Due to digging tunnels and moving, the basilisk was able to avoid people’s eyes.
Of course, there was a reason why the notorious creature moved so quietly. It was to fulfill its given mission.
To hatch the egg by bringing the “egg” to the location Albino Troll revealed. That was the mission given to it.
“Kkueeeeek.”
And it was partially successful. A dungeon brimming with mana. Finally, it arrived there. But that was it.
The basilisk couldn’t witness its hatching. Because Jong-sik had slain it.
And now.
Jong-sik was deeply agonizing in front of its corpse.
“No, why did this have to happen here.”
Thirty minutes ago.
He was on his way out of the dungeon he found with the 【Detection】 skill.
When he was about to leave the dungeon, having obtained everything he needed.
At the entrance of the dungeon, he could see something being birthed by the basilisk.
What was important here wasn’t the basilisk.
It was what the creature birthed, and it was none other than an egg. Not just an ordinary egg, but one protected by mana. This meant…
“It’s a dragon egg, isn’t it?”
The existence of it plunged Jong-sik into agony.
Moreover, mana surrounding the egg was rapidly being absorbed into it. Such symptoms indicated only one thing, hatching.
Sure enough.
Tap-!
A sound as if breaking through the shell is heard.
“Grrr.”
Even amidst this, Jong-sik’s contemplation continued. It was about the disposal of the dragon.
Dragons are different from ordinary monsters. They possess exceptional intelligence and are sentient beings awakened to magic from birth.
Such dragons are beings that can either bring about the destruction or salvation of an entire dimension, depending on how they are nurtured during their Hatchling period.
“So, I can’t just ignore it.”
‘Because if it falls into the hands of someone with ill intentions, it will evolve into a malevolent dragon.’
‘Already with the invasion of demons on Earth, adding a malevolent dragon to the mix would be a headache just to think about.’
Yet, the idea of personally caring for the creature, when he himself knows nothing about parenting, doesn’t appeal to him either.
He has no confidence in raising it into a holy dragon, and what if he mistakenly raises it into a malevolent one?
That would be a complete disaster.
Perhaps that’s why.
Suddenly, such thoughts crossed his mind.
“If it’s right after hatching, handling it shouldn’t be too difficult… No, wait.”
He quickly erased that thought from his mind.
It was because a certain person came to mind.
His comrade and the saint of the Eldar continent.
‘She too, isn’t she a dragon?’
That’s why Jong-sik couldn’t bring himself to kill her newly hatched kin.
So, the answer was already predetermined.
It’s just not a pleasant one.
He glanced at the creature with a frown.
With ruby-like red eyes.
A body resembling that of a hippopotamus and an elephant somewhere in between.
A soft and squishy skin symbolizing Hatchling.
That was the creature’s appearance.
“Definitely much smaller compared to an adult. I wonder if it’ll obediently follow me.”
Contrary to his worries, the creature, after breaking out of the shell, approached Jong-sik without hesitation. It sensed a familiar aura from him.
It was the faint aura of its kin.
“Gyarrerrik.”
That energy was so vibrant that the Hatchling swayed its tail and bobbed its head affectionately. This was a unique expression of affection for Hatchling.
“Hmm. I guess that’s somewhat fortunate.”
Jong-sik muttered as he looked at the creature.
‘Parenting, what’s the big deal?’
The Hezling, understanding his words, let out a purring sound.
“Gyarrrik.”
“But hey, you. Your current appearance is quite awkward. Can you do a Polymorph?”
Understanding his words at once, the Hatchling complied.
‘Is this why they call them dragons, dragons?’
Jong-sik chuckled satisfactorily as he looked at the polymorphed dragon.
And then, a while later, Jong-sik left the dungeon. A white cat was trotting behind him.
That’s how Jong-sik adopted a dragon.
The plan to visit the real estate office to inquire about a workshop was momentarily postponed.
It was because of the diminishing freshness of the Albino Troll’s “Mana Heart” as time passed. Of course, the unexpected addition of the dragon also had its influence.
Anyway, for these reasons, Jong-sik opted for an early return. However, the Dokga-ne Restaurant seemed to have a different atmosphere than in the morning.
“Just wait here for a moment.”
“Gyarrung….”
The dragon let out a somewhat mournful cry.
But, anyway, it was impossible to bring a cat inside the restaurant. Of course, even though the cat wasn’t exactly a cat.
