Chapter 10 : Starlight is falling

Lena Didn’t Know It, But the Symbolism of Dragons on the Continent Was Tremendous

It went beyond mere awe for their transcendent power.
Dragons were proof of a king’s legitimacy, the supposed founders of noble houses (or so they claimed), and deities worshipped in ancient times.
Even the Great Forest’s fearsome reputation stemmed from legends naming dragons its masters.

Yet, as centuries rolled into the modern era, dragons faded into doubt—did they ever truly exist?
The last sighting required counting back in centuries, too vast a span for forgetful creatures like humans.
So, finding a dragon—even just its corpse—was earth-shaking news for the continent.
Magicians would lose their minds, the powerful would pay thousands in gold for the intel, and adventurers would seize the chance to etch their names in fame.

“Wow, it’s big, it’s big.”

But that was other people’s business.
Lena’s reaction stopped there.
What else was she supposed to feel?
Dragons were cool, sure—winged lizards, at best.
Alive, they’d be overpowered cheats wielding epic magic, commanding spirits, and mastering combat.
But this one was dead—a skeleton.
Her impression wasn’t far off from gawking at ancient animal bones in a museum.

What am I gonna do with this? Stare at it for a bit ‘til the wow factor wears off?
No wonder the wolf saved this for last, lacking confidence.
Eat the bones? Swing ‘em like a weapon?
…Well, she could eat them.
Gomtang.

Lena smacked her lips, eyeing the dragon’s skeleton.
With that size, the marrow’d be rich, right?
Perfect tonic for weak days in shifting seasons.
Monster blood here was tasty—dragon blood had to be next-level.
Oxtail soup, tendon soup, gomtang, seolleongtang—she daydreamed about recipes for each part.

“Aish.”

That familiar tickle she couldn’t shake hit her chest again.
She’d leveled up not long ago—why now?
It wasn’t skin-deep; it scratched at her soul.
Closing her eyes, Lena dove into her inner world.

Darkness swallowed her surroundings.
As expected, the destiny forks were sealed off, like they were asking why she’d come without leveling up.
Only the destiny of the Wild, fully realized, glowed proudly at its end.

“Not there.”

Lena shifted her gaze.
She’d already reached that end—no point in retracing it.
Unless the system glitched, something had changed.
Though she treated the status window like trash, she trusted it for job shifts—after all, the destiny of the Wild had carried her far.

Her eyes roamed the dark, then shot upward, halting abruptly.
Until now, the forks had sat on a ground she could feel—some vague, luminous surface she’d walked.
This was different.
A nebula shimmered in the sky—a dragon-shaped constellation, stars linked into a vast form.

Long ago, constellations were timeless enigmas overhead.
Science later demystified them as mere cosmic rocks, but that was the unromantic take of lab coats.
Constellations guide paths, symbolize fate.
Yet, humans can’t forge their own stellar destinies—they’re bestowed from above.
In short, a hidden job.

“…”

Lena froze.
How was she supposed to reach stars without a spaceship?
Even a liberal arts grad knew a light-year was absurdly far.
So, the stars came to her.

Not a meteor crash—just radiant starlight raining down.
It morphed into a dragon, and Lena instinctively recognized it: the skeletal beast from the lair.
A colossal body of light, scales like lush greenery, slit reptilian pupils, wings vast enough to cloak the world, a mighty tail.
Its awe pinned her in place—then it collided with her.
Like with the Wild’s awakening, it reshaped into her form, merging as one.

[The awakened destiny of the Wild has achieved a miraculous causality!]
[The blessing of the Green Dragon blesses the player!]

While Lena lingered in her inner world, the wolf snapped out of its sulk.
This cold-hearted owner-to-be knew her pet was down but played dumb and looked away.
Kids cry a lot, sure, but rarely to the point of collapse—usually, it’s for attention.
Someone once said, “I’ll stay here, and Mom can go home,” isn’t abuse—it’s setting boundaries.
Same deal with the wolf.
Clinging to failed tactics was a losing game, so it switched gears fast.

Kkiing?

But something was off with the owner-to-be.
She’d frozen mid-step, statue-still.
To the wolf, it was alarming.
Something’s wrong with her!

Just as it edged closer, worriedly prodding—

Kkaeng!

It yelped, startled.
Lena’s eyes snapped open, glowing yellow.
And that wasn’t all.
Her pupils had shifted—vertical slits, reptilian, like her very essence had transformed.
The vibe flipped entirely.
Already a monstrous human, her presence now loomed dozens of times heavier.

The wolf’s legs quaked, tail tucked tight between them.
Fur bristled like goosebumps; teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Luckily, Lena snapped out of it just before the wolf passed out from fear.
Blinking back to focus, she peered at the balled-up wolf with innocent curiosity.

“What’re you doing there?”

Kkiing!

The wolf whined, indignant.
Looking at itself—pathetic—it felt ashamed.
But who’d caused this?
It was furious, treated like a weirdo when she didn’t even grasp its worry.

“Uh-uh, that’s not getting you in.”

Lena stayed icy.
She doesn’t care about looking sad—probably scooted over here on purpose so I’d notice.
She didn’t get why it curled up, but animals do odd stuff humans can’t fathom—puppies barking at walls at night, cats begging for pets then bolting.
Beast logic was a mystery; she didn’t bother guessing.
With a nudge, she shoved the yapping wolf aside.

More pressing was the cascade of text flooding her vision.

[‘The Mystery of the Great Forest’ completed!]
[The player awakens the hidden destiny, the Constellation of the Green Dragon!]

[Constellation of the Green Dragon]

[‘The Mystery of the Great Forest’ leads to a linked quest!]

[The Dragon’s Legacy]
The last dragon on the continent drew its final breath in its homeland, the Great Forest.
Even so, its spirit endures, unextinguished.
After ages, it passed to one deemed worthy.
You now bear a duty and a fate.
The dragon’s legacy—to reclaim it is…

“Ugh, my eyes hurt.”

Lena squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.
The text, chasing her retinas, scrambled and dissolved like wet cotton candy.
Whew, I’ll live.

The status window!
A cheat code for novel protagonists, but to Lena, it was a vision-blurring, mind-muddling curse.
Everything but her name was a mosaic or blurry mess—the sharper her sight, the worse the confusion.
So, she skimmed enough to catch “Constellation of the Green Dragon” and called it good.

The destiny of the Wild (awakened) had etched a naturalist’s image in her mind—she could still feel it in her heart.
Though the naming differed, the shift after the dragon constellation appeared mirrored that—patterns carved not on her skin, but her soul.
Maybe seeing the dragon triggered a hidden job.
Since this is game-like, it’s a player-only fluke.

Surprisingly, she nailed it.
Lena might act brainless, but that was nonchalance or optimism—not low IQ.
Modern folks swimming in the internet’s info-sea could piece together clues like this.

“Constellation of the Green Dragon.”

She rolled the words around her tongue.
Cool name. I like it.
Shame the janky system hid what it did.
But with “dragon” in it, it had to be epic.
Even a grub finds a way to roll—surely a dragon wouldn’t let her down, right?

Though she hadn’t eaten, Lena felt full, content.
And naturally, her guarded heart softened to a certain proposal.

“I’m doing you a special favor.”

She spoke like it pained her.
“I’m naming you my house’s guard dog.”

Awooooo!

Stunned for a split second, the wolf howled in joy.