3.
"Ahhh. For some reason, I thought it would be something like this."
As the sound of the crashing waves became familiar and calming.
The Black Dragon Master stretched with a relaxed expression on her face.
"Well, I thought something like this would happen with you."
"Huh. Really?"
"Mhm. As soon as I look at a person's face, I usually have a feeling. How close I will get to this person, and how much I will get to know them. I haven't been wrong once since I was 25."
"That's amazing."
"It all comes down to experience."
The Black Dragon Master snorted.
"You tend to learn a lot about human perseverance when your expectations of failure tend to repeat themselves. Ah, by the way. I'd prefer it if you kept calling me by my title instead of my name in front of the others. Would that be a problem?"
"It wouldn't be a problem, but…. uh, why?"
"Why? Because it's embarrassing to have my real name called in front of others."
Despite saying that, her face showed no signs of embarrassment.
"You should also refrain from calling me [senior]. It makes chills run down my spine. I really hate showing off my personal relationships to people."
"No. Well. I'm not saying it doesn't make sense, but… Would it be embarrassing if I said it when it's just the both of us…?"
"That's a philosophical difference. Fine. Our opinions split pretty quickly."
The Black Dragon Master nodded to herself before taking something out of her [Item Storage] skill.
It was a cube covered in several round dots. It was a die, a prop used in gambling all over the world.
"Mr. Kim Gong-ja."
The Black Dragon Master looked at me with a serious gaze.
"Wh-, what is it? You're making me nervous."
"Please make and sign a [Friendship Contract] with me."
"…huh?"
What was this about a contract?
"I believe that a proper relationship between people should be documented."
The Black Dragon Master looked proud.
"Humans are prone to making mistakes. Whether it's because they stayed up all night, or they worked for 20 days straight, it's possible for their minds to crack at least once. No. Even if there is no underlying problem, if they were to bottle up their emotions for 5 or 10 years, it would become a problem."
"Uhh…."
"So in order to prevent any accidents, a contract must be written. It's a must if you want to have a strong and healthy relationship."
What was she talking about?
Really, what the hell was she talking about?
"Of course, the [agreement] must be made by both of us. Neither side can force it. As the first clause of our contract, I would like to write [In the case of differing opinions, we will follow the will of the person who got the highest number after throwing the dice]."
"…"
"What do you think?"
-Indeed.
Bae Hu-ryeong, who had been silent all this while, stuck his nose in.
-I understand now. Zombie, you became friends with a really troublesome girl….
I was dumbfounded.
I had never met someone like this in my entire life.
"U-, Uh. Um. Maybe that would be okay?"
"Take this seriously!"
The Black Dragon Master got angry.
But why?
"People who don't know anything think that friendship is about being honest without question, but that's not true. Such relationships are only possible if, by chance, you happen to get along very well. If you want to maintain a relationship, you have to use your head! Right, your noggin. Friendships can only work if you use your head well!"
"Th-, that's true, but is the contract really necessary…?"
"If someone breaks the contract then you can immediately stop being friends, so it's convenient."
What was going on? I was confused.
It felt like the concept of friendship that I'd known and lived for was now being shaken.
"If you have a limp attitude then you will only have limp relationships. Kim Gong-ja. If you're going to start something then you should build a solid foundation from the start. Either agree to the terms quickly, or argue against them with proper logic."
"…"
In the end, I used a part of my brain that I don't normally use and thought long and hard.
As a result, our [friendship contract] started with a very historic first sentence.
+
[Friendship Contract(友情契約書)]
This contract was concluded when the request of Anastasia Zelenski(hereinafter referred to as A) was accepted by Kim Gong-ja(hereinafter referred to as C).
A does not trust the validity period of human emotions, so she is confident in the belief that a firm attitude and diligent intelligence will be the foundation for the two parties to stand on. As such, A and C pledge to the following.
1. All promises are only valid if both parties agree.
2. All promises can be abrogated if both parties agree.
3. However, the establishment or abrogation of a promise can only be carried out during the weekend(i.e Saturday or Sunday).
