looked like himself.

    In a world like that came sunlight, budding flowers and singing birds that started spreading warmth onto the dark world. That was the start of the 7th iteration. The man who had been crouching in the darkness noticed his nakedness due to the sudden shed of light and felt shame.

    Plus, the dark and hideous objects began to show themselves from within the darkness. The rotten cages and carcasses of birds that had been deeply hidden inside the quagmire were unveiled, as well as the dark crawling thing shooting out pollution.

    Within that world that had suddenly been brightened up by light,

    The man was defenceless.

    He had been living through a long night with many things invisible in his sight. Never had he expected the day to arrive, and he therefore had felt no need to bother hiding things that were veiled by the darkness.

    However, was it reasonable to say he had no idea? Were sinsmitted due to necessity able to escape their nature of being a sin? Was sinmitted in response to wickedness a good sin?

    No.

    At the very least, he didn¡¯t want to be a hypocrite.

    However, the night he lived was too long to be rectified.

    Therefore, he had no choice but to hide them.

    He had to hide them at any cost. That was why he built a fence: to make sure the animals inside couldn¡¯t leave the area and to make sure the things he wanted to hide could stay away from sight.

    And he told the animals beforehand to not leave the fence. He persuaded them and at times was strict about it.

    The animals listened nicely because the inside of the fence was quitefortable.

    But one disobedient rabbit atst tried to jump over the fence.

    He ced a trap to stop it from doing so but now the rabbit even jumped over that.

    Until now, he had never used his hands to grab it ¨C there was no need to because each side had been keeping their hands to themselves. He thought the rabbit would respect him, like how he respected the rabbit. Even though everything had started with him building the fence on his own ord, there was no reason for him to show any more consideration to the animals than what he was already doing.

    However, that respect of his was shattered.

    He changed his mind.

    He had to catch it.

    Even if he had to use a gun.

 Chapter 372: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (4)

    <h4>Chapter 372: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (4)</h4>

    World of Providence.

    The body of the white bird after conveying all of its experimental records to Yu Jitae was slowly vanishing to nothing. It was the process of the personality disappearing.

    Clone 2 watched over it until thest feather dissipated from his sight.

    Yu Jitae had long left. What was rushing him so much that he had to leave like that? Without even watching the disappearance of such a precious existence¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Left alone, Clone 2 deeply pondered to himself.

    When he was created, Clone 1 had referred to themselves as ¡®experimental subjects¡¯. What was Yu Jitae trying to experiment by watching them?

    Why am ¡®I¡¯ here?

    Out of all the clone-creating abilities, authorities and spells, [Shadow of an Archduke (SS)] was the only one that could create a clone that had a personality. But even so, loyalty to their lord was still their first priority.

    This was an unchanging value that cannot be ever changed.

    Therefore, Clone 2 stopped his tears after the white bird vanished and stood back up. Whatever it was that Yu Jitae wanted from them, the clone felt the need to be aware of something.

    In the [World of Providence], Clone 2 was inside the clock tower which was also called [Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop].

    There was the [Rooftop] in [Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop] and in the past, Yu Jitae had wanted to view the ¡®memories¡¯ that had been locked in this ce.

    But his request had been refused by the white bird.

    That was the cause of the strife between Yu Jitae and the white bird, and Yu Jitae was forcefully chased out from the Workshop by it. It was the reason why he had cursed the white bird.

    Rooftop.

    What was it that was on the top floor of the workshop? And why did Yu Jitae want to see it?

    With that in mind, Clone 2 decided to climb [Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop].

    A world that looked like outer space was unveiled in his sight. Going a little higher he found the [Basement] where the obelisks of emotions resided. Clone 2 peeked into the room and found 9 out of the 11 obelisks lit up.

    They were the same obelisks which he still had no idea what they meant.

    Clone 2 continued flying.

    Countless clocks appeared and vanished in front of his eyes. Out of those, the big six clocks appeared to be representing the iterations numbered by Yu Jitae.

    The tiny clocks that looked like crumbs were on the other hand, ones that Yu Jitae did not ssify into iterations.

    The white bird did not notify the temple about these tiny clocks. It arbitrarily used the Providential powers to repeat his lives, while at the same time, clouding Yu Jitae¡¯s memories about them.

    Going higher and higher, and continuously going down, Clone 2 unknowingly reached the top floor. Weing him was a door that was difficult to imagine in a ce like this that resembled outer space.

    With the white bird gone, the door was not locked.

    The clone opened the door and headed inside.

    In that ce was an array of bookshelves as tall as the sky. Countless books were located anddders were going all the way towards the heavens, making this ce look like a very tall library.

    [Rooftop].

    Books represented memories.

    If he were to go through them one by one, he would never be able to find what he wanted before dying of old age. Fortunately, Clone 2 knew how to make use of this ce.

    Mana was the manifestation of will. It was the power to achieve whatid deeply in one¡¯s mind.

    Clone 2 focused his thoughts as several books came down in response and stacked up in front of the clone.

    The memories and emotions that Yu Jitae had kept hidden were starting to be unveiled.

    Even though some of them he was familiar with, he could sometimes see books that were tied by a rope. These weren¡¯t easy to open and they asked for confirmation again and again.

    There was no reason not to open these at this point.

    Clone 2 gave his permission and atst, when the memories Yu Jitae had tied up to forget stretched out across his vision¡­

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The clone¡¯s face was coloured in shock.

    ***

    Yu Jitae could not find Bom.

    A global equation of mana was hiding Bom¡¯s traces from the face of the Earth. Even though he travelled across the world trying to find her, he could not find a single trace. A spell like this was impossible even for Bom, so Yu Jitae immediately knew who it was that was behind all this.

    Clone 1 who had been stuck in a dimensional trap had been trying to kill the Witch. He cut off her limbs and even the head, but that served to be the problem ¨C the beheaded head had flown away by itself. The head disappeared after jumping over the dimensions but Yu Jitae could feel it from the Association so Yu Jitae carried his feet to the Association.

    He went to the top floor towards the emergency healing centre where Chaliovan was in a deep slumber. Looking through his past iterations told him that this was where the Witch went to to recover her body.

    However, he was blocked by superhumans the moment he headed inside.

    ¡°S, Season! You can¡¯te into the emergency centre¡­!¡±

    ¡°Move.¡±

    ¡°Sir I cannot! The patients inside might be put to danger by even the smallest of mana waves¡­!¡±

    More than ten superhumans were stopping him in his path in concern.

    Yu Jitae opened his mouth.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay here. Go bring Valentine.¡±

    ¡°M, Miss Valentine is currently¡­¡±

    ¡°Bring her.¡±

    They were still trying to stop him so Yu Jitae started walking forward. When he began spreading out killing intent, not a single one of them could manage to stop him.

    Out of them, the ranker who was tasked with protecting the emergency centre still tried to move his feet to stop him, so he pped him onto the ground.

    Turning his head, he looked 3 kilometres outside the ss window. The Association¡¯s sniper who was on standby copsed while sping his heart.

    He continued walking and found metal gates sealing what was ahead, so he kicked them down before climbing the stairs.

    On the top floor, he made all the medical team go away and went into the Witch¡¯s room. Inside was a woman¡¯s head with blinking eyes.

    ¡°Where is the Soothsayer.¡±

    She did not try to reply.

    He could not kill the Witch for the sake of humanity, but what he could do was force her to open her mouth.

    After 5 minutes, the Witch confessed Bom¡¯s location with cracked teeth and a bloodstained tongue.

    ***

    Yu Bom had killed Myu. She must have gotten some information in that process.

    She then went back to Unit 301 but for some reason, did not share information about him with the baby dragons. However, she used the Witch to hide her traces.

    How much did Yu Bom know, and what did she hear?

    He thought about the worst case scenario. If she heard a cluster of the dirtiest memories, then how was Bom able to withstand it?

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t understand it.

    Thinking back, Yu Bom had a snake-like aspect to her. She was pretentious and lived by fabricating half of her intention with deceit.

    She had the chance to convey those memories to the kids.

    Even though she could have done so, she didn¡¯t.

    Did having to convey those painful memories hurt her feelings or something? That must be why she left the house, trying to keep everything to herself.

    Acting like a good sister.

    Acting like she listens well.

    Pretending to help him protect daily life.

    Even at this point, she was acting herself out.

    The world wobbled. His sight had quivered after being cracked into quarters.

    In any case, Yu Bom now became an entity that might die at any stage in time. She was a big risk factor.

    The fact that it did not send memories to other entities was a sliver of fortune among all the misfortune events. Whether that stemmed from a whim or not was not important in the slightest.

    Only the fact that the memories were not conveyed was important for him.

    In the end, only the survival of the baby dragons mattered.

    Nothing else mattered.

    He had to take Bom and lock her up so that she wouldn¡¯t create any more uncertainties for him.

    The ce Bom was at was a certain ancient hotel located in the outskirts of America, where she had first whispered to him about her romantic emotions.

    With hasty steps, he entered the hotel. There was no-one stopping his march.

    He headed to the 2nd floor. For some reason, she was staying in the same room as before. There was no defence mechanism in ce and in fact, even the door was left unlocked.

    Opening the door, he went inside and found Yu Bom sitting on the bed with her eyes looking at him.

    The moment he saw her face, he had to suppress his irritation that was surging all the way to the tip of his head.

    ¡°You. Come out.¡±

    Without replying back, Bom apathetically gazed into his eyes.

    ¡°Come out. We are going back.¡±

    He approached her but Bom stayed silent. It was when he was trying to force down the sudden rise in impulse that was urging him to grab her neck.

    ¡°Go back where.¡±

    Bom asked.

    ¡°Undergroundbyrinth.¡±

    ¡°To lock me again?¡±

    Yu Jitae looked directly into her eyes.

    ¡°Like how you did before?¡±

    This time, the impulse was even bigger.

    A shout was at the tip of his tongue about to burst out, so he stopped his breath for a bit.

    ¡°Yes. So get up.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why aren¡¯t you saying anything about that to me.¡±

    ¡°What am I supposed to say.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to tell me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Bom deeply stared at his eyes. She then whispered, ¡®Ah,¡¯ and slowly nodded her head as if she suddenly understood something. That disgusting gesture increased his impulse yet again.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going then.¡±

    Walking up, he grabbed her wrist.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking about your intention.¡±

    Using force he tried to pull her. Even at a time like this, habit was putting a limit to his output and was making it possible for Bom to retaliate.

    ¡°Come with me before I get angry. Yu Bom.¡±

    Bom did not reply and stubbornly stood her ground.

    He had no idea why she was doing this. If she was going to retaliate with such a tiny bit of strength, she should have run away instead. Thus, it meant that she had no intention of retaliating despite pretending to be fighting back.

    As for the reason?

    He had not a single clue.

    From the very beginning, he had never understood anything about the actions of this snake-like bitch. Everything from how she used her entire life in the previous iterations to focus on unenjoyable tasks she wasn¡¯t even gifted at, to how she obediently followed him during the kidnapping, to how she started helping him after that, as well as the reason she started having romantic feelings for him.

    There was nothing there that he could understand. It was the same even though he asked dozens of times ¨C she didn¡¯t even know the reason herself so there was no way he would understand it either.

    That was why he had never actively tried to understand Bom, but that decision of his had ended up creating this mess.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Bom did not reply. She still retaliated so this time, he pulled with sheer force. Her body rose up in mid-air but she stubbornly dangled onto the bed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡±

    ¡°Get up.¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯m not going. How about you go, mister. Because I want to rest here.¡±

    When he continued pulling her, Bom used her other hand in an attempt to remove his wrist.

    It was bing harder and harder for him to control his impulse. Like water filled up to the brim of a cup, some of the water was extruding out of the top of the cup while barely staying in ce, and yet Bom was constantly adding drops of water to it. One by one¡­ the rippling surface of the water was expanding on and on. Before long, it would definitely burst out and the overflowing water would be beyond one¡¯s control.

    ¡°Stop being persistent for no reason.¡±

    ¡°Am I doing this for no reason?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know what you saw and what you know nor am I curious. You are still alive and that¡¯s all that matters. So follow me, before Iy my hands on you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lay hands on her.

    She should have an idea of what that meant but Bom shook her head in response.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been to Unit 301, and would have met the kids. I assume you were surprised. Because I helped you hide all the things that you did. I¡¯m just asking you to leave me here in return, so how is this being persistent for no reason?¡±

    ¡°Is a deal what you want?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just don¡¯t want to stay locked. Whether that be the undergroundbyrinth or Unit 301.¡±

    ¡°What about it.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°What can you even do if I take you by force.¡±

    Without standing back, Bom replied.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not going. Do you know what first came to mind when I saw the kids¡¯ faces?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Of course you wouldn¡¯t. Because you are not interested in that in the first ce¡­¡±

    Bom condemned him by mentioning his irrefutable sins.

    Drip. Drip. Water droplets were falling onto the cup.

    He couldn¡¯t let this continue. ¡°Juste here,¡± he pulled with strength that did not exceed the scope of a daily life and Bom retaliated by twisting her body.

    ¡°L, Let go!¡± she shouted while pushing him with her hands and kicking his stomach.

    In response, he hurled her down. Falling off the bed she rolled on the floor with a faint groan.

    After a moment of silence, she slowly raised her head.

    ¡°You know. I saw many things.¡±

    Even her voice was very slow.

    Copsed on the ground, she gazed up with the same apathetic expression on her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that I was quite obedient right. Because otherwise, I would have been punched and locked up. Because that¡¯s how you dealt with things.¡±

    He did not like that apathy on her face.

    Impulse was continuing to rise inside. ring into his eyes, Bom spoke through her gritted teeth.

    ¡°You devil¡­¡±

    Each and every word pierced through him like an arrow.

    Drip.

    Atst when the water was too much for the cup to hold.

    In the blink of an eye, his hand was raised into the sky as Bom widened her eyes a little.

    pp¨C!

    He pped her by the cheek.

 Chapter 373 + Yu Bom Illustration: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (5)

    <h4>Chapter 373 + Yu Bom Illustration: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (5)</h4>

    Pushed back, Bom copsed on the ground as her long hair scattered across the floor. She raised her body again. Looking back into his eyes revealed her reddened cheek and the bursted lips with budding crimson blood.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it before?¡±

    His impulse was soaring inside him.

    ¡°You have to stay in my sight.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When his voice that had always been tranquil suddenly gained an intonation, slight fear appeared in Bom¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I told you. You must stay at a ce where my eyes and ears can reach, and do things I know.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I definitely warned you before, that this world was different from the one you were living in; that I will put up a fence around you that you cannot jump over. So why the hell did you crawl outside. Why aren¡¯t you listening to me.¡±

    Again, he grabbed onto her arm and pulled it. ¡°Let g¡­¡± Bom tried to retaliate but this time, it was pointless.

    He shouted.

    ¡°Just do as I say¡ª!¡±

    In a sh, everything made of ss inside the room shattered with a sharp noise. The fear in Bom¡¯s face deepened even more.

    ¡°I told you to listen. I told you I won¡¯t harm you if you stay obedient, but you did not listen to me. How many times did I warn you, huh? To stop acting up and stay still.¡±

    ¡°I had to know it.¡±

    ¡°What did you have to know. How does anything change from you knowing stuff about me!¡±

    ¡°It is because you became weird. I¨C¡±

    ¡°Shut up! That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to hear it so stop bbering and shut your mouth. My patience is about to hit the bottom.¡±

    Once again, he grabbed her by the cor. In response, Bom wriggled her body as if she was in a seizure and twisted her body to push him away. When that didn¡¯t work, she used magic to try to push him away but it was impossible. He dispelled the magic and the impact was directly transmitted to her, making Bom groan in pain from a shock to her chest.

    ¡°¡­What if I don¡¯t? Will you torture me again?¡±

    However, her voice just did not stop.

    ¡°Will you lock me, hit me and bind my hands and feet? If I cry it hurts, will you shove a knife into my mouth and tell me to stop being noisy?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Without giving any food or drink, with no clothes to change into, injecting happiness like a drug, making us watch one of us go crazy next to us. Will you make us feel how it feels to slowly die without any hope in sight?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that what you will do? Like what you did before?¡±

    Yu Jitae looked at her.

    Within the pitch ck silence that continued without an end, Bom realised something.

    Soon, her chest started to bounce and twitch. He saw her stomach shooting up and sinking down, and it looked like she was trying to contain a hyperventtion.

    Her breath soon turned quiet and so did her voice.

    With a very tiny voice, Bom asked him.

    ¡°¡­Do you even find me pretty?¡±

    Even at this point, this kid still wasn¡¯t in the right mind.

    He didn¡¯t feel the need to talk anymore. Besides, he couldn¡¯t lie about anything either because he had no idea what he himself might say.

    To p her again, he raised his hand back up.

    Bom instinctively shrunk her body. She dropped her head and used her two arms to cover her head, as her toes curled in from tension.

    For some unknown reason, seeing those toes put a stop to his arm.

    His hand paused in mid air, without him knowing the reason himself.

    That slight hesitation was enough to stop the atmosphere from flowing in a strange direction. Looking into his eyes, Bom raised a question.

    ¡°How¡­ how can a person be so shameless?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°How can you deceive us like that, and pretend like you didn¡¯t do anything?¡±

    Even though he was feeling a constant rise in his impulse to hit Bom, he did not reply to that question. He kept his silence just like always, because he was not confident that his tongue wouldn¡¯t tell a lie if he were to open his mouth.

    ¡°How could you do that to us¡­?¡±

    As if that was her opportunity, Bom continued her words.

    ¡°How could you pretend like we were a happy family? How¡­? How could someone be as shameless as you¡­?

    ¡°How could you act like a father to Gyeoul after neglecting her like that? And how can you be like a teacher to Yeorum who you killed with your own hands? How could you call yourself Kaeul¡¯s guardian¡­?

    ¡°What were you thinking when you called me pretty¡­? You dug through my heart again and again. So howe you craved my body that day, after cutting it open time after time¡­?

    ¡°How, could you¡­¡±

    Bom started weeping out loud.

    ¡°How could someone be that cruel¡­¡±

    Tears formed droplets that started to flow down due to the heaviness behind them.

    ¡°You know, I only received the memories¡­ Memories of us suffering from pain¡­ memories of me dying¡­ I, my heart feels like it¡¯s about to die¡­¡±

    She sobbed from her throat.

    ¡°How can you betray us like this¡­ Why were you so nice to us¡­ You said I was pretty¡­ You were nice to Gyeoul¡­ You consulted with me everyday to stop Kaeul from shaking¡­ You healed Yeorum¡¯s body after training¡­ and massaged her muscles¡­ Was all that just you pretending to live for us¡­?¡±

    Unable to hold back her overflowing tears, Bom wept out aloud while throwing criticisms at his face.

    ¡°And yet, now how can youe to me¡­ and not even apologise¡­? Is it because it was all fake? Because you weren¡¯t even considering us as people in the first ce¡­?

    ¡°Howughable must it have been when I wanted to be embraced by you¡­? How funny would it have been for you, when Gyeoul asked you to hug her like a father¡­? We were all dying in your hands for years¡­ right?

    ¡°You, are a really, really evil person¡­ No devil in this world would be as hideous as you¡­¡±

    His sins were flooding him.

    Like a storm, that unstoppable might,

    Countless evil deeds that had been built up in his past;

    They became poison that started pouring down like rain.

    ¡°I¡­ Without even knowing that, I¡­¡±

    Bom wept with sorrowful gasps.

    But even at this point in time,

    Yu Jitae was feeling nothing but irritation.

    Even though he had been seeking condemnation, something that he had been suppressing inside his chains shattered open the moment he heard those words of condemnation from her.

    Over the past thousand years,

    Yu Jitae had never said anything simr to the hatchlings.

    Even though he had never done it¨C

    Now at this moment when Bom was throwing curses at him, he realised that it was time to drop all the deceit and convey his honest thoughts.

    Even though it was an emotional judgement, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem because whatever it was, Bom wouldn¡¯t end up dying.

    ***

    Inside Yu Jitae¡¯s past memories, when the fundamental emotions and memories of Yu Jitae that the white bird had beenboriously trying to keep away from sight were revealed in front of his eyes¡­

    Clone 2 copsed on the ground in fright. Because he had never even considered this a possibility, and because he had only been thinking that his current life was a fortunate one changing his future¡­

    The memories repressed from the surface were mind-numbingly shocking for the clone.

    Yu Jitae did not treasure the baby dragons.

    ***

    ¡°I had a nemesis.¡±

    Bom¡¯s eyes that had been squinted with tears ripped wide open.

    ¡°From a very long time ago.¡±

    At the end of the 4th iteration, he regretted.

    Was it because Kaeul died from heartache inside the blood-soaked bathtub?

    No. He regretted his own judgement of making her be a celebrity, because he thought there would have been a more decent method elsewhere.

    And looking at the appearing dragons, he despaired.

    ¡°I despised them so much that I would have loved to rip them to death only if I could.¡±

    At the end of the 5th iteration, he despaired.

    Was it because Yeorum was in pain asking for death?

    No. He regretted not cutting off her arms and legs. Because he thought there would have been a more natural method, that could force her to ept her powerlessness.

    And looking at the appearing dragons, he despaired.

    ¡°They were disgusting and hateful. I wanted to eradicate thempletely from this world and kill every one of them only if I could.¡±

    At the end of the 6th iteration, he despaired.

    ¨C And you are the one that ruined everything.

    ¨C I will not forget what happened today. Forever.

    He was filled with all sorts of emotions and wanted toe up with excuses. Was it because he regretted btedly after hearing Bom¡¯s words?

    No.

    He wanted to justify to himself why he couldn¡¯t lock them better.

    Because he found himself pathetic and ipetent that he couldn¡¯t crush their personalities any better.

    Because his inability to lock them thoroughly andpletely was an insult to himself.

    Those emotions were all that of self-hatred.

    Even though the trash green hatchling was spouting some gibberish at him, that was not what he was concerned about.

    What about it?

    ¡°Look at me. You green dragon offspring.¡±

    Bom¡¯s eyes widened into circles.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been a convict, locked inside time. I have experienced two thousand lives and deaths and was forced to live a thousand years against my will. Do you know who it is that locked me in this detestable timeline? Do you know who it is, that made me infinitely drift along in an endless life?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With a heap of hostility, he said to Bom.

    ¡°The dimensional garbage that thinks they are the only noble ones.

    ¡°It is you.

    ¡°You dragons.¡±

    Words he had never told anyone before were flooding out now that lies were forbidden from his mouth.

    ¡°I was involuntarily dragged into hundreds of years of war. I had to kill my loved one with my own hands and I had to face my loved one sacrificing herself in my stead with my very eyes. I had to experience everything I considered precious disappearing and forgetting about me endlessly.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t die even if I wanted to. In a world with locked time and locked space, I was all alone. For a thousand years, at the centre of all my despair was you. You are the ones who locked this Yu Jitae into despair. You dragons.¡±

    Lowering his body, he looked into Bom¡¯s eyes.

    Even now, reminding himself that this young girl was a dragon immediately made him want to twist its neck to death.

    ¡°Did you call me a devil? No. You are the ones that made me a devil. You wicked dragons are the ones that made me like this. And yet did anyone apologise to me? Did anyone guide me down the solution? No. Nothing like that. So what was I supposed to do, huh?¡±

    Yu Jitae was smiling.

    From an unknown point in time, from the moment he dropped his thoughts, Yu Jitae had to experience his consciousness driving away from himself. That was why the world was hazy in front of his eyes, and it was simr to how a young child referred to themselves in third person due to their inability to discern themselves.

    ¡°Now I can finally tell you.¡±

    The man bbered with his open mouth, regardless of Yu Jitae¡¯s intention.

    ¡°Yes. I am the one that locked you.¡±

    Bom blocked her mouth with her two hands. With a heavy tremble, she faced him with eyes tainted with fear.

    ¡°So what? I pped the infant blue dragon to drive it into the ground, tortured the ill-tempered infant red dragon and killed it. I don¡¯t even want to mention the weak gold dragon. It was such a massive pain.

    ¡°And what about you? At least you were obedient so that was good. Your heart was especially more resilient and fit for experiments. Four hundred times, I believe, was the number of experiments I had with your body. But the only problem with you was that you were noisy. Somehow, you just wouldn¡¯t stop crying and sobbing that it hurts.

    ¡°It hurts. It¡¯s painful. Help me. It¡¯s hot. It¡¯s burning. I can¡¯t breathe. My bones are broken. Please let me see. Please don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m sorry. Please kill me. Please kill me. Please kill me¨C¡±

    In the middle of his words, he suddenly shouted out loud.

    ¡°WHO DOESN¡¯T KNOW IT HURTS¨C!!¡±

    The world quivered as Bom stopped her breath.

    His heart was pulsing faster and faster but he couldn¡¯t stop his own mouth. The impulse that he had been forcing down until it overflowed had ended up breaking the ss cup itself.

    He could no longer control his impulse.

    ¡°You were noisy and annoying so I ced a knife into your mouth and twisted your neck. So what? What about it? Will you condemn me? Curse me for being a devil? Do it. Do as you wish. Curse me as much as you want and remember today to your heart¡¯s content. Do that for that amazing eternity of your life. Do you think I will even give you a sliver of my attention?

    ¡°It was dumbfounding. And yetter I started feeling guilty about my actions against you kids. I started regretting lying to you all. And like you said, you started looking pretty. Yu Bom. Do you think you were the only one that found it weird?

    ¡°I have never wanted a day like this toe! Do you think I would have wanted to be like this? I had be a devil when I realised it. And I was destined to live with the offsprings of my enemies despite crushing them to death.

    ¡°Do you think that I, would have wished for a day like this toe ever? Did I want to be this type of human? Me?!!

    ¡°Answer me! You filthy offspring¡ª!!¡±

    Right when he flooded out all his hidden hatred, Bom started to move.

    And then.

    Because he couldn¡¯t understand what had happened to him,

    For a split moment¨C

    He paused.

    Pausing his breath and dropping his gaze, he froze stiff.

    Bom had her lipsid on top of his.

    Pushing Bom by the shoulders and grabbing her arms, he pressed her down on the ground. This time, Bom did not retaliate.

    ¡°What are you doing, you crazy bitch.¡±

    ¡°Do you know why I didn¡¯t tell the other kids about your past¡­?¡±

    A strong ominous feeling struck him, that he shouldn¡¯t listen to the following words.

    ¡°Shut your mouth. Before I tear your mouth apart.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I still like you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you hear me telling you to shut up! Are you still trying to be pretentious? Trying to use that tiny brain of yours to escape? There is no way out for you. You have no ce to escape to!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡±

    Their words were out of joint.

    Communication was crumbling down.

    With tears falling down her cheeks, Bom continued her words.

    ¡°Even though you harassed and abused me, I like you¡­¡±

    He could feel madness.

    ¡°You tortured me. Even though it must have been extremely painful, I still like you¡­¡±

    Madness, in a different shape and form to his.

    ¡°But, my heart was in too much pain¡­ I needed time to think to myself¡­¡±

    He thought it was a mask.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t say it¡­ You wanted a daily life¡­ And wanted happiness even through deceit¡­ What you want is what I want¡­ so I couldn¡¯t break it¡­ The kids don¡¯t need to know¡­ I can keep it buried in my heart forever¡­¡±

    Had it not been a mask all along?

    ¡°¡­¡­Because you are more precious to me.¡±

    Bom was saying that she will be an aplice.

    He was falling.

    His body was falling into the quagmire covered with filth.

    Inside the world of shivering coldness,

    Something more twisted than him was embracing his body.

    Am I falling?

    Or am I advancing to reach something?

    That overly distorted something was hugging him inside the quagmire. Even though he couldn¡¯tprehend it and was concurrently feeling the impulse to twist and smash it into pieces, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay even if you are a devil.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t do anything.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay even if you kill me.¡±

    Bom gave a bright smile.

    ¡°I love you.¡±

 Chapter 374: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (6)

    <h4>Chapter 374: Episode 103: Difference in Perspective (6)</h4>

    He hated dragons.

    If a dragon earned a precious baby after working desperately for 3,000 years, he would sh that baby to pieces in front of the very eyes of the adult dragon if he had the chance.

    That was how much Yu Jitae hated dragons.

    In the 6th iteration, when the blue hatchling stopped its own heart by itself; hearing the green hatchling screaming gibberish in tears inside the crumbling world,

    Yu Jitae thought to himself that life truly was very unpredictable.

    The first experience was intense for everyone but it was more so for the unforgetting dragons. They would remember the feelings and emotions of their first experiences all the way until their death.

    That was why dragons left for Amusements to experience joyous first experiences, and fulfilling those objectives would distance them from death, because no matter how misfortunate their life may be, they could think back to their first experiences and ruminate on their happiness.

    However, Earth was not a suitable environment for baby dragons. Humans were more greedy here than in any other world; there were abnormal mental patients called demons; amunication medium for unspecified people to convey words of hatred from a long distance called the Inte was widely used, and the intentions of adult dragons that should be protecting the baby dragons were too far to reach.

    So what else could he do, other than stepping up to take the baby dragons, and making them happy himself?

    It truly was peculiar.

    It really was way beyond what he could predict¡­

    But with his emotions at the end of the 6th iteration, he just could not live with the baby dragons with a smile so Yu Jitae wanted to tie up a portion of his memories.

    Only then did the Vintage Clock step up to help Yu Jitae. It said it will tie up his hatred against the baby dragons, which was delightful news in his ears.

    After tying a knot to his memories, he headed to Firenze, Italy.

    On the road filled with buildings that seemed to be from the renaissance period ¨C in that ce where musicians performed beautiful music on the streets, Yu Jitae faced a girl.

    Deceiving one person was hard,

    Deceiving a crowd was even harder,

    And deceiving oneself was impossible.

    However, he had to deceive himself from then on.

    ¨C Hi.

    And his attempt might have been a sess.

    ¡°I love you.¡±

    Perhaps, to an excessive extent.

    ¡°I love you¡­¡±

    The blurry reality felt a little closer. The fast pulses of his heart settled down onto his ribs and the impulsive outburst of emotions had all vanished.

    But the words that had already been poured out were unable to be picked back up, and Bom was sobbing in front of him.

    ¡°I love you¡­¡­¡±

    Even though he hated the baby dragons, it was still true that he had already be fond of the kids of Unit 301. This undeniable emotion and the bond between them had be a stake piercing into a corner of his heart.

    And just like Yeorum¡¯s blind trust in him and Kaeul¡¯s empathy with liars, every action that was for him and treasured him were all pushing him into agony.

    ¡°I love you¡­ oppa¡­¡±

    In that sense,

    Bom¡¯s love was no different from poison.

    ***

    Bom was trying to be his aplice in crime.

    Following her suggestion might be the most reliable way to resolve this situation. That was if he went with her words and made her his aplice¡­

    However, that was only if her words were true.

    He just could notprehend why, so Bom¡¯s ¡®love¡¯ was a considerable shock for him. But looking back, Bom was a child who shook him the most, and it was as if she clearly knew which words would allow her to control his emotions the best.

    Simr to the boy who cried the wolf, he could not trust Bom anymore.

    He had to test her.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You want to be with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But I wonder why your words sound like a lie to me.¡±

    She did not reply back.

    ording to her, Bom loved him even more than her own life. So his words should be absolute for Bom.

    If her words were true, she should be able to withstand anything no matter what he did with her.

    Thinking that, he raised his hand again and pped her by the cheek.

    pp¨C!

    Her head turned to the side in a sh as if her neck snapped, but she could not move away due to his body pressing down on her.

    ppp¨C!

    Again, he pped her cheek. ¡°Ugh,¡± she let out a faint groan but did not retaliate. This clever child might have realised already that she was standing on the testing tform.

    pppp¨C!

    Even though he pped her again, Bom stayed still. Like a stringless puppet, she didn¡¯t even straighten her neck and remained still after being pped.

    ¡°Look at me.¡±

    Hemanded and Bom finally turned towards him.

    Her cheeks returned to being red. Her lips were torn again despite just being healed and blood was falling from around her eyes.

    She had a sorrowful frown seemingly from pain.

    But even then, he couldn¡¯t trust Bom. She was too suspicious to be kept as an aplice so he asked after she stopped her tears.

    ¡°You tempted the Witch, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What did you give in return?¡±

    ¡°My life. 500 years.¡±

    ¡°That is a lot. Why did you do that.¡±

    ¡°To know you better¡­¡±

    ¡°Is knowing me more valuable than 500 years of your life?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a long life¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Because it will be a life without you.¡±

    He closed his eyes.

    Each and every word of Bom was dragging him further down, wrapping him with distorted tentacles and fifty thousand suckers.

    ¡°What if you had to live by yourself without me?¡±

    Bom shook her head without a word.

    ¡°What if I tell you to live like that.¡±

    ¡°Then I will.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°Because that is what you said.¡±

    Bom¡¯s ¡®love¡¯ was something he couldn¡¯t possibly dare try toprehend.

    ¡°¡­You truly are crazy.¡±

    Uncanny, uncannily sublime and twisted as sublime as it was. Delving deeper in, the extreme and critical distortion was trying to dig up his emotions.

    ¡°I think so too¡­¡±

    Unpredictable.

    A human heart truly was unpredictable¡­

    If her words weren¡¯t false, he would be forced to live the present while embracing the sin that managed to reach the present, which could thus no longer be disregarded as a past sin. Even though he was already standing on top of countless guilt, he was nheless afraid of the uing dark clouds.

    That was why, Bom¡¯s words and her feelings had to be false.

    Looking over his memories, it seemed that Bom could deceive [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]. For some unfathomable reason, she was able to perfectly deceive even herself.

    He thus couldn¡¯t use Eyes of Equilibrium. He needed to use a more realistic method.

    Going through his memories of the past and skimming through the four hundred experiments he had conducted with her body, he recalled the thing that agonised her the most.

    ¨C Please kill me¡­

    ¨C Please, just kill me¡­

    He had no idea why but there was something that frightened her more than the destruction of her heart.

    Yu Jitae opened his dimensional storage to take out a dagger. Although it wasn¡¯t an impressive dagger, it could crush a dragon¡¯s bone let alone reinforced steel as long as he was the one swinging it.

    Taking that to her mouth, he aimed it at her teeth.

    ¡°Do not turn away.¡±

    ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡±

    In that instant, fear surged into Bom¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I will now crush your teeth with this knife.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You are especially more afraid of this, is that correct?¡±

    Bom slowly gave a nod.

    ¡°Why are you scared of this?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Answer me.¡±

    ¡°M, my mother¡­¡±

    Her breath turned rapid as concern and agitation intensified on her expression.

    ¡°What about your mother.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­ h, how she died.¡±

    She gulped with a hurried breath.

    Her father left,

    Her sister died,

    And her mother was also dead on top of that.

    Bom¡¯s life was also quite pitiful the more he heard about it.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    He called her name as if he normally would. To Bom, it would sound like the sweet voice of a loving man.

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    In the midst of her fear, Bom replied.

    ¡°Please be honest to me from now on.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you lie to me, I will give you every type of pain I can give until you and I part ways.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But if you are honest to me, I will tell you about me and answer all of your curiosities.¡±

    Trepidation filled her eyes. Yu Jitae had shoved the dagger and was pointing it at her fang as the cold and sharp de touched her tooth.

    ¡°Uht¡­ uhk¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell me it was a lie.¡±

    He had tested it on every tooth, and the one that instigated the most drastic reaction out of the green hatchling was the 13th tooth, the fang on the upper right hand side.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Say to me, that everything you just said was a lie.¡±

    The crushed fang of her mother must have been around that ce.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And that you actually had a different n in mind.¡±

    Bom closed her eyes again with tears endlessly flowing down her cheeks. Soon, a crack appeared on her tooth.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Say it¨C!¡±

    Shrinking her body, she shivered like crazy.

    Bom, who had been withstanding till the very end without dying in any of the heartless experiments of the distant past had begged for death for the first time when a knife was pointing at her fang.

    Even though she was put in the same situation as that, she was still persisting that it wasn¡¯t a lie.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She persisted.

    On and on.

    Crack¨C

    Until the tooth atst shattered into pieces.

    ¡°Uhk, huhk¡­¡±

    Bom cried.

    Without weeping out loud and while holding her breath, she quietly sobbed.

    Falling deeper and deeper without the bottom in sight, frost settled down on his skin.

    Was there seriously not a single lie in any of the words she had just said?

    Once again, a sense of guilt that was indescribably difficult to bear started encroaching his heart.

    No, this can¡¯t be ¨C he tried to deny everything. His body was frozen just like his heart; his knife was frozen stiff and the frost was threatening to explode his mind.

    And what Bom did nextpletely crushed his heart.

    With her eyes fixed on him; with tears still falling down her cheeks.

    Bom licked the de¨C

    As a red liquid started to drop from the feline tongue, Bom was proving herself.

    This was her proof that she was his aplice.

    ***

    He removed the knife.

    Raising Bom up, he helped her sit on the bed.

    Bom was carefully nibbling on the cracked pieces of the tooth inside her mouth, so he ced his hand underneath her mouth. After ncing at him, she slowly dropped the pieces onto his hand.

    She had been too nervous and had been shivering too much. Even though she was a dragon, she began having a fever after soothing her tension so he straightened up her gown before covering her body with a nket.

    Yu Jitae sat next to Bom who was shivering as if she had the flu.

    Turning away from the chaos inside him, Yu Jitae opened his mouth with a powerless voice.

    ¡°What is it about me that you are so curious about.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ask me. I will tell you anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will be honest now.¡±

    She was now his aplice with no room for doubt. There was nothing more for him to hide and Bom had the right to understand him.

    He had an idea of what she would ask ¨C it would probably be about his objective or the future of the baby dragons.

    However, what left her mouth were words that squeezed his dented heart even more.

    ¡°I was scared¡­¡±

    Turning around, he looked at Bom who was crying with both of her hands covering her eyes.

    That was when he realised it.

    Thinking she was simply crazy would not be a full understanding of Bom. Until about three months ago, Bom was a child who had been living a daily life without a problem.

    So Bom wasn¡¯t crazy.

    ¡°¡­Please give me a hug.¡±

    Looking at it from that perspective finally cleared up some of the hazy understanding he had about Bom.

    Because he had always been thinking that there was something strange about Bom, or perhaps because there were several absurd examples stuck in his mind ¨C that might be why there had been a difference in their perspectives. But now, he could say with certainty. Even though it might just be a repetition of what she had already said¡­

    Bom was not a person creating uncertainties.

    Bom had no thoughts of going against him.

    Bom was not a strange child.

    Bom was not selfish.

    Bom was not crazy.

    Bom was normal.

    ¡°Huhk¡­ Nn¡­¡±

    She was such a normal and young child. The only reason she was acting this crazy despite that was because¡­

    ¡°Huuk, kuhk¡­¡±

    The thing called ¡®love¡¯ was driving her crazy.

    ¡°Hugkk¡­¡±

    And it was driving him crazy as well.

 Chapter 375: Episode 104: Yu Jitaeâ€™s Dream (1)

    <h4>Chapter 375: Episode 104: Yu Jitae¡¯s Dream (1)</h4>

    Reaching out, he lifted the nket and went inside it. Aligning his body with hers, he brought his arm to the crown of Bom¡¯s head and tapped it lightly with his wrist. Bom was engulfed in her tears and didn¡¯t notice his approach so he went closer to her head and whispered into her ears.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    He gave her his arm to rest her head on, and wrapped his other arm around her small body.

    What am I doing right now?

    His muddied mind was still out of ce and he couldn¡¯t objectively look at his own actions. What he was doing right now was just due to a habit.

    The child was crying in front of him, and thus he was giving her a hug.

    He tapped Bom on the back until she stopped her tears. It was a method he learned from her; tapping as if caressing. Like how he sent Gyeoul off to sleep on a certain evening, he moved his hand at a rhythm.

    Tap, tap, tap¡­

    A dragon¡¯s outburst of emotion tended tost long, and Bom¡¯s was especially longer. It needed a long time for her to stop crying.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae could not organise any of his thoughts.

    The result was okay. Bom was not dead. The Third Night, and the ns of [Hostility] had all been neutralised.

    However, everything except for the result was a mess.

    Everything¡­

    Soon,

    Bom buried her head into his chest after collecting her tears. Touching him with her reddened cheeks, forehead and eyes wet with tears, she quietly rested in his hug as she regained her slow pace of breath.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her gathered hands started twitching under his chest. After a while, Bom slowly raised her right hand and began nibbling on her fingernail. She continued chewing but what entered his eyes was the missing fang.

    She was a dragon.

    Even though the cracked tooth will grow back up, will that be the same with her cracked heart?

    The scent of a bright day¡¯s forest seeping into his nose was exotic, and continuing to smell it oddly settled his mood.

    He pulled her head closer in.

    Since Bom had wanted to be his aplice even after knowing his most unsightly side, there was nothing he had to hide from her anymore.

    ¡°Anything you have to say?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You said you wanted to know about me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ask me anything. Anything is fine.¡±

    Bom raised her head and looked up at his face, and silently continued gazing into his eyes.

    *

    Life was like a rainy season.

    Ever since her birth, Bom had always been under a downpour.

    The world had been raining ever since the start of her memories, and the young Bom took that in as something normal. Everyone was probably living the same way as her across all the distant ces right?

    Being imprisoned like her,

    Getting hit everyday like her,

    Learning some stupid magic and etiquette,

    Going through some stupid surgeries and operations.

    This must be how every dragon lives. That was what Bom thought.

    She was wrong, and it took her a few years to find out the truth.

    But regardless, Bom decided to look at it from a positive point of view. Wouldn¡¯t the ground get harder when the rain stops? Since she learned how to endure through hardships, wouldn¡¯t it be easier for her to deal with the uing difficulties? Besides, she had already acquired the perfect technique that could let her avoid the rain.

    That perfect technique was closing her eyes and blocking her ears. And then thinking to herself that she was inside a field of reeds.

    It was a technique she earned one day while being whipped by her mother. Even though the drops of rain might be hitting her body, Bom was now able to tell herself that those weren¡¯t rain drops and that they were instead reeds touching her body.

    It worked because she couldn¡¯t see nor hear anything after closing both her eyes and ears.

    All the green hatchlings of other iterations in Yu Jitae¡¯s memories might have been relying on this ¡®perfect technique¡¯ to withstand his harsh experiments. ¡®Boms¡¯ of those timelines would have closed their eyes and blocked their ears as well, and through that, they should have been able to withstand his harassment.

    Even now, it was the same.

    The person she loved the most in this world was a devil iparable to anyone out there. She was pped by him and all the time she had spent with him was denied.

    Her greatest trauma was used for a test; her fang was cracked just like how her mother looked when she died.

    Even though it was still raining heavily¨C

    Bom was fine.

    She closed her eyes and blocked her ears.

    Firstly, she emptied her brain and pushed aside all sources of distress. She then focused on the present.

    Who am I and where is this ce?

    I am Yu Bom, and I am inside Yu Jitae¡¯s arms.

    Thinking that lightened up her mood a little, because there was no way something sad was happening in heaven.

    The throbbing pain in her heart was because it was scraped by a reed, not because of the cold downpour. That was what she told herself.

    Her heart was then put at ease.

    After putting out the biggest me, she could now spare the time to look around her surroundings, so Bom went back to all the words Yu Jitae had said to her.

    His exnation of his life was dark. It was all because of dragons.

    Although Bom had never been dissatisfied about her life as a dragon until now, she started hating the fact that she was born a dragon.

    Dragons were the problems. Dragons were the ones that drove his life to this mess. Even though he was a devil, he had no sin. Even though he had no sin, he still had to crawl along the bottom of this cold and dark world.

    All because of dragons.

    In the process of looking back at his words, Bom suddenly remembered something.

    ¨C And yetter I started feeling guilty about my actions against you kids.

    ¨C I started regretting lying to you all.

    ¨C And like you said, you started looking pretty.

    ¨C Yu Bom. Do you think you were the only one that found it weird?

    Bom widened her eyes.

    His unconscious words were a strand of sce shining through the sky filled with murky clouds.

    He was feeling guilty.

    And he was finding her pretty.

    This was something she could not spot anywhere among the memories she had received from Myu.

    Maybe he opened his heart to us, including me, even though he still hates dragons?

    Bom expanded on that hypothesis.

    Someone might hate tigers after losing a lot of loved ones to a tiger. But if that person happened toe across baby tigers and spent enjoyable times with them, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for that person to be fond of those baby tigers?

    It was definitely possible.

    He opened his heart to us.

    This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because ¡®we¡¯ were the only ones that he was fond of, despite him hating other dragons.

    If we were the ones that tormented him to the brink of death, then shouldn¡¯t we also be the ones making him happy? If there was salvation for him, then maybe we were the only ones that could do it?

    When her thoughts reached this point, Bom started even considering this her mission.

    It had to be this iteration.

    In this iteration,

    We had to save Yu Jitae¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom closed her eyes and ¡®mentally prepared¡¯ herself.

    A virtual session of question and answer continued inside her mind. Within those suppositions, she would ask him a question and he would reply by saying something.

    Aftering up with 3,400 scenarios, Bom finally opened her eyes. Her head ached so much it felt as if it would explode but she had managed to find the one and only way to save him.

    That was when he said to her, ¡®Ask me anything. Anything is fine.¡¯

    Licking her lips, Bom opened her mouth.

    ¡°You will tell me everything honestly right¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. Whatever it is.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were just a devil, and that all the sweet and good things you did for us were all fake¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But, not all of them were fake right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Because you were feeling guilty. And you found me pretty. At least in some ces, you were doing things sincerely for our sake¡­ Am I correct¡­?¡±

    Bom was nervous.

    The single strand of sce was very weak. It was only after having a positive mindset to all her uing questions that she could finally gain the one way out.

    Everything would be meaningless if any of the answers to her following questions were to stray away from her predictions.

    ¡°Yes. You are correct.¡±

    Fortunately, Bom¡¯s first question was met with an expected answer.

    ¡°My original n was just to send you back to Askalifa. There was no reason for me to worry about what would happen after you went back but¡­ I wonder when it began. By the time I realised it, I was excessively thinking of how I could give you better things.¡±

    His intervention and maniption of the apocalypse of another world for the sake of Kaeul¡¯s new life, and all the education he had given to Yeorum, wishing for her safety after going back were all such examples.

    ¡°Why did you do that? Is it because you started to like us¡­?¡±

    It was her second question. Bom asked for the reason behind his kindness.

    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. From some point in time, listening to yourughter became enjoyable, and I started wishing for the best of you guys even after my disappearance. Quiteughable indeed. It was an act with a mask but the stage had be my life when I came to myself¡­

    ¡°So you are correct.¡±

    Ah¡­!

    Yu Jitae¡¯s reply was once again within the scope of Bom¡¯s positive assumptions.

    His kindness was not fake, and the reason behind his kindness was indeed because of their bond.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom saw hope.

    The ground was the one that was slightly shifted out of ce, and the foundational pir of connection they had built with difficulty was still firmly standing there¡­!

    Throughout the following conversations, Bom assigned his answers into the ¡®hypothesis¡¯ she hade up with and imagined how the future might look. Mysteriously enough, she could envision Yu Jitae demonstrating his connections with the baby dragons, just as she had anticipated!

    It was just like the usual Yu Jitae¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, as they continued unravelling what they had in mind, Bom started to feel mysteriously strange as she listened to his words. For some reason, she could sense rxation from his voice.

    It was difficult to express in words, but was simr to how one would exin the plot of an old movie¡­

    The difort inside her grew bigger.

    And thus, before throwing her ¡®final question¡¯ which she had prepared beforehand, Bom could not help but ask Yu Jitae one more thing.

    It would be a very sudden question. It was a very sudden yet burdensome question, which she had been avoiding till now.

    How was she supposed to ask this¡­?

    She decided that the best would be a roundabout question with a smile.

    After finishing her thoughts, Bom smiled as if there was a screw loose in her mind.

    ¡°It feels strange.¡±

    ¡°What is.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s as if, we will, part ways soon¡­¡±

    The question was bulging out from the previous questions and was different in nature. Yu Jitae turned silent for a bit and in Bom¡¯s eyes, he appeared to be in doubt.

    Ah, was that question too abrupt?

    But, it just suddenly felt strange¡­

    It was when Bom was thinking along those lines, that he replied as if it was nothing important.

    ¡°Of course we need to part ways.¡±

    In that instant,

    The reeds crumbled down.

    ¡°¡­¡­Sorry?¡±

    Her head turned nk. Words fell to pieces and her heart shattered. She needed time toprehend his words but drops of ink began to leave his mouth without waiting for her.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite unexpected. I thought you would ask what I was doing in the underground istion room first.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°There, I was experimenting with the mutant ck dragon¡¯s heart. I analysed the Origin Fragment, and confirmed the dimensional coordinates of Askalifa and the required engines. It¡¯s something I couldn¡¯t find from you guys because of the Will of the Ancient One¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Now there are about 2-3 weeks until thest analysis of the coordinates is done. After this is over, I will be sending you guys straight back to Askalifa.¡±

    The ink started writing down a word.

    ¡°There is something I need to ask you regarding that.¡±

    And it soon finished itsst stroke.

    ¡°What should we do in the remaining time?¡±

    Farewell.

 Chapter 376: Episode 104: Yu Jitaeâ€™s Dream (2)

    <h4>Chapter 376: Episode 104: Yu Jitae¡¯s Dream (2)</h4>

    Bom closed her eyes and blocked her ears.

    However, the reeds were already broken and the ones smashing her body were no longer the likes of wobbling reeds. It was a heavy rain that was hitting her.

    A shivering coldness was pervading in, and was freezing the tips of her fingers and toes. His waist was warm like normal human flesh but for Bom, it felt colder than anything she had ever touched in her life.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She thought time was the only thing she needed.

    With enough time, it should have been possible to save him. But after hearing him talk about a farewell as if it was a matter of fact, she realised that something had been uncontrobly out of hand from the get go.

    ¡°What is wrong?¡±

    Bom stared at his face. Like the first day they met, his face was hazy and expressionless yet had a faint shadow cast over it.

    Until now, she had been thinking that there was a strand of sce for him to escape from the cold darkness. If that was ¡®salvation¡¯, she thought that salvation would be brought about by the hatchlings.

    Her thoughts, however, were crushed along with the reeds.

    Bom needed to find out what ¡®salvation¡¯ was for Yu Jitae; the shape and form of his redemption.

    ¡°¡­Can I ask a different question first?¡±

    ¡°Go for it.¡±

    ¡°You see, I am a dragon¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still young, immature¡­ thoughtless¡­ and simr to a human¡­ but, I am a dragon¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So if you just give me one chance¡­¡±

    She paused and licked her lower lips before continuing her words.

    ¡°If you please, just give me one chance¡­ I would like to ask for your forgiveness.¡±

    ¡°Forgiveness?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ With something either I, or we can offer¡­ As a representative of the dragons¡­ Of course I don¡¯t know if that is what you want¡­ It¡¯s okay even if you don¡¯t forgive us¡­ but¡­¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I have no ns of epting an apology from the dragons.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you wanted to improve the rtionship between me and the dragons, then I¡¯m sorry. I have no thoughts of forgiving dragons. Likewise, I won¡¯t be apologising to you guys nor will I ask for your forgiveness.¡±

    Bom felt blood seeping out of her head, making her wonder if this was how it would feel to be beheaded.

    She asked with a foggy gaze.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say, we were precious¡­?¡±

    ¡°You are.¡±

    ¡°And you said, you felt¡­ guilty as well¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. I do.¡±

    Bom could not forgive Yu Jitae, because Yu Jitae had no sin in her opinion. She did not know how to forgive in the first ce. If forgiving someone required a qualification, then she wouldn¡¯t be one of the qualified ones.

    However, if Yu Jitae was sincerely regretting his actions, then she wanted him to tell the baby dragons about it. This was not an apology for the baby dragons; it was for Yu Jitae himself.

    It was for him to be freed from all his guilt¡­

    ¡°Do you feel, sorry for us¡­?¡±

    ¡°I do. And I am regretting what I did.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will work¡­¡±

    ¡°What will.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it might not happen in one day¡­ But, there is still about 15 to 20 years left until the Amusement is forced to an end. So if we slowly, and slowly¡­ talk about your past one by one¡­ Ahjussi, you had your own circumstances, so if you ask the kids for forgiveness¡­ then I will also try my best for you to be happy¡­¡±

    The arm wrapped around her neck moved. Using hisrge hand, Yu Jitae blocked her lips.

    ¡°No. That¡¯s not it, Bom.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You just have to keep your mouth closed, and no-one will find out about it, nor will anything be tedious. Every method apart from that will cause nothing but trouble for me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you love me?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you say it was okay for me to kill you?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Then please just ept it. Be silent and bury it inside. Please just love me for the devil I am without trying to change anything about me, because nothing will change no matter how you try.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I have also considered apologising several times but this is the conclusion I havee to. You guys simply have to go back.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Just bring back the good memories and it will be all set.¡±

    Bom felt as if she would die.

    She thought she would be able to continue living with him after bing his aplice but that wasn¡¯t the case. And now that he was wishing for a farewell, she had no choice but to ask him.

    ¡°You know¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°There is something I really want to ask¡­ Actually, I¡¯ve asked this a few times before as well.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°You always told us, that there was a direction in life right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So what do you live for¡­?¡±

    ***

    This time, it was him who had to close his mouth.

    Even though he said he would share everything without hiding them, this alone was something he had never spoken to anyone throughout his extensive life. He hadn¡¯t even told the Vintage Clock about it, so he couldn¡¯t readily speak about his dream.

    He took a deep breath out.

    Dream.

    Yu Jitae had a dream ¨C a dream that he had harboured for almost a thousand years.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest.¡±

    He brought his head closer towards her. Seeing that, Bom realised that his reply would involve a long description that cannot be expressed with a few simple words.

    Bom slowly raised her head andid her forehead above his.

    Their foreheads touched as all of Yu Jitae¡¯s memories started flooding into her head.

    ¡°In the 1st iteration, I lived as a poor orphan.¡±

    Hazy times, harsh memories and a deprived life. Drinking wastewater on the streets, he covered his body with trash to save himself from the cold. Back then Yu Jitae had a dream ¨C it was that he would escape this reality one day and be happy.

    ¡°In the 2nd iteration, I became a soldier and met a lover.¡±

    In the long war, he promised a future. After this ends, let¡¯s go out together, give birth to a child and be happy together.

    The future of his dreams crumbled. Yu Jitae¡¯s troops were annihted and his lover was killed in his stead. She drew herst breath with herst words being that it was too cold.

    A wintery night.

    ¡°In the 3rd iteration, I hunted monsters like a lunatic.¡±

    He had a huge mental illness back then. For dozens of years, he lived across countless battlefields looking for a ce to die, killing monsters over and over and over again. And one day, he settled at a vige somewhere in the distant outer dimensions. Inside the vige were people that were not from Earth, who treated him with kindness. Let¡¯s be a family together; let¡¯s be happy¡­

    Back then he didn¡¯t know the precise reason for the regression and he thus decided to settle there. He was around 80 years old in total and his psychotic fury was starting to disappear. That was why he settled at that ce, thinking he had finally found a ce to rest.

    That was until humanity was attacked byrge monsters; the timeline was flipped upside down as everyone forgot about him.

    ¡°In the following timelines, I discovered the reason behind the Apocalypse.¡±

    It was the dragons. That was in his 3+ iterations.

    ¡°In the 4th iteration, I met the gold hatchling. That kid was the biggest problem.¡±

    He tried to save it. For 20 years, he did everything he could to make it feel happy.

    It failed. The gold hatchling died inside a blood-stained bathtub, and it only took 20 seconds for his 20 years of excruciating effort to crumble down to nothing.

    ¡°In the following timelines, I thought happiness might be unmerited for you hatchlings.¡±

    In the 4+ iterations, he started learning about chimeras which he had never even looked at before. Creating a chimera was deemed a taboo worldwide and was a very dangerous process. He had to learn the techniques by losing dozens of lives. He was burned to death, ripped to death, melted to death, cursed to a painful death, suffocated to death, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself, killed himself and killed himself.

    At the end of all that, he realised that the thing called [Will of the Ancient One] was impossible to breach.

    So what did he do?

    He killed himself.

    ¡°But even so, there was a strand of light in my eyes. After analysing thousands of locations and items, I discovered the best drug. So in the 5th iteration, I kidnapped you guys and gathered all of you inside the undergroundbyrinth.¡±

    It was a failure. Despite being injected with happiness, there appeared to be an immunity system inside the dragons that he was not aware of. They all started turning insane before hitting the 20-year mark and atst, the red hatchling exploded all the power within its heart to go outside and fight before bing a retard.

    It cried out that it was painful, and asked him to kill it.

    Why wasn¡¯t it killing itself?

    Despite thinking that, he followed its request and killed it.

    It was a failure.

    ¡°In the following timelines, I thought it was because of my weakness. The problem was in my ipetence despite being that desperate. All the problems were with me.¡±

    In the 5+ iterations, he was murdered 1,100 times to build up enough power to kill a catastrophe-ranked demon and stored all the absorbed killing intent inside him. Throughout that process, he also continued his experiments with the baby dragons from time to time, but they all ended in failure.

    All his effort resulted in failures, and he was alone all over again.

    ¡°That was when that happened.¡±

    At the end of one of the 5+ iterations.

    It was when he ignored the warnings of the Vintage Clock and nned for the ¡®Sovereign Hunt¡¯ which was prohibited inside Providence. In one of the timelines of the estranged dimensions, he lost to the first sovereign he met.

    The cost of the defeat was brutal.

    When the memories of that time flowed into her head,

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Bom¡¯s eyes stretched out wide open.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s legs, arms and his tongue were all cut off. His vocal cords were ripped, his skin was all melted down, and his muscles and guts were all on full disy as he was neglected inside the prison. His eyeballs were plucked out and arrows were digging into his ears. He could not see; he could not hear; he could not speak and he could not move.

    Imprisoned in that ce, Yu Jitae could not do anything. His resilient body refused to die with ease and that was the problem. The only thing he could do was get up and go to sleep.

    That was how he lived for 90 years.

    ¡°When going to sleep, I had to face my past.¡±

    Longing memories tended to resurface in dreams, and everything precious that had been greyed out would reappear in his mind.

    His precious friends that he could not meet again, benefactors, beloved lovers, generous people; the wage after a hard work, the things he bought with that money, warmth provided by a nket, cold water when gasping for breath, warmth of touching skins, exciting music, a sweet fragrance, a warm burger and valuable feelings. All those moments of his daily life and all the happiness he had lost started decorating his mind for close to a century.

    However¡­

    ¡°The burger touching my tongue was very delicious. But waking up from my dream, I had to be reminded of my missing tongue.

    ¡°Everything was an illusion. I was still in hell.

    ¡°It was all futile.¡±

    So at the end of the 5+ iterations,

    Yu Jitae never went back to sleep.

    For 200 years.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    Bom felt goosebumps rising all across her body.

    Because he had been living a daily life, even though she knew he was in pain, she had never truly understood the nature of all the pain he was carrying.

    But after receiving his memories, Bom could finally understand Yu Jitae. She felt endlessly embarrassed by the fact that she tried to understand him with a clumsy bond and love, thinking that she could provide him with happiness.

    There was no existence in the world that could fully understand him in the first ce.

    In a world with locked time and sealed dimensions, a human had to bear those emotions for a thousand years. Who in this world could dare say they could understand him¡­?

    ¡°You pretty child.¡±

    He looked into her vacant eyes.

    There was a time in the 7th iteration when he heard a simr question to the one she had just asked. Actually, he heard it a few times.

    ¨C If expectation is what drives people¡¯s lives, then what is your expectation in life, Doctor?

    Ha Saetbyul asked at the undergroundbyrinth.

    ¨C Then, in that case, why do you live, ahjussi?

    Kaeul asked when it was just the two of them,

    ¨C What is fun about your life?

    ¨C How do you feel happy by helping us?

    Yeorum asked several times during her training sessions,

    ¨C What do you live for, ahjussi?

    And Bom was the same. She also asked him time after time.

    For some unknown reason, they were all curious about why he was living as if there was some great meaning to it.

    He did not reply. In fact he couldn¡¯t, because his reply would cause all the rtionships he hadboriously built up toe crumbling down.

    But now, he could say it.

    ¡°What do I live for, was it?¡±

    Bom was already frozen stiff.

    Even without him saying it, she could still imagine his answer. His honest thoughts that weren¡¯t included in her 3,400 assumptions due to herck of understanding were finally unveiled.

    What would his ¡®salvation¡¯ look like?

    Bom finally noticed it.

    ¡°I have a dream.¡±

    A dream he had never spoken of; a dream which he did not even share with the white bird.

    [You will. Definitely. Be happy.]

    He suddenly recalled thest words of the white bird. What did it see when saying that to him? Was that ¡®happiness¡¯ really on the same line as what he was thinking?

    Arriving at the 7th iteration,

    Meeting the baby dragons,

    Making them happy,

    Helping them achieve their dreams,

    Caring about their future after the separation,

    And hugging Bom ¨C the reason behind all that.

    At the end of the lengthy imprisonment.

    Atst after reaching this moment,

    The sinner,

    Harbours one dream¡ª

    ¡°I want freedom.¡±

    It was an exhausting life.

    A lot of strenuous burden was on his shoulders.

    Some people said he had a strong mentality but he could not agree with them.

    He was a human; a normal human that was weak and frail; a normal person that had less talent than others¡­

    Seeing people die made him exceedingly envious. All the pain, loneliness, misery, sorrow, regret, remorse, guilt, mncholy, despair and every distorted thing that agonised him ¨C all of that would end on the spot as long as he died.

    He wanted to die. He wanted to find peace through death. For a very long time, he had been praying for the end of this long life and freedom from this chain of regression.

    If life was a voyage, he was a captain of the barren ocean, the crew, steersman, passenger and a soldier.

    He was lonely.

    And he wanted to be free from everything.

    Even if it was through death.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom started to cry again.

    Pain that was suffocating enough to kill her squeezed her heart and made her hyperventte. Shivering all over her body, she continued sobbing.

    The reeds were broken; her eyes were opened and her ears picked up sound.

    Now, Bom could no longer persuade Yu Jitae.

    Death.

    If that was Yu Jitae¡¯s dream,

    If that was the port he had been wishing for for the thousand years of his voyage,

    If she wished for his happiness as much as she loved him¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­I will help you.¡±

    Bom held onto his chin with both of her hands. As tears fell down her cheeks and her body trembled unendingly, she aligned her lips with his. Licking the lower lips andying her upper lips above his, she felt his breath and received his warmth.

    She decided to remember this moment.

    Forever.

 Chapter 377: Episode 105: (1)

    <h4>Chapter 377: Episode 105: (1)</h4>

    Yu Jitae and Bom did note back.

    Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul discussed their whereabouts and were either enraged or saddened by their ignorance.

    When Yeorum stood up from the ground, Kaeul hurriedly followed her and stood up to block her path. ¡°Why, where are you going!?¡± she asked and Yeorum irritatedly replied that she would rummage through Yu Jitae¡¯s room so Kaeul had to stop her with all her might.

    ¡®Fuck off!¡¯, ¡®No¡­!¡¯ While the two of them were arguing next to her, Gyeoul scratched her head.

    ¡°¡­ Won¡¯t he¡­e back?¡±

    Her sisters turned towards her.

    ¡°¡­ He¡¯s always¡­ here, in the morning.¡±

    Gyeoul knew because she was always tracking Yu Jitae¡¯s movement in and out of the house. Oftentimes, he would leave at early evening orte at night but he would always be back by morning without a doubt.

    For Gyeoul, that was like an undeniable fact.

    ¡°Hah, for fuck¡¯s sake.¡±

    And Yeorum also trusted Yu Jitae as much as Gyeoul trusted him. Turning her feet, Yeorum walked out of the dormitory. When Kaeul shouted, ¡°Where are you going!¡± from behind, she replied while waving her hand.

    ¡°To do my own business.¡±

    If she focused on her own work, he would be back in no time. Interrogating him could wait for now.

    That night, after finishing her personal training, Yeorum headed to the agency. Right now, Yeorum was affiliated to a superhuman agency that was directly linked to the Association. It was a necessary arrangement done by Yu Jitae to allow Yeorum to have official duels with rankers.

    After entering thepany, Yeorum walked into the crowd of people wearing suits in her pair of shorts and a training top. She then started looking for her manager.

    The name of the manager¡­

    Uhh, the name of the manager wasss~~~¡­

    Anyway, he was the manager.

    But even though she came directly to thepany, she had no idea how she was supposed to meet the manager. Yeorum had to call but¡­

    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t save his number.¡±

    She did not know his number, nor did she know which office the manager was in. In addition, she had also lost his business card.

    It was when Yeorum was frowning in thought.

    ¡°Uh? Miss Yeorum¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hoh?¡±

    The manager appeared from the other side of the corridor at just the right time. With his eyes wide open, he began creating a big fuss.

    ¡°Why were you not picking up any of my calls?¡±

    ¡°Kuhum, I don¡¯t pick up calls from numbers I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t check the messages either!? In any case, I was looking to contact you just then! You came at the perfect time!¡±

    ¡°Why? What happened?¡±

    ¡°We received a reply from Mr. Javier!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°He epted the request!¡±

    Yeorum widened her eyes.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes!¡±

    ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°Absoluteelyyy!¡±

    Finally!

    Clenching her fists, Yeorum quietly shivered from excitement.

    Rank 8 out of all the superhumans worldwide.

    The strongest powerhouse of the South African Nations union (SAN). The Sr Sword, Javier Karma.

    He was a powerhouse who made Yeorum taste her first defeat before meeting Yu Jitae, who had felt as unreachable as the sky.

    It was her first defeat and was the most intense memory of them all. She had lostpletely to a human who she had been looking down on, and had almost died.

    He had dominating strength, a smooth sword path and the movement of his feet were impossible to follow. The man was strong enough to make her momentarily forget he was a human and feel awe.

    That feeling of awe was different from the one she got from Yu Jitae who deviatedpletely frommon sense.

    Powerlessness.

    Back then, Yeorum felt powerless from the overwhelming difference in strength. Unable to do anything, she was pulled around against her will and the fight was destined to end with her death.

    ¡°This is not the time for this. The letter came in paper. Let¡¯s go to the office together! Let me show you in person!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Let¡¯s go. Go!¡±

    Following the manager to the office, Yeorum controlled her heated breath. Back then, Yu Jitae said his strength would be simr to a strong dragon that was around 100 years old.

    In other words, beating Javier would mean that she would have a better chance at defeating her oldest unni after going back.

    5 years.

    The chance to fight him again came after 5 long years¡­

    Those 5 years were far different from normal 5 years. For Yeorum who had only just turned twenty, it was the densest period of 5 years in her entire life.

    Etched into her brain were all the different training sessions she had with Yu Jitae.

    Bleeding, being crushed and ripped, crying, vomiting, fainting, seeing hallucinations and copsing with broken legs ¨C all those times that tempted her to discard everything and give up¡­

    But through all that, Yeorum held onto his hand and learned how to stand on crushed legs.

    Those were the 5 years she had spent.

    ¡°It¡¯s this right here!¡±

    Finally, it was time to test her strength which she had whole-heartedly built up. Yeorum checked the letter written personally by Javier that only had the time and location of the duel written inside.

    It was exactly 15 days from today, with the location being Africa.

    ¡°Please take care of all the preparations!¡±

    ¡°Yes Miss!¡±

    ¡°Ah, and did you tell anyone about this?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? No, not yet!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Yeorum flew back to Unit 301. Her feet were light and her face was bright. All the irritating things had already vanished from her mind, and all she wanted to do was hurry up and convey this astonishing news.

    Thus, she busted the door open and walked inside.

    ¡°Herees the champion! You bitches!¡±

    Kuhahaht! She shouted while shaking the letter.

    Kaeul and Gyeoul were in the living room but their eyes weren¡¯t on her. Usually, she was not interested in whether anyone weed her or not, but today of all days was different so she was about to reprimand them.

    ¡°Are your ears clogged? I¡¯m here¡­¡±

    But,

    Something was weird.

    The atmosphere of the room was a lot more settled and so was Yu Kaeul¡¯s expression.

    What¡¯s happening?

    Yeorum erased the smile from her face. Bom, who had been mumbling like a corpse yesterday, was also back at home inside the living room.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What the fuck is going on.

    Taking her shoes off, Yeorum headed to the living room and she could finally see one more person that was hidden behind the bookshelf.

    It was Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Hehe. C¡¯mon, that was a joke right?¡±

    With a vacant look on her face, Kaeul said to him.

    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s time to go back¡­ how can you say that as a joke. I¡¯m disappointed! Hehe¡­¡±

    Yeorum thought she was hearing things.

    ¡°What? What was that?¡±

    Her voice hurriedly left her mouth but neither Kaeul, Gyeoul, Bom nor Yu Jitae replied to her question.

    Bom had her eyes fixed on the ground looking like she was holding back her tears and Kaeul removed the foolish smile from her face. Yu Jitae was not joking.

    ¡°I, I¡­ I don¡¯t want to go back¡­¡±

    ¡°You have to go.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not going¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae hesitated as Kaeul continued with another awkward smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going. No, I can¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Umm, maybe you don¡¯t exactly know about it, ahjussi, but you know the authority that makes us go back? That takes like 20 to 30 years to activate after the start of the Amusement you know?¡±

    ¡°I found the method myself.¡±

    ¡°No, but listen. 20 to 30 years¡­ 20 to 30 years¡­ It¡¯s been, like, less than 6 years? Since we left, so t, there is still a lot of time left¡­¡±

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°At least 14 years¡­¡±

    He stayed silent and Kaeul avoided his eyes. Turning her eyes, Kaeul checked Gyeoul¡¯s expression first. The child was blinking her eyes as if she couldn¡¯t understand anything that was going on.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum felt her head being drenched in icy cold water.

    What was this about all of a sudden?

    Go back home?

    Kaeul anxiously twirled her hair. When Yu Jitae twitched his lips, her golden eyes turned towards his mouth with even more anxiety.

    Yeorum felt increasingly more ominous. She wanted Yu Jitae to shut his mouth but he ended up opening his mouth.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t trying to persuade them, nor exin the situation.

    But quite simply, he was just apologising to them.

    That in turn added more weight to his words. Feeling something crumble after aborious effort at building it up, Yeorum was lost as to what to say.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why? Why? Why?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling us to go now? Why?¡±

    Kaeul¡¯s voice on the other hand continued going up.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to send you guys back home. This is a foreign ce that you wandered into by mistake, and it is too dangerous for you to stay here for a long¡­¡±

    ¡°What is? What is dangerous?¡±

    ¡°¡­Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t we have ahjussi? And, like, we were never caught up in anything dangerous right? Who is putting us at risk?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Or what is it? Do you hate us? Do you just want to send us off?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then why? Is it because I eat too much? Is the food too expensive?¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Then why! If you don¡¯t want to send us off, if it¡¯s not dangerous and if you don¡¯t mind the money, then why are you telling us to go back? Why? Why?! WHY¨C!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He kept his mouth closed.

    ¡°This, this is too sudden! How can you do this? I, I haven¡¯t, even, prepared myself yet!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about what? Why are you saying sorry?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What about you unni? Bom-unni, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Why? This is weird! Something is very weird! Ahjussi is saying we need to part ways, so why aren¡¯t you saying anything!¡±

    Kaeul shouted as Bom covered her eyes with her hands and dropped her head.

    Seeing that,

    Seeing Bom bite her lips,

    Made the farewell feel a lot more realistic.

    With trembling fingertips, Kaeul covered her mouth. Tears budded beneath her golden eyes as the child gasped for breath.

    Her face was filled with shock as her head shook faintly to the side with disbelief.

    Kaeul once again looked at Yu Jitae¡¯s face.

    He was staring back at her.

    His hazy eyes and hazy expression were still there just as always. She had be too familiar with those, and she could not even imagine not seeing his face anymore.

    And yet he was talking about a farewell.

    Kaeul asked with a voice shivering from tears.

    ¡°Do we¡­ really¡­ have to leave¡­?¡±

    Yu Jitae did not reply.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In the past,

    When sending off Chirpy the baby chicken; when she was pondering on what a good farewell was, she knew a day like this woulde one day.

    Every rtionship had a farewell waiting at the end of it, and it was impossible even for a dragon to escape farewells. There woulde a day when she would have to part ways with ahjussi. She knew that, but had never been expecting the day toe this early.

    ¡°Really¡­? Do you really, want us to leave¡­?¡±

    Tears fell from her eyes and travelled down her cheeks. They then budded at her chin before eventually dropping down.

    Yu Jitae did not reply. He merely stared back at her face with his same hazy eyes.

    ¡°Our world¡­ is very far¡­ If we go back, we will probably never be able toe back to this ce¡­ Do you still want us to leave like this¡­? Already??¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why? Why, aren¡¯t you saying anything¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Like, why aren¡¯t you saying anything¡­¡±

    Kaeul crumbled down to her knees and began weeping out loud.

    After finally taking in the situation, Gyeoul also started to cry with a frown. The same was with Bom who had her hands covering her eyes. Even though her eyes had never been dry all this time, she still could not hold back her tears.

    ¡°Ahjussi, we can¡¯t leave like this¡­ please¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Just a little bit. Please let us stay a bit longer¡­ There¡¯s no reason for us to go now, right¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    On her knees, Kaeul crawled towards him. Wrapping her arms around his leg, she gazed up at his face with tears endlessly flowing from her eyes.

    ¡°Please let us stay a little longer¡­ I will be nicer¡­ to ahjussi¡­ I¡¯ll do more for you¡­ Please¡­?¡±

    Kuhk, kuhk. Despite having trouble breathing due to tears clogging her throat, Kaeul continued her words.

    ¡°No¡­ I can¡¯t go like this¡­ How can ahjussi and I part just like this¡­? You, told me to prepare for a good farewell¡­ But what is this¡­? Is this a good farewell? It¡¯s not¡­ I haven¡¯t prepared myself yet¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Just one more year¡­ Yes? Just one year¡­ Ahjussi¡­ me¡­ we all need to try more food right¡­? And visit nice ces¡­ Gyeoul also graduates in one year, so¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If one year is too long, what about half a year¡­? Half a year and Gyeoul should be gradu¡­¡­¡±

    He shook his head.

    The analysis will bepleted in 16 days. When that dayes, he will send the baby dragons back home without dy.

    Kaeul started to wail out loud.

    ¡°What about three months¡­?¡±

    Standing up from the ground, she gripped his clothes around his chest and leaned her forehead. Gyeoul¡¯s graduation that she was using as an excuse was no longer viable since Gyeoul would not be able to graduate in three months no matter what happened.

    Regardless, Kaeul continued the negotiation.

    ¡°How about two months¡­? Yes¡­? Two months¡­ 60 days¡­ It¡¯s not that much¡­¡±

    He shook his head.

    How could he be so heartless? Even though they spent so much time together¡­

    Kaeul felt betrayed.

    ¡°Then, even just one month¡­ Please¡­¡±

    Despite that, she could not stop looking for the middle ground.

    Kaeul said with a wail.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave¡­¡±

 Chapter 378: Episode 105: (2)

    <h4>Chapter 378: Episode 105: (2)</h4>

    Unit 301 became an ocean of tears.

    Crumbled on the ground, Kaeul wept out loud. Gyeoul wiped her tears with the back of her hands while gazing up at him. She was sending a signal into his eyes and despite the current situation, she was hoping he would do something to solve the problem. Gyeoul might in fact be thinking of this situation itself as a solvable problem.

    But when Yu Jitae did not do anything even after receiving her gaze, Gyeoul looked all the more shocked as she started avoiding his eyes.

    Kaeul hugged the child and continued crying.

    He wanted to escape this ce but he could not do so and had to nkly stand there.

    Even though he now had the wisdom of how to console a crying child, he deliberately did not do it. Creating and cutting bonds had requirements and consoling the child here would not be a good decision.

    In the end, a farewell was inevitable in rtionships and the only change here was that it was a little bit earlier than expected.

    And to bepletely honest, there was no reason for him to show any more consideration for the children.

    ¡°Hukk¡­¡±

    However, he still could not deny the fact that he had be fond of them. Kaeul¡¯s wailing voice continued scratching his ears. It felt like a ss marble that he had cherished and polished everyday was shattering to pieces and it was not a good feeling.

    In fact, it made him feel very ufortable, but that was not a reason for him to console the child, nor was it a justification for prolonging the end of the rtionship so he did notfort Kaeul until the very end.

    Yeorum on the other hand was frozen like a statue.

    ***

    Leaving the house, he absentmindedly walked down the corridor. At one point, there were stairs blocking his path so he climbed up the stairs. Climbing up the stairs, he arrived at the roof so he sat on the bench of the rooftop.

    He had already talked about the future ns with Bom.

    It went like this.

    Firstly, he would spend thest remaining 16-17 days of the analysis with the baby dragons. He asked what they should do in the remaining time and Bom suggested a trip. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea.

    A farewell trip¡­

    At the end of the trip, he will immediately send the baby dragons back home. He needed arge fissure, as well as the technique and energy to create thatrge fissure. Naturally, those had all been prepared because he hadn¡¯t been living a thousand years for nothing.

    Going through the fissure, the baby dragons will go back to their homnd; to the world of Askalifa.

    The journey back wouldn¡¯t just end in a quick sh. It would take them around a month as they travel through several other dimensions, with the simple reason being that they could avoid getting involved in any possible ¡®dimensional disjoint¡¯ by doing so. Advancing through the shallow seas, they would be safe from the tempest.

    Because of that, the baby dragons will be getting on a ¡®ship¡¯ that could travel through dimensions, and that had also been prepared.

    Earth would be in a fairlyplicated situation by then. The [Last Night] wille straight after the baby dragons leave Earth. It might beter than scheduled by a day or two, but it would definitely happen within four days after their departure ¨C this information was what he had found from the memories of the dying white bird.

    There would be zero problems, because he had already prepared for everything. His life had been repeated for close to two thousand times. It was impossible for him to be in danger due to a problem with his strength.

    After finally sending the baby dragons back,

    When the sun rises after the Last Night,

    Left alone on Earth, Yu Jitae will finally reach the end of his life.

    It was when he was going through the future ns in his mind. Someone with their red hair fluttering from the breeze opened the door of the rooftop.

    Yeorum hesitantly walked towards him.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Anything you have to say?¡±

    ¡°This.¡±

    Without meeting his eyes, she handed him the letter she received from Javier.

    ¡°Ah, yeah. That¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She did not reply to his celebratory words.

    ¡°Have you done enough for your preparation?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ it won¡¯t be easy. But if you can beat Javier, that will exponentially increase the likelihood of your survival after going back.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there anything you want to work on? Do you want to go through it together onest time?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°How do you feel.¡±

    ¡°Not bad.¡±

    Yeorum slowly shook her head. She turned her body around and started walking away from him.

    Was she in a bad mood like Kaeul?

    Even though it was possible for her to control her anger, that did not mean she forgot how to get angry. Yeorum might even be feeling betrayed by him.

    Whatever the case, the day of the duel was quite decent. Straight after the trip, on the day before the kids got onto the ship, Yeorum will be fighting against Javier.

    Yeorum after learning how to manipte the onion core with 10 lifted seals should be more than able to fight on equal grounds with Javier. Although it was hard to be certain about the result before seeing them fight, it was doable in Yu Jitae¡¯s opinion.

    It was then.

    In the middle of going down the stairs, Yeorum turned around and nced at him.

    After a little eye contact, she turned her body again.

    She looked fairly displeased.

    ***

    It took a few days for the kids to ept the farewell.

    Bom was always staying next to Kaeul and Gyeoul. She listened to Kaeul¡¯s tearyints, empathised with her and consoled her.

    Kaeul would rx a little whenever that happened but would soon cry buckets again after remembering something. Gyeoul on the other hand was crouching her body like a cat on top of her bed without moving a single inch.

    The kids did not eat nor drink and Yeorum was the only one sitting at the dining room, eating something by herself.

    Yu Jitae did not console the children at all in the meantime, and after crying day and night for three days, the two kids finally started to ept it.

    ¡°Shall we go on a trip.¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae said that to the kids.

    He had never felt so burdened from a single sentence in his entire life. He wanted to keep the baby dragons away from him until theirst moment but Bom persuaded him that there was not much time left, and that she wanted him to let them spend a better time no matter how short that might be.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul nodded and so did Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­There is a ce I want to go to.¡±

    They then nned for the trip.

    Before long, Kaeul showed her interest and suggested several details as if she had be a totally different person.

    If this was in the past, he would not have been able to understand the quick changes of the dragons but now he could. Kaeul must have contemted what a ¡®good farewell¡¯ would be, and must have realised that simply crying by herself would not make it a good one.

    ¡°Ah. And apparently, the sky outside the fissure there is quite dark and has a great atmosphere.¡±

    ¡°¡­How about we do fireworks?¡±

    ¡°Uun? Ohh, that sounds good. Let¡¯s like, do campfires, and watch stars.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is the water, warm?¡±

    ¡°Apparently yes.¡±

    Bom and Gyeoul helped her add flesh to the n. He was a bystander just like Yeorum, but Gyeoul asked him after throwing him a nce.

    ¡°¡­Is there, something, you want to do?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    There was nothing he could think of off the top of his head.

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ¡°¡­A ce, you want to go to?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°¡­Something, you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­What about, a burger?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sounds gud.¡±

    Gyeoul then started writing down several ingredients of the burger on the hologram.

    Even until then, Yeorum was sitting apathetically without saying a word. When someone spoke to her, she would shake her head and wave her hands. The most she said was, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Do what you want,¡± and she continued watching videos of Javier Karma¡¯s fight on her watch.

    People had different ways of epting farewells.

    It seemed that the realistic Yeorum had already epted reality before anyone else.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Until the very end, she did not add a single word.

    ***

    It was on the night before the start of the trip. Someone knocked on the door of Yu Jitae¡¯s room.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    The one that opened the door was Gyeoul.

    She was nervously standing behind the door throwing nces at him, and couldn¡¯t readilye in despite him telling her to do so.

    ¡°Are you going to keep standing there?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    An awkward smile appeared on her face as she gazed up at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s just, weird.¡±

    ¡°What is.¡±

    Gyeoul shook her head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Then, she entered the room and closed the door.

    After slowly walking towards him, she stopped in front of his legs and quietly stared at his knees. He reached his arms out thinking of giving her a hug, but the child responded by holding it with her hand.

    Gyeoul did not lean her body on his, and simply held onto his hand.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you have something to say?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why, were you so rushed?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    For a moment, he thought Gyeoul was here toin about her disappointment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Shake, shake. Gyeoul shook her head.

    ¡°¡­I want, to know the reason.¡±

    ¡°The reason?¡±

    ¡°¡­Bom-unni, said it¡¯s dangerous for us to stay here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Then? Do you think there is a different reason?¡±

    Gyeoul gave a nod.

    ¡°There¡¯s none.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There are just too many dangerous things for you to keep staying here. I recently figured that out, and you will be safe the quicker you go back so I had no other choice myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She dropped her gaze down to the ground.

    While thinking to herself, she scratched her head with her tiny hand. Soon, she heaved a sigh with frustration dripping from her face.

    In spite of everything she was doing, one of her hands was still hidden behind her back.

    ¡°¡­I asked, what ahjussi liked.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­To ahjussi¡¯s brother.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi¡¯s brother, said ahjussi, likes us.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I like you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Not that.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it.¡±

    Gyeoul did not reply.

    She seemed to be talking about the time when they had gone to the Tranquil Sea together with Yeorum. Yu Jitae could also remember the words Clone 1 had said to him.

    Back then, Gyeoul asked what Yu Jitae liked the most, and Clone 1 should have replied by saying something, but Yu Jitae did not know what the reply was.

    That was when Gyeoul heaved a deep sigh.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s all because, ¡­I was scammed.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying and was curiously pondering what she meant when Gyeoul revealed her other hand as well as the thing she was hiding behind her back.

    Hesitation was written all over her face, and her eyes appeared slightly sad.

    ¡°¡­I did my best, to earn money, to buy this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    On top of her hands was a neatly decorated gift box.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a present.¡±

    Only after saying that did Gyeoul look up at his face with a faint smile.

    Yu Jitae carefully received the present from the child while feeling the heaviness of the box.

    A present¡­

    He had never even expected this.

    ¡°Can I open it?¡±

    Gyeoul nodded.

    Unpacking the box, he found a small palm-sized crystal inside.

    It was a [Memory Crystal] ¨C a consumable artifact used for recording and storing mana as information. At the end of the crystal was a camera lens that made it look like a recorder.

    The size of the crystal was 5Y, and was the same model as the one Gyeoul bought when she was scammed on the second-hand transaction website.

    ¡°What is this. Why are you giving me this.¡±

    ¡°¡­Because, I was always¡­ on the receiving side.¡±

    All the time she spent trying to earn money shed past his head. Running errands for a dor or two, drying sweet potatoes on the veranda with the protector, buying a heap of coloured papers and dividing them into piles with her tiny fingers in the living room, selling umbres together on a rainy day, and making burgers for the election¡­

    ¡°¡­I, can give something too.¡±

    He was at a loss for words.

    But lying in his mind was still a doubt about this specific gift. He wasn¡¯t really fond of memory crystals and in fact, he didn¡¯t really care about them.

    Was she going to record the things that happened here to take them back with her? He wondered but that would be strange because dragons did not forget in the first ce. They already had a memory crystal embedded in their heads.

    That was when Gyeoul answered his doubts.

    ¡°¡­He said you treasure, the time you spend with us.¡±

    ¡°Who. That, my brother?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Gyeoul reached her arms forward. Raising the child, he ced her on hisp as Gyeoul began fidgeting with the memory crystal that was in his hand.

    ¡°¡­When we separate,

    ¡°¡­I might remember forever.

    ¡°¡­But ahjussi, will forget us, so¡­¡±

    The words that left her mouth stole words from his tongue again.

    Yesterday, Bom told him that all the baby dragons were aware of the separation, but he had never once expected Gyeoul to prepare for the separation in such a way.

    ¡°¡­When we go on the trip¡­ I will take a lot of pictures of us.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Later when you are alone¡­ please, look through them, once in a while.¡±

    After finishing her words, Gyeoul activated the memory crystal and pointed it at her face.

    She gave a bright smile.

    Then, she turned her body to have the crystal point at both Yu Jitae and herself. The hologram screen floating above the crystal started disying both Gyeoul and Yu Jitae.

    ¡°¡­Hello?¡±

    Gyeoul waved her hand at the screen. He also waved his hand from behind, but at the same time, had to feel some unknown feeling drenching his body. Something sticky was flowing down and locking him inside, making him feel oddly heavy inside for some reason.

    What in the world was this emotion?

    ¡°¡­Tomorrow, we are going on a trip.¡±

    For a long time, the child chirped about the ns of the trip. After finishing her talk, she turned off the memory crystal and came down from his legs.

    She then waved her hand.

    ¡°¡­See you tomorrow.¡±

    *

    After sending her off, he contemted on what that lethargic feeling and what that sense of incongruity was about.

    By ruminating over her actions and words just then, he finally realised what it was.

    ¨C ¡­Later when you are alone

    ¨C ¡­Please, look through them, once in a while.

    Gyeoul was thinking, without even doubting it a single bit,

    That he would continue living on after their separation.

 Chapter 379: Episode 105: (3)

    <h4>Chapter 379: Episode 105: (3)</h4>

    ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Ohh!¡±

    ¡°Are you all done packing?¡±

    ¡°Ohhh!¡±

    ¡°What is ohh,¡±

    ¡°Awwhh¡­!¡±

    ¡®Like, what does that mean,¡¯ he asked and Kaeul chuckled with Gyeoul. Bom, who was by his side, curiously asked them.

    ¡°What is it? Ohh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ohh!¡±

    This time, it was Gyeoul who repeated after her. It seemed to be a signal only the two of them knew about, as they turned to each other before chuckling out loud again, both innocently and naively, making the previous tears seem like an illusion.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on~. Am I being bullied?¡± jested Bom.

    ¡°Uun? It really doesn¡¯t mean anything though¡­? Right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn nn!¡±

    Once again, they giggled and their joyousughters continued on and on.

    All those moments were stored in the memory crystal.

    ***

    Grabbing the handle of the car needlessly increased the trivial thoughts going on inside his head. It was when Yu Jitae¡¯s mind was at a different ce due to his thoughts going off the track.

    ¡°Uwah!¡±

    Kaeul interrupted his trail of thought as the protector, who was also a part of the trip, replied.

    ¡°What is wrong, mydy?¡±

    ¡°I just realised it¡¯s been a very long time since west went on a trip all together! Right?¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Yu Jitae had rented a van because Gyeoul wanted to bring the protector along.

    ¡°This does bring my memories back to my first ever trip,¡± said the protector.

    ¡°You were cleaning a lot right?¡±

    ¡°That is the case. Because the second young miss suddenly called me and¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahah! So Cleaner-ahjussi, you must be really fond of cleaning¡­!¡±

    The protector was about to refute but soon decided to change its words.

    ¡°¡­That is the case. I will miss it.¡±

    Those were the words the protector said after a deep thought. However Gyeoul suddenly frowned and kicked the leggings of its armour so the protector blinked its eyes that became red dots.

    ¡°We are almost there.¡±

    ¡°Ohh!¡±

    ¡°¡­Ohh!¡±

    ¡°Ohh,¡± Bom added.

    ¡°Why are you saying, ¡®Oh¡¯ when you don¡¯t even know what it means.¡±

    ¡°Why not? Apparently it doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±

    Bom replied with a giggle as Kaeul and Gyeoul followed suit. It seemed that Bom had joined the ¡®Ohh! Group¡¯ by the time he realised it.

    So what in the hell is that ¡®Oh¡¯ thing.

    He found it quite peculiar himself that he was curious about such a thing in spite of the situation.

    When the suffocatingly tense period of time was peeled off, remaining there was a small daily life that was the size of an apple core. And absurdly enough, he was fairly used to it.

    ¡°¡­We are almost there now.¡±

    In response to his words, the kids all stared outside the window into the far distance at where the warp station was.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum was quiet. She was sitting on the passenger¡¯s seat with a cigarette in her mouth, with earphones in her ears and her eyes still fixed on Javier¡¯s fighting video.

    It was as if none of this was her business.

    ***

    Fissure number ¡®BB-15¡¯.

    [Ind of the Sky Sea]

    It was a popr fissure and a renowned tourist attraction that only the rich could visit. Bom used all the money she had saved during her time at the Association to buy entrance tickets to the fissure.

    This strange ind was floating in the air. Gazing down, there was a semi-transparent reflection of the world beneath and resembled how it would look when looking at the sky from underwater.

    The unique part of this ce was that it did not have any amodations like a deserted ind.

    Kaeul was the one that rmended this ce.

    Getting off at the parking lot, they checked in at the reception of the fissure.

    The garden inside was filled with all sorts of sweet fragrances, with fruits hanging off some of the trees. When they headed to their designated area, waiting there was a picturesque garden. Underneath the ambient light from the sky they could hear the sound of flowing water from the nearby creek.

    Why, he wondered.

    Why did the kids want toe to this ce?

    It was something he was curious about throughout the time it took to reach this ce. There was not a single amodation nor a restaurant, and it seemed illogical to spend thest vacation at a ce like this.

    After reaching an open field ofnd, Kaeul said to him.

    ¡°From now, you have to stay here ahjussi¡­!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move! And don¡¯te towards us! Okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He nodded as Kaeul and Gyeoul started toddling off by themselves while the protector followed them with the memory crystal in hand. It seemed that the protector today was a cameraman and not a cleaner.

    Bom watched their backs before walking off in a different direction by herself. Her feet were headed to the mountain.

    The four of them moved naturally as if they had nned it beforehand.

    Due to that, it was only Yu Jitae and Yeorum that was left behind at the empty plot ofnd. Yeorum was still absorbed in Javier¡¯s fighting video and there was no reason for him to speak to her either.

    He was therefore sitting there in silence as the thoughts that had been going off track ever since he was driving began to rise back up.

    The first doubt of them all was this.

    ¡®Why are the kids like that?¡¯

    By nature, feelings and emotions were passive. Feeling emotions did not happen through an active attempt at feeling them, and they ured by observing what naturally emitted from others.

    In the past, Bom and Kaeul called Yu Jitae a ¡®kid¡¯. They were not wrong ¨C in the face of something so foreign and unclear as ¡®emotions¡¯, he was always puzzled.

    Even now it was the same.

    Although he thought the reason Kaeul changed was definitely because she was trying to prepare for a good farewell, it felt strange seeing the kids act so differently in just a single day with the flip of a hand.

    What is going on in Bom¡¯s head when she¡¯s smiling? Why was Yeorum being so indifferent, and how did Gyeoul feel about the farewell?

    These topics were no longer that important because they would soon be parting ways regardless.

    However, because curiosity was also a passive notion, he was puzzled again.

    Why are the kids like that?

    He was aligning his insufficient understanding of daily life to the kids in his contemtion when he suddenly felt a gaze. Turning his head he found Yeorum staring at him.

    After a long and silent eye contact,

    Yeorum opened her mouth.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Do you wanna bang me?¡±

    It was a ridiculous statement. He asked, ¡®What?¡¯ as she quietly looked back at his eyes with an indifferent gaze that contained not a sliver of sexual desire.

    ¡°Bang. I mean, having sex.¡±

    ¡°What is this about all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°Nothing much.¡±

    ¡°Did you get shot in the head or something?¡±

    ¡°Why? Is that something I shouldn¡¯t say?¡±

    ¡°Is that something you should?¡±

    ¡°Why not? We¡¯re quite fond of each other anyway, so why not have some fun before going back.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The only thing I¡¯ve done during my Amusement is fighting and training. Anyone from my race will roll on the floorughing if they heard about my Amusement you know?¡±

    ¡°Why would it be funny.¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Even having trucks of dicks is not enough and yet all I did was train. It¡¯s like sending a kid off to an arcade, and finding out they did push-ups all the time. How could there be such a retarded red dragon in this world?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So how does it sound?¡±

    He turned his head away.

    In this situation where Kaeul, Gyeoul and Bom were already acting outside the realms of hisprehension, Yeorum was also spouting some iprehensible words.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why? Are you like, embarrassed and stuff?¡±

    ¡°Who knows. First off, what you are saying does not sound sane in the slightest.¡±

    ¡°I am sane.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, no.¡±

    ¡°Does it feel weird because it feels like you¡¯reying your hands on a kid?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m twenty. Or what, is it because deflowering a disciple is not what a master should do? Or is it because you like ying around like a family?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Again, you¡¯re shutting your mouth when you are at a disadvantage. Say something. Or are you worried about Yu Bom?¡±

    He quietly thought about the context of the words and whatid inside it. What was her real intention?

