Above Your Head

Side Story - I am a Pet (1)

Side Story - I am a Pet (1)

Standing still, the woman sighed lightly. She then cast a furtive glance around before opening her mouth to speak with a dumbfounded expression, "So..."

She was an impressive beauty with healthily tanned skin, and a head of scarlet hair that seemed to be burning up. In terms of race, she looked like a beauty of Latin origins. Her inhuman features, such as her pointy ears and red eyes, however, were akin to that of a reptile… No, actually, those were non-issues. Her horn, which rose high above her head, resembled that of a burly stag. On her back was a pair of wings that were made of a membrane-like substance, while a red tail hung behind her bottom to help maintain her center of gravity. The most eye-catching feature of them all was…

'She's huge...' Of course, I was referring to her height. She was even taller than Dong-min, who was 187 centimeters tall. Needless to say, she was almost 2 meters tall. Coupled with the 70-centimeters-long horn standing at the top of her head, those facing her felt an intimidating pressure.

Anyway, she looked at Bo-ram and Dongmin before saying, "You want me to raise these two?"

"Not raise them, but teach."

"...Come again? Do you not know who I am, Great Elder-nim? I'm Matt! Matt the Volcano! A member of the great War Dragon Unit! No, wait a minute, you're assigning such chores to me, someone who works on the frontline?"

"I gave you a bonus, right?"

"Even so!"

The Union that ruled over the Great Universe had two pillars, which were Noblesse and Elohim. These two forces were considered the universe's strongest, and they owned a handful of elite military units that represented them. There was the War Dragon Unit, which consisted of special soldiers who trained for the purpose of battle. They were armed with the best weapons. The Fairyland, on the other hand, was made up of Warrior Saints that carried out crusade missions. They were the supreme warriors that fought on the front lines of the Great Universe, and they were strong beings that received recognition wherever they went.

'Why a Dragon, of all things?' Dong-min, who was standing up straight and listening to their conversation, inwardly laughed in bitterness.

In Earth-34, which was his hometown, dragons were just creatures that existed in legends. They were just fictional beings often featured in myths or legends from previous generations. Those were never taken seriously, but it was different in the Great Universe. Dragons were extremely rare, but... From the perspective of Earth, which everyone recognizes, a dragon was nothing more than a chairman of a conglomerate.

"Erm, wait a minute please." Bo-ram, who was keeping still while listening to them, raised her hand.

"Brat, I'm sorry, but if you butt in recklessly... Huh? Hmmm?" Matt, who was trying to coldly cut Bo-ram's words short, widened her eyes. It was as if she had suddenly realized something. She looked intimidating because of her imposing figure. However, perhaps due to her distinctive features, she had various expressions.

"I finally know now."

"Holy crap. I mean, oh my God. This little brat is..."

"Yes, that's right. She is that being's representative." Unlike Matt, the man who was speaking definitively looked perfectly human. Yet, at the same time, he was also not human.

No, actually, how many humans would be at the place they had just arrived? They were in the City of Dragons, Dragonian, after leaving the Leonhardt Empire. This was the home of the dragons. It was a terrifying place that harbored tens of thousands of dragon species that were rarely sighted, even in the vast Great Universe. At the request of Dae-ha, they arrived here upon following the guidance of the Golden Lion God.

Dong-min turned his head slightly, asking Bo-ram, who was in his sight, "Who is 'that being' that you guys are talking about?"

"The Golden Dragon God."

"You're referring to the Golden Dragon God that had a brotherhood with Leonhardt Empire's Golden Lion God. No, to be exact, should I say it's a brother-sister relationship?"

"That's a little ambiguous too. To be honest, that basta-... That being does not have a gender." Bo-ram, who almost made a Freudian slip, raised the Golden Princess that was mounted on her arm. A perception barrier was always activated on Earth, but it was an item that had no need to do so anymore.

"Is that a medium?"

"That's right. Well, as you may have guessed, I have a contract with an extraterrestrial being."

