Chapter 307
Chapter 307
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 307
Chapter Title: 69. Heir (6)
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Kwaaaaa!
The Ice Dragon Song Ji-seon's breath was like a massive waterfall.
That made sense, given that her body from the torso up to the crown of her head exceeded 100 meters in length.
Kwajajajak!
Freezing everything in the area, the ice breath plummeting from 100 meters in the sky unleashed power beyond imagination.
Of course, Young-woo's defensive capabilities, holding it all at bay, astonished everyone in the vicinity as well.
"No way, are you seriously insane? Trying to kill everyone here?"
As Young-woo raised the Mythic Shield Aratubank, a gentle arc-shaped barrier unfurled around the shield.
One of Aratubank's unique effects, 'Invulnerable', had activated.
【Invulnerable】
|This shield cannot be destroyed and can block most non-physical damage and mental attacks.
And atop it.
Kwadududuk!
The enraged Ice Dragon's breath poured down like an avalanche.
—I’ll wipe you all out…!
A ferocious assault as if intent on grinding Gwangjin-gu into dust.
In response, Young-woo glanced at Jeong-gu, who had taken shelter under the barrier, and said.
"It must've been a pretty traumatic memory with Father, huh?"
Surprisingly, Jeong-gu nodded in easy agreement.
"Y-Yeah, I guess so."
In the first place, Jeong-gu had no say in the matter.
The only injustice he’d suffered related to that incident was his self-proclaimed son showing up with a sword, but Song Ji-seon was the one who had actually given birth to Young-woo.
Unlike Jeong-gu himself, she had been suffering the aftermath of 'that event' since before the Reset.
"So, what now?"
After holding the shield for a while, Young-woo asked this, and Jeong-gu snapped his head up, countering with a question of his own.
"Huh? What?"
"Mother. Isn't it ultimately Father's job to step up and sort this out?"
Kwaaaaa!
Even amid this, Song Ji-seon's fury rained down from the sky like divine punishment, and amid the sound of ice shards shattering, Jeong-gu crammed in his reply.
"W-What do you mean what? She's your mom!"
"No, fuck. She had the kid all by herself? You're her partner too, you know."
"……."
Partner.
At Young-woo's perfectly apt word, Jeong-gu was at a loss for words.
They’d never married or promised a future together, so she wasn’t his wife, and calling her his girlfriend felt off too.
Their connection was just that one night decades ago.
"Yeah… you’re right. Partner."
Jeong-gu murmured 'partner' repeatedly with a poignantly forlorn expression.
Then, abruptly switching tones, he glared at Young-woo.
"Hey, you punk. She's my partner and your mother, so technically, you're closer to her, aren't you?"
"What?"
"So you sweet-talk Ji-seon a bit. Tell her to calm down!"
"…You cowardly bastard."
"What?"
As Jeong-gu and Young-woo traded fierce glares and insults, Bang Daehyeop, who had crawled under the barrier in the meantime, pointed beyond the shield.
-Small foot. That looks dangerous.
"…Pardon?"
Young-woo hurriedly peeked out from beside the shield, spotting Song Ji-seon—his mother—lifting one front paw for the first time.
Teudeuduk.
"Huh?"
At first, he thought she was swinging it to strike.
Hwaaaat!
But only after light began gathering in the air did he realize.
"Bombardment incoming!"
His mother was finally getting serious.
Piiiii……!
Indeed, near Song Ji-seon's front paw, now raised high in the sky, a beam of light streaked vertically toward the ground, followed by an immense surge of energy shooting down.
"Eek! Y-Young-woo!"
Jeong-gu, who had no one else to rely on but his son, clutched desperately at Young-woo's shoulder.
But the Steel Cloak 'Aerial Supremacy' draped over Young-woo's shoulders and the Besedel full-body armor repelled his hand.
"Eek……!"
In that instant, Jeong-gu instinctively knew.
Even if he died here at Ji-seon's hand, this son of his wouldn’t.
