Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: The Dragon's Long Slumber
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Dragons sleep.
That was their characteristic—a long winter hibernation spanning centuries.
Even a dragon queen like Pellisi couldn't defy that natural order.
"It's inevitable, I suppose."
The driving force that moved a dragon resided in its heart.
The vast mana condensed within the heart, known as the Dragon Heart, powered that enormous body.
But when that mana dwindled to nothing, it plunged into an unannounced winter slumber.
That was what happened to Pellisi—she dozed off briefly, only to wake and find the world in the midst of destruction.
"If only I could draw more from somewhere..."
There was no way to replenish the mana that moved a dragon.
Even absorbing an entire mountain range couldn't stave off sleep.
So Pellisi accepted it.
As the way of the world, something unavoidable.
That was what she thought, until she met Judak.
"Huuuh, haaaah..."
A plain short-sleeved T-shirt.
It was fabric she'd obtained at some point, trying to discern Judak's intentions.
Pellisi began her mornings by sniffing the scent from that short-sleeved tee.
As a dragon who could perceive colors, the hue of Judak clinging to it was more vivid than anything else.
It was an intensity like starving for a lifetime and then tasting rose tteokbokki for the first time.
"I want it."
She wanted it.
She wanted to possess it and store it in her lair.
Judak, the being who had come from another world.
Just inhaling that hue made her feel like her depleted mana was being filled.
No, it actually was.
"If only Judak... if only Judak were mine..."
Perhaps she wouldn't even need to sleep.
The greatest danger to a dragon—boredom?
Thanks to Judak's mysterious artifacts, she never even felt a moment of boredom.
*-Flash!*
Pellisi's polymorphed pupils tore vertically into long slits as her instincts reared up.
Possessiveness was inseparable from a dragon's existence.
When something caught their eye, they claimed it without fail.
That was a dragon...
"Uuugh..."
But soon, the red tail that had flicked out drooped limply to the floor.
"I have to endure..."
But that was only true when the dragon stood at the pinnacle of all creation.
Pellisi still couldn't forget that day's memory.
The day she glimpsed Judak's power.
The flash of light, everything turning to dust...
"How could I not want to have him?"
Act rashly, and it was instant apocalypse.
To Pellisi, this entire world was merely Judak's playground.
She had to avoid interfering with the whims of that overwhelming being.
That was why she huddled quietly in the city.
She could never possess Judak through force alone. As she pouted and pondered,
**[Concept Post: Only Lord Judak sees this in secret!]**
*(Meme of a bunny beastkin bringing both hands to her head)*
∩ >ㅅ[∩ Thanks for the fertilizer box today! Love ya!
[Likes 7645] [DisLikes 12]
- Oh my, this is quite ㅎㅎ
- You can feel the poster's character, heart, and consideration. A warm post. Hehe^^
- Judak*) *(Frog meme with bulging eyes)*
ㄴ Poster) Eek!
ㄴ Whoa, Judak commented for real
ㄴ Life achievement unlocked, bunny death;;
"Hmm?"
A concept post featuring a scantily clad bunny beastkin.
Judak had appeared like a shot and left a comment on it.
No, it wasn't just this once.
**[Concept Post: Gonna gobble up Judak!]**
*(Meme with mouth wide open and eyes bulging round)*
Waaang!
[Likes 8532] [DisLikes 12]
- Judak*) Ouch! Hehe, this is quite ㅎㅎ
ㄴ Ouch! Agreed lololol
ㄴ He finds these like a damn ghost
- Poster) So when are you coming to play!
ㄴ Judak*) .
ㄴ Poster) Hey! Answer me!
ㄴ He dodges these like a damn ghost lolol
ㄴ As expected of the great retard Judak
"Judak likes this kind of thing, huh."
Pellisi had seen Judak in person once.
It was truly a miracle.
She'd gone down to the ruins to handle Padak's duties and never imagined she'd run into Judak.
"He looked like an ordinary human man."
But she didn't buy it.
He was too ordinary, like a regular human guy.
Anyone who could so easily imprint a Gallery tab onto a dragon's mind couldn't possibly be ordinary.
No, not even knowing if it was a he, she, or it. Right, an outer god.
Trying to pin down Judak's existence—indistinguishable from an outer god—to a physical form was pure folly.
"He must have recognized me instantly."
Thinking back now, it might not have been a miracle; he could have revealed himself on purpose.
Pretending not to know despite spotting her right away... that had to mean...
"He's playing a game."
In that case, Pellisi would play along.
But since he allowed her to hover around the edges, she seized it as an opportunity.
By familiarizing herself with these nude concept posts right now.
- How to Flirt with the Opposite Sex...txt [3]
- How to Subtly Show Skin]< [12]
"...!"
She even absorbed all sorts of mortal knowledge.
For the day she could claim Judak.
"Now I'm perfect."
It was around the time she revisited the cafe after a long while.
And that's when she saw it.
*-Clang!*
"Customer?"
Judak smiling warmly at some girl he'd left behind.
*
Lately, Padak had been visiting frequently.
That existence was none other than Yongyong Will Die, protector dragon of Kelliarton.
She always took a tea-time set from me, but I hadn't realized she loved tea this much.
"Would you like some coffee?"
It was a cafe, after all, in name.
When I spoke, the shocked Yongyong pointed at Penny and stammered in awe.
"D-Daughter?"
"What...!"
I looked at Penny.
She'd grown a lot since her initial form, but did she still look that young?
"She's the clerk."
