Still Going to Work Out?
Christina headed to the kitchen, declaring she'd show off her skills for a meal with Rune after so long.
Rune introduced Heungmi and Baekya to each other, then slyly attached Rai to them.
The sparkling light spirit made for perfect bait between the two.
"Let's catch it!"
"Pip-yak!"
[O_o;;]
Udada!
Baekya and Heungmi chased after Rai's fleeing light.
Rune crossed his arms and sat in a dining chair, watching them.
Convenient.
The two were completely focused on Rai flitting just out of reach in the air.
Thanks to that, Rune naturally slipped out of their attention.
Left alone, Rune sank into thought with a relaxed mind.
Now, how should I propose it?
Monster hunting.
It was a topic hard to bring up without Heungmi's hunting urges.
This was the lair of the Gold Dragons, a light clan virtually opposed to demons.
Not only ordinary beasts, but monsters were scarce around here due to the dragon aura.
So, to hunt monsters, they'd have to head to the fields or a dungeon.
Either way, she won't approve easily.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
Protection is fine, but making it this hard just to step outside the lair?
This was overprotection.
Just then, Christina returned from the kitchen.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Dinner's ready. Bring the little ones over."
As Rune called back Heungmi nipping at Rai and Baekya pecking with its beak, the table filled with food.
Drawn by the delicious aroma, they picked their seats on their own.
Only Rai flew to Christina's side with a sweaty, nervous expression.
"I hope it suits your tastes. Dig in."
"Thanks. I'll eat well."
"Thank you!"
"Ppi-it!"
Heungmi, watching Rune, echoed the thanks, and Christina smiled warmly.
Rune bit into the simplest-looking hotcake.
"……!"
Her cooking after so long—even a single hotcake tasted divine.
The butter-syrup collab.
The chiffon texture melting softly in his mouth.
Creamy milk and savory egg flavors.
Christina smiled brightly at Rune, who stared intently at the hotcake after one bite.
"I've improved a lot, right? I researched it bit by bit during the 10 years you were asleep."
"……Yeah. It's so good, I don't know what to say."
Heungmi, who had devoured the hotcake in her mouth in an instant, grinned widely too.
"I love this! Heungmi's happy!"
"Hehe. Good, eat lots."
"Yeah!"
Haat—Heungmi cupped her fluffy cheek with one hand and shoveled hotcakes with her clumsily gripped fork.
Even Baekya, who had hesitated awkwardly at first, pecked at bread pieces with shining eyes.
This is talent too.
When surprise was this great, words failed—that was exactly it.
A taste that broke through the limits of mere snack hotcakes.
Having polished off the stacked hotcakes in a flash, he suddenly thought of a good excuse.
"By the way, the syrup and butter here—they all come from monsters, right?"
"Yes. But why do you ask?"
"Nothing much. Heungmi needs a place to hunt and play freely sometimes. How about letting her hunt monsters and gather ingredients herself?"
"Hmm…… Yeah. Even born from a rose, with demon and beastkin traits, she's not as docile as one might think."
But moments later, Christina refused firmly.
"Still, no. If going, you'd have to go with Rune. I can't send a hatchling like you somewhere dangerous."
"……I see."
Rune drooped his shoulders and hung his head.
He gazed wistfully at Heungmi gnawing a tomahawk steak bone and all.
Seeing that, Christina looked truly sorry and soothed him.
"I know you're upset, but it's unavoidable. I'll think of another way. Sorry."
"Yeah……."
Poke.
Rune ate slowly, as if deep in thought, biding his time.
Christina was responsible, but also warm-hearted.
Propose something hard to accept first, let her refuse, then offer something lighter—she'll agree more easily.
It pricked his conscience a bit, but it was necessary to escape the overprotection.
To Christina, looking awkward in the strained mood, Rune prodded gently.
"Then, how about Perdikion's lair?"
"Perdikion's lair?"
"Yeah."
Rune lifted his head with faint expectation in his eyes.
"We made a 'promise' with Perdikion, right? If I got the Seal of Fire, I'd go to his lair and make tasty food."
And Perdikion's lair has…… that dungeon for magic stones, accessible only to residents.
Rune smiled inwardly in triumph.
Dragons, who valued oaths sworn on true names.
Even if it felt like a kids' promise to eat goodies together, Christina wouldn't teach a hatchling to break promises.
Sure enough, she couldn't refuse outright.
