Chapter 167: 35th Floor. Raising a Dragon (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 167: 35th Floor. Raising a Dragon (3)
A deep, affectionate embrace.
No, it was a feeling that went far beyond that. A strength so immense it felt as if it would crush his entire body was being transmitted through the hug.
The hatchling, now polymorphed into a human girl, cried out loudly.
"Dad!"
"What?"
Kang Jun-hyeok grimaced. He slowly grabbed the hatchling's arms and pried them off. The girl was looking up at him with a goofy, beaming smile.
"Did you just call me Dad?"
"Yeah. Dad."
"I'm not your father. I'm your Guardian."
"No. You're my dad."
The hatchling insisted. Her face was full of conviction, as if there was no room for compromise.
Kang Jun-hyeok was flustered.
What the hell...
And more importantly.
Why isn't it ending?
There was no sign of the quest concluding.
* * *
Kang Jun-hyeok stared blankly into the air.
No matter how long he waited, the completion window did not appear.
...The goal of the quest is to help the dragon achieve perfect growth.
Kang Jun-hyeok had assumed that "growth" meant the dragon's hatching. However, even though the dragon had hatched perfectly, the floor had not ended.
Don't tell me...
Did it mean he had to wait until she could pull her own weight?
That was nonsense. It took a hundred years for a dragon just to move past the hatchling stage. While there were floors that required decades to clear, those were all stories from the 70th floor and beyond. There was no way such a floor would be required this early.
Is there a problem?
Kang Jun-hyeok examined the hatchling, who was clinging tightly to him. No matter how much he looked, there didn't seem to be any particular issue. The hatchling tilted her head.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Dad?"
"I'm not your dad. You know that. I'm a human."
"Then, Mom?"
"I'm definitely not your mom."
Kang Jun-hyeok shook his head.
"The one who gave birth to you is someone else. I merely helped you so that you could hatch."
"So that means you're my dad, right?"
The hatchling looked like she didn't understand what he was talking about. Kang Jun-hyeok faltered.
"A family is supposed to risk their lives to protect each other, right? You protected me. You appeared out of nowhere and did everything for me."
The girl pressed her forehead against Kang Jun-hyeok's chest.
"Those who gave birth to me and abandoned me aren't my parents. You, who did everything for me, are my parent."
Her eyes were filled with deep, profound affection.
The Master of All Weapons muttered as if finally understanding the situation.
[It seems she judges parenthood by who raised her, not who birthed her.]
Dragons possessed a sense of self and could perceive the outside world even while inside the egg. As such, she would remember everything. The fact that she was abandoned, and that Kang Jun-hyeok had taken care of everything for her.
In her value judgment, Kang Jun-hyeok was her parent.
It was flustering, but not entirely strange. It wasn't rare for someone to feel deeper affection for an adoptive father who raised them than for a biological father they had never met.
I get that part.
But that didn't explain why the quest wasn't ending. Kang Jun-hyeok fell into thought.
...Could it be that this wasn't the only egg?
The condition of the quest was the dragon's perfect growth. What if there wasn't just one dragon? What if there was another dragon egg nearby?
It was a possibility. Kang Jun-hyeok stood up to check the surroundings.
"Wait here for a moment."
At that moment, the hatchling grabbed his sleeve.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to look around for a bit."
"I'm coming too."
"No. You stay here."
The hatchling was very delicate. Of course, she possessed enough power on her own, but he couldn't take her outside just in case. Kang Jun-hyeok gently pried the hatchling's hand off his sleeve.
The hatchling's eyes darkened instantly.
"Are you going to abandon me too?"
"I'm not abandoning you, I'm just looking around—"
Kang Jun-hyeok, who was about to speak lightly, paused. The aura emanating from the hatchling had sunk into bottomless depths.
"Are you... going to abandon me?"
A gloomy voice echoed. A black energy began to swirl within her red eyes.
This was dangerous. Kang Jun-hyeok immediately turned around and soothed her.
"You're worried about me going out? Alright. I won't go out; I'll stay by your side. Is that okay?"
"Yeah. You really are my dad."
Only then did the hatchling smile brightly and hug Kang Jun-hyeok. As he patted her, Kang Jun-hyeok grimaced where she couldn't see.
Now I know why the quest isn't ending.
The Master of All Weapons whispered.
[This child is obsessed with your very existence. She needs someone to lean on. If you were to leave or even show a slightly ambiguous attitude, she would immediately twist and break. It's hard to say if it's because she was abandoned, or if it's an innate personality trait.]
[It seems so. This is unexpected even for me.]
It wasn't just that the care before birth was important. This hatchling was broken from the very beginning.
Kang Jun-hyeok looked down at the girl. Her face was somehow familiar.
Kang Jun-hyeok asked slowly. "What is your name?"
"Can't Dad decide for me?"
"A dragon's name is something they decide for themselves, isn't it? Even I can't do that for you."
"Hmm..."
The girl pondered for a moment. Soon, she nodded as if she had thought of something.
"Anthonia."
The girl grinned as if she liked the sound of it.
"Anthonia. That is my name."
"...I see. It's a good name."
Kang Jun-hyeok closed his eyes.
Anthonia.
It was the name of the Dark Dragon he had buried with his own hands in his past life.
* * *
"I hate it all, Kang Jun-hyeok."
The black-haired woman laughed. It was a laugh that felt completely hollow.
"I hate everything in this world. It's not that I'm particularly on the side of the Victors. It's just that doing this feels like it'll break the world a little more."
"...Anthonia."
"If you want to stop me, it's simple. Kill me. Trample over my corpse and move past it."
