Chapter 1: Where Am I?

The Cataclysm.

It began abruptly.

Dungeons appeared on Earth, and monsters invaded.

If humanity stood idly by, it might face extinction.

In this dire situation, the heavens did not abandon humanity.

「You have Awakened as a Superhuman.」

Superhumans who shoot fire from their hands, freeze the earth, and cleave mountains with swords.

Humanity gained the power to counter the monster invasion, reclaiming its former glory.

The world transformed into one for superhumans, by superhumans, and of superhumans.

And so, the Era of Superhumans began.

“I want to become a superhuman too.”

***

Park Seojun, a 22-year-old aspiring superhuman.

Since childhood, Seojun’s dream was to become a superhuman.

Why?

Because awakening as a superhuman could instantly flip one’s social status.

‘The only way to escape a dirt-poor life is to awaken as a superhuman.’

Seojun was born into abject poverty.

A rooftop room in a slum.

A household where even a single meal of instant noodles a day was a luxury.

Going hungry was a fact of life from a young age.

Things had improved slightly now, but his childhood experiences left him thirsting for success.

「You have Awakened.」

“Huh?”

A sudden message appeared before his eyes.

Awakenings typically came without warning like this.

“F-For real?”

Seojun rubbed his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart.

「You have Awakened.」

It wasn’t a mistake.

The system message still hovered in front of him.

“WOOOAH!!! I’ve awakened! I’ve AWAKENED!!”

Seojun raised his arms and shouted in triumph.

Having awakened later than others, his joy was amplified.

“What’s my trait?”

After trembling with excitement, Seojun calmed himself.

With a pounding heart, he checked his status window.

The strength of a generally depended on the Rank and type of trait they received.

Becoming a superhuman meant never starving again, but achieving widely recognized success was another matter entirely.

“Rank A… no, even Rank B would do. At least Rank C with a combat trait.”

If he could get at least a mainstream Rank C trait, it might not be monumental success, but it would be enough to make others envious.

With nervous anticipation, he checked his trait.

[EX] Dragon’s Oath

“Huh?”

At first, he thought he misread it.

“E-EX Rank?”

An unheard-of Rank was displayed on Seojun’s status window.

“I thought SSS was the highest Rank.”

What was going on?

Seojun blinked in confusion.

“Let’s check the details first.”

[EX] Oath of the Dragon

–You can form a contract with a dragon.

“…!”

Good heavens!

The moment he read the trait’s description, Seojun realized he’d hit the jackpot.

A dragon!

The mightiest creature in existence.

There’s a saying that even if all the superhumans in the world teamed up, they could never defeat an Ancient Dragon.

That’s how overwhelmingly powerful dragons are.

And to think I could form a contract with such a dragon!

“Hahahahaha!”

Seojun’s laughter burst out once again.

With this trait, he could become the greatest superhuman in the world!

In Seojun’s mind, he pictured all the superhumans looking up to him in awe.

A path paved with power, wealth, and fame unfolded before his eyes.

…Wait, hold on a second.

“How do I… make a contract with a dragon?”

Come to think of it, he had no idea how to even meet a dragon.

“Damn it.”

This…

Feels like it’s gone completely wrong.

***

「SuperNet」

A system community accessible to any awakened superhuman.

Just like summoning a status window, when Seojun thought of SuperNet, it appeared before his eyes.

With hollow eyes, I searched for “dragon” on SuperNet.

……….

Post Title: Just How Strong Are Dragons?

Content: Traces of a dragon were first discovered in the Abyss Tower. According to the records left there, a dragon, even just reaching adulthood, is a hyper-intelligent magical creature capable of wielding 10th-tier magic…

-So, how strong are dragons, exactly?

└ They’re insanely strong, that’s what.

└ Has any superhuman actually seen a dragon?

└ Probably not. You only ever find traces of them in places like ancient temples or the Abyss Tower.

………

“Hmph!”

As expected.

I searched through other posts multiple times, but not a single superhuman had ever actually seen a dragon.

-Where should I go to meet a dragon?

I even tried posting a question myself.

But the replies were:

……….

└ You can meet one in your dreams.

└ Go beg at the Dream Demon Palace. Ask them to make a dragon appear in your dreams.

└ Or try the Valley of Wyrms. It’s crawling with wyverns, so if you’re lucky, you might find a dragon’s trace?

└ OP sounds like a total newbie who just awakened lol, these comments are too harsh haha.

……….

Every single reply was utterly useless.

“Argh!”

I searched for something else.

「Search: EX-Rank Trait」

Whether EX-Rank traits actually existed.

I didn’t have high hopes.

Since I’d never heard of them before, I assumed they didn’t exist.

……….

Post Title: When Will a Superhuman with an EX-Rank Trait Appear?

Content: Examining the records found in the Abyss Tower, it’s clear that there’s an EX Rank above SSS-Rank. According to the records, a superhuman with an EX-Rank trait would have the power to dominate an entire era…

-Wait, does EX-Rank actually exist? I thought it was just some rumor floating around.

└ Huh? There’s a rumor like that? This is the first I’m hearing about EX-Rank.

└ Yeah, among high-ranking superhumans, there’s been talk. They say if an EX-Rank superhuman appears, you either recruit them immediately or nip them in the bud.

└ Damn, that’s intense lol. Though, considering they’ve kidnapped SSS-Rank awakeners before…

└ Seeing these comments, even awakening with an EX-Rank trait doesn’t sound like a peaceful life.

└ Ugh, I wouldn’t care about the hassle if I had an EX-Rank trait.

