Short, Light, Free - Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Book of Revelation (Part 2) III

Have you guys played Pokemon?

If yes, you would definitely recognize Charizard.

The opposing planet had 13 Charizard-like creatures spiraling in midair.

They were orangey red in color and were periodically spitting flames from their mouths.

How were my monkeys supposed to go against such strong opponents?

The 13 flaming dragons were different in sizes and one seemed to be carrying something on its back.

I kept my desert eagle and got my 98K ready.

I took aim at the different looking one.

My mind was kind of blank. I did not know how to process the fact that such creatures existed in this universe.

My hands started trembling and that was when I understood that I had no talent in controlling guns.

I was unable to steady my aim.

Amidst it all, I saw a person riding on the dragon.

Kill the king first.

However, I failed to take aim or even match up with the dragon’s spiraling speed.

The 98K was heavy and burdensome.

I turned around and saw that the monkeys had abandoned me yet again.

The dragons could easily burn my mini forest down, there was no point in climbing up a tree.

The opponent made a move; the dragon plunged toward us.

It was not practical for me to engage my 98K again.

I could only use my desert eagle. I made a shot and the recoil had me plopping onto the ground.

I had chosen these two weapons to look cool but, that obviously backfired. No pun intended.

My arm was numb from the shot.

I had no idea where the bullet landed, but by the time I raised my desert eagle again, the dragon was already before me and had used its claw to hold me down.

Half my body was trapped, and I finally got a clear look at the person on the back of the dragon.

It was a man, or rather, a boy.

“Where are you from?” the boy asked

“I… Wait, you?” I replied incoherently.

“Planet Earth, huh? A Chinese at that,” he said with a smile.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, I stammered, “You… you too?”

“You’re the third earthling that I’ve met so far,” he shared.

“There are others like us?”

“Yes, but I have destroyed both of them.”

I looked around and caught sight of his booklet. LV8.

“Why are you LV8?” I asked, astonished.

“Looks like you know nothing. You won’t be of any use to me,” he stated disappointedly, his eyes on my helmet.

Was he letting his guard down now?

“Is it even fair for an LV2 to be matched with an LV8?” I argued.

“The match is random. Plus, level does not determine strength. I was matched with an LV7 back when I was still at LV4, but he really wasn’t that big of a deal,” he said nonchalantly.

“What do you know about this place? If you’re going to kill me, I don’t want to die an ignorant fool,” I exclaimed.

“My sentiments exactly. Let’s exchange useful information,” he proposed.

“As in?”

“When did you arrive here?”

“Year 2017.”

“I’ve been in 63 battles before you arrived, and I have yet to lose. You’re my 64th enemy. Out of the 63 of them, only three were earthlings. They were English and Japanese. They’re all dead now. You’re the only person, apart from me, who speaks Chinese.”

“Isn’t this one of life’s greatest blessings? Meeting a friend in a foreign place?” I tried.

“Don’t. I’m not going to fall for that,” he deadpanned.

“Oh.”

“I came in 1995 and you came in 2017. How long have you been here?” he continued.

“A month and a half.”

“I’ve been here for five years but I did not grow at all. It should only be the year 2000 but you’re telling me you arrived in 2017. 17 additional real years have gone by… do you think we have a way out? It’s no longer the same year. It wouldn’t be a problem, of course, if the time and place are all messed up. We are meeting in a parallel universe.”

“That sounds impressive,” I commented.

“These fire dragons are creatures that live on my planet. I have them because they’re my
favorite creatures, so I’m guessing you like monkeys?”

Monkeys? Do I like monkeys?

I recalled my memories from 16 years ago. Before Dad and Mom divorced, I really liked Monkey King Sun Wukong.

My favorite part of visiting the zoo was getting to observe the monkeys.

Despite their separation, I had always hoped for us to visit them together.

I turned to the trees and saw that the monkeys were looking back at me with worried eyes.

These monkeys are my favorite and the dragons are his favorite…

So the lady from before was into wolves?

What were the aliens thinking? Why exactly were they studying us?

“Why are you stone-walling me? Answer me,” he demanded.

“Yes, I do like monkeys,” I hurriedly said.

He smirked haughtily. “A bit weak, don’t you think?”

“Can I ask a question?”

“Go ahead.”

The dragon lowered his head, the flames in its mouth ready to fire upon order.

“As an LV8 participant, do you know how to leave this place?” I asked.

He shook his head, smiling. “I’ve never thought of leaving. These 13 dragons have undergone multiple evolutions over time, thanks to the booklet.”

“You’re capable of succeeding in every battle, but you seem to have forgotten something.”

“What?” he asked, his head cocked slightly.

With great effort, I freed my right arm from under the dragon’s claw and reached into my pocket.

I could feel the hand grenade.

“Villains die because they talk too much,” I shouted.

“Talk too much.”

“Much.”

…

I released the safety pin and threw the grenade into the dragon’s mouth.

The flames in its mouth swallowed the grenade.

Before the boy could react, the grenade exploded, blowing the dragon’s head off and killing the boy as well.

The dragon’s body fell forward, its legs suspended in the air, giving me the space to break free.

I crawled out from his grip and ran toward the upturned box.

I put my booklet on the ground, on top of a torn page.

Revive Gou Dan. It was something I had prepared beforehand.

I had also managed to train the monkeys to stuff the page into the book if I got into trouble.

It was to ensure that I had a second chance.

The other twelve dragons started coming for me, but I was already standing before the box with grenades in it.

As they rushed toward me, I understood that these creatures were fictional and had no wisdom of their own. Any attempt to smarten them up would be futile.

They could only listen to their master’s commands.

The twelve dragons encircled me, 12 flaming balls shooting from their mouths.

I cried out, “Why is it always me?”

“Always me?”

“Me?”