Even Among Heroes, Class Makes a Difference
“Waaah!”
At last, our first child was born.
Sweat-soaked Silvina cradled the baby to her chest, her face weary as she shared her thoughts.
“I thought my insides were ripping apart... It still stings...”
“G-Good job.”
“I see... So half-dragons are born like this. Even more painful and difficult than I expected...”
“Huh? Dragons aren't normally born this way?”
Silvina offered her breast to the newborn as she replied.
“Dragons hatch from eggs, you know. So it's not giving birth to a baby, but laying an egg. And they lay eggs in their true dragon form, not humanoid.”
“Ah... So mating happens in dragon form too...?”
Imagining apartment-sized dragons in that position felt oddly disconcerting.
“You seem to be having some very rude thoughts right now. Correct them quickly...”
To sum up her explanation:
Dragons typically resonate their Dragon Hearts with each other, instantly ovulating and implanting an egg.
Fitting for the pinnacle race called dragons.
Even the process of conception felt majestic.
“Right. When are you going to name her?”
I'd been bringing it up since the pregnancy.
Silvina had kept putting off the decision.
“...As expected, you should name her. She'll interact with you far more than with me. It'd be best if you choose a name that's comfortable for you.”
“That's some weird logic for deciding. Is that normal for dragons?”
I just shrugged it off.
It wasn't the first time Silvina had done something eccentric.
Usually, it was just cultural differences causing mishaps...
“No. Dragons choose names carefully too.”
“Then why?”
“What do you think?”
It was a loaded question.
When I didn't answer right away, Silvina gave a hint.
“Recall why we decided to have a child.”
“...”
I nodded repeatedly, as if understanding.
Remembering how we came together.
What we'd do once we broke the seal and returned to the world outside.
It was a moment to confront the reality I'd let myself forget in sentimentality.
We divided childcare duties by category.
Silvina handled training for draconic growth.
I taught common sense for living in human society.
For reference, I named our firstborn Mirua.
“Mirua. Come here.”
“Hehe, Daddyyy!”
It combined mir—the old Korean word for dragon from my Earth days in Korea—with a, meaning child.
Though Silvina and I were total novices at parenting, things went smoother than expected.
Even as a half-dragon, was she still a dragon at heart?
Teach Mirua one thing, and she'd grasp a hundred.
No minor illnesses, grew strong on anything we fed her.
She'd already grown to look about ten years old, not even a month after birth.
“Dragons grow this fast normally? The pregnancy was only about three months too.”
“It's thanks to Mirua's will to be born quickly and grow swiftly.”
A moment that let me feel the overwhelming cheat of draconic blood.
“Alright, Mirua. Watch and learn carefully. This is a skill you'll use someday with your future husband... Ow! Why'd you hit me?”
“What were you about to show the child? No. Mirua, go play over there for a bit.”
“Hng...”
It was around the day I thought I'd grown used to Silvina's sudden whims.
About twelve weeks into her second pregnancy.
Silvina was aiming some spell at her slightly bulging belly.
“What are you doing?!”
My hero-honed instincts screamed to stop that magic, so I shouted to halt her.
Silvina replied with an indifferent expression.
“A defect was found in this child. Likely a genetic issue unique to half-dragons. Come to think of it, Mirua was the lucky one.”
I knew it in my head.
Our relationship was purely business.
Having children was just part of that business.
Ultimately, the burden of carrying and birthing fell on her.
She held more say in decisions, naturally.
It was for breaking the seal—reason enough on her side.
I knew all that.
“How bad is the defect?”
“If my guess is right, she'll be at least ten times weaker than Mirua.”
“Just born weaker? No deformities or anything?”
“Not that, but...”
That was when it happened.
“Then I'll get ten times stronger than now!”
Mirua had snuck up beside us and yelled.
“Mirua?”
“Daddy wants a little sister, right? Then I'll work harder for Daddy! So... can we?”
Her last plea was directed not at me, but Silvina.
Silvina slowly looked back and forth between me and Mirua.
Then she lowered her head and stroked her belly.
“If we break the seal and enter hibernation... someone will need to care for my defenseless self.”
“Y-Yeah! We can leave that to our second daughter!”
We somehow persuaded her.
Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief.
“You there.”
“Yeah?”
“As you see, I am such a being.”
What was she on about now?
I was starting to tense up preemptively.
“What?”
“Our sensibilities don't align at a fundamental level, human. I'm warning you early since you seem more sentimental than you look.”
“Wait. So just now was on purpose...?”
Shh.
Silvina pressed her index finger to my lips.
A gesture to say no more.
“I am the evil dragon. Never forget that.”
“Heh heh. Hehehe...”
A man lounged arrogantly on the Demon King's throne in the Demon King's Castle, legs splayed wide.
The ruler of all demons was in an ecstatic mood.
'I never hoped it'd go this smoothly! How have humans not changed a bit in thousands of years?!'
This wasn't his original plan.
But look at that.
The hero's annoying comrades had sealed the evil dragon—and tossed in the hero himself for good measure.
'At first, I thought losing the evil dragon, our ace, would hurt. But locking up that damn hero too? Pure profit. Hell yeah!'