    That silence might have made her feel like he was ignoring her. ¡®Ignoring the fuck out I see,¡¯ Yeorum said while scratching her head. ¡®Hmm, but Yu Bom is a bit of a problem¡­¡¯ she muttered but soon irritatedly raised her voice.

    ¡°Aye fuck it~. Since when was I so considerate of other people? Anyway, say it right now if you feel like it. It¡¯s yourst chance to spread my legs.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Looks like it will take a long time judging from how noisy they are, and it will also take a while for Yu Bom toe back. No-one will know as long as we stay silent. Just do me a few times and pretend like you didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    He stayed silent. Everything sexual failed to ring his heart in any way. If he was to be more explicit about it, every action rted to reproduction was unfathomably useless for him. Having an intercourse with someone meant nothing more than shaking his body.

    So it didn¡¯t matter whether he did it or not.

    ¡°I do not understand. Why are you saying this out of the blue.¡±

    ¡°Because the first experience is very meaningful.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And doing it with a strong male is going to be more thrilling.¡±

    Their rtionship had been built upon several deceits and such lies were still in ce. Deceiving Bom one more time was not that big of a deal because everything would soon be over whether she was the aplice or not.

    So sleeping with Yeorum once, if that¡¯s what she wanted, shouldn¡¯t be a big deal.

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason not to.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±

    ¡°Then should I go naked?¡±

    But even at this point, he was still thinking of reasons to turn her down.

    ¡°But, I think it will be better not to.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to undress me then, dear?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. I mean it will be better not to have an intercourse in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It shakes one¡¯s will a lot. Whether you want it or not, the body will be shocked and it will also cause all sorts of implications on the mana inside your body considering how big of a turning point it is to your mind. The less experienced you are, the more of a case that will be. You will be fighting once this is over, and you¡¯ll also be fighting after going back and there is a high chance of it being a bad influence. It will ruin your condition for no reason.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I guess that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°So it will be wiser to behave for now.¡±

    Yeorum nodded with consent.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re right.¡±

    Why was I thinking of reasons to refuse her?

    It was when he was continuing his line of thought.

    ¡°By the way.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you even pretend like you¡¯re sad?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    It was suddenly on a whole different topic. He turned towards Yeorum who was ring at him with a sullen gaze.

    ¡°Back then, it was a little annoying watching from the side.¡±

    ¡°What was.¡±

    ¡°Yu Kaeul was holding your leg crying but you were doing absolutely nothing.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And even now, it¡¯s as if this whole fucking thing means nothing to you¡­ Don¡¯t you feel sad?¡±

    ¡°I do feel sad.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t lying ¨C it was true that his heart wasn¡¯t feelingfortable.

    ¡°Then why are you so stiff?¡±

    ¡°Then what. Should I beg and cry? And aren¡¯t you acting stiff yourself,¡± Yu Jitae asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m not sad in the slightest.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m the same with those weak ass kids? What¡¯s the big deal with a separation?¡±

    It was exactly what a red dragon would say.

    He didn¡¯t feel sad or anything by her words because he had never wished to be something special to the kids. In fact, he was quite relieved that Yeorum wasn¡¯t feeling upset or betrayed ¨C unknowingly, his superficial and wicked self-constion was at work.

    Whatever the reason, he did not want to dwell on this topic for too long.

    ¡°It¡¯s he funny now that I think about it. You turned her down as if there was no tomorrow when Yu Kaeul was crying sooo much that she wanted to stay longer. And yet you¡¯re worried about what happens to me when I go back?¡±

    ¡°Of course you have to survive. And live well after going back.¡±

    ¡°Amazing. What a great teacher~.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Fuck, this is making me mad again. How can you be so fucking selfish from the start to the end?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Eat shit. You dick.¡±

    They turned silent for a bit as Yeorum thought to herself for a while.

    ¡°¡­So it is important that I survive after going back¡­¡±

    Her following mutter was both like a question and a monologue. After saying that, sheid down on the t grass.

    He wondered whether he was supposed to say something but she turned her body away from him so he couldn¡¯t add any more words. In truth, he didn¡¯t know what to tell her in the first ce.

    Before long, Yeorum became absorbed in Javier¡¯s video again.

    Her gaze was that of a soldier preparing for a battle.

    ***

    It was after three to four hours that Kaeul and Gyeoul came back. They had dirt all over their bodies but had wide smiles on their faces.

    Gyeoul suddenly pped her hands with a frown.

    p p!

    In response, the protector who had been filming some random ce quickly turned the lens of the memory crystal towards Yu Jitae. At the same time, Kaeul took out a blindfold from her waist and gave it to him.

    ¡°Here, ahjussi!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this.¡±

    ¡°Cover your eyes with this¡­!¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, just hurry up and cover your eyes without asking why! Quick¡­!¡±

    What is going on?

    For now, he obediently closed his eyes. Kaeul whispered into his ears, ¡®Kill your senses as well¡­!¡¯ Even though he didn¡¯t want to, he followed her orders.

    Like that, when Yu Jitae was unable to see anything like a normal blindfolded person, Kaeul and Gyeoul each dragged him by his arm and started taking him somewhere. He did not fall because his sense of touch was still there despite him losing his sense of sight.

    Kong! Clink¨C

    ¡°Huh, ahjussi why are you bumping into a tree with your eyes wide open?¡±

    ¡°My apologies, mydy. I was too engulfed in filming that I¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you stupid?¡±

    ¡°No, mydy. I am in fact quite on the clever side¡­¡±

    After walking for a while, the kids stopped their feet and so did Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Take off your blindfold on the count of three¡­!¡±

    ¡°Three¨C¡±

    ¡°Two¨C¡±

    ¡°One!¡±

    As soon as they said one, Yu Jitae took the blindfold off. And after seeing what the kids had prepared, he froze on the spot.

 Chapter 380: Episode 105: (4)

    <h4>Chapter 380: Episode 105: (4)</h4>

    There was a house.

    A house that was very simr to the one Yu Jitae had made before at the ind called ¡®Peace City¡¯.

    He turned his eyes to the foundation of the house.

    The ground beneath was t and there were long and thin pieces of timber forming the structure above. Long stems were used for the bones of the walls with clusters of mud cementing them and leaves were finely intertwined to cover the roof above.

    Even though it had a different form, a different structure and a different size, this was made using the same method as the operational camp Yu Jitae made at the Peace City, and was definitely an imitation of his work.

    Did they really make this?

    In just those few hours?

    The bizarre emotions that had been rising inside him ever since they were nning for the trip were actively wriggling inside. That was when Gyeoul grabbed his hand.

    ¡°¡­Do you want, to have a look?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­We made, this house.¡±

    Her tiny hand pulled his index finger as he followed her lead.

    ¡°¡­There is, a window.

    ¡°¡­This, is the chimney I made.

    ¡°¡­We also made a drain, for rainwater.

    ¡°¡­And this, and that¡­¡±

    Gyeoul moured while showing off parts of the house like a salesperson. There was a phrase in there that he couldn¡¯t understand, and that was, ¡®I made¡¯.

    ¡°You mean you made this too?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul did half of it¡­! With magic¡­!¡±

    Forcing aside the strange emotions, he showed the child a reaction suited for a daily life. ¡®That¡¯s amazing,¡¯ he said with surprise, which did not stray too much from his actual feelings in the first ce.

    ¡°¡­Did I do a good job?¡±

    In response, Gyeoul opened her eyes into circles and stood in front of him as she ced both of her hands beneath her chin. Her eyes that gazed up into his eyes appeared to be expecting something.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He caressed her on the head. This seemed to be the right answer judging from the bright smile on her face.

    ¡°What about me??¡±

    ¡°You did good too.¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    The broad inside of the house was also marvellous. The house was bigger than how it appeared on the outside because of the dimensional spell cast on it, and it looked exactly like a proper field operational house perhaps because of their ability to forever remember what they saw.

    So¡­

    What is it about this?

    Why is this making my fingers turn stiff?

    ¡°Ahjussi. First let¡¯s have a meal together¡­!¡±

    Kaeul pointed at the twigs she had gathered and with the click of her hand, sparks appeared above the set of sticks and created a big me alongside a buzz. There appeared to have been oil spread over it beforehand.

    That was when Bom came back carrying a bucket filled with fruits, vegetables, leaves and mushrooms that she got from the mountain.

    ¡°Wow. Did you make this just then?¡±

    ¡°Awesome, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s amazing. Even better than what I was expecting.¡±

    Stacks of meat and mushrooms were added to the grill as Bom sliced up fruits and ced them on a te. Yu Jitae walked towards them to help with something but Gyeoul pushed forward her chubby little hands.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Stay there.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Shh.¡±

    What.

    When he stopped his feet, Gyeoul pointed somewhere with a rigid expression on her face. Her finger was pointing next to the protector.

    Just like that, Yu Jitae was exiled.

    ¡°Guruk, kuruk¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡±

    ¡°Nothing sir¡­¡±

    He had no choice but to watch the kids noisily working by themselves. Kaeul grilled the meat, Gyeoul washed the vegetables clean and Bom added marinade to them.

    In this ce, he was nothing but a bystander watching the set of procedures. As he quietly watched them work, the doubts that had been harassing him from the start of the trip slowly began to rise up with more rity.

    All these things were things Yu Jitae had done for the children.

    Preparing food was always up to him and feeding them breakfast was his habit. Providing them with a shelter toy in was also something that stemmed from his internal mindset of prioritising rest above anything else.

    It was always the same. He made things and the baby dragons enjoyed them.

    It was because he was an adult and they were children;

    Because he was a guardian and they were the ward.

    So then what was the thing in front of his eyes? He realised again how they had spent the past 5 years together. From the way they built the house to the way they sliced the meat and cooked it, all the way to how they ate¡­

    All of those had begun from him and now, the kids were all copying him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But that wasn¡¯t all there was to it.

    There appeared to be a certain ¡®message¡¯ embedded into all their actions. Although he couldn¡¯t exactly guess what that was, it was bing more and more evident in his mind.

    ¡°¡­Uuiinng!¡±

    That was when Gyeoul started struggling against a fish with a small fruit knife in hand. She seemed to be trying to fillet it.

    However, the fish was as big as her calves and was no easy prey. It sshed and jumped away even though Gyeoul tried to suppress it as hard as she could.

    ¡°¡­Come heree!¡±

    Naturally, it did note to her and the fish slipped past her fingers. She lowered her back and grabbed it¡¯s body again but after a long test of strength, the fish¡¯s tail ended up pping her by the cheek. It brought with it a loud pping noise.

    Instinctively he took a step closer to her but Gyeoul turned to him in surprise.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯te here.¡±

    Yu Jitae stopped. The child was shocked by her own words and halted on the spot before ncing at his eyes with a myriad of emotions behind her gaze.

    However, she quickly removed that expression from her face and began fighting with the fish again.

    In the end, she seeded in suppressing the fish. She asked Bom, ¡°¡­What do I do?¡± and received the reply that she should draw the blood out.

    She took the fish and toddled all the way to the creek.

    There was no reason to bother following her, but by the time he came to himself, he was already sneaking after her towards the creek.

    What pushed him on was a single doubt.

    Maybe the thing that I was feeling was just an illusion? Am I perhaps assigning too much meaning just because this is thest trip even though it¡¯s actually nothing much?

    But when he arrived at the creek while being stirred by such doubts¡­

    He found Gyeoul sping her hands around the fish,

    With her eyes sealed tight.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Soon, she momentarily lowered the fish to wipe her tears using the back of her hands.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Feeling like he saw something that wasn¡¯t supposed to be seen, he turned his feet away.

    And after a few minutes,

    Gyeoul btedly came back and proudly showed off the bloodless fish by shoving it towards Yu Jitae.

    She asked.

    ¡°¡­How is it?¡±

    With a smile on her face.

    That was when he finally realised it.

    The reason why these kids that were afraid of the farewell suddenly turned bright; the reason they arbitrarily decided on the location; the reason they built a house using the same method as him aftering here; the reason they refused his help with an ¡®unfamiliar task¡¯ andstly, the reason they cried behind his back.

    All of their actions were pointing at one conclusion.

    ¡°¡­Now, I can¡­ do things by myself.¡±

    We,

    Will be fine, after going back.

    So,

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    At the face of the uing farewell,

    The kids were instead worried about him.

    ***

    A savoury smell spread across. As the bonfire continued its job, the nicely grilled pieces of meat dripped with juice and fat. The dripping meat added oil to the me as the dishes were finished one by one.

    ¡°Try this.¡±

    Eyes full of expectations were staring at him. Was this how he looked when waiting for Kaeul¡¯s reply after buying her a sweet dessert?

    He bit into the meat. It was seasoned nicely. The strong smell of freshly ground pepper immediately raced in as the juice of the brown meat instantaneously sent the fragrance of cooked meat down his nose.

    Despite his imperfect taste buds, he could still tell how this tasted.

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    Yes! They cheered with joy as they began shoving more food at his face.

    ¡°Far out. Delicious my ass¡­¡±

    Even though there was a voice trying to pour cold water over them, the other two chuckled brightly while ignoring her voice. Yeorum ate a few pieces of spare ribs before tossing the bones and walking away.

    This time, he was made to eat a well-cooked mushroom which had a savoury and a clean taste to it. It was cooked as a whole and a fragrant bomb exploded the moment he bit into it.

    While he was diligently eating the meat, Bom took out a jar of kimchi from her dimensional storage. Taking out kimchi and rice which they had been frequently eating due to living as a Korean in the past, she ced them into the oil that had oozed out of the meat and started frying them as a violent smell crawled into their noses.

    Sprinkling small pieces of seaweed, she added sesame seeds and sesame oil toplete the fried rice. Bom shared it with everyone. The condensed vour, the crunchy and the savoury taste¡­

    It was quite unexpected,

    But it tasted great.

    .

    .

    .

    A week went by in a simr fashion. Yu Jitae went to the ces the kids prepared at the times they had chosen and enjoyed the tour of their ns.

    He went to the Sky Lake and climbed a nearby mountain.

    Before going to sleep, the kids would gather up and discuss what to do on the following day while asking Yu Jitae about his opinion all the time, just like how he had asked them about what they wanted to do.

    During that, the kids would sometimes argue with each other about something they wanted to prepare. From time to time, he chimed in and asked what it was about but the kids did nothing but return awkward smiles.

    They enjoyed a few more days together and on the 10th day of the trip, they said to him.

    ¡°Shall we have a campfire?¡±

    .

    .

    .

    At the Ind of Sky Sea, the sun rose from the South and set at the North. Sitting at a t piece ofnd on the north of a low mountain, they watched the sun set with clinking sses.

    Clink¨C

    The rustling campfire, the fizzing soft drinks and the sound of juice travelling down Gyeoul¡¯s small throat¡­ Those rustic noises were enveloping the campsite when Kaeul broke the silence with a question.

    ¡°You see, we have something we really really want to ask.¡±

    He turned towards her as Gyeoul flickered her eyes and Yeorum, who had been indifferently looking at her watch, also raised her head. They appeared to be thinking, ¡®Is it finally time for that question?¡¯.

    Was this question the one they were preparing?

    ¡°What do you want to ask.¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­ You know, when we go back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°What will you do by yourself ahjussi?¡±

    In response, Bom, who had been resting on the bare ground with her eyes closed, opened her eyes and lifted her body.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Like you know. Until now, you were making food for us everyday, sending us to school, teaching Yeorum-unni and helping with Gyeoul¡¯s homework¡­ You were busy everyday doing all that. And we eat a lot more than others as well right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    ¡°So then, after we go back, you will have a lot of time for yourself, yes? I think it will be super boring, so what do you n on doing?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae did not reply. He wasn¡¯t expecting such a question to fly at his face.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ who knows.¡±

    ¡°Do you have no real ns yet?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This wasn¡¯t afortable topic to talk about so he was about to change the topic when Yeorum interjected.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I¡¯m a little curious about this as well,¡± she asked even though she hadn¡¯t shown interest in anything else during the past few days.

    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll probably just spend time, by myself.¡±

    ¡°Well of course you will. What are you going to do aside from that though?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn? What are you going to do? Be a police again? Or like, a soldier because you¡¯re good at fighting? Or are you going to kidnap more girls?¡±

    ¡°Ehng?¡±

    ¡°¡­Uing?¡±

    They reacted at the same time. Both Kaeul and Gyeoul widened their eyes from shock.

    ¡°Again? Againn?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to gather more people again and feed them food??¡±

    ¡°¡­?!?¡±

    Their astonishment only grewrger.

    It was when he was about to wave his hands with a denial.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. This guy loves women so he¡¯s gonna gather some girls again and raise them up.¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi, loves women¡­?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell from how we are all female?¡±

    ¡°Hukk¡­!¡±

    Yeorum started using fake news and trickery while throwing him a nce. She knew he would rather be silent, and was bbering such nonsense to force his mouth open.

    ¡°No. Did I bring you because you were female? It¡¯s because you were dragons.¡±

    ¡°If you say so~¡±

    He exined himself but the me had already grown bigger.

    Kaeul asked with eyes widened from dismay.

    ¡°Is what she said true¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°No¡­? I¡¯m not talking about whether you love women or not. I¡¯m asking if you will gather people again and feed them!¡±

    He wanted to deny that as well but that was when Gyeoul held tightly onto his pants. She looked very shocked as if her soul had left her body.

    ¡°Really? Are you sure? You¡¯re not, like, going to give bread and cookies to kids you see for the first time and tell them toe with you?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°And when they say their mother told them not to follow strangers, will you give them the overpowered macarons?¡±

    ¡°No, like I said¡­¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that, ahjussi! That¡¯s a crime¡­!¡±

    ¡°Like, seriously, I won¡¯t.¡±

    Kaeul continued pushing him on by saying, ¡®Do you know how clever kids are these days?¡¯ ¡®I stayed because I was kind and innocent¡­!¡¯ ¡®You will be arrested if you do that again!¡¯

    She was telling him kidnapping was a crime.

    ¡°So, you can¡¯t take someone and give them food¡­¡±

    Gyeoul rapidly nodded her head showing her utmost agreement with the statement, and also added one more word.

    ¡°¡­Andd,¡±

    After gathering the eyes of everyone, she mumbled with her tiny lips and said with all her heart.

    ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t be next to them¡­ when they hatch.¡±

    With beads of tears hanging under her eyes.

 Chapter 381: Episode 105: (5)

    <h4>Chapter 381: Episode 105: (5)</h4>

    Gyeoul¡¯s words were somewhat strange. Hearing that slightly shifted the context of what Kaeul had said before her.

    Kaeul said kidnapping was a crime. It was true and he thought she was telling him not to kidnap because it was a bad thing to do, but after hearing Gyeoul¡¯s words, he started thinking that that might not have been her intention when she said that.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    He asked back. In response, Gyeoul mumbled an exnation.

    ¡°¡­Can Ie out¡­ of an egg again?¡±

    He still could not understand what the child was saying. It was naturally impossible for her to hatch again.

    ¡°That won¡¯t be possible. Because hatching from an egg can only happen once.¡±

    Sorrow seeped into her eyes as Gyeoul gave a nod.

    ¡°¡­When you see someone¡­ for the first time¡­ aftering out of an egg¡­¡±

    She continued mumbling as he patiently waited for her to finish.

    ¡°¡­They be special¡­ just like, how it was, to me.¡±

    With another murmur, Gyeoul anxiously said to him.

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯te out of an egg again.

    ¡°¡­So,

    ¡°¡­I want me¡­ to be thest for ahjussi as well.¡±

    He finally understood what Gyeoul was saying, as well as the real intention behind Kaeul¡¯s words when she was talking about how kidnapping was a crime. They were feeling ufortable about him deceitfully taking in more kids and treating them nicely.

    In other words,

    Kaeul and Gyeoul were jealous of the ¡®next kids¡¯ that won¡¯t even exist. The thing called a child¡¯s perspective was still very foreign to him so Yu Jitae returned an empty smile but the kids were serious.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, because that will never happen.¡±

    He eased their minds just like how he always did.

    Gyeoul reached her arms forward like a habit and lowering his back, he let her sit on his arm.

    Before long, the kids turned silent as if they were waiting for something and soon, Kaeul pointed somewhere in the sky as Bom nodded and whispered something into her ears. Meanwhile, Yeorum was still smoking a cigarette with a sullen pout.

    This was them ¨C he had be sofortable and used to them.

    They however, were dragons. They were the ones he hated and loathed. He wasn¡¯t confident in not bashing them up to death and that was why he had initially started deceiving even himself. But when did it all begin? There was no longer any need to deceive himself; their bonds deepened; he became fond of them and started feeling guilty.

    In the end, the final farewell will also be decorated with deceit, but there was nothing else that could be done¡­

    It wasn¡¯t enough of a reason for him to dy the farewell, but was definitely enough of a reason to make him feel disheartened.

    And there was thus a lingering attachment inside him.

    ¡°It¡¯s here, it¡¯s here¡­!¡±

    Soon, the kids stood up and created a fuss. Kaeul came to his side and pped him on his arm, telling him to see something.

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing we came here for! That thing over there! That!¡±

    Which one?

    ¡°Oh right! Cleaner ahjussi!¡±

    The protector standing off in the distance raised the memory crystal and pointed it at Yu Jitae and the kids, before once again turning it back to the sky.

    For a split second, Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes met with Yeorum¡¯s. She frowned after seeing him and turned around to walk away. He was wondering whether he should stop her when Kaeul shouted, ¡°It¡¯s hereee¡­!¡±

    In that instant, Yu Jitae widened his eyes.

    A white dot rose up on the inkstained sky. The dot began to draw a trajectory behind it as it started to fall and its tail drew a smooth yet outstanding line.

    As if that was the signal, two, three, five and ten dots began to rapidly appear after that and each drew a tail following the same direction. The stars began to descend like raindrops.

    That rather majestic scenery of stars drawing on the sky allowed him to witness beauty. It was an emotion he couldn¡¯t feel when looking at the meteor shower some time after Gyeoul¡¯s birth. He remembered assuming that it must be a beautiful sight by looking at the shing eyes of the kids, but he could now tell by himself that that was beautiful.

    He had be a human by the time he realised it. After recalling the child who had been nkly staring at the sky in his arms, he lowered his gaze to Gyeoul and realised that she was instead looking at him the whole time. Their eyes met as a smile appeared on her lips.

    All those moments were stored in the memory crystal. The protector showed itsrge thumb and Gyeoul replied with a thumbs-up herself.

    Her tiny hand soon reached his face as the child looked straight at his face. They couldn¡¯t stare at each other for too long because she soon squinted her eyes and turned her head.

    When she turned her gaze back to the sky¡­ as the countless lines were colouring the broad sky in white.

    He saw Gyeoul retaining the same smile on her face,

    As tears started to fall down her cheeks again.

    ***

    The two weeks at the campsite rapidly neared its end. While eating, sleeping and watching nice things together, they shared good stories,ughed, cried and sometimes got upset.

    In the 7th iteration, he had carried out several interim reviews. It was for him to discern whether the kids were living nicely and whether there was something they needed or not.

    And finally,

    It was time for thest review.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Early in the morning.

    Gyeoul sleepily rubbed her eyes as she held his hand and walked into the mountain. He was the one that invited her and she obediently came out with him. Climbing the mountain hand-in-hand, she soon realised that they were going further away than usual.

    ¡°¡­Where, are we going?¡±

    There is a pretty beach on that side of the ind.

    ¡°¡­A pretty beach?¡±

    She smiled despite half dozing off to sleep, because she liked everything rted to water.

    Following him from behind, she found a beach that was as beautiful as he had described. Raising her head, she could see the blue sky and clouds and could also see clouds through the sea when she lowered her gaze. ¡°¡­Uwah,¡± she gasped in admiration as she embedded the brilliant scenery into her eyes.

    Ssh.

    She ced her feet into the quiet sea and Yu Jitae sat next to her with his calves simrly ced inside the water. The gentle ocean wave was scattering the morning sunlight as it brightened up the beach.

    The sound of ocean waves, chirping birds, fluttering wings, quiet breaths and sshing feet¡­ Those were the only sources of sound as the two of them stayed silent.

    Gyeoul held onto his hands again. Unlike how she usually gripped onto a single finger, this time she tried to stack her whole hand above his.

    The child might have sensed already,

    That the conversation henceforth might be thest one they share with just the two of them.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t say anything because he had no idea what he was supposed to say.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Perhaps that was the same with Gyeoul as she too remained silent.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, the temperature conveyed through her hand, and the asional twitch of her tiny fingers were definitely saying something to him. They were definitely trying to convey a message.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a long silence, Gyeoul sped his hands. Her grip was quite strong.

    ¡°¡­Can we, meet again?¡±

    That was the first question she asked after 20 minutes of silence.

    ¡°???¡±

    Even at a moment like this, his words were being censored. He was lying till the very end.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She then continued staring at his face so this time, he threw her a question.

    ¡°You were born on Earth.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°How was it. Will you remember it as a decent world?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°I heard you will be alone when you go back.¡±

    ¡°¡­Apparently.¡±

    ¡°Can you do everything well?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul replied with a powerless smile.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try.¡±

    It was a wise answer to a silly question.

    ¡°¡­Will there be, a long night?¡±

    That was when Gyeoul suddenly asked that question. It was rather abrupt.

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Because¡­ I don¡¯t think, it hase yet.¡±

    He did not understand what the child was talking about. However, the [Long Night] was stilling near so he decided to be honest at least for this question.

    ¡°It will.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s no good.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Because it will be cold,¡± she replied with a weak voice.

    ¡°You mean me?¡±

    Without saying anything, Gyeoul simply strengthened her grip. Her hands were very warm.

    ¡°¡­I hope, you don¡¯t speak as if¡­ it¡¯s a farewell.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­You see.¡±

    After a small cough to relieve the lump in her throat, Gyeoul continued.

    ¡°¡­I am not going to¡­ think of this as a farewell.¡±

    ¡°Then what.¡±

    ¡°¡­I will definitelye back¡­ after bing an adult.¡±

    He didn¡¯t tell her it would be too far toe back.

    ¡°When will you be an adult,¡± he asked instead.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°How old will you be when youe back.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    Gyeoul kicked the water a little.

    ¡°¡­Twenty.¡±

    ¡°Twenty is still a kid.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why? ¡­Twenty, is an adult.¡±

    ¡°Does Yeorum look like an adult to you? She is also twenty years old.¡±

    ¡°¡­She¡¯s, an exception.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°¡­Because, she wasn¡¯t, born on Earth.¡±

    Her words were like a hammer striking him on the back of his head.

    She calmly added on.

    ¡°¡­For me, ¡­this, is my homnd.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­And our house, ¡­will be my homehome(?).¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­By the way¡­ Is homehome an actual word?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Anyway¡­ you know what I mean.¡±

    He remembered how her lips used to twitch without being able to voice out actual words and yet now, she was able to speak very coherently and logically.

    When did she grow up so much¡­ he was wondering when she added more words.

    ¡°¡­Here, twenty is an adult.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­When I turn twenty¡­ and be an adult¡­ I wille back ¡­to my homnd.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Ahjussi, will be waiting for me¡­ and I¡­ will bring more presents¡­ from Askalifa.¡±

    I will not exist in that timeline.

    Even though he was certain of it, he could not possibly say those words.

    ¡°¡­When that dayes.¡±

    Stopping her words, Gyeoul gazed up at his eyes.

    Some time in the future, when we meet again¡­

    When that dayes¡­

    *

    There was a word she had always kept inside her heart.

    It was a word that was very obvious for her, but she had never actually called him using that word. There was such a word buried inside Gyeoul¡¯s heart.

    What kind of person was Yu Jitae to me?

    He was the one she looked for every morning after opening her eyes. He was the one who always provided her with tasty food. The one that generously helps when she¡¯s fatigued; the one that always wishes for her wellbeing, her happiness, her safety, who despite all that investment and help doesn¡¯t ask for anything in return except for her health.

    That was who Yu Jitae was.

    How could that be expressed with any other word?

    ¡°¡­When Ie back¡­ and meet ahjussi¡­ T, then¡­ when that dayes.¡±

    The one and only person who will always be waiting for me when I one day return to the ce I belong to.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡®Daddy¡¯.¡±

    ¡®¡­Can I call, ¡­you that?¡¯ Her voice crawled near the end.

    Gyeoul could not look at his eyes anymore. Even though she told him that she wouldn¡¯t think of this as a farewell, how could she bear not seeing him for 15 years? Wasn¡¯t it too long of a separation? Tears welled up in her eyes again. When she closed her eyes, Yu Jitae gave her a hug.

    ¡°Yes. I will be waiting.¡±

    Since this will not be an eternal farewell, Gyeoul decided to not cry anymore.

    ¡°¡­Promise.¡±

    She simply locked her pinky with his.

    *

    After returning to the camp, Gyeoul gave Yu Jitae the memory crystal as a present. The storage device had been taken off and reattached to a ne. Like the time she wrapped her own scales around his neck, she earnestly told him not to lose it.

    Soon, when he left the house,

    Left alone, she kneeled down and gathered her hands.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul prayed in her heart that he may not feel cold in this lonely and long night.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I have done everything I could,

    So please protect him.

 Chapter 382: Episode 105: (6)

    <h4>Chapter 382: Episode 105: (6)</h4>

    ¡°Ahjussi, do you remember what you said to me before?¡±

    ¡°Un un. You know, I asked what it would be like if there was a world without farewells¡­¡±

    ¡°And you said the time spent together won¡¯t feel special anymore.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because there are farewells, that we must do our best for each other in the time leading up to the farewell, was what you told me. As well as how we had to create a good farewell¡­¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­ in that sense, I thought I was trying quite hard. Making good memories with ahjussi, and eating a lot of delicious food together.¡±

    ¡°But, uum¡­ When I look back at it now.¡±

    ¡°It feels like,¡±

    ¡°It feels like ahjussi¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi was the only one, that was trying hard¡­¡±

    ¡°There are way more things I got from ahjussi than what I did. And that, like, makes me sad and stuff.¡±

    ¡°I feel like I actually didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°Like, right? When you are in trouble, I don¡¯t even know why, and I can¡¯t help because I don¡¯t know why, and all I can do is worry because I can¡¯t help with anything¡­¡±

    ¡°But then again, it feels like Bom-unni knows about all your worries. But it¡¯s not like because you are dating? Or anything like that¡­¡±

    ¡°So, that means Bom-unni, was trying harder than me¡­ Uun. She was more interested in ahjussi, and wanted to chat more with ahjussi. That must be why ahjussi could trust Bom-unni and tell her everything.¡±

    ¡°If you think about it like that, then it would mean I was unable to try my best in the time leading up to the farewell.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I should have¡­¡±

    ¡°I should have talked to you more¡­¡±

    ¡°I should have done more¡­¡±

    ¡°Why am I only thinking of this now when we are so close to the farewell¡­¡±

    ¡°It, kind of makes me¡­ regret it¡­ a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I was too immature right¡­?¡±

    ¡°Uum, but still. Now, I understood that we have to separate, and epted it, quite a bit. If I regret it here, I think all the good memories will be remembered as bad memories so I will stop regretting it now.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­! Actually, when it was just me and Bom-unni yesterday, I asked her if it would be possible for us toe back hereter.¡±

    ¡°Bom-unni said it would be difficult. And I actually think the same because the dimensions are just too far apart. Uum, what did she exactly say again? It¡¯s too far, and the coordinates change when they intersect or something? Anyway, it¡¯s impossible to find them as a normal dragon.¡±

    ¡°That was a bit of a shame.¡±

    ¡°It would be great if we could meet again¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­What should I do, if I want toe back?¡±

    ¡°¡­I think, I will miss everything.¡±

    ¡°I will miss all the friends I made here.¡±

    ¡°I will miss our Unit 301.¡±

    ¡°The world with Chirpy¡­ Ah, I actually went there a few days ago because of that.¡±

    ¡°And I will miss Cleaner ahjussi doing some strange yoga every morning. Because a gold dragon can¡¯t go to a green dragon¡¯sir¡­¡±

    ¡°And? I will also miss all the plushies I have in my room.¡±

    ¡°And, I will miss Lair.¡±

    ¡°And chicken, pizza, burgers.¡±

    ¡°Macarons, the red velvet cake, egg tart, chocte muffins, ice cream cakes. I will miss all of them. Even if I copy it at home, they won¡¯t taste like the ones here.¡±

    ¡°Uum¡­ And¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, there must be something wrong with me. It¡¯s time to go and yet here, I¡¯m being miserable by myself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not like really sad or anything. We are dragons you know. We just have to reminisce on all the good memories we made together!¡±

    ¡°Ahjussi might not know how it works, but that thing is very vivid. It¡¯s a lot more realistic than ying a video and like, we can also feel how it felt back then.¡±

    ¡°I still do that sometimes. Remember how I cried when I first ate chicken? Hehe. Back then, it was like, how should I say this, shocking? Like, shaking all my ideologies and stuff?! That was how it tasted¡­ same for the macaron.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, what I want to say,¡±

    ¡°Is that I¡¯m not regretting anything.¡±

    ¡°Then, that should be a good farewell right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°By the way, ahjussi, did you know?¡±

    ¡°Back when I like saved Chirpy ¨C it was meant to be a very happy thing right? But I suddenly couldn¡¯t stop my tears.¡±

    ¡°So I asked Bom-unni. Why do we cry when we are feeling happy? And Bom-unni said it¡¯s because we remember the [Hard times that went by].¡±

    ¡°Interesting right? But there¡¯s one more.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, people can also smile when they¡¯re sad.¡±

    ¡°You see, that¡¯s because¡­¡±

    It was then.

    Knock knock!

    Someone knocked on the door.

    ¡°Mommy¡­!¡± Kaeul, who had been sitting alone at the corner of the camp grumbling to herself, flinched after sensing Yu Jitae¡¯s presence.

    Did he hear everything? That shouldn¡¯t be the case because she had blocked the sound from going outside.

    How is my face and my voice? Thinking that, she coughed, ¡®Kuhum¡­!¡¯ to rx her throat and checked her expression through the mirror and organised herself before opening the door.

    ¡°Yess.¡±

    ¡°Shall we talk for a bit?¡±

    ¡°Right now? Okay¡­!¡±

    She carried her feet after him. He said there was a beautiful garden of flowers at the peak of the mountain.

    On the way there, Yu Jitae nced at her face before asking her a question.

    ¡°What is it.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Did something nice happen?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been smiling the whole time.¡±

    Kaeul widened her eyes.

    She didn¡¯t even realise she was smiling. Soon, she lowered her gaze and slowly shook her head.

    ¡°Then why are you smiling by yourself.¡±

    Why do people cry when they¡¯re happy?

    It¡¯s because they remember the hard times that went by.

    If so, then why do people smile when they¡¯re sad?

    Bom¡¯s answer regarding that question was this:

    [Because they remember the happy times that went by.]

    ***

    His conversation with Kaeul was very short.

    With a smile, she gave him a hug and then simply told him about a few of the good things that happened while expressing her discontentment with the farewell. She said she will miss him a lot.

    He returned the hug and caressed her hair. After watching the flowers for a bit, they came down.

    She was a child that would be adored and loved anywhere and because she also belonged to a happy family, the child would live nicely after returning to her world.

    On the other hand, there was one person that worried him the most.

    It was Yeorum.

    During the past two weeks of the trip, the kids had each epted the farewell. It was fortunate that they did so. Parting ways without any heart-ache was a really difficult thing and that was something he slowly started to realise by seeing them.

    Yeorum must have epted the farewell a lot earlier than the other kids. That should be why she suddenly joked about having a rtionship with him.

    But after that, Yeorum started to avoid him during their next several encounters. He didn¡¯t care too much about it but the face he saw under the falling rain of stars was still very vivid.

    That was clearly an expression of displeasure.

    ¨C How can you be so fucking selfish from the start to the end?

    Herst words echoed around his mind.

    There was nothing wrong with what Yeorum said, and there was more than enough reason for her to get angry.

    Looking at it from the perspective of the baby dragons, the start of their rtionship was when Yu Jitae abruptly visited them, and the end of the rtionship was with his one-sided announcement. After suddenly entering their lives and shaking it from the core, he was now ending it on his own ord.

    A piece was added to the mountainous stack of guilt.

    But since he thought it was best to make the farewell as clean as possible, he looked for Yeorum who was smoking by herself under a tree.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Shall we have a little chat.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    And as expected,

    Yeorum faced him with discontentment so he tried to persuade her.

    ¡°You said you will send us back at the end of the trip right? Yeah. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what you¡¯ll do, since you do everything the way you want to.

    ¡°At least in the past, it was for us but now that¡¯s not even the case.

    ¡°So what is there for us to talk about?¡±

    She vented her anger with a powerless voice.

    ¡°I whole-heartedly trusted you and was betrayed. Right now, I feel like a girlfriend who suddenly received a message about breaking up. I was dumped.

    ¡°No. Maybe it¡¯s more like a sex partner than a girlfriend. Because if you did have feelings for us, then you wouldn¡¯t have just dropped it on us like that. You only did that because you were ying with us.

    ¡°¡®I¡¯m done ying so get lost.¡¯ Am I wrong?¡±

    There was undisguised displeasure filling her eyes as she criticised him for hiding the reason behind the farewell.

    ¡°So it has to be this. You found a new sex partner; someone that¡¯s more important than us. And you don¡¯t even reply when we ask who that is. Or what, did you find yourself an actual girlfriend this time?¡±

    After saying that, she got up and dusted her bum before walking away from him with rushed steps. She halted and muttered to herself with a sigh.

    ¡°And here I was thinking we were quite close¡­¡±

    A powerless and lethargic voice left her mouth.

    ¡°I thought we trusted each other more than a normal pair of lovers.

    ¡°But I guess that was wrong. Judging from how easy it was for you to dump us, it must have been my delusion.

    ¡°You know.¡±

    Yeorum turned towards him. Her ruby-coloured eyes were dripping with sorrow at being betrayed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you anymore either¡­¡±

    He tried to grab her a few more times for a chat but was rejected every time. Yeorum started avoiding him a lot.

    ¡°What. What about it.

    ¡°I had no idea you were this disgusting. Sending us back on your own ord and still pretending to be nice until the very end. Do you know how disgusting that is?

    ¡°Send me off first when I¡¯m done fighting Javier. I don¡¯t care about others but I don¡¯t even want to spend one more second with you.¡±

    Yeorum endlessly condemned him. She cursed and loathed him.

    However, he was instead puzzled by her words because she neither ¡®liked¡¯ nor ¡®disliked¡¯ him ording to the Eyes of Equilibrium. Even though it was an ambiguous emotion, it was still not that negative so he couldn¡¯t understand that extremely negative attitude of hers.

    ¡°You know what? The other kids are just so nice they do everything you say. They¡¯re retards that still trust you after getting dumped like this.

    ¡°And you are the one dumping them. Just because that¡¯s what you want to do. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s really shameless and trash?

    ¡°If you were going to dump us like this from the start, then why were you so nice to us in the first ce? You shouldn¡¯t have done that. You shouldn¡¯t have given us a hug forfort and you shouldn¡¯t have given us nice food every time. You shouldn¡¯t have consoled us when we were crying, nor smiled together when we were happy. But you did that. You made us trust you.

    ¡°And yet now you shattered all that trust.

    ¡°I know this is thest but I still have nothing to say. All I want to do is hurry up and separate myself from a traitor like you.

    ¡°So don¡¯t talk to me now. Please¡­¡±

    .

    .

    .

    But even on the way back home after the trip,

    Her favourability towards him was still sitting at neutral.

    .

    .

    .

    After returning to Unit 301, he left the house to check the ¡®ship¡¯. It was D-2; there were two days left until their departure and it was time to activate the device.

    Today he would check the ship, and tomorrow would be Yeorum¡¯s fight against Javier and the day after that he would send the kids off.

    As the veryst moment was nearing them,

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Bom followed him from behind.

 Chapter 383: Episode 105: (7)

    <h4>Chapter 383: Episode 105: (7)</h4>

    ¡°Are you done preparing?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I said bye to everyone I know already.¡±

    ¡°How are the kids like.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think Kaeul and Gyeoul both epted itpletely by now.¡±

    ¡°What about Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Totally being hated. Everyday she says she wants to hurry up and leave.¡±

    ¡°Oh no.¡±

    ¡°You reap what you sow, I guess.¡±

    ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°Who told her to give her heart to a devil.¡±

    The context of the proverb she used shifted into an odd direction.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sorry. It¡¯s her fault for doing that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae and Bom were together heading to the ¡®ship¡¯. They were outside a certain nameless fissure and were walking on top of a mistyke. Bom couldn¡¯t see far ahead even with the eyes of a dragon and had to watch Yu Jitae¡¯s steps from behind, and thus had to be very close to him.

    ¡°There¡¯s really only two days left now,¡± she said.

    ¡°Good work on pretending like you didn¡¯t know anything until now.¡±

    ¡°It was really hard, you know¡­¡±

    It was rare of her to grumble like that.

    ¡°I was like a bridge.¡±

    ¡°A bridge?¡±

    ¡°Whenever the kids had something to ask oppa, they asked me first. Simr to how you just asked me about them. I would always tell them sincerely about what I knew. That was how I built trust and¡­¡±

    Was it aint that she had ended up betraying that trust?

    He was thinking that when she continued her words.

    ¡°¡­Thanks to that, it was easy to trick them.¡±

    Instead, he received a distorted reply.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That was when a ck structure began to reveal itself from within theyer of mist. It was a long rectangr block that reached 6 metres in height, 6 metres in width and 12 metres in length. This box that looked like arge container was a [Dimensional Cruise] and was the ship which the baby dragons would be riding on the way back.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He approached the box as a part of the metal body of the ship started scattering into tiny blocks. They soon became stairs and a door leading Yu Jitae and Bom inside.

    ¡°This cruise has the coordinates and the petrol all loaded. You don¡¯t have to do anything and this will by itself travel through the dimensions to reach Askalifa. Your mana has also been registered to the ship and all you have to do is get on.¡±

    Bom gasped in awe after inspecting the magic forme.

    ¡°You made them very detailed.¡±

    ¡°Of course I had to. Considering what this is.¡±

    ¡°By the way, did you register Earth¡¯s coordinates here as well?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Why would I do that.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Bom nodded her head. Yu Jitae hated the dragons and naturally, there was no way he would expose the coordinates of Earth to them.

    Because of that, this will be aplete farewell. After going back, they will never be able toe back.

    ¡°You will spend a month or two inside, and this will stay temporarily at several dimensions to gather their coordinates. If there happens to be a disjoint in the dimensions, it will teleport away and will then automatically begin moving again when it ends. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±

    ¡°Will the fuel run out if we are constantly exposed to several disjoints?¡±

    ¡°It will. After meeting around 3,000 of them.¡±

    She looked quite surprised. That was understandable because carrying out a dimensional teleportation 3,000 times would require an absurd amount of fuel. Normally, it would be impossible unless one was at the level of a transcendent authority.

    It was only possible because Yu Jitae had been preparing it for a long time.

    ¡°I will show you around.¡±

    He took Bom and exined the facilities inside. There were all sorts of entertainment devices set in ce so that they would not feel bored during their month of voyage.

    Besides, he had also expanded their rooms with dimensional spells.

    There was also a kitchen with all sorts of cooking utensils, and therge refrigerator was full of food. Since it was difficult to personally use dimensional spells inside the cruise ship, all of these woulde in very handy.

    One by one,

    They talked about the structure of the ship as well as ns for the voyage as Bom diligently nodded her head.

    ¡°Did you understand everything?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes. We have to obediently y right? Like nts.¡±

    Do nts y?

    Although skeptical, he returned a nod.

    ¡°And what¡¯s in that room?¡± Bom asked while pointing at a door.

    It was a small door that could barely fit one person and Bom found something abnormal after opening the door.

    ¡°Is this a hot spring?¡±

    He nodded back.

    Around the steaming hot spring was a small forest, and the temperature outside was below 0 degrees. It was cold enough for every breath toe out as a white mist.

    This ce which was a harmonious mix of man-made and natural objects was one he had made for the baby dragons. Nature, heat, water and chilly air. Filling the area were enormous amounts of elemental mana.

    An astronomical amount of money had gone into this ce to maintain the abundant elemental mana inside.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Bom turned to him in surprise after quietly ncing around the room.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡±

    ¡°¡­What is all this?¡±

    ¡°Do you like it or not.¡±

    ¡°Like, how much did it cost to make all this, oppa.¡±

    A few months ago, a transnational munition corporation, TTA, had been bought by the Defence Ministry of USA and had shocked the world. It was because this corporation that had the Association as its trading partner had a higher GDP than most developing nations.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be empty-handed when I leave anyway.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Travelling through dimensions would lead to a significant amount of fatigue. During the long journey back, the baby dragons would visit this ce whenever they were exhausted and recover themselves.

    Even though this cruise would be lost after going back, this hot spring would still remain at Askalifa, and would serve to be a gathering spot for the baby dragons in the future.

    ¡°Seriously, until the very end¡­¡±

    Bom said with a sigh.

    ¡°Oppa, you know you are a bit of a psycho.¡±

    ¡°Me? Why me.¡±

    ¡°Who in the world does this much for a separation.¡±

    Even though the start might have been wrong,

    If ites to a good end, maybe that could still be considered an atonement?

    His kindness was for him to drop his sense of guilt, and was a selfish one.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Looking back, he had yet to do thest review for Bom.

    Was her Amusement enjoyable, he wondered.

    ***

    In truth, I was pretty much out of my mind ever since I came into this ce. Neither the facilities nor the devices entered my eyes properly, and my ears also had trouble picking up his words.

    It didn¡¯t really matter, because the brain would automatically remember them anyway.

    Clinging onto my nk mind, I talked with Yu Jitae.

    I observed his exining lips,

    His hands,

    And his back as he walked before me.

    That amazing hot spring and whatever, in fact didn¡¯t ring my heart in any way. How meaningful could it be even if it really was that magnificent?

    In a world without him¡­

    That was when something from the facilities entered my sight. Despite creating such a fancy and expensive area, what Yu Jitae had ced outside the hot spring, was funnily enough, a water purifying artifact that poured out boiling water for instant noodles.

    My mind went back to the time we had instant noodles after ying with water. I suddenly felt my distancing minde back with a sh.

    ¡°Shall we have a small chat before going back.¡±

    Yu Jitae seemed to be suggesting the living room as the ce for conversation. I grabbed him by his hand and instead guided him to my room.

    An alcohol disy case which I had missed before entered my sight. Ever since the onion core incident, I often enjoyed alcohol by myself in my room and that must be why Yu Jitae ced that inside.

    ¡°¡­Do you want a drink?¡±

    And by the time I came to myself, I was sharing sses of alcohol with him. The detoxification system was disabled because I wanted to be drunk.

    The Amusement must have been long. I, who did not know how to drink any alcohol, had long be an addict who could live off of alcohol.

    Clink¨C

    He opened his mouth. Through his hazy lips, I could see his teeth and behind them was the tongue.

    He was saying something.

    Since I was zealously saying something back, it was definite that we were talking about something. What were we talking about, I wonder¡­

    ¡®Do you want to look?¡¯ That was what I suddenly said without me even realising it.

    Saying that, I smiled and he must have seen the empty spot at where the cracked fang was. Even though I could recreate it anytime, I had yet to do so.

    ¡®I look like an idiot right?¡¯

    I could not hold back a smile.

    Suddenly, it became hot.

    And so, I took off my jumper.

    I turned to the mirror. The missing fang was immediately visible with a smile and made me look quite foolish.

    This was eating away at my own values ording to my idea of ¡°Beauty equaling strength¡± and ¡°Smiles being the cheapest yet a very powerful reward to move people¡± since someone was bound to look down on me when I smiled like this.

    Therefore, it could be said that he had ruined my weapon. However, I will live on with this chipped weapon because this was what he gave me.

    ¡®See this?¡¯ I pushed my tongue into the gap.

    ¡®Looks like raw tuna right hehe,¡¯ I said and he shook his head with a squint.

    After having several more bottles, and drinking strong alcohol,

    My body became hotter and hotter.

    It was too hot to wear a jumper.

    And so, I took off my jumper.

    He frowned.

    Why is he frowning? I could not understand it.

    Clink¨C

    Bringing the sses together, I suddenly had this thought.

    In the end, it is impossible to avoid fate.

    Some time in the past, father told me that every existence with the blood of a green dragon flowing inside them must obey destiny, and that nothing will change no matter how you withstand, struggle and attempt to change it.

    Back then I hated those words so much¡­

    But in the end, I was defeated by fate.

    Maybe that was why?

    The guards I had set up against the ck-haired woman started fuzzing away.

    This must be how it goes.

    After sleeping with me, he grabs a random woman and sleeps with her before dying by himself.

    Even though it sounded ridiculous, wasn¡¯t he still just another male? It seemed that the thing called a reproductive urge or whatever soared up when it was time to die.

    Of course, I didn¡¯t bother looking up whether that was true or not because there was no need to know something so useless.

    What next floated up in my head was Ha Saetbyul of the previous iteration. That woman was also ck-haired so it might be her.

    Sleeping with his ex-girlfriend before death.

    Wow. How romantic¡­

    ¡­Should I put some poison on his ¡®Dick Jitae¡¯?

    Continuing that line of thought,

    I started feeling deathly mncholic.

    ¡°Should we stop drinking. I think you are very drunk.¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    Raising the bottle of alcohol, I tipped it upside down over my mouth, while contemting how merciless destiny was.

    That was when the bottle no longer gave alcohol,

    So I red at the bottle.

    ¡°Bom. Stop.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s our tenth bottle. You should stop drinking or detoxify it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel tipsy as well.¡±

    What is he saying.

    Ah.

    Why¨C

    Why is it noting out¡­

    I shook the bottle of alcohol and could feel something sshing inside.

    But when I brought it to my mouth, there was still nothinging out of it.

    What is this.

    I can definitely smell alcohol though¡­

    I tried licking the bottle to at least drink the bits of alcohol that was on it.

    Ah.

    This is so annoying.

    Why the hell is it so hot.

    I felt like I was sweating so I first decided to take my jumper off. Him frowning in front was none of my business because he always frowned whenever he wanted to.

    ¡°Jitae.¡±

    There was only one thing that mattered.

    ¡°Give me more.¡±

    *

    Yu Jitae felt perplexed.

    Bom was constantly fanning her face and looked very feverish, so he could understand her taking her jumper off and the cardigan inside, but now she was even taking off her singlet.

    Now, there was only oneyer of underwear covering her bare skin and he had nowhere to rest his eyes on, so he fixed his gaze on her face and saw the gloomy look on it.

    ¡°There¡¯s no more alcohol¡­¡±

    Lifting the bottle of alcohol and raising her head, she closed one of her eyes and red inside of the bottle. And when a single dropnded inside her eye, she foolishly shook her head after a flinch.

    ¡°Nn? There <i>is</i> alcohol. So why is it not¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oi oi.¡±

    He snatched the bottle from her.

    ¡°I told you to stop drinking.¡±

    ¡°Whyyy?¡±

    ¡°You are drunk.¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t drunkk¡­¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell from how you¡¯re speaking?¡±

    ¡°What did I sayy¡­¡±

    She was all over the ce.

    ¡°Today is ourst day¡­¡± she muttered.

    ¡°Yes. This is ourst.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ve always been a good kid¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me do what I want for just one day¡­¡±

    He heaved a sigh.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    While swinging her arms, she picked up another bottle of alcohol and pushed it towards him. She was no longer even using a ss. Clinking his bottle of spirit with hers, he chugged the whole bottle as Bom simrly lifted her head and gulped it. Her throat moved up and down and she lowered the bottle to the table only after emptying half of it.

    ¡°It¡¯s too hot¡­¡±

    She then suddenly beganining that it was hot.

    It was obvious because she had poured in so much alcohol.

    ¡°I have to take off my jumper¡­¡±

    Wait, wait. What are you¡­

 Chapter 384: Episode 105: (8)

    <h4>Chapter 384: Episode 105: (8)</h4>

    The hands that were scratching the stomach looking for clothes and then moved around everywhere trying to grab any piece of clothing they could find.

    When one of those hands atst reached her underwear, he seized it.

    ¡°??¡±

    She looked at him with a strange light in her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s hot though¡­¡±

    With her left hand still in his grip, she used her right hand to fan her face.

    ¡°You should stop drinking.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    ¡°Give that to me.¡±

    He took the bottle of alcohol that was near her and ced it down next to him. iling her arms around, she retaliated andter bent her back to reach forward so he held onto her shoulders and stopped her.

    ¡°Why did you take that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go, Bom. And put some clothes on.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s too hot¡­ I¡¯m sweating too much¡­¡±

    Words weren¡¯t going through.

    In fact, she indeed was sweating quite profusely. Considering how dragons did not usually sweat, that in turn disyed exactly how drunk she was.

    ¡°Do you want to wear it yourself, or should I put it on for you.¡±

    ¡°Do I have to choose one¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Put it on for me¡­¡±

    She leaned her unstable body on the chair. Even though Bom had gotten drunk several times, she had never been this drunk because she usually regted her own consumption.

    That was why this was very disconcerting for him.

    Going closer to her, he raised the singlet back up. He knew how to put clothes on someone else thanks to his experience with Gyeoul.

    ¡°Raise your arms up. ¡®Hurray¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Hurray¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just do it with your mouth.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In response, while he was right in front of her with the singlet in hand, Bom lifted her gaze and looked at him with a hazy pair of eyes.

    Perplexity.

    Ever since a very long time ago, he had been feeling perplexed when seeing Bom. It always showed itself when they were at a close proximity like this.

    And this thing called perplexity was something he just couldn¡¯t get used to.

    ¡°Then, what should I do it with, instead of my mouth¡­?¡±

    When words that weren¡¯t suitable for the situation started drawing a picture in his mind, he felt even more perplexed. On the other hand, Bom started chuckling, ¡®Kyahaha¨C¡¯. She continued giggling as if she had a screw loose so he gave the child a flick to the forehead.

    Thud!

    ¡°Aukk¡­¡±

    Bom flinched and looked into his eyes with a drop of tear under her eyes.

    ¡°Put it on.¡±

    Saying that, he threw the singlet over her legs. Touching her reddened forehead, Bom continued staring at him with the same hazy gaze that deepened over time in consideration.

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why.¡±

    ¡°You said I was pretty¡­¡±

    ¡°What about it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you, want to keep looking at something pretty¡­?¡±

    ¡°Stop bbering nonsense and put your clothes on, Bom.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t shown it to anyone else before¡­¡±

    ¡°Whatever, just put them on. What is with this shameful conduct when we are at the very end. I¡¯ve never heard of a dragon disgracing themselves after getting drunk.¡±

    Bom was throwing him the question, ¡®Don¡¯t you want to know more about me?¡¯ It was obviously a provocation and her words were intentionally trying to incite his perplexity. She wasn¡¯t doing this just because she was drunk; this was what she always did.+

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t wear them, I¡¯ll just wrap your body with a nket and take you back by force.¡±

    However, he fervently turned her down.

    ¡°But, it¡¯s so pretty¡­¡±

    Bom turned to therge mirror that was inside the room. She fidgeted with her own cheeks, touched her fringes and then raised her hands to collect her hair behind her head before lifting them into the air. Looking at the mirror, she tilted her head. All of her actions were slow; they emphasised her white arms, her thin fingers and wrists, her skin drenched in sweat, the belly button, faint shadows cast under her ribs and the picturesque waist line. Those explicit areas all entered his sight.

    Trying to deny himself, he turned his eyes away. But the disgusting truth was that he really was feeling a different urge.

    ¡°Is it not pretty¡­?¡±

    Since when was it that he had begun feeling this urge for no-one else but Bom? This feeling did not stop at just considering her pretty and an explicit name for it would be ¡®greed¡¯. This dirty instinct that his mind did not like in the slightest would often soar up inside him.

    It was a fact that he discovered btedly and before realising its identity, he had simplybelled all those moments under the name of ¡®perplexity¡¯.

    How could he hold anything simr to greed against her ¨C thinking that, he tried to deny himself.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think it is pretty¡­¡±

    Murmuring that, she used her arms to support the round bulks and intersected her arms, and then used her two hands to either stretch her belly or pound it. After flexing her muscles, she observed the faint outline of her abs and appeared fascinated by her own body.

    Soon, when the room was engulfed in silence, he turned his eyes away while Bom turned her indifferent gaze back to him. The shadow cast on the round things being supported by one of her arms identally entered his sight so he quickly shifted his gaze. But his eyes instead had to look at the strings of the underwear, the white skin behind those strings and her twitching red lips. Those were more daunting than her body itself.

    He felt increasingly more perplexed. In other words, he was feeling a rise in urge so he decided to close his eyes.

    It was very strange. He had already lost all interest and excitement in women. There wasn¡¯t a specific reason or anything and by the time he realised it, he was already indifferent to everything sexual.

    But strangely enough, after entering the 7th iteration, he was again feeling that thing which he thought had vanished into thin air.

    Is it because she was always clinging to him and teasing him? Or is it because she always nonchntly whispered into his ears? Or because she excessively stuck to him?

    No.

    That shouldn¡¯t be it.

    The thing that happened with Yeorum a few days ago was also strange.

    Even though it was true that he was finding Bom pretty, that did not mean he treasured Bom more than Yeorum or anything.

    In other words, if he was going to have a rtionship with Bom, there would have been no reason for him not to have a rtionship with Yeorum. That was because he had a simr level of bond with both Bom and Yeorum, and he himself did not see a physical rtionship as anything that significant.

    However, he had still rejected the physical intercourse with Yeorum even though it was a doable act that she wanted herself. He had never once considered Yeorum as a target for a sexual rtionship nor did he want to.

    Why?

    Because it was linked to the ¡®daily life¡¯ that he had barely managed to recover by living the 7th iteration.

    And ording to that logic, finding Bom pretty and craving her body could also be interpreted as something that originated from the ¡®daily life¡¯.

    ¡°Look at me.¡±

    But at the same time, that ¡®daily life¡¯ wasmanding him to suppress his urge.

    ¡°Do you see me¡­?¡±

    He knew all too well how hideous andughable it would be for him to shake his waist after reaching this point.

    ¡°It¡¯s all yours¡­¡±

    And yet that mindset was about to crumble today.

    He didn¡¯t know why, just like how he did not know what the ¡®start¡¯ of his perplexity was; just like how he did not remember the ¡®first time she started looking pretty¡¯.

    ¡°Just put your clothes on. Hurry up.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The urge was continuing to rise up and he was feeling perplexed by it.

    ¡°Wear it. Before I get mad. Unless you want to be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    But Bom did not listen to him.

    It was when he was thinking of forcing out the intoxication before anything.

    Leaning her body towards him while standing on her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her small head closed in as he then felt something touch his lips. The thing touching his lips was twitching, wet and was steaming hot.

    He pushed Bom away. An urge that was equally hot was surging out from his heart into his throat. It was so extreme that it couldn¡¯t even bepared to the one he had when killing demon smallfries, nor the impulse he felt when telling Bom about his secrets.

    Her bare shoulders under his palms and her gleaming corbones were setting fire to his urge. Thus, he had to let go of her body.

    Have I seriously gone insane?

    She was an existence whom he had pushed into the pit of misfortune.

    Finding her pretty was different to this. Treating her well and ying along might have been an act since that was what she had wanted.

    However, the urge he was feeling right now, was craving for the body which he had personally experimented with. How could someone in their right mind ever do such a thing?

    He could not deny his sins ¨C from the perspective of daily lives, this was a vulgar, disgusting and disgraceful conduct.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After escaping from his grip, Bom collected her breath. A little bit of temperament was added to her previously indifferent gaze.

    Yu Jitae pushed one of his palms out. Then, he pressed on his temples and heaved a deep sigh while shaking his head.

    She muttered.

    ¡°Why¡¯re you pushing me¡­?¡±

    Should I strike her on the nape and make her faint, he thought but soon decided against it. The rising urge was linked to all sorts of his violent desires. He had to refrain from being agitated or stimted, as that would instigate his sharpened impulse.

    ¡°Why are you still holding back¡­¡±

    Running away from this situation was the best solution he came up with.

    On the other hand, he felt irritated. He wasn¡¯t expecting thest day for open conversations to turn out like this. This was why alcohol was too dangerous for young kids.

    ¡°You wanted my body. I remember it clearly¡­¡±

    It happened right as he was about to turn his body: Bom synchronised her mana with the Dimensional Cruise as if she had been preparing for it. Her ability to manipte mana was still as mysteriously remarkable as it had always been.

    And just like that, she gained control over the Ignition Key, the device that would move the ship.

    ¡°Bom. This is not funny.¡±

    He said with a straight face.

    She was crossing the line.

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this because it¡¯s funny.¡±

    Her mana wriggled and shook the ship. This was clearly a threat, and went right against his intention head-on for it to be simply disregarded as a small mistake.

    Irritation soared inside, and increased the impulse even more.

    ¡°Let that go.¡±

    He pointed at the cluster of mana in her hand.

    ¡°Can you kiss me on my lips¡­?¡±

    Bom was still heavily drunk and bbered without noticing the look on his face. Twitching her lips, she poked her tongue out and diligently licked her lower lips. ¡°Hurry.¡± That obscene movement of her tongue entered his eyes and his impulse was now overflowing so much that it gave him chills.

    ¡°I will do that as much as you want if you sober up.¡±

    He tried to strike a deal,

    ¡°No. Do it now.¡±

    But it was negated.

    Once again, the ship quivered. Bom was trying to use the [Ignition Key] to move the ship.

    ¡°Just kiss me first¡­¡±

    She urged him on.

    ¡°You are crossing the line right now. You are making me irritated.¡±

    He tried sounding upset,

    ¡°So what.¡±

    But it didn¡¯t work.

    ¡®Perplexity¡¯.

    That wasn¡¯t some positive emotion or anything. In truth, he was feeling uncontrobly displeased by his turbulent psychological state to the point that he wished to scrape his heart out.

    Even now it was the same. Embracing Bom and craving her body was nothing difficult. In fact, considering the impulse in his mind, it would probably be enjoyable. His current situation was like a person holding himself back from scratching a deathly itchy mosquito bite. How immensely pleasant would it be to scratch it without any restraints?

    However, the ¡®daily life¡¯ he had retrieved with difficulty was not wishing for that because the body in front of his eyes was the experiment subject that he had tortured.

    So whenever he was feeling such a disgusting desire, it was extremely distressing in a different sense. He could feel his sharp conscience piercing through his ribs¡­

    That was the nature of his ¡®perplexity¡¯.

    ¡°Alright. Will you let that go if I give you a kiss?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    The authenticity hanging on the Eyes of Equilibrium was ¡®true¡¯.

    Let¡¯s do a short kiss and snatch the device from her hands. After that, let¡¯s smack her on the back of her head regardless of the impulse.

    Thinking that, he approached her.

    He approached the expressionless Bom and grabbed her face.

    Should I snap her neck.

    There was a sudden sh of an impulse but Bom was still holding onto the [Ignition Key]. Controlling the urge that was threatening to explode, he tried his best to hold back any violent action.

    However,

    The moment his lips met with hers,

    He immediately realised that something was going terribly wrong.

 Chapter 385: Episode 105: (9)

    <h4>Chapter 385: Episode 105: (9)</h4>

    Her lips were sweet.

    The usual gentle fragrance of grass was reced by the subtle scent of flowers. Although it simply smelled sweet on the outside, it was somewhat sticky and constantly tried to weave him in.

    That fragrance was slowly getting more intense.

    Using every bit of patience, he suppressed his impulse but Bom did not give him enough time. Her small shoulders nervously came forward. Her two hands sneaked into his chest and held him by the chin as their faces once again came closer. This time, the kisssted longer. Their salivas were interchanged, lips were ced on top of lips, they were entangled and intertwined. A heated breath scraped past his lower lips and he had to exhibit hisst bit of patience.

    However, when Bom suddenly started to smile; when her little hands caressed over his body; when those eyes that seemed liberated unlike the past gazed at him deeply, looking like she was drunk in love and there was nothing more precious than him in the world¡­ And when her head reached his chest, and as he gazed down at the grass-coloured head lending a close ear to his heartbeat¡­

    His patience,

    It snapped with a click.

    He wrapped his hands around her waist, lifted her up and threw her down on the bed. His gestures were dynamic and his mind had nothing but impulse with the previous caution being nowhere to be seen. As if his nails had reached the outskirts of the itchy skin, his body was being led forward by an electrifying impulse that no-one could withstand.

    Bom started smiling again.

    Is this funny? He was trying to ask that but her mouth cracked open and her tongue came slithering out. His mind turned nk again and everything that had been kept suppressed flooded out. Like rushing torrents, they engulfed him from above and encroached his feelings.

    His hand reached thest piece of cloth that was barely holding its ce. Undoing it was no longer even an option. He ripped it and removed thest barrier between the two of them.

    ¡°Nn¡­?¡±

    A faint coquettish moan enticed him. He did not know what she wanted, nor did he know why she was desperately wanting it now despite rejecting it in the past. He knew nothing from the start to the end; from the reason she was whispering words of love into his ears to the reason he was finding her pretty. The only things he could see was Bom who loved him like a mental patient and a killing machine that started finding an existence pretty for the first time after a thousand years. At the end of this disjointed rtionship, the girl with a mental illness was indulged in him, and was wishing for him to also be indulged in her.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you hot¡­? You should, take off your jumper¡­¡±

    While still bbering some nonsense, Bom pulled his business shirt without even touching the buttons. It might be because she was wearing a jumper herself.

    Again, their lips collided as a tidal wave struck him. She continued her restless and delicate gasps as he followed his impulse. From top to bottom ¨C there was no more consideration in his movement and everything stopping him was ripped apart.

    Is this normal?

    Is this really what you wanted?

    But for him to me everything on her, he too was feeling a burst in pleasure.

    ¡°Come¡­¡±

    Was she still that drunk? Even though the Ignition Key had already been snatched from her hands, Bom was still trying to control him. Aside from the explosive impulse he was feeling, he was still feeling immensely irritated by the uncertainty Bom had thrown into his n.

    He pinched her on her cheeks. ¡®Ughhhh,¡¯ she groaned as he held onto her chin and made her look back into his eyes. Bom blinked her hazy eyes from the sudden pain as she gazed at him from below.

    ¡°Say that again.¡±

    She seemed quite sober now.

    The emotion being revealed on her face created a curve. Her lips curled up and Bom said with a bright smile.

    ¡°Please¡­¡±

    What came next was a huge tempest.

    .

    .

    .

    The hand leaning on the table was gradually pushed back. Her middle finger reached the bottle of alcohol and after a tap, it pushed the bottle away. Tap. Once again, mana alone was unable to support her and her body was thus being constantly thrusted back with each tap. At one point, the ss bottle reached the corner of the table and quivered. When her body stiffened as if it was electrified, the ss bottle was pushed even further and atst fell on the ground. Creating a loud and disturbing noise it shattered, thus hiding a different noise in the background.

    Flowing down, the liquids merged. What rose up was the scent of alcohol, and a fragrance of flowers pervading deeper in.

    Moans were added into the mix.

    She grabbed onto his cors and pushed it as hard as she could. He, who should be immovable, was pushed back.

    Their lips came together.

    Since she had always been the one looking at him from underneath, there were times when her neck was in pain. But now, she didn¡¯t have to look up. As she continued her rushed exhales, keeping a firm grip on her consciousness, Bom looked down at him.

    With the thorny fate striking her like a whip, facing the cold season in ripped clothes, and freezing from the chilly wind with her roots unable to go deeper into the side of the cliff ¨C that was what her life was like. The scenery from the tip of the sword was beautiful and everything about him was marvellous.

    The fall was bound tost longer the higher she was, and as such, everything hot made her feel colder and colder. Therefore, she cried. She cried, moaned and cried again. Even if she were to beg on her knees, he would not listen. None of her actions could change his long history. Because letting him go was the only way to ept him, Bom could do nothing but weep and swallow her sorrows.

    ¡°Do you know, why I was refusing you¡­?¡±

    She could not even voice out her words properly due to her uneven gasps. Even though she felt like she would go unconscious the moment she released her tension for a split second, Bom desperately opened her mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I was scared. And I didn¡¯t want to lose you¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, but I was wrong¡­

    ¡°I was selfish.

    ¡°As you said, I was selfish, and because I was supposed to be first¡­ That¡¯s why I refused you¡­¡±

    Everything he had considered precious were gone, and finally he was about to send off the kids including herself that were the only remaining treasures in his mind.

    Therefore, he would be unhappy even if he survived.

    That would be even more so, because of the memories they had created together.

    ¡°When we leave, you can die¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t live too long by yourself, and please die at any cost¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s okay to embrace someone before that¡­

    ¡°If that makes you happy, then please be happy through death¡­¡±

    That was when arge shock crossed the line and smashed her body. Frozen stiff, Bom frowned and collected her breath. The feelings that had been flooding in as if trying to kill her; those extreme stimtions were bursting like a bomb at her lower stomach and were vigourous enough to split her body in half. That was why she cried; because she knew she would not have a day like today again.

    Her toes twirled in. Her back curved on its own ord and her blurry eyes could not see his expression.

    ¡°But please smile when you are dying¡­ Cherish all the good memories we have¡­ and please think of me once¡­¡±

    Bom still moved.

    ¡°You told me to continue living¡­

    ¡°I will¡­

    ¡°Even if I want to die, I will force myself to live¡­¡±

    A sudden burst in power flipped her body upside down as she let out a scream. Pinned underneath, Bom could not gaze up at his face and the tainted world was shaking busily in her sight.

    Bom recalled the phrase she had written one day in her novel.

    [Bodily love tends to ur from sensation. The eyes spot a beauty. The nose smells sweetness. Being protected to rest at a nearby pond and the feeling of elongating my existence is brought forth from a bodily rtionship. But that stops once filled. It dries rapidly and something sweeter can always rece it and ache the heart.

    But psychological love permeates through the stomach and levitates the entire body. It urs not from sensation but from the time spent together. It pervades and is not filled and thus cannot be reced with anything else. It forever establishes its position in between the soul and warmly embraces my body and mind.

    This is fundamentally different from the short throbbing or aching of the heart. Thinking about it, the warmth spreading from the lower stomach to all over the body through the veins, is like ¡®that¡¯ filling the empty outer space called ¡®me¡¯, and brightening it with warm light.]

    Although it was an elegant set of sentences, those were more like imaginations of a dreaming girl ¨C delusions she was having through several ¡®mental preparations¡¯.

    But when the outer space was almost entirely filled up, Bom was finally certain that her Amusement was one that had been loved by him.

    ¡°I will never be able to forget today¡­¡±

    Wrapping her arms around his thick neck, and sobbing with a lump in her throat¡­

    Bom whispered into his ears.

    ¡°Forever¡­¡±

    ***

    They shared love ¨C several times.

    After being unleashed once, his greed red up like a beast¡¯s. The emotions that had been puzzling him that were thus making him doubt himself were automatically dissolved.

    She would be leaving anyway, and everything would be over so why should he bother doubting things? Thinking that, he gave Bom everything she wanted and she received everything he gave her. He followed his impulse and she constantly wished for more. Even now, his daily life was at the core moving him and he respected her requests.

    While crying and saying some gibberish, Bom fainted a few times before suddenlyughing as if she had gone crazy. He didn¡¯t like thoseughing noises so he bullied her even more and she suddenly tried to escape in tears. He couldn¡¯t let her go and thus brought her back as her nails scratched the nket in vain. After being brought back a few times, she was all the more desperate at trying to escape from him so they ended up changing the location from the bed to the doorfront and their disordered conversation ended up resonating all the way to the corridor and the hot spring.

    In the middle, her breath turned rushed and the shivering became intense as if she would die any time soon. Because of that, he stopped and Bom zealously tried to recover her body during the short break. While tightly hugging him so that he wouldn¡¯t go further away and after getting rid of the sweaty fringes from her forehead, she raised her legs again and entangled them into his legs.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    They had a short eye contact and Bom closed her eyes. Seemingly embarrassed to show her face, she buried her head into his chest. However, her body unknowingly rubbing itself against his and the quickening gasps reaching his skin were suggesting something instead.

    Bom was requesting something.

    This however was a bad habit. Bom had the tendency of trying to move everything the way she wanted without even saying them out loud. It made her look like a schemer and a condescending one at that, and it was an attitude that all the dragons had inmon.

    But he wasn¡¯t a soldier. He wasn¡¯t Yu Bom¡¯s toy like what Yeorum had saved his number as on her watch. He was a person, and if there was something she wanted from him, Bom had to voice it out loud.

    And in fact, that wasn¡¯t very difficult. Instead, it was quite easy.

    One word was enough.

    ¡®More,¡¯

    Her mind that wanted to dy the end as much as possible echoed as a mncholic voice melting at his ears.

    ¡®Give me more.¡¯

    Bom cried.

    ¡®¡­More.¡¯

 Chapter 386: Episode 105: (10)

    <h4>Chapter 386: Episode 105: (10)</h4>

    Yu Jitae was sitting on the bed while Bom was sitting on top of him.

    ¡°Will it be impossible¡­¡±

    Leaning in his embrace, Bom opened her mouth. Her white naked body revealed above the nket was covered in sweat that gleamed transparently below the moonlight.

    ¡°To be honest, with the kids¡­¡±

    It was when the two of them had stopped moving for a while. Even though it had already been turned down by Yu Jitae, she still couldn¡¯t hold back the question.

    Bom was hoping that none of these rtionships would stay fake but until the very end, Yu Jitae was deceiving the kids and she was the only one that knew about it. She was the one at the lead deceiving them, and was the one that was making the farewell seem as natural as possible. She was aplete aplice by now.

    And yet,

    ¡°They will all understand it¡­ and support you¡­¡±

    That aplice was once again hoping Yu Jitae would be honest. It might sound simple but was definitely not a simple request. The sun was starting to rise and it was about time to go back home. This was thest request Bom could give in his embrace with just the two of them.

    There was no need to tell them the truth if this were to be the end of everything. In other words, Bom was pretty much saying in a roundabout way that she did not want to leave, since it would take more time for them topletely understand each other.

    She had just requested him to die for sure and yet now, she was suggesting they live together. Bom herself did not know why she was saying this.

    It might be that she had seen a small sliver of hope from the memories of the 7th iteration that she had received directly from Yu Jitae and the dailyfort he felt. The peace Yu Jitae had felt was as intense as his wish for death.

    However, Yu Jitae did not move his mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay to take it very slow. If we do it aga¨C¡±

    He started to move and her persuading lips came to a close.

    A tempest struck the lower stomach, carrying around shing lightning bolts and a harsh wind.

    This was him telling her to be quiet.

    Yu Jitae wanted deceit until the very end.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    As the harsh wind prated deeper inside, Bom unknowingly raised her fingernails to scratch his back and clenched her lips until they were torn. She unconsciously did that while trying to hold back her tears.

    It was to endure the harsh pain she was feeling;

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The immense heartache.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    cing down the magic whetstone, she leaned the sword diagonally, and started rubbing it.

    Sheek. Sheek.

    A simple and soft sound continued. The blunt edge of the sword was raised back up as molecules of mana carrying the form for [Amputation], [sticity] and [Bleed] seeped into the de.

    Slowly she sharpened the edge with care.

    Five years ago, when she first sharpened a sword, Yeorum thought this was one that required a lot of patience. It was because she had to sit in one ce and be careful with the angle, and repeat the process for a whole hour while constantly pouring essence on it.

    It was a boring and tedious task. However, one absent-minded mistake with the de could render all her effort meaningless and instead harm the sword so she had to focus on sharpening the sword no matter how boring it was.

    But after doing it for so long, she recently started to understand how to effectively spend this boring time ¨C it was reminiscing on the past, with the focus being on enjoyable memories.

    For Yeorum who always lived the ¡®present¡¯ while thinking of the ¡®future¡¯, it was quite foreign to her.

    Regardless, that was what she was doing right now.

    Sheek, sheek.

    She remembered something enjoyable. The fully recreated memories drew a picture in her mind.

    Sheek, sheek.

    Once again, she reflected on something enjoyable. All those fun, exciting and happy moments and the emotions she felt back then vividly came back to her.

    Sheek¨C

    At one point, Yeorum stopped her hands.

    The whetstone was tainted with blood.

    Dawn.

    The dawn of a winter¡¯s day was quite mysterious. The surroundings would turn bright even without the rising sun in sight. Christmas was just around the corner and the scenery outside the window was already forecasting the uing Christmas.

    Yeorum left for her usual morning training routine.

    Today was the day she would fight against Javier Karma.

    It would be at 7 pm, and there were around 12 hours left now.

    She must have been subconsciously nervous. The training today was a lot fiercer than usual and her training boots were ripped when she came to herself. ¡®Fuck this,¡¯ grumbled Yeorum on the way back to Unit 301.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    Yu Jitae greeted her when she returned from training.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Why?¡± She asked when she saw Yu Jitae still staring at her.

    ¡°We need to do thest check up for today¡¯s fight.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Ignoring him, Yeorum was about to go into her room but he blocked her path. There was now arge wall in between.

    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s fine. I heard you refused the Association¡¯s support as well. Why did you do that.¡±

    ¡°Well, why not.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still notte. Let¡¯s go out together. I will help you dope properly.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Yeorum refused him again.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    She turned her body and walked into her room after opening the door.

    ¡°You should still do it.¡±

    However, Yu Jitae¡¯s voice stopped her on her tracks. He sounded slightly less energetic than usual.

    ¡°You know how important this is. All the training you¡¯ve endured until now was all for today.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to do everything including a mental preparation with someone else. People either get agitated or shrink before a big fight and neither of them are good signs.¡±

    ¡°Right. I know that too.¡±

    After saying that much, Yeorum closed the door behind her. The living room on the other side of the closed door stayed silent but after a while, he also turned his feet.

    Using [Cleanse], she got rid of the sweat and cleaned her body. She closed the curtains andid down on the bed.

    Suddenly, she remembered the day she first dropped her pride to Yu Jitae ¨C the day she did the [Pulsation] training with him; the day she shared her inner concerns while gasping for breath with her heart restricted by chains.

    That was already more than 4 years ago.

    Has it already been that long? Even though each passing day felt excruciatingly tiresome, looking back, she realised how fast everything had gone by.

    Although the farewell was right before her nose, she didn¡¯t particrly feel anything. She was puzzled by him suddenly announcing the farewell despite living happily together, and slightly thought of him as a traitor, but that was it.

    There wasn¡¯t anything she wanted to say either.

    A farewell with him was simply a farewell.

    The other kids seemed to have epted it in their own ways. Kaeul who had been crying buckets out and the stupid Gyeoul who had been dumbfounded from the abrupt turn of events all seemed to have epted it. They didn¡¯t cry anymore, and they stopped talking about the farewell towards the end of the trip. As if it was nothing outside the realms of daily lives, they simply waited for their return.

    Yeorum was the same.

    She too had epted it.

    Every Amusement had an end and this one was just a little bit faster.

    She did feel betrayed by the sudden farewell, but he must have had some circumstances himself as well.

    If not, then oh well.

    All she had to do was go back and kill her oldest unni at the Selection Ceremony, and convey those words that had yet to be conveyed.

    And then,

    The Amusement would be left behind in a corner of her memories as a sess, and she would live a new life,

    In a world without him.

    That should be enough.

    ¡­

    It is.

    ¡­

    ¡°¡­Is it?¡±

    Is that enough?

    ¡­Is that, really enough?

    Maybe I¡­

    Her thoughts gradually turned messier and it was bing more and more confusing. She should be wholeheartedly focusing on the uing fight and something like this was definitely not what she was supposed to be doing.

    Walking out of her room, she wetted her face with cold water and ced a cigarette between her lips. Then, she carried her feet towards the entrance, heading for the roof.

    But on the way, she found the boots, which she had randomly hurled behind, neatly put back together. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the part ripped from the training had been sealed with magic. It was done very awkwardly.

    At a single nce, she immediately realised who it was done by.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum was frozen stiff.

    And she stayed still for a long time.

    The doubts that had been harassing her mind reared their heads again. Someone was asking inside her head.

    Is that really enough¡­?

    Those stray thoughts were once again throwing her mind into an unpleasant confusion so she chucked the boots into the rubbish bin.

    That feels better, Yeorum thought to herself.

    What in the hell even is a farewell?

    I don¡¯t know what that is.

    ***

    Time did not wait for anyone.

    By the time she came to herself, she was stepping on a warp station in North Africa. Yeorum was here for the fight against Javier, and was being followed by the rted agents of the Association in addition to Yu Jitae and Unit 301.

    ¡°Uwah. There¡¯s so many people¡­¡±

    ¡°Come closer. Stay next to me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okayy.¡±

    The security officers of the Association were guarding Yeorum who was wearing a hoodie and a pair of shorts that weren¡¯t suited for a fight.

    The warp station was bustling with people. News had already been spread through rumours and a fair bit of rankers, reporters and fans of the two superhumans had flown in to watch it live.

    That was just how rare it was to see a fight between two one-digit rankers. It was even more rare because one of the parties included Javier, also referred to as the guardian deity, who stayed in seclusion in North Africa.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum¡­!¡±

    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s here! Camera!!¡±

    However, Yu Yeorum was seen as a candidate for the future sovereign and was even more attention-grabbing than Javier.

    She was 20 years old this year. Lookingpletely like a human, no-one in the world knew she was a dragon and her courses of actions were therefore extremely shocking.

    The speed of her improvement made her gain the title of a ¡®genius¡¯.

    ¡°Maybe she really will beat Javier as well?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­ Even though she¡¯s a genius, that¡¯s still¡­¡±

    Genius.

    It was a word that was used too frequently these days, but the world didn¡¯t have that many true geniuses.

    ¡°I heard that same thing four times by now.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ No-one knew she would beat Simon that easily either.¡±

    ¡°That really was very absurd.¡±

    The ones looking from a distance might just marvel at their talents but the closer ones that were walking down the same path tended to despair when seeing true geniuses. At times, they would even feel fear and awe.

    And all the soldiers here were ones that were walking the same path as Yeorum.

    Tension was thus in the eyes of the onlookers.

    Soon, the crowd was guided into the prepared arena and was met with the insignia of a desert serpent which represented the North African Nations united (NAN). The insignia was printed onto a curtain.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    He tried calling her but she did not reply. Without even showing him any gestures, she silently walked onto the arena as the manager from the Association followed from behind.

    It was obvious that the kids had also sensed that peculiar sense of distance. They were looking at him with eyes full of concern so he shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. She should be fine by herself.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just cheer for her.¡±

    In that building that resembled the colosseum, Yeorum climbed onto the arena. Therge arena had a diameter of 500 metres, and that sheer size made it bigger than most sports fields. Yu Jitae and the kids gazed down at the arena while sitting at one of the corners.

    Booooooo¨C!

    Before long came the solemn sound of a warhorn, followed by the war cries of North African soldiers. Their cries trembled the surrounding air.

    Kugugugung¡­

    Yeorum was raising her vigour at the face of the important battle and so was the opponent.

    The curtain was lifted up as a small boy poked his head out.

    ¡°Huh? Who¡¯s that?¡±

    It was when someone voiced out their confusion.

    The curtain quivered greatly in the hands of the boy and from within appeared arge body with a tall height ¨C a man that looked as if he was born for a battle walked out from behind.

    However, there was something strange about him.

    There was something blocking his eyes. He was blindfolded by a red cloth.

    ¡°Huh? Why did he cover his eyes?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­ Is he doing that to make it more fair? He wasn¡¯t like that right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Thest time he was seen in the media was five and a half years ago, and he didn¡¯t have that back then.¡±

    ¡°Did he be blind in those few years¡­?¡±

    He could hear the dumbstruck voices of the crowd.

    In fact, the answer was within one of them.

    Five years ago, Javier did not heal the wound that was created by Yu Jitae on the day he took in Yeorum. It was to always remember the powerlessness of his defeat.

    ¡°He¡¯s almost like a different person¡­ I think he¡¯s stronger than most of the transcendents at the Association.¡±

    Bom said and she was right.

    Ever since his loss against Yu Jitae, he had been crazily immersed in training with his sword for the past 5 years. As a result, he was slightly stronger than his former selves of the previous iterations.

    Javier and Yeorum both recognised each other. While the one-digit ranker of the Association that hade as the umpire was announcing the specific rules of the fight, Kaeul asked him a question.

    ¡°Do you think unni can win¡­?¡±

    She sounded very concerned.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Because a will had an endogenous nature, it was impossible to clearly tell how strong it was before being released and thus, Yu Jitae also had no choice but to watch.

    Soon, Yeorum took out her Level 3 sword artifact that had the onion core embedded inside and activated it as red and round bits or aura started exuding out of the sword. On the other hand, Javier Karma also took out his Level 4 artifact, [Sword of Ra], and activated it. A golden light of aura raged outward.

    The two swords vented their energies. The world was divided into two at where the swords¡¯ energies were colliding as they each imed their territory. That intense vigour created a hail that made the onlookers weak at their knees.

    As the arena was being enveloped with more and more tension,

    Ding¡ª

    The ringing bell marked the start of the fight.

 Chapter 387 + BY and Yu Kaeul Illustration: Episode 105: (11)

    <h4>Chapter 387 + BY and Yu Kaeul Illustration: Episode 105: (11)</h4>

    Holding the sword with a firm grip, she lowered her stance and collected her breath.

    The blood circting around her body turned scorching hot and her concentration broke through the limits and slowed down the surrounding world.

    In a sluggish world where she could see the wind currents and hear segmented shouts of the crowd,

    Yeorum took a step forward.

    Instantaneously, her body flew forward. She wasn¡¯t using a fast movement technique nor was she bending the dimension. There was a fundamental difference to what she was doing right now.

    The energy pushing her forward was from the explosion beneath her feet. It was impossible to control a movement skill like this, if one didn¡¯t have a strong enough body to endure it or couldn¡¯t precisely calcte the location of the explosion as well as the magnitude.

    [Ember]

    But Yeorum sessfully crossed a hundred metres in one step. Like a jet she flew, and the end of her path was met with a sword.

    Although her sword had been aiming for the neck, it instead collided with another sword.

    ¡ª!

    Then red out an aftershock as zing embers flickered into all sides. In the next moment, Javier moved and his sword was right in front of Yeorum¡¯s face in the blink of an eye.

    The grand golden sword aura reaching 4 metres in length fell towards her like a guillotine.

    ¡ª!

    She blocked it but her bones were still shaken. It felt like she was being suppressed by arge press machine ¨C the ground beneath her feet quivered and shattered.

    Unable to stay in ce, she instead chose to be flung away. After retreating dozens of metres, Yeorum finally regained her stance.

    Or rather, she tried to. She didn¡¯t have enough time due to Javier flying after her with the sword in hand.

    Kwaangg¨C!

    Twisting her body in mid-air, she somehow blocked it. The aura of the sun fell straight from the sky and drove in as if trying to kill her.

    But Yeorum still managed to block his attack.

    Surprised?

    I¡¯m a lot stronger now yeah, you fucking bastard?

    Using all of her strength, she barely flicked the sword away. He fell back and she chased after him while bombarding him with her sword.

    Once again, a pir of brilliant light came striking down at Yeorum from the sky. At the same time, Javier used several supportive spells: restriction, neutralisation, fragmentation and motion seal.

    In return, Yeorum split her mouth wide open since she could now also use draconic mana in human form.

    The condensed cluster of mana was fired from her mouth.

    Tung¨C

    However, the breath was blocked and negated by his longsword. It createdrge sparks like that of a welding machine except a lot bigger.

    Even though he stumbled from the impact and half of his armours were either dented or shattered, he still swung his sword at Yeorum.

    Their swords collided ten times. Each and every strike created a tear in the dimensions and crushed the ground.

    Screams of the crowd reached her ears as the mages zealously used their mana to block the aftershock from reaching the audience.

    Thirty times.

    Fifty times.

    And a hundred times. The two of them endlessly swung their swords. Each swing came at a lethal angle aiming at their vital points and the inability to block one attack would immediately cause a fatal wound so Yeorum¡¯s senses were more sensitive than ever before.

    ¡°Kuut!¡±

    Before long, Javier distanced himself with a groan. Yeorum should have ran in but was also fatigued and was slightlyte to do so.

    An iparably immense aura of fire seeped into his sword.

    She knew what it was from the dozens of videos she had seen.

    A blinding light gathered at the risen longsword. What came next was the authority that allowed one to reign over a small territory!

    [Sr Sword]

    The sheer amount of presence stifled her breath.

    His sword came rushing through the dimension. The area under the reign of the Sr Sword would make everyone else feel like they were underwater and interfere with their movement. On the other hand, he would be like a shark underwater.

    Yeorum also raised her mana and prepared for the strongest skill she could use. The essence of the Karl-Gukwa Stand-up Martial Art ¨C thest skill ¡®he¡¯ taught her when she came back to thend.

    Answering her call, the onion core added strength to her attack.

    mes started gushing out of Yeorum¡¯s longsword. The secret move of the barbarian warriors that used to rip the ancient dragons to pieces ¨C that astonishing flow of explosion soared from the ground all the way to the sky.

    [Volcano]

    Their swords intersected.

    ¡ª-!!

    The world quaked from the ridiculous impact.

    She felt one of the bones dislocate around her ribs and her mind turned dizzy for a bit. What let here back to her senses was the pain caused from the dislocated rib bone pointing at her innards. However, she couldn¡¯t spare any effort for recovery.

    Enduring the pain she stood her ground.

    ¡°Uguguk¡­¡±

    The core trembled like it was having a fit.

    Her body also wobbled. Even though she was withstanding it with her tough body, the moment she added more strength to push the sword away, more ribs followed suit and cracked from the unbearable pressure.

    Drip¨C. Blood started flowing from her nose and it spreaded out to both her mouth and her chin.

    She pushed down.

    She blocked his march with all her might.

    Using her two arms and her body, she pressed down and clenched her teeth to the point they would break to endure the pain.

    When he desperately retaliated, the ground started to crumble and scatter while leaving behind long crevices. It felt as if a mountain range was focusing all of its weight on her. While being oppressed by that sheer pressure, Yeorum looked at the eyes of the blind man.

    Even though he couldn¡¯t see with his eyes, he was still staring at her. The reason he was so serious despite this officially being a spar, was because he had also recognised his opponent.

    And embedded in his eyes was a scorching fighting spirit.

    He tantly started disregarding his safety, and was now looking for any ways out even if they were toe at the cost of sacrificing his bones.

    It would be over if she was pushed away once. This was a bout and a test of vigour that she could not lose.

    She had to push him away and fortunately, she knew how to do it ¨C she had learned it already.

    Yeorum calmed down the pulsations of her heart.

    Regaining her breath, her body was atst able to stand up and walk forward.

    By walking forward she would be able to run, and at the end of her sprint, she would be able to stand straight again.

    ¡®Stand straight up and gaze ahead.¡¯

    ¡®His¡¯ voice grazed past her ears.

    Yeorum widely opened her eyes and from within the pouring embers of me,

    She looked at her enemy.

    ***

    ¡°Uwaahhk!¡±

    ¡°Huuk! This is insane!¡±

    The rising mes covered the sky as the astonished screams and shouts of the audience echoed in the background.

    They were appalled.

    Javier¡¯s secret move that had killed arge monster of 20 metres in body length in the blink of an eye during the Great War was blocked. It was blocked by a young 20-year-old superhuman¡­!

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    But the situation rapidly turned on its head again.

    Yeorum, who should have been in the lead, did not attack.

    Or rather, it looked like she couldn¡¯t attack judging from the apparent stiffness of her body.

    ¡°What! What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    ¡°She was doing so well until now¡­! Why didn¡¯t she push the lead!?¡±

    The onlookers could not guess the reason andmented with concern.

    ¡°¡­Did she push herself too much?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I guess it is hard to hold off against an attack like that.¡±

    When the fight returned to having little to no progress, the crowd began to think that Yeorum was exhausted to her limits. Even the Association¡¯s manager appeared to be thinking that from how flustered he was.

    ¡°Ahjussi. What¡¯s wrong with unni? Is she really out of energy?¡±

    In response to Kaeul¡¯s question, Yu Jitae gave a frown.

    She shouldn¡¯t be exhausted already.

    ¡°Dunno.¡±

    ¡®That is strange¡­¡¯ he muttered.

    ***

    Yeorum gasped for breath.

    It was too much.

    The output of the core had exceeded the boundary of her control. When the second heart embedded on the sword pulsed irregrly, its own ego was conveyed directly to her heart and shook her mind.

    It was as if someone was screaming into her ears: Kill them. Go kill them. Kill all of them, and die.

    The voice of a devil was inciting her impulse.

    However, it was still controble.

    In that extreme situation, Yeorum forced down the crazy rise in fury and that was when opportunity came knocking on the door. The Sword of Ra wobbled and the lead was transferred down to her as Yeorum found a small gap between Javier¡¯s thick protective walls.

    This was the first time she had an opportunity.

    Because of that, she tried to end the fight with one stab.

    But that was when something strange happened.

    Her arm refused to move.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    Her sensitive sensesmanded her again. There is still a gap so stab it.

    ¡®What¡¯s happening.¡¯

    However, her arm just did not move and the gap wasn¡¯t big enough for her to hesitate three times.

    Kaang¨C!

    Regaining his protection, Javier flung her away.

    She heard the surrounding crowd shout, ¡®Aigo!¡¯ and ¡®Wow, he managed to survive from that!¡¯ but Yeorum disagreed.

    No, she thought to herself. Javier did not manage to survive and it was she who failed to stab forward.

    After confronting his attacks several times, Yeorum realised that she would not lose this fight. Although Javier was strong, she was a little bit stronger.

    So over the next several bouts, Yeorum had a few more chances tond a fatal strike on Javier but whenever there was a chance, her body refused to move. It literally froze on the spot.

    Yeorum could not understand what was happening.

    Just once.

    Just one stab and she woulde out as the victor of the fight.

    It would let her prove to herself that she had grown through all the hardships of the past, and that she had gotten stronger after grinding in all her effort. That celebratory moment was right in front of her grasp.

    So why?

    Why can I not stab forward?

    It was a fight where every second mattered. Their strength level was too simr and losing one opportunity would make it hard for her to be assured about the result of the fight. In a fight like that, after losing three to four opportunities, Yeorum also couldn¡¯t avoid showing a gap herself.

    His de scraped past her arm as the golden mana continued like an ocean wave.

    This ability was called the [Light of Cirction]. The sunlight turned into tens of thousands of small and sharp needles. They grazed all across her body and created countless wounds behind their path.

