– (Breaking News) Lair’s end of the year event revealed. Gathers the attention of the media worldwide.
– Deputy Principal, Ma Namjoon says, “S+ Dungeon, Melissia Masquerade will be the target.” and further claims, “The raid team will mostly consist of cadets.”
– Governments, top-level guilds, transnational corporations and renowned households contest for positions in the raid team. A heated competition is expected, as the likelihood of corruption in the member selection looms.
– Principal Ha Sukmoo, “I am aware that the member selection of the raid team is gathering many eyes… I will promise a fair selection process.”
Once a year.
Lair planned for an end-of-the-year event every year. This year was the raid of the S+ Dungeon, Melissia Masquerade, which was the same as what Yu Jitae had discovered around the time the dragons of the Yu household had entered the school.
The PR team of Lair was busy spreading news related to that, while regularly hosting press conferences.
– The head professor of the Azure Dragon study group…
A reporter, who had been writing down a news article, stopped his hand. With a clean appearance and a fine-tuned navy-coloured tuxedo, the head professor – Wei Yan – was in the middle of answering questions from the reporters with a smile.
“The power level of the Azure Dragon study group this year, is evaluated to be several times higher compared to last year, and the year before. What is the secret?”
“As lacking as I am, I have nothing that could be said about the likes of ‘secrets’. In order to live up to the expectations of the guardians that believed and assigned their cadets to me, I am merely trying my hardest to deliver a great career to them in response.”
“How many positions in the raid team are you expecting from the Azure Dragon study group? A fierce competition and an examination for a spot is being expected though?”
“I will refrain from mentioning anything related to that. Everyone is working hard, and me boasting about my confidence won’t result in any additional positions, after all.”
“Perhaps you’re not very confident?”
“The Azure Dragon study group has tried harder than ever. Through three camp training sessions, we have succeeded in taking down three A-rank-plus dungeons with cadets alone, and this is a very rare sight. What do you think, miss reporter? Isn’t everyone trying their hardest?”
When Wei Yan smiled with his eyes, the female reporter that met his eyes flushed her cheeks. In female superhuman communities and the likes, Wei Yan always landed in the top 3 positions whenever there was a popularity poll of professors.
Such Wei Yan spoke with a wide smile.
“I, am confident.”
The reporters quickly moved their pens.
– Azure Dragon study group’s head professor Wei Yan, shows unyielding confidence towards the raid team member composition.
“…”
Meanwhile, behind the press conference room.
There was a man looking into his smartwatch with a nervous look. He appeared anxious, and his fingers trembled even when he tried to remain still.
His shaking fingers were rather strange. Each had different lengths, and a closer inspection would reveal that the man did not have a thumb and an index finger in his left hand.
He was Wei Yan’s close assistant, Kwok Pan Wei.
“…Are you alright, sir?”
Kwok Pan Wei’s own assistant, Hashimoto carefully asked him a question.
She was a Japanese woman in her twenties.
“Ye, yeah. I’m fine. I’m fine…”
He murmured as if he was hypnotising himself, but when the watch remained quiet for a long time, he suddenly erupted in frustration.
“…W, when are they going to give contact?”
He used his middle finger and two other fingers to scratch his hair. His other fingers had been cut off by Wei Yan.
The organisation undetectables, was in a funeral-like atmosphere.
38 affiliated demons had disappeared, and among them was one who Wei Yan had followed like a younger sibling.
There was one survivor, but that middle-aged woman had no idea regarding the identity of the culprit, and even died a few days ago. The biggest damage nonetheless was the disappearance of Prototype X.
Ever since the disappearance of the prototype, the undetectables labelled their hypothetical enemy as ‘X’.
X.
They would love to crush its limbs and swallow it in whole if only it was possible.
After the recent cases, Wei Yan had been called by the head executives of the organisation and had suffered from insults, and couldn’t hold back his rage after coming back, as he cut Kwok Pan Wei’s fingers.
The man stared at his empty index and thumb.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fucking hell… Me getting a treatment like this…”
Kwok Pan Wei moved his fingers while staring at his handicapped hand. It felt as if the missing fingers were still moving.
It was a fairly pathetic sight for a demon, but because he was still a human at the basis, there was no way around it.
“Sir…”
His assistant, Hashimoto, murmured with a dejected expression.
“What would be happening to us now…”
“S, shut up! What could possibly happen to us?”
Kwok Pan Wei growled.
“There is nothing to worry about. As long as this is dealt with, Professor Wei Yan will rise to a Seat, and we will be able to eat some of the falling crumbs at least.”
“But if X appears again this time…”
“You don’t need to worry about that. That’s why this time, there are three elders…”
“Sorry?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Realising his slip-up, he closed his mouth. Appearing to be curious, Hashimoto took a step closer and asked him.
