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Chapter 266

“Hmm, what should I do?”

Yeon-woo muttered as he sat down in the grassy area where he had sparred with Raymond before.

Raymond’s sword technique was indeed impressive, but the real dilemma today was the technique called Dragon Transformation he had heard about from Lucrecia previously.

Since it was a technique that couldn’t even begin without Shar, he brought everyone along today.

Fortunately, though the ground was mostly covered in concrete, they found a rare natural grove where everyone seemed to feel at ease.

“You really didn’t have to come along.”

“If we didn’t come, it would feel like we were leaving you two out, and that’s no good. Dawn and Tae-oh are coming too, right?”

“Of course! With Tae-oh, I can go anywhere. Look, there’s a flower patch over there!”

“Dawn’s still a kid. She loves flowers too much. Let’s go play there! It’s a race to see who gets there first!!”

“Hey, that’s sneaky!!”

The two kiddos darted off to the flower patch, each wanting to beat the other.

Only Tae-oh and Nea could pull off such a childish move from the usually composed Dawn.

Seeing that, Yeon-woo let out a sigh of relief, realizing that they weren’t here against their will after all.

“Our kids really do love nature.”

“Well, it makes sense when you think about it. Tae-oh is a spirit, Dawn is a god, and Shar is a dragon. There’s no way such nature-loving beings wouldn’t enjoy being surrounded by nature.”

“That’s true. I guess I was thinking of them too much like humans.”

It would be strange not to see them as anything other than human, especially when they were carefully frolicking in the flower patch, trying not to hurt any flowers.

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Coincidentally, all three of them were born as vessels to carry someone’s wishes. As long as you see them as human, they won’t be tainted by others’ desires.”

Upon hearing Nea’s words, Yeon-woo felt a heavy weight on his shoulders.

So, this is what it feels like to be a parent. If my biological parents couldn’t handle this weight, I could definitely understand that.

As the atmosphere settled a bit, Shar suddenly popped out and grabbed Yeon-woo’s ear, shouting.

“Focus on Dragon Transformation and stop talking about heavy stuff, Dad!!”

Whoa, that was surprising. Dragon Transformation meant merging with a dragon, and unlike the kids, Shar was in Yeon-woo’s body as a mana entity.

“I just can’t grasp it. Do I have to realize it naturally like breaking through the Expert’s upper limit?”

When Yeon-woo expressed his frustrations, Shar, who had ducked back into his body, spoke into his mind.

[Maybe so. I can’t grasp it either.]

Even trying to think the same thoughts and align the flow of mana didn’t give him the same strong presence he felt fighting the Kraken as a Dragon Knight.

Maybe he was approaching it too simply, or perhaps the conditions just weren’t met.

“Honestly, I don’t think just practicing will do the trick.”

[Huh? Then why are we doing this?]

“It’s for a worst-case scenario. If we manage to access Dragon Transformation, we have to be in sync, or else it’ll be pointless. This is practice to synchronize our thoughts and mana flow. So we’re ready to merge at any time.”

[Ah, so you’re making a routine. Maybe we should decide on some signals too.]

“That’s classic Shar. You’re so smart. But I don’t think we’re quite at that level yet. Let’s take it slow.”

At Yeon-woo’s words, Shar’s mana seemed to shimmer positively. Their idyllic practice time passed.

The Choi family was having lunch, enjoying the meal Nea had packed.

[Something’s strange….]

An unknown, lingering voice echoed in Yeon-woo’s head.

“What was that voice?” he grimaced, hearing someone suddenly perk up next to him. It was Nea.

“I see you heard the voice too.”

“Uh, I did… Who is it?”

“This island, the one you were seeking, is the Dragon of the Ocean. It seems it has awakened.”

With that, Nea’s beautiful eyelids fluttered closed. It seemed she was concentrating to communicate with the dragon.

Seeing this, the children gasped and covered their mouths. Yeon-woo had to hurriedly turn away to suppress a snicker.

*

If the island is alive, and I need to communicate with such an island, how do I do that?

Those thoughts stuck in his head. Should he take a boat to the head? How would he explain that? Is there even another way?

Of course, seeing as the voice spoke directly into his thoughts, he could likely communicate without having to physically be there, but personally, he felt that true communication required eye contact.

The tradition of making eye contact when speaking was handed down at the orphanage.

Especially nowadays, he felt that dragons needed to follow this more than anyone. After all, they seldom had the opportunity to make eye contact with other living beings.

Most people would kneel or bow before a dragon when encountering one up close.

“Conversation isn’t just words but also exchanged through the eyes…”

I guess I should feel sorry for those who don’t know the joy of conversation, he thought.

As Yeon-woo mused, Nea opened her eyes. Was the conversation over? He looked up to meet her gaze.

