The Catastrophe-Class Dragon's Debut
Darkness.
A heavy, bottomless pitch-black void.
The sensation of fingers tapping on a smartphone screen in the corner of my room had vanished. In its place was… what should I call it? A strangely heavy and massive weight.
Scritch.
As I tried to move my fingers slightly, a metallic sound like bedrock grinding against bedrock echoed. No… that wasn't the right way to describe it. What I was feeling now went beyond the five senses; it was a sixth sense. A transcendent sensation, I suppose one could call it.
Whoosh…
Splash.
Along with the sound of waves crashing against my ears, my vision slowly brightened. I could see a spectrum of light so vast that a human retina could never hope to contain it, piercing through my eyes.
I tried to perceive myself. Two massive, sail-like wings sprouted from my back, vast enough to cover the sky. When I applied a light force to them, I felt the surrounding atmosphere scream—kugugugung.
Solid, brilliant silver-blue scales stretched toward the heavens. A transcendent tail extended so far that its end was nowhere to be seen.
A dragon.
The ruler of myths, existing only in legends…
‘My name is…’
Yuhwa.
As I realized this, the confusion gradually began to subside.
‘…A dragon. Is it because I’m a dragon? Is this what a transcendent spirit feels like?’
With a calmed mind, I recalled my final memory. A short post on an internet community I had been scrolling through while living my life as a shut-in. I remembered the comment I had left on that joke of a post, half-impulsively.
'Make me a super strong and super pretty dragon'
No way.
Did I really end up like this because of that post? The author’s nickname was clearly 'Yahweh'. Was it really that Jesus from the Bible, bored enough to write a post? It was an absurd, ridiculous notion, but the transcendent sensation dominating my entire body proved that this was, undeniably, reality.
Kuuuu…
It was then. Yuhwa felt a faint ripple. It was a human presence. A small, fragile life force approaching this way. In other words, a human.
A girl stepped into the Gate.
C-class Hunter, Han Soyi.
Before entering this Gate, Soyi recalled measuring its grade. The mana detector had clearly labeled this Gate as 'Safe'. It meant there were no threatening monsters and it was a peaceful, unexplored space with the lowest difficulty. In other words, it was a good place for a rookie like her to gain experience. Of course… it also meant there were no rewards.
“Still, it’s scary,” Soyi muttered, moistening her parched lips with tension as she crossed the dimensional boundary.
And as soon as she fully passed through the Gate, Han Soyi was stunned.
“…Crazy.”
Her jaw dropped. A vast, blue land stretched out before her, so wide she couldn't see the end. No, it wasn't land… it was the sea. An emerald-colored sea, so transparent it made her eyes ache, continued endlessly. Rippling waves and a gleaming white beach. It was an exotic, beautiful sight, as if a top-tier South Pacific resort had been cut out and pasted here.
Soyi remembered again that the grade was 'Safe'. A space this massive and valuable, yet not a single threatening monster? Perhaps this wasn't just a win, but a jackpot. If she could just hand over the ownership or tourism development rights of this space to a corporation, she could live the rest of her life without ever lifting a finger. Then, she could even save her sick younger sister.
Clutching her heart, which felt like it might burst, Soyi began to walk cautiously toward the beach.
Thump, thump.
Han Soyi’s footsteps on the soft sand trembled with excitement. Since she was near the beach right after exiting the portal, it took less than five minutes to walk there. And finally, when she arrived at the beach.
Kugugugugugu—!
The beach shook violently as if an earthquake had struck. The center of the calm emerald sea turned dark blue in an instant, and a massive whirlpool began to rage.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
Tens of thousands of tons of seawater surged toward the sky like a waterfall. Something was rising from the bottom of the sea at an incredible speed. It kept growing, and growing.
‘…’
Soyi could only stare blankly. She couldn't help but think this was what it would look like if a massive undersea volcano erupted. An overwhelming volume, as if a new island were being created in real-time. And the existence that tore through the surface was… a massive dragon, roughly 300 meters long. Silver and blue scales pulsed brilliantly, as if blessed by the heavens. Massive wings that caused a tidal wave with every movement. A dragon of such beautiful and awe-inspiring majesty, as if the dignity of a ruler from myth had been carved into reality…
“Ah…”
Soyi was completely dazed before that overwhelming sight. The intense pressure that froze even her soul left her unable to move a single fingertip. She had never seen such a monster in the records of any Hunter Association in the world. If that monster were to break through the barrier of the Gate and enter the world outside… it was certain that all civilization and the world humanity had built would perish in an instant.
Only then did Soyi understand why the grade had come out as 'Safe'. It wasn't because this space was safe. It was because the total amount of mana that dragon possessed was too transcendent and off the charts. Because it was impossible to detect with the pathetic measuring devices humanity had created… Soyi’s legs gave out, and she sank onto the white sand, just staring blankly up at the dragon.
Wooooong…
The sound of the atmosphere resonating reached her. Yuhwa looked down at the human who had collapsed on the beach, pale with fear. Fortunately, she was slowly getting used to this. She roughly knew what she could do.
‘Is it like this?’
Weaving the flow of mana to directly implant meaning into the opponent's brain… was it similar to telepathy? Yuhwa vibrated the atmosphere and conveyed her thought.
-Human. What is your name?
A grand and mysterious voice that struck directly into her brain. Soyi, gripped by an irresistible, absolute pressure, could only speak while dazed.
“H, Han Soyi… C-class Hunter, Han Soyi…”
Yuhwa looked closely at the spatial rift where Soyi had walked out. A Gate, a dimensional door flickering red in the air. If she passed through that, she would be able to leave this place too. Judging by the name Han Soyi and the title C-class Hunter, it was clearly a Hunter-world setting.
‘…A bit of a textbook cliché.’
That thought crossed her mind. And naturally, in a situation like this… one had to take on a human form.
‘I wonder what my human form looks like.’
Yuhwa guided the flow of mana and attempted to transform into a human shape. Polymorph.
The massive dragon body began to shatter into brilliant blue particles in an instant. It was a fantastic harmony where the entire sea was filled with mysterious phosphorescence. The fragments of light gathered above, intricately crafting a single silhouette. Soon, the light cleared completely to reveal her appearance.
Long hair reaching her waist, a sophisticated blend of mysterious black and cold blue. Transparent, deep blue eyes that looked as if they had been carved directly from the deep sea. And above all, an enormous chest that made the viewer’s breath hitch in an instant. Finally, a swimsuit that clung tightly to her body (it was body painting made of scales).
-Human. Is this form correct? In your head… people in places like this wore clothes like this.
The point here was to play dumb. It was a concept: she was an incredibly lewd and busty transcendent being who didn't realize it. She wanted to see others glance at her and blush. It didn't matter if they were men or women. She was a 'stacked transcendent' character who couldn't understand why they were shy.
‘Success.’
She said her name was Han Soyi. She could see her looking at her, completely lost in thought. Naturally, Yuhwa knew the meaning of that gaze very well. Of course, she played dumb.
-Why are you like that?
“A, ah, nothing… nothing at all!”
Seeing her blush, her concept almost broke, and she nearly let out a sinister laugh… No. She couldn't break character this early.
-A human form is awkward. The chest area is uncomfortable… I should go around naked next time.
“A, absolutely not…!”
-Why not?
“T, that is…!”
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
-Hmm… I see. Servant, guide me through the world. Do not worry. I have no intention of harming the world.
“Yes!”
Han Soyi jumped to her feet, and Yuhwa followed behind her, wearing a sinister smile.