It wasn't the hero he feared.
The problem was the Holy Sword he wielded.
Among heroes the Demon King had faced, this one handled the Holy Sword best.
Others drew 30-50% of its power at best; he pulled 70% baseline, up to 90% in crises.
Lucky accident or not, the Demon King wouldn't take it lightly.
He was sick of defeat.
He decided to analyze past events for what aided him.
'A hero with that talent wouldn't logically be discarded with the evil dragon. His comrades wouldn't decide that alone... So?'
The hero's party always slipped away like eels on the Goddess's revelations.
Goddess's revelation.
Goddess.
'Aha...'
The Demon King grinned slyly.
The missing puzzle piece clicked into place.
His internal spies gave insight into the heavens' affairs.
'In that light, the current hero was probably... not one Tarantiel picked herself?'
Tarantiel had been suspected of slacking—her handpicked heroes kept failing—earning ire from heaven's higher-ups, sidelining her temporarily.
The current hero was likely chosen by an obscure angel filling in.
'Poor Tarantiel. An obscure angel's pick outshines her elites... Couldn't stomach the ego bruise.'
If she'd separated duty from grudge, he'd have taken a longer road.
The Demon King laughed uproariously, shoulders shaking.
Whoosh!
“My liege. I come with urgent news.”
Black aura gathered in the empty throne room's center, forming a figure.
Egela, the Demon King's favored right-hand, a High Demon.
“Report.”
“The Altania Kingdom has summoned a new hero, collaborating with the Church.”
Urgent? Mildly interesting, thought the Demon King.
No real threat, despite vigilance.
Tarantiel had proven her incompetence again with the sealing fiasco.
Her new hero would be predictably mediocre.
His real interest was the Holy Sword.
“Any word on the Holy Sword?”
“The heavens won't supply a new one immediately.”
The Demon King nodded in satisfaction.
“Of course. Having one shattered—their millennial treasure—they won't hand over another lightly.”
If the new hero shone, heaven might shift, but doubtful.
Curiosity piqued about the successor.
“Egela. My command: Assign someone to monitor the new hero's movements and report steadily.”
“As you decree, eternal King of Demons.”
Right in the heart of the Altania Kingdom's capital.
The Demon King's sudden throne room intrusion shocked the kingdom—and continent.
Dubbed the 'Altania Demon King Descent Incident,' three months had passed since that historic event.
Amid bloodcurdling days as demon forces nibbled away—not conquering, but tormenting.
Altania finally held a hero summoning ritual with the Tarantiel Church.
Goddess Tarantiel had learned her lesson, somewhat.
During her brief absence,
A substitute angel picked a Korean from Earth's dimension—and that hero shone brilliantly.
The angel got promoted to high rank.
Tarantiel, noting the success, chose another Korean hero.
But she didn't know.
The angel had vetted candidates thoroughly beforehand.
“Welcome, Hero! To the Altania Kingdom!”
“No way! This is the legendary isekai summoning I've only heard about...! And I'm the hero?!”
Oh Deok-hun, emerging from the summoning circle, adapted quickly.
His odd phrases and antics were shrugged off as quirky charm.
“These will be your comrades from now on.”
One day,
The previous hero's comrades gathered.
To support the new hero, Oh Deok-hun.
Heroes grow stronger with comrades—stronger comrades amplify that.
Altania logically assigned veteran supporters.
“Nah. Sorry, but no way on them.”
“Pardon? What do you mean...?”
Oh Deok-hun eyed the group and wagged his finger side to side.
“Tsk tsk. I've heard some things since arriving. You guys were with the hero summoned before me, right?”
“What's that got to do with anything?”
“Big problem! They're sluts! S-L-U-T-S, ripped right from the heart of the word!!!”
Everyone gave up decoding his ravings.
His antics weren't new.
“S-Slut? I've never been so insulted! Do you know who I am?!”
“Calm down, Hailey. He's clearly clueless about the world. We just need him to have hero skills.”
Clepin soothed the bristling Hailey.
Belnusha offered Oh Deok-hun a prepared crystal orb.
“This measures your mana, Hero. Its strength will guide your training.”
“Hmph! How's it work?”
“Place your hand on it—it'll glow. Brightness determines the reading.”
“Hahaha! Everyone, avert your eyes! It might blind you with sheer brilliance!”
The hero confidently touched the orb.
Shiiiine...
Unlike his hype, the glow was candle-faint—and murky.
“...”
Belnusha stared, eyes trembling.
Oh Deok-hun scowled in disbelief.
“Wh-What? Broken? ...Ah, I get it! My power's too immense for accurate measurement—classic cliché!”
“Ahaha... Y-Yeah, could be. Past heroes all grew fast despite starting weak. No need to despair.”
“It's fine! Just don't faint when the great hero rises soon! Hahaha!”
His words weren't just for himself.
Kingdom and church officials gathered with expectations.
Even the previous hero's party, reunited for the world's fate.
“What is that...? My hero's shone way brighter and clearer...”
Coco's disappointed mutter faded under Oh Deok-hun's booming laugh.