Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Dragon Heart
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Two weeks passed, neither quickly nor slowly.
Although he had heard Do-jae’s story, nothing in his current life had changed.
He was still entering dungeons and fighting desperate battles against monsters.
*Slice—!*
*Thud.*
“Wow, Tae-seong! You’ve gotten really strong, haven’t you?”
“You seem to have gotten used to the prosthetic arm. Or is it because of that sword?”
Ha Tae-seong gave Park Kyung-min and Gong So-eun a slight nod before wiping the blood from his dagger.
The more he looked at it, the more captivating this dagger was.
It was the one he’d received after being called aside at the end of their talk in Jeong Hoon-hyeon’s room that day.
“This sword… why would he give it to me?”
Ha Tae-seong gazed intently at the elegantly curved blade.
It was a dagger that looked sharp enough to cut just by looking at it.
Its name was ‘Sraka’s Fang.’
“I know, right? Why does everyone like you so much? It was the same at the orphanage, and it’s the same now. Are you handsome? Is your personality that great?”
“Are you serious? Tae-seong’s a hundred times more handsome than you. You might need some self-awareness.”
“Hey, Gong So-eun! Are you taking Tae-seong’s side just because you’ve gotten a little stronger lately? Wow, I’m seriously about to cry. I… I…!”
“Shut up. You’re embarrassing.”
Ignoring Park Kyung-min and Gong So-eun’s bickering, Ha Tae-seong stared at Sraka’s Fang and recalled the past two weeks.
Do-jae, who had watched over his movements every day until late at night after they returned from a raid.
Do-jae had undoubtedly gone through dungeons that were just as, if not more, difficult and grueling than his own, and yet he always stayed behind to help him train.
‘Lower your right hand deeper! If the prosthetic is getting in the way, just take it off. Otherwise, always be conscious of your left arm’s length.’
‘Are you going to move like that against an opponent bigger than you? Hunters usually fight monsters larger than themselves. Especially someone like you who uses a dagger—your reach is shorter, so you can’t move like that.’
‘Honestly, I don’t know much about incredible maneuvers or flashy techniques. All I can teach you are the most basic and practical things.’
Do-jae’s words came back to him.
His training was certainly not the type that required memorization and repetition.
It was about clashing, fighting, and getting beaten down.
He learned with his body, not his head. Though he was covered in bruises every day from their spars, he was able to grow rapidly in a short amount of time.
*Stab—!*
*Shnk—!*
“Kyung-min, you should ask the Vice Guild Master for help too. The people around him are getting stronger by the day. Ms. Ji-yoon, Director Shim, and So-eun are completely different from before.”
“Tch! Do you enjoy getting beaten up every day? Whenever the Vice Guild Master is around, the sounds of wailing echo all the way outside the training room. Right, So-jin?”
Recoiling at Ha Tae-seong’s words, Park Kyung-min turned to a woman as short as Gong So-eun.
It was Heo So-jin, the youngest member of the Guardian Guild.
“Huh? Oh, no… I don’t think the Vice Guild Master’s training methods are bad. They might be a little aggressive, but he adjusts his strength according to his opponent’s skill. I know because I’ve watched him every day while on the treadmill.”
“What… you too…?”
“It’s true! When he trains with Director Shim Young-jin, they move so fast you can barely see them, but when he trains with you, Tae-seong, you can at least follow his movements. If he were to spar with me, he’d probably swing his sword much more slowly to match my level. I’d love to be trained by him sometime.”
Heo So-jin recalled the sight of Do-jae and gripped her bow tightly.
She had never met Do-jae personally, but she had secretly watched him with Young-jin or Ji-yoon during her daily fitness training.
Each time, she had thought about how wonderful it would be if she could become that strong and dreamed of being trained by Do-jae herself.
“But So-jin, didn’t you originally join as a swordsman? Why the sudden switch to a bow?”
“Ah, Vice Guild Master Lee Do-jae said I’d be better off with a bow. He gave me this one, too. What do you think? It’s sturdy and pretty…”
“W-wait a minute!”
Just as Heo So-jin was about to show off her bow, Park Kyung-min cut her off, pointing a finger at her.
“You got one too? Wow… he even looks after the youngest member… It’s really just you and me getting the cold shoulder, So-eun…”
“What are you talking about? The Vice Guild Master gave me a sword too. Look at this.”
As Park Kyung-min approached Gong So-eun with a gloomy face, he froze when she held up the sword she was carrying.
“You… what is that sword! When did you get that?”
“About three days ago. You didn’t notice?”
“C-crazy…! No! It can’t be! *Sob*!”
“Hey! Where are you going!”
After freezing for a moment, Park Kyung-min slowly backed away, then turned and ran off, whimpering.
Ha Tae-seong started to chase after him, but Gong So-eun stopped him.
“Just leave him. All we have left is the boss anyway.”
Fortunately, Park Kyung-min had run toward the dungeon entrance.
The only place he could go was outside.
“What’s going on? Where’s Kyung-min headed?”
Raid Captain Oh Jin-wook approached them.
He was new to the Guardian Guild but was an experienced C-rank hunter.
The trio of Park, Ha, and Gong had been with the guild longer, but Oh Jin-wook far surpassed them in both experience and skill, which was why he was the raid captain.