    Even though she was using a high level artifact to protect her body, and even though her skin was one crafted with the mana of a dragon, Javier¡¯s attack made her body seem like a normal person¡¯s that had sandpaper rubbing at their bare skin.

    Her cheeks, her neck, wrists, hands, arms and thighs. Although all of her limbs were being pulverised outside of her control and were starting to ooze out blood, Yeorum did not care nor did she try to dodge it.

    By sacrificing her flesh, she waited for thest opportunity.

    ¡®It¡¯sing. It¡¯sing¡­!¡¯

    Patiently, like a tiger waiting to pound on one¡¯s neck, she waited and was finally met with a chance. It was inevitable for an ocean wave to go crashing down at least once and a hail would notst forever.

    Yeorum waited for the split moment for the destructive ability, [Cirction of Light] to cease for a moment. Even though Javier distanced himself in that very moment, that was within her expectations.

    [Ember]

    Shot like a cannonball, Yeorum flew forward at a low stance. She then stabbed the longsword as hard as she could.

    Or rather, she tried to.

    Once again, her body turned slow.

    ¡®Like, what the fuck. What is going on.¡¯

    Her fingers and her toes were turning stiff. Reaching her arm forward once would decide the battle and yet she could not do so.

    ¡®Why is this happening? Why?¡¯

    In fact,

    She might have known the reason already.

    ¡®What is wrong. Why, why. For fuck¡¯s sake, why?!¡¯

    She thought the body would follow the heart, and thought her heart was the only thing that she needed to deceive.

    But even though she had deceived her sisters with falsehood, and also managed to deceive him, her heart was one that did not fall to her lies.

    ¡®Why is this happening¡­¡¯

    When her honest thoughts that had been suppressed in her heart raised its head like a budding flower, Yeorum realised that she would never be able to beat Javier.

    Because if she were to beat Javier here,

    That would mark the end of her Amusement.

    The end she did not believe even when everyone else was crying and weeping their hearts out, would be brought by her own hands.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    The trigger was ced in front of her eyes,

    But Yeorum could not make herself pull it.

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°Unnniiiiii!!¡±

    Kaeul let out a sharp scream.

    The cost of missing herst opportunity was brutal. Javier¡¯s sword grazed past Yeorum¡¯s neck as red drops of blood tainted the white wall.

 Chapter 388: Episode 105: (12)

    <h4>Chapter 388: Episode 105: (12)</h4>

    The Cirction of Light minced her body as her mind slowly faded away.

    When she next came to herself, she was at one of the corners of the arena leaning on the wall without even the power to lift her head. It was obvious that the fight had ended with her loss.

    Even though the first-aid team that was waiting nearby came rushing in, Yeorum refused their help and made them go away. They told her she had to be healed but she revealed her fangs and threatened them instead.

    Yeorum staggered as she left the arena, leaving behind the stiffened first-aid crew. She shrugged them off and aimlessly walked forward as if trying to escape from something.

    It was an impulsive yet unavoidable action, because she had no idea herself what unsightly thing she would do if she were to stay there.

    There was only one pair of legs following Yeorum from behind.

    Her body was full of wounds and the natural recovery was taking a very long time due to the infectious Cirction of Light. Therefore, Yeorum had to bleed while walking and her footsteps were followed by drips of blood.

    Walking down an alleyway of the city, she no longer had the strength to proceed and atst halted her feet. The one following her from behind also stopped with her.

    Yeorum opened her mouth with a faint murmur.

    ¡°You know¡­ Maybe I¡¯m still too weak¡­¡±

    Watching kids younger than herself calmly epting the farewell, Yeorum thought she had naturally epted it as well, because she was more of an adult than them.

    ¡°You saw that right? I got shit on¡­¡±

    Because the one-sided announcement of the farewell seemed like an act of betrayal, she thought he had discarded her.

    Since he always did whatever he wanted to.

    ¡°If I go back now¡­ It will be difficult, right¡­?¡±

    But on thest trip, he had definitely said to her, that she must live after going back. So if she was still too weak, perhaps it might be possible to postpone it.

    ¡°I might die¡­¡±

    She was not confident in conveying her honest thoughts, so she had to spout words of deceit no matter how pathetic they were.

    However, it was fine. None of that mattered. If doing this could allow her to cling onto him,

    ¡°¡­I could end up dying.¡±

    If this could dy the end of the Amusement¡­

    ***

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes.

    After saying something with a sorrowful voice, Yeorum was silently waiting for his reply. The alleyway was bright but the hair covering her face was casting a shadow over her eyes.

    The gibberish she was speaking, in fact, did not enter his ears that well.

    Frankly speaking, Yu Jitae was feeling an emotion that was close to irritation.

    It was because of her attitude when facing the fight. Doing that for any other fight might have been passable but Javier¡¯s fight alone was something she had to be serious with. She had to be fully immersed in it.

    Even if she did not like the farewell, and even if she wanted to protest against him, that fight was one that shouldn¡¯t have been degraded.

    This fight was the proof of her growth, and the result of all the time Yu Jitae and Yeorum had poured in during the Amusement.

    And yet Yeorum ruined it due to her personal emotions.

    Although she had been constantly exposed to harsh drills that could cost her life at any time, him clutching onto her and treating her generously might have created a greenhouse over the child¡¯s heart.

    If she were to return with a mild heart like this, would she be able to survive? Would Yeorum be able to have a proper fight at the ¡®Selection Ceremony¡¯ in Askalifa? Even though she has already ruined such an important fight just because of an impending farewell?

    Finishing his line of thought, Yu Jitae opened his eyes. Depending on the course of the conversation, he might even have to scold her.

    He was a person who nned all the time. Even when nning for the farewell, he had set up ns B and C.

    Among those, n B was how he would deal with the situation if the kids were to refuse the farewell until the very end.

    He gazed down at her face.

    Looking at it from the perspective of daily lives, his next words could end up hurting her feelings a little bit. However, he needed to be stern at times even if someone was to get hurt from it.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You won¡¯t die.¡±

    Her eyes that were unusually powerless slowly blinked. One of her eyes was squinted, which was probably because of the wound near her eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you lost against Javier.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? You, saw me¡­ lose.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s strange. It was a fight you cannot lose. Fight him under the same condition a hundred times and you should have won ny of them, not because of the difference in strength but because of the way you fight.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There is a limit in the size of the territory Javier can control. All of his skills exist to maintain that distance. Stick too close and his sword flicks you away, and go too far and his sandpapers of light will endlessly gnaw at you. But you, on the other hand, have great mobility that allows you to move freely regardless of his territory. You have a better chance to win from the get go.¡±

    ¡°¡­So? What about it. In the end, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I lost.¡±

    ¡°Yes. And now your job is to exin that to me. Why did you lose.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Why did you lose. When you could have won it.¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s eyes twitched again. The wounds inflicted by the [Cirction of Light] were yet to close.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ just that my body was a bit stiff.¡±

    ¡°Stiff?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, I was a little nervous or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Why were you nervous.¡±

    ¡°Why not? A dragon, can get nervous as well for fuck¡¯s sake¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. Dragons can get nervous, but not you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. You shouldn¡¯t have been nervous.¡±

    In response to his words, Yeorum, who had been staring at the ground, lifted her head and looked at him.

    ¡°¡­What? Are you saying it¡¯s my fault? Do you mean it was my fault that my body was more tense than usual?¡±

    He knew Yeorum hated finding the reason for a bad event from herself. Rather than denying it, she simply detested it.

    Whenever there was something she did not like, she wouldment andin, ¡®Why is it only me?¡¯

    Until now, he had never openly touched her pride, but today he had to.

    ¡°Do you want me to be more honest? It¡¯s okay to be nervous, but you shouldn¡¯t have let that nervousness impact the result of the fight. Your duel just then was, to be honest, a mess.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck¡­ It¡¯s just a small mistake. What the hell is with all this¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°You are seriously spouting some pathetic nonsense. Do you still not feel any sense of caution even at this point in time?¡±

    His words were increasingly turning sharper. Yeorum repeated opening and closing her mouth as if she was swallowing her excuses.

    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to, say it like that.¡±

    ¡°Javier left. It will be nigh impossible to n another fight with that guy. And you have to return home soon, and in the end, you have to bring back an experience of not being able to achieve your objective.¡±

    ¡°¡­So? And what?¡±

    ¡°I told you in the morning that I¡¯ll help. You were the one that refused it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Her faintly opened eyes slowly became wider. She instinctively realised that something was different from usual, because Yu Jitae had never forcefully cut her words off like this.

    His expression that she was now so ustomed to, appeared frightening.

    ¡°It was strange even before the start of the fight. Your doping state was awful and your mana was unstable. The key point here is that you were egotistically saying you¡¯d do everything by yourself only to have this as the result.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why were you so full of yourself? Why did you have an attitude like that before an important fight?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Say something.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Or what. Is that what you learned from me?¡±

    *

    There were several excuses she could give.

    Doping? She wanted to do that properly and the same was for mana ¨C she wanted to maintain her peace and control it, but it just didn¡¯t work out properly.

    That was the truth. Even before the start of the fight, Yeorum knew something would go wrong. Her body turning stiff was just the tip of an iceberg and now, she could observe the rest of the iceberg, and that she had been wanting to run away from the fight thousands of times until it began.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you countless times. Do not think about something useless when you have a sword in hand. It looked like you were doing that properly during the training but I guess not.

    ¡°You will have your Selection Ceremony after going back. That will make you more nervous than now and you¡¯ll make a mistake because of your nervousness, won¡¯t you. Your head will be ripped and wedged into the ground. Will you say the same thing then? A dragon can get nervous too? Just a small mistake?

    ¡°What kind of stupid excuse is that.¡±

    No. Even though that wasn¡¯t it, Yeorum stayed silent under the unbearable pressure he was giving off. His eyes that were right in front of her face were burdensome so she ended up shouting, ¡°It¡¯s all over, so why the hell do you even care?¡± Unknowingly, she drew a line between him and herself but he raised his voice in return.

    ¡°If you were going to fight like that, then what was all that blood for!¡±

    He was pretty much shouting by now. Something shattered in her head as Yeorum red daggers back at his eyes.

    ¡°The sweat and blood you shed would fill up a swimming pool. The distance you¡¯ve run will be severalps around Earth, and all of your pain and agony will cover a library if you put them into words. Where did all that time go ¨C how can you dare! Treat a fight like that!¡±

    She felt like she was being falsely used. Her fingertips turned numb and his shout was making her so sad that she had to hold back her tears.

    ¡°Why are you being so mean? I might have been feeling slightly unwell! Do you think I was fooling around by myself because I¡¯m a retard? I had my own circumstances as well!¡±

    ¡°Are you really saying that to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°Tell me. What kind of circumstance is it, that it can justify a stupid act at the face of a life and death fight that you¡¯ve been preparing for over 5 years?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that fucking shot my life down on your own ord! Who can ever stay in their right mind in a situation like that? Do you think we are all mental patients like you?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about.¡±

    ¡°Are you just pretending like you don¡¯t know anything? Or are you really that mental? Or what, do you want to watch me being pathetic again?¡±

    ¡°Answer me. I asked you. What are you talking about.¡±

    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake! You¡­!¡±

    In that instant, her words came to a stop.

    Seeing Kaeul cry while grasping onto his pants, she thought she was pathetic.

    Seeing Gyeoul constantly ask him if he was being serious about the farewell or not, made her think she was doing something useless.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Yeorum could not continue her words.

    Because it was pathetic.

    Because it would be useless.

    Raising her hands, she covered her face. Ever since the day they first met, through all the time they had spent together to the day of their separation ¨C he did everything the way he wanted to and that was something she already knew about.

    Even when she was in too much pain and thinking of giving up, he persuaded her and in the end, things turned out the way he wanted.

    Have I ever, turned his heart even once¡­?

    Thinking back, a memory that had stayed down until now for some reason, floated back up to the surface.

    There was one time. When she begged him to revive BM¡¯s son, ¡®Jung Taebaek¡¯, that was when she had first managed to change his stubborn mind.

    A single strand of sce was shining upon her despair.

    Yes. It was possible to change his mind.

    ¡°Everything you said is correct.¡±

    Even though she had been thinking of them as useless and pathetic words, Yeorum decided to pluck up her courage.

    ¡°So¡­ I think learning for around, 1 more year? would be enough.¡±

    I will stop negotiating after this, and will obediently ept the farewell.

    But let¡¯s just spend one more year together.

    ¡°Nn? As you said, my mind is a bit weak¡­ How about you fix that for me. There are still things for you to teach me right?

    ¡°Those training methods that were all strange but helpful to me¡­ Can you teach me those for just 1 more year?

    ¡°You won¡¯t let me die right?

    ¡°¡­¡­Right?¡±

 Chapter 389 + Yu Yeorum Illustration: Episode 105: (13)

    <h4>Chapter 389 + Yu Yeorum Illustration: Episode 105: (13)</h4>

    A ck hand flung out and grabbed him by the neck. It felt like his head was then being driven into a bucket of icy water.

    Before, he could not understand what Yeorum was saying but now he could.

    Perhaps she was trying to postpone the farewell. It was just that she was expressing it in a roundabout way with her crude words.

    Seeing it from that angle, he could also understand why Yeorum was acting so strange during the fight.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I will never let you die.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn. Right?¡±

    However, the farewell was unavoidable nor should it be avoided. Yu Jitae had to turn her request down no matter how.

    ¡°But, there is no reason to teach you anything else.¡±

    ¡°Hu, huh?¡±

    She seemed confused by his sudden words.

    ¡°Apart from the psychological element, you were well above Javier. You will be able to survive after going back. I nned it, and you followed it well. There is no uncertainty there.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What youck can be reced by something else. In fact, I had something prepared a few years ago all for this moment.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae took out a sword glowing with primary colours from his dimensional storage and gave it to her. The moment it showed itself, the surrounding scenery lost its colours and started being tainted into gray.

    It was the longsword which was at the pinnacle of Level 4 artifacts, and was the weapon that had been used by the catastrophe-ranked demon, Noah.

    [Dream Eater]

    He handed her the sword which he had been nning to give at the farewell.

    ¡°Here. This is myst present.¡±

    Just like that, his stubborn yet non-excessive refusal forced the clinging child to release her grip.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum did not reply nor were her eyes on the dream-eating sword. Her red eyes were instead facing the ashen eyes of the man, and they remained there for a long time.

    Her eyes nted down, before rxing and eventuallying to a close.

    Lowering her gaze to the ground, her mind continued an endless trail of thought as memories brought upon memories. Before long, iprehension floated into her eyes and she tried to distance herself as much as possible from Yu Jitae. Her eyes turned to the empty plot ofnd.

    Hesitantly opening her mouth several times, she closed them time after time and couldn¡¯t find the right words to say. She uneasily licked her lips and bit onto the tip of her tongue.

    Finally, after taking in the fact that it will be unavoidable, her eyes nted down as her doubt left her mouth as a small mutter.

    ¡°¡­Why, does it have to be now?¡±

    With that, she sealed her mouth. As if that was all she had to ask, she closed her mouth while earnestly wishing for his honest response.

    Why, out of everything, is it now that they have to separate? That was her question¡­

    Kaeul and Gyeoul had asked the same thing. ¡®Why do we have to leave so quickly in such a hurry?¡¯ In response, he gave all sorts of excuses to persuade both the kids and himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest¡­¡±

    There definitely was a reason why he had to make them leave soon, which he did not want to believe in himself.

    ¡°There is a music box in my room and I asionally turn the tape. It ys a nameless song which sounds like a European countryside folk song. It didn¡¯t make me feel anything but from an unknown point in time, it started to sound mncholic.¡±

    At times, feelings were veryplicated.

    ¡°I have never felt greed in front of food. I can survive without eating and I felt no joy from vour. But one day when someone gave me a piece of a biscuit, it tasted very sweet.¡±

    There were some phrases that could not be fully expressed even if one was to stay honest.

    ¡°When I saw you crumble during the fight against Javier, I was seriously annoyed, thinking what this stupid thing you were doing was. In the past, I never got annoyed no matter what you did, but now that is not the case. I started holding expectations of you.¡±

    Andstly, disgustingly enough, he was feeling a deep romantic emotion for Bom.

    These human emotions stemming from daily lives were drawing an extremely exponential graph. They were curling upward at a fearsome speed, and the more he treasured them, the bigger his sense of guilt became. Hug them tighter and the de would pierce deeper into his heart.

    Like that, right now,

    His emotions were dashing towards ruin.

    ¡°That is why I¡¯m sending you back. While I can.¡±

    In other words, if he didn¡¯t send them back now, he would not be able to send the kids back home.

    Forever.

    .

    .

    .

    Yeorum chucked his present. Unable to hold herself back, she yelled but he could not remember what exactly she said. He suggested they go back to Unit 301 but Yeorum did not go.

    Sitting on the ground, she continued smoking cigarettes throughout the night. There was a whole pile of cigarette buds next to where she was sitting.

    Time did not wait for her.

    By the time she came to herself, it was time to go back.

    Taking the kids, Yu Jitae headed to the [Dimensional Cruise] as Yeorum followed the kids onto the ship. While Yu Jitae was briefly exining the facilities, the kids etched his exnation into their eyes and ears while nodding their heads, but Yeorum could not do so.

    Even when they were sharing theirst meal, Yeorum did not say anything.

    ¡°You¡¯re doomed ahjussi. Do you know we are actually very worried about you?¡±

    ¡°Why would you worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re an old man living alone¡­!¡±

    The kids chuckled and the protector followed suit with its growls. Yu Jitae also gave an empty smile in return.

    Theirughter ended with a snap. When Gyeoul stopped giggling, Bom and Kaeul also stopped immediately after her. Meanwhile, the protector who had been chuckling until the end without being able to read the mood, btedly stopped itsughter.

    They suddenly turned quiet.

    ¡°¡­What do you mean, old man.¡±

    ¡°Why. It¡¯s true. You are an old man.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s doomed. It¡¯s over. How are you going to live without us ahjussi. You have no friends either. It¡¯ll be boring.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It will be quite boring.¡±

    While they were quietly sharing a conversation, Bom took a small stic bag from her pocket.

    ¡°Ahjussi. Give me the pocket watch.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Alright.¡±

    The pocket watch Bom gave him as a present was always in his pocket. When he handed that over, Bom opened it and ced photos inside.

    ¡°These are the pictures we took during ourst trip.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Sliding it open, he looked at the photos. There were now more than two pictures of them.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When things turned silent again, Gyeoul walked up to him with outstretched arms. He tried to raise the child and let her sit on hisp but instead of sitting down, she stood on his knees and brought her head towards his head.

    It was a familiar situation.

    The child¡¯s forehead was aligned to his forehead.

    Her deep-blue eyes were the same as before and so was her pouty gaze. However, after blinking her eyes at the distance of touching foreheads, she did not smile brightly like before.

    Gyeoul squinted her eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She pulled her head away from him so he ced the child back on the ground.

    ¡°Ahh, instead of doing this¡­! Let¡¯s have desserts, desserts!¡±

    To shift the awkward atmosphere, Kaeul opened the paper bag she had prepared. Inside were all sorts of sweets including fruits, cookies, macarons and a cake.

    He shared them with the kids.

    Just like what he had confessed to Yeorum just then, he now understood what it felt to taste something sweet. However, he still did not know how it could brighten up his mood like what he heard before¡­

    While the kids were poking their heads and inspecting the external design of the Dimensional Cruise,

    When it was just the two of them, Bom leaned her head on his shoulder.

    She then held onto his hand.

    Her small hand was quite warm, so he returned the grip.

    ¡°Ahjussi.¡±

    Bom released her grip when Kaeul called him while turning back with a flick.

    ¡°You have to live well, okay? Please stay healthy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You too. Be happy.¡±

    After her was Gyeoul who opened her mouth with a sigh while fidgeting with her fingers.

    ¡°¡­When you miss me,

    ¡°¡­Please look, ¡­at the memory crystal.¡±

    Bending his legs and his back, he met his eyes with the child¡¯s. Caressing her blue hair that had a cap ced on top, he gave a nod.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll watch it.¡±

    Until the end, Yeorum did not say anything. Instead, she was the first to carry her feet to head to the cruise ship as Kaeul and Gyeoul followed their unni into the cruise.

    Lastly, Bom walked up to him and even though the kids were still watching them, she kissed him on his cheek.

    Her grass-coloured eyes were full of sorrow as she gazed at him.

    Although there were a lot of words embedded into her gaze,

    Bom turned her body without leaving any words behind.

    Like that, the kids were finishing off theirst greetings but Yeorum stayed silent the whole time.

    ¡°Unni, are you not going to say bye?¡±

    Kaeul couldn¡¯t help but ask her.

    ¡°Me? I¡¯m, well¡­¡±

    Yeorum mumbled.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Is that really enough.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In that moment, when the thought that this would be thest moment shed past her head, Yeorum felt an emotion soaring from the depths of her heart.

    Looking at her two younger sisters, Yeorum thought they were turning themselves away from the farewell because they were young and foolish.

    But she was wrong. She herself might have been the one that had been turning away from the farewell until the very end.

    Yeorum felt stifled.

    The kids were all inside the cruise shaking their hands at him. None of them were crying ¨C every one of them was smiling.

    ¡°Thank you for everything!¡±

    Kaeul shouted and he waved back. Bom and Gyeoul also waved their hands while swallowing their tears.

    Soon, the cruise was activated and the door slowly closed in front of her.

    This was the end.

    This was theirst moment.

    When the fact that this was their ¡®farewell¡¯ finally reached her heart,

    In that instant, Yeorum¨C

    She felt the past memories flooding in like a tidal wave.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When she was crying at her first defeat ¨C his words offering her to be his disciple.

    When she was afraid of the uncontroble shivering of her heart ¨C his face as he stayed next to her under the moonlight.

    When she stumbled like a newborn deer, unable to walk by herself ¨C his hands that held onto her as they walked together.

    ¡®Yes. You did very well.¡¯ His words that verified her life for the very first time.

    The voice consoling her when she was anxious from herpetitive mindset; the time she learned gambling from him; those joyous times; all those gestures when awkwardly dancing together; the sweet fragrance of alcohol; the blood he shed to create the same wounds as her when she was crying from the unfathomable pain, and all the hardships she overcame holding onto his hand.

    All of them resurfaced in her mind.

    When the one who had contemted through all those moments for her survival ¨C as the one who gave him all the good things of the world, who together with her had suffered, grieved and yet supported her like an adult and cheered for her¨C

    When her partner that she would never ever find a recement for in her entire life,

    When he was slowly being covered by the closing door,

    Unknowingly, Yeorum squeezed through the gap and jumped outside.

    ¡°Yeorum!¡±

    In surprise, Bom stopped the ship. Kaeul and Gyeoul also widened their eyes into circles as they gazed at Yeorum.

    She couldn¡¯t leave like this.

    Even though she had always been on the receiving side, she had never once expressed her gratitude properly. Raising her ego, she had been turning away from it the whole time.

    But when she was met with a farewell; when she realised that she would never be able to say anything to him after this.

    Yeorum suppressed her emotions and the bursting tears to call him from a distance with a ripped throat.

    ¡°Master¨C!!¡±

    She failed at suppressing them. With tears falling down her cheeks, Yeorum kneeled and crouched down. She then drove her head into the ground. It was a kowtow.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much for everything¨C!!¡±

    The teary shout was carrying all the honest thoughts that Yeorum could not convey before. She continued yelling with a lump in her throat.

    ¡°Thank you for taking in a retard like me as a disciple¨C¡±

    While the watching kids were also bursting into uncontroble tears behind her, Yeorum continued her outburst, so that the words she couldn¡¯t convey would not end up as a regret.

    ¡°And thank you for raising me¡ª!!¡±

    Lifting her head again, Yeorum forced a bright smile onto her face that was crumbling from tears.

    ¡°I will survive. No matter what!¡±

    Yu Jitae smiled back, and gave a nod.

    That was theirst moment.

    .

    .

    .

    The kids left.

 Chapter 390 + Important Announcement: Important Announcement

    <h4>Chapter 390 + Important Announcement: Important Announcement</h4>

    * Hello dear readers, I am Yuzu.

    The story is nearing the end. There have been many people asking when it would end and the n is to continue uploading for the next month.

    The reason I am posting an announcement before the chapter is because there is something I would like to request, and that is to refrain from posting the uing plot to readers that have yet to catch up to the recent chapters on bothment sections andmunity forums.

    My wish is for the ending that I have earnestly prepared to not be indiscreetly shared without the narration thates before it.

    Although I know a request like this is generally not followed, appealing like this is the only thing I can do¡­

    I hope the following story will only be consumed by us ^-^¡­

    Please abstain from giving spoilers. Thank you.

    Thank you. I will write sincerely until the end.

    From Yuzu.

    [TLN: My n is to finish (excluding the after story) by early November.]

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    I am Yu Jitae.

    This is the story of my imprisonment.

    The door of the Dimensional Cruise slowly came to a close.

    They were restraining themselves quite well but they ended up crying again with Yeorum¡¯s kowtow. Things were dyed a little because of that.

    Each passing second added more to my agony.

    But what else could I do. All I could do was stand still.

    Atst, the Dimensional Cruise left through a fissure after sealing its door and flew for an interdimensional travel. Left alone, I gazed deeper into the fissure at the trail left behind by the ship.

    That seaway will not close until their journeyes to an end. In other words, the fissure would bepletely closed when their journey ends and will never open again.

    And that would mean aplete farewell.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] gazes at you.>

    Feeling the gaze of the voyeuristic transcendent authority, I turned my feet.

    The first thing entering my sight were the cigarette buds and the pack of cigarettes discarded by Yeorum before she entered the ship.

    She had been smoking a lot. There was only one cigarette left inside the pack. Bending my back, I picked up the pack and all the cigarette buds and then carried my feet.

    It was time to go home.

    On the way back, I was alone.

    I slowly walked on. The surroundings were very quiet.

    Basking in aplete silence which was very rare, I felt slightly strange from realising the fact that there was no need to walk with haste.

    My feet were always rushed, including the past and the 7th iteration.

    However, there was no longer a need to be in a rush.

    Mindlessly walking on, I reached the warp station after half a day. As I normally would, I teleported and headed to the floating ind, ¡®Haytling¡¯.

    Leaving the station, I walked outside and headed to therge academy city located in the middle of the ind.

    Academy City of Lair.

    Going into Lair, I showed the ID card and headed to the residential district.

    Dormitory Building 107 was located quite further inside the residential area. Walking longer than others, I reached the innermost building.

    I climbed the stairs to Unit 301. Disyed outside the window was the small mountain behind Building 107.

    This dormitory was like an apartment with corridors. When the corridor that I have always walked through appeared in front of my eyes, it finally gave me the feeling that I was back home.

    And when I opened the door of Unit 301 and walked inside,

    Weing me was a house that was now quiet with no signs of people.

    I was taking off my boots when I found Kaeul¡¯s shoes ced all around the entrance in a very disorganised state. By now, Kaeul must be lying down in her room with her shoes hurled everywhere.

    After taking off my shoes, I walked into the house.

    The house was a little small for six people including the protector to live in, and I asionally considered whether we should move out or not.

    But today, Unit 301 looked a lot bigger than before.

    I headed to the living room. Next to the curtained ss door heading to the terrace was arge hologram TV, in front of which was a sofa. It was the sofa that the kids and I used to rest on as if it was the best ce in the house.

    Sitting there, I leaned on the backrest. The kids that used toe up and sit near me like cats were no longer here.

    I raised my head and nkly stared at the ceiling.

    Filling my head were several lines of thought.

    Was it the fluffy memories of the past?

    No.

    Floating in my head was a sense of crisis.

    I sent the kids back home. Such a day had finally arrived.

    The day that I had been wishing for with all my heart was finally here and I thought a sense of aplishment would be the one filling my head, and yet here I wasn¡¯t feeling anything special. ¡®So it¡¯s today.¡¯ That was howcklustre my thoughts regarding it was.

    However, I wasn¡¯t saddened by it either.

    Maybe I have been living for far too long to feel something like a dramatic sense of aplishment. I have be too dull to stimtion due to my old age.

    I took out the cigarette left behind by Yeorum, ced it between my lips and lit it on fire.

    Some time in the past, I asked BM in detail how a ¡®farewell¡¯ would feel for a normal human, as well as how to ovee it if the separation was too painful.

    In response, BM said that removing Taebaek¡¯s belongings after losing the fake Jung Taebaek had sessfully allowed him to erase the existence of his former son.

    That same thing was what I was nning to do.

    To bepletely honest, I did have a lingering attachment. Even though everything was going ording to n, and even though I was now at the end of everything, my heart was still not at ease.

    Those lingering emotions came to me as a sense of crisis all throughout the way back home, and was increasing even more in size after I returned to Unit 301. It wasn¡¯t even funny how those kids were suddenly weighing on my heart now that I was finally going to kill myself.

    Daily life had ended up making me act on a whim. And this was more whimsical than anything I had done before.

    Even now, the ne Gyeoul gave me was still flickering under the sunlight on my chest. However, my n was to not look at the [Memory Crystal] exactly because of that sense of crisis.

    I wondered if I should take it off, but decided not to.

    There was still some time until the destineding of the [Long Night]. Until then, I would not be able to die even if I wanted to.

    Now, there was no need to stay at Lair and it should be fine to start cleaning the rooms up,

    But before that was the cigarette.

    Soon, the cigarette lost its me after having everything scorched all the way to the filter tip. The refrigerator sounded especially noisier today and the lights looked all the more brighter.

    Thus, I shut down the breaker.

    The house was met with total darkness and a total silence. It was a lot better.

    For now, I decided to rest for today but because I couldn¡¯t go to sleep, I passed the night with open eyes.

    Under the sofa and the scattering moonlight,

    My night was very quiet.

    .

    .

    .

    Morning arrived.

    I deliveredmands regarding the Long Night to the two clones.

    My role was to make the world self-sustain without me. For that, I had removed 40 percent of the anti-humanity superhumans, and applied a fierce restraint on the demons.

    A month ago, the Association had already been cautioned by the Soothsayer. Their storages were opened ¨C 1,200 types of anti-monster artifacts were supplied and each troop readied themselves for the battle.

    Their movements were reported to other countries. The ones allied with the Association armed themselves to stand in line with them, and the neutral nations that did not trust the Association armed themselves for protection. Whatever the reason, they were in a better state to deal with monsters.

    ¨C Your will.

    ¨C I will be going off then sir!

    After sending them off, I stood up from the sofa.

    It was now time to empty the kids out of me,

    So that they would not happen to be an obstacle.

    I walked into Gyeoul¡¯s room.

    It happened on a certain night when Gyeoul came up asking for her own room. I didn¡¯t like the fact that it had to be made at where the storeroom was, but Gyeoul was satisfied with her room regardless.

    Opening the door, I walked inside. The first thing grabbing my attention was the huge fish tank. The fish tank had cost almost the same amount as a highrise building. Inside it were various tropical fish, seaweeds and crustaceans that Gyeoul picked up from all sorts of oceans.

    [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    The dark alternate dimension cracked open. I was going to use this as the rubbish bin for everything. However, there was no need to be helped by the white hands ¨C it was my job to remove these.

    Firstly, I drained the fish tank and sent everything down the sink. The water was very high quality for it to be discarded down the drain. It would clean up the sewage water for a while.

    Next, I removed everything that was living inside it. They were all thrown into the Shallows of the Abyss and afterward, I chucked the fish tank as well.

    I then cleaned the room. Gyeoul¡¯s wardrobe, textbooks,ptop, the red yet blue-haired (coloured with a permanent marker) piggy-bank that was dissected recently and the diary of allowances were all chucked one by one.

    That was when my eyes caught sight of a neatly tied synthetic fibre under the bed. Untying the knot, I realised it was an umbre cover.

    Ah, I remember this.

    On a rainy day, I remembered going out together with Gyeoul and selling umbres so that she would not have to sit in debt. All the money that she had been diligently saving up was all for the memory crystal hanging on my neck¡­

    The sound of the rain back then was quite good, was it not.

    In any case, that was all in the past. I chucked the umbre cover.

    There were also several gummy jars. Those were the ones I had bought for her behind Bom¡¯s back before she shed her skin.

    It was strange. Even though all the other trash was discarded in time, these empty gummy jars were gathered at a corner of the drawer.

    What was it about this that the kid liked so much?

    Suddenly, I remembered doing shiritori with the child who was in severe pain from shedding her skin. Anaconda. Anaconda. Asteroid. Doonga Doonga. Antelope¡­

    And gummies.

    However, these were snacks for kids. She had already shed her skin, and would do so one more time to be a full-fledged adult.

    At that point, she would no longer look for gummies.

    ¡­When she gets older¡­

    That made me a little curious.

    How would Gyeoul look when she gets older?

    She would be as tall as Bom and Yeorum, and would by then be an adult that can speak properly. She would gain a hobby that I do not know, and will meet someone I do not know to enjoy her new life.

    At that point, I would be forgotten and she would enjoy her life.

    I decided not to indulge in that thought too much.

    Because now, we were strangers.

    Apart from the gummy jars, the presents were nowhere in sight. She appeared to have taken them with her, including the cap which she wears quite often and the bracelet I gave¡­

    After returning to my room, I found the music box that Gyeoul had given me as a present before.

    It sounded quite nice.

    Picking it up, I threw it into the rubbish bin.

    It took half a day topletely clean up Gyeoul¡¯s room.

    Like that, I slowly emptied myself of Gyeoul.

    .

    .

    .

    Kaeul¡¯s room was messy.

    Plushies, chocte packs, packets of snacks and clothes were all everywhere.

    Kaeul out of the hatchlings was the one that was the most simr to human girls of her age. She bought clothes, wallets, rings and various shoes. For shoes alone, she already had more than ten of them.

    In fact, at the start of the 7th iteration, I had a little bit of an obsessivepulsive disorder. I used to feel irritated by anything tangling my feet and thus had a habit of cleaning them up.

    So back when it was early into our life together, I nned for a big cleaning day. What did Kaeul say back then?

    Who goes into a girl¡¯s room like that, was it?

    Her room used to be a messy pigsty.

    But now it was different. She had a new wallpaper, a prettymp and the full-length mirror at the side was both big and fancy.

    It was now a beautiful pigsty.

    I opened the wardrobe. Inside were the pyjamas she loved, a fluffy and bby one-piece dress, a boxy top and a sweater, a coat, a turtleneck, a short skirt she never wore after buying and a simr dress and¡­

    Beneath all that was an unfamiliar piece of clothing. What is this ¨C thinking that, I raised it up and inspected it to realise something.

    It was round and chubby, and was clearly for Chirpy the baby chicken.

    That woolly piece of clothing that was neatly folded up was too small. Kaeul must have been quite flustered, after buying it and then realising that the chicken was growing rapidly in size.

    The funny thing was that there were four pieces of clothes that were assumed to be for the baby chicken, with one for each season.

    However, I had never seen the baby chicken wear clothes before.

    In other words, it must have gone like this. ¡®Let¡¯s make Chirpy wear this in Spring¡¯ ¨C thinking that, she bought clothes but the chicken was too big to wear it that Spring, and the same process seemed to have repeated itself three more times.

    It was just what Yu Kaeul would do, and made me float an empty smile.

    The organism under protection always grew up very fast. The kid who used to follow from a single macaron, had gone through a military life and became a guardian deity. Looking back, all those harsh times and her improvement through them had happened at the blink of an eye.

    Wait, what¡¯s this.

    From a different drawer, I found a rectangr packet. It was too crude for it to stay with other cosmetics and looked exactly like a pack of cigarettes¡­

    There was also something like a stic bag sticking out from the top of the pack.

    I had seen something simr a long time ago.

    It was a very very long time ago.

    Don¡¯t tell me¡­

 Chapter 391: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (2) + Guillotine Illustration

    <h4>Chapter 391: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (2) + Guillotine Illustration</h4>

    In the previous iterations, BY enjoyed drugs.

    Fortunately, this was different. Inside the packet was a dry ck petal of flower. The Wyvernip petal that dried even after being ced inside a conservation device was neatly folded inside.

    Of course, there was no way it would be a drug.

    This was the 7th iteration after all.

    ¡­Such needless thoughts kept popping up and my mind was constantly heading towards our connection. I had to change my line of thought.

    It was not important whether she grew up normally or not. The important part was that she had now left Earth, and that I had now earned freedom.

    I threw the petal into the dimensional rubbish bin.

    Aside from that, there weren¡¯t many valuables, which was obvious because she would have taken them all.

    It took a few hours to clean up Kaeul¡¯s room.

    Like that, I slowly emptied myself of Kaeul.

    .

    .

    .

    There was actually a room that I was reluctant to go into.

    It was Yeorum¡¯s room.

    The reason for that being that I didn¡¯t really want to know about her secret private life. This too was a portion of the emotions that I earned from living a daily life.

    Back when I first met her, I wasn¡¯t interested in whatever debaucherous thing Yeorum did behind my back.

    Wasn¡¯t everything fine as long as she did not die, and as long as she was given a chance to fight? That was what I had been thinking and to be frank, it was not much different from how one could consider the environment for an animal being kept at a zoo.

    After starting to think of Yeorum as a person, I began respecting her privacy. Because of that, I decided to turn away from those various? things? that would be inside her room.

    It¡¯s not like I could burn the whole room down¡­

    Anyway, I walked into the room. Her room was unexpectedly clean. In fact, it was closer to being empty.

    There was nothing like a pencil case, an exercise book or a pen on the tabletop. The only things scattered around wereic books and they were either rted to sports or action. It was nothing strange because the kids all enjoyed watching movies, dramas and animations.

    Picking them up one by one, I threw them into the bin.

    There weren¡¯t that many clothes inside the wardrobe either. A training top, several t-shirts, shorts and a few training outfits were the only clothes inside and Yeorum did not even have a single skirt.

    Something that weighed on my mind was that 30% of her clothes were in tatters. Clothes that were ripped during her training appeared to have been thrown into this wardrobe after cursorily cleansing them with magic.

    When I opened a different drawer,

    My body halted for a bit.

    It was because toys that I really didn¡¯t want to know about, were inside the drawer. There were handcuffs and whips and the ones beneath them were even more obscene.

    She¡¯s gathered quite a lot of them¡­

    Closing the drawer, I tossed the whole thing into the bin.

    The other wardrobe on the other side of the room had no clothes and was instead filled with weapons. From bows to guns, there were all sorts of weapons including six types of swords.

    She had the Dream Eater and an onion core with 10 lifted seals, so that should be enough for her weapons after going back.

    In truth, it didn¡¯t really matter at this point whether she died or not. Even if she did die, it had nothing to do with me.

    Thinking like that pushed down the sense of crisis that had been soaring all the way to my chin. My heart was put at ease just like what happened when I started considering Gyeoul and Kaeul as strangers.

    Suddenly, the time I entered Tranquil Sea with Yeorum floated back up in my mind. That training where she said ¡®Fishy Yeorum~¡¯ and whatnot.

    After passing thest phase ¨C it was when we were crouching down smoking together.

    At the depths of the ocean, she said she saw an illusion of her youngest unni tempting her to give up on everything. While confessing that, she asked,

    ¨C What did¡­ you see?

    The illusion there made an existence powerless by showing an illusion that wentpletely against one¡¯s intention.

    Back then, Yu Jitae saw the baby dragons.

    ¨C Us? Was I there as well?

    ¨C Yeah. You were.

    ¨C How was she?

    ¨C She had long hair.

    ¨C What? I hate long hair. ¡®Cuz it¡¯s annoying.

    ¨C It went all the way down to the waist.

    ¨C Tch tch. They should stop acting at this point. Their script¡¯s trash and their research is trash. Not the right way to approach acting.

    ¨C Is that so.

    ¨C And what did I say? Did I like, swing around a sword saying I¡¯ll leave home?

    I didn¡¯t reply back then.

    Inside the illusion, Yeorum was on her knees grabbing my legs. Crying her eyes out, she was begging.

    ¡®I don¡¯t want you to die¡­¡¯

    ¡®Let¡¯s live together, okay¡­?¡¯

    ¡®Please¡­¡¯

    I got rid of all the weapons.

    Her room was cleaned up in an instant.

    It would be great if memories could be discarded as easily as this.

    Since that was impossible, there was no choice but to slowly remove them.

    .

    .

    .

    Lastly, I went into Bom¡¯s room.

    Bom¡¯s room was especially dark because the curtains were exceptional at screening the sunlight. I flicked the switch but the light didn¡¯t turn on because the breaker was still down.

    Therefore, I used my sloppy magic to float a marble of light which brightened up her room like a lightbulb. Even though there was no need to brighten up the room, it was a daily habit.

    A room spoke about the person¡¯s personality.

    Bom¡¯s room was clean and tidy as if everything was aligned with a ruler. Even the books on the bookshelves were in an ascending order.

    Opening the wardrobe, I found all sorts of clothes from dresses to one pieces, fleece jackets, suits and the off-shoulder dress she liked wearing¡­ All the clothes were in a descending order following their colours and seasons.

    But the one that was more eye-catching than those various pieces of clothing was the old t-shirt that had an extremely outstretched neck. It was the one Bom wore at home all the time.

    Looking back, Bom was a really unique type of person.

    She was calm yet emotional, easygoing yet harsh, and her gazes were usually warm but at times were uncannily cold.

    The room was like a representation of her personality. It was calm and tidy but seeing it made you wonder whether this really was a room with a living person or not. It felt as if it was a room for a machine.

    It was interesting. Even though she was the one I shared the most experiences with, she was still the most iprehensible hatchling.

    Anyway,

    I threw the flowerpot into the bin, and took the books out of the bookshelves. The cosmetics, essories, her favouriteptop, the stationery that were neatly arranged inside the drawers as well as choctes ¨C I tossed everything.

    Then, I opened a different drawer and was met with a weird scenery.

    There was arge mirror at the front after opening the doors, and both of the doors had a mirror, each showing a reflection of my left and my right at the same time.

    It was like a room of mirrors.

    Well, a human had one focal point but a dragon could focus on three ces at once, so it was nothing strange in that sense.

    I pulled the mirrors out.

    Vacantly emptying the room, I smelled her subtle fragrance being emitted from the clothes. It was a soothing scent like that of the forest.

    It was different from how the other baby dragons did not really give off any body odour, and was also strange because it was a smell I did not sense in the previous iterations.

    Continuing that line of thought, I needlessly remembered the thing that happened with Bom the other night.

    Seriously, it was strange.

    Why did I feel something like a romantic feeling towards her,

    And what made me feel a burning passion urging me to crave her body¡­?

    While discarding them one by one, my hands were forced to a stop.

    In one of the drawers towards the bottom was one that was sealed shut. It didn¡¯t open even when I tried to pull it out, and didn¡¯t have a lock either. It simply refused to open.

    Focusing on it, I discovered an exquisitely crafted structure of mana sealing the drawer. It was remarkable even in my eyes.

    Bom appeared to have made it.

    What was lying inside that she sealed it with so much care?

    For a moment, I hesitated.

    Should I respect her privacy or should I just open it.

    In the end, I decided to open the drawer.

    We had an intercourse already anyway, and that lowered my resistance against opening it.

    When I ripped the drawer out, the magic form buzzed as it tried to burn the thing that was inside it. I flicked my hand and removed the spark.

    The thing inside looked like a thick diary.

    [?]

    There was a single heart drawn on the outside. It seemed to have been written with an erasable pen and there were faint traces of several pen lines that were removed time after time. Looking closely, it read ¡®Ahjussi Observation Diary¡¯, and there were some geometrical figures next to it.

    Wondering what she wrote inside, I opened it.

    ¡­

    So she was writing something like this¡­

    I skimmed through them without reading in detail because this too was one that incited the sense of crisis. After skimming through all the pages to the back page, I found something strange.

    ¡°What¡¯s¨C¡±

    There were long lines of ck pens. They were written irregrly and were crossing the lines of the paper. At a nce, they looked like letters but also looked like shapes.

    However, they weren¡¯t recognised as letters and my [Fallen Babel (S)] that had reached max proficiency couldn¡¯t interpret them either.

    This must be when Bom found out the secrets about me.

    Her mind would have been shaken a lot.

    In any case, that was thest piece of trash.

    I decided to empty myself of Bom.

    .

    .

    .

    After cleaning the house, I rested for a bit by leaning on the sofa and continuing a trail of random thoughts.

    Then I lifted my body.

    Wasting any more time will only make me continue thinking more and more about the kids.

    Now, it was about time.

    .

    .

    .

    There was one thing I lied about to Bom.

    I wanted true freedom. This was something that could not be achieved by simply ending my life.

    Cancelling the blessings on my body and killing myself was a sloppy way of doing things because that would not let me escape the line of Providence. An existence cannot go against death in general, but that wasn¡¯t really the case after reaching the level of a transcendent authority. asionally, it was possible to go against death and wretchedly enough, that meant there was always a possibility of me being brought back to life.

    In other words, I had to be pletely¡¯ deviated from the line of Providence and deviating from Providence meant aplete annihtion as an existence.

    Aplete death was only madeplete by being erased from everyone¡¯s memories.

    Thus, I will now disappear,

    And there will be nothing left behind that can remember me.

    That was the true freedom I had in my mind.

    It¡¯s something I should feel sorry about to the baby dragons, but what else can I do?

    I have already done enough.

    They were gone. They will now live happily in their own world. They were nowplete strangers to me, and were simply one of the millions of existences that had passed by.

    Although my feelings reflected back to my connection with the kids, my rationality was different. They were still the kids of garbage, and were thest shackles that were restricting me even at this point. And I hated all types of shackles.

    There was freedom.

    Atst it was in front of my eyes.

    The freedom I had desired so desperately was finally in front of me.

    The device that will drive me to freedom was already prepared. In fact, all the preparations had been finished a long time ago.

    [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    This unique alternate dimension was simr to an ocean. I have been tossing trash inside the whole time but it didn¡¯t matter because this ce was so wide that I would never see them again anyway.

    However, going down the depths in a certain direction would allow me to face the [Lords of the Abyss] ¨C the fundamental concepts of evil forming the world.

    On the other hand, it was also possible to go above the shallows and poke one¡¯s head out of the surface of the ocean. In that ce was my device for suicide that I had earned after killing the ¡®Monarch of the Highest Heavens¡¯, [Gaum].

    It was the tool I used to kill one of the sovereigns, the ¡®Immortal¡¯, [Shin], and was also the weapon I used to threaten the chairman of the Association, Chaliovan Greenrain, around 2 years ago.

    I walked into the Shallows of the Abyss as the white hands carried me and headed above. Going higher and higher, I was met with a ce that resembled the meeting ce of water and air.

    Waiting for me there was one of the Level 6 artifacts that only sovereigns couldy their hands on.

    Above the tall heavens was a mechanical device going hundreds of metres in height. ck pirs were densely packed around it. And at the very top was a golden sword aura that was crafted with an astonishinglyrge amount of mana.

    It had been activated beforehand.

    The golden sword aura was suppressing the world. A mere object was giving off a vicious aura trying to oppress me.

    This object was the device invented by the sovereign, Gaum, to kill existences that were otherwise unkible.

    [Guillotine of the Highest Heavens]

    At the same time, it was the tool that would guide me to freedom.

 Chapter 392: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (3)

    <h4>Chapter 392: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (3)</h4>

    I reached out to the guillotine above.

    The guillotine recognised my mana. Although I wasn¡¯t a great user of mana, I was able to learn a unique form from being killed by the Monarch of the Highest Heavens.

    [Overload]

    I ignited the guillotine a second time.

    The pirs quivered. Forcing down the fixed mana capacity, I poured more mana andpressed those down again. The unstable clusters of mana werepressed to a dot and were pressed down again as the golden sword aura in charge of the guillotine¡¯s de explosively wriggled and increased in size.

    <The Artifact, [Guillotine of the Highest Heavens] has entered the abnormal state, [Overload].>

    <Current Level of Overload¡­ 137.1%>

    With the overload in ce, the guillotine will be destroyed after being used once, but thatpressed outburst of power will definitely be able to kill me. When I disable my authorities, it will crush through my bodies and pierce deeper to erase my existence that has been intertwined into Providence.

    Definitely.

    Was this good enough?

    <Current Level of Overload¡­ 213.2%>

    No.

    Let¡¯s put a time limit as well ¨C 30 days.

    It was the time it would take for the cruise ship to reach Askalifa after travelling through the dimensions. In about 15 days, the cruise will start merging into the ¡®outer dimension¡¯, and the true body of Vintage Clock will perceive the disappearance of the hazard and undo the curse of regression from my body.

    The reason I ced a time limit was in case this sense of crisis that was right beneath my chin made me hesitate and postpone the death. I had to push myself to the corner.

    In other words, it was like this¡­

    <Current Level of Overload¡­ 349.5%>

    I will definitely die in 30 days.

    .

    .

    .

    <Current Level of Overload¡­ 538.8%>

    <Current Level of Overload¡­ 819.0%>

    <Current Level of Overload¡­ 1324.7%>

    .

    .

    .

    A snowy season.

    Night came fast to Neryungri (§¯§Ö§â§ð§ß§Ô§â§Ú?) at this time of the year and the sun did notst for long.

    That day was one of such days.

    The sun disappeared over the horizon as darkness slowly started covering the sky like a drop of ink in a bucket of water. Under the darkening sky, the nearby city sparkled brightly and peacefully like a starry night.

    However, the hills and the mountains near Neryungri were in a different state. The camouged soldiers were holding their breaths adapting their eyes to the darkness. They could be targets of the flying monsters the moment they used any sources of light so they embraced the darkness while gazing at the sky.

    Someone looked down at their watch.

    The clock was showing 5 o¡¯clock. Atst, the day of prophecy was here.

    The allied superhuman forces including the Association were all gathered at Neryungri, Russia. Carrying her unwell body, Valentine the Witch rested near Olyokma River and used her spells as sublime and earth-quivering mana gathered at the fingertips of the one who had once been living as a sovereign.

    Kugugugung¨C

    Her gestures were followed by trembling clouds, making one wonder if this would be how it looks for an earthquake to happen in the sky. And as for the sound, it sounded as if clouds of thunder were roaring in the distant night sky.

    Even though the thundering roars were resonating at a distant ce, they were loud and fierce enough to shake one¡¯s heart.

    While feeling the goosebumps on their arms, the soldiers gulped in nervousness.

    Something wasing¡­

    However, they started finding it odd as more and more time passed by.

    The night deepened with nothinging to them. In truth, even the observation devices that they brought in dumps were unable to find any signals. As they waited in tension with a strand of doubt appearing in their minds, the clock continued ticking and it became dawn, andter became morning.

    Sitting at the world that was still dark, they suddenly felt odd as the soldiers raised their awareness once again.

    It was currently 9 am. Things were even stranger.

    The night at Neryungri was noting to an end.

    Something gigantic was already upying the sky.

    *

    Waiting for something to pop out from the sky, while tension was slowly rising to the surface,

    The start of everything happened at a very different ce.

    There was a Grade 2 agent of the strategy council. She passed the night without any sleep at the temporarymand centre and up to there was fine, because superhumans could survive without sleeping for a few days. However, her stomach slowly starting to ache from tension at the face of her first ever battle was a different issue altogether.

    Even though she desperately tried holding it in for a few hours, she was already at her limits. Her stomach that had been turning heavier was now uncontrobly insisting on something.

    Receiving the res of themander, the agent dashed to the bathroom. After dealing with the urgent matter, she cleaned everything up and was trying to wash her hands when something strange entered her eyes.

    Beneath the darkmp, there were dark dots at the tip of her fingers and after pointing at it with a light source, she realised they were purple.

    She frowned. Were they bruises? They did not wash off no matter how much she rubbed them with both water and soap.

    It was strange. They weren¡¯t bruises but they weren¡¯ting off either.

    ¡°Nn? Uhh?¡±

    Suddenly in an instant, the purple dots increased in size. Riding up the fingers to the back of the hand, it went up to the wrist. ¡°Uhh?¡± the agent widened her eyes in shock.

    Her next action was done solely on reflex. After immediately judging that there was some type of monster inside her body, she hurriedly tied a firm knot around her arm with her magic.

    However, it was futile. The dark thing travelling up her arm started permeating around her body.

    ¡°Kuhuk, uahhk! What is¡­!¡±

    She drove her head into the wall and copsed to the ground. The dots were now covering her entire body. Travelling up the chin, they went past the lips, over the nose and atst reached the eyes and¡ª

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The agent stopped as if she was frozen.

    When she next opened her eyes, the whites of her eyes were covered with purple dots that made her look hideous.

    She stood up with a stagger and walked out of the bathroom.

    Her eyes looked for someone. She was hungry.

    There was another agenting to the bathroom just in time. In a sh, she dashed towards her like a lightning bolt and pounced at the opponent.

    ¡°Ahk! W, what are you doing, Joanna!¡±

    She inserted her fangs that were now doubled in both size and length into the neck of the opponent.

    ¡°N, no¡­! K, kuhaaaakk!¡±

    Blood sttered.

    The struggling body stopped its retaliation. The neck of the bitten agent turned purple and before long, the whites of the agent also turned purple as her fangs started protruding out.

    Soon, the two monsters lifted their bodies. They then turned their heads at the same time looking at the next intruder.

    Yu Jitae was on the other side of their gaze.

    *

    The incident suddenly started urring simultaneously all over the allied forces. The Long Night began from the inside.

    Even though the allies hastily dealt with the situation, subjugating them was not easy. Humans turned into monsters and attacked other humans. In the middle of a closebat, new monsters would suddenly be born.

    After several encounters, Zhuge Haiyan fully analysed the state and sent her message to everyone¡¯s ears.

    ¨C Their characters are simr to ¡®zombies¡¯!

    ¨C They use magic germs to infect an organism, and they get transmitted through mana contact. It takes control over the brain and the nerves and paralyses people¡¯s consciousness!

    ¨C Plus, they instigate the instinctive impulses of the host!

    Their intelligence was lower than an animal¡¯s. They could not turn a tap to drink water and did not know how to open a container of food, but they continued moving from the endless hunger and thirst.

    However, there was no need for them to open a food container, because there was food all around them ¨C humans. It was simple because all they had to do was go up and bite.

    Despite the simplicity of the phenomenon, it was difficult to resolve it.

    ¨C The infection of the germs cannot be stopped.

    It was difficult because of their strong infectiousness,

    ¨C It is impossible to stop them with normal immunity. Also, the germs can use almost 95% of the host¡¯s abilities.

    And their potential.

    ¨C Their numbers will rise exponentially the longer we fight them!

    This was one of the supernatural abilities held by an adult ck dragon, and was one of the abilities ck dragons used to destroy worlds.

    Yu Jitae knew what these were called.

    He put an end to his silence and interjected into Zhuge Haiyan¡¯s report.

    ¨C These will now be referred to as [Apocalypse Bringers]

    ¨C As of this moment, immediately kill anyone no matter who they are, the moment you see purple dots on them.

    ¨C There is no cure for it.

    Ending his words, Yu Jitae crushed the head of one of the Bringers that was running in at him.

    *

    The germs of the Bringers of Apocalypse started spreading like embers on a dry mountain. Because the soldiers were hiding in a small piece ofnd, the inability to deal with the situation promptly before the full analysis costed many lives.

    The allies were in chaos.

    ¡°N, no! Wake up Balone! It¡¯s me! I¡¯m your mate!¡±

    ¡°Oi. You are the one that¡¯s supposed to wake up! Does that guy still look like Balone to you?! Hurry up and run!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean! He is my colleague Balone! I can¡¯t leave him behind and¡­ kuhukk¡­!¡±

    Screams and gasps of the ones that had been turned into purple-dotted monsters, the shing sound of steel, the explosions of spells, gunfire and bombs ¨C all those noises mixed into one. It was like a pandemonium on earth.

    ¡°We lost contact with the B-13 squad! Make an investigation squad right now! Quick!¡±

    While themander of a nearby troop was shouting outmands, Yu Jitae swung his Shapeless Sword and sliced the head of an infected soldier.

    A whole troop had already been turned into Bringers of Apocalypse. He went there to kill them before the thirty of them could spread out to the surroundings.

    Every superhuman learned movement skills alongside body-strengthening spells ¨C they were both strong and fast. Those 30 infected soldiers simultaneously rushed in towards Yu Jitae with revealed fangs the moment they discovered him.

    Yu Jitae simrly sprinted towards them. Swinging his sword he crushed their heads. Even though they lost their intelligence, some of them instinctively defended their bodies so he sliced off their arms along with their heads.

    Like a lunatic, he attacked them. He destroyed, stabbed, smashed and bisected them. His feet moved the same way ever since he started attacking them as he continued massacring those former-soldiers like a machine.

    Thest entity instinctively tried to escape but did not have the chance to do so. Gathering his killing intent, Yu Jitae elongated it into the shape of a javelin and tossed it as the spear of killing intent travelled in a straight line and popped the head of the remaining one.

    Until now, killing and destroying the enemy was a boring task but it was now different. Yu Jitae wanted to move faster and kill as many enemies as possible.

    He was feeling a bizarre sense of pleasure. Like building up experience points in a game, he was getting the feeling that he was going closer towards his objective with each kill.

    After building up experience points, one would level up as a reward. It was the same for him ¨C at the end of this Long Night, he too would receive a reward.

    As his mind continued that line of thought, he found a path appearing in his head.

    That path was the road to happiness.

    O Vintage Clock.

    Did you say I will definitely be happy?

    Happiness ¨C freedom was at the end of this path. Looking at it like that, he became too anxious to stay still.

    Yu Jitae started to run;

    Towards happiness that was bound to be further down this path.

 Chapter 393: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (4)

    <h4>Chapter 393: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (4)</h4>

    Yu Jitae did not givemands.

    There were many excellentmanders in the allied forces. These soldiers who had dedicated themselves to the military ever since a young age to fight against monsters at the frontlines showed superb skills at utilising the military based on their various experiences. Thus, it was more helpful for Yu Jitae to fight at the frontlines instead of giving outmands.

    He was already like a legion by himself.

    There had been hundreds of encounters over thest few hours. In each battle, he killed tens of Apocalypse Bringers and that summed up to more than a thousand in total.

    With a thud, he drove the head of the approaching Bringer of Apocalypse into the ground as its head sttered into pieces.

    Again, he was feeling a faint sense of pleasure.

    He was reaching the end of the path.

    The smell of blood tickled his nose as he turned his gaze to the sky.

    This was not the time to mindlessly continue fighting ¨C although the appearance of the Apocalypse Bringers made things a bit tedious, this just seemed like a prelude to a much bigger event in his opinion. It wasn¡¯t something meagre like a zombie outbreak.

    However, he couldn¡¯t exactly tell what wasing.

    Basing his mind on his experiences of hunting down ck dragons, he came up with tens of possible scenarios.

    Apocalypse Bringers were one of the subjects belonging to ck dragons but they had a lot more threatening ones under their belt.

    Why did they release the ¡®Bringers of Apocalypse¡¯ out of all their subordinates?

    Why?

    ¨C In times like this, a simple perception could be the correct answer.

    ¨C Perhaps they are trying to disguise the opening moment of the fissure?

    Zhuge Haiyan shared her idea.

    Aplicated entanglement could be resolved surprisingly easily by looking at it from a simple perspective. Although that was true, was that really how it was for this instance?

    Were the ¡®Bringers of Apocalypse¡¯ that should be quite significant, nothing but the red carpet beingid before the appearance of the [Great Hostility]?

    He crushed the neck of the Apocalypse Bringer ¨C who had been a precious soldier of the Association until just then ¨C and killed it.

    Firstly, he had to identify the next opponent and kill it. Apocalypse Bringers might not be a threat to him, but were big enough of a threat to others.

    One of the Bringers ran in at Yu Jitae as he senselessly shed, stabbed and ripped every one of them to death. He grabbed onto the head of one of the assants and smashed it into the ground.

    In the end, they were colleagues and families of the soldier.

    At times, there were ones that wept out loud at the death of theirrades. He ignored them.

    At times, there were soldiers that attacked Yu Jitae out of their uncontroble shock and fury. Those guys he killed.

    It was when he was continuing his massacre.

    Suddenly, his body froze on the spot as he then closed his eyes. His senses were sensitive to their limits and could even feel diluted mana that was dozens of kilometres away from him.

    Those senses of his discovered a stalk of foreign mana falling down from the sky.

    Thus, he flew up and approached it to examine the aura in more detail.

    It was the mana of nature.

    Nature ¨C one that was abnormallyrge, which meant¡­

    ¡­An elf?

    A heaviness that could not be disguised reached his senses. This was definitely the mana of the sublime and lofty race ¨C the existences that were the most mysterious and rare across all the dimensions.

    A fragmentbelled as ¡®Elf¡¯ flew into the mix of scattered puzzle pieces.

    Bringers of Apocalypse, and elves?

    Elves. Elves¡­

    It was then.

    An enormous fissure started cracking open from the sky near the distant horizon as all the soldiers widened their eyes in shock. How big is it for it to appear so huge despite being off in the distance?

    Before long, the fissure turned bigger like cracks going down a piece of ss as it drew near them.

    The night sky started to tear open.

    If a normal fissure was a mouth, then the one above them looked like the uneven and broken oral structure of an ogre. An unfathomably immense clump of mana poured down and suppressed the allied forces.

    ¨C On my mark!

    Themanders shouted.

    Mages red at the sky, with each squad aiming at their designated target. If they were either too fast or too slow, it would decrease the impact of their initial response. There were 3.5 million superhumans gathered here ¨C an error in 1% would result in tens of thousands of lives.

    That was why they had to wait for the perfect timing.

    ¨C ¡­

    The other side of the radio was silent and that in turn amplified the white noise in the background.

    As beads of sweat travelled down the cheeks of the soldiers that were hovering their fingers over the triggers of their artifact,

    Ones with red eyes that gleamed in blue slowly started to appear from the darkness of the open fissure. Enemies with hostility were approaching while glistening the darkness with their tainted colours.

    The first monster popped its head out of the fissure.

    And then,

    Monsters flooded out¡ª

    Millions of monsters that were in all sorts of shapes originating from beyond the horizon of Providence that people had never seen before were falling like raindrops. There were so many of them that the soldiers could not believe what their eyes were seeing. It was a scene of catastrophe.

    Now!

    Themander shouted.

    ¨C Firee!!!

    For an instant, it became as bright as the day.

    Bombardments brightened up the dark sky.

    ***

    Tens and hundreds of thousands of offensive spells and magic explosions all gathered to one ce. Their mes were huge enough to brighten up the entire area. Because of that, most of the monsters that first left the fissure, if not all of them, were either dead or critically wounded.

    Even then, the monsters did not stop hoarding out as more and more monsters followed suit.

    The ones watching from a distance were shocked. As if the god was shaking arge container of ck pepper upside down, millions of monsters were falling from the sky as ck dots.

    Each and every one of them looked bizarre. There was a squid fluttering in the sky and a horrendous spider looking like it was made from humans, as well as a cluster of reddened tentacles that looked as if they would burst at any given moment.

    The soldiers had never seen any monster like this before.

    It was like a part of pandemonium that was being unveiled in front of their eyes.

    ¨C Maintain your ranks! Do something and don¡¯t let them break your guards!

    A full-scale war.

    ¨C This is K315! We require backup! Our troops have been half-destroyed!

    Rushed voices were echoing across the radio.

    ¨C Rr09, Rr09! The giant is in motion! It is heading North! Our mages have been neutralised! We will be wiped at this rate!

    Their shouts and the thundering bombardments merged into a chaotic set of noises.

    ¨C Damn it! Stop themmm!!

    This was war.

    .

    .

    .

    Thanks to the hasty response, the ¡®Apocalypse Bringers¡¯ were pretty muchpletely subjugated.

    Humans and monsters were chaotically fighting in a cluster. Many preparations had been set up for this day ¨C the mages summoned huge balls of fire and ice mountains from the air to either scorch or halt the monsters.

    The ground diverged and swallowed hordes of monsters. Having several human casualties in that process was unavoidable.

    ¨C Stop them! Stop them! Do not get pushed back!!

    If their formation surrounding the fissure was to be pushed back, millions of monsters including those flying would end up spreading worldwide. In addition to the increase in human casualties, facilities would be broken and nature would be destroyed to an irrecoverable state like how several African and Oceanian countries were lost during the Great War!

    ¨C We must protect the barrier!

    That was when Yu Jitae personally stepped in and killedrge monsters above the SS+ rank. After disappearing with a sh, he would reappear several kilometres away to smash the head of a monster that was as big as an apartment before vanishing again.

    Those watching him were befuddled. The ¡®Prophet¡¯ looked like a toothpick crushing the head of a bear and a tiger.

    ¡°The Prophet is with us! We can do it!¡±

    ¡°We got thisss!¡±

    The ones that lost theirrades frantically shouted to keep their minds from crumbling down.

    Despite the positive wave of encouragement going through the soldiers, Yu Jitae did not have a good look on his face. He had already been flying from ce to ce for several hours, efficiently killing the monsters that he had to take care of first.

    There were so many monsters pouring out from the fissure that they made people want to vomit.

    It seemed to be 50% more than the number of monsters that were in the East Asian Great War and yet each and every monster was also a lot stronger than normal monsters.

    This was supposed toe to an end soon,

    So why was the one that should havee, noting?

    That was when themand centre¡¯s radio echoed with noise.

    ¨C Strategy Team! Is the boss not here yet!?

    ¨C Scouts! What are the scouts doing!? Are there seriously still no signs of the boss?

    ¨C The Western front is being pushed back! It¡¯s a matter of time until they push through! Hurry up!!

    Themanders shouted in angst.

    ¨C Not yet! Hold on a bit more! The fissure is radically interrupting with any type of fluctuation and we have already sent additional scouts!

    ¨C Damn it. It will take at least 20 more minutes for the Downfall to activate and reach this ce. Didn¡¯t you say there were three bosses?! We can¡¯t halt three SSS+ bosses for 20 minutes!

    Yu Jitae frowned hearing the jumbled up voices through the radio.

    There were nigh 10 million monsters pouring out from the fissure and the number of allied casualties had already reached hundreds of thousands.

    There were too many monsters ¨C there were so many of those atrocities that even Yu Jitae could not exactly identify their numbers with his senses.

    The hundreds of thousands of monsters they initially killed at the start of the battle with their concentrated bombardment did not even sum up to a fingernailpared to the rest of the monsters.

    It was truly a ridiculous amount. If all of these monsters had spread worldwide, humanity would have suffered an irrecoverable loss no matter how desperate Yu Jitae was. So the Witch twisting the dimensional coordinates and the Association¡¯s preparation for the battle could be called a sess.

    Yu Jitae¡¯s n was correct.

    While swinging his sword and indiscriminately shooting out killing intent, he felt a strong doubt rising up on the inside.

    Was this really the [Hostility]?

    Did the ck dragons that died to him, really send such an absurd army of monsters for their revenge?

    Number alone was just too violent already. An astronomical number of monsters were raging at him. Even he was being forced to gasp for breath simply due to their numbers.

    And that was something he could not understand.

    There were way too many monsters for them to have been prepared for just revenge.

    Even if it was the entire ck dragon race doing it, preparing so many monsters would have taken them at least hundreds of years.

    His mind branched off. Maybe the ck dragons had been preparing an army for something else?

    However, out of the tens of ck dragons that he had met, none of them had owned such arge amount of monsters. This was nonsensical and impossible.

    He frowned while swinging his sword. For now, he couldn¡¯t do anything else but swing his sword.

    That was while feeling an asional surge in pleasure.

    .

    .

    .

    Five days went by with the war still in ce. After hearing the news, the allied nations worldwide sent additional soldiers in as reinforcements, and 2 million superhumans alongside 6.5 million human soldiers were added to the battle.

    Although there were less monsters falling down from the sky, those that had already fallen down were colouring the ground in ck.

    Humanity was slowly being tinged by despair.

    Blood sttered. Theirrades died and their broken fingers were unable to grab the weapons again and yet the sun had yet to rise for more than 10 days.

    Yu Jitae saw a superhuman killing himself and frowned.

    The problem was that the end of the night was still nowhere in sight.

    That was when a superhuman scout standing far above in the sky gulped. He was a superhuman belonging to the Blue Wing Private Superhuman Military Corporation.

    ¨C Hurry up! We must find some before they request for additional back up!

    One of their leaders shouted. They didn¡¯t have much time on their hands.

    Even though this battle was one that questioned the continuance of humanity, there were still ones that moved for their private profit.

    They always assumed they woulde out victorious because everything would be over anyway if they lost. Because of that, they had to find ¡®ancient species¡¯ while everyone else was engrossed in the battle to gain profit from the byproduct.

    ¡°Sorry sir. I need more time to identify one.¡±

    ¨C Do you fucking know how big of an opportunity this is! Hurry up and find one!

    The scout in the sky gulped. Inside the world covered by a dense fog of darkness, something flickered at the infinitely distant ce.

    Millions of superhumans were fighting against ten million monsters but that had nothing to do with him. The scout headed higher towards the sky until he was right in front of the fissure. ¡°¨COi! Where are you going!¡± A nearbymander shouted but the scout continued on while ignoring him.

    Atst, he stood before the fissure.

    ¡°I, I found it!¡±

    ¨C Where!?

    ¡°It, it¡¯s, in the sky¨C kuhuk!¡±

    A tentacle flew in and the de at the tip of the tentacle pierced his heart as the superhuman scout gazed at the sky with disbelief. Following that, countless tentacles fell from the fissure aiming for thousands of soldiers. It was like a bombardment of tentacles.

    The tentacle did not stop after stabbing through the man¡¯s heart. Feeling blood seeping out of his pierced heart, the superhuman scout widened his eyes in shock.

    From within the darkness,

    He spotted an even denser darkness shifting its body.

 Chapter 394: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (5)

    <h4>Chapter 394: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (5)</h4>

    ¨C What! What¡¯s happening!

    Soon, the thing that appeared in the sky opened its eyes and gazed down at the man with its ck, vertically-slit pupils. It was the one who was known to havended a destructive impact on Australia.

    ¡°B, ck dra¡­¡±

    The scout¡¯s body started falling from the sky.

    His nose was no longer breathing.

    Hordes of monsters fell from the sky andnded on his dead body. Tens, hundreds, thousands¡­ Tens of thousands of monsters mercilessly stepped on the scout¡¯s corpse while tangling up to a small mountain, squashing the monsters beneath. Before long, the wriggling mountain dissipated as the monsters scattered like cockroaches.

    The fissure continued retching out monsters and at one point, the fissure itself started to tremble. It looked as if it was trying to vomit the thing thatid at the very bottom after vomiting out everything.

    ¨C It, it¡¯sing!!

    One of the soldiers shrieked a report.

    ¨C Downfall! Firee!!

    While hundreds of thousands of monsters were pouring out of the fissure,rge existences revealed themselves from behind.

    Their overwhelming dignity suppressed the world, as three adult ck dragons left the fissure.

    ¨C ck dragons!!!

    The ck eyes were out of focus. These guys did not have rationality either.

    KURURAARARARA¡ª!!!

    One of the dragons let out a loud roar that quaked and echoed the ground. The predator¡¯s shout frightened everyone as long as they were human.

    Oscar Brzenk was not here due to his unwell body. If he was here, he would have been able to fight against a dragon on equal grounds but because of his absence, humanity had to fight against the monster without their sword. They would have to sacrifice one of their limbs in the process.

    Yu Jitae thought to himself.

    If the three dragons were to move in different directions, he could not do anything whether he was the Regressor or not. It was physically impossible.

    There were three adult dragons in total.

    Out of those, he would mark one dragon, while Clone 1 fighting elsewhere woulde and mark another one.

    Up to that point it was fine.

    Yu Jitae raised his gaze and stared at the sky. Although he couldn¡¯t see it, he could sense a transparent barrier blocking the sides. 170 grand mages including Valentine, Myung Yongha and Jeanie Inssirem had created arge-scale barrier reaching 300 km in diameter.

    Lastly, humanity¡¯sst squad was in charge of another dragon but this side was uncertain. Although they would definitelye out on top if they were to have a frontal fight, if the dragon was to focus on killing the soldiers and breaking the barrier, the remaining monsters would end up spreading like a hail.

    But was he nervous because of that?

    No.

    From a point in time, he was starting to feel uncontrobly excited. His heart was beating so loud that the sound of his heartbeat was reaching his ears.

    It was a crisis, yet at the same time, it wasn¡¯t because killing those would let him pass the biggest crisis of the Long Night.

    A faint sense of pleasure had been filling his heart even when he was killing small-fries. It was the pleasure that he was heading to freedom but this one was on a whole different league.

    He clenched his chin.

    Like a beast in heat he became antsy. The long-awaited end of his life was just around the corner and at the face of that sweet pleasure, he kicked the ground and flew towards the dragon.

    Towards freedom.

    *

    They were full adults unlike Myu and were at the level of ancient dragons.

    Ripping the dragon¡¯s neck, he cut off its arteries and crushed its body that was trying to recover endlessly. Pulling the dragon that was trying to escape back into the battlefield, he tore its wings and amputated its arms and legs. It still tried to fly with magic so he smacked it into the ground and destroyed its heart.

    He was frustrated.

    It felt like he was running down a desert in the middle of summer ¨C as if there was a cold oasis as refreshing as icy water in sight which was somehow still out of reach.

    It took almost 17 hours for him topletely ughter one of the dragons.

    When he then sessfully killed two of them, happiness was poured out from the depths of his brain as pleasure that was on equal grounds with a climax flooded into his heart.

    The biggest crisis of the Long Night had definitely been snapped just then.

    Standing by himself on the bare ground, Yu Jitae was refreshed. Violence, sex, drugs ¨C no human entertainment in the world could lead him to such an immense pleasure.

    ¡°Season killed another dragon¡ª-!!¡±

    Themander who had been keeping a close eye on his fight yelled into the radio to console the soldiers that were bing exhausted from the endless war despite the positive flow of the battle.

    He turned his feet.

    The remaining dragon was also dying under the cooperation of the soldiers. He could see BM, Jeanie, Minamoto, Myung Yongha, Christopher and others holding onto the back of therge monster, sticking toothpicks into its body.

    It was now up to them.

    Those were the ones that he bothered keeping alive ¨C this scene before his eyes was the reason he did something as tedious as being involved in the Association, strengthening them despite his irritation and letting them live even though it would have been easier to kill them off.

    It was their job to stop what they could with their own strength.

    He looked at the sky.

    A strange aura was still flowing out of the greedy mouth of the huge fissure.

    Immediately after the [Apocalypse Bringers] showed themselves, he had to face a question due to the murky mana of nature flowing out of the fissure.

    That question expressed in one line went something like this.

    Apocalypse Bringer + Elf = ?

    Bringers of Apocalypse led to serial attacks and were destructive. ¡®Weak dimensions¡¯ that failed to deal with them early on would definitely be ruined by them, and that was one of the ways ck dragons used to destroy dimensions.

    However, the Apocalypse Bringers weren¡¯t deemed very dangerous inter-dimensionally. Strong dimensions could massacre them early on, whereas the Apocalypse Bringers in weak dimensions would wipe the races off of that world without holding back, and end up destroying themselves by devouring each other due tock of food.

    And the ck dragon woulde down to the world full of corpses toy its nest.

    In that sense, the current situation was somewhat strange¡­

    It was strange even for him, who was a master of hunting ck dragons.

    Lifting his gaze, he looked at the sky.

    Elves¡­ What kind of existences were they? They were a race that almost lived eternally.

    urring from nature, they lived solely to protect and guard mother nature. They were the only ¡®existences¡¯ that managed to escape the discipline of mortals and live without any metabolism.

    They did not have a desire to eat, because they could live by absorbing the mana of mother nature.

    They did not have any desires for reproduction nor did they have the ability to reproduce. Nature was the one that was in charge of maintaining their numbers.

    They did not have any desire to improve, and lived in satisfaction at what they were given.

    Up to that point, they seemed unrted to Bringers of Apocalypse.

    ¡­What else was there?

    The fact their bodies were unable to be injured because of the remarkable recovery of mother nature?

    Or the fact that they built up mana inside their body endlessly, only to return to the dirt and end their lives ording to their own judgement when their individual power was deemed dangerous to nature?

    Wait.

    A red light shed in his head.

    Returning to nature on their own judgement when the mana that built up inside their body might be dangerous to nature, was it?

    Wait, that means¡­¡­

    Kicking off the ground, he flew to the sky. There were still a few monsters falling down from above but that did not matter. He made his sword aura as long as possible and indiscreetly swung the 200-metre-de to destroy anything that approached him. Pieces of flesh and bones began raining down from the sky.

    After reaching high above, he gazed into the world behind the fissure. The ce where he could feel the strongest density of an elf¡¯s mana was emanating ambiently with blue light.

    It¡¯s there.

    Going closer towards it, he started feeling a fluctuation of mana that perfectly matched with his hypothesis.

    Those bastards ¨C the ck dragons were nning something outrageous! In a hurry, he shouted into the radio.

    ¡°Jeanie Inssirem! Make thergest barrier you can make!

    ¡°Soldiers, scatter! Distance yourselves as much as you can!¡±

    After saying that, he turned his gaze.

    Now, even he was starting to feel anxious.

    The rarest species out of all the dimensions was the elf. The fore-mentioned attributes of an elf were extremely different to the characteristics of an Apocalypse Bringer¡¯s germ.

    He created a hypothesis.

    What happens when a germ of an Apocalypse Bringer infiltrates into thend of elves?

    It¡¯s not an easy world to go into, so even if millions of germs were thrown into it, only one or two elves would be infected.

    Let¡¯s say a germ flies diligently and finds an elf that is walking by itself. Going in, it infects the elf ¨C covering its body with purple dots, it takes control over its body.

    But that would be when the germ realises something. Even though it makes the elf act on its instinct, the elf would not bite other elves because their entire race had no individual desire.

    The germ would not spread because the elf remains there in ce and would stagnate. So, the elven Apocalypse Bringer would probably do nothing but stay still.

    However, the problem was that they would build up power within their body endlessly, by simply circting mana without even eating food. Standing still, they breathe and yet turn more and more powerful.

    In the end, they would build up mana inside their body for hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of years unless anything changed next to them, because they could live eternally by endlessly circting mana inside them.

    Because they lose their intellectual abilities from that process, the elf naturally forgets the fact that it should return to nature.

    Even after bing a danger to nature, they would stay there in ce and continue building up power.

    And that will create a monster that umted mana while going against Providence.

    The elven Apocalypse Bringer would only move when something changes in their environment. If someone were to destroy the forest, the elven Apocalypse Bringer that became a monster over tens of thousands of years would move on its instinct.

    To crush the ¡®enemy of nature¡¯ to death.

    ¡°Damn it¨C¡±

    Hemented upon finally realising what thest weapon that the ck dragons had prepared for the Long Night was.

    Suddenly, dirt, trees and a forest started to fall from therge crevice going down the sky. It came down like andslide happening from thin air and the abundance of nature made it look as if someone was pouring a whole ind.

    In the midst of the falling dirt and fragments of nature flickered a bluish ck light that began resonating with the sky of the Long Night.

    Arge number of huge roots resembling those of the world tree came pouring out from the sky, and fell like devouring ocean waves as they intertwined in the air.

    And soon, the roots cracked open revealing someone inside.

    ¨C W, what in the¡­!

    Amander unknowingly gasped in shock into the radio.

    Standing in the air was one that was the size of a human who however gave off a vastly superior presencepared to the adult dragons.

    He thought the hypothesis in his mind had been absurd, and had never thought such a thing actually existed.

    [Elven Bringer of Apocalypse]

    Opening its purple eyes, it observed the world in its darkness.

    Then, the elf raised its hand. Bluish ck aura gathered to one spot and soared up like arge tree as mana that must have been saved for an epoch, with each unit being at least hundreds of thousands of years, gathered to its immense weapon.

    As the unfathomable amount of aura that had been hidden inside its body exuded out and allowed them to see just how immense it was, the soldiers questioned their eyes.

    Am I dreaming?

    Is something as absurd as that even possible?

    Seriously?

    Tuungg¡ª¡ª¡ª

    That was when the guy shot its mana.

    Out of the rankers that ignorantly jumped in to stop it, thirteen were annihted in the literal meaning of the word. They literally disintegrated in the air and vanished.

    The aura of [Eradication] that was discharged from the weapon followed the trajectory and destroyed the nearby superhumans, monsters andndscape. There was no sound apanying that strike, and that made it even more frightening.

    Soon, as shrieks, yells ofmanders and voices filled with shock disturbed his ears through the radio.

    ¨C Act with caution!

    Yu Jitae soared into the sky with a shout.

 Chapter 395: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (6)

    <h4>Chapter 395: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (6)</h4>

    But was he nervous because of that?

    No.

    A smile left his mouth as his mind was put at ease. It was because he was certain that he would be able to kill it.

    Although he had never consciously dwelled on it in his life, there was a pride lying deep inside his heart.

    In the 1st iteration, he learned how to use a sword. In the 2nd iteration, he learned how to fight better and hunted a ridiculous number of monsters in the 3rd iteration. After the 4th iteration, he grew through his death and learned hundreds of different skills and after going beyond the 5th iteration, he sharpened his own weapon and achieved a unique authority that rendered the hundreds of skills he learned useless.

    Even so, his greed was still there. He had to be stronger because that had been his way to freedom.

    In the 6th iteration, he killed the existences that protected worlds and stood at the extreme limits in terms of physical prowess. Since the period of time he spent crazily seeking power was very long, this thought of his was his pride, yet at the same time was the single notion inside and the tool he could always believe in.

    I am strong.

    Everything within the scope of ¡®existences¡¯ is all in my control.

    He was certain of it.

    In the end, neither the Long Night nor that dirty Hostility could ever affect him. Because that had been his mindset from the start, there was no reason for him to be nervous in the slightest.

    No matter who the enemy was, and no matter how they interfered with him, it was impossible for there to be anything in this world that he couldn¡¯t physically destroy.

    What could possibly dare defeat him?

    Even though it was an arrogant and egoistic mindset, what about it?

    That was the fundamental ideology in his mind, and because of that, he was rxed throughout the fight against his foe. In his head, there was only pleasure that was so strong that it threatened to melt his brain.

    The Elven Apocalypse Bringer fiercely retaliated. The ground was turned upside down as soldiers disappeared into the distance as if they were struck by a tidal wave. Each and every attack of the elf was in a cone shape, and destroyed more things as it got further away. Sometimes, thousands of humans were exterminated.

    Each of those strikes were so ferocious that it befuddled even Yu Jitae. The elf was stronger than most sovereigns, and was also overwhelmingly stronger than the Demon Archduke.

    Some of the sessful attacks left a big mark on his body. His military uniform that had not a single drop of blood till now was ripped and the shirt inside was torn apart. As the fightsted longer, more wounds were carved on his body.

    The aura of eradication did not even let Yu Jitae recover properly. His skin was ripped out. Blood sttered from the wound going down all the way from his eye to his chin, and a punch to his chest tore through his muscles and crushed his bones.

    But in the end, he still managed to grip onto the elf¡¯s chin, and he then threw its body onto the vast wastnd beneath.

    Gathering the immensely huge killing intent of his Shapeless Sword into one dot, he stabbed it into the guy¡¯s head.

    Branches stemmed out from the head of the elf. They covered the wound and pushed his Shapeless Sword out as mana that was as expansive as that of one whole dimension tried to regenerate its body in real time.

    It was okay.

    All he had to do was create more wounds the more it regenerated.

    All he had to do was destroy faster than the recovery speed.

    At one point, he was smashing the guy¡¯s head with all his strength. The ground was jolting by dozens of metres with every thud.

    No matter how tough, it still crumbled under his fist. And the tougher it was, the more it contributed to solidifying his position in his mind.

    Arrogance reared its head just like when he had been killing sovereigns in the past. Life was like a desert ¨C everything he met down the dry and dusty path of sand was his enemy.

    He killed them. His enemies killed him if he couldn¡¯t kill them, but life repeated itself until he could kill them in his next encounter.

    That was his life.

    Hostility? ck dragon Lugiathan?

    It wasn¡¯t even funny.

    Do you think a mere dragon like you holding Hostility against me, would even be a threat as big as a rat¡¯s tail?

    It must have used its head in its own way, judging from how it tried to agitate the baby dragons using Bom.

    That definitely was a staggering experience, but they were astonishingly stupid and blind, and Bom¡¯s inorganic state must have been unexpected.

    They were too sloppy.

    In the end, this was what they had sent trying to stop him, but unfortunately for them, the elf¡¯s head was crumbling down at the tip of his sword.

    He felt amused. This toothless beast was desperately trying to fight back by biting his ankle, not knowing that there was a metal te above it. And now, it was time to crush that insolent chin of the beast.

    Breaking was his forte;

    Saving someone, on the other hand, was not. He had never even considered learning that before because he had never wished to live in the first ce. When the white bird died, he was inwardly quite bitter that he couldn¡¯t save it but looking back, not being able to save it wasn¡¯t that bad either.

    If you can¡¯te back to me,

    How about I follow after you?

    What is that ce like?

    Are you happy in that world of freedom?

    He asked, while shivering his body from curiosity. Naturally, he didn¡¯t receive any reply and all he received in response was the gaze of the ck cat who had lost itself in voyeurism.

    It¡¯s fine.

    Everything is now fine.

    Kwang¨C! Kwang¨C! Kwang¨C!

    Because I am on my way to you.

    Kwang¨C! Kwang¨C! Kwang¨C!

    When we meet again, can you whisper your blessing into my ears?

    Can you call my name, and tell me you were waiting for me?

    Let¡¯s be together in a world with no shackles.

    Let¡¯s live together forever.

    In that instant, the surrounding mana started to sh and flicker ¨C it was the prelude of an explosion. A power that had the potential to eradicate this entire ce started to flicker at an irregr speed.

    It was fine. Yu Jitae was already driving the elf underground into the depths. He simply had to go a few more kilometres and bury it there.

    Following his n, Yu Jitae thrusted the guy deep into the ground as the unprecedented amount of mana gathered into one single ce. The ground beneath was still being cracked like soft cream.

    Going deeper and deeper, he buried it deeper inside. The flickering light started to grow explosively, threatening to scorch the deep underground.

    Even then, he did not stop shoving his enemy down.

    And in the next instant,

    ¡ª¡ª!!

    Light enveloped his world.

    .

    .

    .

    The war came to an end.

    And he was not dead.

    When the lengthy darkness retreated from the sky, the fissure hanging in the heaven began to close.

    Atst, the sun finally started to rise.

    ¡°¡°Wahhhhh!¡±¡±

    ¡°¡°Wahhhhhhhhh!¡±¡±

    ¡°¡°We wonnnnnn¡ª_!!!¡±¡±

    A shout that exploded out of someone¡¯s mouth started spreading out like an infection as others followed suit with thunderous roars.

    ¡°We won. We wonn!!¡±

    ¡°Ahh, oh god!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s over! Finally! It¡¯s fucking over!¡±

    The soldiers each prayed to their gods.

    Some thought about their families that would be waiting for their return at home. Some were crying with the corpses of theirrades in their arms, and others were crawling out from the mountains of dead monsters. Regardless of what was going inside their head, they all felt liberated.

    Yu Jitae was the same. He thought everything was over.

    However, the ck cat suddenly started walking up to him, and the needless notification of the cat immediately made his mind do a 180-degree-turn.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] alerts you that the [Last Fragment] of the Long Night has note to this ce.>

    It was something he did not want to know about.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] alerts you that the trajectory of the [Last Fragment] is heading to the [Dimensional Cruise].>

    His head that had been excited and fluffy from the sense of liberation felt like it was being bombarded.

    ¡°You. Do you realise what you are saying?¡±

    Bending his back, he grabbed onto the nape of the ck cat. The cat stayed still while simply blinking its golden eyes.

    He released the grip as the cat settled back down on the ground.

    A situation that waspletely outside his expectation made him freeze.

    The Last Fragment was heading to the Dimensional Cruise? How in the world was that possible?

    Sending the baby dragons back home was conceptually different from simply making them board a ship and going back with it. It was nned and perfected by making use of the power of [Origin Fragment] that originated from a dragon¡¯s transcendent authority.

    So how was it that [Hostility] could still aim for the Dimensional Cruise?

    Is there still something I¡¯m missing?

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] does not lie.>

    Confusion budded inside after feeling the cat¡¯s gaze. Key was telling him that it was a very dangerous situation, and that he had to hurry!

    His mind turned distant.

    He couldn¡¯t understand how his life was still being entangled by uncertainties even at this point. What kind of wretched power was it that was at work, that it could obsessively continue spouting out things that were beyond his expectation?

    The path that was supposed to be nearing the end started distancing away again for no reason.

    Even though the baby dragons were now a lot stronger than they were when they left for the Amusement, Hostility was beyond their capability.

    It wasn¡¯t certain whether Hostility could fully reach the baby dragons though. Key¡¯s opinion was the same ¨C it was saying the Last Fragment was heading towards the cruise ship.

    It didn¡¯t ¡®reach¡¯ the ship yet, and that in turn meant that it was also possible for Hostility to miss the ship.

    Key did not refute his line of thought.

    But what if the kids were to be exposed to [Hostility] by any chance?

    They¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    No.

    That¡¯s not it.

    Let¡¯s think.

    The Long Night had been going on for 20 days and by now, the baby dragons should have fully left the Earth¡¯s dimension.

    They should have entered the outer dimensions already.

    The ¡®outer dimension¡¯ was a unique ce. It was simr to an open sea, and it was impossible for anyone to avoid being lost without the specific coordinates. That should be the same even for Hostility.

    The uncertainty that had been constantly harassing him started persuading his mind this time. The fact that they could be exposed to Hostility, also meant that they might not be exposed to Hostility.

    They were currently in the outer dimension so wouldn¡¯t it be highly likely for them to avoiding into contact with Hostility? His feelings that he had regained from daily life were very sly. It made hime up with a positive hypothesis, and convinced him to believe it.

    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter even if they were to be exposed to Hostility. Whatever the case, the baby dragons were now considered as having escaped the Providence of Earth. And this meant¡­

    It was when he was continuing his trail of thought.

    Growl!

    The ck cat growled in protest while revealing its fangs, asking him why he wasn¡¯t doing anything.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states there is a rtively high chance that the [Dimensional Cruise] would be at risk.>

    By mentioning the likelihood, the cat added weight to its im that the baby dragons were in danger.

    Since when did the cat even care about that?

    The baby dragons;

    They were now outside Earth¡¯s Providence.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states there is a rtively high chance that the [Dimensional Cruise] would be at risk!>

    After pondering about what he should say in response to that statement, he summarised the thoughts that should be going inside his mind into one sentence.

    ¡°So what.¡±

 Chapter 396: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (7)

    <h4>Chapter 396: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (7)</h4>

    The sense of urgency that had been suddenly soaring inside him quickly settled back down.

    Drawing the boundaries with those words helped him organise his mind.

    The baby dragons are in danger?

    So? What about it? It had nothing to do with him anymore.

    He knew himself that cleaning the house of their belongings was nothing but an act of formality. Now, it was time to really throw the kids out.

    There was affection and a deepened bond. That was an undeniable fact.

    However, that too was just a shackle stopping him from reaching freedom.

    Was everything an essory if there was a flower imprinted on it? Was the thing entangling one¡¯s hand a bracelet as long as it was made of gold? No. Whatever it was, anything that restricted the hands and feet from moving freely was a shackle.

    That was why the baby dragons were a different type of shackle to him.

    It was none of his business.

    Let¡¯s not involve myself in their matters. Let¡¯s live for myself. In any case, they were now beyond the dimensional boundaries of Earth and whatever happened there had nothing to do with Earth.

    Earth that had been constantly swayed around from uncertainties for a thousand years atst gained its freedom.

    Why would I ruin this valuable opportunity with my own hands?

    Would I bother running away from the freedom that had finallye near me, and lock myself in time again?

    No.

    That would not happen.

    I am not that stupid.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states there is a rtively high chance that the [Dimensional Cruise] would be at risk.>

    ¡°Stop growling. Before I crush your damn mouth.¡±

    After forcing the cat to shut up, he turned his feet back home.

    The Elven Bringer of Apocalypse was a lot stronger than most sovereigns, and he had never pushed himself to such limits before while fighting someone in the 7th iteration.

    There were still traces of [Eradication] left behind all over his body which he had to heal.

    His feet were in a hurry as he returned to Unit 301.

    Why was it here out of every possible location?

    He didn¡¯t know why himself, and could only guess that it must be something like a homing instinct.

    Reaching out, he grabbed onto the knob but he turned it excessively and the knob ended up falling apart.

    Stopping his feet, he slowly closed his eyes. After closing his eyes, he controlled his hasty emotions.

    What a fiesta.

    What kind of childish thing was this?

    He had been living far too long without bothering to control his emotions, and controlling his emotions that began threatening to jump out was therefore not an easy feat.

    What he hoped for was aplete death from Providence. Although striking his neck with a guillotine might seem simple, it was in fact a very delicate task. He had to get rid of the remaining slivers of [Eradication] from his wounds to make sure unnecessary attributes of mana won¡¯t be added to the guillotine.

    Going into the house, he flicked the switch but the light wasn¡¯t turned on. It was because he turned the breaker down on the day he cleaned up the rooms of the children.

    Yu Jitae heaved a deep sigh. He thought his internal turmoil was somewhat controble now, but a strange feeling struck him the moment he thought that.

    His eyes were on the refrigerator.

    To be exact, his eyes were on the yellow post-it note stuck on the fridge¡­

    [Must open ?]

    The world turned hazy.

    Was that note always there?

    He couldn¡¯t remember it that well, and he therefore hesitated. Soon, he decided to open the fridge and was met with an unpleasantly lukewarm gush of wind.

    At the same time, his nose picked up an odour that used to be very hard to smell at Unit 301. It was the smell that something had gone wrong, as if something was rotting away¡­

    That musty smell made him frown.

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes with the scowl still on his face. He thought cleaning up the rooms of the baby dragons would be enough. That was why he had cleaned up every single thing and yet there was a leftover trace at an extremely unexpected location.

    He nheless continued opening the door.

    Inside were containers of side dishes that appeared to have been made by Bom. One of the containers had a note attached on top.

    [Made personally by Kaeul! ?]

    [The chicken soup ahjussi made before!!!]

    That was the ¡®Offering of Eternal Peace¡¯.

    The world started to wobble.

    Since there was no way the world would wobble, it must have been his eyes that were quivering.

    Slowly, he took out several containers including Kaeul¡¯s soup.

    3 weeks was a long time. He opened the lids and most of them had already gone off. The ¡®Offering of Eternal Peace¡¯ was in an especially worse state and had blue moulds all around.

    He turned the note and looked at the back page.

