At the sight of those unrealistic words lined up one after another, I just blinked blankly. Not believing it, I reached out and poked the letters.
The character for “dragon” wriggled under my touch.
And then a message appeared.
<<You have selected 1 Special Draw.>>
<<100 coins will be consumed.>>
<<Coins held: 0>>
W-What?!”
No, I just touched it—why did it get selected?!
But whether I was frustrated or not, the draw had already started.
The letters spun like a slot machine. I swallowed a scream and stared intensely at the rapidly flipping words.
<<A dragon that counts the passing years, a fallen pure-white dragon, a dragon that pierces flames, a benevolent dragon……>>
Countless descriptive titles of dragons passed by.
In the original story, dragons rarely revealed their names. Instead, they were called by these descriptive epithets.
Having read the novel, I could roughly tell which dragon each title referred to just by the description. But right now, no matter which one I got, it would be a disaster.
Dragons were merciless beings. They considered humans inferior.
If someone like me—someone without talent—summoned a dragon, it would be an instant death sentence. A dragon draw was basically a minefield filled with traps wearing different names.
‘How is this a reward?! This is a punishment!’
Then something strange caught my eye.
<<Great Dragon>>
Wait, why is that in there?!
The Great Dragon was the epithet of the Mad Dragon.
Aka-terian, the Mad Dragon. After forming a contract with Izael, he burned half the world into a sea of fire.
A massive body covered in black scales. Every time he opened his mouth, a single breath of flame destroyed cities and toppled nations.
True to his title, he was so violent that even other dragons avoided him.
‘Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not him!’
It was like a nuclear bomb hidden in a minefield.
I immediately clasped my hands and prayed to every god I knew. I squeezed my eyes shut and desperately prayed.
And then—
Ding-a-ling-a-ling! Boom! Pop!
Bright chimes and fireworks-like sounds rang out.
Holding my breath, I slowly opened one eye.
Let me just say this first: I’ve always had terrible luck with gacha draws.
<<Congratulations!>>
<<The dragon you drew is ‘Great Dragon’.>>
<<Summoning Great Dragon.>>
God had abandoned me.
“…No way……”
Without even waiting for me, a golden light erupted.
The entire room was flooded with brightness, forcing me to shut my eyes again.
And then—
Thud!
“Kkuek!”
“…?”
I heard a strange sound and opened my eyes.
The light that had filled the room had vanished as if it never existed.
Instead, a small creature lay on the table.
A tiny black lump wriggled slightly. Its glossy black scales were clearly visible.
Along its back were small horns and a pair of tiny wings.
Its round little body looked warm, like freshly baked bread straight out of an oven.
With short, chubby legs and a puffed-up belly, the creature slowly opened its eyes.
Its pupils were pink.
It blinked its big round eyes and looked directly at me.
“Kyung.”
Without a doubt, it was a dragon.
Not the terrifying Mad Dragon—but a small, adorable baby dragon.
‘The Mad Dragon… isn’t it?’
Maybe something went wrong.
While I hesitated, the baby dragon crawled across the table. It moved surprisingly well for its tiny body and quickly reached the edge.
It tilted forward—almost falling.
I rushed over and caught it just in time.
Its body was warm and soft. Perhaps ticklish, it flailed its tiny legs in the air.
“Kkiuu.”
Its weak little cry felt pitiful.
Its harmless pink eyes reflected me completely.
And then—
Ding.
<<Great Dragon Aka-terian recognizes you.>>
<<Great Dragon Aka-terian feels an inexplicable attraction toward you.>>
<<Great Dragon Aka-terian likes you.>>
“…Huh?”
I froze.
Was this tiny cute baby dragon really the Mad Dragon Aka-terian?
‘No, I did summon the Great Dragon—but this makes no sense!’
Overwhelmed, I shook the baby dragon slightly in the air.
It giggled as if it thought I was playing and wagged its tail happily.
“Kyah!”
Ding.
<<Great Dragon Aka-terian is happy!>>
My mind went blank as I calculated the timeline.
When Izael made his contract with the dragon, he was 18 years old. That meant it happened four years from now.
‘So this adorable baby turns into that insane dragon in just four years?!’
As if sensing my expression changing, the baby dragon tilted its head.
“Kkiuuung?”
Ah…
This wasn’t a mad dragon.
It was a dangerously adorable one.
My vision almost blurred from its overwhelming cuteness. If this were in an illustrated novel, fans would be spamming comment sections demanding merchandise.
Just to be sure, I asked one last question.
“Hey. What’s your name?”
The baby dragon stretched its tiny limbs and declared proudly:
“Great Yon!”
“….”
“Aka-terian!”
Watching it introduce itself so confidently left me speechless.
‘Too cute……’
It asked slowly:
“You… who?”
After hesitating, I answered.
“I’m Shuen.”
“Shushu!”
It happily changed my name on its own.
“Shushu. Shushu good!”
The excited baby dragon flapped its tiny wings, creating a small breeze.
“Shushu. I’m hungry.”
“You’re hungry?”
“Yeah.”
I looked at its round belly and frowned.
‘Strange… its belly is already so full.’
Maybe that’s just how baby animals are.
Then the dragon sniffed the air.
“Smells tasty.”
“Huh?”
It licked its lips and looked at me.
“Can I eat it?”
“Eat… what?”
Its pink eyes gleamed strangely.
“You.”
Ding.
<<Great Dragon Aka-terian is hungry.>>
<<Great Dragon Aka-terian wants to eat you.>>
A chill ran down my spine.
“NO!”
The baby dragon’s ears drooped.
“But… I’m hungry……”
It muttered sadly.
I quickly tried to calm it down.
“I’m not tasty. I’ll give you something better.”
“Better? What?”
The answer was obvious.
“Bread.”
“Bread?”
Its eyes widened.
“Is bread tasty?”
I nodded vigorously.
The dragon’s tail wrapped around my wrist.
“Really?”
It grabbed me with its tiny paws.
“You really give bread?”
Its eyes sparkled with expectation.
“Yes.”
“Really really?”
I laughed softly and placed my finger against its tiny claw.
“Really, really. I promise.”
At that moment—
A strange sensation surged through me.
“…?”
The dragon’s glass-like eyes shifted strangely.
And then—
A voice echoed inside my head.
[As two souls respond to each other’s call……]
The air thickened.
My body felt like it was shrinking.
‘What is this?!’
I tried to speak, but no sound came out.
[O immortal and mortal beings. This contract shall bind your souls forever.]
At that moment, a golden light surged like a comet.
It pierced into both of our hands.
My vision went black, then bright again.
Golden light bound me and the baby dragon together, wrapping around us like chains of light.
The glowing script formed in the air.
<<Great Dragon Aka-terian has completed the contract!>>
And then messages erupted one after another.
<<All dragons are shocked!>>
<<Flame-piercing dragon Melchiorus breathes hot excitement!>>
<<Benevolent dragon Rubian blesses the new contract!>>
<<Dragons are curious about the new contractor!>>
After a moment, the words dissolved like mist.
The baby dragon purred happily and shouted:
“Contract done! Shushu mine!”
Its cheerful voice echoed.
I, frozen in shock, screamed:
“W-Whattttt?!”
