Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Our Other-Dimensional Selves (4)
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Arrived in the future dimension and met my daughter.
But my daughter says I die in the future.
Of course dying is inevitable, but she says it's at someone else's hand.
And because of my death, my daughter brings about the end of humanity.
'A future composed entirely of the worst possible outcomes.'
Suryun reached out and wiped the tears from my cheek.
Then she got up and left the room, saying,
"...Dad, you're hungry, right? Just rest easy. I'll have food ready in no time."
Creak—
With the sound of the old door closing.
I lay on the bed, bound in iron chains, staring up at the ceiling.
My mind was a whirlwind after hearing about the future.
"Me dying. And my daughter becoming a Black Dragon."
It was no different from saying my daughter turns into a thug in the future.
In this case, though, she seemed closer to a mass murderer than a mere thug.
"Sigh, this is driving me crazy."
A sigh escaped my lips.
My own death was frustrating enough, but this future grated on me even more.
On top of that, I had no idea why Suryun had chained me up.
"...So where are the other kids right now?"
Creak—
At that moment, the door opened, and Suryun appeared holding a plate.
She came over with the plate and sat on the edge of the bed, holding a spoonful up to me.
"Here, Dad. Say ahh."
Ahh—
Suryun held a spoon full of porridge right up to my mouth, urging me to open wide.
I turned my head away and said,
"Suryun."
"Yeah?"
"Do I really have to eat the food you're feeding me? If you'd just unlock these chains, we'd both be more comfortable. More importantly, what the hell are these chains for?"
Was there really any need to chain up her own dad?
At my question, Suryun answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Those chains are for you, Dad."
"What?"
"They're to protect you. I finally got my lost dad back. There's no way I'd let you slip away from me again."
Suryun touched my cheek with her cold hand, then turned my head back into position.
The strength she used was beyond anything I could resist.
"Y-You, Suryun..."
"So just stay put, Dad. I'll feed you, and I'll do anything else you want."
Never again.
"Please don't leave my side."
"..."
"You'll do that for your daughter, right, Dad?"
She grinned—
Suryun forced the spoon into my mouth.
Then, as I swallowed the porridge, she wore a twisted smile.
"You used to feed me like this back in the day. It brings back old memories."
"...How long ago was that?"
"Probably about a hundred years ago."
"..."
A world a hundred years after my death.
In that world, my daughter Suryun looked incredibly precarious.
Her gaunt body and pale skin.
And the obsessive gaze she fixed on me.
Those eyes held an abyss within them.
"There are no more humans who can kill you, Dad. Let's live together forever."
"..."
Was this the infamous possessive nature of dragons I'd only heard about?
I painfully realized why the Yellow Dragon had warned me.
'This is way too heavy.'
It felt like being crushed under a massive tank.
***
Evening came.
I'd spent the entire day chained to the bed, unable to move a muscle.
The one silver lining was that she unchained me when I needed to use the bathroom.
"Suryun."
"Yes, Dad?"
"Dad needs to use the bathroom."
"Got it."
Snap—
Suryun flicked her finger, and the chains binding me released in an instant.
I stretched my stiff body and headed to the bathroom.
'Whew, what the hell is going on here?'
I'd been trying to clear an S-Rank Dimensional Gate.
But I fell through a rift in dimensions and ended up in the future.
I sighed as I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.
"What if I end up stuck here for the rest of my life...? I promised the kids I'd go to their sports day..."
This is bad.
More importantly, what about the heroes who died at Suryun's hands?
Two S-Rank Heroes and twelve A-rank Heroes were gone.
I was deeply worried about Korea's future with such a manpower shortage.
'...I can't stay trapped in this place forever.'
Even I had to escape this dimension.
But leave Suryun in that state and run away alone?
'...No matter if it's the future Suryun. She's still my daughter.'
I couldn't heartlessly abandon my daughter and flee.
The future Suryun was still my daughter, after all.
That's why I decided to try talking things out with her.
Splash—
"Whew."
I washed my hands at the sink.
Then, steeling my resolve, I stepped out of the bathroom.
Suryun was sitting on the bed, staring at me.
I shouted at her.
"Suryun, Dad has something to say!"
"Then lie down on the bed and say it, Dad."
Snap—
Suryun flicked her finger, and the chains shot toward me.
'What the—!'
Before I could even speak, I was chained up again and lying on the bed.
What kind of nonsense is this?
"..."
"So, what did you want to say, Dad?"
Suryun stared right through me.
I went straight to the point with her.
"Suryun."
"Yeah."
"Are all those heroes dead?"
"..."
A question about the heroes' survival.
Suryun stayed silent for a long while.
Only after a long time did she finally speak.
"They're alive."
"R-Really?"
"I wanted to kill them. But I knew you'd hate that, so I spared their lives."
"That's a relief..."
At least they're alive. What a relief.
As I let out a sigh of relief, Suryun looked at me and smirked.
"You're as simple-minded as ever, Dad, past or present."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Just what I said, you dummy Dad."
