“Huh?”
Uncle Choi Cheolgi looked flustered.
I was the same. We had only thought about hatching the Red Dragon. In other words, we had thought about Choi Cheolgi becoming a Dragon Knight who rode the hatched Red Dragon.
“Right? Do I have to ride it? I do not know.”
It was only sensible to assume that a hatched Red Dragon would be small. But we had focused so much on the Red Dragon's Egg that we had not considered that far.
“Do I have to delay my return by a few years?”
I handed the Red Dragon over to Uncle Choi Cheolgi. The Red Dragon chirped as though it did not like him.
“It is all right. It is all right.”
I soothed the Red Dragon and spoke to Uncle Choi Cheolgi.
“Let us try using it first. We have to test it.”
“Right. We should.”
Uncle Choi Cheolgi grabbed Yongyong by the back of its neck with one hand, his face rigid. Yongyong struggled.
In any case, Uncle Choi Cheolgi had three class skills.
‘Dragon-Human Unity, Flying Dragon Flash, and Elemental Adaptation.’
Dragon-Human Unity was S-Grade, while Flying Dragon Flash and Elemental Adaptation were A-Grade. Their Grades made it clear why there had been such an uproar over the Dragon Knight.
Of course, at the time, Rare Classes themselves were so scarce that no one had imagined the skills would not work.
Dragon-Human Unity was a skill that synchronized him with a Dragon so that he could ride it.
Uncle Choi Cheolgi said he had the method in his head. Yongyong was too small to ride now, though.
Flying Dragon Flash was a skill that allowed him to ride a Dragon straight ahead and pierce through enemies, while Elemental Adaptation made him similar to the Dragon's element.
“Dragon-Human Unity!”
There was no need to shout when using a skill, but Uncle Choi Cheolgi shouted its name.
Perhaps he desperately wanted the skill to work.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
In that instant, mana moved.
Something changed between Uncle Choi Cheolgi and Yongyong. Then Yongyong stopped struggling. They had synchronized.
SNORT!
It snorted through its nostrils, then stayed still in Uncle Choi Cheolgi's hand as though it were preparing for battle.
“It works!”
“It works!”
Uncle Choi Cheolgi did not stop.
“Elemental Adaptation!”
FWOOSH—!
Flames suddenly rippled over Uncle Choi Cheolgi's body.
“Ooooh!”
We rejoiced at the same time. Of course, I quickly came to my senses. Flames were rippling around Uncle Choi Cheolgi's body.
“Is it not hot?”
“No. I guess that is because of Elemental Adaptation?”
Coincidentally, both Uncle Choi Cheolgi and I had considerable resistance to fire. It was fortunate.
Even later, when the Red Dragon grew and used its breath, would we not be all right?
“Try Flying Dragon Flash too!”
“Flying Dragon Flash!”
Uncle Choi Cheolgi had brought the lance he used to use. Yongyong in one hand, a lance in the other. At a glance, it did look ridiculous.
But the result was not.
RUMBLE—
Holding Yongyong in his hand, he charged fifteen meters straight forward. It was an incredible speed. A gust of wind arose.
Dust from the clearing scattered in a flash along the path Uncle Choi Cheolgi took.
What was astounding was that Uncle Choi Cheolgi had not kicked off the ground or run. He had simply kept his feet on the ground.......
And charged at an outrageous speed while riding a Dragon.
“They work! All of them!”
“Uncle Choi Cheolgi! Your ankles—are your ankles all right?”
I was not surprised merely because he had charged. A stretch of ground roughly three meters wide where he had passed had been gouged out.
How should I put it? It looked as though something immensely heavy had torn through the ground as it passed.
“There is no problem. It must be a skill correction.”
Uncle Choi Cheolgi jumped in place. He looked fine. His shoes did not.
“The soles are completely worn down.”
“You can just buy new sneakers.”
“That is true. Still, I should work out my wrists. Yongyong is a little heavy to hold.”
“You really have become a Dragon Knight, though.”
“Of course.”
Uncle Choi Cheolgi grinned.
“Ready, Spatialist?”
“Of course, Dragon.”
“What? Why am I a Dragon?”
“The Red Dragon is your real body.”
“Heh heh, that is true.”
Even when I teased him, Uncle Choi Cheolgi only beamed. Then Yongyong suddenly hopped across the ground.
Then it entered the Subspace that I had left open when I took out the egg.
“Huh?”
“What?”
No living being other than me could enter there.
Then Yongyong coiled up, lay down, and closed its eyes. Was it asleep? Well, it was a baby, so it slept often.
“How did it get in there?”
“Right?”
Of course, the question remained. Uncle Choi Cheolgi and I had once brought a puppy while experimenting with Subspace. It could not enter then.
But why could Yongyong? Was it all right because it had been an egg inside Subspace for so long? What was going on?
