Chapter 106 : Chapter 106

Chapter 106 - Heart Hunter (2)

Seo Ah-in's consciousness was drifting through a charming little garden.

Warm sunlight shone down. A flower garden in full color and a blue sky. It was a utopia that looked like it had been drawn by a child with a crayon.

“...”

Why was I in a place like this? It wasn't that the thought didn't cross my mind. But the feeling was too cozy to delve any deeper. Lying in the flower bed and looking up at the sky, it felt like nothing else mattered.

“...This is a dream, right?”

At the very least, it was clear that the scenery was surreal enough for me to have that realization.

And that fact was further solidified just by looking at the scene that followed.

“Oh, princess! I have come to save you!”

What princess?

What in the world was with this sudden outburst?

Seo Ah-in stared at Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, who had appeared wearing a crown, with a horrified expression.

A silk outfit that clung tightly to his body. Hair that looked like it had been styled with great care.

My god, my imagination. What on earth did you create?

“Even if it’s a dream, this is a bit much...”

[Haha! Prince, you can never take the princess away!]

“...”

With those words, a giant dragon revealed itself above Seo Ah-in’s head.

No. Come to think of it, I think I saw a dragon that looked just like that right before I passed out.

“Keuk! You wicked demonic dragon! I have come to take back the princess you kidnapped...”

“...No, wait. Just a moment. Stop!”

No matter what, nothing was as horrifying as being continuously called ‘princess’ by Mr. Kim Gyu-sik.

When she waved her hands and said that, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik and the dragon turned to look at her with simultaneously blank expressions.

“Uh... why?”

“I mean! Let’s stop this terrible role-playing, and be a little more productive-”

“No, this is your dream, isn’t it?”

“...It is, right?”

“Dreams are made from a combination of unconscious thoughts or real experiences, right?”

“We-well, yes?”

“Then doesn’t that mean this situation reflects your desires or perceptions to some extent? But you say it’s terrible?”

“...”

For a person appearing in a dream, his way of logically stomping all over me was unnecessarily identical to the real Mr. Kim Gyu-sik.

“In short, you were, to some extent, anticipating a situation where I would be the prince and you would be the princess. Am I wrong?”

“Y-you’re wrong! There’s no way I’d be happy if a man like that became a prince...!”

“Even like this?”

Seo Ah-in shut her mouth.

Because at some point, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik had strode right in front of her and was gently holding her chin with his hand.

Uh. Uh. I mean.

What do I do.

What should I say.

My whole body felt like it was stiffening up. A tremendous amount of heat rushed to my face.

Our breaths were getting closer. Mr. Kim Gyu-sik’s face drew near.

“Tell me, princess. Do you hate me?”

“...I-th, ug, ughhhh...!”

“Come now, princess. Isn’t your heart already full of me? I am your Heart Hunter.”

“I-I-I-Aaaaaaaaah-!”

With that scream, Seo Ah-in’s consciousness was abruptly pulled back to reality.

Ah, a familiar ceiling. It was only natural, as it was the ceiling of the great cavern I saw before I fainted.

But.

“...Am I still not fully awake from my dream?”

The scene unfolding before my eyes was enough to make me mumble such a sentence blankly.

And for good reason.

[W-wait a minute. This is ridiculous. You used some kind of cheat, didn’t you?!]

“For an ancient dragon, you’re speaking quite disgracefully. Even after scouring all related literature, it’s a certain-”

An ancient dragon.

The strongest of demonic beasts, boasting a power that ranked among the top five in the entire world.

It was because it was getting flustered in front of Mr. Kim Gyu-sik.

***

“Now, then.”

I grinned at the shrunken ancient dragon.

“I won, right?”

The dragon silently looked down at me.

Even though our species were different, I could clearly read the look in its eyes that said, ‘Where on earth did a crazy guy like this pop out from?’

[You... I don’t know about the other things, but how in the world do you know the history of the dragon race...? Knowledge that only the Lord would know just flowed out of you so casually...]

“You say that as if that’s the only thing you lost.”

[...]

“The combination of hieroglyphic characters related to incantations, natural history, the ecology of demonic beasts, the types of metal with the most suitable mana conductivity for weapons, the truths of the universe, the secret of life, aging, sickness, and death, and even the history of the dragon race—I won them all. It’s 7:0. Would you like to challenge me on any other topics?”

[...Hmm. No.]

The dragon put a foreleg to its head as if a headache was coming on. So a reptile’s joints could move like that. How fascinating.

“...Is this really the time to be making such observations? After beating a dragon?”

Seo Ah-in, who had regained consciousness at some point, chimed in from the side.

Hey, it’s not like I beat it in a fight, so what’s there to be so surprised about?

This level of lore-dumping wasn't that difficult. I could do it all day long.

[...Besides you, there have been several others who challenged me to a battle of words. But all of them passed out in less than 10 minutes. Putting the category aside, you’re probably the only one to ever beat a dragon 7-to-0...]

Hearing the ancient dragon speak so listlessly, the smile on my lips grew much wider.

“Then that means I can squeeze more out of you, right?”

“...”

From the side, Seo Ah-in sent me a look as if asking if it was okay to talk to a dragon like that, but well.

It didn't really matter if I spoke this way.

Dragons, as powerful as they were, were a species tremendously bound by the restriction of ‘words’. It meant they had to keep their word, even if it killed them.

This one had proposed a ‘duel’ to me, and in it, it was defeated seven times without being able to make a peep.

