Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Side Story, Song of Ice and Fire (6)
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14.
“Seriously, you’re gonna do this?”
“Terry…… why do you keep coming to my lab these days…… Ah!”
“I told you! Not [CODE: 259], call it the Ice Dragon. Ice · Dragon!”
“I don’t think there’s sufficient justification for that…… Ah, fine! Caduel, in the manual’s final version, replace [CODE: 259] with that damn Ice Dragon term.”
[Caduel executes the word revision command for ‘damn Ice Dragon’ issued by ‘Master Code - 01 Karenden.’]
“Ice Dragon! You useless pile of AI crap.”
“And what’s this auxiliary weapon nonsense? Don’t use terms like that.”
“No, why──”
“──From now on, the main body is the True Dragon. The clone is the Flying Dragon. Got it, Caduel?”
[Caduel executes the ‘True Dragon and Flying Dragon’ word revision command issued by ‘Master Code 02 - Tersia.’]
15.
“Cut it out! Stop crying. It’s all Daddy’s fault.”
“Sh…… irak.”
“Cut it out! No crying!”
Sharak, whose energy had completely deflated.
Shin Tae-yeop shook his head vigorously as he comforted Sharak.
“It’s just that Sharak isn’t the physical type. Look, Daddy fights with magic, not his body.”
“……Shirak?”
“Yeah! Physical types don’t get treated well anyway. They say if your brain’s no good, your body suffers. Our Sharak doesn’t need to suffer like that.”
“Shirak. Shirak.”
Shin Tae-yeop turned in his chair, pointing to the far corner of the room, at the window.
“Alright, five seconds of mighty roar straight ahead!”
“Shirak?”
“A dragon’s gotta know how to use its breath. Let’s practice with a roar first.”
Sharak tilted its head.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
In the end, Shin Tae-yeop had to scream until his throat went hoarse to demonstrate.
“Excuse me, Branch Chief!”
Then.
A bang from the next room’s wall.
“It’s nighttime—could you keep it down a bit?”
“S-Sorry. Sharak, you control your power. Got it?”
Sharak nodded.
It flew up from Shin Tae-yeop’s shoulder and opened its maw wide toward the window.
“SHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!”
The moment Sharak unleashed an unexpectedly ferocious roar.
[Flying Dragon, Serates, casts Dragon Tongue, 《Frost Storm》!]
An info window popped up before his eyes.
And from Sharak’s maw…… a blizzard surged out like a storm. Ferociously, unbelievably so.
──Whooooosh!
In an instant, the blizzard swept through the room.
Every piece of furniture froze blue, and the window didn’t just freeze—it shattered into pieces.
“……A-Attack!”
“……Which crazy bastard’s hitting headquarters?”
“……Scout teams, all units mobilize!”
Shouts from outside the window.
Shin Tae-yeop blankly watched the world turn into chaos in seconds, then let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha…… haha…… hahaha…… ha…… ha…….”
Sharak landed on his shoulder, belching arrogantly as if to say it deserved praise.
“Shiraaaaaakkkkkkkk.”
16.
“Uh…… um…… so…… this baby dragon──”
“──Sharak.”
“Yeah. So…… this Sharak…… hatched from that ice orb?”
Shin Tae-yeop nodded with a bright smile at my question. “Yep!”
“So this damage report came up because…… you were training with Sharak and there was an accident?”
“Yep.”
Baby dragon, Shin Sharak.
The Flying Dragon perched on Shin Tae-yeop’s shoulder, greedily tearing into the chicken leg he offered.
“Shirak. Shirak. Shirak.”
“Tasty, right?”
“Shirak!”
Shin Tae-yeop affectionately stroked its head, and it barked happily in response.
“Eat your fill. I’ll make more anytime.”
Truly…… unbelievable…….
Weren’t all the Flying Dragons killed by Scesari? And they don’t even mate to have young?
What an absurd creature.
Even the Star Messenger couldn’t comprehend it…… No, what happened during the soulstone synthesis……?
Lost in thought, that’s when it happened.
A cold something licked my cheek. And a cold flame ignited on the back of my hand.
……What?
Startled, I looked up.
