DMHS 124
“…….”
“…….”
Kian didn’t respond. He was busy checking the mana he felt from the direction the voice had come from.
“Is the other person a mage?”
The mana energy he felt within his body was intense. However, there was no way a human mage could operate in the Dragon Realm.
While Kian hesitated, the other person continued to ask.
“You’re not hunters?”
“…….”
“…….”
“You used a dimensional language translator, so there’s no way you wouldn’t understand. Are you a civilian who accidentally fell into a dimensional rift?”
As the silent standoff continued, a direct voice pierced his mind.
“Should we subdue them?”
The voice, of course, was Lucien. Kian shook his head.
They were both strangers in an unfamiliar world. If someone who they could ask for help had appeared, it was better to establish friendly relations.
Kian finally spoke after much deliberation.
“Can you understand me?”
A bright reply came from the other person.
“We can finally communicate. Of course. I can understand you.”
“My name is Kian. What is your name?”
“I’m Baek Seungha. I’m in charge of managing the dimensional rift.”
It was a strange name, something he’d never heard before. Kian furrowed his brow and spoke the other person’s name.
“Baek Heungha?”
The other person corrected him.
“Baek Seungha.”
“Baek Suha?”
“Baek Seungha.”
“Baek Seungah?”
“…Yes. Call me whatever you want.”
Kian calmly replied.
“Did you create this smoke?”
“Yes. If it’s uncomfortable to talk, should we move it for a moment?”
The black smoke surrounding them evaporated.
In the place where the voice had once been, a human male with black hair stood.
Kian asked, “We came here in search of the Dragon Realm. But where is this place?”
“Then you’ve come to the right place. This is Dragon Realm.”
“So, are you, Baek Seungah, a dragon?”
“No. Do I look like a dragon?”
Baek Seungha shrugged. Lucien, who had been standing next to Kian, took a step forward.
“Then where are the dragons?”
“No one lives on these outlying islands. Most are gathered on the central island. But I think it’s my turn to ask. Who are you?”
“Dragon.”
This time, it was Baek Seungha’s turn to be confused.
“What? Why is a dragon wandering here?”
“Because this is my first time here. I’m from the Kingdom of Celestia.”
“Celestia…? I’ve heard that name somewhere. Wait a minute. Celestia? You mean the kingdom where Heli brought his mate? Hey, nice to meet you!”
Baek Seungha opened his arms wide and tried to hug Lucien.
But Lucien quickly backed away, so he ended up just wrapping his arms around empty air.
“Oh, Heli likes hugs. Well, each of Heli’s descendants has a different personality. What’s your name?”
“Lucien.”
“Good, Luci. If you’re a dragon, then the person next to you must be your mate. You must have just finished your coming-of-age ceremony, so you’re in the prime of your lives. Hehehe.”
Baek Seungha giggled, seemingly without thinking. Judging by his joking tone and quick-changing expressions, he seemed to have a lively personality.
“Since it’s come to this, I’ll contact Heli to let him know that his descendant has arrived. He’ll be so excited he’ll be flying over in less than five minutes.”
Baek Seungha pulled a square object from his back pocket.
He pressed the screen with his finger, and the black screen brightened, revealing Baek Seungha’s face.
He looked at them, one eye winking.
“Isn’t the wallpaper cute? I think I’m cool, even from my perspective. You’ll need a cell phone if you want to settle down here. Talk to Heli, and I’ll lend you a magic stone. Just activate the device.”
Baek Seungha, spouting unintelligible words, pressed the screen repeatedly.
Soon, the screen went black, and white letters appeared.
[Heli]
Tuttuttut.
The repetitive sound felt strangely ominous. A moment later, a click was heard, followed by Hellenos’ voice on the other end.
“Hey, Hunter! “What’s up today?”
“How are you, Heli? I called because something good happened. Don’t be surprised. By the way, guess who I met on patrol?”
Kian hurriedly snatched Baek Seungha’s belonging. Judging from the way he was conversing with someone far away, it was undoubtedly a mage’s crystal ball, albeit in a different form.
As he stared down at the black screen, Hellenos’s voice continued to ring out.
“Why are you being so incongruous? Stop making me curious and tell me. Who did you meet?”
‘Damn it.’
Kian didn’t want to hear that voice anymore.
Reflexively, his finger reached out and pressed the red button on the screen.
Snap.
Time, which had been steadily climbing, stopped. The screen displaying “Heli” also disappeared.
Kian returned the belonging to Baek Seungha, feigning no remorse.
