I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER

Chapter 159: Dragon vs Team 4 (I)

And very, very close.

Si Hon wasn’t the only one who heard it.

The moment that heavy sound rolled across the rooftop again—

Flap.

Flap.

Flap.

—everyone turned toward the sky almost instinctively.

And there it was.

The dragon.

.

Its enormous body dragged itself across the side of the ruined school building, black scales grinding against shattered concrete as chunks of debris rained endlessly from above. Up close, the thing looked even worse somehow. Bigger. Realer. Its claws alone were large enough to crush entire classrooms flat, digging deep grooves into the structure while smoke curled faintly from between its jagged teeth.

It wasn’t merely "large."

That thing looked like it could wrap itself around the entire third floor if it wanted to.

The rooftop fell quiet for half a second.

Not calm.

Just stunned.

Because seeing it directly across the school was something else entirely.

Even the air felt heavier now.

Then Si Hon’s thoughts immediately derailed.

(Wait.)

His eyes widened slightly.

(Where the fuck is Jisoo Park?!)

His head snapped around the rooftop instinctively, scanning the crowd again.

Nothing.

No black hair.

No terrifying regressor AURA like MONSTER.

No violently suspicious honor student psychopath ready to fold him into drywall again.

(Fuck.)

His thoughts accelerated immediately.

(Isn’t she supposed to be here?!)

Another flap of massive wings shook dust loose from the rooftop.

He scanned the rooftop once. Nothing. (We don’t need her but she needs to BE here—)

Because in every version of this scenario he remembered—

Jisoo always appeared during moments like this.

Always.

Like some emotionally exhausted disaster magnet personally chosen by fate.

So where the hell was she?

That question alone made Si Hon even more nervous than the dragon currently climbing the school.

"Fuck!" he suddenly barked loudly, forcing himself upright straighter despite the dizziness still dragging at his body. "Everyone get ready! Guys, get ready!!"

He waved one arm sharply toward the others while still half kneeling on the rooftop ground, Suha and Han practically glued to his ruined school uniform from earlier.

Beside him, Mihu flinched slightly at his sudden shout.

"Dad..."

Suha’s tiny voice trembled badly.

She was trying to stay brave.

Which honestly made it worse.

Han swallowed hard beside her, still clutching Si Hon’s shirt tightly while staring at the massive dragon in the distance.

"Y-Yeah..." Han muttered quietly. "I forgot the whole school shook earlier because of that thing..."

His eyes remained locked on the dragon.

"To think it was THAT big..."

For once, even Han sounded genuinely shaken.

And honestly?

Fair enough.

The dragon shifted again, claws digging deeper into the side of the building with a horrible grinding sound that echoed across the rooftop.

Concrete snapped apart beneath its weight.

Another section of the school collapsed immediately afterward.

BOOM.

The vibration rolled through the rooftop floor hard enough to make several people stumble.

Si Hon clicked his tongue before suddenly shoving both Suha and Han lightly backward.

Not rough.

Just enough.

Then he forced himself fully upright.

His legs almost gave out instantly.

(ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ... don’t betray me now.)

He steadied himself before either of the kids noticed.

"Hey," he said quieter this time, reaching down to pat both of their heads quickly despite the chaos around them. "Don’t worry."

The confidence in his voice was very fake.

But impressively fake that, it feels like true.

"We’ll handle this."

Han looked uncertain.

Suha still looked terrified.

But both nodded anyway.

Si Hon immediately glanced toward Mihu afterward.

"Mihu," he said seriously. "Take them behind something. Or hide somewhere safer. Just keep them alive."

Mihu straightened instantly like she had just been handed a sacred military assignment.

"O-O kay!"

Then quieter—

"I’ll protect them..."

Even though her knees were visibly shaking.

She quickly pulled both Suha and Han along toward one side of the rooftop where scattered ventilation units and concrete structures offered partial cover.

Only after making sure they moved did Si Hon finally exhale softly.

Then—

He turned.

And walked toward the others.

Step.

Step.

Step.

The rooftop wind pushed against his clothes while smoke drifted through the open air around them, the dragon’s massive silhouette still moving across the school behind him like some nightmare refusing to leave.

Ahead stood Aeloria and her group alongside Seong Su, all of them watching the destruction below with varying levels of tension.

Aeloria remained composed as always, blue hair shifting softly beneath the wind while her eyes stayed fixed on the dragon, and... suspiciously looking every second toward him.

Meanwhile Seong looked significantly less majestic.

Mostly because she looked like someone who had been through twelve emotional breakdowns in under an hour.

Si Hon stopped in front of them.

Then grinned tiredly.

"Hey," he said. "Missed me?"

Seong blinked once.

Aeloria scoffed immediately.

Not aggressively.

Just with the energy of someone deeply unimpressed by his continued survival, still— she smiled.

"Unfortunately," she muttered.

Meanwhile Seong simply shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah," she said casually.

Then Si Hon suddenly pointed at her dramatically.

"WAIT. YOU. ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ"

Seong blinked again.

"What?"

"WHERE DID YOU EVEN GO EARLIER?!" Si Hon snapped immediately. "You literally disappeared the moment everything exploded!"

He pointed accusingly like an abandoned single mother confronting a deadbeat father in public.

"You saw the dragon and VANISHED!"

Seong stared at him for two seconds.

Then shrugged again.

Completely unapologetic.

"Oh," she said. "My brain kinda snapped after seeing the dragon eat the classroom wall... who doesn’t anyways ಠ⁠,⁠_⁠｣⁠ಠ"

Another shrug.

"And then I remembered Suha and Han existed." then sofly whispered while smiling. "Of course, even if this is just a roleplay they’re my kids... in my heart"

A pause.

"Anyways... I figured you’d survive somehow (⁠*⁠´—｀⁠*⁠)."

Si Hon’s face immediately twisted.

"ಠ⁠益⁠ಠ THAT’S NOT THE POINT."

"I had faith in you."

"THAT SOUNDS EVEN WORSE."

Behind them, Aeloria quietly pinched the bridge of her nose like she was already developing a headache from both of them.

And above the rooftop—

The dragon lifted its head slightly.

Golden eyes slowly turning toward them.

"Oh, well I guess..." Si Hon pause. "...That’s actually fair—"

The dragon moved.