Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: To the Dragon (4)
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He opened his pocket watch to check the time.
The time was 6:10 AM.
You're late, man.
Dawn broke.
A sleepless night passed, and it was time to get up.
There was a container now. A kitchen. Magical armor that cooked. Buff guys working out. Nurses to take care of things.
But looking back on the 5th round, the underground labyrinth had been pretty boring.
Rough, crude floors and walls. An empty ceiling that was just high. In a place where no wind blew, dust just piled up. Only a giant crystal that didn't fit the scenery decorated the air.
The young dragons lay rolling in dust pits, laughing like they were drunk on drugs. There was nothing to see no matter where you looked, but beings intoxicated with pure happiness and satisfaction didn't seek new pleasures in life. Especially when they were young.
Usually, if someone did something there, it stemmed from habit or faint ambition.
The Gold Dragon, with no particular habits or burning ambition, just stayed still.
The Green Dragon was the only one who tried to communicate with the regressor.
The Blue Dragon wanted to leave that place and travel with the regressor.
But the Red Dragon was different. The one stuck in the corner of the inner chamber blankly started learning the Kal-Gulakwa Upright Combat Art. She began all kinds of bare-handed training. Sometimes she closed her eyes and felt her heart's beat. Sometimes she breathed in and out. Sometimes she ran aimlessly along the outer walls of the chamber.
"Give Red a monster worth fighting. A human."
The Green Dragon had often made such requests to Yoo Ji-tae. He refused. He had no intention of feeding a time bomb monsters. But the Green Dragon kept asking. Eventually, she started begging. Please, she didn't need anything else—just an opponent for the Red Dragon to fight.
The regressor of that time ignored the Green Dragon's requests. Rejected the begging with rough gestures. Yet the Green Dragon didn't give up, so he had to tie her up for a while.
After that, the Green Dragon didn't beg him like that again until around year 20 of her confinement.
Meanwhile, the Red Dragon started acting strangely. Punching the floor with her fists, headbutting the walls. The 'inner chamber' made by some genius magic engineer from another world didn't break under the dragon's punches and kicks.
What broke were the Red Dragon's hands and forehead.
The Yoo Ji-tae of that time knew that the Gold Dragons of the 1st, 3rd, and 4th rounds had brought the end, but he assumed that was the only factor ending the world. The regressor was ignorant and stubborn. So when the Red Dragon started her odd behavior, he didn't think much of it.
Besides, the Red Dragon's actions weren't self-harm but a form of training. She only broke her body to the point it didn't threaten her life. Paradise's light healed it rapidly. The shattered muscles and bones super-recovered, slowly strengthening the Red Dragon's body bit by bit, but to the regressor, it seemed negligible.
He watched. Maintained his lax view.
He thought leaving her alone would be fine.
Year 15 of confinement. When he returned after fighting Noah for months.
"—!"
Until he saw the Red Dragon choking someone's throat.
At that time.
Around a year into the confinement, when the Red Dragon's dragon heart first resonated and began to throb.
"There's a hidden rift in southern Balkan's peninsula. Beyond the rift, there's a dungeon connected to the northern Halaban Mountains."
The Green Dragon had said such things.
"There's a massive orc village there. Monsters who noticed the rift and cautiously raid nearby farms for cannibalism. Ferocious. Aggressive."
The young Green Dragon, for something divined by providence, unusually mentioned precise names and titles.
"The ones with three black ink lines on their heads are the chieftain and great warriors. Among them, Armakrak the great warrior is what Red needs."
"Let that beast fight Red."
"It's absolutely necessary."
"Please."
She begged, clinging to him, so Yoo Ji-tae slapped the Green Dragon's cheek.
"For the past year, you've always refused me. I've never asked for the same thing twice. And I'm asking now."
The Green Dragon, kneeling on her wounded legs, looked up at him resentfully through tears.
"Just once... can't you do it...?"
Her bloodied lips trembled.
"I'm begging like this......"
She cried and laughed.
So when the 5th round ended, and the world began drifting away from him again in that moment. He regretted it endlessly. How hard could it have been to grant that one request?
It must have been just as easy back then.
"Kruk...! Did a human walk here on his own feet? Kruk, kruk!"
Of course, now it was all in the past.
"...Kruk? But you, are you really human...?"
To him, it was a future he could change.
"Krr, doesn't matter. Kruk kruk! I am Armakrak, great warrior of the mighty mountain Halaban."
The passed time scattered like an illusion, no longer remaining.
"Kruk! Let go of this! What strength for a human...!"
"......"
"Wh-what are these hands! Kruk! No! Krarara—!"
Raraak raak... raak......
Only after shoving the orc great warrior into Shallowest Abyss (S) did Yoo Ji-tae turn his steps.
Exiting the dungeon, he opened his pocket watch to check the time.
7:12 AM. Still plenty of time.
"......"
He paused.
As he was about to close the watch, the group photo Bom had slipped in caught his eye.
Bom with a gentle smile. Yeoreum laughing while placing a bug on Gaeul's head. Gaeul smiling innocently, oblivious. Winter in Yoo Ji-tae's arms, blankly staring at his face.
They were all smiling. So happy about something......
Back when he was slamming the curtain on his own rounds, he didn't think of it as sin.
But now, he was slowly realizing his past life was sinful. The more he sought normalcy, the more that thought grew.
"......"
Of course, these were just passing thoughts. He knew it was too late for atonement. He had no right. So this wasn't atonement. Just an extension of his inertial life. He decided to think of it that way.