“I refuse to accept the help of his ancestor. Since we’ve come to a new world, we’ll survive on our own for now.”
Fortunately, Baek Seungha scratched his head.
“Was I too sudden? Well, since you’ve just finished your coming-of-age ceremony, it would be better to go find the Dragon Lord first. Should I take you to the central island?”
“I’d appreciate it if you would. But…”
Kian asked what he had been curious about all along.
“Why are you, a human, in Dragon World?”
“Ah, the kingdom doesn’t know about this situation. You know that Heli, Luci’s ancestor, traveled across dimensions in search of a mate, right?”
“Yes.”
“Heli returned to the Dragon Ream with a mate. Seeing this, the young dragons followed Heli’s path with hope. Among the dimensions they pioneered, there was also the one where I live.”
“I see.”
“You know what’s even more interesting? Where I live, the lack of a mineral called Hunter Stone was a social problem, but here, we have it in abundance. The Black Dragon’s mate, seeing this, launched a large-scale mining project for Hunter Stone. Of course, it was done through legitimate trade with the dragons.”
Kian was newly struck by the fearsome nature of humans.
‘Finding a business in a place where there’s nothing but volcanoes.’
Their specialized survival skills shone even in the Dragon Realm.
“We get Hunter Stone, and the dragons learn our skills. It’s a win-win situation. You’ll be amazed when you go to the central island, too.”
Baek Seungha stretched and laughed.
“Shall we go?”
Black smoke billowed from his hand, enveloping the group. The sensation of floating was fleeting, but when the smoke dissipated, they found themselves in an unfamiliar place.
“…?”
A path, neatly paved, clearly touched by human hands.
Square buildings lined both sides. Kian checked the nameplates affixed to them.
“Best Fruit Shop”
“Hunter Stones for Sale”
“24-Hour Convenience Store”
“Cell Phone Mecca”
“Dridan-gil Lifelong Learning Center”
Less than half of them had any clue what they were used for. And that wasn’t all.
Outdoor tables stretched out beneath large parasols. The people slumped on the chairs, each holding a square device.
‘Those things were called cell phones, right.’
The problem was that they weren’t really human.
Even sitting there, their massive bodies and the overflowing amount of mana within them were palpable. They were dragons transformed into humanoid forms.
Kian’s brow furrowed involuntarily.
‘When I take human form, I feel like I’ve been stuffed into a mouse’s body. So why are all these dragons lounging around like this in human shape…?’
A dragon sipping from a glass on the table held out his phone screen to the dragon sitting next to him.
“Did you see this?”
Kian’s exceptional eyesight captured the scene on the small screen. The video’s title was “30-Minute Simple Exercise for Healthy Shoulder Blades.”
“Hello, Millennium Health subscribers! Today, I’ll introduce an exercise for those experiencing pain around the shoulder blades. Please watch carefully and follow along slowly.”
On the screen, a dragon stretched his back wide like he was yawning and drew in a deep breath. Then he exhaled and returned to his original posture.
“Based on the basic movement, I’ll do a variation. One, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four.”
The dragon placed his phone on the table, looked at the screen, and roughly copied the movements.
“I did it for 30 minutes a day and it was very effective. Whenever your shoulder blades feel sore, watch this and follow along.”
“Please share the link. And this is Coco, the stray cat I’ve been obsessed with lately. He never stops smiling. He’s so full even without eating.”
“You’re talking about the cat you sent me last time. He’s just as cute as you said.”
Next to him, a dragon’s phone was playing a video of a cat rolling around in the sun.
The dragon’s gaze, looking down at the cat, was filled with warmth.
Kian’s head started to pound.
‘Weren’t dragons supposed to hate animals?’
Everything he knew about dragons and the Dragon Realm was shattered by this unexpected turn of events.
Baek Seungha burst out laughing and slapped Kian on the back.
“You’ve never seen anything like this before, right? The technology from our world, combined with the dragon’s magic, has created so many interesting things here. Speaking of which, aren’t you starting to get hungry? I’ll buy you something delicious to celebrate your move.”
“No, that’s fine. I’d rather meet the Dragon Lord.”
“There’s a procedure to go through to meet the Lord. The gold dragon who crossed into the world before Lucien, what was his name, Kyle?”
Baek Seungha was lost in thought, his hands on his hips.
Koosh!
A shadow seemed to pass over the clouds, and something golden fell from the sky.
The dragons sitting in the cafe shook their heads.
“Heli, that bastard still hasn’t gotten over his annoying landing habit.”
“The gold dragon’s impatience will never go away.”
“That’s true…”
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