Considering that among the people who had dueled this being before me, there were quite a few who lost their lives, it meant this was not a matter to be taken lightly.

[Fine, fine. You won 7 times, so I’ll give you 7 rewards to be fair. Is that okay?]

“No.”

[...Huh?]

“I engaged in this duel with my life on the line. I won 7 times, and you’re just going to wipe your mouth clean with mere items and move on? Do you really want to die?”

[...]

The ancient dragon became as mute as if it had eaten honey.

In a position bound by the restrictions of ‘equivalent exchange’ and ‘words,’ this was a situation where if I really told it to die, it would have to die. My words probably didn't sound like a joke.

“...”

Well.

It wasn't like they were a species that actually died just because you told them to.

[Th... then what do you want?]

Thus, a demand like this was also possible.

“Your heart.”

[...What?]

“Your heart. A Dragon’s Heart. That’s possible, right?”

“N-no, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik? Isn’t that a bit too much...?”

From the side, Seo Ah-in tried to dissuade me with a horrified voice, but instead of answering her, I looked straight at the dragon.

My eyes were serious. It seemed to understand what I was saying.

[You... you know, don’t you?]

“You won’t die anyway. I’ll substitute all 7 wins for your heart. You don’t have any complaints, do you?”

[...Even if I did, I don’t think I could tell you. Hoho. Truly. It’s been a long time since I’ve met such an interesting human.]

While Seo Ah-in, unable to follow the conversation, was just darting her eyes back and forth, the dragon grinned and brought its foreleg to its chest.

Then, as if slicing through soft tofu, it plunged its leg deep inside and soon pulled out a blue jewel pulsating with mana.

“...Huh? Huh huh huh?”

“It’s fine. Nothing will happen to it.”

“What?”

[Yes. We don’t exactly... die just because our hearts are removed. This will grow back after a little while.]

“...”

Seo Ah-in looked back and forth between me and the dragon with an expression that said, ‘What in the world does that mean?’, but what could I do when that was just how they were designed?

The ‘dragon race’ were beings fixed in this world. They were guys related to the ‘System,’ like the Tower and the Shamans.

They really, truly, almost never died.

Because even if they died due to a causal result, they were revived by the System.

“Wait a minute... then are they immortal?”

“Not exactly. They die if there’s a ‘justifiable reason.’ But losing a bet to me here isn’t one of them.”

“What is that justifiable reason?”

“The limiter will be released once the upper floors of the Tower are conquered a bit more.”

“...?”

A giant ‘?’ floated above Seo Ah-in’s head, but you know how there are characters in games who never die until a certain point in the story is reached. Because they’re essential for the plot progression later on.

The dragon race was a prime example of that. Even in the original game, although it was a challenge boss, it never got a death judgment even if the player beat it down.

[And for a dragon, the ‘heart’ is also used as a token of friendship. In a manner of speaking... it’s a sign of a promise to help at least once. It’s been a very long time since I’ve met a human who knows that.]

Well, that’s right.

Even within this game, it was an item that functioned as a ‘1-time Dragon Summon.’

When used, it opened a portal, and the ancient dragon and a group of elves armed with equipment made by the dragon would pop out as allies. Regardless of the location.

And, its power was.

“...”

You know that thing.

The bomb you press a button to launch in a shooting game.

The one that wipes out every single ‘hostile thing’ on the screen in one go.

It felt like a dramatically intensified version of that.

It really wiped everything out. I’m not kidding.

“Is that so.”

[Yes. Is there perhaps a transmitted passage? Seeing a human who remembers the pact between dragons and humans warms my very heart-]

“Right. That may be so. But why are you talking as if it’s over.”

[...Huh?]

“You still owe me 6 more.”

The dragon stared blankly at me, then looked down at its own chest, and then looked back at me again.

[...Huh?]

“It regenerates anyway. You lost 7 times, so isn't it only natural that you give me 7?”

[...]

“...”

Seo Ah-in and the ancient dragon simultaneously looked at me as if I were a piece of trash, but what could I do.

The world of adults is a harsh place. You can’t survive if you can’t keep your promises.

“...Was this what being a Heart Hunter meant?”

What are you talking about now?

***

And so, I placed the ‘hearts’ into Seo Ah-in’s arms with a beaming smile.

Seo Ah-in’s expression became slightly queasy at the reminder that these things had been inside someone’s body just a moment ago, but she soon looked at me as if she had realized something.

“...You brought me along to make me carry this, didn't you?”

“Oh.”

“At least answer me with a sentence...”

While Seo Ah-in gloomily wrapped them in a cloth and slung them over her shoulder, I stepped into the portal the ancient dragon had opened.

Well, a safe return was also included in the price of winning the bet.

The destination was the vampire Leila’s... cozy gaming room.

I had to pay her a commission fee and had a favor to ask.

“P-please open it right now! I, I have to save them! Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, my little sister is in danger-!”

“Ah, I told you several times that I don't take personal portal requests! Or are you saying you’ll bring me a Dragon’s Heart like that guy did!”

“Saying you’ll bring that is the same as saying you’ll confront a dragon! Ah-in-ie, Ah-in-ie and Mr. Kim Gyu-sik!”

For some reason, Ms. Seo Hye-in was bickering with Leila.

“...What did my sister just say? Ah-in-ie?”

And next to me, Seo Ah-in, who seemed to have felt a surreal horror, added a word.

“...”

Indeed.

What is this?

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.