Opportunity Comes Only Once
Generally speaking, there are four kinds of things that hatch from eggs: birds, reptiles, fish, and insects. Oh, and amphibians too. I despise them all.
"Yomnyonyom! Yomnomnom!"
"……."
The largest existing eggs, like ostrich eggs, average about 15 cm long. But what burst out of this egg—easily over 20 cm—was a fluffball. No, it was a hatchling, the baby form of a dragon, that bizarre creature.
What the hell am I doing right now?
Dragons were mythical beasts known for their vicious tempers and fire-breathing maws. Contrary to the image in my head, this one was covered head to toe in fluffy fur like a Maltese. And right now, it was devouring the curry rice I'd served it.
"Ooooh! So good! First time eating something like this! Got more?"
"……."
Of course it was its first time. It had just hatched. Even in this isekai world, spices existed. With a tiny horn-like nub poking from its head, it looked like a mashup of cat, dog, and lizard.
Swoosh—I silently slid another plate of retort curry poured over instant rice toward the bizarre creature.
"Thanks!"
"……."
I'd first offered it the emergency dog food Lee Manager had left in storage. But it had ignored that, drooling shamelessly over the curry rice instead. My appetite had checked out long ago in this absurd situation. Arms crossed, I just stared as it smeared yellow curry all over its fluffy fur while eating.
Not an ostrich egg, but a dragon egg... This is nuts.
With its snowflake-short white fur and eyes like clear moonlight, the little dragon could speak—unbeastlike as that was. If it couldn't talk, I'd have booted it out immediately. But when it had whimpered out of the cracked eggshell, belly rumbling and begging, I couldn't just chase off a sentient being that could communicate. Honestly, I was a bit scared it might harm me too.
"Heh, that was delicious!"
"……."
Having polished off two bowls of curry rice, the dragon patted its bulging belly with a goofy grin. Time for a frank talk now that it was fed.
"All done?"
"Yeah! It was really good! But I can't eat more now. I'm stuffed!"
"I see. Then off you go."
"……Huh? Yeah?"
I restated my position concisely to the baffled dragon.
"This is my private property. You weren't planning to stay here, were you?"
I don't even like pets like dogs or cats. And this thing checked both boxes. With the isekai transfer already scrambling my brain, no way was I playing babysitter. I had zero interest in responsibility without pleasure.
"B-but I got nowhere to go!"
"Got it. Best of luck finding somewhere."
"……Why so heartless!"
"Heartless isn't the word for this."
I'd fed it for free after it stole my electricity, and heartless? What was wrong with this thing's morals? Time to evict it now.
"M-Mom said to be careful of people!"
"Noted. I'm a person, so watch yourself on the way out."
Wait—its mom had basically abandoned it at a stranger's house. No, a hospital. What a messed-up family.
As I stared stone-faced, it continued with drooping ears.
"……That's how it happened."
"Er…… um……."
After listening for a while, I pieced together the gist.
These guys are a joke.
Arms still crossed, I tapped my finger on my elbow, summarizing what the dragon had told me.
"So... dragons usually hide deep in mountains or get kidnapped by humans and live like slaves."
"Y-yeah... Mom said so……."
"But my hospital looks so different from local architecture that your mom thought it might be safe here and hid the egg."
"Uh-huh……."
"She only meant to hide it at first, but dragon eggs need a big lightning strike to hatch. She sensed lightning energy from basement level 5, left the egg there, and bolted?"
The dragon flailed its tiny fists in the air at my recap.
"Ah! No! Mom didn't bolt—she went back for my sake! She said she had to return somewhere! So I'd... be safe!"
What about my safety? Only its own mattered? No thought for strangers? Irresponsible adults existed here too.
True or not, its story lacked logic or coherence. One thing was clear.
Parents are abandoners, kid's a thief—crime duo mother-son.
Realizing the electricity theft was deliberate made my blood boil.
"So your mom told you to stay here?"
"N-no…… not that……."
"What did she say exactly?"
Tail drooping, it continued.
