Suho, the dragon, and the broomstick had a deep conversation last night.
As a result, Suho learned a lot about the dragon.
“So that guy was actually just a hatchling?”
A hatchling.
That’s what they call a dragon that hasn’t yet reached adulthood (at 3,000 years).
But this so-called Mad Dragon turned out to be nothing more than a hatchling.
Just how much trouble must he have caused for people to call a mere hatchling a Mad Dragon?
‘And he’s only 750 years old. In our terms, that’s…’
By the standards of that world, dragons only reach adulthood at 1,000 years.
In our world, adulthood starts at around 20.
So 750 years old would be…
‘About 15. A middle schooler!’
No wonder he kept saying weird things all the time—it made sense that something was off.
‘Still, at least he’s not as vicious as I thought.’
The so-called deeds that earned him the infamy of “Mad Dragon” leaned less toward evil acts and more toward sheer madness.
He had taken lives, but most of the time it was simply because of a difference in perception between races, not out of malice.
‘For now, I’ll just keep an eye on him.’
That didn’t mean he could trust him completely.
So Suho decided to take him along and watch carefully.
He began getting dressed.
‘I’m supposed to meet Hyunsu at six, so I’d better stop by the food suppliers first.’
The dwarves’ population had already surpassed 1,200.
He couldn’t put it off any longer.
“While I’m at it, I should also buy some miscellaneous goods for the shop.”
Thanks to how well the daggers had sold, more customers were coming by the shop.
Things like healing potions, arrows, and other consumables were also selling alongside them.
That meant Suho also had to drop by the item dealers for supplies.
He quickly finished changing.
Just as he was about to leave the room, something occurred to him.
“Now that I have the dimensional pouch, I don’t have to carry items around anymore.”
He picked up his helmet and pot lid.
‘Go inside!’
As he focused, the two items vanished into thin air.
Finally, he picked up one last thing—a longsword sheathed in dark green.
Shrring!
As he drew the blade, the crimson-tinged sword revealed itself.
[Flame Fang Sword]
- A blade masterfully forged from Flame Fang bones by an excellent blacksmith.
Infused with craftsmanship, it is extremely sharp and durable. The magic orb embedded in the hilt supports the wielder’s mana. - Item Rank: Rare
- Physical Attack: 390
- [Intermediate Cutting Power Enhancement] [Mana Recharge]
- Agility +15, Mana +20
- Durability: 450
“Nice.”
Suho couldn’t help but admire it after drawing the blade.
It was that good—the new sword he received from Tarunga.
“Hmph. To think you’d be impressed by such trash. In my world, something like that wouldn’t even make it into my collection. Pathetic.”
The dragon sneered beside him.
Was last night’s heart-to-heart with the broomstick not enough?
“This is trash? In our world, this is top-tier equipment.”
The thorned mace from a 5-star dungeon only had 320 attack power, but this one surpassed it.
It also came with two skills, boosted stats, and durability on par with the dimensional pouch.
[Mana Recharge]
- Replenishes the user’s mana by drawing from the orb. The orb’s mana slowly recovers over time.
- Remaining Mana: 100/100
That built-in skill alone was excellent.
In testing, Suho found it could fully restore his mana three or four times when he ran out.
“With the craftsmanship of dwarves, they could have made something far better. It must have been made hastily, or with poor materials.”
“It wasn’t hastily made… just the materials were lacking.”
It was forged from [Flame Fang Bone] from a 1-star dungeon, and an orb pulled from an orc shaman’s staff.
No wonder it didn’t meet the dragon’s lofty standards.
Satisfied enough, Suho stored the sword back into his dimensional pouch, then glanced coldly at the dragon.
“What? Just because I criticized the sword, you’re going to beat me with that monstrous stick again? I told you already—words! Use words! I am of the Black Dragon lineage, the most intelligent beings in existence! Speak, and I shall understand!”
“That’s not it. I’m just debating whether to bring you outside or not.”
Leaving him at home felt unsafe.
Bringing him along drew too much attention.
“Going outside, are you? Then I must come as well. If this is the world I’ll be living in, and yet a mere lump of metal is considered top-tier here, I must see firsthand just how backward this place is.”
The dragon flapped his wings proudly.
“You stand out too much. Don’t you have some sort of perception-blocking magic?”
“Hah! Why would I need such a trivial spell? Watch, behold my invisibility magic!”
He cast a spell, and mana surged from his body.
His form became semi-transparent.
“…I can still see you.”
“What? But the spell succeeded!”
“You’re half-transparent, but visible. Or maybe it’s just me who can see you?”
“Impossible! Why does my magic not work on you at all?!”
It must have been due to the system’s restrictions.
“Well, as long as others can’t see you, that’s good enough. Not bad, considering your power’s been heavily sealed.”
Indeed, the penalties had sealed away most of his strength.
His mana had been reduced to a mere fraction, limiting the spells he could cast and their effectiveness.
“And yet you marvel at this? Hah, your standards are pathetic, human.”
The dragon boasted smugly.
Suho shook his head—then suddenly froze.
He had an idea.
Turning to the semi-transparent dragon, he said:
“Try this. Say, ‘Kuwaaang—!’”
