Family Relations (1)

"Grrrrrr!"

The girl's eyes blazed, looking as if they contained a marble trapping the blazing sun.

The outer surface of the wings spread wide on her back was burning fiercely.

Scales gradually appeared on her face, and her arms had completely turned into those of a dragon.

"Kraaaah!!"

A massive, beast-like roar echoed out.

There was no better way to describe a scene where a dragon possessed a human body and aggressively displayed its power.

Even in this state, the angrier she became, the more the girl's magic power kept rising.

Honestly, I couldn't understand what was going on.

I had simply tried to return a lost wallet with a sincere heart.

But the wallet's owner had suddenly gone berserk and shown open hostility.

Could there be a more hopeless situation than this?

It's a tangled mess, so I can't detail everything, but if I had to sum it up in one word:"It's a goddamn shitshow!"

"Kraaaah!!"

The girl screamed, surrendering to her instincts, and rushed at me.

At this point, the only option was to beat her directly and knock her out.

Especially so if she truly embodied traits of a dragon.

BAM-!

The girl's fist and mine collided like cars in a head-on crash.

An enormous sonic boom rang out, splitting the ground beneath us.

Our fists, both clad in surging magic power, collided with the force of artillery.

"Ugh!"

In that moment, my arm tingled from the clash.

Feeling pain, I quickly withdrew my hand and leaped back.

More dangerous power and durability than expected.

It looked like her raw strength and body toughness had spiked due to the rampage.

She was on a different level compared to other new Hand students.

However, the recoil was felt by my opponent as well.

"Grrrk!"

Whereas I merely shook my arm, the girl's scales cracked like concrete, and blood seeped out.She must've felt pain from the wound, but only briefly.

"Grrr!"

She used her injury as fuel to stoke her rage even further. The wound healed almost immediately.

Fwoosh—

Flames shot from the girl's mouth, and an enormous blast of fire swept toward me. It was a dragon's breath in every sense of the word.Just before the fire touched me, I activated Rapid skill to increase my movement speed.

BOOOM—!

Dodging to the side kept me safe, but a spectacular pillar of flame shot up into the sky.

Withstanding the searing heat, I quickly closed the distance and punched her in the stomach.

"Kgh!"

It's not over yet.

A sinister current surged from my striking hand.

A moment later, black lightning burst out, frying the girl at point-blank range.

― BZZZZZT!

'Hell Blitz.'

A lightning-element skill I mainly used to paralyze tough opponents.

Since it directly affected nerves, it was perfect for inflicting pain.

"Kyaaaaaah!"

Unable to withstand the agony, the girl screamed out.

The moment I saw that anguished expression, memories from five years ago suddenly flashed into my mind.

A young girl collapsed after being hit by a Spark attack from a crazed assailant at a playground.

'Feels like I'm acting just like that bastard now.'

But that didn't mean my actions weren't necessary.If I left her to rampage, the damage would spiral out of control.

Fwoooosh—!

The flames bursting from the girl grew even more intense.

The rapidly rising pillar of fire was like a volcanic eruption, bright enough to make night seem like day.

People would surely flock here like moths to a flame.

So I couldn't hold back.

BZZZZT—!

I decided to end this quickly and eliminate the evidence, so I unleashed my lightning at full power.

It was strong enough that even an awakened one hit by it might die, but I was actually holding back a bit.

Anyway, her body had become tougher due to the rampage.

If she lost consciousness, I could suppress the rampage.

"Grr... Grrrraaaagh!!"

Unexpectedly, the girl was withstanding it.

Even while being electrocuted, her eyes burned like a beast's as she ground her teeth.

Struggling against the attack, she suddenly came at me with a punch.

Whoooooosh—!

A fist wreathed in flame blew out scorching wind.

Not just once, but dozens of times. The searing heat from her hands melted together the scrap metal in the junkyard like a smelting furnace.

I marveled again at her incredible durability, able to counterattack while withstanding Hell Blitz.

That she moved so-nimbly despite being paralyzed by electricity was astonishing.

