Chapter 162
Chapter 162
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Our Other-Dimensional Selves (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Red sky.
Incheon in ruins.
Ominous magical energy brushed against my skin, sending chills down my spine.
"Is there no air purifier in this dimension?"
"This isn't the time for jokes, Lee Ha-jun. This is a combat situation."
"..."
I'd tried to lighten the mood a bit.
Guess S-Rank Hero Kang Hoon wasn't the type to appreciate humor.
"Speaking of which, it really feels like the future here. Those red currents in the sky can't be fine dust, can they? Is this what Korea turns into down the line?"
"If this dimension is our future, then yeah. But there's a good chance it's not. Parallel worlds exist too, after all. We can't be sure it's the future."
Kang Hoon fixed me with his signature serious gaze as he spoke.
His rugged, masculine features and short hair suited him perfectly.
No wonder he swept all those men's grooming ads.
"That filthy alpha male..."
"Quiet. Let's scout the area properly."
Just as the inferiority-complex machine Kang Hoon suggested, we decided to scan our surroundings thoroughly.
I drew up the mana inside me, sharpening my senses to the max.
'Things have gotten way smoother with mana control since my bone refinement. Let's see...'
To locate nearby heroes.
Using my heightened senses, I picked up on the sounds around us.
"...Monster vibrations 300 meters east. Human presence 50 meters north. Combat breaking out 250 meters northwest."
"Wait, you can detect sounds that precisely?"
"This is basic stuff."
"...Impressive. Even overseas S-Rank Heroes couldn't pull that off."
Kang Hoon looked genuinely surprised by my ability, a flicker of fluster crossing his face.
But he quickly regained his composure and said,
"We'll link up with the ones to the north and provide support northwest."
"Yeah, sounds good."
Kang Hoon and I leaped over the building blocking our path.
That's when we spotted an A-rank Hero who'd been hiding in place.
"You there! Don't just stay put—join up with us! We're heading northwest to provide backup!"
"K-Kang Hoon, Hero!"
And with that, we rushed to join the fight northwest.
"That's..."
"Guess we really did come to the future, not just another dimension."
A dinosaur doll stitched together with worn cloth and needles, riddled with patches.
The ancient-looking thing was battling heroes.
Kang Hoon and I dove straight into the fray alongside them.
"Oh Jin-seong."
"Yeah, you made it."
"That everyone?"
"Yeah, including the one you brought—that's all of us."
Oh Jin-seong, who'd entered the dimension first, had apparently rounded up the rest.
I glanced at the dinosaur doll, then turned to Kang Hoon.
"What about that thing?"
"We take it out and find the exit. Running's not an option."
Alright then.
Time to show what I could do.
I shifted my gaze to lock onto the dinosaur.
'No matter how I look at it, it's a dead ringer.'
A monster that looked just like the dinosaur doll I'd bought for Hwa-ryun.
I didn't love the idea of smashing something I'd given my daughter, but I clenched my fist and charged.
'Body feels light as ever.'
Mana gathered in my hand.
Mana exploded from my legs.
Using that propulsion, I slammed my fist into the plump dinosaur doll's belly.
"Dragon Father Punch!"
BOOM-!
I'd copied my daughter's technique, driving my fist home.
The doll's belly tore open, and it collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
I stared at the fallen doll and muttered,
"Got it?"
"..."
"Guess I did!"
Heh.
That's me for you.
No wonder the ladies go wild.
Still basking in my own glory, I turned around to face the others.
"That's me in action, folks. Worship away—huh?"
I'd said worship, but...
They didn't have to prostrate themselves like that.
Why were they all face-down on the ground like something was crushing them?
I panicked a little and yelled at them,
"Hey, take it easy with the worship! I didn't ask for this much!"
What was going on?
As I stood there flustered, S-Rank Hero Oh Jin-seong and Kang Hoon spoke up.
"I-idiot... that's not it... up... up above... there's another one..."
"Watch out... Lee Ha-jun..."
Above.
At that, I snapped my head up to the sky.
There, floating in midair, was a woman.
"..."
Horns and a tail in a deep blue bordering on black.
An ethereal beauty, tall and strikingly slender.
She glared at us with cold, ruthless eyes and murmured icily,
"Still some humans alive, huh. I thought I'd killed them all."
"..."
"Why aren't you all dead? You pathetic trash. Still drawing breath."
Chilling.
She spat venom at the heroes cowering flat on the ground.
Her appearance had changed a lot, but...
I recognized her instantly.
'No way I wouldn't know her... No matter how much time passes, she's my daughter...'
Gulp.
Tension rising, I raised my voice toward the floating girl.
"...Are you maybe Soo-ryun?"
"...?"
Startled at hearing her name, Soo-ryun whipped her gaze toward me.
Her face twisted in shock.
"Dad...? H-how...?"
She stared at me in disbelief.
The icy mask melted away, her expression shifting to that of a child.
I gave my awkward future daughter a sheepish wave.
