X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the Server#95
When it was time for bed, Dali, after behaving in such a manner, would transform back into its human shape and burrow into Dokyeom’s arms. Its belly was always remarkably plump when it slept, as if it had been out devouring monsters somewhere.
Even now, its mouth was smeared with so much dark blue blood that it dripped, a clear sign of whatever it had consumed. Thanks to Dali, Dokyeom no longer had to worry about feeding it.
The problem, however, was this—
“Screech!”
“Oh, oh! It must be going to its mom! Who’s its mom, you ask? Ah, it has one. That, um, E-rank individual. Just ‘mom,’ you know? Mom. This one, it’s incredibly obedient. No, really, it’s adorable! I swear! Come on, you’d know if you just saw it. Take a look!”
Dali, after frolicking in the snow, lifted its massive body and galloped straight towards Dokyeom. Then, realizing the blood smeared on its beak, it rushed to the lake, plunged its face in, and vigorously washed it off.
Once clean, it shook off the water and then, with light steps, resumed its original course.
‘Dali, I’m E-rank right now. Let’s take it slow, okay? If you charge me, I’ll die instantly….’
“Screech!”
Dali, having dashed over, rubbed its beak against Dokyeom’s chest. It screeched with delight, flapping its wings excitedly. Its lion-like paws thumped, and its serpentine tail whipped around, forcing Kang Taesan and Byeon Yeongchan to swallow nervously each time it grazed their vicinity.
“Dali, what makes you so happy? Did you eat your fill?”
“Screech!”
After stroking its beak once, Dokyeom wrapped his arms tightly around Dali’s neck, finally feeling a life-giving warmth. The massive creature settled immediately, curling up in front of Dokyeom.
“See? Didn’t I tell you? Since it’s a baby, it’s so well-behaved and listens to its mom! Its rank? I think I heard it was C-rank because it’s still a baby. They say chimeras are volatile monsters. Their rank goes up as they grow, or something. But it’s supposed to take a long time to grow up. Ah, I don’t know. Anyway, the important thing is that it’s a rare monster!”
The camcorder attached to Dokyeom buzzed with frantic movement. Any notion of privacy had long been lost.
“How did an E-rank become a tamed hunter? No, people, what does rank matter? If you have skills or abilities, that’s all you need. And this E-rank individual already has another one. You know Agon, right? They say he’s also a C-rank monster, which is insane. I was completely shocked when I first saw him. I mean, how can a monster look like that?”
The comment section exploded. It was a chaotic mix of taunts and question marks. Baek Jiun cackled, rolling around amidst the flood of coins. After a while, he held the camcorder up to Dali’s face, who blinked innocently, and shouted in a cheerful voice:
“Only the chimera for today! I’ll make an Agon special tomorrow or the day after. I need to get permission from the E-rank individual first. But seriously, you’ll be amazed. He doesn’t look like what you’d expect. I really… wow, I’m just astonished such a face exists in this world. Curious? Then watch the broadcast!”
Dokyeom inadvertently glanced at Baek Jiun’s phone, which was connected to the camcorder. The rapidly scrolling comments were so numerous they were hard to read.
[Anodak: LOLOLOLOL first time seeing a chimera, but it’s kinda cute LOLOLOL]
[dsklg: E-rank? Yeah, right LOLOLOL I’m out]
[Helloza: How can an E-rank tame a chimera? LOLOL These guys fake stuff all the time]
[Conclusion: LOLOL the chimera is insane? Why do I want to raise it LOLOL]
[ERRR: LOLOLOL is that a baby in its mom’s arms LOLOLOL insane LOLOL see how docile it is LOLOL]
[Lirallal: Wait LOLOL but I’ve seen that E-rank somewhere before, what is it LOLOL]
[MyShakHak: Aren’t you guys supposed to be saving the world LOLOLOL]
Baek Jiun continued to cackle to himself, then ended the broadcast with a final farewell. His face, oblivious to the cold, was overflowing with an inner sense of satisfaction.
“Hyung, did you see? Today’s broadcast was a huge hit! The comments and donations…! Since it was so good, how about we feature Agon-hyung next time? Huh? Hyung. No, Hyung-nim!”
“If you want to die by Agon’s hand, go ahead and touch him. Now, stop talking nonsense and get away. And I clearly told you not to film our children in their human forms.”
“Ah, that’s why I’m not touching them! No, it’s not that, Hyung. Listen to me. I already told the broadcast audience I’d show Agon-hyung next time! Hyung, please, just once, okay? Agon-hyung’s face would completely overshadow celebrities! It’d be such a waste.”
“That’s your problem.”
Baek Jiun, who had been chattering annoyingly beside him, plopped down onto the snow, wearing an expression of utter defeat. At twenty years old, Baek Jiun had just become an adult, and having awakened not long ago, his youthful audacity knew no bounds.
He would throw himself into any broadcast-worthy situation, regardless of time or place, even risking his life. This Red Gate incident was just such a tantalizing opportunity for him.