    [Thank you for giving us delicious food all the time.]

    [Don¡¯t forget to eat. I love you ??]

    He dipped his finger into the mouldy soup and brought it to his mouth. The soft and subtle scent of the soup was no longer there. From within the lukewarm and sticky texture of the liquid, he could feel the smell of soap which should not exist in a food.

    Once again, he dipped his finger for another taste.

    Both the taste and the smell were disgusting, and the sticky texture of the soup was even more disturbing.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Something was falling down from his head. Although he couldn¡¯t see it with his eyes, it wetted his heart and continued flowing down. It made him lethargic and he became too powerless to think about anything.

    A liquid that was darker and murkier than the quagmire in his head seeped into his body.

    That was when the ck cat appeared in front of his eyes again.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states there is a rtively high chance that the [Dimensional Cruise] would be at risk.>

    He ignored it.

    Rather, he decided to ignore it.

    It was fine. There were still no problems.

    The ck cat stopped him in his tracks. Even though he wanted to kick it, it disappeared right before he could and reappeared one step further away.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states there is a rtively high chance that the [Dimensional Cruise] would be at risk.>

    This damn wretched bastard of a bitch.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He closed his eyes. The road was in sight and the finish line was just around the corner. All he had to do was take one or two more steps.

    Setting a clear objective allowed him to find the correct path amidst the confusion.

    Where am I headed,

    Where is it, that I am trying to go?

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states there is a rtively high chance that the [Dimensional Cruise] would be at risk!>

    ¡°WHAT ABOUT IT¡ª¨C!!¡±

    He threw the soup container at the table. With a shatter, the stic container bounced like a cannonball, broke through therge mirror and crashed into the wall.

    ¡°What! What do you want me to do? What has it got to do with me, whether those damn dragons get hurt or die!¡±

    He roared at the ck cat, but the transcendent authority refused to back down.

    Moving in a sh, he gripped onto the cat¡¯s neck and lifted it from the ground. Then, he pushed forward his finger that was dipped in soup in front of its eyes.

    ¡°Look. What does this look like to you.

    ¡°This is the true nature of dragons. They eat away at the world for selfish reasons. Using nonsense as their reason, they make a fine dimension rot inside out. They are the dimensional trash; they are germs! Do you think hatchlings are any different?

    ¡°Environmental variables could slow down the growth, but for how long do you think Yu Kaeul would continue acting nice? She is a dragon. She doesn¡¯t forget. The threshold of every stimtion she feels throughout her life will continue going up and in the end, she will move seeking for a bigger stimulus to escape that numbness. Just like her mother and her father!

    ¡°A personal bond does not change the fact that they are dragons! They were expelled from the Earth, and I have achieved my objective! So do not say that same thing to me ever again!

    ¡°Do you understand¡ª!!¡±

    After escaping from his grip, the cat slowly started to dissipate, all the while ring at him with its golden eyes.

    Yu Jitae ran his trembling hand through his hair.

    Hostility would be nearing the baby dragons even at this point in time, but he could still control his feelings.

    I can achieve anything I want.

    That had to be the case.

    .

    .

    .

    He pulled the curtains as if trying to rip them apart. It was snowing outside beneath the night sky.

    Walking out onto the veranda, he looked out at the ground. He stared at theyer of snow to soothe his mind.

    In general, humans felt peace by looking at nature because there was no objective in a natural cirction.

    People tended to be more exhausted the more they desired something. However, nature did not wish for anything and they simply flowed by.

    Before, he wanted to be an adult like that. In the past, he had no desire for improvement, and buying a burger set on his way back to his house after work used to make him feel happy.

    He didn¡¯t have a grandiose life n or anything either. Living like others, having an average ability, meeting an average partner, giving birth to average children and living without harming other people. All he wished for was to rest peacefully without any disease.

    Why was it that he had to live such a hurried life¡­

    The usual scenery at Lair was filled with colours that couldn¡¯t be found from nature. Orange roofs, blue ornaments, the brown clock tower and ck cars. But with a snowfall, all those things were covered in white.

    That scene and his life looked very much alike.

    Over time, it would eventually end up melting away and a closer inspection would allow anyone to see the inner colours properly and yet the snow was desperately trying to cover and hide them. In that sense, it was simr to him.

    ¡°Uwah, it¡¯s snowing so muchh!¡±

    Kaeul said.

    Turning towards her, he found Kaeul resting on the fence and blinking her eyes while looking outside.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t snowing this muchst year¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I guess the department was holding it back.¡±

    ¡°Whatt? No, that¡¯s not it.¡±

    ¡°Then what.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t at Lair back then. Hehe.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    His mind was hazy.

    That might have been the case, but that might not have been the case either.

    ¡°Uum¡­ that looks thick enough.¡±

    Kaeul murmured while looking at theyer of snow that was deep enough to hide one¡¯s ankles.

    ¡°Why. What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°Oh right. Ahjussi, do you want to build a snowman together?¡±

    ¡°A snowman?¡±

    ¡°Un un! When it started snowing during the day, me and Gyeoul decided to go make one together.¡±

    Finishing her words, Kaeul turned around with a flick as her golden hair fluttered behind her head. Inside the living room, Gyeoul was jamming her head into the screen door leading to the veranda. Her nose, lips, cheeks and her forehead were all rounded after being pushed into the ss door.

    ¡°Uhahah, what¡¯s that. Gyeoul, you look so ugly¡­!¡±

    Kyahaha, Gyeoul also chuckled from the other side of the door.

    He walked outside with the two of them as a white world weed them the moment he left the building.

    The snow had built up even more by then, and was reaching all the way to the shin. For Gyeoul who had short legs, it even touched her knees.

    Gathering the snow into a ball, they started rolling it across. Kaeul rolled one herself while Gyeoul also started making her own. The fluffy ball of snow increased its size in an instant and quickly turned into a round shape.

    ¡°¡­Uh?¡±

    That was when Gyeoul started gazing at him.

    Wondering what it was about, he turned towards her as she gave him an awkward smile. The snow she had been rolling ended up looking like a tyre because she had only been pushing it forward.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°¡­It looks, strange.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°¡­Should I, break it?¡±

    ¡°No. Just keep rolling.¡±

    Nodding her head, Gyeoul started chuckling out loud as she continued rolling the strange cluster of snow until it was as tall as herself.

    Now, it looked like a slice of a cylinder.

    ¡°Gyeoul. How are you going to make a snowman with that?¡±

    ¡°¡­Mhmm, ¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±

    She smiled, ¡®Hehe¡¯, with her eyes on him.

    ¡°Should we roll it a bit more.¡±

    ¡°¡­More?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Soon, the sliced cylinder tilted to the side after bing too thick. Using that round te as the stage, Yu Jitae ced two balls of snow on top of that to make a snowman.

    ¡°Ohhh!¡±

    ¡°¡­Ohh.¡±

    They seemed to like it. He added the arms, the nose and the eyes with twigs. It looked slightlycking, but that was when Gyeoul floated up and ced some pointy things on the snowman¡¯s head. They looked like cat ears.

    That was the end. The kids started taking photos while chuckling. Their lips and cheeks that were flushed from the wintery cold were embedded into the photos alongside a bright smile.

    Suddenly, Kaeul¡¯s watch began to ring.

    ¡°Un un! Uh?¡±

    Kaeul gazed up at Unit 301 as Gyeoul and Yu Jitae simrly raised their eyes. Bom was standing on the veranda waving her hand with a wide smile. It must have been Bom calling her.

    ¡°Ohh¡­! Unni said she cooked some instant noodles!¡±

    While talking about some trivial things, smiling to each other and blowing on their cold hands, they returned to Unit 301. Yeorum, who was lying down on the sofa ying a fighting game while munching through mandarins, also came to the kitchen.

    Bom lifted the lid of arge pot. A salty and savoury bomb of aroma floated straight up as the warm soup revealed itself.

    They ate noodles together.

    The slurping noises,

    Quietly,

    Echoed across.

    Feeling unusually peaceful, he felt like saying something different.

    ¡°Feels veryfortable and nice.¡±

    Suddenly, the kids all turned towards him, and they then looked at each other.

    Did he say something strange? While he was tilting his head, Kaeul opened her small mouth.

    ¡°Of course, right?¡±

    Of course?

    Kaeul continued with a bright smile.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s a dream.¡±

 Chapter 397: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (8)

    <h4>Chapter 397: Episode 106: Road to Happiness (8)</h4>

    What?

    A dream?

    In that instant, the world flipped on its head and brought him to a different location.

    Where was this ce?

    It wasn¡¯t Unit 301 ¨C he was in the corridor of the cruise ship.

    Lifting his head, he found Kaeul. Drenched in blood with an amputated arm, Kaeul was blinking her only remaining eye while looking into his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That eye slowly started to close. After firmly shutting her eyes, Kaeul stopped breathing.

    He couldn¡¯t move.

    Turning his head, he found Bom and Yeorum lying dead. Bom had her neck snapped and twisted in a weird angle whereas Yeorum had a hole in her chest.

    Where was Gyeoul?

    He soon found Gyeoul covered in blood stuck at the corner of the room. She was still breathing.

    Unconsciously, he rapidly ran up to her and raised the child.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Seemingly from pain, her eyes were in a frown as she looked at his face.

    He couldn¡¯t say anything. Words weren¡¯ting out of his mouth.

    Because of that, he hoped Gyeoul would say something. He wanted the subsiding rate of her breath, the weakening pulse of her heart and the extinguishing light of her life to bloom back up.

    However, Gyeoul did not say anything.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    While simply gazing up into his eyes, she moved her lips that were contorted from the pain to slowly surface a smile.

    Soon, when her eyes lost their focus.

    The child,

    She stopped breathing.

    .

    .

    .

    Filling his vision was a familiar ceiling.

    Unable toprehend what just happened, he had to look around the surroundings.

    He was on a bed, lying down with the pillow under his head.

    Currently, he was in his room.

    Was that a dream?

    Was everything just then really just a dream?

    <i>That</i> was my first dream in 200 years?

    When did I fall asleep;

    And why did I go to sleep?

    It took time for him to perceive the odd turn of events. Heaving a dense sigh, he covered his face with his two hands. As his head finally started to acknowledge that as a fact, he felt a scorching heat rushing out from inside his body.

    ¡°This bloody¡ª!!¡±

    Yu Jitae went out to the living room. Everything entering his sight seemed unbearably disgusting. He flipped the table upside down and lifted the damned refrigerator and threw it at the wall. The fridge was crushed alongside the walls of the living room, revealing Yeorum¡¯s room on the other side. That wasn¡¯t enough to satiate his fury and he continued breaking everything around him.

    If he didn¡¯t relieve his temperament like this, he didn¡¯t know what he would do after leaving the house. He stopped moving only after breaking down everything inside his once precious house.

    He had to regain his rationality. He had to gather his mind back together and avoid being pulled around by his emotions. A situation had to be rationally analysed as a situation.

    At this point, he couldn¡¯t help but admit it. The agony that had been soaring higher and higher ever since the baby dragons left was bing thicker as he got closer to death.

    Right now, even his rationality was being shaken and he was feeling less and less confident about his death. He couldn¡¯t even control his thoughts and his emotions.

    At the same time, the sense of crisis that popped out of his body was now suffocating him by the throat like a hunting snake.

    This was the current situation at hand. If so, what did he have to do?

    He left Unit 301 in a hurry. Even though he was a nning person that drew hundreds of ns in his mind, he hadn¡¯t prepared for a situation where his mind was too shaken to die.

    It was like how coaches wouldn¡¯t devise a n against a nuclear attack during a ser match, because that should obviously never happen!

    Regardless, that was what was happening. In order to achieve his objective and die, he had to empty his mind.

    Yu Jitae quickly flew to Mexico.

    At San Jos¨¦ del Cabo was the headquarters of the world¡¯s biggest illicit drug traders. He walked down the back alleyways while anxiously throwing his gaze everywhere. His aura wasn¡¯t even being hidden and those at the end of his gaze were all frightened. Some of them even wetted their pants and fainted.

    He walked forward in an exceedingly urgent set of steps.

    ¡°Oi. Y, you over¡ª¡±

    Thud¨C

    The man who tried to stop him was flung off until it crashed into the wall. He did not chat with anyone stopping his march ¨C there was no time to spare.

    In possession of the boss of this ce, ¡®A.D.A.¡¯ was the world¡¯s strongest drug in existence. It was the treasure that came over from the alternate dimension of ¡®Lamdiaran¡¯.

    The strongest drug across all dimensions made tofort the tears of the Queen who was left alone after her two beloved sons killed each other out of their blind thirst for power:

    ¡°Hand over [Defrost].¡±

    Yu Jitae said after rushing into A.D.A.¡¯s office. The guards protecting the office were either unconscious or dead.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A.D.A., the boss of Cartel, was a woman with an appealing dot under one of her eyes. ck hair was flowing down her back and a cigarette was in her hands.

    Even though it was a sudden turn of events, the woman who became realistically clever throughout her life at the battlefield quietly opened the drawer and threw him a small bottle.

    [Defrost] was the heirloom passed down her household, and no-one was supposed to know about it outside of her knowledge.

    She curiously asked him.

    ¡°Do you even know what that does?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Yu Jitae shook the container as more than a hundred pills clinked inside.

    ¡°Do you really know what it is? You are being very reckless with it though.¡±

    ¡°I know, so shut your mouth.¡±

    Defrost. This drug was such a ridiculous item that the amount of pills inside the container could theoretically immerse the entire global poption of 3.2 billion into a 10-year illusion. Plus, the lethal dose amount for a normal superhuman was merely 0.07 ng.

    Usually, it would be used by grinding a sliver of it into a bathtub of water but he had no time for that. Due to the sense of urgency grasping him from the tip of his toes to the top of his head, Yu Jitae opened the lid and tilted the container to pour several pills into his mouth.

    A few of the pills ended up dropping on the floor due to his shivering hands while A.D.A. watched him a twitch in her eyes.

    After pouring pills into his mouth, he crushed them with his teeth.

    Crunch¨C

    ¡®Kuhk¡¯ a groan left his mouth as his body immediately came to a stop. Twisting his neck in an odd direction, he deeply breathed out. His body started shivering like crazy because all of his blessings rted to abnormal state resistances were disabled.

    Although his mana that reached the limits of an existence instinctively tried to protect him, the effect of [Defrost] was just too powerful.

    A ck flower bloomed inside his muddled mind, and they soon increased in number. From one to ten; from ten to a hundred; and from a hundred, it became a garden of flowers.

    Thend drenched in blood was slowly being covered by those flowers.

    A dry groan left with his breath. No pleasure in this world would ever be as great as this. The pleasure was evenrger due to his blunt senses recently having be clearer by living through a daily life.

    While slowly breathing out, he gave a satisfied smile.

    ¡°Crazy¡­¡± A.D.A. who had been quietly watching him pour pills into his mouth gasped in admiration.

    ¡°Very stunning. But, oh well,¡± she added.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What is your name? And where are you from. That is what I want to know about.¡±

    Running her fingers down her ck hair, she walked up and stood next to him.

    ¡°You suddenly came here and took my belongings away from me. I¡¯ll forget what happened, but instead, how about we have a little chat?¡±

    There was greed flowing out of her eyes. She appeared to be thinking of this as an opportunity. When Yu Jitae turned his body, she blocked him from the front so he pped her unconscious.

    ¡°Haa¡­ haa¡­¡±

    A rushed exhale left his mouth.

    Meanwhile, the ck cat was sitting on the windowsill staring at him.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states there is a rtively high chance that the [Dimensional Cruise] would be at risk.>

    Constantly, it tried to push him away from death.

    Thus, he had to die immediately.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states there is a rtively high chance that the [Dimensional Cruise] would be at risk!>

    If it was now, he could.

    Before waking up from the intoxication.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    [Shallows of the Abyss (S)]

    I sunk into the inner dimension. When I reopened my eyes, I was in a deep darkness.

    Gazing up, I headed to the top. No matter how deep an ocean was, the water was bound to end and there was bound to bend above it.

    This ce was the same and soon, the scaffold appeared before my eyes.

    <Current Level of Overload¡­ 9999.9%>

    The Overload that had been cast three weeks ago had already reached its limit and was unable to go any higher.

    It looked like the guillotine was having trouble suppressing its explosive amount of power. There were cracks on the pirs while the world was twitching next to it.

    Underneath the huge guillotine that was 200 metres wide, that could thus even snap the neck of the Dragon Lord, I threw my arms out wide andid myself on the ground.

    Soon, the white hands of the abyss approached me. Even though I had been using them like my subordinates to help move things in and out of the dimension, this was their original job ¨C grabbing the existence for them to be executed properly.

    Dozens of white hands held onto my body. They grabbed onto my limbs and raised their nails to pierce through my neck. Like that, they wholeheartedly fixated my physical body from movement.

    I tried moving my body. It didn¡¯t work.

    It was done. I was fully fixed on the ground.

    Imanded the ignition of the guillotine.

    Then, the de of the device that had been scattering the excess mana into the surroundings started gathering the aura back together.

    Atst, my end was here.

    Beneath the amplifying de of mana and the golden de of the guillotine, the ck cat appeared like a shadow and stared at me. A message appeared in my head. It was trying to stop me, telling me to not die and go save the baby dragons.

    I scoffed.

    The drug that made my head into a mess was still at work and because of that, I was able to ignore it. The pleasure of a climax was melting my body and when I came to myself, I was letting out a heartyughter. I could not stop myself fromughing.

    It was my wish ever since I was young.

    I hope the sun will not rise tomorrow when I open my eyes. I hope the curse of regression will be dissolved tomorrow when I open my eyes. No ¨C in fact, it would be great if I didn¡¯t open my eyes. If I still opened my eyes tomorrow ¨C if I ended up opening my eyes, then tomorrow¡ª

    An unwanted life was the same as death. I was dying everyday. The monster called life had its disgusting mouth wide open as it stubbornly held onto my ankle. In the morning, I felt like amb being brought to the ughterhouse and at night, it felt like I was being decapitated. That repeated itself, because life did note to an end and I was restricted from death.

    If only I was not selected by the Vintage Clock. If only I died with my parents at the hands of the monsters. Or, if only I was not born in the first ce¡­ That was my desperate wish over the countless iterations of the past.

    At this moment, I was falling. Falling meant I was being led somewhere. Even though I was always brought to the original ce and constantly shoved into the pit of despair, today was different. I was now heading to freedom.

    The deeper it was, and the darker everything became around me, I couldn¡¯t help but rejoice at the fact that I was reaching the conclusion. Because living was the same as death, it was instead only at the face of death that I was finally feeling alive.

    ck cat, go away. If you understand me, then get away from my sight forever. Which narration in existence would possibly change my mind? What feeling in existence could push me into the ditch of hell?

    O white bird.

    Have you earned your freedom?

    I too am going to your side.

    I wish to be happy with you through death, so the happiness you mentioned must be freedom. Is that correct?

    Yourst words are finally going to be achieved.

    [You will. Definitely. Be happy.]

    That was what you said. You were correct. Through endless trials and tests, I am finally standing at this ce.

    I will be happy through this, right?

    Because I am finallyying my hands on freedom!

    ¡ª¨C!

    The de of the guillotine departed.

    That de shone brightly like the sun. It started to brighten up the darkness of the abyss around me.

    It slowly became bigger. The de turned unfathomably enormous.

    Iughed.

    I was so uncontrobly excited.

    Atst, I achieved it.

    I have aplished it with my own hands.

    Iughed even louder.

    I¡¯m free¡ª-!!

    But at one point, the ne was crushed from the unbearable pressure of the falling de of mana. That was thest present Gyeoul had given him. Not only had he reduced his resistance against mana to the bare minimum, he had also made his internal blessings take in all the surrounding mana without fail for death.

    When the memory crystal shattered,

    Everything the baby dragons had filmed with him as the protagonist during thest trip dug deeper into his head.

    No narration in existence could possibly change his heart ¨C that was what he thought. Someone crying their eyes out, someone pleading that they would die upon going back, someone whispering words of love into his ears, as well as someone¡¯s pinky finger promising for a re-encounter. None of them were able to change his mind.

    He wasn¡¯t wrong there.

    Gentle and soothing memories seeped into his brain ¨C his crooked smile vanished from his face.

    Bright and chuckling voices reached his ears ¨C his heart thumped all the way to the ribs.

    Their encounter with the falling stars appeared in his mind ¨C his fingertips turned numb.

    The dying kids in his dream resurfaced in his head ¨C his closed mouth opened a little.

    The tiny hands, smiling lips, their eyes looking at him, and the confession of a girl who had stayed with him the whole time ever since their first meeting,

    When they vividly reappeared in his mind,

    He felt stifled.

    As death was falling from the highest heavens,

    As it neared him while brightening up the world,

    All the emotions that he had avoided and disregarded started rapidly removing the maddened thoughts in his heart.

    A detailed narration wasn¡¯t what was needed to shake him.

    A small daily life was enough.

    That time which should be more trivial than anything else was yet smashing his conviction to pieces.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae wanted to live.

    <strong>Episode 106: Road to Happiness (End)</strong>

 Chapter 398: Episode 107: Let us Love (1)

    <h4>Chapter 398: Episode 107: Let us Love (1)</h4>

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] has confirmed the met requirements of an emotion.>

    <Filled Emotion: Fear>

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states that the [Obelisk of Fear] located at the [Basement of Vintage Clock] has been cast with light.>

    <With this, 10 out of the 11 obelisks have been cast with light.>

    He was scared.

    Even when he was at the mouth of arge monster,

    Even when his body was shredded by the spears of monsters in the depths and had to release Yeorum¡¯s hand,

    And even when Bom found out about his past,

    Never had he felt so frightened.

    For him, life was a continuance of time for the purpose of death. He lived to die.

    Because of that, the desire to live was the same as denying all his life into nothing. Therefore, he was scared of the fact that he wanted to live, even more so than how others would fear death.

    With eyes filled with fear, he looked above. Through the extreme tension, with time seemingly stopping at every instant, the de of the guillotine drew near.

    The output was as high as it could possibly be and the bright light emanating out of the de was so intense that it could fill the world with its brilliance. A blink of an eye and his life woulde to an end. Therefore, this was hisst chance to question himself.

    [I want to live.]

    He now had to prove this unbelievably hideous emotion.

    1. Life was nothing but pain.

    Wasn¡¯t it now so evident that life was just a repetition of pain? How was Ha Saetbyul¡¯s death, and how were all of his innumerable suicides? How was the death of everyone in the vige that cherished and looked after him?

    Losing to the first sovereign and being locked in a world with a distorted timeline; limbs chopped off, vocal cords torn apart and muscles and guts in full disy. What about those 90 years that he was forced to live as an undying piece of flesh in the corner of a prison cell? Was that not painful?

    And what about the death of the only source of joy across all moments, the white bird?

    Logically speaking, he was an existence that should not live.

    2. Do I have the right to live?

    He killed people. Inciting other people, he made them kill each other. He robbed with the excuse that there were monsters to be killed and scammed others when he was short of money.

    Because it was necessary, he anatomised the dragons alive for over hundreds of times. Even so, he was not confident in confessing his sins and deceived the children until the very end.

    He knew the tower of sin was as tall as the sky.

    If living required a qualification, he definitely did not have one.

    3. Can I change my mindter?

    No. It was impossible. Guam, the Monarch of the Highest Heavens, had died to him outside the Providential dimension. He would note back to life even with his regression. The de of the guillotine he got from the monarch was already falling, and it would not be able to be used again after this.

    Therefore, he would have no chance to change his mind.

    Despite all that, do I still want to live?

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    He stretched his eyes wide open.

    He wanted to live.

    In spite of realising how selfish and despicable it was,

    Yu Jitae wanted to live.

    Even though there was no logical or emotional reason to live,

    He still wanted to live.

    Although living was as frightening as how death felt to others,

    Even so, he still wanted to live.

    ¡°¡ª-!¡±

    He moved his arms. Breaking himself free from the white hands of the abyss, he squirmed his arms and legs to stand up. The nails stuck all around his body, and the hands holding his limbs back started being flung off one by one.

    He wanted to live.

    He wanted to stay alive and hear Gyeoul calling him daddy.

    He wanted to live.

    He wanted to stay alive and see Kaeul bing the guardian of someone else.

    He wanted to live.

    He wanted to stay alive and watch Yeorum achieve her revenge against her oldest unni and convey the words that had yet to be conveyed.

    He wanted to live.

    Living on, he wanted to continue the rest of his life with Bom.

    Until the very end, he was full of deceit and had never been honest with the kids. That was something he shouldn¡¯t have done. If there was something to atone for, he should have done it. He at least should have tried to even if the kids did not forgive him.

    If I was still allowed to live, no matter how horrendous and disgusting it may be, I want to live without running away, without turning or looking away from condemnations, without ming my sins on pain and by undoing all the entangled knots.

    That was how he wanted to live.

    I,

    Want to live,

    And watch the lives of the baby dragons a bit more.

    ¡°Kuhkk¡ª-!¡±

    After escaping from the white hands, Yu Jitae grabbed onto as much killing intent as he could and blocked the iing de of the guillotine.

    Kakakakakangg¡ª-!

    The collision against the descending de resulted in a tremendous aftershock that shook the abyss. His bones were going out of joint and the world was turning half-blurry and red due to the burst in one of his eyes. Even then, he withstood it until he shattered the de. The golden sword aura scattered and brightened up the darkness all the way to the horizon.

    His body was shaking and his mana was trembling as if it would explode with one mistake. On top of that, his legs were also shivering but he started moving without any further dy. Flying into the sky, he ripped through the dimension and returned to the real world.

    Btedly, his heart was starting to be filled with regret. The time he had wasted was rtively long and his head turned cold.

    ¡°Key¡ª!!¡±

    He roared from his chest. The ck cat flew in from somewhere andnded on his shoulder. He asked whether the baby dragons were still safe or not.

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states that it is impossible to tell even with the status of a [Transcendent Authority] due to the [Dimensional Cruise] being in the [Outer Dimension].>

    It was already too far.

    Thus, he became even more rushed.

    Speeding over the vast ocean at a speed faster than missiles, he flew forward while creating a deep crevice in the water behind his path alongside waves reaching several metres in height.

    Now, he would no longer be shaken.

    His emotions had been in a turmoil because his longtime conviction had been shaken towards the very end. After setting his heart once and hardening it, he no longer felt confused.

    One issue was that the interdimensional drug, [Defrost] was still pulverising his mind into smithereens.

    Something floated above in his mind. It was the ck piece of trash that reared its head when he was hurting Yeorum with his own hands in the past.

    In fact, it might have been staying inside him from way back in time.

    The name was Guilt.

    Its mouth ripped open, revealing lines of teeth. They looked like that of a shark but there was an abnormallyrge amount of them.

    Alongside an unsightly smile, it asked him.

    ?Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s toote??

    No. It won¡¯t bete.

    He was certain from the depth of his heart.

    ?You are the one who wasted all that time.?

    Forcing out the remaining effects of [Defrost], he ignored the words of the ck filth but it continued bbering its mouth.

    ?You¡¯ve always been arrogant, egoistic, and selfish.?

    ?Sending the baby dragons back home on your own ord, and bringing them back on your own ord again??

    ?Do you think the world will keep moving the way you want??

    ?You have to know.?

    ?How much of a powerless loser you are.?

    All the time that went by became a sticky quagmire of poison that tried to grab onto his ankles. He thought he could achieve anything but had failed on repeat ¨C that was what his life was like.

    However, it was now different and he could be as arrogant as he wanted.

    He was standing here after a long regression.

    There was nothing he couldn¡¯t achieve.

    .

    .

    .

    Askalifa¡¯s coordinates were etched into his mind.

    Heading to the outer dimension, he followed the path of the Dimensional Cruise. The dimensional path that continued like a rainbow led him forward in a world with no direction, no form and no sense of distance.

    The reason dimensions were expressed through the visible spectrum in the eyes of a human was because dimensions could hold everything. Because they held everything that jumbled inside without merging with one another, dimensions could be seen by human eyes like a rainbow.

    However, a dimension that could not beprehended by a human would seem empty. Spaces that were iprehensible to a human eye were located in between those rainbows and that was what the ¡®outer dimension¡¯ was.

    He, however, could understand them through [Conceptualisation (SS)]. Using his authority, he spotted traces of the Dimensional Cruise that had crashed across the gaps of the dimensions.

    He flew after the trace.

    Before long, the first dimension they stopped at appeared in front of his eyes. It was a small nameless world.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The moment he arrived there through the dimensional gap, Yu Jitae gave a frown. The dimension was like a small ind and was about as big as Jeju Ind. At the centre of the ind around 20 km in the sky was the cruise¡¯s totem.

    It was the device installed here for the cruise to be teleported safely in case there was a dimensional disjoint happening nearby.

    But,

    There was something strange about this ce¡­

    He raised his gaze and looked around.

    The ind was covered with a green forest. Innumerable stalks of grass were intertwined and the forest giving off a dense fragrance of nature was nothing unusual, but it was just too much. What he was feeling was unusually excessive, and the amount of nature-attributed mana here should have been less than half of what existed.

    Maybe this dimension was one that had more natural essence than others. He decided to leave it at that and threw his body towards the dimensional gap again.

    .

    .

    .

    For a fairly long period of time, he flew across the dimension like a missile as the second ce they had stopped at appeared before him.

    This too was a dimension he did not know of. It seemed to be one inhabited by people with a low level of scientific civilisation. Large blocks of wood were travelling across the sky by following down a steel path while puffing out steam.

    It felt even stranger for Yu Jitae.

    The mana of nature was even stronger in this ce, with there being especially more behind the path of the cruise ship.

    Mana of nature.

    Dimensional Cruise.

    And a very dense cluster of mana¡­

    It was increasingly more suspicious. At this point, it was obvious who the owner of that mana was.

    Yu Jitae threw his body into the dimensional gap again while wearing a frown.

    Out of the countless things that he had been turning away from because of him believing in his death, there might have been one that he shouldn¡¯t have looked away from.

    Now that he decided not to turn away from life again,

    He recalled the ones that had been the most shocking to him in the 7th iteration.

    Finding Gyeoul precious was a shock.

    Feeling like wanting to protect Kaeul was shocking.

    Wishing for Yeorum to live after going back was another shocking emotion.

    However, there was one that couldn¡¯t bepared to any of the above. If there was one shocking event that existed within the scope of daily lives, while at the same time being the most harmful to a daily life,

    ¡­

    There was one such thing¡­

    For now, he decided to deny it.

    Because it was just way too absurd.

    .

    .

    .

    It took a lot of time to reach the third dimension they stopped at, even though he was currently using all of his power to dash through dimensions. Right now, he was even sacrificing a portion of his authorities through [Conceptualisation (SS)].

    Those were abilities that became useless when his strength stopped advancing at the limit of an existence. Even though it was okay to discard them any time, they were the only remaining evidence of his past that had always been aiming for death, so he had been keeping them till now as trophies.

    But now, he threw all of them away. He did not need them.

    And when he atst reached the third dimension, his face crumpled into a deep scowl.

    The name of this dimension was [Arunril], and was the world Yu Jitae had visited when going to the Demon World in the past. It was a world with a severeck of waterpared to the size of the dimension. This ce was therefore always under the threat of a drought because the trees with horrendously strong vitalities devoured nature excessively. Those dry trees reached all the way to the sky and stopped thend beneath from receiving any sunlight.

    Looking at this ce in the past, he thought ¡®What a world of firewood¡¯.

    But,

    Now,

    Before his eyes,

    Arunril was being scorched into ashes.

    This was a very small dimension. It was even a little bit smaller than Haytling but there was no reason why thisnd would turn into a sea of mes.

    And besides, this fire¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was the me of a red dragon.

    He was dumbfoundedly gazing across the world when suddenly a dot in the distant sky entered his sight. Going closer, he checked what it was and realised it was a fragment of the Dimensional Cruise.

    His heart turned heavy as if a piece of lead had sunk down.

    The Dimensional Cruise was invincible against external attacks. It was because any attack aiming for the cruise ship would be from the outside.

    He created it so that it would protect the outside as much as possible. It would take more than a few days even if a whole group of dragons were to attack it as a group, because the ship was the best device he had personally made in the 6th iteration.

    If so, then what was this?

    He looked at the fragment of the broken cruise.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Why was this here¡­

    .

    .

    .

    He denied it.

    He thought that could never be the case.

    It indeed was strange. It was so strange that he couldn¡¯t understand it and had questioned himself from time to time.

    Why am I feeling a romantic emotion,

    To whom is it that I¡¯m feeling such a burning desire?

    How meaningful could it be to share affection through bodily intercourse and shaking the male genital?

    Why was he interested in her body,

    And why did he want to whisper love into her ears?

    Why was every moment so hard and unbearably perplexing, and also painful?

    Even though she wasn¡¯t any more special than others¡­

    If he had to feel a romantic emotion just because they were special, he should have felt the same way for the other baby dragons.

    And since he did not feel a sliver of a romantic emotion to other baby dragons, it was strange that he was feeling that way for someone else.

    Without lingering on the topic, he had cast a cover over it.

    Because he thought that was just impossible.

    However, after flying through the dimensions, when he atst found the Dimensional Cruise that he had sent off,

    Seeing the half-broken state of the ship,

    His heart dropped by an inch.

    After sensing him, the cruise ship opened its barrier as he walked inside while killing his breath.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There were bloodstains in the corridor.

    He felt like his breath wasing to a stop.

    It was simr to the scene he saw in his dream.

    There was a terribly intense trace of nature¡¯s mana,

    And bits and pieces of the ship were turned into ashes.

    He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.

    That was when he felt a presence from a distance.

    When he opened the door of the hot spring,

    At that moment, Yu Jitae found it hard to believe his eyes.

    Entangled by ck tentacles, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul were floating on the water. They were still alive, but they were floating unconsciously.

    Crouching behind them was a girl. Even though he wasn¡¯t used to her ck hair, she was definitely the child he knew better than anyone else.

    The ck-haired girl was carrying a palm-sized ballista in her right hand, and was pointing it at the neutralised children.

    Out of all the possible colours, ck.

    ck dragons could manipte memories and emotions and convey them¡­ Because he knew that the best, when the far-off sense of reality suddenly reached his heart.

    All the countless doubts that he had been feeling all the way from the past gathered precisely like puzzle pieces.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Bom said with a smile.

 Chapter 399: Episode 107: Let us Love (2)

    <h4>Chapter 399: Episode 107: Let us Love (2)</h4>

    In the past,

    After Yu Jitae cancelled the Will of the Ancient One from Myu¡¯s Conceptual World.

    There was a small incident at the Association¡¯s underground istion chambers.

    Listening to themotion outside, the ck-haired ck dragon, Myu, was nkly sitting there gazing at the wall as if waiting for someone.

    ¡®It¡¯s about time¡­¡¯ while she was thinking that, someone opened the door and came inside.

    Myu saw the green-haired baby dragon that she detested and was put in a bad mood¡­

    ¡­But that was only for a split moment.

    When the [ck Wall] inside her heart fully cracked open, Myu realised everything. She realised who the one in front of her was, as well as the content of her given mission ¨C ¡®who¡¯ it was that she was supposed to help.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while. We meet again.¡±

    That was why Myu greeted her with a wee heart and a bright smile on her face.

    ¡°Hello¨C¡±

    Back then Bom did not understand Myu¡¯s next words.

    ¡°¨CMy dear sister.¡±

    His mind heavily sank to the bottom.

    He scrutinised the opponent. It was definitely Bom.

    There was something like a fingerprint in mana and surprisingly, the existence in front of him had one that was 100% the same as Yu Bom¡¯s.

    He calcted the distance.

    11 metres.

    Being a superhuman among superhumans, he could go 15ps around that distance in the blink of an eye, but he did not move rashly.

    He observed the surroundings.

    This ce waspletely encroached by Bom¡¯s mana. It was filled with the most intricate form out of every mana attribute, [Alteration], that distorted one¡¯s sense of distance and diverged one¡¯s sight from looking straight.

    He knew Bom was unbelievably gifted when it came to magic, but he hadn¡¯t expected her to use [Alteration] to such an extent which only the Witch would probably be capable of.

    Of course, 0.2 seconds was enough for Yu Jitae to crush through this, but in a situation like this, 0.2 seconds was just too long.

    He looked at the children and confirmed their states.

    All three of them were still breathing. Even though their limbs were locked by tentacles, there weren¡¯t any irrecoverable wounds.

    He checked their injuries. Kaeul had fainted from a strike to the back of her head, while Gyeoul appeared to have fainted from suffocation. Yeorum on the other hand seemed to have fainted due to an injury to her heart, but fortunately, it wasn¡¯t too serious.

    The blood sttered all over the ship must have been Yeorum¡¯s, left behind during her retaliation.

    Her retaliation had probably started after reaching the world of Arunril. The dry firewood covering the world must have been scorched down because of her breath.

    At the same time, that was probably when the cruise ship lost a part of its structure.

    Next, he discerned the power of the opponent.

    The [Magic Ballista] in Bom¡¯s hand was strong enough to rip through a dragon¡¯s flesh. It must have taken a lot of time to make, and judging from its appearance, that must have been the one Bom used when killing Myu at the istion chamber.

    Meanwhile, the tentacles spread across the room were the ones ck dragons used all the time that had poison inside. Normal poison would not be very effective against the hatchlings, but it was a different story if the user of those tentacles was a mage that could manipte [Alteration].

    After finishing all those calctions in one breath,

    He tried shifting his body a little bit, and the very moment he did, the dimensions distorted again as Bom pointed the ballista at the back of Gyeoul¡¯s head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    The ballista was just there for a show. Yu Jitae sensed the venom moving inside the tentacle as it tightened its grip on Gyeoul¡¯s neck, which made her stiffen even more despite her unconsciousness.

    ¡°Yu Bom.¡±

    ¡°Stay there.¡±

    Even then, Yu Jitae moved a little bit and in response, the [Magic Arrow] installed at the tip of Bom¡¯s ballista scraped a wound on Gyeoul¡¯s neck. It slowly drew a line and was thus very clear in his eyes. The child¡¯s skin as white as tofu was sliced open as a drop of blood travelled down.

    He frowned.

    Right now, Gyeoul was bleeding in front of his eyes.

    ¡°¡­Calm down. I won¡¯t move anymore.¡±

    Bom replied, ¡®Good,¡¯ with a powerless smile that looked very forced. Inside the opened lips, he could see the broken fang that she still hadn¡¯t recovered yet.

    ¡°Honestly, it is a bit of a shock.¡±

    ¡°What. The fact that I¡¯m doing this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I never imagined it.¡±

    With a powerless gaze, a powerless movement and with one of her arms wrapping around her legs as she sat crouching down next to the hot spring,

    Bom slowly lowered the ballista.

    ¡°Of course. With all the effort that went into this n.¡±

    Her eyes that used to be green were now shining in faint purple.

    Life was very mysterious.

    He was hoping to live just before, but now, the one who he had shared love with, was pointing a weapon at his most precious kids. His heart sank like wet cotton and it felt like several bullets had been shot at the back of his head. A deep sense of despair was filling his heart.

    This thing called life really was very mysterious.

    ¡°Seeing how you haven¡¯t killed them or done anything serious yet, there seems to be something you are nning.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Because my objective is you.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do. Kill me?¡±

    Bom slowly shook her head.

    ¡°This is not as simple as that,¡± she replied.

    Yu Jitae opened his mouth after pondering for a bit.

    ¡°There seems to be someone behind your back.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°The ck race can edit memories, manipte and send them. They are the only ones from the dragon race that can do it. I know that much.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So there must be a ck dragon that made Myu send memories over to you. Someone from the other side of the Horizon of Providence that hates me.¡±

    ¡°And who is that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think that person is.¡±

    ¡°So there really is someone behind you.¡±

    Even though he tried to induce a reply from her, Bom shook her head.

    ¡°There¡¯s no-one. I was just curious who you were thinking of.¡±

    ¡°How can there be no-one?¡±

    ¡°Why does there have to be someone?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Yu Bom? You are a green dragon.¡±

    ¡°Look at me. Do you still think so?¡±

    Bom said while touching her ck hair.

    ¡°No. Something must have gone wrong.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it yourself? This is not the first time I¡¯m seeing you. I opened your heart several times and spent a fair bit of time with you. You were never acting this strange throughout all those lives and all that time.¡±

    While twirling her hair, Bom added.

    ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°So you must be being mentally controlled by someone. And Myu ¨C that mutant ck dragon was probably the deliverer.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The objective must be killing me. Because I was one of the reasons that the Providence of Time kept going back ¨C and because it hates me.¡±

    Yu Jitae suddenly questioned himself in the midst of his talk.

    What was he even talking about?

    It wasn¡¯t something he could be certain about, because there were several missing parts that were difficult to exin ording to that hypothesis. Despite that, the reason he was saying this was probably because that was what he wished for himself.

    Bom had no sin, and was just shouldering the sin of the ck race¡­ By forcing himself to think like that.

    Disgustingly enough,

    Even at this point in time,

    He found Bom precious, and pretty.

    ¡°So what you are saying is this. Someone sent something bad through Myu to colour my hair into ck and control my mind, right?¡±

    However, that hypothesis of his was disproved by the intense hatred hanging in Bom¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±

    Her favourability was reaching the level of extreme hatred that could not get any worse, and the authenticity was also being disyed as an undisguisable truth.

    ¡°Those eyes were the biggest problem¡­¡± she muttered.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Yu Jitae frowned.

    Was she able to tell the activation of [Eyes of Equilibrium]?

    While observing and staring at his face, Bom went on.

    ¡°To be precise, I¡¯m not a green dragon. From the beginning I have always been half-ck, half-green.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a hatchling either, because I¡¯m about 700 years old.

    ¡°My name is also not Yu Bom. I have a different name.¡±

    When the cracked fang revealed itself from the slight gap of her lips, Yu Jitae¡¯s mind came back with a shatter.

    Cold beads of sweat travelled down his spine like sin.

    ¡°Do you want to hear my story?

    ¡°You need to know them anyway¡­¡±

    .

    .

    .

    Bom started her story with a soft voice.

    ¡°In the distant past, around hundreds of thousands of years ago in Earth¡¯s time.¡±

    The ups and downs of her voice made it sound as if she was reading Gyeoul a fairy tale.

    ¡°Us, ck dragons, were expelled from Askalifa. The total amount of mana inside the world increased and so did our longevity, and as a result, dragons that used to live for around 3,000 years started to triple their age. That was the problem.

    ¡°The number of hatchlings being born was being controlled by the authority of the first dragon, but their deaths weren¡¯t being regted. There was not enough ce for dragons to live in at Askalifa and because of the restriction of our authorities, we could not move to a different ce.

    ¡°Askalifa is a very broad world. In that world, green dragons judge the future by seeing Providence and mediate between dragons. The red race defends the Southern battlefront throughbat. Gold dragonsmunicate with the other races, blue dragons protect the Northern battlefront, and ck dragons inherit the records of the distant past. That was the role given to each race.¡±

    Yu Jitae listened with a frown.

    ¡°But¡­ things changed when they started living for more than 10,000 years. The role of ck dragons started to be less important over time.

    ¡°There was always a strife between all the races, and at one point when they were deemed useless, the ck dragons were expelled from Askalifa after being attacked by all the other races.¡±

    Tilting her head, Bom looked at the baby dragons.

    ¡°These are the kids of those dragons.¡±

    Yu Jitae was using Eyes of Equilibrium throughout her speech. There was not a single deceit in her words.

    ¡°So, is that why you wanted revenge?¡±

    Bom shook her head in response.

    ¡°No¡­ You told me before, right? That there are things in the world that are just unfortunate. It¡¯s exactly as you said. To be frank, no-one was in the wrong in that situation. We just fell behind in the cycle of natural selection.¡±

    She constantly ran her fingers through her ck hair. Under her white forehead, her exhausted gaze was staring off into a distance.

    ¡°Like that, we were discarded into the outer dimension.

    ¡°Part of the leaders of the race considered this a natural process like me,

    ¡°But most of the ck dragons couldn¡¯t ept it. They were stupid. They constantly breathed out fury and hatred, which was endlessly conveyed to each other toter create a resonance. Their anger and hatred were multiplied until it changed the characteristic itself of the entire race.

    ¡°The ck dragons scattered to all parts of the outer dimension and like what you said, they were treated like dimensional trash. Looking for shelters to stay in, and rivers to rest by, they viciously travelled everywhere.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you for an understanding. I also think they¡¯re pathetic.

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you, that¡¯s how it was.¡±

    As if she was dreaming, Bom continued while nkly gazing at the thin air.

    ¡°Back then, my mother thought this. If we truly want to reestablish ourselves, then we must go back to Askalifa. We must kick the other dragons out and find our home again¡­¡±

    Her idea was different from a normal revenge. It was apetition within natural selection.

    ¡°She always said the same thing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s be great dragons.

    ¡°Let¡¯s be a great race.

    ¡°One of the dragons that misinterpreted her intention headed to the Northern front and had a big fight with the blue dragons.

    ¡°Maybe that was when this child lost her parents?¡±

    Bom caressed Gyeoul who still had a tentacle coiling around her body.

    ¡°All of our attempts were useless,

    ¡°And we were slowly dying.

    ¡°There were many restrictions that kept us from returning to Askalifa. Those dragons always kept to themselves and they didn¡¯t consider us as the same race.

    ¡°That was why my mother came up with a big n.¡±

    In that instant, Yu Jitae remembered the words Bom had said in the past.

    Bom had grown for a certain objective ever since her youth. And her mother used to tell her, that there was a [Grand Schema] in n for her¡­

    ¡°Did you figure it out?¡±

    She gave a powerless smile. Then, the lethargic voice of a dragon began to leave her mouth as an adult Dragon¡¯s Voice.

    ?Since we inherit the memories of the past, let us gather all the treasures leading up from the past into one.?

    ?Let us ept the countless seeds of other races to select the best dragon.?

    ?And atst, when the best seed is born among us,?

    ?Let¡¯s make that child into the Dragon Lord.?

    ?So that that child may follow up on me to take responsibility of our race.?

    His eyes widened with a sh.

    He knew who the chief of the ck dragon race was. In fact, it was none other than the original owner of his [Conceptualisation (SS)].

    As he slowly started to perceive where the start of all that hatred was from.

    The baby dragon that was born from the ¡®best seed¡¯ opened its mouth.

    ¡°When you heard the name, Myu, did your authority not try to ¡®interpret¡¯ it?¡±

    Bom tightened her arms around her legs as an even gloomier voice left her mouth.

    ¡°My mother Lugiathan gave birth to 31 children over thousands of years, and assigned a number ording to their order of birth. The first would be Alpha, the second Beta, and the third Gamma¡­ that would be the interpretation in Earth. So the ¡®12th entity¡¯ that you met must have been interpreted to Myu (M, ¦Ì).

    ¡°And I was the eighth daughter of my mother Lugiathan. She got the seed by bewitching a male green dragon. If you interpret my name using the same method, my name would be Theta (¦¨, ¦È).

    ¡°Not Bom¡­¡±

    However, this was only the start of her story.

    Atst, the root of all her hatred started leaving her mouth.

    ¡°¡­It was when that child just turned ten.¡±

 Chapter 400: Episode 107: Let us Love (3)

    <h4>Chapter 400: Episode 107: Let us Love (3)</h4>

    She remembered the illusion.

    At a ce that was dark all around, with white tiles covering the floor.

    When she was crouching on the ground wearing Yu Jitae¡¯srge business shirt above her naked body,

    The chain looking like a dog leash had been reaching all the way into the darkness.

    Someone pulled the other end of the chain and she copsed on the ground. Taking hold of her startled heart, she red into the distance. Atst when someone started to appear from the deep darkness, her eyes widened into circles.

    A ck haired female adult, drenched in blood with countless stab wounds around her mouth.

    Back then, she did not know who that woman was.

    But now, she knew,

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That it was her mother, Lugiathan.

    Myriads of thoughts shed past his head.

    Several presumptions popped up in his mind before disappearing again. Because he wanted to keep considering the girl in front of him as Yu Bom, he had to force those thoughts away.

    However, there definitely were numerous skeptical points he felt while living a daily life with the kids. He could finally understand those seemingly trivial things that he had missed back then.

    ¨C If your race enjoys creating things, how about bing a novelist or a painter.

    ¨C ¡­I don¡¯t know.

    Even though she was a green dragon, she had no talent at drawing or sculpting and did not feel any interest in it.

    And as for novels? A certain professional novelist in the 6th iteration evaluated her text as this.

    ¨C She appears to bepletely untalented.

    ¨C The characters are dead. The narration is weird and the main theme of the story is gloomy and without any message.

    ¨C Writers with a slightly strange mentality tend to write like this.

    Looking back at how every individual entity showed the same characteristic depending on their heritage, that indeed was very abnormal. ording to his knowledge, there was no green dragon that had no talent in performing arts.

    That wasn¡¯t the end.

    ¨C You know how I like travelling.

    ¨C In fact, the reason I continued travelling was because of that. I didn¡¯t know what else to do.

    Bom had been travelling ever since she left for her Amusement. Rather than how green dragons liked staying in their house, this was closer to ck dragons who wandered across dimensions.

    ¨C Every female dragon is pretty and males are handsome. We change it like that because we know that appearance is a very strong authority in human society.

    ¨C If you givepliments for everything, what meaning would it have? Themon ones be less expensive right? No-one wants things that anyone could have.

    Her mentality was very distorted. It was warm yet sometimes it was shivering cold. She tried to analyse things by going into mysterious lengths for things which others would usually ignore.

    Thinking back, he coulde up with even more things.

    The fact that only the protector of the green dragon was the one that survived the dimensional distortion,

    The fact that her novel was about a ¡®ghost carrying out revenge against a murderer¡¯,

    The fact that the fruit she got from the Spirit Tree was a rotten and moulding one,

    And the unknown scribble at the end of her diary was another example.

    What was shocking was that that was not even close to the end of it. As the shocking truth one by one came back up to the surface, the frown on Yu Jitae¡¯s face turned increasingly more serious.

    His instinct might have been warning him the whole time about the things that he had ignored due to looking from the perspective of a daily life,

    That Yu Bom was the [Hostility].

    An immense shock shuddered his mind.

    The effect of [Defrost] that still had yet to be fully removed from Yu Jitae¡¯s body rose back up and messed with his emotions. Meanwhile, Bom observed him as if she was savouring the sight before her eyes.

    ¡°You seem surprised. Did you remember something?¡±

    No. Was she even Bom at this point?

    Yu Jitae could no longer think of her as Bom.

    ¡°Let me finish what I was saying.¡±

    While he was starting to be engulfed by the rising sense of fear, she continued talking about her past.

    ¡°The 8th entity was very lucky. She was very talented. She could manipte mana the way she wanted to, to the point that it shocked her mother, who was the chief of the entire race, and unlike most half-bloods that lost the abilities of one side, the child could use the abilities of both the green and the ck race. That was already amazing but there was more. You see, that entity,

    ¡°She was the only one that could travel in and out of the [Horizon of Providence].

    ¡°This was very significant, because it meant the existence of the child could bepletely hidden from the eyes of the other dragons of Askalifa. The mother of all those children started treating the talent of the 8th entity as that of the [Ancient One]. Because only the Ancient One out of all the history of dragonkind was able to deviate from the Providence of Time.

    ¡°The Ancient One is ssified as a [Mutant] by the other dragons.

    ¡°¡­So that makes me a mutant too.

    ¡°This must be what the mother was thinking.

    ¡°¡®Ah, finally, the baby dragon that can be the Dragon Lord has been born from us¡­ Our race will be able to have a house again like the past¡­¡¯.¡±

    Lowering her head, she buried her face in between her knees.

    ¡°She was very loved.

    ¡°Because the destiny of the ck race was on her shoulders.

    ¡°The lessons were very hard. For years, the child¡­ she really¡­ had to try to the brink of death.¡±

    She began massaging her tiny white hands that twitched unstably.

    ¡°Her small hands were shattered time after time; her body crumbled a few times and so did her heart¡­ She even managed to survive through a surgery that could have killed her. Every day must have felt like hell to her. The child cried her eyes out and bled profusely but it still didn¡¯t stop, because that was the burden on her shoulders.

    ¡°¡­But even then, you see?¡±

    Lifting her head, she looked at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°The child was able to withstand it.

    ¡°After every lesson, her mother always came to her and gave herpliments¡­

    ¡°And when the child cried from pain, her mother was in even more pain¡­

    ¡°The child knew because of the mental connection, that her mother was treasuring her more than anyone else in the world. Despite that, the mother had to firmly raise her up.

    ¡°Even when her husband left after having too much of it.

    ¡°Even when the child cursed at her.

    ¡°As the chief of an entire race, that was better for her than the extinction of ck dragons¡­

    ¡°But the child was too young. Because of her immature mind, she didn¡¯t realise the feelings of her mother.

    ¡°It¡¯s pathetic, but she really didn¡¯t like that back then.

    ¡°She was too immature¡­¡±

    An extremely mncholic look appeared on her face.

    ¡°I regretted it a lot afterwards.

    ¡°So I really wanted to ask you this as soon as I could.¡±

    Hearing that far, Yu Jitae knew what her next words would be. By the time she btedly realised that that had been love, her mother had probably left her already.

    Her mother was forced to leave.

    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±

    The girl asked with her gaze on Yu Jitae. The faint smile on her lips and her fang that remained crushed behind those lips started vividly bringing back a memory he had forgotten over the long prison of time.

    ¡°¡­¡­Why, did you kill her?¡±

    He was lost as to what to say. Vacantly, he stood there with his mouth closed, unable to say anything in return.

    Yu Jitae killed Lugiathan in order to copy and steal her authorities. That was how he had earned [Conceptualisation (SS)]. He had never considered that process wrong before and that was still his standpoint even now, but his mind was nheless shaken.

    Impossible.

    He thought something was strange. Something had to be strange.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡±

    Yu Jitae uttered with a clenched chin.

    ¡°I can only think of that as pure nonsense. Nothing makes sense from the start to the end. There are logical nks in your story.¡±

    ¡°Like?¡±

    ¡°A hatchling¡¯s Amusement¨C¡±

    Unknowingly he raised his voice.

    ¡°It can only begin when permitted by the present Dragon Lord with the [Origin Fragment] attached in your heart. Do you mean you somehow mixed yourself into the kids and came out on an Amusement with your ck hair?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I know Askalifa has been in chaos recently because of the war. Is that what you are going to use as an excuse?¡±

    She indifferently shook her head. The apathetic expression that he had once considered a cute pout was now evidently holding a deep sense of hatred which was more than what a scowl or a frown would contain.

    ¡°Did I not tell you? I¡¯m a mixed-blood, and a mutant. I can fully disguise my colour.¡±

    ¡°Even against a Dragon Lord you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m special exactly because I can do that. That is why my mother chose me.¡±

    ¡°Shut your nonsense!¡±

    His voice turned louder as he hurriedly looked for words.

    Bom shook her head in response.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you also deceived yourself?¡±

    ¡°No! No! Damn it. That can¡¯t be how it is! The fundamental premise is wrong in the first ce!¡±

    Blood vessels protruded out near his eyes.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t even make sense that you¡¯re a mixed blood! ck dragons were expelled and were ignored by the other races! You were discarded from Providence! How could your mother have received the seed of a green race!¡±

    ¡°You said my body looked pretty.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think I took after¡­?¡±

    It was a suggestive reply. Yu Jitae scowled and showed a ferocious look on his face, but she softly continued.

    ¡°Did you forget what I said? It took my mother 3,000 years to give birth to 31 entities. It probably wasn¡¯t easy but it¡¯s nothing impossible when the fate of the whole race is on her. As long as you don¡¯t care about the method, it is definitely possible.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just the green race. My mother took in the seeds of every race, and it¡¯s just that the lucky child happened to be from the green race.¡±

    Calmly, she refuted his logic but he still could notprehend her words.

    How could such a thing be possible? How could reality be so horrendous and garbage!

    ¡°Anything else?¡±

    Her words sounded like she was both arrogant and bored. It felt like he would receive appropriate rebuttals whatever he asked and made him feel extremely shit, because that was in turn telling him that all of this was true.

    However, he still had to refute it somehow.

    ¡°Timeline. How are you going to exin this stupid timeline.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You were with the baby dragons from the start in every iteration. Why did I kill your mother? It was because of you, dragons! You have never done something like this to me in those previous iterations!¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°If you were outside the Horizon of Providence, you wouldn¡¯t know what happened on the other side, and if you were inside, you would have been involved in the regression of Time Providence! The world returns to its original point in time the moment I die ¨C this is a part of Providence that no-one can avoid!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She closed her mouth as her expression turned notably dark from its initial look of indifference. Yu Jitae growled even louder.

    ¡°Memories go back to the past and the dead are raised back to life. Most of the stolen items go back and all the painful memories get washed off. That is the unchanging fact! It has never been broken before¡ª!!

    ¡°Has your mother died? She must be alive again. Go back and have a look! Without ying with the lives of the kids here!

    ¡°Or¨C

    ¡°Or do you want me to go with you? I know the coordinates of the outer dimension Lugiathan was residing in. You are being deceived right now, so please calm down. Let¡¯s go face the truth together. Okay?¡±

    Her expression turned darker the longer he continued speaking.

    Was it because her logic was broken?

    Yes¡­ That had to be the case¡­

    The wicked trickery of ck dragons must have bewitched Yu Bom the green dragon. Although he had never heard of such a thing being possible, he wasn¡¯t omniscient. There were countless variables he did not know of and learning one more thing was nothing significant.

    That must have been what happened.

    It had to be the case ¨C it fucking had to be how it is!

    However, her words in response dug through his ears like a bullet.

    ¡°If only that really was the case¡­¡±

    He felt blood seeping out of his brain. Her expression that had been turning increasingly darker over time, was now holding signs of tears.

    ¡°The ck dragon race makes it their life¡¯s purpose to convey memories of the past to the future. My mother ced me inside the Non-Providential World, [Primal Time], topletely fool the eyes of other dragons. That world travels parallel to Providence and¡­

    ¡°Like I said before, I¡¯m a mutant. I can exist in the Non-Providential World and at the same time gaze at the Providence of Time. Using the same [Conceptualisation] as my mother.

    ¡°There is one thing you misunderstood ¨C my Amusement has nothing to do with my revenge. This was just the first step of my destined journey of bing the Dragon Lord. The reason I was pretending to be a hatchling was also because you have to be a child of the green race to leave for the Amusement. Besides I was young, and it was true that I learned nothing apart from magic.

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t kill my mother in the 6th iteration, this would have never happened.¡±

    Raising her squinted eyes, she looked into his eyes.

    ¡°But, now that is no longer the case¡­¡±

    The silence continued for a long time between the two of them as the air heavily sank to the ground.

    He felt his vision shake tremendously without a stop ¨C it was probably not only because of the [Alteration] form surrounding the area.

    While being made to face his sin in a world dizzying his sight,

    She opened her mouth.

 Chapter 401: Episode 107: Let us Love (4)

    <h4>Chapter 401: Episode 107: Let us Love (4)</h4>

    ¡°170 times.¡±

    The exact number he had forgotten came out of her mouth.

    ¡°That¡¯s the number of times you attacked my mother and the leaders of our race in front of my eyes.¡±

    To be exact, it was a number he didn¡¯t even remember. From one point, death became nothing but an act of repetition which he didn¡¯t bother remembering.

    ¡°169 times¡­ That¡¯s the number of times you died. Out of those you killed yourself 36 times.¡±

    But among the iterations that he had thoughtlessly skimmed through was a victim who had clearly observed the process of his regression.

    ¡°37 ¨C the number of times my mother almost died.¡±

    Embedding an explosive amount of hatred and hostility into her eyes, she red at Yu Jitae.

    ¡°I¡¯m a dragon. I don¡¯t forget but that¡¯s different for you.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything, do you¡­?¡±

    She started gasping for breath. Sealing her mouth shut, she clenched her small hands into fists and closed her eyes to withstand the dense fog of hatred.

    Huk, huk, kuhk¡­

    After somehow collecting her breath, she opened her eyes again.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s always how it is for the assant.¡±

    Would this be how it feels for his brain to melt away? Yu Jitae was feeling that something had already gone irreversibly wrong.

    He still didn¡¯t think his actions were wrong even at this point. He had done it out of necessity but that did not change the fact that the child of the dragon he had killed was cursing in front of him.

    While he was clenching his teeth and stopping his breath at the face of the unbelievable reality,

    She continued speaking.

    ¡°It was very strange.

    ¡°Back then, we were already in a very vulnerable state because of the strife with other sovereigns and there were fights happening between us. My mother moved the entire world into a visible ce with Conceptualisation, and shaped it into a human pce. It was to avoid their eyes.¡±

    The girl still remembered ¡®that day¡¯.

    After several short gasps, her eyes turned blurry as they gazed into the distant past.

    ¡°That day was the same as every other day¨C

    ¡°After a strict education and training, I wasining to my mum. ¡®It¡¯s too stressful. It¡¯s too painful,¡¯ because my ribs were all shattered and dangling. I cursed her, ¡®Why did you give birth to me if you were going to do this¡¯¡­

    ¡°But she suddenly got up in a hurry. I became more mad because I thought she was trying to hit me, but no. My mum led me and my sister somewhere hand in hand and I was surprised. It was my first time seeing her look so frightened¡­

    ¡°That was when something exploded outside the pce. Back then, we were preparing for a war against other sovereigns and there were about 20 ck dragons protecting the pce.¡±

    Her gaze turned blurry. All those unforgettable moments came back to her asplete memories.

    ¡°I heard screams outside.

    ¡°The pce was shaking from loud explosions. My mum shouted and sent someone off.

    ¡°My sister started to cry so I hugged her.

    ¡°Someone died outside.

    ¡°To something extremely dangerous.¡±

    Yu Jitae knew who that ¡®something¡¯ was without even needing to hear it from her. Even though memories of those moments were hazy, he could still remember what he himself had done.

    ¡°My mum pushed me and my sister to the [Non-Providential World] behind the throne. There was an alternate dimension opened beforehand. Because my sister belonged to the Providential World, she was tied to the timeline but I wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Mum said to me.¡±

    Memory transferration unique to the ck race flooded unedited memories into his head.

    ¨C Stay here. Do not evere out.

    Lugiathan¡¯s expression tainted with fear,

    ¨C Mum will be alright. So nevere out. Okay?

    And her endlessly quivering voice was vividly conveyed to him.

    ¡°My mum then covered the dimension with a veil. She didn¡¯t know how great her daughter was. She didn¡¯t expect me to rip that veil.¡±

    She continued while gazing into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­A man carrying a sword came into the pce.¡±

    Seemingly with a lump in her throat, she started off slow. Through the tear in the veil, the light purple eyes of the small girl saw something she shouldn¡¯t have.

    ¡°Mum was attacked by that man.

    ¡°All my uncles and aunties were being killed by the man but my mum retaliated fiercely. She was still the head of a dragon race. So in the end, the conceptualised pce crumbled and the man was bisected.

    ¡°It was quite shocking to me. Because all of my precious uncles and aunties had been killed.

    ¡°But, that wasn¡¯t the end.¡±

    The moment the man died, the world regressed to its original point in time.

    ¡°Soon, the world flipped upside down.

    ¡°My aunties and uncles came back to life.

    ¡°The shattered building rebuilt itself.

    ¡°¡­And the man came back carrying a sword.¡±

    Unfortunately, the time she entered the Non-Providential World was too close to the man¡¯s assault. That specific point in time when the girl entered the Non-Providential World ¨C [Primal Time] ¨C became the starting point of her perception of the regression, and she was forced to watch the man constantly break through the pce.

    ¡°Next, mum lost her legs.

    ¡°After that, she struggled in pain from a stab to her stomach.

    ¡°Andter, the fight ended with her arms amputated.

    ¡°¡­Time flew back and my mum repeatedly returned to the mum I knew.

    ¡°But without even skipping a single time,¡±

    She bit her lips.

    ¡°That man came to kill my mum.¡±

    One time, she had to crawl with her legs cut off.

    One time, she bled from her dug-out eyes as she cried in pain.

    And one time, her heart was gouged out as she was stuck in a corner, being stabbed on repeat for a few hours.

    As time repeated 170 times,

    There was one baby dragon who had to watch all that happen without ever turning away from it.

    ¡°Mum didn¡¯t die when she was decapitated, and didn¡¯t die even when her heart was stabbed. It was because the source of her life was in fact embedded in a different part of her body.

    ¡°Can you guess where that was¡­?¡±

    She gave a wide smile despite the mncholic look on her face. When the crushed fang was revealed by the smile, Yu Jitae was frozen stiff.

    ¡°Mum died¡­ and the man left¡­

    ¡°But I stayed there crying¡­

    ¡°After a few years, I came out of the shelter and woke up my sister who was still unconscious.

    ¡°The moment I left the Non-Providential World, my world was included inside the destined Providence. In other words, my mother¡¯s death was decided the very moment I returned to the pce. It couldn¡¯t be helped. I couldn¡¯t stay in that tiny and suffocating prison all my life.

    ¡°So mum was forever dead.

    ¡°My sister lost her mind because of the sudden reality that she had to face and tried to stop her heart to die. I had to make sure she wouldn¡¯t die.

    ¡°I was young, but back then, I was quite calm.

    ¡°Crouching there together with my sister, we thought about what to do while looking at mother¡¯s corpse.

    ¡°How should we take revenge? We asked each other¡­¡±

    She erased the smile from her mouth.

    ¡°Beforeing up with a detailed n.

    ¡°I recalled all of your 170 deaths to collect your information.

    ¡°You were very arrogant back then. You didn¡¯t even try to hide your emotions or memories. Maybe that was because you were going to keep on regressing anyway?

    ¡°Thanks to that, I got the information I needed, but it was difficult¡­¡±

    She giggled.

    ¡°Our n for revenge was difficult from the get-go.

    ¡°The first obstacle was that you were too strong.

    ¡°You were too strong, and too great. I saw from your memory fragments that you had killed sovereigns several times¡­ Even though I learned a lot of amazing spells, I had no idea how I was supposed to kill you. I realised I would not be able to create any risk to your life in the first ce, because no matter how strong I became, it would be impossible for me to overwhelm you to death.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the only problem. The second obstacle, was that funnily enough, you were wishing for death.

    ¡°Later I realised that too was because of dragons, but so what? That didn¡¯t matter in the slightest. What was important was that you, who I wanted to kill, wanted to die.

    ¡°Even if I do fully kill you, that is nothing but achieving your objective in your stead. Is listening to the opponent¡¯s request a revenge? I didn¡¯t think so at least.

    ¡°So killing you was meaningless.¡±

    Lifting her hands, she showed off her palms.

    ¡°Then what should I do to take revenge against you?

    ¡°It¡¯s hard even when you think about it right?

    ¡°But, when I calmly pondered about it, I did find a method.¡±

    With a gaze surging with sin and a set of movements filled with hatred, she continued with an assured voice.

    ¡°Because you wanted to die, I had to make you want to live.

    ¡°And because I couldn¡¯t kill you even when you wanted to live, I simply had to take what you considered precious.

    ¡°Fortunately, I was like my mother and could drag out a strong emotion from others. That is including love.¡±

    She used one of her hands to caress her own cheeks, while using her other hand to grab and knead her breasts.

    ¡°For that, I had to give my body,

    ¡°To my nemesis who killed my mother¡­¡±

    Biting her lips, she continued.

    ¡°Although that was distressing, I was still willing to do it¡­

    ¡°My mum was everything to me. She was the world. Using my body to take revenge on the one who destroyed my world was nothing.

    ¡°But, that wasn¡¯t the end either. Somehow, you could look at the depths of someone¡¯s feelings and I realised that was because of those fickle eyes of yours. Everything would be over the moment you realised I was Lugiathan¡¯s daughter, right?

    ¡°In order to deceive you, I had to deceive myself first.

    ¡°You know a ck dragon¡¯s ability is to manipte and convey memories, yes? So I killed my personality and sealed it and likewise, I also locked my sister¡¯s personality and the memories of her childhood.

    ¡°I said to her.

    ¡°I will go bewitch my nemesis first.

    ¡°Youe when it¡¯s time, and hand me the key.¡±

    She sneered before raising the tip of the ballista and pointing it at Gyeoul¡¯s head again.

    Making a person who desired death want to live, and in the end taking everything precious from him. That was the revenge n of the young baby dragon.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy.¡±

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t reply. He felt like he was going insane, and he therefore had no idea what he was supposed to say, nor what expression he was supposed to wear.

    If there was hell, this would be it. At the very end of his long drop, he atst realised that his soul was dumped andpletely crushed at the bottom of the abyss.

    He was powerless.

    He couldn¡¯t say anything.

    Meanwhile, she tilted her head and observed his expression like a scientist watching the change of a test subject.

    ¡°¡­So, how do you feel?¡±

    A slightly brighter expression appeared on her face as she nced through him. She whispered with a soft voice.

    ¡°Do you want to live now?¡±

 Chapter 402: Episode 107: Let us Love (5)

    <h4>Chapter 402: Episode 107: Let us Love (5)</h4>

    Her childhood memories came back to her.

    When the seemingly unending hell finally came to an end, and after the murderer, who was standing still in pleasure in front of her mother¡¯s corpse as if he was ejacting, turned and left the pce,

    The baby dragon stood in front of her mother.

    Her fangs as well as her mouth were pulverised and her entire body was sliced into pieces.

    nkly, the child walked up and touched her mum. Shaking the still body of her mother, lifting and dropping her heavy hand that used to move on its own, and gazing at the powerless hand that dropped back down to the ground;

    While leaning her head to the cold heart that would no longer pulse with life,

    The child had to ept the unbelievable truth.

    Her younger sister was unconscious.

    Soon, after gaining her consciousness, her sister tried to stop her heart from the unbearable shock so the child had to squeeze her body and stop her.

    Despite being young, the two of them knew what kind of race the ck dragons were. They did not have any ce to call home, and they were the trash of Askalifa that couldn¡¯t be acknowledged by any other race. They were the dimensional garbage.

    Because those kids only had their family to rely on,

    Their mother used to be the world to them.

    And yet now, their mother was dead.

    After a long and violent fight, the older sister suppressed her younger sister from above and shouted at her.

    ¨C Why would you kill yourself.

    ¨C Is everything over if we die?

    ¨C Even if we do die, we have to take our revenge before that.

    Because she was still crude with words and sloppy with expressions, she couldn¡¯t properly convey her deathly despair, but there was another method. Their minds became one as thoughts were connected.

    The young dragon conveyed her thoughts to her younger sister.

    ¨C If you can¡¯t do it with your own hands, then help me achieve our revenge.

    ¨C Make a vow. On mum¡¯s corpse.

    ¨C That we will definitely avenge her death!

    Hearing the shout of her older sister who always used to speak softly, the younger dragon widened her eyes and held back her tears.

    ¨C Do it!

    Like that, the hatchlings made a pledge.

    .

    .

    .

    The dimension where their residential pce was located was very close to [Primal Time]. Time and space became more and more distorted the closer one was to the Non-Providential World, and after entering the world of Primal Time, it would deviate into a parallel timeline that travels differently from the [Time Providence].

    The older sister calcted in her head. It would create a difference of roughly 500 years for her to leave this ce and arrive at Earth. Even though the murderer had jumped through the restrictions of time using the power of a certain transcendent authority, the baby dragons did not have such a power.

    From inside the treasure of the ck race, the older sister observed the undistorted timeline. There, ¡®another version of herself¡¯ was about to depart on a journey to be the Dragon Lord.

    By pretending to be a green dragon, she was at Askalifa greeting some hatchlings she was seeing for the first time under the permission of the Dragon Lord.

    It was a very opportune timing.

    However, she herself couldn¡¯t go to that ce.

    She was a mutant, and was an existence that could gaze at Providence from outside Providence. If she were to jump into the [Providential Time] here, it would create two versions of herself.

    If that happened, then the guy called [Vintage Clock] who looked after Providence would perceive her existence ande to erase her by sending a sovereign or something.

    Fortunately there was a method, because a ck dragon¡¯s ability was editing and transferring memories. However, it was also impossible to directly send her current memories to her ¡®other self¡¯ that was in such a distant ce. There was too much of a deficiency in output and all she could do here was light up a small ember on the fuse.

    Therefore, the older sister decided to convey those memories through her sister. Looking at her younger sister who was crouching on the ground, she opened her mouth.

    ¨C From now on, you have to fly by yourself for 500 years.

    ¨C I will seal your memories, so you don¡¯t die from that loneliness.

    ¨C Flying there will be very tiring and it will be very lonely. But you still must go.

    ¨C Help me¡­

    While sealing her memories, the older sister applied a simple brainwash on top. [Help] ¨C the younger sister¡¯s purpose in life would be to help someone.

    This was the power that would allow her to traverse through other dimensions for 500 years all by herself, making sure that she would arrive at her ¡®other self¡¯ that was waiting very far ahead without deviating from the path.

    But right as she was about to use her sealing spell, the younger sister asked a question.

    ¨C Unni.

    ¨C Nn?

    ¨C When my job is over, and when all the memories get transferred back to you¡­

    ¨C Nn.

    ¨C ¡­After that, ¡­¡­Can I die first?

    The older sister just could not turn her down, because that was the only way to postpone her sister¡¯s death as much as possible.

    ¨C ¡­Wait for me there.

    Using the power of the green race, the baby dragon aligned herself to Providence.

    For her ¡®other self¡¯ to unhurriedly leave on the Amusement 500 yearster in the Providential World, she had topletely seal her own memories. Like that, she had to be oblivious to everything in order to avoid the eyes of [Vintage Clock]¡¯s supervision over the Providence of Time.

    Before erasing her memories, it was possible to mess around with her body and she could also apply a little brainwash on herself. Even [Vintage Clock] would not be able to notice that.

    Therefore, the baby dragon brainwashed herself on three points.

    ?One. Fall in crazy love with my Nemesis for no reason and endlessly crave for his love.?

    For her first brainwash, she touched her [Origin Fragment]. After 500 years, she would probably leave on an Amusement while pretending to be a hatchling all over again, and she was going to make preparations for that beforehand. Fortunately, there was a tool among the treasures of the ck race that allowed her to manipte the Origin Fragment.

    ?Two. Intrude deeply into my Nemesis, shake his heart and make him hold romantic feelings for myself.?

    She set up a few devices for her second brainwash. The opponent was fundamentally a human, and a male. The young dragon prepared various things that could allow her to shake a male¡¯s heart.

    Firstly, she edited the basic settings of her [Polymorph]. Her face that was already pretty among dragons thanks to her taking after her mother became even more attractive. The lines going down her white neck to her corbones; the beautiful form of breasts and the slender waist, as well as the appealing hipline were all modified to be even prettier. Her white and tiny hands and feet were carved into more beautiful shapes. She then formed ample muscles, glossy hair and soft skin.

    After that, she learned how to speak with a wonderful and refreshing voice, and made her body emanate a fragrance that could shake an existence¡¯s heart. Since she could use the abilities of both races at her free will, she disguised that fragrance under the scent of nature and made it natural.

    Also, she tried to hold a warm heart that could soothe others. She had to be aggressive and on the move to shake the blunt heart of a dull human, and had to hold enough possessive desire to threaten him and ensure his romantic feelings wouldn¡¯t stray towards a different person after being woken up. ording to what she had learned from her mother, an existence that was not dangerous seemed to be ignored in a human society.

    But while changing everything one by one, her sighs turned bigger over time. These parts were still probably imperfect and sloppy.

    From the start, she had always been an uninteresting existence and had never even contemted how to appeal to a male before¡­

    Regardless, she did everything she could.

    ?Three. Help him do everything he wants to achieve.?

    After finishing all the way up to her third brainwash,

    The baby dragon thought to herself. It was unclear when all this would actuallye into y because her Nemesis had the ability to flip time upside down. It was unclear when that mental patient with a worn out personality would treat her other self nicely.

    However, by constantly sharing the same space with him and increasing her conversation with him, and when they finally had a bond between each other,

    Her brainwashes would definitelye into y.

    Finishing her line of thought, the baby dragon sealed her memories,

    And entered a deep slumber.

    ***

    In the warm season, there were kids watering the ground. Although it was a dry and parched piece ofnd, there was definitely life on it before, and even until now, there seemed to have been a small seed left behind on the crevices of the seemingly infertilend.

    Judging from the small leaf leaving the ground, that was.

    That small leaf was his heart. Like how it had been called a ¡®kid¡¯ by the innocently young Kaeul, the tiny leaf was very immature and shaky with each breeze of dust being too sharp forfort.

    Even then, it was okay.

    ¨C I, trust you¡­

    Someone gave water when it was time.

    ¨C It might hurt more for the one who lied right¡­

    While another blocked the harsh wind from the side.

    The small leaf gradually became bigger and the roots went deeper down, holding more water hostage. Life slowly returned to the parched piece ofnd.

    There were a lot of hazards throughout the process and there were also solutions. Facing anything ufortable with disregard, and using habit for what was familiar, he used various solutions to avoid the risks that threatened him.

    However, what he couldn¡¯t expect was the watering child to suddenly tear him to pieces.

    ¡°¡­So, how do you feel?¡±

    The hands that used to be softer and warmer than anything else in the world were shredding the leaf to tatters. He did not know how to deal with such a thing.

    ¡°Do you want to live now?¡¯

    Her voice was apathetic and her gaze was so cold it gave him chills. Yu Jitae ced his hand on his chest feeling the shattered fragments of a ss marble wreaking havoc in his heart.

    His heart was being crushed.

    It was painful. Like he was dying.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lifting his head, he looked at her. However, he had no idea how he was supposed to reply to her question.

    If he said he wanted to live, her revenge would be madeplete and Gyeoul would die.

    If he said he wanted to die, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin why he came here.

    Suddenly, he saw Yeorum and Gyeoul looking at him with their eyes open. They were urging him to reply but in that scene, Yeorum was covered in more wounds while Gyeoul looked more like an adult.

    His heart dropped an inch.

    But when he reopened his eyes after a blink, he realised the kids were still unconsciously closing their eyes.

    His mental shock appeared to have crossed the line.

    What he saw just then, was his sin.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    She asked him again.

    Do you want to live?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He remained silent. His heart was thumping in concern that she might pull the trigger but she didn¡¯t. She continued gazing at his face with a pouty look on her face.

    ¡°You look quite shocked. Didn¡¯t know you could show an expression like that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to reply to that, how about I ask something else. How do you feel right now?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to ask if a day like this ever came. You probably want to live now because of us, so these kids dying must feel like your world is crumbling down right? How would you feel in a time like this? Would you feel half as much despair as what I have felt?¡±

    Yu Jitae stared at the ground with unfocused eyes.

    ¡°If your n included making me want to die, Bom, then it was aplete sess¡­¡±

    The steaming hot spring he prepared for the kids to warm up their bodies on the way back home was icy cold and so was his heart. A chilly blizzard was freezing the flesh inside his cracked skin.

    ¡°¡­Because I feel like dying.¡±

    However,

    As always.

    No matter how vicious of a thing happened to him,

    Even if his heart was to be crushed,

    And even if he was to die,

    His life always continued on its own so he had to face reality. Suppressing his emotions that could burst out and kill him anytime, Yu Jitae closed his eyes and contemted.

    ¡°That means you want to live, right?¡±

    After hearing the question a third time,

    Reopening his eyes, he slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yes. I want to live.¡±

    An intense pressure was trampling down on his physical body as blood oozed out from within. A drop of blood budded under one of his eyes, which soon travelled down his cheek.

    ¡°I want to live, with all of you¡­¡±

    <strong>[TLN]</strong>: Hi. This is Rain. I am uploading these chapters in bulks in a simr fashion to how the author had initially uploaded them (although not exactly the same).

    After the end of this arc, there was a period of 3 weeks without any updates. During that time, the author stocked all the chapters until Chapter 425 and dropped it all at once, and that is what I am going to do as well.

    Now I didn¡¯t want you to wait all that time, and that is why I have been piling up a lot of chapters instead. I believe I¡¯ll finish tranting them by theing Sunday / Monday so that would be when I upload all the remaining chapters at once.

    On another note, I have decided on the next novels I¡¯ll be tranting. The novel, ¡®I killed the yer of the Academy¡¯ will be uploaded in partnership with Genesis Trantions on their website, whereas I will be doing a different novel on this site. I¡¯ll talk more on that in an announcement after I post all the main chapters of Kidnapped Dragons.

    Enjoy!

 Chapter 403: Episode 107: Let us Love (6)

    <h4>Chapter 403: Episode 107: Let us Love (6)</h4>

    His fingers didn¡¯t move. Looking once again at the drop of blood on Gyeoul¡¯s neck, he controlled the explosive tension thumping in his heart before turning towards her.

    For some reason, she did not shoot Gyeoul.

    She simply continued expressionlessly staring at him, and although it was painful for Yu Jitae to meet her gaze, he had to.

    ¡°So calm down for the time being.¡±

    And even though his heart had already been shattered, he needed to maintain his rationality. Although a tremendous sense of betrayal was strangling him by the neck and he was feeling like dying right now¡­

    He still wanted to live, and still wanted all the baby dragons to survive.

    It was funny how even at this point, he was finding Bom pretty.

    ¡°Please lower the ballista for now. Let us have a conversation.¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡±

    ¡°There were a lot of times where you and I, and the kids each hoped for something else. In times like that, you taught me how to talk it out. I learned how to converse from you, and that¡¯s what we need.¡±

    ¡°No. There is nothing you can change with just a few words.¡±

    Buzz¡ª. When the mana residing in the ballista increased even more in size, he felt his heart skip a beat.

    However, she still did not shoot.

    She had a story that was too stubborn to change with his superficial logic but he had to persuade her.

    ¡°Listen to me a bit more. You won¡¯t be suffering any loss. Wasn¡¯t your intention to make me suffer as much as possible? Weren¡¯t you hoping for my bigger despair? So give me a chance. You can watch me struggle for a way out a little more.¡±

    ¡°What do you think you can do? What can you even do by adding a few more words.¡±

    ¡°I will now persuade you so that you don¡¯t kill the kids, and ask for your forgiveness. If I haven¡¯t persuaded you by the end and if you still can¡¯t forgive me, then you can do whatever you want. I will regret more the longer I¡¯ve been talking for and you will achieve a greater revenge, will you not?¡±

    She still had an indifferent look on her face.

    The one holding the gun was her. If she didn¡¯t even allow him to do this, then everything was over.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Saying that, she lowered the ballista but that was nothing but an act of formality because the de of the tentacle could still tear through the baby dragons at any moment.

    However, Yu Jitae felt like he had found a strand of sce from the pit of despair.

    ¡°But in return, I will ask you three questions before you persuade me.¡±

    ¡°Three questions?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They are things I¡¯ve been wanting to ask you.¡±

    Until the very end, the meticulous avenger did not let him control the pace of the conversation.

    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±

    ¡°You are used to lying. I¡¯m the same, and your life was also full of deceit but you better be honest for these questions.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I get it¡­¡±

    He nodded with a desperate heart.

    Leisurely, she raised her body and walked on the surface of the cold water of the hot spring to slowly approach him.

    ¡°First question.¡±

    Crossing her arms, she asked.

    ¡°Do you ever feel guilty?¡±

    Once, there was a time in the past when he thought this guy called god of fate was standing before his eyes choking his neck, asking him: Are you still not going to give up? Do you still wish to be happy?

    Even though he was still feeling the same thing, this time, the guy was saying something slightly different in his head.

    This was what the god of fate was saying.

    ¡®Did you think you could turn away from it forever?¡¯

    Putting it that way, he started to consider everything surrounding him in a different light.

    He killed people.

    Brutally, and repeatedly.

    Abduction and imprisonment was his habit.

    Let alone the baby dragons, he had also abducted other people whenever necessary to imprison them near his eyes.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. He instigated people with deceit, acted for profit, impulsively destroyed things when he got angry and pushed others to the brink of despair because of revenge.

    Due to his lengthened life, he had more sins than others. Existing in his memories was a thousand-year¡¯s worth of sin.

    ¡°Do you ever feel guilty?¡±

    There was a triangle in his heart ¨C its name was conscience. Looking back, the tips of the triangle were probably sharper than that of other people.

    Back when the tips were still there, he had to argue for his actions whenever the triangle rolled around prickling his heart. He gave excuses for his actions.

    This is unfair. It couldn¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m not wrong. Who¡¯s the one that drove me into this pit? Do you think I wanted this myself?

    By constantly reminding himself of his position, he escaped from responsibility. It was a fairly decent method. ming other people allowed him to stay reasonable.

    However, when the tips weathered away, he gave up oning up with excuses. If he was a wiser and a more virtuous person, things might have been different. He would have gained a lot of things without stealing from others and would have be stronger without killing people. In the end, it was because he, the subject of the regression, was such a miserable andcking person that he had to rely on such a method.

    After admitting that fact, there was no longer a need to be conscious of it. Sinter became a convenient tool for him.

    Lastly, when the points werepletely worn out into a round circle, he gave up on thinking about it. He turned away from it.

    He set up the thought that [In the end, I¡¯ll die as well.] and that made it easier for him to look away from his sins.

    Am I not afraid of punishment? Kill me then.

    How can a person kill another person? What about it. I¡¯ll be dying as well anyway.

    The thing he considered a tool became his hand by the time he came to himself. Steal if I want something. Kill if they retaliate.

    It was a simple principle.

    Going back to the question of ¡®Do you ever feel guilty.¡¯

    ¡°I used to,¡± he replied.

    The purple pair of eyes frowned in response.

    ¡°Did you feel any guilt when you were killing my mum?¡±

    ¡°¡­No. To be honest, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°For me back then, life was nothing but a struggle for improvement. I was buried in the real world to aplish my dream; I became insensitive to the repeated misdeeds, and I had no leisure to feel any sense of guilt.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In the middle of his response, she, after crossing the hot spring, walked all the way up to him. She raised her hand and rested it in the air like how one would ask for the paws of a puppy, and he replied by reaching his hand out. Her tiny hand grabbed onto the tip of his middle finger as his emotions and memories started beingpletely analysed by her.

    ¡°Was it not for revenge?¡±

    ¡°There was probably a bit of that too. Because I hated dragons.¡±

    ¡°And yet you still want to let the kids live?¡±

    That paradox was what led to this situation. The baby dragons taught him how to love even the offspring of his enemies.

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    She silently stared into his eyes for a while. Her purple gaze did not quiver but the muscles underneath her eyes twitched.

    ¡°Second question. With what mindset can you possibly ask me for my forgiveness?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very strange. I know you very well. Why don¡¯t you do what you always do? Stop doing nonsense and get angry ¨C get mad at me and break everything apart. A murderer that can explode at any time despite pretending to suppress your urge ¨C isn¡¯t that who you are?¡±

    That indeed was Yu Jitae, and was only possible because his final destination had always been death.

    But after retrieving the lost daily life, and as the premise of his death started to crumble, he began feeling guilty over the past moments.

    Daily life had pushed seemingly insignificant things at his face, and the things he was feeling guilty for also originated from those tiny things. Even at this point, he was only regretting the portion of his sin that was rted to what he had done to the baby dragons.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    For him, sin was but a tool ¨C a tool that let him gain things outside of his ability.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a person that can do anything to achieve what I want¡­¡±

    ¡°Even if that means killing someone?¡±

    ¡°Because I wanted to be happy.¡±

    ¡°How selfish.¡±

    ¡°I decided to be a selfish person toy mynds on the unreachable happiness. But now, that is not the case.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Rediscovering daily life and bing a human waspletely unexpected and thus, he also wasn¡¯t expecting to retrieve the wickedness and selfishness of a human during that process. Laughably enough, he had even learned how to turn away from the small sin of lying to the baby dragons ¨C he wasn¡¯t honest and continued telling lies until the end.

    ¡°I will do anything if I can atone for what I did.¡±

    However, her expression turned ferocious.

    In the blink of an eye,

    The mana gathered at the ballista. She pulled the trigger as the arrow flew towards his leg.

    Along with a roaring thud, his thigh was destroyed. Seeing him still standing despite the flood of pain, she collected mana again before shooting it at his other leg.

    Even though both of his thighs were almost fully crushed, he did not fall down. Without even avoiding or blocking her attack, he epted her wrath.

    She appeared a little shaken. ¡®It¡¯s toote¡­¡¯ she muttered while breathing coarsely through her nose as her eyes twitched even more.

    ¡°Last question.¡±

    Her voice was louder than before alongside her heated breath.

    ¡°You created innumerable hatred all because of your petty hope. You are the one that made me. Does someone like you have the right to praise life? Do you have any justification?¡±

    And her question was also very emotional.

    She was throwing at his face, everything, which he had been escaping and turning away from over the vastly long period of time.

    She was Bom, and was the daughter of the ck dragon that had been repeatedly killed by his hands. At the same time, she was the portion of sin that increased its size while he was disregarding it throughout his life.

    While he was turning away from all of his sinful times by justbelling them as ¡®unfortunate events¡¯, the sin that had been gradually growing in size was now facing him like a colossal wave.

    ¡°Do you even have the right to live!!¡±

    It struck him like a tornado. Standing on top of a tiny boat, he was gazing up at the indescribably immense sin.

    Does a sinner have the right to live? Do they have the qualification to seek happiness?

    In response to the question being thrown by the unfathomably enormous hostility, the sinner replied.

    ¡°What else can I do.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°When I still want to live on¡­¡±

    An even greater sense of displeasure floated upon her face and her eyes quivered. What was the reply she was hoping for: did she want him to plead on his knees? Or be controlled by his fury and wreak havoc?

    ¡°W, what insane thing are you talking about¡­¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m serious. I don¡¯t have the right nor the justification. But I still need to survive.¡±

    ¡°You are a cluster of sin that will continue creating more sins throughout your life. There will be more people shedding tears of blood like me. And yet are you saying you still need to live on? You still have to survive?¡±

    ¡°So what. How does that matter when I want to live. I want to live on now¡­¡±

    ¡°Crazy. I thought you became a little more human, but you were still out of your mind!¡±

    Saying that, she reprimanded him as he listened with widened eyes.

    There was nothing wrong with her words.

    If a sinner did not have the right to live, he should die.

    However, he will live on.

    If a sinner shouldn¡¯t be happy, then he should be left miserable,

    But he will be happy.

    For him, sin had always been a tool; a power that made the impossible possible. It was the paddle letting him proceed towards his dream, and was the whip moving him within the hopeless pit of despair.

    His sin was connected to his struggle in life.

    Now, he was just going to change the tool he was using a little bit.

    Thinking about it like that suddenly reminded him of thest words of his precious friend.

    ¡°¡­I had a friend.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Her face crumpled unpleasantly. Taking a big step forward, Yu Jitae walked deeper into the room as she instinctively took a step back.

    The air shifted ¨C his heart that had been trembling in despair gained a strand of blooming courage.

    ¡°There was a friend who constantly told me about the future like you.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯te any closer!¡±

    Ignoring her cry, Yu Jitae approached her.

    From the three questions, he realised that logically persuading her was impossible. Regardless, he was still going to live and was still going to save the baby dragons.

    [You will. Definitely. Be happy.]

    Even though it was a n that will definitely fail from one flick of her fingers, he sincerely believed in that small possibility.

    ¡°My friend told me, that I¡¯ll definitely be happy. I was hoping to die when I heard those words, so I thought thosest words would bepleted through my death.¡±

    ¡°I warned you. Don¡¯te here!¡±

    She, who had been constantly stepping back, jumped across the dimension before reappearing behind Gyeoul. It was to threaten him a bit more.

    The tentacles twitched and tensed up.

    ¡°However, I was not able to die and now I no longer view death as happiness. Then what does this mean? It means that the prediction is still valid!¡±

    Walking forward with his two crumbling legs, Yu Jitae bore hope.

    ¡°What does that mean. Doesn¡¯t that mean I will live on and definitely be happy in the end?¡±

    Light bursted out from the dark hail covering him.

    ¡°So Bom. I will be happy through life!¡±

    She shrieked with a piercing voice.

    ¡°Shut your nonsense¡ª!¡±

    Her hands, however, were trembling.

    ¡°No! Drop the ballista! Bom. You can¡¯t shoot the baby dragons!¡±

    ¡°You think I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°You should not!! You must be happy with me!¡±

    ¡°Do you still not understand after hearing everything I said? It was all fake. Your heart moving towards me, and me pretending to love you ¨C they all began from my brainwashing of myself! Can you still not tell everything was fake?!¡±

    ¡°And what about that¨C!!¡±

    He roared like a beast.

    ¡°So what if it was a fake rtionship that began with an objective in mind! So what if it was a brainwashed love to make me want to live! Were all the meals we shared fake? Or the conversations we whispered? If all the countless concerns we shared while hoping for happiness were all fake, then we would have crumbled already at the face of all those problems! Tell me, which of those was fake!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    ¡°That changed who I am, and made me want to live and breathe! Your deceit led me to truth! You are the one that made me want to live¨C!!¡±

    I was like that, so would you be any different?

    That was what he wanted to believe in, at the very least.

    Her eyes widened into circles as Yu Jitae shouted at her.

    ¡°I will keep my word. I will now give you anything you wish for to atone for what I did. If you need to be the Dragon Lord of Askalifa for the betterment of your race, then I will help you! If you can¡¯t trust me, I will live forever in doubt! That is fine!¡±

    He shouted to be happy. It was fine no matter what method he used. He had to persuade her, using the same method that persuaded him and turned him away from death.

    ¡°After youplete all those desires, and if I¡¯ve managed to atone for my sins, if there is even a sliver of a possibility that you forgive me, then Bom! Let us live together. When that timees¡­!¡±

    There was a word at the tip of his tongue.

    It was one he had never conveyed to her before, but was one that he had sincerely hoped for. Even though those moments of the past were before she recalled her actual memories, those shouldn¡¯t have been fake ¨C they must have been her true feelings.

    If his existence was in a corner of her heart and if he could change her mind like how she did with his through all the time they spent together,

    Then it didn¡¯t matter even if this wasn¡¯t the greatest time to do so. Yu Jitae ruthlessly used the word that was in his mind.

    When that dayes¨C

    ¡°Please marry me.¡±

 Chapter 404: Episode 107: Let us Love (7)

    <h4>Chapter 404: Episode 107: Let us Love (7)</h4>

    After saying his words, he felt timeing to a freeze.

    Her face turned stiff and so did her entire body.

    Her eyes tainted with fluster was quivering and she had trouble putting words together.

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    She cut her words off, before screaming with a sharp voice.

    ¡°What utter nonsense are you talking abouttttt¡ª!!¡±

    The magic arrow in her hand turnedrger as the enveloping light turned brighter. The light touching Gyeoul¡¯s blue hair started snapping the hairs of the dragon despite simplying into contact. The water-coloured strands of hair were one by one falling to the floor, but he continued shouting.