“The dragon agrees to speak. It has even told me where to seek it. Will you go now?”

“Hmm… Should I? It would be best to finish this conversation quickly, after all.”

This winter break was already packed. He had tons of places to go.

What if, in the meantime, the newly awakened dragon fell back asleep?

If that happened, he’d have to camp out there, waiting until it woke up to talk.

“That’s a valid point. Especially older dragons, once they fall asleep, they may not awaken again until a jungle grows over them.”

Thinking this over, Yeon-woo nodded in agreement with Nea. Cautiously, he cracked open one eye to glance at Nea, who was staring back at him.

“…I wake up pretty well, you know?”

“I know that very well.”

How could he not know when she came every morning to make breakfast? Nea’s face was red as she fanned herself, thinking she had slept too long in the cave.

But that expression wasn’t directed that way; it was cute nonetheless.

“The place is pretty much… if you go straight from here, you’ll reach the coastline, and there’s a cave at that coast. Will you go alone?”

“Can I talk without you?”

“You can take Shar with you. I’ll just wait here and play with the kids.”

Yeon-woo turned to look at the two kids frolicking in the flower patch. They looked like they were having a blast. Hmm, pulling them away from that might be a bit harsh…

“Then, can I ask you to watch over them? I’ll sneak a chat and come back quickly.”

“Of course. It’s been a while since you asked me for a favor.”

“Right? Who said you had to make it hard?”

At Yeon-woo’s teasing remark, Nea burst into a small laugh. It wasn’t meant to be a joke, but she looked healthy, so it was all good.

“Well then, I’m off.”

“Have a good trip!!”

“Yeah, yeah, both of you have a good time.”

With Shar’s passionate send-off popping back on his shoulder, Yeon-woo headed off towards the west.

*

Earlier, the Earth Serpent had mentioned the Dragon of the Ocean was a dragon drifting above the sea.

He thought it was naturally perched atop the island, but now he found himself wondering if it meant the island itself… holding his forehead.

Well, whatever the case, what puzzled him more was what kind of presence this giant dragon had while it was still asleep, even as people poured concrete over its back to build a city.

Nea generally resembled common reptiles, but Shar looked more like a wolf. Even within the same species of dragon, their forms aren’t fixed.

Of course, while they could somewhat control their polymorphic appearance,

“What do you think, Shar?”

[Hmm…? Maybe a super gigantic whale?]

“If you were sleeping and a city appeared on your back, wouldn’t that be absolutely shocking?”

Was hardened concrete useless against dragon skin? Perhaps it was neither hot nor unbearable, and he slept soundly instead.

Yeon-woo had unintentionally entered the realm of lethargy like a turtle as he looked envy at the scorching heat.

…Is that right? Am I really envying a dragon skin just because it can withstand fire?

[But I think the most likely candidate would be a turtle.]

“That’s true. A turtle dragon sounds kinda cute….”

[That would be a disaster if it bit you.]

“That’s true. If a creature this size bit you, it would be over, turtle or not.”

Maybe it had a cavity in its belly like Grandpa Gepetto.

While I know that real whales aren’t such creatures, could it be possible for dragons to be a bit different?

“Sigh, why am I feeling all jittery…?”

Splash! The waves crashed. Water smashed against the rocks and the spray flew out. In the midst of it all, the cave gaped open like a beast’s mouth.

If this was the mouth of a dragon, it was hard to find words to describe it.

“Alright, let’s go in!”

[What could possibly go wrong! Most dragons don’t recklessly harm life!!]

Most dragons, huh… That part indeed sounds scary. I wonder if Shar understood that feeling.

More pressing, though, Shar had a habit of carelessly slaying monsters. Was that really okay?

[Monsters that threaten Dad deserve to die.]

“That’s seriously scary!”

Exchanging such trivial banter, Yeon-woo stepped into the cave. Tap, tap, his footsteps slowly faded into the depths of the dark cave.

*

The ‘Dreaming Dragon’, as it was called by the locals, was known for its ghostly presence, drifting over the sea, akin to a corpse carried on the waves.

Nevertheless, no one blamed him for his lethargy. They understood what he was capable of.

It was, in its own way, the best choice. To adjust the population of the monsters that began to pour into this world and to recombine the original innate creatures and their ecosystems.

Of course, it wasn’t for the sake of humans. More akin to a dragon was the essence of nature itself.

Existing as an essential part of the natural order, it acted with instinctual self-cleaning.

Though truthfully, he likely never intended for it to be that way. After all, how could anyone blame him for just lazily sleeping?

The great dragon, the Turtle Dragon, the largest dragon alive, the living island, opened its massive mouth wide.

– My head hurts───.

It groaned, suffering from a headache, perhaps due to sleeping for far too long.

(To be continued)

 

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