Hee-hee—
Suryun said that and chuckled to herself.
I couldn't comprehend what she found so amusing.
Anyway.
"Suryun, this is really important."
"You're finally getting to the point, huh? Go ahead."
Suryun acted cool, gesturing for me to speak.
But the look in her eyes as she watched me was far from normal.
She was telling me to talk, but if I actually did...
'Something big is gonna happen...'
I wanted to say, Let me go from this dimension!
But I swallowed those words and brought up another important matter instead.
Something extremely important to me.
"You said Hwaryun and Choryun became Black Dragons."
"Yeah."
"So where are they now?"
Suryun, who didn't become a Black Dragon, stayed living in the nest.
So where the hell were Hwaryun and Choryun?
At my question, Suryun clamped her mouth shut.
"..."
"Suryun?"
She stayed silent for a moment, just looking at me.
Then, as if reluctant, she clicked her tongue and said,
"Tch, I get that you need to know because you're Dad. But do you really have to know about them?"
"Yeah, I want to. What happened to Hwaryun and Choryun."
"..."
Snap—
Suryun released the chains around me and stood up.
Then she said to me seriously,
"Stay right by my side, Dad."
"Why?"
"They're dangerous. If I give you one piece of advice, don't think of them as your daughters."
Suryun made a face like she was utterly fed up.
What the hell had happened between the sisters to make her like this?
'...'
To find out, I followed behind Suryun as we left our nest.
***
The outside was almost a wasteland.
Traces of battles littered the area everywhere, with no sign of human presence.
At least, no one seemed to be living around here.
Seeing me like that, Suryun casually explained,
"We fought a lot around here. Humans attacked us. All we were doing was protecting our nest."
"Why did people attack us?"
"...Who knows."
She turned her head away.
Were bad memories resurfacing?
She didn't seem eager to talk about it.
As we trudged through the ruins of buildings following Suryun,
She glanced back slightly and said,
"Follow slowly, Dad."
"Okay."
"And don't even think about running."
"..."
"You know it anyway. You can't escape from me."
She was right.
The current Suryun was a dragon who'd lived a hundred years.
There was no way I could outrun her.
"Dragons really are different once they age."
"...What did you just say?"
"Oh, nothing."
Zap—
I flinched under her sharp glare.
But that expression just now really resembled Suryun from her childhood.
As we walked slowly down the path like that.
"Don't scream in surprise for no reason, Dad."
"Huh?"
We crested a steep hill.
And below, we spotted an open field.
A field covered in rotten grass.
The shapes of people completely entwined in black grass blanketed every road.
"Th-That's gotta be... how many..."
"About a third of the population that used to live in Seoul. Come on, those plant humans stretch all the way to 09 District."
"Choryun did this...?"
Choryun was a sweet girl who loved people.
For her to massacre people like this.
"Choryun... what have you done..."
Was it because I witnessed the horror?
My jaw hung open in shock, refusing to close.
***
We arrived at 09 District following Suryun.
The site of our old nest, where Choryun had spread her plants everywhere.
When we got there, far in the distance, we spotted a massive tree.
"That's where Choryun is."
"..."
"Let's take a quick look and head home, Dad."
Crunch crunch—
We passed through the black grass.
Past the plant humans, we reached the massive blackened tree.
Suryun pointed at the black colossal tree and said,
That's Choryun.
"What?"
"Choryun is sealed inside that tree."
"Choryun is inside that tree...?"
Why.
Why was Choryun sealed away?
And why had I let Choryun end up like that?
'You idiot, why did you have to die...'
Clench—
Powerless, I bit my lip hard and asked,
"...Who sealed Choryun away?"
"Choryun herself. She turned herself into the World Tree, sacrificing all her mana to seal herself away in an attempt to turn every human on Earth into plant humans. This black World Tree will suck up all of Earth's nutrients and cover the world in black plants."
Suryun continued,
"Choryun said there's no reason to live in a world without you, Dad. And she hated humans more than anyone."
Stroke—
Suryun stroked the black World Tree as if she had more to say.
"...Being sealed means sleeping forever. Guess she wanted to at least see you in her dreams."
"..."
"Choryun was an idiot just like you, Dad. A bit cunning, though."
Suryun seemed regretful about what had happened to Choryun.
I, too, trembled with rage and surging emotions at the fact that Choryun had sealed herself away.
"...I'm sorry, Choryun."
I wanted to stroke my poor daughter's head.
But she was sealed inside the black World Tree, so I couldn't even do that.
"..."
"..."
I stood there with my hand against the black World Tree for a long time.
Just like that, for ages.
While I was meeting the future Choryun.
Tug—
Something grabbed at my clothes.
At the presence, I turned to check.
"You...?"
"Mang..."
"Mangmung...?"
"Maaang..."
Oink oink—
Mangmung slowly emerged from beneath the black World Tree.
Mangmung, who had grown to my height at some point, was rubbing its face against my cheek.
"Maaang... maaang..."
Letting out a sorrowful cry all the while.