SSS-Class Revival Hunter-Chapter 204: The Black Dragon (3)

By the time I got so used to the sound of the waves to the point where my brain was tuning them out, the Black Witch stretched, looking a lot more refreshed.

“Ah. For some reason, I had a feeling you and I would end up like this.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, like, I can tell them as soon as I see a person’s face how close we would end up being. My intuition has never been wrong since I was twenty-five.”

“That’s interesting.”

“It’s all a product of experience,” the Black Witch said with a laugh. “If your trust is repeatedly failed, you end up with a rough idea of human persistence. Oh, yeah. I will continue to call you by your title in front of the other guys, not your real name. You don’t mind, do you?”

“I don’t, but why?”

“You want to know why? It’s embarrassing if you’re the only one who calls me by my real name in front of others,” she said, not looking embarrassed at all. “And please also refrain from calling me Senior as much as possible. I’ll get goosebumps. I really hate showing off how close I'm with someone to other people.”

“Well, you do have a point... but isn’t it more embarrassing to call you differently only when we’re together?”

“This is a difference in personal principles. Okay, it appears this is our first difference in opinions. That was fast.”

The Black Witch nodded and took out a small dotted cube using her Item Storage skill. Yes, it was a dice, a tool used in gambling halls around the world. She even brought out paper and a pen and looked at me with serious eyes. “Mr. Kim Gong-Ja.”

“W-What is it? You’re scaring me.”

“You will sign my friendship contract.”

“What?”

What now?

“I’ve always believed that any relationship between people should be documented,” the Black Witch said, her every word dripping with confidence. “Humans make mistakes. Whether it’s because you’re tired from pulling an all-nighter, or because your brain has become mush after working for twenty days straight, some things are bound to ruin the relationship at some point...

“No, even if there seems to be no problem, trivial emotions will pent up, eventually becoming problems after five or ten years.”

“Uh...”

“To prevent such unfortunate events, a contract must be signed. This is essential if you want a healthy relationship.”

What was she talking about? What in the world was she talking about?

“Of course, we must both consent. Neither side can force the other. I want the first clause in our contract to say, ‘In case of a difference in opinions, we will roll the dice and follow the opinion of the person with the higher number.’ What do you think?”

The Guardian, who had been silent until now, was picking his nose.

—I get it, Zombie. You became friends with an awkward kid...

I was perplexed. In my not-so-short life, the Black Witch was unlike anyone I had met so far.

“Uh-huh. Hmm. I guess that’s okay.”

The Black Witch huffed and puffed. “You’re not taking this seriously!”

Why...

“Clueless people believe friendship means being honest without questioning each other. That’s absolutely not the case. Such a relationship only works when both parties’ personalities match each other. If you really want to maintain a relationship, you have to use your brain! Yes, your brain. You have to wrack your brain to sustain your friendships!”

“Y-You’re right. but that doesn’t mean a contract is necessary...”

“It’s convenient because we can quit being friends right away if one of us breaks the contract.”

What the heck? I was so confused. The concept of friendship I had known all my life now was wavering.

“A flimsy attitude can only lead to a flimsy relationship, Gong-Ja. If you’re going to build the foundations of a relationship anyway, you need it to be solid from the get go. Agree to the term quickly, or object with proper logic.”

I used all my brain capacity, something I didn’t normally do, and thought hard about the contract. As a result, our historic friendship contracting period began.

Friendship Contract

This contract shall be sealed when Kim Gong-Ja (hereinafter C) accepts the request of Anastasha Jelensky (hereinafter A).

A does not trust the validity of human emotions, and is confident that only diligence and intelligence will keep their relationship afloat. Accordingly, A and C pledge as follows:

1. All promises are valid only when both A and C agree.

2. All promises can be canceled if both A and C agree.

3. However, the establishment or cancellation of a promise is only possible during the weekend.

4. If there is a difference of opinion between A and C, roll the dice and follow the opinion of the person with the highest number.

Name: Anastasha Jelensky (Signature)

Name: Gong-Ja Kim (Signature)

I looked down at the contract in a daze. Was this really the best course of action?

“What are you doing? Hurry up and stamp the contract,” the Black Witch pressed.

It was a bit scary.

“Actually, I don’t have any seal on me...”

“You have fingers. Use one.”

“You’re right...”

After I left a red fingerprint on the contract, the thought that crossed my mind was Isn’t it a good thing that she didn’t ask me to use my blood to write this contract at least?

I had gained a very detailed understanding of the Black Witch’s personality over the course of the past thirty minutes. freēwēbnovel.com

Satisfied, the Black Witch looked at the contract. “Good. This isn’t a bad start. Well, we’ll still most likely have problems in the second or sixth year of our friendship, but that’s inevitable. I’ll just try my best to overcome them once that happens.”

“We’ve been through so much together, but you’re saying there’s still challenges ahead of us?”

The Black Witch shook her head. “Gong-Ja, don’t underestimate how easily humans change. Us furless animals can change in as little as half a year.”

Her words carried a strong conviction.

Uburka was running toward the dock. “Daddy! Daddy’s colleague! Where did the two of you disappear to? I’ve been looking for you guys for so long.”

“Oh, sorry. Wait a minute, Senior Ana...”

Before I could finish what I wanted to say, the Black Witch stabbed the heel of her boot into my foot.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The pain was so sharp, it went straight from my foot all the way into my throat, resulting in my scream. Judging by the way the Black Witch stepped on my foot, she had definitely done this more than once or twice.

“I-I had something I needed to talk to the Black Dragon Master in private."

The Black Witch smiled softly. “Yes, Death King and I had a story to share. Your father and I have a somewhat special relationship.”

Uburka suddenly froze. “S-Special relationship?”

“Yes, I guess we are the one and only for each other.”

“One and only...?”

