I could feel the enormous presence inside the iron cage approaching me.

Its size was such that you’d expect the ground to shake, yet there was no sound at all.

The shadow slowly loomed closer.

A tense moment.

Beyond the bars of the cage, I could make out a human figure.

Finally, I could see it with my own eyes.

A woman with long, jet-black hair.

Her skin was pale, like snow, and her eyes glowed crimson, like rubies.

She was dressed in an elegant gown and exuded an air of allure.

As I stared at her in a daze, she smiled, waved her hand, and the cage vanished.

No, it disintegrated into dust.

I was so startled by the sight that I couldn’t say a word, my body trembling uncontrollably as she approached me, raising her hand again.

Just as I clenched my eyes shut in fear—

“Child, don’t be afraid. I mean you no harm.”

Her voice was soft, and her hand gently patted my head, warm and comforting.

I opened my eyes to see her smiling at me.

“Thanks to you, I’ve been freed from my seal. Thank you. Ah, I haven’t introduced myself. I am the Dragon Queen, Ernia.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a flood of blue windows filled my vision.

[You have freed the Dragon Queen Ernia from her seal.]
Reputation +100,000 points earned.

[You are the first traveler to encounter the Dragon Queen Ernia.]
Reputation +100,000 points earned.

Beginner Tip: The higher your reputation, the better relationships you can build with the inhabitants of this world, and you can purchase items from the reputation shop.

I had no idea what that meant.

More importantly, there was something I was curious about.

It didn’t take long for the thoughts swirling in my head to spill from my mouth.

“Ernia? If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask why you were sealed?”

For a moment, her expression darkened, but she quickly smiled again, saying she would tell me when the time was right. She then asked for my name.

“Child, could you tell me your name?”

“My name is Yuna.”

“Yuna, what a fitting name for you, child.”

Something appeared and vanished in an instant.

I could’ve sworn I saw my name in blue letters, but maybe it was just my imagination.

When I looked back at Ernia, I saw she was holding something.

She handed it to me.

It was round, resembling something meant to hold an egg.

[Incubator]
Can hatch any kind of egg.

“This is a gift. With this, you can hatch the egg you possess, Yuna.”

“How did you know I had an egg!?”

“There are ways to know,” she said with a bright smile, though her expression quickly turned sorrowful.

“I’d love to take you with me, but you can’t leave this area just yet.”

Beginners cannot leave the starting town, ‘Cradle,’ until they reach a certain level.

“When the time comes, I’ll come for you. Until then, take care, my little one.”

With those parting words, a strong wind blew, and when I opened my eyes again, my surroundings had changed.

A moment ago, I had been inside the cave, but now I was standing alone in the middle of a field.

The sun was setting, casting the sky in a red glow.

Had it all been a dream? But the incubator in my hand proved it wasn’t.

And then, another notification appeared before me.

[You are the first human to survive an encounter with the Dragon Queen Ernia.]
Reputation +100,000 points earned.

[You have received the Mark of Ernia!]

Wait, first? Does that mean no one else…?

And what exactly is this Mark?

I couldn’t wrap my head around everything that had just happened.

But there was something more pressing right now.

I set aside my thoughts for a moment and looked at the incubator in my hand.

With this, I could hatch the egg.

I pulled the egg from my inventory.

[??? Egg]
An unknown egg.

As soon as I placed the egg in the incubator, a notification popped up.

[It will hatch in 72 hours.]

Three days!? That’s a long time.

I worried if I had to keep holding it, but fortunately, I could put it back into my inventory without any issues.

Just as I was about to head back to the village since it was getting late, I encountered goblins.

Not just one or two—but an entire tribe.

Dozens of goblins were staring at me.

I was so panicked I couldn’t even think to pull out my staff. I just stood there, trembling in fear.

“Kuruk! Young human! Kuruk! Follow us!”

“Kuruk! Young human! Kuruk! Do not be afraid!”

