Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Seoul, Dragon
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Dragon.
I wanted to ride a dragon and soar freely through the sky.
It wasn't some vague, pie-in-the-sky dream.
This was a world where gates and hunters existed.
[B Gate Appears in District B! Citizens, evacuate immediately…]
Gates popped up every other month if they were quick about it.
Wooo! Wooo!
The alarms blared deafeningly, but no one was running away.
Instead, crowds swarmed toward the gate like ants to sugar.
I was right there in the mix, shuffling along with the rest.
[Title: New gate just popped up lololol][Author: RabbitSnap]
(A photo right after the gate opened.)
Good job, boys. I'm claiming first dibs on this one.
-What a scummy gold sun bastard
-fuck lmao
-Hey you psycho lolol
-Uhyo www New gates are the best~ Can't even move~
ㄴAgh hunter review fuck;
ㄴThis guy's not a hunter. Account hack faker;
[Title: This gate's getting A-rank, right?][Author: SuperHighSchoolScammer]
(A photo of the gate entrance and high-level monster corpses found nearby.)
Come quick and suck up the honey before ownership gets claimed.
This place is a total material goldmine. Rares everywhere.
-Agh, Quantum's gonna buy up the ownership rights right away lol
ㄴQuantum's broke these days tho?
ㄴThey just sold off two gates they had recently
ㄴStill, they swept up all of B District
-fuck im heading there now
"Rares everywhere, huh..."
I'd checked the hunter-only community before heading in, and that was my takeaway.
Monster materials varied in price, but some fetched top dollar.
People even joked about monthly kick of ten million won, or a hundred million.
Impossible for a D-rank like me, of course. Ds were bottom of the barrel.
But no need to hang my head.
Out of 50 million Koreans, only 70,000 were hunters.
That's 0.14%. A thousand people, and you might see one. Insanely rare. Even D-rank was something everyone wanted.
"Crowded, isn't it."
I pushed through the throng and came face-to-face with the gate.
A bunch of hunters who'd heard the news were gathered, chatting it up in front of it.
"They say this one's getting A-rank?"
"Yeah, man. Scout team's just gone in. Let's wait a bit and head inside."
A-rank gates were seriously dangerous.
Usually, you'd need a party of B-ranks or an A-rank escort to clear one.
So were all these hunters gathered here A- or B-rank elites?
Not even close.
Probably mostly Ds like me, maybe some Cs.
[Title: D-rank here, rice-eating this gate done.][Author: RiceEatNormalizer]
(A bundle stuffed with all sorts of materials.)
Omnomnomnom~ Nailed this month's earnings, peace out.
-Gates like this never open near my place smh
ㄴFr lol
-Nick your balls
-Stop posting fuck; I wanted to hog the honey
ㄴIt's already all over lol
Everyone here was probably thinking the same as that fresh community post.
The act infamously known as "rice-eating."
Simply put, scavenging materials left behind by high-rankers who didn't bother picking them up.
Some pointed fingers and called it sleazy...
But that's life, right?
You maximize what you've got for peak efficiency.
Faced with harsh reality, romantic dreams like dragon-riding had to go.
I was already making enough to get by.
Justifying rice-eating like always, I shoved my way into the gate. A step ahead of the other scavengers who hadn't gone in yet.
'...Feels extra dizzy today.'
I'd crossed countless A-rank or equivalent gates, but none this disorienting.
Might score even better materials this time.
Or so I thought.
"Cough...!"
For some reason, I was on my knees.
"Shit..."
There was a hole in my gut, blood gushing from my mouth.
-Kuwaaaang!
A dragon was roaring right in front of me.
"..."
The dream of riding a dragon, ended by a dragon's jaws.
That was when my consciousness cut out.
**
"Huh?"
I'd thought I was dead. Was it all a dream?
No rare resurrection skill or anything, so gotta be.
But...
"...Nngh?"
Something was seriously off.
The voice slipping from my softened lips wasn't mine anymore.
Swish. Exotic silver hair cascaded over my shoulders. The hand touching its silky flow was ridiculously cute.
I kicked off the bed and dashed—tap tap tap—on dainty little legs to the mirror.
"This... is me?"
Unbelievable.
It wasn't me. A girl with silver hair and bright red eyes stared back.