Tough call. It's risky, but I can't lightly break Rune's first 'promise'……
Plus, it served the greater good of helping Perdikion and his fire kin bond.
Christina, unaware of his scheme, furrowed her brow in thought.
For dragons, promises are practice in upholding oaths…… I can't block a child keeping one over my worries.
Perdikion had been waiting eagerly for Rune's sleep to end anyway.
Recalling that, she nodded reluctantly.
"Alright. I was going to contact Perdikion about your awakening anyway."
"Thanks, Christina."
Rune cheered inwardly.
Abandoned Mine Dungeon.
A mine dungeon yielding the continent's finest dark and fire magic stones.
One of the lower-danger dungeons, with sparse monster spawns.
It was a place where people went to mine ores, not hunt monster byproducts.
Perdikion cleared that lair multiple times before. Excluding the boss, no real threats.
The harder and stronger the monster, the pricier its byproducts.
Weak monster drops were common, thus cheap.
So, the Abandoned Mine Dungeon was a miner’s goldmine dungeon.
Rune recalled info from inherited knowledge.
The Abandoned Mine Dungeon scales difficulty to entrants' levels—a special dungeon.
Of course, it was still a dungeon—no going unprepared.
Even its owner, Perdikion, first challenged it past age 100.
For Rune, after just 10 years asleep, it seemed quite risky.
But there's a way.
Even accounting for Pasiyas's Spartan training, young Perdikion cleared it pre-inheritance.
By forming a party.
Team play was easier than solo.
Miners of similar strength still party up for it. Worst case, sweet-talk Perdikion into joining one.
Perdikion might even come along.
He'd know the dungeon in his territory best—experience and strategies galore.
Plus, I've got that ace up my sleeve.
Rune thought of his secret item and grinned.
"You seem to have some sly scheme. Am I imagining it?"
Divine beasts and their sharp instincts.
Unlike his inward tongue-click, Rune replied with an innocent face.
"Just excited to visit Perdikion's lair."
"Hmmm……."
Christina's gaze wasn't fully convinced, but Rune said no more.
Instead, he deployed his ultimate weapon against her weakness.
Will it still work?
Rune flashed a radiant smile.
Rune Eclipse, the hatchling who usually gave only faint smiles occasionally.
Seeing him grin brightly after 10 years, Christina melted with emotion.
"Contact Perdikion quick. I wanna go soon."
"……."
Christina's eyes held a distant wistfulness.
Exactly as Rune intended.
A clanless hatchling buddying up—bound to build strong brotherhood, right?
"Whoa! Master Rune's face is like sunshine!"
No. This is ambition's face for getting what I want.
Rune replied to Heungmi inwardly, finished eating, and stood.
He needed to fetch something from the Black Room before Perdikion arrived.
Not all cursed items are bad. Used right, nothing's more ingenious.
What Rune had in mind was among the strongest cursed goods.
No ordinary curse potion, but a Black Dragon clan's dark curse elixir.
With that, clearing the dungeon in Perdikion's lair would be no sweat.
Hee-heuk.
Maybe 10 years' growth sharpened his cunning brain.
After waking early for morning training in ages, Perdikion visited Rune.
"Rune!"
"Oh, hey, bro."
His looks hadn't changed much, but his features felt sharper, more defined.
Thanks to his smile looking far more natural and bright than before.
"I waited. 10 years since your sleep started?"
"Yeah. You been good?"
"Yeah. Kept busy with stuff, and things around changed a lot."
Perdikion scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish.
His outfit's more casual now.
Unbuttoning a couple from his stuffy outer coat and shirt made him seem freer.
Perdikion no longer walked stiffly.
His limbs extended fluidly now, with casual arm crosses or hand-on-table rests—clear changes.
"Glad to hear it. Good for you, bro."
Perdikion grinned widely at Rune's nod.
"Heard from Christina. You remembered our promise to visit my lair."
"Yeah. How could I forget? Thought of it right after waking yesterday."
"Touching."
His grinning face was so affable it surprised.
He's changed tons. Even if 10 years change mountains……
A personality fixed for centuries, shifted in just 10 years.
Maybe this was his true nature, suppressed before.
As Rune gazed with subtle emotion, Perdikion shrugged with a smile.
"Shall we get seats? Brought a gift for my little bro."
At that moment, a powerful fire-infused Seal of Fire floated above his palm.