Chapter 305
Chapter 305
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 305
Chapter Title: 69. Heir (4)
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"It's... a dragon!"
"Uwaaak!"
"Run away!"
The fact that the citizens recognized it as a dragon just from seeing its shadow in the sky was heartbreaking enough on its own. But in Seoul, this was reality—and routine.
-What... what's going on? Where's everyone going?
Bang Daehyeop stared blankly at the humans scattering in all directions. Youngwoo pointed up at the sky.
"There's no guarantee I'll beat the dragon this time either. So they're getting out of the way ahead of time."
Of course, no matter how much of a dragon it was, it couldn't exert any physical force before its scheduled appearance at 1 p.m.
The fleeing citizens knew this from their two previous experiences.
But their instinctive fear of dragons was so overwhelming that they bolted first and thought later.
-Dragons really appear right over the city?
It was only natural for a Red-Foot Orc, who had endured an utterly different trial on Earth, to find this astonishing.
"Yeah. It's hard to wrap your head around, I know, but on Earth, people who used to be human in the past turn into monsters and come crashing down."
-...Why?
"Because we decided to kill them. So they come back for revenge."
The Reset itself was a massive cycle of karmic retribution.
And among those cycles, there were some particularly bizarre ones—like the one tied to Hanban-do's Greatest Swordsman, Jeong Youngwoo07.
He was the child born to Song Jiseon, the youngest daughter of Jin-hyeon Group, Korea's second-largest conglomerate, and Class 6 human Kim Jeong-gu.
However, the Reset had already occurred before "Jeong Youngwoo07" even existed. So the first one slotted into this strange karmic loop was undoubtedly Song Jiseon herself.
Her "mutation" had been predetermined far earlier than Youngwoo or Jeong-gu ascending to Greatest Swordsman status.
In other words, the system had decreed that Song Jiseon would appear as a dragon in this world. But whether her son, Jeong Youngwoo, would survive in the reset world and end up facing her as Seoul's representative? That was far from guaranteed.
The latter could only happen through an absurd string of coincidences.
And yet, in the end...
'It happened anyway. Now I wait every day at 1 p.m. for my mother and uncle to return.'
Maybe this was what they called fate.
Rumble!
Thunder crashed violently from within the now pitch-black sky. Youngwoo summoned Negig.
Bang Daehyeop gazed up at the ominous heavens and spoke.
-Small Foot, where are you off to so suddenly? Your brothers are here.
He was referring to the few citizens who hadn't fled.
But Youngwoo was already mounted on Negig.
Clank!
"It won't come down right away anyway. It'll just mark its territory and show up at 1 p.m."
Then he pointed east.
"There's my dueling ground that way."
-Dueling ground?
Bang Daehyeop showed genuine interest for the first time.
It seemed the concept of duels wasn't so alien to Red-Foot Orcs after all.
"Yeah. If I fought a dragon in the middle of the city, everyone would die."
As Youngwoo gestured for him to hop on the back, Bang Daehyeop climbed aboard Negig.
The golden goblin and Popu Tenta, who had claimed the seats first, scowled and grumbled.
-Kit! Kiit!
-Babat!
Essentially all aliens, the incumbents were throwing their weight around.
Youngwoo glanced back, then urged Negig toward Gwangjin District.
"Get along, you outsiders. If you survive the civil war, you'll be seeing each other for a long time."
Bang Daehyeop pondered this for a moment before asking Youngwoo,
-Where is the land you'll grant us?
"Pardon?"
-Our final promise.
"Oh, you mean the autonomous district."
It was the last of Bang Daehyeop's three proposed promises: letting the orcs live in Seoul.
"If you're really set on living in Seoul... two spots come to mind right away."
-Where?
"One is Guro District. There was a bit of trouble, so we evacuated most of the residents. It's still empty."
In fact, it was the perfect spot for relocating orcs.
No current residents, and the buildings were remarkably well-preserved.
Orcs didn't seem to need maid service, but preserving Guro's habitats required someone stationed there.
-Guro District? And the other?
With a hint of anticipation, Bang Daehyeop asked. Youngwoo pointed straight ahead.
Whoosh.
"Gwangjin District. The dueling ground we're heading to now."
-...What?
"Aside from being ruins, it's perfect location-wise. Borders my constituency in Gangnam, and you can see a dragon every day."