"Oh, I see."
Once I cleared up the misunderstanding, Yongyong took a deep breath and returned to normal.
"...That was shocking."
Penny, treated like a kid for a split second, just sulked off to the corner feeling down.
Yongyong stared at me intently, unusually so.
Then she took the nearest table and approached me.
"By any chance, are you open for business today?"
"Yeah, planning to run it for about an hour. Want a cup?"
"Yes, please."
As I turned to brew the coffee, the gaze prickling my back intensified.
'Did she figure it out?'
I wondered if she'd discovered I was Judak.
Dragons could sense human emotions and colors with their eyes and nose, after all.
But I soon shook my head.
'If so, no reason to pretend otherwise.'
If she knew it was me, she'd have subdued me or made a move by now.
From her perspective, I was a nuke-launch button, while the actual wielder was just human.
I had zero intention of running the shop myself.
But it was the first time, so I wiped the moisture from the towel on the table and started brewing.
"Ah."
I spilled water while pouring it into the coffee.
As I turned to grab a towel to wipe it,
"Eh?"
The towel was gone.
No joke—I looked everywhere and couldn't find it.
Thinking it a mistake, I wiped with tissue and set it aside.
Then ground the beans, put them in the filter, and went to toss the tissue.
"No way."
Even the crumpled tissue had vanished.
Glancing around, my eyes met Yongyong's inadvertently, and her posture was oddly stiff.
"It's harder than I thought..."
And an odd mutter.
"Hmm."
I slowly turned my back again and finished brewing the coffee.
Each time, I felt a stinging gaze on the back of my head.
The moment I poured the coffee into the cup and slowly turned my head.
"No more... I can't anymore."
The ominous mutter from the customer as I approached Padak with the coffee.
That's when Yongyong suddenly lifted her head.
The instant our eyes met—hers flashing not golden, but red.
"Coffee's ready."
"...!"
Yongyong's eyes went perfectly round at the coffee thrust forward.
Then she blinked at it for a long time, as if seeing something in the cup, before looking at me.
"...This is coffee?"
"Pardon?"
What, a complaint?
Looking at the cup she pointed to, I saw black liquid.
"Yeah, black coffee, right?"
"In your eyes, this looks black?"
But to Yongyong, it appeared different; she stared piercingly at the coffee, sniffing deeply for ages.
Like... yeah, a cat beholding catnip for the first time.
"The aroma, the taste, the color—it's all the same..."
After murmuring briefly, Yongyong took a sip, shuddered head to toe, and asked me.
"Um, by any chance, will you do business from now on too?"
"Yeah? Well, once a week..."
Her face lit up instantly.
"Only off one day a week? Great. When's your day off!"
"Pardon?"
What was this about?
Every second of every minute was precious for gallerying.
The cafe was just for show.
Today was just the inaugural brew; I had no plans to operate it.
"I'll only work one day a week."
"...What?"
"My main job keeps me busy."
"H-Huh, but."
Wondering if she had more to say, I met Yongyong's eyes.
She suddenly wilted, nodding dejectedly.
"Ah, I get it. If that's your will, I can't do anything about it..."
"My main job, you know."
As I said that, I glanced at the clock absentmindedly.
And I froze in shock.
17 minutes.
A whopping 17 minutes had passed.
A 17-minute gap in gallerying just to brew coffee!
"No!"
"!"
Leaving the startled Yongyong behind, I dashed desperately into the building.
Through the hidden path to the bunker, I made it home.
*-Bang!*
"Ah."
Flinging open the door, there was the Dryer sprawled awkwardly on my bed.
But no time to hesitate.
I dove straight onto the bed and swiftly opened the Gallery.
"Phew."
Fortunately, I made it into the concept posts before the gap hit 20 minutes.
**[Title: Is this skirt too short...? ]**
*(Market yogurt meme)*
You idiots lol, falling for this?
*(Elf representative image meme)*
*(Stern frontal elf meme)*
Oh, and FYI, I'm an elf.
[Likes 2011] [DisLikes 5043]
- Fuck, baited again
- As expected, retard posts are elf king's domain
- Elf king really has nothing better to do
ㄴ No way you're an elf!!!
ㄴ *(Meme of hurling trash)*
ㄴ Poster) Thanks for the enthusiastic response
"The Gallery must go on."
Seeing the idiotic bait post finally eased my anxiety, jitters, and impatience.
The cafe—perfect timing for closing, so Penny would handle cleanup.
As I scrolled to the next concept post.
- The sky stopped... what is this?...jpg [421]
"Hm?"
One title caught my eye.
These were usually either bait or real problems.
With an inexplicable unease, I clicked it.
**[Title: The sky stopped... what is this?...jpg]**
First off, I'm a farmer.
Our area's always had good rain, so farming's been solid for generations, but something's off.
*(Meme of patchy clouds in the sky)*
*(Meme of cracked, parched ground)*
Clouds are there, but no rain.
At first I was like, weird sky, whatever.
But this shit's been going on for two months straight.
Without the Market, our whole village might've died already fr.
We're barely hanging on now—what the hell is this?
[Likes 4921] [DisLikes 42]
- What, time stop?
- Legendary drought lololol
- Hey, that beast's all dried up too?
- The heavens are pissed ㄷㄷ
ㄴ Heavens don't get mad at elves? lol
ㄴ *(Frog meme charging with a knife)*
ㄴ *(Die you elf frog meme)*
"Eh?"
For a full two months, no rain had fallen from the sky.