Late at night, with the crescent moon rising outside, the clone who had returned from work approached Yu Jitae.
"Let me transfer the memories to you."
"Go ahead."
The clone closed its eyes, and as it did, the events of the day at the police station flowed directly into the Regresor's mind. With his eyes closed, Yu Jitae felt the memories and emotions slowly entering him. Among them, he saw the members of the station watching Corporal Yu Jitae with smiles.
"People appreciate you."
"I'm doing my best to live a normal life."
The clone took his daily life seriously, never avoiding challenging tasks and calmly fulfilling his duties. But that wasn't the whole story. When Yu Jitae was 27, he was a shy young man with a soft heart.
Now, the clone had become a serious, dependable colleague, and the team members started talking about a "reevaluation of Yu Jitae."
"I'm sure you've noticed, but they're worried about Jo Hosik."
"He must be hiding well."
"Yes. And since it was discovered that he's not acting alone, but as part of a human trafficking group, the situation has become even more uncomfortable. They're kidnapping superhuman students from the Nest without connections and selling them as slaves to underground organizations."
Yu Jitae nodded, seeing in the memories the concern from the police officers.
"As you've ordered, my lord, I will move when the deadline approaches."
"Good."
Yu Jitae, who had been savoring the memories, suddenly opened his eyes.
"...Hey."
"What is your command?"
"Who is this?"
In the memories, a woman was flirting quite openly with Yu Jitae.
"She's a team leader from another unit. She seems to be the daughter of the big boss and has been showing affection toward you for some time."
Now that he mentioned it, Yu Jitae recalled glimpses of her in other memories. Once, she asked, "Want to grab a drink with this noona after work?" and another time, she tried touching his stomach, saying, "Is this a six-pack or a washboard?" But in today's memory, she was even more direct, pressing her body against Yu Jitae's arm.
"What's her name?"
"Lee Bosuk. If you're displeased, I could take care of it."
"Hmm... Let her be."
Daily life didn't always bring good things, and the 'normal life' he was trying to achieve was like a bed of flowers. Although there were beautiful flowers, it was natural for there to be bugs as well.
Therefore, Yu Jitae decided to leave it for now.
"Well, I'll take my leave."
"No, wait a moment."
"Yes."
"And change your clothes."
The clone turned around, puzzled as to why Yu Jitae was suddenly giving such an order, but the lord's commands were absolute. So, he obediently removed the uniform and changed into casual clothes.
Soon, Bom's voice echoed from the kitchen.
"Ahjussi, come have dinner."
Finally understanding, the clone turned to his lord sitting on the couch. Yu Jitae was gazing deeply into his eyes.
...
The next day, Yu Jitae woke up on the couch, stretching his body. Today he had to look for the Red Dragon.
Red Dragon
As expected of a red dragon, its nature was aggressive. In the previous six rounds, it had always acted according to its judgment, being the only one who did not respect the rules Yu Jitae had established. While other dragons feared him, the Red Dragon openly despised him in every round and always showed her disgust. That's why Yu Jitae didn't know much about the dragon.
This time, however, things would be a bit different since Bom would accompany him.
"Are you going to bring Rojo?" Bom asked as she brushed her long green hair and tucked a strand behind her ear, showcasing her small ear in harmony with her face.
"Yes."
"More like you're going to kidnap her, right?" she said with a gentle smile.
"I could say yes."
Bom glanced at a nearby plant before speaking again:
"She won't like it. I didn't like being kidnapped, but Rojo will react more violently."
"Could you try to persuade her? After all, you're both dragons."
"I'm not sure that will work. Dragons of different breeds keep their distance."
"Why?"
"We are interested in different things. I like tranquility, but the red race does not. They value other things."
Yu Jitae pondered.
"What if we bring her by force?"
Bom looked at him in surprise.
"I didn't say it wouldn't work, you can't do that. Power is the pride of the red race. Using force would be a great offense to her."
Yu Jitae recalled the words of the Red Dragon in previous rounds and understood what Bom was trying to say.
