Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Molting (5)
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As each day passed.
The children's conditions grew steadily worse.
"When is Dad going to open his eyes?"
Suryeon sat slumped in a chair, her eyes hollow and sunken.
She had started suffering from insomnia ever since Dad began molting.
"I wish he'd wake up soon."
Suryeon's lips were cracked and dry from dehydration.
And then.
"There are some changes, but it still seems far off before Father wakes up."
Choryeon lay staring at Dad like a wilted plant.
She had spent the entire day merged with the floor.
No matter how much delicious delivery food Hwaryeon fed her, none of their conditions improved.
It merely slowed the deterioration.
"Sigh, you idiots! How can you not eat when there's such tasty food!"
"Mang-mang…"
"You've watched too much TV! You think you're some tragic princesses or something! Bunch of morons!"
Sigh—
Hwaryeon let out a frustrated sigh as she looked at them.
Unlike her usually healthy body.
Even Hwaryeon's condition was starting to worsen.
"It's too spicy! I can't eat that much!"
No matter how much Hwaryeon loved food.
Eating spicy meals every day was tough.
Perhaps because of that, the muscles were melting away from her once-healthy body.
Hwaryeon was starting to get angry in this situation.
"What is this! The nest is completely falling apart! It's all because of Dad!"
She turned her head.
Dad was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed, oblivious even in his dreams.
Unlike before, cracks were forming on his skin.
"But it's too late!!"
She couldn't stand it anymore.
"I can't take it!"
Hwaryeon jumped to her feet and headed to the living room.
Then, she yelled right into the ear of her peacefully sleeping Dad.
"Dad, wake up now!! I'm exhausted!! If you wake up any later… I can't hold out!!"
Hwaryeon shouted, thoroughly worked up.
Her red horns were twice as red as usual.
The Red Dragon's patience had nearly reached its limit.
If that patience finally snapped…
"Wake up already!! Raaargh!!"
The whole area would surely turn into a sea of flames.
At that sight, Mang-mong trembled and prayed.
"Mang-mang… mang-mang-mang…"
Please let Ha-jun wake up soon.
Mang-mong prayed while rubbing its jelly-like paws frantically.
***
Molting.
I never thought I'd go through something like this—I'm not even a reptile.
To think this would happen to me.
"But where the hell is this place?"
Is it snowing or something? The whole world is white.
Not that it actually snowed, of course.
Just speaking figuratively.
"Hmm, this is probably my inner world."
This must be the process to obtain the dragon's power.
It would check if I'm worthy of having the dragon's power.
'Dragons sure love that word—qualification.'
They worked hard to obtain that invisible qualification, too.
With that thought, I shouted into the void.
"So what do I have to do!? I can't stay here long! I'm worried about the kids!"
Dragons act all tough usually, but without me, they're just helpless kids.
The house must be a total mess by now.
I don't even need to see it to know.
"So what do I have to do!!"
…No answer.
No matter how much I yelled, there was no response.
I was just standing alone in the vast white space.
"Argh, this is driving me crazy!"
With no other choice.
To escape this unresponsive situation, I started running around the area.
To find some clue, at least.
"Hey! I need to get out! I got dragged here suddenly, and I have to make food for the kids!!"
But.
No matter how much I ran and shouted.
No answer came.
"Damn…"
I was just trapped alone in the white space.
Time crawled by slowly.
In a place without even a clock.
'…How much time has passed, anyway.'
Like that.
Without knowing how much time had gone by.
The moment I lay down and closed my eyes.
Woooong—!
"Something's finally happening!"
Far off in the white space, cracks began to form.
"I nearly died waiting."
I'll get out of here soon.
With that thought, I ran straight toward the crack.
"Is this the way out? Finally! Kids, Dad's coming!"
To get out, I reached my hand toward the crack.
At that moment, the crack began to widen, growing to the size of my body.
And beyond that crack, there was nothing.
"…Hold on."
Something felt off. A bad premonition.
Just in case, I turned my head.
"…Holy shit."
Dozens of cracks had formed there.
They were slowly widening, and I instinctively knew.
"I can't let those cracks grow. I have to seal them."
I need to close the cracks.
If I fail, this white space will be torn apart by those cracks.
I immediately reached out to one crack and poured mana into it.
"From top to bottom… close…!!"
Kiiiiiik—!!
