Chapter 305

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Chapter 305: The Successor (4)

"It's... it's a dragon!"

"Ahhh!"

"Run!"

It was heartbreaking that people recognized the shadow in the sky as a 'dragon' just by looking at it, but in Seoul, this was the reality, a part of everyday life.

-What... what's going on? Where is everyone going?

As Master Bang looked at the people scattering in all directions blankly, Yeongwoo pointed to the sky.

"I can't guarantee that I'll defeat the dragon this time either. So, people are taking precautions and leaving early."

Of course, no matter how powerful the dragon was, it couldn't use physical force before its scheduled appearance at 1 PM.

And the fleeing citizens knew this from their previous two experiences.

But their primal fear of dragons was so overwhelming that they instinctively fled the scene first.

-A dragon really appears over the city?

For a Red Foot Orc who had gone through entirely different trials on a different world, this was nothing short of astonishing.

"Yes. You may not understand, but on Earth, humans who died in the past return as monsters."

-...Why is that?

"We decided to kill them. So, they come back for revenge."

Reset is, by its nature, a cycle of immense karmic retribution.

And some karmas were more unusual than others, such as the one tied to Jeong Yeongwoo07, the Strongest Sword of Korea.

Born as the child of Song Jiseon, the youngest daughter of Jinhyeon Group, the second-largest conglomerate in Korea, and Kim Jeonggu, a low-level human.

But before 'Jeong Yeongwoo07' even existed, the reset had already taken place, so Song Jiseon was likely the first to be ensnared by this strange cycle of karma.

Her transformation into a dragon was predetermined, even before Yeongwoo or Jeonggu had become the Strongest Sword.

In other words, it was fated that Song Jiseon would return as a dragon in this world, but whether her son, Jeong Yeongwoo, would survive in the reset world and represent Seoul in the battle against dragons was not guaranteed.

The latter was only possible due to a series of incredible coincidences.

But in the end...

‘That’s what happened. Now, every day at 1 PM, I wait for my mother and uncle to return.’

Could this be called fate?

Rumble!

The sky, which had darkened completely, rumbled with loud thunder, prompting Yeongwoo to summon Negwig.

Master Bang, watching the ominous sky, asked:

-Small Foot, where are you going all of a sudden? Your brothers are here.

He referred to the few citizens who hadn’t fled the scene.

But Yeongwoo had already climbed onto Negwig.

Click!

"The dragon won't descend immediately. It will just mark its territory and then appear at 1 o’clock."

He pointed to the east.

"I have an arena over there where I fight the dragon."

-Arena?

For the first time, Master Bang's face showed interest.

It seemed that the concept of dueling wasn't unfamiliar to the Red Foot Orcs.

"Yes. If I fight the dragon in the city, everyone will die."

With that explanation, Yeongwoo gestured for him to get on the back seat, and Master Bang also climbed onto Negwig.

Golden Goblin and Pofu Tenta, already seated, grimaced and made remarks:

-Kee! Keeek!

-Babat!

All three of them were aliens, so the first two were asserting their territory out of seniority.

Yeongwoo glanced back and, while steering Negwig toward Gwangjin District, said:

"Be friendly with your fellow foreign workers. If you survive the civil war, you’ll see each other often."

Master Bang, after thinking for a moment, asked Yeongwoo:

-Where is the land you promised us?

"Sorry?"

-The last promise. The land.

"Oh, you mean the autonomous district."

He was referring to the third promise Master Bang had proposed: allowing Orcs to reside in Seoul.

"If you really plan to live in Seoul... two places come to mind right away."

-Where are they?

"One is Guro District. There was some trouble, so we evacuated most people there. As a result, it’s mostly empty now."

It was an ideal place for relocating the Orcs, as no one lived there anymore and the buildings were relatively well-preserved.

Though it seemed that Red Foot Orcs didn't require lavish accommodations, if they were to maintain Guro’s housing, someone would have to stay there.

-Guro District? What about the other one?

Master Bang asked, a bit hopeful, and Yeongwoo pointed ahead.

Swoosh.

"Gwangjin District. Where we're headed now, to the arena."

-…What?

"It’s perfect, aside from being in ruins. It’s connected to Gangnam, my district, and you can meet a dragon daily."

Yeongwoo, even as he said this, wasn’t sure if it sounded right, but he couldn’t think of a better way to describe it.

"And the southern part of Gwangjin District has a view of the Han River."

-Han River view?

"Yes. You can see the river from your house, though right now there aren’t any houses in Gwangjin District... never mind, forget it."

Just as he concluded that Guro District would make a better home for the Orcs, a massive lightning bolt split the sky in two.

Crack! Boom!

At last, the third dragon began its contact with Seoul.