The dragon gave him a blank stare. Suho repeated himself.
“Go on, roar—‘Kuwaaang!’”
“…I don’t know what this is, but I feel like I’m being mocked. Stop this at once!”
“…Figures. I thought maybe, but nope.”
Suho shrugged.
“Well, at least you’re invisible now, so I can bring you along without issue. Let’s go, Balryong.”
He called out the new name he’d given the dragon.
“I told you not to call me that! My name is Balangkar Von—!”
“Too late. We settled it yesterday with the broomstick, remember? Majority vote.”
Suho pointed at the broom leaning against the wall like a third voter.
The dragon—no, Balryong—shut his mouth.
Democracy had won.
***
Later, at the wholesaler’s shop in Dongdaemun’s item district:
“Here, take these vitality waters. Customers love it when you give one as a freebie.”
The elderly shop owner handed Suho a box.
Suho quickly waved his hands.
“Sir, you already gave me a discount, I can’t accept more than this.”
“Bah, don’t mention it. You disappeared for so long I thought your shop closed. Seeing you reminds me of your grandfather—it makes me feel guilty for not visiting sooner. I’m just glad you’re here. Business is good, so come by often.”
This wholesaler had been tied to Suho’s family since his grandfather’s time.
Though he hadn’t visited in a while, the welcome was warmer than expected.
Suho felt the kindness deeply.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll work hard to sell a lot of your goods.”
“Ha, at my age, I don’t care much about selling more or less. But do your best for your grandfather’s sake.”
“Yes, I will. Please stay healthy.”
“Go on now, go on. Oh, and…”
Suho stopped at the door.
“Watch yourself. Pickpockets are running wild these days. Word is there’s even a bounty out for one of them, but no one’s caught him yet.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Suho bowed and stepped out of the shop.
“Hmph. That old man sure talks a lot for someone who only sells trinkets. And that so-called vitality water—there’s barely any mana in it, is it just flavored water?”
Suho shot Balryong a cold glare.
Vitality water was a stamina potion infused with trace mana.
It wasn’t powerful, but it did help restore stamina, and worked well as a customer freebie.
‘That brat’s nasty mouth again.’
One deep conversation wasn’t nearly enough.
When they got back, he’d make sure the broom drill-sergeant gave the dragon another “lesson.”
Sensing Suho’s glare, Balryong quickly added:
“B-but, I suppose he did mean well. That old man isn’t so bad.”
“…Right.”
Suho shook his head and moved into a quiet alley to store his purchased goods in the dimensional pouch.
“This thing is incredible. Don’t know how I lived without it.”
He could hardly imagine going back to life without it now.
“Where to next?”
“We need to buy food for the dwarves.”
He also planned to pick up cement and other construction materials.
Dongdaemun had once been destroyed in a dungeon break, but the Association had rebuilt it.
Over time, the area became the item district, and now it was the logistics hub of all Korea.
Suho left the item street and headed into the food market street.
Some stalls even sold monster meat, so it was close to the item district.
“Now, which supplier should I choose?”
He needed to think carefully.
For the future, choosing the right supplier was crucial, since trade volumes would only increase.
‘I’ll just walk around and compare a bit.’
As he went down the street, about halfway along—
“Someone is approaching.”
Balryong’s whisper matched the tingling of Suho’s senses.
Someone was following him.
***
‘Heh, these fools.’
Kim Sutaek sneered at the cautious pedestrians.
The rumors about pickpockets must have spread—everyone was clutching their wallets and pockets.
‘Think hiding them will stop me?’
A three-time convicted thief, Kim Sutaek had recently experienced his great awakening.
His class: Pickpocket.
A perfect fit for his former profession.
But he hadn’t registered as a Hunter—he had no intention of risking his life fighting monsters.
“Why risk my neck when I can just steal whatever I want?”
Instead, he decided to lean into his specialty.
Pickpocketing.
And it wasn’t a reckless decision, either.
“Thanks to my unique skill, I even got an expansion stat…”
He’d gained [Fingertip Sense], a stat perfect for his class.
It even started at level 5.
On top of that, he had [Stash], a spatial sub-dimension about the size of a car trunk.
Anything he stole could be instantly hidden inside.
Once stored, it was essentially impossible to recover—perfect for a thief.
With such ideal conditions, Kim Sutaek brimmed with confidence.
Not even the Association or the government could catch him now.
“So… who should I rob today?”
He scanned the crowd.
“That guy’s broke. That one too. Hmm… oh? That bracelet looks valuable.”
His eyes locked onto a target.
The man didn’t look like much, but the bracelet on his wrist gleamed with wealth.
“Perfect. Today’s prize.”
He smirked wickedly and followed his prey.
Soon he was right behind him.
‘I’ll just slip that bracelet off nice and easy.;
Removing jewelry without the wearer noticing—most thieves couldn’t pull it off, but with [Fingertip Sense], Kim Sutaek could.
He carefully reached out.
His fingers moved with perfect precision.
Just as they brushed the bracelet—
Snap!
The prey suddenly seized his wrist.
“W-what?! How?!”
Kim Sutaek stammered in shock.
The prey—Suho—looked at him with the eyes of a hunter and said:
“So you’re the pickpocket.”