Chapter 66 - Hatchling's Nest (2)

Waiting for me in the Hatchling's Nest was a small girl.

She had red hair, a tiny frame that barely seemed to reach 150cm, and an impression that, while hard to guess her age, she didn't look over twenty.

Her appearance was somewhat different from that of an Earthling, but she didn't look particularly unfamiliar to me.

Because she looked like a typical teenage girl from the Kalia Continent.

“Are you an Earthling?”

I nodded at the girl's question.

“I'm Rosie. What about you?”

For a moment, I was conflicted.

Having entered the Hatchling's Nest like this, a confusion about my identity had arisen.

The name of my past life, Johan Raven, lingered on my lips, but I soon decided to accept that that life had ended.

“Seo Ji-han.”

“That's a weird name.”

“Is it?”

“Seo Ji-han. It’s hard to pronounce and sounds kind of rustic.”

“But your Korean pronunciation is almost native-level, isn't it?”

“Hmph! Language is one of my 70,000 talents, but I'm still always not confident.”

“You also have a talent for being humble and boastful at the same time.”

“That's right too.”

Rosie smiled brightly and continued the conversation.

“By the way, did you come to meet the Hatchling?”

“This is the Hatchling's Nest. What a silly question.”

“Do you even know what a Hatchling is?”

“I know very well.”

“Lies!”

Rosie wagged a finger and shook her head.

Her expression said there was no way that could be true.

“Honestly, I don't feel like you're qualified to meet the Hatchling.”

“Why not?”

“You're too weak.”

“You can feel that?”

“I can feel it, and I saw you before you entered the nest. You didn't seem to have any intention of fighting the Twin Head Trolls, did you? Actually, that was a test.”

“There was no reason to fight.”

In fact, if I had fought, regardless of the odds of winning, I would have been caught by the time limit immediately.

“Well, you did have a very surprising item.”

“On Earth, item power is also considered a skill.”

“Anyway, you looked a bit sneaky. Still, since you've entered the Hatchling's Nest, I have to give you a gift. That's the rule, and meeting the Hatchling is the next step.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. There are quite a lot of valuable things in this nest. Want to come over here and pick one?”

Rosie led the way with small steps, guiding me to where the treasures were.

In a corner of the huge nest, things that were rare at a glance were collected.

Various weapons, top-quality Mana Stones, and accessories were lined up, and Rosie looked at me with a joyful face.

“I'm really looking forward to seeing what you'll choose.”

Since I had made a promise with Seo Ji-hoon, I intended to hand over everything I got here to him.

Since I didn't come to the Hatchling's Nest for the reward anyway, I could pass it over coolly.

“By the way, among the weapons here, are there any that aren't soulbound?”

“Why? Are you going to sell it?”

“It’s not that, but I might give it to someone else. Was that an inappropriate question?”

“It's your freedom to dispose of the gift you received. Provided, that is, you can get out of this nest safely.”

Saying that, Rosie gave a meaningful smile.

I paid her no mind and asked.

“Then tell me. Which of the weapons here aren't soulbound?”

“Let's see…”

Rosie glanced over the items and pointed them out one by one with her finger.

There were a total of seven choices.

Choosing one among them was not difficult.

Because there was only one sword.

“Then I'll take that one.”

I walked towards where the sword was.

A faint, hollow laugh escaped me.

The thought that it looked a bit funny, with its blade buried in the ground and only the hilt exposed, as if it were some legendary sword, came to mind.

“If you touch it, your choice is final.”

“I know. By the way, what's the name of this sword?”

“Xenoid. For your information, it's not a sword you can simply pull out with strength.”

“Then?”

“You have to be chosen by the sword.”

“An ego sword, I see.”

Whether Seo Ji-hoon could be chosen by the sword was none of my business. I was just planning to deliver it.

Without hesitation, I gripped the hilt.

“I told you clearly, right? Once you touch it, the choice is final.”

“I know.”

Wooooong!

The resonance of the sword was transmitted through my hand to my dantian.

“It’s impossible, impossible. At your level, you can never pull it out…”

Crack!

Cra-cra-cra-crack!

At that moment, the ground split open, and Xenoid began to reveal its blade little by little.

An aura comparable to the Reapersword. It was a famous sword to the point that I felt sorry for having sneered at it.

This makes it a bit of a waste to just give it to Seo Ji-hoon.

“No way!”

“Why not?”

“Why do you think! Because it's a sword you can never pull out with your class.”

“Your prediction that I couldn't has been splendidly proven wrong.”

I looked at Rosie and grinned.

I had naturally thought it would be pulled out.

Because there would be no ego sword audacious enough not to choose me.

“There's no way that could be pulled out.”

Rosie kept shaking her head.

“So, is it time to meet the Hatchling now?”

“You, you're strange. What is your identity?”

Rosie looked at me with wary eyes.

“What's there to be an identity about? I'm just an Earthling who came to the Hatchling's Nest. If anything, isn't it you, Rosie, who has been hiding your identity?”

“What? What do you mean by that!”

“You're the Hatchling.”

In an instant, Rosie's pupils shook violently.

“How did you!”

There was no way I wouldn't know.

Because I had been to a dragon's nest once before.

The setup of hiding one's identity was the same repertoire back then too.

