If I were a newborn baby, I wouldn’t even remember it.
I felt more embarrassed because I kept the mind of an adult divine beast.
His whole body rolled from side to side as he burned up to his red ears.
At that moment, he felt the wavering of space.
The Imoogi, acting as if he hadn’t been rolling around, looked peacefully at Christina.
“Have you been behaving?”
“Kyu.”
‘Yes.’
Seeing the milk bottle Christina brought, he gulped.
She approached and gently opened the Imoogi’s mouth to check the overall condition of his teeth.
“It seems your teeth haven’t fully grown yet. Is it okay for you to just drink milk? They said the Red Dragon’s child wanted to eat meat as soon as it was born…….”
“Kyuu!”
‘Carnivores are good.’
The Imoogi nodded his head.
“You understand so well. You’re really smart.”
Christina smiled and patted the Imoogi’s soft head with her hand.
“I think you’re the smartest hatchling I’ve ever seen.”
“Kyu.”
‘I can’t be exactly like a real baby. The childish behavior I’ve shown so far has been effective.’
His efforts to appear as innocent as possible, fearing that showing too mature a side might seem strange, were paying off.
“Your eyes are big and round, and your scales are shiny. You’re handsome too.”
“Kyukyu.”
‘That’s fortunate.’
Considering he used to be dismissed because of his looks, having an appealing appearance was a relief.
Even if it was just seeing his offspring through rose-colored glasses, his sleek, shiny black scales indeed drew attention.
“You’re in a good mood, huh? Maybe it’s my imagination, but you seem to understand everything I say. Though that’s impossible.”
Not realizing it, he stopped swinging his tail lightly.
‘Am I…… in a good mood?’
Feeling somehow embarrassed, he pretended to cough and shook his head inwardly.
He wasn’t sure how to handle emotions he hadn’t often experienced.
But he couldn’t just stay still, so he stretched his arms out towards Christina.
In response, Christina picked up the hatchling, rubbed his cheek lightly and said.
“You’re being so cute. Do you want a hug?”
‘No, I was asking for milk.’
But it was necessary to earn her favor. After hesitating, he finally closed his eyes.
“Kyuuuk.”
Embraced, he hugged her neck tightly.
“You’re so cute. I think you’re the cutest hatchling I know.”
‘You say that every day.’
Anyway, he nodded satisfactorily, thinking his act was working perfectly.
‘This time, give me the milk.’
Staring at Christina’s face intently with intention, she belatedly realized.
“Oh my, look at my mind. I forgot it’s mealtime.”
‘That’s right.’
The milk Christina gave helped build his strength, so he made sure to have meals regularly.
She gently laid the Imoogi in the cradle, took a pouch out of her waist and rummaged through it.
“Here it is.”
She took out three 1-liter bottles of milk from the pouch.
The Imoogi’s eyes sparkled.
Receiving the opened bottle from Christina, he carefully held it with his forepaws.
He tilted the bottle towards his snout, ensuring the milk didn’t spill.
Gulp. Gulp.
“Drink slowly.”
Rich and creamy milk smoothly passed down his throat.
‘Tasty. Plus, it boosts my energy, so I can’t stop.’
In the world he originally lived in, it might’ve been sold as a tonic.
He quickly emptied one bottle, then grabbed the next one Christina handed and tilted his head back.
‘If mere milk has this effect, there must be something with better efficacy.’
Such a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Episode 5 …… was satisfied.
It was a fairly plausible story.
Currently, he could only consume foods that a child with not fully grown teeth could eat.
But his body would continue to grow, and once his teeth emerged, the range of things he could chew would increase.
There might be an elixir with an unexpected effect.
‘It would be nice if I could find out.’
After finishing the last bottle, he felt a fullness in his round belly.
“Kyuu……”
Rubbing his belly with his small hands, he lay down in the cradle.
Being full invariably made him sleepy.
He tried to resist sleep several times, but the sleep instincts of his young body were overwhelming, dragging him into slumber whenever he resisted.
‘This cradle and the place are too comfortable.’
In his previous life, he had struggled a lot while establishing his base and afterward.
Even as a divine beast, competition for good territories was intense.
Having promising prospects and being the most revered among divine beasts, he was relegated to all locations that were avoided by others.
Frequent weather changes daily.
A lot of savage and mysterious events occurred, making it an uninhabited island within a radius of a thousand miles because it was dangerous to people.
Those who despised him sneered when he chose that place as his base.
-Going to a place just like him, huh.
-Did you choose a grave? Well, as long as you’re out of sight.
-At least he knows his place.
Knowing their nature, the Imoogi didn’t even bother to respond.
If they truly wanted to ignore him, they wouldn’t be so vigilant.
There were even those who harassed him as he went around seeking a suitable place.
Even the fox he was familiar with said.
-It’s obvious why. You’re a threat, so they keep you in check, right? You’re not upset, are you?
-Not at all.