“I’ll be out soon.”
“Gyarrung!”
For whatever reason, Jong-sik entered the shop alone.
As seen from outside, the restaurant was filled with people inside.
“Wow. I came here out of curiosity, but it’s really worth it!”
“Uh, uh? Is it really him?”
“I told you I was right! Ah, this place is a hidden gem that I want to keep to myself, but people are going to flock here again.”
“Just keep it down. Don’t go sharing the location as if you’re the only one who knows. You haven’t left a comment already, have you?”
“What, no! I just gave a hint about the neighborhood. But seeing that the guy in the video is him, it’s kinda thrilling, isn’t it? He totally looks like a top-tier hunter.”
However, for some reason, the guests who came to eat began to whisper and glance at Jong-sik.
Feeling the tension in the air, Jong-sik could sense it.
“This feels similar to when my story was on the news….”
It was a similar atmosphere to that time.
But this time, there wasn’t anything noteworthy enough to make the news? Just as he was thinking that.
“Oh, big boss, you’re here? Should I call the boss?”
A waiter who had finished serving approached Jong-sik. Jong-sik nodded, and soon he could see his brother, Jong-pal, coming out of the kitchen.
“Hyung!”
“Oops. What’s with this sudden atmosphere? Did an influencer come while I was out for a moment?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? It’s because of Hyung.”
“…?”
“I was actually thinking of calling you. Hyung went to support the monster escape scene, right?”
“It wasn’t really support, I just stopped by on the way.”
Jong-sik said nonchalantly, and Jong-pal continued with a somewhat lukewarm response from his brother.
“It’s not just stopping by. Just stay here for a moment. I was so surprised when I saw the post that the customers showed. Here, everyone came after seeing this.”
Then, he suddenly thrust his phone in front of him. Sure enough, as he expected, he saw himself being exposed in the media once again.
“Geez. Who leaked this again?”
“The person who was saved by Hyung wrote it himself. Anyway, our restaurant is being kept alive by Hyung? Oh, and it was cool what you did.”
As he said that, Jong-pal coughed awkwardly, seemingly embarrassed. Jong-sik applauded his brother’s appearance.
“Why are you acting so awkwardly?”
“What? I’m serious.”
“Okay, if you’re not busy now, can you come up to the second floor for a moment? No, even if you’re busy, take a moment and come up.”
“Uh, now?”
“Yeah.”
He needed to quickly consume Mana Heart even for just an hour.
“Got it. I’ll tell the staff and come up.”
“Okay. Oh, and when you come up, bring a frying pan.”
“…A frying pan? Got it.”
That’s why Jong-sik was so active today.
It was time to make it happen.
After a while.
The members of the Dok family gathered in the courtyard on the second floor.
Jong-sik was the most excited person among them. He explained about the white cat, which everyone was so curious about.
“Just happened that way. Since we’re going to live together from now on, let’s get along.”
No response.
Just silence.
Jong-pal, Yeona, Trigo, they all just rolled their eyes without saying anything.
They glanced at the white cat that was right next to Jong-sik.
How much time passed like that?
Yeona hesitantly spoke up.
“S-So, that white cat you found on the street is a dragon? Like, it breathes fire and stuff?”
“Yeah. It looks like a dragon. It stays in this form because revealing its true form could cause chaos and draw attention.”
The way Jong-sik casually said it left them speechless. After all, what kind of creature was a dragon?
A monster not found on Earth.
In other words, it was like something out of a fantasy.
“It’s hard to believe.”
It was unbelievable. But at the same time, it wasn’t unbelievable, because it was Jong-sik who said it. They were just surprised, a lot.
Jong-sik looked at them as if it was nothing and changed the subject.
“Are you all done being curious? Shall we get to the main point?”
“Huh? The main point? Is there more to be surprised about here?”
Jong-pal muttered, shaking his head.
“Yeah. The main point is this.”
The answer was a black plastic bag. Jong-sik shook the black plastic bag in front of Jong-pal. Inside were Mana Heart of the albino troll and an ash-colored rune.
“…Huh? What’s that?”
“What is it, Jong-pal?”
Not knowing what it was, Jong-pal and Trigo expressed their curiosity again. Jong-sik then said:
“It’s a good-tasting and good-for-the-body medicine. Did you bring the frying pan? Give it here.”