And yet, his survival instinct.
"C-Can you block that? You can block it, right?"
Pleaded desperately with his son.
But Young-woo himself.
Suk.
Had turned his head toward Bangtu Bangtung behind him.
"Bang Daehyeop, can Aratubank withstand that?"
But his mother’s whipping had already begun, hadn’t it?
-That’s……
Before Bang Daehyeop could answer, a azure energy spear slammed down onto Aratubank’s barrier.
Kwaaaaaak!
An ominous sound erupted from the barrier’s surface in that instant, but Young-woo and the others were still alive.
-O-Of course. Aratubank was left by our ancestors to protect us.
Bang Daehyeop wiped sweat from his temple.
At this, Young-woo gripped the Illegitimate Child threateningly once more and glared up at his mother.
"I’ll draw Mother’s attention, so everyone get out of here. You're just in the way right now."
Then Jeong-gu gently grasped his son’s right arm, which held the Illegitimate Child, and spoke in a serious tone.
"…What’s your plan? You’re not thinking of actually hurting your mom, are you? That’s really not okay."
"Guess you still have some lingering feelings."
"It’s for your sake. She’s still your mother. Not my wife, but……."
And Jeong-gu was, at least nominally, Young-woo’s father.
So he was giving advice for his son’s sake, in his own way.
"But Mother’s too strong. If she really charges in to kill us all, even I can’t do anything."
Truth be told, if it weren’t for Young-woo, Seoul would have been reduced to rubble the moment Song Ji-seon appeared.
Her prowess was beyond what a mere First Sword level could handle.
'What the hell, a monster like this popping up after just a week? What’s gonna show up tomorrow?'
As Young-woo furrowed his brow in thought, another energy spear formed in the air.
Piaaaat!
"Mother! Are you really going to kill both your son and your old partner? We’re family, at least……?"
Young-woo shouted from behind Aratubank, and the already furious Song Ji-seon bared her massive fangs.
—You fucking bastard!
Without a moment’s hesitation, she plunged the spear down again.
Kwaaaaaak!
"Here it comes again!"
Contrary to Young-woo’s urgent shout, all he had to do was hold the shield.
Tureeeung!
Another immense pressure bore down on the barrier, but neither Young-woo nor Aratubank budged.
"Huu."
Young-woo called out to Negig, who was scampering about in the distance, and instructed his father, Bang Daehyeop, and the two slaves.
"Get on Negig and get out. I’ll handle Mother somehow."
And as another ominous presence stirred above, Jeong-gu and Bang Daehyeop boarded Negig without protest.
"Young-woo! Take good care of Ji-seon!"
Jeong-gu left a request worse than none at all from atop the rapidly fleeing Negig heading out of the battlefield.
Naturally.
—Where’s that bastard off to?
The Ice Dragon Song Ji-seon had no choice but to turn her massive head toward the high-speed escaping Negig.
It sure looked like he was abandoning his son and fleeing.
—Stay right there!
Having decided to cleanly settle the past, Song Ji-seon opened her maw wide once more to prepare her breath, and at that moment, Young-woo launched his first attack on his mother.
"Forgive this unfilial son, Mother! But abandoning your child isn’t a light sin either!"
Taat!
As Young-woo dropped his guard and leaped forward, Song Ji-seon, sensing his small but incredibly swift presence, swiveled her eyes.
—This punk’s got some moves……
Before she could finish with 'pretty fast', the tip of Young-woo’s blade flew toward one of her arms propped against the ground.
Shwaaaaat!
In particular, Young-woo’s sword, 'Illegitimate Child', was a weapon for the lowly.
【Challenger】
|Combat abilities greatly increase when fighting existences of higher rank than oneself.
Amplified by the Challenger effect, Young-woo’s attack power was palpable even to the dragonkin Song Ji-seon.
—……!
Startled by her son’s suddenly surging presence, Song Ji-seon widened her eyes, and right on cue, the Illegitimate Child’s blade sliced across her instep.
