Day 5 Broadcast - Dragon's Housewarming Tour Plan (5)
Clank! Clank! Whirrr!
That was the chat from viewers watching the various armaments and devices mounted on my true body's frame whirring to life.
My mood, watching from the side? 'Do they really like that sort of thing?' Exactly that.
Is it because I've fully become a dragon now? Or because I'm a mother of four? I just can't fathom why humans get a kick out of it.
'Well, if they like it... no harm done.' It's not like showing it off wears it out.
I gave them a rough look before turning the camera away.
"My dears. No treats for throwing tantrums."
I said it with all the vibe of this is a gate tour, you know that, right? And finally, they snapped out of it.
What the heck is so fun about mechanical parts moving anyway...
"As I mentioned earlier, this is the lowest level, where my bedchamber lies."
The bottommost of my five-layer gate—and the golden source that flows throughout. In human terms, it's like the heart.
I showed them the glowing golden magma pool where my true body soaks, and continued.
"Not by design, but the hot spring I bathe in mixes with the gold flowing from my body."
The pooled magma here flows through the leylines to every corner of my gate, becoming the energy source for all creatures living inside. Thus, I'm the gate's prime energy maintainer—and its sun, too.
"Leaving my bedchamber takes you to the layer right above."
In human terms, sublevel 4? It's the layer directly above my chamber, guarded by elites from my Golden Domain.
"Hm? Ah! You wouldn't know, would you."
This gate I'm in is like a buffer zone. Countless beings from other dimensions flooding this one is basically an invasive species invasion.
"A handful here or there barely affects the ecosystem."
But hundreds or thousands of diverse invasives? The native ecosystem couldn't hold. Locals would go extinct or barely survive, and without drastic evolution, they'd die out eventually. Worst case, total collapse.
"That's why this world took self-protective measures."
Buying adaptation time. Dimensional shards isolating incoming invasives— that's what humans call gates.
"Thanks to gates, you humans got prep time—and mana adaptation time too."
Gate dwellers can't exit for a while, but mana leaks out freely. Locals absorbed it over time, adapting and evolving.
"What you call 'hunters' and 'spirit beasts' are the result."
Humans empowered by mana: hunters. Animals empowered by mana: spirit beasts. This world's defense against invasives—a new evolutionary path.
"Yes. You've probably guessed as much."
They're knowledgeable enough.
"But some have their own personal worlds."
Not dimensional shards called gates, but self-made, owned realms.
"Think of it like a mage's subspace pouch—light concept."
Something funny? Chat exploded with laughter. I eyed it curiously and pressed on.
"The Golden Domain is my personal little world."
Built from my sole mate's mementos—the world he left me. A golden realm for me and those I permit only.
"This gate? Just a knockoff styled after my Golden Domain."
Chatting away, we'd reached level 4. I signaled Do Hwa to slowly pan the camera for a full view.
Praise poured in. A dark sky twinkling like the night heavens with star-like gems. Contrasting it, a self-luminous golden land. And atop it, a riot of iridescent golden flora and fauna.
"This is my gate."
Nothing much to see, right? I almost added, but...
"Eh?!"
Way more hype than expected—for the first time in the broadcast, I was flustered.
...What's with these guys?
The Korean Hunter Association staff monitoring Grand Ragnar's broadcast gaped.
"Holy moly~!"
"Insane."
A starry sky like the Milky Way in night darkness. A golden land glowing on its own, never dim. Trees and grass tinged gold yet retaining verdant hues. Flowers and fruits sparkling like jewels.
"Eden or what?"
"El Dorado?"
Enraptured by the stream, their gazes shifted. They inwardly tsked at the smugly smiling figure.
"Damn. So jealous."
"Can't even complain though..."
Why? The one they eyed was one of Korea's three S-rank hunters: Palm ShamanHwang Joryeong.
A woman looking 30s despite nearing 50. Her shaman garb couldn't dim her confident aura.
"Sheesh."
"Wanna bitch openly."
Reason for griping? Unlike other S-ranks, she actively cooperated with the Hunter Association—the real-deal public servant S-rank. Their boss monitoring Ragnar's stream.
And...
"What? Can't hear the losers who didn't win invites whining~?"
Crunch! Grind!
One of the ten invited to Grand Ragnar's gate.
Anyone could watch the stream—no nobility required, no raffle conditions for viewing. These association staff were citizens first; they applied too, and some won booze. But only one got a gate invite: her. S-rank skills, S-rank luck.
Subordinates couldn't snap at their boss, so they shed bloody tears recording Ragnar intel while Hwang cackled.
This was winner's leisure! Winner's vibe!
"So jealous."
"Jealousy is defeat... jealousy is defeat..."
"Used to be a guy though..."
Thwack! A subordinate about to blurt the forbidden word got his mouth blocked.
He turned; his serious colleague shook his head silently.
"...Thanks."
"Whatever."
Yes. Her nickname Palm Shaman hinted: she was once a male shaman. But 20 years ago, awakening turned her female—and she lived well as one now. Real-life gender-bender? Time healed; she enjoyed womanhood.
But dredging her past? Forbidden word territory.
Break it and...
"Don't forget that petty boss's revenge starts."
"Yeah."
No work penalties, but petty harassments: buying ice cream but not sharing, sending for bread then vanishing, swapping salt and sugar...
Sighing staff refocused on the stream. Duty hours: gather intel from Ragnar's broadcast. Gotta eat.
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Palm Shaman Hwang tsked at her pitiful underlings-turned-beasts.
"Shoulda awakened S-rank too."
Crunch! Crack!
Something grinding from laptop-tappers nearby. She ignored.
"Hmm~ What to do on the trip?"
Her focus: fun in Grand Ragnar's gate. Only that.
She was here to spot what civilians couldn't in the stream... maybe. None so far; if any, she'd just mention. Subs handle recording.
"Ah~ This is why S-rank hunter life's the best."
Is that why they say "people need talent"?
Leaning back, feet on desk, she chuckled watching subs log and analyze Ragnar leaks.
She sipped coffee—
> [= Kkyyoooooooot!!]
> [= Run faster, Lee Hyun! Kawakaka!!!]
Pfft!
Suddenly, Lee Hyun and his partner white-winged dragon Skatuya Blaze popped up on stream.