Dong-min understood Bo-ram's words without difficulty. Although it was a different method, he was basically also contracted with an extraterrestrial being. For him, the Vajra Scepter of Jeseokcheon was a medium.

"Besides, this guy is a Chimera, isn't he?"

Dong-min's body froze at the unknowingly loud voice that was heard.

"Although he did not get rid of the countryside feeling, it is still the work of a Great Wizard."

"Seeing that he restrained from crossing the line, it's worth a pretty high score."

"That's right. The point is that he did not break away from the human category, even though he was mixed with so many different bloodlines."

Matt and the Great Elder ran their judgmental eyes through Dong-min. They seemed to be just staring at him, but…Dong-min knew that their eyes were deeply analyzing him.

Shiiiiingg! The space between the two dragon species opened in an instant. It literally happened without warning. Just like that, a bottle of water appeared through the open space… Booom! It exploded along with a snowstorm.

"Oooh? Pretty good." A shot came piercing through with tremendous speed at the surprised Matt. The fist flew toward her with such terrifying force that it could seemingly pierce through her face. However, by the time the snowstorm dispersed, the fist had already reached in front of her eyes.

"...What the?" In an instant, Dong-min realized that he was in Matt's arms.

"Dong-min sunbae?!" Bo-ram was surprised and yelled in astonishment, but she couldn't take her feet off of the ground. This was because she did not know how Dong-min had ended up in Matt's embrace. 'It's not magic!' If it were magic or some other superpower, she wouldn't have been so surprised. However, it was not magic. All Matt did was casually yank at the fist that flew toward her, tugging the culprit into her arms with one hand. Her actions were all so abstruse that it was impossible for them to understand.

'Ugh... That dumbass! You idiot!' Bo-ram gritted her teeth, but was incapable of making a single sound. It wasn't as if she did not understand how Dong-min felt, but he literally just executed a crazy act. 'Oh my God, what kind of crazy thing just happened?'

Dragons were transcendental species that could rise to the realm of transcendence just by growing older. In the Great Universe, these beings were also referred to as Noblesse (Nobles). Furthermore, the one that Dong-min just attacked was of the War Dragon Unit, one who was considered a Battle Weapon even among the Noblesse.

"Ouuuh."

"Ouuuh."

At that moment, the two dragons looked at Dong-min with the same expression.

"Kek! Isn't that just cute?!"

"It's cute indeed."

"What did you say? You bastards... Ugghhhh?! Kuuughh!" Along with a 'Kuargghhh!', Dong-min struggled to shake away from Matt's cuddle. It was unfortunate that he could not put up any sort of resistance. He didn't know what the hell happened, but he did not think to activate any superpowers.

Even if Dong-min swung his legs and fist around to try hitting Matt, she could destroy his center of gravity just by slightly rocking her upper body. The difference in physical strength was particularly severe, so it was impossible for him to resist. It was as if he was a newborn baby in the hands of an adult.

"I'll raise you! I'll raise you!" Matt squealed.

"I said to teach him, not raise him."

"Okayy! I'll teach him!"

"Alright, alright. I'll handle the representative girl, so I'll leave him to you. Fortunately, all his bloodline is the type that you possess."

"Yes!" Along with a lively reply from Matt, Dong-min's movement was decided. His own intention was irrelevant.

*

Originally, there were no superhumans on Earth. Of course, there were many beings who used unusual powers from the past, but they couldn't be called superhumans. What they possessed was a kind of magical talent that was prevalent in Another Plane, and that was a completely different kind of power to the superhumans of today. In other words, the superhumans, including Dong-min, were the result of magical experiments.

"It is commendable to this extent, since there are almost no Chimeras that have the potential to grow. Thanks to the fact that he did not cross the line, and maintained the boundaries in an excellent manner, the path forward was surprisingly opened up."

"..."

"Ackk, sorry, sorry. What I want to say is not about the matters regarding your birth, but about the capabilities you possess," Matt hurriedly clarified. Hwaarrkkkk! A spark was set ablaze in the air while she spoke, but the shape of the flame was completely different from what Dong-min knew of.