Goblins… that could speak?

And they were trying to calm me down…?

With shaky steps, I followed the goblins and soon saw a small village in the distance.

It appeared to be a goblin village.

But wait—are they going to do something strange to me!?

I’ve read about this in manga—goblins are supposed to be lustful monsters!

Humans captured by goblins always end up…!

“Kuruk! Young human! Kuruk! Drink this!”

As soon as I entered the village, they handed me some water.

There’s no weird drug in this, is there…?

Oh, it’s actually delicious.

“Kuruk! Young human! Kuruk! If you keep walking this way, you’ll see the human village!”

“Kuruk! Be careful, young human! Kuruk! Many dangerous creatures roam at night!”

The goblins looked at me with concern and handed me an item.

[Goblin Tribe Token]
While holding this token, monsters will not attack you for a limited time.

“Th-thank you…?”

“Kuruk! Safe travels, young human! Kuruk! But I have a request!”

[Quest: Find the missing young goblin of the Goblin Tribe]
One of the young goblins has gone missing. Either bring them back or deliver a token to the tribe.

Reward: ???

Wait… Could it be…?

With trembling hands, I took out an item from my inventory.

[Goblin Necklace]
It’s old and shabby, but seems to have a story behind it.

When I handed the necklace to the goblin, its expression became sorrowful.

“Kuruk! Has the young one returned to the embrace of nature!”

“I-I…”

“Kuruk! It’s alright, young human! Kuruk! There’s no need to console me, kuruk! But thank you! Kuruk! Take this as well!”

[Goblin’s Spellbook]
You can acquire a random skill.

After giving me the spellbook, the goblin pressed the necklace, revealing a small photograph.

It was a picture of the goblins together.

“Kuruk! A human mage took this picture of our tribe a long time ago!”

“...”

“Kuruk! If I ever find the one who hurt that young one, I will not forgive them!”

I couldn’t say a word.

I left the goblin village, clutching the tribe's token as I walked along the road. In the distance, I saw a slime.

Surely slimes don’t have families too, right?

When I approached the slime, it just stared at me because of the token, not attacking.

“D-do you have a family too?”

“...”

There was no answer.

From now on, I should ask monsters about their families before hunting them.

I passed the slime and kept walking until I saw the entrance to the starting village in the distance.

The place was bustling with people, moving hurriedly.

What’s going on?

Everyone was armed and moving in perfect coordination.

As I got closer, a guard spotted me and shouted.

“She’s back!!”

At his shout, everyone stopped and turned to look at me, relief washing over their faces.

What’s happening?

At that moment, Belle ran out from the crowd, not wearing her usual white apron, but dressed in what looked like a mage’s robe.

She rushed over to me, and as soon as she hugged me—

Something felt wrong.

Belle looked at me with shock on her face.

“What… what is this…?”

Yuna hadn’t returned, even though it was late.

Just as I began to think it was strange, I felt an ominous presence.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Charles appeared, pale-faced.

“D-did you feel that!?”

“I felt it. I was hoping it was just my imagination, but it’s not.”

“I’m declaring an emergency. But where is Yuna?”

“She hasn’t returned yet… Don’t tell me…”

“Damn it! I’ll gather the others as quickly as possible and start a search!”

They gathered the village’s forces and were about to set off in the direction of the ominous presence when they heard a shout.

“She’s back!!”

Hearing that voice, I ran out in a hurry and saw Yuna.

She looked completely fine, as if nothing had happened, and I sighed in relief.

But something was wrong.

As I hugged her, I felt the aura of a dragon.

Something has definitely gone wrong.

Yuna has become a target of a dragon.

To dragons, humans are nothing but toys for their amusement.

Once they’re done, they erase all traces of their involvement and return to their lairs.

There’s only one way to save Yuna now.

Master, I’m sorry.

I swore I’d never take another disciple, but I can’t keep that promise.