Middle schooler...? That build.
Hands up, no reaching the ceiling. The faucet at waist height was now chest-level.
Poke. Slim fingers prodded my cheek.
Springy give, then a pleasant bounce pushing back.
"Ooh...!"
Definitely my body.
I'd died—or so I thought—and woken up as a cute little girl.
Did I get isekai'd into a game or something?
"Nah... doesn't seem like it."
Familiar air brushed my skin. The sights were the same.
No matter how you sliced it, this was my one safe haven, my sweet home.
A rooftop room at the edge of Seoul. The kind where typhoons had me fearing collapse every summer.
Creak.
Sure, stepping out to the roof for some warm sun always lifted my spirits.
Yeah, nice and toasty just like...
"Whoa!"
Almost got hooked on that spring sun.
It never hit this hard before—must be the new body.
Anyway, no doubt: my body was a girl's now.
Was my flower path finally blooming? With looks like this, life on easy mode for sure.
'What to do to rake in cash? First, check if I can still hunter.'
Back inside, I rummaged and found what I wanted on the cluttered desk.
[Hunter License] [ID Photo]
[Name: Han Sae-byeok] [Registration #: X1219-254213]
[Hunter Rank: ?]
[Detailed Class: ?]
Digital hunter license.
Name and number, same as mine.
But the photo was the new me.
Internet check: birthday year bumped back.
No ID issues to worry about.
"Rank and class... what's with these?"
Logged into the hunter community to figure out the random question marks.
Most hunters used it.
Party recruitment, material trades, chit-chat—all-purpose spot.
Plenty of normies and chaebols buying accounts undercover.
Even set up some for celebs now and then.
Anyway.
I snapped a pic of my license—hiding anything identifying—and uploaded.
[Title: Hunter newbie here ㅠㅠㅠ][Author: WannaRaiseADragon]
(License photo)
What are these question marks on your licenses, guys?
Why aren't they set?
Played the clueless newbie to stir things up.
Never posted before, so should be fine.
Hunters love newbies.
Fun to raise, snag promising ones for parties early.
No such thing as burner accounts, so faking newbie was near impossible.
Hunters piled on my post.
-That's just a glitch
-Wow real newbie? Been ages lol
ㄴLmao wanna pet it
-This is hell. Don't ever come back.
ㄴYeah so wanna play with oppa?
ㄴPiss off
-Wait a bit and it'll update
-Rare class incoming? Those take forever to measure
ㄴHype
ㄴNo fr
ㄴLol always ? and they scream rare. Rares ain't dog chow
-Wanna join 'Hwayeon' Guild? VIP treatment.
ㄴDon't go there. Total exploitation
ㄴHwayeon's still clueless lol
"Hmm..."
Rare class. Or just a glitch.
Speculation flooded in.
'Honestly, probably the latter.'
Rares weren't common.
Porter with inventory skill, healer they'd call saint, or destructive powerhouses.
Common wisdom: power shows instantly on awakening.
'But I don't feel anything like that...'
Just a girl's body. No massive mana surge or anything.
"Sigh. Knew it."
Cute girl body? Fine.
Tough guy through and through, but I could rock girl life.
Body felt weird still, but time fixes that.
Still, would've been nice with OP powers too.
Cute girl who's secretly ultra hunter vibes.
"Whatever..."
Got mopey regretting it, dove into bed.
Emotions girly now too?
I'd never been this moody before.
"Sigh..."
Old mattress, firm as ever—my sole comfort.
Sunk into it, eyes drifting shut. Thoughts of the future filled my head.
'Guess... gotta work to eat...'
Part-time gig? Might get rejected for looking too young.
Streaming online then?
Lost in worries, I drifted off.
**
"Waaaah...!"
That night, I achieved my dream in a dream.
Me, riding a massive dragon over Seoul skies.
But the dream didn't last.
Wooo! Wooo!
An unusually piercing siren blanketed the city.
"...Nngh..."
Noise forced my eyes open.
What the hell? Another gate?
No clue, so I parted the curtains and peered out.
"...Huh?"
Then I saw it.
—Kwaaaah!!
"Dragon...?"
A dragon, just like in my dream, cruising lazily over Seoul skies.
Looks like I'd gone and summoned a dragon.