Chapter 1: Birth of Little Dragon (1)

Progressive lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, was a death sentence handed to Lee Wonjun at age twenty-five.

All his savings, which he had diligently accumulated despite being orphaned from a young age, and his youthful body with so much potential were taken away by this single disease.

Four years after receiving the diagnosis, twenty-nine-year-old Lee Wonjun was left with only his emaciated frame and a basic cell phone no bigger than his palm.

This is all I have…

With his weakening body, there wasn’t much he could do. Eventually, even breathing would become impossible for him. The only thing within his power was staring at his cell phone, which connected him to both himself and the world outside, serving as his sole source of entertainment. This remained true until the very brink of death.

Huff, huff.

Despite barely being able to breathe with his oxygen mask on, he still held onto his cell phone tightly with one hand.

Huff, huff.

As death approached, Lee Wonjun had only one thought:

I won’t get to see how it ends…

He’d trembled every day in fear of death’s sudden arrival, but when it finally came knocking at his door, Lee Wonjun felt strangely calm. However…

His sole regret was not being able to witness the conclusion of the webtoon that brought him so much joy during his final days.

Huff, huff.

A dark shadow fell over Lee Wonjun’s eyes as he clutched his phone.

And then…

Beeeeep!

The sound signaling cardiac arrest echoed, and the phone slipped from his grip.

Yes… That’s definitely how I died…

Lee Wonjun—no, now known as Louis—studied his reflection in the mirror.

He appeared to be less than twelve inches tall with a white body covered in shimmering scales and adorned with delicate wings on his back. His eyes were like deep purple jewels, and between slightly parted lips peeked out a thick tongue tinted dark pink.

“Kreeeee…”

Apart from occasionally chirping involuntarily like a baby chick, he resembled a winged lizard perfectly. There was only one creature that matched this description in his memory.

“A dragon, huh…?”

Dragons frequently appeared in various forms of media such as books, movies, comics, and games, all products of human imagination.

After his life as Lee Wonjun ended and he was reborn anew, Louis had become a dragon.

He stared at his hands.

“Graah…”

Four short stubby fingers with white scales covering his entire arm—it was unmistakably different from his human hands of the past.

I thought I’d faint when it first happened…

The shock upon seeing himself in the mirror on that first day… At first, he tried denying reality, but after agonizing over it for several days, he eventually accepted his new existence as this lizard resembling a white rabbit. Once he embraced his situation fully, the world appeared entirely different to him.

Reincarnated as a freaking dragon!

Fantasy novel readers often joked about how they wouldn’t bat an eye even if they suddenly saw status windows or monsters pouring out of gates. That’s exactly how Louis felt now.

Just as Louis could now see his status window with a mere thought and wouldn’t be surprised if monsters suddenly poured out of a gate before him, he was able to fully accept his current situation without hesitation.

It’s not bad.

No, it wasn’t just “not bad.” He felt like dancing for joy every day.

I’m a dragon… A dragon, I tell you!

Before his death, Louis had spent most of his free time reading various fantasy novels and manga. In all those stories, there were no weak dragons. From birth, they were considered the strongest creatures around. There was absolutely nothing to complain about being reborn as one.

And what pleased Louis more than anything else…

A dragon’s average lifespan is ten thousand years!

The longevity of dragons was truly remarkable. His teenage years had been unfortunate, and much of his twenties had been spent bedridden.

In his previous life, Louis had to work from a young age just to survive and died prematurely due to illness at an age when he should’ve been enjoying life. But things were different now. A dragon’s lifespan was incomparably longer than that of humans’, and they grew stronger with each passing year.

Not to mention wealth and honor come as bonuses!

For someone who’d lived on borrowed time in his past life, being reborn as a dragon, with its inherent longevity and good health, felt like receiving the greatest gift ever. The thought brought a smile to his face.

“Skreeee! …Damn it, why do I keep making these squeaking noises?”

The only inconvenience about being reincarnated as a dragon was this involuntary screeching sound. Of course, Louis considered it a minor drawback compared to all the perks.

“Yes! I’m a dragon now!”

As Louis continued to giggle,

“What’s got you so happy, Louis?” someone reached under his armpits and lifted him up.

It was a man with black hair who spoke softly.

“Well then, let’s go eat.”

Thud.

Without regard for Louis’s wishes, he started moving, carrying Louis along. Having experienced this more than once before, Louis obediently allowed himself to be carried.

Soon, Louis, wearing a bib made for hatchlings, stared at the monstrous pink creature on the dining table.

Twitch… Twitch…

The creature writhed helplessly on the plate, three times larger than Louis.

Twitch…

“…”

“What’s wrong? Are you not hungry? It tastes best when it’s fresh. Hurry up.”

Feeling the warmth of Louis’s affectionate gaze and tone, Louis sighed and reached out to the creature.

Squish.

He touched its translucent jelly-like flesh, naturally tore off a chunk, and brought it up to his mouth.

Munch, munch.

Hmm… It tastes like strawberries today.

The pink-colored creature was a slime found only in tropical regions, considered gourmet fare for dragons. Initially, Louis had been repulsed by it, but he’d gotten over that feeling long ago.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? And now I’m a dragon, so I should eat like one.