"That complicates things."
"Hmm… But do you have to bring her? If you're thinking of having a dragon as a pet, isn't just me enough?"
Her words were confusing in two ways. One, he didn't need a pet, and she alone wasn't enough.
"As I said before, the reason I bring them is to protect them. Instead of owning pets, I will be their guardian."
Bom listened to him in silence.
"And if we don't bring her soon, the Red Dragon will get hurt. There are already people looking for her."
Bom frowned, wondering how he knew that, but she said nothing.
"I can't think of a good method right now," Bom said.
"Neither can I."
"Then I'll go with you. I can help if necessary."
"I'll call you when the time comes."
...
The next day, Yu Jitae woke up on the couch, stretching his body. Today he had to look for the Red Dragon.
Red Dragon...
As expected of a red dragon, her nature was aggressive. In the previous six rounds, she had always acted on her judgment, being the only one who did not respect the rules Yu Jitae had set. While other dragons feared him, the Red Dragon openly despised him in every round, always showing her disdain. Because of this, Yu Jitae didn't know much about the dragon.
This time, however, things would be a bit different, as Bom would accompany him.
"Are you going to bring Rojo?" Bom asked as she brushed her long green hair and tucked a strand behind her ear, revealing her small ear in harmony with her face.
"Yes."
"More like you're going to kidnap her, right?" she said with a gentle smile.
"I could say yes."
Bom looked at a nearby plant before speaking again.
"She won't like it. I didn't like being kidnapped either, but Rojo will react much more violently."
"Could you try to persuade her? After all, you're both dragons."
"I'm not sure it will work. Dragons of different races keep their distance."
"Why?"
"We're interested in different things. I like tranquility, but the red race does not. They value other things."
Yu Jitae pondered this.
"What if we bring her by force?"
Bom looked at him in surprise.
"I didn't say it wouldn't work. You can't do that. Power is the pride of the red race. Using force would be a great offense to her."
Yu Jitae recalled the Red Dragon's words from previous rounds and understood what Bom meant.
"That complicates things."
"Hmm... But do you have to bring her? If you're thinking of having a dragon as a pet, isn't having me enough?"
Her words were confusing in two different ways. First, he didn't need a pet, and second, she alone wasn't enough.
"As I said before, the reason I bring them is to protect them. Instead of owning pets, I will be your guardian."
Bom listened in silence.
"And if we don't bring her soon, the Red Dragon will get hurt. There are already those looking for her."
Bom frowned, wondering how he knew that, but said nothing.
"I can't think of a good method right now," Bom said.
"Neither can I."
"Then I'll go with you. I can help if needed."
"I'll call you when the time comes."
...
After that, Yu Jitae headed to Africa, to the Wastelands.
Since the New Era, the desolate continent had become an area where it was increasingly difficult for people to live. Amid a vast desert that was at least dozens of times larger than the Republic of Korea, Yu Jitae walked toward a group of superhumans.
"I need to talk to you," he said.
"Who the hell are you? How dare you come here...?!"
The Red Dragon had concealed her aura. Even the Regressor couldn't immediately locate a dragon with a hidden aura right after crossing the borders, and he had to walk on foot. He had traveled to about a dozen places but still found no results. After making the superhumans submit with a few blows, Yu Jitae asked.
"Oi."
Language wasn't a problem because Yu Jitae also had Babel's Fall (S).
"Have you seen the Night Fighter?"
That was the name the Red Dragon used in Africa.
"Ukk…! No… No, we haven't seen her," one of them replied.
Yu Jitae's eyes gleamed with a blue flash.
Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)
It was one of the three Authorities stolen from the Archduke of the Demon World, an eye that could discern the nature of good and evil in the target, the authenticity of their words, and the target's preferences.
"Don't avoid my gaze."
Yu Jitae looked deeply into the superhuman's eyes. Feeling the gaze that seemed to pierce through his heart, the man felt as if everything he had was being seen through, and he wet his pants. Shortly after, a status screen appeared in Yu Jitae's mind.
