Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Daily Life
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Laurakis came straight into the house and dragged my pillow out to the living room, burying her face in it as she flopped down.
“This is it. This softness... I couldn’t feel it in soul form.”
Her thick tail swished back and forth.
Park Ha-yeon and Shin Noda sat facing each other in the middle of the living room and began their inquiry.
He was bothered by the swishing tail but tried his best to ignore it as he soothed Park Ha-yeon.
“Ha-yeon. She’s just messing around. She’s actually my cousin.”
Park Ha-yeon had a hard time buying his excuse.
It was because Shin Noda’s appearance lent credibility to Laurakis’s lie.
A guy who meticulously managed his eyebrows and hair every day, with impeccable self-care.
He never forgot to wear accessories like piercings or necklaces when heading out.
Tall and handsome to boot.
‘If it’s Shin Noda, maybe he’s been up to stuff like that since he was young...’
She replied curtly.
“Don’t lie. What kid would make up something like that?”
“Laurakis—no, Laura. Tell her. We’re cousins, right?”
With things as they were, he figured cousin was better than daughter, so he asked Laurakis.
‘Don’t suddenly say daughter! Hurry up and say cousin.’
Park Ha-yeon leaned down to make eye contact with the prone Laurakis and asked in a gentle voice.
“Your name’s Laura?”
“Yeah.”
“Is this guy here really your dad? Who’s your mom?”
“Shin Noda’s my dad. Look into my eyes.”
She peered into Laurakis’s eyes.
Golden, vertically slit pupils.
Just like Shin Noda’s.
“Huh... It’s real? I thought they were circle lenses. They’re real eyes?”
“Yeah.”
Shin Noda told the truth.
He wasn’t the type to tell obvious lies that would get caught right away.
“Mm-hmm. Got it. So there really is some genetic thing going on? Right?”
“Cousins share genetics too.”
Park Ha-yeon eased her suspicions a bit at his firm attitude.
“Is that so? She’s really your cousin?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Park Ha-yeon cooled her head a little.
She thought it over calmly.
‘Yeah. For her to have a daughter as old as Laura, he’d have had to knock someone up in kindergarten or elementary school. No way that’s true!’
Park Ha-yeon stroked Laurakis’s head and asked one final question.
“Laura. How old are you? The daughter thing was a joke, right?”
“I’m 12! And I am his daughter!”
“But that would mean Shin Noda had you when he was 5?”
“Hmph. Fine, pretend it’s not true then!”
Since it was all just Laurakis messing with Shin Noda from the start anyway, she didn’t push it and admitted easily.
Shin Noda said triumphantly.
“See? Told you she’s my cousin. There was some family stuff, so they asked me to look after her for a while, and I brought her here.”
“Mmm. Got it. That’s a relief.”
“Right? What a relief... Huh? Relief about what?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Park Ha-yeon dodged his gaze and brushed it off.
She changed the subject, noticing Laurakis’s swishing tail.
“But that tail’s real. She’s got a polymorph skill, huh?”
Polymorph skills.
Skills that transformed one into animals or monsters, where even without full transformation, features of the form could appear.
‘Silver Tail,’ with wolf ears and tail, was famous for it.
Laurakis stretched, extending her wings fully before folding them back, and nodded.
Park Ha-yeon looked around at Laurakis’s wings and tail, then gasped in surprise.
“Shin Noda! Why didn’t you put pants on her?!”
“Huh?”
Laurakis wore nothing but a single shirt.
Even that shirt was too big and kept slipping off.
Park Ha-yeon had thought it was a ‘bottomless’ fashion choice, but realizing she truly had no bottoms made her freak out.
“She didn’t bring any clothes, and the ones she came in got spilled on. I just threw that on her in a rush...”
“Sigh. Even so, just that? Let’s go buy Laura some clothes after school tomorrow.”
“Y-Yeah.”
***
The next day.
I woke up earlier than usual because my sleep was uncomfortable.
For some reason, I couldn’t breathe well.
I opened my eyes to find Laurakis’s tail coiled around my neck.
Snore, snore.
She was supposed to sleep in the living room with Park Ha-yeon but was sleeping in my bed.
On top of that, she lay in the opposite direction, tormenting me with her tail.
‘Hmm. It’s smooth and nice, kinda.’
It felt like a travel neck pillow.
Except for the choking part.
I grabbed the tail firmly.
It felt hard yet smooth like snake scales.
Something addictive about it—I kept stroking it.
Stroke. Stroke.
“Grrawr.”
“Ugh.”
Laurakis kicked my head with her foot and mumbled in her sleep, clearly annoyed.
Her selfishness was exactly like a little sister left behind in another world.
Suddenly, the tail stiffened.
Laurakis stretched and woke up.
“Let me sleep a bit more.”
I scolded her right away.
“You said you’d sleep in the living room. Why are you doing this here?”
Laurakis sat up, crossed her arms, and replied.
“I was sleeping on that hard floor when it hit me. Is it right for the supreme being like me to sleep there?”
“But don’t dragons normally live in caves? Those are hard too.”
“I’m in human form right now! And it’s a matter of feeling! It’s only natural that the greatest being here sleeps in the most comfortable spot!”
As expected from a race that threatened to wipe out dwarves for weapons, went on joyrides, and blasted breath when things didn’t go their way.
‘No negotiations with terrorists.’