"Hey, future Soo-ryun. It's Dad."
"D-Dad...!"
Whoosh-!
Soo-ryun flew toward me, face alight with emotion.
I spread my arms wide to welcome her.
"Yeah, it's Dad, Soo-ryun!"
Arms open.
Waiting for her to fly into my embrace.
That's when it happened.
"I'll never let you go again, Dad."
"Huh?"
Thud.
My vision blurred, my body tilting.
The last things I saw and heard before blacking out?
"Thanks for coming back to us, Dad. We don't need the other humans."
Soo-ryun's voice and the heroes' agonized screams.
"Rest well, Dad. I missed you. Missed you so much it hurt."
In that moment, I realized something was horribly wrong with my daughter—and lost consciousness.
***
"Ungh..."
When I opened my eyes again.
I wasn't under the red sky anymore. I stared up at the ceiling of a home.
It showed some signs of age, but it was familiar enough.
"This is... our house...?"
What?
Did Soo-ryun bring me here?
I tried to sit up from the bed.
But.
"Huh?"
Clank-!
"W-what's this? Chains?"
My whole body was bound in iron chains. I couldn't move.
"What the hell is going on...? And what happened to those heroes...?"
Did future Soo-ryun kill them all?
What the hell happened in the future to turn her like that?
It was all too hard to process.
Creak.
"Dad, you're awake."
"You...!"
The door I'd been locked behind swung open, revealing Soo-ryun.
I yelled at my grown daughter.
"Lee Soo-ryun! What the hell are you doing?! Untie these chains right now!"
"...It's been a while since you scolded me like this, Dad."
She wore a faintly wistful smile.
Soo-ryun approached slowly and offered me a cup of water.
"Drink up, Dad."
"My hands are tied like this. Untie me."
"Oh? Then I'll feed you."
She sat on the edge of the bed and poured the water toward my mouth as I lay there.
'This... this is waterboarding!!'
Pwah-!
I barely managed to drink it without spilling.
Soo-ryun watched, then let out a twisted little laugh.
"You drank it all, Dad. You're really alive."
"What, you think I'm a corpse? Of course I'm alive."
"...Yeah."
She smiled bitterly.
Soo-ryun placed a hand on my cheek.
"Ow, cold."
"...I can feel your warmth, Dad. Your heart's beating."
"I told you I'm alive. More importantly, Soo-ryun."
"Yeah?"
"This is the future, right?"
Is this the future?
And is this the Soo-ryun I knew and raised?
She answered with a blank expression.
"You're probably right, Dad. From your perspective, this might be the future. Or maybe not."
"Then, Soo-ryun! You know any stocks that mooned big time?!"
Time to score some investment intel!
That's rule one when you time travel.
But Soo-ryun just shook her head.
"No point looking into stocks, Dad."
"Why not?"
"All the human companies went bust anyway."
"Oh."
"Classic Dad question. So dumb."
Hee-hee.
She laughed, as if reminiscing.
With the mood a bit lighter.
I decided to ask the big one.
"Soo-ryun."
"Yeah, Dad."
"You didn't... kill all those heroes, did you...?"
The last thing I'd heard.
Was their screams of agony.
They were heroes who shouldn't die easily in a place like this.
"Surely you didn't kill them all?"
"..."
Soo-ryun stared at me blankly after my question.
Her deep blue eyes, dark as the ocean depths, unreadable.
She just watched me in silence, then slowly spoke.
"...I shouldn't kill them?"
"What?"
"You can't kill humans, Dad?"
"Of course not..."
"Why? Why can't I?"
She lunged atop me like a switch had flipped, staring me down from inches away.
Her deep blue hair cascaded onto my face.
An unsettling aura began to emanate from her.
"Why can't I kill humans, Dad?"
"Those people didn't do anything wrong, Soo-ryun."
"Oh? Then why'd you die?"
"...What?"
Grip.
The hand by my face trembled.
Tears welled up in Soo-ryun's eyes as she gazed at me quietly.
"You didn't do anything wrong... So why'd humans kill you...?"
"I died by human hands...?"
"You were innocent... Why'd you have to die by human hands...? Dad, I... I hate humans... I hate the humans who killed you... I want to kill them all..."
Tears streamed endlessly down onto my face.
Watching her heartbroken sobs, I thought to myself.
'...Humans kill me in the future?'
If so, was that why the world ended up like this?
Heart aching with dread, I quietly asked,
"Soo-ryun..."
Thump.
"Yeah..."
Thump.
"What about Hwa-ryun and Cho-ryun...?"
Thump.
Hoping against hope my fears were wrong, I met her deep blue eyes.
But as if confirming my worst suspicions.
Soo-ryun spoke the truth.
"They all turned into Black Dragons... after you died..."
The unthinkable had happened.
In some distant, unknown future.
"...Damn it."
I'd learned of my own death.
And that my daughters became Black Dragons.
And that my daughters annihilated humanity.
Beneath Soo-ryun's frozen, icy tears.