Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: 3. Summer (2)
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"When did you even see her to act all friendly?"
"..."
"What the hell are you? Why's a human like you even here? Wait, no. More importantly, are you even human?"
The eyes are the mirror of the soul.
That was what the regressor had learned from living through it all. Every being with eyes expressed their thoughts and emotions through those eyes.
What filled the Red Dragon's eyes now was extreme wariness. And it was justified. She had sensed a power that transcended any boundary she knew, and to the Red Dragon—who revered strength above all—such incomprehensible power was an unwelcome irritant.
Yoo Ji-tae didn't welcome this wariness. In previous regressions, the Red Dragon had despised him from the start. And that was because their relationship had stemmed from this very distrust.
In plain terms, he had botched the first impression.
Therefore, this was a crucial moment. He had to somehow dispel her suspicion.
...But how?
His meager daily life laid bare its limits. From the clone's memories, there was nothing fitting to say to someone he was meeting for the first time—especially his kidnapping target.
Then, like a savior, Bom emerged from behind his back.
"Hi, Red."
"...Huh? Green?"
"Been well?"
The Red Dragon's eyes flicked back and forth between Yoo Ji-tae and Bom. Soon, a hollow laugh escaped her red lips.
"What is this? What's your game? Why are you here? Didn't you say you were going traveling?"
"Yeah. Came to see you."
"To see me? Then what's that monster next to you?"
"Just some ajusshi I met recently. He's human, not a monster. Right, ajusshi?"
Green eyes and red eyes turned to Yoo Ji-tae. He nodded roughly. The Red Dragon snorted.
"If that's human, then I'm a lizard."
"No, he really is."
Bom's expression turned unexpectedly serious, and the Red Dragon's face twisted oddly in response.
"Green. What nonsense is this?"
"Why?"
"That's not human. What human is that dangerous? You know it better than I do, don't you?"
"Ajusshi's not as dangerous as you think."
"What? Are you crazy? Did that monster get some dirt on you? Or did it knock you up with a monster baby or something?"
"Red. I'm not joking."
The Green clan were mediators among the dragons. Unlike others, they harbored no great ambitions and remained unshaken by anything.
That was why Yoo Ji-tae had brought Bom first.
"Jeez. This is insane..."
Perhaps because of Bom's words, the Red Dragon looked like she wanted to argue but held back.
"Fine, let's say you're right. Let's say that monster—no, human, fucking hell, whatever—isn't so bad. Okay. Then why'd you two come find me holding hands?"
"We didn't exactly hold hands."
"Just answer the question."
"Um..."
Bom paused for a moment.
Then she brought up something unplanned.
"Ajusshi's looking for a disciple."
"Disciple?"
Disciple? What the hell?
"Yeah. You've always wanted to get stronger, right? So I brought ajusshi to you. Opportunities to learn from someone this strong don't come around often. Ajusshi, you've never taken a disciple before, right?"
Bom's gaze turned to Yoo Ji-tae and fixed there.
Her round, gentle eyes seemed to plead for him to play along.
He'd never taken a disciple, of course. He'd spent his time just trying to grow stronger himself.
But Bom's quick thinking was useful enough. Keeping her nearby as a master-disciple pair was fine.
Yoo Ji-tae nodded.
The Red Dragon tilted her head sulkily this way and that before spitting out her words.
"No thanks."
"Red."
"Why are you doing this? Forgot I'm from the Red clan? Since I came out to play, it's 199 wins out of 199 fights. Anyone but a monster like that, I'd beat. And I can get strong on my own just fine."
"Still..."
"Ah, enough. I'd usually listen to you carefully, but not on this. Don't ever talk about martial arts in front of me again. Who dares teach the Red clan?"
"..."
"Done talking? Then bye. Say hi to Gold for me. Give our Blue a kiss too. Here, pass it on. Mwah."
Smack smack. The Red Dragon leaned in to kiss Bom's cheek. Bom dodged by turning her head and spoke in a slightly agitated voice.
"Red. I'm not done yet."
"Yeah, didn't hear you. Oh, want some advice? Stay away from that human."
"..."
"Ignore my advice, and if he chokes you out and rapes you later, that's on you."
Then she muttered, "Whoa, fuck, that sounds kinda hot though?"
"If you like it, might as well ask him to spank your ass too."
The Red Dragon laughed uproariously, smacked her own butt, and turned away.
She melted into the space and vanished.
Like after a storm, silence settled over the desert.
"..."
Bom, suddenly left staring at empty air, brushed her green hair back repeatedly. Her expression was the same as always, but she seemed a bit pissed off now. Her breathing was a little ragged.
"...Sorry, ajusshi. I tried stepping in, but it failed."
Bom approached Yoo Ji-tae with a dejected look.
"Good work."
The regressor placed his large hand on her green head.
"What now?"
Even in this situation, there was one method left. It wasn't particularly appealing to him, but with the Red Dragon being so willful, there was no choice.
