I hurriedly looked toward the source of the sound. Seol-i, likewise flustered, glanced upward. The venomous snake, about to lunge, hesitated at the appearance of a new opponent.
Peep!
I saw a tiny baby bird gripping the ears of an even smaller furry creature. It was Ppiyak. Unable to lift the little beast on its own, Ppiyak was holding on to Byeol-i’s back, flapping its wings desperately with Gyeol-i’s help.
Ah, Father! I tried to stop it!
“Ppiyak! Go back at once! No, first co this way—!”
My heart sank. My mind went blank with worry and anxiety. Seol-i’s dorsal scales bristled. He spread his wings wide as if to protect Byeol-i. His black-dragon limbs tensed, refusing to yield.
“Ppiyak! Please!”
I glanced between the system window and Ppiyak, then the children. What should I do! How to act!
Krrrr!
Seol-i bared his fangs and lunged at the snake, though he knew he couldn’t win by force—he just needed to divert the snake’s attention from Byeol-i.
Kwang!
The snake t Seol-i’s full-body charge with raised scales. Sssl—its long body coiled tightly around the black dragon. Seol-i gasped under the crushing grip as the snake’s coils bit into him.
Boom, boom!
Seeing this, Byeol-i’s fur stood on end. His tail puffed up as if about to burst. He seed ready to attack the snake at any mont, growing ever more frantic.
“Byeol-i! You must move, co to Father!”
Yes, Byeol-i. Let’s go to Father!
Gyeol-i tugged at Byeol-i, flapping his wings hard. But Byeol-i twisted and flailed, refusing to go. Afraid of dropping him, Gyeol-i hovered in place, wings beating in frantic steadiness.
Keuk!
anwhile Seol-i twisted his body hard and tore himself free of the snake. Damn, if I go over there I’ll only get in the way! I racked my brain but couldn’t think of how to safely bring the children back without calling Yunyun.
Byeol-i! You need to dodge!
Gyeol-i tugged again at Byeol-i. Kwoong—the black dragon was knocked to the ground by the snake’s tail. Byeol-i screeched again. Then, flapp.
A pair of small golden wings unfurled. Crescent-shaped, feathery wings similar to Noah’s. Before anyone could react, Ppiyak unfurled his own white wings.
Piya!
Kyui!
Their chirps and cheeps mingled like clasped hands. Then Gyeol-i himself—
Uh? Uh!
—began to change! No, he was growing.
“Gyeol-i!”
The tiny fairy dragon’s body expanded in an instant. Not mountain-sized, but slightly larger than an adult human, still compact. His adorably short neck stretched elegantly, his tail extending in graceful waves. Between his sharpened horns, a silvery mane floated like a veil.
His round body’s delicate wings also grew large. Thin, translucent mbranes caught the light in a riot of colors. Those two pairs of wings moved not like flight but like swimming through the air in a fluid dance.
This is....
Gyeol-i stared at his body in bewildernt. Soft light flowed from his head down his mane to the tips of wings and tail. A phantom beast indeed—a truly fantastic spectacle. Even the snake °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° that had been attacking Seol-i paused, entranced by the splendid dragon.
Though in dragon form, he resembled a silvery blossom in full bloom, or a trailing pink rainbow, or a glowing multicolored cloud. No single image could capture it. As if soone had gathered the most beautiful dreams into one living form.
Ah!
Gyeol-i, astonished even at himself, shook his head. Then with golden eyes wide, he glared at the snake. Was Gyeol-i planning to fight too? But the fairy dragon said—
I can’t fight directly.
His gaze turned to Seol-i.
So tell your na.
Han Seol.
Han Seol. Bring into reality all the power you’ve felt and experienced.
Gyeol-i’s ability, Manifestation of Fantasy. The fairy dragon radiated gentle light from every fiber.
As a child I was limited by rank, but not now!
The intense aura made the snake flinch backward. Seol-i rose to his feet. The twisted leg pressed firmly into the ground as crimson fla gathered like mist. Seol-i spoke, ancient praises and fearful epithets flowing from his lips.