No self-pity in these thoughts. Until this life ended, he just had to keep doing as he did.
The regressor condemned himself and stepped forward.
"...You want me to fight that?"
Yeoreum, entering the sub-space, stared at the orc great warrior screaming while held by the 'hands'.
"Yeah."
The orc great warrior was, by his estimate, an A-rank named monster. No regular cadet could beat it 1v1. You'd need a local ranker for an even fight.
So Yeoreum looked tense.
With the 'taboo of play', she had to fight in human form.
"But damn, it looks like total shit, for real."
"......"
"Bald head stripes in ink? If you're drawing, make 'em thick at least—three skinny lines? Dreams are modest. Never had hair, huh?"
Krurk— krararak—!
The great warrior, quiet until then, exploded in rage. Roughly translating: 'My head is a great warrior's pride—'.
"Get ready."
She nodded.
The first gateway of the Kal-Gulakwa Upright Combat Art.
Pulse
First gateway of Kal-Gulakwa Upright Combat Art
This gateway turned the caster into a warrior, unlocking part of the body's sealed vital energy limits.
In simple terms, it let the Red Dragon handle her mana a bit better.
Because of it, in that one moment, Yeoreum's combat power rose nearly 20% from yesterday. Even judging by dragon talent, it was tremendous growth.
But still far from practical use. She'd resonated her dragon heart all night. Her eyes looked a bit sunken.
"You look like shit."
"Horny and frustrated."
Her vocabulary was always like this.
"Then, can you fight it now? I know resonating is hard to maintain. Don't push yourself......"
"It's dogshit. Here I go!"
She charged with artifact sword drawn.
Her steps shaky from exhaustion.
Not reassuring, but Yoo Ji-tae released the 'hands' control.
Peuk—!
One hit.
Yeoreum tumbled across the abyss floor and sprawled out.
He approached her.
"...What."
"......"
"Eyes off?"
"......"
"...Fuck, I said it's dogshit. Me."
Irritated for no reason, she brushed off and stood.
"I'm not pissed. 'Cause I didn't lose."
"......"
"It's just training time."
Not pissed. Not pissed...... She muttered like a spell, closing her eyes again.
Of course, he'd planned to push her to her limits this vacation. But he thought she should rest when resting.
Thud.
Instead, Yeoreum was more motivated than him.
"Huu......"
Deep breaths calming the wild resonance.
Red eyes opened.
Yeoreum charged again.
Thuk—!
And tumbled across the floor.
Day three.
When Yeoreum had been floored about 100 times.
Blood streamed from both nostrils. Her split lips, clothes all torn. Through rips in her gym clothes, dark bruises bloomed on her shoulders and chest.
"......"
Lying down, she blankly stared at the shallow abyss sky. All black, nothing to see, so her focus was distant and hazy.
"You okay?"
"......"
No answer.
Resonating mana from her dragon heart healed her body in real time.
Yeoreum hadn't rested for three days. Nights resonating her dragon heart. Days fighting the orc great warrior. Now even the orc showed fatigue. Despite being a monster existing only to fight.
Yet Yeoreum showed no sign of giving up.
Ptoo.
She spat bloody phlegm and rose.
Wiping mouth blood with her rag of a T-shirt, she gripped her sword.
"Fucking pisses me off. You fucking shit bastard. Filthy drooling prick......"
She sighed and cursed.
"That head ink waterproof or what? Ah, why won't it smear off! Sweating buckets too!"
Getting angrier talking, she nitpicked and fumed.
"How about resting a day properly? You'd do better than now if you're in good shape."
"I won't always fight when comfy."
"......"
"I'll fight sick too. And on good days. You did too, right?"
Yoo Ji-tae, naturally.
From 3rd round to the end of 6th. Pure 'rest days' could be counted on fingers.
"I'm catching up pretty good, right? Started way behind, now almost five minutes."
Probably 'cause the orc was tired...... Yoo Ji-tae didn't say it.
She couldn't handle Pulse properly because, focused on resonating the dragon heart, her strikes lacked killing intent.
Should she overcome it herself? Or help now?
As the half-assed teacher regressor pondered.
"Don't bother helping. I'll figure it out."
"......"
"I'll ram till I win. Don't stop me?"
Yeoreum nailed it like she read his mind. But the girl who'd seemed ready to charge hesitated at the ready, muttering in place.
"I'm not pissed."
"Not pissed. Not pissed......" Yeoreum obsessively repeated it. Her compulsive tone felt like self-suggestion to suppress rising anger.
Suddenly, he recalled her small shoulders turning away, sobbing after Javier crushed her hopes.
And after losing to BM without landing a hit. The week-plus of gloom.
No need to break her spirit more.
So he pretended not to, deciding to help Yeoreum.
Nothing fancy.
Thud—
Just resonate Pulse while infusing killing intent.
This way, it'd surely help the dragon receiving intent and emotion.
"......"
Yeoreum frowned, sensing something, but no further reaction.
"Till I win. Huu......"
Deep breath out.
Yeoreum tangled with the orc great warrior again.
Defeats repeated after that too.
But after a week exactly.
Paak! Krurg!
The orc great warrior, punched by Yeoreum, flew and sprawled flat.
"Ha! Finally won—! You fucking shit......!"
Super hyped, Yeoreum rushed and started rubbing off the black lines on its head with her hand.
Krung! Krurrung!
The orc's desperate screams echoed through the shallow abyss.