But...

"Not bad."

"...!!"

Exactly that.

Not bad.

But that's all it was.

The girl—slashing with sharp claws as she punched—moved in a trajectory I could read plainly.

Compared to when I once fought a hero who wielded a spear a thousand times per second, this was like watching in slow motion.

Grab—

"Are you done?"

"...?!"

I caught the girl's claws and spoke.

Her high-speed, wind-raising attack was as powerful as a shell, but I could neutralize it with a casual gesture.

It was like catching a massive artillery round barehanded.

"Grrrrrr!"

The girl howled, trying to free her hand from my grip.

But no matter how much strength she used, my hand wouldn't budge. It was like her wrist was fixed in a machine.

"You can't beat me with strength."

Luckily, her opponent was me—but could this really be the strength of a girl not even fourteen?

Desperate to shake me off, the girl spewed heat.

It felt like I was touching fiercely burning fire with my bare hands.The more powerful the awakened trait, the harder it is to control one's sense of self.Hand is a place where kids with such powerful traits gather.I felt equal parts anticipation and anxiety wondering what life would be like with so many gathered together.

"Kraaaaaaaah!!!"

Even bigger flames burst from the girl's body.

Trying with all her might but unable to pry away my hand, she let out an ear-splitting roar.

But that sound didn't last long.

〈Hell Impact!〉

WHAM!

Gathering magic power in my hand, I smashed the girl's head down.

Directly struck, her face crashed into the ground.

The earth split and dust scattered, as if a giant had slammed down a warhammer.

This skill maximizes one's strength, shattering even the earth itself.

It was more powerful than Hell Flame or Hell Blitz; on impact, it simply made the target explode, as deadly as a direct impalement.

Because it was so hard to control, I only intended to use it as a last resort.

'At least she's still alive.'

The girl was completely knocked out.

Sure enough, thanks to the rampage, her monstrous durability and fast regeneration kept her alive.

Collapsed in the fissured earth after taking a bludgeoning punch, she looked like Yamcha after a self-destruct attack.

I hadn't needed to transform into the Demon King form to deal with her, but there was no denying the girl was extraordinary.

In fact, earlier, when our eyes met, I'd tried using the 'Sleep' skill on her.

Had it worked, this would have been resolved right away, but it didn't, which was why so much effort was needed.

'Was it because her rampaging mind resisted? Or...'

The stronger the opponent, the more resistance they have to mental-type skills.The girl was strong, but not up to that standard.Yet the fact that it hadn't worked was suspicious.

"Anyway...."

My eyes fell on the junkyard, now a complete wreck thanks to the heat.

All the metal had melted, turning the place into a volcano or smelting furnace.

No one came here, so it didn't matter if it was destroyed, but who would believe a single child was responsible for this?

〈Hell Blizzard〉

I used a freezing skill to cool the area.

The flowing lava here and there solidified into rock under the intense cold.

In case someone wandered over and touched the hot parts, I needed to prevent accidents.

I then lay the unconscious girl down in a safe place and returned her wallet.

'Don't go on another rampage.'

That was where my role ended.

Leaving a note on the ground next to her wallet, I vanished from the spot.

****

"Haaa!"

Coming to, Kwon Sang-a sat up gasping.

She was instantly overcome with a blinding headache as she raised her head.

"Ow...!"

It wasn't dizziness—it was the pain of being slammed by something hard, making her clutch her head instinctively.

At the same time, the memories of what had happened replayed in her mind.

She cringed from a wave of self-loathing.

"I did it again... again...!"

She'd rampaged several times before.

Each time, wings would sprout from her back; her hands and feet would be covered in scales as she attacked someone.

That was the basic feature of her rampage. But this time, apart from the new horns, her body looked normal.

Proof she was no longer rampaging, though the aftershocks were heavy emotionally.

Had she sent someone to the hospital again?

Just then... a hazy memory of the rampage finally entered her mind.

"Ah... thank goodness... truly, thank goodness...!"

No one was hurt.

Overcome with gratitude, she nearly cried.

