Arcana Online
Something enormous was approaching me from inside the iron bars.
The kind of size that wouldn’t have seemed strange even if it had shaken heaven and earth with a deafening roar—but there was no sound at all.
A shadow, creeping closer and closer.
A moment of tension.
Beyond the bars, I could finally make out the shape of a person.
Only then did I see her clearly.
A woman with long, straight black hair as dark as night, white skin, and eyes that gleamed like rubies.
She wore a luxurious dress and carried an enchanting, almost intoxicating air about her.
I stared blankly at her, and then she smiled and swept one hand through the air. In that instant, the iron bars vanished.
No, they turned to dust and disappeared.
So startled I couldn’t speak, my body trembling out of control, I froze as she slowly approached and raised the same hand again.
The moment I squeezed my eyes shut—
“Little one, don’t be afraid. I meant you no harm.”
With a gentle voice, she stroked my head with a warm hand.
When I opened my eyes again and looked up, she was smiling.
“Thanks to you, little one, I was able to break free of my seal. Thank you. Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? I am the Demon Dragon King, Ernia.”
You have broken the seal of the Demon Dragon King, Ernia.
Fame +100,000
You are the first traveler to encounter the Demon Dragon King, Ernia.
Fame +100,000
Beginner Tip: The higher your fame, the better your relationships with the residents of this world will become, and you can also purchase items from the Fame Shop.
I didn’t understand a single word of it.
What I was curious about was something else.
I didn’t take long to voice the thought that had been turning over in my head.
“Lady Ernia? If it’s not rude, may I ask why you were sealed away?”
For a split second, her expression stiffened, but as if nothing had happened, she said she’d tell me when the time was right, then asked for my name.
“Little one, may I know your name?”
“My name is Yuna.”
“Yuna. That’s a lovely name for a little one.”
Something appeared and then vanished in an instant.
I had seen my name in blue lettering, but maybe that was just my imagination?
I turned my head away for a moment, then looked back at Lady Ernia, and she seemed to be holding something?
She handed it to me.
The round object looked like something used to keep an egg.
Incubator
Can hatch any egg.
“This is a gift. With this, our Yuna will be able to hatch the egg you have.”
“How did you know I have an egg!?”
“There are ways of knowing everything.”
Lady Ernia, who had been smiling brightly, now wore a regretful expression.
“I’d like to take you with me, but you can’t leave this area, little one.”
Beginners couldn’t leave the area around the starting village, Cradle, until they reached a certain level.
“When the time comes, I’ll come and get you. Until then, behave yourself, my little one.”
With those final words, a fierce wind blew. I shut my eyes, and when I opened them again, everything around me had changed.
One moment I’d been inside a cave, and the next I was standing alone in an open meadow.
The sun had moved on in the meantime; the sky was already turning gold with sunset.
I wondered if I’d dreamed it all, but the incubator in my hand proved that I hadn’t.
You are the first human to survive an encounter with the Demon Dragon King, Ernia.
Fame +100,000
You have obtained Ernia's Mark!
Wait, hold on—first...? Then up until now...?
And what was this mark supposed to be...?
I couldn’t make sense of what had happened.
Still, there was something more important right now.
I set aside my confusion for the moment and looked down at the incubator in my hands.
She said this would let me hatch the egg.
I took the egg out of my inventory.
???'s Egg
I had no idea what it was.
When I placed the egg into the incubator, an alert window appeared.
It will hatch after 72 hours.
Three days!? That’s a long time.
I worried I’d have to keep carrying it around, but thankfully it was fine even if I put it back in my inventory.
It was getting too late, so I was about to head back to the village when I ran into goblins.
Not one or two goblins, either, but an entire tribe.
Dozens of goblins were staring at me.
I panicked so badly I couldn’t even think about pulling out my staff, and I stood there trembling in fear when—
“Kruk! Young human! Kruk! Come with us!”
“Kruk! Young human! Kruk! Don’t be scared!”
Goblins that could speak human language.
And on top of that, they were trying to reassure me...?