Chomp, chomp.

As Louis stuffed his cheeks with slime, the soft texture and sweet juices filled his mouth.

And it’s delicious to boot.

Meanwhile, Louis eagerly devoured his new dragon formula as he sat propped up at the dining table.

“Ha-ha-ha! Do you like it? There’s plenty more where that came from.”

Louis spotted the man sitting across from him with his chin resting on the table. He was the one who had brought Louis here earlier. With black hair and eyes, he gazed warmly at Louis as if looking at something precious.

Oh, geez… I’m trying to eat.

Despite feeling overly scrutinized, Louis tried to ignore the intense gaze and focus on eating. However, unable to stand it any longer, he eventually spoke up.

“Father, your stare is making me uncomfortable. Please refrain.”

The man’s face turned pale at Louis’s dramatic tone reminiscent of a historical drama.

“Louis! Where did you pick up such weird speech?!”

“…From books.”

“I’ll have to burn every single one of those damn things! And what do you mean ‘father’?! Call me Dad. Da-dad—Daaaad!”

Louis stared blankly as his father exploded before him, but that didn’t stop him from shoving more slime into his mouth.

This… No, this is my father?

On the first day of Louis’s rebirth, when he emerged from his egg, someone had picked him up and held him close.

I initially thought he was some kind of giant, but…

He wasn’t a giant; rather, Louis himself had simply become incredibly tiny.

The one Louis had mistaken for a giant was none other than his own father.

In other words…

This useless arm is actually a dragon.

Louis’s every action elicited adoring looks from this man. Despite appearing to be quite inept, he too was a dragon.

I guess Mom is on maternity leave?

That was the unique aspect of dragon society Louis discovered upon reincarnation. After giving birth and exhausting their energy reserves, mothers would enter hibernation while fathers took over raising the hatchlings.

Having reached this conclusion, Louis paused. The slime that had once covered the entire dining table had vanished without a trace.

“Urrp!”

“All gone? Would you like more?” His father patted Louis’s head with delight as he watched him burp daintily.

Fwip, fwip.

“A-ah! Stop it!” Louis burst out laughing every time his father’s hand brushed against his head. His wings and tail flapped wildly before going limp.

“No-no-no more, pleeease!”

Louis shook his head vigorously to escape those demonic hands that made him feel utterly helpless.

I can’t control my body whenever this happens!

Every stroke drained all strength from his limbs. Although it felt good at first, he hated being petted because of how awkward it became after a while.

He jerked his head back and leaped off the table, his palm-size wings flapping furiously behind him.

Tak-tak!

Despite their small size, they were still wings, so as Louis plummeted toward the floor, his descent gradually slowed.

The man with black hair, now Louis’s father, watched his son evade his touch and asked, somewhat disappointed, “Where are you off to?”

“The inventory!”

“Want me to take you there?”

“Nope, I can go by myself.” With that brief reply, Louis waved over his shoulder and started walking away on his short legs, taking quick strides. Despite moving them as fast as he could, though, he barely covered ten meters.

“My legs are too short…” The problem was his stride length due to his extremely tiny limbs.

Haaah… At this rate, when will I ever get there?

Louis sighed internally before leaping into the air, flapping his delicate wings rapidly.

Flap, flap!

After flying about ten feet, Louis landed and started moving his legs again.

Flap, flap, flap.

With each small flutter of wings came a three-foot leap forward, propelling him steadily ahead.

I’ll be there soon at this rate!

This was the unique mode of transportation Louis had developed over the past month since his rebirth, as he still couldn’t fly properly.

Eventually, Louis arrived at a large stone door.

“Since it was storage room number three yesterday… Today must be here!” Despite its unremarkable appearance, Louis’s eyes sparkled like stars twinkling in the night sky as he gazed upon the stone door.

“This is definitely my favorite time.” If asked to name his happiest moments since being reincarnated, this would undoubtedly top the list.

Louis approached the stone door and stretched out his delicate arm to push it open.

Creeeeeeeak.

The massive stone door easily swung inward.

Then…

Shiiing!

Golden light illuminated Louis’s pale face. He grinned widely at the sight of mountains of gold coins piled high within the room. Without hesitation, he charged toward them.

Flap, flap!

His small wings flapped vigorously twice.

Plop!

His tiny white body disappeared under the golden waves. After some time, Louis’s little head reemerged, shaking off the gold.

Splash!

He then started swimming through the mountain of gold, doing freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, etc. With short limbs furiously moving, Louis finished with a backstroke.

Louis then flipped onto his back and gazed up at the high ceiling with a goofy grin that he couldn’t suppress no matter how hard he tried.

How much is all this worth?

In his previous life, how long would it have taken him to accumulate such wealth? A hundred years? Two or three hundred? It was impossible to say for sure. Back then, Louis had been preoccupied with making ends meet day by day, barely managing to save any money at all. Even those meager savings could easily vanish like dust in the wind.

But things were different now.

“Whee!” Unable to contain his overwhelming emotions, Louis let out a joyful exclamation, one he’d always wanted to shout in his past life—a phrase he could repeat endlessly without ever tiring of it:

“I’m richhh!”

Unlike before, Louis found himself starting his second life far ahead of others from the very beginning.