At the same time, she was amazed.

She had never imagined there'd be a fellow student capable of subduing her.

"That guy, he's definitely..."

He was the one who'd returned her wallet.

Moreover, since his badge was from the same registry, they were at the same middle school.

He had stopped her despite being told to run—she was thankful for that.

But she was uneasy knowing they attended the same school.

Would she be able to face him in person?

"I'm 100% sure I'll get chewed out if we meet..."

She could only feel embarrassed.

All the memories of rampaging and going wild remained clear in her mind.

Who would think kindly of a girl who came at them growling like an animal?

"I'm crazy! Completely crazy!"

She couldn't stand the shame. She wanted so badly to bash her head into the concrete wall next to her.

A button done up wrong at the first meeting stays wrong through graduation, as the saying goes.

If that boy was influential, her life at Hand was basically over.

"Still..."

She could imagine all sorts of negative outcomes, but... skipping admission to Hand wasn't an option.

With pressure from her father, she absolutely had to graduate from Hand.

He obviously wanted to exploit her talent for shady dealings, but she herself had her own reasons for needing to attend.

"I have to figure out how to control my rampage."

Anytime, like before, she might explode again.

But Hand was an institution for awakened ones, where she could learn a lot about the 'trait' that was the source of her rampage.

If she didn't attend, there was no chance she'd find a way to control it.

Even if fingers would be pointed at her, stepping into Hand was inevitable.

"And also..."

She remembered the boy's face.

She would seek him out, clear up the misunderstanding, and apologize, no matter what.

"Right, my wallet!"

Her one and only wallet with a picture of her mother.

It wasn't in her pocket, but lay right beside her.Seeing it, Kwon Sang-a broke into a happy smile.And then she spotted the letters written on the ground.

[Sorry for smacking your head. But I'm not a pickpocket; don't misunderstand. This is important so I'll say it again. Don't misunderstand.]

The writing seemed earnest in its own way.

Kwon Sang-a bowed her head again and again as she replied,

"I won't misunderstand! Never! Not even if I die!"

She was the kind of kid who repeated herself three times, just to be sure.

****

"I'm home."

Having returned from Hand, I immediately took off my jacket.

So much had happened outside that I arrived home late.

Even after returning the wallet to that girl, I'd wandered around Hand to look around.

"Is anyone home?"

My parents' room was empty, and in my little sister's room lay our youngest, sound asleep.

Whenever she got back from her academy classes, Ma Yunhee always crashed like that on the bed.

Feeling hungry, I opened the refrigerator.

There were leftover chicken and fries from what my parents had eaten last night.

Technically, Yunhee wanted them and had left them uneaten...

'Blame yourself for falling asleep and leaving them.'

With a wicked grin, I took the food out.

Then something in the fridge caught my eye.

Twenty cans of beer. My father's usual beverage after work, always with a snack.

They drew my gaze.

I desperately wanted to drink.

I'd often had it in my previous life as well, so I missed the taste terribly.

There was chicken and fries, too.

'Out of twenty cans, just one won't be noticed.'

My father wouldn't notice one missing.

Thinking so, I fell to the devil's temptation.

I heated the chicken and fries in the microwave, which made a loud noise.

When the noisy heating was done, I put the food on the table.

At last—a feast fit for a king that I'd been craving.

"How long has it been since I had this?!"

Chicken & fries & beer—the holy trinity itself.

Pssht-!

With a happy expression, I popped open a can.

Tsk—

At the same time as that sound, I heard another odd noise.

So intoxicated by my feast, I didn't notice at first.

That mischievous little sister had woken from her nap and taken a photo of me opening a beer can...

"...."

"...."

As silence fell, I looked a bit startled, and Yunhee flashed a bright smile.

"Hey, about this, little sis..."

"Smile for the camera, oppa! Cheese~"

Tsk—Tsk—

Uh....

Guess she has no intention of letting this go.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Goddamnit, Yamcha still catching strays...Also, blame yourself for trying to steal your sister's food...【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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