Disaster that lts mountains.
Following his voice, old power drew forth into reality. The pitch-black scales absorbed even deeper darkness. His raised head soared like a towering peak.
Despair standing at the continent’s end.
Magic of such density that the air stung spread outward. I worried the sage emperor’s chamber might break, but instead shattered walls nded themselves. The ceiling rose endlessly, and beneath it, a dragon of unreal proportions spread a mbrane wing that covered the sky. A shadow of calamity fell everywhere.
Sole sovereign of midnight fla, consuming all, eroding the world.
Once, that fire devoured monsters sent by the Source and ushered in the ruin of their world. Faced with this legendary incarnation, the snake recoiled. It spewed venom in panic, but even the densest poison dissolved like ice before the dragon’s fla.
The black dragon bowed its head toward the snake—a contrast as stark as lion against fox. This L-rank snake now looked feeble, like a low-grade monster before Seol-i.
‘...Sir, Seol-i must have been stronger than L-rank.’
Given more ti, he might have risen to a transcendent. White fangs glinted beneath his black scales. The snake, which had pressed Seol-i back so fiercely, froze utterly.
You will be my final prey.
Red eyes looked down upon the blue snake as if to honor it. The snake lunged, fangs bared for a last attack. But before it could reach him, a scarlet breath burst forth.
Flare—
Dragon breath. A storm of fire roared. Intense heat enveloped the snake in an instant, swallowing even its screams. Though powerful enough to boil the air, no warmth passed beyond the black wings—only a gentle heat lingered.
When the flas subsided, no trace of the snake remained. Its mana stone had been lted and consud, leaving only a thumb-nail–sized core.
Peep!
At the sight of the core, Ppiyak teleported, snatched it, and swallowed it whole. Simultaneously, Byeol-i’s wings vanished and Gyeol-i shrank back to his original small form. Gyeol-i caught the falling Byeol-i and flew back to with effort. Seol-i also returned to his normal size.
Father!
Big golden eyes nearly brimd with tears as he looked at . My Gyeol-i must have suffered so much in that short ti. I’d promised to look after my little sibling, and he had flown into danger without warning. As I approached, Byeol-i slipped from Gyeol-i’s grasp, bounced high, and with tail wagging, sprang toward —
“Han Byeol!”
In human form, Seol-i swooped in and scooped up the round, fluffy little mage in both hands to eye level.
“You’re reckless!”
Okay.
“You know I told you to stay ho quietly!”
Byeol-i’s blue eyes blinked wide. Pouting, tail clicking, he turned human. When he tried to pull away, Seol-i caught his arm again. Byeol-i puffed his cheeks and cheeped back.
“You hurt Hyung!”
“Still not allowed!”
“Then Hyung can’t co if I get hurt?”
“Hyung is strong—”
“No!”
Byeol-i bit Seol-i’s arm hard. Flustered, Seol-i released him, and Byeol-i ran to , clinging.
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Byeol-i.”
I patted the back of the little one, who didn’t understand why Hyung was angry.
“You wanted to help because you love Hyung, right?”
“Yes.”
“That was good, Byeol-i. But you’re still small. Little ones should be protected, so if you want to do sothing, you must tell an adult first. Then we’ll give you the good things and keep the dangerous things away until you’re big and strong enough to walk your own path. Soday, grown-up Byeol-i will have children to care for too.”
“Ice cream is good but you always take it away.”
“If you eat too much, it hurts. But Aunty Soyeong gives you lots of nice treats, right?”
Byeol-i nodded. Perhaps because he had no mory of a species that didn’t care for its young, he still didn’t quite grasp the need for protection. I promised him we’d always tell soone before going out. Yuhyun was so well-behaved I never worried, but kids can vanish if you look away for a mont.
“Let’s make up with Hyung. Okay? Hyung worries about you like you worry about him.”
“Yes. Hyung. From now on, can I tell you before I go?”