Sharak was flapping its wings clumsily in front of me, chirping away, and the Ice Dragon King’s stigmata flickered on the back of my hand.
For that one instant, why?
The image of the last dragon, resting in the abyss…… overlapped with this one.
……Scesari?
No, definitely a different being.
Much smaller in size, and its aura overwhelmingly weaker.
But why……?
Its eyes…… it’s like it knows me.
“Sharak, come here! No licking anyone but Daddy.”
“Shirak!”
“What? Don’t wanna? Already got a sassy mouth. Come here now.”
Sharak flew back to Shin Tae-yeop’s shoulder and settled down. Then it started gnawing on the chicken leg again.
“I was legit shocked just now.”
Shin Tae-yeop watched Sharak with a fatherly smile and said,
“First time in three days it’s flown to anyone else.”
“…………?”
“Never licked anyone before. I was about to get jealous, honestly. Ah…… is this what they call [daughter complex]?”
Daughter complex?
What the…… I burst out laughing.
Sure…… whatever.
After the Scesari raid, Shin Tae-yeop had seemed broken somehow, but seeing him smile like this.
“No Nightmare Zone expeditions for a while, huh.”
“I’ll make up for it later.”
Shin Tae-yeop flashed a thumbs-up.
“When our powers combine, we’ll be the strongest.”
“Yeah?”
“Trust me! Sharak holds, I deal. Ice and fire combo’s been the ultimate rule since forever.”
I chuckled.
Stood up and patted his back.
“Gotta head out. Ha-kyeong’s waiting.”
Basic armor was already done.
Over it, the jet-black chitin longcoat, [Shadow Exoskeleton Cloak], and on both shoulders, the [Corroded Ancient Guardian’s Armor] made of dozens of breastplates.
“Haaaaaakkkkk!”
Because of the Abyss gear, maybe.
Sharak suddenly jerked its head up in alarm and hissed.
“Ah, right…… yeah, Ice Dragons are sensitive to the Abyss. Sorry, Sharak.”
“It’s fine. We’ll see each other often now—can’t be sensitive to this. I’ll train it well.”
“Oh man, what an honor.”
Finally, I strapped the [Monster Eye Skull Helmet] to my side.
“Heading out for first-clear Nightmare Zone, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Where was it again?”
Come forth, Dawn.
As I murmured, a brilliant flash erupted, condensing into a sword in my grasp.
Dawn Sword, Verkensia.
Gripped the hilt and sheathed it in the Dawning Sword scabbard on my back with a clatter── securely fixed.
“Jongno-gu’s eastern Nightmare Zone.”
In terms of old Seoul Special City administrative districts.
“Dongdaemun-gu.”
Shin Tae-yeop chuckled.
“No need to show off. Anyway…… I’ll be holed up in the mountains for a bit.”
“Mountains?”
“Yeah. Paradise has tons of mountains. Gonna train Sharak in the wilds. Keep doing it here and it’ll wreck everything.”
Sharak barked indignantly at that. I said,
“Which mountain? Tell me so I can find you later.”
“Hm…… not totally cutting off from the world or anything.”
Shin Tae-yeop chuckled, pointing at the stigmata on the back of my hand.
“You’ve never used that stigmata once, right?”
“Nope. Hold on…… how’d you know it’s a stigmata?”
“For some reason, memories about that came back.”
He looked genuinely regretful.
Suddenly felt a pang. As expected…… not all memories can return.
“So, mister, if anything happens, call me with that.”
“GPS function?”
“Yeah. Sharak’s Ice Dragonkin. It’ll resonate with the stigmata’s call. Anyway, then me and Sharak’ll swoop in like heroes.”
I met Shin Tae-yeop’s eyes.
Almost simultaneous. We both grinned.
“Man-to-man promise!”
Shin Tae-yeop held out his fist.
I bumped my fist against his small one with a smile.
“Yeah. I’ll come find you, happy to.”
July 23, 2045.
108th day since the world’s end.
The <Association> ended its break.
And launched the full assault on the Second Nightmare, Dongdaemun-gu.
24 days after reclaiming Jongno-gu by hunting the ‘Exalted One.’
17.
“Branch Chief!”
