Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: My Tooth Fell Out (2)
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“Eh...”
The current situation was just too absurd. Just moments ago, it had itched so badly I felt like gnawing on my bones, and now it falls out so anticlimactically with a piece of Pocky.
Yu So-jeong held out a small wad of gauze as if she’d prepared it in advance.
“First, stop the bleeding.”
“Ah, yeah...”
I took the gauze and pressed it firmly against the spot where my front tooth had been. A metallic taste of blood spread through my mouth, but it stopped cleanly after a dozen seconds or so.
As I was about to toss the bloodied gauze, a thought suddenly struck me.
Wait a minute. Come to think of it, isn’t this material too?
A few days ago, Yeon Geum-hee had begged for my bodily fluids, crying and pleading. From the way she went on about humanity and all that, it didn’t seem like she had any malicious intent.
So, giving her a little chance couldn’t hurt. The Management Bureau would be watching to make sure she didn’t do anything foolish anyway.
I held out the bloodied gauze to Yu So-jeong.
“So-jeong, could you pass this along to Yeon Geum-hee for me?”
“...Are you really planning to give that Awakened material? Yeon Geum-hee will only cling to you more.”
“Hmm, if she’s really trying to do something like cure cancer, I should help out a bit. And if it works out, I’ll claim ownership too.”
If she could make a life-extension drug from my blood, that’d rake in a fortune. The more money, the better.
And I should reward my exclusive mana heart chef. At fourteen, she’s right at that age where support and gifts from others matter a lot.
As an adult, I could afford to be generous to a good kid like her.
Yu So-jeong stared silently at the gauze for a moment before fetching a ziplock bag and placing it inside.
“...Understood. I’ll make sure it gets to her.”
Now all that was left was the lump of Pocky on my palm and the tiny tooth embedded in it. I unceremoniously tossed the Pocky I’d pulled out by hand into the trash. I’d rather eat delicious mana hearts anyway.
I cleaned the tooth thoroughly and stored it in a separate ziplock bag from the scales.
It was childish, sure, but it was undeniably a dragon’s tooth. And a symbolically significant “first tooth” at that. It was bound to be an amazing material.
What to make with it? Since it was a tooth, maybe a dagger? But there wasn’t enough for that alone, so I might have to wait until I had more teeth.
There’d been a brief commotion, but aside from the empty feeling in one corner of my mouth, the rest of the day passed like any other. As usual, I practiced flying outside, crafted some B-Rank weapons and handed them over to the Management Bureau, and played games—a perfectly ordinary day.
And before I knew it, time had slipped to 11 p.m. Ever since becoming this body, I’d needed more sleep, and drowsiness was starting to creep in.
“Mm...”
The new game I’d been waiting for would release in exactly one hour, but my mind was already half-dazed—too foggy to play. Looked like I’d have to push gaming to tomorrow.
“Yawn...”
Unable to fight the overwhelming sleepiness, I let out a big yawn and got up. I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. It felt weird having toothpaste foam leaking out through the gap in my front tooth, but a new one would grow in soon enough.
I returned to the bedroom and flopped onto the fluffy blanket. So-jeong had been scolding me for always sleeping in the lair room. Just before drifting off, my first tooth that I’d tucked away earlier and a childhood story suddenly came to mind.
Come to think of it...
In the West, there’s this thing called the tooth fairy. You put your lost baby tooth under your pillow, and the fairy takes it and leaves a coin in exchange.
Of course, I didn’t believe in childish superstitions like that anymore.
But these weren’t the old days. Alchemy and magic were real, superhumans and monsters existed everywhere. Some materials even changed in performance based on the moon’s phase when harvested.
So, even if there was no tooth fairy, maybe there was a tooth reinforcement effect or something?
My tooth was way too valuable to trade for coins anyway. But I could hope for some beneficial effect.
No harm in trying.
