Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: 62. Debate Topic: Praise (1)
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The ripped-out heart, still brimming with life, wriggled desperately to escape from BM. But it didn't get far before snagging on something—Yoo Ji-tae's foot. Even crushed beneath his heel, it kept twitching for a while longer.
Like all parasites, once the host was gone, the remnant life was no more than a candle flickering in the wind.
It soon stopped moving.
That day.
BM buried the limp child's head against his small shoulder and wept. He cried without stopping in that very spot until nearly dawn. Yoo Ji-tae cleared away the heart and gave him space. And he stayed in the labyrinth until BM came back to his senses.
Yoo Ji-tae's somber mood had everyone else subdued, so the airborne special forces troops chuckled awkwardly and made themselves scarce.
The next day, Yeoreum arrived via the open Shallowest Abyss (S) on the study bookshelf and asked,
"That guy?"
Yoo Ji-tae jerked his chin toward the "workshop."
"He's still like that?"
"Yeah."
"......"
Yeoreum plopped down right next to him.
She waited quietly alongside him for a long while before suddenly remembering something and speaking up.
"Hey."
"Yeah."
"If BM thought of that chimera as his kid, doesn't that mean he's already attached?"
"Pretty much."
"Then could he get attached to a new kid reborn from it?"
"Depends on the person."
"What about you?"
"What about you?"
"I asked first."
"Then answer first."
"......"
Yeoreum shot him a sideways glare. Then she tilted her head oddly and clicked her tongue.
"What."
"Your way of talking lately... it's gotten so damn irritating. Don't you think?"
"......"
"You were more fun when you were boring."
"......"
"Anyway. If it were me... uh... fuck if I know. How should I know? It's not like I've ever had a kid. Or even raised a pet."
Yeoreum grumbled, then glanced at him again.
"So what about you?"
"No idea."
"What the hell, seriously..."
Yoo Ji-tae thought about it.
He'd never had a child, not even once. He'd never been particularly interested in kids anyway. By the time he realized the world was looping, he was half-mad, and even in those long years when opportunities arose, he avoided them.
Yet even for him, there had been farewells and new encounters aplenty.
For instance, these baby dragons.
Now, he believed that even if his bonds with them had been shallow, they were still bonds—and time spent cherishing them, even though they were gone.
The current Yoo Ji-tae was growing attached to the dragons.
...As that thought crossed his mind, a strange feeling washed over him.
Growing attached?
No.
He'd never grown attached to anyone.
Yet why did Yeoreum slapping his forearm feel natural? Why did her piggy-like grunts of complaint feel so familiar and comfortable? What was this?
It was odd.
He'd never intended to grow attached.
This held true for all four hatchlings. He'd never made an effort to get particularly close to any one of them.
He'd simply wanted to keep them around, to share everyday life together. And somehow, bonds had formed.
Did I grow attached?
...As he pondered, the regressor realized the phrasing was wrong.
Attachment wasn't something you bestowed. It grew and deepened on its own.
To put it more clearly:
Before he knew it, Yoo Ji-tae had grown attached to the dragons.
"Huh? What?"
Yeoreum eyed him closely. He didn't respond.
Once, Bom had said she could read Yoo Ji-tae's expressions. Yeoreum had thought, Damn, what a perceptive girl.
But now, even Yeoreum noticed the subtle shift in his expression.
"What's up?"
His usually clouded gaze was now nearly unfocused.
"Hey. What's going on? Something there?"
"No..."
"Why?"
"It's nothing."
Screeech—
Just then, the workshop door creaked open, and BM emerged, looking half-broken. He shuffled over and gave Yoo Ji-tae a weary nod.
Yoo Ji-tae stood and headed to the workshop. When Yeoreum tried to follow, he waved her back. Her face soured, but she stayed put without protest.
Inside the workshop lay the child, now heartless.
Its body still held some color. It would last a good while. Being a "chimera" as well, after all. But this chimera was made from "hair," reconstructed per Yoo Ji-tae's recipe—a "real" one.
Yoo Ji-tae opened Shallowest Abyss (S). This special sub-space was vast, containing "places" for various purposes.
"Take this one and stabilize it."
At his command, translucent white hands extended, enveloping Jeong Tae-baek's body and pulling it into the pitch-black sub-space. Farther in, where the laws of time from the material world flowed extremely slowly—commonly called the "fridge." That's where the child would be stored.
But this was mere preservation.
To implant a new custom heart into a body that had lost its match, the mana properties permeating the entire body needed purging.
Overturning the will of an existence—not an object—was akin to completely transforming one person into another.
Such an inefficient process had never been attempted in history, as it was deemed unnecessary.
And even if tried, it likely never succeeded.
Yet Yoo Ji-tae, for some reason, had researched it. Even the hazy memories of the 4+ loop were crystal clear when it came to that data.
If BM wished, he could start anytime.
"I need some time."
After a long silence, BM spoke from his perch on the workshop chair.
"I want to rest a bit... I'll contact you again."
The exhausted, shattered, broken man smiled faintly.
Yoo Ji-tae met his eyes and asked,
"Any thoughts of suicide? Vanishing? Extreme measures?"
"No. None."
"Ignore Federation summons while you rest."
"Pardon?"
"You won't catch it anyway."
"...... ...Understood."
