C159
Dragons go through a total of three growth phases.
When a Dragon has gone through all three growth phases, it can grow to be 20 meters tall. That's roughly the size of a building.
Currently, Raon is only in his first growth phase.
During the first growth phase, there aren't many physical changes.
It's a process where the body changes internally to create a strong support base for the explosive growth in the second and third growth phases.
'And then, after the first growth phase, they acquire their attribute.'
Different dragons have different attributes.
In Raon's case, it was the Present.
'But we have no idea what it is.'
Cale recalled the first time Raon had spoken to him about his attribute, and to him alone.
'My attribute is the 'Present.'
'That's my attribute at this moment.'
Raon had acknowledged that his attribute was the 'Present' and had some notion of it, but he hadn't been able to give a clear answer about what it could do exactly.
And neither Cale nor Eruhaben nor any of the others seemed to care.
'He's still young.'
Next year, he will be seven years old.
A human at seven years old was still in kindergarten.
What's the rush to grow at that age?
'He just needs to be big enough...'
Unless, of course, you were desperate to grow.
However, Cale's expression gradually twisted.
'What?'
The only path?
The hope of everything?
Is a child who will soon turn seven supposed to bear that responsibility on his shoulders?
Cale looked with disdain and then turned his gaze to Raon. He wanted to see his reaction.
The Black Dragon opened his round eyes and dropped his jaw.
"...Wow!"
Hey, look at that. Do they really expect a seven-year-old child to react that way and change the world, especially one where Dragons have ruled everything? Do they expect him to become the hope?
'This is ridiculous.'
Honestly, Cale didn't even listen. Instead, he made a decision.
'Apitoyu...'
The world he was supposed to go to next.
There, a place ruled by the Purple Blood family.
The land where Choi Jeong-gun had disappeared.
Cale made a decision.
'I'll take them all with me.'
He would make a deal with the God of Death. If he didn't accept these conditions, he wouldn't go.
Henituse Territory.
The black castle in the Forest of Darkness.
'We will take all the Dragons with us.'
They needed every Dragon they could get.
'We will take the entire black castle.'
There was no other option.
Caleb said he wasn't listening to Lord Sichuan right now, but he had a feeling it would be difficult to avoid this situation.
Because he had to think about Choi Jung Soo and Choi Han, he had to go rescue Choi Jung Gun. He might leave Raon behind, but would Raon really agree to that? Although he had taught him to escape when the situation became dangerous, he hadn't taught him to turn his back on situations that presented themselves. Cale's own personality had not allowed it.
But if it had to do with a child's well-being, that would be a different story.
Anyway, there was no choice.
The Black Castle had to go with them. That includes being tied to the Black Castle.
'We must take Lord Sheritt.'
Raon's mother and the last Dragon Lord. Additionally, a Dragon with the "Protection" Attribute.
Although she had lost her physical form, her power still remains great.
'Eruhaben-nim is also an Ancient Dragon who has lived for over a thousand years.'
So he's just as strong.
Still, when it comes down to it, there are few beings in the world of dragons that carry as much weight as Sheritt.
Regardless of their strength or combat skills.
At that moment, Raon's voice was heard as he pinched Cale's arm and asked him.
"Human, should I save the world?"
Faced with the question, posed with wide-open eyes, Cale shook his head without the slightest hesitation. Although Raon's voice sounded clear, a mix of emotions could be seen in his eyes. Raon was smart, not because he had learned many things or knew a lot, but because he quickly understood how the world worked and what its nature was. Therefore, Raon understood clearly what Lord Sichuan was saying, even better than anyone else, and appreciated the weight of those words more than anyone else.
Because he had seen adults around him do it.
Therefore, Cale could respond firmly and leave no room for doubt.
"That's impossible."
Raon wouldn't accept an answer like, 'You don't need to worry; it's not your problem.' Therefore, the answer had to be different.
"It's impossible to save any world by oneself."
Cale stared at Raon as if reminding him of everything they had been through together.
"Why do I bother gathering people? Why did the White Star fail?"
There might be exceptional individuals, heroes. However, even changing an entire kingdom is difficult to accomplish by oneself. Despite Cale having the nickname of the "Silver Shield Young Master," and people praising his achievements in many wars, on the battlefield, there were many comrades and soldiers who accompanied him. He couldn't handle everything alone.
"Of course, there are cases where one person saves the world by themselves. But why should it be that way?"
A glimmer of understanding appeared in Raon's eyes at Cale's question. He seemed to have quickly grasped the essence of the conversation. Cale recalled all the times Raon had seen the adults around him. Therefore, Cale spoke calmly, as if reminding him.
"It's easier when many people work together, right?"
"Exactly! I love it when we overwhelm our enemies!"
"That's right."
Cale nodded firmly and, looking at Raon, smiled.
"And the stronger we are, the better."
"I know that very well."
"And it would be great if nobody got hurt."
"Exactly."
"That's why we need to have as many allies as possible."
"That's right."
Raon had learned well.
"And if things get tough, we can just run away."
"That's the right answer."
"And then we can surprise them with a sneak attack from behind."
"...Yes, that's right."
In any case, these were accurate statements.
"Another option is to be well-prepared and strike first."
"...I see."
"And if we can steal the enemy's treasure, even better!"
"...Hmm."
"And even better if we can deceive and scam them!"
"Puff-"
Cale turned his head toward where he heard the voice. Choi Jung Soo quickly lowered his head upon seeing Cale's cold expression. Among them, the Team Leader laughed heartily without concern.
"Wow, Raon-nim has learned quite well."
In response to that, Raon stuck out his chubby belly.
"Of course! I'm great, I learn everything well!"