Ordinarily, communication devices like electronics were unusable within a Gate. The jamming signals emanating from the Gate usually rendered most devices useless, yet there was one exception.
If one possessed a ‘skill’ capable of deflecting these jamming signals, communication with the outside world was possible. This particular ‘skill’ frequently manifested in NewTubers and journalists, so those typically stationed at Red Gates were precisely the individuals who exhibited such abilities.
Presumably, some such individuals were accompanying Geon Ita’s and Taeseongyeon’s teams, relaying information to the outside world in some capacity.
“Dali, you’ll be too heavy for Dokyeom-hyung if you stay like that. Come back to your original form and let him hug you. Otherwise, Agon-hyung will scold you.”
Beom Yeonhu, who had just set a bundle of firewood beside them, patted Dali’s thick rump. Dali twitched a few times, then looked at the calm lake before shaking its fur and rising to its feet.
Soon, a faint moonlight settled between the snowflakes. From an elephantine shape, it shrank to the size of an alligator, then progressively into a human form, eventually reverting to the appearance of an eight-year-old child.
“Dali, hand.”
Dokyeom pulled out Dali’s clothes from his embrace and quickly dressed him. True to his naturally warm body, Dali admirably endured the bitter cold with just one layer of clothing.
“Screech!”
Immediately after getting dressed, as if to act as a stove, he burrowed inside Dokyeom’s coat, tightly clinging to his waist and settling in. Thanks to this, Dokyeom also relaxed into the warmth.
This process had been ongoing for several days—three days, to be precise. It had been that long since they had left the team without permission and ascended the waterfall.
Yet, they still had an immensely long way to go. The distant, sprawling landscape of the snow-capped mountains was now swallowed by the night, barely visible. They would need to endure twice this cold to reach those mountains.
Experiencing it firsthand, Dokyeom realized it was sheer madness.
As anger flared towards himself for creating such a world, Agon suddenly emerged from the lake, breaking through a thin layer of ice. In his mouth and hands, fish—which Beom Yeonhu had pointed out—flapped frantically.
Agon, holding them, walked with his wet body towards the lit bonfire. He seemed utterly unfazed by the bitter cold. Everyone stiffened with tension. Baek Jiun was the first to yelp and fall back, while Kang Taesan and Byeon Yeongchan swallowed dryly, lowering their gaze and watching Agon intently.
“Thud.”
Agon abruptly dropped the quickly frozen fish next to Beom Yeonhu and walked straight to Dokyeom.
“Go dry off, it’s cold. Hey, you’re cold.”
His gaze, scanning Dokyeom meticulously, was insistent, checking if he was alright. After what seemed like a confirmation, Agon blinked, then extended a hand, shaking off the water, and gently caressed Dokyeom’s ear. It was his way of checking his body temperature.
Only after this ritual did his hand finally withdraw from Dokyeom.
In that brief interval, Beom Yeonhu had skillfully skewered the fish with wooden sticks and propped them up before the fire. This, too, had been Beom Yeonhu’s sole responsibility for the past three days, as the other cubs refused to lift a finger.
“Yeonhu, are you really not cold? There’s a limit to bravado; don’t overdo it, okay? It’s pitiful to watch, man.”
Byeon Yeongchan, shivering by the fire, subtly lifted his cap and sneered. It was clear his words were directed at Beom Yeonhu.
“I can manage.”
“You can manage? You bastard, two months ago you were shivering and being carried out by Taesan from a -30 degree Gate, and now you ‘can manage’? What’s the temperature right now, huh, you punk?”
Beom Yeonhu’s hand, which had been turning the skewer, froze. His golden eyes, which had been fixed on the crackling firewood, slowly lifted and met Byeon Yeongchan’s.
“Yeongchan, I can manage now. It’s not a lie.”
“Wow, you endured so much pain that your senses must be trained now. But why am I so cold? Taesan says he’s cold too, so I don’t know why you’re perfectly fine.”
Byeon Yeongchan, who said this, was B-rank, and Kang Taesan was A-rank. It would be difficult for them to accept Beom Yeonhu’s sudden change, or perhaps they simply didn’t want to.
It had taken a full three days for the creeping inferiority in Byeon Yeongchan’s dark pupils to solidify into resentment.
He must have noticed Beom Yeonhu’s ‘change’.
The change was not merely superficial. From his physique to his demeanor, strength, and gaze, Beom Yeonhu had transformed so significantly since the day he met Dokyeom that his former self and his current self were distinctly separate.
This wasn’t because Dokyeom held Beom Yeonhu’s hand and activated a skill every night. It had to be that Beom Yeonhu himself had entered a phase of solidifying his own power. He was like Agon. The fervent desire to grow stronger was pulling Beom Yeonhu up with all its might from beneath the surface.
As a result, only ‘one’ tangled thread now remained within Beom Yeonhu’s body.
Loving this chapter? You'll be hooked on This Time, I Will Never Let You Go! Click to explore more!
Read : This Time, I Will Never Let You Go