He didn’t feel the need to waste energy arguing with those eager to belittle him, and there was a reason he had chosen such a harsh territory.
Unlike other places, it was a location where strong raw energy surged uncontrollably.
It was ideal for practicing mastery over everything.
Though it involved bone-grinding training, the results were certain.
‘It was nice not having mundane encounters with people.’
Though he had set up barriers, the rumors that it was a place where many died due to sudden whirlpools kept people away.
‘Until it became a sacrificial island…….’
Ironically, as he began to govern nature for his training, natural disasters diminished and earthquakes became rare.
As a result, rumors spread among humans.
They said the sea near the island he inhabited was protected by the Dragon King.
‘The favoring of humans by nature brought benefits, but…….’
One day, the island he inhabited became a ‘sacrificial island.’
As the name suggested, it became an island where sacrifices were made.
It was an unwelcome and disgraceful title for an Imoogi like him, who hadn’t wanted it at all.
Not feeling the need to explain, he ignored what humans said.
While negative rumors might spread, he thought it would reduce the chances of anyone coming to the island.
In hindsight, he felt some regret.
‘Maybe if I’d tried talking to them back then, things would’ve been different.’
At that time, he dismissed it, thinking humans were making him out to be a deity to fear and desire at the same time.
They called him Dragon King on their own accord, getting their hopes up and being disappointed.
Watching them curse others and wish for their own good made his brows furrow.
To continually accumulate virtue, he tried to maintain peace as humans wished, but no matter how divine a beast he was, he couldn’t always meet their expectations.
In such times, humans would invariably offer something as a tribute, which was of no use to an Imoogi.
There were days when he struggled, made mistakes, or couldn’t control chaotic energies, and humans would resent and blame him greatly during those times.
‘In retrospect, I think I wanted to do well for them.’
Though he believed he didn’t expect anything, the thought lingered, perhaps hitting close to home.
‘But it was inevitable. Our positions were different.’
At times he would intentionally allow some of the natural energy to roam freely.
Every such instance, the previously calm sea would whirlpool, and disasters would strike, prompting humans to offer sacrifices from their boats.
A bitter smile suddenly appeared.
‘I never said I wanted it, and yet they hoped I would grant them the results they desired…….’
Live offerings, gold and silver treasures, rare items, and even the heads of criminals were sent; he also heard they practiced underwater rituals.
Though their desperation was evident, what he sought was never within their means to provide.
He just wanted to ascend and trained without desire.
Nonetheless, as he grew as a divine beast, incidents of causing natural disasters decreased.
For 999 years, he diligently fulfilled his self-appointed duty.
‘Not that I expected my efforts would indeed be for naught in the end.’
Feeling relieved made his thoughts wander, making him yawn with his tiny mouth.
‘Well, it’s all in the past now.’
He promised himself not to die unjustly and not to help anyone, focusing on becoming strong and centered on himself in his new life.
‘From now on, I live for myself.’
Even if he was criticized as selfish, there was no choice. Trusting others indiscriminately only led to betrayal.
Even Christina, who appeared as a powerful divine beast, hadn’t earned his complete trust at first, owing to this mindset.
But observing her bringing fresh milk twice every day, he felt her sincerity and began to reconsider.
‘Aside from that, her actions are indeed helping me. Bringing milk for a child that isn’t even her own is commendable.’
Since he first met her, he sensed that she wasn’t ordinary, based on the energy and impression he got from her.
Being sensitive to reading raw energy, he was sure of it.
‘She seems to have a story behind why she took me in, but she’s not an ordinary milk deliverer.’
Even after seeing her for only a month, he discerned that Christina wasn’t someone with ample free time.
Listening to her talking to him, he could tell she had considerable knowledge and experience from both human and non-human worlds as an elder dragon among her kind.
‘Thanks to her, I learned a lot about this world. It was very helpful for understanding it better.’
She also shared personal stories, like the oldest Red Dragon’s child, the difficulties of the Blue Dragon, and the unfortunate circumstances of the Green Dragon.
All of them were not light-hearted topics.
Probably if she knew he understood everything she said, she wouldn’t speak so freely.
‘She assumes I don’t understand fully, so she feels comfortable talking about it.’
Though he didn’t necessarily want to hear others’ troubles, listening wasn’t a hard task.
Additionally, being a listener was his way of showing consideration.
‘At times, just having someone to confide in can lighten one’s burden.’
It wasn’t his usual approach, but he could pretend not to know while listening if it helped her.
‘Thanks to all the stories she’s shared, I now understand almost every word.’
The sporadic slippages in understanding had subsided recently.
It was an unexpected benefit.
Hearing things seamlessly was a relief.
Of course, gaining something meant losing something as well.
He still had to do something he wasn’t fully accustomed to.
“Little one, smile, will you?”
For some reason, she made this request every time she visited.
‘Previously, it would’ve been an unreasonable request…… garnering favor brings many benefits. And returning what you’ve received is fair.’