“It’s a top secret. Don’t ask.”
“…Can you just tell me at least? You know I’m good at keeping secrets.”
In response to her words, Kwok Pan Wei slowly turned his head.
He was anxious, and frightened. He needed somewhere to lean on, even if that happened to be a female demon ten years younger than himself.
There was the trust that was built after several years of eating off the same pot, as well as the sense of kinship as fellow demons. Plus, because the erosion of the demonic aura on him was shallow, there was still a human-like desire within him that wished to share and lower his mental burden.
Such elements caused Kwok Pan Wei to open his mouth.
“…Two Disaster-level demons.”
“Ah…”
Hashimoto let out a gasp.
There will be two disaster-level demons coming?
In the entire world, there were only twelve disaster-level demons, and they were powerhouses that could contest against the top rankers of the world.
But this was far from the end, and the following words caused Hashimoto’s eyes to shoot open.
“And an esteemed catastrophe-level demon will be making his way to the Melissia Masquerade this time.”
“…!”
A catastrophe-level demon.
Someone like that was coming as well?
“…Ah! Finally.”
That was when Kwok Pan Wei’s watch rang, and he quickly walked away to answer the incoming call. Soon, after pausing the press conference for a break, Wei Yan walked up to him. From outside the room, their voices could be heard.
When she was left alone, the look of surprise completely vanished from Hashimoto’s expression. Slowly, she raised a hand and placed it next to her temple.
‘Not too different from your predictions, my lord.’
Closing her eyes, she started sending memories to a distant place.
‘As expected, the scale of the event has increased compared to the previous iterations. In order to minimise the variables, I will continue gathering more information.’
It was then. Along with the sound of a clap, Kwok Pan Wei’s head was turned to a side. “You only discovered this much with all the time I gave you? Please do a better job, Pan Wei,” said Wei Yan with a voice filled with killing intent. After that, Wei Yan headed for the conference again while Kwok Pan Wei returned to the waiting room with a hand on his reddened cheek.
“Sir…”
Hashimoto returned to her look of surprise and walked up to him.
***
“…”
Gyeoul had two choices.
A calm and static fairy tale to Bom-unni, and an exciting, jumpy story to Kaeul-unni.
That was why she handed over the book to Kaeul today.
“Should I read you this today?”
Nod nod.
“Okay, let’s see… My dad is a fairy! Ehh? I read you this last time didn’t I?”
“…”
“Do you want me to read it again?”
Nod nod.
“A very ve~~ry long time ago, Dolsun lived with her daddy.”
Her bright and clear tone of voice had the power to touch the hearts of the listeners. With that voice which had been used to echo around the entire world in the previous rounds of regressions, Kaeul started reading the fairy tale.
Gyeoul was slowly absorbed into the story.
Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was tying a tie over his long-sleeved shirt. When he carelessly hung it on his neck, his skill [Inherent Customisation (S)] re-tied it. Finally, he covered his body with a long trench coat and finished readying himself.
It was late and it was approaching nighttime, but he was earlier than normal.
Even then, he had to leave right now.
When he left the room, Kaeul and Gyeoul’s gaze naturally gathered onto him.
Kaeul flickered her eyes.
“Uwah. What is that?”
“What is what.”
“Your clothes of course! That formal kind of clothing suits you a lot ahjussi!”
Gyeoul likewise appeared slightly surprised.
Gaze: oohh.
“Is that so?”
“What’s happening? What’s the occasion? Why are you dressing up so nicely? Is it someone’s wedding ceremony?”
After a slight hesitation, Yu Jitae replied.
“A funeral.”
“Ahht…!”
“See you then.”
“Ah… yes. Goodbye!”
Kaeul waved her hand, and Gyeoul followed suit, half a second after.
He thought it was over, but there was an ambush.
The moment he opened the door of the dormitory, he found Bom staring at him.
“What are you doing there. It’s cold.”
“…”
She had the indifferent yet pouty look as usual.
“Go in.”
“…”
“Why.”
“…”
Was she infected by Yu Gyeoul? She was silent.
Perhaps thinking about something, or looking into something, her gaze was looking at something distant but slowly regained its focus.
“I will follow ahjussi.”
“What?”
“…If I say that, ahjussi would be like this.”
With a lower tone, Bom imitated Yu Jitae.
“Don’t follow meh!”
“…”
“No? You will need me this time.”
“…”
“Go bakk! Before I get angry.”
Bom continued acting out the role of two people.
“I don’t want to.”
“…”
“And then, it’d be like, ‘Yu Bom.’… with a serious look.”