4. If there is a difference of opinion between the two parties, they will roll the dice and follow the opinion of whomever rolls the highest number.
Signed: Anastasia Zelenski(signature)
Signed: Kim Gongja(signature)
+
I looked down at the contract with a blank expression.
Was this really for the best?
"…"
"What are you doing? Come on, stamp it."
The Black Dragon Master urged.
She was a bit scary.
"To be honest, I don't have a stamp…"
"You have fingers. You can use your fingerprint."
"That's right…."
My fingerprint.
As I was stamping a red fingerprint with my thumb, the thought that popped into my mind was 'I'm glad she didn't suggest writing a pact in blood'.
During the past half hour, I was able to get a really good understanding of the Black Dragon Master's personality.
"Good."
The Black Dragon Master inspected the contract with a satisfied expression.
"This isn't too bad of a start. Well, we can revise it in our second or sixth year. This will have to do for now."
"There's still more after this…?"
"Kim Gong-ja."
The Black Dragon Master spoke in a soft tone.
"You shouldn't underestimate human spinelessness. In the first place, hairless beasts could transform into different humans in just six months."
This statement was said with great conviction.
"Daddy! Daddy's comrade!"
A familiar voice sounded in my ears as I looked at the first friendship contract I'd ever signed. My son, Uburka, was running towards the pier.
"Where did you two disappear to?! I've been looking for you for a long time."
"Ah, Sorry. Just now we…."
Before I could finish talking, the Black Dragon Master's boot landed on my instep.
"Uhuukuhuuk!?"
The sound that came out of my throat as the pain shot up my leg was quite splendid.
This wasn't a level of skill that could be acquired just by stepping on one or two feet.
"…I-, I had something to talk about with the Black Dragon Master."
"Right. Death King and I needed to have a private conversation."
The Black Dragon Master smiled softly.
"Your father and I have a special relationship now."
Uburka froze.
"S-, special relationship?"
"Mhm. You could even say we are the only ones for each other."
"Only ones…?"
"Ah, how shameful. I'm saying such things in front of a child. In any case, the two of us are finished talking now. What did you come here for?"
"The townspeople… everyone woke up… it seems that the problem has been solved completely… I came to look for you… to report that…."
Uburka muttered softly before suddenly turning to look at me.
His glare was particularly menacing.
[The Constellation 'The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven' demands an explanation!]
No.
You're misunderstanding.
She's just using me to kick you away!
"Daddy, is what she just said true…?"
"Death King. Was there anything wrong with what I said?"
My son and best friend turned to look at me at the same time.
Even after countless deaths, this was my first time facing such a situation.
I was trapped between refusing to support my son's first love or a friendship where we understood each other's hearts.
"…son."
"Say it, Daddy."
"The Black Dragon Master and your father…"
I gulped.
"…really do have a special relationship."
Uburka's expression crumpled.
Silence.
The hobgoblin's thick lips twitched, and his long eyelashes trembled.
"I really hate you, Daddy!"
Uburka ran away after leaving those lines fit for a teenage boy. His footwork while using aura was truly amazing. In an instant, Uburka disappeared over the horizon, leaving nothing but chicken poop tears(1) behind.
It was the moment when the first love he'd developed in hundreds of years came to a disastrous end.
[The Constellation 'The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven' is badly hurt.]
[The Constellation 'The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven's distrust in human's increases.]
Ahh, Ahhh….
I was frustrated.
"No. Uburka, son. Your father will only have one person in his heart till death… How could you have such a misunderstanding… You'd understand if you tried to talk even a little…."
"Thanks."
As soon as Uburka disappeared, the Black Dragon Master's expression became calm again.
She gracefully swept her hair behind her ear with the back of her hand.
"Thanks to you, that troublesome child left. If I get a troublesome child like that in the future, I'll ask for your help often, Kim Gong-ja."
"I'm your friend, but aren't you too comfortable after using me…?"
