2. I Became a National Power-Level Dragon.
I opened my eyes to find myself lying in the mountains. It was a truly out-of-the-blue situation, but the moment I realized I wasn't in my familiar home, I thought, Ah! I must be lucid dreaming.
Convinced it was all a vivid dream, I tried slowly pushing myself up.
"Eh?"
But the instant I moved, it was like an earthquake hit—boom. A massive cannon-like roar echoed through the mountains as if the ground itself were shaking. Panicking, I froze in place, and sure enough, the rumbling stopped. Relieved it was just a sudden quake, I let out a sigh and raised my hand to wipe the sweat trickling down my forehead—or at least, that's what I tried to do. That's when I finally grasped the bizarre reality unfolding before me.
My... my hand isn't a hand!?
I deserved a medal just for not screaming at the sight. Black scales wrapped around my arm, and razor-sharp claws gleamed right before my eyes. The kicker? They moved at my command. Staring at my transformed body, I could tell something had changed. Navy-blue scales covered me—impossible for any human. The urge to shriek was overwhelming.
"Hold on, this looks familiar..."
Then it hit me: this was the character I'd customized. Was this the classic game character reincarnation trope?
...No clue! What the hell is going on—suddenly yanked into some disconnected reality!? If there was even a hint or prophecy, I could buy it!
Zero idea. Okay, let's think back. Remember what happened before I ended up here.
No clichéd reincarnation truck. No divine being. Not even a shady fortune teller. Never wrote a 5,700-character rant to some novelist like a basement-dwelling Yeopo. No plot logic at all.
...No mysterious entity to explain this mess. My mind was blank on any sensible cause!
"Alright, let's sort this out."
Calming my racing heart, I decided to piece it together step by step. I was an ordinary adult guy. Nothing special—just your average twenty-something gamer... up until I got here. I even remembered playing a high-freedom game right before. It was a TRPG-style one where you built character sheets and settings, then adventured in that world. I'd crafted my RP character with a full concept, too.
"The issue is waking up as that character, dumped on some random mountain?"
That part was fine. But becoming the character and getting abandoned on a climbable peak? That's the problem. What went wrong? Did I get too hyped over my perfect creation, laughing maniacally while kicking my PC tower? Or was it the blue screen and error after, when I mindlessly toed the power button off?
"Ugh! No memory of how I got here! Total nonsense!"
I racked my brain, but zilch. My pre-death memories ended there—no more clues. Still...
"...I liked controlling characters on screen, not becoming a real one."
Sighing at my scaled hand, I noted it was my own design, so it looked badass. But I preferred puppeteering from afar, not embodying a dragon. A plain human would've felt less alien.
"Plus, I can't just stroll home looking like this."
The real issue: I'd customized something far from ordinary!
"Sigh, if only there was a mirror—huh?"
To confirm, I wished for a mirror, and poof—an ice block appeared, reflecting my form perfectly. Startled by the sudden magic, I remembered: my character was a master of all magic. For the original dragon, conjuring mirror-ice was as easy as breathing. My heart pounded with excitement at wielding fantasy magic in a fantasy world. I checked myself out.
"Whoa. Absolutely stunning."
Over fifty meters of massive bulk, clad in flashy navy scales shimmering with gold and red highlights. Not a quadrupedal Western dragon—I stood bipedal like a human, with an Eastern vibe. Gorgeous claw-like wings matching my scales adorned my back, and the twin horns on my head felt rock-solid. Overall, less like a villainous Western beast, more like a sacred Eastern dragon in humanoid form.
"......No matter how many times I look, I'm not human—I'm a badass dragon."
Finally accepting it with my serene blue eyes, I realized heading to a city was suicide. I'd be branded a monster and mobbed by the military. Sure, my character's settings screamed invincible—even a medieval army swarm wouldn't faze me.
"Hm. But this is definitely the modern era, right?"
My sharper-than-human vision spotted a dense apartment cluster beyond the mountains, towering skyscrapers piercing the skyline—just like the modern world I remembered. Great, not a medieval fantasy where I could rampage freely, but the modern world.
"What now...?"
In a clichéd medieval setup, I'd roam wild. But here? Satellites would spot me, and modern weapons would hurt like hell. No matter my fifty-meter frame, Korea's proud artillery from the Defense Ministry would scream, "Don't underestimate modern firepower, fantasy boy!"
"If something like me exists, there might be hunters designed to take it down."
Like those novel-style superhumans slaying monsters. The thought plunged me into terror. Move carelessly, get spotted, and greedy humans would dissect my beautiful scales and organs!
"Think, brain! Left brain! Right brain! Find a way to live among people now!"
Knowing modern society's horrors, fighting was out. I needed coexistence. But every scenario ended with me as a kaiju blasted by high-tech arms. Still, one option remained.
"This character's sheet for sure..."
Recalling my pre-reincarnation sheet: a benevolent dragon, kind to the weak. Empathetic to the downtrodden, always ready to help without reward...
"Help without reward?"
...A spark. Already a dragon, might as well embrace it. Perfect mindset: enjoy the ride. Time to RP my character's sheet to the hilt. Hey, I had the life for it—pride too!
"I'll build a temple here for those who can contract with me!"
In games, dragons were often kill-on-sight, but also divine allies for contracts. Clear good/evil vibes. I'd offer no-strings contracts to visitors, building trust. Once word spreads online that I'm a friendly dragon, humans would see me as a good neighbor, not a target!
Solid plan, full of dreams and hope!
Then I'll have to vet contractors carefully.
No random deals. If contracting, make it epic—with cool people in dramatic spots. Human... er, dragon psychology.
"I've got magic. This'll make it simple."
Plan set, time to act. Invisibility spell to hide my bulk, then stand—earthquake muffled by soundproofing magic. The spot was a high peak; I'd carve a massive cave inside for my contract temple.
"Alright, time for a real man's bucket list!"
This was gonna be fun—way more than expected.