Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: 3. Yeoreum (1)
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Late evening. A day when a crescent moon rose beyond the sky.
The clone who had gotten off work approached Yoo Ji-tae.
"I will transfer the memories."
"Okay."
The clone closed its eyes. Then, the events at the police station that day flowed into the regressor's mind.
Closing his eyes and savoring the scent, Yoo Ji-tae slowly felt the incoming memories and emotions.
The police station team members were smiling at Lieutenant Yoo Ji-tae.
"They seem to like you."
"I'm trying my best to live an everyday life."
The clone was diligent in daily life. It didn't avoid hard work and always calmly fulfilled its role in its place.
That wasn't all. Originally, Yoo Ji-tae at 27 was a timid young man with a soft heart.
Suddenly, that Yoo Ji-tae had become a diligent, mature, and reliable colleague. The team members liked the clone, calling it 'Yoo Ji-tae's re-evaluation'.
"As you can feel, everyone is racking their brains over Jo Ho-sik."
"You're hiding well."
"Yes. Moreover, it's been revealed that he's not an individual but part of a human trafficking gang, making the situation even more awkward. They kidnap superhuman cadets from Lair with no connections and sell them like slaves to back-alley organizations."
Yoo Ji-tae nodded. In the memories, he could see the troubled police station staff.
"As the Sovereign commanded, if the deadline approaches, I will move directly."
"Okay."
At that moment, Yoo Ji-tae, savoring the memories, opened his eyes.
"......Hey."
"Give your command."
"What's with this one."
In the memories, some woman was pestering Yoo Ji-tae.
Quite blatantly.
"Ah, she's the team leader from another team. They say she's the station chief's daughter, and she's been showing favor to the Sovereign lately."
Come to think of it, he recalled seeing her intermittently in other memories. Things like 'Wanna grab drinks with sis after work?' or 'Is this abs or a washboard?' while trying to touch Yoo Ji-tae's stomach for no reason...
Today's memory was a bit more intense. She was openly rubbing her body against Yoo Ji-tae's arm and trying to get touchy.
"What's her name."
"Lee Bo-seok. If she's displeasing, I will remove her."
"Hm... No. Leave her be."
Not everything in daily life is always good.
The 'everyday' he sought was, metaphorically, a flower garden. There would be pretty flowers, but it was natural for there to be bugs too.
So Yoo Ji-tae decided to watch a bit longer.
"Then I will go."
"No. Stay there a moment."
"Yes."
"And change your clothes."
The clone wondered why Yoo Ji-tae was suddenly giving such an order. However, the Sovereign's command was absolute. He silently took off his uniform and changed into casual clothes.
Soon, Bom's voice came from the kitchen.
"Ajusshi. Dinner's ready."
Realizing something, the clone looked at the Sovereign on the sofa.
Yoo Ji-tae was meeting his eyes.
The next morning. Yoo Ji-tae got up from the sofa and stretched his body for the first time in a while.
Today was the day to pick up the Red Dragon.
Red Dragon.
A belligerent one, true to her Red clan.
Even in the previous six regressions, she had been the most willful and least obedient to his control. Reds were like that by nature.
While the others feared Yoo Ji-tae, the Red Dragon was different. In every regression, her attitude toward him bordered on extreme disgust. Because of that, Yoo Ji-tae didn't know much about the Red Dragon.
Still, things were a bit better this time.
Because of Bom.
"You're going to pick up Red?"
Bom brushed her green hair behind her ear.
A small ear fitting her small head was revealed.
"Yeah."
"You're not picking her up—you're kidnapping her, right?"
"That's right."
"Hm..."
Bom pondered while looking at a potted plant before speaking.
"She probably won't like it. Of course, I wasn't thrilled about being kidnapped either. But Red will resist even more fiercely."
"How about you persuade her. You're both dragons."
"I'm not sure how much help that would be. Dragons from different clans have some distance between them."
"Why."
"Because we want different things. I like taking it slow, staying still, and making things, but the Red clan is different. Our hobbies don't match, so we look at each other like cows eyeing chickens."
Yoo Ji-tae, curious, asked.
"What if we force her to come."
"Pardon?"
Bom's eyes widened.
"That's no good. 'Strength' is the pride of the Red clan. Forcing a Red Dragon like that would cause tremendous stress."
As expected. Recalling the Red Dragon's end in previous regressions, Yoo Ji-tae understood her words.
"Troublesome."
"Hm...... But do you really have to bring her? If you want a dragon as a pet, isn't one of me enough?"
It was absurd in two ways.
He didn't need a pet, and one wasn't enough.
"To repeat, I'm bringing you all for protection. Not to be your owner, but to be the guardian of you individuals."
Bom blinked.
"And if you don't pick up the Red Dragon on time, she'll get badly hurt. Someone's after her."
'How do you know that?' As Bom wondered at Yoo Ji-tae's words, she fidgeted with her interlaced thumbs, seemingly thinking.
"No sharp ideas right now."
"Yeah."
"Still, I'll go with you and help however I can."
This was welcome news.
Yoo Ji-tae pondered briefly before replying.
