< 72. Dragon Lovers, Dragon Haters, Dragon Slayers (6) >
Even after being released into society, the monster did not give birth to offspring for a long time, unlike real spiders. Regardless of whether it was male or female.
The Ober Spider can reproduce asexually to produce females if it wishes, but the reason it did not do so was simple.
The spider despised its own body.
"I didn't want to give birth to such a hideous mutation… I didn't wish to be born into this body either."
The reason for not giving birth to males was also clear.
In the natural state, Ober Spiders produce soldiers that catch prey and protect the nest.
In the 21st century, such soldiers were unnecessary. In modern cities where CCTV and magical surveillance were commonplace, the best way to hunt without getting caught was for the queen herself to lure prey rather than deploying soldier spiders. The role of protecting the nest was handled by property management offices and private security firms.
Therefore, the monster had long postponed giving birth, which only expended energy, until one day its thoughts changed. This was because it saw the news about the stolen Dalant. Its resolve to avoid reproduction in order to adapt to civilized society was shattered.
"Before coming outside, I overheard those people talking."
Though it couldn't remember the details, it recalled that Dalant played a very important role in their experiments.
At that time, it didn't know it was currency, but it clearly remembered that Dalant could be used to extract and transfer souls to other bodies.
Reviving that memory, the monster was filled with joy and anticipation.
Perhaps there might be a way to abandon this cursed body and transfer to a normal one.
A sustainable life without having to devour sentient flesh alive.
A life where, without using polymorphs that deplete magical energy, it could live in a body that anyone would acclaim as beautiful, instead of a tortured, meat-like body.
'Did it think it could find it in Korea's black market because it was stolen? Its mind is a flower garden.'
Without knowing how difficult it is to control Dalant, or that Minjun actually held it bound to a soul, the monster came to Seoul blindly.
It then put its mind to work to find a suitable target: someone with enough money and power to secure stolen goods that the police couldn't find.
Edward Mitcham.
It moved to blackmail him, seduce him to obtain seeds, and produce offspring.
It judged that if it didn't reveal that the offspring would die after a year, no one would know. As long as it could obtain the Dalant within a year, its goal would be achieved.
'A delusional plan.'
The plan was flawed for not considering the next steps after obtaining the Dalant, but the crucial mistake was the intervention of the variable Minjun.
After making the monster confess everything it remembered, Jenkins and Minjun left the interrogation room.
The Red Dragon said with a stiff expression.
"This incident undoubtedly involves an ancient race."
He couldn't think of anyone else with the capability to combine the genes of an extinct alien species with dragons.
"We need to bring this matter up at the upcoming Dragon Council."
From the actions of Kavaite, who had instigated Princess Vermi, it seemed that unusual events were unfolding one after another centered around Earth.
Minjun also shared his recent suspicions, agreeing with Jenkins.
After deciding that the investigation of the location where the monster first came out would be handled by the Red Dragon, the two parted ways.
However, even after Minjun left the lair, Jenkins couldn't rest.
Ding!
He answered the phone. The caller was Blair.
Chairman, all the individuals you specified have arrived and are waiting.
"Got it. I'll be there soon."
Jenkins rarely calls his subordinates to the lair.
But this time, it was an exception.
From now on, he intended to act not as the chairman of Jenkins Company but as the Red Dragon who had taken Korea as his domain.
His eyes grew fierce.
It was time to punish the spy who had leaked information about Ha Eunsung's safe house and caused trouble.
"What? It was rejected?"
Kavaite, reviewing the documents at the committee headquarters, muttered in disbelief.
The name of this alien, who served as an intermediate executive at the headquarters, was Gedwick.
Gedwick had recently given an order to his direct subordinate, Dotes. The order was to regularly report on the activities of the prisoner "Asif-666" who was dispatched to Earth, a Level 4 dimension under the guise of labor reeducation.
The recent report contained unbelievable information.
There are indications that Asif-666 was deeply involved in the death of a Brain Dragon (estimated age: 5,300 years) who obtained sovereignty over that dimension.
The incident was said to be the result of divine retribution carried out directly by a Fire Dragon of the high dragons who had claimed that region as its domain.
However, Dotes's report mentioned that the head of the corpse was severely damaged and there were many wounds that could not be attributed to dragon fights… There was important information not reported in the Earth's media.
'That can't be.'
According to the profile data, Asif-666 was clearly assigned a human body.
Could a human somehow intervene in a dragon fight and make a meaningful contribution?
'This is a bit dangerous.'
Gedwick suspected that this might be a sign of the restoration of sealed memories.
He knew that people had been sent to that dimension under the guise of a tax investigation recently. But even if the signs that were not noticed at that time had now begun to surface, it was not entirely implausible.
Gedwick thought the Grand Commissioners seemed to be waiting for Asif-666 to die on its own while being sent to remote dimensions.
Continuing this approach was problematic.
The most critical issue with remote dimensions was that, despite the lack of volunteers from ancient races to send prisoners, real-time monitoring was impossible due to technological limitations.
Of course, there were various systems to compensate for the blind spots, but there was no better alternative than calling them to the center for 24-hour monitoring.
'Why was a vicious criminal with a 5 million Dalant bail sent to such a remote dimension in the first place?'