I absolutely couldn’t give up the bed.
I might give it to Park Ha-yeon, but never to this arrogant brat.
I stated firmly.
“No. I’m sleeping here from now on.”
“Hmph. Fine, then I’ll keep sleeping on top of you. Deal with it.”
A battle of wills, huh?
And so began the bed occupation war.
Laurakis and I wrestled to push each other off the bed.
In the midst of climbing over each other, I finally gained the upper hand.
I mounted Laurakis and pinned her arms down.
She muttered in frustration.
“Huff. If this were my real body... Huff.”
That’s when Park Ha-yeon opened the door.
“Come out for breakfa— What the hell are you doing?!”
Laurakis’s shirt had ridden up to her navel from the rough tussle.
We were both breathing heavily.
To top it off, I had her wrists bound roughly.
“Th-this is a misunderstanding.”
“Let go! You pervert!”
It took a long explanation before we could finally eat breakfast.
Breakfast was doenjang soup and spam.
A simple menu, but delicious.
I went to my room to change clothes.
Laurakis was already sprawled on the bed, rolling around lazily.
Lazy dragon.
She always lay prone, probably couldn’t lie flat because of her tail.
I ignored her and changed.
She didn’t pay me any mind either.
Laurakis spoke while lying down.
“Shin Noda. Don’t go hunting for a while.”
“Huh? Why? You were always singing about hunting.”
“Your level’s gotten decent, so I have something to teach you.”
“Sure, okay.”
I left the house with Park Ha-yeon.
Time at school flew by.
As always, my group members chattered beside me, and I chimed in occasionally.
Before I knew it, it was end-of-day homeroom.
The homeroom teacher brought a stack of papers and distributed them.
“Here. I’ll pass out club application forms. Submit them by tomorrow. Clubs will have experience booths after school, so head to the field and check them out. Dismissed.”
“Thank you.”
Homeroom ended.
‘Now the club part begins.’
Depending on where you join, the friends you make change.
For example, joining ‘Practical Combat Club’ lets you befriend top-tier Hwang Je-seong, and ‘Swordsmanship Club’ gets you close to another top-tier, Nam Min-gyu.
‘They’re all guys...’
Either way, my destination was set.
‘Hero Culture Research Club.’
A gathering of rabid sasaeng fans obsessed with specific heroes and maniacs for hero comics and cartoons.
Hwang Je-seong and Nam Min-gyu could be befriended plenty of ways without the same club.
But there was a character you could only befriend by joining this one.
The kind of weird club no one usually joins, called a 2nd playthrough exclusive companion.
A 1st-tier character with massive growth potential.
‘God of Mechanisms’ Lee Ji-hoon.
Insanely useful all the way to the ending.
I headed to the experience booth first to at least get acquainted.
As a 2nd-year, he’d be promoting there.
Out on the field, students were just starting to set up tents and booths.
‘Yeah, their classes just ended too.’
I sat on a bench and pulled out my smartphone.
‘Gotta rest till the booths are ready.’
I texted Park Ha-yeon: I’ll check club experiences, so let’s buy Laura clothes over dinner tonight.
Then I logged into the community site, ‘Hero Korea.’
As expected, the boards were flooded with ‘Dark Knight’ posts.
I clicked the one with the most recommendations.
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[Withdrawing Dark Knight support after seeing him kill Darkness Jumper]
From today, I shed my fan status.
Dark Knight and I are one body.
Attacks on Dark Knight are attacks on me.
If there are 7 billion Dark Knight fans in the world, I am one of them.
If there are 100 million Dark Knight fans in the world, I am one of them.
If there are 10 million Dark Knight fans in the world, I am still one of them.
If there are 100 Dark Knight fans in the world, I am yet one of them.
If there is one Dark Knight fan in the world, it will probably be me.
Only if there are no Dark Knight fans left in the world will I cease to exist in it.
Dark Knight, my light.
Dark Knight, my darkness.
Dark Knight, my joy.
Dark Knight, my sorrow.
Dark Knight, my life.
Dark Knight, my rest.
Dark Knight, my soul.
Dark Knight, me.
But who’s that kid with Dark Knight?
Did he recruit a sidekick?
Recommendations: 14,326 Dis: 122
(Comments): 7,244
[Dark Knight’s your bro? Use honorifics.]
ㄴ[What if bro’s actually sis?]
ㄴ[Then go to your site~]
[Creeew, I believed from the start. What fake Dark Knight~]
[Back when fake first popped up, public opinion was 5:5 lol. Now everyone says they believed from the start kek]
[Dark Knight’s definitely the second coming of Jesus... Saw him tell Darkness Jumper to repent and she did. Convinced ㅇㅇ]
[Kid didn’t seem to have info block skill, but transparent skill? zz]
ㄴ[Also lightning and flight.]
ㄴ[Flight was Dark Knight’s, no?]
ㄴ[As Dark Knight expert, it’s the kid’s skill.]
ㄴ[Ex-pert?]
[I wanna be Dark Knight’s sidekick too;;]
ㄴ[Awaken first;;]
[This guy’s a smart anti? Lolol]
[Finally getting toxic fandom vibes. Dark Knight’ll run scared soon.]
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I rubbed my head.
Too much attention—it was burdensome.
Laurakis was right; I needed a hunting break.
Plus, treating me like some apostle of justice made me feel guilty.