No need for elaborate explanations; you’ll know once you taste it.
Jong-sik acted promptly. He shook the black bag over the frying pan Jong-pal handed him. As he did, the Mana Heart of the albino troll and the ash-colored rune inside fell out with a thud.
“For now, let’s keep the ash-colored rune.”
Jong-sik began thinly slicing the Mana Heart from the frying pan. It had a rather unpleasant appearance, as is often the case with things good for the body. They either lack flavor or have an unappetizing appearance.
“Hmm…”
The Mana Heart of the albino troll fell into the latter category. But it had a good taste, so it was fortunate. Ignoring Jong-pal’s grumbling, Jong-sik continued slicing.
Soon, the thinly sliced Mana Heart of the albino troll.
He cast a fire-based skill over it.
Sizzle… sizzle.
Being thinly sliced, it cooked in no time.
“Since we obtained it by luck, let’s not waste it and eat up.”
Jong-sik said as he offered the frying pan.
And at that moment.
“Rawr!”
A growl came from the frying pan as the cat snapped. Perhaps Yeona’s cautiously extended hand didn’t sit well with it. It seemed to be quite fierce.
“Uh, whoa. That was unexpected.”
Startled, Yeona hastily withdrew her hand. Jong-sik glanced at her and discreetly leaked mana. Of course, the target was the dragon.
‘We should establish some ground rules for this.’
It was a kind of warning. Right now, it was just snapping, but if it were to retaliate further, there would be no regard for whether it was a comrade’s family or not.
Jong-sik wanted to prevent any further mishaps like that. Thankfully, the clever creature quickly understood his intention.
“Rawr…”
The softened growl and the action of nuzzling against Yeona’s leg were evidence of that.
“Oops. You… you’re so cute. Thank you and sorry. I startled you because I was going to touch you, right? I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Thanks to that, Yeona’s tense expression relaxed. She cautiously reached out her hand and conveyed her apology.
Then, Jong-sik intervened.
“All right, that’s enough. Yeona, you should eat too. It tastes best when eaten before it cools down.”
“Hehe. Okay!”
“…Umm, sir, may I also eat it? It seems precious.”
Trigo, who had no preconceptions about food, swallowed nervously and asked, and Jong-sik nodded as if to say, “Why are you even asking?”
A little while later.
The family ate the well-cooked albino troll’s Mana Heart. They were surprised by the gently melting oily taste in their mouths and then by the energy surging within their bodies.
“I told you. It tastes good and is good for the body.”
Jong-sik watched his family happily enjoying the food.
“Kyah, kyah.”
The dragon underfoot began to cry mournfully. It seemed to be saying that it wanted some too. What could a creature blessed with mana do if it couldn’t eat this?
Although he wished to indulge his weak family members, what is family if not sharing even a single bean?
“All right, I didn’t think about you. Here.”
Jong-sik picked up a thin slice of Mana Heart and offered it to the creature.
“Rawr.”
It graciously accepted and started purring happily. Yeona, Jong-pal, and Trigo were no different.
“Wow. Dad, this is really delicious!”
“Jong-pal, it’s like heaven with every bite sticking to my mouth. And the surging energy is incredible!”
“…Hyung, what on earth is this?”
Jong-sik chuckled and urged Yeona, who was staring at the strange sight, to keep eating.
And there was someone observing this scene. It was the dragon disguised as a white cat. After briefly scanning Trigo, Yeona, and Jong-pal, the dragon quietly unfolded its polymorph.
It happened in an instant.
The white cat transformed into a human form, just like them. It appeared as a young girl.
With crimson eyes that perfectly matched her alluring red hair, the girl had a small, doll-like face with distinct features. She looked like a perfectly crafted doll herself.
Once the polymorph was complete, the girl slowly spoke. It wasn’t the usual growling sound.
“This… is tasty.”
Her Korean was flawless.
At her words, the heads of the family turned simultaneously.
In their dilated pupils, they saw the girl with the red hair.
“…Aah!”
Yeona screamed in shock for a moment, then hastily took off her shirt to cover the girl’s body.
Except for Yeona, everyone else quickly turned their heads.
“Wh-whoa.”
“I-it’s a dragon.”
“Oh my goodness.”
Unaware of the humans’ confusion, the dragon smiled brightly and spoke.
“Hehe. Tasty, it is!”