With shaky steps, I followed the goblins, and far off in the distance I saw a tiny village.
It looked like the goblin tribe’s home.
Th-that aside, were they planning to do something weird to me!?
I’d seen it in comics—goblins were the embodiment of lust.
Humans dragged off by goblins always ended up—!
“Kruk! Young human! Kruk! Drink!”
As soon as we entered the village, they handed me water.
Th-there’s no way they put some weird drug in this, right...?
Ah, it’s delicious.
“Kruk! Young human! Kruk! If you keep going with this, you’ll see the human village!”
“Kruk! Be careful, young human! Kruk! There are many violent creatures out at night!”
They looked at me with worried eyes and handed me an item.
Goblin Clan Token
If you carry this token, monsters will not attack you for a certain period of time.
“Th-thank you...?”
“Kruk! Farewell, young human! Kruk! And I have a favor to ask!”
Quest: Find the Goblin Child Who Ran Away from the Goblin Tribe
A young goblin has run away from home. Bring it back to the village or return its token.
Reward: ???
There was no way this was what I thought it was... right?
With trembling hands, I took an item out of my inventory.
Goblin Necklace
Old and shabby, but it seems to have a story behind it.
When I handed it to the goblin, it made a sad face.
“Kruk! So it returned to nature’s embrace!”
“U-um...”
“Kruk! It’s all right, young human! Kruk! You don’t need to comfort me, kruk! More importantly, thank you, kruk! Take this too!”
"Goblin Grimoire"
Randomly grants you a skill.
The moment the goblin that had handed me the grimoire clicked the necklace, a tiny photo slipped out.
A photo of all the goblins together.
“Kruk! A human mage took this picture of our tribe long ago!”
“......”
“Kruk! If I find the one who hurt that child, I’ll never forgive them!”
I couldn’t say a word.
After the goblins saw me off from the village, I set back out on the road.
As I walked, idly fiddling with the Goblin Clan Token, I spotted a slime in the distance.
Th-there’s no way slimes have families too, right?
When I approached the slime, it didn’t attack me, probably because of the token, and just stared at me blankly.
“U-um, do you happen to have a family too?”
“......”
No answer came back.
From now on, I’m going to ask about family first before I hunt anything.
I passed the slime and kept walking until the entrance to the starting village came into view.
The gate was packed with people bustling about in a frenzy.
Was something going on?
Everyone was fully armed and moving with uncanny coordination.
When I got closer, the guard uncle spotted me and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“She’s back!!”
At that shout, the people who had been rushing about all turned to look at me, relief washing over their faces.
What was going on?
Then, from among the crowd, Bell noona came running out. She wasn’t wearing the white apron she’d had on at the inn, but a robe that looked like something a mage would wear.
The moment she reached me and pulled me into a hug, something felt wrong.
Bell noona looked at me with horror written all over her face.
“W-what is this...?”
*
*
*
Even though it was late, Yuna still hadn’t returned.
She’s late today. The thought had only just crossed my mind when I felt an ominous presence.
I wasn’t the only one who sensed it; Charles appeared looking as pale as a sheet.
“Y-you felt that just now!?”
“I did. I was hoping it was just my imagination, but it wasn’t.”
“I’m declaring an emergency. More importantly, where’s Yuna?”
“She still hasn’t come back, so d-don’t tell me...”
“Damn it! I’ll gather everyone as fast as I can and start a search!”
Just as we were mobilizing the village’s forces and preparing to search in the direction of that sinister presence, a loud voice rang out.
“She’s back!!”
The instant I heard it, I rushed outside and saw Yuna.
She looked perfectly at ease, as if nothing had happened, and I felt my relief rush in—until something felt deeply wrong.
The moment I ran up and hugged her, I felt the aura of a dragon.
So it had happened after all.
Yuna had become a dragon’s target.
Dragons regarded humans as nothing more than toys for amusement.
Once they grew bored, they erased all trace of their presence and returned to their lair.
There was only one way to save Yuna.
Master, I’m sorry.
I promised I would never take another disciple, but it looks like I won’t be able to keep that promise after all.