Chapter 61
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Belly Split!
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Rimon knew it all too well.
Life had a way of throwing every kind of curveball at you.
Like the time some kids came back from the amusement park with a baby bird tucked away in their bag.
Or when that bird turned out to be a rare escapee from the zoo, half-dead from a cold.
"Huh? Something in the kid's bag?"
"Yeah, a baby bird. From what the kids said, it matches one they saw at the zoo."
"Whoa."
"It looked rough from the rain, so I had our vet at Leviathan treat it for now. What should we do?"
"Ugh, get it treated first. I'll handle the rest."
"Understood, Sword Duke."
So when Rimon first heard about it, he was annoyed but not surprised.
He just clicked his tongue at the bizarre bird causing all this hassle.
"Jeez, what kind of zoo can't even manage one bird without all this drama."
Grumbling like that, Rimon still headed back to the amusement park the very next day.
It might've been different if it were some stray animal.
But kids unwittingly snatching a zoo bird—a rare species, no less—wasn't something you could just brush off as a mistake.
Whether it was his naturally amicable personality,
or because they recognized his face,
or thanks to the connection through Li Chingwei,
the zookeeper in charge didn't blame the kids for sneaking the bird out.
In fact, he seemed relieved and started chattering away.
"Thanks for letting us know. When we found out a player's prank had cost us one of our Florin Bluebirds, we freaked out."
"A player's prank?"
"Checked the CCTV footage. Looked like a space-type player was involved."
"That's unusual. Players rarely pull petty stunts like that..."
"Yeah, so the police wouldn't even take the report seriously."
"Too much hassle for the cops. And too trivial for PAB involvement."
Whether it was worry for the baby bird or fear of liability for losing a rare species,
Rimon listened to the zookeeper's tale of digging through CCTV out of habit from his PAB days.
He had zero interest in who pulled the stunt or why.
A tiger or wolf might be different,
but a prank letting one bird escape—no matter how rare—was beneath his notice.
"Still, shouldn't we do something? We have clear evidence on video."
Rimon changed his mind after the zookeeper showed him the CCTV footage.
More precisely, the moment he saw the baby bird vanish in a puff and reappear beyond the bars.
"...!"
Rimon was a former PAB agent.
And a Sword Master with senses sharper than most Tracers.
So he knew.
Even among space-type players, their skills left distinct traces.
Like fingerprints, each ripple from their spatial jumps had unique traits.
'What the hell is this?'
That's why, the instant the bird crossed space,
he recognized the ripple left behind and widened his eyes.
The old facility meant grainy footage, so the ripple wasn't crystal clear.
But he knew it.
It was the ripple most familiar to him.
One he'd seen multiple times a day before, but thought he'd never see again.
"Hey, what do I need to do to keep that bird?"
"Pardon?"
"I've suddenly got a huge craving for that bird. Tell me how to make it mine."
That's why Rimon made his out-of-left-field proposal to the zookeeper.
"Uh, this is a non-tradable rare species."
"Exactly why I'm asking what paperwork from which agency I need to take custody. You zookeepers know all the loopholes, right?"
"......"
He'd seemed like a good Samaritan returning a lost animal moments ago.
Now suddenly a smuggler. The zookeeper gaped at Rimon's veiled threat.
But what could he do?
The guy was Rimon Asfelder.
Real or not, he'd stormed the Blue House, held the president hostage, and hijacked national TV. No one wanted to piss off that lunatic.
After that, it was smooth sailing.
Rare species, inspections—none of it mattered.
Documents bearing Rimon's name zipped through departments at warp speed.
No government drone wanted entanglement with him over one bird.
"Wow, so we get to keep this bird now?"
"Grandpa's the best!"
The kids cheered innocently upon learning they could raise the baby bird.
But Rimon brooded.
Why could the bird use spatial jumps?
Why was that ripple so eerily familiar?
Even for Rimon, who'd seen it all in his long life, too many questions with no answers.
'Is this some scheme?'
His suspicions were reasonable.
Too many coincidences for chance.
What dispelled them was watching the sleeping bird in its cage—until his vision went black.
"......For real?"
Utterly random.
When his constellation sight activated on a mere bird, Rimon was dumbfounded.
Not just because it triggered on something so trivial.
In his blackened vision, the cage that held only a bluebird now cradled a tiny woman curled up palm-sized.
The CCTV ripple.
The bird's odd reactions.
The sight from his constellation eye.
Putting it together led to an absurd conclusion.
So Rimon kept the bird in his room, cared for it personally, and held onto his doubts till the end.
But when it woke,
he had to accept it.
No way a bird pretending to cover its eyes while peeking at his abs was anything but Yuna Kyung reincarnated.
That's what happened while the bird slept.
And why Rimon now gripped his sword, interrogating the baby bird.
"So, to sum up: after dying, you saw some pure white feather, followed it, and got reborn as a bird?"
Beep.
"Reborn right in the middle of the zoo, stuck there unable to move, until now?"
Beep.
"Then you spotted me with the kids, made a desperate breakout, and ended up following us?"
Beep!
