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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Thankfully, this absurd situation didn’t last long.
Renia explained that the little boy was Drogh, and that he possessed the ability to Polymorph.
Na-yeon didn’t question or refute the explanation, sparing me from further embarrassment.
It was preposterous to think that I, a 22-year-old, could have a son who looked at least eight years old.
Well, seeing a little boy in shackles inside my storage room was a rather unsettling sight.
“So, you’re saying… that’s… he’s… the Black Dragon Velokas?”
“I’ll have to hear it from him(?) directly, but I think so.”
The little boy just looked at us, saying nothing.
His eyes, however, held the same faint hostility towards Na-yeon that he had towards me, suggesting he was Velokas.
“He doesn’t seem to remember anything.”
“Really…?”
If he remembered what had happened in Pangaea, he would be causing a ruckus by now.
But he just stood there silently.
Perhaps his hostile behavior as a hatchling wasn’t based on memory, but on instinct.
Anyway,
I briefly considered subduing him and ending it before he regained his memories as Velokas, but he seemed so obedient to Renia that it didn’t seem necessary.
Besides, we were much stronger than Elroden and Raphia had been back then.
Even if he harbored malicious intent, he wasn’t a threat.
He’d be lucky to reach S-rank boss level.
From what I could tell, Earth’s monsters were much stronger than those in Pangaea.
“But how did Velokas get here? We saw him die with our own eyes. That’s how we were able to return.”
I didn’t know.
I hadn’t imagined that the original Han Tae-jin’s chuunibyou-esque claim about a Black Flame Dragon residing in his left arm was actually true.
But considering that the [Black Dragon Summoning] trait appeared after my corrupted left arm was healed, it was likely that Velokas had somehow latched onto Han Tae-jin’s body or soul during our return.
I didn’t know how the corruption had been lifted, though.
“He probably played dead and snuck through the portal when we returned. That must be why I had those side effects.”
“I see… He’s a sly one. Shouldn’t we just finish him off now?”
Hmm…
I felt a strange attachment to him, and I didn’t want to undo Renia’s hard work in… raising him.
I also felt bad for the original Elroden, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill him.
How could I plunge an arrow into the heart of such an innocent-looking child?
Especially when Renia was so fond of him.
“Well… If he becomes a threat, we can deal with him then. If he can’t even break a store-bought mana shackle, I doubt he’ll be much of a threat, even if he grows.”
“Really? Hmm. I suppose you’re right. He’s not a threat in his hatchling form. But you’re taking him with us?”
“It’s better than leaving him here and seeing him on the news later.”
“That’s true. But how are you going to take him?”
That was the problem.
“Hmm… Is there a good way?”
I muttered, standing next to Na-yeon.
His Polymorph ability was useful.
It significantly reduced the risk of him being noticed.
But if he could only transform into a human, it would be problematic.
No guard would let a party through the barrier with an unregistered child.
And there were limits to how much you could bribe people, even in a capitalist society.
I was pondering this when,
Whisper-whisper!
Renia whispered something in the boy’s ear.
He nodded, and with a ‘poof’, he vanished in a puff of smoke.
And,
“Problem solved.”
Na-yeon’s words brought a wry smile to my face.
A dagger lay on the floor where the smoke had cleared.
A rather long dagger with a black blade.
It was a pretty cool dagger with a dragon motif at the base.
Renia picked up the dagger, shrugged, and smiled smugly.
Were they mother and son in a past life or something?
He seemed to do whatever she said.
Anyway,
I gave Renia a thumbs-up.
It seemed our preparations were finally complete.
“Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”
Even sightseeing comes after a good meal.
We decided to have a last supper(?) before our departure.
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Step-step-
Around noon the next day,
Na-yeon and I were heading towards the south barrier, our meeting point.
It was finally beginning.
My showdown with Illusion.
I felt a mix of nervousness and excitement.
This journey, born from a heavy sense of responsibility, filled me with anticipation for a happy ending.
“I really enjoyed dinner last night. Reina’s cooking is amazing.”
A skilled chef was a valuable asset on a long journey, which boosted our morale.
That’s why Renia was indispensable.
But she wasn’t with us right now.
Well, she “was” with us.
To be exact above us, in the sky.
Chirp-chirp!
Renia, having Polymorphed into a small bird, was circling high above us.
She had left for the barrier early that morning.
She was supposedly doing reconnaissance(?) to check for any problems passing through.
Thankfully, Na-yeon didn’t question it.
It seemed last night’s dinner had left a strong impression.
Being compared to her personal chef, Bert, was high praise indeed.
That compliment seemed to have softened Renia’s animosity(?) towards Na-yeon somewhat.
I tapped the black dagger at my waist.
Bzzz!
It vibrated intensely.
