Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Beniemon
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“Ah.”
That was all that came out of my mouth as I woke up after another all-nighter.
Pulling an all-nighter itself wasn't the issue.
Today was a day off, and tomorrow was too.
But the real problem was something else.
“Ugh.”
For starters, that angel kicking my face in her sleep was definitely a problem. Well, it was—but not her.
Right now, the most important thing in my life—no, in my hikikomori life—was one thing.
“Why.”
Why of all things.
“School starts next week.”
Today was the weekend.
A weekend morning.
You’re supposed to wake up refreshed. It’s the day to enjoy your leisure time or catch up on sleep to shake off any backlog of fatigue.
On what should have been the perfect day, I—
“Ah.”
—sat at the breakfast table with a hollow-eyed stare.
“I’m gonna die.”
I was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. Falling asleep around 3 a.m. every day and waking at 8 a.m.—whose schedule was this?
It was the classic symbol of a shattered sleep cycle, but I had no choice.
The kids woke up in the morning, so I couldn’t sleep in late.
Nighttime? Don’t even get me started.
Talking about it would just give me a sore mouth. Obviously—
“What’s with that look? You enjoyed it too, Seong-hoon. If you’re gonna complain about being tired after having all your fun, then I’m the bad guy here.”
This damn blonde was the culprit. When I shot her a weary glance, she pouted her lips and propped her face on her palm in retort.
“It was fun, right? I even said we should go to bed early last night. But you’re the one who kept going with that ‘I absolutely won’t sleep until we beat this boss!!’”
“...”
She wasn’t wrong, so I had nothing to say. Of course I wanted to beat that boss. What could I do?
Sleep could wait, but the thrill of clearing it only lasted in the moment.
Anyway, this damn blonde had me exhausted to death. All I wanted right now was to dive back into bed.
But look at the blonde who’d pulled the all-nighter right in front of me.
“Hehe~”
She swung her legs happily, grinning ear to ear. Sitting in her chair, her legs bobbed up and down.
Her beaming face as she looked at me, her flawless white skin and glossy hair—it was impossible to think she’d been up all night.
Where did that stamina even come from?
[Gorillas have great stamina by nature, nyang.]
Exactly. That’s what I thought too. A millennia-old gorilla must have insane durability.
“What game are we playing today?”
Did she not hear our mumbling? As I stared silently at the blonde suggesting another round, the door across the table creaked open. Nothing was visible through the gap at first, but when I glanced down—
[Ugh...]
There was a little blonde clutching a pillow, rubbing her eyes. She toddled into the bright living room, looking around as if searching for someone, then headed straight for me.
With half-lidded eyes, she stretched out her arms, so I naturally scooped her up and settled her on my lap.
[Daddy.]
“Yeah.”
[Good morning.]
“Sleep well?”
[Yeah.]
She seemed a bit more awake now, turning to look at me with a bright smile, so I ruffled her hair.
While fixing her messy bedhead, I scanned the room.
If Revatein was up, the other one should be too—
As if answering my silent question, something poked out from the corner of the table.
A black crown of the head. Hair tied into twin tails on either side.
“Sion.”
Sion peeked her head over the table.
“Oppa, were you looking for me?”
Of course I was, if I didn’t see you. I nodded, and she grinned mischievously before plopping down next to Raphael.
This was our standard household lineup. Revatein on my lap. Raphael straight ahead. Sion right beside her.
My seat next to me held either a human-form cat or spirit-beast form.
And way over there, a demon cooking.
It was a familiar sight now. Though it felt like there was one more...
Whatever. As I shaped Revatein’s hair and chatted idly,
it suddenly hit me.
“Oh, right.”
When was Benia supposed to wake up?
“Hm.”
I rubbed my chin while cradling Revatein. She, of course, paid no mind and kept doodling on the table with the crayons I’d bought her with my hard-earned cash.
She’d occasionally hold up a drawing shouting, ‘This is Daddy!!’ but honestly, I couldn’t tell.
Still, kids thrive on love and praise.
So I’d say something like, ‘Looks just like me?’ and she’d be thrilled enough.
Anyway, ignoring the black-and-blonde duo chattering and drawing to my left, I finished my train of thought.
Benia’s recovery had 4 days left.
What did that mean? Simple—
“In 4 days, the era of Great Lee Seong-hoon begins.”
“Oppa, did staying up all night drive you crazy?”