If nothing happened, I’d just feel a little disappointed, that’s all. I fetched the ziplock bag with the tooth from the lair room and slipped it under my pillow.
“This should do it.”
With a sliver of expectation, I slipped into sleep.
The next morning.
“Mm...”
I dragged my groggy body upright. For some reason, my neck felt stiff. It was like that feeling you get from sleeping on a lumpy, oddly shaped pillow.
It was fine a few days ago, though.
Tilting my head, I checked the pillow. Strangely, it wasn’t its usual flat shape. It bulged like something big had been stuffed underneath.
No way—did the tooth fairy actually come?!
Maybe my tooth had grown into a massive dragon fang overnight!
My sleep-fogged eyes snapped wide open. Heart pounding, I lifted the pillow. But neither my tooth nor a giant fang was there.
“...What’s this?”
In its place was a bone-carved miniature lizard about 25 cm long. Its legs poked through the ziplock bag, making it look like it was wearing the bag as clothes.
“...?”
It was far too smooth and cutely shaped to be a real animal bone. It looked just like a bone version of “Lumi,” the mascot from Twinkle☆Princess Heart!.
A tiny golden flame of mana flickered in its eye sockets like pupils, giving it an oddly lifelike feel.
As I cautiously reached out, it moved.
The lizard lifted one foot and waved it, as if greeting me.
“Huh?”
It was really alive? The shocking sight drew a mutter from me before I knew it.
“...You’re alive?”
The lizard nodded, as if it understood my words.
“...?”
Was this a dream?
I pinched my cheek. It hurt. Not a dream.
Then what was this thing? Some kind of golem born from my tooth? Or a familiar?
“Do you understand everything I say?”
The lizard nodded again.
“Then... are you the tooth fairy?”
This time, it shook its head side to side.
Amazing. The tooth I’d put under my pillow last night had turned into a living, talking bone lizard overnight—one that understood me.
I lifted it onto my palm and brought it to eye level. It just blinked its golden flames at me.
Staring at its bare, skeletal form, it somehow looked a bit pitiful.
Of course, bones wouldn’t feel cold, but it seemed naked, and that tugged at my heartstrings.
“Should I make you some clothes...”
Yeah, since it was kinda like family now, I couldn’t let it wander around naked. And I had the perfect materials.
I got up and headed to the lair room to grab the ziplock with my scales.
Clack, clack.
A small sound came from behind. Turning, I saw the bone lizard toddling after me on its adorable little legs.
“Huh? What’s up?”
Of course, the bone lizard couldn’t speak. Instead, it pointed to one side of the bookshelf—the exact spot with the ziplock bags.
I stepped over and picked up the bag. Its gaze locked onto it, the golden flames in its eyes brightening.
...Is it asking for it?
I tested by pulling out the smallest scale and dangling it in front of it. The lizard flailed its front leg, trying to grab it.
“Heh. For real.”
Well, if it was like my kid, why not?
I crouched down, emptied all the scales from the bag in front of it. It cutely opened its mouth and snapped them up.
The moment it did, the scales briefly glowed gold.
Flash!
When the light faded, the bone lizard was gone.
Its skeletal frame was now covered in skin identical to mine—black mixed with gold. Sturdy, overlapping scales like armor plated its back, reminiscent of an armored skink I’d seen on YouTube.
The flames in its eye sockets had become large, brilliant yellow pupils. Those sparkling eyes stared right at me.
“...So cute.”
The words slipped out. It was cute even as bones, but with flesh, it was even cuter.
Yeah, this little one needed a name. Born from my very first lost tooth...
“From now on, your name is Il-ho.”
The moment I said it, a massive surge of mana drained from my body. Il-ho began to sparkle with golden light.
“Wha—?”
The mana flow lasted nearly five minutes—an amount ten times what an S-Rank item took. What was happening?
Finally, the mana ebbed, and the light faded. When I opened my eyes, the lizard was gone.
In its place stood a naked girl who looked just like me.