More importantly, if I closed the Subspace door like this, would time not pass because Yongyong was inside?
I opened the stopwatch on my phone and tested it, but that was not the case. Time still passed with Yongyong inside.
“I do not know what it is, but it is not bad. It would be awkward to take a Dragon around outside.”
“That is true. If it suddenly breathed fire.......”
Since it was still a baby, if it made a mistake, it might cause a real catastrophe.
“Now that you have a Dragon, you should sign a contract, right? Shall I call the Association for you?”
“That would be good. It would be awkward for me to do it myself.”
I immediately called the secretary directly under the Association President, whose number I had exchanged at the contract signing. It was reasonable to call about the Dragon Knight matter.
Yes, Mr. Han Hye. What is the matter?
An Awakened I know wants to sign a contract.
...Is it Mr. Choi Cheolgi, by any chance?
Yes.
They would know that Uncle Choi Cheolgi and I were close. I had registered him at the training center as well.
So he is returning. However, even if he has a Rare Class, we cannot support him the way we have supported Mr. Han Hye. As you know, the issue is whether he can use his skills.......
No. I brought back a Red Dragon, and he became a real Dragon Knight.
What?
I brought back a Red Dragon, and he became a Dragon Knight.
What?
Even after I said it twice, they could not understand. Well, it could not be helped.
What do you mean.......?
It is faster to see than to explain it. If you are all right with it, would you come see for yourself now? The Dragon.
Not long afterward, the secretary arrived. It was only natural for them to be shocked at the sight of the Dragon and Uncle Choi Cheolgi.
“Where in the world did you get this.......?”
Hmm, was it time to reveal the truth now?
“Actually.......”
I revealed the truth about what happened in the Gate where I had Awakened. I said I had not spoken up because I was afraid the Red Dragon's Egg would be taken away.
“I understand. It was a wise decision. It was such a valuable item that there was every chance trouble could have arisen.”
Fortunately, Mr. Seo-ung understood what I said. My false report was not an issue.
Had my value risen so high that my worries from back then were no longer useful?
“Could the reason you wanted Fire Elixirs also have been.......?”
“Yes. I needed them to hatch the Dragon. I gave it all the Elixirs I received, and it hatched.”
Including the one I received at the Workshop, it had taken four Fire Elixirs to hatch the very expensive Dragon.
Saying the Red Dragon was worth hundreds of times more would not be enough. It could not be assigned a monetary value.
“Mr. Choi Cheolgi, my heartfelt congratulations.”
[(Breaking) Dragon Knight Finds a Dragon]
(Article link)
A legendary incident has occurred lol.
? Where did he find a Dragon?
Is this real?
Holy shit, what is this? We haven't even seen a Dragon until now. How'd he really find one?
I heard he's close with the Spatialist. Did the Spatialist get it for him?
┗Where would a Spatialist get a Dragon's Egg?
┗For real lol. I've heard that the Spatialist bastard has no manners.
┗What does getting a Dragon's Egg have to do with having no manners?
┗Who gives a fuck? That bastard will get beaten bloody soon lol, because he has no manners.
┗The Spatialist really is amazing. He's already got antis;;
No, why? They say he solo-cleared Dead End of the Labyrinth. Didn't he receive it as a reward?
┗Bullshit;; How would a Dragon's Egg come out of there?
Isn't it most likely that the Advance Team found the Dragon's Egg and the Association hatched it?
┗For real lol.
Hunternet went wild at the return of the Dragon Knight. Naturally, it was not only Hunternet. The media and the internet were the same.
He received dozens of times more attention than I did. I understood.
Only people in the industry recognized a Spatialist's value, but a Dragon Knight looked cool to anyone.
What was more, Yongyong's photo played a part. It was the moment a Red Dragon appeared on Earth for the first time.
[Photo of Uncle Choi Cheolgi holding Yongyong]
This photo spread overseas as well and gained cult-like popularity. It took over foreign news and communities too.
Uncle Choi Cheolgi's impression was simple.
“They cursed me so much back then.”
He was happy, but it was not as though he welcomed it without reservation.
In any case, Uncle Choi Cheolgi signed a contract too.
The total was 165 billion won.
It was less than mine, but it was a substantial amount. Honestly, I had expected it to be similar to mine or even more. He was a Dragon Knight, after all.
“Why is it less than mine?”
When I asked Uncle Choi Cheolgi, the answer was simple.
“I told them retrieving the Dragon was your contribution, so I asked them to secure one of your Elixirs as a B-Grade one.”
“What?”
“You already put four Elixirs into Yongyong, did you not? I have to repay that kindness.”
“I have not even repaid the kindness I received yet.”
Uncle Choi Cheolgi let out a hollow laugh.
“What do you mean, you have not repaid it? You have given back more than I ever did for you. You gave me a Red Dragon.”
I tilted my head.
