Chapter 6. Against Common Sense (1)
There were only the two of them. Feeling puzzled, Yu Ji-tae asked,
"Where's Summer?"
"I asked her to come with us, but she said she needed to do physical training."
That made sense enough.
Summer had a personal goal: to defeat Javier Karma, the one who had once handed her a loss.
She had gotten a new sword as well, so she was probably training hard on her own.
He was still somewhat awkward with her.
Even after waking up in the morning, they barely acknowledged each other. If their eyes met while smoking, they'd glance briefly and then look away. The same went for his clone.
On the other hand, she seemed to get along quite well with Spring and Autumn. They joked around, and even went out for walks together.
He had thought they might end up fighting every other day, but surprisingly, things were going smoothly.
Maybe it was because of Spring.
How long would it take her to defeat Javier?
If he had to guess—several years.
Several years? For a dragon, not just some ordinary talent?
Probably so. Javier was also a genius whose name would go down in an era. He started from a different line than most, and even at this very moment, he was still moving forward.
So at the very least, defeating Javier while staying in Rare would be difficult.
There was plenty of time. He could watch slowly.
"Have you eaten?"
Yu Ji-tae shook himself out of his thoughts.
Today, he was planning to feed them something a little special.
Something common, yet special.
"No."
"I haven't eaten either!"
Perfect.
Back when it was still his second run, a massive war had broken out.
He had taken part in that war. At the time, he was weak enough to barely make it into the double digits of the world rankings, so Yu Ji-tae had to belong to some group.
Surprisingly, that was where he first encountered a Gold Dragon. She had come for something like a morale-boosting performance, as a celebrity.
That Gold Dragon—who had now become Autumn.
Back then, Autumn had been active as a world-famous solo singer.
She didn't look as cheerful as she did now. With a visibly weary expression, she sang and danced with a smile that felt closer to an obligation.
Between performances, there had been a break-time talk segment. During it, some of the superhuman soldiers shouted out a question: "Do you have a favorite food?"
The host gathered the opinions and asked her.
And the Gold Dragon's answer was…
Clang—
"Welcome to Rare Chicken. What would you like to order, sir?"
***
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing came from Autumn's slender throat.
On the way there, she had been pestering Yu Ji-tae nonstop. "Can't I just try one? Please? Just one—!" The smell was so good she couldn't stand it.
"No."
"Hngh… Mister… this is torture."
"What?"
"Making me endure such a delicious smell right next to me. It's torture, torture. Mister, you're a bad person!"
A bad person?
Since it was true, it didn't hurt.
When Yu Ji-tae didn't respond, Autumn changed tactics and started whining.
"Waaah, Mister. My mom always said that everything has its proper timing!"
"..."
"I think now is that timing. What if I eat it later and it doesn't taste good? What if I get all excited just from the smell, and then end up disappointed?"
"Then don't eat it."
"Huuu—!"
After whining for quite a while with no success, she puffed out her cheeks and fell silent.
"Autumn, did you finally give up?"
"Hmph. I bet once you actually eat it, it tastes like a poisonous mushroom anyway."
"A poisonous mushroom?"
Apparently, when Autumn used to live in the Amazon, she once found a mushroom that looked beautiful and smelled wonderful.
She picked it and ate it on the spot—and then suffered for a long time from its revolting taste.
So this would probably taste bad too, she insisted, desperately convincing herself.
Amused by that sudden change in attitude, Spring let out a gentle laugh.
When they got home, Summer was there. Yu Ji-tae called her over as well.
Then he laid out four whole chickens on the dining table.
As they came and took their seats one by one, the table—too large for one person alone—was completely filled.
"..."
The freshly fried batter gleamed. A rich, savory, salty aroma filled the air. Startled, Autumn cautiously brought her nose closer. Sniff, sniff. As she inhaled, a strange light appeared in her golden eyes.
"Huh? I saw this while passing by on the street."
Arriving late, Summer suddenly grabbed a drumstick and brought it straight to her mouth.
Autumn's face crumpled instantly.
"Hey! Sis! I was going to eat that first!"
"Yeah, well. Latecomer's fault."
"I waited so long!"
"Then wait a bit longer."
Autumn didn't even get the chance to protest further.
Crunch— The batter shattered in Summer's mouth. It was the sound of something truly crispy.
Like a chick whose first meal had been stolen, Autumn's lips stuck out in a pout.
"What are you doing? Eat."
She hadn't really been waiting for permission, but once Yoo Jitae gave it, Autumn unconsciously reached out and grabbed a drumstick.
Then she carefully brought it to her mouth.
Chomp— She took a big bite.
The next moment, her expression went blank.
Yu Ji-tae watched her closely, curious about her reaction.
How would it be? The taste of her very first chicken—something she'd remember forever.
She chewed slowly, took another bite, then another.
Before long, tears like little droplets began to well up in her eyes.
Startled, Spring asked,
"Autumn, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
With a strangely calm voice, the chick sniffled as she kept eating.
"...It's delicious."
Was it really that good—good enough to cry?
Yu Ji-tae couldn't quite understand a child's feelings.
But one thing was certain: it was a good thing.
As long as history continued, even far in the future, this child would remember this moment again and again, and feel happy.
Just then, Summer, who had been watching Autumn, frowned.
"Damn it… You could just eat it normally."
"What?! Isn't this taste moving to you at all, sis?"
"What are you talking about, you yellow pig."