Chwaaaaat!
As expected, his mother’s flesh wasn’t quite at 'Mythic' level.
'Her body’s so huge, even swinging wildly hits everything!'
Amazed anew by his mother’s colossal form, Young-woo swung his sword again, but Song Ji-seon’s body, covered in translucent scales, began emanating a brilliant glow.
"…Urk! A transformation?"
The light was so intense it hurt to open his eyes, but even then, Young-woo thrust the Illegitimate Child into the spot he’d just slashed.
Kwaak!
"Are you really going all out against your own son? Trying to kill me?"
Finally, Song Ji-seon’s voice emanated from within the glow.
—If you truly are my son, then you’re my greatest mistake… no, my flaw!
Mistake.
"……!"
At that word, Young-woo could only grit his teeth.
His great-uncle had once said the same: 'You’re the Jin-hyeon family’s mistake.'
"You all have made a big mistake with me."
As Young-woo said this and yanked the sword from the glow, Song Ji-seon’s massive body rapidly shrank in tandem.
'It’s here.'
Shwaaaat!
Polymorph.
Just like his great-uncle Song Tae-ho, his mother could transform too.
Ssat!
For close combat, Song Ji-seon’s transformed form was that of a 3-meter-tall swordswoman.
Reappearing clad in grayish-white armor, her long white hair whipping in the air, she was an opponent no one should dare face.
Her face-concealing helmet bore an emblem resembling her Ice Dragon head, and in her right hand, she gripped a massive greatsword forged of ice.
Kwaak!
As the transformed Song Ji-seon slammed her blade into the ground, azure frost erupted like a fountain.
Pishiiiit!
'Whoa, the aura alone is worlds apart from Great-Uncle’s.'
Young-woo had faced countless powerhouses before, but this was the first time an opponent looked this formidable.
Considering all that output from her massive body was now condensed into this form, it was only natural.
And then, at last.
Paaaat!
Suddenly, two beams of light streaked in from the Gangnam District direction, crashing down one atop Young-woo and one atop Song Ji-seon.
Pang, paang!
—What is that?
"……?"
For the first time, the two reacted in unison with surprise, and soon the beams’ nature was revealed.
「Guardian Dragon function activated due to detection of #Dragonkin within the region.」
"Huh?"
Guardian Dragon.
This was a special function attached to Toma Corporation’s Steel Core.
【Guardian Dragon】
|Increases all stats of #Dragonkin within the reinforced region by 20%.
'But why did it apply to me too?'
Young-woo looked up, clearly seeing a dragon-shaped mark above his head.
Meaning his stats had increased 20% as a 'Dragonkin' currently residing in Metal Seoul.
And Song Ji-seon harbored the same doubt.
—Why are you Dragonkin?
To rephrase slightly: Why do you have the privileges of a chaebol heir?
Young-woo pondered briefly, then cautiously placed a hand near his heart.
'Great-Uncle?'
It could only mean that the blood of his great-uncle Song Tae-ho, who had left behind the Steel Dragon Heart, flowed in him too.
"Ah……! Blood is thicker than water, huh?"
Young-woo gazed up at the sky with a manic glint in his eyes, and from within the frozen skies over Gwangjin-gu, pitch-black thunderclouds like ink began to gather.
—……?
Song Ji-seon had no choice but to lift her head skyward too, and soon she saw it.
Kwajajajak!
Steel rain piercing through the icy winds, pouring down with deafening metallic clamor.
This was the dragonkin weather anomaly 'Steel Rain' attached to the Steel Dragon Heart.
"Mother! Great-Uncle says to pass on his regards!"
—What?
"Don’t piss off your son! I’ve been through it too!"
—W-What the hell is that lunatic babbling about?
Shivering for a moment, Song Ji-seon readjusted her greatsword into a combat stance, but her unexpected son Jeong Young-woo charged like a vengeful spirit.
"Mother! Accept your karmic retribution sweetly……!"