    ¡°Give me a little bit of time! And give me the opportunity to atone for my sins! When that dayes, promise me our future! Let¡¯s have children together! And let¡¯s change this rtionship which began from our deceit into the truth! Isn¡¯t that what you told me yourself!?!¡±

    He took arge stride forward, as she stepped back on reflex.

    His words appeared to have rang her heart in some way or another, and she looked a little frightened.

    It was evident from how the killing intent oozing out of her body was now so immense that it was suppressing the entire dimension, in spite of the tentacles still not being able to attack the baby dragons.

    He took another step forward.

    ¡°Ahh¨C!¡±

    She yelled while grabbing her head. Then, she flew up with Gyeoul in her grip.

    Breaking through the ceiling of the cruise ship, she headed outside. In her dragonite form, she spread herrge jet-ck wings far apart.

    ¡°Yu Bom¨C!¡±

    He followed suit with a shout. Even though his crushed and dislocated legs were trying to force him down onto his knees, he chased after her.

    She flew off to the other side of the outer dimension. Although he could catch up to her if he sped up, he still didn¡¯t dare do so because the ballista was in her right hand, while Gyeoul was still hanging under her left hand.

    The magic arrow shone brightly within the darkness of the outer dimension.

    And atst, when he saw the stern look on her face as if she had made up her mind,

    The hope he had been bbering about till now, rapidly started to be extinguished.

    Thus, he screamed.

    ¡°Let us live¡ª.¡±

    Even though it might be a life filled with series of hardships, hatred and resentment,

    They would have to be alive to quench those problems, won¡¯t they¡­

    ¡°Live together with me. Bom¡ª!!¡±

    Her hand moved.

    Time lengthened like cheese.

    The arrowhead at the tip of the ballista turned brighter.

    Her face turned fierce like that of a devil.

    Yu Jitae screamed. Stop. He wailed.

    Her finger approached the trigger.

    And when she slowly began to pull the trigger,

    He dashed forward like a bolt of lightning.

    She raised the ballista and pointed it at the head.

    His eyes ripped open from the unbelievable scenery in front of his eyes ¨C it was because she had released Gyeoul¡¯s neck.

    The devilish look was not there anymore.

    She looked down at him with a hazy look on her face.

    The head the ballista was pointing at¡­

    Was her own¡­

    ¡°Bom. Yu Bom¡ª-!¡±

    .

    .

    .

    She looked back on her 5 years of Amusement.

    The n was a rtive sess.

    ¨C Hi.

    ¨C Hello.

    She first met her Nemesis.

    ¨C You said you¡¯ll never harm me if I listen well. Can you promise that?

    ¨C I promise.

    As nned, she unconditionally followed him and did everything for him.

    ¨C It was fun. What about you ahjussi?

    ¨C It was good likest time.

    She slowly opened his heart.

    ¨C What if she wakes up.

    ¨C You didn¡¯t know? Gyeoul doesn¡¯t wake up easily after falling asleep.

    And helped him protect his daily life.

    ¨C That¡¯s a bad habit. Do youugh while seeing others in pain or something?

    ¨C Because ahjussi never refuses it, I keep giving you more.

    Since he was a very defensive person,

    ¨C Look.

    ¨C ¡­

    ¨C You go further away, when I get closer.

    She had to be audacious with her approach,

    ¨C Bom. Are you okay.

    ¨C Ah, ah, ah¡­ Yes.

    As he was slowly regaining his personality,

    ¨C I¡¯m sorry if that surprised you. I was trying to make it feel like something big was about to happen, but it must have been over the top.

    ¨C N, no¡­ I¡¯m really fine.

    She endlessly threw him new situations and new emotions.

    ¨C Do you find me burdensome, ahjussi?

    ¨C No.

    ¨C Or do you see me as a woman?

    ¨C No.

    ¨C But the outside shell is a female human. So are you embarrassed?

    Atst at the distance of touching breaths,

    She seeded in blooming a small flower in his heart.

    ¨C You are the one that wanted to be closer.

    ¨C But this is too close.

    That had to be the end, Bom thought to herself.

    She definitely should have stopped there.

    ¨C So, do you want to separate?

    .

    .

    .

    It was a fake n.

    Falling greatly in love for the Nemesis and endlessly craving his attention.

    Atst after being loved by the Nemesis, and after blindly helping him retrieve the long-lost daily life,

    She made her Nemesis turn from death and wish to live.

    And by keeping hostage of the lives of the hatchlings that weren¡¯t rted to her, which was the reason her Nemesis was hoping to live,

    After reproaching him, loathing him, and pressing him,

    And after he feels a strong sense of guilt,

    Shoot Gyeoul on her head.

    That should have been what happened.

    She should have done all that but¡­

    Until the end, she could not pull the trigger at Gyeoul¡¯s head.

    ¡­Perhaps, she might have sensed already beforehand that things would turn out like this.

    In fact, the n had gone wrong from the beginning.

    ording to n, she should have shown him the corpses of Yeorum and Kaeul the moment he arrived at the cruise ship, to emphasise what came next.

    After talking to him and letting him know about her revenge n and the reason, while he was despairing before her eyes, she was going to kill Gyeoul in front of him to fully etch it into his memories. Because that way, he would forever suffer from the unforgettable memory.

    Lastly, being either killed or tortured by his hands was the end of her n.

    However, she could not do it.

    Before he came ¨C after neutralising the kids, she sat by herself in deep contemtion.

    She had to kill them now.

    She had to kill them now but¡­

    Bom just could not make herself shoot Yeorum or Kaeul, and that hesitation was still there. Bom could not shoot Gyeoul.

    A deep sigh left her mouth.

    She felt a strong sense of self-hatred. It was truly, truly stupid.

    All of this long n had been formed to shake his heart.

    However,

    Perhaps,

    The long period of time they spent together, and all the moments they shared without any deceit,

    They might have ended up twisting things out of hand¡­

    ¨C Do you believe in fate?

    ¨C No.

    ¨C ¡­Me neither.

    Bom. Even so, you should have done better.

    ¨C That¡¯s it for the hug of reconciliation.

    ¨C One more minute¡­

    Even if it was warm in his embrace, you should have stayed skeptical. You should have known it was dangerous no matter how pretty he found you.

    ¨C How, do I look?

    ¨C You look pretty.

    Or at least, you should have made these emotions disappear alongside the brainwash.

    ¨C Please embrace me, until I break¡­

    ¨C Alright. I¡¯ll love only you.

    You should have just pretended to love him¡­

    Why did you really fall in love¡­

    ¨C Let us live¡ª

    ¨C Live together with me. Bom¡ª!!

    Bom gave an empty smile. She found her current state hrious.

    ¨C Please marry me.

    Even though it was a crude marriage proposal without even a ring.

    For a moment, it made her heart quiver from insane happiness¡­

    .

    .

    .

    Mum. I¡¯m sorry.

    I made a vow but¡­

    .

    .

    .

    Bom released Gyeoul from her grip.

    He flinched before flying in to receive Gyeoul after which he checked her body to see if there was anything wrong with her. There should be no threats to her life, because Bom didn¡¯t do anything to her.

    After confirming the state of the child, Yu Jitae stretched his eyes wide open and looked at her.

    Bom looked back at his eyes for a while before raising her head and staring off into a distance. She gazed into the faint darkness at the outskirts of the outer dimension as the brilliant source of light hanging in her right hand gleamed brighter inparison.

    Once again, she gazed down at him with an indifferent pair of eyes.

    At one point, she was pretty much dead, and her life was just a continuation that had been going on until this moment. However, half of her revenge had failed ¨C she just couldn¡¯t kill the baby dragons that he cherished above everything else.

    But living with him was also impossible.

    Her dead mother and sister would be endlessly revived in her unforgetting memories, and Bom would curse him every time that happened.

    Because she was still feeling the same despair she had felt at the front of her mother¡¯s corpse,

    There was only one option left for her.

    Thinking of this as thest moment gave rise to a myriad of thoughts in her mind. Her unforgetting, and thus vivid memories made her forever remember his voice and his love that filled her up to the brim, but the stabbing sword, her mother groaning in pain, her dead sister and all the wounds she had personally inflicted on him on top of that were also unable to be forgotten.

    When reflecting on all of that,

    Her body rxed like a marite that lost its strings.

    She resolved herself.

    With a lowered head and unfocused eyes,

    Bom thought to herself.

    If only it wasn¡¯t a rtionship like this¡­

    Even so, she liked it nheless; the delicious food, the warm shelter¡­

    She was nheless happy; for receiving his attention and love¡­

    There were many grateful memories. He called her ¡®Spring¡¯, a name that was so warm for a dirty kid like her¡­

    Hugging Gyeoul, he asked. What are you trying to do.

    ¡°But, we just can¡¯t, right¡­?¡±

    Bom asked herself in a whisper.

    ¡°We¡¯ve done too many bad things to each other already¡­¡±

    Perhaps realising something from her words,

    He screamed and yelled her name. Yu Jitae roared with a voice trembling the outer dimension, that a conclusion like this was not the happiness predicted by that guy.

    However, Bom collected her heart while staring into the distance.

    Because she felt like looking into his eyes would sway her determination, because it could crush the vow she made in front of her mother¡¯s corpse,

    And because, it might make her want to live¡­

    She wasn¡¯t confident in being as mature as him no matter how many thousands of years she was to live. Unlike him, she wasn¡¯t sure she could live while epting all those sins and hatred.

    Even so, he was trying to stop her, was epting her mistakes, and even asked for a marriage. Thinking about that filled her heart with an indescribable sense of guilt.

    How would it feel, to marry him?

    What would his child look like¡­? Would they be as cute as him¡­?

    Drawing the image of a harmonious family in her mind made her want to continue that immoral line of thought. Therefore, she forcibly emptied her brain ¨C it was time to say goodbye.

    While he was sorrowfully shouting and as his thunderous voice was shaking the world, she ended up letting out tears. The magic arrowhead of the ballista, however, was still turning brighter.

    ¡°If only one of us can live¡­¡±

    She opened her mouth at the man approaching her with a scream as her broken fang showed up from behind her lips.

    Bom whispered.

    ¡°I want you to be happy¡­¡±

    This was the outer dimension, and his curse of regression had been undone.

    Now, there won¡¯t be a next life for him either.

    ¡°But if¡­ if we do, meet again, in our next life¡­¡±

    Then, in a world without scars¡­

    ¡°Then, just one more time, let us¡­¡±

    <strong>Episode 107: Let us Love</strong><strong>(END)</strong>

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] has confirmed the met requirements of an emotion.>

    <Filled Emotion: Sorrow>

    <The Authority, [Key (EX)] states that the [Obelisk of Sorrow] located at the [Basement of Vintage Clock] has been cast with light.>

    <With this, all the 11 obelisks have been cast with light. A strange light permeating out of the [Basement of Vintage Clock] fills the [Vintage Clock¡¯s Workshop].>

    <You have been granted a restrictive [Transcendent Authority].>

 Chapter 407: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constellation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 407: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constetion (3)</h4>

    He followed the Protector out of the banquet hall. Walking down a narrow and dark corridor, they soon came across a room with a faint light.

    Even though the pce was small, wasn¡¯t this still too close? While thinking that, he stopped in his tracks for a bit. He tidied up his clothes and organised his hair again.

    ¡°You seem quite concerned about your appearance for a mage.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Stay here. I wille back after asking Young Miss her opinion.¡±

    It knocked on the door as a voice echoed from the inside. The Protector walked into the room, talked with someone, and soon peeked out of the room with its helmet.

    ¡°She has given her permission. Come in.¡±

    He closed his eyes.

    Staying still, he took a deep breath out through his nose. Moving his feet that were stubbornly stuck to the ground, he entered the room through the open door.

    He saw a bed.

    On the bed, he also saw a girl,

    And he also saw innumerable chains going out of the girl¡¯s body. One end of the chains was connected into other dimensions while the other ends were locking her body. There were handcuffs on her wrists, shackles on her feet and chains around her thin neck. Even an elephant wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from all those chains.

    She appeared to be about Gyeoul¡¯s age. Her body was small and her head even smaller¡­

    Her entire body was covered with blood and wounds. Underneath the ck hair was a powerless expression and ck exhausted eyes.

    Lifting his gaze, he looked into the eyes of the child, as baby Bom simrly looked back at him.

    The things binding her hands and feet were [Chains of Hell].

    Mana was the manifestation of will, and those chains snapped everything including both the body and the mind like a heavy piece of lead.

    Her restricted limbs were flushed in red as if they had gone through several repetitions of being chafed and recovered. Some of them were even bleeding, and the fact that her wounds weren¡¯t healed yet meant that baby Bom had been taking a ¡®lesson¡¯ until just then.

    A lesson.

    He squinted his eyes.

    It would have been a lesson that tore through her skin and made her bleed¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The young Bom did not look very good. Perhaps because of the exhausting lesson, her fidgety hands appeared unstable as her powerless gaze faintly wavered.

    Yu Jitae thought for a while.

    This part henceforth was the most important part, because he had to leave a favourable impression of himself on baby Bom.

    ¡°Are you the new tutor?¡±

    The same voice as Bom, but one that was a bit more childish lethargically left her mouth.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay. You can leave now.¡±

    Things were going south already.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m a bit tired today.¡±

    After finishing her words, the young Bom grabbed onto her nket as that slight movement rocked the chains.

    She was clearly telling him to go away.

    ¡°A moment will do.¡±

    ¡°¡­A moment?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk a little bit. It is our first time seeing each other.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know how to make someone fond of himself. Even in the 7th iteration, he had never tried to get close to someone.

    However, it was a different story if the opponent was Bom. Taking a natural step forward, he headed deeper into her room.

    ¡°My name is Yu Jitae. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Without replying to his words, Bom simply showed her difort by gesturing at the Protector with her gaze. It was fortunate that the Protector was bad at reading the mood.

    Thanks to that, he was able to add a few more sentences.

    ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I don¡¯t have one.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it suffocating? Those chains? Looking at your face, you look like someone who doesn¡¯t like being tied up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m used to it¡­¡±

    She gave a curt reply while sending another gaze towards the Protector. A sliver of irritation appeared on her exhausted expression.

    ¡°Oi. If you¡¯re done greeting her, then¡­¡±

    ¡°¨CIn the past.¡±

    When the Protector tried to pull him out, he stopped it with his hands and continued his words.

    ¡°I had a friend that looked exactly the same as you. She travelled anywhere she wanted to go, met new people and had delicious food.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°She said it was more boring and meaningless than what she expected. However, the reason travelling is fun is because youe across events that are totally out of your expectation. That was the same for her. She coincidentally met someone.¡±

    ¡°Oi, mage. Don¡¯t you hear me telling you toe out?¡±

    The Protector strengthened its grip and this time, it was fairly threatening.

    Since it would seem strange to hold his ground here, he obediently let it pull him.

    It was then.

    ¡°¡­And then?¡±

    Good.

    She took the bait.

    What Bom wanted the most was freedom. She wanted freedom so much so that she had gone across the globe by herself despite the strong brainwash of loving Yu Jitae.

    It was the same for baby Bom in front of his eyes.

    Flicking off the Protector¡¯s hand, he said to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite a long story.¡±

    Baby Bom wasn¡¯t fully into it yet. She touched the nket above her knees with the same lethargic look on her face.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll chase you out if it¡¯s boring.¡±

    She said while sending a gaze at the Protector.

    Krrk? Being someone that was bad at reading the mood, the Protector did not understand what she meant so the young Bom voiced out hermand.

    ¡°You can stay outside.¡±

    ***

    He didn¡¯t have much time.

    There was around 5 to 6 hours left until Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration would show himself. He had to fully gain her favour by then.

    Something that he definitely had to admit, was that he was slightly weaker than Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration.

    If ¡®his¡¯ strength was 100 and if that was the limit of an existence, then he would currently be at around 99.

    It was because through the events like the fight against Myu and his massacre of the Judges, he had permanently used up a portion of the killing intent he had gathered. The difference of 1 was definitely nothing to scoff at because there were no variables in a fight among transcendent powers.

    However, he did have an upper hand in one aspect, and that was the difference in information.

    He knew exactly who Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration was, as well as how he went into a fight.

    So to keep that advantage, he had to make sure Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration wouldn¡¯t be able to identify him perfectly at one nce. In order to do so, he needed a great artifact that could deceive Yu Jitae by allowing him to hide the attributes of his mana and change his external appearance.

    Fortunately, there was a treasure among the ck dragon race that perfectly fit the description.

    [Nigh Perfect Truth]

    It was aughable name.

    A ¡®nigh perfect truth¡¯, in the end still meant it was false.

    In any case, he had to befriend baby Bom and obtain the ¡®Nigh Perfect Truth¡¯ which would probably be at the treasury of the ck dragons. That was why he was talking to her about this and that for almost 20 minutes.

    ¡°A novel almost became a movie? What¡¯s a ¡®movie¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something simr to a memory crystal. It shows dreamy images that are exactly the same as reality to a lot of people.¡±

    ¡°Do they watch it a lot?¡±

    ¡°They do. Tens of millions of people around the whole world watch them.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Millions? Baby Bom tried to envision it in her head but ended up shaking her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s too big of a number¡­¡±

    He then talked about the events that had happened to Bom, which had shaken Bom¡¯s heart the most. To the young Bom who was locked in the pce and constantly educated ever since her birth, freedom was like sugar.

    Her eyes were glistening throughout the story.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably not the same here, but usually there are seasons in a dimension. Spring (Bom) is a season of warm breezes, and blooming flowers.¡±

    ¡°I know what a flower is.¡±

    Saying that, baby Bom took out a ck flower from somewhere and showed it to him.

    He recognised the flower ¨C it was a Wyvernip.

    ¡°What flower is that,¡± he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s the sleeping assistant of our race.¡±

    ¡°A sleeping assistant?¡±

    ¡°When it hurts a lot, you can take a deep breath of this and go to sleep at once.¡±

    Wyvernip had been especially more effective against Bompared to Kaeul and Yeorum. That was why unlike the two kids that constantly tried to smell the flower, Bom refused to smell it after doing it once because of how potent it was.

    That seemed to have been another sign that showed Bom was a ck dragon¡­

    ¡°But that flower is only ck. It is different from what I¡¯m trying to exin.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean. Flowers are ck.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    This was an opportunity. Thinking that, Yu Jitae stretched his hand out to the young Bom. Her tiny eyes deeply stared at his hand as if she was still somewhat disinclined.

    ¡°Hold it. I¡¯ll show you the types of flowers I saw.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After a short hesitation, the young Bom carefully took her index finger and ced it gently above his middle finger.

    Yu Jitae recalled the garden of flowers that he saw on a certain trip with the baby dragons ¨C the ce where he considered himself as a horrendous sculpture that did not suit the scenery¡­

    Flowers of all sorts of colours seeped into the head of baby Bom. This time, the sugar was a little sweeter ¨C it should be as fragrant as a candy.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s interesting.¡±

    However, the young Bom¡¯s reaction was different from what he expected. Even though it didn¡¯t seem like she was being sarcastic, she didn¡¯t seem too interested either.

    He wondered if this was the wrong choice.

    ¡°Thank you. I want to rest a little now,¡± she said while pulling her hand back.

    Yu Jitae pondered for a bit before standing up from the ground. Unfortunately, he seemed to have ruined it.

    It was a shame. Although he was a bad talker, he had organised memories that the young Bom would like after contemting for four days but¡­

    There was nothing else he could do at this point. It wasn¡¯t like this was the only opportunity, and he simply had to find the next chance.

    Thinking that, he lifted the nket that was around her calves and covered her body. It was an act of habit ¨C because that was what he had always done for Gyeoul.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    But it was then. A slight fluster appeared in the eyes of the young Bom.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°What did you do just then?¡±

    ¡°I pulled the nket over you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my nket though¡­? Why would you do that for me?¡±

    How distant was she from such normal things? He still wasn¡¯t used to it.

    But that was when he suddenly had this line of thought.

    When designing her revenge n, the young Bom had prepared several tools to shake the heart of the enemy. She said there was something she had constantly told herself with a sigh during that process. ¡®I had never even contemted how to appeal to someone before so I¡¯m probably bad at it¡­¡¯ was what she had been telling herself.

    Then what about those excessive and proactive approaches Bom had shown him?

    Maybe that was how she herself would open her heart to someone else?

    At a nce, it seemed a little over-the-top but after lingering on that thought, he realised that it was quite usible. It was simr to how a child would give a candy to an adult as a present.

    Thus, he decided to conduct a little experiment.

    ¡°Why. You said you were going to rest. You look tired anyway so you better take some sleep.¡±

    What would Bom have done in a situation like this.

    Bom would¡­

    ¡°But why aren¡¯t you using cleanse on yourself before going to sleep.¡±

    Saying that, Yu Jitae rested his hand on her small face that turned slightly more perplexed.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    Bom stayed still without avoiding his touch so he ced his hand near her eyes.

    Her head was tiny. When her eyes that were even smaller than that quivered to a close, he softly whispered into her ears while remembering Bom¡¯s past voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s dirty.¡±

    At the same time, he gently wiped the clots of blood with his hand. It was a voice that did not suit him, and he felt very repulsed by his own greasy action.

    He even questioned himself, whether he was doing the right thing or not.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What was the young Bom doing in response?

    Looking at her eyes, he found perplexity still filling her eyes. This was enough for pulling a move on a kid.

    What came next? What did Bom used to do after this?

    Bom tended to check his reaction after teasing him. ¡®Did you fall for me?¡¯ was her general question because it was a continuation of her tease.

    However, that was something he just couldn¡¯t make himself do. The instinctive repulsion he felt towards it was ridiculous, and was just as big as how he felt when Yeorum was trying to make him wear a bunny boy uniform in the past.

    That was why he thought about her next action. Like how Bom used to run away after teasing him, he was going to leave as if nothing happened.

    ¡°Rest up.¡±

    Yu Jitae stood up and was about to leave the room.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    But the voice of the young Bom halted him in his tracks. Slowly, he turned back to the child as her anxious eyes directly looked into his eyes.

    ¡°¡­Do you want to talk a bit more?¡±

    It was clearly a sign of curiosity. He felt a faint firework bursting out in his head.

    The first process of getting close to her was a sess.

 Chapter 408: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constellation (4)

    <h4>Chapter 408: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constetion (4)</h4>

    ¡°Before that, there is something I have to do.¡±

    Clink. The young Bom moved her hands as the chains swayed with each of her movements. Crawling on all fours across the bed, the little child headed to the drawer and took out a thick chisel. The sharp tip was forking off like thorns and looked like it would be met with a fair bit of resistance when used.

    ¡°Pretend you didn¡¯t see anything.¡±

    What?

    He was curiously looking at her when the little Bom raised the chisel and scraped her hand. Clink. She twitched her hand from pain which was followed by the screeching noise of chains.

    Yu Jitae frowned wondering what this kid was doing. However, the young Bom did not stop ¨C she stabbed the chisel through her thigh and pierced near her wrist to let it bleed.

    She was harming herself.

    It didn¡¯t seem like she was immune to pain either. Whenever the tip of the sharp chisel cut through her skin to pour out blood, she squinted her eyes and let out a faint groan.

    Despite that, the child continued creating wounds here and there before atst raising the chisel and bringing it to her eyes.

    ¡°Girl. Hold on. What is all this about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something that has to be done.¡±

    Don¡¯t tell me she was going to stab her own eye with that thing?

    It was when he was staring at the young Bom with a frown. Bom stabbed her eye with the chisel.

    This time, she was in especially more pain. Her body convulsed as her fingers curled in. The chains shrieked out loud with each shake of her body and the young Bom released the chisel to surround her eye with her two hands.

    Blood dripped down her cheeks.

    Fortunately, a dragon was still a dragon in the interpreted world. Before long, Bom turned towards him with a deeply flushed eye that was somewhat healed.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why did you clean up the blood.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I have to go to the hall. I shouldn¡¯t look like I¡¯m in a good state.¡±

    Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t readily understand her words and guessed her intention.

    ¡°Why; does your education be more difficult if you have no injuries?¡±

    Baby Bom shook her head.

    ¡°The intensity is always the same. It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s because the adults of our race have expectations of me that shouldn¡¯t be betrayed.¡±

    ¡°Expectations?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a very important hatchling. They¡¯re all waiting for me to be the hero.¡±

    Finally, Yu Jitae realised what the young Bom was saying. An existence that had expectations of everyone else had to be careful for even small actions that may seem trivial at a nce.

    A little bit of a difference and the ones seeing her would either see hope or despair on their own ord.

    ¡°I need to train hard to be a hero. There has to be evidence of my injury if I train hard, so it¡¯s better for me if I have bloodstains.

    ¡°They will be doubtful if I¡¯m too clean¡­¡±

    He once again realised what kind of existence the young Bom was to the ck race. cing the chisel back into the drawer, she asked.

    ¡°So, are you a mage?¡±

    ¡°For now.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look that strong though.¡±

    Yu Jitae shrugged his shoulders.

    ¡°I do have the right to teach you.¡±

    ¡°Is there a lot to teach?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    The young Bom gazed at him before tucking her hair behind her ears.

    ¡°I usually don¡¯t talk with my tutors.¡±

    ¡°Why is that.¡±

    ¡°Usually, you talk to be closer, right. But I¡¯m a very fast learner. I learn quickly and graduate very fast. The tutor gets reced by another one when I have nothing more to learn.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a nod.

    ¡°There were a lot before you too. And none of them were able to go over 2 or 3 months.¡±

    ¡°You must be very talented.¡±

    ¡°You have to teach me properly. I¡¯ll chase you out immediately if you¡¯re useless. Don¡¯t be nervous though. And don¡¯t be stingy with teaching because of that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    After saying all that, baby Bom closed her mouth. Then, she pondered for a bit before hugging her knees.

    ¡°But, you are a bit different.¡±

    She muttered.

    ¡°¡­I want you to teach me for a long time.¡±

    ¡®Of course,¡¯ he said with a nod. Afterwards, he shared some idle banter with the young Bom.

    ¡°By the way, why don¡¯t you wear a hood? The other tutors were all wearing one.

    ¡°Are you perhaps learning something like a ¡®spell that lets you befriend dragons¡¯?

    ¡°How old are you? Maybe you¡¯re younger than me?¡±

    The young Bom appeared to have a lot of questions.

    After starting to talk once, she continued throwing him questions so the conversation was very one-sided. Bom asked, and he replied. Bom would think of the following questions while calmly listening to his response.

    Although he was still not a master of daily life, he was used to dealing with a child¡¯s mood. It was an ability he gained by aligning himself to the emotions of four very different children for 5 years.

    Therefore, baby Bom felt veryfortable during her conversation with him.

    ¡°It¡¯s interesting. I wonder how it would feel, to be free?¡±

    An abrupt question from her made Yu Jitae realise that the young Bom had a yearning despair for freedom. At the same time, he realised that this was a small opportunity.

    ¡°That thing on your wrist.¡±

    ¡°This?¡±

    nk¨C Bom shook her wrists.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it ufortable?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well¡­¡±

    ording to the young Bom, it seemed that those chains connected to the far dimensions through the fissures were there to bind her so that she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from the tremendously painful lessons. ¡®I¡¯m not even going to run away though¡­¡¯ she grumbled.

    This too was a device that disyed the extent of her curriculum.

    ¡°I¡¯m sick of it. They go super long. I have to be chained wherever I go, and they nevere off.¡±

    Although the ends of the chains looked like they were connected to the wall, it was a dimensional fissure that they were each connected to. Because of that, baby Bom always had to be apanied by those chains and those fissures wherever she went, in addition to being restricted from going too far.

    ¡°Can I have a look.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Heid his hand on the [Chains of Hell] that were connected to the handcuff locking her hands. Since he had been using Chains of Hell for dozens of years, he was able to untangle and reattach them without leaving any trace behind.

    ¡°No-one got rid of these for you before, have they?¡±

    ¡°Nn. My mum¡¯s the one who arranged it so who would dare do that?¡±

    Chains that had never been untied ever since her birth, that would stay that way for a long time.

    When Yu Jitae touched it, a miracle started to happen. The chains were slowly loosened and the handcuff linked to the end of the ck chains were separated from her thin wrists.

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    Her eyes widened in real time as her body straightened back up. The change in her expression was even more apparent because of the previous exhausted look on her face.

    Uncontroble curiosity was in the eyes of the young Bom.

    ¡°H, h, how did you do that¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Baby Bom touched her wrists and rubbed the skin which was reddened due to the chains.

    She then slowly moved her hands up and down. As if she was intrigued by the non-existent chains that should have been swaying, she looked at her light wrists with wide eyes.

    The young Bom stole a nce at Yu Jitae. She looked at her own ankles before turning her gaze back to him.

    He knew what that expression was.

    It was the same look Gyeoul had when requesting gummies.

    ¡°It seems those are quite bothersome as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ never been to a ce I want to go.¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But we can¡¯t get caught so just for a while.¡±

    ¡°I know that.¡±

    She pushed her feet at Yu Jitae. As expected, because of the shackles that were constantly holding onto her ankles, her skin was always chafed red and was unable to be fully recovered.

    His hand slowly headed to the ankles of the child as her eyes slowly widened in hope.

    In her life ever since her birth, she had never been to a ce she wanted to go. The restrictions that had been confining her were about to be released by Yu Jitae¡¯s fingers but it was then.

    ¨C Young Miss. It is time to go to the banquet hall.

    ¡°Ah, n, nn!¡±

    A voice echoed from outside. With a flinch, Bom shouted while ncing at the door.

    Then, she pushed her wrists forward at him as the voice echoed again from outside, ¡®Young Miss!¡¯. Bom hurriedly replied, ¡®I, I know! I¡¯m going soon!¡¯ before whispering to him.

    ¡®Hurry up and tie me again. Please¡­¡¯

    It was a short escape from reality but that short amount of time was enough to frighten the young Bom. Even though he found her pitiful, he still applied the chains back on her wrists.

    Now, it was time for that incident to ur.

    ***

    Beneath the dark sky, thend was achromatic despite the shed of light.

    A man stepped foot on the distorted desert path with deviated time and no sign of life. He had been wandering for a while and atst came across a meaningful building at the end of the desert.

    Standing quietly, the man indifferently gazed at the building, the [Pce].

    It was definitely this smell.

    It was there.

    ***

    Power had an endogenous origin and in a world interpreted into a concept, that inner origin of power was intensified even more. So although he could sense that someone was nearing the pce, Yu Jitae could not find any evidence to support his im.

    But asionally looking outside the banquet hall, he felt a peculiar sense of deja vu.

    There were rtivelyrge stars embroidered on the jet-ck night sky.

    Even before the interpretation, the background was probably as dark as this when he was destroying this pce.

    ¡°Say hello. This is my new tutor.¡±

    In the banquet hall filled with groups of ck dragons, Bom took Yu Jitae and introduced him to her rtives.

    ¡°Ahh. Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. So you¡¯re the new tutor.¡±

    ¡°More importantly¡­¡±

    The ck dragons disregarded Yu Jitae. Even though baby Bom was emphasising the introduction as much as possible, they were uninterested because in the eyes of dragons, he was nothing but a petty human.

    However, the thing called magic became like an archipgo of different cultures across all the dimensions, so they were simply assuming that he must have researched some unique magic.

    ¡°Was our princess working hard today as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Look at all this blood. How arduous must it have been.¡±

    Around that point in time, Yu Jitae¡¯s attention had been shifted away from them.

    He carefully observed the [Pce] interpreted by Conceptualisation.

    In the past, there was a building in Myu¡¯s inner world and there was also one in Vintage Clock¡¯s conceptual world. Except for the clock tower, all of them were sloppy and weak buildings. And as for the ground, it used to be as soft and crumbly as cream.

    The world analysed by Conceptualisation was quite feeble in general.

    However, this ce was different.

    Yu Jitae tried knocking on the pir with his fist.

    Kung kung¨C

    It was tough.

    Let alone the pirs, the ground and the ceiling were all the same. As if the entire building was made of actual cement, it was very tough.

    Why is this the case¡­

    ¨C You don¡¯t remember anything, do you¡­?

    ¨C That¡¯s always how it is for the assant.

    Bom was right. Since he didn¡¯t assign much importance to his crimes, he had easily forgotten about those trivial matters. In truth, he couldn¡¯t remember anything on whether this [Pce] had a unique power or not.

    Kung kung¨C

    In any case, this building was very tough.

    It was to the point that if a ck dragon was to ram its head into the pir, it would be the head of the dragon that breaks instead of this building.

    Even though it was obvious in the real world that the head would be the one breaking when driven into a rocky wall, it was not obvious in the slightest in a world interpreted by Conceptualisation.

    Raising his head, he looked at the vast interior of the pce and came to a conclusion.

    This [Pce] was one huge weapon¡­

    ¡°Say hi. He¡¯s my new tutor.¡±

    That was when Bom introduced Yu Jitae to a group of kids. Unlike the adult dragons, the baby dragons waved their hands at him with a smile.

    ¡°Is he a human?¡±

    One of them asked.

    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s a human.¡±

    ¡°Interesting¡­ He looks super weak.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s okay. You¡¯ll be safe with us.¡±

    ¡°Right, my mum is super strong you know?¡±

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    They chuckled out loud but on the other hand, there was someone who frowned from the introduction.

    ¡°Say hi. She¡¯s my little sister, and he¡¯s my tutor.¡±

    ¡°What happened? You¡¯re introducing someone that¡¯s going to disappear soon,¡± Myu jeered.

    ¡°He¡¯s probably going tost longer.¡±

    ¡°How funny. Weren¡¯t you always hiding the other tutors from me because you didn¡¯t want to show them to me?¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s because you keep on¡­¡±

    ¡°Whatever. So noisy.¡±

    Myu showed her tongue before turning around with a flick.

    Bom pouted a little.

    ¡°You know what. Ignore her when she talks to you.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°She keeps on going up to my tutors and acts cute with them, telling them to y with her instead¡­¡±

    Back when he didn¡¯t know Bom was a ck dragon, she told him that ¡®she had a doll stolen by her younger sister¡¯.

    The young Bom red at Myu. However, it didn¡¯t seem too serious or anything, and looked like a small strife between kids.

    Their eyes met when Myu turned around, but Myu flicked her head away with a ¡®Hmph.¡¯ In response, Bom also scoffed and grumbled in a voice loud enough to reach her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like her.¡±

    ¡°Why. You should be nice to your sister.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s very weird. I don¡¯t like her. So don¡¯t be too close to her, okay?¡±

    Yu Jitae nodded back.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    *

    Until then, the banquet hall looked very peaceful.

    The ones drinking alcohol in their own groups were peacefully chatting to each other, while the kids were constantly running around everywhere under the pleasant music of the musicians.

    Their conversations were generally on the continuance and peace of the ck dragon race.

    That was what everyone here was hoping for. They hoped for a ray of light to shed their nests that were unfortunately buried in the shadow, and their return to a hopeful life.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae slowly stood up in nervousness while observing the surroundings.

    It was about time.

    ¡°Her Majesty ising in.¡±

    Before long, Lugiathan came into the banquet hall.

    ¡°Though I may die, I long for our children to be happy at their new shelter.¡±

    She shared her blessings and raised the ss of alcohol in her hand.

    ¡°¡°Cheers¨C¡°¡°

    When the ck dragons followed suit by raising their sses into the air, an odd sound started to reverberate outside the window.

    Sheeeekk¡ª

    It was the sound of something striking through the air. The moment he heard the noise, Yu Jitae confirmed the direction of the sound, the angle, and the time, before embracing baby Bom and throwing his body under the table.

    Immediately after that,

    Kwaaaaannggg¡ª!!

    A tremendous explosion came to the banquet hall.

 Chapter 409: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constellation (5)

    <h4>Chapter 409: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constetion (5)</h4>

    Arge ember flickered. The thing analysed as a missile was the cluster of killing intent personally shot by Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration.

    There was also the principle of [Spatial Severance] embedded inside. A translucent frame of killing intent appeared inside the banquet hall that physically blocked every door and window.

    The inside was in chaos. Tables went flying and walls were broken. mes that began from the explosion were scorching the carpet.

    Some were injured. Children cried in shock while adults shouted with a pale countenance.

    Yu Jitae looked at Bom. Due to her surprise, she was grabbing her chest, anxiously looking around with her widened eyes. Overall, she looked okay.

    Fortunately, there was no-one dead yet because Lugiathan instinctively reacted in time at the moment of the attack to embrace the missile with an alternate dimension.

    However, that was just the beginning of the attack.

    Soon, ¡®those guys¡¯ would probably show themselves.

    If he told them about this beforehand, it would have been possible to stop it from happening. However, there was a reason why Yu Jitae had to defeat Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration.

    Should ¡®he¡¯ escape this ce, his n would definitely end up failing. Not only would he not be able to defeat Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration due to hisck of strength, after being recognised by him once, he would end up being locked in the cirction of his authority.

    [Regression].

    After desperately begging the white bird, Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration had earned the ability to use one of Vintage Clock¡¯s abilities that shouldn¡¯t have been possible. It was the ability to set a starting point of his time regression in an outer dimension with a reigning sovereign, and return to that point with death.

    This ability to choose the [Starting Point] was the greatest weapon contained by ¡®Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration¡¯. At the same time, it was the one Yu Jitae was the most cautious of.

    Soon, ck figures appeared behind the window while covering the constetions at the back with their bodies. Humans with wings wielding swords, spears and bows began to break into the pce.

    [Punishment of an Archduke (SS)]

    This was one of the three authorities Yu Jitae stole by killing the Demon Archduke. It was an authority that became stronger by temporarily taking the power away from the true body. He didn¡¯t like it that much and it was thus one he didn¡¯t use very often.

    Even though each of those entities actually gave off a tremendous dignity, they were only interpreted as winged humans in this world.

    ¡°Intruders!¡±

    ¡°Damn it. Flee the kids!¡±

    In suit, the ck dragons took out their weapons and dashed into the fallen angels.

    Meanwhile, he gazed outside the window at the things approaching from a distance. He had to be ready for ¡®Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration¡¯ toe in any time.

    However, it seemed that Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration wasn¡¯t able toe to this ce. To be exact, Lugiathan had made therge ck barriers even stronger to stop his approach.

    [Great Barrier (SS)]

    He squinted his eyes.

    Off in the distance amidst the darkness, outside the ck walls surrounding the pce, he saw a human figure.

    It was ¡®him¡¯.

    ¡°What in the world is that thing!¡±

    Lugiathan uttered a shout while activating the protective barrier. She seemed fairly surprised by the extraordinary strength of her opponent.

    ¡°Is it a sovereign?¡±

    ¡°No Your Majesty! It¡¯s not a sovereign!¡±

    It was then. A misty cloud of mana explosively appeared behind ¡®his¡¯ right arm.

    That was probably [Shapeless Sword].

    Yu Jitae watched with his eyes squinted.

    In the distant past, the weak Yu Jitae needed more tools to defeat his opponents. Because of that, he gradually increased the number of blessings and authorities under his belt. From five, to ten, hundred, five hundred and a thousand¡­

    However, even though he was able to use thousands of abilities and authorities, at one point he dropped all those tools and no longer used them. After obtaining one perfect tool, all his other superficial tools became useless.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C 4th Form]

    It was the authority that had crushed the head of the Demon Archduke.

    [God ying Form]

    A power strong enough to divide the world into two struck down at Lugiathan¡¯s Great Barrier.

    Kwaaaaa¡ª!!!

    That ear-splitting roar shook the heavens and the earths. Mana travelled faster than sound and pushed away all the moisture in the air with a white aftershock.

    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±

    Lugiathan tightly gripped onto her chest in pain.

    ¡°Our King!¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I am fine! You hurry up and repel the intruders!¡±

    Nheless, she used to be a sovereign of a world in the past, and was now the chief of a dragon race. Her Great Barrier was standing strong.

    Yu Jitae looked at the ¡®guy¡¯.

    Standing in front of the dark dimensional barrier, he was tapping the half-broken dimension with his hand.

    The enemy wasn¡¯t flustered by the unbreakable wall. He was simply contemting whether he should break this and go in, or go back and restart from the beginning¡­

    ¡®He¡¯ would not be able to enter the pce in his ¡®1st iteration¡¯, and things were about to go back in time soon.

    Yu Jitae turned his body and looked at the banquet hall.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    The chaotic room was ruined due to the fight between the fallen angels and the ck dragons. In the conceptual world, he could see ck mes trying to devour the fallen angels while a spearhead followed the sharp wind to stab one of the arms of a ck dragon.

    Screams. Furious shouts. Commands. Tears.

    It was when Yu Jitae was looking for the young Bom.

    ¡°What are you doing there! Hurry up ande here!¡±

    Instead of him, it was she who managed to find him.

    She had ced arge table sideways and was hiding behind it. He went to her side and lowered his body to find baby Bom healing the wounds of other injured hatchlings.

    ¡°We could not leave the pce.¡±

    That was to be expected. And it would have been a problem even if they did break it, because breaking the [Spatial Severance] would send information about the breaker to ¡®him¡¯.

    ¡®He¡¯ was ridiculously thorough when fighting against an enemy. Once ¡®he¡¯ had ess to one piece of information, that would snowball in the next iterations and create new variables for Yu Jitae.

    ¡°N, noona! Over there! Your sister is¡­!¡±

    That was when one of the hatchlings shouted out loud.

    Sister?

    Yu Jitae turned his gaze and found the young Myu who had yet to evacuate properly. Although no-one was targeting her as of yet, she appeared to be in a perilous state.

    ¡°W, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring her here!¡±

    Bom was about to dash out on reflex but one of the injured hatchlings held onto its stomach while groaning in pain.

    ¡°Hkk¡­¡±

    There was a broken piece of metal stuck on the child¡¯s stomach. ¡®Ah! Wait!¡¯, saying that, Bom stopped her feet that were about to dash out and focused on healing the child.

    That was when Yu Jitae raised his body but the young Bom reacted by grabbing onto his arm with a flinch.

    ¡°Where are you going? Don¡¯t move for no reason, and stay here!¡±

    Her tiny fingers grasping onto his sleeves were shivering.

    ¡°I¡¯m done healing. I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Even though she was frightened, she was still trying to protect him. But her pretence started to crumble when one of the fallen angels started walking towards her.

    ¡°It, it¡¯sing. Stay behind me.¡±

    Her voice trembled as the enemy drew near.

    In that instant, Yu Jitae kneeled next to baby Bom who was tightly holding onto his arm.

    ¡°Girl. Give that sword to me.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°Come on. Pass it to me.¡±

    He had set this ce as the battlefield due to an unavoidable reason, but that didn¡¯t mean he should look away from the needless sacrifices.

    It was bing increasingly worse for the dragons. A newmand must have been given to the fallen angels ¨C ?Kill as many dragons as possible.?It meant that ¡®he¡¯ had predicted the failure of this iteration and had entered the process of gathering information.

    Yu Jitae was now going to save as many ck hatchlings as possible without getting discovered by him, even though it might all be rendered meaningless the moment time travelled back to the past.

    ¡°J, just hide here. You¡¯ll die if you go there.¡±

    The fallen angel started walking faster and soon, it was evidently running with them as the target.

    Shaking his head, he reached out to the sword in her hands. She was still reluctant and held firmly onto the sword as hard as she could, thinking that a mere human wouldn¡¯t possibly be able to beat a dragon in strength.

    That was why,

    When Yu Jitae snatched the sword away from her hands all too easily, her eyes widened into circles.

    ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡±

    Leaving behind the astonished Bom, Yu Jitae carried the sword. Power had an endogenous origin and was not fully revealed until it was consciously used by the user. On the other hand, it would be fully revealed the moment it was used.

    He slowly unsheathed the sword.

    Shrring¡ª

    At the same time, his presence and his killing intent rushed out from within as the air turned excruciatingly heavy.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Running towards the one who was dashing at him, he went past it with a swing of his sword.

    In just one strike, the fallen angel lost its head. The head dropped on the ground as blood gushed out from the wound.

    ***

    After killing four fallen angels, he saved baby Myu and brought her to the safe area behind the table, and also sneakily saved a few of the ck dragons that were close to dying.

    That was when Lugiathan suddenly dashed up and took the young Bom away. It was to be expected, considering how her eyes had constantly been monitoring Bom the whole time.

    Lugiathan hid her behind the throne and covered her with the veil. That was the Non-Providential World of [Primal Time] that Bom had been staying in.

    Baby Bom did not try to go in. Only after getting pped by her mother did she enter it alongside Myu.

    It was when the fight was reaching the end, when the ck dragons had killed almost all of the fallen angels.

    Suddenly, the world started to slow down. Yu Jitae opened his eyes with a re and identified the exact point in time.

    After slowing down, the world came to aplete stop, before starting to rewind back.

    The sword was plucked out of the fallen angel that was dead and its body rose back up on its own. Time went backwards through all the chaos and fight, as fragments left each and every part of the banquet hall to gather into a dot. Then, it shattered the window and flew outward.

    This phenomenon could be exined with one line.

    Just then, ¡®he¡¯ had killed himself.

    [Turning Point Regression]

    He had rewound time through suicide after gathering information about this failed iteration. After beingpletely wound back, time finally started flowing properly again.

    He checked the time. The time fixed as the turning point was when Yu Jitae met the Protector. It was right before the start of the banquet, and when the groups of ck dragons were sharing light conversations and drinks.

    Yu Jitae was the only one who wasn¡¯t affected in that room.

    However, he merged into the shadow with certainty. He headed to the veil behind the throne and walked inside.

    Baby Bom was there.

    She wasn¡¯t swept away by the reverse timeflow either.

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Seeing Yu Jitae, her eyes that were trembling from anxiety widened into circles.

    ¡°Y, you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re confused. But you have toe to yourself as soon as possible. We don¡¯t have much time in our hands.¡±

    ¡°W, what are you talking about? And what was that thing that just happened¨C!¡±

    Things henceforth were very important.

    It took about 5 hours and 30 minutes until the first attack, but the second attack would probablye in about 5 hours.

    However, Yu Jitae couldn¡¯t fully stop ¡®him¡¯ by himself.

    He needed the help of the young Bom.

    ¡°Listen carefully.¡±

 Chapter 410: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constellation (6)

    <h4>Chapter 410: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constetion (6)</h4>

    Yu Jitae confessed a lot of things to the young Bom.

    A devil would be breaking in very soon, and the devil¡¯s ability is to rewind time.

    ¡°Impossible. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible.¡±

    She had already received a general education about magic from her mother. She was diligently trying to refute his words using her knowledge as the basis so Yu Jitae opened the veil and showed her the proof.

    Baby Bom was frozen stiff.

    Dragons were in groups happily sharing sses with each other.

    The chaotic banquet hall was now nowhere in sight. The young Bom gazed at them with a stupefied look on her face before turning towards him.

    ¡°Then, you¡­?¡±

    I came here to save you for a reason, and I need your help to deal with this situation. That was what he told her.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Her question was justified.

    ¡°¡­Why would you save me?¡±

    In response, Yu Jitae almost spouted a lie due to his habit. However, he did not want to lie anymore.

    ¡°It is a bit tough to share the reason. Do you still want to know?¡±

    ¡°Please tell me.¡±

    ¡°It could be quite shocking to you. More so than what you can imagine.¡±

    ¡°But, I think you¡¯re a good person¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Right now, you are seeing me as a good person but when you see these memories, you might be greatly flustered and there¡¯s the off chance you will hate me. Do you still want to see them?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The young Bom closed her eyes in thought.

    ¡°You need my help, right?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And there¡¯s also a reason why you have to help us.¡±

    ¡°That is also correct.¡±

    ¡°The fact that you came here to save me, means nothing will change without you¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be changed even with my ability to send memories right¡­?¡±

    She realised the core point, that nothing would change without Yu Jitae. It was true because Bom could not change anything by herself despite 170 opportunities.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t look at it.¡±

    ¡°Good choice, but can you tell me why?¡±

    ¡°Everything would be a mess if I did start to hate you, right.¡±

    It was a rational reply. It appeared that she has had this side to her ever since this point in time.

    ¡°But tell me one thing.¡±

    ¡°Which one.¡±

    ¡°If you really have to save me, then there are going to be emotions about me, yes?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please send me those. So that I don¡¯t doubt you.¡±

    That was nothing difficult. He reached his hand out as the young Bom grasped his fingers.

    Out of the emotions he felt for the adult Bom, Yu Jitae filtered those that were unsuitable for the young child.

    Romantic feelings, passion and sorrow from her death¡­ After excluding all of them, what remained was a pure sense of goodwill.

    Their innocent yet deep connection that was powerful enough to distort his thousand-year-long dream of death travelled through his fingers into the young Bom.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her eyes looking into his eyes widened into circles.

    ¡°Is that okay now?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s good. We don¡¯t have time. Let¡¯s chatter when everything¡¯s over, and for now, let¡¯s talk about what we have to do.¡±

    Yu Jitae exined his n.

    ¡°Firstly, the ¡®devil¡¯ looks very simr to me. But you¡¯ll be able to tell who is who by looking at the expression.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°The devil¡¯s target is your mother. It is to break the core in her fang and obtain her authority.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°He has the power to reverse time. It is by suicide, and is possible because of a transcendent authority. So there¡¯s no way for us to stop the regression itself.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°There is both an advantage and disadvantage for us. The advantage is that the devil doesn¡¯t know about my existence, and the disadvantage like I said before is that he regresses without an end.¡±

    ¡°Why is that a disadvantage?¡±

    ¡°Through repetitive regressions, the devil learns about the situation. He gets rid of mistakes, takes control over variables and observes the enemy¡¯s weak point. Based on that, in the next iteration he gets rid of his mistakes, avoids being pulled around by variables and attacks the weak point. So we cannot make even a single mistake. One mistake and that will forever be our weakness.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a scary ability.¡±

    ¡°Do you understand so far?¡±

    ¡°Nn. So, the mistake we can make against that devil, is letting him discover your existence right? Because he will start preparing against you next time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re very clever even though it¡¯s a difficult concept.¡±

    Yu Jitae thought of several images in his brain and sent them to Bom.

    ¡°Now, I want you to get permission from your mother and head to the treasury, and bring me [Nigh Perfect Truth].¡±

    ¡°You mean the one that changes your appearance? Is that to hide your identity from the devil?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And we need to borrow one more treasure on the way. Is there a treasure in the treasury that coerces the movement of your race?¡±

    ¡°Coerces movement?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Like how all the adults group up and attack when a baby dragon dies. Do you have something simr to that?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Baby Bom replied while scratching her hair.

    ¡°¡­No.¡±

    Is that so. Yu Jitae heaved a sigh.

    This was quite unfortunate, because he wanted to send as many dragons out of the banquet hall as possible before killing ¡®Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration¡¯ at the hall.

    Because otherwise, they would all be caught up in it.

    It wasn¡¯t like the dragons would listen to him telling them to leave. A fair amount of ck dragons will die and although he might save Lugiathan and Myu, the countless deaths of her rtives would have a negative impact on the young Bom.

    He was reluctantly heaving a sigh when she opened her mouth.

    ¡°Actually, there might be one.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The method doesn¡¯t matter right? In the end, we just have to make everyone move right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    There was still a serious look on her face.

    However, she had her head slightly lowered whereas her eyes were faintly gazing up at him. This was an expression Yu Jitae had seen multiple times before.

    ¡°¡­We have this big treasure, you see?¡±

    It was when she was feeling mischievous.

    *

    ording to her, there seemed to be a treasure among the ck race that should never be broken. It was an artifact that would be used as the final key when aplishing ¡®Grand Schema¡¯ in the distant future.

    [Demonic Sword of Grief]

    That was the most important item alongside the young Bom to the ck dragon race.

    ¡°There is a spell cast on this one, and if it gets stolen, all the dragons have to chase after it.¡±

    Yu Jitae gave a hazy smile.

    ¡°That is a great idea. But you see.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    If there was such a convenient method, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t have used it.

    He could say with certainty that he knew nothing about such an item existing despite 170 attacks on Lugiathan, which in turn meant it was an extraordinary treasure.

    How would baby Bom be able to take out something so incredible?

    ¡°Ah. I have the key.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    She said while taking a key out of a dimensional storage.

    This too was beyond hisprehension. Why was Bom holding the key to such an important treasury?

    ¡°This is not the treasury key. This is for my mum¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°Where did you get that from.¡±

    ¡°She gave it to me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°She told me toe to her room anytime, if I feel like dying from the lesson.¡±

    Bom said with a calm voice. Adult dragons sometimes fell into a deep slumber and that seemed to be why she was given the key.

    It was when he was quietly keeping words to himself from how pitiful she was.

    ¡°Then? What do we do after that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Right. Let me finish the exnation. If webel what we just went through as the 1st iteration, then the devil will appear in the 2nd iteration. Because he learned how toe inside.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°When the devil shows up in the 2nd iteration, I will go up and act like a fairly strong guy to make myself his target.¡±

    ¡°Target? Why? Won¡¯t he discover your identity then?¡±

    ¡°I can hide that by changing the basic mana attributes with [Nigh Perfect Truth]. I will buy some time andter, your mother will retaliate by attacking him back, and he will give up when all the dragons run up to him.¡±

    ¡°Will he die if we all attack him?¡±

    ¡°He will die, but that will be by killing himself. Even though he can run away.¡±

    A death like that was not much different from a suicide, and would not let them fully kill ¡®him¡¯. In order topletely get rid of him, they had to put aplete stop to the regression.

    ¡°It¡¯s too hard.¡±

    ¡°Think simple. We just have to make him act the way we want to.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°By using a very sweet bait.¡±

    ¡°Is that you? What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for me to take care of, and you don¡¯t need to worry about it. What¡¯s important is your role.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Baby Bom quickly understood his words. Her malleable state and easy eptance of information was probably another important element of her growth for the Grand Schema.

    Soon, their strategy meeting came to an end, and the young Bom understood exactly what she had to do.

    There were now three and a half hours left. Outside, the Protector was reporting to Lugiathan that Bom had disappeared.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time you went out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    .

    .

    .

    Bom did just as he expected,

    In fact, she performed even better than his expectations.

    ¡°It¡¯s here. This is [Nigh Perfect Truth].¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Yu Jitae took the mask from the young Bom, ced it over his face and edited a part of his appearance as well as the mana structure.

    ¡°What about [Demonic Sword of Grief]?¡±

    ¡°You said we will use it in the 3rd iteration right? I checked how to take it without being found out. Ah, and this¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this.¡±

    She handed him a ne. In the middle was a small jar instead of jewellery, inside of which was a dry flower petal.

    ¡°It¡¯s a petal of the ever-fragrant flower. It will smell a lot when you open the jar.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this for.¡±

    ¡°I thought about it on the way to the treasury, and I thought it would be better for you to be more eye-catching to the devil to be a sweet bait.¡±

    ¡°You mean, I should engrave the scent into his brain.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    He recalled the words Bom had told him in the past.

    It was that when givingpliments to a young child, he shouldpliment the result by lowering the threshold of apliment.

    But there was no need to even lower the threshold for this.

    ¡°That is a great idea.¡±

    She nodded back.

    ¡°If you have that smell, the devil will keep targeting you.¡±

    There was faint concern in her eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. Because I won¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Even so, she still looked uneasy.

    ¡°You saw me right? I¡¯m quite strong.¡± He reassured her.

    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t even know that and¡­¡±

    She appeared embarrassed by the fact she said something like how she would throw him away if he was useless.

    ¡°What should I do now?¡±

    ¡°You can go take your sister and other hatchlings outside. They don¡¯t have to participate in the banquet anyway.¡±

    ¡°Okay. And then?¡±

    ¡°And then¡­¡±

    It might be somewhat cruel, but he had to say it.

    ¡°You need to mentally prepare yourself. Some will get hurt and some might die. A lot more than before.¡±

    However, the young Bom bravely returned a nod as if there was nothing scary for her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ***

    It came.

    In the previous iteration, he had sent fallen angels into the initial gap that appeared in the Great Barrier the moment it was bombarded by the missile.

    That was to scout the area.

    But this time it was different. Immediately after arge explosion, fallen angels appeared at the banquet hall, and while the ck dragons were having a messy fight with the fallen angels, Lugiathan shouted with her Dragon Voice.

    [Be careful¨C!]

    Her shout shook the entirety of the banquet hall. In that instant, the fallen angels stopped fighting and distanced themselves, as the ck dragons also turned their gazes to one ce.

    Like an infection, it made everyone look outside the window.

    Something wasing. The air was pressing down on them like heavy lead.

    Those sensing that presence were appalled as the unending flow of killing intent suffocated their lungs and suppressed their pulses.

    Soon, the figure of a man appeared behind the window that was broken from the missile. Slowly, he showed himself.

    A tall height, wide shoulders, an indifferent expression and an even more apathetic gaze.

    Wearing arge coat over his shoulders, ¡®Yu Jitae¡¯ atst showed himself.

    In that split moment, ¡®his¡¯ pupils moved. The gaze like that of a beast or a monster scrutinised the banquet hall.

    Was this how it felt for others to meet his gaze till now? Thinking that, Yu Jitae squinted his eyes.

    Even though it was his first time seeing his other self of a parallel timeline, his sharp instincts were violently ringing rms in his head.

    Telling him, that ¡®he¡¯ was dangerous.

 Chapter 411: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constellation (7)

    <h4>Chapter 411: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constetion (7)</h4>

    The banquet hall turned mysteriously silent.

    Mere existences could not raise their voices, just like how a mouse would not growl in front of a lion.

    Although the fallen angels started running towards them again carrying spears and swords, the dragons could not focus on their enemies. Their minds were on the beast.

    In the battlefield, the beast moved its gaze. The man saw through the room in one nce, identified the location of his enemy and the distance, as well as how to get there.

    Before long, he started to move. Heading towards Lugiathan in a straight line, the beast lunged forward.

    ¡°S, stop him!¡±

    ¡°Block him!¡±

    Several ck dragons raised their swords and tried to stop ¡®him¡¯ to protect their leader. There were five of them.

    In that instant, ck aura exploded out of their body. In a world that was not interpreted as a concept, they would have dispelled their polymorph.

    Even though it was his first collision against them, ¡®he¡¯ did not waste any opportunities. He already identified and remembered most of the ck dragons¡¯ abilities and their strength from the previous iteration.

    The man crouched down in the middle of his march. The [Shapeless Sword] hanging in his right hand started to increase its size and atst became arge and heavy greatsword reaching at least 7 metres in length.

    ¡°Kuuuk!¡±

    ¡°Diee!!¡±

    Five adult ck dragons were running towards him as the man straightened his body back up.

    Then, he opened his eyes.

    His body rotated heavily from his tough waist. The trajectory of the enormous Shapeless Sword swallowed its surroundings like a storm as it reached further out.

    Kwagwagwagwagwa¡ª!

    The storm of killing intent shredded the bodies of the iing ck dragons. The dragons copsed in pieces as blood surged out like fountains.

    ¡°I, impossible!¡±

    ¡°What kind of¡­!¡±

    That overwhelming might frightened the dragons, and halted them in their steps.

    The mightiest strength of dragonsy in their ridiculous vitality. In the real world, they would have taken at least a few hours to slice to death and yet here, they died in just one strike.

    That was the difference in strength between ¡®him¡¯ and the dragons that was interpreted by [Conceptualisation (EX)].

    Even though it might take some time, there was no way an adult dragon could ever fight against ¡®him¡¯.

    ¡°How dare you bring a sword into my pce!¡±

    Infuriated like never before, Lugiathan personally carried herrge chain-sickle and ran towards him. A chief of a dragon race was on the stronger side even among sovereigns.

    The chain-sickle left a tremendous roar in its path as it attacked the man.

    Kaangg¨C!

    A shockwave was created from their strike, which trembled the banquet hall and shattered several ss ornaments and chandeliers.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae also opened the ne and mashed on the ever-fragrant flower petal. It was about time to move.

    Picking up the longsword of a dead dragon, he aimed for ¡®his¡¯ back.

    What he saw just then was the 1st iteration. Back then, ¡®he¡¯ would have realised that the sovereign Lugiathan was in this ce, and must have been contemting on how to ambush it.

    ¡®He¡¯ was able to copy one piece of information or ability when killing, or being killed by someone else. Although it wasn¡¯t always fixed, it was generally the power of will that was copied when being killed, and authorities or abilities when killing others.

    So in this 2nd iteration, he must be thinking of how he should kill Lugiathan to obtain [Conceptualisation].

    Yu Jitae knew the method.

    While Lugiathan was screaming out loud, her left fang inside her mouth faintly vibrated. That was the core carrying Lugiathan¡¯s vitality.

    So it would have taken ¡®him¡¯ 170 fights and massacres to discover that, andpletely crush it to obtain [Conceptualisation].

    However, Yu Jitae was now going to make the guy focus on him instead.

    ¡°Here. Look at me¨C!¡±

    With a shout, Yu Jitae stabbed at his back at a speed that would frighten dragons.

    Ting!

    However, ¡®he¡¯ slightly dodged the attack and easily parried the sword.

    Yu Jitae widened his eyes as if he was surprised, before fiercely stabbing at the enemy¡¯s head again. It felt like the dimension was being sucked into his sword, but it was futile.

    Ting! Kang!

    ¡®He¡¯ easily blocked and parried his attack.

    One stab resulted in a strong aftershock that flew across the banquet hall and destroyed the walls and the sculptures. However, it was useless no matter how strong it was as long as it didn¡¯t connect.

    Next, ¡®he¡¯ swung the Shapeless Sword down at Yu Jitae.

    Kwaaangg!! The entire floor of the hall echoed and bounced, creating a gush of wind that rose to the ceiling like a tornado.

    Yu Jitae had raised his sword to barely stop the attack, but was now being pushed down onto the ground.

    In that bout of strength, ¡®he¡¯ suddenly gave a frown. While Yu Jitae was one-sidedly being pushed down, one of his authorities twitched and the guy had definitely sensed it.

    It was none other than [Conceptualisation (EX)].

    The moment ¡®he¡¯ realised that, the guy red daggers into Yu Jitae¡¯s eyes. At the same time, the tip of ¡®his¡¯ nose twitched as if trying to remember the scent of ¡®ever-fragrant flower¡¯. It was to identify Yu Jitae as the next target.

    As the fight continued on, Yu Jitae was gradually pushed back. ¡°Kuhk!¡± Letting out a groan which he usually would never do, he let his enemy push him.

    The enemy was indeed monstrously strong. The lowered Shapeless Sword reached his forehead and began digging into his head from the nose.

    Blood gushed out of his wound.

    ¡°How dare you turn your back against me!¡±

    It was then. Flying in like a bolt of lightning, Lugiathan severed one of ¡®his¡¯ legs with the chain-sickle. Although blood was erupting out of the clean cut on his thigh, the enemy gave little regard to Lugiathan who was slicing at his body and fixed his gaze on Yu Jitae.

    After a lengthened battle, the fallen angels weren¡¯t able to deal with the ck dragons like the 1st iteration.

    In the remaining time, ¡®he¡¯ also refrained from acting rashly and taunted Lugiathan with his stabs. It was a type of experiment, so that things would be easier in the next iteration.

    Meanwhile, Lugiathan¡¯s chain-sickle sliced off one of his arms and dug deep into his head.

    However, ¡®he¡¯ did not die and paid no attention despite stumbling everywhere, as if there was no such emotion as fear.

    Atst when almost all the fallen angels were about to die, ¡®he¡¯ jumped out of the pce.

    ¡°Chase him!¡±

    Lugiathan furiously shouted.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae got up and poked his head out of the window. He, who had been constantly pushed back in the fight while screaming in pain, lookedpletely different.

    With this, it should have been engraved properly into his head, that ¡®an enemy I can beat easily is a holder of a tremendous authority¡¯.

    He gazed outside with the gaze of a beast.

    ***

    Yu Jitae hadmanded the young Bom to stealthily take her sister and the hatchlings out of the banquet hall. Even though that was partially to protect Myu and the hatchlings, it was more because he didn¡¯t want baby Bom to see this tragedy.

    This was very, very important.

    Just like how the memories of the young Bom crossed through the parallel timeline to reach the adult Bom, all the things she experienced in this parallel timeline created by the transcendent authority would all have an effect on the future Bom.

    If she had a horrendous experience here that was simr to before, Bom might not be able to survive in the original timeline.

    After the war, when [Spatial Severance] was crushed, he heard the nking noise of chains in the corridor. Baby Bom was hurriedly running back to the banquet hall.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The banquet hall was in a mess.

    It was like a sea of blood and amputated limbs were scattered around everywhere. Their weapons, sculptures protecting the banquet hall, the beautiful chandeliers and artworks were all shattered.

    Sixteen ck dragons had been killed.

    They were all rtives of the young Bom. Worried, he blocked her vision with his body but as if it was a meaningless concern, she shook her head and replied, ¡®I¡¯m okay¡¯.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wait for them to clean up a bit more,¡± he said to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m used to seeing blood.¡±

    Despite saying that, she locked her hands as if she didn¡¯t want him to see her shivering fingertips.

    ¡°More importantly, your face¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s face that was drenched in blood due to the wound going down from his forehead to his nose made it feel all the more realistic for Bom.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Princess. You cannot stay here.¡±

    Soon, a protector came and tried to look after Bom but he couldn¡¯t allow that to happen. While the dragons were still in a chaos, Yu Jitae followed after the protector and gave it a [Knifehand Strike] to the back of its neck.

    Taking baby Bom, he took her to the room, [Primal Time], hidden behind the veil behind the throne.

    This jet-ck dimension of the Non-Providential World, was like Yu Jitae and Bom¡¯s hideout.

    ¡°What happened to the devil? Why isn¡¯t he going back in time¡­?¡±

    Bom asked a question that had been haunting her the whole time. If time didn¡¯t go back, then her rtives would all stay dead withouting back to life.

    ¡°He gathered information and now needs time to analyse them. You don¡¯t need to worry about it, because time will rewind back for sure.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°To sum up, the 2nd iteration went ording to n. The guy clearly perceived me.¡±

    In response to his words, the young Bom suddenly turned her gaze to his chest.

    ¡°I used it. The ever-fragrant flower.¡±

    ¡°Ah, how did it go?¡±

    ¡°It worked out well. He was smelling it and stuff.¡±

    She nodded back, and looked slightly proud.

    ¡°The next iteration is the most important. Soon when we go back in time, you have to chase all the ck dragons out of the banquet hall before he attacks.¡±

    ¡°But, I don¡¯t think I can move far because of my handcuffs and shackles.¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll open them for you. And I¡¯ll be taking the [Chains of Hell].¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°Can you do it? The lives of the dragons are all in your hands. You must take as many ck dragons outside as possible.¡±

    The child nodded with a stiff look on her face.

    ¡°I can do it.¡±

    Closing his eyes, he thought for a bit.

    So far everything was going ording to n. It was almost perfect. At this rate, he would be able to expel ¡®him¡¯ from this ce without any problem.

    It was when he returned to the banquet hall with baby Bom after finishing the strategy meeting.

    He was met with a variable that was totally out of his expectation.

    A very annoying variable.

    Outside, the furious Lugiathan was wailing in front of the corpses of her dead kindred. Shedding tears, she was grasping her heart and the moment she saw Bom, she came up and kneeled to hug the small body of her daughter.

    ¡°My dear daughter. Were you surprised?¡±

    ¡°M, mum.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all because your mother is ipetent.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°My heart is being torn apart. I truly feel like drying. Amutetaron. Liebemuka. Karlitipoyen¡­ your mother¡¯s brothers and friends, more important than my flesh, have died¡­ And yet I do not even know who the killer is. He has nothing to do with me.¡±

    Until that point in time, Yu Jitae was looking at the two of them with a myriad of emotions but Lugiathan¡¯s next words immediately made him scowl.

    ¡°Have a look. At my memories¡­¡±

    Endlessly shedding tears, she sent memories to her daughter ¨C how ¡®he¡¯ massacred the ck dragons. Seeing that, Yu Jitae was startled. He almost even ran up and separated Lugiathan from the young Bom.

    ¡°My daughter. Why do we have to suffer like this? It¡¯s because we were expelled from Askalifa. It is because we were discarded by the dragons that we have to deal with such humiliation. There is no shelter for us and no-one protects us from danger. That is the miserable state we are in¡­¡±

    He felt stifled. The scenery that he was trying his best to hide from her was being conveyed directly to Bom.

    ¡°Do not look away from it. The humiliation we have suffered.

    ¡°My daughter. Do not ever forget what happened today.

    ¡°Vow to yourself. That our children that will be born henceforth, will never have to suffer like this again¡­¡±

    Hearing the sobbing voice of her kneeling mother, and seeing the disastrous scenery rey itself vividly in her mind,

    The young Bom¡¯s face turned deathly dark.

 Chapter 412: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constellation (8)

    <h4>Chapter 412: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constetion (8)</h4>

    He cleaned up the corpses. Even though everything would go back to the past with a regression, Yu Jitae helped baby Bom clean up the dead bodies.

    Her fingertips were trembling as she cleaned up the corpses, and there was an absent-minded look on her face.

    ¡°You are?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the tutor of the princess.¡±

    Some dragons were displeased by the existence of a human but they didn¡¯t bother telling him off. There were instead some that were surprised because they saw Yu Jitae step up to protect Lugiathan.

    It was all going ording to his n, and this was all part of what he had expected.

    However, what happened just then waspletely unexpected. He hadn¡¯t expected Lugiathan to grab her daughter in the midst of her dead rtives to send their dying memories.

    Her obsession with the ¡®Grand Schema¡¯ was a lot greater than what he had anticipated.

    But anyway, that wasn¡¯t the biggest problem¡­

    ?Stop! You stupid fool! That will kill you for sure!?

    ?Why can you not make apromise! Why are you standing up for that sinful child who tried to deceive you!?

    Thest shout of Sin that told him he would definitely die echoed in his ears.

    All the atrocitiesmitted by ¡®Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration¡¯ here were no different from his own past.

    He felt like someone was pulling out his past which he wanted to hide as much as possible to unt it in front of him. It was painful to watch, and was even frightening.

    ?You will definitely die¨C!!?

    Besides, Sin was perhaps correct. He might really die.

    He knew that ever since he came up with the n and in truth, Yu Jitae long knew how he was doing something very paradoxical and hypocritical.

    But as a sinner, he was simply hoping for atonement.

    Won¡¯t everything be fine anyway?

    Won¡¯t I, definitely be happy¡­

    After cleaning up the corpses, he realised the regression would begin very soon. He hurriedly took the young Bom away like a kidnapper and headed back to the room behind the throne, [Primal Time].

    ¡°Girl. Are you alright.¡±

    Atst when there was nobody near them, baby Bom crumbled with her two arms wrapped around herself.

    ¡°Girl.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Her voice came out normally but her head was lowered and he thus couldn¡¯t see the look on her face.

    ¡°Have you calmed down a little? Are you okay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just, a bit surprised because it was my first time seeing something like that¡­¡±

    She was still lowering her head as she dusted off her trembling arms.

    Was she really okay?

    Yu Jitae reiterated the n while she was sitting there in silence.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. The regression will begin very soon.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the next iteration. The next time he rewinds everything, I can take responsibility and end his regression and his attacks.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°You remember what you have to do right?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Yes. So before the attack, you have to make it as if the [Demonic Sword of Grief] had been stolen to get as many dragons away from the banquet hall as possible.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Or how about we run away together. Without caring about what happens here.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°¡­Girl.¡±

    Yu Jitae called the child.

    Perhaps she had been living with so much burden on her shoulders ever since she was tiny, that she was used to saying ¡®I¡¯m fine¡¯.

    ¡°Pull yourself together first. You don¡¯t need to worry too much. They¡¯ll alle back to life very soon.¡±

    Drip.

    Something started to drop ¨C they were her tears.

    ¡°¡­Nn. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Only then did baby Bom lift her head to look at him. As her head moved, the tears filling her eyes began travelling down her cheeks.

    She clenched her lips, as those lips were soon tainted in red from the oozing blood..

    Bom had a tendency to bite her lips out of habit whenever her heart was shaken.

    ¡°Hkk¡­¡±

    This time it was him that had to feel miserable. Baby Bom was having trouble breathing. It was the symptom of hyperventtion that she showed whenever her emotions were out of control.

    ¡°Girl. You have to calm down.¡±

    ¡°Hkk. Hulk¡­¡±

    ¡°Calm down. If you crumble here, the same thing will happen in the 3rd iteration.¡±

    ¡°N, nn¡­ Uhuk¡­¡±

    It was then.

    Time started to rewind itself.

    ¡®He¡¯ must havemitted suicide after finishing his calctions.

    ¡°Look. Hnn? It¡¯s all going back.¡±

    However, it seemed that his words had failed to reach the young Bom. She tightened her heart and continued sobbing. After a while, she raised her head back up with her face no longer being able to hide the signs of tears.

    ¡°I¡¯m scared¡­¡±

    Her soft voice spread like ripples. The child who had been acting mature ever since their first encounter was starting to crumble.

    ¡°It¡¯s, too scary¡­ W, what if I d, do something wrong¡­?¡±

    She covered her eyes with her palms and started sobbing out loud.

    There were only approximately 5 hours left now.

    Yu Jitae took a deep breath in. He was in a very big hurry and had a lot of things to do, but the situation didn¡¯t allow him to rush the child.

    It was natural for her to be scared. Even though she had been taking lessons that were close to tortures, Bom in front of his eyes was still just a very feeble and young existence.

    *

    Baby Bom stopped her tears.

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to do this and she knew it.

    ¡°S, sorry. I know we don¡¯t have much time but¡­ I think I have to calm down a bit. Can you give me some time¡­?¡±

    After somehow stopping her tears, she asked her tutor. He nodded back as the young Bom pulled the veil slightly to the side and gazed outside.

    Bom stayed like that for a few minutes with her eyes fixated on the stars outside the opened window.

    Her tutor curiously asked her.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Stars¡­¡±

    ¡°Stars? Why.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. The ce I get trained directly by my mum also has a window. There are always stars in the sky.¡±

    Baby Bom collected her breath and continued.

    ¡°Mum told me to look at stars if it was too tiring. She said that¡¯s where our homnd is¡­¡±

    However, her breath wasn¡¯t returning to her.

    Those astonishing memories surged back up in her mind. The death of the olddy that used to take good care of her; and the young man who always gave her deep bows, as well as many others.

    Her heart started to ache. The pain continued to her fingertips and made them shiver out of control.

    Tears budded in her eyes again. Even though she wasn¡¯t a kid like her sister, she still couldn¡¯t hold her tears in.

    ¡°¡­But, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s very helpful.¡±

    Since it felt like she would crumble to her knees and weep out loud if she continued breathing, the young Bom held her breath. However, the tears instead formed a lump in her throat without going away.

    It was then.

    A handrge enough to cover her facended above her head.

    ¡°Girl.¡±

    She slightly turned around and found the tutor right next to her pointing at the window of the banquet hall.

    ¡°Look closely.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His finger was pointing at the stars which she had already been looking at.

    What about that ce? It¡¯s not that helpful¡­

    Despite thinking that, she followed his words and looked at the sky again. There were countless dots of stars in the ck space. To baby Bom who wasn¡¯t very interested in emotional sceneries, it just looked like sparkling things.

    It was then.

    ¡°You see the big star in the middle.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Connect that big star to the big one on the right. That creates a line, yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s connect that to the big star at the bottom, and to the three diagonal ones on the left of that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The young Bom obediently did as she was told.

    ¡°Lastly, let¡¯s connect that back to the first big star and have a look. What does that look like.¡±

    ¡°An arrowhead?¡±

    ¡°Arrowhead. I can see that.¡±

    Baby Bom was a little displeased by his words. Was this like a y for kids? What meaning was there to connecting a few dots and seeing that as a picture?

    Staring at the stars, her tutor continued.

    ¡°The ones that used to use sorcery in the past connected stars like what we did just then and thought of them as one big picture. It wasn¡¯t very meaningful.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°However, things were different when those weak humans went out to the sea. Ah, do you know what a sea is?¡±

    ¡°I do. They said it¡¯s a ce with a lot of water.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Humans can¡¯t fly like you dragons, and did not have the technology to find the right direction nor could they use mana. However, they still had to proceed to the sea.¡±

    It was a technical and not an emotional story. Baby Bom was still young and was distracted fairly easily. Although the astonishing scenery was still glimmering in her mind, she was slightly intrigued by his story.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Back then, it was impossible to even think about going off into the distance. It was at least better off when they were close enough to see thend, but what would it be like during the night?¡±

    Saying that, her tutor used thoserge hands to cover her eyes. Even though she was a little surprised, she stayed still.

    ¡°How is it. Can you see?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°It was probably the same for them. When the sun sets, it bes very dark and humans have trouble seeing what¡¯s ahead of them. They must have been afraid and concerned about whether they were heading down the correct path.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°The only source of light was in the sky so they would have looked above. And this must have been what those humans saw back then.¡±

    Her tutor created a small gap between his fingers.

    ¡°What do you see.¡±

    A part of her vision that had been blocked returned to her. What her eyes spotted was the ck sky, stars and the few stars that shone brighter than others.

    It had a shape that now seemed obvious after perceiving it once.

    ¡°¡­An arrowhead?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They saw the things that always stayed there to find the direction. Humans call them constetions.¡±

    Baby Bom widened her eyes.

    ¡°The shape is not important, and it¡¯s up to you how youbel them. There is no system; you just connect them the way you want and ept it.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°When those trivial dots get grouped into one, they lead a ship to their destination from the darkness, and guide the lost crew back home.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She imagined his words in her head as something magical began to happen. Surprisingly, baby Bom felt her heart being a little more rxed.

    He did not rush her and instead, he quietly waited for her to calm down.

    When she managed to collect her breath, he asked her.

    ¡°Do you remember what you have to do?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­ Using the [Demonic Sword of Grief] to take as many of my family out of the banquet hall as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Taking the sword and heading outside the pce is probably the safest method, yes?¡±

    ¡°Nn. I think that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±

    ¡°Alright. After you leave the pce, if you feel too nervous then turn to the sky. If you don¡¯t know where to go, run towards the arrowhead.¡±

    His voice was soft and dry.

    It was powerless and fatigued.

    ¡°Then no matter how shaken and hopeless it might seem, you will be able to reach your destination.¡±

    But it nheless strongly echoed in her ears.

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    Baby Bom gained courage.

    ***

    After going outside for a bit, Bom took the two treasures, [Ever-Fragrant Flower] and [Nigh Perfect Truth] and gave it to him. Those were the ones that had disappeared from his body due to the regression.

    In response, Yu Jitae got rid of all the [Chains of Hell] that were entangling her wrists, ankles and her neck.

    ¡°Off you go.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    Baby Bom was about to raise her body and go outside, but suddenly stopped and turned around.

    ¡°You are going to be okay, right?¡±

    There was a scar on his nose that had yet to heal properly.

    He returned a nod.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to die or anything right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I won¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t die¡­¡±

    Leaving those words behind, the young Bom teleported away. The fact that she was able to use a dimensional movement spell even in a world interpreted by Conceptualisation proved her proficiency at it. It was probably at her mother¡¯s level.

    However, the trace left behind after her movement was very coarse, and it was hardly a skill that could be used with ease.

    Yu Jitae stared at the [Chains of Hell] that were left on his hands, before pulling them from the dimensional fissures that used to move around with Bom.

    They were longer than he expected so he had to pull them for a long time. They were long enough to reach her no matter where she was in the pce.

    After taking those chains, he also lifted his body.

    There wasn¡¯t much time left.

    He checked the interior design again.

    This banquet hall which was located at the very centre of therge pce had four pirs supporting most of the weight above.

    ¡®He¡¯ woulde in from the second window from south-west, at the bearing of 225¡ã. The first missile would being in from the same ce.

    The Great Barrier flowed like an ocean wave and there were constant changes to the hard and soft areas of the barrier. The missile had been fired at the opportune timing after calcting that gap so the attack would always being from the same direction at the same time.

    Since ¡®he¡¯ would be moving based on the memories of the previous iterations, the man woulde in without even bothering to check the inside. Because to an existence that forever regressed to the same point in time, there could be zero variables.

    In turn, the moment ¡®he¡¯ discovers a variable in the iterations, ¡®he¡¯ will begin to doubt everything and be more meticulous with learning the situation.

    Yu Jitae took a deep breath out.

    That was why he had only one opportunity in his hands.

 Chapter 413: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constellation (9)

    <h4>Chapter 413: Epilogue # Yu Jitae: Constetion (9)</h4>

    It was bing harder for him to breathe.

    Since he had always been living a life that had a ¡®next time¡¯, he was never nervous about anything, but this time around, he couldn¡¯t settle his heart.

    Calmly he waited for the signal.

    As he was sitting in the corner with his legs crossed gazing at the banquet hall with a hazy pair of eyes,

    Kwanng¡ª!

    Lugiathan pushed the door wide open at the other side of the banquet hall and walked inside. Like an angered lioness, she shouted.

    ¡°Our [Demonic Sword of Grief] has been stolen.¡±

    Yes. It was here. As soon as she finished her words, 80% of the ck dragons in the banquet hall stood up in rm.

    ¡°W, what!¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty. When was this?¡±

    ¡°Just then! Hurry up and find it no matter the cost!¡±

    After the shout, she turned around and jumped through the dimension as adult ck dragons began leaving the banquet hall like a tide on the ebb.

    [Demonic Sword of Grief] was the greatest treasure the ck dragons had. Such an item being stolen meant there could be an attack or a systematic infiltration and thus the hatchlings were also guided to a safer area.

    As such, only the grand-master level protectors that guarded the banquet and Lugiathan were left behind at the hall.

    ¡°Who might you be?¡±

    One of the protectors who had been doubtfully looking at him the whole time came up and asked him.

    ¡°Tutor.¡±

    He gave a curt reply before standing up.

    Shrrrrrkkk¡ª

    The second signal echoed in his ears, followed by arge explosion.

    Because there were no dragons here unlike the previous iteration, themotion created by the attack was nowhere near that. Furniture was broken and ss ornaments were shattered but there were only protectors inside the room.

    Entering the building with the [Shapeless Sword] in hand, ¡®he¡¯ immediately looked for Yu Jitae.

    The fallen angels that entered with him halted,

    As immediately, ¡®his¡¯ gaze changed.

    Even though he had definitely attacked under the same condition, at the same time at the same ce, there were no dragons in this ce.

    Yu Jitae gave a faint smile.

    After noticing a variable in the regression, ¡®he¡¯ was about to quickly escape this ce.

    [Spatial Severance (S+)]

    But the escape was made impossible due to Yu Jitae activating what he had prepared beforehand, as an invisible wave travelled down the walls of the banquet hall.

    It was obvious that Yu Jitae could also use the authority which ¡®he¡¯ could use, but ¡®he¡¯ seemed quite flustered as the one on the receiving end of it. Because Spatial Severance was an ability that was gained by hunting a sovereign, ¡®his¡¯ eyes turned ferocious. There would probably be hundreds of hypotheses surging in ¡®his¡¯ mind.

    Soon, the man opened his mouth.

    ¡°Who are you.¡±

    Yu Jitae¡¯s fingertips answered his question.

    [Shapeless Sword]

    Grasping on the handle of killing intent, Yu Jitae dashed in like a lightning bolt.

    .

    .

    .

    Their strength had already reached the limit of an existence. Fighting method, maniption of mana, number of authorities and abilities and their usage ¨C all those elements had reached the limit within Providence, and they were at a level where learning other things in the world would not result in any increase in their strength.

    The only difference between them was the possession of [Conceptualisation] after killing Lugiathan, and whether they still had all the killing intent or not.

    Because of that, the fight between the current Yu Jitae and ¡®Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration¡¯ was that of two killing machines heading to ruin with every variable restricted.

    They attacked with the Shapeless Sword. Block and that would increase the duration of the battle, and not blocking would require both of them to sacrifice their flesh. In order to get a bone, one also had to give a bone.

    ¡®His¡¯ shoulder turned hazy. Following that, the Shapeless Sword that was now as big as 10 metres drew a perfect line aiming for Yu Jitae¡¯s chest.

    Even if he were to dodge it, the Shapeless Sword would immediately change its shape and try to skewer him like a fishing hook. Therefore, Yu Jitae parried the attack with all his might.

    Kwanngg¡ª!

    Indescribably enormous killing intents collided as sparks flickered from the strike. Like the crash of two electric chainsaws, excess killing intent bouncing off the strike sttered to the surroundings and scratched the hall.

    Each and every strike createdrge w marks on the floor and walls of the banquet hall, but the overall damage to the weapon-like building wasn¡¯t too big.

    After dozens of shes that went nowhere, the enemy roared like a beast.

    ¡°Who are you¨C!¡±

    Without replying, Yu Jitae simply attacked back.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C 2nd Form]

    He shifted it to the form that crushed the main gates of the Demon Archduke¡¯s castle.

    [Chainsaw Form]

    The killing intent formed into chains followed the de and began rapidly turning itself.

    Yu Jitae jumped through the air in the blink of an eye and aimed at ¡®his¡¯ head. Because of the shout, ¡®his¡¯ reaction speed had been slowed down by a fraction of a fraction of a second.

    Kigigiging¨C!!

    ¡®His¡¯ killing intent was milled. A wound that was seemingly created by a saw was made all the way from the wrist to the shoulder.

    While bleeding an armful of blood, ¡®he¡¯ attacked back.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C 3rd Form]

    [Forked Lightning Form]

    In an instant came thunder. The will to tear something to pieces without stopping at cutting them changed the sword into lightning forks. Like how electricity travelled through the atmosphere looking for the best path, it seeked for the path that would allow aplete destruction of the enemy.

    They were too close, and it was impossible for Yu Jitae to avoid itpletely.

    Kajikk¨C

    One of the lightning bolts struck his shoulder, erupting his muscles, the bone and the flesh.

    After seemingly seeing that as an opportunity, the man ran in carrying the shapeless aura in his hands that could dare suppress the heavens into a dot.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C 4th Form]

    It turned into the form that ended the life of the Demon Archduke in one sh.

    [God ying Form]

    ¡®He¡¯ was trying to bisect the dimension Yu Jitae was in into two vertical pieces. Yu Jitae had to raise his sword to stop it but there wasn¡¯t enough killing intent.

    ¡ª-!

    A deafening thud shook both the ground and the air.

    The leftover killing intent that he couldn¡¯tpletely block created a cut going down one of his eyes to his cheeks, and also created wounds on his neck, corbones and his chest.

    However, his arms were still there and that was more than enough. While his enemy had yet to fully recover ¡®his¡¯ posture, Yu Jitae gripped onto ¡®his¡¯ neck despite the buckets of blood leaving his body.

    ¡°Kuhk¡ª¡±

    Then, he gathered killing intent into his right hand. The remaining killing intent that he still had was about 900. By permanently sacrificing a half of it, Yu Jitae added immense power to his attack.

    [Shapeless Sword (SS) ¨C 5th Form ¨C Final Form]

    The emotions of innumerable existences that wished to die, to kill, or to end the repetition of life was interpreted into a spear at his hand.

    That was the final form of his Shapeless Sword.

    [Punishment]

    Yu Jitae stabbed the spear forward aiming at ¡®his¡¯ heart.

    ¡ª¨C!!!

    An exploding aftershock echoed the banquet hall once again as a hole appeared in ¡®his¡¯ chest. It was such an intense attack that it ended up breaking half of the Spatial Severance as every window inside the room shattered down.

    An amount of power that should be unable to exist in a world interpreted into a concept reached thousands of metres beyond the boundaries of the pce and shook the world.

    ¡°Kuuuhk¡ª!¡±

    There was arge hole in the enemy¡¯s chest and his dangling jaws were barely holding on.

    However, ¡®he¡¯ was still not dead. Even though it was an attack that could have killed Lugiathan in one strike ¨C which was obvious because Yu Jitae had permanently consumed his strength for the attack ¨C it was still not enough topletely kill ¡®him¡¯.

    ¡°What are youu¨C!¡±

    Drenched in blood, ¡®he¡¯ shouted but Yu Jitae remained silent.

    In a hurry, he grabbed ¡®him¡¯ by the neck and pushed him into the [Primal Time] located behind the throne. ¡®He¡¯ tried to retaliate by not going inside, so he kicked ¡®him¡¯ by the head and shoved the man all the way in.

    It was just to buy some time. After soon recovering himself, the man would crawl out again like a cockroach.

    Then, Yu Jitae who had consumed 450 desires to kill would be helplessly ughtered by him. He knew that, and that was okay. What he needed was this short moment for ¡®him¡¯ to be neutralised.

    All Yu Jitae needed was time.

    He checked the surroundings. Most of the protectors had been defeated by the fallen angels. Taking out the [Chains of Hell] from his chest, he began to walk.

    But suddenly, his feet halted to a stop. Something strange had entered his sight.

    Why was she here right now?

    ¡°Girl!¡±

    ***

    After stealing [Demonic Sword of Grief],

    Baby Bom realised while running around everywhere that she was surprisingly not that anxious. It might be because her first ever freedom upon leaving the pce just tasted too sweet.

    Actually, she did feel slightly nervous thinking about being told off after being caught, but she recalled her tutor¡¯s advice whenever that happened. Looking at the constetions, she hardened her heart.

    This was to save her race.

    Carrying the sword she diligently escaped as her mind calmly ruminated on the situation. The young Bom tilted her head from a strange line of thought that suddenly struck her mind.

    Her tutor had definitely said that he was weaker than the devil. But didn¡¯t he say the ¡®loop of regression¡¯ had to be cut off topletely kill ¡®him¡¯?

    Cutting the ¡®loop of regression¡¯ would be done by shoving the enemy into the Non-Providential World. It would be physically pushing the devil into [Primal Time], but how was he supposed to stop ¡®him¡¯ froming out considering hisck of strength?

    She thought of multiple hypotheses but could note up with anything decent. The best of the best would still be dying together.

    Thinking of it like that made her heart drop an inch. Even though she had just met him today, she was greatly fond of him and desperately wished he would stay alive.

    That was when suddenly, the young Bom remembered how her tutor had taken the [Chains of Hell],

    And also remembered how he had constantly been staring at the pirs of the banquet hall, calcting something.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    She felt goosebumps crawling up her skin.

    Baby Bom realised what her tutor was trying to do¡­

    ***

    ¡°Why in the world are you here!¡±

    ¡°W, where is the devil?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s stuck inside the Primal Time. Hurry up. Leave!¡±

    ¡°You have too many wounds!¡±

    ¡°Leave!¡±

    He ferociously roared at her as blood dripped out of all of his wounds. Feeling like she would faint, the young Bom looked into his eyes.

    ¡°I can help you! I learned a lot of magic!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Can¡¯t you tell? You are helping me by getting away from this ce as much as possible!¡±

    He shouted like there was now a problem in his n. Baby Bom knew that she would be a hindrance to his n if his n was the same as what she had thought of. Everything was a part of his n so she shouldn¡¯t obstruct him, but she just could not leave.

    ¡°You, you are trying to die¨C!!¡±

    It was because she realised her tutor¡¯s goal.

    ¡°Why would I die, huh? Why!¡±

    He yelled back as the child began to cry.

    ¡°Think about it again! If you do that to cut off the devil¡¯s timeline, you won¡¯t be able to live!¡±

    ¡°How is that rted to you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re also doing this to save me who has nothing to do with you!¡±

    ¡°Bom!!¡±

    Grabbing her shoulders with his hands soaked in blood, he shouted. Only then did the young Bom realise that the name of herself, whom he had met at a different ce was ¡®Bom¡¯.

    ¡°Stay outside. We don¡¯t have time. You have to survive and achieve the Grand Schema of your race, right?¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    He grabbed her with the might of a giant. The young Bom just could not retaliate against him as he sat her down on the windowsill that hadn¡¯t crumbled down yet.

    ¡°You will die at this rate. For sure¡­!¡±

    After resolutely shaking his head, her tutor said, ¡®No¡¯ before whispering to her.

    ¡°I will not die.¡±

    It was the voice of a man who had given up on something but baby Bom couldn¡¯t persuade him anymore ¨C he pushed her out of the windowsill and blocked the window with [Spatial Severance].

    While shouting, the child struck the dimensional wall with her fists. Yu Jitae turned around after pulling the curtains over the window.

    However, because his mind was at a different ce, he appeared to have missed the hole in the curtain.

    Baby Bom covered her mouth.

    The moment he turned around, she saw more than ten arrows and des stuck in his back. Those were the weapons of the fallen angels.

    Soon, Yu Jitae moved as she had predicted. Taking out the [Chains of Hell], he started tying them around therge pirs supporting the banquet hall.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that!¡±

    As if he couldn¡¯t hear her shout, he ignored her and silently surrounded the four pirs with the chains.

    He then stood at the middle of them all, as his chest caved up from his deep breath. Standing still, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath out.

    The young Bom felt goosebumps.

    His hands started to tremble, as if his determination had been shaken.

    ¡°Please, stopp¡ª!¡±

    .

    .

    .

    Yu Jitae did not want to die anymore.

    He wanted to live.

    He wanted to be happy.

    However, what he was now going to do was unfortunately not much different from thest words [Sin] had left him.

    The moment the four pirs supporting all the weight crumbled down, it would destroy the ceiling above the banquet hall.

    This weapon of a building that could crush a dragon¡¯s head ording to the interpretation of [Conceptualisation] would magnificently cover the [Primal Time], and remain firm until the debris gets removed.

    ¡®Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration¡¯ will in fact not die even though he was locked in the Non-Providential World. Since there was no way Vintage Clock would discard its keeper, he would somehow be returned to the Earth¡¯s timeline.

    Originally, [Vintage Clock] was very opposed to the idea of Yu Jitae heading to the outer dimensions, so Yu Jitae had to stubbornly persuade the white bird.

    Even though the white bird was also extremely against his idea just like the main authority, the bird couldn¡¯t help but listen to his request after receiving his fierce temper. Back then, he had fought a lot with the white bird.

    Since ¡®he¡¯ was experiencing such a mishap after leaving like that, ¡®Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration¡¯ would not be able to return to this ce ever again.

    Lugiathan, Bom and Myu woulde back to life.

    It was thus a perfect n.

    ¡­Except for his own death.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Killing intent was creeping out of the veil.

    ¡®He¡¯ was drawing near.

    Ever since he came up with the n to this day, he did not doubt it a single time. He was aware that he would definitely survive and be happy. But now that he was close to the very end, cunningly so, like a human, his heart started to waver.

    ?You will regret it!?

    Sin¡¯s curse echoed in his ears.

    ?You will definitely die¨C!!?

    Will I really die like this?

    He was scared.

