On the way back from the underground labyrinth, Yu Jitae led Yeorum to an unfamiliar location. The walls were distanced apart, and it resembled a wide plaza.
“Where is this place?”
Right after her question, a man with a tall height wearing a pair of sunglasses, walked out from the other side of the labyrinth. He was thin, but Yeorum felt like she was facing a giant.
“…”
A very strong guy, she thought, as her expression turned serious.
“Nice to meet you. I’m called BM.”
“B… huh?”
Her eyes shot wide open.
She was interested in the strong, more so than anyone else. Throughout her life at Lair, she looked a lot into world rankers that she would be fighting with, some time in the future, and therefore was aware of the name ‘BM’.
Excluding the Rank 1, Oscar Brzenk, he was the strongest superhuman known to the world.
“…”
Yeorum was aware of how secretive BM was as an individual. Unable to hide her expression that read, ‘How did you have such a person come here…?’, Yeorum faced her gaze at Yu Jitae.
Gaze: I love you!
Yu Jitae chased that thought away from his head. He must have read her gaze wrong.
Thump, thump…
He could hear her heartbeat which was louder and faster than usual.
“Red-haired lady, you wanted a fight with me?”
“Huh? Uh, uh! I know you. I looked into you in the past.”
It was like a fan meeting a superstar, but BM didn’t know who Yeorum was, as he had no interest in the cadets of Lair.
“Right… Okay. Then do you just want me to fight her once here?”
Yu Jitae nodded in response. BM had come here following Yu Jitae’s request to fight with a girl he knew. This was his first time receiving such a request.
“No need for a long conversation, I guess. You can start whenever you’re ready, lady.”
Yeorum licked her lips once, before reaching out towards the air – towards the alternate dimension storage, [Laws of Nature] and started pulling out a sword, which had been bought with Yu Jitae’s money, from thin air.
“Actually, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you stronger than Javier?”
BM replied without any change in his tone.
“There are five humans stronger than him, and I am stronger than those five.”
He was nonchalantly praising himself, but that did not sound like an overstatement, or arrogance by any means. It was a natural statement of fact, and it thus reached the heart of the young dragon who aimed to be stronger.
“Well… I guess I would have to actually fight before I can say it for certain.”
Yu Jitae would probably be the strongest person.
However, she didn’t see him as an ‘opponent’ that needs to be fought against. That’s why Yeorum didn’t feel the urge to beat him, or feel her heart thump despite living with him.
‘Wah, fuck…’
But now it was different. Yeorum could feel her heart racing rapidly.
World’s second strongest human.
She wanted to wreak some havoc for real.
“The fight will be until one side declares, ‘I give up’, okay?”
“Okay.”
Huuk… with a deep breath out, she started circulating mana throughout her body, before kicking off the ground.
*
The fight was one-sided.
Yeorum shot fire from her hands, and continued swinging her sword with a strange rhythm. Her sword contained a wild nature. Someone that has properly learned the ways of a sword would in fact be flustered by her odd rhythm, and would find it hard to predict due to it deviating from the standard method.
However, it did not work against the Returnee. He stared at every attack till the very end and dodged with simple movements, or parried the attacks.
‘…’
Drenched in sweat, Yeorum made a frown.
She was the only one attacking in their fight. Even when there was a chance to, BM did not strike back, and she thought BM was looking down on her too much no matter how she viewed it.
“Hey, don’t you think you’re being too half-hearted?”
When BM was about to respond, Yeorum suddenly opened her mouth as flames erupted out from within. She had created [Fireball (B)] with her mouth.
This was a hand she was revealing for the first time. The fireball came flying in and exploded after touching BM. Flames soared up into the sky but Yeorum remained tense despite the successful attack.
After the flames and the smoke disappeared, a large pair of wings that resembled a bat’s was seen covering BM – it created not a single wound. But the moment the wings opened up, she dashed in yet again.
It was a surprise attack that could be seen as an underhanded trick. However, Yeorum was aware that she was the weaker one, and although it didn’t feel good, she knew that the weak had their own method as the weak.