"...This is," Dong-min looked at the surprising flame, which emitted a cold air that was enough to frost up the surroundings. 'The cold air is...burning?' He squinted his eyes at the foreign phenomenon that would have never existed in the natural world. That was neither spells nor magic, but rather, a very familiar power to him. "It's a superpower."

"In fact, the original name is Manifestation Ability. It's a phenomenon that happens when the soul and mind are manifested in reality. Of course, it was still referred to as superpowers, but..." Matt chuckled and was lost in thought. Then, she looked back at Dong-min. "Anyway, I will teach you about this power. Actually, among the Noblesse, this is more of Prajna's expertise. However, I am a special case even among the dragons, so it's more than enough to teach you."

Wiiiingggg! The surrounding background changed as Matt was done speaking. They were standing in a castle with a vintage ambiance, but they unknowingly entered a crowded city full of high-rise buildings a moment later.

However, there was a slight difference from the city that Dong-min knew of. 'There's no motorway...' Strangely, there was nothing that could be called a vehicle in this modern-looking city full of high-rise buildings. Only legs could be seen… He then saw the children who were running along with a big basket, a man that was nearly 3 meters tall, a beautiful woman who had pointed ears, and even suited men with heads of wolves… 'No, that's not the only problem.' Dong-min felt a sense of alienation from the city's appearance. 'Why do they all have a similar appearance to primates?'

The city existed on top of golden tiles, and there were countless beings walking on top of those golden tiles. There were quite a lot of people walking in the city, but they were still small in number compared to the size of a city. This was an overall well-off environment. Moreover, everyone looked carefree and relaxed. Most of them strode around the city, but some fell into a deep sleep upon being shined on by the warm sunshine that came from the artificially-made forest.

"This is...Dragonian?"

"That's right. It's also called the City of Dragons, the Dragons Empire, and the Home to the Dragon."

"But..." Dong-min looked around with an incomprehensible expression. 'There is no…' He couldn't sight a single dragon anywhere in the City of Dragons. Of course, Matt, who was next to him, was a dragon. Plus, he knew for a fact that she was just assuming a human-like figure, but... No matter how he sees it, that was just a transformed appearance, wasn't it? This wasn't some other place. This was the City of Dragons where dragons gathered and lived, but there wasn't a single one who revealed their original body. Just then…

"It's the newly opened Magnificent Brilliance[1]! Everyone~! Please take a look at some companion animals!" A small-sized young girl with green hair was shouting at the top of her voice, hailing for potential customers. There were some pretty fabulously-made wooden dolls next to her, and they were letting out a flip-flapping sound. It was as if they were waving around a sign that was bigger than their bodies.

It's not a pet, it's a companion animal!

You! Are you tired of new encounters? Are you sick and tired of the endless requirements?

Now, you can finally meet a beautiful and submissive companion that fits you perfectly!

From the young Fairies to the High-rank Magus!

If you come to Magnificent Brilliance, there's everything!

Matt frowned as she looked at Dong-min, who was expressing a list of questions as he heard the unknown words, "... Pet? Companion animal? Fairies? Magus?"

"Sigh, there's another one again. Let's just go, let's go."

"Huh?"

"Ahhh! The Redail-nim[2] there! Human beings have a short lifespan, so they are not good companion animals! There are many good ones at the Magnificent Brilliance, so..."

"Agh, I'm not buying. I'm not buying anything," Matt lightly retorted at the green-haired girl who was running toward her. She quickly moved away and, since Dong-min did not know anything, he just followed behind her.

"Matt? What's that just now?"

"It's a pet shop. A pet shop, alright."

"They said it's a companion animal, not a pet though..."

"Companion my ass. Sigh, those filthy pet park bastards."

Dong-min followed behind Matt, who increased her pace. The dragon clicked her tongue and reached deep inside the city. The scale of the city was considerably huge, but she was walking at an incredible pace. Swoooshh! Then, Dong-min could not help but be astonished, watching the background change in a flash.

1. This is the name of a shop.

2. Redail is just the name of a Dragon species.