"She said... run away as soon as you hatch. Humans are dangerous……."
"……?"
"They might enslave you, so flee deep into the mountains……."
"Then why didn't you?"
"You're a nice human! You fed me and everything, hehe!"
"……."
This was why I hated kids. Naive to the world. Seeing it grin with curry smeared on its mouth, I pictured it getting fleeced—or worse—outside.
"Not sure what misunderstanding this is, but I'm not the nice guy you think. I'm ruthlessly pragmatic and hate losses."
This wasn't pity. Just collecting payment for stolen power and food. I didn't want restless nights either.
"So if you want to stay, tell me every skill you have, no matter how trivial. I'll decide what's useful."
"Th-then you'll let me stay?"
"……?"
I nearly yelped in surprise. Chick-like wings had sprouted from its back, flapping wildly.
Chills ran down my spine at the unexpected move, but I kept a robotic poker face.
"Only if I deem you useful. One chance. Recite your uses."
"……Okay. Got it."
Look at this thing? Quite the specimen.
As it sniffled through listing its abilities, jotting them down reaffirmed my belief: opportunities are made by those who seize them.
* * *
"Hmm……."
"That's really all…… no more……."
"Hmmm."
The dragon's abilities, rattled off for a full hour, were beyond "impressive."
Magic... Never saw that coming.
The mysterious, wondrous power to make the impossible possible. It claimed it could use magic.
But my expression soured due to cost-performance. All those amazing abilities—magic—required a condition.
Unbelievable. It needs to eat gold to cast magic?
Even Tolkien's dragons loved gold. But those were gentlemanly hoarders; this kid ate it. One gold coin for a measly hour of magic.
"Sigh……."
No wonder humans enslaved dragons here. Without feeding them money, they were useless furballs.
It flinched every time I sighed. One gold—about 100,000 won locally—for an hour.
"Hey, dragon. No silver or copper? Or split magic by the minute?"
"No…… only gold. And……."
"What else?"
"Pure gold only……."
"……."
Pure gold. Great. I liked gold-dusted booze and tuna too, but still. It said few dragons or hatchlings remained—probably due to this crap cost-performance.
Ditch it? ...No, it rolled in on its own. Can't waste that.
Fatal hourly burn rate aside, its powers would be handy in this harsh world.
Too valuable to toss. It can create or purify water too.
Even as a water tank janitor, it'd pay off.
"Can't use magic at all without gold?"
"Not true. But it's dangerous."
"How so?"
"Body hurts bad. Strong magic risks life. That's why dragons hide in gold-rich mountain caves."
Made sense. Goldless dragons couldn't even breathe fire freely. Hence the remote mountains.
My funds: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 copper. Barely 110,000 won.
Practically, just 1 silver and 1 copper usable. Gold was emergency feed for it.
"Alright. You can stay for now."
"R-really? Thanks!"
Thud—I blocked its curry-smeared charge with a hand on its belly.
"And rule one: no tackling. I despise physical contact. Be mindful."
"Okay…… sorry. I'll be careful, hehe."
Wings still, it sat grinning like an idiot.
Its rambling left some confusion—intentional or not.
"One thing though."
"Yeah?"
"You hatched today. How'd you talk to Mom? Never saw her face."
Fidgeting stubby fingers, it replied.
"Can talk to Mom from inside the egg. Even if just briefly……."
"How's that even—"
—Dragons can do this.
What the...?
Its mouth hadn't moved. Yet its chirpy voice echoed in my head. Like wuxia transmission.
"Wha... how...?"
—Any dragon can. Not magic—innate. No gold needed. Mom said... humans might hate us for it. Backbiting anytime...
"……."
Listing the power humbly, it drooped its perked ears like a criminal.
I'd be lying if I said it didn't scare me. But fear stems from ignorance. And this smelled like money—no need to panic.
I smiled at it.
"Don't care what others say."
"R-really?"
"Name's Miner. Nice to meet you."
"Th-thanks, Miner!"
The white furball shed chicken-tear crocodile tears, beside itself. I'd milk it for all it was worth.