“...Okay. I won’t leave you behind anymore.”
Seol-i hugged Byeol-i tight. Byeol-i stretched his arms out in return.
“But how did you get here? You looked like Ppiyak.”
Byeol-i suddenly got scared, grabbed Ppiyak, and teleported here.
Gyeol-i on my shoulder spoke, then, very shaken, nuzzled my neck. “You worked hard, Hyung.” I petted Gyeol-i and praised him. Then Byeol-i spoke.
“I told Ppiyak to bring to Hyung.”
Beep!
Ppiyak, cradled by Byeol-i, raised one wing. So....
“...Byeol-i, can you talk with Ppiyak?”
“Yes.”
Beep beep!
“What did he just say?”
“He said he wants ice cream. Chocolate, cookies and cream, double chocolate chip marshmallow.”
I see. They chatter about different things but understand each other perfectly. Perhaps Ppiyak’s power helped Gyeol-i grow. If it’s tied to the white bird, it might be precognitive. But maybe Byeol-i has a hidden ability I haven’t discovered. For now though—
“It was dangerous, so let’s go ho quickly. Seol-i, you too. Ppiyak, can you carry the kids?”
Piyaak!
He answers well. Having eaten the snake’s core, he must have plenty of mana. Gyeol-i landed and changed back to his boy form. Seol-i looked at him.
“Was it helpful?”
“Of course. We’re family.”
Though there’s still so distance between them, I think they’ll get along. Maybe better than I expected. When Byeol-i asked if Father would co too, I said not yet, but soon. Seeing the three of them together ward my heart.
“That pink-haired child is my—”
“He seems exhausted, talking nonsense to himself.”
I turned and saw Seong-hyeonje sitting on the ground. He looked truly worn out, so I felt a little sorry, but I needed to speak clearly in front of the children.
“I have no relation to him.”
Strictly speaking, Gyeol-i is a fragnt of Seong-hyeonje before regression, so he’s more connected to the current Seong-hyeonje than . But Gyeol-i is Gyeol-i—no relation. Seong-hyeonje watched us silently, then spoke.
“You look happy.”
“The kids are well-behaved.”
Indeed. They’d flown here on their own, but they’re good kids. Gyeol-i stared at Seong-hyeonje, then shook his head abruptly.
“Draw the Sovereign’s Sword.”
Seol-i, sighing beside Byeol-i, said:
“I’m now Han Seol. I’ll put my remaining power into the sword.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“I’ve almost used it up, and there’s hardly any left. The less power, the weaker the cohesion. I can’t maintain it in a new body.”
He nodded and drew the Sovereign’s Sword, handing it to Seol-i. Fla flowed from Seol-i’s hand into the blade.
[Corroding Sovereign’s Sword • SSS-rank]
The S-rank sword had ascended one grade. Even with his remaining power, it was impressive.
“Return alive.”
“Of course.”
Seol-i transford into a small black dragon. Byeol-i and Gyeol-i also shifted into their beast forms. The fairy dragon fluttered onto my shoulder.
Father, you know—
Gyeol-i whispered to , glancing at Seong-hyeonje.
You must return ho safely, Father.
“Yes, Gyeol-i.”
Father! You promised to bring sothing tasty when you co ho!
Byeol-i waved his front paws cheerfully. I smiled and promised to buy lots if they behaved. Holding Ppiyak between them, the three children vanished. Silence fell instantly. In the hush, I looked at the spot where the snake had died.
“It’s about ti to visit.”
The subordinate was dead—an L-rank snake clan. That ant the snake’s master, the King of Devourers, could appear. Seong-hyeonje stood. I tossed him a stamina potion.
“You shouldn’t lie to the kids.”
“I’ll return. This ti I’ll raise them carefully until they graduate college.”
I’ll create many happy monts. Grumble—the mana of the space trembled. Perhaps sensing fear, it shook violently. I inhaled deeply and looked to where the achievent reward box had been.
[Reward Disbursed]
A pure white spear stood planted. It’s ti to overturn the board.
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