Chapter 45 - The Young Dragon's First Emergency
Hello.
My name is Ignel.
I am a dragon.
A very powerful, very dignified, very majestic dragon.
…Currently forced to attend middle school.
Let me explain.
My father—Master—Dad—whatever I'm supposed to call him—decided that I was "spending too much time gaming."
Which is ridiculous.
I only play about twenty hours a day.
That leaves four hours for sleeping and eating. That's called balance.
But apparently, according to him, that's "unhealthy."
So now I attend school.
Every weekday.
With a bag.
And homework.
And rules.
It's tragic.
Still… it's not completely unbearable.
My classmates are nice. Teachers treat me kindly. I'm not sure if it's because of my face or because of who my father is, but I'll accept the benefits.
I even made friends.
One of them is Jin-ah.
She smells familiar.
Just like Sung Jinwoo.
Yes, that Sung Jinwoo.
The one who made Cha leave the guild.
The one who smells strangely clean for a hunter.
I may or may not have followed him once.
Or twice.
Purely for observation.
He's strong.
But not stronger than my father.
Obviously.
I am a very objective dragon.
Ignel padded into the kitchen, where Mena stood waiting with a calm expression.
"Nel," she said, adjusting her glasses. "Did you prepare your school materials?"
"Yes."
"…All of them?"
"…Most of them."
Mena stared at him.
Ignel sighed dramatically and ran back to grab the rest of his things.
Mena was an A-rank hunter assigned personally by Choi to monitor him.
Before, she used to let him do whatever he wanted.
Now?
She had become strict.
"Let's play League later," Ignel said as they stepped outside. "Invite Jin-ah too."
"After you finish your homework."
"You weren't like this before."
She smiled faintly. "I am now."
Ignel muttered something about betrayal as they walked toward the school gates.
As soon as they entered the campus, Ignel stopped walking.
Mena noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Ignel's playful expression faded slightly.
"…Do you feel that?"
Mena closed her eyes and extended her senses.
The air felt heavier.
Mana density was slightly elevated.
"…It does feel strange."
Ignel tilted his head.
"No. It's not just heavy."
It felt… unstable.
Like something thin was stretching.
He shook it off.
"…Never mind. Let's go inside."
Inside the classroom, students greeted him cheerfully.
"Morning, Nel!"
"Hey!"
Ignel grinned and waved back easily.
He slid into his seat next to Jin-ah.
"League later?"
She didn't even look at him.
"Focus on your assignments first. I can hear your dad yelling through your mic every time."
Ignel looked offended.
"He only yells when I lose."
"You lose?"
"…Occasionally."
Jin-ah still remembered Ignel's first day vividly.
Rumors had spread like wildfire that Choi Jong-In himself had visited the school.
The One-Man Army.
Korea's strongest.
When the advisor entered the classroom with Ignel beside him, the room went silent.
"This is Ignel. He will be studying with you starting today."
Ignel gave a bright, harmless smile.
"Good morning. Please take care of me."
Several girls immediately began whispering.
He looked like Choi Jong-In, but younger. Softer. Brighter red hair. A more cheerful aura.
Surprisingly, despite his gaming addiction, Ignel performed well academically.
He grasped concepts quickly.
His memory was sharp.
His reflexes—unnaturally good, which is to be expected.
Mena, observing quietly from outside the class on the first day, had felt genuinely impressed.
He adapts quickly.
Of course he did.
He was a dragon.
The final bell rang.
Ignel stretched lazily.
"Mena, cafeteria?"
They stepped into the hallway.
And then—
Mena froze.
The air shifted violently.
Mana surged.
Ignel's pupils narrowed.
"…It's opening."
Across the campus, space distorted.
A black tear ripped open mid-air.
Then another.
And another.
Students began screaming.
Panic erupted instantly.
"G-Gates?!"
"How is that possible?!"
This wasn't a dungeon break.
These were spontaneous spatial tears.
Within seconds, a massive green figure stepped out from one of the gates.
An orc.
Then another.
Weapons raised.
Roaring.
A student tripped and fell in the hallway as an orc charged forward, its axe raised high.
Before it could strike—
A flash.
Mena appeared between them.
Her blade moved once.
Clean.
Precise.
The orc's body collapsed instantly.
"Everyone evacuate!" she shouted.
Teachers began guiding students toward exits.
More gates flickered open across the grounds.
Mena clenched her jaw.
"…How did this happen?"
Simultaneous spatial openings inside a school?
Impossible without deliberate interference.
She activated her communicator.
"This is Mena from DK Guild. Multiple gates have opened inside—"
Her voice trailed off slightly.
Because Ignel was gone.
He had vanished the moment the mana surged.
She exhaled slowly.
He's already moving.
Despite his childish personality, she wasn't truly worried.
If things escalated—
Ignel could handle it.
Meanwhile.
Ignel stood in front of a gate forming near the boys' restroom.
The distortion was unstable.
Unnatural.
Three students inside had frozen in fear as a stall door burst open—
An orc stepped out.
Before the creature could swing its weapon—
Ignel appeared in front of it.
He grabbed the orc's arm mid-swing.
Crack.
The bone shattered instantly.
With one effortless motion, he slammed the monster into the tiled wall, breaking it apart.
The students stared in shock.
"Nel…?"
"Get out," he said calmly.
They scrambled past him.
More orcs were stepping through the tear.
Larger ones now.
Heavier armor.
Stronger mana signatures.
Ignel rolled his shoulders slightly.
A faint heat radiated from his body.
"So that's what felt strange."
This wasn't random.
The gates weren't stable dungeon portals.
They were forced openings.
Something was pushing from the other side.
A particularly large orc commander stepped through, glaring at him.
It roared.
Ignel smiled faintly.
His eyes glowed briefly—
A flash of crimson.
The temperature in the hallway spiked instantly.
The orcs hesitated.
For the first time—
They felt fear.
Ignel tilted his head slightly.
"Don't worry."
His voice carried weight beneath its youthful tone.
"I'll keep this quick."
Flames flickered at his fingertips.
And deep within the unstable gate—
Something seemed to react.
Watching.
Waiting.
As if this small school incident…
Was simply a test.
----
Chapter End.