Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Matryoshka Keeps Opening
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Rather than having settled precisely into the back alley, the roly-poly was closer to just wandering lost in the maze of the city's complex layout.
That was exactly why people were even more determined to steer clear of the back alley.
"...Aren't they gonna catch that thing?"
A few passersby spotted the roly-poly and called it in, but the authorities were moving way slower than expected.
Even after fifty years, were the cops still this useless?
No, that couldn't be right—they'd shown up plenty fast when I nabbed that chunk of flesh.
"Hmm..."
Puzzled, I dropped down to the ground and approached the wobbling roly-poly.
The moment I got close, it must've sensed me, because it started waddling away in a frantic scramble.
"Why does everyone bolt the second they see me?"
All the anomalies ran the moment they spotted me, and by now, it was starting to feel personal.
"Ugh...!"
Irritated, I closed in and smashed it with a straight punch.
Boom!! It rolled across the pavement with a clatter.
Its tough shell shattered on impact.
These things were supposed to be untoppleable no matter what, but raw power like mine was apparently too much even for it...
"What the...? It's a Matryoshka doll?"
Bursting through the wreckage came a slightly smaller body.
This wasn't a roly-poly at all—it was a Matryoshka.
"Uwah...! Don't go that way!"
Rattling louder now, and picking up speed, it bolted deeper into the alley.
That direction led straight to Lua's Hamburger, so I leaped ahead in a flash to cut off its path.
"Grr...! Not that way?"
"!!!"
It leaped back in shock, like it never imagined I'd move faster than it, then fled the opposite direction.
"Gotcha...!"
Annoyed by all the zigzagging, I grabbed it with both arms and started squeezing to smash it flat.
Crunch! Right then, another layer split off, and an even tinier body scurried away.
"Argh...! Quit slipping away!"
It waddled along much the same as before, but several times faster now, and it broke free of the alley.
"Kyaaak?! An anomaly!"
A passerby yelped in terror behind me as the Matryoshka fled into the distance.
"Kyaaak?! A lizard!"
The startled man clutched his chest, then jumped again when he spotted me racing past.
Normally I'd hide myself, but right now, my instincts were laser-focused on catching that thing.
I charged after it like a cat pouncing on a toy, pupils dilating round with excitement.
Before long, I caught up again, only for it to shed yet another layer.
As if mocking me, it bounced ahead, its plump rear jiggling tauntingly.
"...Ha?"
The instant I saw that, my flapping tail froze mid-motion.
Was it taunting me? This little punk?
"...Fine. Challenge accepted."
"!?!"
Sensing my aura shift in an instant, the Matryoshka bolted desperately toward the crowded main street.
Probably figured the throng of people would slow me down.
"As if!"
It was dozens of times faster than before, so running after it would've been futile—but I had wings for that.
Flap!! I whipped up a fierce gust and tore down the street.
The alleys widened into a broad avenue with traffic lanes.
"Stop right there?!"
Having shed layers until it was nearly my size, the Matryoshka ignored all danger and dashed straight into the road.
Screeech! A truck swerved in shock, slamming its brakes, and the delivery scooter chasing it barely skidded to a halt behind.
"Argh, mister! What the hell?!"
"An... anomaly?! What was that just now...?"
We two supersonic anomalies crossed the road in a blur, gone before any bystanders could process it.
"Just let me catch you already! Ugh!"
The Matryoshka kept pulling ahead whenever I almost had it, while I reacted lightning-fast in pursuit.
The chase, far beyond human perception, dragged on like that.
"Hoo...! Got you now, you pest!"
"!!!?! !!!"
Up on the rooftop of Yongsan Electronics Market, I finally pinned the Matryoshka. Total victory for me.
Lucky it moved so damn fast—or I'd have been spotted by people and dragged off by the Management Bureau.
"This is for all the trouble, punk...!"
I cocked back for a flick on the forehead.
Too small to shed any more layers now, it thrashed like a finger-sized worm, desperately begging for mercy with its final form.
"Yeah, right."
Thwack!
Payback for messing with me was brutal.
It burst into pieces like a fly swatted with a flyswatter.
"Heh heh... That's right, I'm a dragon!"
Revenge complete, I felt light as air and let the wind scatter the remains.
"Now customers should start showing up at the shop, right?"
I'd eliminated the reason no one used the back alley.
Feeling like I could finally be of some help to the owner, I soared high into the sky and headed back to the burger joint.
"Hum hum~!"
Crooning cutely to myself, I peered down at the streets below.
Thank goodness the chase was too fast for any accidents.
.
.
As expected, once the anomaly vanished from the back alley, relieved citizens started passing through again.
A few even wandered in, drawn by the savory, meaty aroma wafting from the shop.
Knowing I'd helped boost the owner's business made me feel great.
"Ehehe..."
Perched on a utility pole, I watched her shop from afar as customers trickled in.
"...Sniff sniff."
Suddenly catching a whiff of burning tobacco, I whipped my head around.
"How dare you light up here...!"
There was a guy brazenly smoking in the no-smoking back alley. I slunk along the wall to flank him.
Shwick!
"Huh? Where'd my smokes go?"