“Let’s just leave him be. It seems something’s bothering him.”
“Really? I was about to start the boss raid right away. Let’s not wait and just go in.”
“Yes, understood.”
This was a D-rank dungeon.
Led by Raid Captain Oh Jin-wook, the seven guild members had been clearing it smoothly.
Being one person short wouldn’t be a major issue for the boss raid.
They opened the boss room door and began hunting the Cerberus and its black wolves.
***
“Hey, don’t even think about taking that off.”
“What, this?”
Briareus, lying on the sofa, lifted his arm.
The prayer beads were still securely tied around his wrist.
“Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
“Stupid? What have I done?”
“I’m talking about the kids. It’s not like we’re a gang.”
“Why not? It’s cool, isn’t it? Kehehehe.”
Briareus let out a vulgar laugh.
Lying there with his legs crossed, idly shaking his foot, he looked every bit the loafer.
“Got it? Or not?”
“I got it. Besides, I’m busy these days. Can’t you see?”
Briareus waved the smartphone in his hand.
A mobile game was running nonstop.
And that wasn’t all.
Three other smartphones were plugged into chargers, also running games.
“Haha. Kehahaha! I can even run dungeons by myself now! What? You don’t want to party with me? I take all the items for myself? Hmph, then they should be stronger than me.”
Briareus was completely engrossed in his game, tapping away at the screen.
Watching him, Do-jae felt a mix of pity and relief.
At least while he was absorbed in that game, there wouldn’t be any trouble.
“Instead of those game dungeons, why don’t you try a real one? If you went out, you could clear bigger dungeons and earn plenty of money. Our guild isn’t stingy with incentives.”
“Why bother? My little brothers and sisters are doing a fine job. My job is to watch over the kids.”
“Suit yourself…”
Do-jae finished putting the rest of his packed belongings into his Subspace.
Unsure how long he would be in the other world or what might happen, he had been steadily buying supplies and storing them away.
All that was left was to pack a few things from home and the fully charged portable batteries.
“But hey… can’t I come with you?”
Briareus asked, having sat up at some point.
Do-jae shook his head, flatly refusing.
“No.”
“Why? I want to go back to my homeland. It would be great if I could tag along when that guy, Havik the Apostate, twists the threads of causality.”
“Not until you’ve paid for everything you’ve done. I will not remove those beads until then.”
“Didn’t you say I wasn’t the one who did it?”
“That’s right. You didn’t do it, but you did.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
Do-jae didn’t answer Briareus.
He acted like a neighborhood bum, but he was smart, remembering everything and talking back at every turn.
There was no chance of winning a verbal argument against a dragon, a repository of knowledge.
It was easier to just be unreasonable.
“I’m leaving now.”
Having finished packing, Do-jae was about to head to the guild when Briareus stopped him.
“Wait a minute.”
Then, Briareus began to take off his clothes.
“What are you doing?”
“I have something to give you.”
He tossed his shirt aside and, thankfully stopping before taking off his pants, approached Do-jae.
“What is it? This is uncomfortable.”
Briareus was right in front of him.
He slowly raised his arm.
*Flinch.*
Startled, Do-jae took a step back.
Thankfully, nothing strange happened.
From a normal perspective, that is.
*Tap.*
Briareus placed his palm on his own chest.
His torso began to transform, covered in scales.
Soon, his entire body up to his chin was covered. He slowly closed his eyes.
*Fshhh—.*
Then, he gradually lifted his hand from his chest.
A bluish energy was drawn out, following his palm.
Do-jae could tell that the energy was an immense amount of mana.
*Flash—.*
The gathered mana hardened, transforming into a square shape that rested on Briareus’s palm.
“Here. This should be useful.”
“Is this… your Dragon Heart?”
The legendary item, the Dragon Heart.
Briareus handed him the priceless artifact, a solid aggregate of mana classified as a type of magic stone.
“Hey, you think I’m crazy enough to give you mine? This belonged to my late grandfather.”
“Then isn’t it a memento? Are you sure you can give me something like this? It’s a Dragon Heart, of all things. It’s practically your grandfather himself…”
“You think this chunk of rock is my grandfather? Don’t worry about it. And with this, I’ve paid you back for everything you’ve spent on me. We good?”
Do-jae carefully examined the Dragon Heart he had received.
He didn’t know what had possessed him to hand over such a precious item, but he was starting to see Briareus in a new light.
“Besides, family is a slightly different concept for dragons than it is for humans. So even if it’s my grandfather’s memento, I don’t feel particularly attached to it. And he didn’t just pass away; he lived a long, full life before returning to nature, so there’s nothing to be sad about.”
“Still, thank you. I feel like I’ve gained a powerful trump card.”
“Hah… I was planning to use that to return to Tranpeion… but I can get there with my own power even without it. You take it.”
*Vwoom—.*
Do-jae placed the Dragon Heart into his Subspace.
Sure enough, the words ‘Dragon Heart’ were now clearly listed.
Briareus, his scales gone and his skin bare again, began to clumsily put his clothes back on.
“Don’t play too many games. I’ll be back.”
“Kehahaha! Don’t worry. I’m starting to like this world a little.”
*Creak—.*
Do-jae left the house and headed for the guild.
He wanted to say his goodbyes before the impending summons to the other world.