Chapter 165: 35th Floor. Raising a Dragon (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 165: 35th Floor. Raising a Dragon (1)
[Title: Has anyone actually succeeded in raising a dragon...?]
[Post: I thought I was doing everything right, but some freakish monster ended up bursting out of the shell.]
[Cheongjeo (35th Floor): I failed too. Honestly, it seems like most people do. From what I’ve gathered, only a handful of players have even managed to get the egg to hatch in the first place, and no one has ever achieved a 'Perfect Hatching.']
* * *
Inside a massive cave, nestled within a sprawling nest, sat an egg the size of a house.
Kang Jun-hyeok placed his hand against the shell. Through the surface, he could feel a steady, rhythmic pulse.
This was a Dragon egg.
[A Dragon egg... It’s my first time seeing one in person. Eldiria, have you seen one before?]
[I’ve only encountered them once or twice myself.]
Dragons.
They were the guardians of the world, standing at the absolute pinnacle of the Monster Class. Ancient dragons were classified as Fifth Rank; as a species, it was no exaggeration to call them the strongest beings in the universe.
Because of their status, they were incredibly rare, and finding an egg was rarer still. Even Kang Jun-hyeok had only seen a Dragon egg a few times outside of the 35th Floor.
Eldiria muttered, sounding puzzled.
[By the way, where is the mother?]
Dragons typically stayed with their mothers until they reached adulthood. However, in this vast nest, Kang Jun-hyeok couldn't sense any life forms other than himself and the egg.
“I think I know why.”
Kang Jun-hyeok stepped closer to the nest.
The timber forming the structure was ancient and choked with dust. The surrounding Guardian Barrier and concealment veils had long since faded, worn thin by the passage of time.
This egg had been abandoned.
Protect the egg abandoned by its mother and assist in its perfect hatching and growth.
That was the quest for the 35th Floor.
[Hatching an egg, huh?]
[Do you really think it’s possible?]
Both the Master of All Weapons and Eldiria sounded skeptical.
Dragons were beings of pure Mana. Because they were so closely intertwined with the essence of power, they required meticulous care to hatch correctly. If the process went even slightly awry, their mana would become corrupted, and a "broken" being would be born.
They would become what was known as a Dark Dragon—a ferocious, twisted entity that lived only to destroy.
The reason a mother dragon stayed with her brood until adulthood was specifically to prevent this delicate process from failing. For a human to provide that level of care was considered practically impossible. Countless Players had challenged the 35th Floor, but only a few had managed to hatch the egg at all—and even then, the vast majority resulted in the birth of a Dark Dragon.
‘There are dragons among the Players, but...’
Unfortunately, all the adult dragons had perished during the Great War. Since the survivors were only young dragons themselves, none of them possessed the knowledge to manage a perfect hatching.
They lacked the information, the experience, and the inherent ability.
Furthermore, this specific egg had been abandoned for a long time. It was already in a damaged, distorted state. It was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult floors to clear.
“Let’s give it a try.”
Kang Jun-hyeok didn't hesitate. He steadied his breathing.
He was well-acquainted with the losers of the Great War. Since there had been adult dragons among them, he had overheard various secrets and techniques regarding their kind.
Recalling those memories, he began to move.
First, he observed the egg, focusing on the pulse within.
‘It’s not long until it hatches.’
A week at the shortest; a month at the longest.
Fortunately, while the power inside was wavering and beginning to twist, it wasn't completely ruined yet. It could still be salvaged.
Kang Jun-hyeok scanned the cavern. The surrounding mana was being rapidly siphoned into the egg.
Dragons were creatures of mana; their mere existence acted as a vacuum for the energy around them. If the supply was even slightly insufficient, a Dark Dragon would be born instantly. Having been abandoned, the egg was starving for mana.
Confirming this, Kang Jun-hyeok immediately pulled out a handful of high-grade gems.
Cr-crack!
The pearls shattered, releasing a dense mana barrier that was instantly drawn into the egg. The pulse from within became noticeably more stable.
Next, Kang Jun-hyeok inspected the wood of the nest. The old, decaying timber was disrupting the energetic balance of the egg. The nest had to be structurally and elementally perfect.
Kang Jun-hyeok immediately headed outside.
‘They said only oak trees over a thousand years old should be used.’
[Pixie's Treasure Intuition]
[Pixie's Faint Miracle]
I wish to find an oak tree over a thousand years old.
By layering the Pixie's skills, he located a suitable tree in short order. Since the egg was massive, he had to fell the entire tree rather than just gathering branches. He hauled the timber back, stripped away the rotten wood, and rebuilt the nest with the ancient oak.
The work didn't stop there.
The egg needed to be kept perfectly hydrated, but ordinary water wouldn't suffice. Only the dew formed at the break of dawn was effective. Kang Jun-hyeok spent his early mornings racing through the forest to collect the dew before it evaporated, carefully moistening the shell.
Using his Observation Skill and his accumulated knowledge, he managed to meet every requirement. The Master of All Weapons muttered in genuine wonder.
[I don’t know exactly what you’re doing, but you seem to be handling this remarkably well.]
