Chapter 82: Dragon

[February 5. A spirit frenzy occurred in the village. One child died, and three were injured. Two are fighting for their lives. Caused by mana oversaturation in the atmosphere. …Thinking about it, this world faces the Cataclysm in roughly 27 years. I realized anew that this is a world on the brink of chaos. I need to prepare for it. I’m scared of the butterfly effect my reckless actions might cause, but there must be a reason I was brought here. It’s likely tied to the Cataclysm. Surely God didn’t transmigrate me here to let kids die.]

The spirit frenzy close to home seemed to awaken Teacher to the gravity of the situation. Afterward, they trained relentlessly to reach grand archmage status. But progress was slow, with notes like, “Noishe, this jerk, has no talent for magic,” and “I was never good at studying either.”

The more Ion read, the more Teacher felt like a stranger, not the person he knew. Near the end of the notebook, about five years after Teacher’s transmigration:

[March 15. Ah. I get it now… Yes, I was a Breeder. It took too long to realize. I mustn’t disappoint the joy.]

“Dam Ion, this part’s in a totally different handwriting. Someone else wrote it?” Baba asked.

“…”

Even to a chimera, the shift was obvious. Those two lines were in a completely different script.

“I mustn’t disappoint the joy”? What does that mean? Ion felt a chill, amplified by not understanding. The diary ended there, replaced by a memo:

[Novel], [Purpose], [Division], [Disciples], [Abduction], [Breeder], [Awakening], [Apostle]

Keywords scribbled in a stream of consciousness. Apostle was underlined, circled, and starred emphatically.

Apostle… The absolute being Teacher warned Ion about alone. The entity feared by mysterious voices in the divine realm. Why was it here? And Division? Too many unknowns. The different handwriting, like a third party’s, was suspicious too—not Noishe’s original script nor Teacher’s.

…I’ll have to show Onil. These keywords were perfect for Brainstorming. Ion closed the diary.

A large presence approached the tower.

“Dam Ion, Sarah and Killia are here,” Baba said.

Command must’ve noticed the tower’s seal was broken.

“Don’t mention the diary in front of them,” Ion warned.

“Yup, I’m good at listening!” Baba replied.

Ion hid the diary in his robe’s wide sleeve. He couldn’t let others see it—revealing this world was a novel to its characters was taboo.

Noishe Didayve, the grand archmage who foresaw the Cataclysm and Idea’s hero, had their tower opened. With vast knowledge likely inside, Central Command mobilized scholars to catalog and secure it.

“Careful not to break the containers!”

“Reapply preservation spells here.”

“Who has Magic Simplification Vol. 3?”

The tower buzzed like a marketplace. Ion played a key role, opening the door and teaching scholars Korean, English, and basic Chinese characters.

“How does Master Ion know these scripts?”

He dodged questions with an awkward smile. Untranslated ancient texts were left to scholars, who, being academic geniuses, learned quickly. Ion would’ve needed to study ancient languages himself otherwise.

Still, he assisted with tricky parts, like when a scholar showed him a book labeled “Aso-di Solution” in sloppy Korean, hard for non-natives to read. Ion clarified such cases.

He didn’t slack, locking himself in Teacher’s lab to study spells and analyze research. The Compressed Space Pouch and Material Compression spells were major finds. The pouch would take time to master, but he grasped compression instantly, shrinking the Key for easy carrying.

Mana Sulfur intrigued him most. Teacher researched it until just before their dimensional jump to Earth, even deliberately frenzying spirits.

Did they bring the orphanage spirits for experiments? Teacher didn’t cherish spirits—playing with them sometimes but tossing them into flames if annoyed. If they saw spirits as tools, it explained their behavior.

Ion shook a beaker of Mana Sulfur. No smell. “What’s the secret here…?”

Idea’s people hadn’t grasped its properties. Only spirits—and Baba—ate it. On the desk, a stuffed Baba lay panting, belly bloated.

Ion poked its round stomach. Baba squirmed, groaning, “Ugh, don’t, Dam Ion. Too full. So stuffed. Hurts.”

“Should’ve eaten less,” Ion said.

“I’ll eat less next time. Stop poking!” Baba wailed.

Teacher’s refined Mana Sulfur induced intense satiety with little volume.

“It’s not just for feeding chimeras…” Ion mused, poking Baba’s belly.

Three days later, aura user teams gathered at Command. Despite Teacher’s research, the urgent task was the empire base assault. The strategy was set: Tulia base had 20 Giants; Huns had 18. Sarah would lead Tulia, Ion Huns, as aura lords. After gear checks, they’d meet at the teleportation device after sunset.

As the meeting ended, a boom shook the room. All eyes turned to the door, flung open by a silver-haired, waist-length pretty boy. Chubby cheeks, fair skin, and sparkling purple eyes with long lashes made him doll-like.

“Lord Sevi, you’re here! Everyone, greet the dragon!” Killia exclaimed, standing.

Ion hid his shock. A hatchling?

In Hunter and Hero, dragons were rare, with the youngest over 300 years old. Yet here was a dragon who looked seven or eight.

No wonder they wanted to bribe it with candy and chocolate.

“Lord Sevi, perfect timing. We’re planning the base assault, as discussed…” Killia began.

The dragon boy interrupted, “Where’s the Revelator? He’s coming with me to Elidivi Mountains. Now!”

The dragon’s bold declaration to take Ion stunned the room. Ion wasn’t originally part of the assault plan; strategies existed without him. But an extra aura lord made things much easier, and plans had been adjusted for him.

Killia gently coaxed the young dragon to sit at the round table. “Lord Sevi, what do you mean, taking Master Ion to Elidivi? Please, sit.”

“Get me cold water,” Sevi demanded.

“Yes.” Killia poured from a chilled jug, adding ice with a frost spell.

The boy grabbed the cup with both hands, gulping noisily, water dribbling down his chin—far from elegant despite his appearance. “Ahh,” he sighed, swinging his legs happily, like a grade-schooler.

“It was so hot coming here. My lair’s cool, but human places are stuffy,” Sevi said.

“Indeed. This valley’s cooler than most, but compared to a dragon’s lair… You’re also overdressed, Lord Sevi,” Killia noted.

Sevi’s white frilly shirt, navy knit vest, and brown corduroy pants looked like a parent’s attempt to prevent a cold.

This kid’s the Breeder I’m supposed to fight? Ion stayed silent, observing.

“By the way, Lord Sevidior, what’s this about taking Master Ion to Elidivi?” Killia asked.

“I can’t tell you why. Who’s Ion?” Sevi’s gaze followed everyone’s to the brown-haired boy in a robe. His pupils widened. “You’re Ion? Younger than I expected!”

“You too, Lord Dragon. May I ask your age?” Ion said, hoping Sevi was older than he looked.

“Call me Sevi. I’m seven!” Sevi puffed out his chest proudly.

“Seven… I see,” Ion said.

“Will you give me a birthday gift? It’s late, but I’ll accept it,” Sevi said.

Ion, slightly flustered, smiled. “What do you want? If I can get it, I will.”

“I got lots of gifts! But I haven’t unwrapped them all, so I don’t know what I need. Don’t wanna get duplicates, right? I heard you came to Idea before I could unwrap them, so I rushed here… My gifts… I’m so curious…” Sevi sulked briefly, then stood. “No time for this! Gifts later. We’re going to Elidivi. Get up!”