Chapter 53
Chapter 53
53. Yong-yong
After sending Lee Shin-hee and Min-jae away, Uncle and I headed to a nearby deserted lot. It was to feed Yong-yong a quasi-elixir.
We didn't know what might happen during the growth process. And Uncle couldn't enter the Subspace either.
"It'd be better to tell Min-jae and Shin-hee soon."
"I agree."
We didn't know if Yong-yong would grow or not, but it was a bit of a shame that the Guild members couldn't see him together.
They adored Yong-yong as much as Uncle and I did.
Even Lee Shin-hee, who rarely showed emotion, would stare intently at Yong-yong during breaks at the training center.
It also felt like the secret about the Subspace was creating some distance between us and the Guild members.
"Or should we not? Is it too early?"
"You just said it'd be better to tell them."
"I'm just being cautious."
Originally, I hadn't planned to tell them now. We hadn't known each other for very long.
It's a short time to trust someone. There are scammers who deceive people for years, aren't there?
Of course, I didn't think Lee Shin-hee or Min-jae would be like that. Rationally, the chances of the secret leaking were slim.
Min-jae keeps seeing Grimoires coming out of me, and it'd be hard for Lee Shin-hee to find teammates as good as us.
"I think it'd be okay."
They were people I could've told about most things a long time ago, but my abilities were just too extraordinary.
It wasn't that there weren't moments when I thought about telling them, but I had to be as careful as possible.
"Yeah. We haven't known them long, but they seem like good people."
"Right."
Min-jae has ties to Saebyeokbit, and Lee Shin-hee is from a considerable chaebol family that invested in us. They definitely weren't strange people.
It was a bit awkward to call them back now, but I thought we could find an opportunity soon.
"We're here."
After confirming that there was no one nearby, I took Yong-yong out of the Subspace. As soon as I took him out, he fluttered in my hand.
-Krrr!
He playfully bit my hand, asking to be let go, as if he wanted to fly. I had trained him a bit, so it didn't hurt.
When I let him go, he fluttered, trying to fly, then turned his face and rubbed it against his body as if he was ticklish.
It looked like a cat chasing its tail, which was quite cute.
Then, as I went to get the quasi-elixir from the Subspace, Chunbae opened his mouth.
-Just in case, I recommend feeding him both. A 'trigger' is needed for growth, but you have to be sure.
That's right. I still had the Snow Ginseng I received from the Association and the cold resistance quasi-elixir. There was no problem giving him both fire-related growth elixir.
Since I was already here, I set up the ice-related quasi-elixir and handed it to Uncle.
"This is for you, Uncle."
"Is it a quasi-elixir?"
"Yes. It doesn't have an immediate effect like an Elixir, but if you keep taking it, your cold resistance will build up."
"Thank you."
Yong-yong scratched my calf at my feet, as if he could feel the heat coming from the fire-related growth elixir.
He was writhing, asking for it quickly, so I threw it to him right away.
-Crunch!
Yong-yong chewed it diligently. After eating one, he immediately brought his mouth to the one next to it.
"Don't you feel some heat?"
"I do. Is it because it's a fire-related Elixir?"
-Krrr!
Then, Yong-yong, who had eaten all the Elixirs, twisted his body as if something was tickling him and growled.
It was that moment.
-Whoosh!
Yong-yong's body was engulfed in rough flames. It wasn't for nothing that we felt the heat.
Of course, the situation itself was very embarrassing. Uncle was horrified.
"Yong-yong!"
I hurriedly grabbed Uncle, who was running towards him. He was separated from Yong-yong and didn't have Elemental Adaptation.
"Uncle, calm down. Yong-yong is a Red Dragon. I haven't used Elemental Adaptation yet."
"Ah."
Uncle stopped, realizing it belatedly. We stared at the flames without a word.
I could feel the heat even with my Grade A Fire Resistance. It was very hot.
-Krrr!
At that moment, there was a change within the flames, along with Yong-yong's cry. A black shape began to appear inside the flickering flames.
And the black shape began to grow larger and larger. It felt like we were watching him evolve, not just grow.
And soon the flames began to subside. Unlike how it suddenly appeared, it gradually decreased in size.