Sometimes, the Grand Commissioners make incomprehensible decisions.
Gedwick thought it was necessary to correct the mistake now and suggested.
The dispatch of Asif-666 to the remote dimension should be halted, and he should be recalled to headquarters.
Then, even if no issues were found, he should be reassigned to perform duties in a dimension near the headquarters for a while.
But it was rejected.
Gedwick quickly read through the rejection notice. According to it, the most actively opposed Grand Commissioner was…
"The Grand Commissioner of Endelion."
Gedwick's mind was filled with questions. What were the Grand Commissioners planning? He could not think of any reason why they would oppose this.
Lost in thought for a moment, he reopened the files on Asif-666. Most of the entries were obscured by a misty light or replaced with messages indicating that they could only be accessed after obtaining the appropriate permissions.
As he carefully examined the files for any possible clues, a voice echoed from outside the office door.
The meal is ready.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a woman with a human body entered, carrying a tray. Gedwick briefly turned his gaze to her.
A designation visible only to committee members and their staff appeared above the woman's head.
BEZNI-945,770,133
Prisoners whose identification number starts with "Asif" are those deemed economically valuable enough to be used rather than thrown into the Abyss. This was the type of prisoner that Gedwick was grappling with.
In contrast, prisoners starting with "Bezni" like the one who just entered are those deemed economically unfeasible for the Abyss and thus have been given a reprieve, serving instead in labor reeducation.
Such laborers are primarily assigned menial tasks, often serving ancient races. Using prisoners for tasks that could be replaced by golems or androids is, in fact, a waste when considering the cost in Dalant for labor reeducation.
Therefore, laborers are a luxury.
Ancient races prefer reactions that are only possible with real sentient beings, not artificial intelligence. The difference between real and artificial reactions is unavoidable. For example, while an AI implanted in kitchen tools might talk endlessly about cooking, it would struggle to maintain a conversation on other topics. Only true sentient beings could overcome such limitations.
"Hmm? What is that smell?"
Gedwick looked at the slave with an annoyed expression.
"What is this? Why do you smell like a dragon?"
The woman froze.
"I-I'm sorry."
She seemed to cower as if unsure of what to do.
"I went to assist with breakfast service this morning due to a shortage of hands… and there was a dragon among the delegates who attended…"
Gedwick flared up in anger.
"What?!"
He shuddered with irritation.
"Even if you're a novice slave, you should have basic common sense if you're working at the committee headquarters! Don't you know we detest dragons?!"
Kavaite was a prime example of Dracophobia among the ancient races, and their aversion manifested both emotionally and physically.
Gedwick twitched and shouted in frustration.
"If you served in the presence of dragons, you should have thoroughly disinfected your body and clothes before coming here! What if I have an allergic reaction? How will you handle that?"
The slave bowed her head and kept repeating her apologies. Gedwick was clearly displeased.
"As far as I know, you're a slave paid for by the Kavaite Fellowship… and you come here smelling of dragons? Damn it, how can someone's head be so empty?"
He spoke coldly.
"Take this all away and redo it. No, send a different laborer next time."
"Yes, understood!"
The slave, her face twisted in distress, tried to retrieve the tray she had just set down.
At that moment, she noticed something she hadn't seen before—a photo of a prisoner floating in mid-air, accompanied by a long string of text. Though she couldn't read the words, she could see the photo clearly.
"······Huh?"
Kavaite shouted sharply.
"What's going on? You're not taking it away?"
"Yes, yes!"
Kavaite quickly realized where the laborer's gaze was directed.
'Why is she reacting like that?'
Unlike Asif-666, the original race of this laborer was publicly listed. Gedwick recalled that when she was first assigned to this area, he had found something odd while reviewing the documents.
He had wondered why a Shutan's soul was transferred to a human body. Given the physical condition, Shutan would provide much better labor and would likely have a higher synchronization rate with the prosthetic body.
However, Gedwick had no idea what kind of life the Shutan had led before. The lack of this information suggested that the subject was either a highly dangerous individual like Asif-666 or the result of somewhat illegal methods used during capture—a form of 'slave hunting.'
Gedwick, assuming the latter, curtly remarked.
"Why, did you happen to recall some lost memory? Did you have any connections with that man before being captured by the committee?"
He said this knowing full well there was no chance of that being true.
"No, that's not it!"
The laborer, identified as 'BEZNI-945,770,133,' hastily took the tray and exited. Being relatively new to her role as a prisoner, she still made frequent mistakes.
As she closed the door and entered the hallway, she felt her heart pounding, and it wasn't just because of the recent reprimand.
She was vividly recalling the face of the man on the screen.
'Why am I feeling this way?'
She had no idea. The moment she saw him, she felt a sinking sensation in her chest.
'I shouldn't be reacting like this. I need to move quickly.'
She needed to act fast to avoid additional reprimands for tardiness and to prevent any punitive deductions from her meager earnings of 0.000000025 Dalant set for the day.
But even as she walked, she couldn't erase his face from her mind. Her breathing quickened, and unknown emotions surged within her chest.
She never imagined that someone so beautiful could exist in the world.
< 72. Dragon Lover, Dragon Hater, Dragon Slayer (6) > End