Life Rebooted with Copy and Paste

Instead of leaving Seoul right away, the dragon first landed at Kim Do-Joon’s home.

As soon as he stepped inside, his gaze fell on Siwelin, and he spoke to her directly, “Siwelin, it’s time.”

“Ah...”

Kim Do-Joon’s resolute expression said it all.

“Did you find him?” Siwelin asked, full of anticipation.

“Yes.”

Siwelin glanced through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. In the backyard stood the Shadow Dragon, with Hylasa on its back, ready and waiting. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Wordlessly, Siwelin headed to her room. There was not much to prepare; they had been prepared for this day for a long time.

In the meantime, Jecheon Seong came out to the living room. “You’re leaving?”

“Yes. This time, I plan to finish it for good,” Kim Do-Joon replied steadily.

“If you want, I can go instead,” Jecheon Seong offered.

“No, thank you. It has to be me. Only then will it truly have meaning.”

“Hmm,” Jecheon Seong muttered, clicking his tongue.

The sword at his waist felt unusually heavy today—perhaps because, aside from Kim Do-Joon, he hadn't faced a worthy opponent in a while. Still, there was no other way.

“Please take care of So-Eun for me.”

“Don’t worry,” Jecheon Seong firmly assured him. “No one will lay a finger on her while I’m here.”

Kim Do-Joon had no shortage of allies. Yeon Hong-Ah, Shin Yoo-Sung, Son Chang-Il, and even the Association’s elite forces would come running to protect Kim So-Eun if he asked. However, against the enemy they faced, even that was not enough.

Their opponent was a Lord. Even a fraction of his power would overwhelm conventional forces.

—Unni, are you sure you’re okay? Shouldn’t you rest more? What if you’re still sick?

—I’m fine. I’m not sick anymore.

Siwelin reassured Kim So-Eun. With the girl in her arms, Siwelin came out to the living room. Kim So-Eun clung to her, whining softly. After a moment, Siwelin set her down and helped put on the girl’s shoes by the door.

In the meantime, Kim So-Eun darted to Kim Do-Joon, who was already waiting at the entrance.

He stroked her hair gently and said, “Once all of this is over, let’s go on that trip I promised. Remember? You said you wanted to go abroad.”

“Really? But you’re not doing anything dangerous, are you?”

“Dangerous? Me? Do I look like someone who gets beaten up easily?”

Kim So-Eun shook her head vigorously under Kim Do-Joon’s hand, making him chuckle. He ruffled her hair fondly.

You’ve grown so much.

It felt like only yesterday she was a frail child, lying in a hospital bed, waiting for his visits. She had been so small and thin, often wracked by seizures.

Yet, less than two years had passed since then, and she was already stronger, taller, and more vibrant. Her expressions were more mature now, though she had always been beautiful.

—It’s okay, Do-Joon. Just watching you eat makes me full.

Why did his father’s voice echo in his mind now, long after he had passed away?

Father, I’ve reached the age you were back then.

Now the same age his father had been when those words were spoken, he understood their meaning more deeply than ever. Over the past seven years, he had gone from a child to a parent himself.

“Well, I’ll get going then,” Kim Do-Joon said.

“When will you be back?” Jecheon Seong asked.

“I’ll do my best to return as quickly as possible because it’s almost my parents’ memorial day.”

Kim Do-Joon and Siwelin stepped outside, and Jecheon Seong followed to see them off, holding Kim So-Eun’s hand. Bo-Mi, lounging in the yard, padded over with a curious purr, as if sensing something important was happening.

Moments later, the Shadow Dragon took to the sky. This time, it left Seoul’s airspace for good, carried by the winds guided by Hylasa.

Jecheon Seong watched the dragon fade into the horizon. When it was finally out of sight, he felt a sudden weight on his arm. Kim So-Eun was clinging to him.

“My little So-Eun,” he said, smiling gently. “Let’s protect the house together for just a bit longer. Once this is over, your father won’t have to be so busy anymore.”

“Okay...” Kim So-Eun replied, somewhat subdued.

Seeing her expression, Jecheon Seong let out a soft chuckle and looked at Bo-Mi. A small gesture from him, and the cub bounded over, squeezing between them.

“Huh? Bo-Mi!” Kim So-Eun exclaimed, instinctively picking the cub up.

Jecheon Seong nodded approvingly at Bo-Mi and said to Kim So-Eun, “It’s about time for a walk. Want to come with me and Bo-Mi?”

“Yes!” Kim So-Eun’s voice brightened as she hugged Bo-Mi.

With a more cheerful Kim So-Eun in tow, Jecheon Seong and the young lion left the house together.

***

Far away, a black dragon soared into the sky.

Although Vango’s eyesight wasn’t the best among his siblings, it had long surpassed the limits of mere human capability. His gaze accurately tracked the dragon as it departed the city.

Without hesitation, he immediately headed to the dragon’s takeoff site. The streets were crowded, and he bumped into throngs of people, yet no one seemed to notice him.