Youngwoo said this half-convinced himself, with no better spin to put on it.
"And the south side of Gwangjin has Han River views."
-Han River views?
"Yeah. Houses with a river view, except Gwangjin has no houses left... Never mind. Forget it."
Just as he decided Guro would make the better orc nest, a massive bolt of lightning split the sky in two.
Crack, boom!
The third dragon had finally begun making contact with Seoul.
'Finally.'
Dragon.
Based on the pattern so far, they were usually chaebol heirs returning as dragons.
The first mutant, chaebol tycoon Kang Hong-tae, had become a fire dragon. Later ones like Im Gwang-ho and Song Tae-ho were chaebols too.
So today's dragon returning to Seoul was...
'Most likely another chaebol.'
The previous one was Song Tae-ho, eldest son of the Jin-hyeon family, no less.
And Song Tae-ho was Youngwoo's birth mother Song Jiseon's older brother.
In other words, there was a solid chance today's dragon was from the Jin-hyeon family too.
Boom, boom!
As Negig sped toward Gwangjin District, Bang Daehyeop sensed something and reached out, gripping Youngwoo's shoulder.
-Small Foot, your body's tense. What's wrong?
"There's a good chance I might see my mother."
Youngwoo confessed openly. Bang Daehyeop's eyebrow twitched.
-Mother?
He looked up at the sky again.
It was nearly 1 p.m., but the sky was black as midnight.
Small Foot's mother was out there somewhere?
-Small Foot, are you truly not human-born?
"My mother just stopped being human. Watch your words."
Youngwoo muttered through gritted teeth, glaring back.
―Huaa...!
A massive roar shook the air from within the sky, like someone stretching after a long sleep.
-Wh-what?
Startled, Bang Tubangtung flinched. Youngwoo pressed a finger to his lips.
"Shh. It'll introduce itself soon."
Dragons always announced themselves upon arrival, seeking challengers.
Every dragon Youngwoo had faced did the same.
Even from different chaebol families.
But this one seemed a little different.
―No way, fuck?
It skipped the intro and went straight to swearing.
―What's this? Did I land in the wrong place?
"Ah."
Youngwoo instantly knew what it meant.
It was reacting to Metal Seoul's completely transformed skyline.
From above, the whole city probably looked like ash.
The metallic sheen made it resemble a giant circuit board.
―Hey! This looks like a transport glitch! Hello?!
The third dragon was yelling at... something.
The distance implied by the volume suggested not the ground, but higher up in the sky.
In short, it was complaining to whatever entity had sent it down.
'What the... Did we get a lunatic this time?'
As Youngwoo thought this, Bang Daehyeop spoke cautiously from behind.
-Small Foot.
"Yeah."
-That dragon talks just like you.
"...What?"
Youngwoo frowned and turned, belatedly grasping the meaning.
"You mean it talks like me? Doesn't sound like it."
As he denied it and looked back to the sky—
Boom!
Lightning flashed again. An enormous shadow flickered beyond the black clouds.
-Ugh.
"Eek?"
Dragons were big by nature, but that one...
"What was that? A whale?"
Even a real whale in the sky couldn't match that silhouette.
Its wings blanketed the heavens.
Body length at least 100 meters.
-So this is what shows up over Seoul every day...?
Bang Daehyeop finally grasped the true weight of "Seoul life," eyeing Youngwoo tensely.
Right on cue—
―Hey, anyone there! Whoever you are, take my mark! I won't kill you right away!
Getting no reply from the cosmos, it resorted to seeking a challenger.
Youngwoo drew Sasenga to answer the call.
Rumble!
The sky flashed once more. The third dragon revealed its identity.
―I am Song Jiseon from Earth!
"...What? Song..."
Song Jiseon.
Chairwoman of Jin-hyeon Group, Korea's second-ranked conglomerate.
And Jeong Youngwoo07's...
"...Mother?"
The moment Youngwoo realized who it was, the Aratubank in his left hand began vibrating wildly.
The mythic shield's strangest ability, "Coffin," had activated.
【Coffin】
|You can place blood kin in a coffin. Gain special effects based on the target's status and condition. (0/2)|
Meanwhile, mistaking the steel city's aliens for cowards, Song Jiseon laughed loudly.
―Haha, you worthless shits! No one dares stand before me?!