She mimicked Yu Jitae’s expression. Her gaze looked like she could swallow someone alive… or at least that was what she tried to be like, but she wasn’t very threatening.
“…”
“Then the coward Yu Bom will stay back alone. And will look back on it with regret.”
“What, are you doing.”
“It’s a simulation of the things that will happen from now.”
Bom gave a calm smile.
“No.”
He replied instinctively.
She was trying to follow him this time as well, just like how she tried to when he followed Wei Yan during Kaeul’s audition, and when he was going after Prototype X.
And that was the final borderline past which the Regressor was trying to hide from the dragons.
“…”
But this time, she did not whinge.
“I want to ask.”
“Ask what.”
“The reason I’m not allowed to follow.”
Early in the night, where the darkness was about to settle completely, the pair of olive-coloured eyes shone gently.
Perhaps this wouldn’t be the end, and she would continue being this cumbersome if he merely avoided her. Therefore, Yu Jitae decided to be honest for a tiny bit.
“From now, someone will die in my hands.”
It was a fact, and not an assumption.
“Do you remember what I said? I’m not that good of a person. I tend to let them suffer when killing those that ought to be killed. The process will be violent, and the result will be disgusting. Because of that, I don’t want you guys to see it.”
If he delved deeper in, it was more so for Yu Jitae himself, than the dragons. They needed to have happy memories only, for the curse of regression binding him to be distanced.
“If you understand, go in now.”
His words were clearcut, with not a single room for negotiation, but Bom did not avoid him.
“Ahjussi.”
After lowering her head, Bom interlocked her fingers.
“Do you remember how I asked you if you know how it feels to live as a dragon of the green race?”
The night he set off to deal with Prototype X, he remembered the things that Bom had asked along with a sigh.
– …Does ahjussi know what it means to live as a dragon of the green race?
Even now, he had no idea.
“We live while looking into Providence. We can see traces of the things that had happened, and can also see fragments of the approaching future. If I see happy things ahead of time, I become happy myself, thinking that such things would be coming now. But you know…”
“…”
“In the world, there are slightly more sad things than happy things. Every existence lives with faint misfortune, and that’s why I see the deaths of many existences and live while seeing the end of many relationships. Yesterday, I saw a son with a disability, killing his mother who had cared for him for twenty years. It was really tragic, but that’s the way of the world. That’s why I was depressed all day.”
“…”
“I never wanted to see it in the first place, you know…”
Her soft whisper contained a certain resonating power and echoed in his ears for a long time.
Bom slowly raised her head.
“That’s what it feels like to live as a green dragon. A tiring race, right.”
“…”
“So even the things that ahjussi doesn’t want to show, I have already seen faint bits of it.”
Yu Jitae closed his eyes, and reflected on something.
“You, how many things do you know of.”
“You will be going to a social meeting.”
“And.”
“With a fake identity.”
“And.”
“You’ll be looking for a man.”
“And.”
“A very bad guy.”
“And.”
After a slight hesitation, Bom carefully opened her mouth.
“…You will need me.”
He heaved out a sigh.
Thinking back, she had said the same thing during the case of Prototype X as well. If he had taken Bom along, would it have been possible for him to deal with it in a more convenient manner?
Should I take her along.
For the first time after starting this iteration, the Regressor found his own judgment to be unreliable.
“You, if you become a nuisance even slightly, I’ll send you home straight away.”
“Yes.”
It was a permission and despite it not being a full permission, Bom’s expression brightened up by a bit.
“Let’s go then.”
“Ah, one second…!”
“Why.”
“I need to match the dress code.”
Bom turned her body.
She walked into [Laws of Nature (S)], the alternate dimension of dragons. After a few minutes, she poked only her head out from the dimension.
“…Can I come out?”
“What are you doing?”
“…A mental preparation. It’s embarrassing.”
“Why.”
“Hmm… if it doesn’t suit me, pretend like you didn’t see it.”
He gave a nod.
Soon, Bom walked out from the alternate dimension, while wearing a red off-the-shoulder evening dress.
The moment she walked out, the corridor’s sensor sensed a person as the lamp lightened up the surroundings. Her white arms and white shoulders that had been covered by the veil of night were revealed in full. Perhaps Bom had deliberately set that place for the illumination.
She carefully asked him.
“Does it suit me?”
“…”
“Huhuh. I actually wanted to receive some lights because I wasn’t confident…”
In fact, the Regressor didn’t know the standards for ‘suiting’. Wouldn’t the Green Dragon suit any clothes she wore?
However, there was one thing which he had learned while dealing with Kaeul, and there was one magic word which the baby chicken had loved.
“Looks pretty.”
Bom appeared slightly surprised.
And soon, she covered her face with her two hands.
“Whatever…”