WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 82: Oppa, I’ve Changed My Mind.

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When the name Bellium first came from Minjun’s lips.

Rokan had pretended to remain calm, but in truth, he had been utterly stunned.

‘How does Minjun know that man’s name?’

He had told Minjun and Sia that he knew little about Bellium, but Rokan actually knew him all too well.

An ancient tome that only the Dragon Lord could read.

It contained detailed records of what Bellium had done in the past, why dragon society had tried to erase records concerning him, and even the truth about the day dragons invaded Elysium.

Recalling the records he had read in that ancient tome, Rokan soon sighed.

Minjun learning of Bellium’s existence should never have happened in the first place.

Yet somehow, a connection had formed in such a strange way.

‘What kind of joke is fate playing?’

Rokan frowned.

The fact that Minjun had returned safely from the Gate stronger than before, with some of his sealed skills unlocked, was good news.

But.

The news that Minjun had fallen into Pangaea, and Elysium of all places, and encountered the lingering will of that Bellium was far from welcome.

Minjun did not know it yet, but Rokan did.

Through this incident, Minjun had taken one step closer to the key that could uncover a secret he did not even know he had.

But Rokan did not believe uncovering that secret would be desirable.

‘It would be best if he lived his whole life without knowing.’

The only relief was that Minjun likely could not have realized the secret he held from this incident alone.

Then, Rokan suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

A feeling that Minjun’s experience would not end with this one incident.

* * *

Shortly after Rokan left.

Given the mood from earlier, things were awkward at first. But before long, we began talking as casually as usual.

[Oppa, where are you staying?]

“Actually, I haven’t booked anywhere. This trip was so spontaneous that I was just going to wander around and decide where to stay each day. But as you can see, this happened....”

I had planned to find any nearby guesthouse once evening came, but things had turned out this way before I could book a place.

[It’s too bad. If it weren’t for that restriction, you could stay at our house.]

“Exactly. That would’ve been nice.”

Sia’s lair was in Jeju Island too, so it would have been perfect.

“Since the timing is awkward today, I’ll stay at your grandfather’s lair tonight. Then I’ll go back to Jeju Island tomorrow and start traveling again.”

I had come all the way to Jeju Island to clear my head. It felt a little wrong to just return to Seoul now.

[By the way, Oppa, how long are you staying in Jeju Island?]

“Hmm, I’m not sure. I haven’t really thought about it. I was just planning to return once I felt like I’d gotten enough fresh air. What about you, Sia? You said you were going away to clear your head too.”

Come to think of it, the reason I had come to Jeju Island in the first place was because Rokan had suggested that Sia go get some fresh air.

Sia said she was going away to clear her head, so I had decided to come to Jeju Island too and take some time to relax.

A lot of things had been weighing on Sia lately.

[I am going, but... nowhere really appeals to me. Where would be good? Oppa, can you recommend somewhere?]

“I’m not sure. Where would be good?”

As I considered destinations with Sia, a thought suddenly came to mind.

“Sia, you can go clear your head by yourself, but separately from that, how about we meet in Jeju Island for a day while we have the chance?”

Normally, Sia would have definitely loved that suggestion.

But I knew as well.

Because of everything that had happened between us lately, Sia might still find it difficult to meet me in person.

There had been the time Sia went into a rampage while we were on a date after leaving the Dragon Sword Tomb, nearly killing me.

And there was also the incident where another woman called me aside and openly tried to seduce me.

We had both been deeply shaken by those events.

Sia, especially, had guilt added to all of that. It probably was not easy for her to look me in the eye and talk to me.

That was likely why Rokan had told us each to go get some fresh air, so we could clear our heads and sort out our feelings.

Just as I expected, Sia seemed slightly hesitant.

She was pretending to be fine, but it seemed the wounds from then had not fully healed yet.

Still, there was no harm in talking about it.

I spoke to Sia sincerely.

“While I was in another world for those days, I was miserable thinking I might never see you again. But if you’re not ready yet, I’ll respect that.”

In Elysium, every night before bed, I had thought about Sia at least as often as I thought about the mysteries surrounding me and Elysium.

I felt as though I could indirectly understand the feelings Sia had experienced right after her reincarnation. The more I understood those feelings, the more intensely I missed her.

So, if possible, I wanted to hold Sia in my arms even now.

But I knew that would be difficult.

When I seriously shared my feelings and looked at Sia, she seemed about to say something.

But after starting to speak, Sia lowered her head.

Looking closely, I saw that her face was gradually turning red.

Finally, as if she had made up her mind, Sia carefully spoke.

[Actually, Oppa. I... was planning not to see you for about two weeks. I thought it would be hard whenever I thought of you.]

“I understand. I think I would’ve done the same in your place. If all you want is to call,”

[I was going to, but I’ve changed my mind.]

The reason she changed her mind was because of what had happened to me this time.

[This may sound a little strange, but something could happen again and we might never see each other again. We should see each other as much as we can while we can, right?]

Sia answered with her usual bright smile.

The moment I saw that smile, I could finally relax.

Sia had probably put some of those old wounds behind her, which was why she gladly accepted my suggestion.

After settling on a day, we began seriously planning our date itinerary.

Just as we were narrowing down potential destinations in a sweet, affectionate mood.

Rokan returned from his study.