Yoo Ji-tae rose.
Without another word, he vanished from the underground labyrinth.
Time heals all wounds. For any human.
The weekend.
After the rain. When the pavement still held its dark sheen.
Hate Ling soared through the skies over the Pacific. This massive floating island pierced through the fog rising to high altitudes, scattering mist across the heavens like a veil. The cool air chased away the summer heat, making for a refreshingly crisp day.
It was the weekend.
—Clone 1 here. Successfully recruited up to number three.
Good work.
—Uh, Clone 2 here! I found the witch's lair too.
How long did it take?
—Two months.
—I'm so sorry...! The dungeon was so deep and convoluted, I got lost.
Got it.
The witch is a wildly capricious woman. But no one rivals her in magic. Butter her up as best you can. Give her whatever she asks for, within reason.
—Yes, sir!
Just not your body.
—Pardon? My body?
—Ah, receiving memories now.
—Uh... ack...
He was in the study, conversing with the clones and exchanging updates on operations in progress.
Ding-dong— Yoo Ji-tae's watch chimed. A public notice from the Academic Affairs Office.
—Praise-Filled Weekend.
He read the notice. Apparently, this was replacing the guardian consultation period.
Praise cadets for good deeds and submit the praise in report form.
Lair often saddled guardians with baffling tasks. This notice fell into that category. What was he supposed to praise? And document it too?
Still, as a fairly diligent guardian, Yoo Ji-tae didn't skip such things.
That day, the kids were gathered in the living room playing a board game. Traveling the world. Buying land in key cities. Building properties. Swiping others' money. Monopoly.
Yoo Ji-tae slipped quietly among them, squeezing into the widest spot available—between Yeoreum and Gyeoul.
"Ugh, move. Space is tight enough already."
Yeoreum shoved him with her hip, forcing him back up.
Then Bom looked up at him and raised a finger. She tapped the floor lightly. When he approached, she naturally made room.
A bit farther from the board, but Bom didn't seem to mind.
"Uwaaah, I landed on it again!"
"Gotcha. Pay up, you monkey."
"Argh, this sucks. Why'd it have to be Yeoreum-unni's land of all places?! I should've owned Seoul..."
Yeoreum cackled happily.
Until her next turn, when she hit Tokyo and got fleeced for millions by Gaeul.
"Agh, fuck."
"Hehehe! Knew you'd land there, so I built skyscrapers and apartments! Eh-heh-heh~~."
"You little girlfriend wannabe."
"What? That's a bit..."
Gaeul's reaction sent Yeoreum into hysterics.
Winter's turn next.
Winter stared down at the board tensely.
She had a measly 100,000 won left.
But dead ahead lay Yeoreum and Gaeul's lands in a row—the dreaded "death stretch." Landing anywhere in the middle meant instant bankruptcy.
"That blue guy's toast now."
"Winter...! Don't wanna land on Yeoreum-unni's, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Then land on mine instead!"
"...Huh?"
"Hey, blue boy. Roll quick and head to cucumber boy's spot."
Cucumber boy?
Come to think of it, what was Bom up to?
Yoo Ji-tae glanced at Bom beside him. She'd been awfully quiet—turns out she'd gone bankrupt early and sat there sulking.
He asked,
"What happened?"
"Huh?"
"Thought you'd be good at this."
"Oh, it's a game. I played fair and square..."
"And?"
"Weirdly, nothing went right. From the start..."
Yeoreum and Gaeul burst out laughing, teasing Bom. "She paid me 3 million! Bom-unni's such a black sheep!", "Total pushover cucumber!" Bom sighed glumly and leaned her head on Yoo Ji-tae's arm.
The weight settled on his arm as her grass-green hair cascaded down.
A faint forest scent wafted up.
"...Mm."
Meanwhile, Winter was dead serious.
Two dice to roll. Anything from 2 to 10 meant doom.
Only two safe numbers: 11 or 12.
So one die had to be 6, the other at least 5.
If she could just dodge this "death stretch" somehow... she'd collect salary! She could survive...!
"...Hoo."
Winter sighed and rolled the dice.
The first die landed...!
1.
Winter scooted over next to Bom.
Yeoreum, having stripped her of everything, cackled like a witch.
As Winter scowled, Gaeul piped up.
"Mad? Shake the carrot!"
"......"
Right beside Winter sat the carrot-shaped game piece. She grabbed it with both hands and shook. Shook and shook—then hurled it straight at the still-laughing Yeoreum. But Yeoreum dodged easily. "Thought you just sucked at dice, but carrots too?" She teased Winter mercilessly.
Trembling with rage... fists clenched tight, holding back fury, Winter suddenly leaped up and into Yoo Ji-tae's arms, whining and mumbling curses at Yeoreum. He held her close.
Once Winter's anger subsided, Bom naturally took her onto her lap to watch the final showdown.
"Ah, fuck..."
The ultimate winner: Gaeul.
"Whehehehe!"
Yeoreum's face flushed red as she pinched her forehead, barely containing her fury. Gaeul strutted around like she'd conquered the world, bragging to Chickie, her guardian, and even Yoo Ji-tae.
No bets on the line or anything. They sure played with passion, though.
Anyway, the game wrapped up. He realized it was time for some "praise."
"Gaeul."
"Yes?"
First up, the praise target: Gaeul.