    Yu Jitae didn¡¯t want to die.

    He wanted to see Gyeoul. If that precious child called him daddy, would he dare be able to call that child ¡®my daughter¡¯?

    He wanted to hear Kaeul¡¯s giggling voice. He wanted to see her smile and chuckle that used to brighten up Unit 301, and wanted to buy her more delicious food.

    He wanted to give Yeorum a good present to make up for her hard work. He wanted to teach her how to y with afortable heart instead of worrying about fighting all the time.

    He wanted to draw a happy future with Bom who would soone back to life. Even if those romantic emotions were to be fake in the new timeline, that was still okay. He simply wanted to live with her.

    As such thoughts appeared in his mind, he started to hesitate.

    Even though the enemy was slowly drawing near, his heart started to waver like crazy. The umbre shared together in those rainy streets, sweet desserts, shared concerns, warmth of touching skins, chuckling voices and crying gasps. Those existences that needed him, and those children that taught him so many things ¨C he missed their faces so much, and wanted to live. He wanted to live, do everything he couldn¡¯t do and be happy.

    However, he had to stop his line of thought.

    Raising his head, he gazed outside the window.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    While remembering thest words of the white bird that he would definitely be happy, he etched the constetion made by baby Bom into his eyes.

    [You will. Definitely. Be happy.]

    He,

    Finally,

    Pulled his mind back together.

    .

    .

    Each of his hands gripped onto the chains.

    .

    .

    He consumed all the leftover desire to kill.

    .

    .

    Slowly curling his body inward, he pulled the chains.

    .

    .

    Although the pirs had been weakened from the constant powerful attacks, they still tried to withstand his pull.

    The pirs were staying still so he clenched even harder.

    .

    .

    Fallen angels with crushed legs twitched and wriggled, as if they realised whatid in front of them.

    .

    .

    Thoserge pirs that looked immovable slowly began to curve.

    .

    .

    A girl who was watching all that happen sobbed out loud. Her small fists struck the severed dimension until they bled.

    .

    .

    It happened in an instant. The huge pirs slowly started to crumble. As the pirs supporting the weight above wobbled near the ground, the ceiling of therge banquet hall of the pce started to crumble down. Falling down, therge weapon covered everything inside the hall.

    The big banquet hall was thus reduced to the ground.

    .

    .

    <The Authority, [Conceptualisation (EX)] is deactivated.>

    <The target, [Sin] is eradicated.>

    <The modification to cause and effect from the Primal Time is applied to the [Time Providence].>

    <[Great Hostility] is eradicated.>

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A ck dragon that had been straying near the outer dimension slowly began to open her eyes.

    The power of the restrictive transcendent authority was transmitted over to her, and the parallel timeline where she had killed herself was already long gone.

    When the memories and information stemming from the modified Providence started seeping into her head like a wave,

    And when all those memories with him were conveyed to her brain.

    Bom crumbled down on the spot.

 Chapter 414: Epilogue # Yu Gyeoul: Gift (1)

    <h4>Chapter 414: Epilogue # Yu Gyeoul: Gift (1)</h4>

    The Amusement came to an end.

    After returning to Askalifa, Gyeoul returned to the region of blue dragons.

    There, Gyeoul came across other adults of the blue race. Her rtives asked her about the content of the ¡®revtion¡¯ she received, how she performed with the revtion and then exined the identity of the forefather she met.

    They asked whether she sessfully executed her mission or not.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± Gyeoul gave a curt reply.

    ¡°We¡¯re not that curious either.¡± They were also curt.

    After that, her family gave her a ce to live in, and exined how she should live there as well as what she was supposed to do. ¡°Protect your territory and prosper,¡± they said but it went through one ear and out the other, because Gyeoul had no ns of living here for a long time in the first ce.

    She was only thinking about quickly turning twenty and going back to meet Yu Jitae.

    That was why the ¡®adults of her race¡¯ felt like very strange outsiders. Some of them introduced themselves as acquaintances of her parents and sent memories of her parents, but Gyeoul skimmed through them.

    Oh so it¡¯s them ¨C that was the end of her impression because her true family was somewhere else.

    ¡°¡­Phew.¡±

    When she was finally left alone after sending the adults of her race back, Gyeoul scanned across her nest. It was decorated nicely. Leaving the house, she could see her nest ¨C the icy cave that had fancy ornaments. Staying here rxed her heart and it was a rtively good ce to stay in,

    Until going back, that was.

    5 years old.

    Gyeoul was nearing the end of her 5th year in life.

    ¡°¡­Hello.¡±

    She called the protectors that were closing their eyes in wait at the corner of the nest. Among them was also a wise goblin wearing a monocle. Gyeoul asked them to find a way to return to the alternate dimension of ¡®Earth¡¯, and told them to have a look at the Dimensional Cruise because there should be traces left behind on it.

    ¡°I understand. My lord.¡±

    After sending them off, Gyeoul thought to herself.

    She was 5 years old. There were still 15 years left until she turned 20.

    15 years.

    15 years¡­

    For Gyeoul, 15 years was a very long time. The amount of time she had lived for was already fairly long, so how was she supposed to wait for another 15 years?

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Uing?

    Wait¡­?

    What if I find a way to go back to Earth before that?

    Like, if I find that when I¡¯m 7, do I have to intentionally wait for 13 years?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul was confused.

    She was obediently staying still because there was no way to return yet, but would she be able to make herself stay even after finding the way back?

    Her eyes became wide open.

    ¡°¡­Dat¡¯s no good.¡±

    Gyeoul used her brain.

    Fortunately, hatchlings generally shed their skin again when they were around 10 to 20 years old. That was when they entered puberty as a hatchling.

    After shedding her skin, Gyeoul would look simr to how Yeorum and Kaeul looked when they first met Yu Jitae. She should look a bit more mature.

    It should be fine to simply say she was twenty.

    ¡®Kuhihi.¡¯ While giggling, Gyeoul leaned on the soft bed.

    Whatever the case, she wanted to quickly find a way to go back.

    Thinking that, she decided to wait.

    *

    She waited for one day.

    That day, Gyeoul stayed on the bed the whole day and went through her past memories. Thinking of Unit 301 where Yu Jitae would be at, she recalled the piggy bank and therge fish tank in her room.

    It should be fine right? That fish tank was amazing¡­

    At night, Gyeoul got up for dinner.

    And upon realising that there was no kitchen, sheid back down on the bed.

    *

    Same thing happened the next morning. She got up to head to the kitchen as a habit and halted her feet.

    There must be something wrong with the nest. How could there be no kitchen?

    Thus, she ordered the protectors to make a kitchen. A kitchen fitting that of an Askalifan aristocrat was soon created but it looked very strange in Gyeoul¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­Where¡¯s the microwave?¡±

    ¡°A micro, wave, is it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    After some thought, Gyeoul decided to create the best kitchen she could make. She ordered them to make every single thing that was in her head.

    That night, they managed to make something that although sloppy resembled the kitchen in Unit 301.

    But she was so engrossed in making one that she btedly realised the obvious.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What she needed wasn¡¯t a kitchen.

    Gyeoul spent the night sitting by herself on a chair.

    *

    She waited for a week.

    From time to time, blue dragons came looking for her but she didn¡¯t really like that either. Even though she could feel them treasuring her, Gyeoul couldn¡¯t help but think of them as strangers.

    ¡°¡­Dis is no good.¡±

    Muttering that to herself, Gyeoul stood up from the bed.

    Although lying down on the bed and going through her memories was good, it was time to go outside and do something. Gyeoul was a hatchling and as a hatchling of the blue race, she was able to cross the boundaries of other dragon races by using [Revtion] as the excuse.

    If someone said something to her, she could say, ¡°¡­I¡¯m here for my revtion.¡±

    There was no Unit 301 now.

    But if she talked with her unnis, wouldn¡¯t that fill her empty heart a little? Thinking that, Gyeoul left her nest with a backpack to see her other sisters.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my child is busy right now.¡±

    However, she was forced to stop in front of Kaeul¡¯s mother.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    A dragon as tall as the sky said while looking down at her.

    ¡°Her lesson as a guardian deity has begun. It is the most important part of education to us, and she will be ruling over a small vige of gnomes now.¡±

    ¡°¡­Can I talk to her a little?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll contact you when the lesson is over.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    In the end, Gyeoul couldn¡¯t meet Kaeul.

    *

    The next week, she wanted to meet Yeorum but this time, she was restricted by the adult blue dragons that were protecting the boundary connecting to the red race.

    ¡°Child. You cannot go any further than this.¡±

    ¡°¡­I have a friend there.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, so you¡¯re Kunna¡¯s daughter that recently went on an Amusement with a red dragon right? Even so, you can¡¯t. Cross the border and those barbaric red dragons will attack you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Can I see her for a bit? ¡­She¡¯s precious to me.¡±

    That was when another adult dragon bellowed at her.

    ¡°Girl. Stop saying nonsense and go back! How can anyone of the red race be precious! They are nothing but disgusting and nauseating pieces of trash!¡±

    ¡°Ey. Calm down.¡±

    Gyeoul replied with a pout.

    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t even know anything.¡±

    ¡°This brat? Go back right now. Unless you want a big scolding!¡±

    After being told off, Gyeoul empty-handedly returned to her nest.

    *

    She wasn¡¯t even able to go near Bom.

    Going around everywhere, Gyeoul asked how to head to the territory of green dragons, but none of the adults replied to her.

    She met all sorts of dragons during her search, and even met a male adult blue dragon who had married a green dragon in the past. However, even he didn¡¯t tell her how to get to the green dragon¡¯s territory.

    ¡°Oh yeah, by the way, things are not looking too good on that end right?¡±

    Dejectedly she was walking back when someone opened their mouth.

    ¡°Did you hear that too? Seriously, I guess it was unavoidable.¡±

    ¡°Those lunatics. Staying quiet for 20,000 years was, I guess, fairly patient for them.¡±

    nkly standing there, Gyeoul widened her eyes.

    Lunatics?

    20,000 years?

    Did something happen?

    Gyeoul was lending a close ear when an adult who had just woken up from a long hibernation asked a question.

    ¡°What is this about?¡±

    ¡°You know, the quons.¡±

    That name was something Gyeoul knew about.

    [Quon] was the martial race that dragons detested. They were the monsters of Askalifa who used weapons and spells with six arms.

    They were a race that could live for thousands of years, and there was a long history of strife between quons and dragons. Their hatred was mutual.

    ¡°Tch tch. They¡¯re doing this because the old Lord is about to die soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we should have wiped them out with karl-gukwas when we were cleaning up the ancient forest, so that those insects stop acting up. It¡¯s all because of that. I heard a few of the green dragons were killed, right?¡±

    Gyeoul felt her heart sink.

    There was war happening in Bom¡¯s territory!

    ¡°Nn? Why are you still here?¡±

    One of the dragons asked Gyeoul who couldn¡¯t help but ask with concern.

    ¡°¡­Is it dangerous? For the green dragons?¡±

    ¡°Very dangerous. It¡¯s probably going to be the biggest war in the history of green dragons.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But the Dragon Lord is probably going to do something about it.¡±

    On the way back, Gyeoul panted out of worry for Bom.

    In the end, without being able to meet any of them, she had no choice but to wait by herself.

    .

    .

    .

    *

    She waited for a month.

    The protectors were unable to find the way back to Earth.

    *

    Gyeoul waited for three months.

    The protectors were still unable to find the way back to Earth. One of them even told her that there was no record of such a thing happening in the history of blue dragons. Gyeoul couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°¡­Then?¡±

    ¡°I think you would have to see a ck dragon, but I believe that would also be difficult. Not only are we on bad terms with them, they are also hard to find in Askalifa.¡±

    ¡°¡­Dat can¡¯t be.¡±

    Even after waiting for another six months, she could not find a solution.

    *

    A year went by.

    Gyeoul could not find a way to return.

    That was why she started looking for a method herself. No matter what cost and no matter who she had to meet, she searched for the method.

    She needed to study in order to view theplicated records and understand them, so Gyeoul began learning magic.

    *

    However, the protectors were not wrong. After waiting for 3 years and earning enough knowledge, Gyeoul went through the library of blue dragons, the Akashic records, and the countless technique preservation devices including memory crystals, but could not find any information on the equipment required to return to Earth, or anything about their coordinates.

    She didn¡¯t even know where to begin.

    She had to cross an ocean,

    And yet the only things recorded down were a canoe and tiny paddles.

    Even so, Gyeoul did not give up on studying.

    *

    5 years went by.

    Gyeoul could not find anything.

    *

    7 years went by.

    Gyeoul wanted to be an adult. She wanted to quickly be acknowledged as an adult by her race, and wanted to confidently gloss over it with Yu Jitae upon going back, that she was already twenty.

    That desire affected her mana and her heart. Because mana was the manifestation of will, Gyeoul felt her heart ache all of a sudden.

    Since she didn¡¯t have parents, she had to alert the elders of her race but Gyeoul did not do so.

    She simply went into the depths of the icy cave and closed the door.

    It was her second time shedding skin.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It hurt just like before, and Gyeoul had to suffer from the pain by herself for a whole week.

    Was it okay to hurt this much? Feeling her body crumbling down to pieces, Gyeoul panted for breath. Thinking of how it would be even more painful after a few hours frightened her tremendously.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Stuck in a crystal of ice, Gyeoul thought to herself.

    She remembered therge fingers that she gripped onto when her body was in a lot of pain. She also recalled the slow shiritori she did with the owner of those fingers.

    ¨C ¡­Gori.

    ¨C Anaconda.

    ¨C ¡­Anaconda.

    ¨C I already did it. Anaconda.

    ¨C ¡­Anaconda.

    ¨C ¡­

    ¨C ¡­Hihi.

    She wanted to see him again.

    *

    15 years went by.

    She turned twenty as she had promised.

    But Gyeoul was unable to return home.

    *

    50 years went by.

    Therge was under a blizzard. In the world filled with cold hails and endlessly stacking piles of snow,

    The blue-haired girl sitting on arge tree turned her gaze towards the sky.

    Staring at the three moons in the sky, she heaved a small sigh.

    Gyeoul still could not find the way to return to Earth.

    *

    200 years went by.

    *

    .

    .

    .

    Usually dragons from 500 to 1,000 years old were treated as adults, so Gyeoul was considered a hatchling even though she had already lived for almost 300 years.

    And every hatchling had to leave on at least two Amusements.

    Unlike how other hatchlings tried to leave on as many Amusements as possible, Gyeoul did not want to leave and had been postponing it over and over again.

    But after dying it for centuries, she was atst visited by the chief of the blue dragon race who came and scolded her. Telling her to experience the world immediately, the chief ordered her toplete her second revtion.

    Gyeoul ran her fingers through her long blue hair.

    She did not need to experience the world. She didn¡¯t get a second revtion.

    Instead of saying that in return, she replied to the infuriated chief.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 415: Epilogue # Yu Gyeoul: Gift (2)

    <h4>Chapter 415: Epilogue # Yu Gyeoul: Gift (2)</h4>

    In a certain dimension close to Askalifa, in thends of a certain kingdom was a small vige near theke.

    Walking up the slope, instead of the pathway, of a mountain full of precarious-looking cliffs was a half-destroyed four-legged machine. Its spinning cogs clickered with the sound of rubbing metal.

    That was a cleaning machine, which would have been cleaning the streets of a city until recently.

    Now, it was just a stupid machine swinging a piece of wood in the air. The dustpan had been scorched and its body was half-destroyed by the explosion.

    The device that changed sunlight to electricity was still working and that was how the machine was able to crawl into the mountain away from the city.

    That should be the case.

    Staring at the machine from a distance, a young boy thought to himself.

    A few months ago, there had been a war against a nearby vige.

    Cannonballs were flying everywhere and the burnt smell of gunpowder was persistent.

    He had to watch his house burn down to the ground with his own eyes, and walking outside he had found the clock tower, the pride of their vige, broken down to the ground.

    Guns were noisy; and bullets took the lives of his family. A lot of his friends had disappeared and were unable to be spotted again.

    At the end of the war, the 12-year old young boy had to be an adult. It was because he had a younger brother who was 3 years younger than himself.

    Gigik, gigigik¨C

    That was why finding that piece of scrap metal was a very big fortune for him.

    If he took off the power system on the head of that scrap metal and handed it over to the junk shop, he would be able to get about 50 roots. With 50 roots¡­ he would be able to get medicine for his brother who was suffering from a stomach-ache and fill their bellies for the next 2 weeks.

    Buzz¡ª

    It was then. The boy widened his eyes.

    He didn¡¯t know when he was looking at it from a distance, but now that he was close enough to see it properly, he could see it sparking near the power system.

    No wonder.

    There was no way he would be this lucky.

    It was impossible that no-one had discovered it till now¡­

    Stories about people that were greatly injured by getting electrified by a machine shed past the boy¡¯s head. One of them was the grandpa next door who couldn¡¯t move his legs and limped all the time.

    Even so, the boy couldn¡¯t go back.

    He remembered his brother who was suffering in the back alleyway using a sack as a nket.

    During the war, the nearby vige had used sorcery on them.

    It was his fault for feeding him a fish that was lying dead in a pollutedke just because he was pestering that he was hungry.

    He heard a long time ago how cooking for a long time could get rid of poison but it was stupid of him to do such a thing. His sense of guilt became bigger. The boy looked at the machine ¨C it was a chance which would nevere again and he couldn¡¯t run away from it.

    50 roots.

    In front of his eyes were 50 roots¡­

    Picking up a piece of stick, the boy lifted his body and vigorously rushed into the machine.

    Buzz¡ª!

    He felt a bomb exploding in his body, and the boy fell unconscious.

    *

    When he came to himself, he was in a certain building. Opening his eyes, the boy nced around and saw two tables and four chairs. Overall, it was a small and quiet building.

    ¡°This is¡­?¡±

    That was when he felt a scorching burn in his hand. Suddenly remembering the thing that just happened, the boy looked down at his hand in surprise but¡­

    ¡­Surprisingly, it was very normal unlike what he thought.

    It seemed that the burning heat had just been an illusion.

    Tap, tap, tap¨C

    That was when he heard a tapping noise from nearby as a salty, savoury and oily smell scraped past his nose.

    Gulp.

    The boy couldn¡¯t help but salivate because he hadn¡¯t eaten anything all day.

    What was this smell?

    Carefully, the boy raised his body and looked at where the smell wasing from.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a woman. Mysteriously, her hair had the same colour as the ocean. She looked around 15 or 20.

    The woman was cutting something on the chopping board with a knife.

    Seeing her, the boy flinched.

    She was the infamous ¡®blue witch¡¯.

    Thedy who one day built a small restaurant at the end of the vige and sold food¡­

    Even though she was exceptionally beautiful, she almost never talked and had a somewhat scary atmosphere that deterred people away. It seemed that he was at the restaurant of that blue witch.

    Was I abducted? By the witch?

    Remembering the rumours about the witch, the boy was rolling his eyes when she turned around and looked at him.

    The moment he saw her expressionless face, he felt breathless from her dazzling beauty.

    ¡°Did you wake up?¡±

    A voice clearer than his expectation left her mouth. It was a pure voice that was mind-numbingly nice to listen to.

    ¡°S, sorry? Ah¡­¡±

    The boy was flustered.

    Wasn¡¯t ¡®witch¡¯ a bad word? Should I call her ¡®noona¡¯? More importantly, why am I here?

    It was when he was thinking to himself.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Come.¡±

    Her voice had a mysterious power inside. The boy carefully stood up, approached the table and unknowingly sat on the chair.

    All of his previous thoughts became meaningless because of the astonishing smelling out of the dish in her hands.

    The blue witch handed that over to the boy alongside a spoon.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    Even if it had poison, this smell was just unbearable ¨C raising the spoon, the boy began eating. The soup was dense and rich with vour. There was a bunch of something underneath all the rice, and surprisingly, it was all meat.

    Meat¡­

    A salty taste and an oily fragrance. All of those merged in harmony to give off a vour which was so fantastic that it almost made him faint.

    The boy absentmindedly emptied the bowl, without even realising that the roof of his mouth was all grazed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Quietly, the blue witch remained sitting on the chair looking at him.

    Could she even be called a witch at this point?

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    He carefully conveyed his gratitude as she returned a simple nod and took the bowl away from him.

    ¡°You finished it.¡±

    ¡°Ah, umm, it was very delicious so¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But I d, don¡¯t have money¡­ sorry.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I won¡¯t go like this. Is there anything you want me to do¡­? I can clean, and I can gather firewood¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡±

    The woman gazed down at the boy.

    Once, there was a heavily drunk man who came in and asked for food. She remembered how she was met with the muzzle of a gun instead of money after making food for him.

    Because that was just how things were in this era, she just punched him a few times and chased him out.

    ¡°More importantly, why were you hurt?¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Ah, umm¡­ I was trying to do something but I made a mistake¡­¡±

    She was silent.

    The boy thought that she must be a quiet type just like the rumours. It was a bit scary when she was silent but she didn¡¯t seem like a bad person so he tried speaking a little more.

    ¡°Umm¡­ I think I heard some wrong rumours. Noona, you are not a witch right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Then do you know me by any chance?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I go to the vige sometimes. Didn¡¯t you have a brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My brother¡­¡±

    Brother?

    He felt the distant sense of reality creeping down on his skin as the boy suddenly felt goosebumps.

    How long has it been? What happened to his brother?

    ¡°I, I¡¯ll be on my way then!¡±

    The boy ran out of the restaurant as if he was being chased by something.

    Soon, the woman walked out of the store. Pulling the small chair that was nearby, she sat down, twisted her legs and gazed at the back of the running boy.

    There existed an era, which fatigued and injured a lot more people than usual. Innocent people tended to be hurt even more during those times.

    Just like that boy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The woman ¨C Gyeoul nkly sat there in ce.

    Since she was a blue dragon living an Amusement to follow the revtion given to her, her second Amusement without any revtion was an extremely boring one.

    The first Amusement tended to be focused on enjoyable memories, whereas the second Amusement was focused on having various experiences.

    She already had plenty of enjoyable experiences. The most joyous and happy ¡®first experiences¡¯ were already filling her brain, and was more than enough tost her entire lifetime.

    In this Amusement which she had been forced out to, Gyeoul thought that she should spend time by herself instead of adding any meaningless experiences to the mix.

    That was why she had created a random restaurant at a ce people wouldn¡¯t visit, and was living a half-hearted life while giving average food. So her role was over when she gave food to the boy who was lying unconscious in the mountain.

    People like him were fairlymon in this world after all.

    ¡°¡­He¡¯ll be alright by himself.¡±

    Muttering that to herself, Gyeoul stood up and returned to the restaurant.

    It was indeed a heartbreaking thing. Murder and robbery was verymon near here, and there were also those that deliberately chose kids for human trafficking. Thinking about that did put her in a bad mood.

    But whatever it was, it had nothing to do with her. There was no reason for her to needlessly be sympathetic to them.

    Thinking that, Gyeoulid down on the bed.

    It had been a while since thest time she worked, so it was now time to take a little rest.

    Slowly, her eyes came to a close.

    However, she couldn¡¯t sleep for long.

    ¨C Later if you see a child that needs your help¡­

    It was because someone¡¯s voice suddenly rang in her ears.

    ***

    ¡°Uhk, uhk¡­¡±

    His breath was turning more and more rapid, and his dark sunken eyes looked even darker today.

    The boy shook the body of his younger brother and called him by his name. There was a bottle of water that he had scooped up from a fresh puddle of water on the way here.

    Lifting the bottle, he poured the water into the mouth of his younger brother, who spilled half of that precious water. Normally he would have told him off but today, he was grateful that he was even having half of it.

    ¡°¡­Hyung.¡±

    That was when his younger brother opened his mouth.

    ¡°Huh? Yeah. I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°I, want candies¡­¡±

    In spite of the situation, he was saying he wanted to eat something, even though he was like this because of food.

    But who was it that fed him? The boy suppressed his tears and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Do you know how expensive candies are, you idiot.¡±

    ¡°Candies¡­ I want candies¡­¡±

    ¡°Pestering won¡¯t get you anywhere alright? That¡¯s super expensive, and they only sell it at the vige chief¡¯s store. You know that too.¡±

    ¡°Hkk, candies¡­¡±

    Candies.

    His brother sang candies.

    That stupid candy¡­

    Candies were ridiculously expensive. Each of them cost 5 roots. With 5 roots, they could buy plenty of corn batter or potatoes for them to enjoy for at least 2 days.

    There was no way he would have that much money.

    ¡°Candies¡­ Hukk¡­¡±

    But seeing his brother who cried without any tears due to dehydration, the boy remembered something.

    That cleaning machine.

    Even though he failedst time, wouldn¡¯t it work if he was a little further this time when taking out that power system?

    His knees wobbled even now when thinking about how it felt to be electrocuted. It felt like his entire body had been struck with arge club but there was no way he could buy candies without that.

    His hesitation didn¡¯tst very long, because his brother¡¯s voice that was singing candies was bing fainter over time.

    The boy opened his mouth in fright.

    ¡°Oi. Oi.¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna head outside again, okay? I¡¯ll go buy some candies.¡±

    ¡°Do you have money¡­?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I buried some under a tree in the mountain, alright? It shouldn¡¯t take that long.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°So you. You stay here without moving a single inch until I buy some candies from the chief¡¯s house. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    His brother suddenly stopped crying. He then replied clearly as if he had never been sick the whole time.

    He was showing off that he managed to obtain what he wanted.

    In times like this, the boy used to flick his brother¡¯s forehead but today, he couldn¡¯t do so.

    ¡°Seriously. Acting smart and stuff¡­¡±

    His younger brother powerlessly smiled, thinking that his act must have been a sess.

    Not knowing that his chin was shivering fromck of nutrition¡­

 Chapter 416: Epilogue # Yu Gyeoul: Gift (3)

    <h4>Chapter 416: Epilogue # Yu Gyeoul: Gift (3)</h4>

    It began with him taking off the power supply system worth 50 roots from the machine.

    Using a long wooden stick that was as long as a pole, he ran up and smacked the robot on its head. Hitting it once wasn¡¯t enough ¨C he hadn¡¯t eaten much and was thus very weak. Even he found it strange during his sprint how his body was so slow.

    Even so, the boy tried again and this time, he felt the stick pierce through something along with a thud.

    But he screamed immediately after that. The friction had caused splinters from the wooden stick to stab through his palms.

    Regardless, the boy managed to separate the power supply system after many twists and turns. On one side of the device which was the size of his palm was a panel that absorbed sunlight.

    Despite stopping its operation, the panel still glinted under the sunlight.

    The boy gave a bright smile.

    That bright panel appeared like the future ahead of him.

    However, he perhaps shouldn¡¯t have cried in pain from the splinters. Someone appeared from the other side of the bush.

    It was a man with a face full of beard.

    An ¡®adult¡¯.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The moment their eyes met, the boy quickly turned around and hurriedly walked down the mountain while hiding the device behind his clothes.

    His heart began to thump.

    After the war, ¡®adults¡¯ became a very dangerous existence to all the boys and girls left behind at the vige.

    He had to go to the vige chief¡¯s house as quickly as possible¡­

    Everything would be solved the moment he arrived at the chief¡¯s house.

    The boy was walking down the mountain with that thought in mind, while also pretending to have not noticed the adult following from behind, but that was when the sounding from behind him fluttered his heart. He could hear rapid rustling noises of grass ¨C the adult was walking faster and faster.

    Therefore, the boy walked even faster. At this point, although he was still not running, it was evident that he was in a hurry. Wondering if they were just coincidentally walking down the same path, the boy slightly deviated from the main pathway. He knew everything about the mountain because this had been his yground ever since he was young.

    In front of him there would soon be a steep slope, below which was the vige and the vige chief¡¯s house.

    He walked while holding his breath.

    Soon, he slightly turned back to have a look and was suddenly met with a pair of eyes that were right in front of his face.

    At the same time, a roaring voice entered his ears.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Startled, the boy threw his body down the slope. He rolled and his chin ended up hitting boulders at times but was still able to move after opening his eyes.

    The vige chief¡¯s house was right there.

    I¡¯m alive!

    *

    Gyeoul walked.

    Although she rarely ever went down to the vige apart from shopping, her feet were in a hurry this time. A strange ominous feeling was hitting her heart.

    When facing something that they were trying to look away from, people tended to be more rushed the longer they had been turning away from it.

    Her feet were as light as a breeze but she was faster than a sprinting beast.

    After arriving at the vige, she went through her memories. The ce the boy and his younger brother was always at was an inhabited alleyway far from the centre of the vige. She knew exactly where it was and there was nothing stopping her feet.

    But when she got there, she couldn¡¯t see the older boy.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The younger boy was lying down gasping for breath as if he was about to stop breathing any time soon. Gyeoul kneeled in front of him and closed her eyes. She then used the healing mana of a dragon to cure his body.

    Then, she took out the porridge she had prepared beforeing here and sent it down the boy¡¯s throat. He ate it quite well as if he liked the taste.

    Soon, the boy came to himself.

    ¡°¡­W, who are you?¡±

    ¡°Where is your brother.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    ¡°Where is your older brother.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The boy looked nervous. After being pestered by Gyeoul, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

    ¡°¡­He¡¯s probably at the vige chief¡¯s house¡­¡±

    Gyeoul blinked her eyes. Then, she repeatedly swept her hair with her fingers and sighed.

    ¡°Why did he go there.¡±

    ¡°To buy candies¡­ Because I said I wanted to have candies¡­¡±

    ¡°Candies?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was very painful, but I suddenly thought of candies, so he went to the chief¡¯s house¡­¡±

    A deeper sigh left her mouth.

    ¡°Like I said, why.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    Her ominous feeling became reality.

    ¡°The chief¡¯s entire family died in the war.¡±

    *

    ¡°Uh¡­?¡±

    The boy widened his eyes.

    The vige chief¡¯s house was like heaven to the boys because his wife was a proficient baker who made and sold snacks.

    But today, it looked different.

    The signboard at the front was turned off. That was understandable because electricity was now a very precious resource.

    However, being met with six menacing adults after opening the door waspletely unexpected.

    ¡°Huhn?¡±

    ¡°Who the hell is that.¡±

    It was even more unexpected to see those swords and axes next to them¡­ ¡°Oi. Grab that kid.¡±

    ¡°Ah, hukk!¡±

    Startled, the boy turned around and tried to run away. He was so nervous that he couldn¡¯t even utter a scream.

    ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡±

    Someone threw a sickle that dug into his leg.

    ¡°Ahhhkkk!¡±

    The boy fell on the ground with a scream. His skin was ripped as blood oozed out. Drenched in fear, the boy tried to raise his body but his efforts were in vain ¨C his legs failed him.

    Even so, the boy managed to stand up with a stagger and took out the sickle that was digging into his leg. Despite bursting into tears, he shouted.

    ¡°D, don¡¯te here! Don¡¯te! I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±

    Swinging the sickle left and right, the boy threatened them. That was when someone suddenly appeared from behind, grabbed onto his wrist and wrapped a tough arm around his neck.

    ¡°Kuhk¡­¡±

    The sickle dropped from his hand as he instinctively realised that it was the man who had been chasing after him in the mountain.

    ¡°Bring him in!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    ¡°Well done buddy. I would¡¯ve been happy with a rabbit, and yet look what you brought for us!¡±

    ¡°What should we do with him?¡±

    ¡°Is that even a question? His face looks pretty neat. Wash him clean and take him to Baron Collosin.¡±

    ¡°To that fat old man again?¡±

    ¡°Who else. He gives the most money. Anyway you go wash him nicely and make him into a teddy bear.¡±

    The boy widened his eyes.

    He knew what a ¡®teddy bear¡¯ was. It was making a person into a toy for those perverted nobles by cutting off the knees and elbows. He had retched so much when he first heard it because of how disgusting it was.

    Was that going to happen to him?

    A loud warning rm dizzied his brain. Feeling stifled, the boy closed his eyes and struggled.

    ¡°L, let goo¡ª!¡±

    As soon as he was able to breathe again, he shouted as loud as he could. The man behind him released his hand and covered his mouth as if he was finding it noisy, as the boy instinctively bit down on the closest finger.

    ¡°Uhk¨C¡±

    The hand was removed from his mouth but it was not a good sign.

    ¡°This little rat¡­¡±

    His ears picked up the enraged voice as he had to gasp for breath again. Holding onto the boy¡¯s hair, the man turned his body around and his fist as big as a rock turned solid. The man raised his shoulder with fury written all over his face.

    The boy had to close his eyes from the immense sense of fear.

    It was then.

    Clomp.

    A soft sound echoed across.

    It sounded like a footstep.

    Clomp.

    The man¡¯s body froze stiff as the boy also stopped retaliating.

    Clomp.

    The footsteps echoed yet again as they turned their gazes to look at the source of the sound.

    Clomp.

    Underneath the long water-coloured hair,

    They saw eyes bluer than the hair.

    Clomp¨C

    The blue witch showed herself. In front of the aura of a mature dragon, the men holding weapons were nothing but insects.

    ¡°W, who are you!¡± shouted a courageous one. Even though he was looking at a girl smaller than himself, he thought he was in front of arge statue.

    When she turned her gaze towards him, he thought a sculpture was turning its head in front of his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you who you¡­!¡±

    His breath stopped in the middle as if a huge fist had gone down his throat.

    ¡°Who do <i>you</i> think you are.¡±

    Her voice that sounded clear in the past was different this time. The air settled with a chill.

    Looking at the ripped leg of the boy, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°Who are you to do this to a kid.¡±

    Her voice was cold enough to pierce through one¡¯s skin.

    Without listening to their response, she drew a magic circle on the ground.

    Chaaaakk¨C!

    Hundreds of ice thorns soared up and stabbed through all the human traffickers in that ce.

    It happened in an instant. Some were pierced multiple times in their stomach, some had holes in their head while some were skewered all the way from their ankles to their stomachs.

    However, not a single scream was heard,

    Because they had all died in the blink of an eye.

    .

    .

    .

    After that, Gyeoul took the two boys to a nearby territory.

    Making a connection with the lord of that territory was nothing difficult. Everything she had learned throughout her life was from Yu Jitae, so she followed his method. She took a small treasure and handed it over to the noble.

    ¡°Give these kids a house to live in.¡±

    The noble was frightened by how all of his trusted soldiers had immediately fainted, but realised how great the treasure was and epted her request.

    Like that, the kids gained a house and a housekeeper.

    ¡°There will be a day off for the housekeeper, so you cane y.¡±

    Saying that, Gyeoul returned to the mountain where her restaurant was.

    For the next 10 years, until the boys became young men, they came to the mountain restaurant every weekend and ate the food Gyeoul made for them.

    ¡°We are here, Miss Benefactor.¡±

    ¡°Wee.¡±

    The boy who used to be 12 years old, met a partner at 17 and got married. From a point in time, he began visiting her with his wife.

    In addition, the younger boy who was 9 years old grew so tall that he was now bigger than his older brother. He used to love candies in the past and was now even operating a candy store.

    Something interesting happened. The belly of the wife kept increasing in size and next year, the number of people visiting her increased from three to four.

    ¡°Can you please give her a name? It would be a great honour to receive her name from you, Benefactor.¡±

    Gyeoul turned them down.

    ¡°Parents should be the one naming the child.¡±

    Even though the boy who was now an adult himself was disappointed by it, Gyeoul remained firm. That was when his wife cutely came up and handed her the baby, asking her to carry and bless the child.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Please. Don¡¯t say that.¡±

    In the end, Gyeoul had to receive the tiny baby that was wrapped in a nket. That little baby looked up at her with its squinted eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Seeing that, Gyeoul felt a very deep and intense emotion.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul aligned her forehead with the baby¡¯s.

    She then blessed the child, hoping for a healthy and happy future,

    Just like what someone had done to her in the distant past¡­

    .

    .

    .

    Her Amusement came to an end.

    The boy who used to be 12 was now 30.

    He wasn¡¯t a boy at this point. They were now full-fledged adults and even their children looked to be around the same age as Gyeoul.

    It was unknown how they noticed it but on the night Gyeoul was about to leave, the two families came to her and bid farewell.

    She lightly returned the greeting, and told them to stay safe.

    ¡°Benefactor. Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done.¡±

    The boy, who was now obviously an adult with that thick beard, gave a deep bow to Gyeoul with budding tears.

    ¡°Before you leave, there is something I would like to ask.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Before, we were puzzled and sometimes we thought it was natural. However as we turned older, we realised that was not the case. It was something I had been wanting to ask the whole time, but couldn¡¯t dare ask you.¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°Why were you so nice, Benefactor, to us two dirty brothers?¡±

    The boy solemnly asked a question.

    Gyeoul blinked her eyes because she hadn¡¯t been expecting to be asked such a thing. After a short silence, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°When I was young¡­¡±

    Lifting her head, she looked at the sky. Her sapphire eyes glistened under the moonlight.

    ¡°There was someone who did the same to me. He gave me delicious food, a warm bed, and treasured me without wishing for anything in return.¡±

    Reminiscing in those memories made her delightful, yet bitterly homesick.

    Gyeoul whispered as if she was in a dream.

    ¡°He said he had a simr benefactor when he was young. And there was something he requested of me.¡±

    There was a gift that once began as an encouragement to life.

    That was conveyed down from a certain middle-aged woman to Yu Jitae; and from Yu Jitae down to Gyeoul.

    ¨C Later if you see a child that needs your help¡­

    ¨C Help them out at least once.

    And now it was Gyeoul¡¯s turn. Her gift had been conveyed down to these boys.

    ¡°In the future, if you see children suffering from hunger and pain.

    ¡°Then please be nice to them without asking for anything in return.¡±

    They replied with falling tears.

    ¡°¡­We will etch it into our souls.¡±

    The gift will continue being shared down.

    Into the distant future, to children Gyeoul did not know of.

 Chapter 417: Epilogue # Yu Kaeul: In a Dream (1)

    <h4>Chapter 417: Epilogue # Yu Kaeul: In a Dream (1)</h4>

    ¡°Come here! My babbyy!¡±

    Kaeul gave a bright smile.

    Today was a special day.

    ¡°Nn, unni.¡±

    It was because Gyeoul came to visit her.

    Kaeul ordered the protectors of herrge pce-like nest for her favourite dishes. She told them to make all the things that she used to ask for over the past 300 years.

    Although not perfect, the table was filled with dishes from Earth ¨C specifically the ones they had usually eaten at Unit 301.

    Braised pork, instant noodles, dumplings, burgers, fried chicken, pizza, red velvet cake¡­ They looked slightly different from the ones in their memories but it was nheless true that staring at the food was enough to make them smile.

    On top of that, they prepared some fairly strong alcohol.

    Clink.

    Kaeul and Gyeoul clinked their sses.

    ¡°How was your Amusement this time?¡±

    Gyeoul nkly looked back at Kaeul¡¯s face which was exactly the same as how she looked when they first met. Even though all the good moments were living and breathing forever in her memories, she still needed someone to share them.

    For Gyeoul, Kaeul was that kind of person.

    ¡°Well, just¡­¡±

    She briefly exined what happened as Kaeul listened carefully with her eyes forming circles.

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s what happened¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°I guess that would have brought back a lot of memories for you¡­¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    Clink. They bumped their sses again. Gyeoul bitterly stared at her ss before pouring the alcohol down her throat.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t found the way to go back yet.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. Uun¡­¡±

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t even know if it exists anymore. It might be impossible.¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul, do you still want to go back?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    She took another sip. With her head tilted down and her chin resting on her hand, Gyeoul swirled the leftover alcohol inside her ss. Her next words dug deep into Kaeul¡¯s heart.

    ¡°We were, really happy back then¡­¡±

    Kaeul nodded.

    Yes.

    They were happy.

    So happy that it was now bitter.

    ¡°We had no idea how priceless it was to live without any worries.¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry. It became depressing for no reason.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I think the same.¡±

    The two of them stayed silent for a while.

    ¡°Ah, by the way unni, have you heard anything about Yu Yeorum?¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°How is she these days? No-one tells me anything no matter who I ask.¡±

    Kaeulughed.

    ¡°That makes sense. Uum¡­ Yeorum-unni needs to have a big fight against her oldest unni.¡±

    ¡°You mean the Selection Ceremony?¡±

    ¡°Un. That thing. But that oldest unni or whoever, is apparently still sleeping.¡±

    ¡°Sleeping for 300 years is quite long.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I looked into it because I was curious. It seems she was enlightened or something before Yeorum-unni came back and entered a deep sleep¡­¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t lose right?¡±

    There was a faint concern embedded in Gyeoul¡¯s question.

    The red race only kept one entity per generation. This was the choice of the red race to nurture the best warriors with their limited amount of resources. And that was the purpose of the Selection Ceremony.

    The loser will die just like Yeorum¡¯s youngest unni.

    ¡°Ahh, of course she won¡¯t. Is that even supposed to be a question?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul took another sip.

    ¡°And, Bom-unni¡­¡±

    She tried to change the topic but this made her heart even more ufortable.

    The war of green dragons after 20,000 years of peace and the assault of a warring race. Close to ten green dragons had been killed during the war and it seemed that 30% of their territory had been destroyed alongside the lives of countless organisms.

    Gyeoul turned teary.

    Although Kaeul and Yeorum considered Bom as a friend, it was slightly different for Gyeoul. There was a more delicate link between the two.

    She had been with Bom ever since she opened her eyes. They slept in the same room everyday and woke up together in the morning. She learned how to speak from Bom, and all of her precious ¡®first experiences¡¯ had always been apanied by Bom.

    That was why for Gyeoul, Bom was like ¡®another Yu Jitae¡¯.

    Her green race was at risk right now, but the blue dragons that liked keeping to themselves were unwilling to help the green dragons¡­

    ¡°Actually, Gyeoul.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°There is this rumour that I heard which was quite difficult to believe.¡±

    A rumour?

    Kaeul hesitated for a bit before adding more words.

    ¡°You know how the sacred territory of the green race had been taken recently, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, nn. Rouin Penins right. Thinking about that still gives me chills.¡±

    That ce was the birthce of the current Dragon Lord, and was considered by the green race as their capital.

    ¡°I heard they seeded in recapturing that ce.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°But there was something strange about that.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Kaeul continued speaking despite still finding it unbelievable herself, wondering whether it was even possible.

    ¡°Apparently, it was a hatchling that was in charge of the operation¡­¡±

    *

    They continued drinking. After talking about their two worrisome friends came a topic which the two of them had been consciously avoiding till now.

    ¡®I miss Earth so much¡­¡¯

    Completely drunk, Gyeoul said with drops of tears dripping from her eyes as Kaeul gave her a hug. Since she couldpletely understand Gyeoul¡¯s feelings and was also thinking of something simr everyday herself, Kaeul could not dare try to console her.

    ¡®Do you think we can go back to that time?¡¯

    And that was something which Kaeul had also been desperately wishing for.

    At the end of their drinking party, Gyeoul dropped a statement like a bomb before going back home.

    ¡®I¡¯m going to sleep for a while.¡¯

    ¡®For how long?¡¯

    ¡®Maybe a thousand years¡­¡¯

    That was the end. Kaeul sent her off and gazed outside the window all by herself.

    Outside the window, it was pouring.

    It was a night that called for an umbre.

    ***

    Kaeul returned to her ce.

    A guardian deity could not leave for long.

    Inside the territory of gold dragons was a vige of a race called gnomes. These gnomes were fairies of the ground that were as small as a palm. They were a lot smaller than dwarves, could move freely underground, and they lived by forming a vige.

    On the outside, they looked very cute. Because they were fairies, they were all cute regardless of their gender and age. Their head was a third of their total height, they were tiny but had deep and shiny eyes¡­

    ¡®Helloo! Miss Guardian Deity!¡¯

    ¡® ¡®Hellooo! Miss Guardian Deity!¡¯ ¡¯

    The little ones jumped up and down and weed her as she smiled, ¡®Hehe¡¯ and held onto their small hands.

    Kaeul was living as the guardian deity of these gnomes as part of her lesson from her mother in preparation for her eventual reign in the human world.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing very well, my daughter.¡±

    Her mother once said to her,

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to do it so well. Actually I was quite worried.¡±

    ¡°Uing? You were worried?¡±

    ¡°Of course I was. My daughter, because you are iparably more delicate than other dragons.¡±

    Kaeul blinked her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re always worried about a reed breaking from a small breeze and feeling hurt from a cautious stroke, aren¡¯t you? Kids who think like that are delicate but at the same time it¡¯s easy for them to feel hurt.¡±

    Unlike her concerns, Kaeul was growing exceptionally well.

    ¡°No matter how I see it, your first Amusement is very suspicious¡­¡±

    Her mother asked Kaeul with a warm smile.

    ¡°How long are you going to keep it a secret from mum?¡±

    ¡°Uun, it¡¯s a secret¡­!¡±

    ¡°That makes me sad.¡±

    Coming back, she had promised with others that they would keep the Amusement with Yu Jitae all to themselves without telling anyone else.

    However, no matter how well she was performing, there was no way that protecting someone would be easy.

    Simply protecting them from external attacks was not difficult, but stopping the problems that came up within gnomes was difficult.

    In the grand scheme of things, fairies weren¡¯t very different from humans. They needed to trust, they needed their hearts to be put at ease and needed food. At times, they needed clothes that would make them either warm or cool, and needed a private shelter to rest in.

    That was already difficult but that wasn¡¯t the end.

    They needed a workce, education and also needed help with enjoying their appropriate hobby life.

    And as such, strife was inevitable as their living standards improved and as their ideologies broadened, because there were always limited resources. Whosend is this, and whose flower is this? The gnomes were always bickering about such topics whenever they had time.

    Kaeul had to spend a lot of time to calm them down.

    During all that, she started to realise wholeheartedly,

    That raising someone responsibly was an extremely difficult thing to do¡­

    *

    It was when she was living as a guardian deity. One gnome became pregnant and got a big belly. Despite usually giving birth to at most two, there were four babies in the belly of the pregnant gnome.

    Kaeul looked after her with utmost care.

    A few months went by and four babies were born.

    .

    It was the birth of many lives. Kaeul looked at the adorable baby gnomes that were the size of a thumb. They were a quadruplet and looked very much alike.

    However, a problem slowly started to appear as the baby gnomes grew up over time. The three other gnomes were living fine but there was one specific gnome who started acting strange.

    He looked very dangerous, and even threatened his brothers in front of food by raising a small pebble with his hands.

    It was cute when he was young but it no longer looked like a prank as he got older.

    ¡°What is wrong, child. Uun? Don¡¯t do that¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t stop there. His anti-social side turned even worse over time. He would snap others¡¯ flowers for no reason while walking next to it, and even stole a leaf from a nearby gnome.

    ¡°Child. What are you doing?¡±

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Kaeul was flustered because he ignored her even when she asked him. She had never heard of such an audacious entity existing among the gnomes.

    She asked her mother but was told to do it her way instead of being taught a method.

    In the gnome society, he was soonbelled as a problem child and after a conference, they decided to teach him a lesson.

    It was futile. He immediately raised a stone and threatened them when another gnome approached him, and if they came in groups, he would suddenly smack his own head with the rock.

    That act of self-injury was in fact very threatening. They couldn¡¯t kill their kindred so the other gnomes had to give up on educating him.

    Instead, they repeatedly went to Kaeul and appealed to her.

    They requested her to please do something about him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    For Kaeul it was a very difficult task.

    Why was that one kid doing such a thing even though everyone else was living fine? Kaeul could not understand what was going on with him.

    One of the gnomes asked her to put him in quarantine forever, but Kaeul decided to be prudent with her judgement. Simply abandoning him didn¡¯t seem like the right solution.

    She constantly tried speaking to him.

    She gave him food and even gave unique presents to persuade him.

    However, none of that worked on the gnome.

    ¡®Ahh whateverrr! Why is it only meee!¡¯

    Seeing him locked in the underground prison due to another mistake, Kaeul heaved a deep sigh.

    She felt slightly irritated in the depths of her heart.

    What was wrong with him?

    However, Kaeul settled her irritation.

    She felt depressed. It was as if she was speaking to someone who had their eyes closed and ears clogged.

    Was there even a solution to a problem like this? Maybe it¡¯s correct to just punish them the way she wanted to?

    But, that wouldn¡¯t be what a ¡®right guardian¡¯ would do¡­

    Perhaps due to her recent conversation with Gyeoul, a question budded in Kaeul¡¯s mind.

    What would ahjussi have done in a situation like this¡­?

 Chapter 418: Epilogue # Yu Kaeul: In a Dream (2)

    <h4>Chapter 418: Epilogue # Yu Kaeul: In a Dream (2)</h4>

    That one spark of thought was like a trigger. After that, Kaeul thought of him whenever something gave her a hard time.

    If it was ahjussi,

    If it was Yu Jitae¡­

    Thinking about it like that, Kaeul started to see the state of this ill-tempered gnome as simr to that of her own,

    And Yu Jitae trying desperately to make sure she wasn¡¯t hurt in a world full of hatred, was also simr to what she was doing right now.

    In fact, guardians weren¡¯t machines and they were also people. They were just another living being who had more things to be responsible for.

    If a child cried on repeat, the mother would feel tired. A father might feel annoyed by a child who constantly whines and gets mad. Some parents might get emotionally upset with their kids.

    That was the state Kaeul was in right now. Gnomes had been in disharmony for a few years by now and she was feeling annoyed by a lot of things.

    But what about ahjussi? What did Yu Jitae do?

    Closing her eyes, she looked back and remembered how she had been whining like crazy everyday.

    ¨C I¡¯m so stupid.

    ¨C Why is there nothing good about me¡­?

    ¨C ¡­You also think I¡¯m pathetic, right?

    At times she reproached herself.

    ¨C I think I just can¡¯t.

    ¨C Maybe someone like me should just stop.

    ¨C That¡¯s just what I am¡­ I¡¯m sorry it turned out like this even though you were trying to help¡­

    And sometimes she was about to give up.

    Although that might have been an honest expression of her feelings for Kaeul back then, it must have been very painful for the one listening.

    Despite that, Yu Jitae had never gotten mad at her imperfection. Even though he definitely should have felt annoyed on the inside as a human, he had never shown even a sliver of it on his face¡­

    Now, Kaeul knew how extremely, extremely amazing that was.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That day, on the way back home after finishing her work as a guardian deity, Kaeul stopped in the middle of a street. She started to realise the kind of love he had given her during the most unstable times of her life.

    Her heart was aching.

    At the same time, Yu Jitae¡¯s actions became an indicator for Kaeul. Like how he had protected me, I should also be able to protect someone ¨C thinking about it that way gave her courage.

    Soon, she turned her feet and returned to the vige of gnomes. She called the challenging gnome and quietly talked to him.

    ¡°I wonder who put our little boy in a bad mood?¡±

    Her words were a lot more cautious than before.

    ¡°Do you mind telling me¡­?¡±

    The size of the umbre had to fit the size of the person. What was important was matching herself as a guardian to the ward.

    It was just like how Yu Jitae, who at a nce was extremely different from her, tried as much as possible to align himself to her.

    ¡®Whateverr! They¡¯re making me upsettt!¡¯

    The gnome exploded in rage at the beginning, so Kaeul carefully raised him into her arms.

    ¡°You were upset, hun? I see.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t just coaxing and calming the child. Instead she was starting a conversation.

    ¡°Who was it? Who did it.¡±

    Her soft voice started flowing into the firmly shut steel gates of the gnome.

    ¡®Kobing! Kobing did ittt! She keeps telling me to stay stillll!¡¯

    Kobing was the name of his mother.

    ¡°Why did Kobing tell you to stay still?¡±

    ¡®I don¡¯t kno! It¡¯s weirddd! She always leaves in the morning, so I wanted to go with herrr! She takes everyone else but not meee!¡¯

    ¡°Agu agu. I see¡­¡±

    Kaeul tapped the gnome on his back.

    It seemed that he had been wanting to leave with his mother but was refused because she couldn¡¯t bring the most renowned problem child of the vige outside with her.

    In the end, it appeared that the problematic gnome just wanted to spend time with his mother.

    Strangely enough, after dropping her prejudice, thinking of the gnome as another person and deciding to calmly talk it out with him, she realised that the solution was quite simple.

    ¡°You wanted to leave with your mother in the morning, right?¡±

    ¡®¡­I don¡¯t want tooo. She never takes me with herrr.¡¯

    ¡°Do you think your mother hates you?¡±

    ¡®Yesss. Kobing hates meee. I hate Kobing toooo!¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to her.¡±

    ¡®Nn?¡¯

    ¡°Un un. Why. Are you scared to do it by yourself?¡±

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    ¡°Then I¡¯lle with you. Let¡¯s go together and tell her what you think.¡±

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    Something remarkable happened after that.

    The problem gnome sloppily expressed his honest thoughts while looking away from his mother¡¯s eyes, and the mother who had been feeling exhausted due to the temperamental actions of the child was also shaken.

    In that ce was an apology and a forgiveness.

    The next day, the two of them went outside early in the morning.

    It was a sess.

    ¡°Iya. That¡¯s pretty good. Not bad, my dear daughter?¡±

    Kaeul hopped up and down after bragging about it to her mother.

    That wasn¡¯t the end of everything though. Due to all the time that went by, the crack had been deepened and the improvement in his rtionship with his mother was just one of the problems that had to be addressed.

    What was fortunate was that the problem gnome always came to Kaeul and prayed to her whenever there was a challenge in his life. Kaeul had to listen to his story and empathise with him whenever the gnome was feeling challenged. And when he was feeling better, she also had to suggest a solution.

    At a nce, that seemed like an ideal rtionship between a guardian and a ward, but on the other hand, Kaeul felt slightly fatigued over time.

    There were in fact almost 500 gnomes living in the vige, and there were quite a few of them whoined about their hardships in life.

    She was already feeling tired with how everything was and now there was one child who leaned on her everyday, so Kaeul had to firmly hold her ground.

    The issue was in her personality of deeply immersing herself into other¡¯s problems. She was sincerely upset when others were angry, and sincerely sad when they were sad. When it was frustrating, she felt suffocating as if there were dozens of potatoes blocking her throat.

    All of that added to thessitude she was feeling in her heart. Once, her legs even lost power on her way back from the vige.

    However, Kaeul had to persist. Kaeul knew that it would be the end for both the baby gnome and the vige the moment she faltered.

    She also remembered his back when Yu Jitae was trying to leave the house after feeling crushed for some reason, as well as her voice that stopped him in his tracks.

    Maybe he was feeling exhausted just like her¡­

    Everything she learned about a guardian was from Yu Jitae and he was a sessful figure in her mind.

    Didn¡¯t I grow up fine just like this? So I can do the same as him.

    Kaeul was able to persist by thinking of it like that.

    Rather, she thought she was able to hold on.

    That was until one day a gnome hung herself by the neck.

    .

    .

    .

    Fortunately, the gnome didn¡¯t die thanks to Kaeul who happened to be nearby rushing in and cutting off the string. She wasn¡¯t dead, but was instead greatly hurt. Even her life was at risk so Kaeul took the child away from the vige and brought her to her nest.

    Kaeul earnestly looked after the injured child. The little gnome was hovering between the boundaries of life and death and Kaeul thus could not sleep for almost an entire 3 weeks.

    The pain appeared to be very intense around her neck and the gnome couldn¡¯t easily fall asleep. Kaeul stayed by her side, worried that something wrong might happen to her and anxiously watched her go to sleep.

    For her, the gnome was like a thin marble of ss.

    She was scared it might break.

    Meanwhile, the gnome vige searched for their guardian deity who did note to them, so Kaeul had to rush to the vige when the gnome was asleep to listen to their requests.

    It was excruciatingly exhausting.

    She did find it worthwhile, and seeing the little ones relying on her as a guardian deity and looking at no-one else but her, Kaeul realised that she couldn¡¯t crumble when they were leaning on her. She had to be a thicker pir and needed to have a wider hug.

    But as those agonising days continued without an end, the guardian deity also wanted to rely on someone.

    ¡®Maybe I¡¯m still too young¡­¡¯

    Kaeul bitterly smiled to herself.

    After dealing with her task at the vige, Kaeul returned to the nest and checked the state of the child.

    She looked after the baby gnome who was still suffering with constant irregr breaths, all throughout the night.

    Fatigued from all those tense moments of care, her eyes were slowly and unknowinglying to a close.

    .

    .

    .

    She met Yu Jitae.

    The background was very hazy, but it was probably Unit 301, and she was probably in her room.

    There was a time when Chirpy the baby chicken had almost been taken by the people from the spirit beast breeding centre. Kaeul attacked them with a startled heart. It was fortunate that she had missed because otherwise someone would have died there.

    It seemed that she had gone back to that time.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul, who had been burying her head into the pillow, raised her head and saw Yu Jitae¡¯s face. He was using hisrge hand to caress her head, the little strands of hair near the boundary of her forehead and her hair.

    She nkly looked at him as he asked her a question.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Kaeul shook her head.

    She simply realised something.

    Ah, it¡¯s a dream.

    She had been thinking about him a lot recently. During the first few years after her return from the Amusement, she had thought about him even more.

    Back then, she had beenining to him in all of her dreams.

    Ahjussi, there¡¯s no pork cutlet here.

    They don¡¯t know how to make macarons.

    But more importantly¡­

    I miss you¡­

    Those were the dreams she used to have quite often.

    She didn¡¯t know they were a dream back then, and she was thus a little depressed after waking up from one because of the thought that she might not be able to see him ever again. However, he was now here in front of Kaeul.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hisrge and slightly cold hand slowly went through her hair.

    It had been her lifetime question. How did Yu Jitae know where she liked the most? That she feltfortable when he caressed the area right above her forehead¡­?

    ¡°Do you feel like going to sleep now?¡±

    He asked. Resting her hand on top of his, Kaeul shook her head.

    ¡°Please stay here a bit more.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Yu Jitae followed through with what he said and stayed there. It was okay even though she knew it was a dream. Kaeul wanted to remain in this moment a bit more.

    His chest that she alwaysfortably leaned on whenever she was tired; his feet that used to tread with her when confronted by a crossroad; his hands that held her whenever her heart was quivering and his voice that consoled her when she was sad.

    Now that she was an actual guardian of someone else, there were so many things she wanted to share with him. Even though it might be a dream, she still wanted to talk to him.

    ¡°Have you been well?¡±

    Kaeul opened her mouth.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve been fine.¡±

    ¡°Anything go wrong?¡±

    ¡°Why would anything go wrong.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good.¡±

    He started moving his hand again and resumed caressing her hair.

    ¡°That¡¯s not like you.¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°Asking something like that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kaeul grinned. It was a really vivid dream.

    ¡°I missed you.¡±

    ¡°We see each other everyday though.¡±

    ¡°Uun¡­ But still, I wanted to see you. And you know, I wanted to say thank you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You see, now that I actually became a guardian of someone, I realised how hard it was.¡±

    ¡°Is that so.¡±

    Kaeul talked about the things that recently happened to her, carefully, so that he wouldn¡¯t find it odd.

    ¡°Must have been rough.¡±

    And after being acknowledged by him like that, Kaeul smiled with her eyes closed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it was more rough for you,¡± she added.

    ¡°At least you know it.¡±

    Yu Jitae faintly smiled back.

    ¡°So let me have some rest today.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Rest up.¡±

    Listening to his voice and feeling his hand, she closed her eyes.

    ¡°If this is a dream, I hope we meet again after I wake up.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    Kaeul replied with a powerless voice.

    ¡°Because this time, I can do better¡­¡±

    .

    .

    .

    After waking up from her dream, Kaeul saw the gnome restlessly tossing in her sleep. The pain was still stopping her from sleeping properly.

    That was the end of her short dream. It was a shame because there were still a lot of stories she wanted to tell him, as well as many things to ask.

    Although it was partially embarrassing that she relied on him even in a dream,

    On the other hand, it soothed her heart that she was able to rely on him at least in a dream.

    When she was back to reality, Kaeul was once again the guardian of someone else. This time, it was therefore her job to soothe this tired little child.

    With her beautiful voice that used to bring tears to the world, Kaeul sang a luby.

    ¡°Child¡­ You pretty child¡­¡±

    And she caressed the gnome¡¯s head, until the childfortably fell asleep.

 Chapter 419: Epilogue # Yu Yeorum: Words that had yet to be Conveyed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 419: Epilogue # Yu Yeorum: Words that had yet to be Conveyed (1)</h4>

    ¡°Gyeoul said she¡¯s going to sleep,¡± said Kaeul.

    ¡°Really.¡±

    Yeorum on the other side of her, gave a fairly dry response, even though she should be fully aware of what she meant by ¡®sleep¡¯.

    ¡°What. Why are you so cold?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hmm. For how long.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I think she¡¯s going to sleep for quite a while.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡±

    ¡°What have you been up to, unni?¡±

    ¡°Me? Well¡­¡±

    Crossing her legs, Yeorum ced a cigarette between her lips. Raising her fingertip, she lit it on fire and took a deep breath in as the cigarette started to be tainted in red.

    A dense smoke soon left her mouth.

    ¡°Just, doing nothing much.¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to do anything? Like going out on Amusements and stuff?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What would I even do there.¡±

    ¡°Uum. Going to a casino drunk and high on drugs? Losing all your money and doing it with dozens of men? Kyahaha¡ª!¡±

    ¡®The fuck,¡¯ said Yeorum while grabbing Kaeul¡¯s hair. ¡®Ang! D, don¡¯t¡­!¡¯ Feeling like she would be seared with the tip of the cigarette, Kaeul had to quickly lower her head.

    ¡°What about you,¡± asked Yeorum.

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°Are you not going out? You can do more Amusements can¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°Uun. I¡¯m, well¡­¡±

    ¡°I guess you and I are the same there.¡±

    Yeorum sucked in through the cigarette again. There was not a single gentle taste to it unlike the one on Earth, probably because the chemicals hadn¡¯t been processed. Although either side would have their pros and cons, Yeorum liked the cigarettes from Earth a little bit more.

    ¡°But you¡¯ve only been on one right? Even Gyeoul went out on two though?¡± Kaeul asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll do it one day.¡±

    ¡°Did the adults allow that?¡±

    ¡°So what if they don¡¯t allow that, when I don¡¯t want to go myself.¡±

    Kaeul smiled. It was exactly what Yeorum would say.

    But even though Yeorum was acting confident, she was in a fairly precarious position. She was simply keeping her mouth closed because she got annoyed by just thinking about it.

    ¡°Gyeoul said she missed unni.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, that stinks like a lie.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious. She was very worried as well.¡±

    ¡°About what.¡±

    ¡°Your selection ceremony. You haven¡¯t done it yet right.¡±

    ¡°Far out. There¡¯s no need to worry in the slightest.¡±

    Yeorum said while shaking her hand. That was when a question suddenly popped up in her mind.

    ¡°By the way, is she taller now?¡±

    ¡°Un un. She¡¯s about the same as us.¡±

    ¡°And her body size?¡±

    Kaeul knew what she was talking about. Size here meant her body size as a dragon.

    ¡°She¡¯s about one and a half times bigger than you, unni.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Yeorum nodded before biting on her cigarette again.

    ¡°What about her face?¡±

    ¡°She looks the same as the Gyeoul we know. But she looks slightly more mature.¡±

    ¡°That does make me a bit curious. Show me your memories.¡±

    Soon, Yeorum grabbed onto Kaeul¡¯s wrist as memories rted to Gyeoul were transferred over to her.

    ¡°Hya, this kid¡­¡±

    ¡°Kuhihi. How is she? She¡¯s grown up nicely right?¡±

    ¡°She looks fucking egotistic. So much I wanna snap it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll lose though? Your attributes¨C¡±

    ¡®Kuangg! I¡¯m sorry¡­!¡¯ Kaeul crawled with her nose pinched. How was she exactly the same even after 300 years? Yeorum curiously wondered by herself.

    After the conversation about Gyeoul, the topic was naturally shifted to Bom.

    ¡°You went to help the green dragons in the war right?¡± Kaeul asked.

    ¡°Yeah. It was a mess. Those lunatics were really crazy this time around. I saw the head of a 7000-year-old old man bursting from arge axe right in front of me; we were close like how we¡¯re sitting right now. I could have died there as well.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­ Isn¡¯t that too dangerous? I wanted to ask before but, didn¡¯t your parents stop you?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? My mum and dad have zero interest in me.¡±

    ¡°But even then¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway it was chaos. Thousands of protectors died and three whole kingdoms were wiped out¡­¡±

    Yeorum described the atrocities of the long war. The war of the green dragons against the quons was still going on, and was expected tost at least a few more centuries.

    Listening to her story, Kaeul could not help but raise a question.

    ¡°What about Bom-unni?¡±

    In response, Yeorum turned silent. It was a question she had been expecting but was nheless a very awkward one to reply to.

    ¡°Do you want me to be honest?¡±

    ¡°Nn nn.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Yu Bom. She¡­¡±

    Yeorum scratched her head, not knowing how she was supposed to exin the situation.

    ¡°Umm, she¡¯s a bit, weird now.¡±

    ¡°Uun?¡±

    ¡°Like, she became super weird.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    While distractedly scratching her head, Yeorum continued.

    ¡°So like, you know how she has control over the military now, right.¡±

    ¡°Nn nn.¡±

    ¡°She became literally weird after that. The way shemands the operations is strange, she doesn¡¯t sleep, her eyes are all red and she goes around everywhere all day. I¡¯ve never seen her rest for almost 200 years by now.¡±

    ¡°Ehng? What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you; she doesn¡¯t rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she does when you¡¯re not there.¡±

    ¡°No that¡¯s not it. That¡¯s not the stuff I¡¯m trying to say.¡±

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°With her wrist cut off, legs crushed and one of her eyes and ears missing, she crawled into the ancient forest and tracked one of the quon¡¯s great warriors for 71 years. We didn¡¯t hear any news from her so we thought she was dead inside but no. After tracking him for 71 years, she finally ripped that great warrior to pieces. That Yu Bom.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I was there when she returned with his head. And you know what? Her face¡­¡±

    A bizarre look appeared on Yeorum¡¯s face as she cast her memories back to that time.

    ¡°The way she moves the troops around is also weird. She is in charge of three troops, and two of them have green dragons inside. She moves three times more than others whilemanding them all the time.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    Kaeul couldn¡¯t find any other words to say.

    After opening her mouth once, Yeorum continued pouring out all the words that had been holed up inside her heart due to having no-one to talk to.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the end. I found this outter ¨C there¡¯s another troop Yu Bom is in charge of, and she herself is in a squad that protects the Dragon Lord. After her work ends in one ce, she teleports to another ce and fights there. After that¡¯s over, she goes to the Dragon Lord and reports to him. Five troops¡­ Does this look normal to you?¡±

    There was an undisguisable look of shock on Kaeul¡¯s face because that did not sound normal in the slightest. Even though Yeorum was worried that Kaeul might mistake her intention, she couldn¡¯t help but say it.

    ¡°Yu Bom. She¡¯spletely gone crazy.¡±

    That was her conclusion.

    ¡°¡­How is that possible?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. And that¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m saying she¡¯s super weird.¡±

    Dragons lived for a very long period of time, and thus entered a hibernation regrly to organise and tidy up the experiences they had earned with their unforgetting memories. Excessive burden to both the mind and the body was obviously a threat even to a dragon.

    Moving for 300 years without sleeping for even a second? ording to Kaeul¡¯s memory, there had never been such a green dragon in the annals of history.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    On one hand, Kaeul was slightly disappointed.

    She had been contacting Yeorum and Gyeoul quite regrly and they had even yed sometimes with her at the centre, but Bom did not answer any of their calls.

    Even when Yeorum was at a nearby squad, she had requested several times for a face-to-face talk and was constantly rejected. It was clear that Bom was intentionally avoiding her.

    That was the same even to the others.

    Didn¡¯t they spend a happy Amusement together? Couldn¡¯t shee visit them at least once in the past 300 years?

    Betraying their expectations, Bom never looked for them.

    Not a single time.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like how I keep thinking about it this way either, but Yu Bom that bitch, she might be living apletely different world from us.¡±

    Kaeul widened her eyes into circles.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°The old man¡¯s about to go soon, right.¡±

    ¡°You mean the Lord? Uun. He has been reigning for like 15,000 years after all¡­¡±

    ¡°Probably a few hundred years left for him, and at most a thousand. There¡¯s been a talk about that among the green dragons.¡±

    ¡°What did they say?¡±

    Yeorum sucked in a deep breath through the cigarette and heaved a deep sigh.

    ¡°They said Yu Bom is a candidate for the next Dragon Lord.¡±

    *

    ¡®Maybe she doesn¡¯t want to be rted to us anymore.¡¯

    Yeorum said something which both Kaeul and Gyeoul had also been thinking of in secret.

    She had been finding it strange for a long time, but if that was to be a Dragon Lord, then she could understand how Bom couldn¡¯t live in the same world as other baby dragons like them.

    ¡®But that¡¯s, very sad¡­¡¯ Kaeul sighed with a teary look on her face.

    Bom was the one whom she had shared the most happy moments of her life with. In a world without Yu Jitae, there were only four existences that remembered him.

    Thinking of such an existence going further away to achieve her dream made her feel empty at heart.

    In any case, that was the end of their conversation. Before leaving, Kaeul said to Yeorum, ¡®I¡¯m going to take a nap as well,¡¯ as Yeorum returned a nod.

    Both Yeorum and Kaeul had intentionally refrained from going to sleep ever since Gyeoul said she would look for a way to go back home. However, now that 300 years had gone by, all three of them had half given up on it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when the Selection Ceremony will be held but,¡±

    Kaeul left those words at the end.

    ¡°Please survive. Unni¡­¡±

    Yeorum put the cigarette out and replied with a smile.

    ¡°You can go to sleep first. Ima take a nap as well after everything¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°Uun. Later let¡¯s go visit somewhere together.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Saying that, Yeorum sent her off.

    .

    .

    .

    In truth, Yeorum thought the Selection Ceremony would be held immediately after her return from the first Amusement. That was why she had been trying as if she would die during the Amusement.

    But when she dide back, her oldest unni did not meet her and postponed the Selection Ceremony to no end.

    The first reason it was postponed was for an ¡®Amusement¡¯. Her oldest unni was going to soon leave for her third Amusement.

    Everything had been prepared already and there was nothing Yeorum could do about it. So she had to wait for the oldest unni toe back after ying for 20 years.

    The second reason was hibernation. After returning from the Amusement, her oldest unni said she was tired from a big enlightenment and entered a deep sleep which was irritatingly long. She slept for almost 300 years and woke up very recently, and seemed like she had zero regard for Yeorum¡¯s existence.

    ¡°Ah, this fucking bitch¡­¡±

    Bitch once and they¡¯re a bitch forever.

    That was Yeorum¡¯s theory of bitches.

    A problem that had been a result of that was that Yeorum couldn¡¯t prove herself during those 300 years. She couldn¡¯t even take the Selection Ceremony and had constantly been looked down on by the other dragons of her race.

    The red race respects the strong but ignores and persecutes the weak.

    Her strength hadn¡¯t been proven through the Selection Ceremony ¨C she was born especiallyte, had a small body, and returned in just 5 years without even filling up the 20 years of her Amusement and Yeorum was therefore treated literally like a piece of trash.

    ¡°Dude. There goes trash.¡±

    ¡°Uhk, is that a dragon or a lizard.¡±

    Seeing young adults doing that for almost 300 years everyday, Yeorum had to suppress her urge to run in and rip them to pieces.

    Out of those were also males who mixed their bodies with her oldest unni and they were even more annoying.

    When her oldest unni was scolded by the elders of the race for constantly postponing the Selection Ceremony, they even pestered her to shoot magic towards Yeorum¡¯s nest to kill her.

    It was at least better off when her oldest unni was still sleeping but now that they began ying with her again after she woke up, their bullying turned even worse.

    ¡°Oi, you fucking catterpir of a bitch! Go kill yourself! Kill yourself! Suicide!¡±

    But one of their voices was especially noisier today.

 Chapter 420: Epilogue # Yu Yeorum: Words that had yet to be Conveyed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 420: Epilogue # Yu Yeorum: Words that had yet to be Conveyed (2)</h4>

    Suppressing the urge to kill him, Yeorum organised her mana.

    During the 300 years of her oldest sister¡¯s absence, Yeorum continued training by herself. She trained endlessly and even attended the war of green dragons to distinguish herself in the war.

    When those achievements were heard by the red race, she thought her perception would increase by a little but no ¨C there was still doubt within the race.

    ¡®That¡¯s unexpected,¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s surprising.¡¯ Although reactions like that were still looking down on her, those were still okay. They were at least positive.

    However, most of the red dragons said stuff like, ¡®How weak are green dragons¡¯, ¡®There¡¯s no way that happened so she must have gone around giving them her body,¡¯ and ¡®That¡¯s an exaggeration¡¯. Despite not even bothering to look into it, they were especially more noisy.

    Even in a situation like that, her parents did not stand on her side. Although her oldest unni was postponing the Selection Ceremony everyday, her parents were still on her side.

    Yeorum understood it in her head. Because that bitch was a rising star and she was trash in their eyes.

    All she had to do was prove herself through the Selection Ceremony.

    It was when she was thinking along the lines of that.

    ¡°Kill yourself!¡±

    ¡°Kill yourself!¡±

    ¡°Kill yourself!¡±

    A 1,200-year-old adult dragon was being very noisy. He was screaming while even using Dragon Fear, so the animals that were living near her nest either fainted or began running away.

    She had be used to withstanding insults thanks to her training with Yu Jitae. There was no-one on her side so she shouldn¡¯t make the matter worse ¨C she had to first wait for someone to be on her side.

    That was how she was suppressing her emotions.

    ¡°Go somewhere out of sight and kill yourself before your neck gets snapped and your dirty organs fall like the fifth of your family!

    Yeorum stood up from her seat.

    She questioned herself.

    Was she being led around by her emotions?

    No. She could sit back down if she wanted to.

    Did she hear an unbearable insult?

    Yes. Because ¡®fifth¡¯ was talking about the youngest unni who Yeorum treasured the most.

    Was she allowed to kill him?

    No.

    Then?

    Isn¡¯t it fine as long as he doesn¡¯t die?

    That day, Yeorum left her nest and bashed the dragon up until he almost died. She crushed his legs and destroyed his guts. Using her tail, she hacked his body so that it would be hard to recover, plucked his eyeballs out andstly destroyed his genitals with a sword and made it irrecoverable.

    ¡°Heal yourself and pleasee back again, okay~. Darling~~?¡±

    Soaked in his blood, Yeorum growled.

    ¡°Because that will be yourst day alive for sure.¡±

    She then kicked him down the cliff.

    Although it would have been a shocking event for other races, it was nothing much for the red dragons.

    Besides, there were valid reasons and circumstances so she wasn¡¯t scolded by the adults either. They enjoyed hearing the news even.

    However, there was still no-one acknowledging Yeorum even after that event. ¡®How weak is that guy to get bashed up by a bitch like that?¡¯, ¡®What a weak male.¡¯ Saying that, they instead defamed the male that lost to Yeorum.

    It was fine.

    Yeorum was not upset by the reality.

    Whenever her heart was in pain, she just had to recall the advice of her teacher as always.

    ¨C Feet on today,

    ¨C Eyes on tomorrow.

    Looking ahead into the distance, what Yeorum had to do was not get angry at the ones that were making fun of her.

    She simply had to train as always.

    *

    After another few years, her oldest unni, who hadpletely woken up from the long sleep, visited Yeorum¡¯s nest with her parents.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    With a voice that was always coquettish and lustful, she said while looking into Yeorum¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You were alive. I thought you were dead during your sleep.¡±

    Yeorum replied with a sharp voice, as her sister squinted her eyes in response as if she was finding her pathetic.

    ¡°I heard you hacked Fabio¡¯s genitals?¡±

    She walked up. Being slightly taller than Yeorum, she gazed down into her eyes.

    ¡°Nn. I did that.¡±

    ¡°Why did you do something useless? Even if you cut his limbs off, you should have let that be. My precious toy became unsightly because of you.¡±

    Although her words sounded prankish, embedded inside was a clear killing intent. She was hoping to rip Yeorum to death.

    Yeorum stared directly into her eyes. Unlike how she had to gasp for breath by simply meeting her gaze in the past, looking straight into her face was nothing difficult anymore.

    ¡°Unni. I¡¯m really really sorryyy¡­¡±

    That was why Yeorum returned with a coquettish voice.

    ¡°Little Yeowum did not know, okayy¡­?¡±

    This time, her oldest unni frowned instead.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°How could I ever expect my amazing unni, to go Angg? Anngg? under a weak-ass male like thatt? I thought it was just a rumourr¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°There is no pretty dick anymore, but I¡¯ll give you something else in return. Uuunn¡­ How about this?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum showed her her clenched arm.

    ¡°Instead, how about you jam this cutie Yeorum¡¯s arm inside?¡±

    ¡®Oops,¡¯ Yeorum widened her eyes.

    ¡°Or is it too small for your bottom hole? Ah, right. I forgot; I was about to build my nest therest year! It was very wide and spacious¡­¡±

    Her oldest unni twitched her eyes and grumbled, ¡®This kid¡­¡¯ Instead of being upset by Yeorum¡¯s coarse words, she appeared dumbfounded by how someone so vastly inferior to her was acting up to her like this.

    After walking to her side, she ced her hand on her head.

    ¡°You are now quite cocky aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Mischievousness disappeared from Yeorum¡¯s eyes. Her unforgetting memories still remembered the words this bitch had bbered while grabbing onto the chin of her small body.

    ¨C ¡­Lucky aren¡¯t you?

    With the same face and same voice as back then, she opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­You were so little back then.¡±

    Lowering her head, she brought her mouth to Yeorum¡¯s outstretched fist and slowly, she took her tongue out to lick it.

    ¡°Thanks for a new toy. Later I¡¯ll cut it off and use it for myself.¡±

    In the next instant, Yeorum unsheathed her sword. Her unni slightly pulled her body back but the sword was not directed at her.

    Yeorum brought the sword to her hand that was licked and slowly sliced the skin away for her to see. Travelling down, the [Dream Eater] sliced off the skin on the back of her hand like sashimi.

    Blood started to flow like crazy.

    ¡°Off you go, unni. Unless you want to die before the ceremony.¡±

    Her unni took a step back with a faint smile.

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret bbering like that.¡±

    Leaving those words behind, she turned around.

    Her parents that came with her sister were still standing there so Yeorum turned her gaze towards them.

    ¡°Are the two of you not going to leave?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The amount of time she had confronted her parents was probably less than 10 minutes throughout the period of 300 years ever since her return. For Yeorum, it was very ufortable to talk to her parents.

    ¡°Child.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can beat your sister?¡±

    Unexpectedly, his voice wasn¡¯t that sharp. Yeorum was skeptical. Because of the totalck ofmunication, she didn¡¯t even know what her parents were thinking about herself.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be able to.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think like that?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been preparing.¡±

    ¡°Preparing?¡±

    ¡°Ever since my first Amusement to this day, you two don¡¯t know how I¡¯ve been training and what I¡¯ve gone through.¡±

    Her father indifferently gave a nod, acknowledging that he had no idea.

    ¡°I knew I was ungifted and tried very hard. To be frank, I even almost died a few times.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Let me apologise to you two beforehand. Sorry if you¡¯ve be attached to that bitch, but she¡¯ll die by my hands.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Whoever wins and whoever dies does not matter. Only the strong matter to us.¡±

    Yeorum doubted her ears. Her father¡¯s words were still rtively gentle.

    How long had it been since shest talked to her parents like this? In fact, did that even happen ever in her life?

    That might be why it was needlessly giving Yeorum a little sense of peace. It was because she had been too lonely for thest 300 years ever since her return to Askalifa.

    ¡°But unfortunately,¡±

    However, the expectation that was born inside her from a few sentences,

    ¡°We don¡¯t think you will beat her.¡±

    Was crushed from one sentence.

    Yeorum blinked her eyes.

    She needed some time to take those words in.

    ¡°Wh¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°We came with your sister because there was something to tell you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Even an immature child like you should know how lofty the Selection Ceremony is for our race, yes? We still remember the disgrace you showed after thest ceremony.¡±

    A cluster of thorny words came wreaking havoc in her heart.

    ¡°With your chin grabbed by your sister, you pissed yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Being bornte in the same generation and even pissing yourself in front of an opponent that you are supposed to kill.¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s old memories that she had been hiding because there was no reason to talk about them, were being trampled on.

    ¡°Do you know how much scorn our family had to suffer from others back then?¡±

    Killing intent could be sensed from the voice of her father. To a red dragon who put emphasis on power and honour, that was an inerasable disgrace.

    ¡°If you are going to do the same this time, how about you give up on the Selection Ceremony. I¡¯ll try not to kill you then. I will destroy your heart and have you discarded at a distant ce for you.¡±

    Yeorum felt her world turn dizzy. An unimaginable sense of betrayal was stabbing her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you I¡¯ll win,¡± she said.

    ¡°Stop bbering nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see me trash on Fabio that fucking bastard?¡±

    ¡°Who would have known he was so weak. He had an easy-going personality with little friction, and that must have been a mask the whole time. His family is being incredibly ridiculed right now anyway.¡±

    ¡°Did I ask you that?¡±

    Yeorum mmed the ground with her foot as the mana reverberated with a loud thud.

    ¡°I, will, win.¡±

    Yeorum shouted while emphasising each and every word..

    ¡°I¡¯m going to win. Why do you look down on me so much without even verifying it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Did I ask for love? Or did I ask for something? Did Iin about you not saying anything to me after I came back from my Amusement? Am I not your daughter? I¡¯m still your offspring.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still your child. Can you not even trust me once?¡±

    Her mother¡¯s next words crushed herst bit of expectation to pieces.

    ¡°Unfortunately, child, we did not care about you in the slightest ever since you were bornte.¡±

    Her mouth slowly came to a close.

    Yeorum had a stupefied look on her face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll set the date of the Selection Ceremony, but no-one will be expecting anything from you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°You can pee if you want to dishonour me. But your future¨C¡±

    ¡°Go away. I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡±

    Her parents left her nest without saying anything in return.

    *

    Left alone, Yeorum checked the barriers of her heart, whether they were still firmly closed or not. If those walls happened to crumble even once, Yeorum felt like she would fall to an unbearable depth.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Right.

    This was her life.

    A life that received no expectation and no trust. An exceptionally lucky entity who was living her life as a bonus even though she should have been dead already.

    That was her life.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum took out a cigarette with her blood-stained hand.

    Even though she intentionally tried not to think about anything negative, the few words of her parents were even sharper to her heart than the provoking words of her sister.

    Couldn¡¯t they just leave some words of expectation for the Selection Ceremony? Although we were a race that worshipped the strong, am I still not their blood-rted daughter?

    On a day like this, she couldn¡¯t help but think of someone.

    The person who never doubted her a single time,

    Who always trusted her,

    Encouraged her that she could do it,

    And expected many things from her;

    The face of her teacher appeared in her mind.

    This was what Yu Jitae had always said to her.

    ¨C You can do it.

    ¨C Don¡¯t think you can¡¯t. Think positive and your attitude will continue to show it.

    ¨C And I also think you can do it.

    Yeorum thought while sucking in a deep smoke.

    Revenge. Survival.

    Those two elements used to be the objective of her life,

    But now, there was one more.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum had to prove it in this Selection Ceremony,

    That Yu Jitae was not wrong for trusting her.

 Chapter 421: Epilogue # Yu Yeorum: Words that had yet to be Conveyed (3)

    <h4>Chapter 421: Epilogue # Yu Yeorum: Words that had yet to be Conveyed (3)</h4>

    Ever since her return from the Amusement, Yeorum had never visited her youngest unni¡¯s grave.

    On the day of her death, Yeorum pledged to herself that she would definitely survive, decapitate her oldest unni and bring that head to her. That was why she shouldn¡¯t go to her youngest unni¡¯s grave yet.

    However, Yeorum headed to her youngest unni¡¯s grave to remind herself of the pledge she had made in the past.

    To red dragons, a funeral was an act of carnivalism. They ate the corpse of their deadrades and burned a part of it.

    That was why Yeorum, who had been a baby back then, was the only one who contributed to making the grave. After picking up a bone piece of an unknown part of her body that hadn¡¯t been fully scorched, Yeorum had stuck it into the ground and buried it with the surrounding dirt into a round shape.

    And yet,

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The grave was ruined.

    The only remaining bone piece was scattered into fragments both broken and charred. Under a small cliff, this ce rarely got wind and sunlight ¨C the ground was filled with ash, meaning that it was done very recently.

    Yeorum felt like the world was crumbling down.

    She checked the leftover trace of mana, and realised it had been less than half a day. With a vacant look on her face, Yeorum kneeled and copsed to the ground.

    The chilly gaze of her oldest unni resurfaced in her mind.

    ¨C You¡¯ll regret bbering like that.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum carefully gathered the fragments of her youngest unni¡¯s bones that had been broken once again. She gathered everything including the charred fragments but they only summed up to a handful.

    Gathering them to one ce, she once again covered them with dirt. She then kneeled in front of the grave and stayed like that for a long time.

    Closing her eyes, she restrained her emotions that were threatening to explode.

    She quietly whispered.

    I am sorry for beingte.

    It is almost over, so please wait just a little more¡­

    .

    .

    .

    A Selection Ceremony was treated like a small festival because it was a proving ground for hatchlings to prove themselves by killing each other.

    This time around, the Selection Ceremony was even more special.

    Even though red dragons had an intercourse regardless of the gender and age of the opponent, even a ce so crooked had feelings.

    The younger sister had pulverised a lover of her older sister into smithereens, so hideous that death might have been a better future for him.

    He had received every type of insult that a male could ever get, and the people knew how furious the older sister would be to have that happen to her lover. The red dragons wanted the enraged older sister to rip the younger sister to pieces as brutally as possible.

    And if the younger sister happened to tear her older sister to pieces instead? That would be even more thrilling.

    There were a lot of red dragons gathered to watch the Selection Ceremony with their blood boiling from expectation.

    Theplexions of Yeorum¡¯s parents turned worse as more and more eyes gathered at the arena.

    Yeorum¡¯s father as a red dragon acknowledged honour and war. He was like that, his wife was the same, his parents and kids were also the same.

    Fighting and dying during a fight was their pride and honour.

    And yet one little kid had poured piss over the meticulously-built tower of honour.

    ¡°That damn fool¡­¡±

    That same little kid was at the arena of the Selection Ceremony, and even that was an irritating sight for the parents. A red dragon should bete if anything. Coming earlier than scheduled for an amount of time that would be enough to have one meal ¨C isn¡¯t that what those pretentious green dragons would do?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lifting her head, Yeorum looked at the surroundings.

    The arena was made by cutting off an entire mountain range. Adult dragons were sitting on the high hills gazing down at her and each of their shadows were extremely huge.

    Normally, hatchlings had their Selection Ceremony in their dragon forms because they had trouble moving properly in human form but both Yeorum and her opponent were over 300 years old, and were fairly old for hatchlings. If they fought with all their heart, it would destroy a whole kingdom.

    That was why they had to restrict their power by fighting in human forms, but that was instead a wee news for Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With her hand resting above the scabbard, Yeorum waited for her opponent.

    But even when there was 10 minutes and 5 minutes left until the start of the battle, the opponent did not show up. For Yeorum, who had learned the concept of time on Earth from Yu Jitae, it was something she couldn¡¯t understand.

    Why was sheingte on such an important asion?

    There were 3 minutes left.

    She waited.

    There was 1 minute left,

    But she still didn¡¯te.

    In the end, it was only when it was 10 minutes past the scheduled time that her oldest unni showed herself by crossing through the dimension.

    Yeorum doubted her eyes.

    Her sister was half-naked. She was wearing a gown without anything underneath and her thighs were in full disy. ck pigments were all over her lips and cheeks; there were red flowers all over her body as well as other explicit traces of a sexual intercourse.

    ¡°Sorry. I was a bitte, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°My heart was so empty I needed somefort.¡±

    Yeorum did not reply but it seemed that she had been copting with someone.

    Her emotions that she had been controlling surged up again, because it meant she went mating immediately after ruining the grave of her youngest unni.

    That made her think that she might be the only one that was serious about this event. Her sister was so arrogant that she wasn¡¯t even thinking of a defeat.

    ¡°Sorry, elders~¡±

    Looking around, she pretended to apologise. She was received by jeers of the crowd and some of them did not disguise their ridicule and aversion.

    However, her action was not something disgracing their race, because a red dragon should have that much ambition at the very least.

    ¡°Tear her! Rip her to pieces!¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and kill your younger sister!¡±

    ¡°Shred her to pieces like your lover!¡±

    The red dragons shouted.

    Soon, the supervisors of the Selection Ceremony, Yeorum¡¯s parents, began praying to the first red dragon.

    ¡ª¡ª!!

    ¡ª¡ª!!

    ¡ª¡ª!!

    A red dragon¡¯s prayer was the same as a warcry. The fear-inducing screams of dragons gathered to one and menacingly shook the atmosphere.

    However, Yeorum felt the world mysteriously turning quiet in the midst of all that.

    Her feelings that she had been suppressing with difficulty were soaring back up from her heart like zing mes.

    Yeorum took in her oldest unni with her eyes.

    The shouts of the praying one turned even louder as the two of them stared at each other. One of them raised the corners of their lips into a sneer but Yeorum did not smile back.

    In a world tranquil like the time she was standing in front of an ocean with no waves, Yeorum ced her hand on her sword. For her, there was only herself and her nemesis in this area.

    How long,

    Have I been waiting for this moment¡­

    [Fight¡ª!]

    Yeorum dashed in following the shout of her father.

    *

    An explosion at the bottom of her feet bounced her forward as wings of me added momentum to her charge. Even though they were hundreds of metres apart, Yeorum¡¯s sword was right in front of her opponent in the blink of an eye.

    Fluster appeared in the face of her opponent. Yeorum¡¯s strike was a lot stronger than what she, or what anyone else of this ce could have imagined.

    However, she did not fall back. By hurriedly taking out arge greatsword from the dimensional storage, she retaliated against Yeorum¡¯s attack.

    Mana condensed down as dimensions lengthened behind them. In a world with a distancing background erupted scorching mes.

    Kwang kwang kwang kwang kwang¨C!!

    The source of the shockwave trembling the dimension was at the ce where their swords collided.

    She red at Yeorum. She could not believe that she was getting pushed back by each and every strike.

    Her wrists quivered with each sh of the swords. Another sh and it was her shoulders, and after that was her entire body that was shivering.

    Speed, power and uracy. She was not Yeorum¡¯s opponent in any of those aspects.

    She was dumbstruck. What was happening in front of her was soplex that she couldn¡¯tprehend it. The little kid in front of her was a literally worthless filth among trash who was born a whole century after her. Didn¡¯t she pathetically piss herself from one sentence before?

    ¡°How could this¡­!¡±

    The battle went on. Flickering embers scorched her beautiful hair, and a sharp fierce strike smacked her arm. She tried retaliating with a stab to the stomach but the sword could not pierce deeply through Yeorum¡¯s fortified abs.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum approached further in while twisting her body away from the sword and used her own sword to chop her arm off.

    ¡°Kuuk!¡±

    The eyes of the crowd shifted and their gazes changed.

    In a fierce attempt to attack back, she stubbornly retaliated. Using the strongest mes among her thirty types of fire, she tried to scorch Yeorum but she failed. Yeorum squeezed in through the gap of the mes and stabbed the sword into her eyes again.

    Feeling a rush of pain, she decided to ignore the rules.

    Soon, her body was enveloped in a cloud of mana before gradually increasing in size.

    There was a subtle calction behind her actions.

    It took time to cancel a polymorph but that had been concealed behind the cloud of mana, and it would be toote by the time the kid in front of her eyes realised it. After cancelling hers first, she would be able to rip her opponent to death before they cancelled theirs.

    The moment her polymorph was almostpletely dispelled, she smiled because she saw Yeorum widening her eyes into circles.

    For red dragons, ripping the opponent to death was more of an honour in the end and rules were not important.

    Is it unfair? You should have cancelled yours first then!

    However, it seemed that the young bitch was a lot more stupid than what she thought. Without even cancelling the polymorph, she ran towards her in human form.

    The struggle would be in vain.

    She opened her mouth wide open. Her huge body that reached 19 metres stretched its enormous mouth out wide, threatening to swallow Yeorum in one bite.

    A sublime mana of fire gathered to her mouth. It was one of the greatest authorities of the Ancient One that could burn an existence off the face of the.

    [Dragon Breath]

    A red ray of light drew a clean cylinder behind its path as it swallowed up Yeorum¡¯s small body.

    But that was when something that wentpletely againstmon sense started to unravel in front of her.

    Despite being struck by it head-on, Yeorum did not avoid the breath. Instead, she parried it with her sword and came closer towards her.

    Her body was being scorched. Her clothes had long disappeared and even her skin was being charred ck but Yeorum did not stop.

    Only then did she finally realise it.

    They were in a whole different league.

    That ungifted piece of filth had reached a height that was iparable to that of her own by the time she realised it.

    The polymorph that had been cancelled in a hurry failed in the middle due to the dragon breath that she had formed with haste. Unable to properly return to dragon form, her body turned small again.

    Breaking through the mes, Yeorum ran in with her body scorched all over and grabbed her by the neck. A sword came flying in and created a deep wound at her cheek as blood bursted out.

    Yeorum did not stop. This time, she drew a line from the forehead and chopped her ears off. Her nemesis struggled and wriggled in pain.

    Lastly, she formed a fist with her hand holding the sword and smacked her opponent at the mouth. A loud m echoed as her mouth, nose and jaws all broke together.

    The crowd of red dragons gave a thunderous roar.

    They were sending praise to the warrior but the ones at the centre of the battle could not hear it.

    Yeorum brought her face closer to the head of her copsed opponent.

    She must have sensed death.

    Her face tainted with fear was an amusing sight for Yeorum.

    ¡°You have no idea how long I¡¯ve been waiting for this day. You fucking bitch¡­¡±

    There were words that had yet to be conveyed.

    For a long time, Yeorum had words in her mind that she had vowed to convey if a day like this ever came to her.

    ¡°You said to me I was lucky¡­¡±

    The strong could control the life of the weak as they wished, like how her nemesis of an older sister had defined her life.

    That was why Yeorum decided to define the death of her oldest sister, in the name of her youngest unni.

    ¡°You were unlucky.¡±

    Yeorum then chopped her head off.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    Her oldest unni was dead and Yeorum was victorious.

    Thus ended the Selection Ceremony.

    Soaked in blood, Yeorum turned around. She walked out of the arena filled with roaring shouts of red dragons, without answering their cries.