└ Same lol.

……….

“What? EX-Rank is actually a real thing?”

Surprised, I kept reading through the comments.

They were all filled with envy for EX-Rank traits and curiosity about what kind of abilities they might have.

“Sigh. I want to post that it’s a completely useless, shitty trait.”

If I had gotten something like an F-Rank ore mining trait, I could’ve at least worked as a magic stone miner.

But what even is this?

Without a way to meet a dragon, EX-Rank or whatever didn’t matter at all.

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy.”

Realizing my life plan had gone completely off the rails, I collapsed onto my bed.

I didn’t want to do anything.

A wave of lethargy washed over me.

I hadn’t eaten all day, but I wasn’t even hungry.

“I just want to sleep forever.”

My mind grew hazy.

As sleep began to take over—

「You have received the Call of the Dragon.」

「Will you respond to the summons?」

What the heck?

Is this a dream?

In my hazy consciousness, I mumbled a response.

「You have answered the summons. You will be transported to the Dragon’s Lair.」

Whoosh!

With a blinding flash of light.

Nothing remained on the bed where Seojun had been lying.

***

Drip!

The sound of water dripping from the ceiling.

“Hmm?”

I rubbed my eyes and got up from the ground.

All I could see in front of me was stone and dirt.

Wasn’t I just lying in bed?

My mind snapped awake.

“Could I have been kidnapped?”

Why? Because I possess an EX-Rank ability?

My face paled as I shot up from the ground.

“My body seems fine.”

I let out a small sigh of relief, confirming there was nothing wrong with me physically.

“Calm down. There’s a saying that even if you end up in a dragon’s lair, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.”

I swallowed hard and surveyed my surroundings.

The floor was dirt, and the walls and ceiling were made of rock, forming a cave-like passage.

Countless glowing stones embedded in the ceiling cast a soft light, scattering like stars.

It was as beautiful as looking at a galaxy.

But I sensed an artificial touch in it.

“This isn’t a natural cave.”

I hurriedly looked for an exit, but none was in sight.

I ran blindly in the direction where an exit might be, only to hit a dead-end wall.

I turned back and tried the opposite direction.

Go to the Dream Demon and ask for a favor.

Tell them to make a dragon appear in your dream.

Or maybe visit the Dragon Valley. It’s crawling with wyverns, but if you’re lucky, you might find traces of a dragon.

The poster sounds like a freshly awakened newbie, and these comments are too much lol.

Every single reply was utterly useless.

“Argh!”

Garbage comments.

Could the situation I’m in now be related to that sound I heard?

It was just a hunch, but I had a strong gut feeling that it was connected.

“Should I ask on SuperNet?”

There was nothing on SuperNet about this phenomenon.

But posting about it felt risky.

The possibility that my location could be traced.

The chance that my EX-Rank ability might be exposed. I still didn’t have the strength to protect myself.

“Let’s keep that as a last resort.”

For now, I might find a way out if I explore this place a bit more.

I cautiously moved forward again.

A few minutes later.

“Huh?”

A brighter light shone from up ahead.

“The outside!”

I rushed toward it with high hopes.

…!

I froze in place.

A massive cavern the size of a stadium.

A glowing stone embedded in the ceiling shone as brightly as the sun.

Overwhelmed by its grandeur, I stared blankly at the cavern.

“No way.”

Is this really a cave?

My eyes began to tremble with unease.

Am I going to die here?

Anxiously, I scanned the inside of the cavern.

In the center, tall, reed-like grass grew in abundance.

Several passages branched off from the walls.

“There might be an exit among them.”

I ran toward the nearest passage.

Thud!

“Argh!”

A sharp pain shot through my head as I fell backward.

“This passage is only accessible to or .”

“What? What does that mean?”

Even through the throbbing pain, my eyes locked onto the word floating in front of me.

“What dragons… Could this actually be a dragon’s lair?”

I sprang to my feet and scanned the cavern again.

A space large enough for a colossal beast to reside in.

Yeah, only a creature like a dragon, whose body could easily exceed a hundred meters even as a young adult, would fit in a place like this.

“Seriously?”

A dragon?

I felt my lifeless heart start to beat again.

“That’s right. I remember now.”

The sound I heard just before falling asleep.

“I receive the call of the dragon.”

「Will you respond to the summons?」

It was unmistakably a dragon.

“My God!”

All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

The EX rank wasn’t just an EX rank in name.

It truly connected me to a contract with a dragon.

“I’m sorry for cursing you, EX Trait.”

Dopamine surged wildly in my brain.

It felt like winning a lottery ticket, having it canceled, and then winning it again.

This rollercoaster of emotions, swinging between heaven and hell, was so dynamic it was hard to put into words.

“Where’s the dragon?”

The moment I turned my head to scan the cavern again—

Ziiing—Paaahhh!!

A pillar of light burst forth from among the grass growing in the center of the cavern.

I instinctively knew.

That’s it!

Da-da-da-da-da.

I ran frantically toward the center.

As I got closer, what I thought was reed-like grass turned out to be layers upon layers of enormous fur.

A thick pile of fur, as if I had stepped into a jungle.

And in the middle of it, a glowing oval object.

It was an “egg” as large as my upper body.

“Gasp!”

Overwhelmed by the mystical aura emanating from the massive egg, my jaw dropped.

A message appeared before my eyes.

“You have discovered a dragon egg.”

「Would you like to proceed with the for this egg?」

My God!

This place was truly a dragon’s lair.