Chapter 344
Chapter 344
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 344
Chapter Title: Pantheon (3)
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Internet streamer.
A profession that had recently come into the spotlight under the name of one-person content creator, as society entered the information age and video platforms advanced.
Once info about the earnings got out, everyone and their dog jumped in, turning it into a red ocean market.
"...That last place was kinda meh, honestly. The color looked good, but it felt like they dumped in way too much MSG. Personal rating: 4 out of 10! I had high hopes, but it didn't live up to the hype."
The young man chattering away into his smartphone connected to a selfie stick on the street—Hong Dusik—was one of those riding the wave.
His main content was hunting down hidden gem eateries.
Truth be told, he knew jack about fine dining, but he had confidence in sounding convincing enough. That's why he'd dove in headfirst with high ambitions...
'Ugh, why's no one tuning in today? Maybe I need to go more sensational.'
His average viewers barely cracked double digits, and the views on his clumsily self-edited videos on the video platform were pitiful.
He'd mobilized family accounts and begged friends for help to game the algorithm as much as possible, but still!
"Next up, dessert! This crepe street vendor's been getting a bit of buzz on SNS lately. Let me try it myself and..."
Today was just another ordinary day, same as always.
The kind of boring routine that made him think about ditching it all for a part-time gig.
Yeah.
Right up until that happened.
Zzzzt—!
A sparking sound like high-voltage current surging.
"Huh...?"
The sudden noise came with a prickling sensation racing through his body.
He froze mid-step, goosebumps erupting on his skin without him realizing.
Hong Dusik wasn't the only one reacting to the anomaly.
Everyone around halted what they were doing, staring blankly toward the source—the sky.
His head slowly tilted upward to join them.
Crackle—!
Was this what they meant by "bolt from the blue"?
Amid the clear sky, violent sparks flashed wildly in the center.
'Wait, no way... that's...!'
A chill ran down his spine like he'd been doused in ice water, his stunned mind kicking into overdrive.
Anyone could see that was an Ability manifestation.
A massive one, with zero prior warning!
Which meant...
'Awakener terrorist attack!'
Crisis gripped him to the core.
Lately, vigilante groups like Haeoe-tal and Phantom had been active, making security in Korea—especially Seoul—better than it had been in ages.
That's a big reason he'd chosen outdoor activities as his core content...
Crackle! Zzzzt—!
The sparks overhead were growing larger.
He was a plain old civilian with zero ties to Abilities, yet somehow he instinctively knew.
If that 'thing' burst all at once, he'd vaporize without a trace from this distance.
'Ah, I haven't even gotten a girlfriend yet!'
A lifetime of regrets flashed by in a jumble.
Even amid it all, he instinctively swung the camera toward the sky, capturing the bizarre phenomenon.
Whether it was some pathetic journalistic instinct as a streamer or basic human drive to document his doom, even he couldn't say.
Fwaaah—
Then, from the spark's center, a blinding golden radiance erupted.
And right after.
[GRRROOOAAARRR—!]
With its arrival—a bone-chilling roar swept the area.
Rumble—
"Gyaaah! Ack!"
"Kyaah!"
"What? What the hell is that?!"
In that split second.
Fierce winds whipped up, turning the surroundings into instant pandemonium.
This chaos wasn't confined to the immediate area.
The entire district where that colossal form was visible and its cry reached felt the impact.
Hong Dusik stared up, body trembling under the overwhelming pressure radiating from the being.
A lifeform dozens of meters long, wings flapping as it swam through the air above, its entire body cloaked in golden light.
"Dragon...?"
Of course, he'd never seen one in real life. But facing it, the name sprang to mind naturally.
It was such a staple in games, comics, and media—overexposed to the point of familiarity.
One nagging detail amid it all, though—
'But what's that?'
The massive orb clutched in the golden dragon's jaws.
Something he'd never seen before, yet felt like he knew the name.
"...Dragon Pearl?"
Another layer of confusion piled onto his reeling mind.
It looked like a classic Western dragon, yet holding an Eastern-style Dragon Pearl? What kind of hybrid was this?
'Hmm, nah. That might just be my preconceptions.'
Come to think of it, what did he know? He'd never laid eyes on dragons or wyrms in person.
Not when a real one was looming right there in reality.
Guess all that media had boxed him into stereotypes.
Lost in dazed thoughts, his mind suddenly snapped alert.
"W-Wait, a real f-f-freaking dragon?! For real?!"
His chaos-addled brain finally clocked the situation.
In simple terms, this mess was...
Earth's skies.
Right over central Seoul.
A dragon had appeared.
A real, live one.
