Chapter 3: The Birth of Little Dragon (3)

The Wild Dragon Genelocer—a villain who destroyed half of the Howard Empire before being killed by the protagonist in the original story.

And now Louis discovered that this very same Wild Dragon was his father.

Louis struggled to maintain consciousness as he mentally screamed at the author:

Hey, you piece of crap writer!

Before dying, Louis had been reading a webtoon published on a personal blog rather than through an official platform. He stumbled upon it while browsing the internet for something new to read.

The storyline itself was excellent and without fault. However, there was one major issue:

Did the artist draw these with their feet?!

The illustrations looked like they were hastily scribbled using a drawing tablet. Particularly absurd was Genelocer’s appearance, staring blankly as if utterly confused.

Is that Genelocer really supposed to be Genelocer?

In the original webtoon, there was indeed a humanoid appearance of Genelocer. However, it would have been questionable if anyone could recognize them as the same character when comparing the illustrations side by side with the real-life version standing beside Louis now.

This was precisely why Louis initially failed to identify Genelocer.

With such a face, like someone ready to slap actors around… who thought drawing him as a squid was appropriate?!

If Genelocer hadn’t revealed his name and Louis hadn’t remembered various geographical locations from the continent, he might have spent his entire life believing he had reincarnated as a dragon.

Sigh…

Louis let out a long sigh.

“Is something wrong, Louis?”

The overly warm tone of Genelocer’s voice triggered a thought in Louis’s mind:

How can such a kind father be known as the Wild Dragon?

In the original story, Genelocer was like an avatar of wrath itself. He annihilated everything that stood in his path, and his fury intensified whenever he encountered humans. With this knowledge, Louis became lost in thought.

What triggered Genelocer’s transformation into the Wild Dragon again?

There had to be a specific incident mentioned in the webtoon. Louis focused on recalling memories from his past life. Suddenly, he experienced something extraordinary.

Huh?

Despite having read the webtoon quite some time ago in his previous life, its contents started vividly emerging in his mind: images, dialogues, everything.

Is this also due to the dragon enhancement?

Louis couldn’t explain the phenomenon or its underlying principle, but there seemed no other explanation than it being another ability of the dragon. He marveled at the astonishing power of the dragon once more.

In any case, it was all for the best. Louis focused on recalling information from the webtoon.

So Genelocer is…

In the original story, Genelocer served as both the goal and motivation for the protagonist and his companions. The insane dragon had destroyed countless cities across the Empire and Kingdom. Later, the hero, who would eventually be known as the Dragon Slayer, and his allies banded together with one purpose: to avenge their hometowns and families that were decimated by Genelocer.

Louis slowly retraced the plot of the original work. Soon, images and dialogues from the first chapter popped back into his mind.

The story begins when the protagonist leaves his village, reduced to ashes, right?

It quickly skipped through the scene where Genelocer razed the village. Then came the protagonist vowing revenge amid the burning ruins.

In other words, the original story began only after Genelocer transformed into the Wild Dragon. This realization made Louis even more incredulous.

“Louis?”

“…”

Look at those warm eyes focused on him. How could someone with such gentle and kind eyes be the Wild Dragon? Based on this observation, Louis formed a hypothesis:

This must be before Genelocer—no, my father—became the Wild Dragon.

It was almost laughable to call it a mere hypothesis. Otherwise, there would be no way for Genelocer to leisurely raise his child here. By the time the original narrative unfolded, he should have been wreaking havoc somewhere else.

With that thought, Louis’s expression turned cautious.

How intriguing.

In most books or webtoons featuring reincarnation, the protagonist typically entered the story right as it began.

But wasn’t he possessing Genelocer’s child before the original story even began?

Is something wrong with my son?

Seeing the concerned look on Genelocer’s face, Louis bit his lip. He went back to square one and pondered his initial question once more.

Let me think… Why did Genelocer—no, my father become the Wild Dragon again? Wait!

As Louis struggled to remember, snippets of dialogue from the original work flashed through his mind:

—“All of you… I’ll kill every last one!”

—“I will appease that child’s spirit with the blood and souls of thousands, tens of thousands of humans.”

—“If it means comforting the child who lost her life due to your arrogance, I would bathe the entire continent in blood!”

In the original story, Genelocer had indeed screamed these words. Recalling them triggered a flood of memories in Louis’s mind.

That’s right! Genelocer mentioned losing his hatchling to humans.

It was a detail Louis had glossed over when he first read the webtoon. The backstory revealed that Genelocer had a hatchling who was killed by a noble of the Empire.

This drove him insane, but wait… Huh?!

Louis’s eyes widened as he urgently asked Genelocer:

“D-Dad! Do-do I have any older siblings? Like a brother or sister?”

“Siblings? No, you’re our firstborn, my dear Louis.”

“T-Then, do you plan on having more children after me?”

“Nope. Your mother and I agreed to focus on raising just one child well. Besides, it takes time to conceive a baby, and your mother is currently…”

Genelocer looked wistful, perhaps longing for his wife.