With a chilling sound, the crack began to seal.
Maybe because I was using mana to close it.
My body tired out quickly.
"Haa, as expected, no free dragon powers. Living off handouts is tough."
It was always like this.
I let out a sigh and ran toward the countless cracks.
"Wait just a bit longer, kids! Dad's coming!"
Molting.
To obtain a new body.
To keep my body from tearing apart, I desperately moved.
No matter how grueling the process.
Thinking of my daughters made it bearable.
***
Dawn.
Choryeon stumbled out to the living room, wrapped head to toe in her blanket.
"Father…"
To sleep beside Dad on the living room floor.
Thud—
Choryeon lay on the floor and stared intently at Dad's face.
His skin slightly cracked, eyes closed.
"…It's hard just watching like this. I want to hear Father's voice."
Choryeon couldn't bear seeing Dad so still.
He didn't respond to words, didn't even twitch.
"If Father were in a vegetative state, we could at least talk. But like this, we can't even converse. It's tough. I want to see Father moving."
Choryeon reached out a hand, then pulled it back.
"I'm missing Father so much. Is Father thinking of me? You haven't forgotten me, right?"
What if Dad forgot about me.
Her head filled with needless worries.
Choryeon gazed at Dad with pleading eyes.
"I want to see you soon, Father… I'll wither away like this…"
That night too, Choryeon lay still, observing Dad.
The moment they both closed their eyes like that.
Shwaaaa—
"Uh, um…?"
Did someone turn on a light?
Choryeon's eyes stung, waking her.
And in that moment, she witnessed it.
"Ah, Father's body…!?"
Dad's body began emitting a white light.
Startled, Choryeon bolted upright.
"Wh-what's happening…?! Father's body is glowing…! C-could this be ascension…?! E-emergency…! Emergency…!!"
Whoosh—!
Choryeon flailed her arms in panic.
Her mind was a mess on how to handle this.
"Th-this isn't the time…! S-Suryeon sis…!!"
Thud—!
Choryeon dashed toward Suryeon.
Suryeon had been sitting quietly in a chair, gazing at the moonlight reflected in the window.
"S-Suryeon sis!"
"…What, Choryeon."
"This isn't the time to stare at the moonlight…! Father's body…! His body…!"
"!!"
Suryeon jumped to her feet at Choryeon's words.
She rushed to the living room and checked Dad's condition.
"Dad's body is glowing."
"Y-yes…! Do you know what's happening…?!'
Suryeon answered simply.
"…This is the final stage of molting."
"Final stage…? So Father will open his eyes soon…?"
"…Yeah. But on the flip side, he might not wake up."
His body could still tear apart from the dragon's mana.
Knowing that, Suryeon swallowed hard in tension.
"…We just watch quietly. We pray Dad succeeds in molting."
"Th-then how can we raise the odds!? Pray for rain from the heavens?! Or a human sacrifice…"
"…That's superstition, not fact."
Not human sacrifice.
Suryeon immediately dismissed Choryeon's idea.
At that moment, the door to the master bedroom opened, and Hwaryeon came out rubbing her eyes.
"What's going on? What're you all doing?"
"Watching Dad's molting."
"What?! You should've told me!"
Patpatpat—!
Hwaryeon rushed over and sat in front of Dad.
Unlike usual, she watched quietly and calmly.
"We'll see Dad soon, right?"
"If he succeeds in molting."
"Father will definitely succeed! He's Father!"
Like that.
All the children clasped their hands in prayer.
Watching for the molting to end safely.
Shwaaaa—!
Ha-jun's body glowed even brighter.
Crackkk—!
Slowly.
Ha-jun began shedding the shell that encased his body.
And Ha-jun shed his old skin, facing the children with his new body.
"…"
He glanced over his new body once.
Then spoke to the children.
"Kids, what time is it? No, wait—how much time has passed?"
At that, the children held back their surging tears and rushed toward the long-missed voice.
"We waited forever!! You're dead, Dad!"
"I didn't think it'd take this long. You idiot Dad."
"Father!! I missed you!! I love you!!"
Squeeze—!
The children hugged their long-lost Dad tightly.
Ha-jun stroked their heads.
"You all waited a long time, huh? Sorry."
Like that.
The reunited Dad and children embraced for a good while.
As if filling the void of time apart.
That marked the completion of the dragon family's molting.