Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Flap Flap
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Flap, flap.
Crunch, crunch.
I was lying in my lair, watching the highlight reel of an anime, when I bit into the sweet mana heart. That reminded me of when I'd first received it.
A few days ago, when I jumped down from that pile of boxes. I was definitely flapping my wings excitedly, but my fall speed wasn't normal at all. It was like I'd jumped from the moon or something.
'Huh? Come to think of it...'
Gliding (C)
Spreading your wings slows your descent and aids aerial movement.
It slows descent and aids aerial movement. Meaning I can maneuver freely even while airborne.
'This is basically half-flying, isn't it?'
With all the lounging around and occasional crafting, I'd completely forgotten it even existed.
"Alright, now's the perfect time to test it out."
These things always slip your mind if you don't try them right away. Better do it now.
I jumped up, threw on some clothes haphazardly. Since I'd be moving around today, I picked one that already had holes from my wing claws.
Before any serious flying, I needed to check how well this skill actually worked.
My body's tough and all, but if it doesn't work right jumping from 10 meters first thing, it'd hurt like hell.
And the best spot nearby to test my abilities was the playground in the apartment complex.
When I got to the playground, a few kids came running over, eyes wide with curiosity. It was early afternoon, so mostly elementary schoolers.
"Whoa! Are those wings real?"
"You have horns too! Sis, can I touch them?!"
"Um, can I pet your tail?"
The kids' sparkling eyes turned to me.
'Ugh... annoying, but I guess I have to let them here.'
They're the future of this country, after all. Adults should make allowances for kids.
I nodded with an awkward smile.
"Yeah. Just a light touch, okay? Not too hard."
With my permission, their little hands reached out cautiously, full of curiosity, toward various parts of my body.
"Whoa, the horn's so hard. Smooth and sleek!"
"The wings are so soft and fluffy... like a thin blanket."
"Can I stick my hand in the tail fur?"
Like they'd encountered some exotic animal for the first time, the kids kept exclaiming in wonder as they poked and prodded my horns, wings, and tail.
The boys hung back shyly, just watching from afar, while the girls crowded close to look or touch.
'I'm basically getting treated like a stray puppy on the street.'
Or maybe like the star attraction at an animal cafe.
Being surrounded and petted by little girls with the mind of an adult man was a situation that could've sparked some seriously twisted thoughts, but to me, it was just awkward.
I couldn't just ignore their curiosity, anyway. Birth rates are what they are these days.
"Hi! What's your name?"
Then a girl who looked like an upper elementary schooler came up and asked my name.
"...Yi Da-yun."
She smiled at my answer.
"Da-yun, you're super cute! Cuter than my little sister! How old are you? Ten?"
Her calling me cute was strike one; ten years old was strike two. My head boiled.
...I'm a 25-year-old guy who's lived twice your age, even if I don't look it. Little sister treatment? Really...?
'Sigh, can't exactly say twenty-five here.'
"It's a s-secret."
I just mumbled my way through it.
Luckily, kids' curiosity flares up fast and fades just as quick. After about ten minutes of them hanging on me, they lost interest.
More precisely, when I turned down their invite to play tag, they went off to play among themselves. Good for me.
'Alright, time for the main event.'
To test my gliding, I needed somewhere higher than usual. First test spot: the top of the slide!
I headed to the tunnel slide on one side of the playground. But not the slide itself—the rounded roof on top.
"Nngh."
My short stature meant I had to strain my limbs to climb up onto the roof.
"Hoo..."
About 1.5 meters off the ground. Perfect height for a first test.
"Here goes."
Not scary high, but still tense. If I flopped down here, I'd be a laughingstock to the kids.
I took a deep breath, spread my wings wide, and jumped without hesitation.
Whoosh!
My body rose briefly, then tension hit my wings as I slid forward at an angle. After gliding about three meters, I landed lightly on the ground.
"Hmm..."
Success, but not satisfying.
'Isn't this basically just a long jump?'
Just a slightly longer hang time before crashing. Needed a proper test.
"Nngh...!"
This time, I aimed higher. The playground's tallest spot: the roof of the main structure.
There was already someone up there—a boy staring at his phone. He glanced at me briefly, then went back to his game.
Up close, it was higher than I thought. Looking down made my legs wobble a bit.
I suppressed the instinctive fear of heights with reason.
'It's fine. Even if I fall with this body, it'll just be a bit sore.'
High-grade items couldn't make me bleed, right? ...Unless crushed hard.
I spread my wings wide once more.
"Hoo..."
Deep breath, crouch, then launch into the air.
"Eek?! Hey!"
The boy next to me reached out and yelled. Ignoring his startled shout, my body cut through the air.
Whoosh—!
The wind whistling past my ears was crystal clear. Instead of dropping, I slid along like on rails.
'It... it works?!'
Shock was brief; instinctively, I twisted slightly and put power into my right wing. My body turned smoothly to the right.
Swoosh—!
Then I tilted my left wing. Turned left just as fluidly. Like a fish changing direction in water, or a kite riding the breeze. I could slice through the air at will.
A thrilling rush shot up my spine. As a human who'd only ever moved in 2D on the ground, this 3D freedom was a whole new sensation.
But this way, speed would drop, and I'd hit the ground soon. Regretfully, I instinctively flapped my wings up and down hard.
Flap!
In that instant, my body accelerated forward like a shot. Wing flaps generated thrust to extend flight distance!
"Whoooaa!"
A cheer burst out. I flapped repeatedly, crossing the playground center. As I neared the ground, I banked to right myself and landed lightly.
No impact. Perfect landing.
"Y-you... you flew?"
The boy on the roof pointed at me in disbelief. All the other kids were staring too.
"Hehe..."
Shoulders lifted proudly under their gazes. Yeah, this is dragon dignity.
But soon regret hit. A measly three-meter playground roof wasn't enough for real flying fun. Even flapping only extended distance, not height—like a powerless rollercoaster where altitude matters.
'Wanna fly for real.'
Somewhere better?
I looked around. For higher, more thrilling flight. My eyes locked on the nearby five-story commercial building. I'd seen kids up on the roof before.
Meaning the roof access was probably open.
Ignoring the kids' stares, I bolted toward the building.
"Escort detail! Emergency situation!"
Someone shouted from behind, but too far to make out clearly. Sounded like a fight. Not my business, obviously.
I bounded up the stairs two at a time. Dragon stamina got me to the fifth floor quick. The roof door wasn't locked.
Pushing open the creaky metal door, a cool, swift wind unlike below greeted me.
I walked slowly to the edge of the roof railing.
Looking down, cars looked like RC toys, people's scalps clearly visible—people I wouldn't normally see like that. Dizzying height compared to the playground, but no fear at all.
Thump, thump, thump!
My heart pounded wildly. Not fear—excitement and anticipation.
I hopped lightly onto the concrete railing. Wind battered my wings, swaying me slightly. Even that sway just amped the hype.
"Haa..."
Feeling some inexplicable liberation, I spread my arms and wings.
Alright, time for the real flight.