And she thought it wouldn’t be bad as long as it could allow her to reach victory.
Shieeeek!
The sword pierced through the air and flew forward. When BM dodged it by a hair’s breadth, Yeorum clenched her teeth and closed the distance after kicking the air.
“Stop dodging and try attacking. You’ll get hurt if you look down on me too much.”
That was when BM opened his mouth.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
Arandot.
In a world where he and the young superhumans that came with him were called ‘devils’, and were killed left and right – he stayed alive in that place for 15 years.
“In my entire life,”
Being stabbed by a sword, while bleeding, he held his own innards from falling after being pierced by a spear and fought on. There were countless comrades that died from tiny mistakes. Within that wave of blood, what he stood on top of after barely escaping from the claws of death, were the bodies of his colleagues with whom he had laughed and drank with.
That was how his 15 years had been.
“I have never looked down on my opponent.”
It was then.
Yeorum, who had closed the gap while swinging the sword flashed her eyes open in surprise.
By the time she realised, a sharp blade was touching her back. It was a claw that extended out from one of BM’s wings.
Did his wings have claws? When did it start growing in size? She hadn’t been careless or sloppy either.
“Maybe, it was you that was looking down on me?”
Thinking that it would be dodgeable as long as she moved her back away from the claw, she was about to throw her body sideways. But she realised that there were claws covering her sides already.
After coming to a stop, Yeorum got rid of her sixth sense and glanced around with her eyes. Dozens of claws were densely covering her back and sides, before she realised it.
Ironically, she didn’t see it because she was focusing too much on her sixth sense.
“You’re very strong, young lady, much stronger than what your age suggests. Quite surprising.”
“…”
The only direction she could move in was the front.
“You have power, and you have a good battle sense. Honestly I have no idea how you shot magic with your mouth, and that was pretty interesting.”
But a thorn was growing out from BM’s hand from the front, and was slowly approaching Yeorum.
“You will become a ranker soon.”
Before long, the thorn reached her forehead.
“…”
“Do you want to continue?”
“Fuck… I knew I would lose, but I didn’t think I would be this powerless. It’s my loss.”
“Then, there’s something you need to say right?”
The words, ‘I give up’, which admits the loss and closes the fight. After heaving out a sigh, Yeorum dropped her head low and murmured.
“…I give… down.”
…
BM’s claw was still there.
She was trying to catch him off guard, but a play with words like this seemed ineffective. Slowly, she raised her head and whispered while making an alluring smile.
“…That didn’t work♥.”
***
“Fuck…”
Yeorum was downhearted for several days after that.
“What you looking at.”
She was a little bit edgy.
However, it was better than before when she lost to Javier, where she was about to dig a hole even. It was probably because she had accepted the loss but that didn’t erase the fact that her pride had been damaged.
“Uhh… avoiding her is the best when she’s like that.”
Thus Kaeul avoided Yeorum while stealing a few glances at her;
“She’ll get better if she’s left alone for some time.”
And Bom spoke as if it wasn’t anything to worry about.
“…”
However, Gyeoul appeared to be finding something regretful.
It was a Saturday morning. It was a day where they would relax at the dorm, after a tiresome job of pretending to be humans for a whole week. Yeorum was sitting in the corner of the living room, where the protector used to be at, and was in the middle of self-introspection.
“…”
Gyeoul carefully walked up to her.
She then carefully touched Yeorum, who was hugging her knees with her head down, on her hair. Her head was raised, as an annoyed look was revealed beneath.
“What.”
“…”
“Go away, you brat. Don’t you see your damn unni being in a bad mood?”
“…”
Gyeoul glanced up at her for a bit before walking away. She then entered Bom’s room, but soon poked her head out behind the door. For a long time she stared on, and Yeorum who had felt that gaze from the start, erupted in annoyance.
“Seriously, what–!!”
“…!”
Startled, Gyeoul hid her head behind the door.
