“Piyeomyeon.”
The white chick, who couldn’t fly properly yet, quickly sat on Imugi’s head, like a small fluffy ball.
It was as if a baby bird was perched on his head.
“What is this? Why can this little bird sit so well and balance?”
Imugi couldn’t believe it and suppressed a chuckle, spitting out the blade of grass stuck to his lips.
Brushing off the dust and getting up, he looked at the small white figure in front of him.
“I did bring this firefly-like creature with me, after all.”
[ㅇㅁㅇ;;;;;!!]
This situation was beyond Rai’s imagination.
Not only did the Hatchling accurately use one of the advanced magics, Teleportation, but they also completely came out of the lair.
“Kyuwoo-“
“Hey, calm down.”
[ㅇㅁㅇ!!;;]
Rai fluttered around in a state of confusion.
Unfortunately, Imugi was not skilled at soothing others, so he scratched his cheek and watched for a moment.
“Christina used it easily, so is it really that surprising?”
It was even more surprising for the young Hatchling to use teleportation, a magic that Imugi hadn’t taught him yet.
Come to think of it, if it were natural for a regular Hatchling to use teleportation, it wouldn’t have been surprising to have more than one firefly attached.
“Well, I can’t do anything about what’s already done.”
Rather than lingering on what was already done, it was better to think about what to do next. Imugi looked around to assess the situation.
“Kyuwoo….”
“Where are we?”
The direction of Christina’s lair was clearly visible.
Only the part of the roof that sat down on the tree was visible, but it was shaped like a golden translucent dome.
Imugi, feeling that he was not far from the lair, decided to walk around to explore the surroundings.
Rai didn’t know what to do and flew around in a panicked state.
Regrettably, Imugi wasn’t skilled at calming others, so he observed Rai for a moment while scratching his cheek.
“Christina used it easily, but is it really that surprising?”
Imugi realized that using teleportation, a magic he hadn’t taught the young Hatchling yet, was even more surprising than he had thought.
Come to think of it, it wouldn’t have been surprising if only one firefly had been attached if it were natural for a regular Hatchling to use teleportation.
“Chet. There’s nothing I can do about it now that it’s already been used.”
Rather than lingering on what had already happened, it was better to think about what to do next. Imugi looked around to assess the situation.
“Kyu….”
“Where are we?”
The direction of Christina’s lair was clearly visible.
Only the part of the roof that was hidden behind the trees was visible, but it was composed of a golden translucent dome.
Imugi, feeling that he wasn’t far from the lair, decided to walk around to explore the surroundings.
Rai didn’t know what to do and flew around in confusion, while the young bird perched on Imugi’s head observed their surroundings like a decoration.
Jabakjabak.
Beautiful flowers and lush trees grew randomly, but they coexisted without invading each other, creating a harmonious balance.
The place was full of things, just like the world Imugi came from.
It looked like a dense forest, but there was an orderly feeling like a garden.
To Imugi, who had lived in places where grass didn’t grow properly, it was an unfamiliar landscape.
“So this is what it’s like outside the lair.”
Living things existed wherever he went. Grass, trees, small animals, birds, and butterflies.
Imugi took a slow breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
“This land and the lair are connected as one, just like nature.”
The lair was the center of immense mana, like a heart, and the surrounding land received mana from the lair to nurture life.
“I understand the general idea.”
Imugi stretched his sore body and yawned, while Rai looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Piyo….”
“Where is this?”
Imugi, who had a clear sense of Christina’s lair, decided to walk around to explore the surroundings.
Rai, unsure of what to do, followed along, and the young bird on Imugi’s head chirped happily as if it enjoyed the pleasant outdoor air.
“Piyeot. Ppi?”
Imugi nodded, understanding the bird’s unspoken question of whether it was okay to follow.
“Kyuwoo. Kyu.”
“Ppat.”
The bird responded briefly and behaved quietly.
Imugi thought to himself, ‘If I had planned to bring it with me, I should have left Rai behind when using teleportation.’
If there were any problems during this outing, his future actions would be restricted one by one.
So even if he went outside, he needed to show that he could follow Rai’s guidance and return properly.
Although he had the ability to use teleportation, it was better to show a smart Hatchling who could walk without going too far and had self-control.
“Christina has abilities. If she determines that the picked-up child has talent above a certain standard, she may even develop the ability in that direction.”
Fortunately, Christina seemed genuinely concerned about Imugi’s well-being, so it seemed possible to take advantage of that.
Killing two birds with one stone—relieving frustration and assessing the situation around the lair—Imugi thought that it would be perfect if he could return home safely.
“I’m worried that I’m handling things too cleverly, causing suspicion.”
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
However, not everything went according to plan.
For example, they might suddenly face a life-threatening situation while trying to return home.
“Kyu?”
“Wait, what’s this?”
Imugi’s eyes widened as he noticed the grass in the forest. It had a particularly sharp and unique scent.
It was mountain ginseng, also known as Korean ginseng, and it was the strain called Cheonjong (Heavenly Strain) that came down from the sky!
Imugi cautiously approached the ginseng.
“…Impressive. It’s extremely potent, just as expected of something that grew in Yeongsan. The energy is different.”
