Chapter 67

He couldn’t even imagine how hopeless she’d felt over the past week.

— Where have you been…? — asked Echidna in a trembling voice, hugging him tightly.

— I had things to do.

— I didn’t do anything wrong, right…? You wouldn’t leave me, would you? — She looked up at Kang Yu with worried eyes.

‘She said that one day her father just disappeared.’

Thinking that he should pay more attention to the girl, Kang Yu assured her quietly:

— There’s no way I’m leaving you.

Echidna smiled a little and said softly:

— I believe you…

— That child… — Hwa Yeon murmured, peeking at the girl in Kang Yu’s arms.

— We saw her last time, right? — Young-ju joined her in staring.

The two girls looked at each other and nodded twice in agreement.

They glanced at Echidna again, both thinking the same thing: ‘Is she really a dragon?’

— On the outside, she looks like an ordinary child, — Kang Yu explained, noticing their suspicious stares.

The little girl grabbed Kang Yu’s shirt and said:

— Yes, I’m a dragon.

As proof of what she said, she revealed the wings on her back, flapping them once.

The wings attached to her back proved that she was definitely not human.

— A girl with dragon wings… — Hwa Yeon gawked at the tiny girl.

— What a dangerous combination. — Young-ju commented in a serious tone.

(Editor’s Note: I actually have no idea who spoke in the dialogue above for the past seven lines, and made my best guess based on character behavior and context.)

Young-ju and Hwa Yeon seemed to forget how to breathe as they watched the girl with sparkling eyes full of affection. Although they weren’t close and hardly knew each other, they had a desire to squeeze the child into a tight embrace.

Kang Yu released her from his embrace and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked her in the eyes seriously and said:

— Echidna, I have a request.

— I’ll do my best! — The girl did not hesitate to nod her head immediately.

In her gaze aimed at Kang Yu, there was unmistakable loyalty and faith.

— Are all summoned beings so devoted to their masters…? — Young-ju asked with interest.

Kang Yu smiled bitterly and answered:

— No, this is a special case.

Not much time has passed since Kang Yu and Echidna’s first encounter.

Although it was true that Kang Yu was the one to call her, the reason for her sincere devotion was quite different.

‘She doesn’t want to go back to living alone.’

He continued to stroke her head gently, feeling sympathetic.

— There’s somewhere we have to go. Please turn into a dragon and give us a ride.

— Okay! — Echidna’s eyes sparkled and she nodded eagerly. — I can do that immediately! —

— Slow down. If you transform now, you’ll destroy the whole building. Let’s go out first.

They all went outside together.

Young-ju asked:

— Wouldn’t it be a big deal if a dragon suddenly appears in the sky?

— I have a way to get past that, — said the guy without hesitation.

The red-haired girl glanced at Echidna with doubt.

Ignoring the conversation, Echidna turned to Kang Yu:

— Can I transform now?

— Yes, you can.

As soon as Kang Yu agreed, a blue light started to emit from her body.

When the light faded, a dragon was standing in front of them, about 20 meters in size.

— Oh… — Young-ju gasped.

Beside her, Hwa Yeon had her eyes wide open.

— I can’t believe it…

Both girls were surprised to see Echidna turn into a dragon.

Of course, it’s not like Kang Yu was the first player to tame a monster, but no one had ever tamed a dragon before.

Again, Echidna ignored the girls, focusing only on her master. She asked:

— Kang Yu, where are we going?

— Um… that way.

Kang Yu pointed in the approximate direction and got on Echidna’s back. The girls swiftly followed his example.

— I don’t want to take anyone but you…. — Echidna said in a voice filled with discomfort as she felt the girls climb up on her back.

Kang Yu grinned and stroked her neck.

— It’s an emergency, so be patient.

— Will I get a reward for this?

— What do you want?

In response to Kang Yu’s question, she breathed nervously through her nose, embarrassed to tell him.

Black flames puffed out of her nose and burned the flower bed in front of the building.

Gathering her courage, she said it with a slightly shaking voice:

— I want to go out with you.

— Um…

She made her request with such a tragic voice, it was as if she was asking for something incredible. But her wish turned out to be such a trivial thing.

— Okay, we’ll go out as soon as we’ve finished what we started.

— Really?

— Yeah, we will.

— Wah!

Echidna, unable to hide her joy, exhaled again through her nose.

The fire coming out of her nose was feverishly hot.

— I will do my best!

Flapping her two large wings, Echidna rose to the sky.

Kang Yu used the Power of Projection on the dragon’s body. She became semi-transparent and began to blend in with the surrounding background.

It would be impossible to see her unless you were purposefully looking for her in the sky.

— Wow, you have this kind ability, too?

The people sitting on the dragon had become semi-transparent, too.

Young-ju looked at her own body, feeling like she’d turned into a ghost.

— Why do you have so many abilities? — The girl looked at Kang Yu, perplexed.

Because before that, he had also revealed he had the ability to replace memories.

It was as if for every 10 levels, he was given a dozen special abilities.

— I’m a talented person.

— Don’t be ridiculous. — Young-ju narrowed her eyes as she stared at the guy.

She didn’t like the fact that Kang Yu was lying brazenly, hiding the truth.

— Let’s go! — Echidna exclaimed optimistically, and swung her wings wide.

The almost transparent dragon cut through the air with great speed.

A barrage of wind collapsed on the people sitting on her back.

— Ah? …Woaah!

— Geh…

The girls, almost thrown off by the large gusts of wind, grabbed harder onto Echidna’s scales, trying not to fall.

And not just the girls.

‘Too fast.’ Kang Yu took a breath and hugged Echidna by her neck.

Even though speed was their priority, they were flying toofast now.

To withstand the air pressure, he’d have to use the Power of a Thousand.

The problem was, both the Power of a Thousand and Power of Projection was quite costly.

To use these forces at the same time, intense concentration would be necessary.

If he were to become distracted and loosen his grip, he would immediately fly off the dragon. It was far too difficult to use two Powers at once.

‘Echidna, slow down!’

(Editor’s Note: Yes, they’re speaking through their minds because of their master-pet bond, consider it telepathy if you want. Anyway if you’re reading on a site that starts with W ouch they stole this tl)

She seemed to pause slightly hearing Kang Yu.

He made an effort to grip her neck harder.

Sensing this, Echidna’s eyes twinkled.

‘Why are you speeding up?’

She didn’t answer.

‘That’s enough!’

‘You can just grip harder.’

‘I can’t hold on any more than this.’

‘Are you embarrassed by me?’

Echidna had seen how strongly Kang Yu held onto the neck of the giant orc before, back at the S-level gate.

But at that time, the guy had used the Power of a Thousand. However, she was unaware of this. That’s why she thought Kang Yu was being shy now and wouldn’t hug her more.

‘Kang Yu, don’t be shy with me.’

‘Save me!’

‘I want you to hug me as hard as you can.’

‘I don’t want to die!’

‘I want to feel the warmth of your body…’

‘I’m falling…’

***