At the same time, a plate was heard shattering along with the shout, “Mommy!” It was from Kaeul’s room. She, who was surprised by Yeorum’s shout for no reason, walked out of her room with a sorrowful expression while carrying a broken plate.
Meanwhile, Yeorum walked forth like Lu Bu and after reaching Bom’s room, she looked at Gyeoul, who was hiding behind the door.
“Oi. What’s your problem.”
“…”
“Anything you want to say or what.”
After throwing a glance, the child nodded.
“Go on.”
“…If I open the door.”
“What?”
“…You said you would do it.”
‘If I open the door, you would do it’?
What nonsense was this about… Yeorum thought before remembering something. It was what she herself had said back in the underground labyrinth a few days ago when they were glaring at each other.
“Oi, did I say I would persuade him if the door opens? I meant I would persuade him if you moved aside.”
“…?”
“You little rat. You didn’t even open the door – it’s totally different.”
“…”
She reluctantly threw another glance at Yeorum.
“…Then, you won’t?”
“No shit. Of course no.”
“…”
Then, Gyeoul drooped her head low and stared at the floor. She appeared greatly disappointed. Yeorum turned around and was about to head back to the living room, but her feet came to a stop before long, and after coming back, she asked the child.
“Oi, Yu Gyeoul.”
“…?”
“Should I do it for you? Persuading that human to play with you, that is.”
“…Really?”
“You want me to?”
It was Yeorum’s first time seeing a dragon nod their head this fast.
“Okay.”
Yeorum marched straight into Yu Jitae’s room.
As if there was something serious that was on his mind, Yu Jitae had his eyes closed.
When she knocked, a voice going “Yeah” was heard from the inside. After opening the door, Yeorum carefully approached him while he was sitting down in the study.
“You see, you know.”
“Yeah, why.”
Yu Jitae stared at Yeorum who had just entered the room, and also saw a blue head that was poking its way in at the room behind her.
“Do you have anything on this weekend?”
“No.”
“Really? That’s great.”
She looked back at Gyeoul and gave a smile. Seeing that, Gyeoul’s eyes flickered as she nodded back, and her small hand was forming a tight fist.
Gaze: Please…!
Yeorum nodded as if she fully understood what she wanted.
“Well, I’m not trying to ask for anything big. If you have nothing important to do today or tomorrow…”
Yeorum hesitated slightly before brushing her hair behind her ear. A white ear was revealed behind the crimson hair.
“Do you want to go on a date with just the two of us…?”
She then lowered her head as if she was feeling bashful.
Naturally, it was fake. Yeorum glanced back with a sneer, and could see Gyeoul’s face turning stiff realtime. She had to hold her laughter in.
“…!”
Gyeoul stared at Yeorum with a blank look, as if she couldn’t take in what was happening. Then, she slowly started making a frown.
“…Yeah. Whatever.”
When Yu Jitae’s response left his mouth, her crumpled expression connected onto another shock. Soon, tears started forming on her eyes.
“…”
Opening and closing her mouth, Gyeoul appeared to be wanting to say something. However, she did not say anything till the very end, and the blue-haired child escaped to Bom’s room with a sorrowful expression.
Kwang!
The door was then shut.
That was when Bom, who had been in the middle of reading a book, spoke up from the living room.
“Huh? Yeorum. Didn’t we decide to go watch WOC in person tonight?”
WOC was the name of a 1:1 pro wrestling league of superhuman fighters. Bom had reserved it to put Yeorum in a better mood, and tonight was the first match.
“I know. I know it’s today.”
“Then?”
“Come on. I’m a dragon. Do you think I would forget that?”
After clicking her tongue, she whispered to Yu Jitae.
For some reason, her expression seemed satisfied.
“Anyways, what I said was a joke.”
“Yeah.”
“Gyeoul, that little girl wanted to play with you apparently.”
“…Is that so? Okay.”
After saying that, Yeorum hesitated before looking away.
“And… after you’re back, come for a chat.”
“What?”
Yu Jitae asked back, but Yeorum had turned around already and left some words behind as she walked out of his room.
“It’s nothing you know, just, a little chat…”