I'd snuck behind him and snatched the pack with my tail in a flash, dumping it straight into a street trash can.
A clean alley stays clean.
It wasn't even a designated smoking area—the no-smoking signs were everywhere. Gotta respect the law.
"My cigarettes?! I had 'em right in my hand..."
The guy rummaged through his pockets for ages searching for the vanished pack, finally gave up smoking, and left the alley.
"Anyone who wants to quit smoking... come to me..."
Hanging upside-down from the building wall like some dark lord from a leaf-peeping game, I murmured to myself.
Right now, I was the guardian of the back alley.
A protective deity—or pet?—ensuring the owner's shop thrived. Something like that.
Iru-a of Lua's Hamburger. Sortie...!
I carefully climbed back up the wall to watch the bustling owner at work.
Her stunning looks paired perfectly with her snow-white hair. A quiet beauty born from her diligent work ethic.
"...Hehe."
The fact that she named me had me grinning like an idiot.
I couldn't live with her just yet... but someday, if we could, that'd be pretty nice too.
Lost in idle daydreams, time slipped away until I felt like I should do something productive. Time to move.
"Fifty years passed, huh... Guess I should check what's changed."
Since I'd been reborn as a dragon after dying, a full fifty years had flown by. Time to see the differences.
"Cars... look the same."
Confirmed during the Matryoshka chase: vehicles hadn't changed much from the 2020s.
"Phones too... no real difference."
Zooming in my vision from afar, the gadgets people used looked pretty much identical.
"This is 2071?"
Back in the 2020s, there was all that hype about some tycoon aiming for Mars and implanting chips in brains.
Was that just a faded dream?
Maybe the anomalies had stalled progress. Who has time to advance tech when your life's on the line?
According to the owner, Korea had been on the brink of annihilation until 2040.
The modern world I'd imagined from my old knowledge felt disappointingly off-base, leaving me with a vague sense of letdown as I toured the city a bit more.
"...So what was up with that grandpa?"
The Tactical Filial Piety Grandpa from the convenience store was the biggest mystery nagging at me now.
Unless he'd chugged some super-soldier serum, how was he that spry...?
"Huh?"
Mid-ramble in my thoughts, I spotted the Tactical Grandpa dusting off a nearby convenience store.
"Why's this one guy running all the PS 24-hour stores in Yongsan? Is he an anomaly?"
Speak of the devil—he appeared. I tracked his movements.
"Motorcycle?"
Once he'd finished dusting, he hopped on a sleek black motorcycle and rode off to the next store.
Vroom! The engine roared as it sped along the building walls.
"...What the heck."
It was ridiculously cool.
The grandpa streaking along, trailing cyberpunk neon like something out of an anime, had my heart racing.
I soared high like a drone cam to tail him further.
He zipped up walls and ramps, hopped off nimbly, and inspected the next store.
"...He's just using regular part-timers, huh."
Like a boss on patrol, he grilled the staff on everything, then mounted up again for another stylish getaway.
It was so wholesome, even I felt a pang of envy watching.
"Why's he gotta treat me like dirt...?"
Miffed at his anomaly bias, I sulked and quit spectating.
Fine, whatever. Next time we meet, maybe I'll headbutt the geezer.
Fiddling with my sharp horn, I returned to my one safe haven—the burger shop that welcomed me.
Lunch rush must've ended; the place had a quiet vibe.
...Can I go in?
I landed softly out front and peeked through the window.
The owner sat at the counter, chin propped dreamily, posing like a magazine cover.
"What a knockout beauty..."
Drinking in her goddess-like poise, I blinked in awe.
Slip!
"Uwak!!"
Trying to make up for my short stature, my tail—which I'd coiled under my feet—slid out, sending me tumbling headfirst into the window.
Thud! Sprawled comically on the ground.
"Ow..."
"What're you doing out there?"
"O-Owner!"
"Quit peeking and come in. It's break time—no customers."
She patted the dust off my back, scooped me up effortlessly, and carried me inside.
"Ugh?"
"Your horns are softer than I thought. Figured they'd be rock-hard."
She plopped me on her lap in the counter chair and poked at my horn curiously.
Personal space? What's that?
Struggling in this plush-toy treatment for a moment.
"Sorry, just had to touch 'em."
Once she'd had her fill of the texture, she set me down with a playful smile.
What was this vibe?
...Pet dragon treatment?
...Or just babying me?
"Wanna feel my tail too?"
It wasn't half bad, so I offered up my chubby tail shyly.
"You bet. Don't mind if I do."
Smooth.Rub rub.
Her hands glided over my tail.
"...Lua's got some nice tactile appeal, huh?"
"Told ya I'm touchable!"
Smooth yet grippy—that tail texture was my pride and joy.
Purrr~!
"...Kyah?"
Right in the middle of our bonding, a familiar motorcycle rumble pulled up nearby.
This sound...
"My granddaughter! Business treating you well?"
The door swung open, and in strode Tactical Filial Piety Grandpa, calling the owner his granddaughter.
"...Ming?!"
"Huh?"
...As if on cue. Grandpa and dragon eyes locked in fateful clash.
"F-Filial Grandpa!!"
"H-Hamburger lizard?!"