    Yeorum was now the rightful heir to her parents. They will now erase their doubt and disbelief against her, trust her and flood her with unconditional support.

    However she did not take them.

    Instead, she went to the grave of her youngest unni and kneeled in front of it.

    She stabbed the [Dream Eater] nearby, and ced the half-crushed head of her oldest unni next to the grave and began wailing out loud.

    To her precious existence that provided her starving self with food and taught her stammering self words, who also protected her so that she wouldn¡¯t die in the hands of her oldest sister, Yeorum opened her mouth.

    I achieved my revenge.

    I have, atst, aplished my lifelong aspiration.

    After crying without an end for four days straight, Yeorum stopped her tears and scorched the head of her oldest unni into ashes before fluttering them under the breeze.

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°It¡¯s astonishing. To think you were that strong.¡±

    ¡°You made me see you in a different light. How unexpected!¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe marry me. Nn?¡±

    Some dragons faced her with unwee smiles and words, as well as those who still showed a contemptible attitude.

    ¡°Fuck off.¡±

    Yeorum made them go away and mindlessly started walking again.

    Those were not thepliments she wanted to hear. Btedly showing trust even though they had never trusted her before was nothing but a fake trust and a trash acknowledgement.

    The acknowledgement she wanted was different.

    There was one who showed her trust, back when she herself couldn¡¯t even trust her. It was because he was there; because he believed in her that Yeorum was able to trust herself, and that was why she was able to crawl through the narrow and frightening ravines to stand in this ce and achieve her revenge.

    How amazing would it have been to share such an important moment with the one who allowed her to hold a dream¡­

    Even though she had already verified her life, Yeorum wanted to be assured by him again. Because being acknowledged by the one who trusted her more than herself, would be the truest form of proving her life.

    Yeorum unknowingly stopped in her tracks. Lifting her unfocused eyes, she stared into the distance and murmured.

    ¡°¡­¡­Did I do a good job?¡±

 Chapter 422: Epilogue # Yu Bom: Grand Schema (1)

    <h4>Chapter 422: Epilogue # Yu Bom: Grand Schema (1)</h4>

    ¨C There is a Grand Schema in n for you.

    Closing her eyes, she could remember her mother¡¯s voice, and the words that used to ring her ears like a luby.

    ¨C You will vent the grudge of us ck dragons.

    It was that the future of the ill, injured and sick ck dragons whose house had been taken away was on her shoulders.

    ¨C You must achieve this feat which no-one has been able to thus far.

    No matter how difficult and exhausting it is, you must continue to proceed without giving up, conquer and obtain it. That was what her mother used to tell her.

    ¨C Do not forget. My beloved daughter. There is a¡­

    She had a Grand Schema in n.

    Her mother did.

    .

    .

    .

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are gazing at you.>

    Ever since she returned to Askalifa, there had been 12 pairs of eyes following Bom. These were eyes that others could not see, but Bom could close her eyes and inspect her inner world to see them clearly.

    In fear that a problem may ur to their Grand Schema, the 12 pairs of eyes encouraged Bom who had to shoulder the aspiration of their race, and monitored her. They rushed her, telling her to go achieve the grand aspiration.

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are gazing at you.>

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are expectant of you.>

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] express their disappointment at you.>

    Their aspiration became an obsession. That was undeniable considering how the 12 adult ck dragons had burned their physical bodies with ck mes to simply monitor Bom.

    They were the ones in charge of the race that was destined to fall after being unfairly expelled from Askalifa in the past. For them, the betterment of their race was a lot more important than an individual¡¯s life and their remaining lives.

    Those were the gazes that were on Bom.

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are gazing at you.>

    Bom needed to go to ces they could ept, and do things they couldprehend, and most of them were extreme yet efficient methods of bing a Dragon Lord.

    Sometimes, her opinions differed from that of the spirits¡¯. Even though she considered something necessary, the spirits oftentimes did not.

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are gazing at you.>

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are gazing at you.>

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are gazing at you.>

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are gazing at you.>

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are gazing at you.>

    At times, underneath all the intense gazes that were falling on her, Bom had to calm them down.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about anything. Everything is for the Grand Schema.¡±

    Bom talked to the eyes and ears inside her, and had to prove that her idea was better than what they suggested.

    Because otherwise, she had to go through a severe nightmare that was close to a mental torture.

    ¡°You trust me right?

    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to what you say.

    ¡°So please just watch over me this time¡­¡±

    <[Lugiathan] calms down the [Vengeful Spirits].>

    They only calmed down when her mother entered the fray. But for Bom, it was just another addition to the gazes facing her way.

    *

    The things Bom had to do in order to proceed towards the Grand Schema were as follows.

    She had to be part of the green race at the time of the current Dragon Lord¡¯s death. This had been arranged beforehand by her mother Lugiathan. She merged into the first Amusement to show she was young.

    After returning from the Amusement, her job was to distinguish herself as much as possible at a young age, and be acknowledged by the dragons of Askalifa including the green race. It was because of this that she had been going through an intense curriculum ever since her birth, and was also why the advice and lectures of the vengeful spirits were following her.

    And she had to be selected as the next Dragon Lord regardless of the method. For that, she had to be acknowledged by the five elders and the Dragon Lord, and this was where her uniqueness came to y.

    Bom was a mutant dragon who had half deviated from Providence. Because of that, she was able to disguise herself withplete falsehood.

    It was because of her uniqueness that it was possible for her to be acknowledged by the Dragon Lord and the five elders in spite of her fishy intention.

    After that it was simple. Bom would head to the temple of the Dragon Lord and stand in front of [Dragon¡¯s Origin] which protected the dragons.

    That was the true body of the small fragments protecting the hearts of infant dragons, the [Origin Fragment].

    It wasrge and looked like a crystal gem, and it granted one¡¯s wishes.

    Standing in front of the gem, Bom could make an [Oath] after being selected as the new Dragon Lord. All the authorities, justifications and powers of a Dragon Lord would then be conveyed down to her.

    That was what the ck dragons were aiming for.

    On the day of her coronation as a Dragon Lord,

    Bom would be standing in front of therge gem, deceive all the participating dragons, and make this as her wish.

    ?I wish for the ck dragon race to permanently reside in Askalifa.?

    At the same time, she would use the greatest treasure of the ck race, the [Demonic Sword of Grief].

    Bom would stab the demonic sword into [Dragon¡¯s Origin]. With that, the ck dragon race will return to Askalifa, and all the dragons would have to ept the ck race because of the oath; because the ck race had to ¡®reside permanently¡¯ in Askalifa.

    [Dragon¡¯s Origin] will lose its power and be unable to create a new Lord for over 10,000 years but that was none of their business.

    Because the ck dragons would be able to create a new order by then.

    Like that, the path in front of Bom was very clear. All she had to do was follow what they told her to do.

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are gazing at you.>

    However, Bom moved even faster to aplish beyond their expectations. Seeing that made the vengeful spirits satisfied but they did not lower their guards. It was because sometimes, almost once every few centuries, Bom would try to go astray.

    It was when the war against the quons was in a stalemate. After managing two troops for local battles without a single rest for 15 years, Bom was able to tie a small knot to the war.

    When she was about to return to her territory to release all the umted fatigue, a protector walked up to her.

    ¡°There has been a request for a visit.¡±

    She viewed the memories that had been brought over, as her eyes that had been soaked in fatigue stretched wide open.

    ¡°Please leave my head for three days. I want a full rest for myself.¡±

    Bom asked the vengeful spirits rooted inside her body, but was met with an internal riot.

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are infuriated.>

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] state that such a thing is utterly impossible.>

    ¡°I just want tofortably rest a little. I¡¯m not asking for a lot of time.¡±

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] reject you.>

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] rebuke you for saying nonsense.>

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] alert you that that could be the start toziness.>

    ¡°How about two days? Or, even just one day.¡±

    It was her first time making such a request. She tried to persuade them but they were suspicious about her intention.

    What ulterior motive do you have. What are you going to do for a day after pushing us away.

    They asked.

    ¡°No. Nothing. I¡¯m just asking for a rest, at a ce away from everyone¡¯s vision.¡±

    However, her persuasion did not work.

    <[Lugiathan] gazes at you.>

    The strict gaze of her mother strangled her.

    <[Lugiathan] wants to persuade you.>

    <[Lugiathan] hopes for your rest, but wishes that to be after you be the Lord, or after the Grand Schema ispleted.>

    ¡°Mum.¡±

    Bom stiffened her expression, and the voice of her mother flowed into her head.

    ¨C My dear daughter.

    ¨C There is a Grand Schema for you.

    ¨C You may do as you wish after it has beenpleted.

    ¡°I know that. I¡¯ve been doing it fine till now.¡±

    She tried to persuade her mother but had to cower before her stern lecture.

    ¨C Wake up a little my eighth daughter. Do you need to be scolded?

    ¨C It is an opportunity that came after thousands of hard work. You know it yourself, do you not? Nn? How could you wish for your petty freedom at a time like this.

    Bom stopped trying to persuade them, but had to pay the price for stirring up the vengeful spirits.

    They were suspicious. Listing everything she had done, they mentioned that she had never asked for a rest like this until now, and demanded she tell them why she was asking for one now.

    One of them viewed the memories of the visit request that had been conveyed over to Bom. Out of those asking for a conversation were also ones who had left on their first Amusement with Bom.

    But Bom shook her head.

    ¡°No. They have nothing to do with this.¡±

    Dragons were by nature indifferent to other races, and were even exclusive.

    Because of that, the friendship between Gyeoul and Kaeul, as well as the one including Yeorum, was famous among the dragon society for being fairly unique. It was the first time in the history of dragonkind that dragons of other races were that close.

    That was something Bom knew about, and the vengeful spirits obviously knew everything she knew herself.

    <The [Vengeful Spirits] are suspicious of you.>

    They demanded a sign which proved that her request for a vacation was really not rted to these two kids.

    Bom said they had nothing to do with it, and she needed to prove that in front of the eyes of the vengeful spirits.

    ¡°Protector.¡±

    ¡°Yes Miss.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t report to me anymore if you get a visit request from these two kids.¡±

    ¡°Specifically from these two, is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Make it so that I¡¯m not even aware of their request. You may take care of that yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understand. How long should that arrangement be valid for, may I ask?¡±

    The gazes of the vengeful spirits deepened as their suspicions were amplified.

    Bom gave the reply that they wanted the most.

    ¡°Forever.¡±

    Only then were the spirits satisfied.

    .

    .

    .

    Like that, Bom left on a journey to be the Dragon Lord.

    She belonged to countless squads, and had to shed blood everyday in the war against quons.

    The role of ck dragons was to convey the memories of history to their descendents. Naturally, among them were also memories rted to wars.

    In the grand flow of time, history tended to repeat itself. Under themand of Lugiathan and the vengeful spirits, Bom gave wonderfulmands and led several battles to victory.

    At times, her loyalty was doubted, and she had to do things that were very cruel.

    The most horrendous of them was probably telling her who had her eye and ear ripped off, sliced wrist, crushed legs and opened rib cages, to cross the ancient forest to track one of quon¡¯s great warriors.

    There, Bom constantly shed blood, breathed in the humid and sticky air while sweating profusely and vomited several times from the pain all the while diligently moving her legs, with nothing but one ballista in her hand.

    The ancient forest was massive. It was half of Askalifa¡¯s entire region, and was 2,300 timesrger than Earth. In that ce, Bom wandered endlessly and had to look for the great warrior over an unending period of time.

    Only after driving an arrow into the head of the great warrior was she able to return to the mainds of Askalifa. By the time she returned, it had been 71 years since she jumped into the forest.

    Her aplishment of tracking the great warrior by herself and killing him was widely acknowledged, her name value rose up tremendously and that was when her status also began to soar into the sky. She was even requested to have a personal conversation with the Dragon Lord.

    Because of that, Bom could not sit down and rest even aftering back. Her mind was worn down and crushed, and a part of her broken body was left as a disability due to not being healed properly but she continued moving.

    Sometimes, she had toy her hands on the stimnt of the ck race to rify her broken mind. It was one that added power to the mind by ruining a portion of the health. That too was only possible after the calction and guidance of her mother.

    Bom was unable to sleep and gained a mind that was always enlightened. But because of that, her body began to break down.

    She had a light seizure and a fit whenever she was a little rxed. A permanent disabilityid waste to her left arm and made it impossible to move properly.

    The disability came even to her senses and she could no longer taste, smell or feel anything. Later, even a part of her heart was permanently damaged, and her body became one that couldn¡¯t bear a child.

    That day, she copsed and cried a little, in front of the eyes of the vengeful spirits¡­

    Even so, Bom had to move for the Grand Schema.

    And that made the vengeful spirits very content.

    Such times went on as 700 years passed after her return from the Amusement. The tides of war shifted and the green dragons that had always been on the losing side were starting to push the quons back.

    That was when the Dragon Lord secretly called Bom and sent her as a secret emissary.

    ?You go meet the red race, and have them attend the war under my name.?

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    Bom immediately came up with a n, and shared her n with the vengeful spirits. It was that she would go meet her old acquaintance, the only connection she had without bothering to go anywhere else.

    Didn¡¯t Bom wish to go astray in the past with something rted to Kaeul and Gyeoul? The unforgetting vengeful spirits showed a fair bit of discontentment again and started doubting her.

    However, her reply was very clear.

    ¡°You remember how she was dispatched to our squad, and constantly asked me to meet her right? Back then, I turned those down without even looking at them. That is my answer. There is no need to doubt me; I¡¯m just pursuing efficiency.¡±

    The vengeful spirits gave the same reply as before.

    Prove it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Without saying anything, Bom moved.

    She crossed the boundaries and looked for Yeorum¡¯s nest.

    Fortunately, Yeorum wasn¡¯t sleeping.

    For the first time in 700 years, she looked into her eyes.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Bom greeted Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    On the other hand, Yeorum looked back at her with a bizarre look on her face.

 Chapter 423: Epilogue # Yu Bom: Grand Schema (2)

    <h4>Chapter 423: Epilogue # Yu Bom: Grand Schema (2)</h4>

    ¡°Why are you here.¡±

    Yeorum looked confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while. How have you been?¡±

    Bom returned an intimate reply as the vengeful spirits gazed at her with suspicion and displeasure.

    She persuaded them, saying that she and Yeorum were still young dragons unlike them, and that Yeorum would only open her heart and move proactively for her sake if she pretended to be nice.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell from how I¡¯m still alive?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it. You must have beat your oldest unni. That¡¯s great.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been 500 years already.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    A deeper frown appeared on Yeorum¡¯s face. Her reddened eyes and her frowning nose openly disyed her discontentment.

    ¡°Oi Yu Bom.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you have something to tell me?¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there something you should say to me.¡±

    Bom touched her green hair for a bit.

    Something to say¡­

    ¡°Sorry for turning you down when you were looking for me.¡±

    Yeorum widened her eyes.

    ¡°¡­So it really was you.¡±

    ¡°I was too busy. You know how the war is going right now, don¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°Bullcrap. I know you were busy, but were you not even able to spare just 5 minutes for 800 years? Even though I ignored all the shit from my race and attended your war just to see you?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. But, it really was impossible for me to see you¡­¡±

    Bom locked her fingers and slightly lowered her head. There was no such etiquette among dragons, and it was the one used by humans on Earth.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum shook her head, before adding more words along with a sigh.

    ¡°So, why are you here.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°There must be a reason why you came here.¡±

    ¡°I need to see someone with authority from the red dragons.¡±

    ¡°Is it because of the war?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll introduce you to him.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°But in return, let¡¯s go see the kids together.¡±

    This was something that had been outside of Bom¡¯s expectation. Her expectation was something that was also viewed by the vengeful spirits, and what happened was therefore against their calctions as well.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Right now, I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    However, there was an unexpected look on Yeorum¡¯s face. She no longer looked displeased in the slightest.

    Bom scrutinised Yeorum¡¯s expression and noticed it slowly turning brighter alongside a faint light of anticipation.

    ¡°They all want to see you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Dude. You have no idea how much they wanted to see you right? Fuck, you came right on time.¡±

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°You turned down their requests as well didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s okay. And fuck, so what if you turned me down 10 times! You¡¯re right here. I knew you were going toe back one day.¡±

    She waspletely misunderstanding her.

    ¡°Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s be real. You bothereding here to ask me something like this for a reason, right? I know you¡¯re not very honest with these things. Of course I do.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahaha! Ahh! Fuck I¡¯m so happy! The kids are all going to be super happy when they hear this! They¡¯re gonna like, jump around and stuff you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Here! Come here you bitch!¡±

    Yeorum threw her arms wide open with a bright smile asking for a hug, not realising the amount of internalmotion she had caused for Bom.

    ¡°No¡­ Sorry, I don¡¯t think I can do that.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Her expressions were over the top ¨C this had beenpletely unexpected for Bom. Instead of weing her this much, Bom thought she would be pped or something because that was the type of person Yeorum was in her mind.

    But she could understand why she was like this. It seemed that Yeorum had missed her for a very long time, and was worried about her risking her life during the war.

    There were roaring voices inside her, shouting at her to immediately leave this ce. Almost twelve voices were yelling inside her at the same time and it was so morous that she turned dizzy.

    ¡°Ehng? What¡¯s wrong with you? You feel super distant all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not here to see you guys.¡±

    ¡°Eeeeng. What¡¯ss wrong, my darling, Yu Bom. Uuun~~?¡±

    As if she couldn¡¯t believe her attitude, Yeorum came even closer while acting cute. The internal roars became even louder the more she approached.

    <Dodge!>

    They pushed Bom into a corner like they were in a seizure.

    ¡°No. Forget it. Let¡¯s pretend this never happened.¡±

    ¡°Uh? Oi, Yu Bom!¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Bom hurriedly turned her body but Yeorum came closer in the blink of an eye and grabbed onto her wrist.

    ¡°What is wrong with you, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­What.¡±

    ¡°You came here to see me, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Like, you came all the way here already. Why are you so embarrassed and why are you trying to go back?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. I have no ns of seeing them.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about. If you really didn¡¯t, then you wouldn¡¯t havee all the way here right? Ah, if it¡¯s because of the war, then don¡¯t worry. I can bring the kids over to your squad. We will make it quick. Just take a day off and we¡¯ll be all set.¡±

    She showed more affection the more she was pushed.

    This was again out of her expectation. Bom was hurting her and yet Yeorum wasing even closer, so she had no choice but to make her go back by hurting her even more.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Stop. Please.¡±

    ¡°Aigo,e on, what happened to you boss. What should I do for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡±

    ¡°Aye, I know you¡¯re not serious. You¡¯re suddenly going to crack up and tease me or something, right you bitch?¡±

    What happened next startled Bom. Yeorum tried to hug her from behind while murmuring like the past, ¡®Let¡¯s see. How has our unni¡¯s titties been?¡¯

    Bom had to be resolute.

    ¡°Get away from me.¡±

    Despite saying that herself, even she was surprised by her own cold voice.

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I cut my precious time off toe here and y around with you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s eyes widened in shock, unable to believe her words. However, Bom continued saying such cruel stuff to convince the vengeful spirits inside her.

    ¡°How long are you going to stay indulged in ying house.¡±

    Those words that seemingly denied their past turned Yeorum nk.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You need to do a negotiation properly. My time is gold, and I have many things that are cheaper than that.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°If you need those worthless conditions to help, then forget it. I wish you all the best and goodbye.¡±

    Bom turned away from her as Yeorum was frozen stiff. She couldn¡¯t say anything in return.

    Only then were the vengeful spirits inside her body content. The chaos had settled and a few of them even gave herpliments for being able to differentiate private matters from the important ones.

    ¡°Bom. My sister.¡±

    But Yeorum¡¯s words stopped her in her tracks.

    ¡°My friend. You fucking bitch.¡±

    Her feet came to a stop. There were tears mixed into Yeorum¡¯s voice.

    Although she was met with internalints again, Bom couldn¡¯t help but stop her feet.

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°It really, feels like my heart is being crushed¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you actually mean that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what the kids are doing right now do you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re probably sleeping, because they¡¯re around that age.¡±

    ¡°No. They are not sleeping. The two of them left on a journey together 300 years ago to meet you again.¡±

    Bom couldn¡¯tprehend those words. Why would they have to leave on a journey to meet her?

    ¡°We can¡¯t see our guardian anymore. They all epted that by now, but to at least be able to meet you again, they think they have to be a high enough dragon.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°They think you¡¯re not seeing them because of how useless they are, so they want toe back useful. Because of that, they¡¯re not in Askalifa. They are going around the outer dimensions learning everything. You had no idea did you? Since you have zero interest in what the kids are thinking.¡±

    Bom¡¯s eyes turned vacant.

    ¡°Yu Bom. You know what. I had no fucking idea that¡¯s how you thought of me and those kids¡­¡±

    Yeorum was on the verge of tears while saying that.

    ¡°I was dying my sleep just so I could see you once but I should tell the kids now. To give up.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you for being honest, you damn bitch. At least we don¡¯t need to have any false hope now.¡±

    After finishing her words, Yeorum disappeared into the distance.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Left alone, Bom nkly stared at the ground like a statue. She couldn¡¯t even hear themotion inside her.

    ¨C My dear daughter. Do you feel alright?

    However, the clearer voice of her mother still reached her ears. She was not trying to cheer her up; that was a question of suspicion.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    I can¡¯t ruin the Grand Schema because of this.

    Bom shifted her mother¡¯s suspicion with those words.

    ¡°Hmm, then the next red dragon I should talk to is¡­¡±

    She carried her feet on despite the stagger,

    As if she did not care about Yeorum in the slightest.

    .

    .

    .

    It was already nighttime when she left Yeorum¡¯s nest.

    Bom stood still for a bit to turn her gaze towards the sky.

    She then looked at the stars,

    While remembering someone¡¯s voice¡­

    .

    .

    .

    War. Blood. Pain. Despair. Frustration. Determination.

    And Grand Schema.

    Another 200 years went by.

    .

    .

    .

    The green dragon race led the war against quons to victory.

    The vast continent was soaked in blood. Both flora and fauna were destroyed during the war; the ground was deste as if there had been a meteor strike, and a whole empire was turned into a desert. Air was filled with dirty germs and mana embedded with killing intent; every water flowing aboveground was polluted with poison with a portion of them flowing underground. It became impossible for lives to bloom in thosends for the next thousands of years.

    It was a long war that went on for approximately 1,000 years, and this was also very long in the standards of dragons.

    There was only 30% of green dragons left and the quons had gone extinct.

    Thosends were called the [Grave of Species] by the dragons, because countless species of Askalifa¡¯s ecosystem hadpletely vanished during the war.

    Despite the aftermath of the war, time continued flowing and opened up a new era. The surviving green dragons had a party and noisily praised themselves for destroying their longtime nemesis.

    Hatchlings were not dead in spite of the long battle, and it was about time for the current Dragon Lord to step down from his position. Another few thousand years and a new era was bound toe to the green dragon race.

    The new era was ahead of them.

    Although no-one openly mentioned it, they were all aware of the uing change. And as for the one that would be the pioneer of the new era, they all thought of one specific dragon.

    ¡°To think we had yet to conduct aing-of-age ceremony for you even though you are already 1,000 years old. I can only say it is our fault as the previous generation.¡±

    The one saying that was an old man whose green hair had turned into white. It was rare to see dragons looking like old humans, but that was because he couldn¡¯t make himself look young with polymorph due to living for over 9,000 years.

    He was an elder of the green race.

    ¡°What kind of problem will there be to not having a name?¡±

    ¡°How can a candidate of the future Dragon Lord not have a name?¡±

    The elder intriguingly smiled in response to the candidate¡¯s question, and looked at the young green dragon as if she were a precious jewel.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there not enough time for aing-of-age ceremony?¡±

    ¡°That is indeed a problem, but whatever the case, we still need a name.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°The Lord will soon call you, so you muste up with a name before that. Otherwise, how would he call you?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°Decide on it right now. What do you want for your name?¡±

    The young dragon squinted her eyes for a while, looking anxious as if she was exposed to a noisy song. She opened her mouth after a slight hesitation.

    ¡°Tue-Ru-Bomana.¡±

    It meant ¡®My Grand Schema¡¯ ording to the continentalnguage of Askalifa.

    The vengeful spirits inside her were pleased.

    Bom also gave a hazy smile with ck dead eyes.

 Chapter 424: Epilogue # Yu Bom: Grand Schema (3)

    <h4>Chapter 424: Epilogue # Yu Bom: Grand Schema (3)</h4>

    Bom had a 1 on 1 conversation with the Dragon Lord.

    Because they would be exposed if they dare tried to eavesdrop on their conversation, the vengeful spirits had to leave her brain during the interview. After the conversation, the twelve vengeful spirits poured out questions inside her head.

    You¡¯re back. How was it. Does the Dragon Lord look like he¡¯s going to die soon?

    Bom calmly replied to each of those questions.

    Lastly, Lugiathan raised a different question.

    ¨C It seems each previous Dragon Lord requests for something during a coronation. My daughter, what did that old man ask of you?

    In response to that question, Bom showed a strange reaction. A shadow was cast over her wasted, pale and exhausted face, seemingly as if the question was difficult to answer.

    ¡°I think the current Dragon Lord is already out of his mind.¡±

    ¨C What do you mean by that?

    ¡°He wanted living sacrifices for his eternal sleep.¡±

    ¨C Did that old man ask you for living sacrifices?

    Bom mournfully nodded her head.

    She then added, that the Dragon Lord who had gone out of his mind due to the long war was asking for a living dragon.

    Hearing that ridiculous content, Bom felt goosebumps. If the Dragon Lord was senile, that would be a problem on its own, but on the other hand, it would be an even more dangerous request if he was sober.

    Her true nature might have been exposed. Thinking that, Bom recalled the moment of her conversation.

    ¨C That can¡¯t be¡­ There is no way that old man would ever find out about you¡­

    ¡°What should we do? I asked if he could change his request to something else but he was stubborn.¡±

    ¨C Did he really request a living dragon as a sacrifice? Then, how about you take a ck dragon?

    ¡°Mum. Are you out of your mind?¡±

    Bom said with a stern face, questioning how she could sacrifice their own kindred.

    ¨C What? What is the problem?

    ¡°No matter how important the Grand Schema is, we cannot do that. How could you possibly think of using ourrade as a living sacrifice?¡±

    ¨C How insolent.

    Her mother, however, replied with a strict voice.

    ¨C Do you still not understand? How much we aspire for the Grand Schema?

    ¡°Mum!¡±

    ¨C Be quiet! How could the life of one or two of our kindred have any value at this moment! Do you not remember the things we had to suffer in the outer dimension? Innumerable sovereigns attacked us. My friends and families had to shed blood and crumble to death!

    Lugiathan sternly rebuked Bom.

    ¨C You keep your mouth shut. I willmand myrades to take a dragon touring through the outer dimension.

    However, Bom shook her head. She persuaded her mother that this might be a trap if the Dragon Lord wasn¡¯t actually senile.

    ¡°It would seem strange to find a ck dragon from the outer dimension for a sacrifice in such a short period of time.¡±

    ¨C We cannot hunt other dragons, and cannot take our own kindred either? Then what are we supposed to¡­!

    Her mother¡¯s voice came to a stop, as a sigh soon left her mouth.

    ¡®Ahh¡­¡¯ What came next was something Bom hadn¡¯t even expected.

    ¨C My dear daughter.

    ¡°Yes mum.¡±

    ¨C You have truly done a great job working hard for such a long time. I know clearly what you, who I have given birth to with my life and blood, have suffered through in the stead of your worthless mother.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¨C I love you. My dear child.

    Hearing those unexpected warm words, Bom used her hands filled with wounds to cover her mouth.

    ¡°I love you too, mum¡­¡±

    ¨C So please let me ask for one favour.

    ¡°Sorry¡­?¡±

    ¨C You know, for that sacrifice.

    She shouldn¡¯t have listened to the next words.

    ¨C How about you give your friends?

    .

    .

    .

    Bom defied her mother head-on for the first time in her life.

    The vengeful spirits scolded and her mother was also infuriated. They had a big and emotional fight.

    At night, her unsleeping body was forced into having a dream. There, Lugiathan showed the atrocities that had happened to the ck race time after time to her daughter as a nightmare.

    In the end, Bom could not defeat her mother.

    She could not escape her position nor get rid of the future of the ck race that was resting on her shoulders.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    After that, Bom looked for the baby dragons with an even more absentminded look on her face.

    Surprisingly, Gyeoul, Kaeul and Yeorum were all in a deep sleep. Even though waking up a sleeping dragon was a very discourteous thing to do, it was rted to the coronation of a new Dragon Lord and was thus excusable.

    ¡°Hello. It¡¯s been a very long time.¡±

    Bom woke the baby dragons up.

    ¡°I found out how to go back to Earth.¡±

    Forcing a bright smile and with eyes full of tears, she started lying to them.

    ¡°So can you pleasee to my coronation¡­?¡±

    Those foolishly nice kids did not turn her down a single time in spite of the situation. All three of them said they will attend the coronation ceremony.

    The next day, Bom brought all the baby dragons to the Dragon Lord.

    And aftering back, she looked for the stimnt.

    She swallowed a whole pill of the stimnt that could almost kill her. Lying down on the ground, Bom wriggled her body while withstanding the pain. Her breath continued while threatening to stop time after time.

    Bom spent a few days lying down on the ground with a crushed look on her face. Her vacant gaze was hard to see as that of a living being.

    Even though her mother btedly apologised to her, Bom did not reply.

    She was almost like a corpse.

    ***

    Before long, at the middle of a mountain range on the Rouin Penins, at the tip of Mount Cotarosus that was 98,000 metres above sea level, the coronation of the history¡¯s youngest and the most gifted Dragon Lord was held.

    Every dragon existing in the continent of Askalifa attended regardless of their race and territorial division.

    It was the first coronation in 15,000 years. Some dragons would not even be able to see one in their entire life.

    At the peak of the mountain covered in white snow, hundreds of dragons were gathered at one ce stretching out their wings while gazing at the altar, creating a majestic scene that no great artist in existence would be able to even mimic.

    Standing in front of the altar was the current Dragon Lord who was at least twice as big as other dragons.

    Although he was very old and was waiting for his death everyday, he was still a Dragon Lord. The old man gazed down the mountain range with his clear eyes and announced to the dragons the start of the coronation.

    After several formal procedures came the Ceremony of Oath. Heeding the incantation of the Dragon Lord, arge and glistening crystal appeared from the thin air.

    [Dragon¡¯s Origin]

    That was the greatest inheritance left behind by the first dragon, ¡®Ancient One¡¯, for the dragon race.

    ?The future Dragon Lord, shall step up and stand before Dragon¡¯s Origin.?

    In response to his words, an emerald coloured dragon opened its wings apart and flew into the air, before standing in front of Dragon¡¯s Origin.

    It was then. The sky opened as a shed of light brightened the crystal. At the same time, Bom was also weed by the heavenly light due to standing right in front of Dragon¡¯s Origin.

    Because the Dragon Lord was standing nearby, the vengeful spirits and Lugiathan could not create any noise.

    However, despite not uttering a word, they shivered from the mental pleasure enveloping their existences like a tidal wave.

    Finally, after all that time, atst.

    Their thousands of years of history had led them to the end of their Grand Schema. The time for the ck dragons to return to Askalifa was finally just around the corner!

    Lugiathan, while shuddering from the deathly pleasure filling her mind and soul, shouted out loud.

    Hurry up and take out the [Demonic Sword of Grief], and stab it into [Dragon¡¯s Origin].

    And make the oath, that you wish for the ck dragons to reside permanently in Askalifa!

    ?Before we begin the Ceremony of Oath, there has been a request from the new Dragon Lord.?

    However, bizarre words started leaving the mouth of the previous Dragon Lord. The vengeful spirits and Lugiathan who had been feeling immense pleasure and the satiation of their thirst could not understand his words straight away.

    ?It was thanks to the ones who had been together with her during her first Amusement, that the new Dragon Lord, Tue-Ru-Bomana says she was able to be one. As such, she has requested that I personally to bless her friends.?

    As he continued speaking, Lugiathan¡¯s mind slowly returned to reality. What was that senile old man bbering about?

    Lugiathan checked Bom¡¯s heart and her expression in a daze.

    She was still expressionless.

    Her emotions were also tranquil.

    But when Bom¡¯s old friends started showing themselves one by one from a distance, which was something Lugiathan definitely did not know of, she started to realise that something was going terribly wrong.

    ?The future Dragon Lord,e here. It does not serve right to exclude you when blessing your friends.?

    Atst, the Dragon Lord even called Bom to bless her. Their suspicions were soaring endlessly when Bom drove in the nail with a small mutter.

    ¡®Sorry mum.¡¯

    Lugiathan and the vengeful spirits were about to faint from the shock. Her previous face that looked like a corpse was starting to be filled with life.

    ¡®Of course our race needs toe back to life. I think the same, but now is not the time.¡¯

    ¡®There is still the 8th iteration. I¡¯ll try my best for 1,000 years againter.¡¯

    ¡®So please forgive me just this once¡­¡¯

    Murmuring as such, Bom received the blessing of the Dragon Lord.

    Soon, he gave the nextmand.

    ?The future Dragon Lord shall go make the oath for the eternal stability of us dragons.?

    Standing in front of therge crystal, Bom looked back at the baby dragons.

    She then gave a small grin.

    .

    .

    .

    Bom had a [Grand Schema].

    That was different from the aspiration of her mother, and the project linked to the future of her race. It was her own n that she had been carrying deep inside her heart ever since she perceived Yu Jitae¡¯s death.

    A Dragon Lord¡¯s [Oath] was the only normal way for an existence to use the power of a transcendent authority.

    It returned every 15,000 years, and was the reason why dragons were able to survive as a prospering species until now, and was powerful enough to force the expelled ck dragons to forever reside in Askalifa.

    In order to use that unprecedented power for her own n, Bom had been running around like crazy for a thousand years, which wasn¡¯t short even for dragons.

    She had to thoroughly pretend like she was doing things the ck dragons wanted to deceive her mother and the vengeful spirits.

    It wasn¡¯t easy. Her body had beenpletely crushed and her mind was also half-crumbled. Her life had been put to risk dozens of times, and she even had to stop herself several times from wishing for death.

    Bom had to endure through all that. She withstood the crumbling of her body and the breakdown of her mind.

    Whenever she was about to truly fall from exhaustion, Bom reminded herself of her objective by looking at the constetions of the night sky. Doing that, she was able to strengthen her mind and remain standing.

    Bom had a dream.

    Living a life together with Yu Jitae in the distant future again.

    That was Bom¡¯s [Grand Schema].

    Born as a mutant, she was able to lie without being caught out by anyone.

    Her saying that she would try her best for the Grand Schema of raising their race back up was a lie. What Bom wanted was Yu Jitae from the very start.

    Her saying that the Dragon Lord had been seeking for a sacrifice was a lie. What Bom wanted was a re-encounter with the baby dragons.

    Her taking the baby dragons over to the Dragon Lord was a lie.

    When her mother and the vengeful spirits cut off their connection from her, thinking that she was going to the Dragon Lord, Bom embraced the baby dragons and poured out her honest tears that she had been hiding for a thousand years.

    She then shared everything that happened with the baby dragons.

    It all began from the first event.

    An identalnding on Earth from the distortion in Providence.

    Yu Jitae being broken from the repetitive regressions, and his grudge against dragons.

    The deceit he had been concealing against them, as well as the shocking event that had happened to herself.

    But Yu Jitae who started to dream of hope and atonement while living a daily life with them, and him dying due to the aftermath of killing ¡®Yu Jitae of the 6th iteration¡¯ at the start of that atonement.

    Andstly¨C

    ¡°Guys. I found the method to go back¡­¡±

    After hearing all that, the baby dragons hugged each other and it became an ocean of tears.

    Bom had only shared a portion of the things Yu Jitae wanted to atone for. Those were already shocking enough but none of the kids med him for what he did,

    For the happiness they had received from him was already far greater than that.

    As the tears settled back down, Bom reiterated the reason she gathered them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s, go back¡­¡±

    To our happiest days.

    .

    .

    .

    Standing in front of [Dragon¡¯s Origin], Bom thought to herself.

    He said his time of suffering summed up to around a thousand years. Coincidentally, she also had to spend a simr amount of time in despair and frustration.

    It was unclear whether his view on time as a human was exactly the same as her perception on time as a dragon. However, her thousand years at the war allowed Bom to understand him a little bit better.

    What came as sce when she was about to crumble and falter from despair was the time she had spent with Yu Jitae. Her unforgetting memories endlessly revived her happiest moments, and how he had strenuously tried to save her.

    However, the old Yu Jitae wouldn¡¯t have had a ce like that to lean on.

    How lonely would it have been.

    How exhausting would his life have been¡­

    ¡°¡ª¡±

    Therefore, in the process of making the oath at [Dragon¡¯s Origin] while sacrificing the [Demonic Sword of Grief], Bom decided to take out a small fragment of her soul.

    The main body of her soul that contained ¡®the personality and memory¡¯ would be sent back to the timeline where Yu Jitae existed with the baby dragons,

    And the ¡®small fragment¡¯ will be sent to the young Yu Jitae, who was alone from birth and lonely with no-one to rely on.

    It would be the friend of his lonely self; and a teacher for the young and immature Yu Jitae. A lover that would give him a warm hug during his fatigue, and a family he could rely and rest on.

    And as a symbol of her desire and wish for his freedom, she shaped it into the form of a ¡®white bird¡¯.

    Atst, as she neared the end of her Grand Schema,

    Bom stood in front of [Dragon¡¯s Origin] and gazed into the sky.

    ¡°I hereby vow, that we may go back to the happiest days we had spent with our precious one¡­¡±

    She threw her arms wide open. Her eyes full of life were facing the sky as she whispered a prayer.

    ¡°And be happy together.¡±

    In that instant, light flooded out of Dragon¡¯s Origin and enveloped the baby dragons.

 Chapter 425: Ending: Spring (Bom) Once Again.

    <h4>Chapter 425: Ending: Spring (Bom) Once Again.</h4>

    It was immediately after he sessfully crushed the pirs of the banquet hall.

    ¡®He¡¯ tried to crawl out of [Primal Time].

    Because his goal was to block the entrance to the Non-Providental World, Yu Jitae used every bit of strength he had left to fly towards ¡®him¡¯ like a cannonball.

    Due to that, ¡®he¡¯ who had been crawling out of the veil was sucked back into the Non-Providental World and the same had happened to Yu Jitae who was pushing ¡®him¡¯ inside.

    The weapon of a building, [Pce] sessfully crushed the small room that served as the entrance to the Non-Providential World andpletely sealed it.

    Because of that, Yu Jitae was pushed out of the Providential World.

    It was the first time he wasing to the Non-Providential World. This ce was a dark and cold ce. Since it probably wasn¡¯t cold in the physical sense of the word, it was most probably a chill he was feeling due to his soul being shattered apart.

    However, the size of his soul that was built up throughout his life was too big, and he did not disappear with ease despite being crushed and shattered.

    It simply felt cold.

    The severe chilliness made him shrink his body.

    Because he had fully executed his mission, [Vintage Clock] did not look for him, and [Key] had no more business with him either. Besides, they were transcendent authorities that could only involve themselves in Providential matters.

    That was why there would be no-one who could bring him out of this cold ce. He could only shiver here for almost an eternity.

    The only thing he could do here was search through his past memories. Like a brain in a vat, he could do nothing but think.

    Is this happiness? Am I happy?

    He med his old friend a little.

    Wasn¡¯t I definitely going to be happy?

    Isn¡¯t that what you told me¡­

    Time flew by. Although he was used to waiting, waiting without any objective felt way too long for him.

    .

    .

    .

    It was cold.

    Like an eternal winter.

    .

    .

    .

    His blunt senses could not identify anything around him, but that was when some force stretched out like a hand and reached him.

    He widened his eyes into circles. That ¡®power¡¯ melted his frozen body and woke up his sinking mind. Despite his soul being half-crushed, it was still alive and Yu Jitae was therefore able to wake up.

    It felt like it had been a thousand years.

    What¡¯s happening?

    The hand grabbed onto his body and started pulling him somewhere.

    By the time he perceived what was happening, he lost consciousness.

    .

    .

    .

    When he opened his eyes again, there was a familiar street in front of his eyes.

    His flustered gaze scanned across the world.

    Roads covered in asphalt, buildings rising up above them and people carrying umbres in quick steps.

    ck and white cars dashed across as sounds of horns reached his ears and perhaps due to a recent rainfall, the sky was coloured in a dull gray light.

    Within the world filled with achromatic colours, he was the only one with colour.

    He gasped for breath, for he just could notprehend what was happening in front of him.

    This was Nonhyung-dong, and it was 5 years ago. This time and space was the starting point of his wretched life which he had confronted thousands of times.

    Did the 8th iteration begin or something?

    Since his will had been worn out over the long period of time, his mind wasn¡¯t back to normal despite returning to reality. Like a drunk person, he couldn¡¯t judge things properly.

    His phone rang in his confusion ¨C it was a call rted to his work.

    Work?

    Out of habit, he first decided to move like thest iteration.

    7 am. It was time to go to work.

    Wearing the police uniform, he went to work.

    Despite being early in the morning, Gangnam was filled with people. It was them living their everyday life, and he recognised it as something familiar despite his hazy mind.

    He travelled towards the Portal Bureau. By the time he reopened his eyes, an even more familiar sight weed him.

    It was the Academy City of Lair.

    The familiar scene of Haytling, and the familiar cadet uniforms. It was filled with things he was so familiar with, that he couldn¡¯t imagine any other ce that he was more used to.

    ¡°Jitae-sunbae, hello!¡±

    ¡°Jitae¡¯s here as well? We had way too much drinkst night yeah.¡±

    But seeing his colleagues weing him aftermuting to work, Yu Jitae felt strange.

    ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t you think Jitae-sunbae looks a bit different now?¡±

    ¡°Wait what? Was he always that tall?¡±

    It was strange that his colleagues were one by one walking up to him. There were people he was used to that should be walking up to him for a chat, but these weren¡¯t them.

    Also, there was a ce he was used to which was shared by all of them, and this wasn¡¯t that ce either.

    ¡°Huh? Jitae-sunbae! Where are you going!¡±

    Yu Jitae turned his body and left the police station.

    Although his mind had yet to return properly, he hurried his feet. He couldn¡¯t move his body properly so he had to rely on public transport.

    Walking all the way, there were many things he felt familiar with, as well as things that felt foreign to him. Everything was the same as before, and yet he was considering them either familiar or foreign.

    What surfaced before anything else among his hazy emotions was that sense of familiarity and a habit. As always, his habit of thinking of the worst possible scenario reared its head.

    There were things that still remained in a corner of his memories and emotions. In fact, there were a lot of them ¨C so much that he couldn¡¯t count them all.

    It must be because all of those connections had snapped into nothing, that he was standing here.

    This felt as if the 8th iteration had begun.

    It was simr to his familiar experiences, of how everything that had been precious to him forgot about him, and went further away while leaving him behind.

    Continuing that line of thought made his heart crumble from the core.

    He had to confirm it with his own eyes.

    That was why he headed to Firenze, Italy ¨C to the road filled with buildings that seemed to be from the Renaissance period. He had been here often and thanks to his sharp discerning ability, he knew those performing street musicians were very familiar.

    If all the time that went by wasn¡¯t fake, then the one he was the most used to definitely had to be here.

    However, he couldn¡¯t find her.

    The conspicuous olive-coloured hair, the face that exceeded the threshold of beauty and appeared repulsively beautiful, and the existence that naturally gathered attention wherever she went¨C

    He could not see her.

    No ¨C it wasn¡¯t olive.

    Although it was slightly foreign to him, it was definitely ck.

    After changing his mind, he once again scanned across the streets but like before, he could not find such a person.

    He stood still. Although it was too early to admit it, he felt his heart slowly crumbling down from its core. Because it was the first encounter which he had been so used to, he realised that the invalidity of that meant the disappearance of something that was the most familiar to him.

    But after nkly standing there for a while and slowlying back to his senses, he found it strange again.

    The reason he was used to this first encounter, was because the opponent forgot about him. Now, that sense of familiarity was gone, and that meant¡­

    Tap tap.

    Someone tapped him on his shoulder. He felt goosebumps immediately rising all over his body.

    Slowly, he turned around.

    And found a ck-haired girl staring at him.

    His gaze wavered.

    It was such a familiar face; a familiar pair of eyes and a smile.

    He smiled back.

    He wasn¡¯t intending on doing so, but a smile naturally appeared on his lips. It was because he got the verification that all the time he had spent was not fake.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    He greeted her with a dry voice.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    For some reason, the voice that came back from her sounded as exhausted as his own. Even though there was a smile on her lips, there were beads of tears beneath her eyes.

    It was as if she was seeing him after a very long time.

    He wanted to ask what was going on, but she suddenly lowered her head a little and gazed up at him with uplifted eyes.

    She was trying to pull a prank.

    ¡°Why did youe looking for me?¡±

    Ah, this scene.

    Feeling like he could remember this, Yu Jitae recalled the words he said to her.

    ¡°Because I have a business.¡±

    ¡°So you came here knowing who I am?¡±

    Damn it ¨C he wanted to stop this immediately.

    Therefore, he asked her.

    ¡°Who are you.¡±

    A smile bloomed on her face like a flower. She cried and smiled. After being unable to control her own expression for a little while,

    Atst to her lover whom she finally met again in a world without any scars, she whispered.

    ¡°I¡¯m your Bom¡­¡±

    Kidnapped Dragons

    The End

 After Story 1:

    <h4>After Story 1:</h4>

    Bom opened the window wide open.

    Light from the warm midsummer sun showered in through the window. They were at the house she used to stay in, and this was also where they were going to bring the kids to for the time being.

    It was a great day with a refreshing breeze and not a speck of dust visible in the blue sky. Has sunlight always been so warm? Despite being in a setting that he had experienced countless times already, it gave him apletely different impression.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Before long, Bom turned around and faced him. Slowly, she walked towards him so in return, he reached his arms out and bent his back. Standing on her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

    He gave the child a tight hug as she took a deep breath out while feeling the arms pressing down on her ribs. That breath made it feel all the more realistic.

    ¡°What is going on. Why are you here, and what happened to this iteration? And how¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae used to know everything as the one at the centre of the regression, but now that he wasn¡¯t, he had no idea what was happening to him.

    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡±

    A teary look appeared on her face again.

    She started a short and brief exnation of everything that happened until now.

    1,000 years. Throughout that unbelievably long period of time, she suffered and was bruised until she was atst able to reach this moment. Her journey was conveyed with a small amount of her memories.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae gave Bom another tight hug along with a deep sigh. He didn¡¯t know how he was supposed to console her.

    Although he only heard a portion of it, her story was shocking, astonishingly agonising and that in turn made him realise how priceless and valuable this moment was.

    That was the same for Bom. She squinted her eyes, and heaved a sigh while seemingly holding her tears in.

    ¡°Ah, I promised not to do this¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    They were bound to be closer during a deep hug. He lowered his head as Bom lifted hers and looked into his eyes. There was something permeating inside in their distance of touching breaths.

    Supporting herself by resting her hands on his shoulders, she stood on her toes. The two of them brought their lips closer at the same time. Their mixing tongues conveyed the warmth that proved they were alive.

    ¡®Hnn¡­¡¯ A small moan was heard as he bit on her lower lips. In that moment of long-awaited happiness, Yu Jitae slowly coveted her lips.

    At one point, the two of them separated their lips. Without even voicing it out loud, they both knew that staying together in such a steamy atmosphere might make them waste a few days.

    He slowly wiped the smudged lipstick on her lips with his thumb.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring the kids back.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    In order to not ruin his reunion with the other kids, Bom decided to wait at home.

    However, Yu Jitae had to stop while he was in the middle of opening the door. Bom, who was behind him by the time he realised it, was wrapping her arms around his waist while leaning her forehead on his back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bete¡­¡±

    ***

    Bom said Yeorum and Kaeul would be waiting at the same ce as before.

    Dragons could remember something and never forget them in their lives. Because of that, standing in the same environment andparing the scene to their memories to find ¡®differences¡¯ was an enjoyable experience for them. It was slightly different from how humans tended to look for ¡®simrities¡¯ byparing their environment to their hazy memories, but it was apparently fun nheless.

    That was why Yu Jitae headed to Africa. Walking across the desert under the scorching sun for half a day, he felt deeply fatigued and exhausted for the first time in a very long time.

    Due to his soul being worn out over a long period of time, his mana and body were both very weakened.

    A portion of his power had been permanently lost, but even the leftover remnant in his body wasn¡¯t being used to its full potential. He would have to train himself again.

    In any case, right now he was at one of the deste deserts of South Africa.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A red-haired girl was sitting on arge rock with some sloppily-crafted wooden mask on her face.

    She turned her head.

    The moment his eyes met with the crimson eyes behind the mask,

    Yeorum shot out of her seat and threw her arms into the air.

    ¡°YUU¡ª JIII¡ª TAEEE!!¡±

    She then yelled with a voice loud enough to make the desert cover its ears.

    He returned a bright smile while wiping the beads of sweat flowing down his forehead, and that was when Yeorum jumped down from the rock and began dashing towards him. Soon, she jumped from a distance, wrapped her arms around his neck and grabbed onto his body like a ko.

    For a moment, he almost fell down, but he returned the hug after somehow standing his ground.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Yu Yeorum.¡±

    Hugging her, he tapped her on her back.

    ¡°I really wanted to see you again.¡±

    She, however, did not say anything in response. Cuddling onto him, Yeorum stayed silent for a long time and what next broke the silence was her trembling breath.

    ¡°You know¡­¡±

    While hugging his head as if it was a precious baby, Yeorum added in spite of finding it difficult to collect her breath.

    ¡°¡­Me too.¡±

    There were a lot of things Yeorum wanted to tell him. From the things that happened until now to how she had been longing to meet him again, as well as how everything she learned from him was able to change her.

    However, she couldn¡¯t do so because pouring her thoughts out right now might make her emotions explode like a bomb.

    Yeorum found herself unbearably cringe from how teary she was getting. So, she gave a bright smile instead, threw her mask and shouted.

    ¡°I missed you so much! Dear!¡±

    She then drove her head into his forehead as hard as she could.

    mmm¨C!

    For some unknown reason, the sound was a lot louder than she expected, and the impact was also far greater.

    What she saw next was Yu Jitae who had fainted with his eyes still open.

    ¡°Huh? Dear? Dear¡­?¡±

    *

    His skin was swelling up in red. There was a bump on his forehead¡­

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    Yeroum said but she did not look sorry in the slightest. Soon, she giggled, ¡®Pfft, huhp¡­!¡¯

    It was probably because of the red mark on his forehead alongside the tall lump.

    ¡°You are seriously too much, Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Aingg ?¡±

    ¡°How can you try to break the head of a person you¡¯re seeing in a thousand years?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kno you would bee soo weaaak ?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Knucklehead Little Yeorum~~ ?¡±

    Copying how she used to talk in the distant past, she even acted cute even though it now felt very awkward to do so.

    Acting as simrly to the past as possible ¨C that was the second agreement the kids hade up with, so that Yu Jitae would not feel a sense of loss from all the time that went by.

    And their first agreement was to ¡®not cry¡¯. If they all started crying, the several sorrowful memories would end up making them cry for a few days, and that would make him sincerely concerned.

    But this was separate from that, and it really was very amusing for Yeorum.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, he was dumbfounded.

    She should at least be holding herughter in, but was pretending to apologise with a face that was threatening to erupt into aughter.

    He was about to irritatedly run his fingers through his hair but identally ended up touching the bump. Seeing him frown, Yeorum atst bursted out intoughter and rolled on the floor.

    Telling her he would be going to pick up Kaeul, he suggested they enjoy the reunion in fullter, and only then did Yeorum stopughing and stand up from the ground.

    Wearing a bright smile on her face, she showed the thing that was on her right hand.

    ¡°You want the mask?¡±

    No.

    ***

    On the way to meeting Kaeul, he stopped by a bakery. He bought all types of bread as well as macarons and sausage buns. It was because he heard Kaeul still liked bread and sweet desserts despite all the time that went by.

    ording to Bom and Yeorum, it seemed that the kids had spent nearly 1,000 years at Askalifa.

    But for some reason, their appearances were the same as the one in his memories but he didn¡¯t ask why that was the case.

    He was now going to check it with his own eyes.

    Yu Jitae wanted to see the chattery Kaeul, and Gyeoul who would now be an adult.

    Thus, he was in the rainforests of Amazon. Wiping the sticky sweat of the extremely humid forest, he was walking when a voice reached his ears.

    ¨C Ahjussi!

    It was the voice of a girl who found him before he did.

    That especially clear and pure voice was the same as Kaeul¡¯s voice which he used to hear like a radio in his dreams while he was floating adrift in the Non-Providential World.

    Soon, Kaeul showed up from the dense trees of the forest. Her bright gold hair and bright gold eyes were the same. Although the naive and fragile smile was no longer on her lips, her face brightened immediately after seeing him.

    ¡°Ahjussi¡­¡±

    ¡°I missed you Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Uun. Me too¡­¡±

    Clenching her lips, Kaeul walked up to him. He reached his arms out to give her a hug but Kaeul flinched and stopped her feet.

    ¡°Ah, please wait. Wait.¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t prepared myself yet, so you can¡¯t suddenlye up to me like that.¡±

    With his arms still out wide, he slowly took a few steps back as Kaeul tilted her head and cleared her throat with a few coughs, ¡®Kuhum.¡¯

    She then opened her mouth while slightly looking away from him.

    ¡°Uum! Don¡¯t tell me you brought some bread again?¡±

    ¡°How did you know that. I brought all sorts of them. I bet you will like all of them.¡±

    ¡°Like, ahjussi, do you think of me as a pig or something? Howe you always buy sweets and bread all the time?¡±

    ¡°Well, you like these don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°But what if I don¡¯t want them?¡±

    ¡°Listen. I¡¯ve never seen these fail before.¡±

    ¡°Woww. No? When I went back home, I made the chef cook it sooo many times. I had so many of them that, uum, I don¡¯t need them anymore okay?¡±

    Sometimes, Kaeul tended to deny the truth like this. He grinned before swinging the bag of bread in front of her as the sweet scent of bread travelled across.

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want them?¡±

    ¡°Likee, hah, seriously¡­¡±

    She turned and started approaching him.

    ¡°Being always on the receiving end like this¡­¡±

    Ignoring the bag of bread, she leaned her head on his chest. He gave her a confused hug when her voice left her mouth like a sigh.

    ¡°¡­I regretted it a lot, you know?¡±

    Her voice turned watery so Kaeul needed another empty cough to clear her throat. Hmm, kuhum¨C.

    Then, she whispered with a softer voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I tried preparing something in my own way.¡±

    ¡°You did?¡±

    ¡°Uun. This¡­¡±

    Kaeul rummaged through her dimensional storage before taking something out.

    It was a bottle of alcohol.

    ¡°The only thing I saw you look for sometimes was alcohol, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, alcohol. That is very good.¡±

    Yu Jitae was quite delighted. It was true that there was nothing else he really looked for except for alcohol.

    ¡°Really? Here you go. It¡¯s for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you mine as well.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need the bread¡­!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nute and cream inside.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t need them¡­!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s two slices of cheese on your favourite sausage bun as well.¡±

    ¡°Uaahh! I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s fine¡­!¡±

    They shared their gifts. Despite heaving a sigh, Kaeul took in a sneaky smell of the bread before taking the bag of bread and cing it inside her dimensional storage.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back home.¡±

    ¡°Okayy.¡±

    After saying that, Yu Jitae asked about Gyeoul. Hearing his question, Kaeul who was looking half-dejected until now, suddenly giggled with a bright look on her face.

    ¡°You know what? Gyeoul is actually very mad right now.¡±

    ¡°Gyeoul is mad?¡±

    ¡°Uun uun. She¡¯s saying it¡¯s very unfair¡­¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right. How old do I look to you ahjussi?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. You look the same as before.¡±

    ¡°Right? I was actually more of an adult than this, but I came into this body. And it was the same for Gyeoul.¡±

    What?

    ¡°That means Gyeoul is at¡­¡±

    ¡®Kuhihi,¡¯ with a giggle, Kaeul pointed at her neck; at the ne with a downscaled dragon egg.

    ¡°Uun, she¡¯s here!¡±

 After Story 2: After Story: Happily Ever After (2)

    <h4>After Story 2: After Story: Happily Ever After (2)</h4>

    He took the kids to Bom¡¯s house. The house was fairly big, and had three rooms.

    When he saw Bom again after bringing the kids back, her hair was no longer ck, and looked as if it was slowly turning to a bluish-green colour. The roots of her hair were bluish-green while the rest was slightly darker.

    ¡°Wee everyone.¡±

    She had ordered all sorts of dishes, from spicy chicken feet to jokbal, fried chicken, two pizzas, Chinese cuisines including sweet and sour pork and stir-fried vegetables, several types of burgers, ice creams, noodles and street food like tteokbokki, fried dumplings and oden.

    ¡°Uwah. That smells crazy!¡±

    For some reason, they all looked quite familiar.

    ¡°Hukk! Don¡¯t tell me this is sweet onion bomb chicken? It smells exactly the same!¡±

    ¡°Nn. And the one next to that is chilli mayo sauce. They sell it separately but I tried buying it. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°You are amazing, unni! Are you like Mrs. Eat-it-all¡­?¡±

    The next one toment in surprise was Yeorum.

    ¡°Hoh? Is this what I think it is?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Spicy chicken feet. It¡¯s your favourite, right?¡±

    ¡°How spicy?¡±

    ¡°Inferno 7 apparently. I asked the owner to make it a bit more spicy.¡±

    ¡°Wow. I missed this quite a lot. Feels great to have this again.¡±

    Yeorum and Kaeul said with sparkling eyes.

    But that wasn¡¯t the end.

    ced in front of Yu Jitae was a very familiar burger.

    ¡°This. It¡¯s from back then.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember it?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do.¡±

    ¡°I made that myself.¡±

    Yu Jitae smiled seeing how thorough Bom was.

    The burger she made looked exactly the same as the one he got from his benefactor back when he was young. She appeared to have used the burger they made during Gyeoul¡¯s school election in the past as a reference.

    ¡°Bom.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Thank you. This makes me very happy.¡±

    Bom nodded with a smile.

    Sitting at the table full of food that might even cause the legs of the table to bend, the four of them waited.

    They weren¡¯t praying or anything.

    Usually, Yeorum would have picked up some food to mark the start of the meal while throwing out some words like, ¡®Thanks for the food¡¯, but today, none of the kids were keen on eating anything.

    It was the same for Yu Jitae.

    Even though he had his hands on the burger, he couldn¡¯t eat it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Sunlight was casting shadows inside the house. Delicious food was in front of them, and they were with their precious ones.

    Having a nice meal together, they would share the trivial things that happened to them that day.

    It was such a normal moment. It was nothing but one of the countless insignificant moments that were somon that it didn¡¯t even leave any significant impression on them in the past.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, it was now different.

    How many things have they gone through just to reobtain this experience? What kind of life did they have to go through just to feel this small happiness again?

    Remembering all the things that happened to them, Kaeul could not readily bring the drumstick in her hand towards her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Wh, what¡¯s wrong with everyone? Hehe.¡±

    But something like this was not what Kaeul wanted. She awkwardly swung the drumstick like a cheering stick.

    ¡°Unni? Hello? Let¡¯s hurry up and eat. Uuun¡­?¡±

    She shook it once to Bom, and once to Yeorum.

    ¡°Same with you ahjussi. What is wrong with everyone? The food¡¯s going cold!¡±

    Then, Kaeul shook the chicken in front of Yu Jitae.

    ¡°Like, seriously¡­! Unnis. You didn¡¯t forget ¡®that¡¯ did you? Wake up, all of you!¡±

    If we meet him again:

    Then let¡¯s push aside all the sorrow, have a rxed conversation like we always used to and share what happened until now. Let¡¯s open up to him everything that happened to us, without making him feel burdened.

    That was what they had agreed on, but it seemed that the kids couldn¡¯t control themselves anymore.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bringing her hands that were grasping on the spoon to her forehead, Bom deeply lowered her head and began silently sobbing to herself.

    All the blood and tears she had shed; her suffering and times of despair reappeared inside her head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Before long, Yeorum covered her face with her hands and started crying as well. Her fully capable memories had been endlessly drawing her most precious rtionship in the world in her head regardless of the time.

    Yeorum had missed him tremendously. She missed the one who gave her her future, hope and trust.

    ¡°Ah, what are you guys all doing¡­ You¡¯re the one who said we shouldn¡¯t cry¡­¡±

    Throughout the not-so-short period of her Amusement, Kaeul had only been on the receiving end.

    Recalling the unfathomable regret she had felt after the farewell upon btedly realising that she couldn¡¯t return any of it, she followed her sisters and began weeping out loud.

    Someone said in the past;

    That people smiled when they¡¯re sad because they remembered all the happy times that went by,

    And that people cried when they¡¯re happy because they remembered all the hard times that went by.

    That day, the dining table became an ocean of tears.

    It was because everyone was now happy.

    ***

    A regression in the Providence of Time was an extremely exhausting experience for an existence.

    Since the kids cried for hours despite all the umted fatigue, it was natural for them to be lethargic afterwards. However, they still wanted to eat the food so they heated the food back up and ate everything before going into their own rooms. They all wanted to have some sleep.

    Yu Jitae was also tired and was not in a good state, but he didn¡¯t go to sleep yet.

    It was because the ¡®dragon egg¡¯ that had been separated from Kaeul¡¯s ne was ced in the middle of the living room, on top of Bom¡¯s flowerpot.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He sat next to the egg and stared at it.

    Closing his eyes, he could feel the vitality inside the egg. Although she hadn¡¯t hatched yet, she was definitely fully born and could break out of the egg any time soon.

    When the kids were pouring out buckets of tears, Yu Jitae sensed something twitching inside the egg.

    What did Kaeul say again?

    ¨C Gyeoul said it was, like, different from what she heard. And that it¡¯s unfair¡­ She said her hands were shivering¡­ and how she wouldn¡¯t be able to trust green dragons again¡­

    Saying that, she chuckled.

    Kaeul¡¯sughter always put him in a good mood. Floating a small smile, he ced his hand on top of the egg and slowly caressed it.

    That was when he felt something strange.

    Kong.

    Something tapped the shell from inside the egg.

    ¡°Hoh.¡±

    There was no way he was feeling things. He carefully lifted therge egg and ced it on hisp, before caressing it again.

    This time, it came twice.

    Kong kong.

    ¡°Yu Gyeoul. Are you there.¡±

    While thinking of how this was simr to prenatal education, he opened his mouth again.

    ¡°Why are you still hiding there? I missed you so much.¡±

    Kong.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯de back as an adult when you¡¯re 20? Look at you; rather than an adult, you became a baby.¡±

    Kong.

    He caressed the egg with a smile.

    Like a mother talking to her unborn baby, he quietly talked to her, and exined how much he missed her as well as how happy he was to meet her again.

    Then, he unfastened his watch and ced it above the egg to y some bright and exciting music. Even though he didn¡¯t really know why, he knew this was what people tended to do for prenatal education.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you toe out of your egg. It probably won¡¯t take that long. It¡¯s your second time so you know how it¡¯s supposed to be done, right?¡±

    Kong¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in too much of a rush though. Your soul dide here but your body is still that of a baby, so you might hurt yourself if you try to rush things.¡±

    Kong kong¡­

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m sure you are also tired from the regression. Take a good rest.¡±

    He ced the egg back on the flowerpot and was about to go into his room when the egg suddenly turned noisy.

    Kong kong kong kong!

    It seemed that she was telling him not to leave.

    Therefore, he carefully carried the egg, headed to the bed and lied down next to Bom who was quietly letting out a snore.

    It was time to have some sleep. He closed his eyes inside the nket with the egg next to him.

    ***

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul inside the egg was very disappointed.

    Her sisters had already met Yu Jitae and were talking about this and that and yet she was stuck in this ce without even being able to see anything!

    I have to hurry up and keep my promise¡­

    Thinking like that made her once again feel how unfair everything was. After being suggested to go back to the past, she naturally thought she would be keeping her body but she was suddenly ced inside an egg! This wasn¡¯t what they had agreed on.

    How long had she been longing for this moment? It was 300 years ¨C 300 years she had spent with her eyes open waiting to meet Yu Jitae again! And yet now that she was back, she was locked inside an egg.

    There were two problems.

    One was that she still needed some time to hatch from the egg.

    And the second problem was that someone found out how depressed she was the next day.

    ¨C Aiggoo¨J

    The moment she heard that voice from the other side of the egg, Gyeoul had a hunch that something extremely infuriating would be happening from now on.

    ¨C What should we do~ about our poor little Gyeoulll ¨K¨K¨J?

    And her hunch was not wrong.

    The owner of that voice was the garbage dragon Yu Yeorum.

    ¨C We had a meal with our dear ahjussi yesterday, and now we¡¯re going to go out on a walk, ande back at night after buying some clothes! What should we do about Gyeoulll?? Should we get a hen to help her hatch¨J?

    Kwang kwang! Gyeoul smacked the egg with her fists as hard as she could. However, the tough shell of the dragon egg stayed firm.

    ¨C Oi Yu Gyeoul. Listen up. I¡¯m going to have a meal with my dear darling, watch a movie, y games, ask for instant noodles and go sleighing together.

    ¨C Unni. Stop. She¡¯s gonna cry¡­!

    ¨C Go to an amusement park, a cat cafe, go to a donburi restaurant together, and have a super special Doonga Doonga time with the three of us including Kaeul. Of course, that will be without you.

    ¨C Uahh. Just stop, you devil¡­!

    Gyeoul was so frustrated that her hands shivered and she felt like bursting into tears.

    ¨C I guess I¡¯m the winner for being born early ?

    ¨C Ah, fuck. Forget what I said¡­

    Suddenly, she walked away while sounding dejected for some reason.

    In any case, Gyeoul had to suppress her fury.

    She was no longer young enough to be provoked by something like that. She wasn¡¯t a baby anymore, and had lived for a thousand years just like Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul.

    Although she stayed away from needless experiences as much as possible to keep her existing memories as special as possible and was now in the body of a baby, she was still not a child. At least that was what Gyeoul thought about herself.

    All she had to do was hatch from the egg.

    The moment she hatched, she would also go shopping, go on a walk, y games, and ask for noodles! Go sleighing together! The Doonga Doonga super special edition¡­!

    And calling Yu Jitae by a different name as promised¡­!

    ¨C Oh my, dear. Can I call you ¡®oppa¡¯ from today?

    She would be doing all the above.

    ¨C Or maybe¡­ ¡®uncle¡¯?

    I can do everything¡­!

    ¨C If you don¡¯t like any of them, then¡­? What about ¡®da¡­¡¯

    Stop! You crazy woman¡­!

    .

    .

    .

    But after breaking out of the shell in a few week¡¯s time, Gyeoul became even more depressed.

    It was when she polymorphed into a human form after hatching from the egg. She had no idea how this could possibly be happening, and wondered if the entire world was trying its best to tease her or something.

    Gyeoul, who wanted to say something to Yu Jitae, soon heaved a sigh with a gloomy look on her face.

    ¡°Oh wow! Look at her mumble.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t speak.

 After Story 3: After Story: Happily Ever After (3)

    <h4>After Story 3: After Story: Happily Ever After (3)</h4>

    ¡°Uwah. Seriously, Gyeoul is super tiny¡­ so adorable¡­¡±

    Baby Gyeoul heaved a deep sigh as she constantly ran her minute fingers through her water-coloured hair.

    ¡®Oh no oh no. She looks mad.¡¯ They said as if they were watching a monkey at the zoo.

    ¡°Guys. Don¡¯t be too mean to Gyeoul. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s very stressed out from turning smaller,¡± said Bom.

    Gyeoul¡¯s eyes turned into a re after hearing those words. Who¡¯s fault was it that she was in this state, hnn?

    As expected, Bom was also grinning, and it was obvious that she was teasing her.

    ¡°Do you see this? This kid¡¯s so short-tempered.¡±

    Please, I hope you just go away¡­

    Instead of saying that, all she could manage out of her mouth were a few mumbles, and the kids bursted intoughter as if it was funny.

    What. What do you want? I¡¯m in a super bad mood, okay?

    She tried to protest, but her mouth could only form iplete sounds. It was only adding fuel to theirughter.

    It was still too hard to control her body. She couldn¡¯t speak properly, and couldn¡¯t make delicate movements either. Even though she wanted to write letters, they were always crooked.

    ¡°Come here. Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡±

    Mumble¡­

    Gyeoul opened her mouth in reflex but Yu Jitae tilted his head so she gave up on speaking. She instead decided to express it with her body.

    ¡°Uunn~. I see, I see. Are you hungry, little Gyeoul?¡±

    Kaeul said as if she would give her food, so baby Gyeoul ced one of her hands on her hip and shook her other hand to shoo her away.

    ¡°What. Say it properly if you want something.¡±

    Gyeoul drew a line across her neck with her thumb while looking at Yeorum who was trying to pick a fight. She was telling her she would kill her one day.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    In the end, she decided to show off her mature side. At night, she sat on a chair to read a book and had some warm ck tea on the side.

    However, what Gyeoul didn¡¯t know was how she would appear to the others when toddling to the kettle, carefully pouring hot water, flipping the pages of the book with her tiny hands while looking at the words with her circr eyes¡­

    ¡®Uhhghhh¡­ Gyeoul is soooooo cutee.¡¯

    ¡®Ah, she¡¯s being so damn cute. If only I could bite and swallow her whole.¡¯

    That was why her suffering knew no end.

    ¡°My lil¡¯ sister! I got something for you!¡±

    One day, Yeorum brought diapers, toys and nursery mobiles and handed them over to Gyeoul with a wide smile hanging on her lips.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul looked at her as if she was staring at trash before chucking her gift on the ground. ¡®Dude! How can you do that to my gift!¡¯ Yeorum protested.

    But that wasn¡¯t the end.

    ¡°Gyeoul~. I bought some too¡­!¡±

    This time, Kaeul came up while showing her a teddy bear and a pacifier.

    What. What do you want?

    Gyeoul asked with her gaze but the look on Kaeul¡¯s face was clearly not normal either. Until now, she had been simply enjoying herself, but there were now small fumes leaving her nostrils.

    ¡°Can you please put this in your mouth? Uun?¡±

    While pushing forward the pacifier in her hand, Kaeul turned on the camera of her watch with her other hand.

    Wow. These guys. They must be seriously crazy¡­

    Thinking that, Gyeoul quickly turned around and began running away but Yeorum and Kaeul both chased after her.

    ¡°Kyahahaha! Ahnnnngg! Please, let¡¯s just take one photo¡­! You look way too cute right now!¡±

    No!

    ¡°Oi oi! Yu Gyeoul. If you don¡¯t want that, how about my titties?¡±

    Hell no! What type of nonsense is that?

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What is all this ruckus for?¡±

    That was when Yu Jitae left his room to ask the kids. Kaeul hid her hands behind her back and smiled ¡®Hehe,¡¯ while Yeorum also took her hands away from her breasts and gave an awkward smile. It was because he told them before not to overdo their teasing.

    Meanwhile, Gyeoul gazed up at Yu Jitae as if she hade across her saviour.

    They are like, teasing me¡­!

    She mumbled while looking up at Yu Jitae, who replied to her with a faint smile.

    ¡°Do you want milk?¡±

    Yeorum and Kaeul almost rolled on the floorughing,

    While Gyeoul felt betrayed by Yu Jitae for the first time.

    ***

    Thus, he had to soothe the childter.

    ¡°¡­¡­??¡±

    With one hour of Doonga Doonga.

    ***

    At the start, they were trying to imitate how they used to act in the past, but they were back to their past selves by the time they realised it. They were all quite surprised because of how their minds and attitudes changed because of the environment.

    However, they weren¡¯t exactly the same as before. 1,000 years for a dragon was simr to 10 years for a human, and because that was when they were acknowledged as adult dragons, they were pretty much like 20-year-old humans in terms of their role in the society.

    Even the small Gyeoul was a full-fledged adult inside.

    Thus, the usual topics of their conversations were also slightly different.

    During mealtime, they consistently talked about their ns for the distant future as well as the past. One of the things the kids were the most concerned about was ¡®how we were supposed to live from now on¡¯.

    ¡°Beforeing back in time¡­¡±

    Bom calmly opened her mouth.

    ¡°There were people I lost in my past connections.¡±

    She remembered how Li Hwa left one day after bidding her farewell. That Taiwanese olddy found a trace of Ysayle Khalifa who killed her husband decades ago and left for her final revenge.

    And there, she died with Ysayle Khalifa.

    ¡°Granny wouldn¡¯t have died if I helped her back then¡­¡±

    It was a memory she had pushed to a corner because of the myriad of thoughts in her mind back then.

    Bom was a little regretful after recovering her mind, because she had lent an ear to her stories and supported her when she was tired.

    ¡°But this time, I can help her.¡±

    Kaeul nodded in response to her words.

    ¡°I also have to take Chirpy back,¡± she said.

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Uun. Chirpy would die without me so¡­¡±

    That was what Yeorum, who had to defeat her oldest unni again, and Gyeoul, who had given happiness and vitality to the boys at a certain dimension, all agreed with.

    Lastly, Yu Jitae was also going to form a good bond with BM and Myung Yongha.

    ¡°That sounds good. We will also have regr things to work on, then.¡±

    Let¡¯s live a normal life and within the small gaps of everyday life, let us take in everything close to us that we were able to take care of in the past. That was the conclusion they came up with.

    They were all confident. It was something they had done already, and it definitely wouldn¡¯t be too difficult.

    After concluding that topic, the four pairs of eyes naturally gathered at Yu Jitae.

    How were <i>we</i> supposed to live now¡­?

    An Amusement was just a brief passing moment in the life of a dragon. That in turn showed how deep and intense the memories they had created with Yu Jitae were, despite how short it was.

    Their souls, memories and the power of their ¡®wills¡¯ were all still here after the umtion of 1,000 years, but their bodies were still that of a baby dragon, and the form of [Emergency Summon] and [Long-distance Dimensional Intersection] would definitely be automatically activated by the [Origin Fragment].

    In other words, their Amusement would stille to an end in another 20 years. It meant they had to part ways with Yu Jitae once again.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with all of you? I¡¯m nning on following you guys to Askalifa.¡±

    However, Yu Jitae dismissed their concerns with a few sentences.

    ¡°There is no reason for me to stay here.¡±

    Only then did the kids show bright smiles.

    ***

    A lot of time went by after that.

    This time, unlike the previous iteration, they did not enter Lair because none of them were that keen on the life of a cadet anymore. However, they did sometimes sneak in to use the facilities as they wanted.

    nk! nk!

    After some time, the dimensions cracked open as protectors crowded in. Bom stopped three of them, turned them off and kept them locked inside an alternate dimension and only brought back the protector of the green dragons.

    Next was up to Yu Jitae. Even though he had lost his umted killing intent, he still had authorities of the Demon Archduke. Taking care of the protector was nothing difficult.

    When everything was over, Yeorum returned to the house which was slightly messy from the uproar.

    ¡°Are you done cleaning?¡±

    ¡°Kuruk?¡±

    She kicked a rubbish bin, as all the other dragons giggled with her. The Protector had a puzzled look on its face.

    ¡°???¡±

    But after that, Yeorum started picking up the rubbish with it so the protector¡¯s doubt deepened even more. The protector thought that they all had a screw loose or something.

    After a few more months, Kaeul brought Chirpy.

    Chirp, chirp!

    The palm-sized baby chicken finally appeared at their house and Kaeul vowed to take good care of the chicken until he had to leave.

    ¡°Me me me. I can do it very well this time!¡±

    The number of spirit beasts she had raised for centuries while looking after the gnome vige was at least several hundred, and Kaeul¡¯s method of caring for Chirpy the spirit beast was therefore on apletely different level.

    She healed the baby chicken who was injured and hurt, washed him clean, took a refreshing walk everyday and gave him delicious food to healthily raise him up.

    ¡°Wow. Kaeul, that¡¯s really amazing!¡±

    ¡°Rightt?¡±

    Even though she said that, Bom tilted her head.

    That yellow furry ball¡­ why was it so big?

    More and more question marks appeared above her head as time went by. And in the blink of an eye, Chirpy was as big as an averagerge dog.

    ¡°Huh? Hnn? Wait a minute.¡±

    Before long, her concerns were realised.

    ¡°Hmm? Kaeul. Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s a bit too big¡­?¡±

    After another 2 years, Chirpy was tall enough to reach Kaeul¡¯s chest.

    Juurrrrrbb¡ª

    He let out a low and heavy growl as Kaeul awkwardly scratched her head.

    ¡°¡­H, he¡¯s still smaller than me though!?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange topare the size of a baby chicken to you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Is, is it? Then¡­ a horse! You can think of him as a horse¡­!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Bom tilted her head, wondering what nonsense this was about, but Kaeul was unexpectedly very optimistic about it. After that, she started riding Chirpy.

    A baby chicken asrge as a bear raced through the vast wastnd.

    ¡°Kyaaa¡ª¡±

    Vuuuunnn~

    The world¡¯s biggest baby chicken was fluffy.

    It was a veryfortable ride.

    ***

    In between his everyday life, Yu Jitae tried his hardest to regain his lost power whenever he had the time.

    Honestly, there wouldn¡¯t be too big of a problem in the world for the time being even if he wasn¡¯t there. The Association was a lot more powerful than demons and monstersbined.

    However, there were still times when he had to step up, and he thus needed to regain his strength.

    Yu Jitae scrutinised his body.

    His entire body was lethargic; mana had been paved away alongside his soul; the maniption of mana was also affected because of his will being shaken due to staying lethargic for too long and his killing intent was pretty much all gone¡­ There were severalplex reasons why Yu Jitae was weakened.

    Even though some of them were being naturally recovered over time, it was far from enough. He had to personally move his body or meditate in order to raise his strength back up.

    It wasn¡¯t anything difficult.

    He had been doing it for at least several centuries, and he had already once be the strongest human in existence with effort alone.

    ¡°What? You want to train together?¡±

    On the morning of a certain refreshing day, Yu Jitae asked Yeorum to go training together. She, who was wearing leggings and a crop top, tilted her head with a frown.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Weren¡¯t you the one who always turned me down?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like having someone next to me while I train.¡±

    ¡°Far out¡­ Let me just ask while we¡¯re at it. You weren¡¯t like, hiding all the good stuff from me or anything, right?¡±

    Yu Jitae shook his head.

    To be frank, Yeorum wouldn¡¯t be able to copy him even if she saw what he was doing, because Yu Jitae was using an extremely inhumane, horrendous and self-destructive method to train himself.

    ¡®So, what are we going to do?¡¯ In response to Yeorum¡¯s question, Yu Jitae gave his reply.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a spar, like an actual fight.¡±

    Yeorum squinted her eyes.

 After Story 4: After Story: Happily Ever After (4)

    <h4>After Story 4: After Story: Happily Ever After (4)</h4>

    ¡°Like an actual fight?¡±

    Yeorum knew better than anyone else what Yu Jitae meant by saying ¡®an actual fight¡¯. Everything she learned from him was always in a stricter condition than what others could consider an actual fight.

    But whenever he used the words, ¡®actual fight¡¯, it always led to a life-or-death situation where her life was threatened at every passing moment.

    ¡°Are you sure you can handle what you said?¡±

    ¡°Why not.¡±

    ¡°Haha. I think you¡¯re looking down on me too much¡­¡±

    Yeorum turned around and faced Yu Jitae from the front.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen me train ever since we lived together right? I¡¯m probably a lot stronger than you think.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°No you don¡¯t. What you remember is how I was at the end of the Amusement.¡±

    Locking her fingers, she did a big stretch.

    Even though she was back to her young body, the cluster of will which contained mana (her soul) was still that of the 1,000-year-old Yu Yeorum.

    She had easily killed her oldest unni, the cream of the crop, and never stopped refining herself until she was a thousand years old. She was by far the strongest out of the dragons of her generation.

    Yeorum was about as strong as an average adult dragon.

    Although her body was weakened due to the regression, herbat skills were still with her. She was like a small car on the outside, except she had the engine of a sports car.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty strong, you know?¡±

    Yeorum said with a low voice while giving him a chilly gaze.

    ¡°If you want an actual fight, I¡¯m not going to restrain myself. I¡¯m going to do what you did to me. Can I do that?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a warning ¨C she was trying to double-check whether it really was okay to do as he said or not.

    ¡°Yeorum. That¡¯s quite funny,¡± said Yu Jitae.

    ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking as if you are obviously going to be the winner. It¡¯s very funny. I¡¯m speechless.¡±

    ¡°Hah.¡±

    She gave a scoff as faint tension appeared between the two.

    ¡°I remember someone fainting from a single headbutt. Why do you sound so confident?¡±

    ¡°You should not be arrogant before a fight. Did I not tell you time after time?¡±

    ¡°How long ago was this?¡±

    ¡°Listen. It has already been quite some time and there might be variables. You should not judge based on the past.¡±

    ¡°Hoh? What is this; do you still think you¡¯re my teacher?¡±

    ¡°Looking at your actions, it looks like it¡¯s still too early for you to graduate.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yeorum forced her stiff lips into a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m actually gonna beat you up¡­¡±

    *

    Soon, after jumping across the dimensions to a barren wastnd, Yu Jitae and Yeorum began to fight.

    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna hold back!¡±

    Unsheathing her sword, Yeorum lowered her body. She took a big step forward as arge spark flickered beneath her feet, and¨C

    Yu Jitae had to widen his eyes ¨C Yeorum dashed across in the blink of an eye and her sword was already right in front of him.

    nk! He parried her attack.

    It was a heavy and oppressive yet clean attack. It created a ripple in the air and shook his bones, but nheless, he was able to block it. It was a stunning improvementpared to how he was like right after the regression.

    Because he had lost his killing intent, [Shapeless Sword] no longer had the same amount of power as before, but Yu Jitae still possessed thousands of authorities and abilities which he didn¡¯t need to use beforehand due to the Shapeless Sword.

    He was nning on pouring everything into this fight.

    ¡°Huu¨C¡±

    After a short exhale of breath, he reopened his eyes.

    *

    The victor was decided after 2 hours.

    Blood was oozing out and several bones were broken for Yu Jitae. His eyes were bruised and parts of his body were exposed due to the partially scorched clothes.

    Yeorum wasn¡¯t in a perfect state either ¨C she had also been struck several times, and the long cut created by a sword on her waist still had beads of blood dripping at every second.

    During the fight, Yeorum came to the judgement that she would be exposed to Yu Jitae¡¯s thousands of attacks if she were to distance herself, and aimed for a close distance and a grappling fight. Their swords broke and they rolled on the ground while throwing fists back and forth.

    And she proved that her judgement was correct.

    m¨C!

    The back of Yu Jitae¡¯s head was forced into the ground as Yeorum pressed onto his body from above.

    ¡°Huk, huk¡­ Give up,¡± she suggested.

    The tip of her dagger was next to his throat. While coarsely gasping for breath, Yu Jitae closed his eyes and gave a nod. It was a sign of surrender.

    ¡°What did I tell you? I told you I¡¯ll win, yes? I was right.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum you crazy freak. Even Yu Jitae is nothing for you! Little Yeorum is the strongest in the world, is she not?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Answer me. Now!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡±

    He gave his agreement all too easily and Yeorum was unamused. It was boring to tease someone who was too straight-forward.

    In any case, his body was in a pretty bad state and they had to end the fight here.

    That was why Yeorum was about to raise her body, but she stopped in the middle.

    ¡°Hold on¡­?¡±

    A sudden line of thought popped up in her head.

    Had she ever beaten <i>that ¡®Yu Jitae¡¯</i> like this in her entire life?

    She pondered to herself.

    No.

    Except for that one time when she punched him in the chest, she had never beaten him even once in her entire life.

    But what about now?

    Yu Jitae was pinned underneath her¡­

    A grin appeared on Yeorum¡¯s lips.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Meanwhile, Yu Jitae bewilderedly opened his eyes after sensing how Yeorum was showing no signs of standing back up, curious as to what she was trying to do.

    And what he found was a perverted smile hanging on her lips!

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Hu¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you doing? Move aside.¡±

    ¡°Huhuhh¡­¡±

    The stern tension covering the two of them was gone in the blink of an eye. Yeorum said after a giggle.

    ¡°Right now, you can¡¯t escape without my permission, can you?¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    After a smirk, Yeorum raised her hand and snapped a handful of her hair with her fingernails. She then grabbed the stiff and red hair strands like a brush.

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    ¡°Kuhu, kuhe¡­¡±

    ¡°What, uhh, what are you doing right now?¡±

    ¡°Kuhuhu. Kukukkhhukk¡­!¡±

    ¡°Oi.¡±

    Then, Yeorum began tickling him with the red brush. His skin was very sensitive after being scorched by Yeorum¡¯s mes, so much so that Yu Jitae was feeling ticklish despite being usually immune to it.

    ¡°Oi, dude.¡±

    He frowned. Due to the fierce fight they had, he had trouble moving his mana properly, and thus couldn¡¯t cut off his senses.

    Besides, Yeorum¡¯s movement of her brush was extremely explicit. From his ears, she sneaked past his earlobes and began sweeping his neck with her hair.

    ¡°Oi, Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Uhp¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop this right now. What do you think you¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°Kuhup¡­¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you hear me telling you to stop?¡±

    ¡°Kuhup. What are you gonna do if I can¡¯t hear you¡­? Hit me?¡±

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Aigooo so scarryy~¡±

    She held back herughter which was threatening to burst out.

    Her brush continued to move. Before long, her hair travelled down the neck, past the corbone towards his armpits as he called her name with a scowl.

    ¡°Oi. Oi oi oi. Yeorum.¡±

    Hearing the faint sense of urgency in his voice, Yeorum could not stop herself and began chuckling out loud.

    For her, this was way too interesting.

    Wow!

    It was none other than Yu Jitae. That man who was always arrogant and aloof, who kept an indifferent look on his face all the time as if he was some kind of bigshot was pinned underneath her while stuttering in a hurry!

    ¡°Stop. Let¡¯s stop this kind of prank. It¡¯s tickling me.¡±

    Yeorum replied after a chuckle.

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna~. If you¡¯re respectful, then maybe. Be as polite as you can.¡±

    ¡°What kind of wacky shit is this? Stop this right now and move aside, you hear me?¡±

    ¡°No? Why should I, hnn? What¡¯s in it for me?¡±

    ¡°You. Why the hell are you doing this? Huh?¡±

    ¡°No need to worry about that. Say please. If you don¡¯t want to, be as polite as you can ¨C polite enough to satisfy me.¡±

    Her brush continued moving. It started heading to his wide chest. The destination¡­ were the dots that were acknowledged in a certain underground fight club of North America for being wonderful.

    ¡°So you¡¯re not going to do it huh~. Are you still not going to do it~? Huhh? It¡¯s going even lower though? It¡¯s already past your corbones! I can see your beautiful nipps¡­!¡±

    Yu Jitae closed his eyes with a deep sigh. He had to end this horrifying humiliation immediately.

    It was a hard call to make, but he went through with it.

    ¡°I understand, so please stop.¡±

    ¡°Uunn?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my loss, Miss.¡±

    He showed respect, but Yeorum sneered back.

    ¡°What¡¯s this about. Did you not understand what I said?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±

    ¡°I did what you told me to do, did I not?¡±

    ¡°No? I told you. You have to be polite enough to ¡®satisfy¡¯ me.¡±

    ¡°How will you be satisfied then?¡±

    Yeorum grinned like a devil and licked her lips with her tongue.

    ¡°You see, I like cute guys,¡± she said.

    Crazy. It wasn¡¯t even funny.

    Using hisst bit of strength, Yu Jitae tried to break free.

    ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡±

    Even though he scuffled and struggled as hard as he could, he just couldn¡¯t escape from her grip due to his exhausted limbs. After 20 minutes of retaliation, he asked only after being pressed back down onto the ground.

    ¡°Are you serious right now? Are you seriously telling me to act cute or something?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°I do not understand. Why do you even want to see that?¡±

    ¡°Because!¡±

    He heaved a sigh. He was too tired and he wanted to take a rest. Yu Jitae had no choice but to drop his pride.

    He closed his eyes. His lips slowly cracked open, as his vocal cords began to vibrate.

    Yeorum¡¯s eyes were tainted with excitement, and after a few seconds.

    Kyaaa? ahahahahahahahaa¨C!!

    Herughter echoed across the wastnd.

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°Oppa.¡±

    At home, it was hard to be lovey-dovey, unless it was a day like this.

    ¡°Do you remember what you saidst time?¡±

    ¡°What did I say?¡±

    ¡°You know, the thing you said when I was trying to kill myself.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Therge pair of eyes looked at him. He silently met her gaze as her lips slowly came closer in.

    Chu,

    They shared a light kiss.

    ¡°Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nothing.¡±

    Bom gave a faint smile before turning around and hopping away.

    They were at an open pavilion. Behind was the blue sky and thick clouds, and it was nothing but the evergreen nature all around.

    It was peaceful.

    A fair bit of time had passed since his reunion with the children.

    He was happy. He enjoyed each passing day; the food was delicious; his rtionship with Bom was delightful and the house they lived in together was very cosy. Until now, he had never known that living and breathing could be so enjoyable and precious.

    Only after btedly realising that, was Yu Jitae finally able to smile from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡°Unni. Look at that stupid smile on that guy¡¯s face.¡±

    Kaeul sneered while pointing at Yu Jitae. Bom, who was next to her, also gave a smile.

    What was this about? Kaeul¡¯s sudden words made the smile vanish from Yu Jitae¡¯s face.

    ¡°Mhmm¡­ Right. How shameless.¡±

    ¡°I know right. Does he think he has the right to be happy? What a piece of trash.¡±

    ¡°Well, good for us though. I can do ¡®that¡¯ now, right?¡±

    ¡°Uun. Shoot.¡±

    ¡°Yu Jitae. Watch carefully. Watch what I¡¯m doing next.¡±

    After saying that, Bom took out a ballista and pointed it at Kaeul¡¯s head.

    She then pulled the trigger.

    Baamm!

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°¡­!¡±

    Yu Jitae opened his eyes with a sh.

    Grabbing onto his chest, he tried to raise himself up but his body refused to listen to him. His body was screaming all around as if there were countless needles piercing into his body.

    With his entire body glistening from sweat, he gasped for breath.

    It was a dream.

    That thing just then was a dream.

    His sense of reality slowly came back to him as a deep frown appeared above his eyes. That was the third ¡®ridiculous nightmare¡¯ he had ever since he began living a new life.

    His neck turned rxed as his head helplessly fell back down. Something soft touched the back of his head, and only then did he notice the person sitting next to him.

    ¡°Are you okay ahjussi¡­?¡±

    It was Kaeul.

    He had been lying down with Kaeul¡¯s thigh underneath his head.

 After Story 5: After Story: Happily Ever After (5)

    <h4>After Story 5: After Story: Happily Ever After (5)</h4>

    Wondering what was going on, he tried to raise himself up but his body shrieked in pain and refused to listen to him.

    ¡°You should stay down. I¡¯m healing you right now.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. Where¡¯s Bom?¡±

    ¡°She went outside with Gyeoul. That startled me just then, you know? You suddenly started gasping and stuff.¡±

    While collecting his breath, Yu Jitae shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It was a nightmare as you said.¡±

    He felt an excruciating pain all around his body and frowned. The injuries he got during the fight against Yeorum wasn¡¯t fully recovered yet.

    ¡°Like, ahjussi. Why did you have to fight like that? How is fighting to kill each other a part of training? You could have been seriously injured with one mistake.¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s the fastest way to regain my power.¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason why you¡¯re in a rush?¡±

    There wasn¡¯t.

    It was just the way of his life ¨C he had to obtain something as quickly as possible if it had to be obtained.

    In any case, lying down using Kaeul¡¯sp as a pillow was weird no matter how he thought about it. Thus, he tried to lift his body up again but Kaeul pressed down on his forehead.

    ¡°Just stay still. Come on. Stop interrupting me; I¡¯m trying to heal you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°By the way, ahjussi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You really are a lot weaker now.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I identally¡­ saw your dream.¡±

    Drip.

    It felt like a droplet of water had dripped onto ake.

    ¡°Sorry. That must have been startling.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    That was all she said in response. Feeling slightly awkward, Yu Jitae added.

    ¡°But still, how could you peek at someone else¡¯s dream like that? If I was having an obscene dream, that would have made it ufortable for both of us.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I guess you didn¡¯t know about it because you¡¯ve always been strong, ahjussi, but we always live while passively epting the emotions and memories of other races. So me looking at your dream just then, was not because I wanted to.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°You should hurry up and be stronger if you want a sexy dream, hehe.¡±

    She joked with a smile as he shook his hand in response. Even that small movement of his arm made his chest muscles scream due to the wound carved by Yeorum so he lowered his hand back down and closed his eyes.

    Kaeul closed her mouth after the little joke, and Yu Jitae also stayed silent for a long time.

    Her hand resting on his forehead started to convey warmth down his skin. She slowly began caressing his hair.

    Leaving behind a rustle, her fingers travelled through the short strands of his hair from the forehead to the crown of his head. Kaeul stroked his hair which was probably dirty from the dust.

    He couldn¡¯t easily open his mouth.

    They had been living together for almost 2 years by now, but they still hadn¡¯t talked much about the past 1,000 years, let alone the stories thatid at the bottom of everything. Although he decided to be honest, that didn¡¯t mean all of his problems would be resolved in an instant.

    He had initially chosen deceit because of how immensely difficult it was toe out clean, and thus it was still challenging to find the right asion even after deciding to be fully honest.

    Let¡¯s do it one day when the timees. Let¡¯s do it when we can open our hearts a bit more.

    He was dying things and had been waiting for the right timing until this day. And now, while feeling her cautious fingers that were caressing his hair and her quiet gaze looking at him, he realised that the time hade atst.

    ¡°Kaeul.¡±

    ¡°Uun.¡±

    ¡°I have something to confess to you.¡±

    ¡°Unn. What is it about?¡±

    ¡°About the sins I¡¯vemitted.¡±

    He was scared. What if this asion and this method was wrong? What if it created a crack in their rtionship?

    Even though Bom had been telling him, ¡®There should be no problems,¡¯ several times until now, the sinner still couldn¡¯t control his fear.

    Rustle, rustle¨C

    The fingers stroking his hair did not stop, and that gave him the courage.

    ¡°Firstly, I need to exin¡­ about everything that happened.¡±

    Lying down, he began telling Kaeul the start of everything.