It was as if it was being absorbed into Yong-yong inside. And Yong-yong revealed his appearance.
"Huh? He's, he's bigger!"
He had definitely grown. He wasn't the level of the Red Dragon I saw back then. He wasn't an adult, but more like an adolescent?
Still, it was a huge change.
He was definitely small enough to fit in Uncle's hand, but now he was as tall as a person.
-Krrr!
Yong-yong approached, growling softly as if he was in a good mood, but I could still feel a slight heat.
I stroked him as he rubbed his face against me.
Even though he had grown a little, he was still cute. The Dragon back then was scary, but is it because I know this one?
"Yong-yong, are you okay?"
Uncle reached out worriedly, and Yong-yong put his face in Uncle's hand as if to say he was okay.
Uncle was startled.
"Ouch, that's hot."
"Use Elemental Adaptation quickly."
Come to think of it, their relationship had improved a lot. At first, Yong-yong had smacked Uncle's hand with his tail.
Maybe it's because we used Dragon Unison a lot and were together, but they got along quite well.
Then Yong-yong began to flap his wings. He kicked off the ground and soared into the air. And he flew.
He had succeeded in flying!
"That's amazing...?"
"It reminds me of Minseok's first steps. Hehe."
"People usually fall when they take their first steps, but he's good at flying from the start."
"But you know."
Then Uncle looked at Yong-yong and said.
"Doesn't this mean we can ride Yong-yong?"
"Huh?"
Being as tall as a person meant he was also quite wide. It seemed possible enough.
"Should we try it right away?"
We hurriedly called Yong-yong. Uncle got on his back as soon as Yong-yong came down.
He was about to fly right away, but I suddenly became worried.
"Be careful."
It would be a disaster if he fell. No matter how strong Uncle is, he'll die if he falls from too high.
Uncle seemed to realize it belatedly, and his expression stiffened slightly.
"Hmm. But I have Dragon Unison, so I doubt I'll fall."
"Yong-yong might not be able to handle it. It's his first flight too. Fly low, fly low."
After a moment of thought, Uncle looked at me with a serious face.
"Hye-ya."
"Yes."
"Can you resist flying on a Dragon?"
Hmm. Since the question was serious, I thought about it seriously too.
"I don't think I can resist."
"Right. Besides, I'm a Dragon Knight, aren't I?"
Well, that's how it happened. Uncle used Dragon Unison, and Yong-yong took off. Higher, higher.
However, there was no sign of anxiety.
"Hahaha! Hye-ya! I'm flying, I'm flying!"
I could hear Uncle's hearty laughter. There was only one thought that came to mind when I saw that.
I want to ride too...!
"Come down after riding enough! Let me ride too!"
However, my voice didn't seem to reach Uncle. He was starting to fly far away.
"Hey! Where! Where are you going!"
About 10 minutes passed like that. While Uncle still hadn't returned, the Guild chat room rang.
-Min-jae: Hyung, is that real?
-Lee Shin-hee: (Emoji with question marks)
-Me: What?
-Min-jae: Cheol-gi Hyung riding Yong-yong is on the news?
Huh. It's already on the news?
No, how far did this Uncle go?
-Me: Yeah, he suddenly got big on the way home….
I had to clean up the situation, so I roughly made excuses.
-Min-jae: Wow, I should have been there too ㅜ
And a little later, Uncle, who had returned, scratched the back of his head, unaware of the commotion.
"Tsk. We need a saddle. I almost fell a few times. I would have died if it wasn't for Dragon Unison."
Normally, he wouldn't fly that far... I didn't say anything because I thought he must have had a lot of pent-up feelings.
"Should we contact Seo Woong?"
But there was no need.
Seo Woong called us first.
.
.
.
The world's only Dragon's growth.
And a Dragon Knight flying around the city on a Dragon.
It was only natural that it became a hot topic.
[The Growing Dragon and the Soaring Dragon Knight]
-Wow, wtf;; Is this real life?
-The swag is crazy.
-Didn't they predict it would take several years for the Dragon to grow?
-At least several years, I even thought it would take tens or hundreds of years. What in less than half a year
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Isn't it a little over 3 months instead of half a year?