💬 Live Chat — Viewer123 ??? — FoodieFan What's going on? Is this for real? — PanicMode Insane, it's real! Shit’s hitting the fan outside right now! — WTFGuy What is happening?! His dazed gaze caught the smartphone chat exploding in chaos.
Sporadic messages scrolled up rapidly, viewer count climbing steadily.
Everyone was freaking out over the dragon on his feed.
'...Y'know, this spot really is prime real estate.'
Not too far, not too close—just right, with no obstructions for a full shot of the beast.
As shock swelled his courage, greed started creeping into his fear-frozen heart.
'This could be my big break?'
First footage of a dragon in the modern world—a scoop of scoops!
Hong Dusik swallowed hard, gripping his phone tight.
Logically, he should bolt. But reason had left the building.
'My streaming career starts now!'
'Scoop! Gotta capture this!'
'Jackpot! SNS is gonna explode...!'
And in vast, crowded Seoul, he wasn't the only one thinking that.
Safety-blindness at its finest?
Amid the fleeing masses, folks started pulling out lenses to film this history-maker.
True to the information age, the news rocketed across Korea...
No, the whole world via the net.
Carrying majestic images of Horus over Earth.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'Talk about effective.'
Truth be told, unleashing Horus out of nowhere was a bit rash.
Especially popping the Elder Dragon’s Heart right away for a full-grown dragon form.
'But this was the surest way.'
In essence, shock therapy.
Any Awakener worth their salt would've sensed it the moment they spotted the dragon cruising the skies.
That thing didn't belong to this world.
Couldn't possibly.
Not like vampires, werewolves, or undead—pseudo-humans derived from mankind. This was a species fundamentally alien to Earthlings from the ground up.
That was the dragon's place: apex predator across most dimensions.
'High Elf Harris would've been a solid backup, but Horus crushes it visually.'
No contest between a slender fairy-like elf male and a titanic, dozens-of-meters dragon.
Mission accomplished, big time.
Though a minor... hiccup arose in the process.
The room where Heinrich's interview had been underway moments ago.
"......"
"...Sigh."
Those who'd oohed and aahed at the gold dragon's spectacle from prime seats now rubbed weary eyes.
One change: the attendees weren't just the original conferees.
At least double the heads now.
Their grave stares locked on one corner of the conference room.
Munch munch.
A small munching sound echoed in the heavy air.
Ignoring the piercing glares, a kid perched on a tall chair swung tiny legs idly while stuffing snacks—Horus, the gold dragon.
The true star, outshining even Heinrich.
"...Let me apologize once more. My haste inconvenienced everyone."
As eyes converged on Horus, Heinrich bowed with renewed apologies.
Obviously, a massive dragon popping up over the city couldn't just slide.
"Ha, haha..."
"...It's fine. Water under the bridge."
"Heh, no helping it. We should've warned you sooner."
Total mayhem.
Emergency sirens blared nonstop, massive magic barriers activated, swarms of Guardians and Awakener combat units poured in from all sides.
Even Yoon Jiyoon, one of Korea's top-three—Thunder Sovereign—rushed over crackling with lightning.
Horus had restrained his aura maxing out Polymorph release and Elder Dragon’s Heart use, of course.
This was Seoul, heart of the Republic of Korea, after all.
Full-power dragon fear from serious-mode Horus? Catastrophic disaster.
Most civilians here had crap Ability resistance—could've been a bloodbath.
'I wanted global headlines by escalating, but with care taken and Saint Heinrich here, no major casualties.'
Some damage now, but nothing severe, thankfully.
Though cleanup had these folks—and extras—working overtime.
"That kid was the dragon...?"
"Heavens, a creature straight out of another world shows up on Earth. Another upheaval incoming."
"Can't picture it matching that earlier form. If not for the insane mana in that tiny body, I'd never buy it."
"...Cute."
Anyway, all per plan.
No one here—or who'd heard of the fiasco—doubted Heinrich hailed from another world now.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Pantheon US headquarters.
"Pfft—!"
Tea sprayed from the relaxed secretary enjoying her tea time.
Her eyes shook like an earthquake.
"...What the hell?"
Reflected in her pupils: breaking news from halfway across the globe.
A massive monitor in the lounge corner showed a gorgeous creature flapping wings proudly, a mystical orb in its maw.
"Dragon...? Why's it on Earth...?"
In Seoul, Korea, of all places.
Exactly where Heinrich—the saint of Aouterica—and Pantheon's investigators were set to meet!
A sinister unease crept up her legs.
Her superhuman instincts screamed.
'...Hold on. If this is...'
Something had gone wrong.
Terribly wrong.