He fiddled with the pendant around his neck—a relic inscribed with Ushas’ spell. The artifact held powers far beyond diminishing his presence.

After some time, he found where the dragon had taken flight. It was a modest house, so Vango tilted his head in confusion.

This is too small to be Father’s domain.

Soon, an old man and a child walked out of the house.

What should I do? Should I wait a little longer?

Ushas had warned him to be cautious of the old man. The old man, he said, was no ordinary human because he had once fought Mel Sior to a standstill.

I don’t sense anything extraordinary though...

Of course that can’t be right. Even the weakest of us siblings is leagues beyond a decrepit human. It must have been Father’s power that made him seem formidable.

Even so, Vango did not act rashly. While he despised skulking around like a rat, he knew Ushas’ advice was sound. Besides, there was no such thing as being too careful.

So, he trailed behind them.

—Ah! Hunter Jecheon Seong! What brings you here?

—I just have a small favor to ask.

—Please, come in! The President is having a meeting with Hunter Yeon Hong-Ah right now, but I’ll let him know. He’ll probably come see you immediately.

Vango saw the two enter a large building, with a small lion cub padding after them.

He gazed up at the structure.

Is this Father’s stronghold?

It certainly looked more fitting than that tiny house. He examined the premises and outer walls, before following them inside. The guards stationed at the entrance didn’t stop him.

Of course not, because this was the Hunter Association headquarters—a government building with civilians coming and going at all hours.

Vango strode in, unchallenged, until he stopped abruptly. An old man stood before him, hands clasped behind his back, staring directly at him. Behind the old man was a woman with considerable power, holding a child.

Surrounding Vango were humans who had subtly moved to encircle him, while civilians were being evacuated by staff.

Vango tilted his head. “What’s going on here?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” the old man replied.

Jecheon Seong glanced over his shoulder. The woman, Yeon Hong-Ah, held the child tightly in her arms, her expression resolute. Once he confirmed the child was safe, Jecheon Seong turned his gaze back to the intruder.

“Why were you following me? And why go out of your way to suppress your presence?”

“Oh, so you noticed?” Vango smirked, fingers playing with the pendant.

Damn it, Ushas.

He had promised Vango that only someone on Father’s level could see through this spell.

While the old man might be such a person, Vango dismissed the thought. It was far more likely that Ushas had exaggerated the relic’s effectiveness.

“I’ll keep this brief,” Vango said coldly. “Hand over the child.”

“...To be used as a hostage, I assume?” JeCheon Seong shot back.

“Hostage? I’d prefer you avoid such vulgar terms. That child is Father’s offspring, our youngest sibling, to be precise. I’ve come to take her away from the hands of these pitiful humans.”

Jecheon Seong knew he was lying. The child was only a pawn to control who they believed was their Father. Hence why Ushas had sent Vango here.

However, Vango believed that as one of Father’s children, he was correct to call the child his sibling. Surely, being among kin was better than being with humans. And if it also served their purpose of restraining Father, the better it was.

This is the only way to win.

Vango agreed with Ushas. In the past, it had taken many siblings including himself, Ushas, Mel Sior, and others, to challenge their Father. Now, only two of them remained. While they were stronger than before, their reduced numbers made the burden immense. Therefore, Ushas' stance of resorting to any means necessary was truly impressive.

“I promise no harm will come if you comply,” Vango said arrogantly.

Yeon Hong-Ah’s eyes blazed. Suddenly, Jecheon Seong’s cryptic request to watch over the child made perfect sense.

Whoever this man was, he was not normal. Targeting a child like this was proof enough. Clearly, he was an enemy of Kim Do-Joon, aiming to use the child as leverage.

“Lady Yeon,” Jecheon Seong called softly.

“Yes? Ah, yes!” She understood his unspoken command.

Placing his hand on his sword, Jecheon Seong subtly glanced at her.

“I got it.”

Even without him saying anything, Yeon Hong-Ah knew she had to take the child and stay away.

Crushing the enemy was Jecheon Seong’s role, whereas hers was to protect the child. Holding Kim So-eun tightly, she stepped back.

Vango stroked his chin and watched her move.

“Hmph.”

Then, with a light tap, he struck the ground.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Immediately, the entire building shook violently as massive rocks shot up from the earth.

The building crumbled, and the waves of the land crashed over the Hunters, as if about to crush every human in sight. At the center of it all was Yeon Hong-Ah, taking Kim So-Eun away.

Just then, the rocks were all sliced clean off, the smooth cut edges shimmered.

Vango’s hand, which had been stroking his chin, froze mid-motion.

“So, you must be one of those Lords, huh? And your target must be that guy.”

“If the ‘guy’ you're talking about is my Father, then yes. But it's irritating that a mere insect dares to refer to my father as a guy.’”

Vango's eyes burned with anger, only to widen in shock. Jecheon Seong, who had been far in the distance, was suddenly right up close, brandishing his sword.

“I’ll call him whatever I damn well please, you brat,” Jecheon Seong said coldly.

Then, with a deafening roar, Jecheon Seong’s sword came crashing down.

Boom!