"Come when I call you."
With that, Yoo Ji-tae headed to Africa.
Barren land.
After the New Genesis, the already desolate continent had become even more uninhabitable.
In the middle of a desert dozens of times larger than South Korea. Yoo Ji-tae approached a group of superhumans.
"Let's talk for a sec."
"Who the hell are you! How dare you strut up so fearlessly...!"
The Red Dragon was hiding her presence. Even a regressor couldn't instantly find a presence-concealed dragon across borders. So he had to do some legwork.
He had checked over a dozen places since morning, but no results yet.
After beating down a few superhumans into submission, Yoo Ji-tae asked.
"Hey."
Language was no issue. Yoo Ji-tae had Fallen Babel (S).
"Have you ever seen the Night Brawler yourself?"
Here, Night Brawler was the moniker the Red Dragon went by while active in Africa.
"Ugh...! N-no, I haven't."
As the superhuman answered, Yoo Ji-tae's left eye began to glow blue.
Scales Eye (SS)
One of the three powers seized from the Archduke of the Demon World.
Discerns good/evil, truth/lie, like/dislike.
"Don't avoid my eyes."
Yoo Ji-tae stared sharply into the superhuman's eyes. Under the gaze piercing the heart and the feeling of being read like an open book, the superhuman soiled himself.
Right after, a status window appeared in Yoo Ji-tae's mind.
This bastard.
Already irritated from the futile efforts, Yoo Ji-tae scowled.
Screams echoed right after.
"Aaaagh!"
By the time the evening sunset fell. Yoo Ji-tae had caught the Red Dragon's trail. He sensed her energy not far away.
He made an international call, and Bom, who answered, used Teleport (S) to appear beside him.
"Found her already?"
"Yeah. But the situation doesn't look good."
At Yoo Ji-tae's words, Bom looked where he was gazing.
"You're right."
Explosions rang out from afar. A large fight was underway.
"Stay here for now. Don't get caught up."
"Okay."
Leaving Bom behind, Yoo Ji-tae headed to the ongoing battle.
There, superhumans wearing masks that exposed only their eyes. About a dozen. Judging by the emblem on their hoods, they seemed to be from a South African Union (SAN) combat unit.
They were surrounding someone with spears, launching a combined assault.
At the center.
A girl wearing a wooden mask.
"Spearman!"
"Yes!"
At the masked man's command, the spearman in the rear, condensing mana, twisted his waist in a picture-perfect pose and hurled the spear.
Lightning Strike (B)
A spear infused with lightning energy.
The spear, carrying lightning energy, darkened the surroundings as it targeted the wooden-masked girl. Fast and oppressive. Even a skilled superhuman would panic, but the wooden mask reached out and grabbed the incoming spear shaft.
Charrlk-!
However, the exploded lightning grazed the wooden mask, shattering it completely.
Thus, the face under the wooden mask was revealed.
Skin white as if ground from white jade, lips red as blood. Madness flickered in her thick double-lidded eyes along her pretty nose. Behind them, ruby-red hair sparkled in the sunlight.
A face in the late teens, like Bom's. The moment it was revealed, the masked fighters froze in unison.
In a past regression, an artist who saw a dragon's appearance had said this.
'A beauty that expands the aesthetic world of human eyes by one level.'
Such a thing had just appeared before them.
"Ha, fuck..."
But a rough voice shattered their sentiments.
Shaking the grabbed spear, the Red Dragon spoke.
"Oppa. I don't usually show my face. Hate seeing you freeze up like idiots."
"Y-you...! What the hell are you!"
"What if you know? Gonna come to my house?"
The Red Dragon started laughing in a low voice.
"If you're coming, come at dawn. Come and play quietly with me."
With that, she licked the blood off the spear blade with her tongue and burst into giggles. Overt provocation.
Still insane as ever. That was Yoo Ji-tae's honest impression.
The commander, snapping out of it late, shouted.
"It's her magic! Don't be bewitched!"
"Ha...!" "Yes!"
"Don't let your guard down—tighten the noose slowly!"
The second phase began. Spears and swords moved, fireballs and ice chunks poured down. But the Red Dragon was stronger. After felling a dozen masked fighters in an instant, she threw the spear she held.
The spear flew toward Yoo Ji-tae, who stood by a desert rock.
He tilted his head to dodge.
"Dodged it?"
Grinning, she leaped at Yoo Ji-tae. The longsword at her waist swung with destructive power. He reached out bare-handed and caught the sword. Ridiculously, the mana-infused strike was blocked easily by the man's hand.
The Red Dragon's eyes widened.
He didn't stop there, pulling her sword. Her small body was dragged helplessly. 'Huh?' Surprised, she hurriedly released the sword and created distance.
When they faced off again, the playfulness was gone from the Red Dragon's face.
"......You. Who are you?"
Endlessly seeking and fighting those stronger than themselves was the life of the Red clan. Thus, they could gauge an opponent's power.
By that sense, the man was strong.
Strong enough she couldn't even approach.
"Nice to meet you."
Yoo Ji-tae greeted her.
His voice was rough, like sweeping parched earth with a broom.