“Embarrassing. Why am I telling this to a child? Anyway, we’re done talking. What brings you here?”

“All the villagers opened their eyes, so it seems the problem has been solved for now. That’s what I came here to report,” Uburka muttered while looking at me, his eyes shining menacingly.

[The Immorality-Dreaming Muscle Pig demands an explanation from you!]

It’s a misunderstanding, you idiot. She’s simply using me to dump you!

“Daddy, is what she said true?”

“Death King, is there something wrong with what I said?”

My son and friend were both staring at me. Even after experiencing countless deaths, I had never been in a situation quite like this one. Should I choose to be a loving father who roots for his son’s love, or a considerate friend?

“My son.”

“Go on, Daddy.”

I swallowed. “The Black Dragon Master and I... do share a special bond.”

Uburka frowned. His thick hobgoblin lips trembled, and his long eyelashes trembled.

“I really hate you, Daddy!”

With that trademark line of a teenage boy going through puberty, Uburka ran into the horizon, leaving behind a trail of tears. His aura footwork was a prime example of Lightness Art. Just like that, the chance for him to win the heart of his first love vanished into dust.

[The Immorality-Dreaming Muscle Pig is deeply hurt.]

[The Immorality-Dreaming Muscle Pig’s distrust in others has deepened.]

Ah...

I buried my face in my hands. “No, Uburka. Damn you, son. Your father will only love one person for as long as he lives. Out of all the ways you could have misunderstood... Even if I talk shit, you should understand what I’m trying to say just fine[1]...”

As soon as Uburka disappeared, the Black Witch looked impassive again. Her hand gracefully combed through her hair. “Thanks to you, I got rid of him. It was getting a bit annoying. I’ll ask you for this favor again if another kid bothers me again, Gong-Ja.”

“We’re friends. Aren’t you using me a bit too much?”

The Black Witch beamed. “What are you talking about? I have no problem using you because we are friends.”

It was the third honest smile I saw from her. I was probably going to see it countless times from now on.

***

There was an after story to the concubi situation.

All the pioneers of the New Continent woke up from their slumber. The sailors who had set out across the sea also returned safely, except for a few unfortunate casualties. Because of that, the Black Witch and I had to spend some species points.

After sorting out this incident, I entered the Phantom Realm again. Once again, I was faced with the seven-year-old Anastasha, who was looking at me intently.

“You are wrong. That is what I came back to say.”

“What am I wrong about?” the young concubus asked bluntly.

There was that same barbed wire fence behind the concubus, just like last time, though it had lost its sharpness. It was just a remnant of the old civil war.

To quote a certain someone, the concubi were parasites.

“You said when we first met that Anastasha has the habit of imagining the death of whoever she meets. What she actually thinks is that it’s best to be strong enough to prevent death in the first place, so that’s why she seeks power. She wants to always be prepared to prevent the worst from happening.”

“That’s right.”

“But I became my senior’s only exception.”

A gunshot rang out.

“You guys saw it, so you’d know.”

A man was holding a child’s hand and running toward the iron fence. It was like a broken videotape that kept repeating the same parts over and over again.

“You can only understand her. It’s natural that you can’t change her. Your species simply relives past traumas.”

The concubus was silent.

“I overpowered you by force. You retreated because you lacked strength. But it’s a mistake to think that the relationships we form on the other side of the world are made solely using the logic of power.”

“What are you trying to tell us?” the concubus asked, gritting their teeth.

“I’m telling you not to get cocky.”

I unleashed my red aura in all directions, turning the pink-stained world a little darker. The concubus hunched their back slightly in shock.

“You can talk all you want. With words like power and logic, it looks as if you can judge the world in whatever way you see fit, but the world isn’t so small that it can be put on your scale.”

The concubus narrowed their eyes.

“Following your logic, everything under this sky is power.” I gathered aura in my palm. “Overwhelming others is also power. So is persuasion. In that sense, sharing and carrying someone’s past is a form of power too. You’re only capable of repeating people’s dreams, nothing else.”

“We are...”

“You can never change Anastasha. I did it. You’re more incompetent and weaker than me, so that’s why you lost.”

I waved my hand and split the space apart with my aura. The barbed fence broke and instantly turned into pink foam that melted, with the father and daughter who were trying to escape following suit.

“Try to be a little more competent by the time I return. I’m giving you people hundreds of years at most. If you’re gonna be the same when I return, well... I’ll have no choice but to rewind time and turn your species extinct.”

The concubi would simply be added to my monster legion.

I brushed off the dust on my pants and stood up.

The concubus glared at me. “How many people would you be able to change? One person? Two? Ten, maybe twenty? Even if you can change one hundred people, it’s as meaningful as a handful of dust in your world. It means nothing!”

I scoffed. “If you’re so worried, you guys can help me out.”

I spread my aura and separated the area from the Phantom Realm. Teacher would be able to cut down this world in one strike, but I wasn’t close to that level. The best I could do right now was just give myself some room to move around this impossible plane of existence.

[The quest has been cleared!]

Thanks to my efforts, this stage was cleared as well. Just before leaving the Phantom Realm, I looked back at the young Black Witch. The concubus was biting their lower lip in frustration.

“I’ll look forward to the next time we meet.”

I’ll leave the stage.

Bright light enveloped me.

[The thirty-fifth floor has been cleared.]

[The quest is still in progress.]

[You are going to be immediately teleported to the thirty-sixth floor.]

[Your reward will be given after you enter the thirty-sixth floor.]

My friend was already waiting for me there.

1. The raw is 내가 개떡같이 지껄여도 찰떡처럼 알아들을 것이지. It's from a Korean idiom about two people being on the same wavelength, but nowadays, it's commonly used to say that they can communicate just fine even if they blabber because they are on the same wavelength. ☜