“Sion, stay calm. He’s always like this. Just a random episode—you seeing it for the first time?”
“Yeah, does he really get like that sometimes?”
“Yep. It’s his occasional fits. Just let it pass with a ‘whatever~’ and you’re good.”
“...”
That stung a little. I shot the harsh-mouthed blonde a glare before checking the blue window again.
It plainly read [Remaining time: 4 days].
Benia was a dragon.
One of the transcendent beings in existence. The only benevolent dragon in our dimension.
She liked humans. In the original story, she recovered a bit, helped Kim Tae-hyun, then died—turning dragons hostile in a troll move of troll moves.
But not anymore.
I’d saved her life and provided a safe place to recover.
As a result, she—who hadn’t even reached mid-game recovery in the story—was on the verge of full restoration in 4 days.
And that was it? No, I’d also saddled her with an irrepayable debt and made her promise to help raise Revatein.
Dragons valued promises, and she had no choice but to stick around me.
In other words: the birth of Beniemon.
Whenever something popped off? One cry of ‘Beniemooon~’ and our purple dragon would handle it.
How convenient was that?
“Hm.”
I nodded. Perfect. Things were flowing beautifully, just as I’d hoped.
I’d snagged one of the ‘fragments’ the demon cultists were collecting and nipped the dragon-human fallout in the bud.
Two pieces of the apocalypse puzzle down.
If it kept going like this, I could deliver the ending I wanted: [A Hollow Conclusion].
Kim Tae-hyun wouldn’t even fight the final boss. The world would roll on peacefully. I could make him drop out before he even got there.
And done. Everything over.
But—
“Yeah, right.”
As if. My experience told me it wouldn’t go smoothly. Even now, hurdles loomed despite the momentum.
Just second semester alone: Sophia’s rampage, demon cult movements, Magic Association incident, school trip, festival, and more.
A ton waiting. Imagining the variables and chaos already gave me a headache.
It hurt, but no choice.
Steel yourself— As that thought crossed my mind, our eyes met.
The blonde stared blankly, murmuring. I figured she’d say something like ‘Here we go again’ and tried to ignore her.
But she moved. Hand on the table, chin propped up.
Eyes narrowed, lips curved in a smirk. Like she found it ridiculous.
But her words were unexpected.
“Seong-hoon, you’ve got me, you know.”
What was that supposed to mean? Did she even know what I was thinking?
Come to think of it, she’d always been quick on the uptake.
Whenever I was deep in serious thought—
—You’re thinking something weird again, huh.
—Ugh, here he goes.
—I came to play, but you looked like you were scheming, so I called you out.
Always.
Seeing her eyes crinkle with a smile now, I reached out and patted her head. Whether she meant it literally or was just telling me not to worry alone, it comforted me all the same.
“A demon cultist or two? One angel punch and they’re done, right?”
“Of course!!”
[Angel Puunch!!]
Yeah. Angel punch.
Revatein’s sudden cheer made me grin without thinking.
“Gotta admit, those demon cultists sure are generous with support.”
The man chuckled at the supplies before him. No reply came, but he knew it was affirmation.
“Eternal night, red moon, devil’s return—couldn’t care less about any of that. But this kind of backup? Much appreciated.”
His grin didn’t fade. Nor did his dragging feet as he drew something on the ground. Not a blood-drawn hexagram in demon cult style.
Mana refined from the air’s ambient energy. A magic circle formed from that mana.
That’s what the man was crafting.
“The devil’s return aligns with our goals anyway. Once the world’s corrupted by demonic energy, magic becomes unusable.”
“Don’t know nothin’ about that.”
“Didn’t expect you to.”
“Harsh.”
The man didn’t stop. Layer after layer, the magic circle grew stronger.
Primitive method. Modern magic just needed a thought or a word to manifest.
Chant a spell, and a circle forms in your palm; speak, and it activates.
But not this man. He etched the incantation step by step with his feet.
“How’re you even planning to get in, anyway? Heard security’s tight lately. Even purebloods can’t infiltrate.”
“You dumb?”
The reason was simple. He didn’t rely on auto-manifesting magic. He rejected circles born from mere thought.
That was their way.
“They’re guarding against demon cultists and vampires. Humans can waltz right in.”
“They know your face.”
“Faces can change.”
“You’re going that far?”
“Obviously.”
I left something behind—
As he said that, a business card reading [Park Shin-woo] slipped from his pocket.