But don't say it.
Cale shook his head in disbelief. Whether they talked or not, the Team Leader continued to poke Raon's plump belly with his fingers.
"He only needs to think about playing."
"He's tickling me!"
Raon flew and clung to Choi Han's back. Choi Han stretched backward and carried Raon on his back. He spoke calmly, feeling the weight getting heavier.
"You don't have to worry."
Raon responded by moving his chubby hind legs.
"Exactly! We just need to destroy everything!"
Cale sighed while ignoring Raon. Nevertheless, he was relieved.
'He seems to have more or less understood.'
Raon seemed relaxed now that the pressure was gone, which was probably why he was acting so foolishly with Choi Han.
Relieved, Cale made eye contact with Chief Eunuch Wi.
'Why is he looking at me like that?'
Chief Eunuch Wi was staring at him with a stunned expression. After remaining silent for a moment, he finally shook his head.
"Oh, it's nothing."
He came to the conclusion that Young Master Kim was not simply a kind and gentle person. He had learned that through the conversations between the Dragon and Young Master Kim up until now.
'He's been observing all this time.'
To handle things more smoothly. To reduce unnecessary disputes. Young Master Kim had been cautious.
'I must be more careful.'
With people like this, it's better to be cautious in your actions. Chief Eunuch Wi remained tense and watched what Young Master Kim did.
"Lord of Sichuan."
Cale approached the Lord of Sichuan Province, who was seated.
"Could you give me a more detailed explanation?"
For now, it was better to hear more about what he had to say. Therefore, Cale stopped as he approached him.
"Hmm."
In the center of the cavern, there was a small hole.
-Sniff, here! It smells delicious here!
Sky Eating Water reacted.
"What do you feel?"
The Lord of Sichuan looked at Cale with a calm voice. He seemed quite composed at this moment.
"What's beneath this hole?"
The Lord of Sichuan nodded in response to Cale's question.
"From what I've heard, what's beneath it is a Dragon's Tear."
Summarizing it, there's an icy lake beneath the slab that Cale is now standing on. It's frozen all year round, regardless of the temperature, and his great-grandfather placed the slab with just one hole.
"He said that one day, a Black Dragon would come and take what's in the lake beneath this slab."
"What's underneath?"
That was important.
-It looks delicious.
The Indestructible Shield, the Glutton Priestess, repeated her appetite again and again.
"I really don't know."
Cale's brow furrowed slightly at the Lord of Sichuan's response.
"But I do have a little book written by the Dragon."
He let out a laugh that seemed more like a sigh.
"I've tried opening it several times, but it seems the book only opens when it meets its owner, so I guess if you're fated, you'll be able to open it."
The Lord of Sichuan smiled vaguely at Raon. Cale spoke confidently.
"Since I'm his tutor, allow me to take a look first."
He needed to check if there was anything dangerous.
"Very well. It's in the vault of my study; I'll give it to you right away."
The Lord of Sichuan responded calmly.
Heading up the stairs alongside the Lord of Sichuan, Cale asked casually.
"You're not a spy from the Blood Cult, are you?"
"No, I'm not."
Despite being bound by a protection rope, the Lord of Sichuan climbed the stairs without any issues. Cale cast a sidelong glance at Chief Eunuch Wi.
-I don't think he is. Probably, someone with an important position inside the mansion and a Blood Cultist have joined forces.
Cale nodded in response to Chief Eunuch Wi's preamble and ascended to the study once again.
The Lord of Sichuan approached the desk and pointed to the floor.
"Right here, please press that wooden board."
Choi Jung Soo pressed the wooden board as instructed, and the floor rose, revealing a small safe.
"Turn it three times to the left, then two times to the right."
The Lord of Sichuan explained how to open the safe without hesitation, and Choi Jung Soo followed his instructions and manipulated the safe's lock.
Click~
The safe opened.
When they opened the safe, they found several jewels, documents, and a book.
"Human, this is Magic!"
When Raon made that comment about the book, Cale didn't hesitate to take the book. The book was written in an ancient style and had no visible title, but it looked quite old and worn.
"Look, the magic circuit here is unusual! If we change this magic circuit, it should work properly!"
Raon, who was leaning on Choi Han's back, leaned closer and touched a part of the book with his small front finger. Then, he jumped in surprise. Cale did too.
Chik—!
The book suddenly jumped into the air, and its pages began to open. An extremely loud voice came from the book.
"Finally, the child has discovered me!"
It was the voice of an old woman.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Laughter also rang out, and Cale's expression hardened.
"Is this a bit... strange?"
The laughter sounded full of madness.
"I wasn't a crazy Dragon. I was right!"
Chik~
The book kept rattling, its pages fluttering furiously.
"Oh, Dragon with the power of the Present! You are the only one who can stop the one who controls time!"
Time?
Cale opened his eyes in disbelief.
The voice of the elderly woman from the book became increasingly firm.
"I, the Future, have failed, and he, the Past, must have failed as well! Only the Present remains."
Raon blinked.
"I've seen how strong you and your minion are!"
Minion. Not "minions," it seemed to be referring to a single person. In that case...
"Is it talking to me?"
Am I Raon's minion?
"I have prepared a tribute for you and your minion. So, take it all! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
The book was now spinning in the air.
"Finally, the one who wins will be the Present! Time cannot defeat the Present! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
The book suddenly fell to the ground. On the blank cover, letters appeared.
<If the Happy Dragon and his minion devour all this, they will become stronger>
Raon Miru. Happy Dragon in Korean. And the Dragon's minion was none other than Cale himself.
The title was very straightforward.
For some reason, Cale squinted his eyes. Strangely, the back of his head hurt.
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