ACHSCGL 03

Chapter 3

I blinked blankly.

Yet the status window floating before my eyes didn’t disappear.

The first thing that caught my attention was one particular phrase.

“…Mythical-Dimensional Dragon?”

Monster ranks were generally divided into five categories:

Common, Advanced, Rare, Ultra-Rare, and Legendary.

Even Rare-ranked monsters were difficult to encounter in ordinary Gates, and Legendary monsters were things I’d only ever read about in books.

Yet apparently there was another rank above even that.

And this tiny, adorable dragon belonged to it?

“Have you finally realized my greatness, ppya!”

The dragon puffed out its chest proudly as I stared in shock.

No, this wasn’t the time for boasting.

This feels like a huge problem.

A completely new species.

A completely new rank.

If the existence of this dragon became public, I had a feeling it would cause an uproar throughout the world.

“Ashpelor… Is that your name?”

“Ppyaa!”

The dragon nodded vigorously.

Its innocent reaction was completely at odds with the absurd information displayed in the status window.

For now, I decided not to report it to the research institute.

This dragon, currently lying on its back and showing off its belly, didn’t seem capable of harming anyone.

Besides, that place was full of lunatics who would do anything in the name of collecting research data.

That aside…

It wanted me to become its guardian?

“Hmm…”

As I continued staring at the status window without pressing Yes, the dragon became visibly anxious.

“Hurry and press ‘Yes,’ ppyaa!”

[You won’t abandon the Mythical-Dimensional Dragon “Ashpelor”… right?]

Yes / No

“Hmmmm…”

“You only need to gently, very gently press ‘Yes’!”

“Hmmmmmm…”

[The Mythical-Dimensional Dragon “Ashpelor” looks at you pitifully.]

[Good deeds bring good fortune ♬]

[Help the poor dragon and perform a good deed today!]

[Will you become the kind guardian of the Mythical-Dimensional Dragon “Ashpelor”?]

Yes / No

“What should I do…?”

“…Uwaaah.”

Maybe I should stop teasing it and just press Yes.

I’d intended to accept from the start anyway.

Its reactions were simply too entertaining.

If I kept teasing it, it might actually cry.

I had planned to spend my days here relaxing anyway.

Having one more housemate wouldn’t hurt.

Besides, a dragon—and a Mythical-ranked dragon at that—was undoubtedly an incredibly rare and powerful monster.

Yet somehow…

The dragon before me seemed a little hopeless.

Sending it back into the wild felt more worrying than reassuring.

Having made my decision, I selected Yes.

[Congratulations!]

[You have become the guardian of the Mythical-Dimensional Dragon Ashpelor.]

[Please choose a name by which to call the Mythical-Dimensional Dragon “Ashpelor.”]

A name?

Well, “Ashpelor” was difficult to pronounce and a bit too long.

A name…

What would suit this suddenly-appearing dragon?

“Yongyong?”

“Ppyaaaat!”

The dragon shook its head furiously as if deeply offended.

It shook so hard that its entire body wobbled.

Was it really that bad?

What was wrong with Yongyong?

“Then since your name is Ashpelor… how about shortening it to Lor? What do you think about Lor?”

“Excellent! Lor! My name!”

This time, the dragon seemed delighted.

Lor nodded enthusiastically.

At that moment, another status window appeared.

[New Unique Trait Unlocked: Guardian of the Mythical-Dimensional Dragon]

[Received the Blessing of the Mythical-Dimensional Dragon: Lor’s Gourmet Encyclopedia]

[As the guardian, you may now view Ashpelor’s status.]

Name: Lor (Ashpelor)

Race: Mythical-Dimensional Dragon

Condition: Full

Bond Level: ♡ (Lv. 0)

Current Location: Porch

Leaving everything else aside…

What exactly was a Bond Level?

[Mythical-Dimensional Dragons possess knowledge and memories even while inside their eggs.]

[However, most of Ashpelor’s memories and powers are currently sealed. (╥﹏╥)]

[Increase your Bond Level to help recover those memories and powers!]