    From how he met the gold hatchling for the first time in the distant past; her life that ended with a suicide multiple times; and everything that cornered them. He talked about all the unfortunate events.

    Throughout his story, Kaeul did not say anything. All she did was silently look into his eyes and blink. He was currently very weakened and couldn¡¯t censor every piece of floating memories and those were thus being conveyed to Kaeul.

    Everything that happened to BY at the 4th iteration;

    The imprisonment in the 5th and the 6th iteration;

    And all the atrocities hemitted within the countless forgotten iterations in the middle were all fully conveyed to Kaeul. His detailed emotions during that time were also in the mix.

    Yu Jitae did not try to defend himself because excuses were not necessary in an atonement.

    Yu Jitae did not try to exin himself. He did not try to decorate his wrongdoings. It might have been possible if he wanted to, but he didn¡¯t.

    He simply chose to be honest.

    ¡°¡­¡­Can you please, forgive me?¡±

    Kaeul stopped her hand. That acted like a small signal that made Yu Jitae feel uneasy. No matter how happy Kaeul was in the 7th iteration, a change in history tended to negate happy memories.

    An approach with a hidden agenda.

    Pretentious kindness.

    Those hands that tied and imprisoned me were the same ones caressing my hair all the time, huh¡­

    That must be how Yu Jitae appeared to Kaeul.

    Anxiously, he held his breath and waited for her next words. Soon, Kaeul slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°Uun.¡±

    Yu Jitae widened his eyes.

    There were drops of tears budding in her eyes. The child gave a faint smile as the tears travelled down her cheeks.

    Kaeul smiled at him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have the right to forgive but¡­ if I do, I will forgive you.¡±

    He felt his heart beating rapidly.

    Because of how hard it was for him to pour those words out, and because of the long moments of his fear and uneasiness,

    Kaeul¡¯s one word felt like a breeze warmer than anything else that started to melt his past regrets and fears.

    ¡°So promise me, you won¡¯t have a dream like that again¡­¡±

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely choctes when you¡¯re feeling down!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Here. Hurry up and have some.¡±

    Yu Jitae was unable to even lift a fork and was leaning on the backrest, when Kaeul suddenly came up and fed him a piece of the chocte cake like what he used to do when Kaeul was sick one day.

    ¡°You see, after returning to Askalifa.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°I looked after gnomes.¡±

    Kaeul started talking about the ¡®things that happened in a world without Yu Jitae¡¯ which she had been hiding in her heart.

    ¡°Raising kids is not easy, right?¡±

    ¡°Egugu. Don¡¯t even mention it¡­¡±

    She gave another silly smile before cutting off a piece of the cake and bringing it to his mouth. Looking back on the time she spent with the gnomes, there were in fact more memories of her hardship than her happiness.

    ¡°That made me think about ahjussi a lot.¡±

    ¡°About me?¡±

    ¡°Uun. Because I was clearly the biggest problem. You never showed it on the outside, but you must have been very frustrated and tired on the inside, right?¡±

    ¡°No?¡± Yu Jitae denied while shaking his head.

    There was no need to be honest about every single thing.

    ¡°As if it¡¯s a ¡®no¡¯! Hehe.¡±

    Kaeul chuckled before raising the coffee mug and bringing the straw to his mouth.

    It was on a certain sunny afternoon of early autumn.

    In the middle of the background noise of the small cafe, the two people who had once been a guardian and a ward continued talking to each other. In a world where they no longer had to feel hurt, they shared the warmth of the past and that brought a small amount of peace to his sick heart.

    ¡°Thank you for apologising to me.

    ¡°I will do a lot better from now on¡­¡±

    Kaeul said with a bright smile.

    .

    .

    .

    That day,

    Yu Jitae received redemption from a girl.

    .

    .

    .

    However, that was only the beginning. He still had to ask the other kids for their forgiveness.

    When would be the right timing? Who should I apologise to first?

    He was pondering and deliberating on the right asion as time rapidly flew by.

    As he was starting to regain his power through his usual personal training sessions, Yu Jitae suddenly realised that he had recovered arge portion of his strength and said to Yeorum.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a fight, Yu Yeorum.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to be humiliated again?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Master~?. Pleaseeee stoppp?¡±

    Yeorum chortled after copying someone¡¯s (?) lines.

    Yu Jitae denied it.

    He had no idea what she was talking about¡­

    It was quite straight-forward after they arrived at the training grounds. Yu Jitae picked up a wooden sword and immediately dashed at Yeorum.

    Kwang kwang kwang kwang!

    After several bouts, Yeorum went for a closebat again while remembering how to deal with Yu Jitae.

    But unlike how he had to dodge her attacks a few months ago due to insufficient power, he chucked his sword away and punched back. He smacked Yeorum¡¯s head with his fist and bashed her as hard as he could on her stomach. ¡®Uhk! Fuck!¡¯ In return, Yeorum kicked his jaws with her knee as he wobbled and began to stumble back.

    A chance!

    Yeorum grabbed him by his cors and gave his forehead a headbutt. Bbaakkk! It rippled the surrounding air as dust soared up from the ground and covered the area.

    His body was falling ¨C his back was about to reach the ground.

    However, he suddenly shot his eyes wide open and made use of the power behind her frontal dash. He twisted his back and pulled Yeorum down until she was underneath him.

    Kung!

    After a rotation in the air, Yu Jitae was able to press down on Yeorum from above.

    ¡°Hoh?¡±

    Yeorum retaliated while hiding her fluster. What she didn¡¯t know was that Yu Jitae was also a master in grappling.

    ¡°Uaahk! For fuck¡¯s sake!¡±

    No matter what she did, she couldn¡¯t push nor pull him away. Whenever she somehow raised her body back up, his foot came flying in from a mysterious angle and made her fall back down.

    As if she was stuck in a quagmire, Yeorum could not get up despite trying everything she could.

    When none of her tricks worked, she tried to shoot mes to burn his body but after recovering his power, Yu Jitae was able to withstand her mes.

    Bouncing her back, she tried to stand up so Yu Jitae held onto her neck and squashed her down.

    He suppressed her thighs to stop her legs from floundering around, and immediately sat on top of her body when she stopped moving.

    Pressing down on both of her wrists, he used his other hand to take out a dagger and rest it near her neck.

    ¡°Huuk, huuk¡­ Fuck¡­¡±

    That was the end of their fight.

    It was the grappling fight of two existences that were at the level of adult dragons. The ground was squashed and crumbled into fragments during their fight and the entire region was in aplete mess.

    ¡°Haa. You became he strong in those few freaking months¡­¡±

    Yeorum shook her head with a dejected smile.

    It was the deration of her loss.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    However, Yu Jitae did not move.

    With her eyes stuck on him who was still pressing down on her body, Yeorum blinked her eyes.

    Did he not understand what she meant? Although Yeorum detested losing more than death, losing to Yu Jitae wasn¡¯t really that big of a problem.

    It didn¡¯t hurt her pride as much so she tried voicing those words out.

    ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯s over. I lost.¡±

    However, Yu Jitae still refused to move.

    His eyes were still indifferently gazing down at her. In that instant, she felt spooked.

    ¡°What you looking at? I¡¯m telling you I lost. Why are you still there?¡±

    In the middle of her words, Yeorum denied the thought that sparked in her mind. It was Yu Jitae out of everyone in the world.

    There¡¯s no way.

    There was no way that ¡®Yu Jitae¡¯ would be so narrow-minded that he wanted revenge right?

    But¡­ her line of thought was crushed due to the smile hanging on Yu Jitae¡¯s lips.

    ¡°¡­Yu Yeorum.¡±

    Oh no.

    He mischievously called her name, as Yeorum felt goosebumps appearing all over her skin.

    ¡°Why. Fucking what.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t forget, did you?¡±

    ¡°Forget what¡­?!¡±

    Even though she pretended like she was clueless, she was a dragon.

    And dragons did not forget.

    ¡°That thing on that day was the biggest humiliation of my entire life.¡±

    ¡°W, what are you talking about!¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m the type that always takes revenge.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Revenge for what? This is just a spar, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    She felt spooked.

    Yu Jitae raised his dagger and stabbed it next to her neck as a handful of her hair was cut off. After lowering the knife, he grabbed onto the bundle of red hair.

    ¡°No no no. Stop.¡±

    Yeorum gave a straight face, but that in turn brightened up the look on Yu Jitae¡¯s face.

    ¡°This is wrong. It¡¯s a crime if you do it!¡±

    ¡°Who says?¡±

    ¡°Everyone does! Fuck. Anyway, no! It¡¯s fine if I¡¯m the one doing it, but you can¡¯t, you crazy freak!¡±

    A smile appeared on his lips. She got goosebumps from that smile and quickly tried to cut off her senses but Yu Jitae¡¯s mana squeezed in before she could and repressed her mana.

    ¡°Wait, fuck¨C¡±

    Soon, the red brush went down and reached her body. Itnded somewhere between her neck and her corbones.

    ¡°Wait, wait! You fucker! Don¡¯t¨C Kyahahahh?¡±

    Yeorum resisted like an electrocuted fish but it was in vain. With an amused smile on his face, Yu Jitae moved the brush around.

    ¡°Oi oi oi! You damn bastard! I¡¯m telling on you! I¡¯m gonna tell Yu Bom you love tickling girls!

    ¡°I warned you. You do this and we¡¯re no longer friends. Okay? Ahhnnng! Seriously, I¡¯m betting on my mum that we will no longer be friends! Kyaaakk!

    ¡°O, okay. Okay. My bad. I will scrap that, okay? I won¡¯t tell Yu Bom either. Nn? I, I can pretend like this never happened¡­!

    ¡°Please h, help me. Sir! I don¡¯t want to be ticklledd¡­!¡±

    Yeorum tried everything she could to try to stop Yu Jitae but he ignored them all. Goosebumps were covering her skin as her stomach caved up and down following her coarse breaths.

    ¡°Waittt! Seriously, no ears! Please! My ears are he sensitive¨C Kuuaaaahahah?¡±

    *

    That day, the barren wastnd was filled with screams.

    Yeorum was tickled until she broke out in tears.

 After Story 6: After Story: Happily Ever After (6)

    <h4>After Story 6: After Story: Happily Ever After (6)</h4>

    Yu Jitae lifted his body as Yeorum gasped for breath like a squid out on thend. She appeared to have be powerless due to the immensely long tickle.

    ¡°¡­You know.¡±

    While thinking to himself that she must be getting ready to swear at him, he reached his hand out to help her stand back up.

    ¡°I fought with my oldest unni after going back.¡±

    However, she suddenly started talking about a whole different topic.

    Crossing her legs, she covered her eyes with the back of her hand.

    The fight against her oldest unni¡­ was naturally something he had constantly been curious about. The only reason he didn¡¯t ask till now was because he wanted her to mention it herself.

    Yeorum returned to Earth thanks to Bom¡¯s oath after shepleted her Grand Schema.

    In other words, there could only be one reason why Yeorum was able to be here.

    ¡°So you won. You beat her.¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    He felt his heart being quite overwhelmed with emotions.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum.¡±

    His voice was a little brighter.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m insane, right?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re crazy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is Yeorum cool?¡±

    ¡°Fabulous.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is she the best?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the best in the entire universe.¡±

    Yeorum twitched her lips as she soon let out a grin.

    Kulkulkul¡­ Like a person who can¡¯t control theirughter, she continued giggling like a boiling kettle.

    Hispliment was like a full stop to her story.

    ¡°You did an excellent job.¡±

    Her smile slowly dissipated.

    At this moment, Yeorum had her life and hard work acknowledged once again by the one who trusted her more than herself.

    That very person asked her a question.

    ¡°How did you fight her? Do you mind telling me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    She described everything that happened back then to Yu Jitae including every detail possible. While talking about those moments, a drop of tear left her eye and like a water-drop on a document, it tainted the paper to smudge the ink of her memories.

    Wiping off those tears, Yeorum calmly continued her story.

    Starting from the 300 years which had gone by as she blindly waited for the Selection Ceremony after returning from the Amusement, Yeorum exined how she trampled upon the condescending gazes of her parents to kill her oldest sister, as well as how she wailed by herself in front of her youngest unni¡¯s grave at the end of everything.

    Those stories, feelings and words created a lump in her throat whenever she looked back on them but¡­

    He serenely listened to her story and lent a close ear to her chronicles.

    Meanwhile, it made Yu Jitae think that today might be the day for him to ask Yeorum for her forgiveness, but her following words put a stop to his line of thought.

    ¡°It was super hard for everyone, you know that?¡±

    ¡°I think I do, the more I listen to your stories.¡±

    ¡°But, to be honest, I don¡¯t think what I went through is even close to half of all the suffering Yu Bom had to go through.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you really need to take good care of her. She worked really, really hard.¡±

    Yeorum then started mentioning the chronicles of Bom in a soft voice. She talked about the crazy vengeful spirits of the ck dragons, the war of green dragons¡­ and the likes.

    ¡°But I guess she wouldn¡¯t have been that worried about the future. Because she must have been certain that she will be sleeping with you as a ck-hair¡­¡±

    Her next words, however, were very confusing for Yu Jitae. Sleeping with him as a ck-hair?

    ¡°What is that about?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Do <i>¡®what¡¯</i> with me as a ck hair?¡±

    ¡°Ehng¡­?¡±

    As if she finally noticed her mistake, Yeorum shook her hands.

    ¡°Pretend like you didn¡¯t hear that.¡±

    ¡°What is it about?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, I don¡¯t know. Whatever. Don¡¯t tell her I told you that, and don¡¯t even pretend like you know what it¡¯s about. Okay?¡±

    Yu Jitae was already greatly intrigued though, because he remembered how Bom used to pick a few females in the Association to be friends with. What wasmon between all of them except for one person was that they were all Asians.

    Until now, he didn¡¯t know why she hadn¡¯t tried to befriend some females over others and couldn¡¯t find anythingmon between them, but the sudden words of Yeorum became a puzzle piece that entered his head.

    He remembered the hair colours of the ones Bom had been trying to be friends with.

    He recalled the appearances of Kang Ahjin, Zhuge Haiyan and Freya Wahabi.

    ck hair¡­

    They all had ck hair.

    ¡°That ck hair or whatever ¨C are you really not going to tell me what it is?¡±

    ¡°Ahhh, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I can¡¯t tell you anything!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. Just forget about it. Please!¡±

    Yeorum stood up and shook her hands in the air before jumping across the dimensions to escape from him.

    After that, he asked her a few more times in secret when they were at home but Yeorum did not tell him anything.

    Yu Jitae recalled what she said.

    ¨C But I guess she wouldn¡¯t have been that worried about the future. Because she must have been certain that she will be sleeping with you as a ck-hair¡­

    It sounded positive as if there was an underlyingyer of hope.

    ¡®Sleeping¡¯ was probably referring to a sexual rtionship.

    In other words, that meant Bom with ck hair having an intercourse with him would lead to some kind of optimistic result.

    That, however, was strange.

    It was because her hair had been turning back to green ever since they met each other again. There was pretty much no strand of ck hair left.

    If ¡®ck hair¡¯ would lead to a optimistic result,

    Then why was her hair turning back to ¡®green¡¯?

    ***

    In the end, he couldn¡¯t ask Yeorum for forgiveness that day, but he decided not to be in a hurry.

    Atonement was his lifelong duty. There was no need to be in a hurry, and the future ahead of them was still very long.

    He would have more opportunities in the future.

    Thus, he decided to drop the things rted to his atonement in daily life for the time being, and started pondering about Bom¡¯s show of affection.

    He was way too curious to disregard it, but asking wasn¡¯t an option either considering the frantic attitude Yeorum showed when he asked her a few times. It didn¡¯t seem like a joke and seemed like a fairly serious topic that shouldn¡¯t be delved into.

    Yu Jitae wanted to find the truth.

    There were 2 keywords.

    1. ck Hair

    2. Show of Affection

    There was nothing he could do about the first one. It wasn¡¯t something he could openly ask about, so he had to control the variables and make Bom introduce the topic.

    Thus, he decided to control the second element. After that day, he avoided having deep affectionate actions with Bom.

    It wasn¡¯t easy.

    There were only three rooms. They didn¡¯t bother making any more rooms so he had to use the same room as Gyeoul and Bom.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was on a certain warm evening in Spring.

    The kids were outside ying and Bom was the only one who had returned before them.

    Aftering into the room, she stared at him, as he turned his eyes and returned the gaze.

    There was no-one inside the house as the two of them shared a suggestive eye-contact.

    Bom looked very pretty today as well. Her eyes that were gazing up at his eyes from uneasiness and the nervously pursed lips were a sight to behold.

    They had already done it a few times, and yet Bom was still very nervous before having a rtionship with him. That was why it was usually his job to approach her and be the one moving.

    But today, it was different.

    Yu Jitae returned a faint smile before looking away from her.

    A look of doubt appeared in Bom¡¯s eyes.

    That was the end. While suppressing the burning passion inside, he soothed himself. He continued lying down on the bed reading a book, but that was when a fragrant scent of nature cleared up his brain. That was the furtive signal Bom was throwing at him.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    However, he contained his desire and refused to move.

    Bom tilted her head.

    She then swept past her lower lips with her thin fingers.

    *

    After a few days,

    It was a day where Gyeoul and Yeorum went ying outside together despite bickering with each other all the time, while Kaeul came back after ying with Chirpy the enormous baby chicken and immediately fell asleep in her room.

    He was alone in the living room watching a documentary on hologram TV.

    That was when Bom came out of the shower like a human, while wearing a gown with her hair lifted to a bun.

    And that was a big problem. The white neck revealed beneath her hair gave off an indecent charm and the soft skin was an extremely lewd sight. That was why he was refusing to go into the room even though it was already close to midnight.

    He simply had to wait a bit more, because Gyeoul would being back very soon.

    However, Bom did not go into the room either.

    ¡°Why are you out here in the living room?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m watching a documentary.¡±

    ¡°A documentary? ¡®Architecture of the early Ottoman Empire in the 14th Century, in search of those roots¡¯¡­?¡±

    She tilted her head after reading the name of the documentary.

    ¡°Oppa, are you interested in things like this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s more interesting than I thought.¡±

    He had to give a ridiculous excuse.

    However, it was a good choice of documentary because Bom would definitely have zero interest in such a topic.

    ¡°What is it about?¡±

    But Bom threw that question while naturally sitting next to him.

    With a gush, the scent of nature grazed past his nose.

    While pretty much throwing her body on the sofa, Bom sat down and leaned on him. Her lower body crashed into his lower body as he felt the weight behind her legs.

    What was her question again?

    Was it about the content of the documentary or something?

    Yu Jitae had to pull his mind back together.

    ¡°Well. It¡¯s like¡­¡±

    ¡°Like¡­?¡±

    It was¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s just about how the way they build houses is influenced by the past.¡±

    He gave a random reply while turning towards her, but he had to immediately fix his gaze on the screen again.

    It might be because of her throwing herself down on the sofa, but the untightened knot and the loose gown revealed the lines of her white body inside.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ It doesn¡¯t look that interesting though.¡±

    Bom said with a lethargic voice while leaning her head on his shoulder, all the while wrapping her arms around his arm in a natural manner.

    He could feel something that was both soft and heavy touching his arm.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Finding the roots of the 14th Century¡¯s Ottoman Empire¡¯s architecture is not bad¡­?¡±

    ¡°I was quite bored today, you see.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why this doesn¡¯t look that bad.¡±

    ¡°Really? Hnn~¡±

    Bom gave a nod.

    That slight movement of her head shook her body as the weight touching his arm also swayed back and forth.

    He stood his ground. By recalling a random catchy song, he formed a barrier around his brain.

    However, a soft whisper from Bom shattered his barrier like it was nothing.

    ¡®Do you want to do something more fun together¡­?¡¯

    He turned stiff.

    He could feel her gaze ¨C she was definitely gazing up at his face and that was driving him crazy.

    Lust was something he had lost alongside his ¡®daily life¡¯.

    But after the return of ¡®daily life¡¯, the kids often called him a ¡®kid¡¯. He was also like a kid at the face of lust which hade back together with his daily life. Regardless of the matter with ck hair and whatever, he wanted to do something dirty with her.

    It was when bombs were going off in his head.

    ¡°Uuun¡­¡±

    Kaeul walked out of her room while rubbing her eyes.

    Yu Jitae felt those bombs being dropped into an ocean as he managed to regain hisposure.

    ¡°Uh? What are you watching till sote?¡±

    Bom, who had pulled herself away from him in the blink of an eye, replied to her with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s a documentary called ¡®In search of the roots of the 14th Century¡¯s architecture of the Ottoman Empire.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Uing? Is that the title?¡±

    ¡°Nn.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s new. Is it fun?¡±

    Kaeul headed to the kitchen while giggling to herself, as Bom gave a response that seemingly contained a hidden agenda.

    ¡°It¡¯s the most boring documentary I¡¯ve ever seen in my life.¡±

    But Kaeul, who came to the living room after a cup of milk, was instead intrigued by her description.

    ¡°That makes me curious. How boring is it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Hehe. I¡¯m gonna watch it too~¡±

    Kaeul dropped on the sofa with her bum and leaned her head on Bom.

    Hiding his inward satisfaction, Yu Jitaemended Kaeul in his heart. Well done, Yu Kaeul.

    Meanwhile, he nced at Bom. She, who was no longer leaning on his arm, had already adjusted the front of her gown.

    The risk was gone.

    Heaving a deep sigh, he deeply immersed himself in the 14th Century architecture of the early Ottoman Empire.

    Towards those deep and profound roots of the world of architecture¡­

    *

    However, the true risk came at night.

    Yeorum and Gyeoul were noting back.

    Kaeul returned to her room with a yawn, and unfortunately, the roots of the Ottoman Empire were not deep enough.

    When the documentary neared its end as the closing credits were starting to go up, Yu Jitae felt pressured and immediately called Yeorum.

    The call ended with her saying they would be back home very soon. He then tried calling Gyeoul but she said the same thing in response.

    Since there was no justification anymore behind sitting at the sofa, he lifted his body. He walked into the room and sat on the chair instead of the bed.

    But his location might not have been important. What was important was that he was alone with Bom.

    And like what she did during the day of the interim review, Bom abruptly sat down on hisp.

    ¡°¡­¡­Why are you like this these days?¡±

    ¡°What. What do you mean.¡±

    She looked at him with a depressed gaze as a voice dripping with sorrow left her mouth.

    ¡°I know you are trying to avoid me, oppa.¡±

    Yu Jitae scrutinised her eyes. Was it uneasiness? Or perhaps displeasure?

    No. Hidden beyond that in her depressed gaze was a sense of desperation.

    That let him realise something.

    As expected, the ¡®optimistic result¡¯ Bom had been harbouring in her heart throughout the hard times of Askalifa appeared to have a direct corrtion with ¡®affectionate actions¡¯.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not trying to avoid you.¡±

    He had decided not to lie, but¡­ it might not be bad to have some exceptions. Thinking that, he opened his mouth.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Why would I try to avoid you?¡±

    ¡°How do I look right now?¡±

    ¡°The prettiest in the world.¡±

    Only then did she ease her expression.

    Maybe it wasn¡¯t the affectionate action itself, but the process of sharing affection? Did it include both the physical and the psychological element?

    ¡­It was when Yu Jitae was busy thinking about the truth of the matter while having wrong guesses.

    Bom started moving her waist.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His eyes shot wide open. Holding onto his body, Bom was moving her own body by rubbing it back and forth near his thighs.

    Soon, a soft voice tickled his ears.

    ¡®Please don¡¯t run away if I¡¯m pretty.¡¯

    If the coquettish action before was a bomb, then this was like an atomic bomb. His impulses exploded like a volcano and set his mind aze.

    Gathering thest bit of his patience, he replied.

    ¡°Be patient. The kids are going to be back soon.¡±

    Bom, however, shook her head in response as he finally realised something. The optimistic result and whatever was not the reason why Bom was depressed.

    ¡®I can¡¯t be patient anymore.¡¯

    She sweetly whispered into his ears alongside a faint moan.

    ¡®I¡¯ve been waiting for a thousand years¡­¡¯

 After Story 7: After Story: Happily Ever After (7)

    <h4>After Story 7: After Story: Happily Ever After (7)</h4>

    He raised both Bom and himself up at the same time.

    He distanced himself from the source of heat. There was moisture left behind on his right thigh which made him feel cold. Bom was nkly hanging in the air like a powerless doll but her face was definitely not powerless. Her eyes were blooming with nervousness and heat and the tip of her tongue that was slightly poking out of her mouth was licking at his heart.

    Throwing her onto the bed he jumped at her. Like a lion pouncing on a rabbit he pressed down from above as Bom chuckled while faintly pushing his chest away.

    ¡®You can¡¯t¡­¡¯ she whispered as always even though it was clear that she had zero intention of stopping him.

    ¡®I might die¡­¡¯ She added those words as the emotions behind her expression deepened even more. She was even more nervous yet even happier.

    She was saying no, so should this be considered forced?

    If so, then it was time to do something bad.

    ¡­Or so he thought.

    That was when the door of the house was suddenly pushed wide open with a thud.

    Kwang!

    Judging from the sound, it seemed that Yeorum had opened it with a kick.

    ¨C Ahh fuckk! I¡¯m soo drunk~

    The following voice was the proof.

    The surging passion rapidly fell back down. Although the kids all somewhat knew about it, Yu Jitae and Bom had never shown anything simr to it on the outside and had never mentioned it either. The kids were now considerate adults but it would still be a big problem if they were caught.

    That was why he was about to quickly raise his body back up but Bom held onto his wrist. In an instant, mana floated up from her body. He checked the equations and noticed it was [Teleport] ¨C she was suggesting that they escape to a different ce.

    ¨C Yu Jitae~~ Hurry up ande out! There¡¯s something Yu Gyeoul wants to show you right now~!

    At the same time, words that werepletely outside of his expectations left Yeorum¡¯s mouth. She was telling him to e out¡¯ because there was something Gyeoul wanted to show him immediately.

    It sounded like there was something that was impossible to see if he missed the opportunity, and if he were to embrace Bom here, he would be back at sunrise.

    He turned to Bom and was met with a pair of yearning eyes.

    ¨C Yuuu Jiiitaee~. You have to be quick~!

    Her steps came closer to the door and so did her voice.

    He had to make a judgement.

    *

    Walking out of the room, Yu Jitae met Gyeoul who showed him a cluster of snow.

    There was no way it would be snowing on a summer day, so this ball of snow was proof that she was slowly regaining control over her body and magic.

    Meanwhile, Yeorum blinked her eyes while staring at Bom.

    A deep scent of forest and a slightly messy gown with wrinkles in the knot and other areas; her temperature was slightly higher than normal and what was more telling than anything else was the faint look of disappointment in her gaze.

    All the above could only mean one thing.

    Yeorum gave a frown.

    ¡®These guys¡­¡¯

    ***

    The next morning, Yu Jitae came to Yeorum and asked what the ¡®ck hair¡¯ was about one more time, but she shook her head in response.

    It might be okay to tell him at this point but it was a matter of trust, and Yeorum ced a great amount of importance on trust.

    After he left the house, Yeorum went to Bom and stood in front of her, who was quietly watching a movie in her room.

    ¡°Oi Yu Bom. Have you gone crazy or what.¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°You. I told you to definitely make sure we are not here when you¡¯re doing that stuff, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Bom became flustered but soon returned an awkward smile.

    ¡°Funny? Is this funny to you? Everyone somewhat knows about it but we don¡¯t want to know anything more about it so please don¡¯t let us see it. And besides, you¡¯re the ones that didn¡¯t want to live separately, were you not?¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn.¡±

    ¡°Seriously. Bitch, shouldn¡¯t you create an alternate dimension or something until we move to a different house and get a room for yourselves?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, but opening a dimension is a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can control myself¡­¡±

    ¡°Hoh dear~. You crazy bitch. What in the heck are you even saying.¡±

    Yeorum rebuked her. Bom also agreed that it had been too risky and thus silently listened to herints.

    ¡°Anyway, think about behaving yourself properly. You¡¯re clever; don¡¯t you understand how ufortable it would be forever for all of us?¡±

    ¡°Nn. Sorry¡­¡±

    She continued the lesson for more than thirty minutes. A conversation like this was very embarrassing and Bom nodded while feeling like hiding herself in a corner.

    Seeing that, Yeorum also changed the topic.

    ¡°Anyway, what are you gonna do if you be pregnant or something?¡±

    She talked about a random topic but looking back, it was something she was quite curious about.

    Humans could not receive the seed of a dragon and the lofty dragons did not bother receiving the seed of a petty human.

    But what if they wanted to?

    ¡°Can a human and a dragon have a child together?¡±

    Bom nodded her head. Polymorph made the body exactly the same as a human body, and they would get a child in the form of a fetus instead of an egg. Dragons didn¡¯t have periods though, because they could get pregnant at any time.

    That was why her next question was also quite natural.

    ¡°Ah, so have you been avoiding it till now then?¡±

    In that instant, Bom¡¯s expression turned dark as Yeorum became curious.

    ¡°I can¡¯t have babies.¡±

    She sounded so calm that Yeorum replied, ¡®Okay,¡¯ and only after btedly realising the meaning behind her words did she drop her chin.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°My heart was damaged severely during the war¡­¡±

    ¡°So what? Is there, like, a problem in your [Conception Organ] or something?¡±

    There were many devices in the [Dragon Heart] that rted to the reproduction and continuance of the dragon race. They yed a part in childbirth and growth, and the [Conception Organ] was the one in charge of conception.

    Bom replied with a voice that was still veryposed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a small problem. It¡¯spletely crushed.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Everything is slowlying back but that organ just refuses to heal back up¡­¡±

    It was simr to a circr bowl of ss being shattered. Even if she were to receive affection, the bowl was gone and it was difficult for a life to establish itself there.

    She had been trying it time after time just in case but had never seeded even once despite dozens of attempts¡­

    ¡°Have you told Yu Jitae?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°What? Why didn¡¯t you tell him already?¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to say this to him?¡±

    ¡°Like, it¡¯s not like you did something terrible and it was all to bring Yu Jitae back to life. What in the heck is stopping you from saying it? You should¡¯ve done it ages ago! How could you say something so important to me before Yu Jitae?¡±

    Bom pursed her lips into a pout without saying anything in response. Soon when she reopened her mouth, her voice came out in aposed tone but the slight look of depression on her face was still there.

    She said with a deep sigh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t something you can just say, ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ to.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Yeorum thought to herself that Bom was doomed, but after another nce, she realised that she looked quite nonchnt.

    ¡°Yeah, well. A baby? You don¡¯t need one.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°And you know, not everyone should raise babies. I can tell you; two mental patients shouldn¡¯t give birth to a child¡­! You guys will be happy even without a baby, right?¡±

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah and if you really want to, you can raise little Yeorum as your baby. Feed her some milk as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°And fuck, who knows? You know, in romance novels, miracles happen because of the power of love and whatever, right? You never know.¡±

    She tried her best to cheer her up as much as she could but Bom stayed silent without even nodding in return.

    ¡®Fuck it. This is not for me.¡¯ Yeorum said to herself.

    In any case, it was her fault for bringing up a wrong topic. With her mind in a slightly vacant state, she threw out a random topic for a change of mood.

    ¡°By the way, you know, there is something I¡¯ve been curious about.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Hoho, how is Yu Jitae¡¯s Dick Jitae, hmm~?¡±

    Uhh, wait, this is not it.

    Yeorum reproached herself. Due to being in a hurry, both her question and the tone of her voice came out strange. Bom gave a slight frown but it was toote to swallow her words back in.

    But all in all, it was true that she was curious.

    ¡°So how is Dick Jitae. Is he good?¡±

    ¡°Yeorum. What are you talking about in broad daylight?¡±

    Bom raised her tone in a fluster, and there was an undisguisable trace of fluster in her eyes.

    ¡°Who¡¯s stopping me from saying it during the day? So, is he good at that or what?¡±

    Yeorum rolled her hand into a fist and pounded it on her palm multiple times. Bom¡¯s face turned into a deep blush.

    ¡°Seriously. You¡­¡±

    ¡°And how is his peepee? It¡¯s not going to be this small considering his build and his height, right?¡±

    She said while pointing out her index finger.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­! Why are you even curious about that?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m super curious! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m ever going to see it, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course you shouldn¡¯t see it¡­!¡±

    ¡°So you tell me how it is as someone who saw it in real time!¡±

    ¡°What kind of nonsense is that¡­? I don¡¯t want to!¡±

    ¡°Ahh, why are you so against it?! Did I say I want to have a taste? Or did I tell you I want to use it? I have zero interest in anything like that, so just tell me the size of your dildo!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Stop asking such a strange question¡­!¡±

    Yeorum persisted with her questions so Bom ran away in disgust.

    However, Bom wasn¡¯t showing a possessive attitude like the time when she was under a self-brainwash, and just seemed quite embarrassed based on her reddened cheeks.

    Despite her attempts, Yeorum did not give up and continued asking questions while chasing after her.

    ¡°C¡¯mon! Is his dick big or small!¡±

    She became increasingly more curious over time.

    What would Yu Jitae be like on the bed?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Stop following me¡­!¡±

    Bom started sprinting away but Yeorum was a little faster. She even used teleport to escape, but Yeorum also knew how to teleport after all those years and followed suit.

    Through the deserts, all the way through Lair and to the middle of the Antic Ocean, their race continued as Yeorum consistently begged about his dick.

    ¡°Are you not gonna tell me?¡±

    ¡°Why the hell would I tell you, you dumbass¡­!¡±

    Atst when Bom even cursed at her, Yeorum felt her curiosity almost erupting like an active volcano.

    It was because of the doubt that it might actually be super tiny!

    ¡°Ey, let¡¯s just do aparison, okay? I won¡¯t ask you anymore if you tell me this.¡±

    ¡°What now!¡±

    ¡°Is it this big?¡±

    Yeorum created a long gap between her thumb and her index finger in front of her eyes. Bom red back at her in extreme disgust before heaving out a deep sigh and distractedly scratching her hair.

    Bom settled her heart that had been jolting in embarrassment, after which she opened her mouth with a voice dripping with disgust.

    ¡°Yeorum. Sometimes you act like an actual piece of trash, you know that.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°How can you ask me that question after everything I told you?¡±

    ¡°My bad!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re sorry, then go away. Stop following me!¡±

    ¡°Hing¡­ But onee-chan! Little Yeorum is a red dragon and is super curious about weenies¡­ ?.¡± Yeorum replied with an awkward smile.

    It was seriously a crazy obsession. Bom heaved another deep sigh before turning to Yeorum¡¯s hand.

    She irritatedly red at it before giving up and reaching her hand out. Her hand travelled towards Yeorum¡¯s hand and¨C

    It went past and grabbed onto her arm.

    ¡°Wat¡­?¡±

    Yeorum¡¯s eyes widened into circles, as she dumbfoundedly looked back at the olive pair of eyes. She was too stunned to say anything. Her mouth was agape as if she was smacked on the back of her head.

    Yeorum nodded as Bom nodded back to her.

    Nod nod¡­

    Meanwhile, Bom¡¯s face was so red it seemed like she was seconds away from exploding, but considering how stubborn Yeorum was, she decided to tell her one more thing.

    ¡°Have you heard of the Korean expression, ¡®So good you could die¡¯?¡±

    ¡®Hue?¡¯ Yeorum replied in a shrill voice as a shocking set of words reached her ears.

    ¡°¡­¡­You do faint, but you don¡¯t die.¡±

    Leaving those words behind, Bom jumped over the dimensions and disappeared.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Left alone in the middle of the Antic Ocean, Yeorum thought to herself.

    Holy cow.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Swoosh¨C

    The wind blew at her face as she gazed into the horizon.

    She then nodded her head.

    Nod, nod¡­

    *

    Yeorum returned home.

    She saw Gyeoul, who as always frowned immediately after seeing her. Usually, she would have thrown her a curse word but today¡¯s Yeorum met her gaze with a serious look on her face and nodded.

    Nod, nod¡­

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Gyeoul tilted her head in displeasure.

    *

    At night, Yu Jitae returned home after sending the byproducts of a dungeon to an auction house. Yeorum was ying a game in the living room, and when he came in, she turned around. Her gaze shifted to his feet and slowly came up, before suddenly going back down and stopping at a certain part of his body.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Yeorum raised her thumb.

    ¡°What. Why are you showing me your thumb,¡± he asked but she didn¡¯t say anything in response.

    After giving him a thumbs-up, she stole a nce at her own arm before turning back to him with a nod.

    Nod, nod¡­

    He frowned.

    For some reason, he felt like a victim of sexual harassment.

 After Story 8: After Story: Happily Ever After (8)

    <h4>After Story 8: After Story: Happily Ever After (8)</h4>

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom was feeling down.

    There were actually a few things which she hadn¡¯t mentioned to Yeorum. After retrieving the lost daily life, Bom had thrown Yu Jitae roundabout questions a few times, asking if he had conducted an experiment and taken a look at the organs rted to conception and childbirth when vivisecting her body.

    But he shook his head.

    ¨C I didn¡¯t.

    ¨C Why?

    ¨C All my experiments were rted to the Origin Fragment. There was no reason for me to touch anything else.

    ¨C Did you not touch the heart at all?

    ¨C To be exact, I did have a look at a section of the heart that shared organs with the Origin Fragment. The things inside a Dragon Heart weren¡¯t actually in one piece so there was no need to touch anything else.

    Throughout his response, Yu Jitae stole nces at her face in concern because their conversation was rted to his unsightly past of conducting experiments on her body.

    However, Bom had already forgiven him and did not care about it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was on a certain midsummer evening when she was alone by herself. The surroundings were quiet and the sunset over the window was casting an ambient light over everything.

    While applying a red pedicure on her toes, Bom thought to herself.

    I¡¯m currently living a happy life.

    Each and every passing day was overwhelmingly precious and satisfying for Bom. She no longer had any great concerns or problems like the past, and was creating wonderfully incredible memories with the kids and her most precious person in the world, Yu Jitae.

    However, not everything can be perfect and beautiful¡­

    That was the bitter truth of reality.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her toenails were coloured into lustrous red as she deeply pondered to herself.

    Like other women, Bom also couldn¡¯t help but think about having a child after having someone whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and that was what she had been thinking of for the past several centuries at the very least.

    A reunion with Yu Jitae, having his baby and living happily ever after forever.

    That was the hopeful future she had been harbouring in her heart through the agonising times at the bottom of hell.

    And because of that, Bom cried buckets out after realising her [Conception Organ] had been shattered, even though she still had to act in front of her mother and the vengeful spirits.

    One of her greatest hopes had been crushed.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Bom forced a smile on her face.

    She had to stop that line of thought because lingering on that topic only made her more depressed. As long as she forgot about it, although it was unforgettable, she could still live while immersing herself in happiness.

    ¨C How could you say something so important to me before Yu Jitae?

    Yeorum¡¯s voice vividly came back to the surface.

    But, how was I even supposed to say this to oppa?

    ***

    It might be because she was greatly conscious of it already, but Bom started having a strange experience after that.

    First of all, her eyes picked up more children in the streets than before, to the point it made her wonder if this was the normal number of kids in the neighbourhood or not. There were a lot of children energetically running around with a shout, as well as babies nkly gazing at the sky on a pram.

    At the start, her eyes were fixed on those young children, but they soon moved up towards the joyful parents.

    People smiling with their babies standing on theirp; a mother gazing down at her child while breastfeeding; and a father walking with his son sitting on his shoulders¡­

    It must be because she was jealous. After admitting that fact, Bom decided to switch off her interest for the time being while waiting for her emotions to settle back down.

    However, that wasn¡¯t the end of her strange experiences.

    ¡°Hehe, chirp chirp ?¡±

    Jiirp, jerrp~

    It was when she went to a spirit beast cafe with Kaeul and Chirpy.

    Kaeul loved spirit beasts and came here very often. Bom followed her today and came across all sorts of cute spirit beasts that ranged from birds, cats, dogs and mice to spirit beasts that resembled animals that were not from Earth.

    ¡°Uh? You¡¯re here!¡±

    There was someone who recognised Kaeul as soon as she came inside. Surprisingly, it was the staff working at the spirit beast cafe.

    ¡°Yess. Hello!¡±

    ¡°Aigo, one of our kids was dying for you toe.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Could you please have a look?¡±

    The staff brought a young hedgehog spirit beast. It was ring at the keeper with the quills on its back standing tall, and looked quite temperamental.

    ¡°Ehew. Is this child doing this again? Haha.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. It¡¯s very concerning. He doesn¡¯t want any food. It¡¯s great that he¡¯s okay for a week after every time youe, Miss, but¡­¡±

    Bom tilted her head while wondering what that was about, but that was when Kaeul carefully hugged the hedgehog, while making sure the sharp quills wouldn¡¯t stab through her clothes.

    The upset hedgehog red at Kaeul as she looked into its eyes in return.

    She then carefully swayed the hedgehog back and forth, regrly like a rocking cradle.

    ¡°C¡¯mon. Why didn¡¯t you have any food?¡±

    Kaeul coaxed in a soft voice, while gently tickling its nose with her fingers. She slowly rocked back and forth as if the spirit beast was her precious baby. The hedgehog slowly relieved its tension and peacefully gazed up at Kaeul while diligently twitching its nose for a sniff.

    ¡°Egugu. Good boy¡­¡±

    Atst, after hearing Kaeul¡¯s soft tone of voice that even soothed her heart and seeing the affectionate interaction between the spirit beast and Kaeul, Bom felt strange yet again.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This was not good.

    Besides, there was no reason for her to feel this way.

    Bom told herself that it was because she was overly concerned about looking away from it in the streets that she was seeing their interaction in such a strange light. Bom scratched her head and tried to empty her mind.

    But her thoughts had already been sparked to an ember, and her strange thoughts continued even after she returned to Unit 301.

    For some bizarre reason, Gyeoul¡¯s tiny head was sucking in her gaze more than ever, and the same was with her small, doll-like body as well as her chubby cheeks that she could see from behind¡­

    Lastly, seeing Gyeoul¡¯s minute fingers fidgeting around zealously left an afterimage in her brain.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    That was when Gyeoul suddenly turned around with a flick. She was asking her with her gaze, ¡®What are you looking at.¡¯

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Bom chuckled while stroking her hair. After that, she was about to go back to her room but was stopped by Gyeoul who suddenly walked up to her with the remote controller in her hands. A bright smile was hanging on her lips, and she seemed keen on watching a movie together.

    Bom felt awkward.

    Whenever they were watching a movie together, Gyeoul always used to sit on herp. The backrest was too ufortable when sitting on Kaeul, and the seat was too ufortable in the case of Yeorum¡­ or it might in fact be her existence itself.

    Due to those reasons, Gyeoul¡¯s favourite sofa was Bom.

    Now, they were no longer in the rtionship of a mother and a daughter. They were just friends who were slightly more affectionate of one another.

    Was she wrong for being conscious of it?

    Should she be natural like before?

    Thinking that, Bom ced the child down on herp and watched the movie together.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Actually, she tried to, but couldn¡¯t do it naturally.

    The small head resting on her chest was way too adorable, and the tiny body leaning on her belly was so endearing that it almost drove her crazy.

    ¡®This is not good¡­¡¯

    She couldn¡¯t focus on the movie at all.

    Gyeoul was too cute.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m sorry but I think I have to stop watching the movie¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a bit tired.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    After that, she avoideding into contact with Gyeoul. Gyeoul seemed puzzled by her actions but it couldn¡¯t be helped, because Bom had to consciously create a distance between herself and Gyeoul.

    But as if mocking her determination, a different situation came knocking on the door.

    It was on a certain morning.

    Yu Jitae was getting ready to go out to a park with Gyeoul sitting on his shoulders. There was a speaking practice book in his hands ¨C the two of them were nning on going to a park and practising speaking to help Gyeoul with her pronunciation.

    Gyeoul chuckled and mumbled something into his ears as a simr smile bloomed on his face.

    Yu Jitae and a baby.

    That¡¯s what their rtionship appeared like in her eyes.

    It seemed way too natural and joyful.

    The image of Yu Jitae and a baby was a perfect match¡­ as if it was straight out of a painting.

    *

    [The birth of a baby means a new rtionship and the start of a society.]

    That was the phrase Bom saw when reading a book that day. Her fingers twitched. She almost unconsciously closed the book but somehow managed to continue reading the next words.

    [It is when there are exactly 3 or more people that we form a ¡®society¡¯. Three liars can forge the truth, and two out of the three can bring misfortune on the remaining one. Members of the society gain ess to a far greater amount of power than what they possessed as an individual.]

    [It¡¯s the same for a married couple and their baby. The happiness of themselves as an individual is brought by the happiness of the society and as such, the members seek a healthy and happy society for the happiness of their own. The personal wounds and dissatisfaction the couple has against each other be easier to swallow after the birth of a baby, let alone the ones that were made before the foundation of the society.]

    [The birth of a baby is one of the methods that allows a couple to forget the past misfortune and head towards a new rtionship¡ª]

    Bom closed the book.

    *

    This might be why Yu Jitae started to avoid having a rtionship with her.

    In the end, Bom couldn¡¯t spend the night with Yu Jitae on the day they discovered the deep roots of the Ottoman Empire.

    She didn¡¯t have any opportunities after that. Before, there would have been some level of furtive show of affection in the inhabited staircases of the apartment or the quiet and dark alleyways but nothing happened even when they were alone in such areas.

    That was why Bom thought to herself that it must be somehow rted to babies. Although she couldn¡¯t exactly connect that reason to what was happening right now, she couldn¡¯te up with any other possible reason.

    Bom knew that she had to confess about her infertility to Yu Jitae one day, so she slowly prepared herself over time.

    After a while, she had the opportunity.

    It was when they left on a family trip.

    ***

    The family trip was very enjoyable.

    Spending 2 weeks in a cabin next to the coast with a warm breeze, they caught fish for sashimi and caught prawns and the likes for a stew. They cooked raw sausages andmb shanks, and topped them with nice sauces, and had plenty of delicious food.

    They saw a bunch of pretty corals, and travelling around the wonderful underwater scenery was also a delightful experience. When they were having a race by holding onto the shells of turtle spirit beasts, Yeorum constantly bickered with her turtle so Bomughed her heart out.

    Quietly chatting with each other under the refreshing breeze at night in front of the campfire was also a nice experience. Having a sneaky kiss with him away from the eyes of everyone else and then hiding from Gyeoul who walked towards them during their kiss¡­

    Everything made her happy.

    Lastly, she gazed at the falling stars.

    It was the same thing they saw when they first met; as well as during their farewell and today ¨C even though it was her third time seeing falling stars, that scene always appeared refreshing and beautiful.

    After waiting for the right opportunity, Bom asked Yu Jitae if they could take a walk along the coastline with just the two of them.

    Holding onto his hand, she walked across the fine grains of sand on bare feet, beforeing to a stop and sitting down.

    It was a bright and starry night.

    A long silence befell the beach. It was time for her to say it, but the long silence made her feel all the more frightened. The answer she had been running away from the whole time added to her fears.

    However, his hand grasping onto hers was very warm. His hand used to be cold the whole time but that was now no longer that case. That was like a sce for Bom and gave her courage.

    She marked the end of her hesitation by opening her mouth.

    ¡°There is something I want to ask.¡±

    ¡°I actually have one myself as well.¡±

    ¡°Then shall we ask one at a time?¡±

    ¡°Sure. You can go first.¡±

    ¡°We both have to be honest, okay?¡±

    He nodded as the back and forth QnA session began.

    A wet and soothing breeze blew at her face. Bom chewed on her lower lips before finally opening her mouth.

    ¡°Why have you been avoiding me these days?¡±

    ¡°¡­You mean from having a rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I happened to hear about a ck-hair.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    Bom widened her eyes into circles.

    Yu Jitae replied while looking back at her.

    ¡°What is this thing about a ck-haired person, Bom? And what¡¯s the rtionship between me and the ck-hair? There is something I am not aware of.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if it¡¯s hard for you to say it. It didn¡¯t seem like a light topic to casually ask about, so I was wondering and thought you would tell me in one way or another if I avoided having a rtionship with you, but that wasn¡¯t the case either.¡±

    It seemed that they had been misunderstanding each other.

    The thing about ck hair was probably something he heard from Yeorum. Him avoiding her wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t like her, nor was it because of the problem with babies.

    Bom felt the problems in her heart melting away as she replied with a smile.

    ¡°A long time ago¡­ I saw this Providence.¡±

    She told him about the future and the Providence she saw a long time ago; including how she saw herself being embraced by him as a ¡®green hair¡¯, followed by a ck-haired woman in his arms in a distant future.

    ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t think that ck-haired woman is anyone else no matter how much I think about it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    He mischievously pulled her in as she copsed to the side. ¡®Kyaaha¨C¡¯ Bom chuckled as sheid down using hisp as a pillow.

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And after that, I thought of something.¡±

    She was embraced by him as a ¡®green hair¡¯, and she was happy. In the future, she would be embraced by him again with her hair dyed ck, but that was up to her choice now.

    It was a very rare phenomenon how the thing she saw through the Eye of Providence had be a choosable future.

    ¡°My happiness has been proven tost until I do it with my hair dyed ck. In other words, that means our rtionship will continue forever all the way until I spend a night with you, oppa, with ck hair. That much is certain.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know anything about the future after that. And you see, thinking about how clueless I was, I became very uneasy. It felt like I was walking with my eyes closed¡­¡±

    Bom said with a self-deprecating smile.

    After knowing the backstory, he felt pity. If she had a firm belief that this happiness wouldst forever, she wouldn¡¯t be thinking about such a thing.

    That in turn meant that Bom was still uneasy about this happiness.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s like my totem. A totem of belief that we will definitely love each other until that day. Haha¡­¡±

    Like how he had been having a nightmare, she also had her own share of troubles.

    <strong></strong>

 After Story 9: After Story: Happily Ever After (9)

    <h4>After Story 9: After Story: Happily Ever After (9)</h4>

    He looked back at his own past. Even though it had already been a long time, he could still close his eyes and see it vividly in his memories.

    Because of how precious his daily life was, the problems thrown by reality that brought him to devastation were shivering cold like the de of a knife.

    Since the start of his wounds had been from daily life, he was no longer able to take in that daily life with afortable heart. It was an anxiety that stemmed from his mental scars.

    He would oftentimes feel uneasy despite being calm most of the time, and that appeared to be the same for Bom.

    How long ago was it that she started having such symptoms? Looking back at how her hair started turning green immediately after their reunion, he noticed that it must have been from the start. That meant Bom had also been suppressing her surging anxiety by actingposed like he did.

    Thinking about it like that, he felt a sense of kinship rather than pity.

    He opened his mouth.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that worried.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t fight like before, right?¡±

    ¡°That will never happen.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t like, hate me on the inside or anything?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Why would I hate you aftering this far?¡±

    ¡°So is everything okay? Are we all happy?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t need to be anxious about anything. Think about all the things we went through to obtain this happiness. Why would we let go of it?¡±

    ¡°Right. That¡¯s right¡­¡±

    Like a broken dam, her lips shivered and endlessly poured out words.

    ¡°Nn. You¡¯re right. I know. I know but¡­ I know there¡¯ll be nothing happening to us and I¡¯m also sure that we will continue living happily but¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t sound like it at all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the strange part. Even though everything is definitely making me happy, I keep getting scared and I keep on having these insecure thoughts¡­¡±

    Her eyelids started to tremble. It was something she had never shown after returning to daily life.

    Yu Jitae squinted his eyes.

    ¡°Bom. Let¡¯s calm down. Take a deep breath.¡±

    ¡°D, do you not like green hair?¡±

    ¡°What is this about all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°Does my green hair appear like a symbol of disbelief? Or maybe it doesn¡¯t make me look as pretty?¡±

    She asked while tightly grasping onto her hair but he shook his head in return. Bom was still pretty and the colour was not important.

    ¡°Then, you know. Nn. What if I tie it like this? You know how I don¡¯t tie my hair very often.¡±

    Saying that, she suddenly took out the stic band that was around her wrist and began tying her hair. It was quite rare as she said to see her in a ponytail.

    ¡°Do you still not hate me?¡±

    He naturally didn¡¯t hate her. Hairstyle had nothing to do with it.

    Over time, Yu Jitae realised that there must be a reason why Bom was feeling so uneasy. There was something ¨C something that made her think to herself that she would be discarded.

    ¡°What if I cut my hair?¡±

    ¡°It will suit you.¡±

    ¡°What if it¡¯s very short? Like bob hair?¡±

    ¡°That will also suit you.¡±

    ¡°What about a boyish short cut? What if I look like a boy?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice and refreshing.¡±

    ¡°W, what if I shave my hair?¡±

    That¡¯s¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Did I go too far¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    Although they ended it with a light joke, there was uneasiness hanging in her eyes like fruits as she mncholically gazed at him. There was no brainwash now, and her love didn¡¯t seem serious like that of a mental patient. Seeing her do that made her look quite cute, but the topic at hand was most certainly something that required a serious approach.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Whether you shave your hair or tie it to a pigtail. I might find it funny over time, but I do not think that will be a reason for me to hate you.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean it?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°What if I can¡¯t have babies?¡±

    For a moment, he thought he heard it wrong but Bom still had a serious and gloomy look on her face as she gazed into his eyes.

    Can¡¯t have babies?

    ¡°¡­What was that?¡±

    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t have babies, will you still not hate me?¡±

    ¡°Do you mean you can¡¯t have one right now?¡±

    She turned even gloomier after hearing his question. Drops of tears were budding beneath her eyes.

    ¡°No. Forever¡­¡±

    Tears travelled down her cheeks as soon as she finished her words. She blinked her eyes on repeat as two and three drops of tears fell from her eyes.

    He finally realised what that long set of questions at the start was for.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I have to confess.¡±

    While controlling her emotions, Bom startedposedly confessing about her past. The things that weren¡¯t included when she first talked about her past events during their reunion were starting to be revealed one by one.

    A broken conception organ, a body that cannot have babies as well as how she failed upon dozens of attempts.

    Yu Jitae felt disordered throughout her speech.

    Some wounds were left behind as scars even after being healed and burned one¡¯s skin endlessly, all the way until death.

    Beasts had trouble withstanding the sensitive and aching pain of their skin and lived while unendingly licking their scars. And that would be a habit that sticks deeper over time.

    Like how countless soldiers live the rest of their life in misfortune after a war.

    Bom¡¯s confession was not just representative of her own circumstances. Yu Jitae was in a simr state. The scenes he often saw in his dreams would show the kids killing each other in the worst forms and kept on instilling an unhappy image in his brain.

    In this ce were two wounded beasts leaning on each other.

    ¡°Will you still, not hate me¡­?¡±

    However, they were different from the past. Although elements like these tended to be a problem after stacking themselves up, Bom no longer tried to hide her deficits with deceit.

    It was time for him to also show his sincerity.

    ¡°I need to confess as well.¡±

    There was something he had prepared immediately aftering to his senses, which he had been dying constantly while waiting for the right opportunity.

    Yu Jitae walked up to the nervous and uneasy Bom and took out a small box from his dimensional storage.

    How was this supposed to be done? He couldn¡¯t remember it properly but there were a few things he saw, so he got down on one of his knees.

    Then, he handed her the box as wonder appeared in the eyes of Bom who had been waiting for him to continue.

    The box cracked open.

    He remembered how baby Bom used to think there were only ck flowers in the world. To exin freedom to that child, Yu Jitae had shown her all sorts of colours.

    Because of those memories, this time he prepared a white flower.

    ¡°Bom. This is my reply.¡±

    The white flower bud slowly started to blossom.

    On the other hand, Bom shrunk her body. It was because she saw a ring that was hiding inside the white flower.

    The flower hanging in Yu Jitae¡¯s hand gave off a white radiance of light through the dark night.

    ¡°Please marry me.¡±

    Her eyes widened into circles and she covered her mouth to stop her emotions from flooding out.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t easy for her to take the ring. Tears constantly fell down her cheeks and her wrists and her hands were therefore very busy.

    Her tears still refused to stop so Bom gave a bright smile that bloomed through her tears. The statement that people became happy by smiling might be true ¨C her emotions started bursting out like water through a broken dam as everything started to feel realistic.

    Bom gave a very slow nod. She then fully wrapped her trembling hands around his neck as he stayed on one of his knees.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be d to¡­¡±

    ***

    The proposal and the short date they had alone were all over in the blink of an eye. It was time to go back to the cabin.

    On the way back, Bom walked while holding onto his hand as her feet trampled on the rustling leaves.

    Even though it waste at night, the streets were still bright thanks to the abundant streetmps. People that had no thoughts of diligently staying at their cabins in this campsite were still energetically ying outside with firecrackers.

    Suddenly, a group of young kids appeared. They chuckled while running off somewhere by themselves with tiny shoes on their feet.

    Bom¡¯s hand holding onto his hand suddenly turned stiff, so he clenched his grip while faintly covering her sight with his other hand.

    ¡°What are you looking at? We¡¯re going this way.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yes¡­¡±

    His words made her heart flutter once again.

    Love.

    Even though she was feeling it everyday at every instant, it was times like this that made her feel an immense amount of love that pushed her rationality off into the distance.

    That was why Bom couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of his face throughout the way back to the cabin.

    It was when they were in the forest nearby. 300 more metres and they would be at the cabin but Bom suddenly halted her feet.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae felt resistance from her hand as he stopped and turned back to her. He stared at her flushed cheeks in puzzlement and opened his mouth.

    ¡°What are you¡­?¡±

    It was then.

    As if she resolved herself, Bom lifted her hands and started undoing the hair that was tied behind her hair.

    With an indifferent expression and circr eyes, she untied her hair and dishevelled it by running her fingers across.

    Her hair that had been slowly returning to green rapidly began to be tainted in darkness like magic.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    After changing her hair to pure ck, Bom pulled him by his hand and started walking somewhere. She energetically pulled him forward so he obediently followed from behind as Bom nced around before opening an alternate dimension.

    A small room with nothing but one bed revealed itself, and Bom immediately realised that this ce was the one she saw in the past using her Eye of Providence¡­

    She didn¡¯t need any more totems.

    Bom decided to trust him even more.

    When the door of the alternate dimension came to a close, an ambient source of light emerged from the ceiling and brightened up the dark and small room.

    Their lips converged. This time, he didn¡¯t avoid her.

    Bom let out a moan after getting her neck and corbones bitten. His lips slowly travelled further down.

    When he supported her bum with his powerful arms and raised her up into the air, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

    Because of the difference in their height, her feet almost nevernded on the ground.

    Even so, she was able to see his face and share her breath with him.

    The sweetness of his lips loosened the nervousness filling her body, and the smell of his skin jolted her dizzy mind.

    With their future together in sight,

    Bom thought to herself.

    Even though things might not always be perfectly good, she would still be happy.

    Although she might not be able to achieve everything she wanted, she would still be content.

    Only after dropping the burden in her mind was Bom able to ept the iplete happiness.

    .

    .

    .

    But what she definitely hadn¡¯t expected was a miracle.

    .

    .

    .

    At the end of the trip, Bom conveyed the happy news to the kids who hopped in joy and congratted her.

    They decided on the day of their marriage. There weren¡¯t that many people to bring, so they decided to hold a simple ceremony at the forest near the house. Bom and Kaeul went around looking for a wedding dress.

    Time flew by. As happy as it was, the flow of time was also very rapid.

    ¡°By the way, Yu Bom. You know that onion core.¡±

    Yeorum said while scratching her chin.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°I forgot about it, but that jinx thing is broken now right?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    There used to be an equally great misfortune after a fortunate event ¨C that was her life.

    However, nothing particrly happened because of the onion core. There were a few things that happened around the same time by coincidence, but looking back at it now, they weren¡¯t anything significant unlike her nameless dead sibling and her father who did note back after leaving her.

    ¡°Come on. That¡¯s just superstition. Do you still believe in things like that?¡±

    ¡°What? Haigoo. I should have taken a video when you were shivering and peeing yourself.¡±

    ¡°When did I do that?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t fool me like that, buddy. You were poking your head into a rubbish bin and stuff. It was a nightmare.¡±

    Yeorum giggled while reflecting on the time they were doing a gacha on the onion core. Bom, who shared the same memories as her, also couldn¡¯t hold back herughter.

    Those were the times.

    ¡ª¨C

    That was when something changed.

    ¡°¡­Uh?¡±

    Bom blinked her eyes.

    Something.

    There definitely was something.

    Inside her belly¡­

    She put her hand inside her outstretched t-shirt.

    Since one of them suddenly stoppedughing, Yeorum also turned around and faced her and saw Bom blinking her eyes while stroking her lower belly.

    ¡°What¡¯s up. Did some kind of miracle happen or something?¡±

    After saying that, Yeorum looked into her eyes and felt goosebumps crawling up her body.

    She thought back on the words which she had thoughtlessly thrown out.

    Miracles happen because of the power of love and whatever in romance novels ¨C that was what she had said herself.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom¡¯s eyes widened like never before as goosebumps covered her skin.

    It was a miracle.

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul twitched her lips and moved them.

    She had finished shedding her skin the first time. The body of a baby which she had been hating was now in the form of a young girl.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul wriggled her mouth. Speaking slowly was a habit but the strange thing was that her ability to speak turned worse after the regression.

    However, that was now a thing of the past. A few days after shedding her skin, her vocal cords turned itchy and this morning, she even unknowingly hummed to herself.

    That could only mean one thing¡­!

    It was here.

    Today was the day.

    Standing with her hands resting on her hip, Gyeoul red daggers at the mirror and saw herself ring back at her through the mirror.

    Huu¡­

    The mechanism itself was simple. Taking a deep breath in, she tightened her vocal cords and moved her lips.

    It was a tense moment.

    Phrase Number 1, ready.

    Fire!

    ¡°I. am. Yu Gyeoul.¡±

    Wahh!

    It was a bit wonky but she could finally speak! Gyeoul hopped on the spot with a bright smile. She was so happy that she almost flew into the air.

    At the same time, all the hard and agonising times that went by due to her inability to speak properly melted like Spring snow. How sad had she been? Her unnis teased her every time, and she couldn¡¯t even talk to Yu Jitae even when there was something she enjoyed.

    All she could do was chew on a pacifier to endure through the hardships. Gyeoul wanted to dash out of the door and give a mouthful to Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul who used to tease her all the time.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. is. trash.¡±

    Haha.

    Just like that¡­!

    However, Gyeoul inside the mirror shook her head.

    No no no. This is not it.

    She was finally able to speak, and she wanted the first target of her speech to be Yu Jitae.

    Her n was to sneak up to him and mumble like always. That was what she had been like until just yesterday, and Yu Jitae would probably hug her without knowing anything.

    That would be when she says, ¡®Daddy.¡¯ How surprised would he be?

    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±

    Gyeoul tightened her fists in excitement. This was the day she had been waiting for the whole time.

    Ah.

    Now was not the time for this.

    Looking at the mirror, she decided to practise to make it the most perfect confession in the world.

    ¡°Daddy. I. missed you.¡±

    ¡°Daddy. I. missed you.¡±

    ¡°Daddy. I. missed you¡­¡±

    After saying it dozens of times to herself, she atst readied herself to say the perfect line.

    She ced her hand on the door knob leading to the living room, but that was when words that werepletely outside her expectations were heard from the other side of the door.

    ¨C Dude!!! Yu Jitae¡¯s a daddy now!

    It was Yeorum¡¯s shout.

    Gyeoul was startled and her hands were frozen stiff.

    ¡°¡­???¡±

    Yu Jitae, what?

    What nonsense was that idiot Yu Yeorum talking about?

    She was about to turn the door knob while glossing over her words but that was when Kaeul followed suit.

    ¨C Hukk, that¡¯s insane¡­! Ahjussi! You¡¯re a daddy now! A daddy!!

    Kaeul yelled while running to the veranda to look for Yu Jitae. Following that were cheers, screams and touched voices. Hearing those cheers and tears, Gyeoul turned stiff yet again.

    Kugugugung!

    A thunder was going off in her head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul also knew about the nature of Yu Jitae and Bom¡¯s rtionship. She was no longer a kid, and knew the things that were happening between them and was also expecting such a day to arrive but¡­

    Why did it have to be today of all days?

    ¡°This. can¡¯t. be¡­¡±

    Her mind turned dizzy.

    Everyone in the living room appeared to be thinking that she was still sleeping, and didn¡¯t evene looking for her. Without going out to the living room, Gyeoul turned around and gazed outside the window.

    Resting her chin on her small hands, she organised her thoughts.

    Pushing aside the slightly regretful timing, Gyeoul also felt her heart beating fast.

    For goodness sake. Yu Jitae¡¯s child? How cute would the baby be?

    She shouldn¡¯t be staying holed up in her room by herself, and should go outside and celebrate with everyone else. There was still a lot of time to spend together as well as happy memories to build, so the best option would be to decorate the starting point of a new rtionship as happily as possible.

    ¡°Kuhum. Kuhm.¡±

    After clearing her throat, Gyeoul turned around. She was about to walk to the living room, but suddenly halted her steps and returned to the window.

    Reaching out with her small hands, she grabbed on the hinged window and pulled it to a close. While she was closing the window, her blue eyes flickered through the gap but when the window was fully shut, the inside of the house was no longer visible.

    But after another sound of a door being shut, there were more bustling noises resonating from the living room. Most of those sounds were that ofughter.

    What was happening inside was no longer something others could see.

    However, there was one thing that was certain.

    As long as they were together, they would continue living happily ever after.

    Forever.

    ?Kidnapped Dragons?

    After Story.

    The End.

    <strong></strong>

 After Story 8: After Story: Happily Ever After (8)

    <h4>After Story 8: After Story: Happily Ever After (8)</h4>

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom was feeling down.

    There were actually a few things which she hadn¡¯t mentioned to Yeorum. After retrieving the lost daily life, Bom had thrown Yu Jitae roundabout questions a few times, asking if he had conducted an experiment and taken a look at the organs rted to conception and childbirth when vivisecting her body.

    But he shook his head.

    ¨C I didn¡¯t.

    ¨C Why?

    ¨C All my experiments were rted to the Origin Fragment. There was no reason for me to touch anything else.

    ¨C Did you not touch the heart at all?

    ¨C To be exact, I did have a look at a section of the heart that shared organs with the Origin Fragment. The things inside a Dragon Heart weren¡¯t actually in one piece so there was no need to touch anything else.

    Throughout his response, Yu Jitae stole nces at her face in concern because their conversation was rted to his unsightly past of conducting experiments on her body.

    However, Bom had already forgiven him and did not care about it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was on a certain midsummer evening when she was alone by herself. The surroundings were quiet and the sunset over the window was casting an ambient light over everything.

    While applying a red pedicure on her toes, Bom thought to herself.

    I¡¯m currently living a happy life.

    Each and every passing day was overwhelmingly precious and satisfying for Bom. She no longer had any great concerns or problems like the past, and was creating wonderfully incredible memories with the kids and her most precious person in the world, Yu Jitae.

    However, not everything can be perfect and beautiful¡­

    That was the bitter truth of reality.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Her toenails were coloured into lustrous red as she deeply pondered to herself.

    Like other women, Bom also couldn¡¯t help but think about having a child after having someone whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and that was what she had been thinking of for the past several centuries at the very least.

    A reunion with Yu Jitae, having his baby and living happily ever after forever.

    That was the hopeful future she had been harbouring in her heart through the agonising times at the bottom of hell.

    And because of that, Bom cried buckets out after realising her [Conception Organ] had been shattered, even though she still had to act in front of her mother and the vengeful spirits.

    One of her greatest hopes had been crushed.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Bom forced a smile on her face.

    She had to stop that line of thought because lingering on that topic only made her more depressed. As long as she forgot about it, although it was unforgettable, she could still live while immersing herself in happiness.

    ¨C How could you say something so important to me before Yu Jitae?

    Yeorum¡¯s voice vividly came back to the surface.

    But, how was I even supposed to say this to oppa?

    ***

    It might be because she was greatly conscious of it already, but Bom started having a strange experience after that.

    First of all, her eyes picked up more children in the streets than before, to the point it made her wonder if this was the normal number of kids in the neighbourhood or not. There were a lot of children energetically running around with a shout, as well as babies nkly gazing at the sky on a pram.

    At the start, her eyes were fixed on those young children, but they soon moved up towards the joyful parents.

    People smiling with their babies standing on theirp; a mother gazing down at her child while breastfeeding; and a father walking with his son sitting on his shoulders¡­

    It must be because she was jealous. After admitting that fact, Bom decided to switch off her interest for the time being while waiting for her emotions to settle back down.

    However, that wasn¡¯t the end of her strange experiences.

    ¡°Hehe, chirp chirp ?¡±

    Jiirp, jerrp~

    It was when she went to a spirit beast cafe with Kaeul and Chirpy.

    Kaeul loved spirit beasts and came here very often. Bom followed her today and came across all sorts of cute spirit beasts that ranged from birds, cats, dogs and mice to spirit beasts that resembled animals that were not from Earth.

    ¡°Uh? You¡¯re here!¡±

    There was someone who recognised Kaeul as soon as she came inside. Surprisingly, it was the staff working at the spirit beast cafe.

    ¡°Yess. Hello!¡±

    ¡°Aigo, one of our kids was dying for you toe.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Could you please have a look?¡±

    The staff brought a young hedgehog spirit beast. It was ring at the keeper with the quills on its back standing tall, and looked quite temperamental.

    ¡°Ehew. Is this child doing this again? Haha.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes. It¡¯s very concerning. He doesn¡¯t want any food. It¡¯s great that he¡¯s okay for a week after every time youe, Miss, but¡­¡±

    Bom tilted her head while wondering what that was about, but that was when Kaeul carefully hugged the hedgehog, while making sure the sharp quills wouldn¡¯t stab through her clothes.

    The upset hedgehog red at Kaeul as she looked into its eyes in return.

    She then carefully swayed the hedgehog back and forth, regrly like a rocking cradle.

    ¡°C¡¯mon. Why didn¡¯t you have any food?¡±

    Kaeul coaxed in a soft voice, while gently tickling its nose with her fingers. She slowly rocked back and forth as if the spirit beast was her precious baby. The hedgehog slowly relieved its tension and peacefully gazed up at Kaeul while diligently twitching its nose for a sniff.

    ¡°Egugu. Good boy¡­¡±

    Atst, after hearing Kaeul¡¯s soft tone of voice that even soothed her heart and seeing the affectionate interaction between the spirit beast and Kaeul, Bom felt strange yet again.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This was not good.

    Besides, there was no reason for her to feel this way.

    Bom told herself that it was because she was overly concerned about looking away from it in the streets that she was seeing their interaction in such a strange light. Bom scratched her head and tried to empty her mind.

    But her thoughts had already been sparked to an ember, and her strange thoughts continued even after she returned to Unit 301.

    For some bizarre reason, Gyeoul¡¯s tiny head was sucking in her gaze more than ever, and the same was with her small, doll-like body as well as her chubby cheeks that she could see from behind¡­

    Lastly, seeing Gyeoul¡¯s minute fingers fidgeting around zealously left an afterimage in her brain.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    That was when Gyeoul suddenly turned around with a flick. She was asking her with her gaze, ¡®What are you looking at.¡¯

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Bom chuckled while stroking her hair. After that, she was about to go back to her room but was stopped by Gyeoul who suddenly walked up to her with the remote controller in her hands. A bright smile was hanging on her lips, and she seemed keen on watching a movie together.

    Bom felt awkward.

    Whenever they were watching a movie together, Gyeoul always used to sit on herp. The backrest was too ufortable when sitting on Kaeul, and the seat was too ufortable in the case of Yeorum¡­ or it might in fact be her existence itself.

    Due to those reasons, Gyeoul¡¯s favourite sofa was Bom.

    Now, they were no longer in the rtionship of a mother and a daughter. They were just friends who were slightly more affectionate of one another.

    Was she wrong for being conscious of it?

    Should she be natural like before?

    Thinking that, Bom ced the child down on herp and watched the movie together.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Actually, she tried to, but couldn¡¯t do it naturally.

    The small head resting on her chest was way too adorable, and the tiny body leaning on her belly was so endearing that it almost drove her crazy.

    ¡®This is not good¡­¡¯

    She couldn¡¯t focus on the movie at all.

    Gyeoul was too cute.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m sorry but I think I have to stop watching the movie¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Nn?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a bit tired.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah.¡±

    After that, she avoideding into contact with Gyeoul. Gyeoul seemed puzzled by her actions but it couldn¡¯t be helped, because Bom had to consciously create a distance between herself and Gyeoul.

    But as if mocking her determination, a different situation came knocking on the door.

    It was on a certain morning.

    Yu Jitae was getting ready to go out to a park with Gyeoul sitting on his shoulders. There was a speaking practice book in his hands ¨C the two of them were nning on going to a park and practising speaking to help Gyeoul with her pronunciation.

    Gyeoul chuckled and mumbled something into his ears as a simr smile bloomed on his face.

    Yu Jitae and a baby.

    That¡¯s what their rtionship appeared like in her eyes.

    It seemed way too natural and joyful.

    The image of Yu Jitae and a baby was a perfect match¡­ as if it was straight out of a painting.

    *

    [The birth of a baby means a new rtionship and the start of a society.]

    That was the phrase Bom saw when reading a book that day. Her fingers twitched. She almost unconsciously closed the book but somehow managed to continue reading the next words.

    [It is when there are exactly 3 or more people that we form a ¡®society¡¯. Three liars can forge the truth, and two out of the three can bring misfortune on the remaining one. Members of the society gain ess to a far greater amount of power than what they possessed as an individual.]

    [It¡¯s the same for a married couple and their baby. The happiness of themselves as an individual is brought by the happiness of the society and as such, the members seek a healthy and happy society for the happiness of their own. The personal wounds and dissatisfaction the couple has against each other be easier to swallow after the birth of a baby, let alone the ones that were made before the foundation of the society.]

    [The birth of a baby is one of the methods that allows a couple to forget the past misfortune and head towards a new rtionship¡ª]

    Bom closed the book.

    *

    This might be why Yu Jitae started to avoid having a rtionship with her.

    In the end, Bom couldn¡¯t spend the night with Yu Jitae on the day they discovered the deep roots of the Ottoman Empire.

    She didn¡¯t have any opportunities after that. Before, there would have been some level of furtive show of affection in the inhabited staircases of the apartment or the quiet and dark alleyways but nothing happened even when they were alone in such areas.

    That was why Bom thought to herself that it must be somehow rted to babies. Although she couldn¡¯t exactly connect that reason to what was happening right now, she couldn¡¯te up with any other possible reason.

    Bom knew that she had to confess about her infertility to Yu Jitae one day, so she slowly prepared herself over time.

    After a while, she had the opportunity.

    It was when they left on a family trip.

    ***

    The family trip was very enjoyable.

    Spending 2 weeks in a cabin next to the coast with a warm breeze, they caught fish for sashimi and caught prawns and the likes for a stew. They cooked raw sausages andmb shanks, and topped them with nice sauces, and had plenty of delicious food.

    They saw a bunch of pretty corals, and travelling around the wonderful underwater scenery was also a delightful experience. When they were having a race by holding onto the shells of turtle spirit beasts, Yeorum constantly bickered with her turtle so Bomughed her heart out.

    Quietly chatting with each other under the refreshing breeze at night in front of the campfire was also a nice experience. Having a sneaky kiss with him away from the eyes of everyone else and then hiding from Gyeoul who walked towards them during their kiss¡­

    Everything made her happy.

    Lastly, she gazed at the falling stars.

    It was the same thing they saw when they first met; as well as during their farewell and today ¨C even though it was her third time seeing falling stars, that scene always appeared refreshing and beautiful.

    After waiting for the right opportunity, Bom asked Yu Jitae if they could take a walk along the coastline with just the two of them.

    Holding onto his hand, she walked across the fine grains of sand on bare feet, beforeing to a stop and sitting down.

    It was a bright and starry night.

    A long silence befell the beach. It was time for her to say it, but the long silence made her feel all the more frightened. The answer she had been running away from the whole time added to her fears.

    However, his hand grasping onto hers was very warm. His hand used to be cold the whole time but that was now no longer that case. That was like a sce for Bom and gave her courage.

    She marked the end of her hesitation by opening her mouth.

    ¡°There is something I want to ask.¡±

    ¡°I actually have one myself as well.¡±

    ¡°Then shall we ask one at a time?¡±

    ¡°Sure. You can go first.¡±

    ¡°We both have to be honest, okay?¡±

    He nodded as the back and forth QnA session began.

    A wet and soothing breeze blew at her face. Bom chewed on her lower lips before finally opening her mouth.

    ¡°Why have you been avoiding me these days?¡±

    ¡°¡­You mean from having a rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I happened to hear about a ck-hair.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    Bom widened her eyes into circles.

    Yu Jitae replied while looking back at her.

    ¡°What is this thing about a ck-haired person, Bom? And what¡¯s the rtionship between me and the ck-hair? There is something I am not aware of.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if it¡¯s hard for you to say it. It didn¡¯t seem like a light topic to casually ask about, so I was wondering and thought you would tell me in one way or another if I avoided having a rtionship with you, but that wasn¡¯t the case either.¡±

    It seemed that they had been misunderstanding each other.

    The thing about ck hair was probably something he heard from Yeorum. Him avoiding her wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t like her, nor was it because of the problem with babies.

    Bom felt the problems in her heart melting away as she replied with a smile.

    ¡°A long time ago¡­ I saw this Providence.¡±

    She told him about the future and the Providence she saw a long time ago; including how she saw herself being embraced by him as a ¡®green hair¡¯, followed by a ck-haired woman in his arms in a distant future.

    ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t think that ck-haired woman is anyone else no matter how much I think about it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    He mischievously pulled her in as she copsed to the side. ¡®Kyaaha¨C¡¯ Bom chuckled as sheid down using hisp as a pillow.

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°And after that, I thought of something.¡±

    She was embraced by him as a ¡®green hair¡¯, and she was happy. In the future, she would be embraced by him again with her hair dyed ck, but that was up to her choice now.

    It was a very rare phenomenon how the thing she saw through the Eye of Providence had be a choosable future.

    ¡°My happiness has been proven tost until I do it with my hair dyed ck. In other words, that means our rtionship will continue forever all the way until I spend a night with you, oppa, with ck hair. That much is certain.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know anything about the future after that. And you see, thinking about how clueless I was, I became very uneasy. It felt like I was walking with my eyes closed¡­¡±

    Bom said with a self-deprecating smile.

    After knowing the backstory, he felt pity. If she had a firm belief that this happiness wouldst forever, she wouldn¡¯t be thinking about such a thing.

    That in turn meant that Bom was still uneasy about this happiness.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s like my totem. A totem of belief that we will definitely love each other until that day. Haha¡­¡±

    Like how he had been having a nightmare, she also had her own share of troubles.

 After Story 9: After Story: Happily Ever After (9)

    <h4>After Story 9: After Story: Happily Ever After (9)</h4>

    He looked back at his own past. Even though it had already been a long time, he could still close his eyes and see it vividly in his memories.

    Because of how precious his daily life was, the problems thrown by reality that brought him to devastation were shivering cold like the de of a knife.

    Since the start of his wounds had been from daily life, he was no longer able to take in that daily life with afortable heart. It was an anxiety that stemmed from his mental scars.

    He would oftentimes feel uneasy despite being calm most of the time, and that appeared to be the same for Bom.

    How long ago was it that she started having such symptoms? Looking back at how her hair started turning green immediately after their reunion, he noticed that it must have been from the start. That meant Bom had also been suppressing her surging anxiety by actingposed like he did.

    Thinking about it like that, he felt a sense of kinship rather than pity.

    He opened his mouth.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that worried.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t fight like before, right?¡±

    ¡°That will never happen.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t like, hate me on the inside or anything?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Why would I hate you aftering this far?¡±

    ¡°So is everything okay? Are we all happy?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t need to be anxious about anything. Think about all the things we went through to obtain this happiness. Why would we let go of it?¡±

    ¡°Right. That¡¯s right¡­¡±

    Like a broken dam, her lips shivered and endlessly poured out words.

    ¡°Nn. You¡¯re right. I know. I know but¡­ I know there¡¯ll be nothing happening to us and I¡¯m also sure that we will continue living happily but¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t sound like it at all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the strange part. Even though everything is definitely making me happy, I keep getting scared and I keep on having these insecure thoughts¡­¡±

    Her eyelids started to tremble. It was something she had never shown after returning to daily life.

    Yu Jitae squinted his eyes.

    ¡°Bom. Let¡¯s calm down. Take a deep breath.¡±

    ¡°D, do you not like green hair?¡±

    ¡°What is this about all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°Does my green hair appear like a symbol of disbelief? Or maybe it doesn¡¯t make me look as pretty?¡±

    She asked while tightly grasping onto her hair but he shook his head in return. Bom was still pretty and the colour was not important.

    ¡°Then, you know. Nn. What if I tie it like this? You know how I don¡¯t tie my hair very often.¡±

    Saying that, she suddenly took out the stic band that was around her wrist and began tying her hair. It was quite rare as she said to see her in a ponytail.

    ¡°Do you still not hate me?¡±

    He naturally didn¡¯t hate her. Hairstyle had nothing to do with it.

    Over time, Yu Jitae realised that there must be a reason why Bom was feeling so uneasy. There was something ¨C something that made her think to herself that she would be discarded.

    ¡°What if I cut my hair?¡±

    ¡°It will suit you.¡±

    ¡°What if it¡¯s very short? Like bob hair?¡±

    ¡°That will also suit you.¡±

    ¡°What about a boyish short cut? What if I look like a boy?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice and refreshing.¡±

    ¡°W, what if I shave my hair?¡±

    That¡¯s¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Did I go too far¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    Although they ended it with a light joke, there was uneasiness hanging in her eyes like fruits as she mncholically gazed at him. There was no brainwash now, and her love didn¡¯t seem serious like that of a mental patient. Seeing her do that made her look quite cute, but the topic at hand was most certainly something that required a serious approach.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Whether you shave your hair or tie it to a pigtail. I might find it funny over time, but I do not think that will be a reason for me to hate you.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean it?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°What if I can¡¯t have babies?¡±

    For a moment, he thought he heard it wrong but Bom still had a serious and gloomy look on her face as she gazed into his eyes.

    Can¡¯t have babies?

    ¡°¡­What was that?¡±

    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t have babies, will you still not hate me?¡±

    ¡°Do you mean you can¡¯t have one right now?¡±

    She turned even gloomier after hearing his question. Drops of tears were budding beneath her eyes.

    ¡°No. Forever¡­¡±

    Tears travelled down her cheeks as soon as she finished her words. She blinked her eyes on repeat as two and three drops of tears fell from her eyes.

    He finally realised what that long set of questions at the start was for.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I have to confess.¡±

    While controlling her emotions, Bom startedposedly confessing about her past. The things that weren¡¯t included when she first talked about her past events during their reunion were starting to be revealed one by one.

    A broken conception organ, a body that cannot have babies as well as how she failed upon dozens of attempts.

    Yu Jitae felt disordered throughout her speech.

    Some wounds were left behind as scars even after being healed and burned one¡¯s skin endlessly, all the way until death.

    Beasts had trouble withstanding the sensitive and aching pain of their skin and lived while unendingly licking their scars. And that would be a habit that sticks deeper over time.

    Like how countless soldiers live the rest of their life in misfortune after a war.

    Bom¡¯s confession was not just representative of her own circumstances. Yu Jitae was in a simr state. The scenes he often saw in his dreams would show the kids killing each other in the worst forms and kept on instilling an unhappy image in his brain.

    In this ce were two wounded beasts leaning on each other.

    ¡°Will you still, not hate me¡­?¡±

    However, they were different from the past. Although elements like these tended to be a problem after stacking themselves up, Bom no longer tried to hide her deficits with deceit.

    It was time for him to also show his sincerity.

    ¡°I need to confess as well.¡±

    There was something he had prepared immediately aftering to his senses, which he had been dying constantly while waiting for the right opportunity.

    Yu Jitae walked up to the nervous and uneasy Bom and took out a small box from his dimensional storage.

    How was this supposed to be done? He couldn¡¯t remember it properly but there were a few things he saw, so he got down on one of his knees.

    Then, he handed her the box as wonder appeared in the eyes of Bom who had been waiting for him to continue.

    The box cracked open.

    He remembered how baby Bom used to think there were only ck flowers in the world. To exin freedom to that child, Yu Jitae had shown her all sorts of colours.

    Because of those memories, this time he prepared a white flower.

    ¡°Bom. This is my reply.¡±

    The white flower bud slowly started to blossom.

    On the other hand, Bom shrunk her body. It was because she saw a ring that was hiding inside the white flower.

    The flower hanging in Yu Jitae¡¯s hand gave off a white radiance of light through the dark night.

    ¡°Please marry me.¡±

    Her eyes widened into circles and she covered her mouth to stop her emotions from flooding out.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t easy for her to take the ring. Tears constantly fell down her cheeks and her wrists and her hands were therefore very busy.

    Her tears still refused to stop so Bom gave a bright smile that bloomed through her tears. The statement that people became happy by smiling might be true ¨C her emotions started bursting out like water through a broken dam as everything started to feel realistic.

    Bom gave a very slow nod. She then fully wrapped her trembling hands around his neck as he stayed on one of his knees.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be d to¡­¡±

    ***

    The proposal and the short date they had alone were all over in the blink of an eye. It was time to go back to the cabin.

    On the way back, Bom walked while holding onto his hand as her feet trampled on the rustling leaves.

    Even though it waste at night, the streets were still bright thanks to the abundant streetmps. People that had no thoughts of diligently staying at their cabins in this campsite were still energetically ying outside with firecrackers.

    Suddenly, a group of young kids appeared. They chuckled while running off somewhere by themselves with tiny shoes on their feet.

    Bom¡¯s hand holding onto his hand suddenly turned stiff, so he clenched his grip while faintly covering her sight with his other hand.

    ¡°What are you looking at? We¡¯re going this way.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yes¡­¡±

    His words made her heart flutter once again.

    Love.

    Even though she was feeling it everyday at every instant, it was times like this that made her feel an immense amount of love that pushed her rationality off into the distance.

    That was why Bom couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of his face throughout the way back to the cabin.

    It was when they were in the forest nearby. 300 more metres and they would be at the cabin but Bom suddenly halted her feet.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Yu Jitae felt resistance from her hand as he stopped and turned back to her. He stared at her flushed cheeks in puzzlement and opened his mouth.

    ¡°What are you¡­?¡±

    It was then.

    As if she resolved herself, Bom lifted her hands and started undoing the hair that was tied behind her hair.

    With an indifferent expression and circr eyes, she untied her hair and dishevelled it by running her fingers across.

    Her hair that had been slowly returning to green rapidly began to be tainted in darkness like magic.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    After changing her hair to pure ck, Bom pulled him by his hand and started walking somewhere. She energetically pulled him forward so he obediently followed from behind as Bom nced around before opening an alternate dimension.

    A small room with nothing but one bed revealed itself, and Bom immediately realised that this ce was the one she saw in the past using her Eye of Providence¡­

    She didn¡¯t need any more totems.

    Bom decided to trust him even more.

    When the door of the alternate dimension came to a close, an ambient source of light emerged from the ceiling and brightened up the dark and small room.

    Their lips converged. This time, he didn¡¯t avoid her.

    Bom let out a moan after getting her neck and corbones bitten. His lips slowly travelled further down.

    When he supported her bum with his powerful arms and raised her up into the air, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

    Because of the difference in their height, her feet almost nevernded on the ground.

    Even so, she was able to see his face and share her breath with him.

    The sweetness of his lips loosened the nervousness filling her body, and the smell of his skin jolted her dizzy mind.

    With their future together in sight,

    Bom thought to herself.

    Even though things might not always be perfectly good, she would still be happy.

    Although she might not be able to achieve everything she wanted, she would still be content.

    Only after dropping the burden in her mind was Bom able to ept the iplete happiness.

    .

    .

    .

    But what she definitely hadn¡¯t expected was a miracle.

    .

    .

    .

    At the end of the trip, Bom conveyed the happy news to the kids who hopped in joy and congratted her.

    They decided on the day of their marriage. There weren¡¯t that many people to bring, so they decided to hold a simple ceremony at the forest near the house. Bom and Kaeul went around looking for a wedding dress.

    Time flew by. As happy as it was, the flow of time was also very rapid.

    ¡°By the way, Yu Bom. You know that onion core.¡±

    Yeorum said while scratching her chin.

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°I forgot about it, but that jinx thing is broken now right?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    There used to be an equally great misfortune after a fortunate event ¨C that was her life.

    However, nothing particrly happened because of the onion core. There were a few things that happened around the same time by coincidence, but looking back at it now, they weren¡¯t anything significant unlike her nameless dead sibling and her father who did note back after leaving her.

    ¡°Come on. That¡¯s just superstition. Do you still believe in things like that?¡±

    ¡°What? Haigoo. I should have taken a video when you were shivering and peeing yourself.¡±

    ¡°When did I do that?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t fool me like that, buddy. You were poking your head into a rubbish bin and stuff. It was a nightmare.¡±

    Yeorum giggled while reflecting on the time they were doing a gacha on the onion core. Bom, who shared the same memories as her, also couldn¡¯t hold back herughter.

    Those were the times.

    ¡ª¨C

    That was when something changed.

    ¡°¡­Uh?¡±

    Bom blinked her eyes.

    Something.

    There definitely was something.

    Inside her belly¡­

    She put her hand inside her outstretched t-shirt.

    Since one of them suddenly stoppedughing, Yeorum also turned around and faced her and saw Bom blinking her eyes while stroking her lower belly.

    ¡°What¡¯s up. Did some kind of miracle happen or something?¡±

    After saying that, Yeorum looked into her eyes and felt goosebumps crawling up her body.

    She thought back on the words which she had thoughtlessly thrown out.

    Miracles happen because of the power of love and whatever in romance novels ¨C that was what she had said herself.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Bom¡¯s eyes widened like never before as goosebumps covered her skin.

    It was a miracle.

    ***

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul twitched her lips and moved them.

    She had finished shedding her skin the first time. The body of a baby which she had been hating was now in the form of a young girl.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul wriggled her mouth. Speaking slowly was a habit but the strange thing was that her ability to speak turned worse after the regression.

    However, that was now a thing of the past. A few days after shedding her skin, her vocal cords turned itchy and this morning, she even unknowingly hummed to herself.

    That could only mean one thing¡­!

    It was here.

    Today was the day.

    Standing with her hands resting on her hip, Gyeoul red daggers at the mirror and saw herself ring back at her through the mirror.

    Huu¡­

    The mechanism itself was simple. Taking a deep breath in, she tightened her vocal cords and moved her lips.

    It was a tense moment.

    Phrase Number 1, ready.

    Fire!

    ¡°I. am. Yu Gyeoul.¡±

    Wahh!

    It was a bit wonky but she could finally speak! Gyeoul hopped on the spot with a bright smile. She was so happy that she almost flew into the air.

    At the same time, all the hard and agonising times that went by due to her inability to speak properly melted like Spring snow. How sad had she been? Her unnis teased her every time, and she couldn¡¯t even talk to Yu Jitae even when there was something she enjoyed.

    All she could do was chew on a pacifier to endure through the hardships. Gyeoul wanted to dash out of the door and give a mouthful to Bom, Yeorum and Kaeul who used to tease her all the time.

    ¡°Yu Yeorum. is. trash.¡±

    Haha.

    Just like that¡­!

    However, Gyeoul inside the mirror shook her head.

    No no no. This is not it.

    She was finally able to speak, and she wanted the first target of her speech to be Yu Jitae.

    Her n was to sneak up to him and mumble like always. That was what she had been like until just yesterday, and Yu Jitae would probably hug her without knowing anything.

    That would be when she says, ¡®Daddy.¡¯ How surprised would he be?

    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±

    Gyeoul tightened her fists in excitement. This was the day she had been waiting for the whole time.

    Ah.

    Now was not the time for this.

    Looking at the mirror, she decided to practise to make it the most perfect confession in the world.

    ¡°Daddy. I. missed you.¡±

    ¡°Daddy. I. missed you.¡±

    ¡°Daddy. I. missed you¡­¡±

    After saying it dozens of times to herself, she atst readied herself to say the perfect line.

    She ced her hand on the door knob leading to the living room, but that was when words that werepletely outside her expectations were heard from the other side of the door.

    ¨C Dude!!! Yu Jitae¡¯s a daddy now!

    It was Yeorum¡¯s shout.

    Gyeoul was startled and her hands were frozen stiff.

    ¡°¡­???¡±

    Yu Jitae, what?

    What nonsense was that idiot Yu Yeorum talking about?

    She was about to turn the door knob while glossing over her words but that was when Kaeul followed suit.

    ¨C Hukk, that¡¯s insane¡­! Ahjussi! You¡¯re a daddy now! A daddy!!

    Kaeul yelled while running to the veranda to look for Yu Jitae. Following that were cheers, screams and touched voices. Hearing those cheers and tears, Gyeoul turned stiff yet again.

    Kugugugung!

    A thunder was going off in her head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Gyeoul also knew about the nature of Yu Jitae and Bom¡¯s rtionship. She was no longer a kid, and knew the things that were happening between them and was also expecting such a day to arrive but¡­

    Why did it have to be today of all days?

    ¡°This. can¡¯t. be¡­¡±

    Her mind turned dizzy.

    Everyone in the living room appeared to be thinking that she was still sleeping, and didn¡¯t evene looking for her. Without going out to the living room, Gyeoul turned around and gazed outside the window.

    Resting her chin on her small hands, she organised her thoughts.

    Pushing aside the slightly regretful timing, Gyeoul also felt her heart beating fast.

    For goodness sake. Yu Jitae¡¯s child? How cute would the baby be?

    She shouldn¡¯t be staying holed up in her room by herself, and should go outside and celebrate with everyone else. There was still a lot of time to spend together as well as happy memories to build, so the best option would be to decorate the starting point of a new rtionship as happily as possible.

    ¡°Kuhum. Kuhm.¡±

    After clearing her throat, Gyeoul turned around. She was about to walk to the living room, but suddenly halted her steps and returned to the window.

    Reaching out with her small hands, she grabbed on the hinged window and pulled it to a close. While she was closing the window, her blue eyes flickered through the gap but when the window was fully shut, the inside of the house was no longer visible.

    But after another sound of a door being shut, there were more bustling noises resonating from the living room. Most of those sounds were that ofughter.

    What was happening inside was no longer something others could see.

    However, there was one thing that was certain.

    As long as they were together, they would continue living happily ever after.

    Forever.

    Kidnapped Dragons?

    After Story.

    The End.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!