What? I'm a pig? Autumn probably grumbled back like that. Her cheeks were stuffed full of chicken, so that was only a guess.
While they were at it, Spring quietly savored her chicken.
After the meal, Yu Ji-tae stepped out onto the balcony. The door opened, and a flash of red hair popped in.
Summer noticed Yu Ji-tae and hesitated.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
"What."
When Yu Ji-tae spoke first, Summer gestured off to the side.
"The cigarettes. They're over there."
Yu Ji-tae turned his head, and Summer stepped onto the balcony.
She put a cigarette between her lips and lit it with a flick at her fingertips.
It was a natural, practiced motion.
"Are you getting used to living here?"
"Yeah. More or less."
"Anything you need?"
"Well…"
After blowing out a few puffs of smoke, Summer slowly opened her mouth.
"So… why are we going to that place called Rare?"
"To let you do what you want."
"What I want is to fight. Are there strong kids there too?"
He nodded lightly.
Thick cigarette smoke scattered into the air.
When Summer flicked the cigarette butt with her finger, it burst into flames and vanished completely.
She lingered for a while longer before finally tossing out a line.
"Hey. Fight me properly, just once."
"...."
"I know you're strong, but I'm curious how strong."
He shook his head.
"Why?"
Because he had no intention of indulging a child.
When he didn't respond, Summer scowled, thinking she was being ignored.
"You know you're really boring, right?"
"I am."
"Ha, damn it…"
She roughly yanked open the balcony door and stormed out.
***
Time passed.
Yu Ji-tae and the Dragons were busy preparing for enrollment.
After submitting their applications, they were contacted a few days later with notice of their interview date. In the meantime, Spring—who at least had a decent grasp of how the world worked—took Summer and Autumn along to prepare them for the interview in various ways.
There wasn't much to it. Since they already held the required certifications, the interview was largely conversational.
During that time, Yu Ji-tae created one more identity.
There was something called a "Guardian." It was a unique position that existed only in Rare.
As the Great War came to a close, infrastructure for training hunters exploded worldwide.
These days, Rare was filled exclusively with children from wealthy families, prestigious clans, bloodline houses, and elite genius-training institutes. Before even reaching adulthood, they mingled among themselves and formed what was, in effect, "a world of their own."
The problem was that no matter how powerful or well-backed they were, they were still children.
In fact, precisely because they were young, there were countless incidents caused by their inability to properly use the power they had been given.
For that reason, starting a few years ago, individuals capable of controlling and supervising these children—affiliated with various institutions or families—began residing within Rare alongside the students under the titles of "Guardian" and "Attendant."
And now, Yu Ji-tae was set to become a Guardian as well.
Another week passed.
Time flew by, and the long-awaited interview day arrived.
Yu Ji-tae and the Dragons entered Rare through the Portal Administration Bureau.
A vast expanse of land. Buildings not especially tall, but beautiful structures infused with cutting-edge modern technology.
Above them, a dome-shaped mana barrier completely enveloped the massive floating island known as "Haitling."
All around, cadets radiating the rich scent of mana hurried off in every direction.
They were talents destined to become top-class hunters of their respective nations in the future.
The interviews ended in an instant.
"Wai—! Just a second!"
Autumn shrieked. Her face had gone deathly pale.
After spending the past few days bouncing between heaven and hell from interview nerves, she had only just calmed down thanks to Spring's comforting. And now that the interview was over, she suddenly began to panic.
"What's wrong, Autumn?"
"I just thought of something absolutely terrifying!"
"What is it?"
"What if… what if only I fail?"
"What are you talking about?"
When Summer frowned, Autumn—who had been staring at the floor—carefully raised her eyes.
"You know… what if I'm the only one who doesn't pass? What if you two both get in and I'm the only one who doesn't? Does that mean I can't go into Rare at all?!"
"Who pushed her panic button?"
"Why?! Why?! Summer, aren't you worried at all?"
"That wouldn't happen."
"I mean! I was so nervous that I don't think I talked properly at all! If I'm the only one who fails like this… Mom…"
Autumn stayed like that for several days, her face dark and lifeless, and only calmed down after all three of them received notice that they had passed the interview.
"Hah! What was that? Interviews are nothing, really."
Spring laughed, while Summer snorted in disbelief.
And then it happened. Yu Ji-tae's phone rang loudly.
"This is Yu Ji-tae."
—Hello. This is Professor Myeongjong from Rare's Academic Affairs Office.
It was the voice of an elderly man.
Myeongjong? Yu Ji-tae recognized the name. He was one of the renowned professors at Rare—and at the same time, a top-ranked superhuman in South Korea.
He was probably one of the interviewers this time as well.
"Yes. Nice to meet you. What can I do for you?"
—I'm calling because there was a bit of an incident during this interview.
Yu Ji-tae's gaze snapped toward Summer. What? Why? Summer looked back at him with a crooked expression.
"What kind of incident?"
—Haven't you heard from Cadet Candidate Yubom?
Bom?
When he turned his eyes, green eyes were already looking back at him.
Then the words that came from Professor Myeongjong's mouth were rather surprising.
—Cadet Yubom received a perfect score in the cadet selection interview.
"...."
—All of the interviewers unanimously praised her. Since she's the only applicant this year to achieve such a result, the Academic Affairs Office has high expectations. If it's all right, could the guardian please come to the Academic Affairs Office right away together with the cadet candidate?