“What? Gave it to you? Speak properly. Yongyong thinks I am its parent. It is a rental. A rental Red Dragon.”
“Rental or not, I mean that you have repaid your debt many times over.”
Although he said it playfully, Uncle Choi Cheolgi answered seriously.
“I even told the Association that when I sign my second contract, even if they give me less, they must raise your share.”
“You do not have to do that.”
“Of course I do.”
Then he hugged me and patted my back.
“Thank you, Hye.”
“For what?”
In any case, Uncle Choi Cheolgi, once a Gate orphan who had received every kind of criticism, had made a spectacular return as an Awakened Hunter.
I gently pushed him away.
“Let us end the touching reunion here and go in soon.”
“Let us.”
The first thing Uncle Choi Cheolgi and I did after signing our contracts was apply for a Gate.
It was ridiculous when I thought about it.
“When I signed my contract, you told me to buy a house or a car and study personal finance....... Now that Yongyong has appeared, you are going straight into a Gate.”
Uncle Choi Cheolgi cleared his throat.
“Hey, my wife said she would look for a house. All right? And besides.”
He could not hide the corners of his mouth twitching upward.
“How can I hold back when I have a Red Dragon? If you were me, would you want to look at houses or cars?”
“Hmm. I admit it.”
When I received the Windflow Sword, I had been desperate to try the kind of skill I had only seen in comics.
How much more would Uncle Choi Cheolgi feel that way after gaining a Red Dragon? He had even been mocked terribly in the past.
Of course, he would want to use Flying Dragon Flash against monsters immediately. It was entirely understandable.
Still, I had to get a promise.
“After this Gate, we are doing everything we have been putting off.”
“I told you, I understand.”
There was a lot to do.
First, now that we were two people, founding a Guild came first. There was nothing wrong with a small Guild. Guild performance brought benefits.
The Association encouraged Guild founding and membership because one person received no benefits, solo clears were dangerous, and Hunters usually moved in teams, which made them easier to manage.
Recruiting talent, getting a house, and buying a car came after founding the Guild.
“Let us go in.”
The Gate we were entering this time was not a Survival Gate, but it was famous for being quite difficult.
Naturally, that meant ordinary Hunters avoided it.
[Horned Boars of Flame Valley]
Recommended Level: 11~20
Entry limit: 10 people.
Reach the end of the path ahead.
Of course, it was fine for us. Although the entry limit was ten people, we could enter with only two.
I had chosen it for a reason.
‘The penalty here is meaningless to us.’
The instant we entered the Gate, I felt warmth. If even I could feel warmth, it meant it was extremely hot.
And a red world greeted us.
There were steep cliffs on both sides of us, and hot lava flowed down them.
Because of that, lava boiled and bubbled on both sides of the path where we stood.
“Fuck. It is hot enough to die.”
“Use your skill quickly.”
Yongyong squirmed because it did not want to leave me, but once I handed it to Uncle Choi Cheolgi, he used Dragon-Human Unity and Elemental Adaptation.
Yongyong was still wary of Uncle Choi Cheolgi, so Dragon-Human Unity was essential.
“Now I feel like I can live.”
“Can you endure it?”
“Yeah. Maybe because the skill level is low. It is quite hot, that is all.”
Although they were both A-Grade, Elemental Adaptation did not seem to be as good as my Fire Resistance. Or perhaps Yongyong was still young.
“The mana consumption is pretty high, though. When I level up, I should put points into Mana first.”
He had focused on Strength, Agility, and Stamina instead of Mana so that he could work as a Hunter without skills.
We looked at the path ahead.
If lava had been the only obstacle to clearing the Gate, its difficulty would not have been that high. But, naturally, that was not all.
‘Horned Boars charge down that path.’
In other words, if you could not withstand and defeat the Horned Boars' charge, you would be knocked into the lava.
Horned Boars ahead, lava on both sides.
Because of that, most Hunters could not even consider coming here.
The Association had good reason to form teams and challenge this Gate.
In particular, when forming a team, it was essential to bring many Warriors with high Strength and Stamina.
They moved forward along the path with a specially made wedge-shaped shield for multiple people held out in front.
“Let us go, Dragon!”
“Krrr!”
“No, I am supposed to answer....... Yongyong is really excited.”
“I was talking to Yongyong. Uncle Choi Cheolgi, your real body is the Dragon.”
“This little brat?”
“Heh, let us finish quickly and have a team dinner.”
Of course, that did not apply to Uncle Choi Cheolgi and me.
I had strong Fire Resistance, and Uncle Choi Cheolgi gained resistance to heat when he used Elemental Adaptation.
In other words, the only things we had to worry about were the Horned Boars.
“Flying Dragon Flash!”
SQUEAL—!
Those were as easy as eating cold porridge before the Dragon Knight's Flying Dragon Flash and my Wind Cleave.