However, Louis couldn’t care about that right now. His mind was in utter chaos.

‘W-wait?! If there were no others before or after me, then I…I am Genelocer’s first and last child? Then…then?!’

As his thoughts spiraled, Louis turned pale.

He staggered, looking like he might collapse at any moment.

“My son!”

Genelocer hastily rushed over and scooped up Louis. The soulless Louis felt limp as a waterlogged teddy bear in Genelocer’s arms. Internally, Louis screamed with disbelief.

‘That dying hatchling is actually me?!’

Shocked beyond belief, Louis could only gape.

Indeed, it was the trigger event that set the original story in motion: the death of Louis, who Lee Wonjun had possessed.

A few days later…

Munch, munch.

“I’m full…”

“Don’t you want more?”

“No appetite…”

“Oh dear…”

The Genelocer looked concerned as Louis put down his baby food and trudged back to his room, feeling dejected.

“Is something wrong with him physically?”

Until last week, Louis had been energetic like any other hatchling. But suddenly, he seemed lethargic.

“He’s only one month old but looks like an ancient dragon who has seen it all…”

His melancholic child appeared devoid of motivation or zest for life.

Flap, flap.

Seeing those feeble wing movements, the Genelocer felt even more distressed.

“It’s been a week already… What should I do?”

His son had started acting strangely ever since he asked for his name that day.

“There’s nothing we can do until we find out what’s causing this…”

Genelocer was extremely worried about this inexplicable situation.

“Is it something with his formula? But other dragons feed their young the same way…” As a first-time parent, Genelocer couldn’t help but fret endlessly.

Watching Louis drift farther and farther away, Genelocer made up his mind after seeing how much effort his beloved child put into merely flapping his wings.

“It might be a bit early, but maybe giving him a toy will cheer him up?” With that thought, Genelocer quickly vanished from the dining room.

Meanwhile, Louis returned to his den.

He lay on his stomach in the middle of the room. After trying various positions, he found this to be the most comfortable. With so many thoughts swirling around in his head, at least relaxing physically made things slightly bearable.

However, it wasn’t easy to shake off his gloominess. Louis muttered morosely:

”…How do protagonists in books overcome feelings like these?”

Numerous main characters from novels and comics had been given limited lifespans. They always seemed to brush their predicaments aside effortlessly, but facing such a situation himself, Louis felt utterly hopeless.

His purple eyes appeared vacant as a despondent tone escaped his lips.

“I was thrilled to become a dragon…but I guess it’s just a countdown now.”

His life could end at any moment, both in this and his previous existence. Memories of Louis’s short-lived past flashed through his mind.

What did I do wrong?

He felt utterly cheated.

“What have I done?!” It wasn’t fair.

In both lives, he hadn’t asked for much—just to live each day healthily. But fate seemed determined to deny him even that basic desire.

I’m dying again? Just like this? So meaningless?

Louis squeezed his eyes shut tightly and took deep breaths. As he did, vivid images of countless gold coins filling up his lair flooded his thoughts.

“I haven’t even had a chance to spend all this money…and I’m just going to die?” The illusion of his mountain of gold crumbling like sand shattered before his eyes. A sense of futility spread through Louis’s heart, but amidst it, a small spark of defiance flared up. This tiny ember quickly ignited into a fierce determination, fueling Louis with renewed vigor.

He sprang to his feet and declared resolutely, “Me, dying? No way! Not happening!”

Just as countless protagonists in reincarnation, regression, and rebirth novels defied their doomed fate, so too would he emulate those characters who thrived against all odds.

Why can’t I do the same?

There was no reason for him not to achieve what others could, especially considering that he himself was now inhabiting a character within one such narrative.

“I’ll survive by any means necessary!”

Louis’s eyes, which had been dull and lifeless, suddenly lit up with vigor. A week after realizing his predicament, he experienced this epiphany that spurred him to action.

Revitalized, Louis crawled over to retrieve his sketchbook. He lay on his stomach, spread open its blank pages, and focused on recalling details from the original story.

The year Genelocer first appeared as the Wild Dragon… I need to remember when that was!

If losing his child turned him into the Wild Dragon, logically, it would have happened not long before his transformation. The entire webcomic played rapidly through Louis’s mind until he found the information he needed.

His eyes twinkled, and he quickly jotted something down on the paper.

[Dimensional Year 3589.]

This is it! The year of the Wild Dragon’s first appearance.

The year 3589 would mark Louis turning 499 years old—just one year shy of adulthood for dragons. He surmised that this was when he would meet his demise.

I’ll die between being 498 and 499 years old. Or rather, I’m supposed to.

However, Louis had no intention of going quietly.

I have 499 years left. I must survive at all costs!

If he could endure until then, Louis would receive an immense reward: knowledge of the future.

My mind holds information about events beyond these next 499 years. Having experienced reincarnation, shouldn’t I use this foresight to shake things up?

Louis’s eyes blazed with determination. This revelation added yet another compelling reason for him to survive.