Episode 1

I stood in front of my best friend Shumi’s grave and quietly recalled the past.

One day, I was suddenly transported to another world. For some reason, people there called me the savior of the La-Moon Continent. Together with the dragon god and my one and only friend, Shumikantrahildeo, I fought against the evil dragon, Harshichetzentra.

At first, I was just confused being called a savior. I just wanted to go home as soon as possible. But Shumi’s priests all said I couldn’t return until I defeated the evil dragon. So, if I wanted to go back to peaceful Earth, I had no choice but to accept the role of savior—the Dragon’s Messenger.

Fighting the evil dragon was unbelievably hard. Losing the modern life I was used to was tough enough, but even worse was watching the people I had laughed and fought alongside die one by one.

The only reason I didn’t fall apart was because of Shumi — the guardian dragon of the La-Moon Continent and my dearest friend. She gave me many of her powers and protected me, physically and mentally, through the worst times.

She stayed behind in the world when all other dragons had left, fighting alone against the evil dragon just to save humanity.

I truly admired Shumi. She was like the big sister I never had. Even if it meant sacrificing herself, she always did what she thought was right.

With her by my side, I believed we could defeat the evil dragon and return to Earth. I thought once we saved this world, no more people would have to die unfairly and everything would finally be okay.

I believed everything would be solved once we killed the evil dragon.

“You filthy humans! But my death is not the end. Without your dragon god, let’s see how long you last. Go ahead, try to live in despair and regret!”

We did kill Harshichetzentra, but his curse had already been triggered long ago. Without us knowing, he had secretly connected his dragon heart to Shumi’s. So when I destroyed the evil dragon’s heart, it also shattered Shumi’s heart.

“Shumi! Shumi! Can you hear me?! Please, wake up…!”

I was the one who stabbed the dragon-slaying sword into Harshichetzentra’s heart. Which meant… I was also the one who killed Shumi.

“Hyunwoo…”

Shumi looked up at me and smiled weakly. Blood dripped from her mouth, and the light was quickly fading from her eyes.

Still, she gently raised her hand and wiped away my tears. She spoke slowly, her voice shaking.

“Do you… remember my lair?”“Huh? Why are you talking about your lair? Is there something there that can save you? Right?!”“No, that’s not it…”

She gave me that awkward smile she always made when she was about to ask for a favor. I could tell she was trying to entrust me with something important—her final wish.

“There’s… a junk room. If you clear the junk, there’s a hidden passage under it… In that hidden room… I left something behind…”

Her breathing grew more shallow. The blood she coughed up was bright red, and her face turned pale. I could only watch helplessly.

“What did you leave behind…?”

I held back my tears. I didn’t want my crying to drown out her final words.

“My… child…”“…Huh? Child?”

I didn’t understand at first. A child? Then I remembered—dragons could self-reproduce. They could create offspring, or “avatars,” of themselves.

“Just in case… I laid an egg. I hope the child can live free… not bound by anything…”

Those were her last words.

At my feet now was a basket, filled with soft cloth. And inside it was a single egg.

It looked like an ostrich egg, but it was no ordinary egg—it was Shumi’s child.

“Okay. I’ll keep your last wish, no matter what.”

I made that promise again at her grave.

I didn’t hesitate anymore.

I had already finished all preparations, so I went straight to the gate. After defeating the evil dragon, the priests opened a portal back to Earth, just like they promised.

But I didn’t go back right away. I stayed behind to say goodbye to my comrades—and because I didn’t know what to do with the egg.

I was the only one who heard Shumi’s last wish. I was the only one who knew about the egg. If I told the priests, they would raise the child as the new guardian dragon.

But that wasn’t what Shumi wanted.

“The evil dragon is gone. Even without Shumi, the priests still have their powers. They can protect the La-Moon Continent.”

Besides, it would be dangerous if only one continent had a dragon’s power. Honestly, I just wanted to honor Shumi’s final wish.

I headed to the gate, which was inside the grand temple’s sanctuary—the very place I first arrived in this world. It was large enough to fit Shumi in her full dragon form.

“I still remember nearly passing out when I saw her the first time.”

Apparently, she was smiling at me, but I thought she was going to eat me.

As I walked in, I expected guards… but no one was there. Strange for such an important place. Then suddenly, people came rushing out from behind the altar.

“High Priestess Cersei…”“As expected… You have the dragon’s egg.”

Cersei was Shumi’s high priestess, the person who received the most of her powers after me. She must have known about the egg and guessed I would try to escape with it.

“Shumi wanted her child to live freely.”“Do you know what that egg is? It’s the seed of a new dragon god. Letting that kind of power roam free is dangerous!”“Just admit it. You want to use the new dragon to overpower the Halma Continent.”

Shumi probably feared this would happen. Harshichetzentra was also a guardian god on the Halma side, like Shumi was for La-Moon. Dragons were just pawns in a political power struggle.

“I won’t let them use a newborn dragon for their greed.”

Cersei wasn’t evil, but she was surrounded by people who would exploit the child. Even if she was trustworthy, what about the next high priestess after her?

“That poor baby would never have a chance.”

A dragon should never be forced into political games. It was better to go to a world that didn’t even know about dragons.

But Cersei said firmly:

“You know how powerful a dragon god is, and yet you’re taking that power to another world? Even if I respect what you’ve done, that’s reckless!”

She and the others all stared at the egg tucked under my arm.

Even my former comrades sided with her.

“Hyunwoo, this isn’t right.”“You can’t decide what to do with the dragon god’s child alone.”“That power is too dangerous for one person to carry.”“Wow… so you’ve all turned on me.”

They called me a savior when they needed me, and now they looked at me like a traitor.

But I didn’t care.

Shumi’s wishes came first — not theirs.

So I grinned and looked around at the people closing in on me.