[The Bond Level increases as your relationship with Ashpelor deepens.]

[As the Bond Level rises, the guardian will also receive corresponding rewards.]

Current Bond Level: 0

My first thought after reading all that was:

…What a hassle.

I agreed to raise it because it had lost its memories and had nowhere to go.

Wasn’t taking care of a dragon enough?

Now I had to level it up too?

“Ppyaat…”

At that moment, Lor gazed up at me with sparkling eyes.

Ugh.

Too cute.

And pitiful enough that I couldn’t ignore it.

Sigh.

Fine.

If it had lost both its memories and powers, it must feel incredibly insecure.

I’d already decided to raise it.

If increasing this Bond Level came with rewards, that was a bonus.

“So what exactly am I supposed to do?”

[※ Sudden Parenting Quest ※]

Ashpelor was deeply impressed by your cooking.

Perhaps feeding various dishes to the hungry dragon will deepen your bond?

“…”

“…Ppyaa?”

I looked back and forth between Lor and the suspiciously self-serving status window.

Isn’t this just asking for food?

Regardless…

On the very first day after moving in, I’d somehow gained a new family member.

***

“W-Waaah! A mouse! Lor, don’t eat that!”

“Caught it!”

“No! Gross! Gross! Don’t eat it! Ahh! Not the centipede either!”

“…Ppyaa?”

Huff…

Huff…

Raising a child was hard.

It was now my second day in the countryside.

Deciding to raise the dragon I’d found in my yard on the first day had been one thing.

But Lor was far more curious than I’d expected.

On the first day, it had merely wandered around the house, quietly exploring.

Now it was digging through dirt in the yard.

Granted, energetic was better than lethargic.

But a country home’s dirt yard was full of spiders, mice, bugs, bugs, and more bugs.

For a curious dragon, it was a dangerous environment.

“Ppyaa!”

“No! Gross! Don’t touch it!”

As a result, Lor and I had been arguing all morning.

Lor wanted to catch a centipede.

I wanted to stop him.

For the record, I wasn’t afraid of bugs.

Back when I was a Hunter, I’d seen enough monsters inside Gates to last a lifetime.

There was no way ordinary insects could scare me.

…Seriously.

A-Anyway!

Whatever the case, I absolutely did not want to witness a centipede being crushed beneath dragon claws.

And if Lor actually ate it?

That would be even worse.

“Ahh! No!”

I hurriedly grabbed Lor around the waist and lifted him up.

The centipede escaped and disappeared somewhere.

“Phew… Don’t eat random things.”

“Ppyaa!”

…He clearly wasn’t listening.

Lor jumped back down and ran toward the vegetable garden connected to the yard.

The garden, roughly a hundred pyeong in size, was overgrown with weeds because I hadn’t had time to tend it yet.

Lor stuck his head between the weeds as though searching for something.

“Lor, what’s wrong?”

“Tch, it got away!”

Lor slammed his paw against the ground in frustration and began digging through the dirt.

A terrible feeling came over me.

“…What got away?”

“A brown… small… many-legged…”

“S-Stop! Stop right there!”

A chill ran down my spine.

But Lor ignored me and continued digging.

“Why? It would be helpful!”

No, no, no.

Even if it was a beneficial insect, I didn’t want to see it.

Yet Lor remained stubborn.

His sharp eyes scanned the weeds.

Ugh.

There was only one option left.

“Lor, let’s eat.”

“Ppya?”

“Let’s go eat. Rice.”

“Food! Excellent!”

The moment he heard the word rice, Lor instantly forgot what he was doing.

His blue eyes sparkled.

He stretched out his forepaws, asking to be picked up.

Those wings on his back…

Were they just decorations?

Pushing aside the question, I quickly scooped him up.

Still…

What kind of dragon liked rice this much?

Were dragons omnivores?

Well, eating rice was definitely better than eating bugs and mice from the yard.

I still hadn’t made it to the supermarket, but there was a small local shop in the village.

I’d managed to buy a few simple ingredients there.

And so, today’s menu was:

Rice balls.