The little guy was a handful.
If it weren’t for Renia’s plea, he would probably be trying to slice my groin with his blade right now.
He was a nerve-wracking companion, but I didn’t dislike him enough to put him in my mana pocket.
It was fun to tease him like this.
Tap-tap-
Bzzz!
Tap-tap-tap-tap-
Bzzzzzzzzz-!!!!
That little rascal.
He went ballistic when I tapped him rhythmically like a drum.
Cute.
The ferocious Black Dragon Velokas, reduced to a small dagger, vibrating like a… well, never mind.
It must be humiliating for him.
‘Be glad I’m not petting you, Roque.’
Renia whispered to me that she wanted to call him “Roque,” so that became his name.
Anyway,
Na-yeon, I, Renia (as a bird), and Roque (as a dagger) arrived at the barrier.
Su-ah and Hye-seo were already there, waiting for us.
I had informed them about Na-yeon joining us, so they weren’t surprised to see her.
They would probably ask about the reason later.
I had briefly explained it when I told them she was joining us.
Su-ah greeted us first.
“You’re here. Brother, Professor.”
“Yeah. Everything alright?”
That casual question, directed at the 52-time regressor, was anything but casual.
Fortunately,
“Everything’s fine.”
It seemed Ercia hadn’t encountered any problems.
Next,
“Greetings, Holder.”
I politely greeted Kim Hye-seo.
I was the least close to her, yet for some reason, her Affection Level was currently the highest at 45% (it had risen by 2% since I last checked).
I still didn’t understand why.
Because of that unknown affection, I hadn’t registered her in the directory yet.
Hye-seo curtly returned the greeting and then looked towards the east.
“Let’s get going. We need to travel 30 km east before nightfall.”
“30 km?”
I had checked the map and saw the small village of [Namseo] about 19 km away.
I thought we could spend the night there.
“There’s a village called Osan 29.4 km to the east. We need to go there.”
“Isn’t there a village called Namseo before that?”
“Namseo was classified as a danger zone after a small-scale villain attack yesterday. Entry for lodging purposes is prohibited.”
“Ah.”
Oh-ho.
So, as a member of the MMO, Hye-seo had access to information not yet reported in the news.
Renia, the excellent chef, and Hye-seo, the speedy messenger.
It would be truly tragic if we failed this journey with this combination.
If we had headed towards Namseo, unaware of the situation, we would have ended up camping in the middle of nowhere.
That would have been a terrible first night.
So,
“Okay. Let’s get moving.”
I agreed without complaint.
I knew Hye-seo was as invested in this journey as Su-ah and I were.
After our brief exchange, we headed towards the barrier guards.
We had to answer a few questions.
A party consisting of an S-rank Hunter, a diamond-rank Holder, and two trainee cadets was bound to raise eyebrows.
“Purpose of travel?”
As the de facto party leader(?), I answered.
“Research. I’m accompanying Professor Park Na-yeon to assist with her research and collect samples.”
The guard looked at Hye-seo.
And asked suspiciously,
“Holder Kim Hye-seo, you’re with the Monster Management Bureau…”
“Ah, Holder Kim Hye-seo is a friend of Professor Park Na-yeon’s. She’s accompanying us because she has some business to attend to near the research site.”
“I see. Then why are you traveling on foot? Wouldn’t it be faster to use mana gliders?”
Na-yeon answered this question, having anticipated it.
“It’s also a training exercise for our cadets. They’re my apprentices. Is there a problem?”
“N-no, ma’am.”
The guards were mostly former Hunters.
So, they quickly stepped aside, intimidated by the S-rank Hunter’s question.
“Then you are authorized to pass.”
“Thank you.”
Na-yeon gave them an uncharacteristic smile.
And with that smile, we passed through the barrier and emerged on the other side.
‘It begins.’
A desolate wasteland stretched before us.
A bleak wind blew across the barren landscape.
Unidentifiable sounds echoed from the distance.
It felt like stepping into a post-apocalyptic world.
The weight and grandeur of the scene were far more impactful than when viewed from a mana glider.
Riding in a mana glider felt like playing a game as an observer.
Now, I felt like I had stepped into the game itself.
Feeling the weight of this reality, I joined Renia, who was waiting for us outside the barrier.
“You’re all here.”
Renia, having flown over the barrier, greeted us casually.
I would explain her situation to the others later, once our journey had stabilized.
I needed to build stronger relationships with them first.
“Shall we go?”
Na-yeon and Renia stood to my left.
Su-ah and Hye-seo stood to my right.
Looking at them, I took the first step on what might be a very long journey.
And we began walking east, towards the Taebaek Mountains.
Tap-tap-
Bzzzz!!
Accompanied by a finicky black dagger.
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