“Ah, Rokan.”

“It looks like you were making plans for a date.”

“Yes.”

“I thought that might be the case.”

Despite his words, Rokan was smiling as he watched us, seemingly pleased by the sight.

“By the way, Minjun. I did not get the chance to say it earlier, but I can clearly feel that you have become stronger than before.”

“Yes. I can definitely feel it too.”

Besides unlocking a skill called Stealth, perhaps because I had absorbed Bellium’s Tear, I could clearly feel that I had grown stronger than before.

“I would estimate you are around A-rank now.”

“A-rank?”

I could feel that I had become stronger, but I never imagined I had grown strong enough to rival an A-rank Hunter.

It had not even been long since I underwent rank reassessment and became a B-rank Hunter.

Could this really be considered a normal rate of growth?

[That’s amaaaazing! Oppa, that’s incredible! How did you get so strong so quickly?]

“Thanks. I... can hardly believe it either.”

[How can anyone grow at this speed? Hehe, that’s my Oppa.]

Sia sincerely congratulated me on the good news that I had taken another step forward.

Rokan watched us fondly and added one more thing.

“Anyway, we would need to measure it precisely, but it seems the time you two can spend together has increased as well.”

[Really?]

At the news that our time together had increased, Sia’s eyes lit up.

It was hard to believe this was the same person who had been crying only an hour ago.

[How much? Grandfather, how much longer can we be together?]

“I would need to measure it to know for certain, but roughly speaking... you should be able to spend another hour together each week.”

[Hehe.]

A smile bloomed on Sia’s lips, and I found myself smiling too.

“We should spar once to get an accurate grasp of how much stronger you have become, but today does not seem like the right time. You have just returned from another world, so you should recover from your journey. Then tomorrow... Ah, Minjun, you were traveling.”

The atmosphere had made me forget for a moment, but before I was sucked into the Gate, I had been traveling around Jeju Island alone.

Not wanting to interrupt my trip, Rokan suggested arranging a time after I finished traveling and returned.

But since my plans had already been thrown off course, making them a little stranger did not seem like a problem.

“I’m fine doing it tonight. I’m not as tired as I expected, and I have things to discuss with Sia right now. If you don’t mind, Rokan, I’d like to do it tonight.”

It truly did not matter to me when we did it. Besides, I really wanted to know exactly how much stronger I had become.

And I needed to know precisely how much more time I could spend with Sia, so I could keep it in mind when planning our date.

Seeing my determination, Rokan nodded.

“If you do not mind, then good. Let us do that.”

* * *

After eating my first meal since returning to Earth.

I headed to the Dragon Sword Garden with Rokan.

“Rokan, how are the repairs coming along?”

I had heard that the Dragon Sword Garden had been badly damaged by Sia’s rampage last time, so repairing it would take quite some time.

But perhaps the repairs had been completed faster than expected. Rokan must have brought me here because it had been restored enough to use.

“The outer area has been fully repaired. The inner area, where you trained, is not completely restored yet. I believe that part should be finished within a week.”

It would be difficult to train inside, but the outer area, the bleak space where swords were embedded in the ground, was intact. That meant we could at least have a light spar.

“You must have a lot on your hands.”

“What hardship? Did I not say that I should be thanking you for easing Shasha’s pain? Come.”

I followed Rokan into the Dragon Sword Garden.

As soon as I entered, I looked around. Perhaps because this area had been less affected by Sia’s rampage, it did not look very different from the last time I saw it.

“Do not think of this as training today. We will only lightly check how much you have grown, then finish.”

“Yes.”

I drew my sword, and Rokan soon took out a wooden practice sword.

“Let us cross blades only long enough to assess your strength. Yes, ten minutes should be enough.”

Rokan immediately took his stance with the wooden sword.

“I will give you exactly ten minutes. Attack with everything you have.”

Rokan had never done this during our usual sparring sessions, so it felt strange and unfamiliar.

Normally, he trained me intensely enough to leave me panting and on the verge of vomiting.

“Understood.”

Then, for ten minutes, I needed to swing my sword with everything I had, just as Rokan said.

“For ten minutes, I’ll make you shudder, Rokan.”

“Good. Let us see you try.”

Seemingly pleased by my spirit, Rokan smiled and aimed his sword at me.

“Begin.”

The moment Rokan finished speaking, I swung my sword with all my strength.

Crack!

The tingling sensation in my fingertips and Rokan’s satisfied smile made me realize once again how much I had grown.

The familiar sensation of the dragon’s aura boiling within me and gathering at the tip of my sword.

Without hesitation, I swung again. As I did, the mysterious aura I had seen in Elysium appeared exactly as it had there.

Pitch-black aura studded with radiant clusters of light, sparkling like the Milky Way scattered across the night sky.

The instant Rokan saw my changed Sword Aura, he smiled in satisfaction and knocked aside my sword.

“It seems I will need to bring a sturdier sword when I spar with you in the future.”

At those words, a thrill ran through me.

But it was still too early to simply be happy.

I had grown stronger than before, but there had been another achievement as well.

Though I could not call it powerful, I had gained the ability to use Dragon Fear.

That alone was an enormous gain.

After briefly recalling the sensation from then.

I gathered all my strength and cast Dragon Fear at Rokan with everything I had.

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