He couldn’t help but admire it.
“Could eating this help meregain my vitality?”
As the thought flashed through his mind, Imugi reached out his hand towards the herb.
[(ﾟДﾟ;≡;ﾟдﾟ)]
Rai seemed to panic, as if startled, and blocked his hand with a burst of light, displaying a concerned expression.
“What’s with this firefly-like creature?”
Imugi’s expression wrinkled in surprise.
Sensing his discomfort, the young bird flapped its wings and flew up.
[(ﾟДﾟ;≡;ﾟдﾟ)!]
Liga spun around as if trying to restrain his hand, swirling around in a dizzying manner. It flickered with light, swiftly moving in an X-shaped pattern before his eyes. He tried to grab the weapon with both hands, but he couldn’t manage to catch it.
“Why is this goblin-like creature so fast?” he wondered, ignoring it and reaching out with his hand toward the herbs. The creature’s expression flickered with light as it moved back and forth in front of his face.
“Ugh, how annoying.” With a flick, the weapon knocked Liga’s hand away, and the face with the (˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅) expression flew towards him once again. At the same time, as if seizing the opportunity, a baby bird jumped and collided with the creature’s head, crashing into Liga’s body.
“Ouch!”
“Well done!” The creature quickly pulled out the herbs, undeterred by Liga’s interference. Then, without anyone to stop it, it scooped up a handful of soil and stuffed it into its mouth.
Crunch!
He could taste the earth, but he thought that once he swallowed it, the troublesome creature with its goblin-like flames would give up. So, he chewed it repeatedly with gusto.
Gulp.
“Ugh, it tastes awful.”
However, just as he was convinced that Liga wouldn’t be able to hinder him, as he confidently turned around…
“Keeek, kkeeeee!”
“…Huh?”
A piercing scream burst forth from the remaining herbs, as if it would shatter his eardrums. At the same time, his stomach churned, and his head spun. He felt a severe dizziness coming over him and dropped the herbs he was holding.
“Kkeuk, kek. Kek!”
“Beep beep beep beep! Bwaak! Bwaaak?”
The startled baby bird rushed over, confused, while Liga wobbled and didn’t know what to do. “Kkieee! Kyaahhh!” His body twisted uncontrollably, and the world started spinning around him.
“Darn it. Wasn’t it a harmless plant?”
The world began to spin wildly.
Episode 10 was chosen, but even when I covered my ears with my hands, the sound waves shook my body. It felt like my blood was being twisted.
“Kahak!”
Something went wrong.
He tried to vomit what he had eaten, but nothing came out. What he had plucked wasn’t mountain ginseng; it was a herb called “Mandrakorah,” which, when pulled, would make anyone who heard its scream die. It was a medicinal herb, but one had to be prepared to die in order to obtain it.
Knowing this, the light spirit Liga was at a loss, swirling around without knowing what to do.
[(˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅)!!!]
Liga shouted with all his might, crying out for help. The surrounding grass and distant animals briefly turned to look at the pitiful plea of the spirit, but there was no one who could drown out the scream of the Mandrakorah.
“…Euhk.”
When the weapon fell to the ground, Liga thought it was over and collapsed while gasping for breath.
Whoosh…
Shooo…
The wind blew.
“Kkieee… Eeee…”
The wind created a barrier of air around the screaming Mandrakorah, protecting the fallen weapon within it. The Mandrakorah was trapped in a vacuum state within the compressed air.
The scream began to weaken.
After complete silence, all that remained was the gentle sound of the wind.
Suddenly, the surrounding air became calm.
Thud, a light sound of stepping on grass.
[ㅇㅁㅇ!]
“Bwae… Ack!”
Startled Liga, with tears wetting his eyes and his pupils flickering, looked at the owner of the green-eyed, shadowy figure with a serene presence.
On his forehead, small droplets of fur and feathers swayed like decorations.
He appeared strangely different from the dark, black forest-like Christina’s Lair.
“…”
The figure looked at the weapon and wordlessly kicked it away.
“Kek, keh.”
Then he looked at the sky and gently placed a round pill in the fallen weapon’s mouth.
Without even chewing, the gel-like substance melted in the weapon’s mouth and smoothly went down his throat.
The pain subsided, and the weapon regained consciousness, looking up at him.
“Kyu… Woo.”
“Who…?”
“…”
Having saved the weapon from danger, he silently turned his body.
Feeling the disappearance of a presence, the weapon, who felt it, slumped down with no energy.
Cold sweat dripped, but his body gradually recovered.
Meanwhile, Christina faced the gigantic red dragon, Phasias.
“It’s been a while, Phasias.”
The red body with golden eyes filled the massive jade cave.
[Is it Christina?]
He had prepared a meeting to discuss matters that required direct contact, but she didn’t even know what the issue was. The fact that Phasias, the elder of the Red Dragons, allowed her to meet him was due to Christina being an elder of the Gold Dragons. However, there was also a somewhat uncomfortable aspect to it.
Thanks to Phasias, the elder of the Red Dragons, Christina had found a seat in the cave filled with standing stones, which was spacious and beautiful. She sat on a raised rock in front of Phasias without manifesting her physical form.