"What are you talking about? Really."
The Black Dragon Master smiled brightly.
"I'm able to be comfortable after using you because you're my friend."
This was my third time seeing that smile.
Perhaps, I'd be able to see it countless times from now on.
4.
I'll tell you about what happened after.
"You're wrong."
-…
A seven year old Anastasia looked at me.
The World of Dreams.
The sleeping pioneers of the new continent were all awake by now. The sailors who had left to cross the ocean once again had returned safely, except for a few unfortunate victims. Because of that, the Black Dragon Master and I had to spend a lot of race points. (TL: Author put 'civilization points' here. For now, I changed it since I think it was a mistake, but if something like civilization points are added later, I'll fix it.)
"I came back to tell you that."
Once the situation was handled, I chose to reenter the World of Dreams.
-…I'm not sure what you mean by that.
The young succubus responded in a blunt tone.
The iron fence stood behind the Dream Demon like last time.
An old iron fence with broken barbed wire.
The remnants of a civil war.
The Dream Demons parasitized scars like this.
"The first time we met, you said something. That whenever Anastasia met someone, she had a habit of imagining that person's death. That the best policy was to prevent situations in advance, and to constantly prepare for the worst."
-Right.
"But I became an exception for Senior."
Gunshots rang out.
"You will see it too."
A man was running towards the fence while holding a child's hand.
It was almost like watching a broken video tape that could only play the same clip over and over again.
In this world of broken images, I spoke quietly.
"You just know Senior, you can't change her. That's your natural limit. You guys are a race that only lives on the trauma of the past."
-….
"I overpowered you with my strength. You guys only backed down because I had more power than you did. But you were wrong to think that our relationships in the world are only based on power."
-What are you trying to say?
"I'm saying don't mess with me. You brats."
I released my red aura.
The pink tainted world became a bit darker.
Startled, the Dream Demon shuffled backwards.
"You can talk as much as you want. You make it seem as if you can rule the world as long as you have [Power] and [Logic]. But the world isn't so thin that it would be cut by your scissors."
-…
"By your wording, everything under this sky is a power."
I filled my finger with aura.
"Subduing people is a power. Convincing people is a power. Therefore, sharing a past with someone and walking forward with them is also a power. You are capable of recreating someone's past in a dream, but beyond that you are just incompetent."
-We....
"You will never be able to change Senior. I did. You are more incompetent than me, you're weaker than me, and in the end, you were ultimately defeated by me."
I waved my hand.
My aura split the space apart.
The iron fence snapped, instantly becoming a pink bubble before finally disappearing.
The man and the woman, who were trying to escape through the narrow exit, also melted.
"I wonder if you'll become a bit more competent when I return in the next era."
-…
"If I give you hundreds of years and you still repeat the same thing over and over again. Well, I'll have no choice but to turn back time and wipe you out."
It was a simple task.
I would just be adding the Dream Demons to my Hundred Ghosts.
I got to my feet.
-Even so, how many people can you find?
The Dream Demon stared at me.
-One person? Two? Maybe ten people, maybe twenty, or maybe a hundred. Even if you do, that number is only a handful of dust in our world. So what's the point?
I snorted.
"If you're worried about the number, then maybe this will help you figure it out."
-…
I spread my aura and cut off my surroundings from the World of Dreams.
If my Master was here, she would probably be able to cover the entire world, but that level was still out of reach.
The best I could do was make an area my own.
[Quest Clear!]
And best seemed to be enough for this stage.
Just before leaving the World of Dreams, I took one last look at the Dream Demon.
The young Black Dragon Master was biting her lips as if she was angry.
"I look forward to the next time we meet."
'Declare stage clear.'
After murmuring this in my mind, a bright light covered my eyes.
[Stage Clear!]
[You have cleared the 35th floor.]
[Your compensation will be settled after entering the 36th floor.]
[Chain layers in progress—you will be sent directly to the 36th floor!]
To the place where my best friend was.