Liar.
"This kid." Yu Jitae, already annoyed by the fruitless search, showed an indifferent expression, and soon a scream was heard.
"Uaaaaaak!"
And when the sun was about to set, Yu Jitae was able to track the Red Dragon. He could feel her aura close by. When he made a phone call, Bom, who received the call, used Teleport (S) to appear beside him.
"Did you find her?"
"Yes. But the situation doesn't look good." Following his words, Bom turned toward the place Yu Jitae was facing. "That's right." From a distance, the sounds of explosions could be heard one after another. There must have been a significant battle going on.
"Stay here for now. Don't get caught up in their fight."
"Yes." Leaving Bom behind, Yu Jitae headed toward where the fights were happening and found superhumans wearing masks that only revealed their eyes. There were about ten of them, and judging by the pattern drawn on their backs, they seemed to belong to a fighting organization under the SAN. They carried large spears and surrounded someone in the middle, cooperating against her. The one in the midst of it all was a woman with a wooden mask.
"Javelin!"
"Yes!"
In response to the words of the masked man, a javelin thrower in the back, who had been concentrating his mana, twisted his back and threw it in a pose that looked like it was taken from a painting.
Lightning Strike (B)
The spear wrapped in lightning darkened its surroundings and shot toward the girl with the wooden mask. It was fast and oppressive. In a situation where even a high-ranking superhuman would feel pressured, the girl with the Wooden Mask extended her hand to grab the shaft of the spear.
However, the explosion of lightning grazed the wooden mask, which then fell immediately. The face behind the mask was revealed. Her white skin looked as if it had been sculpted from white jade, and her crimson lips resembled blood. Her beautiful nose and heavily-lidded eyes held madness lurking within them. Behind all that, her ruby-red hair flickered in the sunset.
At the moment the face that looked like that of a teenage girl, similar to Bom, appeared behind the mask, all the masked superhumans froze in their movements. In the past, during an unknown round of repetition, an artist had seen the beauty of a dragon and said the following: "It is a beauty that expands the concept of aesthetics in humans." And that appearance had just been shown right in front of them.
"Hah, damn…"
But a crude voice that crushed their emotions escaped from their lips. Swinging the spear in her hands, the Red Dragon spoke.
"Oppas, I don't show my face often. Because I hate seeing people stop and do things like this."
"You…! What the hell are you?"
"Why do you want to know? Do you want to come visit me at my house?"
The Red Dragon then began to laugh softly. "If you want, come during dawn. Let's play together, quietly." Along with those words, she licked the blood of someone that was left on the spear and started to laugh. It was a provocation.
As crazy as always, Yu Jitae thought, those were his honest thoughts. The commander, who had finally come to his senses, shouted.
"This is the magic of the curse! Don't let yourselves be stunned by that!"
"Yes!"
"Don't be careless, and close the circle tighter!"
That was the beginning of the second round. Swords and spears flew as masses of fire and ice fell. However, the Red Dragon was stronger than them. She immediately defeated the entire crowd of masked men and tossed the spear from her hand. The spear flew toward Yu Jitae, who was standing next to a rock in the desert. He tilted his head slightly and dodged it.
"Did you dodge that?"
With a smile, she jumped toward Yu Jitae. The long sword at her waist flew forward with oppressive force, but Yu Jitae grabbed it with his bare hand. Surprisingly, the mana-filled strike was stopped by the man's hand with too much ease. The Red Dragon's eyes widened.
Yu Jitae didn't stop there and pulled the sword while her small body helplessly followed the pulling force. The Red Dragon exclaimed, "Uh?" and hurriedly let go of the sword before retreating quickly. When the two stood face to face once again, the mischief had vanished from the Red Dragon's face.
"... You, what are you?"
The life of the red race revolved around the endless pursuit of those stronger than themselves, and because of that, they could understand their opponent's level of power. By her senses, the man was strong—strong to the level she could not dare to reach.
"Nice to meet you." Yu Jitae greeted her, with a dry voice.
...
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