"Gotta break her pride."
Bom blinked and tilted her head.
"But... ah, you mean using someone else?"
"Yeah."
Realizing something, her lips parted slightly with an "Ah."
"Good idea. We need a strategy meeting instead of this."
Her annoyed expression from moments ago was gone; Bom spoke brightly.
He nodded too.
*
Yoo Ji-tae and Bom followed the Red Dragon's trail. Having gotten close once already, tracking her was easy.
Somewhere, the Red Dragon donned a crude wooden mask and roamed three battlefields from that night until dawn, swinging her fists and sword.
Her opponents included the SAN coalition forces and the international terrorist group of demonkin, Barkata. To her, there was no friend or foe. If people were fighting, she'd butt in and beat both sides.
Surprisingly, she had limits to her violence. The Red Dragon only knocked enemies down, never killing. She seemed thrilled by the fight itself, not murder.
And that evening, it finally arrived.
"Are you the Night Brawler?"
A man in brilliant blue metal full plate armor, wielding a contrasting red greatsword, stood before the Red Dragon.
His mere presence crushed the desert air with pressure.
His name: Javier Karma.
Ranked 9th among superhumans worldwide, and the African Union (SAN)'s top fighter.
The next ranker was in the double digits, making Javier the unrivaled strongest on this continent. Even if the Red Dragon fought all year, she'd never even glimpse someone like him.
"That's him, I think..."
Bom said cautiously.
They hid in the subspace 「Heavenly Principle (S)」 and watched.
"This is dangerous."
The warning figure Yoo Ji-tae mentioned was stronger than expected.
"By Ascalifa continent standards, he's at least a Grand Sword Master. And there are eight more like him in this world?"
He nodded. Actually, even more.
The Red Dragon grinned.
"Whoa, bro looks pretty strong."
"...Looks like it."
The convinced man leveled his sword.
Sword of Ra
A blade forged with the sun's essence. A level 4 artifact treated as a national tactical weapon.
"You've been too cocky. Time to pay for it."
"What're you saying?"
"Warning you. Run now if you want. And never return to the African continent. Otherwise, you'll die by my hand."
Yoo Ji-tae guessed the Red Dragon had sized him up once or twice by now.
But her pride was hurt. Seeing a 'human' this strong. Yoo Ji-tae, perceived as non-human, was a different case.
So she wouldn't back down.
"Fuck off."
As he thought. Soon, the fight between the Red Dragon and Javier began.
The Red Dragon unleashed a powerful strike based on her martial arts. Javier easily deflected it and swung his greatsword wide at her head.
A seasoned, swift, and mighty slash.
The Red Dragon hastily cast a defensive spell.
Red energy shielding the dragon enveloped her head, but it wasn't enough.
The greatsword's momentum overwhelmed it. The red aura shattered, and the Red Dragon flew over ten meters, crashing into a desert rock, shattering it, and burying in the dust.
Regrettably.
The battle was one-sided from the start.
"..."
Bom half-winced.
Dragons shared emotions partially. She felt something.
It wasn't surprising; the outcome was predictable.
Dragons' strength came from their long history. A young dragon with shallow experience was just a promising rookie.
The fight continued, and the Red Dragon kept getting pummeled.
Finally, at some point, with a long gash on her forehead bleeding, the Red Dragon bellowed.
"You fuck—! I'll kill you—!"
When the pride of the Red clan, her dignity, was crushed.
The dragon couldn't contain her rage. Red mana surged, and her draconic authority began to manifest.
The one-sided beatdown eased somewhat. Her fist slammed into Javier's jaw.
But that was it. Javier, taking the hit, created distance and raised his sword straight.
Soon, his blue armor and sword resonated.
Artifacts beyond a certain level had to be sealed to contain their destructive power, unsealed only when needed.
That seal was now releasing.
Intense light poured from the Sword of Ra. Even in early morning, sunlight gathered on the blade. The sword glowed like molten metal from a furnace.
"...Ajusshi."
That's dangerous. Bom's urgent voice rang out. Her small hand grabbed his sleeve.
But he just watched, arms crossed.
Boooom—!
The Sword of Ra swung, unleashing a massive mana explosion that shot a ten-meter-wide pillar into the sky.
Cough— The Red Dragon collapsed to the ground.
Her eyes flickered. Scales began emerging from her once-flawless skin.
The Red Dragon, unable to hold her rage, broke the taboo of play and tried to shed her polymorph to reveal her true draconic form.
His brows furrowed. In this state, she'd lose one wing and an arm.
Time to move.
Exiting the subspace, Yoo Ji-tae instantly appeared behind the Red Dragon. The middle-aged Javier's eyes widened. He hurriedly backed away.
'Where do you think you're running!' As the clueless Red Dragon yelled, Yoo Ji-tae delivered a knifehand strike to her slender white nape.
Crack—
The Red Dragon's small body crumpled right there.