-Wow, is that even possible
-I thought it would be okay because the Dragon Knight Skill can be used even if the Dragon is a baby, but it really grew up and is flying around?
-I'm seriously so jealous, I'm so freaking jealous
Everyone's reactions were understandable.
When Yong-yong appeared and Uncle returned, people all over the world, not just in Korea, were enthusiastic, but what they focused on was the 'future'.
A baby Dragon and a low-level Dragon Knight wouldn't show great activity right away.
What would happen when the Dragon grows and the Dragon Knight's level rises?
'There were a lot of skeptical people.'
Since Dragons don't exist on Earth, there was no information. Most works of fiction said it would take hundreds of years.
Even if it was decades, Uncle was already too old.
But today's events extinguished all those negative opinions.
-Wow ㅋㅋ Isn't that SSS-class instead of S-class?
-A Dragon Knight riding a Dragon? Isn't that just a different level? What happens when that level rises?
-In the first place, there's never been a Monster as big as a Dragon; It seems like he can beat them all by himself
-fr, when the Dragon grows up, you can send him to subjugate the Gate alone.
-The military in Seoul went on emergency alert because of that ㅋㅋㅋ They said they found an unidentified flying object
-fr?
-fr, it was a mess
Well, there was an accident, but it went well. I got calls from people I knew congratulating me.
The same goes for Shin Chang and Seo Seung-yeon.
-San Oppa was asking if he could ride it once? Of course, I want to ride it too.
"Oh, um... If there's a chance later."
-You promised!
* * *
Now that Yong-yong had grown, I immediately applied for promotion to C-class Hunter. C-class Hunters are usually level 26-35, and we're level 25, but it doesn't matter.
It's not just about going back with levels. It's based on performance and skill. It's just that ordinary parties have to be over level 26 to meet that standard.
"Oh, that was good. A chill runs through my body, it's not for nothing that it's a quasi-elixir?"
I was talking to Uncle after applying, when Seo Woong called right away.
Of course, it was about passing the C-class. However, the conversation didn't end there.
-Can we pay the amount given upon achieving C-class with a Secret Arts?
The contract I signed was structured to receive a promised amount each time I reached a certain rank.
I didn't mind. Didn't I receive an Elixir when I first signed the contract?
In fact, I didn't have much greed for money right now. I had a house near the Association and a car. I had everything I needed.
It's not that I'm not the type to splurge, but I had a lot of money even if I did splurge.
'It's not like I'm going to participate in overseas auctions.'
It's hard for individuals to get anything at overseas auctions in the first place. Countries or companies usually sweep them away.
It's for the Hunters or heads of companies in their own country.
Regardless of whether they are domestic or foreign, chaebols sometimes purchase Elixirs for health management, even if they are not Awakened.
I heard that they smuggle Monsters and try to Awaken and catch them.
'It's not easy for even S-class Hunters to compete with such countries or leading companies.'
So, it usually proceeds like this. The country buys things through auctions and pays Hunters instead of money.
It was a structure that Hunters preferred because it solved the hassle. Of course, it was important what kind of Secret Arts it was.
"What kind of Secret Arts is it?"
-It's a B-class Swordsmanship Secret Arts.
"Just a moment."
The amount I received when I reached C-class was 20 billion won. A B-class Swordsmanship Secret Arts for 20 billion won? Not bad.
No, it's not just not bad. This was actually a profitable deal for me.
In fact, the price of B-class Swordsmanship varies greatly, but I know it's more expensive than 20 billion won.
I had been feeling the need for swordsmanship development recently while sparring with Shin Chang and exchanging blows with the Apostle.
Imperial Basic Swordsmanship.
It's an E-class Skill, literally basic swordsmanship. No matter how much the level went up, the limit was too clear.
'Chunbae.'
However, confirmation was essential. Chunbae hadn't told me about the information inside the Subspace in advance.
You never know. There might be an S-class Swordsmanship in the next Subspace.
'The Association is giving me a B-class Swordsmanship Secret Arts, should I accept it? Or should I ask for an Elixir?'
I asked Chunbae with anticipation.