“I feel like I’m going to die from the workload, though.”
Tasks kept piling up. He had to tend to the egg twenty-four hours a day without a single moment of rest. It was clear why most people couldn't even reach the hatching stage.
“Phew.”
Finally finding a spare moment, Kang Jun-hyeok leaned his back against the warm shell and closed his eyes.
Eldiria spoke playfully.
[You’re working so hard. They say birds imprint on the first person they see when they hatch. You might actually end up becoming this little one's parent.]
“There’s no way that’ll happen.”
Kang Jun-hyeok flatly denied the idea.
Dragons were high-level life forms, not simple birds. They possessed an ego and the ability to perceive their surroundings even from within the shell. It likely viewed Kang Jun-hyeok as a Guardian—a role dragons often assigned to subordinates when raising an egg.
Eldiria clicked her tongue.
[You really have no charm, do you? You could’ve at least played along.]
[As Eldiria said, dragons have an ego even while in the egg,] the Master of All Weapons added solemnly. [This child will remember everything—from the moment it was abandoned until now.]
He continued in a low voice.
[An egg left alone without a Guardian... In the original timeline, it would have undoubtedly been born as a Dark Dragon.]
“Probably.”
Without a protector to provide such perfect care, an abandoned egg had no choice but to become a corrupted Dark Dragon.
In his past life, Kang Jun-hyeok had known a few Dark Dragons. They were prickly, foul-tempered beings, unable to bond with others, destined to run wild until they met a lonely end.
‘Come to think of it...’
There was one being who had been the most broken among all the Dark Dragons. That dragon couldn't accept the world itself. Even while waging war against the Victors, it had tried to destroy the universe by unravelling the fabric of existence.
In the end, he and the other Players had been forced to join forces to slay it.
—I... I hate you all. I hate you so much it drives me mad. I loathe this world.
Those had been the dragon’s final words. It was one of the most unpleasant memories of his past life.
The end of a Dark Dragon was always the same. Though they were children of the universe, they were so utterly broken that they could never form a connection with anyone. They could only die in solitude.
Kang Jun-hyeok stroked the egg. A quiet, rhythmic pulse thrummed against his palm.
“I hope you hatch in peace, at least in this life,” he whispered softly.
* * *
Days passed in a blur of constant labor. Kang Jun-hyeok repaired the nest, replenished the mana, and even provided light physical shocks to the shell to ensure the hatchling didn't grow lethargic. Even for him, the pace was grueling.
Boom!
Kang Jun-hyeok shattered another pearl to feed the nest's mana supply. As if it had been waiting, the egg absorbed the energy at a rapid pace.
Thanks to his total devotion, the egg was developing perfectly. Even the Master of All Weapons and Eldiria were impressed.
[You’re doing a fine job.]
[To be honest, I don’t really know what you’re doing either, but it's working. It’s not like I’ve ever raised a dragon before.]
The pulse from the egg grew louder and more vigorous. At this rate, it would hatch within a few weeks.
Coldly speaking, the act of hatching itself wasn't the hard part. Hatching it correctly was the challenge. If one just stood by and watched, it would still hatch eventually—it would just be a monster.
However, most Players couldn't even manage a simple hatching. Because there were always interferences.
Kang Jun-hyeok, who was inspecting the nest, suddenly paused. Something had tripped his senses.
Not one, but many. They hadn't stumbled upon this place by accident; they were approaching the nest with a clear, lethal purpose.
[Interlopers have arrived,] the Master of All Weapons said, his voice tinged with grim anticipation.
Kang Jun-hyeok spoke lightly toward the egg.
“I’ll be out for a bit.”
He stepped outside the cave. After a moment of waiting, his opponents revealed themselves.
Beings with obsidian horns and glowing red eyes.
Demons.
They looked startled to see Kang Jun-hyeok standing there.
“Hmm?”
“A human?”
“What? I heard there was nothing here but an abandoned egg.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kang Jun-hyeok greeted them calmly. “What brings you here?”
“...We have business with the nest behind you. If you get lost right now, we might spare your life.”
The Demons directed murderous glares at him.
Dragons were the guardians of the earth and the natural enemies of the Demon Race. However, Dark Dragons were a different story. Those broken beings were actually closer to the Demons, often attacking the world alongside them.
A Dragon egg abandoned by its mother was a golden opportunity. With just a little demonic intervention, a Dark Dragon would be born.
Caring for the egg while fending off the relentless attacks of the Demons—this was the true trial of the 35th Floor.
Kang Jun-hyeok shook his head. “Sorry, but I can’t do that.”
“Tsk.”
“A mere human doesn't know his place. In that case, die!”
The Demons clenched their fists, their Demonic Energy surging. Kang Jun-hyeok watched them charge, feeling a strange sense of irony.
Previously, on the 33rd Floor, he had helped the Demons occupy the Dwarf Kingdom. There, he had been their benefactor. But here, he was once again their sworn enemy.
‘Well, it doesn't matter.’
Kang Jun-hyeok pushed his emotions aside. He took a single step forward toward the rushing Demons.
Crunch.
The lead Demon’s chest was crushed instantly.