The woman spread her arms. She looked as if she welcomed the end, her expression full of anticipation.
* * *
Anthonia was sleeping with her head on his lap. She was holding onto his leg tightly, as if she didn't want to be separated even for a moment.
Kang Jun-hyeok looked down at her quietly.
Dark Dragons. They were broken beings. Twisted and collapsed, they were incapable of normal interaction with others. Most of them died while fighting alone.
But even so, they were beings of the universe. Their primary opponents were ultimately the Victors.
However, among the Dark Dragons, there was one who was exceptionally broken. One who was impossible to communicate with. That Dark Dragon did not antagonize the Victors. Instead, she maintained a tacit cooperation with them and tried to destroy the universe.
The problem was that the power of that Dark Dragon was ranked among the top five even among Players. She had been left alone because she couldn't be easily touched, but eventually, she crossed the line, and the Players joined forces to attack her.
After countless top-tier Players died, they finally managed to kill her.
That name was Anthonia. She was the being who had damaged this universe the most, second only to the Victors.
And now, she was sleeping with her head on his lap.
[Do you know her?]
"To some extent."
Actually, it was awkward to say they "knew" each other. He was the one who had killed her. Kang Jun-hyeok leaned his back against the wall.
I thought she was particularly strange, but she was broken from the start. Well, I suppose that personality doesn't just come from being a Dark Dragon.
Anthonia hugged his knee and talked in her sleep.
"Dad. Let's live together. Right here. Forever..."
[This is going to be a headache.]
"Tell me about it."
The biggest problem with the 35th floor's Perfect Clear was Anthonia's personality itself. The condition for the 35th floor's Perfect Clear must be making Anthonia independent without any issues.
But to make this broken personality independent? To make her able to live well on her own even without him?
He had no idea how to go about it. Kang Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue, lost in thought. Then, he frowned.
"They've crawled back again."
He could feel the presence of the Demon Race approaching from outside. Kang Jun-hyeok let out a sigh. At the same time, a window appeared.
[Spear Throw.]
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
The spears flew rapidly toward the outside. With short screams, the demons fell. They were mere demons who hadn't even earned their wings; they couldn't even block a Spear Throw. It seemed Rubonta, who had appeared before, was the strongest among them.
"What a nuisance."
Kang Jun-hyeok, who had clicked his tongue, paused. Soon, a strange light flickered in his eyes.
[It seems an idea has occurred to you.]
"It's close to a gamble, but I think it's worth a try. There's no other way, anyway."
Having organized his thoughts, Kang Jun-hyeok's eyes grew cold.
* * *
After that, Kang Jun-hyeok stayed constantly by Anthonia's side. He followed her whatever she did and looked after her. To be precise, he had no choice but to do so. This was because Anthonia's attitude would change instantly if he tried to distance himself even slightly.
And a few days later.
The demons came looking for them again. Anthonia spoke as if it were a chore.
"Dad. They're here again."
"I'll take care of it."
Kang Jun-hyeok, who was about to throw a spear, suddenly smiled as if a good idea had struck him.
"Anthonia. Do you want to come see this time?"
"Huh? Is it okay? You always told me I shouldn't go out."
"You've grown enough now. And you should see the outside world too."
"Heehee. Okay!"
Anthonia followed Kang Jun-hyeok with a smile. The demons, who were looking around, gasped when they saw Kang Jun-hyeok and Anthonia.
"...A Red Dragon!"
"Damn it. It hatched!"
"Die."
Kang Jun-hyeok threw his spears lightly. In an instant, the demons were skewered. Anthonia watched the scene with amusement.
Kang Jun-hyeok quietly timed his move. And at the moment her attention was most captivated by the demons, he moved immediately.
Kang Jun-hyeok's expression changed. He hurriedly shielded Anthonia like a man in a crisis.
"Anthonia! Run!"
"Dad?"
Kang Jun-hyeok's fingertips touched the bewildered Anthonia.
[Sixth Sense Exclusion.]
And all of her senses were excluded. Kang Jun-hyeok forcibly exploded all the internal energy within his body.
BOOM!
His body was shaken by a powerful impact. Kang Jun-hyeok's body was sent flying and crashed into the distance. Anthonia's eyes widened as the skill's effect wore off.
"Dad!"
"Gah...!"
Kang Jun-hyeok let out a pained groan. Anthonia rushed over and supported him.
"Dad? What on earth happened!"
"...There was... an enemy."
"An enemy? There's no way those weaklings could hurt you!"
"It wasn't them. It was someone else. They attacked you and fled. I barely managed to defend... cough!"
"Dad!"
Anxiety clouded Anthonia's face. The Master of All Weapons let out a dry laugh.
[A predictable performance.]
There was no enemy. It was all Acting to clear the quest.
Using Sixth Sense Exclusion to disrupt Anthonia's senses, then exploding his internal energy to cause self-inflicted internal injuries. Afterward, he would make her believe a powerful enemy was targeting them and persuade her that they had to separate for her safety.
It was his performance to clear the quest.
[Do you think she will fall for such a play?]
[This dragon is still a child. She is ignorant of the world. Above all, isn't this fellow's acting skill quite considerable?]
Kang Jun-hyeok's Acting proficiency was C. It was higher than that of a top-class actor. On top of that, his Persuasion skill was also C. He was at a level where some people would fall for even the most absurd claims; for someone who already trusted him, it was a given.
"...Dad?"
However, Anthonia's expression slowly sank. Soon, she tilted her head.
"Are you... by any chance, playing a prank on me?"