<Association> Gyeonghuigung headquarters.
The corridor leading to the <Workshop>.
Seo Hwa-yoon, flipping through a leather-bound file as she walked, suddenly stopped.
“There you are!”
Turning around, she saw the boy.
Bright, sparkling eyes and a cutely spirited voice.
Lee Seon-hyo.
<Workshop> researcher, seat 3.
For reference, in the <Workshop>, rank wasn’t just about skill—it followed Seo Hwa-yoon’s cuteness preferences……
“What?! Our Seon-hyo was already here!”
Seo Hwa-yoon pulled Lee Seon-hyo into a hug and rubbed her cheek against his. He screamed.
“Don’t call me Branch Chief—call me noona.”
“S-Sorry. But right now…… Pilot Project activation prep is done.”
“What?”
Seo Hwa-yoon flinched in surprise.
“For real? Already?”
Pilot Project.
The project to grant ordinary people the power to fight Nightmares via powered exoskeletons [Gundams].
“Yes! Selected applicants with matching physiques. Total 50.”
“Oh, you adorable thing! Our cute Seon-hyo! Reward smooch time!”
“Eek! Save me!”
Then something bizarre happened.
Hunters scattered around headquarters on errands spotted Seo Hwa-yoon and vanished like magic……
“What~? Nobody left. Guess noona and I can play secret friends now.”
Lee Seon-hyo looked horrified.
Saving the boy…… was, surprisingly, the one person he admired most.
“Enough already.”
Lead Hunter.
<Association> inaugural Chairman.
Those two titles alone spoke to his status and power.
“L-Lead Hunter!”
Lee Seon-hyo scurried behind Kim Baek-jun.
“Hey, Seon-hyo. Been good?”
“N-No, not good! Branch Chief…… no, Seo Hwa-yoon noona bullies me every day.”
“Oh? What to do about that.”
Kim Baek-jun chuckled.
Meanwhile, Seo Hwa-yoon growled like a lioness who’d lost her prey.
“What! Give me Seon-hyo. I was just getting to the fun part.”
“Afraid you’ll have to save that fun for later.”
“Stealing Seon-hyo from me right now?”
“Pardon?”
“Fine, feel the wrath of a woman robbed of her marked man. Bring it! Come on!”
Kim Baek-jun burst out laughing and waved her off wildly.
“I’ll pass. I’d lose.”
“Then give me my man. Now.”
“Can’t. You need to head to Jongno-gu with me right away.”
“What? Now? Right now? Why?”
Kim Baek-jun nodded at his right shoulder.
One-eyed crow.
The bizarre creature used for hunters’ comms cawed loudly.
“Word from Seong-mi that she’s just returned.”
No way.
Seo Hwa-yoon couldn’t help but be shocked.
“Seong-mi…… Seong-mi already? She scouted Cheongnyangni-dong, right? Yesterday? Day before?”
“Two days ago.”
“Too fast? She just sightseeing?”
“With Jiwon a vet now, finding Subordinates is easier. Anyway, Choi Uk called an executive meeting.”
Tch. Seo Hwa-yoon eyed Lee Seon-hyo and smacked her lips.
“Executive meeting, huh. Can’t skip that.”
“Then let’s go.”
As Kim Baek-jun and Seo Hwa-yoon left headquarters, many hunters and staff greeted them.
“Chairman.”
“Branch Chief Seo Hwa-yoon.”
“Chairman, Branch Chief. Eaten yet?”
Pre-raid tension was definitely still there.
But utterly different from before.
Not negative, despairing tension—but hopeful tension.
“Wonder who’s to thank.”
“All of us. Problem is Ye-jin shines the brightest.”
Seo Hwa-yoon laughed at Kim Baek-jun’s humble words. Not wrong, of course.
Thanks to Kim Baek-jun and Do Ye-jin’s teamwork.
The Second Nightmare raid was yielding astonishingly positive results.
“Feels like yesterday Ye-jin was crying she wanted to die.”
“Ye-jin…… did that?”
“Yeah. Told me often. Every <Subordination> training session.”
That girl…… that girl.
Now the symbol of <Association>’s hope.
“Truly a miracle story.”