"......Not black magic resurrection or a cursed spirit hijacking the bird's body?"
Beep-beep-beep!
Going great until that nonsense.
The bird glared, kicking the smartphone repeatedly.
Even seeing its picture-perfect indignation, Rimon didn't nod easily.
He just tapped his sword hilt skeptically.
"Hmm, should I really buy this?"
Beep! Beep!
The bird thumped its chest with a wing.
Anyone could see it was losing its mind from frustration, but Rimon's response stayed cool.
Truth be told, he didn't doubt it was Yuna Kyung reincarnated.
Every communication method confirmed she retained her memories.
The issue was precisely that.
"Even if you're really Na-kyung, no guarantee black mages didn't trick you. They're pros at exploiting the dead—18th level masters at it."
The dead don't return.
Once an ironclad law.
No dragon lord, grand witch, or word sorcerer could deny it.
One exception: black magic defying providence itself.
He'd fought them enough—zombie suicide bombers unaware of their state, ghostly assassins once comrades.
With that experience, Rimon couldn't help suspecting a subordinate back from the grave.
"Well, these days, anything can happen..."
Times change.
In a skill-less past, maybe.
But in this Iron Age of players, impossibilities were off the table.
Even among the Ten Lords, the Reincarnation Lord treated death like a cheat skill.
'And it's not like I have no guesses.'
Rimon remembered.
Before leaving her body, the pure white feather that rose from Yuna Kyung and vanished.
If that was the one she followed to reincarnate, her story wasn't impossible.
"......How about ditching your past memories clean? Die again, reincarnate fresh. I can send you off painlessly."
Beep?!
The problem? The one whose trust she needed was Rimon Asfelder.
His paranoia from the old jianghu,
or experience that the dead stay dead for good.
Seriously, no joke in his tone. The bird gaped, frozen briefly.
Then it flew into a rage, flapping wildly.
Beep, beep! Beep-beep-beep!
Stuff like: wanna kill your subordinate twice? What color's your team leader blood? I'm the idiot for dying nicely...
Words only Yuna Kyung would say, screeched in bird calls for ages.
Finally, she glared resentfully at Rimon.
Pecked a few keys on the smartphone, flopped belly-up on the desk, and thrust out her plump gut with a defiant beep!
[Belly split!]
Go ahead, kill me if you dare.
For its tiny frame, the bird looked downright bold, almost swaggering.
Watching her antics, Rimon smacked his lips.
'Definitely Na-kyung reincarnated.'
Facing his killing intent, pulling a stunt gutsy enough for foie gras took balls.
Only Yuna Kyung, who'd sassed him on instinct, could manage it.
So Rimon had to agonize more.
'What do I even do with her?'
Sword Master or not, he was human.
Reuniting with Yuna Kyung wasn't unwelcome.
Especially since he'd ended her life himself due to unavoidable circumstances.
Yet his dilemma over sending her off again wasn't just suspicion of plots.
"Na-kyung, serious question."
Beep?
What's with the sudden gravity?
Belly up, head tilted curiously.
Even her deflating cuteness didn't crack a smile from Rimon.
He hardened his expression instead.
"You really wanna live like this? Past life memories in that body—can't be all happy."
Rimon had seen many black mages.
Some turned to it nobly, to reclaim lost family or lovers.
Ends were惨め: zombies, wraiths usually.
Even rough revivals ended in torment and madness.
Worse in foreign bodies, especially vastly different ones.
Mind-body dissonance.
Reborn as a non-human bird? Human life impossible, even bird life tough, he warned.
The bird's reply was crystal clear.
Beep!
No need for such worry.
Plump belly out, she chirped energetically.
Impossible to misread. After a silent beat, Rimon chuckled softly.
"Fine, that settles it."
She might regret it.
Might be better ignored.
But Rimon accepted her choice for a new life.
Even forcibly retired, it was his duty as her shitty boss.
"Anyway, new life aside... what now?"
Beep?
"Asking if you'll tell others you're reincarnated."
Beep!
"......Bit quick on the draw? Could mull it over."
Beep, beep.
Decision made.
She shook her head firmly.
Surprised by the swift answer, Rimon nodded.
"Fair. No real upside to announcing it anyway."
Perks of going public: better treatment maybe.
Downsides: rare freak show, lab rat risks galore.
With no help? Maybe.
But she'd snagged Rimon as backup—no need to advertise.
Except one thing.
"Gonna keep hiding from the orphanage kids too? Some would love seeing you."
Beep, beeep...
Hesitant, dodging eye contact briefly.
Then averting gaze slyly. Rimon smirked.
Brazen Yuna Kyung still embarrassed to show this form to her "little sibs." Amusing.
"Alright, my secret for now."
Meaning: tell me if you change your mind. No reply.
Just a relieved sigh.
"Hm, need a name to call you..."
Beep?
As if it just hit him, Rimon spoke up.
Before her expectant-yet-wary eyes, he grinned meaningfully.
"You go peep-peep, how about Peepy?"
Peep-peep-peep-peep?!
[Team Leader wanna die wanna die just kill me you pretty-faced ripped old geezer animal abuser!]