‘Ah, finally.’

A dragon.

So far, the pattern had been consistent: people from wealthy families returned as dragons.

The first mutant, conglomerate head Hongtae, turned into a fire dragon, and later, Im Kwangho and Song Taeho also turned out to be from powerful families.

[Translator - Night]

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So today’s dragon was likely...

‘It’s highly probable that the dragon returning today is also from a wealthy family.’

After all, Song Taeho, who had appeared just before, was the eldest son of the Jinhyeon family.

And Song Taeho was also the older brother of Yeongwoo's biological mother, Song Jiseon.

In other words, there was a high chance that today’s dragon was also someone from the Jinhyeon family.

Crack! Boom!

As Negwig sped toward Gwangjin District, Master Bang sensed something and reached out, resting his hand on Yeongwoo's shoulder.

-Small Foot, your body is tense. What's wrong?

"I'm just thinking... there’s a good chance I’ll see my mother today."

Yeongwoo spoke his thoughts candidly, causing Master Bang to raise an eyebrow.

-Your mother?

Then he lifted his head to look at the sky again.

Though it was still only approaching 1 PM, the sky was as dark as night.

Could it be that Small Foot’s mother was up there beyond that dark sky?

-Small Foot, are you not truly a human child?

"My mother is no longer human, that's all. Please, mind your words."

Yeongwoo muttered the line through his teeth while glancing backward.

— Huuuaah...!

A loud sound came from the sky, shaking the entire area’s air. It felt as though something that had been in a deep sleep was finally stretching and letting out a shout.

-What, what was that?

Bantubangtong flinched in surprise, but Yeongwoo put his index finger to his lips.

"Be quiet, they’ll introduce themselves soon."

Introducing oneself immediately upon arrival and seeking out an opponent was characteristic of dragons.

Every dragon Yeongwoo had encountered was the same.

Even though they were all from different prominent families, they shared this trait.

However, the dragon that appeared this time seemed a little different.

— What the hell?

Instead of introducing itself, it spat out a curse.

— What’s going on here? Did I come to the wrong place?

"Ah."

Yeongwoo immediately understood what the dragon was talking about.

It was referring to the completely changed scenery of Metal Seoul.

The city would look like a vast expanse of ash from the sky.

And thanks to the characteristic texture of metal, the whole city probably resembled a circuit board from above.

— Hey! I think there was a transport error! Dammit!

The third dragon was shouting at something or someone in the distance.

Judging by the sense of distance in its voice compared to before, it seemed to be yelling toward the sky, not the ground.

In other words, the dragon complained to some entity responsible for sending it here.

‘What the… Did a lunatic just show up?’

As Yeongwoo was thinking this, Master Bang cautiously spoke from behind.

-Little Foot.

"Yes?"

-That dragon... It’s speaking exactly like you.

"...What?"

Frowning, Yeongwoo turned around, and only then did he understand what he meant.

"You’re saying it talks like me? No way."

Yeongwoo denied the claim and was about to look back toward the sky when—

Kwooooom!

The sky flashed again, and a colossal shadow appeared beyond the black clouds.

— Uh.

"W-what?"

Though dragons were generally large, what they saw just now was...

"Was that… a whale or something?"

Even if you floated a real whale in the sky, it wouldn’t match the silhouette they had just seen.

The dragon’s wings literally covered the entire sky.

The body was easily over 100 meters long.

-That kind of thing appears in Seoul regularly…?

Master Bang, who now seemed to grasp the true nature of living in Seoul, looked at Yeongwoo with a tense expression.

And at that moment—

— Is there no one here?! Whoever you are, take my mark! I won’t kill you immediately!

Failing to get a proper response from the universe, the dragon was now looking for a challenger.

Yeongwoo, as if he had been waiting for this, drew Bastard and prepared to answer the call.

Kwooooom!

Once again, the sky flashed, and the third dragon revealed its identity.

— I am Song Jiseon, from Earth!

"...What? Song…."

Song Jiseon.

Chairwoman of the Jinhyeon family, the second most powerful conglomerate in the country.

And Jeong Yeongwoo07’s...

"...Mother?"

As soon as Yeongwoo realized the dragon’s identity, the Aratubank held in his left hand began to vibrate violently.

The mythical shield’s most peculiar effect, "Funeral Casket," had been triggered.

【Coffin】

| You can place blood relatives into the coffin. Special effects are granted depending on the phase and condition of the stored targets. (0/2)

In the meantime, Song Jiseon, mistaking the fear of the alien residents of the metal city as a sign of weakness, laughed loudly.

— Hahaha, you pathetic weaklings! Is no one daring to stand before me?

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[Proofreader - Gun]