And in this prank of the dragons, there was a childish rule of their own hidden.

After throwing a gift to a visitor who came to their nest, they reveal their identity by transforming into a dragon. In the end, they present death by breathing fire.

But there was an exception.

The rule that if the visitor saw through their identity, they must be sent away alive.

It was a story I had heard directly from a dragon during my time as Johan Raven.

“Tell me! How on earth did you know?”

“It's obvious.”

“Obvious?”

“I can see everything.”

Even without previous experience, I would have seen through it.

Rosie was perfectly concealing her mana right now, but she couldn't fool my Mana Eyes.

There was no other way to explain a being with this much mana if not a dragon.

“You can see it?”

“I said I can see it.”

“Lies!”

“Believe it or not.”

“Wow! I can't even just kill you.”

“Looks like you can't kill me?”

“Consider yourself lucky. I don't know how you saw through my identity, but if you hadn't, you would have picked a gift and died at my hands right away. That's the rule of our clan.”

As expected. I thought so.

These damn dragons, none of them had a normal state of mind.

“Oh! Didn't you say earlier that you know what a Hatchling is?”

“You said it sounded like a lie.”

“Uh, that's true, but I've become curious to hear your answer. What did you think a Hatchling was when you came here?”

I looked at Rosie and grinned.

The purpose of my coming to this nest was to ask a single question.

That would accurately pierce through the answer to Rosie's question.

“Red Dragon Devrias. I came to this nest because I was curious about his whereabouts.”

In an instant, Rosie's eyes widened.

Her mouth hung open.

A few seconds of silence followed.

“…You, what really is your identity?”

“My question comes first.”

“You know a dragon?”

Rosie couldn't get out of her shock.

“I'll ask again. If I explore this Abyss, is there a possibility of meeting Devrias? Just answer that.”

“I don't know!”

“You don't know?”

“Yes. I really don't know. And I have no obligation to answer!”

She doesn't know.

Judging by the atmosphere, it doesn't seem like a lie.

Unless all these expressions and tones were a highly calculated act.

“Then just one more thing. Is this the only dragon's nest connected to the Abyss?”

“I can't tell you.”

“Even if I ask desperately?”

“It's no use even if you ask a hundred times.”

“A shame.”

I replied, but I felt like I had heard the answer I wanted. Judging by the nuance of Rosie's words, it must mean that it's not the only one. It was just a feeling, but my feelings were quite accurate.

What was important was whether Devrias's nest was connected to the Abyss, but for now, I couldn't know.

But since I had confirmed that the possibility was still valid, I had gained half of what I wanted.

“Then it's your turn. What on earth is your identity?”

“Seo Ji-han from Earth.”

There was no need to kindly tell her the story about reincarnation.

It was the same for Rosie's side.

“Not that, your real identity! Are you really from Earth?”

“Didn't you say you have 70,000 talents? It seems you don't have the talent to see through lies.”

At my words, Rosie's pupils wavered wildly.

And then came the Abyss's message.

[Will you exit the dragon's nest?]

It was a shame, but I had finished my business.

Though Rosie didn't seem to think so at all.

I looked at her and grinned slyly.

“It seems it's time to go.”

“You. Wait! I haven't heard the answer I want yet!”

“It's no use even if you ask a hundred times. The answer I'll give you is the same.”

It was the moment I was about to say my farewell.

“This won't do! I can't just let you go like this.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“I'll have to go on an outing outside the nest!”

“What?”

“It means my first amusement has been decided.”

This was an unexpected situation.

A Hatchling's amusement.

I had heard stories about this.

To put it simply, it referred to young dragons playfully descending to where humans live and pretending to be humans. Of course, very secretly.

‘But why now of all times!’

By the time my head became complicated, I was already outside the nest with Rosie.

***

“You, you were really from Earth?”

It was only after Rosie set foot in the Haewon Sword Family that she fully believed my words.

But that wasn't what was important.

How to deal with this young dragon.

My mind was filled with that thought the entire way back to the family.

“Now that you've confirmed it, how about going back to the nest?”

“I can't do that.”

“Why not?”

“If I leave for an amusement and come back right away, the other Hatchlings will look down on me.”

It was an absurd reason, but I hadn't expected her to listen to me obediently in the first place.

In fact, although I told her to go back, it was a part I was also contemplating.

Because keeping this Hatchling with me might be beneficial.

“Then what are you planning to do?”

“I'm going to stay in this house. It's not as good as the nest, but it's big and nice.”

“Who gave you permission?”

“You said you're the son of this house's owner. Just give me a room.”

“How unreasonable.”

“I won't be turning into a dragon anyway, so a moderately sized one will do.”

“What are you going to do in this house?”

“For now, I'll observe you.”

“Why?”

“It's my first time, so I haven't found a proper amusement yet. And I want to know your identity.”

“I thought that was proven the moment I entered this house.”

“I'm curious about how you knew about dragons.”

“Find that out with your own abilities. While you're staying here.”

“Wow! Are you really going to let me stay here?”

I nodded.

If I wasn't going to send her back to the nest, the choice of keeping her with me in the family wouldn't be bad either.

It would be much better for me to control her and use her usefully than to let her loose outside.

Of course, the preliminary work to tame this creature was absolutely necessary.

First, I need to make sure she clearly recognizes who is the alpha.